sensei8

Welcome to KF, goju1971; glad that you're here!!

I don't believe that the WKF is much faster in Kumite than the JKA whether it be as an organization and/or as a practitioner. That might only be an individuals opinion/interpretation based on their own particular observations. In short, fact or fiction, it might be possibly more of an assumption, and it therefore lies within that individual/practitioner. Imho

Very nice gift!! You only need another goal if you want one!!

To each and every KF member as well as their families, have a safe Merry Christmas!!

No worries Sensei8, it's well deserved and have a very merry Christmas Thank you, Safroot, and to you, as well, Merry Christmas!!

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

Of all of the belts found in any MA, the White Belt is far above the most valued and important belt of them all. Why? Without first being a White Belt, one can't earn any other rank. Imho!!

Today... 20 minutes Stairmaster [Level 3] 20 minutes Tredmill 10 minutes Stationary Bike 10 minutes Rowing 5 minutes Stairmaster [Level 4] Total calorie burn = 605 Weekly weigh in = 285lbs Overall weight loss = 41lbs Tomorrow... 1 hour of swimming

Very interesting topic; thanks for starting it Lex!! Looking through our Hombu's registry, active/inactive, we've 953 Yudansha's throughout the SKKA Network!! The overall total of the Student Body, as of Q3 2016, is 16,779 since the Hombu opened in 1957 of both active/inactive. The very first Yudansha [shodan] was earned in July 1965, and that student had been at the Hombu since the Hombu first opened. This, of course, is to also include Soke's and Dai-Soke's Judan, as well as San Dai-Soke's Judan; all three of these are inactive...two have passed away, and one was expelled. Active/Inactive Yudansha's: Kudan = 2 [My Sensei, when he was Kaicho of the SKKA, before his promotion to Dai-Soke, and myself] Hachidan = 21 Nanadan = 13 Rokudan = 19 Godan = 88 Yondan = 86 Sandan = 107 Nidan = 121 Shodan = 358 JBB = 135 That's, since the conception of our Hombu, 15,826 of Mudansha ranks, of both active/inactive!! I personally have promoted 108 to Yudansha from my Kyuodan Dojo, since 1984. Between the 3 Kyuodan Dojo's, my overall Student Body total was, 3,194. Active/Inactive Yudansha's Rokudan = 1 Godan = 9 Yondan = 12 Sandan = 17 Nidan = 26 Shodan = 28 JBB = 15 That represents 3,086 Mudansha's under my direct supervision. [edit: spelling]

Thank you Safroot and MatsuShinshii; means a lot to me!!

What kills me is when discussions about Kata and/or Bunkai turn into a "You're wrong!!" accusation, even when those words aren't exactly spoken. If that's the concrete base of any discussion surrounding Kata/Bunkai, then we might as well discard the entire Oyo aspect, as well as Kihon Bunkai, Kakushi Bunkai, Henka Bunkai, and Dento Bunkai; in short, Bunkai in itself. How can I express myself honestly in Kata/Bunkai if my way is considered wrong?? Self expression, to my understanding, is also, Karate-do!! Shouldn't only I be the one to ascertain as to the Bunkai is or isn't effective?? Sure enough, we follow the traditional Bunkai as it's been given to us through our Sensei, nonetheless, if I don't seek my own Bunkai, then what good am I, if at all?!

You can't be that old. I figured you for 40 ish. Nope...I just turned 59 this past October!!

I most assuredly and wholeheartedly agree; you and yours are in my prayers. Here's to a much better 2017!!

Taste it, Kendo, to see if it's any good!! If it's not, spew it out of your mouth, but if it is good, then share it. Kendo angles can fuel the fire within any MA. Those angles avoid wasteful energy, and bring one much directly closer to the opponent/attacker. Sounds like it's time to visit a Kendo school in order to better understand what's Kendo, and best way to do that is by asking a lot of questions and observing different classes. Good luck!!

