sensei8

Our Founder refused to kowtow to whatever the MA powers might be on Okinawa. He ignored the MA powers that be on Okinawa. He wasn't going to abide by their rules and regulations and whatever else. He continued to teach on Okinawa despite what anyone said. In a short time afterwards, he moved his family as well as his student to the USA where they resided in the San Fernando Valley in the city of Canoga Park within the Los Angeles County. The beginnings of the SKKA were birthed in Okinawa, and firmly founded in the USA. One of our founders' biggest directives was that the Student Body came first over everything and anything; he was quite protective of his Student Body. Student Body then SKKA, and not the other way.

Have seriously thought of kicking the Cowboys to the curb and start supporting the Chiefs. Why? Well, they kept Dak and McCarthy...and Jerry still owns the Cowboys. I never respected Jerry for the way he fired Landry. Still on the fence how I feel. GO CHIEFS!!

The SKKA, the Governing Body that I was with forever and a day, died out not because our founder died, but because its new leadership many years after our founder died, brought back as its Kaicho even though he'd been banned for life for cause, of which the Student Body, as well as many CI's, terminated their networked memberships immediately. Bad apple ruined the whole bunch.

Boy, it really sucked. In the future, we should maybe go straight to the root canal. Save a lot of pain and suffering.I echo what Patrick said. My teeth hurt just thinking about it all!!

Solid post!!

I believe that many MA, including TSD, are quite relevant. Having said that, my question still remains, is the practitioners themselves relevant enough to be effective?? On the other side of the coin, the MA to me is more of a want and not a need. In that, the MA might not be relevant as one might desire. Any relevancy is up to the individual.

Congrats, Luther unleashed for being the MOM for the third time and for approaching a milestone for being a KF member for 10 years.

It's no secret here, especially for those that have been here in KF for awhile, and that whenever the Cowboys season's over short of making it to the SB, I always support the Chiefs. When both the Cowboys and the Chiefs are eliminated one way or another, then I don't support any other NFL. Sure, whichever team in the SB is the underdog, I'll hope for the underdog, not support, just hope for the underdog. Great win over the hosting Bills for the Chiefs. Great win for the hosting Lions over the Buccaneers. My prediction for which 2 teams will be in the SB are both of the #1 seeds 49ers and the Ravens. While the Lions and the Chiefs have played well enough for them to move into the NFL Conference Championships games, beating the 49ers and the Ravens will be a tough thing to do...not impossible...just tough. GO CHIEFS!!

Yep. Thanks. Great to hear, KarateKen!!

Solid post and article; I enjoyed them immensely!! Thanks for them both, Brian!!

Brought a big smile to my face while reading your post, Wayofaswede. Seems that you and your daughter have many years together on the floor. I loved it when you said that your daughter was on the floor as a yellow belt amongst the brown and black belts which speaks in volumes about the CI and the dojo. Train hard and train well.

Cowboys did not trade Prescott and did not fire McCarthy. Well, I guess the Cowboys are satisfied with being 1-and-done when it comes to the playoffs. If the Cowboys don't care, then I suppose I don't care either.

The crux of it all is that the MA is a want and not a need, and in that, prospective students will join, or they won't no matter the amount of marketing and the like. Perhaps the masses have no interest in the MA for their own personal reasons. People lose their interests, or they've never had any interest in a thing for one reason or another. Students come and students go and that's the way things are. I shrug my shoulders in such a way that I have accepted a long time ago that change is inevitable one way or another. I speak as someone who once had a very successful dojo and MA supply store, of which, was closed due to health reasons, and the only marketing I ever did was word of mouth, a hung-up shingle, passing out flyers, and my integrity. Marketing is a very important tool to any business, this I sincerely believe in, each MA school has their own ideas of how they'll approach their marketing; to each their own.

Well, if I can add anything of value, Jerry is stubborn as the day is long, and he shouldn't also be the GM, but he is, however, in all of his stubbornness, he allowed another Bill the reins of the Cowboys, and Bill Belichick is another Bill that was mentored by Bill Parcells. Yeah, I know, I'm fishing in a dry hole if I think Belichick will take the reins of the Cowboys to the promised land known as the Super Bowl.

OUCH!! Sorry to hear about that hard fall, KarateKen. Sounds like the farthest thing from fun. Are you feeling better now?? Learning how to fall is important, however learning how to fall in the dojo kind of prepares one but sometimes the unexpected fall in the manner of which you took all one can do is protect yourself to the best of one's ability, especially one's head. Learning how to fall in the dojo is more directed towards how to fall during a fight. Even then, cover one's head and try to land as flat as best as on can do so that the impact is distributed across a larger area of the body. When a surprised fall happens, try not to brace the fall with your outstretched arm(s) because your run the high risk of seriously injuring your wrist. Unfortunately, that's exactly what the majority people do when they fall. Things surrounding one's topography that one can fall upon are the worse because that stair or that big pointed rock or that nasty concrete, to mention just a few, won't feel a darn thing, it's you that will feel everything. Sometimes, all one can do is to try their very best to limit their injuries in any given fall. What we can learn about how to take a fall properly in the dojo is a great starting point. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm not a movie stunt person that can fall down a flight of stairs unscathed or whatever else with the greatest of ease. Even the stunt person trains hours upon hours for their craft, as we do for our craft, and if the fall training in the dojo is all we have, then bu George, that's something to carry in our muscle memory for when an unexpected fall happens.

