sensei8

It already is too political, and has been that way since the creation of Karate. This is due to the sad fact that wherever human beings are involved, things of well meant intent, tend to muddle up a good thing faster than grease lighting. A governing body isn't needed to insert politics into Karate!! Human beings involvement are quite sufficient in doing that all by themselves. However, the creation of a governing body tends to solidify the underlying manipulations of possession of ruling over other human beings. I don't speak as someone who is from outside, but more as someone who has been in the inside for quite some time. I was once part of the SKKA's Regents, and am currently the SKKA/Hombu Kaicho [President]. What I've witnessed from the inside for these many, many years is enough to force one to take notice, and to take a very long pause in a state of bewilderment. Want to avoid the surge of politics in Karate?? Then, train by yourself, teach yourself, promote yourself, and be by yourself, having only you to manage!! But not so fast!! Forces outside of yourself will embed you with politics whether you've control or not over yourself. You want tomatoes?? Then guess what?? You have to go to the tomato vendor, and not to the watermelon vendor!! And both of those vendors are deeply ensconced in politics of their own making as well as the established politics of government, whether it be at the local, state, and/or federal level. These vendors will force you to abide by their rules and regulations if you want to buy from either of these vendors. It's, and it'll be your choice, one way or another. In life, there will always be someone and/or something to tell you what to and not to do everyday of your life. I doubt that Karate can function and/or survive without politics; it's a Catch-22...the impossible solution to attain. As far as you being told what your doing, Karate wise, is wrong!! Ignore them!! Your Sensei is the FINAL WORD!! Others might be well intended, but their dead wrong because they're not your Sensei. Not today...not tomorrow!! Their opinion isn't wanted, and more importantly, their not that important!! Everyone has opinions!! However, your Sensei's opinion is the only one that matters, and is that important. No matter how I might differ with what your Sensei is teaching you, his teachings trump my opinion automatically. Not lend an ear to those who are not your Sensei!!

If I ever make it to your dojo, I'll definitely bring a kitchen sink with me. Hopefully you won't take it from me and beat me senseless with it though. :) LOL!! You can bring the kitchen sink with you, if need be. I won't take the kitchen sink from you because...I won't need it.

We allow everything and anything, including the kitchen sink, if need be!! However, no matter the weapon, it must be controlled at all times. Sure, accidents happen, that's why we're adamant about safety gear for all Kyu students, without exceptions.

Which Kata can beat the other Kata?? No such thing, imho!! It's dependent on the practitioners execution of said Kata!! How believable is that practitioners execution of said Kata?!?!? Rika Usami, in her days, won more that her share of Kata Championships on the worlds stage not from the mere choice of the Kata, but on just how she executed, and how believable her execution was of said Kata!! I believe that she might've won with Heian Shodan against, for example, Unsu, because of her execution, and how believable she was.

However, their Kumite as their Bunkai still puts a huge hole in the well known maxim...Three K's, down to it missing a very key part. I'm for the Kumite, but it also starves for Kihon and Kata; in equal portions, with not one being more important than the other parts. I'm speaking towards Karate-do, but from a time that seems to be ignored for one reason or another. I can't learn Kumite effectively without learning some of the tools of the trade, and this is where Kihon, and Kata, play into it wholeheartedly. Yet, then is the old school that's akin to how dads taught their children how to swim...being thrown into the pool, and it's at that very moment that their children either sink or swim. Cruel, yet effective. Same with Kumite as the only thing, and as it's own Bunkai. Throw the Jukyu out there with seasoned Karateka's and have at it. Either that student will sink or swim. That too, is cruel, yet effective. The three K's are a proven maxim that I believe to this very day must be embraced by all Karateka's, or they'll either sink or swim, the hard way, and at times, the impossible way!!

