sensei8

Sounds like you've had a very productive two weeks of training and teaching. You're very well rounded; becoming complete and balanced as both a student and a Sensei. Aaron's maturing in both him and his techniques. Taking the training well and if he chooses, he too will be a formidable MAist across the board. Train hard and well.

Defending Champions Golden Knights are now at 7-0-0. Last night's game was a very hard-fought win against the Flyers, but a win, nonetheless. Great start for the season and the Knights looks strong on both sides of the puck. Even though there's still 75 games remaining in the regular season, I'm quite optimistic for a back-to-back Stanley Cup. GO KNIGHTS!!

The 2023 NLCS has reached its zenith as the Arizona Diamondbacks are the 2023 NLCS Champions by besting the Philadelphia Phillies in a 7-game series for all the marbles by the score of 4-2 in the sold-out Citizens Bank Park. The 2023 World Series is upon us with all of its glory as the Texas Rangers VS the Arizona Diamondbacks in their best of 7 games. Passs out the peanuts and crackerjacks to enjoy the Fall Classic. Game 1: Rangers host the Diamondbacks on October 27th Game 2: Rangers host the Diamondbacks on October 28th Game 3: Diamondbacks host the Rangers on October 30th Game 4: Diamondbacks host the Rangers on October 31st Game 5: Diamondbacks host the Rangers on November 1st* Game 6: Rangers host the Diamondbacks on November 3rd* Game 7: Rangers host the Diamondbacks on November 4th* * Denotes if necessary Game 7 of the NLCS saw the Phillies for the very first time ever played in a game 7, while the Diamonds have only played in a game 7 which they won against my beloved Yankees. D-Backs are returning to the WS for its second time and their first since winning it in 2001. They hit, they ran, their gloves where places where the Phillies balls died, and they pitched. And I mean they pitched. The D-Backs sent out a small band relivers to take care of D-Back business. One particular D-Backs relieve pitcher that caught my attention was Kevin Ginkel. He's the meanest and gnarly slider that I've seen. His sliders had the Phillies batters in the bottom of the 8th swing from the basement empty with one K after another. I worry him and what a headache he'll cause the Rangers batters. Whiffing at a slider can be embarrassing. GO RANGERS!!

11-4!! My dreams have been fulfilled to the Nth degree thanks to the Texas Rangers. The Rangers are going to the World Series and they're watching to see who they'll host in the WS...the Phillies or the Diamondbacks. Finally, some team has dashed the hopes and dreams of the Astros and put one big smile on my face. That some team was the Rangers. If I could still do a somersault, I'd do one from just pure excitement alone. Don't get me wrong, the Astros are a team to be respected...and I do. I mean, numbers don't lie...2022, 2021. 2019, 2017 VS 2010 and 2011. The first set of numbers represent how many times the Astros have been to the WS, and the second set of numbers represent how many times the Rangers have been to the WS. The Astros have won two WS while the Rangers have not won any WS. Here's some more numbers... Inning 1 = Rangers 3, Astros 1 Inning 3 = Rangers 1, Astros 1 Inning 4 = Rangers 4, Astros 0 Inning 6 = Rangers 2, Astros 0 Inning 7 = Rangers 0, Astros 1 Inning 8 = Rangers 1, Astros 0 Inning 9 = Rangers 0, Astros 1 Rangers 11 Astros 4 Scandal aside, the Astros are a team to be reckoned with and never to be taken lightly. The same can be said about the Rangers, and they took care of business in Games 6 and 7 when it counted. Garcia is the ALCS MVP. The Astros home field became a disadvantage during the 2023 ALCS Series for them. As befuddled as the Astros was as to why their sudden inability to win at home was, that fact sealed their fate. The Astros lost 22 of their final 29 home games. This fact was not the Astros only time. Nope. The Astros lost all 4 games on the 2019 WS against the Nationals. Yes, the Rangers also lost their 3 home games, however, the Rangers had the best of the draw by only having to play at home 3 times and not the bad draw of the Astros 4 home games. I shudder had it been the other way around. GO RANGERS!!

Houston, TX. Minute Maid Park. 2023 ALCS Game 6. Houston Astros VS Texas Rangers. Top of the 9th. Rangers up. Rangers on top by 4-2. 5-2. Now, 3 Ranger batters are sitting atop of 3 bags. The crowd's boos are deafening. Garcia's up. He's been booed all night. Garcia has struck out 4 times. WHAM!!!!!!! GRAND SLAM!! Garcia hits a 375 foot line-drive into the left field seats. 9-2. Yahoo Sports puts it the best... "The Astros got a run on Nathan Eovaldi in the first inning of game 6. The Rangers responded and never looked back." The Astros home field woes continue, and I hope their woes spark the Rangers into the World Series. Game 7 Monday at Minute Maid Park. GO RANGERS!!

