sensei8

I might be wrong, but I doubt that we'll see acott001, any time soon. I hope I'm wrong!!

The exact thing happened to Fumio Demura. His Sensei told him that if he didn't test, he'd have students that outranked him. So after some prodding, Demura Sensei, against his own desires, finally gave in and tested...thusly...earned a much higher rank. Demura Sensei forever and a day was a Godan...until his Sensei urged.

Yes...it does sound reasonable, but it's not written in stone, imho. Too many variable parameters exist!! Beside, who wants to only break even...month after month...year after year?? I don't!!

Still worth repeating... Mimicking...copying...no...I don't think that's what Karateka's do. They're also still fine for High Dan ranks too...I've seen Okinawa Masters do them...still. Kata is Karate...Karate is Kata.

No one!! The closest I have is Greg Forsythe, Kancho of the SKKA: He joined 6 months after I did...back in 1965...April...I started in October 1964...and we're still going strong...two peas in a pod.

To student 'A': Shut up and train!! To student 'B': Shut up and train!! Student 'A'...just who promoted that student to a position that he/she doesn't possess?? Student 'B'...I will not force a student to test! Test...don't test...it's all good to me!! And when student 'B' is ready, I'll be here...whether it's sooner or later!! For student A, my answer is similar. They don't dictate when they test. For student B, it depends on their "why" & their rank. If they are holding back to have a chance to win tournaments, we'd be having a chat about ethics. If they just don't want to, it depends on their present rank & for how long they are there. If someone is 4th Dan. Runs their own school under me. But hasn't tested for 20 years, we'd be having a chat because at that point, that student is affecting his/her student's ability to promote, as well. Just an example. I hear ya, if a person has a 4th dan, hypothetically you could say his students could only go up to 1st dan. Which is fine but what if some students want to open a school. Do they have to go to another school or if they have an hombu have the hombu promote them. When I was a Yondan, I attended all of MY Testing Cycles AT the Hombu, and as a matter of fact, I attended ALL of my Testing Cycles AT the Hombu. That's because, my Sensei, was the, then, Kaicho of the Hombu when I was a Yondan, and I still attended classes at the Hombu on a regular basis, per my class schedule at my own dojo, as I had done for years and years before, and years beyond that as well; nothing in that regard, for me, changed at all. It's a tightrope walk, to be certain. A Yondan, in Shindokan, can test their student body up to Nidan. After that, yes, they'd have to test at the Hombu, in our case. Once any student tests for Godan, and when one reaches Godan, it is a MUST, from then on, to test at the Hombu, and no where else!

When you were running your own dojo, how did you manage family dinner time? Would you go home and let a high ranking student run things for an hour or just have weekend family dinners. It had its up and downs, that's for sure. A little bit of this and a little of that.

Kata is just one tool; there's still Kihon and Kumite. Kata by itself isn't enough; empty.

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

To student 'A': Shut up and train!! To student 'B': Shut up and train!! Student 'A'...just who promoted that student to a position that he/she doesn't possess?? Student 'B'...I will not force a student to test! Test...don't test...it's all good to me!! And when student 'B' is ready, I'll be here...whether it's sooner or later!!

I manage them all...training...teaching...administrative duties...family; it's a full plate, but manageable...once it's fine tuned. Until then...crazy...comes to mind. My wife, Linda, hates this... I treat them all the same; none more important than the other. My wife, accepts that part of me, and has stopped trying to change my thinking, but, 25 years later, all she can do is shrug her shoulders and shake her head side to side. Truth be known...Family above all things!! Training...I do that as often as I breath. Teaching...I do that still, but not as often as I use to. I sold my dojo/retail last year February. I still do seminars often. I teach full time whenever I'm In-House at the Hombu. Administrative Duties...I do that Monday - Saturday...up to 8 hours a day...from the comfort of my home. Plus the great many visits of our Hombu that I do, on and off the schedule calendar, as well as the network visits to the various Shindokan dojo's. I've never learned how to juggle, but I do my share of juggling, if you get my meaning, and I do pretty good. Prioritizing is key, and also...TAKE THE TIME TO JUST SIT DOWN DOING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING...to recharge the batteries!!

Solid post!!

