sensei8

Welcome to KF, shurinahamaniac; glad that you're here!! Thank you for your post, and for sharing your insights to how the JKA and the SKA approach their testing cycles. I'd also like to encourage you to post at the KF "Introduce Yourself", which can be found under the "Community Center" tab.

Kind of how I see it as well. As much as I have enjoyed the series it feels like it is time to conclude. They have done a great job with the show, all it needs now is a strong ending. Solid post!! Stretching it beyond season 6 to me would only hurt the franchise because story lines could become quite strained and far-fetched. Like the song, The Gambler reminds us... "You got to know when to hold 'em Know when to fold 'em Know when to walk away And know when to run" Now it is stuck in my head Just today I saw an interview with Sean Kanan who said there are rumors of a spin off of the show. What did you think of the fight between Johnny and Mike Barnes? Two stubborn hot heads that won't backdown from anyone for any reason no matter who's right and/or who's wrong; not in their make-up. They verbally pushed and challenged each other before the fight broke out between those two. I know that they've both trained in the martial arts, but exactly how much experience they each have, I've no idea. They both had the basic foundation for their roles in the Karae Kid franchise. I got a small chuckle how well Johnny stood his ground against Barnes, seeing that Barnes holds a, ahem, 10th Dan, of which his techniques had no maturity in them whatsoever. Barnes uttered his famous line... "Your Karate is a joke!!" What do I think about their fight?? An interesting movie choreography. What do you think about their fight??

Kind of how I see it as well. As much as I have enjoyed the series it feels like it is time to conclude. They have done a great job with the show, all it needs now is a strong ending. Solid post!! Stretching it beyond season 6 to me would only hurt the franchise because story lines could become quite strained and far-fetched. Like the song, The Gambler reminds us... "You got to know when to hold 'em Know when to fold 'em Know when to walk away And know when to run"

Having that type of follow-up after 40 years in any franchise is quite impressive and can't be scoffed at. KK has valuable gems of wisdom that many just don't have nor do they try to have. The MA in that franchise is as basic as basic can be, but it does get that message through its techniques.

Thank you, Patrick, Ken, and Brian.

Seisan is one of my favorites for its application possibilities. It holds a deep place in my heart.

Well, my wife and I just finished Cobra Kai's 5 episodes of Season 6. We even watched Part 1 of Inside the Dojo which is 11 minutes of the producers and cast talking about Part 1 and a tease of Part 2 of Cobra Kai, which returns on November 15, 2024. Did I like, or better yet, did I enjoy the entertainment factor of what I've seen thus far?? Yes, the entertainment factor was there more often than not but still waned. About the MA factor?? No, my feelings about the MA factor are no secret, and in addition, I didn't enjoy what Barnes wore. With Kreese running from the law, how in the world can he be at the Sekai Taikai in Spain?? He'd need a passport, and once he arrived in Spain he'd have to go through customs, and as soon as customs scans his passport, he'd be arrested. I know. It's not meant to be serious but just entertainment. I'm trying to get past my problem. I look forward to November 15, 2024.

Solid post!! Shu Ha Ri and On-Ko-Chi-Shin are not reserved for us MAists. No. Both of these concepts highlight the journey of learning and mastery, whether in martial arts or other disciplines away from the MA.

Been a bit since my last update regarding my Prostate Cancer, which is STILL in complete remission!! Saw Dr. Goodman this morning for my 4-month follow-up. UPDATES: 1) My PSA is UNDETECABLE; which is good. Last visit my PSA was 0.02 2) My current Testosterone level is 19. Dr. Goodman wants to see my Testosterone level at 249. The lack of Testosterone has interfered with my intimacy with my wife these past 3+ years. Dr. Goodman say/s that the more weight I lose the higher my Testosterone levels will be. That part of my body is still really, really sleepy right now, even though at 19, it's kind of trying to start to wake up. I'd give it coffee if I thought that it would help. 3) I've lost 73lbs so far!! This is good news. Since my last visit I weighed 355lbs. This morning's visit, I now weigh 307lbs; that's an average of 12lbs loss per month. My goal is to get back to 249lbs when I was diagnosed of Afib back in 2018. My weight gain had happened due to the Pandemic and what my cancer had done to my spine's T12 and L4 which has drastically affected my mobility. I fight to lose the weight no matter how long it'll take but I'm no quitter. Dr. Goodman also told me that weight lose can eliminate 30% of known Cancers. Dr. Goodman was extremely glad at the progress I've made. All of the Praise goes to God!! My next appointment is November 21, 2024 at 8:30AM.

Great topic, Nidan Melbourne; thank you for sharing. That line means everything to me as well as to my MA betterment. Growth is essential for a MAist to achieve an effective betterment. On-Ko-Chi-Shin is quite parallel to Shu Ha Ri in that they both have the ability to form, function, or develop effectiveness in the MAist. In Shu Ha Ri, Shu protects as well as obeys tradition by focusing on fundamentals, techniques, and instructions. In Ha, the MAist breaks away from tradition so that one can consider other means. In Ri, there are no established techniques so that movements can become natural. On-Ko-Chi-Shin, On respects tradition, just like Shu. Ko focuses on creativity, just like Ha. Chi expresses the search of wisdom and excellence, just like Ri. If a MAist wants to learn how to skin a cat, then one might want to discover both the old as well as the new ways. Afterall, we each have a special potential to expand and develop positively towards future growth. To learn from the old is to understand the new is paramount for any MAist. Imho.

