sensei8

YES; I wholeheartedly concur with Patrick!! Let the testing cycle take care of itself. Testing Cycles can be quite overwhelming when one looks at the specifics of the required qualifications. More importantly is to do your best, and in addition, you don't have to score 100% of any given Testing Cycle. If so, there would only be white belts, and nothing else!! You'll do fine...relax...practice...oh yeah...practice...and then...practice some more...and after that...yeah...practice again...and if I forgot to mention this...more and more practice...until the cow jumps over the moon, and then some!!

Good list of nuggets of knowledge there, and in that, let me add... At the right time...not to soon...not to late...only at the exact time; timing is everything. Too soon...power apex is lost; wasted before target is reached...too late...power apex is unattainable; not achieved by the time one reaches said target!! How is this solved? PRACTICE...PRACTICE...PRACTICE...PRACTICE...and then some!!

At gradings its down to the discretion of the examiners what they want to see. Generally they would rather see a technically correct kick at a lower level than a student reach too high and get the mechanics wrong and lose their balance. In our school there are a number of older students who kick below hip level and as long as the mechanics are correct it is fine. On the other hand if the examiners knows that the student is flexible or hasn't made any effort to improve their flexibility and they kick low, they would be marked down because they haven't executed the correct technique. For disability, modifications can be made to suit the student and the examiner should be pre-warned about this if they don't already know the student. In all cases, whether they physically kick high or not, the student should still know that the kick in that particular form is meant to be performed high and be able to say where the theoretical target is. Tournaments is a different thing. For actual disability, the head umpire should be informed and then they would direct the other umpires accordingly to not penalise for modifications. If it's just an ability thing, then unfortunately its tough luck. Though it would only be a 1 point deduction. I concur wholeheartedly!! It's all about communications with whomever oversees the venue, whether it be a testing cycle and/or a tournament. High kicks are well known to be a vital staple of TKD, however, exceptions should be made on a situation to situation, and not on a wide stroke of the brush.

Welcome to KF, shortyafter; glad that you're here!! The CI (Chief Instructor) runs their dojo the way they see fit!! Most of the time, not always, CI's run their dojo as their Sensei did/does...the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Oyama's Karate, Kyokushin-kai, is, for a lack of a better word, extreme compared to many other Karate styles. But again, the temperance of the dojo relies on the temperance of the CI. Seeing that dojo 1's CI trained in Japan, there's not much of surprise that that CI runs his dojo in the manner of which he does. This is not to say that the Shotokan dojo's in Japan are more tolerable and understanding than most dojo's in Japan...because, they're not. Karate in Japan/Okinawa are a very serious undertaking for the student, and the CI's in Japan/Okinawa have little, if any, tolerance short of any prescribed devotion as well as seriousness. Either way, imho, no matter the location and/or the culture surrounding said style of Karate, the CI runs his/her dojo to their liking's no matter what. I run a very strict floor, it's sacred ground, however, off the floor, I'm much more personable and affable; a kid at heart. There's etiquette and protocol, to be for sure. I set the tone, and that tone must create a safe and enjoyable learning atmosphere for the students. Take it or leave it...that's the choice of the student, and the student alone. If you were living and training in Japan/Okinawa, you'd expect the high strictness versus what one finds here in the USA. However, my Soke and Da-Soke were from Okinawa, and I gotta tell you, their strictness on AND off the floor was not to be taken lightly...no way...no how!! What it comes down to is that while you can't change the manner of how they run their dojo, you can change your mind whenever you want when it comes to you either staying or leaving that dojo. Attend the dojo of your liking and of your choice. Karate must fit like a glove...warm and snug and comfortable and wearable!! No!! Shotokan and Kyokushin-kai are not fantasy karate. Yes. Shotokan and Kyokushin-kai, and a many other Karate styles fit under the umbrella of authentic Karate. A CI can ruin the experience, however, the fault, if any, must be shared by the CI and the Student. Otherwise, the dojo's is doomed across the board. Exactly as I was taught with a lot of love and care!! While I was taught by Soke and Dai-Soke, I'm my own person with my own personality; I run my dojo my way, and not their way, not now, not ever!! Hang in there!!

Your more than welcome, Safroot!! You'll be just fine; just stay at it and you'll figure it all out...in time!!

