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Going to start a new book tonight, just a question of which one. When you want to read several books all at once, how do you decide what book to read next?

I'm afraid I've had two posts deleted by admin, am sorry I can't partake in this discussion or even offer an inoffensive opinion of any sort. Unless perhaps if I say the OP was absolutely correct in all respects and should be commended for his interesting post. Well done to him

If you do, let me know what you think. Obviously, I have no idea how genuine any of it was, so was curious what folks thought.

Great post, Nidan Melbourne!! Thanks for your post!! Brings me back to the good old days of the SKKA Testing Cycle; thorough, long, and strict.

Reading through this thread reminded me of how deep people go into mastering their tools, whether it’s for work or self-defense

Recently I was asked to be an examiner for a Black Belt Grading; Total Duration - 28 Hours which was spread out over 3 Days. It was the Clubs Largest ever grading for Adults attempting for either Black Belt (Shodan-Ho) or a Dan-Grade. There were a total of 45 Candidates that were eligible for promotion with a total of 15 Instructors (10 Club Instructors + 5 Visiting Instructors) Now how did we manage to fairly evaluate all the candidates? 2nd Kyu Students (12 Total) - Tested Seperately with the "Senior Graded" Candidates ran it. As the Guest Instructor, I observed both the 2nd Kyus and the "Senior Graded" Candidates running it. Senior Graded Candidates = 5th Dan and Above (12 Candidates) 1st Kyu Students (12 Total) - Tested with ALL the Dan Grades They had more breaks than the other candidates Dan Grades - Complete ALL Required aspects for Promotion 1 - Shodan-Ho FOR Shodan 1 - Shodan FOR Nidan 1 - Nidan FOR Sandan 3- Sandan FOR Yondan 3 - Yondan FOR Godan 4 - Godan FOR Rookudan 4 - Rookudan FOR Nanadan 4 - Nanadan FOR Hachidan Pass Requirements 2nd Kyu 75% "Pass" No Hurdle Requirements 1st Kyu 75% "Pass" Hurdle Requirement "Acceptable" Fitness/Health Screening 10 Teaching Credits (Signed Off) 90% Correct Theory Exam Black Belt (Shodan-Ho to Sandan) 80% "Pass" Hurdle Requirement "Acceptable" Fitness/Health Screening 30 Teaching Credits (Signed Off) 98% Correct Theory Exam "Atttitude" Portion of Grading*** Black Belt (Yondan+) 80% Pass Hurdle Requirement Medical Clearance "Acceptable" Fitness/Health Screening 50 Teaching Credits (Signed Off) WKF Referee (Local Level Minimum) No Mistakes - Theory Exam No Ego due to Rank/Experience ***Attitude Portion*** This aspect of the grading; looks at the following How you persevere through a Difficult or Long Grading How you interact with others (age/rank/gender) How you treat gradings/classes Arrival/Departure times for Grading How you look after your Uniform Did you bring a Fresh Gi to the next day? Did you wash your Gi? If you Fail this portion of the Grading; no matter what else you do, you will not be promoted to the next rank. *Grading Format* Friday 1400 - 2200 (2nd Kyu's Complete their part today) Fitness/Health Screening Teaching Throws/Takedowns Students to Check White Board for Continuance to Saturday Saturday 0900 - 1900 Teaching Kihon Combinations Kata Theory Exam Students to Check White Board for Continuance to Sunday Sunday 0900 - 1900 Pre-Arranged Sparring Bunkai Kyogi Kumite Students who Complete Today Dinner at Post-Grading Awarding of Rank (If Successful) The Chief Instructor explained that for Sunday they do a minimum of 50 Rounds of Kumite. But when he (or majority of the instructors) are satisfied he will stop rounds and formally end the grading. Once ranks meet their grading requirements (CI doesn't tell them how many rounds they need to complete) they have an option of sitting out and stretching or continuing to help the other students. At the end of the Grading; and we finished making our notes and discussing it with the CI. We decided to hold off on awarding any grades above 3rd Dan as there were that many notes written for each candidate that the CI needed to sit down read them so he could be informed of what we suggested. Final Results 40 Candidates Passed 5 Candidates Failed 1 x 6th Dan Candidate Failed All 7th Dan Candidates Failed Unfortunately 2 of the Candidates that Failed - and they were both due to the "Attitude" Section of the grading. One of which was not invited back after Friday Night, and the other on Saturday. I sat down with all the candidates that failed, and walked through the feedback from the instructors and to explain why they weren't successful. They were generally very receptive to why they weren't successful. Biggest reason for failing - Pre-Arranged/Bunkai/Kyogi (Self-Defence Routines) and Kata.