I could not agree with you more. My own lineage has been one that maintained the "family" art within their own family and only passed down to others what was deemed to be outside of the family art. "Secrets" if you will. However through the generations this has changed to some degree. Now it is more about giving information when information can be understood or when the student is deemed responsible and mature enough to accept it. However nothing is held back. IMHO the only reason I hold anything back is because I have a doubt about the student. I generally talk to said student and wait to see if they improve and quell my doubts. If not I tell them to move on. However if my students are worthy, and they are not students for long if they are not, I do not hold anything back from them. I actually look forward to the day when they have more knowledge and more skill than I and they surpass me. This means that I have done my job and have guaranteed transmission and passage to the next generation. To me that is really what this is all about. There is an old saying, "you can't take it with you when you go". If the art is not passed on as a whole then it is taught as a watered down version. In my opinion, if your teacher thought enough about the art and you as their student to teach everything to you, the least you can do is honor that and pass on what was taught in it's entirety to your students. This is not about ego. It's about the betterment of your students. That is your legacy. This is how you are remembered. Not as the one who knew everything but your students are ill equipped because you never passed anything but mediocrity to them. These teachers are lost to history because they are not worth talking about. If your students are the beneficiaries of your teachings they will appreciate it and pass it on, and in thru that, your legacy will be cemented in their students and their students and so on. This I believe is the mark of a good teacher. Holding back knowledge that was passed down to you, in the hopes that the art would be passed on through you, is pure ego. These teachers are easily forgotten because their students are not respected. I was always taught that I would never be given the chance to test for Shodan until my Shinshii felt I was worthy of it because I was a reflection of not only him but of his Shinshii and the art itself. Our students are a reflection of us. If your student is mediocre what does that say about you to those that only know your student? Solid post MatsuShinshii!! Both you and I are of the same old school teachings, and in that, we're quite similar in our mindset as well. To me, the credit for that that is within us is our Sensei's, your Shinshiii and my Dai-Soke, yet through their Sensei's as well. Our paths are straight, and not a winding path; true and unbridled!! My Soke and Dai-Soke held back nothing from any of us, to my knowledge. So much so, that our Densho Scroll Volumes are available for viewing and learning from for any student of Shindokan. This is so because they both knew that they'll not live forever. However, those Scroll Volumes must remain at the Hombu, and are not ever allowed to leave the Hombu. In short, read them, take notes, take pictures of them, but they're to remain in the secured room, and no one is allowed to be in that room unattended!! Why so strict? Those Scroll Volumes are for the future Shindokan students, and for them alone. You come to my dojo, and depending just how long you remain my student, I'll teach you everything that I've been taught by Soke and Dai-Soke. And yes, I'd say, according to what I've read with those Densho Scroll Volumes, that I've been taught 95% of everything by Soke and Dai-Soke. Why not the 100%?? They both passed away. Soke's death was expected considering his advanced age, while Dai-Soke's death caught us all off-guard with both of his strokes while he was in his 70's. Nonetheless, here's the final statement found on the last page of the final Volume... "Now, search your heart; that's where you'll discover your personal betterment." We've all interpreted that to simply mean, Shindokan is incomplete!! How so? We, add ourselves to Shindokan!! Our knowledge...our experiences...our soul...our heart!! Shindokan means, The House of the Heart Way! Follow your heart...follow your hearts desire...ones knowledge and experiences flow through your heart!! Yet, how can this ever happen if we keep the cornerstone of Shindokan to ourselves?? WE CAN'T!! I can't own that which can't be owned; it's impossible!! Share and share alike FREELY...as free as the wind is!! What is kept secret doesn't help our students!! Not at all!! We can convince ourselves that what we're keeping secret is for the good of the student body. Imho, that's the biggest hogwash that's ever been perpetrated on the student bodies all over the world!! That propaganda isn't welcomed...ever!! When it's decreed by our Soke that Shindokan is for everyone, by God, that's exactly what he meant, and that's exactly what we must do without any ambiguity and/or reservations!!

JR and tubby, you'll both be in my thoughts and prayers!! Hang in there, the both of you!!

I'm not going to lie and say that I wasn't nervous at all against the Buccaneers, no not at all. The Buccaneers were on a 6 game winning streak, and this game seemed to favor the Buccaneers more than the Cowboys because the Cowboys had just lost to the Giants, which ended their 11 game winning streak. Back and forth, these two teams battled. But what plagued the Cowboys last year, plagued the Buccaneers last night...3 interceptions...turnovers are the things that plague even the strongest of NFL teams. Cowboys win this battle with the Buccaneers with a score of 26-20, which was nearly the score that was predicted by the experts where they saw the Cowboys victories over the Buccaneers with a score of 26-24. The stars, imho, of that game was the Cowboys defense. Whether it be called luck or magic or skill, one can ascertain for themselves, but in only the third week in a row, and 10th time this season, Dallas held its opponent to no more than 20 points. Yes, the Giants defeated the Cowboys last week, and that's the most important thing, but the Giants only scored 10 hard fought points. Nonetheless, the Buccaneers could only manage 276 total offense yards...their 3rd down conversions were only a mere 4-of-12...the Cowboys controlled the ball for a fraction over 36 minutes, while the Buccaneers only controlled the ball just shy of 24 minutes. Now, the Cowboys are to host Detroit in an attempt to tame the Lions; that too, has the potentiality of it being a difficult task as well; not an easy task, but doable. The 9-5 Lions, which are in 1st place in the NFC North, and were at the losing end of a Giant victory 17-6; which that Giant win snapped the Lions 5 game winning streak. So the Lions are not going to be an easy win for the Cowboys!! Then after that, onto our Philadelphia rivalry to cap the regular season back in the Eagles territory, who aren't having a stellar season because, as of right now, the Eagles have a 5-9 record, and sit in 4th place in the NFC East, and that win is crucial if the Cowboys are to win the Conference, and home field advantages throughout the playoffs. No, easy days are never guaranteed in the NFL. GO COWBOYS!!