Let me just say this, and btw, you've already received a treasure trove of solid advice from many here, There's one thing that I want to add, and forgive me if I'm repeating someone else's already given suggestions here, but it bears to be repeated... Angle(s)!! Attacking/Defending on angled planes isn't always done in the course of Kumite. More than likely, direct attacks/defenses are what's chosen over angles because the direct approaches are more familiar/comfortable to execute than angles. Why? Learning to live within the angles, and outside of the direct approaches, take some getting use to across the board. Shindokan lives within those angles much more than the direct planes. We'll only go direct if it presents itself, but only then. The direct planes are expected more often, whereas the angle planes aren't. To reach the target, one has to move to the target. Direct planes, well, direct, and as the old idiom states..."The shorter path from point Angles are the indirect path, albeit, the shortest distance between two points. For example, if I'm 4 feet from my target, you, for example, then, it's safe to assume that that 4 feet can't be shortened, I mean, 4 feet is still 4 feet. However, I can actually shorten that 4 foot gap by angling forward towards my selected target. That 4 feet turns into...well...4 feet, however, it's an indirect 4 feet, and not a direct 4 feet. That indirect angle does, for the most part, shorten the distance to said target, depending on the degree of the angle. This might beg me to another question.. When is a straight line not the shortest distance between two points? A great picture of this can be seen at any football game. Running Backs, for example, can run either straight, direct in our case here, or they can run a kind of hypotenuse angle towards the end zone, indirect in our case here. Most might suggest that the fastest way to get to the end zone would be to dash straight from the 50 yard line, for example, to the promised land because, to them, the more direct route is that idiom coming to life. However, as the running back streaks from that same 50 yard line to one of the far corners of that same end zone, is that indirect angle of least resistance, in which, that indirect angle, coming to life, ended up being the shortest distance after all. Isn't Kumite a blast?? It is, once you figure out that there's more than one way to skin a cat!!

Glad to hear that you had an enjoyable experience with Muay Thai, and the great thing about it is that the humbling experience didn't steer you away from wanting to continue with training. Many will have that humbling experience, however, they'll not return for whatever their reason(s) might or might not be. Muay Thai isn't easy at all...and I'm glad that it isn't!!

LOL!! That, a marathon, would be fun; sign me up!!

Done. Even though it took me two days to complete it. However, things like this do not define who I am as a MAist, nor do they define me as a person; it's just a thing based on one's opinion(s). Imho!!

Today's workout... 1,216 total calorie burn for my cardio!! StairMaster 1 HOUR 755 calorie burn 184 floors 125 Average Heart Rate (HR) Levels 7-10...15 minutes per level with a 2 minute cool-down at the completion of each level. TreadMill 30 minutes 236 calorie burn 98 Average HR Rowing Machine 20 minutes 225 calorie burn My big win of the day was the 1 solid hour on the StairMaster AT those intense levels!!

That's great news there, AND, you had fun while doing it!! Hang in there and to it to it!!

My music tends to vary on both my mood and my goals for that day/moment. My music taste is quite eclectic across the board. I've favorites, like, GNR, Aerosmith, Rush, Journey, Beatles, Queen, Cher, KISS, Elvis, Led Zeppelin, CCR, Taiko Drum Soundtracks, and the Eagles. This list, of course, is not a complete list because I'm known to listen to Nirvana, Madonna, Lea Solanga, EW&F, Katy Perry, Les Miserables Soundtrack, Most any Soundtrack, Chicago, Metallica, Ozzy, Adam Lambert, Eminem, Meghan Trainor, Frank Sinatra, and Cindy Lauper. To name just a few, and by a few, I mean, what I've listed thus far barely scratches the surface of my music taste!! I'll put my MP3 on "Artists", then select "Shuffle" and let play whatever plays; I've a very, very large music library on my MP3

Does the Shindokan hombu offer other arts or does any dojo's associated with the hombu offer different arts? Yes AND Yes!! The Hombu doesn't interfere with any dojo's SOP within the SKKA network; they're free to do as they desire!!

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

Weight = 261lbs Total weight loss since Octobe 4, 2016 [326lbs]... 65lbs...that's almost 70lbs...man oh man!! I would've never ever imagined that type of weight loss for a second, yet, here I sit, 65lbs lighter...46lbs from reaching my target weight loss of 215lbs by October 4, 2017!!

All in all, effort is always the reward. You fought...win or lose...then you reap the reward of having the experience!! Congrats!!!!

