sensei8

Being honest with oneself is difficult, with no exceptions, imho! While I've been "judged" by both my Sensei and his Sensei, as either meeting or exceeding their expectations daily, as quarterly and annually, through their testing cycles. I must say, I am my worse critic, without any doubt. Either of these great men would share their thoughts as to my shortcomings as well as my triumphs with an honest display of truths, in which, some were kind and some not so kind, but directly honest! Seeing that we're imperfect from birth, and all the way to death, I will, at times, depending on my mood, tear myself down over the smallest details. And if for no other reason(s), I never wanted to let them down or my students or my fellow MAists or, for that fact, anyone. And because I'm imperfect, I'm prone to make my share of mistakes. Btw, if anyone thinks, even if for just one second, that high ranking MAists don't make mistakes, let me be the first one to simply say...oh yeah, I've made my share of mistakes, more often than I care to speak about or towards, and yes, I'll make more than a few in the future. A mistake is a mistake, no matter how infinitesimal or how large and noticeable, and while no one else might not point the mistake out, I knew, and that, for me, was/is enough. I pride myself in being extremely strict with myself when it comes to the details, nonetheless, I seek that which can't be retained...ever...by anyone...perfection, or at least, the near perfection, as one can be. I drive myself endlessly, and it causes me at times to think... ...just who am I to question the findings of my Sensei and his Sensei?!? Isn't it an act of disloyalty?!? Is it a slap in their faces, no matter the venue being regular class or a testing cycle or wherever else?!? Am I better than them in their evaluations?!? No! But because I am my worse critic, I must do my utmost best to erasing my unshakeable doubts about myself, both as an individual as well as a MAist...especially as a MAist!! So, trodden I will go in order to increase my MA betterment; while I'm complete in my MA totality, I still doubt myself from time to time. Which is better because I use to doubt myself all of the time. I don't doubt myself as much as I use to because...well...I still make mistakes. Yesterday...today...tomorrow...I've doubted myself before...I've doubted myself today....I'll doubt myself tomorrow!! Why? I'm imperfect; I just can't help myself.

I personally am glad that you're spending more time here, as of lately. You add a touch of excellence with your thoughtful posts and the like provide here at KF; you're a consummate professional, and I thank you!!

Ah...no!! I'm a product of big city living; alas a member of the rat race. I'm spoiled by the many conveniences that the big city provides by living in the big city, no matter how many inconveniences might exist. I've been to a few mountains in my life, mostly for recreational purposes, and many of the mountains I've visited had snow or a waterfall or both, however, I've never trained of any degree at any mountain. Please understand, and believe that I, in no way, are making fun of those who've trained or want to train in this fashion; to each their own. I say this, if it, whatever it is, improves ones MA betterment, then do it, and do it well by completely submerging oneself in that commitment totally without any reservation and/or ambiguity.

Yeah, why not! After all, the one dominating word that ordains most TKD dojang's is... KARATE ...blazoned somewhere on the store front!!

As corny, and as predictable as it might be...it's always been the smiles at the times of my students' AHA moments...that has always been my motivation!!

Solid post!!