Withholding anything from a student is akin to not teaching effectiveness across the board. I don't mean withholding anything just for the sake of withholding, but, for example, one has to learn how to crawl before one can run. I'd not be willing to teach Ikkyu material to a Jukyu student because it's inappropriate, as well as irresponsible, to do so. Can't build a house from the roof down!! To not teach any, or very little Bunkai serves no purpose. If there's only Kata in the Karateka's life, and no Bunkai, or the lack thereof, then, that Karateka's life isn't effective across the board. No Bunkai!! No Kata!! Can't have one without the other, and expect to have a very well rounded Karateka!! After all, the three K's are called the three K's and not the two or one K: Kihon, Kata, Kumite!! Kata without Bunkai is a wasteful exertion of time and energy!! Kata without Bunkai is just void of emotions!! Kata without Bunkai is an emotionless dance!! Kata without Bunkai is like the engine that has no gas!! Kata without Bunkai is like a car without tires!! Sure, speak to your CI, by all means concerning any and all of your concerns, just do it respectfully. Not many CI's appreciate being measured by their students. HOWEVER, if it's a cat, it'll meow and purr, and do everything that a cat does, without fail. Kata needs Bunkai and Bunkai needs Kata, without fail!! No Bunkai, but Kata!! RED FLAG!! Imho!!

In my JBB days, I most assuredly made many of my own Kobudo weapons. I wasn't the richest person as a teenager, but I made do with whatever I had at my disposal. Necessity is the mother of all inventions...crude or not!! My youth, and the vigor of it all.

When it comes to changing routine behavior, slow and steady really does win the race. Behavior change is a process, not an event. Rather than picking a day to jump in and try to change everything at once, in the long term it's more effective...and less stressful...to take on a new behavior or two and practice them for a while until they become familiar and more routine. You can then take on another healthy habit, working down your list of behaviors you'd like to change over time. If you're persistent enough, these new routines will eventually become just the way you do things. For many people, the first step in changing behavior is to work on halting negative self-talk. People really are capable of change. I oftentimes see the refusal to change as that stumbling block that stubbornly gets in the way from improving themselves on the floor. Having said that, that individual that can't seem to break the horrific chains that are slowly choking the life out of their MA betterment, in which, the simplest thing in the MA turns into the most difficult.

I'm with Zaine on this!! I've both the original as well as the revised edition by George Alexander. Well written and well researched; a treasure trove, imho. There are resources still available to purchase it. Barnes & Noble sells the paperback for around $32, as does WalMart for $37. Amazon sells a DVD of that book for about $50. If the book is signed by one of the Masters that's depicted in that book, one way or another, then that books value might be increased. However, imho, what's the value of the book depends on its demand, and on the collector/buyer. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I have spent so much time thinking about, and debating, this very thing. We have to begin understanding that secrecy in regarding bunkai is useless. That secrecy with anything MA is pure unreasonable, at best, imho. How so?? At one time, during a time some time ago, that might've been so. Nonetheless, times change because change is inevitable, and if people don't want to change, then they die away, one way or another. Secrecy, I don't personal agree with that mindset, if it still exists in today's MA society; I've not time to ponder it's aliveness or the lack thereof. I was taught out of secrecy, and therefore I teach out of secrecy. Soke and Dai-Soke held nothing back; they were those open books. And they, my friends, were from that place as well as that time when secrecy wholeheartedly was alive for one reason or another. They both taught us without reservations, and therefore, I, in exchange, do the same with my own students, as do every CI within the SKKA network with their own students. Let no man put asunder!! Let man not think more highly of himself than he ought!! Let no man pull you low enough to hate him!! Let no man say when he is tempted!! Whenever I've heard, or whenever I do hear that something(s) hidden in secrecy, and it, whatever it is, is withheld from their Student Body, I believe that this is so because that CI him/herself doesn't have the minimum of an idea him/herself!! Instead of that CI just saying that they don't know, whenever asked and/or pressed, they hide behind the secrecy mindset in the hope that that will appease whomever for that moment. Imho!!

