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Please understand this right off the beginning. The terminology of "Dummy It Down" here isn't meant to be offensive whatsoever, nor is it to infer that anyone KF member is lacking intelligence or good judgment or stupid or dull-witted, nor is this meant to be offensive to any MA student, and/or MA group. That's the furthest thing from my mind!! Having said that, let us explore what my well meaningful intents are within this topic. It's save to say that this topic is directed at CI's and the like, as well as anyone who's been tasked with the duties of instructing anyone student and/or any number of students as their [your] reports. Those KF members who are not currently tasked with the duties of instructing the MA, still have a valued voice because this topic affects them directly on the floor daily. Say what you mean, and mean what you say!! Be understood!! Not in a way that only you can understand, but more importantly, in a way that the student body does completely understand what's being said. Those of you that are tasked with teaching the MA as a CI have a direct influence over, i.e., your students who are instructors: CI's, Sempai's, Instructors, Assistant Instructors, so on and so forth. Those whom you've no direct influence over, i.e., those whom are not part of your student body. This could, and it does, include anyone that's outside of your school of the MA. There are two types of CI's and the like: Instructor 'A' and Instructor 'B'!! Instructor 'A': Highly intelligent!! Explain the technique jargon in such a way, that you find yourself that deer that's just been caught in the headlights; you just don't understand a word that's just been said. Not that instructors fault; it's just how that instructor type is by default. Everything that's spewed out of that instructor types mouth is absolutely correct to the Nth degree, however, their words are way over the heads of the student body. Instructor 'B': Pretender; poser!! Goes way out of their way to portray an intellect that they obviously do not possess; not even the minimum of an idea as to what they're saying themselves, but to that instructor type, it all sounds pretty good. This This instructor type uses big and fancy words, words that they themselves do not understand. They continue to impress their students with the spoken words, and all. However, this type of instructors explanations of the curriculum is incorrect...dead wrong...not even close. An old idiom that says... If you can't baffle them with brilliance, then baffle them with bull dung. This instructor type believes that they're teaching, no, helping their students. But that instructor type is greatly misunderstanding. Both Instructor 'A' AND 'B' hurt the student body one way or another!! Of the two, if I had to pick one, Instructor 'B' is much more harmful to the student body, even though instructor 'A' doesn't help much. But at least Instructor 'A' is teaching the curriculum correctly, just short the simple fact that his/her words are way over the heads of the student body. Soke and Dai-Soke, whenever Dai-Soke was the Kaicho of the SKKA, made visits to SKKA affiliated dojo's quite often, teaching and observing. To Instructor 'A', while observing the instructor, both Soke and Dai-Soke would be like..."What?", but would only comment with..."Make talk simple!" To Instructor type 'B', after observing, Soke or Dai-Soke would tell that instructor..."STOP!! You wrong!!" If instructor 'B' didn't, or worse, wouldn't heed to their advice, even after Soke or Dai-Soke would work with them to get rid of the kinks, Soke himself would pull the SKKA stickers down, and shun that instructor forever. How would you counsel those instructor types. 'A' AND 'B'??

How are things going, Danielle?? What day are you in now?? Hope this post finds you doing much better!!

I believe that the reaction has to meet, and/or exceed, the proposed action!! If not, then all of the reaction time is meaningless and void. Imho!!

Allow me to stress this once more... Boo boos and band-aides and kisses...we don't offer those!!

I do too, MatsuShinshii, I do too!! Against my Cardiologist advice of limiting my air travels, I mean after all, flying stresses me out all by itself...I don't like plane crashes at all, or the mere thought about it, I'll be traveling to our Hombu the Wednesday after Thanksgiving in order to discuss a many, many things, and of course, I'll bring up my visit with my Cardiologist in order to get their spin on it, and see where it leads us. This visit to the Hombu is a scheduled one; Q4, with my health issue tagged in an amendment to everything else. Going to also work on learning to teach!! Teaching in moderation will be a new and alien thing to me, but necessary for my life. There are many members here that I would love to visit, and hopefully share the wonders of Shindokan with them. But, I first have to learn moderation!!

