sensei8

Define, if it's even possible to do so, what might fall under the "neglect" category, please! For example, COULD, me not being In-house on a more regular basis at our Hombu constitute neglect, as Kaicho [President]?? In a quick nutshell... I'm only In-House at the Hombu once a quarter, during ramp-ups for our Annual Testing Cycle, emergencies that require my presence, and whenever I feel like making surprise visits. Roughly, 4 months a year. All of my "paperwork" can be done at my home...even though I have an office at the Hombu, I do my duties from the comfort of my home in Houston, TX, and before that, I owned and operated my dojo/retail in Tulsa, OK. I tele-video conference the Hombu on a weekly basis via Skype. The Upper Hierarchy are quite aware of the who, what, when, where, why, and how of why I no longer live in the California, and the original approval of my not being In-House on a regular basis was given to me by our Dai-Soke a long time ago; this is nothing new. So... COULD, me not being In-house on a more regular basis at our Hombu constitute neglect, as Kaicho [President]??

Looks like a typical aikido demo- the over emphasis on flash is a deterrent rather than a strong point. Here's the biggest problem I have with krav- the whole "we aren't ring fighters- were street fighters!" Krav really is nothing more than bjj, boxing, wrestling, and associated styles. The problem here is that I've yet to see a Krav practitioner that was ever anything but at a beginner understanding of any of those styles. So how is one a novice at bjj, a novice at wrestling, and a novice at boxing, yet an EXPERT on Krav? Either Krav is not a style or its a poor quality one. The mindset of overwhelming your opponent is also an extreme flaw- it's easy to overwhelm someone that you're stronger and faster than- hence the reason for it being military combatives. This is why it's not a good fighting system. So practice less groin grabs eye gouges and dear god did I see a throat rip in that video? These things don't work as well as the people selling them to you claim they do Before upset Krav practitioners respond let me merely state this: I don't care what you call your style provided that you actively train against resisting opponents. so just because you do Krav it doesn't mean you suck, and just because you do mma doesn't mean that you're good.... Solid post!!

I would say the party in control neglects commitments and or abuses their power. Can neglects be warranted? Life does have a habit of getting in the way of the MA, no matter how hard one tries to avoid it. As far as abuses...NO!! Blatant abuse can't be excused off; either ones a professional or one isn't!!

Yes, my entire MA journey! My short answer is... Mizu No Kokoro [Mind like the moon] and Tsuki No Kokoro [Mind like the water]!!

I don't "fight" the style, but I "fight" the individual, whether it be a man or a woman. Styles, to me, are meaningless in the scope of the matter. In open tournaments, one will face a lot of different styles, yet, I've never been defeated by a style, and truth be known, neither has anyone else. Sure, a style or styles are being utilized, but how one defines and uses said style(s) is more to be concerned with. I've not the time or the inclination to be worried about the style, just the individual(s) that stand before me.

In your opinion, "A motion of no confidence (alternatively vote of no confidence, censure motion, no-confidence motion, or (unsuccessful) confidence motion) is a statement or vote that a person or persons in a position of responsibility (government, managerial, etc.) is no longer deemed fit to hold that position: perhaps because they are inadequate in some respect, are failing to carry out obligations, or are making decisions that other members feel are detrimental" ~~Wikipedia Within your governing body, off and away from what Wikipedia says, just what constitutes a Vote of No-Confidence??

Karate is just a thing; nothing more and certainly nothing less!! Karate, for me, is everything, but, it's just a thing...a want...not a need. Does it fulfill me? No! Not even close! Yes, it's all I know...it's all that I'm good at...it's all that I do...it's my full time occupation. I enjoy Karate, but while I enjoy Karate, it'll take much more to fulfill me. My wife and my kids; they fulfill me!! My God; he fulfills me!! My students; they fulfill me!!

I wholeheartedly concur!!

