Beikoku Shido-kan Karate-do

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Hi everyone! my friend (who lives in another state) recently left my old dojo as a purple belt. she joined another school with someone who is a 10th dan Beikoku Shido-kan Karate-do. She recently told me that a lot of the things she was taught were wrong. Because i was unsure of whether that was due to a lot of new instructors in my old dojo, her new instructor teaching incorrectly, or just him saying the normal differences between different martial arts were 'wrong' in other styles, so i looked up the style. I wasn't able to find much on it, so is there anyone on here familiar with it who can help me learn about the style?

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Hi everyone! my friend (who lives in another state) recently left my old dojo as a purple belt. she joined another school with someone who is a 10th dan Beikoku Shido-kan Karate-do. She recently told me that a lot of the things she was taught were wrong. Because i was unsure of whether that was due to a lot of new instructors in my old dojo, her new instructor teaching incorrectly, or just him saying the normal differences between different martial arts were 'wrong' in other styles, so i looked up the style. I wasn't able to find much on it, so is there anyone on here familiar with it who can help me learn about the style?

I do not know anything about your current training, and very little about your friend's new style, although it would appear that it is tied somehow to Shorin-Ryu, which is a well-respected and legitimate style.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shōrin-ryū_Shidōkan

It appears that the dojo you are referring to is located in Lansing, Michigan and was established there in the 1970s.

As to whether or not what your friend formerly learned was 'wrong' or 'right', there is no way to judge from your post. Sometimes styles differ but both are equally valid and useful. Sometimes one or both are not very good quality-wise. I cannot know which is which in your description. If you find your training acceptable, then I would say that's what's important.

http://www.ihadojo.com/Origins/index.htm

1976 Seikichi Iha moved dojo to current Lansing location and formed the Beikoku Shido-kan Association. (Formally recognized by Katsuya Miyahira in July 1996.) 14
1978 Katsuya Miyahira received title of 10th Dan, Hanshi on September 2 from the Shorin-ryu Kyokai (Association). 14 Seikichi Iha promoted to 8th Dan, Kyoshi in September. 14
1996 Beikoku Shido-kan Karate-do 20th Anniversary Celebration in East Lansing, Michigan during March. Katsuya Miyahira visited Michigan to participate.
2001 Beikoku Shido-kan Karate-do 25th Anniversary Celebration, East Lansing, Michigan, July.

Seikichi Iha received title of 10th Dan, Hanshi, March 25, from Katsuya Miyahira, President of the Okinawa Shorin-ryu Karate-do Association.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

However, let me add something that might not be taken the right way. I am trying to be both honest and non-judgmental here.

This is supposedly a yon-dan test of Chinto kata for this organization:

Now, our style does not do Chinto like this, but that's OK, lots of styles vary in how they do kata (I do Issin-Ryu).

However... by our standards, this is a mediocre performance at best, and certainly not to black-belt level. I am a mere Ni-Kyu, and that's about my speed right there. No power, no snap, no pop, he lost his balance for crying out loud. Yon-Dan? Oh dear me no.

Now, to be fair, his Kusanku Dai looked much better. And I can't even get down on one knee properly (which we do repeatedly in Kusanku in my style), so I'm not comparing myself to him, he's clearly better than me in this one. But Yon-Dan? Hmmm.

OK, I'm going to stop now. I see this as good karate, but no more. I would expect more from my instructors; those performances would barely be acceptable to my sensei at MY level.

 

[Ray B]

Iha Sensei is one of THE most respected Masters both inside and outside Okinawa.
He was Senior to Miyahira Sensei who was Chibana's most senior student.
Iha got his Shihan licence directly from Chibana.

The video posted was not the best example. Why not go to the source?

Judging from your handle, I would guess that her former school was Kempo. American/Hawaiian based Kempo is
very different from Shorin-ryu so the impression that what she did before could be that it was wrong. This assumption
would occur if she went from Shorin to Kempo too.

As to whether your friend was taught incorrectly, we need to know what she studied and with whom.
Regardless, Iha Sensei would not say it was right or wrong, just different.

 

[Ray B]

Iha Sensei is one of THE most respected Masters both inside and outside Okinawa.
He was Senior to Miyahira Sensei who was Chibana's most senior student.

Sorry, I ment he was Miyahira's most senior student. Oops!

 

[SuperFLY]

Now, to be fair, his Kusanku Dai looked much better. And I can't even get down on one knee properly (which we do repeatedly in Kusanku in my style), so I'm not comparing myself to him, he's clearly better than me in this one. But Yon-Dan? Hmmm.

id like to firstly say id never knock another style of karate or any other martial art, this is more a general statement.

its so strange that when looking at someone doing a kata im very familiar with but with a different styles movements it can look absolutely awful! i was watching that with a scrunched up face thinking 'what on earth is this???' thinking why is he leaning forward sticking his bum out at the start? moves had no power, a lot of movments seemed pointless and throwaway, stances were weak, it didnt flow, movements were /wrong/ but the style is different so as far as i know it could be spot on what he's been taught.

from my shotokan style, kanku dai is very differently executed. solid, powerful, meaningful but thats just my interpretation from how i've been taught it.

as said, im not knocking any other styles, just commenting that watching the same kata from different style can look very weird

 

[Ray B]

first let me say that I do not know the practioner in the video.
I do however know the Organization.

We do not know what went on prior to the kata. For all we know, he may have been on his 4th or 5th hour.
It's easy to make judgments about stuff taken out of context.
I know of Iha Sensei and his contemporaries from the Shido Kan are all well known and respected Masters.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Thank you all for the comments, i'd just like to say one thing. I wasn't asking whether or not my style was wrong, because ive cross trained in a few different styles, and while i know a few things she learned aren't ideal, as far as i can tell they aren't wrong, and none of my teachers of any style have said they are wrong. I posted this more concerned about the new style she's trying than about my main style. Thanks for the feedback, though, i feel more confident shes learning correctly now.