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And so it begins... (Another test prep cycle). Last night was the first night of the spring test prep cycle. We had 9 students there, and there are 23 students who will be testing for various grades of black belt this coming May. (2 sandan, 6 nidan, 4 shodan, and 11 shodan-sho). This is probably the biggest testing class I've seen since I've been an instructor. The class was scheduled to start at 7:10 in the upstairs dojo (much smaller than downstairs, and with bamboo flooring instead of tatami mats), but the previously scheduled aikido class went over. As I've come to expect, the first few minutes of the class was all about setting expectations; the goal of this class is to fine-tune everything you need to know for the test. Yes, he is explicitly teaching the test in this class. The only material on the test is covered in the class, and the idea is you get feedback on what you need to work on in the test prep class, and then you work on those items in your other regular classes during the week. The general rule is if you have something big that's wrong and you can't fix it during the test prep, you need to wait until the next testing cycle to test, and there are a finite number of classes you're allowed to miss (3), or you will not be allowed to test. He always explains the rules up front, but in each cycle there are always one or two students who miss classes and find themselves "on the bubble" where if they miss another class, they won't be able to test. We skipped warmups and went straight into hojo undo. Unfortunately with the aikido class running late, I didn't have a chance to warmup at all, but the hojo undo kind of did that anyways (even though I was kind of stiff for the first few elements). Next up was Sanchin kata -- the students testing for shodan-sho apparently didn't get the memo that this part of the test was done top off (ladies are allowed to wear a t-shirt or sports bra), and they weren't aware that there is a "right" and "wrong" way to take off/fold/put away your top and belt. Well, technically there are a couple of "right" ways, and many many other wrong ways. The important part is that you don't drop the belt on the ground, and neatly fold the gi top, and put the belt neatly on top of the gi top. On the test, this is done in full view of the test board; you won't get bonus points for doing it well, but you can get points deducted for doing it poorly. The Sanchin kata wasn't much of a surprise to anyone -- they have all been subject to shime ("focus") testing for their last couple of tests. We did one kata as a full group, and then he broke us up into smaller groups to do shime testing. A few students got feedback on their Sanchin (mostly the shodan/shodan-sho candidates), and then we moved on to kotekitae, where we were all partnering up. I partnered up with Parker (he is also testing for sandan) for the evening, and we worked kotekitae for awhile (arm rubbing/arm pounding). As we were working through the different drills, we were giving each other feedback throughout the evening (we are also both candidates for shidoin licenses). Next came Seisan kata bunkai -- I haven't worked this much lately, so I definitely need some tuning up on it. Parker gave me some good feedback on things that didn't look quite right, and I did the same for him. Additionally, as we were in between repetitions, we noticed some of the more junior students struggling with a few things, so we walked them through some of the nuances. I also gave him corrections as well, mainly adjusting his targeting by a few inches on certain parts. Last up was our rank kata (Kanchin). Since this is the new item on this test for each of us, this is the item we are both working the hardest to fine-tune. The sequence I've been struggling the hardest with is the one I got the most feedback on -- it's a sequence that starts from a cat stance right after a wa-uke strike. The sequence starts with a left half-step forward followed by a right full step into a zenkutsu-dachi. At the same time, the right hand posts to interrupt a downward two-handed strike (think sword or baseball bat), the left hand then circles underneath to catch/redirect the opponent, while the right hand pulls hikite and then as the right foot lands in the zenkutsu-dachi, you use your forward momentum to strike with a mae-hiji-tsuki (forward elbow strike). After that elbow strike, we shift into a shiko-dachi, perform a scooping block to catch an incoming kick, and then push forward/throw the attacker. All in one sequence. If you look at this video the sequence is shown in slow motion around the 1:30 mark. Well, our CI gave me some detailed feedback on the sequencing on that, and I spent a good part of the remainder of class working on that. And I'll be continuing to work on it. The thing is, we have a similar sequence in our Seisan kata (required for shodan), but there are subtle differences, and those differences are what are driving my muscle memory crazy. But this is also the *exact* thing I needed to hear so I can work on it. And that one piece of feedback made this class very valuable to me. Tonight I'll be doing Kobudo and teaching again. Hopefully I'll be able to work in enough time at the end of class to run Kanchin with the other nidans. Until next week.