Isn't it funny that no matter how hard we try to create our own curriculum, to help us separate ourselves from our Sensei, to me our own person, it still pretty much resembles our Sensei's curriculum. A change here...a change there; trying to step away from having the same curriculum that you're Sensei drilled you or is still drilling you, but...other than a few changes, it's still your Sensei's curriculum. I know! I fought against that very same beast, but to no avail...my curriculum was still my Sensei's curriculum, and for the truth being known, and after I turned that first page of my curriculum, it was still my Sensei's curriculum. Well, that's ok. After all, we/I turned out pretty good being trained in our Sensei's curriculum, which was the same curriculum as his Sensei; apple doesn't fall too far from the tree...now, does it?!? Yeah, I approach how I teach my students differently than my Sensei, and his Sensei, reaching same goals, but through different means, alas, the same curriculum is regurgitated, if I'm to be honest with you and myself. Any you know what? There's nothing wrong with that. Why try to fix it, change it, if it's not broken!! Teach according to your own desires, and I do, but if I put my Sensei's curriculum right next to mine, the differences aren't quite striking at all, other than the cover and font type. Even having a rotating curriculum is a shorthand version of the full curriculum, in which I still believe in the effectiveness of a rotating curriculum...and of course, the original curriculum. Mine is of my Sensei...and my Sensei's is of his Sensei...and his is, well, of his own!! You know what? I'm in good company!!

Meh, not exactly... Not all styles are created equal, just like not all people are created equal (on the genetic level). Some styles are simply better than others with mounds of supporting evidence.... So the dreaded "street fight" is the last vestige of hope for the common fraudulent martial artist. Disclaimer- I'm not saying that YOU are fraudulent, merely stating that the whole "street fighting" thing is the most overused, overhyped selling point for those people.... The most important thing really-is the quality of sparring one style does. Leaning how to fight against a fully resisting opponent is perhaps the single most effective thing anyone could do. For example, I can take someone who's boxed for years- give me 5 or 6- but never really sparred. Never mind that they did "boxing" they're not going to know how to move effectively in a fighting situation compared with someone who HAS sparred against fully resisting opponents. The same could be said for a BJJ student who practices for years but never actually trains.... In short, I don't care what name you wish to call whatever it is that you do- as long as its being kept "real" and on the level. Now why do styles have the reputations they do? In short, your competitive styles have a rep for actually doing full resistance training, therefore they tend to produce very effective fighters. Those that aren't competitive (because they train "for the street") have a habit of NOT training with a fully resisting opponent ("too dangerous") and therefore produce very poor quality fighters. I've trained with, sparred, and fought against many of these people. Street fights and self defense for any competitive fighter are nothing short of a joke, because fighting against a resisting opponent that knows what hes doing is significant more difficult that fighting against a resisting opponent that has absolutely no clue what hes doing.... I mean I've never sweat more in my worst street fight than I did in my lightest warmup Solid post!! That's why Shindokan predicates resistive training; either you're effective or you're not!! Resistive training exposes weakness as the onion is pealed away one layer at a time.

Just watched "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny", and like John, I thought it was barely ok. Stayed in the theme of the first one. Having said that, I dreed MA movies where they, well, fly around, even though they flew around more with the first one. Good thing about the movie was that they spoke in English and I didn't have to read the dialogue. Grade, imho, a 'C'

You too?? Frustrating!!

