sensei8

Congrats @Revario; well deserved!!

Not counting teaching as an instructor under the very watchful eyes of our Soke and Dai-Soke or for teaching at the college; because those students were provided. All I had to do was just show up for classes. When I opened my Kyuodan dojo as a Sandan, I passed out flyers anywhere and everywhere to advertise my upcoming grand opening. Had 2 classes for my grand opening; kids and adults. I signed up 75 students. So, I found my first STUDENTS, not student through my proactive advertising, of which, my prospective students found me and I found them.

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL!! What a way to have your season opener by having it televised. Raiders, 1-0, host the Chargers 1-0 in Las Vegas. One of these by the end of their game will be 1-1…and the other will be 2-0. This should be a barn burner. GO COWBOYS!!

Already?!? OUCH!!

That’s right!! It’s almost October and that means that the start of the NHL Regular Season is about to begin!! GO KNIGHTS!!

Here’s my thing about this subject. When rank becomes more important than knowledge and experience, that’s when it’s time to give up rank!! IMHO!!

Yes, Steelers vsJets was good. Chiefs looked horrible, which was a bit unexpected. Raiders could win division. Of course, this is only week #1.

My wife’s tickled pink because her Raiders defeated the Patriots while on the road: final score: Raiders 20 Patriots 13 Smith: 362 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Meyers: 8 REC, 97 yds Pola-Mao: 5 SOLO, 1 INT

One of my closest friends, Dwight, is a die-hard Seahawks fan; we tease each other endlessly all of the time in or out of season. After the Cowboys lost to the Eagles, he couldn’t resist himself to rub the Cowboys lost in. Then he said to me this… I laughed at that!! My response was… His reply… My reply… Of course this is always done in the good nature of fun between two very close friends!! I still chuckle at Dwight’s…”There are more cowgirl fans than Seahawk fans in the world“. Nice of him to admit that!!

Jalen Carter was ejected for spitting on Dak!!

Without possessing any resolve in owns own training, just going through the motions lacks any resolve, reflects that on the street there will also be no resolve either. There’s a well known saying… ”How one trains is how one will fight.” Everything that one does on the floor also reflects on the street. Do ‘it’ as though your life depends on it. Anything less than a serious resolve is ineffective. Imho.

Great question!! At my very strict insistence, I was “formally assessed” for my Kudan. Even though I’ve always suspected that due to my being currently the Kaicho at that time, that my Kudan Testing Cycle was forthcoming one way or another whether I wanted it or not!! Our Testing Cycles only go up to Hachidan. My Kudan Testing Cycle, at my strictest insistence, had to be a Testing Cycle that would’ve made our Dai-Soke most proud of. If at any time during my Testing Cycle that I suspected that my Testing Cycle was a “give me”, I would’ve walked out the Testing Cycle; but they tried to kill me…I was never tested so hard before in my life.

I’m at the highest rank that I can ever achieve. With that, I’ll be at Hachidan for the rest of my life!! Yes…I know my current rank is Kudan. However, I earned Hachidan under Dai-Soke, which I embrace far more than my Kudan, which was earned under the SKKA Hierarchy, and under my very strong protest.

Shindokan has 10 Kyu and 10 Dan levels. Kyu minimum is 3 months to 1 year, depending on the Kyu level. Dan minimums matches said current Dan…Shodan minimum is 1 year…Godan minimum is 5 years…Nanadan minimum is 7 years. All Testing Cycle Candidates must petition the Hombu to be considered; minimum rank doesn’t guarantee approval!! I was a JBB for 5 long years!! That’s a very long time for a kid!!

