sensei8

People DO find a way!! But... Is that way limited? Is that way correct? Can't improve if there's no improvement within the instructor pool. How fast some MAists are at putting Senior Dan's out to pasture, even if it's within their own minds, because "They've had their time; it's our time!!"

What would you do if you had no Senior Dan instructors/CI to teach you?? No more CI's above Godan?? Most of us have a deep pool of knowledge and experience within ones Governing Body/Hombu where students of all ranks can tap into the richness of a Senior Dan instructor/CI. Often times, I'll either read or hear students deride Senior Dan instructor/CI, for one thing or another; a deepening of disrespect. Yet, whenever they need something from said Senior Dan instructor/CI If you're in, for example, the SKIF, what would you do if Kanazawa Sensei and/or his son weren't available for a seminar?? What if the highest ranking CI within your style, weren't available for a seminar?? How can you grow as a MAist without that continued teachings by those who've earned that knowledge and experience over 4 or 5 or more decades?? Taking advantage of them?! Supposing that they'll live forever?! Stagnant, isn't tasteful whatsoever!! By yourself, you can only learn so much!! Once the pool runs dry, then what?? Yes, then what!?

Imho, There's no profanity in the MA!! However, there's profanity in the human factor.

I just recently moved away from Houston, TX, more exactly, Pearland, TX. I shopped for space, but life kept getting in the way. So, one day, I looked in Craigslist and by golly, there was someone renting out the use of a Dojo...full of equipment and all!! But live kept getting in the way. Check out Craigslist to see if the ads still up. It blew my mind!!

Went to the gym last night, but, it's not a good report!! While on the StairMaster, I was struggling to maintain, and at the 10 minute mark, I stepped off. I was huffing and puffing like all get out. Then I went to the TreadMill, and I was struggling as well, and at the 10 minute mark, I stepped off. I usually breeze through my workouts, with no problems!! My heart rate was at 189!! My heart rate is usually around 134-140, depending on what I'm doing. I went home, took off my workout shirt, wiped myself down in the attempt to cool down....NO SUCH LUCK!! I felt as though I was reliving it when I first was diagnosed with Afib in September 2016. I'm SCARED!! My wife took me to the emergency room immediately. Nurses hooked up the EKG, put an IV in, took some blood, gave me a few shots for the Afib. Then I had an X-Ray of my chest. Doctor confirmed... MY AFIB HAD RETURNED!! Doctor admitted me into the hospital overnight for observations due to when I first came into the emergency, my Afib was uncontrolled, but 5 hours later, my Afib was controlled. My heart finally settled down to 76bpm, but the Afib was and is still there. I was doing so well...until...NOW!! Lost 80 pounds, watching my diet, exercising, I mean, I was doing good!! I'll return to the gym tomorrow, but I'll be back doing my modified gym work; which is what I was doing last September. I was going to buy a mountain bike...NOT NOW!! I was going to run 4 more 5K runs...NOT NOW!! Back to the Cardiologist for plan 'B'!!

I don't think that'll ever happen. While the MMA has sunk it's teeth into the landscape of the MA, those other styles have already been around for much longer than MMA, and in that, those 'traditional' MA have an incredible following. To much to just sweep it under the MMA rug!! I mean, "all" is quite a lot to consider! MMA is just one thing among a sea of 'traditional' things!!

Just because they're human beings, it doesn't mean that they know how to act like a human being!!

Thanks for sharing that, Alan!! Hip flexor pain is no joke. One will get the message once one gets those sharp shooting painful jabs in that area. Strength and flexibility goes hand in hand; one without the other is an unbalanced act.

If said kata is NOT on the approved WKF Shitei Kata list, then that said kata can't be executed. However, seeing that it's a open tournament, and even though they're following WKF rules and regulations, then if it was be for clarification sake, I'd contact the powers that be of the local tournament beforehand, and ask them straight out if that said kata is allowed before I'd assume anything. I believe that that open tournament either amended the WKF Shitei Kata list, at their own discretion, to admit the kata in question. OR...that competitor received a big fat ZERO for a score for executing a kata that's not approved. OR...that open tournament arbitrator circumvented the WFK Rules applied for unknown reasons; arbitrator's have the final say. As far as one was wearing a Red, while the other was wearing a Blue belt are concerned, and seeing that the open tournament you're about to enter will be following WKF rules, these belt colors DO NOT REFLECT RANK of the competitor!! Which I'm not proposing that you're not aware of how the WKF addresses the approved wearing of the Obi, specifically with Red/Blue. And, in case you might not be aware of the reasoning behind the Blue/Red obi within the WKF, this might serve you... The Red/Blue are identifiers of whom is whom. Remember when at tournaments before venue's such as the WKF were held, and one of the competitors would have a red strip of cloth wrapped/tucked in the back of their belt? That cloth was the identifier of who is who. That simplification of identifier turned into being the invention of one competitor wearing a Red belt and the other competitor wearing a Blue belt as a means of identifying one competitor from another within the competition ring. Rika Usami, for example, who is a force to be reckoned within the WKF world, often wore either a Red or Blue belt while competing in any WKF event, and she's the furthest thing from being either a Red or Blue belt rank; if memories serve me, she's a Nidan under Inoue sensei.

Not much of a mystery considering hair pulling is against the rules, in at least UFC is concerned; Rule 15.A.v.

Thanks, Brian; I greatly appreciate that info!!