This post was originally published as an article in a dedicated KarateForums.com Articles section, which is no longer online. After the section was closed, this article was most to the most appropriate forum in our community. No matter the style of martial arts, and no matter the methodology and ideology of the style, blocks and/or deflections are important, not only to the style, but to the practitioner. Without that skill set, one will be left on an island somewhere in the middle of nowhere without any resolve, whatsoever! Yes, a practitioner can engage without having used one single block in order to survive a determined attack. However, I believe that to be a rare experience. Any individual will have to resort to some type of blocking to protect oneself, even it’s only used occasionally. As a practitioner of the Shindokan Saitou-ryu for 51 years this October 18th, I’ve learned that, without having deflecting skills, any violent encounter will have to be dealt with through some type of proactive defensive mechanisms, if you want to keep any attacker at bay. Especially if one is a practitioner of a style dependant on a conclusive use of Te Waza (hand technique), like Shindokan, which is 85% dependant on its use. General Blocking Techniques I’ve taken the liberty of listing two styles of the martial arts, and no more than that. To try to list more would bog down this article and would be redundant. For that reason, I am going to go with Shotokan and Tae Kwon Do because these two styles are widely known, recognized and respected the world over. While the names may vary from style to style, the core of blocking is well-known, accepted and practiced within many styles. The methodology may differ, but many blocks are shared without fanfare or ambiguity. An effective block is just that: an effective block, no matter how it’s executed or labeled. Let’s take a quick look at these two lists, care of Wikipedia. The first list is Shotokan, and the second list is Tae Kwon Do. Either of these styles have their own off-shoots and/or hybrid styles within their respective umbrellas. There might or might not be a more broader and complete list here. Even so, there might be too many to list here. I respect both arts, and no disrespect is meant or intended at all if I’ve not included the brand that you might be a practitioner of. Shotokan blocks (Uke): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_shotokan_techniques#Blocking_techniques_.28Uke-waza.29 Tae Kwon Do Blocks (Makgic burat): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Taekwondo_techniques#Blocks_.28Makgic_burat.29 Many of these blocks might be familiar, while others might not be. That’s to be expected. If you wish to gain a clearer picture of the blocking within a particular martial art, some research may be warranted. Truth Be Told Practitioners of any martial art spend countless hours on the floor drilling for the perfection of our mind, body and soul; together, they’re an unbeatable force to be reckoned with. We continuously try to perfect that which isn’t perfect - nor will it ever be. In time, through endless hours of sacrifice and rigorous training, we bring the one technique to bear at the given target of our choice; nothing will deny us, and nothing will deter our resolve. But when it matters, that’s when the truth will be told. Life and death are at risk. Separate, yet the same! Directions As general as I can be, no matter the style of art, there are only four blocks. They are: UpOutward Inside DownThese four have their own unique characteristics, as described by their label alone. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out in which direction you are moving with any of these given deflections. Then, there’s the parry! This is what one sees more often than the four blocks above, no matter the venue, style or practitioner. The four above are more blunt; whereas, the parry isn’t. Parries can be interpreted to be more of a slap than anything else. The parry, like the blunt blocks, is directed towards where the defender decides. Only minimum effort is necessary to execute the parry right into a counterattack by the defender. The more blunt the block, the more directional transition may be required for the counterattack of the defender. That said, the downward direction is the most widely executed of the four. Let’s not forget that there are blocks that are offensive in nature; meant to disable or neutralize the attacker, one way or another. It is said that the best block is to not be there when the attack matures. Kumite is One Thing Most karate styles teach 5 levels of kumite (sparring) to their student body. Before one can walk, one must first learn to crawl, and before one can run, one must first learn to jog. Kumite is, after all, another way to drill kihon. We’re taught quite a plate full of kihon before we’re allowed to train in Jiyu Kumite (freestyle), and the same is also true for learning the other 4 levels of kumite. Properly seasoned, the dish before you will not be bland, but will excite your palette to no end. Kumite shouldn’t be a crash course, but it is. Students, usually of their own devices, enter the world of Jiyu Kumite at white belt, and that’s fine, because to learn to swim, most of us were thrown in the deep end of the nearest body of water. Sink or swim. Unnoticed, a bad habit has been taught and encouraged. Life is Another Thing If we can be perfectly honest with each other, we are limiting ourselves, even though we’ve been drilled from here to kingdom come with all that our styles curriculum/syllabus stand for. With all that a practitioner has learned, and been drilled on, why do we only use a handful of blocks? We drill blocks in kata endlessly, without a pause, and for decades. We have the blocks within us; however, we only ever use the most miniscule amount of them. Sure, we’ll use them drilling in the school, and that’s because we have to, because we were told to by the instructor. Yet, we freely choose to use only one, two or three blocks in the school, at the tournament or at the seminar. Why? Is our comfort zone that narrow?! Is our confidence so little?! Are our memories that short?! Do a drill? No problem! Do a testing cycle? No problem! Learning? No problem! Teaching? No problem! Let’s break this down: Downward blockUpward block Outside/inside blockThat’s about it. Of the three above, the downward block seems to be the most widely used, no matter the venue. Doesn’t that limit us/you/me?! Do our kumite sessions, school-based or not, limit us? Do those sessions birth limitations within us? Why don’t we use more of the taught blocks outside of the dojo? Whose fault is that? Ours or the instructor(s), for allowing us to get away with using one to three blocks during Jiyu Kumite, or worse: in a fight where everything matters. Conclusion If it’s by choice that we only execute a few blocks, I’m fine with that. But is that really the case? “Use what is useful, discard the rest.” Thanks for that, Bruce! Why learn all of these different blocks if we’re not ever going to use them unless we're drilling some way? It seems like a waste. Or is it? I’d rather have more than enough, than to not ever have enough! When choosing between unlimited possibilities, and those which are limited, I’ll take always take the former. While this article speaks to blocks, it applies to more than just blocks The tone of this article applies just as well to punches, strikes, kicks and every other martial arts technique. Just how many do we drill, repeatedly, but never apply when the chips are down? References Karate: The Art Of “Empty-Hand” Fighting by Hidetaka Nishiyama and Richard C. Brown, Tuttle Publishing, 1960, pages 112-117

Solid post!!

