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The Colts are going to work out.... wait for it.... keep waiting.... little longer.... Phillip Rivers!! Yes, after Daniel Jones had a season ending injury on Sunday, the Colts have decided to bring in the retired, 44-year-old Rivers for a workout. Rivers last played in the 2020 season, that was also for the Colts, and he could be their starting QB on Sunday when they host the Seahawks. After an 8-2 start the Colts have lost three in a row and their chances of winning the division now have dropped down to only 7%. Could the former Colts QB who has not played in almost five years be their saving grace?? Just when you think you have seen it all, the crazy side of the NFL strikes again!!

The argument isn't for them to "transfer rank." The argument is to evaluate the new student where they are and place them accordingly. Sure, you weren't a nidan or shodan in Shobayashi-ryu. But were you really a white belt, either? Even by Shobayashi-ryu standards? Well, they did something for you. I actually happen to be in that scenario. I'm an ISKF shodan and I'm also a white belt in BJJ. I know of no one in BJJ with a black belt in karate or taekwondo who thought they were going start at anything higher than white belt. What I have seen is people with prior wrestling background get promoted to blue belt after a short time of being evaluated by the instructor. Someone else mentioned earlier in the thread that some BJJ schools will automatically place a judo black belt at blue belt. It all makes sense now, as I thought we were speaking in the context of representing schools. However, I never said anything about "transferring rank." There's a huge difference between that and evaluating new students with prior training to determine placement. I was discussing the latter. The motive for what I was saying was not to satiate egos, but to create an environment that fosters training that is both safe and productive. If you're a nidan from one branch of Shorin-ryu, and you're wearing a white belt in another branch, it's really not helping you for a brown belt to go easy on you when sparring because you're a "white belt."

I don't think this means that they're inherently violent people. When I was in the Navy, we used to do fire drills alot. Main space (engine room) fire drills, where they call general quarters and everyone suits up and gets to work. In these MSFD scenarios, general quarters is called when there's a "major fuel-oil" leak - though, in real life, a major fuel oil-leak is unlikely to result in a fire at normal temperatures. Everybody hated these fire drills. We'd be in those hot one-piece firefighter suits for over an hour, complete with SCBA tank and mask, and firefighter helmet. We'd also simulate firefighting in them (a rigorous working in itself), while getting yelled at by the damage control training team. The day eventually comes where there's a real fuel-oil leak announced over the 1MC, and general quarters is called. Everyone - and I mean EVERYONE - is excited. They're moving with that sense of urgency that you'd never see during the drills. After we completely dressed out and set zebra (i.e., closing all of the hatches to contain fires), we sat and waiting until it was time to enter the main space. Eventually, the fuel oil leak was stopped. A fire never broke out. An old Chief who was nearing retirement gave us a spiel about what he saw. He himself had actually fought three main space fires throughout his career on older classes of ships where they were more likely to occur. In other words, he "knew violence" as it pertained to shipboard firefighting, and was reminding us that we didn't know the dire situation that we could have found ourselves in had a fire actually occured. No one wanted there to be a real fire. We just wanted to feel that all of the training and drills we did actually paid off. And I think that might be what's happening in the case you're talking about. I'm going to give a hot take: I think "self defense" is possibly the worst reason to train in martial arts. I think those who train for "self defense" want to "see if it works" more than they care to admit. If self defense is what you care about, then why not buy a $10 can of pepper spray and call it day? It's far more effective at neutralizing an attacker than using martial arts, and no one gets injured. It's also cheaper in terms of time and money. Those hours at the dojo could be spent at home watching Netflix.

In schools that teach the same style, especially when those schools are linked by organization, I think the argument for maintaining previous rank is perfectly valid. I see no reason why one student who does JKA Shotokan should not maintain their rank when joining another JKA Shotokan school to further their education. Of course, I would expect that they be required to prove their skill level in whatever way is appropriate. Usually, attending a few classes with the new dojo gives the instructors all the information they need on whether the student is telling the truth about their previous rank. Outside of these situations, however, I see no reason that any instructor of a different system should be expected to agree to allow someone transfer their rank to a new system. I have a Nidan in Matsumura-Seito Shorin Ryu, but when I began Shobayashi Ryu I took a white belt. I did this because I am not a Nidan, or even a Shodan, in Shobayashi Ryu. I have a command of the basics and the kata were easy for me to adapt to despite the differences. However, the belt and rank for Shobayashi represents my education in Shobayashi. It didn't take away my training in Matsumura-Seito, nor did I get partnered with people far below my skill level when needed. Rank is merely a useful tool for instructors and students to gauge where they are at in a curriculum. Perhaps my 7th kyu belt wasn't an accurate representation of my overall skill level, but it was an accurate representation of what I was currently learning in Shobayashi. In turn, my ability to assimilate into Shobayashi at a rapid pace because of my previous training was recognized in that I was tested more frequently with time requirements waved when necessary. In the end, rank matters a lot more to those who have not been in martial arts long. Practice long enough, and you begin to realize that rank is merely a representation of understanding within a particular system. You wouldn't, as a karate black belt, walk into a BJJ gym demanding to be recognized as a black belt. The skill set is different. Wearing a "lower" rank is not a big deal and perhaps it takes reaching black belt to understand that, but it comes to all with time. I'm also not sure what you're getting at when you say that it complicates things or creates unresolved problems between schools to compete at your highest rank. It has never been an issue at tournaments that I have attended. When I go to tournaments, I am not representing the school, but my own training. Could you expand on what issues you see being created here?