Great responses, everyone!! It's the title of this topic; an interesting choice of words!! I took offense to the wording because those of us in Shindokan are taught that both Kata and the human are BOTH FREE!! Both are free to express across the board; unlimited expressions. Both are free to research. Both are free to agree and/or disagree. Both are free within and without any Kata...any technique...anytime and anyway and anywhere. Nothing is set in stone, and for it to be so, limits us. Kata and human are equally free in and out of Oyo, and not because Oyo is a funny principle, but Oyo bring life into the deep research of effectiveness as well as in the totality of said encounter. Alas, that's the beauty of Oyo...find...discard...find...discard...find...discard...and so on and so forth, but this is why I say that both Kata and Human are free to explore that which hasn't been discovered as of yet. Ok...back to my corner with a sock stuffed into my mouth taped shut!!

Control!! Our Soke describes Chinkuchi as it's when the ENTIRE BODY MATURES at one single moment of time, i.e., for a firm stance, a powerful punch, or a strong deflection/receiving; not before, and not after!! To soon, useless...too late, useless; wasted movements...wasted energy...wasted life!! Knowing just when to relax and when to tense!! It's an everlasting endeavor for a many Okinawan practitioners; a lifetime of perfecting. Chinkuchi can be described as the Yin and Yang of control; either one can or one can't!!

Now THAT, right there, is a very good answer!!

November 13, 2017... Cardiologist Dr. Darwin Childs... Atrial fibrillation [AFIB] Per my Cardiologist, there will be no... **Cardiac Inversion procedures performed of any type. Why do a procedure over and over when it's more than likely that Afib will return over and over. **Ablation procedures performed of any type. Even though there's an 80% change that Afib will never return, the percentages don't favor this. My heart rate is 86hpbm, which for my age, 60 years old, with Afib, and my medical history is good. Nothing leaps out to my Cardiologist from my wearing the Holter Monitor for 24 hours. Prognosis: I will live with Afib for the rest of my life, however long that might be, through medications, like Eliquis and Metoprolol, and whatever else, and through the management of my Afib by my Cardiologist. My next visit is in May 2018!! Right now, I'm not Asymptomatic...I think...can't remember which type of asymptomatic is the good one!! So, for now, I live with my Afib until I die!! One thing that my Cardiologist highly recommends is that I lessen my stress to nil, if at all possible. He suggests that I walk away from being the Kaicho of the SKKA asap!! Reason...stress level!! In the position of Kaicho, it's a very high stress job, and it can be so. Running the SKKA is a full-time endeavor, one that I completely enjoy. Why?? My mission is the Student Body, above all things!! So, I'm seriously concerning to adhere with my Cardiologists advice to lessen my stress levels.

Shugyo!! SUCK IT UP!! This is Shindokan!! Soke and Dai-Soke preached Shugyo to us on a daily basis, and we experienced in daily, as well. Shugyo is preached to the entire SKKA Student Body. Can't stand the fire, then get out of the kitchen!! We've no tolerance to whining and complaining. That's mainly because Karate-do is a contact endeavor that must be experienced, in which, one MA betterment is improved. We don't abuse or beat or torture our students, but we do put them through the paces, that's to be for sure. We don't apologize for it whatsoever!! Boo boos and band-aides and kisses...we don't offer those!!

For all of the years that I've been on the floor, I've been fortunate enough to have avoided that side of grappling, and yes, Shindokan does a lot of grappling.

I wholeheartedly concur!!

I turned the video off almost immediately due to the pageantry shown in the very beginning of the video; it's not for me.

NO!! It's nothing more than an illusion made to set us up for failure. No one is unstoppable because man is fallible, and in that fallibility, death is waiting patiently for that very day.

Not only is it possible, but for the sake of sanity, it's required through and through. Procrastination is the root of our evil. In the MA, procrastination must be avoided at all costs because our work ethics speaks quite a lot about us across the board. "I'll do it tomorrow...I'll do it tomorrow...I'll do it tomorrow" NO!! Do it, and do it now; before it's too late. Procrastination drives me absolutely crazy; don't want it, or that person near me.