Uke means to receive!! Our receiving at its core is having the ability to deflect at any given moment. Receiving skills are really valued, and that such force is put into receiving speaks for both our methodology and ideology itself. Never initiate the attack!! Receive first, and then go on the offense!! Attacking always comes last!! Yes, it is true, Uke means to block, literally meaning to block or prevent an attack!! In that, attacks are directionally deflected either into oneself or away from oneself. Receiving also means to catch or to accept!! How?? Destroy the force and take my attacker by surprise!! My attacker’s can’t advance so quickly!! Receiving is not just for stopping said attack!! The force received is redirected in my counterattack!! Receiving is the beginning of my counterattack!! The very skill of receiving lies in ending my opponent’s attack quickly!! It’s far more easier to attack than receiving!! Just receive!! No need to attack!! When my attacker moves, so I move!! What if he does this or that, what do I do?!? That uncertainty comes from the fact that one’s afraid!! Reading my opponent’s intent, well, that’s where the maturity in one’s techniques begins!! if one is able to properly receive your opponent’s attack, you should never have to back down!! Once your attacker’s in control over you, it’s over!! Imho, if one’s preoccupied in winning, there’s no possibility of receiving successfully!! You must remain calmly while receiving an opponent’s attack!! Receiving…It’s difficult at first, but it has to be done!! Like everything, it takes time!! The difficulty in receiving is that one’s not thinking deeply enough about receiving except in a more passing notion That’s dangerous!! Change the mindset, then receiving starts to improve!! With receiving, don’t just back down and take it, but rather, go forward and receive it actively!! The very style and mindset of the martial arts, is to advance forward while receiving!! To improve receiving skills, the attack needs to be improved as well!! Receiving is the strength to attack, and therefore they are inseparable. However, training in order to win, and training to not lose upon receiving, are completely different!! Facing the opponent without running away, while also ending the battle without hurting the opponent, that is the true spirit of the martial arts.

Cowboys can trade whomever they want and for whatever reasons because while I respect them for trying to improve themselves for their future. I get it!! Cowboys need to get past being a one-and-done in the playoffs team, and this trade and/or trades don’t impress me much. But hey, it’s Jerry’s team and his money; I’m just an armchair QB who loves his Cowboys!, as miserable and misguided I might be. GO COWBOYS!!

Interesting analysis?!? Peculiar analysis, was what I thought for quite some time. Those that are immature in techniques, and I once was one like that for quite some time, do have difficulty in understanding his analysis. “It’s a smidge difficult to compare to our form of football and in itself catching a ball.” Is it really?!? At first, it was difficult for me!! Not anymore!! If you’re asking me how do I teach it, the Shindokan deflection, well, it’s quite basic, which all teachings should be, imho. First of all, my usages of the word “catch” is improper. We CAPTURE, not catch said desired attack. Also, while I use the deflection for its simplicity, what we’re actually doing is RECEIVING said attack. At first, with the assistance of one of my instructors, I show my students several definitions, slow at speed, then speed up until full speed. To teach, and bring alive Soke’s analysis, I use…well…of course…a football!! It’s a crude way to teach how we deflect, however, students quickly start to have their Aha moment through visual cues. Not each and every deflection we use follows the football catch analysis. No. The only deflection that uses Soke’s analysis is when we want to bring said attack into our body so that we can either manipulate, control, or start to transition behind our attack. I might deflect over and over until said opportunity makes itself available for me to manipulate, control, and/or transition behind said attacker. Teaching that, well, here’s where the football, nerf football is safer, comes handy. I’d you’ve ever watched a wide receiver trying to catch a football that’s been thrown wide, and seeing that wide receiver with stretched out hands catch that football…what does that wide receiver do immediately once that football is in the clutch of his/her hands?? They tuck that football close into them with an almost vise like grip. That’s the ending result of any Shindokan deflection!! So yes!! We do a lot of playing catch with a football. In time, I teach that football catch but that wide stretched out hands become closer and closer to the students body until the hands are directly in front of them; ready to receive said attack. When the student decides to capture said attack is entirely up to that student. It’s quite rudimentary, imho. Yes!! Yes!! Yes!! Yes!! I’ve never stopped anything, I’ve only received/deflected said attack. Practitioner’s can label how they stop an attack anyway that their style dictates. Styles might disagree with other styles methodology and ideology, and that too is their right to do so. We don’t block; we only receive/deflect!! Many practitioners can’t receive/deflect because they’re still afraid. We only receive/deflect in a controlled manner!!