But why adjust for rank in competition at tournaments, and not at the school when a student with prior experience in another striking art/style signs up? Why start them at white belt when you know they can compete at the brown belt level? I don't think they not knowing your system's kata (or versions thereof) is valid. They have prior experience with kata, they know all of the stances, they know how to execute with proper kime/chinkuchi, etc. So you can feed them new katas faster than students with no prior martial arts training, ensuring that they're up to speed with a more appropriate belt ranking. Trying to make adjustments at tournaments just seems way too complicated and causes too many unresolvable problems between schools in the area.

Thank you to everyone who voted in this year's awards. Stay tuned for an announcement where we will reveal our winners.

Well, to be expected, the fight scenes were unrealistic (no safety gear but nobody gets banged up except the boxer), but well choreographed. I liked the cameo at the end!

Well, Dak and company just put a big fat exclamation point on what I previously posted here. After losing 44-30 to the hosting Lions last night on TNF just gave the Cowboys a 9% chance of reaching in the playoffs. Field goals don’t win games against a team who seemed to reach the end zone at will; Lions won by 2 TD’s. Didn’t help the Cowboys that Lamb suffered a concussion in the 3rd quarter, and didn’t return for the rest of the game. At one brief point in the game there seemed to be a glimmer of hope that the Cowboys might have a better chance at winning the game with the Cowboys only trailing by 3 points; 30-27. However, that hope was soundly dashed when the Cowboys could only amass 1 field goal to the Lions 2 TD’s. Next the Cowboys host the Vikings and Rams at home before going on the road against the Commanders and the Giants!! A fitting end for the Cowboys as more nails will be driven into their coffin. GO…oh who cares!!! (Chiefs don’t let me down)

I don’t think there’s a viable solution when it comes to Dak. Dak joined the Cowboys in 2016. Here’s the Cowboys playoff records ever since Dak joined the Cowboys as the starting QB… Dallas Cowboys Playoff Results: 1) 2025: 6-5-1 Ongoing 2) 2024 7-10 Missed Playoffs 3) 2023 12-5 Lost Wild Card Round (Won O Rounds) 4) 2022 12-5 Lost Divisional Round (Won 1 Round) 5) 2021 12-5 Lost Wild Card Round (Won 0 Rounds) 6) 2020 6-10 Missed Playoffs 7) 2019 8-8 Missed Playoffs > 2018 10-6 Lost Divisional Round (Won 1 Round) 9) 2017 9-7 Missed Playoffs 10) 2016 13-3 Lost Divisional Round (Won O Rounds) That’s the biggest reason I’ve turned on Dak…unproductive playoff records since he became a Cowboy. What good is it to make it too the playoffs if all you produce a one-out reputation?!? Sure, it takes a team to win and lose; I realize that to be a truism. As the owner/GM of the Cowboys he must be accountable!! Jones doesn’t know how to get out of his own way: that’s a big problem. Jones loves Dak, and that’s his right…when is it enough before he makes a decision that can push the Cowboys beyond round 1 of the playoffs. I don’t know the answer to that question, nor do I know what the solution is because not returning to the SB since 1995 for the Americas Team is enough is enough!! Jones and company better figure out whatever it is so the Cowboys can return to the SB within my lifetime. If getting rid of Dak is what it’ll take, then do it without any reservations; the NFL is a business, not a kiss kiss business. Cowboys vs Lions tonight oh TNF. Let’s see what we’ll see tonight. GO COWBOYS!!