Hence the reason why we’re so very strong whenever it comes to our set-ups, aka, our distractions, whether it be with our feet and/or hands and/or in combination. After all, one can’t just stroll behind our attacker at will; set-ups are everything.

Hey everybody, I was just looking at these old posts and noticed, other than some spelling and punctuation errors, that I'd left out something important. First, Jack Slack likes to call the southpaw vs orthodox situation "open stance," and anything else "closed stance." He's written a lot of really great material, I'd definitely recommend all of it. In open stance, when someone looks to counter your southpaw left straight with their overhand, you can feint with the left straight and block the overhand with a high block. Simultaneously throw a lead uppercut (almost like an upside-down jab). That's the equivalent of a 1-2 counter against the overhand in closed stance. However, general principles seem to work better in the long run than this or that counter, and depend less on open/closed stance as well. Instead of looking for counters like these, it's a lot easier to try to fight from angles using attacks that begin with the jab or lead leg. And when you do see an opportunity to counter strike, you'll be in a better position with less risk of your counter being countered. Any defensive option, like parrying, blocking, or head movement, will be much more effective from an angle as well.

I apologize if I'm a bit late to the party here. A few years ago, our CI did this exact same thing to break down all of the kyu grades into smaller chunks for the youth (13 and under) students. For example, for yellow belt (9th kju), there are a few major components: conditioning (kotekitae), prearranged sparring (yakusoku kumite), Sanchin kata, and Kanshiwa kata. As a general rule, full-time students are able to test for 9th kyu after 3 months of instruction and X number of class hours. Well, for the youth students, he would break each of those core requirements down into thirds, and at each month mark, if the student could demonstrate that third of the curriculum, they'll get a stripe. He does this for each kyu grade up until sankyu (brown belt). Once a student reaches sankyu, the mini-tests end, and they are only testsed for full kyu grades. But this definitely helped the newer students with more frequent visual positive reinforcement of their progress. Another thing he changed was the belt system in general, or at least how it is visually represented: Kyu Grade - Adult belt - Youth belt 10th kyu - White - White 9th kyu - Yellow - Yellow 8th kyu - Yellow w/green stripe - Advanced yellow (yellow with black stripe around entire belt) 7th kyu - Yellow w/green tip - Orange 6th kyu - Green - Green 5th kyu - Green w/brown stripe - Blue 4th kyu - Green w/brown tip - Purple 3rd kyu - brown 2nd kyu - brown w/ black stripe 1st kyu - brown w/black tip

We actually practiced this very concept last night in our advanced class. Our CI discussed the rear-naked choke (hadaka-jime) and showed us one simple entry into it. This particular entry was based on our skue-uke (scooping block). At a high level, the attacker comes in with a (right) punch. The defender begins stepping same-side as the attacker, using his left hand to redirect the strike. As the defender continues to step around the attacker, he reaches over with the right hand and pulls on the attacking arm, both bringing the attacker forward/off-balance and helping him move farther around the attacker. He then reaches up with his left hand to the attacker's shoulder to start pivoting the attacker, while the right arm reaches up to clothesline the attacker, bringing him further off-balance. The defender then continues around behind the attacker, snaking the right arm around the neck, locking in the hadaka-jime, and then continuing to move to the attacker's left shoulder, pulling him off-balance and basically 5-10 seconds and that's all she wrote. As-is, it's a cool concept but it would be *REALLY* hard to get in on an attacker without a distracting strike or two in there. But it definitely got the point across.

I think that the new login change is an excellent idea across the board. It’s always better to be safe than sorry just in case. Thank you for the update, Patrick!!