Maybe I am just too suspicious, but are you sure you are a college student interested in martial artist's motivation? The use of slick marketing terminology and the extreme interest in our MA equipment purchasing habits (4 out of 9 questions ), which is highly unrelated to your introductory text makes me think that (in the best case) you could aim for a high-flying career in marketing, or (in the worst case) you might already be in such a job and try here to get into the KarateForum participant's commercial habits. Again, maybe its just me being paranoid.. Hhmmmm...interesting...I missed that possibility...hhhhmmmmmm.....

Excellent discovery! Distance is the most overlooked key to realistic Karate applications. Throws, chokes, strikes... I remember that our Karate (in my home-Dojo) improved dramatically at the time we discovered this truth. That was back around 1996ish... Since then the maxim has been: step in, close the distance, stay there: Muchimi! Stick to the opponent like glue. To the bold type above... Yeah...now we're talking!! A maxim after my own heart!!

So, JKD defeats Karate, hands down? The 'VS' draws that question from me; and in VS, something has to win and something has to lose. Who's the author of said win/loss? The style or the practitioner?

Solid post!!

Forget Kata/Forms; who cares about that?!? Bad form doesn't win either, if at all!! Sloppy can win, weirder things have happened before, but I'd rather not be sloppy because good form will win over sloppy. But, that depends on the practitioner. Would one rather have good forms or bad forms when one is executing said technique(s)?!? Didn't think that I need to always put "Bruce Lee" next to his quotes, especially, the quotes of his that are so well known, and in all of the time that I've been here at KF, I don't always put the author of said quotes, if I feel that the said quote is well known...besides, it's not a KF requirement to do so. And yes, I know that Bruce wasn't in favor of Kata's, "swimming on dry land", and that's his opinion about Kata's, and in that, I don't agree with his summation...I understand his summation, but I just don't agree with it.

The two elements don't have to be mutually exclusive. I just use the information to inform me of what it likely to happen. As the bout progressives and you learn more about the individual, you can keep reevaluating your assessment of them. From that point of view...I can concur!!

Still, are you, Danielle, fighting against TKD or the practitioner?!? If you're fighting against TKD, then you, imho, have already lost. If you're fighting against the practitioner, then you've a chance to win.

The student body would not necessarily see all that goes on behind the scenes or whether day to day duties are being fulfilled. Unless you hold some sort of open AGM? From time to time, we'll hold AGM's, and we do that to keep them updated...kind of like a State of the Union. After all, the student body is affected one way or another, so we owe them that because they've earned it by being part of the student body. Plus, our newsletter, One Heart, apprises the student body of a lot of behind the scenes information, not all, but quite a lot. Some things, the student body has to roll with because they've no choice but to accept.

I hear you!! I can't see the SKKA/Hombu splitting/splintering, BUT, weirder things have happened there before. The hierarchy of before, yeah, bunch of jerks, that's why they were removed from any part of the administration. Our history shows that ousting is simpler...I don't know how, but it's the history. We ousted San Dai-Soke because he lost his ever loving mind!!

Thanks for sharing that article, Brian!! Interesting? Maybe! Depends on who's being asked! It's one person's opinion! This...this right here gets me. This too, is one person's opinion. MA bashing has to stop because it's both unfair and unrealistic. Not because it's true, because it's not, but treasured methodologies and ideologies are trampled on without understanding...deep understanding. Yeah, if the door knob won't open the door when turned, than the door knob must be broken...right?!...nothing else?!...right?!

Solid post!!

To the bold type above... On the contrary, imho. Bad form will not aide any outcome, whereas, good form will. Any MA knows that good form is important...posture...stance...these must be spot on. Techniques must be spot on, and not sloppy...good form in technique aides execution, and aides in transitions as well as in proper hip usage. Good form outweighs bad form. Kata helps one train in having good form!! As far as Kata being the same thing, and why do the same thing over and over...perfection, even though it's not attainable, and the creation of positive muscle memory, which is attainable, and important. Act without acting..."I do not hit, it hits all by itself!!"

Why is anyone so concerned with styles, and not the practitioner?? Styles are just a thing...while practitioners aren't. Sure, the practitioner is the product of a style, however, the practitioner has to execute said style effectively for the style to be of any concern. This isn't easy!! Even in a tournament setting, styles, to me, mean nothing; a styles never beat me...the practitioner did! And on the streets, wow, forget about styles because people don't wear the badge of any style, and while it can be discerned as to what the style being utilized, if any at all, it's the individual in front of me that concerns me for the moment. I'm attacked...I defend!! I attack...he/she defends!! Not the style, but the individual. I've more things to be concerned about at that moment than wondering what style, if any, is being used against me.