# Learning first weapons kata in Goju Ryu, just made yellow belt



## PhotonGuy (Sep 1, 2017)

In Goju Ryu I've started learning my first weapons kata, the weapon used in this kata is the jo staff. I made the rank of yellow belt just this past Tuesday which comes right after white belt and so now Im learning a weapons kata. I do find it a bit unusual to learn a weapons kata so early in a Karate style, in some dojos you don't start learning weapons until you at least make 1st Dan and some Karate dojos don't even teach weapons at all but each dojo is different. As a white belt I was introduced to some weapons including the jo although none of the katas I learned at white belt had weapons and none of the katas or techniques needed to advance from white to yellow included weapons. Although this is different, learning weapons so early on, I like it and I like the jo, its a good, practical, and effective weapon to use.


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## Gerry Seymour (Sep 2, 2017)

PhotonGuy said:


> In Goju Ryu I've started learning my first weapons kata, the weapon used in this kata is the jo staff. I made the rank of yellow belt just this past Tuesday which comes right after white belt and so now Im learning a weapons kata. I do find it a bit unusual to learn a weapons kata so early in a Karate style, in some dojos you don't start learning weapons until you at least make 1st Dan and some Karate dojos don't even teach weapons at all but each dojo is different. As a white belt I was introduced to some weapons including the jo although none of the katas I learned at white belt had weapons and none of the katas or techniques needed to advance from white to yellow included weapons. Although this is different, learning weapons so early on, I like it and I like the jo, its a good, practical, and effective weapon to use.


I was looking for a video of this kata, but I can only seem to find the Goju bo kata. Are you aware of a video of the jo kata?


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## PhotonGuy (Sep 2, 2017)

gpseymour said:


> I was looking for a video of this kata, but I can only seem to find the Goju bo kata. Are you aware of a video of the jo kata?



Yes. For a staff to be a bo it would have to be at least 6 feet. If its under 6 feet than its a jo. The particular kata Im learning right now is done with a staff that's 4 to 5 feet in length.


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## Gerry Seymour (Sep 2, 2017)

PhotonGuy said:


> Yes. For a staff to be a bo it would have to be at least 6 feet. If its under 6 feet than its a jo. The particular kata Im learning right now is done with a staff that's 4 to 5 feet in length.


I'm aware of that. I've been looking for good videos of jo kata. Do you know of one for the kata referenced?


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## hoshin1600 (Sep 4, 2017)

What lineage of Goju-ryu are you doing?   Many do not do weapons.


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## Gerry Seymour (Sep 4, 2017)

hoshin1600 said:


> What lineage of Goju-ryu are you doing?   Many do not do weapons.


Who was this directed at, hoshin?


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## hoshin1600 (Sep 4, 2017)

gpseymour said:


> Who was this directed at, hoshin?


The OP photonguy.  His post said, in Goju-ryu he started learning his first weapons kata.  I am curious if he is doing okinawan, Japanese or American Goju-ryu lineage.


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## PhotonGuy (Sep 4, 2017)

The Goju Ryu I train in is of American lineage although my instructor has trained in other styles particularly some Chinese styles which he has incorporated into his art. That's why he teaches weapons such as the KwonDao although I am not yet at the level under him where I would be learning that particular weapon. He also has a background in Shotokan as well as possibly some other Japanese styles. Goju Ryu might generally not use weapons but other styles of Karate do and many of the more famous weapons, such as the nunchaku are weapons that are used in Karate and were derived from farming implements. With my instructor's background in different martial arts he sometimes incorporates stuff from other styles into his Goju Ryu classes such as the weapons training.


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## hoshin1600 (Sep 5, 2017)

gpseymour said:


> I'm aware of that. I've been looking for good videos of jo kata. Do you know of one for the kata referenced?



does your style incorporate the Jo?  if so is it based on Shindo Muso Ryu?


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## Gerry Seymour (Sep 5, 2017)

hoshin1600 said:


> does your style incorporate the Jo?  if so is it based on Shindo Muso Ryu?


Traditionally, NGA only included a club/stick and some very rudimentary nunchaku, both very late in the curriculum. I have removed the nunchaku, and have been working on some staff methods for the last few years, hoping to blend them into the curriculum eventually. What I use is a mix of sources - even I am not sure what all of them were. Some is based on the jo work in Aikido, some bo from different styles of Karate. A little from an FMA instructor, though it looks based on CMA methods. A very mixed bag I'm working with.


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## PhotonGuy (Sep 24, 2017)

Update, I just performed my first weapons kata at a tournament. I used the jo staff.


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## Gerry Seymour (Sep 24, 2017)

PhotonGuy said:


> Update, I just performed my first weapons kata at a tournament. I used the jo staff.


How did it go?


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## PhotonGuy (Sep 24, 2017)

gpseymour said:


> How did it go?



Better than I thought. I scored in the mid 7s which was higher than I thought I would score.


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