Solid post!! What you're suggesting will be done in another project phase. But for now, Kata first, then we'll see the reaction from the student body.

Yes, by all means. It breathes newness and freshness out and away from the mundane normality infesting many schools of the MA. However, it might depend on the school/style/CI/etc because there is the old argument that why fix it if it's not broken. Why? Because the MA ISN'T from a cookie cutter mindset. No. Eclectic mindset is needed because there's different ways to skin the cat. Through trail and error, newness in effectiveness is birthed. I first used the rotating curriculum with great success when I was teaching "Karate" at the Los Angeles Valley College. It opened up quite a lot because teaching at a college, imho, isn't the same thing as teaching at my dojo. How so? The classes are designed around a semester, and not for long durations as one might find at a dojo. That being said, once I saw the impact that the rotating curriculum was having at the college level after two semesters, I immediately brought that to my dojo. It was a hit. Albeit, the rotating curriculum is a side-kick to my dojo's original curriculum. Then to that, when I was elected to Kaicho and CI of the SKKA Hombu, I initiated the rotating curriculum, and it too, was a success. Often times after my college teaching days, I would speak to my Sensei, the then current Kaicho, about this rotating curriculum. At first he was hesitant, but our Soke, his Sensei, denied it, yet in time, my Sensei found its worth. So much so that he tried to apply it against the wishes of Soke, but in time, Soke too, saw that the rotating curriculum was a valuable tool to run along with their original curriculum. Our Teaching Department has the final say in matters pof this concern at the Hombu, and them alone!!

Solid post!!

When did I NOT have an "Aha" moment?!? 51 years in the MA and I STILL have "Aha" moments. Having said that, my first "Aha" moment is as vivid as it was the day it happened. I was 10 years old! I was a 6th Kyu/Green Belt! Even though I was 6th Kyu, I've always had problems with my Tai Sabaki work, more particularly, my turns weren't locked and solid, often times, they were the bane of my MA existence. Sensei, as nurturing as he always was, I was thick headed beyond all belief. He's say turn right, and I'd turn left, and vice versa. Never once did he raise his voice or say anything negative; he defined patience to the Nth degree. Silly or dumb as this might sound, and what Sensei did eventually with me, still, brings tears in my eyes. He tried everything to help me break the barrier...to help me see day instead of night...to break free of where I was then, to where I needed to be. He called my mom, and spoke with her on the phone briefly before we headed to class for that night. Just before we headed out the front door, she told me to get into the car while she ran back into the house to retrieve something. We went to class. Sensei greeted my mom and asked her... "You bring it?" "Yes...it's right here." mom says as she's reaching into her purse. When I saw what it was, I was so embarrassed. She hands it to my Sensei, and he instructs me to line up. All of this time, I'm thinking at warp speed a billion things at about this time. What's going on?!? After warm-ups and up-and-down drills, Sensei breaks us into tiny groups having us work on this and that. Sensei has one of our Sempai's bring me over to where he was standing. He invites me to sit down with him...and this thing in his hand...and I'm wanting to become invisible...NOW!! He moves the thing in his hand here and there on the floor. I thought he lost him mind...especially at his age. Sensei's moving this thing around while he's making him points and showing me some unforeseen nuances. Nuances that I've never noticed before. Still, my face, from time to time, was buried in my hands out of shame. Fellow students couldn't help themselves, but they were all laughing at me, this added to my shame. "Yame" he barked to the room. "Stop...you pay what I doing now...no more puff" He gently commands me with an understanding tone in his voice. Then, right then as he continues to explain with this thing in his hand...I finally went...AHA...it started to click. Sensei must've saw the brightness of my stare and the big smile on my face, because, he has me stand up and and starts drilling me in my turns...the big turn, that's what I call the 270 degree turn...is quite troublesome for me. But, that thing in his hand brought his teaching to life...where I could see what I couldn't see before. Ever since that "Aha moment", I've understood, and had no problems with my turns...ever again. Just think, with the assistance of that thing in his hand, he was able to help me break free of that which was holding me back. I never looked at that thing the same way...again! So, that's my first "Aha" moment. Thanks for allowing me to share this with you all. Oh yeah, btw, that thing...you might be asking yourself, just what was it that he had in his hand...what was that thing that helped me with my very first "Aha" moment...just what was it... My most favorite of all things...A GI JOE!! Yeppers, it took a GI Joe to help me reach my very first "Aha" moment. Played with that GI Joe, but now when I did, not only did I lose my imagination in the world of playing, I had a new training partner at home...my GI Joe. And yes, I enlisted every army man and whomever else from my toy box to help me train in the many nuances of the MA. Thanks GI JOE!!

