Content Changes For Knowledge For Belts

We have made some changes in the knowledge requirements for our ranks. Orange Belt material is currently being completed and will include information on how to use the concepts of distances taught to Yellow Belts to guide combat decisions.

In addition, we are further refining the list of striking points after Orange Belt:

Green Belt - adds the inside of the leg points to the outside points taught in Orange Belt.
Purple Belt - will add strikes to the sides.
Red Belt - will add strikes to the back.
Black Belt - will be the level at which head strikes are covered because of the high degree of control required and the danger these strikes represent.

What Color Is Your Belt?

We have added a new feature to our Website, an archive called What Color Is Your Belt? Over the years, many Martial Arts have used colored belts to identify the rank of their practitioners. There is great variability in the colors used and the ranks that they identify. This set of pages will gradually collect as many examples of belt schemes as we can find, and make them available in a single source. Listing does not say anything about the qulaity or legitimacy of the system, only that martial artists have worn these belts with pride.

Belt Color Change

Effective 1 October we will transition from Brown to Red belts for Kyu 1. Although there are a number of different explanations of how belt colors evolved in the martial arts, the reality is that color choices in belts are largely arbitrary. Most arts use Brown as the highest rank before Black (we actually have been doing an extensive research project on belt colors, examining the color systems of some 300 arts and individual martial arts schools). Red will make our highest kyu belt more distinctive (a number of arts do use Red as the highest color before Black), is an energizing color (as opposed to Brown), and fits better with our color progression. So, welcome to Red ...

Update to 4th Kyu (Orange) Requirements

After considerable testing we have come to the conclusion that the first edition of targets for the leg simply requires the cane fighter to close too closely to the opponent (exposing the head and upper torso) for safety. We have identified three new points, which, with Sea of Blood, will allow strikes to the thigh and knee from the inside and outside lines, without as deep a closure being required.

Updated Knowledge Requirements for Yellow Belt

We have added information on tactical lines to the Yellow Belt knowledge page. The use of the traditional fencing lines of high and low, inside and outside, simplifies description of the target and of defensive actions.

Thesis Requirement for 1st Dan

Currently Tsue Kakuto ends its earned ranks with a 1st Dan Black Belt. That means that achieving 1st Dan represents the highest skill and knowledge level of the method. In this context, the requirement for a thesis seemed appropriate. Because we view Tsue Kakuto as an evolving system that constantly learns and refines its technique based on that learning, the thesis is critical to the advancement of the method. Each thesis must contribute new knowledge and understanding to our practice.

A good thesis defines a clear research question. For example, a recent thesis examined the adequacy of our target set for the inside arm, based on a variety of other approaches to pressure point attacks. It also needs a clear research method, one that the reader can follow, understand, and trust based on clear description. And it must be grounded in the literature of the martial arts and other combat systems.

It is never too early to start thinking about what you would like to pursue as a thesis topic. Talk with your instructor, and find a topic that will help improve Tsue Kakuto as a system.

Return Strokes From Active Parries

In this method we tend to view the act of intercepting, diverting, or blocking (all three different outcomes) an attacking strike as an active parry, rather than as simply a block. Properly executed a parry does several things: (1) keeps you from immediate impact, (2) bleeds off the opponent's energy so that the attack lies spent, (3) inflicts injury to the opponent, and (4) sets up (and starts) an offensive strike in return. The two low, two middle, and one high parries all open up the possibility of an action by either strike or thrust. The key to these actions is (1) rapid execution once the parry has been effectively executed and (2) adaptation of the riposte to the exposed target area based on the opponent's body position.