sensei8

I've earned my living in the MA. By owning/operating a very successful dojo/retail supply store, as well as being an elected member of the SKKA higher hierarchy, Regents and Kaicho. I've been blessed, I suppose, in that regards. Within the Kyuodan Dojo, I've treated it as a business, and not ever as a hobby; that, I believe has made all of the differences. Treating the Kyuodan Dojo any other way than as a business, doesn't allow me to make it that successful business. Treating the Kyuodan Dojo as though it was a hobby, or worse, would've caused me to not take that endeavor seriously whatsoever. I would've hem and hawed myself into the poor house quite expediently.

I thought this thread was about the front snap kick, and not about the roundhouse kick, which of course, are two complete separate techniques all together. You only lack power whenever you're a beginner!! Resolved intent; without it, there's no purpose behind it. I kick like a mule, but I'm also no beginner; I'm the furthest thing from that. To me, any practitioner under a Godan, is a beginner; I don't expect anyone to support that statement. Some things that affect the front kick: 1) Bending the back 2) Extending the hips backward 3) Not raising the kicking foot at least knee high of the supporting leg 4) Not kicking directly to the front of the body 5) Lifting the heel of the supporting foot 6) Straightening the knee of the supporting leg 7) Not re-chambering the kicking foot and not fast enough Not many of us go about our daily routines, outside of the dojo, without some sort of shoe. In the past, I've jammed my toes of my kicking foot, more times than I care to remember, at the dojo. However, I've never jammed my toes of my kicking foot while wearing shoes outside of the dojo...not once...not even when I was a part time bouncer back in the late 1970's. Our front snap kick, or any kick for that fact, in Shindokan, is primarily a check/disruption/set-up kick to the legs/groin for our Close Range/Tuite. Most assuredly so, our kicks are of the thrusting finality, however, the snap is the prerequisite of any thrust kick.

EXPOSURE!! Without it, you're dead where you stand. The one thing about exposure, is that, there are two kinds...good and bad. How one brings said MA style to the MA masses means everything. Your prospective student body defines whether or not if your newly founded MA style is either legitimate and/or respectable!! How one legitimizes and garners respect for ones brand new MA school whenever it's first opened, is exactly what one does in this thread's regard. Suspect!! Yes, anything unfamiliar is suspect. This will not be an easy sell!! Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I hope that everyone had a safe and happy 4th of July, for those countries that do celebrate it, and for those who have a similar celebration, I pray that you did/will have a happy and safe one!! I did; plenty of family and friends and food and fun and fireworks!!

If I've misunderstood what the OP was asking/saying, I might've stated myself incorrectly, and I respectfully apologize. I was under the impression that the topic was somewhat about a BB, for example, in one said MA style, who had joined a totally different MA style, in which said student, who's now a white belt in said new MA style, was entering tournaments as a beginner, knowing quite well that said student was, in fact, an advanced student due to the earned BB already. If I was correct in my first impression, then I stand by what my first post in this thread spoke about wholeheartedly, and without any ambiguity whatsoever.

My goal is to always comp up across the board: Daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annually. 8% is the lowest comp I'll accept, for my dojo. The Hombu comps up at a minimum of 10% through those parameters; both make a profit The quarterly comps reveal if the annual comps are feasible; can't live without the P&L and/or the KPI reports because they take the pulse of the business.

Whatever is in the First-Aid kit that I bought at the store; seems to have what I need, and I have the biggest kit I could find for the house and car and gym. I carry a lot of bandaids and New Skin glue because I take a blood thinner twice a day.

Shugyo; suck it up!! That's what was drilled into us forever and a day by Soke and Dai-Soke. Endure, no matter what. By that, they both were very mindful as well as compassionate to physical limitations across the board. What they didn't tolerate was whenever the Student Body whined about anything and everything, except of a known physical limitations as diagnosed by a students doctor(s). As the student, you have to be accountable about yourself across the board, no matter what a Governing Body and/or CI and/or anybody might ever say. If the pain is more than one can bear, and going to a different style is the best thing for you, then that's what you do. A sympathetic CI would support your decisions across the board. Well, they should. If not, go anyway. Hang in there...train hard..train well!!

Please never forget that complacency can set in whenever your sparring partners are the same; familiarity can upset the apple cart. Change up sparring partners as often as possible. Your CI is a viable partner providing that that's not against protocol. As time goes by, your comfort level will vary, but it'll lean more towards the positive than the negative. Danielle's post is solid; backing/retreating does have it's black hole affect; it can draw in one's opponent unwittingly so. That ploy has to be garnered softly too.

Spencer Johnson, M.D., who authored "Who Moved My Cheese?". His book changed my life across the board. A riveting book that speaks purely about change. This book rewrote my life in many numerous ways, and it also mapped out my methodology and ideology in my life, more than any other person in history. This book has had a much more profoundly changed my life, unlike any other text ever written. "Who Moved My Cheese?" for me, helped rounded out and filled in many empty spaces in my life that had befuddled me to no end. Accepting change is difficult, if not darn right impossible, for some. I pass this book out to whomever all of the time.