Being out of ones element, imho, can make one much more stronger as time passes. Pick what you think you're the strongest at, and enter into that division, and once the cobwebs are worked out, then start entering divisions that you're not as strong at. Good news about tournaments is that, nowadays, there are enough Divisions to enter whereas no one person is limited in available Divisions to compete in; you won't find it hard to choose one. However, I do tell my students that one won't know exactly their weak vs strong divisions UNTIL one competes. Kata, if it's strong within you, then afterwards you can enter Open Kata Division, and then there's the Music Kata division, and then there's the Team Kata Division, and then there's the many varieties of Weapons Kata Divisions. Same with Kumite!! There's the Team Sparring Division, and so on and so forth. Then there's the Breaking Divisions. Then there's Divisions for Seniors, then there's the Master Divisions, and so on and so forth. There's such a wide variety of Divisions to enter, that, to me, it's pretty impossible to be out of ones element because, after all, you're a MAist and with you being a black belt, you already know your weaknesses as well as your strengths, so, all you have to do is just enter in as many divisions as you like. Are you out of your element in any of your schools?? Of course not, and imho, a tournament is just an extension of your schools. Sure, you're not familiar with the rules and regulations and the culture that is of that tournament, but like anything else, those things are so easy to learn. Before you know it, you'll wander just why you even felt that you were out of your element because, at any tournament, you'll be both in your element and a tournament veteran helping others with the very things that you felt once. Good luck, Lex...hang in there!! Tournaments, imho, are a blast and a learning tool across the board!! HAVE FUN!!

Before I took one year of TKD back in my high school days, when I was a JBB in Shindokan, I was under the impression that the Axe Kick was quite flashy. That darn kick was the bane of my tournament days...I hated that kick because it scored on me out of nowhere, and quite often. Nowadays, the Axe Kick is as normal as the front kick, and not flashy at all!! I think the jump spinning crescent kick, inside or outside, is flashy, and the rest of the TKD kicks are NOT flashy at all...just common everyday TKD kicks.

Imho, one can't ever have too much Bunkai; it's the not enough that would cause me concern!! Train hard and train well!!

1. DONE: obtained all six and placed in 2 of them. 2. DONE: hardest year of training in my life. 3. DONE: No injuries to speak of. 4. NOT DONE: Unfortunately I failed my dan grade. Just nowhere near the standard I know I can perform to, just wouldn't come together on the day. 3 out of 4 ain't bad, just the one I really wanted didn't happen. Mo. To the bold type above... Hang in there Mo; times always on your side!!

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

JR, Sorry to hear that, and please, never apologize for getting things off your chest whenever health is an issue; we, here at KF, are a family!! What has your doctor told you, if I may ask, beyond what you've posted, that you'd be willing to share with us?? What's your doctors prognosis?? Are you taking any antibiotics?? Was the diagnosis caught early?? Hang in there, JR!!

Thanks, Bulltahr and Brain!! I use to be stuck at 300lbs...No more...now I'm stuck at 290lbs. Give me a break!! My routine, for the most part hasn't changed, but what I'm doing in addition is adding time spent on the different cardio machines...adding a touch more weights on my free weight routine...swimming extra laps each Saturday. Still watching my diet...watching my portion sizes...getting healthy foods/ingredients...I'm crossing all of the 't's' and dotting all of the 'I's', and upping my workouts. Things like that, yet, here I am...290lbs...still!! I've a theory, as to why... What I believe might be happening is that my body has to balance itself for the moment before weight can be loss. One pound of fat is much larger than one pound of muscle! Therefore, as my muscles grow through my strength training, my fat will diminish. Whereas before, my fat dominated my body; surrounded my muscles, therefore, my muscles we being smothered by my fat. Now, I'm on a course of reversing that trend by having my muscle mass surround my body fat. As my muscle mass increases, my body fat decreases, and in that, weight is loss. I'm not a fan of plateaus...never have...never will; they frustrate me to no end, and I've no tolerances and/or patience with them. Do any of you concur with my theory?

To the bold type above... The underlined, that right there, is forgotten in quite a lot of discussions whenever the discussions are centered around the MA. Shindokan fulfills my needs, for the most part, and that's why I've crossed trained in the MA for as long as I can remember. Whatever the MA might be, and I see value in it, and I believe that my MA betterment and needs are meet, than, how can I be told that whatever style I'm training in is wrong?!? Aren't our MA journey ours, and ours alone, until we shed our mortal coil??