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The clip isn't mine, actually--it's my KishimotoDi teacher's. I have only learned the first two kata of the KishimotoDi system (Naihanchi and Nidanbu), and will be learning Kusanku in March. The KishimotoDi versions of Passai and Kusanku are not supposed to be made publicly available, so I don't have those for reference material. That said, as I mentioned in the original post, Gensei-Ryu does share lineage with KishimotoDi, and videos are available from them. This is the Gensei-Ryu version of Tachimura no Passai, which has been heavily "Japanified," as well: To the bold type above... But why has that been deemed as so??

Yes, there's a sound when a tree falls...anywhere because it's impossible for the felled tree to not make any type of sound when it comes in contact with the ground or whatever it might be. But does the tree become self aware that there's no one there to hear that it's fallen? What if the tree is only 1" tall when it falls, would it still make a sound if it fell?Perhaps the tree died before it fell, therefore was unaware of others to hear that it had fallen. No matter its size, or the lack thereof, a sound will still be made directly or indirectly. And had the tree died, it wouldn't have the self-awareness that there's no one to hear it in any capacity because when life has reached in finality, it's awareness isn't of a concern at all. When I pass away, I won't know how my wife is coping or how my children are doing or if I've been buried in the ground or if I've been cremated or if my wife's remarried or when my wife/kids pass away or this or that...because I'll be dead; I won't know that either. And for every question, I believe this... The summation of 'why' is to the summation of 'because'!!

One good thing is that it made me look really carefully before turning after doing it a lot. You can actually hear me collide with the hot water heater during jion Yes, I did hear you collide with the hot water heater, but I also saw you adjust, as required, your stances on the embusen, and that was necessary considering the limited real estate you had to work with. Had you not adjusted your stances on the embusen, you would've collided with everything else, including the wall. And for me, the adjustments that you had to do, didn't detract away from the Kata in a whole, if at all. Great job!!

No I'm not seeing a PT or similar, as you suggest, but I'll bring the possibility to my cardiologist. Sounds quite intriguing, and one that I must look into. Thanks, Liam for the advice!! OK... Walked up and down the stairs at my apartment 50 times...up...then down...equal 1, and so on and so forth.

If seniority has to be established between same Dan ranks, then there's the tenure to consider; Date of when a student began training AS WELL as the date of when a student earned said Dan rank. For us at the SKKA, each and every member of its student body has a Hard Card on file with anything and everything that relates to tenure and the like. For example, within the SKKA, there are several Hachidans. So, we reference the Hard Card to find out of the Hachidans who's the most senior. And in that, Greg and I are both Hachidans, but from the outside looking inside, one wouldn't know, for sure, who's the most senior Dan rank between us. But if one looked at our Hard Cards, they'd discover that I started 6 months before Greg did, therefore, I was Senior to his Sempai within our relationship on the floor.

Yes, there's a sound when a tree falls...anywhere because it's impossible for the felled tree to not make any type of sound when it comes in contact with the ground or whatever it might be. But does the tree become self aware that there's no one there to hear that it's fallen?

Very nice display of Kata's, Shizentai!! Every time you backed up, it appears that you're going upward, and you got smaller. Each time you jumped, I ducked down for you. Still, away from the illusion, solid Kata's; thank you for sharing!!

But of course: The technique is the delivery system of the concept; I wholeheartedly concur. The painting isn't a painting until someone says that it is, and in that, the concept isn't a concept until someone demonstrates that concept.

I've trained in Makawara for a long, long, long time, 53 years; it's a staple tool for Shindokan!! The why...above all things, the Makawara teaches when a technique is incorrect; it'll let you know immediately. Without the Makawara, I might as well not even do Hojo Undo training at all...ever!! To the how...well...that might take awhile to post here because the 'how' involves quite a lot of 'hows'. Don't be in the MA for over 5 decades without having a lot of 'how's'. Let's me just say this...I do more than enough of 'how's' in order to get the job done.