Both!! Knowledge is paramount to a MAist, imho!! Knowledge can't be without wisdom, and wisdom can't be without knowledge; they're quite dependent upon one another. My students are learning from my knowledge THROUGH my wisdom, as well, in which I encourage them to seek their own knowledge through their own wisdom...AS IT'S ACQUIRED. For me, saying Knowledge VS Wisdom, is setting them against one another, and in a way that seems to require one to chose one over another. This to me is counterproductive!! Both are necessary for balance. We each, in our own way, acquire knowledge and wisdom differently. Some get their Aha moments faster than others, and some take much longer for the light bulb to come on. At least their both getting it, and that's important.

This is the first time I've ever listened to Alan Watts; very enjoyable. I believe that I'm constantly heading towards it, and not away from it because, after all, I do what I enjoy, and not what I don't enjoy; teaching the MA and selling MA equipment in a retail environment. Thanks for sharing the video, Alan Armstrong for sharing.

Well, I don't believe in blocks, but I do believe in deflections/receiving. Do the 52 blocks work?? I've no idea because anything, everything will be dependent on the practitioner. Nonetheless, with 52 blocks at ones disposal, something has a chance of something working. https://www.harlemma.com/Programs/52-blocks

I believe that the balance between theory and practice must be sought after with the similar diligence that a big cat in the wild is towards its prey; with much greater patience. Theory doesn't come without practice, and practice doesn't come without theory. Practice without theory destroys the effectiveness of the proposed theory. In return, theory without practice is akin to having a very long conversation with oneself; fruitless. Necessary?? Let me answer with a question of my own...To sustain life, is the breathing of air necessary?? Everything must have an effective starting point in which research can be that proponent of that supposed theory. Is my MA effective enough to protect myself?? To find the answer to that question, I believe that live and resistant practice of theory but be profound enough to reach a valid answer. Why practice?? Why theory?? The summation of "why", is to the summation of "because"!! I believe that the necessary balance exists in my MA journey; I'm complete in my MA totality. Imho!!

As I've said before, this type of methodology/ideology already exists, and has since its conception, within Shindokan; albeit, within our Close Ranges and the like. I, however, believe that I've not mastered anything because I'm constantly learning. Nonetheless, I'm very comfortable with this type of methodology/ideology, in that, it's no longer difficult for me, than tying my shoe laces are.

Neither of them!!!!! If I was forced to pick a winner between these two, I suppose that I'd pick her hands down. He doesn't have the minimum of an idea of what to do across the board; undisciplined as well as unskilled, through and through. She at least had a modicum of effort throughout the encounter. Whereas, he lacked much more than he could afford.

You can't have one, skill and discipline, without the other because they're both interchangeable as well as interdependent on one another. Which one came, or comes, first or simultaneous?? The skill? The discipline? Both mature in time, however long that might be. One must have the skill to acquire the discipline, and therefore, one must have the discipline to acquire the skill. Nurturing either haphazardly begets undisciplined skills!! Imho!!

Aren't the "Aha" moments worth the wait?!?

I wholeheartedly concur, MatsuShinshii!!

Just because one is a human being, it doesn't mean that that person knows how to act like a human being. I've not the time, nor the inclination to worry about what people say or might say because they just don't matter to me, especially their opinion(s). In my life, only my wife, Linda, and our two kids, Nathan and Krystal, opinions matter to me. People come and people go, this is a sad, as well as an enjoyable, part of life. Marital Art life is no different!! When students leave of their own accord, there's nothing I can do about it because it's their business. Whenever a student leaves of my accord, there's nothing that they can do about it. I've not missed every student, however, I've missed more than I've not missed because a bond between student and Sensei, depending on how long the relationship has been, is a real, and often times, personal, yet professional one. Albeit, the one maxim that I do believe in says... "Don't get personally involved with students, no matter what!!" Sometimes, that's much easier said than done!! Dai-Soke had his inner circle, and I was fortunate enough to be a part of it. I've my own inner circle as well, a very small hand full of trusted students, and this is where I've failed the maxim above. Oftentimes, judgement can be askew when that maxim is cast aside like a molded washrag. This maxim makes the dojo a sad and lonely one, and in this, I've laughed and cried whenever a student has to leave, no matter the cause. But, talking about me behind my back and things like that, GO FOR IT!! I could care less because of what John Lydgate said... “You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time”. Time is too short...life is too short!! I just want to train and teach!! Anything else...BIG DEAL!!