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Anything advanced doesn't exist without the basics, and the basics outshine the advanced time and time again. Why is the white belt the most important belt?? Because the other belts don't come without the white belt!! Same here, without the basics, first, there are no advanced.

Solid post!! Btw, Alex, I missed the heck out of you; glad to see you, sir!!

Absolutely!! Out of sight, out of mind...out of mind, out of sight. Rust can come mentally as well; the physicality doesn't own that difficulty whatsoever. Until the AHA moment brings back to ones mind, like, one saying to oneself..."How do I do that again?"..."How does that go?"..."Why can't I remember that?", and so on and so forth. But, like riding a bicycle or a horse, once you get back on it, the AHA moments resurface, and in time, the forgotten muscle memory returns.

Having gone through something similar recently, I think you should tell him. 6 years is a long time especially if you have been having private lessons with him and I think you at least owe him to be upfront about your intentions. After 6 years it could hurt him more if you were to leave suddenly and turn up somewhere else. What's the worst that's going to happen? If he gets angry at least you can close that chapter of your life and move on. This. You may not "owe" him anything but it's just good form when making a change like this. Let him know, it will make things less awkward in the long run. I agree; don't want to burn a formidable bridge whatsoever because you might want to come back.

The usage of the MA, in time, becomes automatic; without thought. Therefore... "I do not hit, 'it' hits all by itself!!" ~ Bruce Lee

Nope, you're not a nightmare student!! You're being accountable for your MA journey!! If you trust in your Sensei across the board, then let him teach and you learn; in short, he's the Sensei and you are the student!! Never forget your role, and never assume a position that you don't rightfully possess!! There's nothing wrong with questions because that's how one learns. Just be respectful when asking about things that concern you. Answers to "ifs" are never a guarantee of success. Why? The practitioner is responsible for the success of said technique, and not the Sensei, and not the style, and not the Governing Body...you and you alone must bear that. Time is a wonderful creation!! In time, through rigorous and dedicated serious training, knowledge and experience are the acquired by-products of being on the floor. Ask all of the questions...doubt until the doubt is erased...you're the practitioner of your chosen MA, and you must be proactive across the board; you're not a robot, programmed to blindly obey everything. Remember, you came to your Sensei, and your Sensei didn't come to you. I strongly suggest that you study up on the Shu Ha Ri concept; it'll address what you're going through...it's natural...some students are more shy than other students to ask/doubt what they're being taught. I say ask/doubt away...it's natural!! Your Sensei will teach you, but over a course of time, and no time faster, and may not answer your questions in the manner you're accustomed to...again...he teacher, you student!! Self discovery is a staple of any MA school.

Nothing like a little additional cardio just before bashing it to smithereens!!

Welcome to KF, ShihansDojo; glad that you're here!!

Welcome to KF, Hoshin; glad that you're here!!

I'm not a Korean practitioner for the most part, with me only having 1 year in TKD, and Okinawan Karate being my forte, so I apologize for commenting. I'd prefer to see a picture from the side, as opposed to a straight forward shot; I can see much more. Hard for me to say clearly if you're posture is akin to a side kick or a back kick, but, from what I can tell, you're posture is more of a back kick, from what I can tell. Can't tell if you're leaning just right or too far from the pictures. Same with the chamber, I can't tell what it really is, a chamber or not...pre or post.

Yeah, I don't even have the slightest clue as to what a "block" looks like or feels like or whatever else; alien to me!! So Jodan Uke, has the appearance but it doesn't have the feel of it being a "block", and in that, if I use it, it'll not be as what the layperson supposes it to be. The word "block", imho, has manipulated the general masses into what it isn't, and those who live by that conceptual vision haven't explored it beyond the surface of said movement. I can no longer "block" than I can leap over a tall building; both, for me, are an illusion, at best.

That he still enjoys it is exciting...for him and you and Vicky and whomever else supports him near and/or far!! I still want video's of their matches!!! Pretty pretty please with sugar on top!!

To Brian, eat cake to your hearts content; the more the better!! To Shizentai, good luck on your 3rd Dan Testing Cycle, and afterwards, eat a celebration cake!!

Everything and anything is marketable with its targeted customer base; everything and anything else isn't. Finding that targeted customer base can be quite tricky; it's whatever the market demands. However, that which isn't demanded can become demanded with the right marketing. Everything and anything is subjected to all types of marketing, and as Spencer Johnson penned those immortal words..."Who Moved My Cheese??", change must be accepted and it must be allowed to fruition without any reservation whatsoever; the stagnant doesn't flourish.

Congrats, OneKickWonder; well deserved!!

I've Afib (Atrial Fibrillation); diagnosed October 4, 2016. Had a Cardiac Inversion; shocked my heart back into regular sinus rhythm, January 2017. Six months later, the Afib returned. Cardiologist says I will have to live with Afib for the rest of my life because he doesn't want to do any procedures that don't guarantee that Afib will not return. Afib is about a irregular heart beat, in which at rest, my heart beat 86bpm, and that scales up and down constantly. I have to be careful with any physical activity because the heart will race to 200bpm quite rapidly. So, I wear a heart rate monitor on my wrist to regulate, and when my heart starts racing, I do breathing exercises given to me by my Cardiologist to slow it down quickly. Elliquis is my blood thinner medication to lower the risks of strokes!! Meteropol is my blood pressure medication!! These two combine to lower my stroke risks!! On top of that... I've two pinched nerves; one in my lower back, and one in my neck. Therefore, 24/7 both my right arm from my elbow to my fingertips are numb and tingly, and my right leg from my knee down to the tip of my toes are numb and tingly. Quite a lot of shooting sharp pain is felt in my foot/toes 24/7. Can't have a Epidural Steroid Injection (ESI) procedure due to my Cardiologist because of my taking Elliquis, and with that procedure, I could bleed to death, and my Cardiologist doesn't want to take me off Elliquis at all!! So, I endure, and leave it all in the hands of the Lord!! The numbness and all greatly now affects my transitioning movements in our brand of Tuite and the like, which are the staples of Shindokan!!

Welcome to KF, Washo; glad that you're here!!

Solid post, JR, one that I plan on to seriously consider!! I would've loved to have known your Grandmother!!

Are we having cake!? To ones heart contents, as one desires!!

I never meant this thread to be about 'me', but about how OTHERS might've coped with the passing of their Sensei and the like, or if they knew of how others coped with the passing of their Sensei and the like. Life goes on!! I accept that!! But the strangeness of walking into the Hombu Dojo is akin to walking in an area that's just been hit with some type of a natural disaster; eerie like silence; so silent that it's deafening!! When I walk in, even to this day, since those tragic events, the room goes silent immediately for one reason or another, and this silence isn't a normal occurrence whatsoever!! Any thoughts??

WOW, I must've totally misunderstood the OP question... My bad! Sorry!

The unfortunate reality is that the IOC will decide what the Karate venue will entail, and not the masses. I can only assume that it'll be Kumite, but I can only hope that Kata/Bunkai would be a vital part of the venue.

Tell him, don't tell him; that's all up to you. Personally, I don't care one way or another if a student of mine wants to go train somewhere else; I don't own any student.

Welcome to KF, Paloma; glad that you're here!!

The beauty about time and progression is that it vary's, just as individuals vary; we're different across the board. Nothing is general in this concern per my aforementioned sentence. Both, time and progression, move at there own pace with nothing ever guaranteed one way or another.