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

Again, I thank you all for your supportive words, they mean everything to me; these aren't idle words!! Today: Swimming: 45 minutes Cardio: Walked up and down stairs at the apartment I live at...50 times For the next two day... I'll be going to the gym for an hour and a half at one of the sister locations of the gym I attend.

Oh yeah!! It went the way it was suppose to, and had it not, well, you still would've done the right thing at the right time!!

While they didn't accept/honor your Ikkyu at first, the power of the floor revealed quite a many things about your MA journey. And in its time, not your time, you received your due rewards. Now that that's over...train hard and train well!!

You know what else I love about Sumo?? It's the pageantry as well as its formality that I love, and admire right before the explosion of their clashed battles!! Give me quite a rush!!

I agree with you Brian and Tempest; better to have that leaky faucet than not because one drip/technique/idea/etc leads to another that another than another and so on and so forth. Flowing will come, and while it comes, or when it comes...BE THAT SPONGE, and soak it up as though your life depends on it, because one day, it just might!!

As John Lennon sang it so well..."Instant Karma's gonna get you...gonna get you right in the head...you better get yourself together...join the human race...what in the world are you thinking of..." Japanese strongly believe in Karma; it's the Yin and Yang of the MA!! I believe the mindset of Karma exists; the opposites do attract! Can't have one without the other...do bad...bad things are repaid upon that person...do good...good things are also repaid upon that person...or better way to say it...Murphy's Law, and then some. Be careful for what one asks for because one just might get that which is wanted; whether the 'it' is bad or good, and Murphy prefers the bad. He's a mean man!!

Whenever I first read the books loaned to me those many years ago, my very first thought after reading them was that it was kind of like the concept of Shu Ha Ri...to obey [shu], to digress [Ha], and to separate [Ri]...and in that order. Then comes the sound of one hand clapping! One concept, Koan...One concept, Shu Ha Ri; the same, yet differently.

I'm wondering, since the passing of Bruce, just how watered down is JKD nowadays?? I ask because, and while Bruce encouraged his student to take what is useful, and discard the rest, how EASY it is for JKD to be watered down over time??!!??!! JKD, to me, at times, doesn't look anything like what Bruce founded, and I know, that might be a great thing as well as it being along the lines of "expressing oneself honestly", so as that practitioner can create to just create nothingness from something that was something/effective.

Listen to your heart!! It can be quite difficult to choose one from another and it can be even much more difficult to train in both at the same time because, one style might dominate both learning's unconsciously, and it's difficult to serve two styles; one will program the learning while the other might try to change the dominate program/style. As Brian says...what a conundrum to have!! Have you decided yet on which one or if both??

As Brian says, one's got to start somewhere, and getting the basics of the MA might be the way to go before searching for the MA style that's rare. And if Kalaripayattu is only obscure because it's not available to just anyone wanting to learn it for whatever reasons, than possibly, it'll die out before its time.

Yours will be the first one, Brian!!

In Shindokan, we DON'T treat the block as a block or a strike, but only as a receiver of a technique directed at us. In that, we're deflecting whilst receiving any said technique, and when we receive said technique we're absorbing the energy of said technique.

Fantastic article, Noah!! To me, both the concept and the technique have to be given their rightful time and respect from the practitioner. Is one greater than the other? No, that wouldn't be fair to either. For example, what came first, and which is more important, the chicken or the egg; can't have one without the other. Concepts are that idea! Techniques are that idea coming alive! Can't have the day without the night...can't have the Yin without the Yang!!

Excellent article, Heidi!! And as I'm always fond of saying...Proof is on the floor...for everyone. Whether it's the con artist or the innocent, the floor reveals everything in its own time, and the con artist can't avoid it.

I believe that the fight more served the fighters more than either of the styles because a style can be deemed as only as good as their representative. Example, JKD is only as good as the practitioner because no JKD practitioner can execute JKD like its founder, Bruce Lee. Imho!