OK...even though I stated that I've no interest in ever watching this movie, well, I just finished watching it...I've lost an hour and a half of my life that I'll never get back...ever!! As I've also mentioned before, Mr. Wilson is of his belief, therefore, his opinions, even though, I do not share them with him at all. Not because he's wrong and I'm right or because he's right and I'm wrong, but because, I've travelled on my MA journey these near 52 years, and I've not experienced similar things, nor even close to what Mr. Wilson has; different MA journey's, this is to be for sure. I've absolute no problem with separating the physical from the spiritual things of the MA!! The spiritual things of the MA are for others, but in truth, and because I was raised in the church, they're not for me, and they've not ever been that way. I believe in the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit...above all things. I believe in the physicality of the MA because you can't learn the MA without being physical. Sure, I do the meditation before and after class, but it has no significance other than to relax before and after class. I don't chant...I don't have a fancy stick...I don't even light candles...well...except for birthday candles...I don't have an alter or a little house or a little statue or any pictures of ANY MA Master...no way...no how...not today...not tomorrow. As Mr. Wilson reminds the viewer..."You can't serve two masters. If you do, you'll end up hating one, while loving the other", and this is so true. I serve Christ...he's my Master...and the things of the MA...the spiritual things of the MA have no bearing or control over me. The MA is a thing that I do. Christ isn't a thing; I've a personal relationship with Him. I believe in things of the MA!! However, I don't believe in the spiritual things of the MA. I do believe in the physical things of the MA. I believe in Mizu No Kokoro and Tsuki No Kokoro, as well as Bushido...as well as Shugyo...to mention just a few, but I draw the line, and this line isn't a faded or fading line, no, but it's a sharp and crisp and defined line, when it comes to the spiritual things of the MA. Perhaps that's why it's so easy for me to separate the physical from the spiritual. I serve Christ, and Him alone, and nothing that's MA spiritual! Does my meditation that I do before and after class counter what I've just stated? NO! Why? While I'm "meditating", I might be thinking about the class I'm about to teach...going thru a mental check list, and sometimes, I'm praying a quick and simple prayer. Soke and Dai-Soke had their beliefs, and yet, their beliefs were not mine, nor did they ever force their beliefs on any of their students. They were both very private men, and they exercised their beliefs in the privacy of their homes. Although the Hombu was a fallback to a long ago time of Okinawa, and this includes the things of importance to them and their beliefs, we were never once directed to perform Shomen ni rei as they did. When we bowed...we weren't forced to ever bow to the Shomen...no...we'd bow to them, then they'd both walk to the corner and bow to the Shomen...which was in the corner and not in the direct front. Guess what...after they both passed away, the Shomen...their Shomen, was dismantled and removed because it wasn't our belief, and we didn't want to emulate that anymore. Some have told me that I was in a Catch-22, and I'd strongly resent that because it's easy to disregard things that are not of Christ when you follow Him, and only Him. The training that Mr. Wilson received in the MA was, imho, quite strange, to say the least. And as it has already been said, it was akin to a cult following in so many ways, and I'm just so glad that I was never in a MA school like that...not in Shindokan and not in TKD!! When I can find part 2, I'll watch it, and if for no other reason(s), it'll simply be for the sake out of curiosity, and that alone. OK...I now return you to your regular reading!!

So...the College IS the governing body of the degree?? And is the degree turned into some type of rank?? In lineage terms... COLLEGE as the governing body-----> College Professor------>Student Hhhhmmmmm... The College Professor is the "Sensei"? After all, anyone who teaches, per the name, is a "Sensei"!?! Once someone earns said MA degree, who provides the new "Sensei" with certificates? And who administers the testing cycle?? Dumb questions...I know...but... In addition... http://www.bridgeport.edu/academics/undergraduate/martial-arts-studies-b/faculty/ From reading their bios, it appears that they're more than qualified to teach their MA discipline!! Check out the video(s)! So, it takes about 4 years to earn a BA, I think...so, will the graduate be earning a 1st Degree Black Belt...or god forbid...more...or just a diploma from the University?? I can only assume that any MA rank would be given separate and away from the University. After all, the Co-Director is a 7th Dan in TKD!! Surf around the links provided throughout this thread...interesting...but of interest, check out the "Learning Outcomes" provided by the University. I'm still surfing the info provided, and it appears that there's a lot of reading...maybe...there's 10 pages of information!!

It is said, both worldwide as well as in Okinawa, that Higaonna Sensei is considered the most dangerous man alive.

Didn't watch the fights, but did watch highlights, and to be honest, I saw the choke, and it was well executed, and not surprised at it. That, to me, this is quite an easy thing to apply especially for those who forget about its possibility, and it can be easy to forget about when ones defending this and that, and the more inexperienced the practitioner is, the more easier it can be to manipulate in this type of game of chess. Imho!!

I'd love to learn how to do that!! Looks amazing and quite relaxing to create something like that!!

To the bold type above... The length of a Dan testing cycle changes according to the Dan rank. Whereas, a Shodan testing cycle last but mere minutes compared to a Hachidan testing cycle which will last a good part of a week. Averages: Shodan - Sandan testing cycles will take 1 day. Yondan testing cycles will take 1.5 days. Godan - Hachidan testing cycles will take 3 days. These lengths vary due to many situations. Rest time...Number of candidates testing per se the Dan ranks being tested for...so on and so forth. I believe in my answer because that's what our By-Laws said so, hence, it's what Soke said so!! Was your Kudan 3 days or more than 3? 3 days. I didn't include my Kudan testing cycle length because anything above Hachidan aren't testable; it's bestowed upon once one's been elected to the Kaicho post, per our By-Laws. Please forgive me, but in my heart of hearts, I'm still a Hachidan, and hold little value, if any, to my promotion to Kudan.

Haha, yes, we agree with you on that! It is "complete" in the sense that it covers applications for every movement in the kata, but of course, nothing is ever truly "complete" Thanks, Bob! WHEW!! Thanks, Noah, for understanding and having a sense of humor!!

To the bold type above... The length of a Dan testing cycle changes according to the Dan rank. Whereas, a Shodan testing cycle last but mere minutes compared to a Hachidan testing cycle which will last a good part of a week. Averages: Shodan - Sandan testing cycles will take 1 day. Yondan testing cycles will take 1.5 days. Godan - Hachidan testing cycles will take 3 days. These lengths vary due to many situations. Rest time...Number of candidates testing per se the Dan ranks being tested for...so on and so forth. I believe in my answer because that's what our By-Laws said so, hence, it's what Soke said so!!