With only about 1 more month to play in their 162 game season, it’s getting gritty down to the wire. My Yankees find themselves in 3rd place in the American League behind the Blue Jays and the Red Sox; we’re nipping at the heels of Toronto and Boston but it’ll not be easy to surpass them. Here’s what’s happening as far as the playoffs are concerned, according to Yahoo Sports… MLB playoff picture: National League Division leaders: NL Central: Milwaukee Brewers (81-50) NL East: Philadelphia Phillies (76-54) NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers/San Diego Padres (74-57) Wild-card teams: Wild card No. 1: Chicago Cubs (76-55) Wild card No. 2: Los Angeles Dodgers/San Diego Padres (74-57) Wild card No. 3: New York Mets (69-61) MLB playoff picture: American League Division leaders: AL Central: Detroit Tigers (78-54) AL East: Toronto Blue Jays (76-55) AL West: Houston Astros (72-59) Wild card teams: Wild card No. 1: Boston Red Sox (71-60) Wild card No. 2: New York Yankees (70-60) Wild card No. 3: Seattle Mariners (70-61) Red October looks promising for my Yankees however, nothing’s guaranteed for my boys in pinstripes. How’s your team faring as we near Red October?!?

No comments?!? No discussions?! All opinions welcomed!!

In addition, in Shindokan, we move when the attacker moves. We don’t wait for the attack to reach us because, in our opinion, that’s not the proper way to control the fight. >A+B= Ineffective/A waits for B to reach A >AXB=Effectiveness/A moves whenever B moves

Yes, I believe that Miguel would have master contacts in Japan. It’d be worth the phone call, that’s for sure. You’re welcome about the belt reminder!!

Key factors about Shindokan: 1) We never block an attack 2) We want to get behind our attackers 3) We want to be very close to our attacker 4) We don’t back up Today, I briefly want to address key factor #1: We never block an attack; we deflect said attack. Dai-Soke describes how we execute our Uke, deflection, in an interesting analysis. He says the Shindokan Deflection is similar to catching a football. A) Position Your Body Correctly!! Poor body position will greatly affect your effectiveness. Therefore, one’s focus should be towards improving your position. Your position should be facing directly towards your attacker. Why?? Shortest answer: Shortest path between two points is a straight line; anything else is unnecessary. B) Position Your Hands Correctly!! With your arms in front of you at a 45 degree angle network. Network for us means that your upper body and hands are in agreement. Whether you’re in a front facing, half-front facing, or side facing posture. In short, your position and hands should not be like you’re playing a game of Twister. C) Catch The Attack!! Hand usages are not arbitrary nor are they suggestions. Rather they’re directives towards to either accepting said deflection or seizing said attack. When deflecting, ones directing said attacking force where you want it to finish. Therefore you’re hands aide you to catch said attack. When thereafter, you seize the attack immediately either by with your hand(s) or your arm(s) or with your hand(s) and arm(s). Our strong desire is to not use our hands to seize said attack because a free hand is unlimited, while a engaged hand is limited; we hate to seize ourselves while we’re trying to seize said attacker. D) Tuck The Attack!! To control our attacker during a close range attack, we must tuck the attack like a football player would after they catch/receive the football. A football player doesn’t want that football to get away because if they do, either a incompletion or fumble will result. Well, once we deflect, we want to control, and to control we must tuck said attack into me, not away from me but making said attack a part of my body so my attacker doesn’t get away from me. All of those factors take minuscule amounts of time to execute. Our goal in any Uke for us is the setup that helps us to get behind our attacker. Shortly, I’ll briefly address key factor #2 about Shindokan: Getting Behind Our Attacker.

Humans has been attempting to replace humans one way or another. Whether it’s practical or fantasy, you see it a lot in movies and such. Some of this desire is to make life much easier for us humans. Granted , that sounds good to me but I love to work and do things for myself. Interested if in the far future that we’ll have robots that are like Data from Star Trek: Next Generation?!? I’m old school because, well, I’m old!!