Hey all, I just wanted to call out an upcoming change to our login system here at KarateForums.com. I am not setting a date for the change yet. It will occur during normal updates of our community software, and I will follow up on this thread with a date when I know it. Previously, you have been able to login to your account using your username and password. But as best practices have changed over the years, many sites have shifted to login using your email address and password. The simple reason is that your username is clearly visible on the site - so everyone has it. For example, you know that my username is Patrick. If someone was trying to access my account, they would just need to guess my password. Hopefully, you have a complex one. But even if you do, the email address you use on KarateForums.com is not publicly visible on the site. If someone was trying to access your account, they would need to guess what email address you have on file. I should add that we haven't had any issues with accounts being breached or anything like that, this isn't in response to any particular concern. It's happening now because the new version of the community software that we use has it as a standard feature. So, when we update to the next version, the feature will be automatically applied, and I just wanted to give you a heads up. You should always keep a current email address on file with us, just in case you ever lose access to your account, but if you are worried about this change, now would be a good time to verify the email address you have on your account, which you can do at karateforums.com/settings/email/. If you have any questions, please feel free. Thanks for reading. Patrick

Sorry for your loss, Ken.

No, I've never got into that particular hobby. We bought some stuff from a prop house once and it has a bunch of stamps in it but I haven't had time to look into them yet. I can see how it can be a fun treasure hunt.

Drake Maye got a taste of what Mahomes got from his two Super Bowl losses; poor offensive line performances and running for his life. I thought Darnold threw some questionable passes early on, but they didn't get picked so it didn't matter. But he made plays when he needed to, and KW3 played a great game. That Seattle defense showed up and showed out like they had all season.

Your martial knowledge and passing in down to other students.

Right now they are pretty regional, and are scheduled by the school, as it's the high school season. The Kid's Wrestling, or better put, USA Wrestling, is more wide open. If we wanted to, we could probably find tournaments year-round for USA Wrestling. With it being the high school season, the tournaments only cost us travel expenses right now.

Well… My wife should be smiling ear to ear now because the Raiders have a new Head Coach… Klint Kubiak!! His team just won the Super Bowl as the Seahawks OC. When asked about being the Raiders HC he said this… "You guys know l'm going to Las Vegas, I'm fired up about it," Kubiak said. ... "Hell yeah, I'm going. Of course I'm going." We will see if that makes any difference for the Raiders next season. I mean, Raiders had the iconic HC Pete Carroll as their HC but the Raiders only won 3 games. Takes a team and not one person. Imho, the Raiders need a better QB and Offensive Line. The Raiders can start by getting rid of Geno Smith. Geno’s 2025 performance was not impressive at all; 19 TD’s against 17 interceptions, and afraid of leaving the pocket. Raiders have the #1 pick in the 2026 draft, Smith is a salary cap casualty, with $18.5 million in potential salary cap savings if he is cut. Sell, sell, sell, sell; trade him or kick him to the curb/bench.

Yes, change is inevitable, that I’m quite aware of, and I accept that wholeheartedly. I’m trying, I’ve been trying to let what killed the SKKA but it’s definitely vexed my soul because I lived it. I continue to live it everyday. While the SKKA was just a thing, an organization, a hierarchy, it was beyond that because that thing was driven by human beings that were like everyone else, faulty in one way or another. Yes, I do have my training and ability through my knowledge and experience. However, that’s not what haunts me everyday. What haunts me is how the death of the SKKA happened…and I didn’t do everything in my power to prevent it. Another bus, as you say, won’t come along because that bus route no longer exists. You are absolutely right…such is life.

Btw,, as a note from Super Bowl 60… No TD’s until the 4th quarter. Also, “First MVP as a Running Back in Years: Kenneth Walker III became the first running back to win the Super Bowl MVP award since Terrell Davis in Super Bowl 32, highlighting a significant achievement for the position.” GO COWBOYS!!