Dojo supplements, as to the adding of a plethora of other activities, is, and has been, a long time staple of MA schools. What to offer and what not to offer will differ across an ocean of varieties because of said schools interests based on the CI, for the most part, and from the public/student body. Being eclectic across the board in what a MA school offers to its student body, current as well as prospective, builds up and tears down at the same time. This is dependent on either having not enough, just right, or to much of a good thing. Finding that balance depends on the CI; after all, the CI controls/oversees the entire operation of the school. The CI's influences have to be tempered across the board. If not, then anarchy sets in where it's not appreciated or wanted. Does what the school has to offer have to make since to anyone?? Imho, NO!! Balancing that ever important P&L Statement accurately makes and breaks a MA school faster than one can imagine. Change is inevitable, and necessary!! However, change, if poorly executed, is destructive, and preventable!! Fine tuning a MA schools offered curriculum's is that high-wire act done over that bottomless sink hole. On one hand, act fast with those curriculum's that are successful and profitable. Albeit, on the other hand, if one doesn't act quickly against failing curriculum, then the schools profits quickly turn into a out of control deficit. "That doesn't make any since whatsoever, to have a Shotokan school teaching a crochet class!!", says a prospective student! That might be true! However, that's the choice of the CI, and not anyone else's business. The CI/Owner's job is to reach a profitable year at the years' fiscal end!! With that being said, if I was to add inner-tube painting to my offered curriculum's, and I was turning a profit from it, then I'd continue to offer inner-tube painting for the rest of my life!! Sure, a MA school wants to offer classes that would compliment the core style taught at that school, as a first choice for the CI, but OTHER supplement offerings DON'T HAVE TO BE IN SYNC WITH THE CORE STYLE!!!! Why?? PROFITS!! They're to be made, and not lost!! While I'm very traditional in my MA, however, this addresses the inevitable change in that, I'm the furthest thing from being that traditionalist when it comes to earning positive profits!! Imho!!

Great day at the gym today!! Weight: 263lbs Cardio today only: StairMaster 38 minutes 500 Calorie Burn 112 Heart rate 122 floors Treadmill 32 minutes 237 Calorie Burn 96 Heart Rate Rowing Machine 26 minutes 280 Calorie Burn Battle Ropes & Rope Pull-Downs 25 minutes 230 Calorie Burn 13 different exercises X 3 sets [battle Ropes] 3 sets of Left & Right Direction [Rope Pull-Downs] Walking Walked to and from the gym from/to my house: 1.5 miles in each direction; 3 miles Brisk Walk: 15 minute walk to the gym...10 minutes walk to my house 129 Calorie Burn Total Calorie Burn...1,376 All in all...a pretty good day!!

To the bold above. I absolutely understand where you are coming from with displays of achievements but I must point out that, at least for me and my peer's, the pictures of those that came before us is not used as marketing or as decoration but rather as respect for them and their teachings. It's a remembrance of their contributions and a thank you for the art that was handed down to us. A sign of respect. I know you did not mean it this way but I felt compelled to interject this for those that might not yet understand why the founders and those that came before in the lineage line are hanging on the Dojo wall. I did not want young Mudansha to get the impression that they hang there only as a means of promotion, marketing, or as mere decoration to fill space. I wholeheartedly concur!! That personal choice should be respected, even if it's not liked, for whatever the reason(s). I use to hang those pictures of respect until that one day...Christ is the only picture I have on my dojo wall...dead center at the Shomen.

While Patrick's post is solid across the board, and quite important, as well, I still do not want, nor do I need a website because I just don't...it's not that important. My dojo's have averaged a Student Body of just over 300 students WITHOUT ever having a website. The internet is for some, but not for all!! I've done quite well for myself for not ever having a website, twitter, FB, or whatever else is out there. Old school STILL works for me!!

Insurance is so across the spectrum of concerns, they change at the blink of an eye. For that reason, our Hombu is insured in such ways real and/or imagined because one never knows what life is going to throw at you.

No!! I do not subscribe to the born fighter mindset because everyone has to LEARN how to do whatever it is that they do. Impressions are just that...impressions, and impressions fueled by ones assumption can quickly fade for one reason or another.

Welcome to KF, syed1; glad you're here!!

Can you start to smell the peanuts...the cracker jacks...the hotdogs...the grass...the excitement??!! Well, I can!! It's almost time for...BATTER UP!! Time for me to start wearing my Yankee hat, and no other hat. Players are starting to gear up for their spring training, and I'm so HAPPY!! Baseball Football Basketball In that order!! MLB has decided to do some things to shorten, aka, speed the game up, and to me, this is total a uncalled for slap in the face of the OLD BALLGAME!! Leave it alone; it's not broken, imho, so don't try to fix it...LEAVE IT ALONE...PLEASE!! http://www.kctv5.com/story/34576232/mlb-introduces-new-rule-to-speed-up-games-in-2017 GO YANKEES!!

Well, sounds to me that you successfully put your first Testing Cycle behind you; great results for a great Shinshii...YOU!! The first of many to come!! Congrats to your students, to your governing body, and to yourself!!