sensei8

If you train in a style like Shotokan Pinan Shodan is Pinan Nidan and vice versa. If you train in an Okinawan style Pinan Shodan is Pinan Shodan and Pinan Nidan is Pinan Nidan. The reason... Pinan Shodan is viewed as more difficult than Nidan and thus they swapped the order. Solid post!!

TIME!! If ones not willing to put forward the necessary time, whatever that might be, required, then their MA betterment is an illusion, at best. I could list a list of criteria, but for me, time is paramount!! Time equals in achieving effective knowledge and experience. Don't chase rank!!

I haven't studied Isshin Ryu but they are not the only art to strike with the thumb to the outside of the hand. We actually strike this way as well just not vertically. Shindokan does it too!! One of my most favorite techniques!!

If you train by yourself, how will you correct your mistakes?? How will you know that you made a mistake?? How do you gain, even just the smallest fraction of improvement and recognizing it before it becomes a bad habit?? Without a qualified watchful eye over you, the trails and tribulations of going about MA training might have more than it's share of potholes on your MA journey. It can be done, going about it on your own, but extremely difficult to receive the necessary quality and effectiveness. Train hard, train well!!

Man's creative, that's for sure. We like to reinvent the wheel so that it's either improved and/or it is their version. I watched my daughter take a karate class, that wasn't Shindokan, the horror of it all, and to my amusement, as I watched them run through all of their kata's. Guess what I saw?? Every Shotokan Kata, however, with a one something or two added to each said kata's, with names like, Flying Dragon 1. Interesting!! Their founder has an extensive Kyokushin background, for what it's worth.

FLASH...ALERT...URGENT!!!!!! There are plans to remake the epic and iconic, Enter the Dragon!!!!! But who, just who, can do justice to Bruce Lee?!?!??!?!?? Here are some links about the remake... https://deadline.com/2018/07/enter-the-dragon-bruce-lee-remake-david-leitch-deadpool-2-john-wick-warner-bros-1202431792/ https://www.joe.co.uk/entertainment/enter-the-dragon-remake-reboot-bruce-lee-191676 http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/news/a862388/enter-the-dragon-bruce-lee-remake-controversy-director/ The internet has been flooded with stories and reports one after another since the story broke wide open. I wonder what Linda and Shannon think about this?? Will the director of the remake make mockery over Enter the Dragon?? I love the Deadpool movies, but if the remake of Enter the Dragon is done in the Deadpool similar manner, I fear that'll not do the original any justice. What do you all think about this??

hey, singularity6 have you watched a film yet? pink Not yet. Eventually, though! I recommend jumping straight to Enter the Dragon. Really the best thing to do. I wholeheartedly concur...Enter The Dragon!!

I just don't see any major events occurring within the MA world, past, present, and future because we're the product of our environment to some varying degree since we've the power to choose!! Mr. Han possibly said it best... "We are unique, gentlemen, in that we create ourselves... through long years of rigorous training, sacrifice, denial, pain. We forge our bodies in the fire of our will."

I call it the "Rage of the Page"; what will it be today, that replaces what was favored yesterday?!?! I believe that the ways of yesterday were much more harsher, training wise, than they are of today. Why?? The root of all evil...Money!! Yesterday, the training was what it was, harsh or not, but solid quality, whereas, money was, and is necessary, but back in the days, the training was paramount over money. Today, the training seems to be much more lackadaisical in the fear of losing students, which translate into losing money, which translate one P&L on a down spiral to their doors closing permanently. An empty school of the MA can be a very quite somber place with no students whatsoever. So, the quality of the training suffers drastically across the board; students become the CI, and that's never ever a good thing for the betterment of the MA student. The students start to get a false security about what they're learning; the effectiveness is tossed out of the nearest window over doing whatever it takes to keep students happy: promote them whenever the student wants to, the absence of integrity becomes the new mindset, and whatever else drives their P&L. When you look at one of the most powerful video/game rental retail giants that once dotted the landscape, and you discover what else killed them...Exorbitant late-fees, not Redbox or Netflix, but exorbitant out of control late-fees. Most of the late-fees were primarily due to the product being properly and timely checked back into the system...WHAM...now a member has late fees, all because the employees weren't doing their job correctly. By the time that the quality and effective customer service was correctly, the sink was already doomed to sink below the surface of the lost trust of the consumers. I'm not suggesting that the schools of the MA need to return to the training methodologies and ideologies of yesterday...NO!! What I'm suggesting is that todays school of the MA needs to replace quantity with quality before the word Martial Arts becomes a punch line for some joke told. Imho!!