Btw, I've no idea, one way or another if Higaonna has ever been in a fight or not. I surely didn't want to leave the impression that he'd not ever been in a fight before. We hear, quite a lot..."What skills/experience does he/she have? They've never been in a street fight before, so, they've nothing to compare to in order to teach; blank slate." Again, it's their opinion, and they've that right, however, I'm of the opinion that their assumption is quite unfair, especially when the opinion is from afar without personally knowing anything about the person.

Might be worth the try!! Nothing ventured...nothing gained!

I wholeheartedly AGREE!!

Congrats to you, Noah, and Sensei Poage!! Btw, and please, don't anyone get mad at me, but, the word "Complete" is an illusion, imho, when it comes to things of the MA, and especially when it's about Bunkai because Oyo exists. Applications, again imho, are idea's...roadways...to new found discoveries, at times, endless. OK...sensei8...Bob... me...shut-up...it's just a title!! OK...tape back over my mouth!! STILL...Congrats to you both on the release of your DVD!!

Solid post!!

So, if I'm correct...lineage matters to that person!! Just who is 'that person'? Well, it's the one asking!! So what does a student do? Believe it? Not believe it? Care? Don't care? Just how many mouse's does one carry in their pockets? Let's see! Your Sensei...his/her Sensei...then their Sensei...then someone else down the line...then another...and another...so on and so forth until one finally gets to the founder of the style. Not that everyone's known to every man, woman, and child, even in todays fast food internet world, but even as the doubting Thomas' of the world exist and persist ever the more, the undeniable factor still resides in the MAist standing before you; flesh and bone and blood, in the one person that's teaching you or has taught you or will teach someone somewhere someday somehow. Lineage is important to someone! However, the dead don't teach, and in that, that chosen instructor before you must teach, and to me, while the past is important, the present is even more important because it ushers in the future. I will forever thank the founder of Shindokan Saitou-ryu, Fuyuhiko Saitou...as well as my Sensei, Yoshinobu Takahashi, for everything they've ever taught me on and off the floor. Albeit, they're both pretty much unknown outside of the Shindokan circle...but they did exist, and not just to me, but to the entire Shindokan student body. What about my students? I didn't just stand on the sidelines and idly watch Soke and Dai-Soke teach MY students. NO! I taught them...me...not them!! Don't I count for something...anything?!? What am I? A figment of someone's imagination? A doormat? Can't my students just say, when asked the million dollar question..."Who's your instructor?"..."My Sensei is Robert Mitcham", and let that me enough. Just who, what, where, when, why and how in the creation of the MA did I have to validate myself to others through my Soke and Dai-Soke?? Aren't we complete in our totality as MAists?? Well, I am!! Maybe, hopefully, my way of thinking is an out-of-the-box type of mindset. But, wait! If someone doesn't agree with my way of thinking/mindset/ideology, then it's cast to the wayside as a babbling notion, and forgotten faster than it was ever brought up. Why? Because I don't fit into THIER MOLD...into THEIR MINDSET...into THEIR STANDARDS. Based on what? Lineage!! Lineage isn't kept in it's proper context/content; it's placed on some pedestal to be worshiped and adored beyond all things....even though the proof is on the floor...one way or another!!

Congrats, The Pred; well deserved!!

What if, for example, Morio Higaonna, Hanshi, Judan of Goju-ryu, more specifically, the founder and CI of the International Okinawan Goju-ryu Karate-do Federation... had NEVER had a street fight(s), in his 77 years on the planet!! Would his knowledge...experience...and the like, be tainted, and not taken serious, of no value, if he had never ever had a street fight(s)?? It seems to be important to many, but not all, MAist that this one prerequisite must be garnered in order to be taken serious and of value on the floor. What do you think?

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

Yeah...THAT!!

Great topic, IcemanSK; thanks for starting it. If I understand what you're asking... I love Chess!! That's how I unwind from a long day of training and/or teaching and/or administrative duties!! I've never been rated in Chess, but I've got one mean game, at all phases. Chess relaxes me. For 25 years, I've found solace in spending every free moment with my wife, Linda!! This is, of course, above and over anything else on this planet!! Over Chess...and yes...over the MA!! My wife is my everything, and the MA, while I love it, is just a thing!! Whenever our schedules can work, I love to spend time with my Son, Nathan and my daughter, Krystal as much as possible. They too, are preferred over Chess...or watching a good football/baseball/basketball game...or bowling...or cooking...or reading...or anything else that might float my downtime boat.