Our BB Testing Cycle lengths vary depending on rank. The higher the rank, the longer the Testing Cycle takes. My Hachidan Testing Cycle took about a week. We cover E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G from 10th Kyu to Hachidan, and yes, Hachidan requires a Testing Cycle.

Congrats, RJCKarate; well deserved!!

Wife and I watched the Macy's Fireworks show on TV. Speaking about Macy's Fireworks show, Macy spent $6M on fireworks alone, and they used over 60K fireworks shells launched from 5 barges on the Hudson River. Earlier in the day we went to the movies to see A Quite Place: Day One. We don't buy fireworks for no particular reasons. Riding my scooter through the neighborhood a day after the 4th of July, I saw a house about a mile away from where I live, this house had stacks upon stacks piled on the curb of spent fireworks, and apparently, they bought enough fireworks to hold their own fireworks show. Everywhere I saw the sulfur stains on the ground: seems everyone had a great personal fireworks show.

Congrats to the Panthers for winning their very first Stanley Cup Championship!! Well-deserved milestone in their 31 years on the ice.

Riding For The Brand by Louis L'Amour

Excellent responses so far. There's no effectiveness whatsoever for any MAist if there's no conditioning. It's paramount. To the first question found in the above quote box...Yes, conditioning is a part of my own personal training. Not just as a MAist, but also as someone who's fight still continues with some serious health issues. To the second question...Yes, when my dojo was open. What training and conditioning I did to stave off my health issues are beneficial to all of my students, and not just me, except, swimming in the pool because, well, my dojo didn't have a swimming pool. To the 3rd question...It should be trained every day. Training ethics is everything. So many make excuses to not train, after all, a few minutes a day is akin to an apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Congrats, sperki; well deserved!!

My first class was in October 1964. My first Testing Cycle was 60 years ago this December. That first Testing Cycle was so bad that it was stopped. It was a failing mess from start to finish. Seems I couldn't do anything right and I couldn't remember anything at all. One fail after another. It wasn't until I placed during the summer tournament in1965 that I got the bug hard. Next Testing Cycle, the summer of 1965, I finally passed but barely. After that, as they say, is history. The one thing I learned and that I teach whenever it comes to any Testing Cycle, is that the Testing Cycle will take care of itself. Because the Testing Cycle takes care of itself, there's no reason whatsoever to worry about the outcome. That did take me a bit to understand and believe in that mindset. Pass...Fail...just do your best!! Nobody, and I mean nobody, gets 100%...ever!! Nerves can be quite counterproductive, to say the least and through time my nerves settled down to such a point that I had no jumbled nerves whatsoever. How? I train endlessly to Nth degree, I get plenty of sleep the night before, I show up early, I stay focus, and I breathe regularly. Whatever happens, happens.

It's been quite an exciting Stanley Cup Championship. I think that games with seeds 3 and 5 can be quite exhilarating. Thought the 3rd seed Panthers might sweep but the 5th seed Oilers still have fight left in them. I mean, the Oilers came back in do-or-die situation and won game 4 quite dominating with a final score of 8-1. Don't know which team will hoist up the Stanley Cup victorious when all of the dust settles but whichever one does, all I can say is...WOW.

You got this, Ken. You've got a lot of support from your family, dojo, and us. Remember, you got to get your heart rate up, but not alarmingly high, in order to lose weight. Slow and steady wins the race.

She killed it pretty good...I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. Brutal to the end.

It's something that I've never seen before in all of my nearly 60 years in the MA. I've been an Arbitrator at MA tournaments quite a lot where tournaments have their own idiosyncrasies, but you know what?? It boils down to one thing, it's their tournament and it's their right as to how they want to represent themselves.

I'm more on the fence about season 6 because they can be quite imaginative, and they have been since season 1, but will their imagination be fun to watch?? My biggest problem is that I'm overly critical of any MA based show because the entertainment factor is not there for me. Why?? I treat the darn show as though it's a Testing Cycle, and I did that very same thing whenever I watched Enter The Dragon...it's my downturn whenever it comes to the enjoyment factor...I try to enjoy the show, but I end up grading everything MA related. One of the things that gets under my skin is when Daniel in the Karate Kid put on a black belt, and when the Cobra Kai students put on black belts with very little training. Maybe because it's TV, training time is subjective, and they all trained for years...maybe. I do laugh from time to time. I'll watch season 6 whenever it airs because of curiosity. Please don't get me wrong, I enjoyed every season quite a lot...once I get by the visual throwing-up.

Not the most ideal way to end all of the fun you and your family had together. Most important thing is that your health is being managed by your doctors and that you're addressing your weight and all. Your MA will still be there once your doctor gives you the ok to return to FULL training...I suppose your doctor suggested that you take it easy, especially where your MA training is concerned. Get better and follow your doctors directions to the letter. You're in my prayers!!

EMPTY HAND KATA: 1) Execute said technique(s) with power. No Power equals lowest point allowed. 2) Kias's are not supposed to be drawn out. Lowest point allowed. 3) Turn head before turning, if applicable. Lowest point allowed. WEAPONS KATA: 1) Don't drop the weapon. If you do, ask permission to pick up the weapon, if applicable, and ask permission to continue. Lowest point allowed. 2) It's a weapon, respect it at all times. Carry/hold/etc. said weapon(s) properly. Lowest point allowed. 3) Control said weapon at all times. Lowest point allowed.