Read this quote just the other night... "What does it take to stop a bad guy with a gun? A good guy with a gun." ~Robert Lovingood, Vice Chair for the San Bernardino, CA, County Board of Supervisors. First, I'm not an advocate nor a supporter of Mr. Lovingood and/or the office for which he now resides. I just want us to have a friendly discussion. Therefore, what's your opinion about his quote? Let me be frank, the MA can only go so far against an attacker if a gun is involved, the MAist becomes quite limited. After all, bringing a knife to a gun fight has its limits, as well.

When I'm teaching Kata, I'll do it slow while the students are following me to count. Then I'll fine tune the Kata as much and as often as it's necessary. Placing the Kiai's in their appropriate location(s). But before I'll teach the Kata, I'll execute it for them as the Kata should be. This is what I'm leaning on for the moment...execute the Kata at normal speed, as an introduction, then slow to show the nuances. I might use an inset to said Kata's that would require a pinpointed camera view of what's exactly happening, more for clarity sake. That might help with some AHA moments. I also saw a Kata reference video, and it did the normal, then slow, then slow motion. What do you think about the slow motion? Yeah, I'll save the Bunkai for separate DVD projects, and this is mainly because we've all been taught that Oyo is absolutely personal to the practitioner, and not always in alignment with the interpretation of others.

Thank you all, I greatly appreciate everyone's posts; gives me a lot to think about. These DVD's will be provided to Shindokan students free. They're not demonstrational based!! They'll be a referencing tool. At the present time, students have their handbooks to reference. While these handbooks do contain Kata material relation to their rank, a picture, or video in this case, is worth a thousand words. One last thing, the Hombu called me this morning to inform me that after some consideration, they're authorizing my project. GREAT...WHO CARES?...SHUT UP...because of my position, I don't need authority, and I certainly don't need permission for this project. They're trying to assume a position that they don't possess. Thanks anyway!! Time to have a serious heart to heart talk with the upper hierarchy, the sooner, the better.

It's a constant on my mind!!

Solid post!!

Solid post!! To the bold type above... If I've lost respect here at KF for how I feel about that CI mentioned in my first post in this topic, I completely understand, and ask for forgiveness. Please hear me. I was not commenting, even slightly, on your post or your comments, but on the situation I posted entirely. FWIW, my thoughts on your situation: 1) You advocated for yourself in an odd situation. 2) You did even what that CI asked & spoke to his sensei. 3) His sensei was a reasonable man. 4) No one was physically hurt. I'd say it ended well. My signature says a lot about what I believe about MA training. I know too many great fighters & teachers who cannot manage to be decent human beings off the floor. Sadly, they've taken difficult childhoods or being treated badly at their job or at home & cannot manage to treat others the same way, regardless of the "Integrity" tattoo in Chinese on their bicep. If the tenets of my Art don't sink in, it doesn't matter how good my side kick is....I'm not doing it right. I respect you greatly, sir. I greatly appreciate your kind words; I don't take them lightly!! I do wish that it had never happened, and more importantly, I wish I hadn't went to visit his dojo with the intent of shutting his mouth. That was wrong of me, and that was not how I was raised in and out of the dojo. I wholeheartedly agree with what your signature says. In that, just because a person is a human being, it doesn't mean that they know how to act like a human being. I respect you greatly too, sir!!

To the bold type above... What happened?