Astros leading the ALCS series 3-2. Rangers have had their backs against the wall since game 1...Rangers back remain against the wall as game 6 approaches as the drama returns to Minute Maid Park in Houston. Rangers beat the Astros at home for games 1 and 2, then the Astros go to Arlington and win 3 games. That's either Astro luck or skills OR the Rangers bad luck and no skills. I just don't know. Game 6 Sunday 5pm on the west coast/7pm central. I'm as nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof or something like that. Hopefully the Astros will continue a lose 2 games at home again!! Rangers starting pitcher in game 6 will be right hander Big Game Nate, Nathan Eovaldi. Astros will send to the mound left hander Framber Valdez. Rangers need their bats and gloves alive. GO RANGERS!!

Well, my Cowboys barely survived against the Chargers 20-17 at SoFi Stadium in LA. Cowboys just might as well stay in LA because the Cowboys face the Rams at SoFi Stadium in LA next week. Cowboys increased their standings to 4-3. I'm trying to be optimistic that the Cowboys will return to the playoffs, but the pessimistic side says...ah...NO!! My hats off to Herbert who played despite his non-throwing hand was wrapped up due to an injury back in week 4 in a win against the Raiders while trying to tackle after Herbert threw an interception; his hand got stuck in the helmet of Crosby. OUCH!! Cowboys kicker, Aubrey made 2 field goals; 2nd field goal with 2:19 remaining in the game gave the Cowboys the lead. With one last chance to win or go to OT, but Herbert threw an interception to Gilmore at the LA 33 with 1.22 remaining...that sealed the victory for the Cowboys. As I mentioned earlier, next week for the Cowboys in LA against the 3-3 Rams. I just have a bad feeling about the game against the Rams...I just can't shake it...the Rams and the Cowboys have meet 37 times with a record of the Cowboys have won 19 times and the Rams have won 18 times. Rams are favored by 5.5 points!! GO COWBOYS!!

The Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA have won the WNBA championship once again BACK TO BACK!! The Aces defeated the Liberty in New York on Liberty's home court on October 18, 2023 with a record in the Finals of 3-1. The final score was 79-80; a barn burning nail-biting game from buzzer to buzzer. This championship win for the Aces was done with 2 of their key players out with injuries. Star point guard Gray and starting center Stokes who are both suffering foot injuries sustained in game 3. Despite that, the Aces showed just how good they are. What fueled the Aces was when all of the doubters thought that Liberty would win in 5 games; they thought wrong. Wilson had 24 points and 16 rebounds. Still, Liberty wasn't going to just lay down. Both teams traded runs up and down the court for 3 and a half quarters and tied 60 all with just a tad over 5 minutes remaining in the game. Teams both continued to trade baskets, with only 8 seconds left and trailing by just 1 point, Liberty called a timeout and penciled a play for Breanna Stewart, the 2023 MVP. It was not meant to me. Aces Clark tormented Stewart so much that Steward kicked the ball in the corner where Vandersloot rushed her 3-point shot; she air-balled it and that was it. Championship Parade will be down the Las Vegas Strip this Monday at 5PM. The last time the WNBA had a back-to-back championship was back when the LA Sparks handled their business back in 2001 and 2002. Now for the Golden Knights to go back-to-back their championship of last year, which that feat can be quite daunting. Even though Tampa Bay did that very same thing back in 2020-2021. GO ACES/GO KNIGHTS!!

I might be alone on this but, size needs to be recognized as to what it's capable of unleashing, on the other side of the discussion, skill should know how to effectively manage size and not to be overwhelmed at size while not forgetting that size will hurt. Both need knowledge and experience. For the skill set to effectively manage size, fear must be controlled because the future event appearing real causes the skill to crash. Size is no joke. Neither is skill!! Imho.

This is a great practice to get into. Being open and honest should be the hallmark of what we do, but not all business people see it that way.I agree with Brian wholeheartedly.

Great win against the Broncos. I know what you mean about the red zone, and the problem some teams have with it. The Cowboys red zone success is a mere 26%...dismal!!

The CBT is what happened. The CBT is MLB's soft salary cap. It is intended to discourage runaway spending. The CBT is the Competitive Balance Tax. Yankees ownership wanted to get under the CBT threshold to reset their tax rates since they had been a multiple time offender. In English, that means the Yankees cut payroll rather significantly. The Yankees one year very recently cut their payroll by $31M. The Yankees have to pay CBT penalty fees of around $29 million even on the current payroll.