Kata is considered to be the heart of Karate-do!! Without it, the Karate-do dies. Your poised question will receive a wide plethora of answers!! One way or another, you'll have to make that decision for yourself. I'll not try to sway you one way or another because the decision across the board belongs to you, and you alone. I have always believed in Kata, just as I've also always believed in Kihon and Kumite; these elements can't survive on their own, and they are dependent on one another. Imagine a three legged chair, and one of that chairs legs are purposefully removed. Just how solid and secure is that chair?? Not much, at all!! Kata depends on Kihon as well as Kumite, so on and so forth. These are the building blocks that are the foundation of Karate-do. Muscle memory depends on repetitive actions, but the actions must be correct, and effective. Drilling Kihon and Kata, do prepare one for Kumite. However, unless one engages in Kumite, Kihon and Kata die as a useless principle. Through Kata and Kihon, I've a much better understanding as to the mechanics of each technique, but still, they're useless unless I apply them efficiently AND effectively, as well. An understanding is a start, but it isn't a complete start. That requires LIVE RESISTANCE. Through Kata, I've an understanding how my body works facing the many different possibilities that one might encounter. The Bunkai/Oyo open up many other questions and answers to the how's and why's, for a start, of what to do when I see something so very familiar through Kata. Again, I'm not interested in swaying you to believe in Kata, just my believe in a very general way. Often times I hear from those who dismiss Kata, that because I believe in Kata, I'll be defeated quite easily. That's quite an assumption especially when they've not ever stepped on the floor with me in any capacity. Dismissing my 5 generations of being on the floor...dismissing my Sensei and his Sensei...dismissing every single student of mine...as easy marks because we believe in Kata, and they don't. That's fair because they're entitled to their opinions. I don't have to like their opinions towards Kata, but I have to respect their believe(s) towards Kata.

Congrats, David Miller; a well deserved 1st place.

That question isn't owned by any particular gender; I get it all of the time!! For the most, I just walk away!! Let them wonder, for all I give a darn!! For the most, I believe that they're just kidding or uncomfortable, whenever they do ask. But, for me, the question doesn't even deserve an answer because my MA is very personal to me, and whenever they do ask that insulting question, I can choose two things...answer them or not to answer them!! I choose to ignore them as if they're invisible! The unmitigated gall of them to ask!!

Great topic, great responses all; thanks for starting the topic, Spartacus Maximus!! I'm always spouting out...Knowledge and experience; these are the paramount things of importance to any level of MAist. Knowledge and experience are different as well as tangible, if, diligently sought after. If I know something, whether it be acquired formally or informally, it's of value to me, and if I'm capable of sharing it, and then teach it to someone who deems what I've to offer valuable to that person, then both my knowledge and experience of the subject at hand, can be achieved as well as acquired in time. My knowledge AND my experience are the two-edged sword of the CI. I've, at times, both the knowledge and experience of Shindokan; Shindokan is the core working model that I tap into across the board. My experience of Shindokan is that I've the knowledge to expel its effectiveness. My knowledge of Shindokan is that I've the experience to expel its effectiveness. Repetitious drilling aren't the empty vessels found within the Dojo!! Hardly!! These never ending drills are the building blocks of the MAist that's being built by that students CI, one brick at a time, over time. Experience at what?? The cruelty of that question is...their opinion(s) means nothing to me. Who gave/gives them the right to pass judgment on me?? Because they're the potential student of mine?? NO!! That's not enough...nothing will ever be enough. That potential student sought me out; I didn't seek that potential student. If someone else believes that I've the knowledge and experience, then I'm blessed. But on the same note, I'm still blessed if someone else believes that I've not the knowledge and experience. Both to me, are the same thing!! And life is way to short for me to worry about receiving their blessing's!! I've earned every tiny bit of scrape of tangibility that I've ever earned!! If I can teach it, then by golly, I can use it; it's not a far gone illusion. I can back up what I can teach!! Proof is on the floor, and that floor isn't always found in a school of the MA. Knowledge and/or experience are a beautiful thing. However, they both can be quite a dangerous thing; be careful how you use either!! Imho!!

I'm both, and then some!! I'm tenacious to no end across the board!! My resolve is on purpose!!

Sometimes, I over/under train on purpose; that's my decision alone; seems to have worked for me all of these many, many years. Am I wrong, either way?!? Well, again, the decision either way is still my decision!!

Talk away, Alan; I'm very comfortable to discuss the Wedge Principle, even if the understanding that was taught to me might differ yours. Shindokan checks depend on the Wedge Principle. Otherwise, our checks are not effective whatsoever.