Based on the videos from your website, as well as ones posted on FB to your ChunJido page and those of students, Im having some confusion. First, I do see the Tae Kwon Do background displayed in the forms you have on your website. However, the other forms you include in your curriculum are not from Kempo. They are from Shotokan (except for the Pinan, which are in several styles including Shotokan) an art you did not mention in your list of arts you have dan rank in. In regard to Kempo, Kempo is the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese "Chuan Fa", or law/way of the fist, and many styles of Chinese martial arts studied in Japan will use the word "Kempo", the Japanese name while retaining the Chinese flavor and style. The only exception would be Shorinji Kempo (Shaolin Chuan Fa), which contains a blending of the fluidity from Chinese arts with a hard style sparring. I say that to point to I see none of the forms from any Kempo style in your white-to-brown/black list of katas. My question is why, if you have all of this experience in these other styles, why do you need to pull from styles you do not even have instructor rank in? So I took time to look at videos from various YouTube sources. These would be students, both current and former, videos from your own YouTube channel, and videos posted from various tournaments, interviews, etc. From what I have seen, you have what you call a two handed catch, a deflection using both hands in a fanning motion (which does have the Chinese flavor of Chuan Fa/Chinese boxing), something you call a "z" lock (very similar to a hon gyaku from jujutsu), two throws, and 2 stick drills. The testing videos that I have seen show that all testings are identical with the only new skill set to learn is the form for that rank. The exception was the black belt where you added one or two more rounds of sparring. But again, I do not see any proficiency developed in any throwing, joint locking, sticks, etc. It almost looked like those things were ignored right up until the testing date, were practiced once or twice, done for testing, and then put back down again until the next testing. If your students showed proficiency in any other weapon or technique, it was either learned prior to joining you, or was imparted by one of the instructors in your network of affiliates. This observation is coming from your tournament and public demos, where I have seen various weapons presented, but which do not appear in YOUR curriculum. Do you take students who have proficiency in these areas and use them for demos, even though you do not teach them? I will say that I do take issue with your rank. You have indicated that your highest rank in your, shall we say "ancestor schools" you studied is Roku Dan, 6th degree. Yet you are a 10th degree in ChunJiDo? My apologies, but how does one with a 6th degree blackbelt, legitimately award themselves 10th degree, Grandmaster status just because they take what they have learned and repackage it? In my experience, this has been done by members of martial arts organizations who have been instructors, but break away so they can garner all of the revenue. They are no longer ATA students, JKA students, ITF, etc. They are now ChunJiDo students, and all of the money that went to ATA, JKA, ITF, etc. is now going to you. And for the kid full of wonder from watching Power Rangers, Ninja Turtles, Karate Kid, Jackie Chan, and for the parent fulfilling that wonder, 10 degree grandmaster is a great hook, much better than 6th degree under somebody else. In short, I do think you are a legitimate martial artist with a legitimate 6th degree black belt, with several champions in your school, and more power to them who have been able to take your offerings and cultivate those skills. But I also think you have grossly misrepresented yourself even to the point of blatant falsehood, and done so through vanity and some greed. This becomes apparent when you ask the very simple questions of if ChunJiDo isnt any better or worse than any martial art, than why feel the need to brand and trademark ChunJiDo as something new, and why are you picking and pulling from arts you have not studied instead of purely teaching the ones you have and in full curriculum? For an art that translates as "universal", you seem very limited.

Congrats!

All true, would be a massive risk. If Dak was on mid tier money then fair enough they could likely balance it out (that in essence is the whole point of a salary cap after all). But (i think) he gets top tier money and i don't think he is on that level personally so i think they are overpaying for him. In my head the top tier is Mahomes, Allen, Jackson and Burrow and he shouldn't be on what they are on. While i know the QB is always highly paid due to the job he just isn't that level and i think he has been in the league long enough to know how good he is. He actually reminds me a little of Romo in that way: a good QB but not quite great enough to win a SB without a lot of help, and Dak takes enough money that it is hard to get a strong enough supporting cast around him to provide that help

Congrats @wagnerk!

@DarthPenguin, the other problem is evaluating what a rookie QB might or might not be. If you let someone like Dak go, who's shown that he can compete in the league, to take a chance on a QB that has never played in the league before, it's a pretty big risk. Especially when a coach might not get 2 years to prove he can put a winning team on the field. The issue with tanking is I think the NFL has some rules in place to prohibit that. Besides, look at a team like the Jets that has spent a number of years at the bottom of the league, and had a number of early first round QBs drafted, all for naught. I also think that Cowboys have enough draft capital that they wouldn't necessarily have to tank in order to move up and get a QB if there was one they liked.