Thank you, singularity6; I enjoyed the article immensely!!

To the bold type above... Possible that the AMA in the UK might allow a transfer, with same current rank, providing that the dojo you're wanting to transfer to is already affiliated with the AMA in good standing. That would more than likely be left up to the Governing Body to decide.

What does the AMA initials stand for?? Do they have a website?? The Governing Body that I've been with for 53 years, the SKKA, and that I've been the Kiacho of for 10 years, doesn't have the minimum of desire to compare with any other Governing Bodies found all over the world. Why?? Our direct concerns are towards one thing...the betterment of our Student Body. How other Governing Bodies cross their 't's' and/or dot their 'i's' is of no concern of ours. We don't judge the how and the why of other Governing Bodies, just ours, and ours alone. This was our Soke's desire, to be separate across the board from every other Governing Bodies of the MA, and I carry on his desires. To be fair... The initials of SKKA stand for Shindokan Karate-do and Kobudo Association. We do NOT have a website, though we've tried, and failed to create one for many years; for various reasons, we've tabled that project for an undetermined time frame, and I doubt that'll ever come to fruition.

Any Governing Body, wait, scratch that, I'll get back to that in a moment, any CI worth their salt would never ever grant permission to any prospective student any other belt than a white belt IF you're not remaining with THAT AMA sanction. Why?? If you're a new prospective student seeking to join another style of the MA, as well as a new dojo, then by all facts, you're a beginner, thus, a white belt under their brand/flag. IF you're switching dojo's yet remaining with the AMA Governing Body, then that shouldn't be an elephant in the room type of decision for the CI to make, or for the AMA Governing Body to accept. Same this and that!! Moreover, rank is totally immaterial across the board. It [MA] shouldn't ever be about rank whatsoever; knowledge and experience through the betterment of the MA. If you were to come to my dojo as a prospective student, with absolutely no Shindokan tenure, and even if you're have an earned Ikkyu from the AMA, I'd welcome you with open arms without any reservation. However, I'd present you a white belt. And if after I present you with a white belt, and you hem and hawed about the white belt, I'd ask you to leave, and to not return until rank means absolutely nothing to you. As you being an Ikkyu in AMA, you should already realize that within the MA world, ranks mean nothing outside ones current Governing Body AND ones current dojo. A BB in one style is a Green Belt, for example, in another dojo and/or Governing Body. Even if I was in the AMA Governing Body, and I was a CI of my dojo, and you wanted to join my AMA dojo from another AMA dojo, I'd, more than likely, present you with a white belt, until you meet my strict expectations. Why?? My dojo is my dojo, and the AMA Governing Body has absolute no authority over the comings and goings of my AMA affiliated dojo. If the AMA Governing Body insisted that I accept your approved rank of Ikkyu in my dojo, I'd seriously contemplate leaving the AMA because no one dictates how I operate my AMA dojo. This, what I've posted, I believe you already know that per your opening post. Transferable?!?!? I'd make a call to the AMA Governing Body AND your current CI AND the AMA dojo you're wanting to transfer to...in that order. Transferring should be an easy enough process, but that's where the politics make the tangible into the intangible because one wants to dictate, the Governing Body, while one wants to rule, the current AMA dojo's CI, while one wants to possess; it's hard for them all to see eye to eye because they demonstrate just how important they are, and just how unimportant the student is. Imho!!

I say that I've been blessed with total control over my toes. I can move them into the desired position for whatever's necessary. I've blessed toes!!