Patriots become the first team in history to lose six Super Bowls, dropping them to 6-6 in their 12 appearances. The Seahawks win their second, improving to 2-2 in their four Super Bowl games, and getting even with the Patriots from the first matchup. Game was low scoring early on, Seattle was ahead 9-0 at halftime and their defense had a lot of pressure on Maye all game. Both teams put up some points in the 4th, but the Seahawks get it done 29-13 and are winners of SB 60. That is a wrap on this NFL season. Soon we will be seeing free agents, then the draft, ect, before we start it all over again in the fall.

Congrats to the Seahawks for winning the Super Bowl LX in a super way. Seahawks 29 Patriots 13 I’m not going to bore you with who did this and who did that and who didn’t do this or didn’t do that because there’s nothing to really highlight, imho. Seahawks dominated the game from the start thanks mainly to their defense. I’m thoroughly impressed with Walker across the board. Patriots didn’t score until late in the game but by then, it was too little too late. Seahawks sacked Maye’s 7 times to Patriots with 1 sack. 3:09 remaining in the 2nd quarter!! That’s when the 1st flag occurred on Patriots #66 for False Start…right after the commentators were talking about there was no flags yet. Game, for me was boring because of its one-sided theme. About the most boring Super Bowl I’ve ever watched. Bad Bunny halftime show was, well, ok. I was shocked when halfway through the halftime show Lady Gaga sung 1 number, for me, that was strange to see Lady Gaga play second fiddle to Bad Bunny, but that’s my opinion. Ist half highlights: NONE What the 2nd half needed: To wake up the sleeping Patriots. Until next Super Bowl…. GO COWBOYS!!

Congrats @KarateKen

Thanks for this!

If the Patriots win, they will be the first team to win seven Super Bowls (Steelers also have six). If they lose hey will be the first team to lose six Super Bowls (Broncos also have five). Either way we will see a first tonight!

Here we are!! Super Bowl LX Sunday!! ESPN Analyst has this game as such: Seahawks 60.0% Patriots 40.0% Both teams have a 14-3 record this season!! I don’t see how they came up with that prediction. I’m hoping for a close battle on both sides of the ball and not a one-sided fight. Seahawks 21 and Patriots 20. Because I lost a bet to my friend, Dwight, I pick Seahawks for the win. I hope not because if the Seahawks win, I have to call the Seahawks and not the Buzzards for 2 years…aaaarrrrggggghhhhhhhhh!! I got all of my Super Bowl food and snacks ready. My wife, Linda, and our son, Nathan, and myself are as ready as we can be. Speaking of food. I read a Fox 8 article that spoke about a Super Bowl Hamburger that feeds 4 people…it’s the $180 LX Hammer Burger…if it’s split 4 ways, that’s $45 each!! It weighs a whopping 3.5 pounds. Can’t wait to see all of the commercials and my wife can’t wait to watch the Kitty Bowl and Puppy Bowl!

Preserve?!? What I’ve learned?!? In what regards?!?

Congrats Kenneth for his 3rd place finish!! You might’ve mentioned this before but are these tournaments only local or regional or state or national or all of the above?!? Are the tournaments sponsored through the school or through a club or all of the above?!? Only ask because I can only imagine if these tournaments involve outside of the locality that you must have done a ton of traveling which could be quite costly for you and Vicky. My tournament days were primarily local and regional and state. I did do a lot of traveling both as a minor and as an adult. When I was a minor I never went beyond regional and tried to do just local to save my mom money. As an adult I was all over the state with an extremely rare tournament outside of California. Traveling to tournaments put a dent in my wallet and a lot of miles on my car.

1/28/2026 Heavy Bag Workout: Done just before Aikido class to warm up. Same workout I did on 1/26. Stretch in The Rack afterwards. Aikido: 6:15 - 7:15 pm. Traditional Class. After loosening up and doing aikitaisos and some ukemi, we worked lots of 2nd kyu variations of kotegashi. We had a hip throw we worked on last.

Congrats, @KarateKen!