Once again, my most sincere condolences of the passing of your dad!! The floor is always the last thing one worries themselves when a loved one or friend passes away. Glad to hear that you're back on the floor training and teaching. Sounds to me that you'll be back in the swing of things with your normal routine before not too long. Train hard and well!!

Cowboys blew it again!! Green Bay 48 VS Cowboys 32 Another 1-and-done playoff result for the Cowboys or a 2-and-done for the Cowboys...again. As of late, it appears that the Cowboys are bouncing back and forth between the Cowboys playoff facts. Playoff Record Summary All-Time Playoffs: 67 Games, 36-31 Wild Card Round: 15 Games, 8-7 Divisional Round: 28 Games, 15-13 Conference Championship: 16 Games, 8-8 Super Bowl: 8 Games, 5-3 Last Super Bowl win for the Cowboys was against the Steelers way back in 1995 with a score of 27-17. I really do hope that the Belichick rumor comes true. However, hiring Belichick is more of a far-fetched notion than a possibility. Check here to see how things are going... https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/nfl-playoff-bracket-follow-along-with-the-postseason-results/ar-AA1n0u1Y

No, they should train together BUT only with the explicit understanding that they are there to train and only with the approval of their CI.

Solid post. Brian. To the bold type above... Having done quite a lot of competitions myself both as a kid and as a adult, I most assuredly allow my students to enter competitions. Matter of fact, I highly encourage and support my students to enter competitions as often as they can. So, entering into any said tournament is not off the board whatsoever. Sparring is a vital element to any MAist; the more the merry. How's a MAist going to be able to learn how to defend themselves if they never spar?? They're not, imho. So, spar at class and sign up for the Kumite divisions at the tournament of your choice.

Daunting is to say the least. You and your daughter will have your training hands quite busy. Cross-training on the side while training in ones current style(s) isn't that mind-blowing compared to training in multiple styles unless their methodologies and ideologies are similar. Even that being said, very daunting across the board. Your daughter will have it easier because she'll be concentrating on the one style, even though what she's already been training should hopefully remain inside her muscle memory. I do agree with DarthPenguin..."More training is a good thing though!" Hang in there, you both. Please keep us posted.

Welcome back, Lex; glad that you're back. I look forward to your many contributions.

Congrats, GojuRyu Bahrain; well deserved!!

Well, I've never competed directly against any MA school because my focus needs to be with MY student body and not someone else's. Am I aware of what the other MA school near my dojo are doing?? You bet...but that's the extent of my curiosity. Is that bad business practice?? Not really because I'm aware and not focused on other MA schools. They run theirs as they see fit, and so do I. I don't depend on gimmicks whatsoever...never!! YOU: .As a JBB to earning my Sandan, I did just that against my Dai-Soke's expressed disapproval. No!! Never!! No!! I started training when I was 7 years old in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles County in Canoga Park. Both my Soke and Dai-Soke were born and raised and trained on Okinawa before they both moved to the USA. Both extremely highly competent, reputable CI's. No!! I've been cross-training in other MA forever and a day because not one MA is enough. EVERY other place you have visited in your area is: Not all of them. Every?? That's an unfair label because not every MA school in the San Fernando Valley fits the points directly above. My dojo was a business, and it earned a profit. After all, all businesses are open to earn profit.

Interest in the MA wanes just as any other want. Some of the reasons you've pointed out are felt across the business spectrum. To me, the MA is not a need but it's more of a want. Rent, food, gas, doctor, utilities, and so on and so forth are needs. Businesses that don't provide a want are going to be placed on the back burner/shelf. Businesses have to reinvent themselves in the hopes that customers start darkening the door, but as in anything in business, there's no guarantees whatsoever. On the other side, interest is waning in the MA because for the most, trust in the effectiveness is not there as it used to be. Why? McDojo's and it's like for the most part can be the cause. However, customers don't want to take forever and a day to earn anything, no, they want it to be handed over to them as though they deserve whatever because they spent hard earned money. MA schools closing after being only open for 3 months has left a very sour taste in any prospective customer's mouth. Teaching over in Japan, no matter the city, as a foreigner can be one of the most difficult things to accomplish as well as to overcome. One better be one of the best in the MA, but even then, as a foreigner in Japan wanting to open a dojo will be quite tasking all around. It's not impossible because it's been done and with great success. Good luck and please keep us updated.

Solid post!!