I got a chuckle out of moring news just the other morning when it was reported that the Raiders are now out of the playoff hunt. What do they mean ‘now’?? Raiders, imho, had been out of the playoff hunt for sometimes now. It gets worse for the Raiders as they now have to host the Broncos. Then they go in the road to face the Eagles, followed by the Texans. Then they return home to end the season with the Giants followed by the Chiefs; to me, that’s nothing but bad news for the Raiders!! My Cowboys are still in the hunt for making it to the playoffs. Whooping big deal!! As long as Dak remains as the starting QB, the Cowboys will always be a one-out in the playoffs, if they ever make it to the playoffs. Cowboys remaining schedule has the Cowboys on the road to face the Lions. Then they return home to host the Vikings, then the Rams. Then the Cowboys go on the road to close out the season against the Commanders, then the Giants. Not an easy task for my Cowboys. Cowboys maybe in the hunt but that’s about it. History has an ugly way of repeating itself!! GO COWBOYS!!

4th time!! That’s not an accident!! Wagnerk’s contributions are undeniable at KF. Congrats @wagnerk; well deserved!!

I got through half of it on Netflix last night. I'm seeing a lot of echoes of the original and the Cobra Kai series, which is to be expected. A bit of a stretch to work in Jackie Chan, but I'll look forward to surprises in what seems like a predictable story line when I finish it up.

If you haven't voted yet, please do! Thanks.

Hello, Thank you for visiting KarateForums.com. We recognize one member every month as the KarateForums.com Member of the Month for their positive contributions to this community. Our honoree this time is... @wagnerk (for the 4th time)! Thank you for being a part of this community for so long, Ken! 2026 will mark your 20th year here, which is just incredible. Patrick

All valid points, though in my mind it is similar to the Bucs letting Dungy go and picking up Gruden to get them over the hump for the superbowl. Or the Packers transitioning from Favre to Rodgers (Favre was still a quality QB), the 49ers from Montana (who was still good at the Chiefs) to Steve Young etc. Having a decent but not great QB in Dak means the Cowboys can draft a decent QB (not the np.1 pick obviously) with a tonne of upside and coach them in their system for a year or two and then give them the keys. Ideally like Jordan Love at the Packers. Or if they get crazy lucky they get someone like Purdy (or Brady back in the day) who is drafted low, doesn't cost much, but is good enough to play and then lets them spend money on the other parts of the team. Could also make the argument that sometimes (in North American sports - it doesn't really apply to European sports without salary caps) a rebuild is what is needed to improve the team. Consistently finishing with a decent record and mid to late round draft pics means the foundations don't really improve. A rebuild where they tank for a year or two and draft some top talent has been proven to work in Basebell (and the NBA to an extent). It is a risk but it gives the potential of a top tier talent, plus the Cowboys are such a big name and Jones is usually a willing spender to worst case they can always get in a decent free agent or two if worried! I do agree that jettisoning Dak is a big risk but i personally think it is the only way the Cowboys will win the SB in the near future (this is going to come back to haunt me i know!)

Ok, then, what's the solution? I hear lots of people say these kinds of things, but what's the solution? Only one team a year wins the Super Bowl. Do you let a guy like Dak go and take a chance on a rookie? Or go get another veteran that also hasn't won a Super Bowl? Only 2 QBs have won a Super Bowl in the last 5 years. Go get one of those guys? Nope, they're already signed. So now you look at the next tier. Josh Allen? He's won as many as Dak has, but can the Cowboys get him? Doubt it, he's signed for the long-term, too. Joe Burrow? Signed up to be in Cincy. Matthew Stafford? Looks like he could play til he's 40...with the Rams. Lamar Jackson? Not available. You see what I mean? Easy to say, hard to do. Those resources are limited. So, I ask again, should Dallas cut Dak and try to find the next best thing?

I think it would be an interesting criteria to add to an existing testing to see what the student can do, how it would differ, what the focus would be, etc. If they asked for something like that to replace the testing, I would say no. To do it as a supplement to the same test, sure. Seeing how students grow and evolve is the fun part of teaching.

12/1/2025 Heavy Bag Workout: 8 rounds, 1:20/1:00. 2 rounds orthodox boxing. 2 rounds southpaw boxing. 2 rounds kicking focus. 2 rounds speed bag. PNF stretching in The Rack. My last round of southpaw came after the last round of kicking focus. I thought I got the two rounds done, but I saw I still had an odd number of rounds left. I must have left it out, so did it after the kicking rounds were done.

Thank you @wagnerk!

That's interesting that your hands are in the guard position in your katas prior to striking, yet you use the pulling hand in the two-person drills. I do think the applications make more sense in the two-person drills, and if you are constantly grabbing and pulling on someone, the need to explain it is kind of moot. But to not see it replicated in the forms is interesting.