Blue-eared Minnesotan!

[Sileas]

I'm a writing black belt and a .....well, as far as martial arts, I believe I have located and correctly identified my own hands. With a bit of guidance I might be able to figure out which one is the left an---oh. The left is the one I write with.

just looking for advice/double checks on the info I have so far for a story. All I have to go on is AI, which of course is totally trustworthy and I can completely rely on it. Not. Hence me registering here. I'll fish around for the correct area to post my questions and if I can't find anything likely, I'll come back here, but I think I spotted a karate area so I'll just run over there for now.

 

[Prince_Alarming100 36]

Yay, welcome aboard nice to meet you

 

[Sileas]

Thanks very much!

I see there's a karate board but I'm ineligible to post so I'll ask my questions here. I'm writing a surreal story about a guy with memory problems. It's not like traditional Alzheimer's or Parkinson's. It's more like he's getting someone else's memories, and some of those memories, he discovers, are about karate and martial arts in general.

He's got a wife and kids, 2 sons: Rob, about 9 years old, and Seth, not quite 7. Seth sees a competition on TV and says "I wanna do that! I wanna do kung fu!" The dad, the main character, says OH HELL No you're not doing kung fu, young man. You want martial arts, you're doing karate. Then he has to wonder where the hades are these memories coming from....sigh.

In any case, they start scoping out schools. They go through the phone book (outstate New York, here) and web sites and he knows to instinctively rule some out (McDojos) but doesn't know why. What they end up at is a place that does karate, okinawan, shorin-ryu. I did some digging and, yeah, had to rely partly on AI, so I want a check on this info. Here's what I have right now.

AI suggested a small building, probably remodeled from something else like an auto shop. Between me and AI, it's a place run by Kenji and Chiyo Higa, hubby and wife, about 50s, both black belts, moved their dojo from Chicago a little less than 2 years ago and brought as much as they could, including their hardwood floor. AI suggested a thick, old wooden door, and a wooden plaque alongside the door that listed the following info: "Okinawa Shorin-Ryu / Karate-do / Higa Dojo / Kancho Higa Kenji" which is the name of the place, what they teach, and who runs it. There's no computers in there, no neon signs, a paper ledger to track who's there, etc.

and now I'm paranoid that I might not be able to post everything in one post so going to the next one just in case....

 

[Prince_Alarming100 36]

Cool! I wish you the best of luck with your writing endeavours. Quite often the best martial arts teachers, incidentally, charge the least. My first dojo I went to as a teenager literally asked a pound a session, but that was part of the DOE programme.

 

[Sileas]

Right continuing....

The couple who run it have 2 teenage daughters who help out as senior students. There's a sign by the entrance "Please remove your shoes before entering the dojo". There's no loud music, it's very quiet. Maybe a faint smell of clove oil and/or cedarwood. Through a short hallway is the dojo. Hardwood floor, and a few chairs around the outside, 4 or 5 folding chairs. There's a few tools/elements around the sides-- heavy canvas bags full of sawdust/sand on iron chains hanging from a steel beam in ceiling. Chishi (concrete weights on wooden handles), nigiri-game (ceramic jars to improve grip strength), makiwara (wooden planks wrapped in straw rope and bolted to floor). Walls might have a few black and white pictures of old masters, unsmiling. Focal Wall has unvarnished wood plaque with dojo rules on it (dojo kun), and maybe some fresh flowers and/or a picture of an elderly master in gi. Lineage chart is on wall, too, showing this martial art comes from southern china.

I'd like to know if that description seems right, or if there's any element of cliche in there that should be removed. I'm open to quirks being added, something unique to this dojo as long as I understand what it is and why. I want to know if it's reasonable to consider they insist on a small class size, like no more than 12 at a crack, for quality. Would they mix age groups or is it ok to have a 5-10 year age group? Also, what would be covered in the first few lessons for a 6-year-old boy?

The scene I ultimately want to build to is where after a few months Kenji finally asks the main character what he knows, because he's noticed a curious pattern with Seth's knowledge. Some of his forms seem like a typical new 6-year-old, but a few seem like they've received close tutoring by a master between the official lessons. They ultimately end up with the main character changing into a spare gi and then Kenji starts a brief, experimental lesson one evening with this guy, and it gets ......out of this world. Cuz this guy may not be hardened, but he somehow knows this stuff to a high level, and the guy himself doesn't understand how he knows this. He just sits there quietly for a bit, meditating, and seems to become someone, or someTHING, else, and knows this stuff as well as the teacher.

I'm perfectly happy to work this out over the forums, but if you want, I also have what's app and we could connect in real time to help me sort out the details of this. For now I'd just like a check on the rough description of the place and what would Seth learn in the first couple of lessons. Doesn't have to be in extreme detail, just general. I can probably find videos of techniques on youtube.

aaaaand I will shuddup now.