Yeah, we actually mix it up a bit. Once a week we do a circuit-style session with heavy bags, medicine balls, and some light weights—helps build endurance and explosive power. It’s not “pure” martial arts but it definitely complements the training. Keeps things fresh and pushes different limits.

fake instructors and quick promises really got me thinking about how important it is to find something genuine and trustworthy, cool

My wife has started writing recently. Not her memoirs or anything, but a story she wants to tell. She doesn't know if she'll share it with anyone (even me), but she is writing. If you are toying with the idea of writing your memoirs or the history of the SKAA, or whatnot - go ahead and do it. Just because you don't feel like you're a good writer now doesn't mean you can't learn the skill. And if you decide it is something you want to publish you can always take one of those ghost writers up on their offer, and you will already have something for them to start from. Bob, there's no time to start like the present. That goes for any journey, whether it be writing, self-realization, martial arts, or whatnot.

For as many years as I can remember, I’ve wanted to write my memoirs which would include some Shindokan history/methodology/ideology, my history (boring), and as well as the SKKA civil war. I was even entertaining to write 3 separate books. One book about Shindokan history/methodology/ideology. Another book about my MA history, it would be a real short book. A third book about the SKKA civil war. However, as many times that I’ve tried to tackle what seemed the impossible, I’d apply the brakes out of sheer ignorance and frustration of either my lack of writing skills in order to encompasses all that a great writer possesses. For many years, unsolicited companies that provide ghost writers have continuously approached me in the hopes that I’d hire them. While that is intriguing enough to consider their offers, I don’t know if I can trust them, or afford them, with how they’d handle and respect my history. Darn if I do and darn if I don’t!!

Bradey Games's Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Official Guide. I started a playthrough of that game for the first time ever a few weeks ago, and the guide has been a huge help.

I've seen these pop up as well, but haven't watched them yet. Silat is not a style you see a lot of, and if it's actually represented in the movies, then I think I'll check it out.

6/12/2025 Aikido: 8:45 - 9:45 am. I did some front and back rolls today, and it didn't affect me too negatively. Hopefully, it's something I can do more of going forward. Shomenuchi iriminage: Good motivation on the striking arm. I had too much weight on the front foot upon entry, and it caused me to have to take an extra step to perform the tenkan turn. I tried to focus on keeping the weight back more. On the motivation, I need to focus more on a horizontal motivation as opposed to pulling down on the arm so much. Shomenuchi kokyunage: This one went ok. It's definitely more direct. I could probably keep my center dropped a bit better. I worked on a proper side fall for both of these techniques when I was uke. After working these two techniques for a while, we took attacks and had to pick one of them to do on the fly without letting uke know what was coming.

It's cool when you get to meet people like that and you aren't disappointed.

Thank you, @moaksi33, and welcome to KF!

Thank you for sharing this—it’s heartfelt and powerful. The way you honor those virtues, even after the SKKA’s dissolution, really shows deep integrity. Bushido as a lived principle, not just a concept, shines through in your words. What you said about friendships through training being some of the most real ones hits home. Appreciate your honesty and spirit.