I'm sculpting my body right now, ever since October 2016. As I lose weight, 70+ pounds thus far, I've developed some loose flab, if that's the proper term for that which is happening with me. I've read that body builder have to continue lifting for the rest of their lives, or their body starts to, well, sag or droop or whatever. As I drop weight, I have to do things to counter the sag, but that doesn't happen over night. I have the ugly sag/droop, and it disgusts me to no end. I swim...I flip large truck tires...I use the medicine ball...I do a plethora of things to counter the sag/droop, BUT IT'S NOT WORKING the way I want it to or as fast as I want it to!! By the time I lose 111lbs, I'll sag and droop even worse so. Sculpting the body isn't as easy as I imagined it to be!! Just how in the world does a pregnant woman tone up her body after delivering a baby?? That's what I need to know. But, it's possible that the woman who's pregnant was already toned when she became pregnant, and she already had that within her. I was a fat body disgust...and now I sag/droop, even though I'm losing a lot of weight, thus far!!

It looks like the wife will be passing me up, this time. Bum hip. :-/ Sorry to hear that!! Don't fret much! Just continue to train as your hip will allow! Meanwhile, support your wife as she prepares, and then takes her testing cycle.

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

Good luck on your testing cycle, the both of you!! I too, love Metallica!! Hopefully you'll be able to do both; testing and Metallica concert. What a way to celebrate a testing cycle...METALLICA!!

Yes, a very good opportunity to expand ones MA betterment!!

How much more deeper?? How deep are you right now?? Most Okinawan styles, as you know, have a much more upright stance than most Japanese styles; kind of akin to a natural default.

Pulling of ones hair might occur no matter if it's long or short, but of course, the shorter the hair, the least it'll be pulled. I always wear my hair very short. So, no worries there. I wear a long beard, but still, no worries there, either. You want to pull my hair, if I had any, as well as my beard?!? Then go for it, and I'll react accordingly to the situation appropriately. Hair is just one other thing to defend, and to be expected from time to time, and therefore, I'll not worry about it until the time to worry about it is here; not until there. To me, it's inconsequential to worry about my hair and/or my beard being grabbed, yanked, and/or pulled. I'll deal with it at that moment, and not until then. Besides, for me, escaping from those types of attacks are so very effortless!!

I suppose that I'm the silent one!! I've nothing to say to my opponent; it's just a distraction. One that I can do without. I allow my "work" to speak for itself. Imho, there's no good time to waste time by running my big fat mouth at the most inappropriate time(s). This to me is counterproductive to Mizu No Kokoro [Mind like the water] and Tsuki No Kokoro [Mind like the moon] whereas, distractions ebb against what these two principles speak towards. I've not the time, and/or the inclination to run my mouth while defending my family, friends, loved ones, and myself. It's just not my cup of tea!!

Body language and the understanding of it, speaks in volumes as to what's easily taken for granted. Many MAist forget the importance of body language. From recognizing those tale tale signs appropriately to those not so easily recognized signs that are often overlooked until it's to late. Reading the opponents body language effectively can save one from a myriad of situations. Intercepting ones proposed intentions can become quite tricky if one's not even a minimum of an idea as to what to look for. My understanding of body language is excellent, imho, and I suppose that that's what's to be expected after 5 decades of the MA.

Kind of wonder how your Tai Chi Sifu would receive this, if at all!? Not many, if any, instructors like being told, directly or indirectly, along the lines of your quote above.

Biting works too!! I believe that biting could be under the heading of a submission. Or a kindly knee to the groin could be under the same heading. Let's call it an option that's dependent on how good a position one is in. It can be done but it's effectiveness depends on how good your position is. I wholeheartedly concur!! Like in anything, position is everything.

Singularity6 wrote: Biting works too!! I believe that biting could be under the heading of a submission. Or a kindly knee to the groin could be under the same heading.

No one can expect more than that!!

Thanks for the support, everyone; means everything to me!! Gym workouts are going pretty great. Average's this week/6 days a week: StairMaster 45 minutes Levels 7-10 Heart Rate: 130 Calorie Burn: 450 Floors: 105 TreadMill 30 minutes Inclines: Start>2.0 for 6 minutes...then 8.0 for 6 minutes...then 15.0 for 6 minutes...then 8.0 for 6 minutes...then 2.0 for 6 minutes...then 5 minute Cool-Down for 5 minutes at 2.0...Speed at 3.5 at start...then 3.0 for the duration...then at Cool-Down at 3.5. Calorie Burn: 300 Heart Rate:120 Rowing 5000KM 30 Minutes Calorie Burn: 315 Tension: NONE [Rowing machine's at this new gym don't offer tension dials ] Biking 20 minutes 5 miles [Varying hills and such] Calorie Burn: 275 Free Weights/Weight Machines Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 1.5 hours Various Machines Various Free Weights Calorie Burn: 2000 Swimming NONE [This gym isn't equipped with a pool. Closest one is 30 minutes away ] Maintaining my strict diet still!! Today was a great day. From beside my gym workouts, I ran in my first organized run today, on the Fourth of July, before hitting the gym afterwards!! It was a 5K/10K run; which is approximately 3.1/6.2 miles. I completed the 5K run in just over 30 minutes...31:56 was my official time. Start time: 0730. There was quite a lot of runners, of all ages and experience!! The camaraderie was fantastic between the runners, sponsors, and spectators all around. Each 5K/10K finisher received a specially designed commemorative medal. My race number was: 1061...I don't know if that's an indication of how many runners participated, but there was a lot of them; a literal sea of runners!! I'm entered in 4 more organized runs this year. 2 in August, and 2 in September. I'll weigh myself at the end of July. Last weigh in June was 251.