 

[Prince_Alarming100 36]

What you really need in that setting is not a bag but what we call a makiwara. It's kind of a thin plank of wood with a target on it wrapped in rice straw. I don't use one personally because I kept breaking them and my hands. But it's the authentic japanese piece of equipment.

Oop sorry realised you already described it. But you're describing a dream dojo.

 

[Sileas]

Oh! So ditch the bag? Done. Exactly the type of info I'm looking for. So the makiwara fulfills that role. Thank you!

 

[Prince_Alarming100 36]

Also, we don't usually wear gloves when we're sparring because we're supposed to use a certain amount of restraint. But occasionally we get out what we call 'the big boys' which are boxing gloves and absolutely hammer the snot out of each other.

 

[Tony Dismukes160 57]

There's a sign by the entrance "Please remove your shoes before entering the dojo".

Not exactly right here. There may be a sign asking students to remove their shoes before entering the practice area, along with some place to stash said shoes, such as cubbyholes or a bench to place shoes under or a full locker room. (Since most students will change into their gi at the dojo.)

Chishi (concrete weights on wooden handles), nigiri-game (ceramic jars to improve grip strength)

FYI, these particular traditional training tools are rarely found in modern schools in the US. Doesn't mean you shouldn't include them. Just be aware that these are a signal that the instructors are unusually old-school.

moved their dojo from Chicago a little less than 2 years ago and brought as much as they could, including their hardwood floor.

Any remodeling experts can correct me, but tearing up the floor at their old dojo in order to transport the wood to a different city and install it in a completely different space seems unlikely. Not my area of expertise, so I could be wrong.

 

[Prince_Alarming100 36]

If it helps, traditional karate sessions usually follow a set procedure as well. We start off with a conditioning workout that looks like a boot camp workout from the 40s. Then we do kihon, which is basically marching up and down throwing techniques. Then we partner up and do some sparring exercises. Then at the end of the session we run through all our kata. Approaches vary, but that's the rule of thumb.

 

[Prince_Alarming100 36]

The other thing is, we practically worship our uniforms. Call me old fashioned but I like a plain white gi with only the association badge and maybe a style badge. If the dude's memory was fading, he would probably remember the uniform more than anything else.

 

[Prince_Alarming100 36]

Also, you might want to throw in some traditional okinawan weapons. There's a thing called a sai, a big stick and a few other things.

 

[Tony Dismukes160 57]

Speaking of uniforms, another clue regarding the protagonist is that he would instinctively know how to tie his belt without being shown. (Or in terms of the timeline you’ve laid out, he would likely tie his son’s belt for him without being shown.

 

[Prince_Alarming100 36]

True dat, once learned you never forget it. It's also quite a touching moment when you show the new guy how to tie his belt.

 

[Sileas]

Oh wow thanks all! Ok, so here's what I've got:

MAYBE include gloves. Not sure on this place. It sounds like it's kind of up to my discretion. I shall think on it.

Change location of shoe sign! Will do. There will be a locker room--forgot that bit. My notes are stored in two different locations in a very chaotic-looking document at the moment.

So not transporting the floor. If the place has moved from Chicago, what would their floor be? Maybe it could be wood, but it wouldn't show much wear yet, or maybe it could be more modern mats.

Sounds like Seth's first lesson would be on learning some conditioning exercises, then intro to kihon---I'll look that up online, on youtube. Should be quicker than making someone type it out manually. Same for kata. I have a rudimentary understanding of kata. Which one would a 6 year old learn first? (and sparring in there too)

The guy will definitely remember the gi, and probably how to tie the belt as well.

I'll have a look at sai, and probably try searching "okinawan weapons" now that I know it's a thing.

Maybe ditch at least one of either the chishi or nigiri-game. Maybe have one hiding in a corner or maybe toss them completely. I don't want this place to be TOO weird. I'm looking for a "hidden gem" type school, but not something that the police need to watch.

I think that should get me off to a good start. Just need a suggestion on kata and that should be it. Is there a better place for me to post this? I don't seem to have posting permission in the karate section and I don't want to bend rules by posting stuff in the wrong area.

again, thanks all!

 

[Prince_Alarming100 36]

Mats is good. Most karateka won't do sweeps or throws without them these days. I have an opinion about that, but I won't trouble you with it.
The skill of using traditional okinawan weapons is knows as 'kobudo', might help with your googling
If I were you, I'd skip the chishi and the nigiri-game they're very much a niche thing. Traditional karate strength training is knows as 'hojo undo'. Again with the googling.
As for kata, personally I'd go for either kushanku or seishan, they're very typical karate kata.

 

[Tony Dismukes160 57]

So not transporting the floor. If the place has moved from Chicago, what would their floor be? Maybe it could be wood, but it wouldn't show much wear yet, or maybe it could be more modern mats.

Either wood or mats, but the more traditional the instructors, the more likely that it will be a wood floor. (Maybe with some mats available to pull out when they practice takedowns.)

 

[Prince_Alarming100 36]

Which one would a 6 year old learn first?

Pinan nidan. Technically, it's the second kata but beginners usually learn it first.