Yes, of course, if you're quite overwhelmed, then the sane thing to do is retreat to a safe haven. There's no shame in that whatsoever!!

I hate thief's and liar's with a passion; don't want them near me in any shape, way, and/or form.

Welcome to KF, prokaryote; glad that you're here!! You might consider getting a larger top than the bottom. Have you looked into either a Meijin or a Seishin?? Both in the $300 price range. Seishin has a Female gi of all sizes tailored for females. Not sure if Meijin caters to Female gi's or not; they've an excellent cut to them.

I knew you were going to post something along these lines, as I’ve heard you briefly speak about not backing up before. I really like the detail you put into this post. I fight at a closer range than most people at my dojo do. Being 5’9 and having short legs (29” inseam) has something to do with that. Having horrible flexibility that kicking above rib height has something to do with it. Having the wrestling experience I have and not being afraid of being grabbed or thrown has something to do with it too. There’s a guy who can easily sweep me at any given moment, but I’ll discuss him a bit later. I like fighting up close. It takes away people’s reach advantage, and especially their kicking. I find most taller and thinner people like to keep guys like me in a range where they can hit me but I can’t hit them. They also like to catch me on the way in. They typically have the most difficulty when I get up close. People around my size aren’t as predictable. The most difficult people to find a comfortable range against is the taller AND big guys. They’ll happily keep you outside your range, then when you get in and under them, they’ll happily trade punches and make you carry their weight. The guy I referenced earlier in this post who’s a yondan (not the yondan in my previous post). Whenever I get close, he either goes Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots with me, which ends in my demise, or he just sweeps me and laughs. If he’s in a really good mood, he’ll do both. We were sparring one day, and he just kept tagging me every time I tried anything from the outside. So I got up really close, and he picked me apart inside and swept me. My CI just shook his head and chuckled. I said “ toying was working from the outside, so I figured I had to change it up.” My CI nodded, then I followed up with “nothing really worked when I got inside either, so I’m out of options.” Everyone in the dojo found that one amusing. But fighting up close and not backing up are two different things. They appear the same on the outside, the way I did it last night was a significantly different experience. All I did differently than usual was not take a single step backward. If my opponent stepped backward, I simply took a step forward. If they stepped forward, they got themselves into an up close range without me initiating it. I’m really looking forward to seeing the seniors and trying this. The above mentioned yondan who loves to sweep me will most likely have a field day with me. It’s all good though. To the bold type above... That's it, right there!! Backing-up/retreating from an opponent can create temporal space between one another, which might prevent anyone contacting. However, that space created ALSO creates that exact space that your opponent's striving for. Your opponent presses you...you backup...and WHAM...you're tagged-and-bagged unceremoniously. You stepping forward, and it causing him to step backwards, offers you a plethora of opportunities through calculating angles and the like, while constantly scanning for his hidden attacks. Dai-Soke called that 4X4 Awareness; attentiveness to all 4 immediate sides offensive and offensive. We don't execute singularly whatsoever; always multiple attacks. This increases our ratio of contacts. Always forward at every possible angle. Attacking deserving targets gets opponents attention, and their attention isn't always that focused where it ought to be; not everyone can watch everything. Especially is I keep them busy here, while I attack over there. That too. is 4X4 Awareness...where he isn't, I will be!! Now, the world could be turned upside down for me when my opponent tackles me to the ground. However, I don't fear the ground, I welcome the ground. Take me to the ground...I like it there too.

Were you a trouble maker? LOL!! No, but you sure couldn't tell that by the torture pace he set...day after day after day after day. So you had a multi-day test? Oh yeah; 3 days...10 hours each day. Glad those days are far behind me...I felt he was trying to kill me.

Back up only when necessary!! That's a Shindokan staple through and through. Through Space Management I can drastically curb the urge to back up. How? Forward motions far outweigh backwards, albeit, it's easier to watch forward than it is to watch over your shoulder behind you. As it is in Close Range, so is it in NOT BACKING UP. Ether take guts to executed effectively; the air of uncertainty can be quite stifling at first until much more knowledge and experience is acquired on the floor...wherever that floor might be. Defeat the fear of not retreating asap because that which one can't overcome, it shall most assuredly conquer you. Once fear's set in, it's quite impossible to overcome it. These aren't maxim to ignore!! The options before any practitioner in the regards of backing up/retreating are as wide as the skies. Angles are your friend. Slipping is your friend. Ducking is your friend. Receiving is your friend. Intercepting is your friend. So on and so forth. Whenever I do backup/retreat, and it's extremely rare that I do, it's within my goal and plan to do so, in order to do set-ups and checks, and/or to draw my opponent into my zone purposefully with resolve. Even whenever an attacker's attack is overwhelming, my backing up/retreating isn't for naught; there's a plan already in motion to reengage AND reestablish my forward Short Range attacks/counterattacks and the like. For me, it's all a Chess game with me. Establishing and reestablishing that center through your opening game. Sending out your scouts here and there. Thinking always 5 moves ahead. Setting up those hidden attacks. Blindsiding the corners. Solidifying ones middle game. Willing to sacrifice. Constant reevaluation of strengths and weaknesses. Trapping opponents pieces; freezing. Weakening their defense by capturing one piece at a time for the end game. Introducing Check Mate from the most unexpected place. Whomever plays the game better; wins!!

