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As much as I enjoy seeing this boy technique, talent, balance, tai-sabaki and dedication I'm 100% against awarding shodan to anyone bellow 16. I think that a minimum time in grade is fundamental too. Godan at such early age, IMHO is detrimental to the art. But this boy certainly has a bright future... in fact, he has already a bright present!

loudenvier 1 week ago

@loudenvier I'm not so sure that's a black belt around his waist. Looks more like blue, which can easily look like black in poor lighting or low quality video. Besides in Japan it's commonplace for students to start much earlier, train more frequently, and thus progress faster than Western students. If you're not a shodan by the time you're in high school, you're seen as a slow learner over there.To them shodan is equivalent to a baby that has learned to walk, it's just the beginning.

deek77 1 week ago

@deek77 GODAN means 5th dan, just like shodan means 1st dan. This is a 5th degree black belt. I'm well aware of the quick progress in Japanese "martial arts". You can get to shodan in 2 years of Judo. But you train every day, just like you said. Shodan IS NOT EQUIVALENT to a baby that has learned to walk. But it does not have the mystified nature of "black belt" in the mouth of westerns.

loudenvier 1 week ago

@loudenvier Wow...no disrespect, but you've obviously misunderstood the title, my friend. It says "Karate Kata Heian Godan." "Godan" here is referring to the name and level of the kata being performed, not the rank of the student. In most styles of karate there is series of five forms called Heian or Pinan, basic forms that everyone learns in their first four or five ranks. The boy is performing Heian Godan, and he has a blue belt on...

deek77 1 week ago

@deek77 It is always a blessing when you are illuminated with a great response like this! Thank you a lot. I didn't really noticed it was the name of the Kata! Looking back at the title, it is now really clear to me! And, if he is a blue belt, then this was an incredibly great performance! (but I had already enjoyed it, I was just disagreeing with the child's "rank"... I think I'm going blind...)

loudenvier 1 week ago

@loudenvier Oh most welcome, happens to the best of us. I hate when people respond with ignorance and vulgarity rather than educating a fellow martial artist, because who can say they know everything about everything? I'm sure you could educate me on the grappling arts just as well, which I may take up one day when the money's right. And like I mentioned, the video is only 240p and low lighting, so it's easy to mistake it for black.

deek77 1 week ago

@deek77 I'm against giving shodan to children. In BJJ you can't get the blue belt unless you are 15 years-old to prevent such aberrations. In BJJ, differently from Judo, a black belt is really a master that knows profoundly almost every technique and can also compete with proficiency. I would venture to say that a black belt in BJJ is equivalent to a 4th to 5th degree black belt in Judo in terms of "requirements". I don't like small children getting to 5th dan like this.

loudenvier 1 week ago

@loudenvier ... Heian means "Peace & Stability," Godan refers to it being the 5th kata of the Heian kata series. I understand where you're coming from about shodan for children, many in karate share that view. But please know, no karate dojo in the world, even bad ones, would ever give a child 5th dan. You'd need to be an adult and have at least 11 years experience as a black belt, and that's the bare minimum. Usually there given after 12-20 years experience.

deek77 1 week ago

@deek77 Yes! I've seen some "kid black belts" but I think they've come from "Mac Dojos". No respectable dojo would do that! You are 100% correct that shodan in Japan has not the same meaning as in the west. I think you exaggerated a little saying it was a baby that learned to walk, but it is certainly considered the actual "beginning" of one's path. In BJJ, on the contrary, it is almost an end in itself.

loudenvier 1 week ago

@loudenvier Yeah when it's about the money everything gets compromised. In Japan & Okinawa, quality and integrity of training in martial arts tends to be much better for children, the foundation is much stronger. Also, it's in most school systems as PE curriculum, so the frequency of training is higher as well. Again, many karate practitioners from the West disagree with it as well, and perhaps it's best since they spend much less hours per week training martial arts in general.

deek77 1 week ago

Trully amazing.

Karate isn't a sport its a gracefull art, and to master it you must have a balance of speed, power, strenght of will, and most of all respect.

skilllol101 2 months ago

cute kid :-) he'll go far if he keeps practicing.

NomadSoul78 2 months ago

i am more sharper than this baby and i know that cata

matcoolkid12 5 months ago

@matcoolkid12 and it is called KATA and not CATA

kato9591 5 months ago

This is actaul karate not that crap we have in the US. Here in the states they think doing a bunch of jumps to music is karate and it makes me sick! But Im so glade in japan they keep karate traditional. Thank you Japan.

jiggahippo 5 months ago 5

@jiggahippo Thank you so much for your comment.

jkafunabashimita 5 months ago

@jiggahippo @jkafunabashimita Yes, it is very refreshing to see the young people still seeking out substance over style. It will always be liks this in the East because cultural demands dictate such things. Sadly, here in America, people are too often sold on sensationalization and competition. We prefer a pretty flower over a strong tree. The flower provides some visual stimulation and some oxygen, but can quickly wither away, whereas the tree is long-lasting, stable, and time-tested. OSU!

deek77 4 months ago