Great topic, Himokiri Karate!! For the life of me, I can't think if one, sorry. But, I'd not be surprised if there are more than a few. I play games like SOCUM, Metal Gear Solid, Call of Duty, Battlefield, and Halo, which I don't believe have any forgotten MA.

Excellent OP; thanks for starting this thread/topic, OneKickWonder!! Absolutely!! The other tragedy is when we don't take the necessary steps to educate our students, and our own family, just in case the unforeseen occurs. Kids of all ages and backgrounds can be educated, but the play has to be both practical and serious just enough to get the kids to pay attention while learning, as well as understand the severity of it all. It all depends on how the CI approaches it!! That'll make a world of difference!!

More influence by the Soke may have worked in a more conformist culture, but, the US is not very conformist. He was wise enough to realize a change needed to be made and humble enough to realize he needed to change. While Soke has never read, "Who Moved My Cheese", he slowly learned that change was inevitable...change or die...he choose to live.

What you do seems ideal. You provide a basic structure to ensure the integrity of the overall training, but provide enough freedom for a business owner to operate according to their needs and conscience. Thank you!! It wasn't an easy road to pave, but Soke and Dai-Soke were sensitive to those boundaries. But it wasn't always that way!! The SKKA had to not just teach lessons, but they had to learn how to learn lessons as well.

Either my students are or my students aren't!! I don't dwell on it, even though it's my longest desire, and that's for others to determine, if that's their thing to do. I never set out 53 years ago to be better than my Dai-Soke, either I am or I'm not. But to be honest, I don't care one way or another if I am or if I'm not. As Dai-Soke's student, I do truly think, like many of you here do when you think about your Sensei, that my Sensei is beyond contestation with his amazing MA abilities; untouchable and above me in every way. Like I do with my own children, I want my students to be better than me across the board. I give my students the same love and guidance that I've given to my own children with an unlimited resolve. I give me students, and my children, all of the tools I believe that they'll need to be that successful MAist, and that beacon of hopes and desires and dreams; attainable and reachable goals to touch the stars and beyond. If either, my children and my students, aren't better than me, than I've failed them!!

We, at the SKKA, under Soke and Dai-Soke was a measured lesson of how a Governing Body needs to get out of it's own way, and they did get out of the way, and out of that dojo's way within the SKKA's network. Under my leadership, the SKKA has ramped up it's own accountability towards the Student Body to ensure that we TEACH, and that we never put the SKKA/Hombu above anyone who's part of the SKKA. Student Body first, SKKA LAST!! Showing that sincere appreciation that's tangible as well as paramount to the Student Body has been a vital ingredient for the Student Body to exceed all expectations. If the horse doesn't want any dumb water, after I've led it to the waters edge, then the horse won't drink any dumb water until its thirsty!! The SKKA can meddle all it wants in dojo internal politics if it wanted to once again, however, if the Student Body wanted the SKKA's dumb forced opinion, they'd ask for our dumb forced opinion. Seeing that they've not asked for our dumb forced opinion, then the SKKA will not force our dumb opinions upon them. If we meddle, then we might as well pay their bills too. But seeing that we don't own any networked dojos within the SKKA, whatsoever, then the SKKA are obedient from a respected distance. The SKKA has an open door policy, and whenever any dojo want's our advice, they'll ask because we're that support function for them whenever they value our advice. Nonetheless, they must want to ask for our dumb opinions in the first place; we're masters of keeping our opinions to ourselves as well as keeping our mouths closed...no matter how bad we might want to express our opinions. I don't like the taste of my own foot in my mouth!!

Aha...Thanks Alan Armstrong and G95champ!! G95champ, what were you SMH at??

Solid post!!

Solid post!! Nothing says it better than when a student humbles themselves willingly. You'll be fine, so just train hard and train well!!

Naihanchi Naihanchi Naihanchi Naihanchi Naihanchi The entire series, of course. Outside of that, I'm quite fond of Wankan, Meikyo, Kanku Sho, Pinan Godan, and Unsu.

Welcome back to KF, G95champ; glad that you're back!!