Solid post!! While I might support the 3 classes per week staple, it's surely not enforced whatsoever. What one puts in should reflect that that's what one will get out of it. Attending often or sparingly is up to the practitioner with the goal in mind of capturing quality of knowledge and experience.

Welcome to KF, Jerrykern; glad that you're here!! Master Soo Kim Pyung still has a dojang in Houston, TX with his son, Sean; a very nice looking dojang with quite a lot of students. Did you ever train with him and/or his son??

Treating equally and the same aren’t the same thing. You treat all students with equal respect and dignity, regardless of rank, so long as they’re worthy of that respect and dignity. And that respect and dignity starts at day one and doesn’t waver until they’ve acted in a way to revoke it. How long they’ve been there and their abilities have nothing to do with it. I say you absolutely treat the yudansha differently than the kyus. You treat everyone differently than each other. Why? Because they’re individual human beings who have different strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, etc. Not everyone learns the same way, and not everyone’s motivated the same way. Furthermore, the longer someone’s been around, the better you know them. Quite possibly the more they’ve done for you and you’ve done for them. If you expect different things from them, you should treat them differently. But that doesn’t mean you treat anyone like garbage. That doesn’t mean anyone gets treated in a lesser manner until they’ve somehow proven themselves. Everyone should be extended equal respect until they earn more or earn less. Equal and same aren’t the same thing. Just my opinion. Solid post, JR!! In my post, I'm referring to rank status, and not to the individual human being. Therefore, I do not, and will not treat my students, nor the SKKA Student Body, differently rank wise. For me to do so, means that rank is paramount over anything and everything. Rank doesn't mean that that rank is above the law just because of its status. I see students, never ranks because they, to me, are distinctly different, whereas, the value of the students betterment is far paramount to rank, any rank. That's one of the reasons why we moved away from rank identifiers some time ago because the emphasis must be on the student, and never on the rank. Sure, students wear different ranks in class for simplification reasons, however, not for status because to do that, places certain ranks on a pedestal and other ranks at the foot of said pedestal, and that's unwarranted. By my ranks and by my titles, I'm not more important than those who aren't of my ranks and titles. Yes, we've formality for certain formal occasions, to be for sure. However, outside of those formal settings, I do not see rank...just students. Outside of these formal settings, I'm just Bob; nothing more, nothing less. Why?? Well, proof is on the floor!! Imho!!

I can see that happening, especially if the TM/SM ownership hadn't expired. Just because a business is defunct, doesn't mean that the TM/SM is. That's why checking first with a lawyer, and doing some homework is crucial. Better to be safe, than sorry!!

Hands closed TIGHTLY at the moment of contact; not before that!! Other than that, loose and relaxed for optimum movement(s); flowing to and through. My hands are always relaxed, therefore always loose, until just right before contact defensively and/or offensively. Fingers that are kept together support one another at those moments necessary. This is very crucial for us because Shindokan, after all, is 85% hands. Our hands are nearly constantly engaged one way or another. One of the things we practice to strengthen our hands is Hojo Undo; a crucial staple for us. But beyond this, PROPER EXECUTION of any technique must be paramount. All of the Hojo Undo becomes meaningless is ones techniques aren't properly executed.

That's a good question. I think instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, I'd take moves that already portray distinct self-defense maneuvers and build my form out of them. Unless I figured something out from my own unfortunate experience of self-defense, and could come up with a way to mimic that movement that would look different than anything I've already seen in a form. To the bold type above... I like how you've worded that, Brian..."already portray distinct" because nearly everything taught in ones style of the MA possesses distinct SD maneuvers through Bunkai and/or the like. Slowly pieces of the puzzle come together on the practitioners palette with one distinct maneuver after another until the masterpiece is revealed. The most basic maneuvers over the most advanced, for me, are the most desired hues. Distinct!!

Were you a trouble maker? LOL!! No, but you sure couldn't tell that by the torture pace he set...day after day after day after day.

I believe that the 2 time Academy Award winner, Hilary Swank, is in demand way to much to be interested in entertaining that with her agent...but...one never really knows.

3 class per week are a staple. However, schedules of either the school and/or the student have a lot to do with it; 1 a week is far better than 1 class a month or once every two weeks. Availability loves to get in the way of schedules.