My wife and I saw Karate Kid: Legands today. Less than 15 in the audience, which was no surprise seeing that it’s Thursday at 12:30pm. We both enjoyed it, and we both got a kick out of the very end; quite unexpected but appreciated it. Some things I saw were quite very predictable and I found myself shaking my head in wonder, yet, the pace was well done…movie was 1 hour and 30 minutes which was refreshing when most movies are 2+ hours. Seems like the majority of the Karate Kid movies seem to be focused on a tournament, and the Cobra Kai series was no exception. All in all…I’d see it again!!

Fair enough. I am not a fan of either team, but I was happy when Nate Schmidt won. He was an undrafted player from St. Cloud, MN, who played at the University of Minnesota. He has been in the league for over a decade, and this was his first time winning the Cup, considered one of the nicer guys in the NHL.

I was thinking a lot about this part when deciding how to structure my kobudo curriculum because I see a lot of truth to what Booth says here. You start with the bo, which is generally the "simplest" weapon to get introduced to and acts as a proxy for all sorts of things - sticks, pipes, whatever. You next learn sai, which isn't a great analogue for anything I can think of, but it gets the range much closer, gets you to strike with specific parts of the weapon, and gets you used to manipulating the tool into different configurations. I think tonfa also builds on this. So this broadens the improvised weapons a lot - a glass bottle, a vase, a textbook, I'd expect someone trained in the complicated Okinawan short weapons to be able adapt most of these effectively. I'd put eiku, the oar, next. Obviously an oar may show up depending on where you are, but it's really a proxy for any long weapon that's heavier on one end. A shovel. A rake. A vacuum cleaner. (I don't train with the kuwa (hoe), but it seems like the same sort of thing, a mid-length weapon that's much heavier on one end.) Nunchaku gets into flexible weapons, so a variety of chains, ropes, maybe towels, etc could work here, but also other flail-like items like a belt with a heavy buckle, or a bag filled with small heavy items. The kama (sickle) introduces a cutting edge, but also serves as a proxy for anything short and heavy on one end - so hammer, hatchet, ladle? spatula? So yea, I think training in the traditional weapons both opens your eyes to the fighting possibilities of objects around you while also giving you some capability to handle those objects effectively.

Panthers defeat Oilers for back to back Stanley Cup Title. I’m only glad the Panthers beat the Oilers because the Oilers beat my Knights!!

With that much experience, you are still very useful and a part of the community.

Just finished it last night, actually! I enjoyed it.

Thanks for sharing this—it’s a really thoughtful reflection. I especially connected with the idea of shifting focus from the strike itself to the direction of force and the attacker’s center. It feels like a mental reframing that could make reactions more instinctive over time. That bit about “forgetting how to see” also hits home—so easy to fall into auto-pilot once something becomes familiar. You’ve captured a lot of deep stuff here without overcomplicating it. I’ll definitely keep some of this in mind during my next session.

I totally get the love for the Ip Man films, especially the rawness of the first one—those fight scenes were insane

I have no real issue with family teaching family; especially if the relationship pre-existed prior to one of them started. An Instructor dating a student? I can see there being a conflict of interest. Especially around perceived favoritism when it comes to testing. I taught my now Ex-Wife for years, as she had an interest in learning Karate due to her experience in other combat sports. When she came to the Dojo that I trained at, we were in the same class but in separate groups most of the time. When it comes to teaching, I make it very clear to students if I was in an Active Relationship with a student or instructor. And how there are clear boundaries and guidelines to how I would handle that during class. So if it came to In-Grade Testing and it is possible; I have another instructor test my partner to avoid any potential conflict of interest. Because I want there to be fairness for my partner to be tested without it to appear to be "handed out" or to be given easily. If I have to do it (if there was no other option); I would do it be as fair as possible. One of my friends, who is an instructor was dating someone at the time who was in one of his classes that he taught. We had to have several conversations surrounding his testing standards with his gf. He needs to hold everyone to the same standard at that rank, and not make things easy because you want to avoid an argument later on. Even with in-class demonstrations; I mix it up with students who help demonstrate things, as it adds pressure on them to perform technically correct