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

Many people have weight issues. We all eventually, if we live long enough will however have health issues. These health issues, hopefully, will convince us to be steering our motivations in the right directions. I've know many athletic fit people, die due to misadventures, perhaps I learned from them on what not to do. Was told today, that my nephew died of a drug overdose, how sad, what a waste for the sake of getting high. As martial artists let's all get high on life and living healthier. We all have our crosses to bear, God willing they become lighter every day, especially for you sensei8, my thoughts are with you. Dai-Soke was embarrassed as to where my weight went. As a CI, I could see his embarrassment whenever he had to introduce me as part of the Upper Hierarchy, no matter the elected position, no matter where we were. I was a representative of Soke and Dai-Soke, as well as the SKKA/Hombu, and the entire SKKA Student Body. A fat disgusting MAist, who's also a double Hachidan, and as a Hanshi. I can see!! And I've seen out others treated me while my weight was out of control. They too, passed judgement on me quickly!! But once I was on the floor with them, their tone changed to a tone of respect. But still, the hurt had already been leveled upon me without cause and without hesitation. I too, was embarrassed to the Nth degree!! I send you my condolences about the passing of your nephew; you'll be in my prayers, Alan!!

Thank you, singularity6; means everything to me for your support!!

If we're speaking about the same Wedge Principle, yeah, Shindokan utilizes it constantly primarily because of our Close Range Methodologies. Cutting angles inwardly and outwardly, posture, body alignment, and structure; using every part of our bodies; receiving the attack. We do not block the attack; we receive it and/or deflect it, in which the attack is redirected. Our defense is in our defense. The wedge principle can be applied with many parts of the body including legs, head, and shoulders, as well as arms and hands. Apply the Wedge effectively is a way to take the opponents energy or momentum, and use it against them, taking force away from the opponent and turning into a lock, strike or throw. A twisting action is also present in the way force is transmitted through the body, as well as the legs to the feet. Thusly, it aides in keeping the connection in place between the upper and lower halves of the body. Without this Wedge, our close range, to mention just one, is hampered through and through; this is Shindokan, whereas, we live and thrive in the world of close range.

"You're a fat man!!" I heard that more than I can ever remember from Dai-Soke for many years. Yes, I was a fat man!! I once weighed 350lbs!! No, this is NOT a typo!! But to hear that from Dai-Soke hurt deeply, and he never once apologized for it. Did that motivate me?? NO!! It did not!! It did the opposite!! What motivated me to lose the weight nowadays was when I was first diagnosed with Afib back in September 2016.

OK...I LOVE the Sparbar...I want 15 of them!! Great tool...great invention!! Thanks, Danielle for the share!!

When your CI (Chief Instructor) says so, and not sooner!! I refer you back to your first question above. You might feel ready, but the call isn't your in the first place!! Feeling ready and being ready are two separate things. If you're referring to the Testing Cycle, then, NO!! Respectfully refuse the offer for personal reasons. But be careful, not many CI's like being told, directly or indirectly, anything that questions them. But it's a risk that must be taken if one's that serious. While there might be a formula to determine this concern, I'd say this...NO!! There's no number of months you should wait before because it's the least of thing to be concerned with; it'll occur when it does, and no time any sooner!! Knowledge and experience is paramount over the belt. The belt isn't that important!! The belt should never define you!! It's not important to be a black belt. What's important is the betterment of the MAist, through and through. This is obtained through time, and in time, knowledge and experience are increased, but once again, only in time. No. Belts are part of Kyokushin. Belts are just that tangible thing that you wrap around your waist, however, the importance of the belt might only be valuable in THAT dojo, and nowhere else!!!! The furthest away from the belt as possible, the sooner the better!! Knowledge and experience through time spent on the floor!! Be patient, and do not seek out for any belt and any promotion whatsoever!!

In my almost 53 years on the floor, I'm quite sure that I under/over trained more than I care to remember, and admit for one reason(s) or another. As singularity6 has said..."moderation is the key". Knowing when one is doing one or the other saves a lot of unnecessary time across the board. Oftentimes, I ignored the signals, in which, I paid for it dearly across the board; an expensive letter, for sure, to learn. Whether it be from exuberance or not, they, from time to time, still occurred. Knowledge and experience helped me to taper myself across the board.