Sensei Hanratty offers thoughts on how he grades and how other instructors grade. He touches on the following:

-How grading systems have evolved

-The first things he teaches students

-Evolution of his grading guide and syllabus

-What he looks for in Heian Shodan

-What he looks for at gradings

-Using the voice as a weapon

-Signature moves in katas

-The difference between commercial dojos and traditional dojos

-What it was like earning his first black belt

Sensei Hanratty discusses the following:

-Some of the nicest dojos he’s seen

-Things to consider if thinking of running a full-time dojo

-Why running a dojo is a huge responsibility

Key quote: “It’s a balancing act between teaching good, traditional karate and attracting enough students to be able to afford to do that.”

Sensei Hanratty also reads the epilogue to a private memoir he recently wrote.

Sensei Hanratty discusses the following:

-Why the focus in your first year of training is going to be 90% physical

-The role of self discipline at the start

-How too much focus on competition can be to the detriment of other aspects of karate

-Extrinsic and intrinsic sources of sports motivation

Sensei Hanratty offers coaching tips. Among the topics discussed:

-The difference between coaching and instructing

-How to build a good team

-Tips for teaching kids, including the role that parents play

Key quote: “What I always want to do is bring out the best in you.”

Sensei Hanratty looks at the differences between the Shotokan and Goju Ryu styles.

He also discusses the following:

-Difference between inside tension and outside tension stances

-Urban myths surrounding karate, such as ripping flesh from an opponent

-How most weapons will work if you hit the right target

-Location of nerve centers

-How his traditional dojo is set up

In the 66th episode of the Hanratty on Karate Podcast, Sensei John Hanratty discusses the following:

-A trip some of his students just took to Okinawa, where they trained with a Gōjū-ryū grandmaster.

-Criteria he follows when taking juniors on international trips.

-How the Gōjū-ryū style, and particularly its kata, differs from Shotokan.Episode recorded on November 24, 2025

Sensei Hanratty discusses ethics, morals, standards, and responsibilities in the dojo.
He touches on the following:
-Certification of instructors
-Why there should be a governing body for martial arts schools
-How ethics and morals are set by an instructor and organization

Sensei Hanratty discusses how katas evolve. He also touches on:-Teaching Jitte kata-Using a bō in the kata-Whether some katas are meant to be done with a weapon-Doing variations on kata for demonstrationsKey quote: “The goal is to get better every day in your karate, in your philosophy, and in the way you look at the world.”

Episode recorded on November 11, 2025

Sensei Hanratty breaks down the application of the katas Kanku Dai and Heian Shodan.

Sensei Hanratty discusses his views on kata application and how you can reverse engineer katas to come up with bunkai.