My Cowboys had a nail-biting game with the Chargers, of which they won 20-17. The win brings the Cowboys to 4-2 and 2nd place behind the Eagles on the NFC East. My hats off to the Chargers because they kept the Cowboys on their toes with their solid defense. Chargers quarterback, Herbert, played a great game considering his non-throwing hand that was fractured on week 4; gutsy!! The game tied up 3 times. 20 penalty flags. Turnover on downs. Many punts: of which the Cowboys messed up badly in the 4th quarter that allowed the Chargers to tie the game up 17-17. The win felt good after the Cowboys were embarrassed by the 49ers last week 42-10. Oh yeah, speaking about the 49ers, who lost to the Browns 19-17, there are no more undefeated teams. Next week for the Cowboys: The 3-3 Rams at home. How'd your team do?? GO COWBOYS!!

Astros are the most dangerous when their backs against the wall. I'm rooting for a Texas sweep or at least eliminating the Astros. It's been many years since the Rangers have been to the WS, 2010 and 2011 respectively where they lost against the Giants and Cardinals; Rangers have never won the WS. My poor Yankees need more pitchers desperately if they want to return to the playoff any time soon. GO RANGERS!!

You've had some very productive weeks, haven't you?! I like that your dojo has had many prominent Seniors to train with and such. Very important that Seniors be In-House within the network. Very valuable. We always sent out myself with other Seniors to every Shindokan dojo in the SKKA network leading up to our Hombu's Annual Testing Cycle in June/July. Students getting to train with your Seniors give untapped effectiveness that Sensei's may not zero in all of the time or as distinctly as needed. You're really enjoying your training and that to me means that you're in for the long haul. Hang in there and train hard.

Great topic; thank you for it!! You've so far received some great advice and insights. Business wise, does the CI and/or owner think competitively vs creativity?? I believe that when you're thinking competitively, you're thinking more about what the other MA schools doing. When I think creatively, I'm thinking about what I'm doing and I put more of that energy in that, So, I don't think competitively, I think what am I doing right here?? How can I do it the best?? As I focus on that and put all the energy in that, I create a product, and what we have IS a product, that's outstanding and it's a full expression of who I am. Find a way to express yourself fully. Don't worry about what other MA schools are doing, including price structures. Any business is in business to make profit, and yes, if you're charging for your product, then you're a business. When you find that expression of who you are, that's going to really resonate out there, in what you're doing and how you're doing it, no matter what genre you're in, whether it's art, food, tech, doesn't matter. Whatever price structure you decide, believe in it and support it wholeheartedly. There's no magic formula whatsoever because if you believe in yourself, put out a stellar product, have an unblemished integrity, students will darken your door gladly.

Way too soon to get excited about the standings as they are. Even though my Cowboys kicked the Patriots to the curb 38-3 which left the Cowboys 3-1 in the books for this season. Next for the Cowboys are a trip to LA for the Chargers, which should be a W for the Cowboys. GO COWBOYS!!

It's a very sad day!! My beloved Yankees lost to the D-Backs Sunday with the final score of 7-1 which means for the first time since 2016 are NOT in the playoffs and haven't been to the WS since 2009. First losing season since 1992. Only ray of sunshine is that our archrival, the Red Sox are behind the Yankees in last place!! As far as the playoffs and the WS are concerned, I just don't want the Astros to win the WS...please. Until next season!!

Congrats, Danielle; well deserved!!

.... Then what did you do? What did I do?? Not much. What else could I do?! I did my best to defend myself against them, but as a beginner in the MA, I was no match against one let alone against all of them. The good news was that they'd be going to Jr High School next semester and out of my hair.

By no means whatsoever are his actions appropriate in any shape, way, and/or form. Give someone an inch, and they take a mile with no conscious thought at all. Totally unprofessional on both your student and the venue. Having said that, anyone can open and start their program whenever and wherever they fell. Nothing prevents that from happening. There's no local, state, or government law that states that like business can not open their business right next door to their competition. In the USA, landlords do not allow like business open in the same venue, aka in the USA, a strip mall, for example, due to the fact that one like business is already established and causes distress to the established business. Not a can of worms that any landlord wants to open. In a store front location, similar businesses don't exist in the same location, and not because it's not cool, but because the landlord doesn't believe it's a smart business practice, and no CI would open their school at the same location where another MA school was, for the most part. So many long years ago, I was approached by a CI in order to inform me that I didn't get his Sensei's permission to open my dojo because I was in his Sensei's territory!! I never laughed so hard and showed him where the front door was. We were opposing styles, and I was 25 miles away from his Sensei's dojo!! I suggested to that CI that if he persists, I'll open up right next door to his Sensei's dojo. Now, I've seen community centers and the like rent space to competitive tenants based on the fact that said space IS for rent and NOT the community center. of which time slots do dictate quite a lot as far as availabilities and the like. Yes, it's strange that 2 TKD schools be in the same community center, but not unheard of because money talks. I've seen that at YMCA's do that very same thing and how they worked around any difficulties was that one TKD school taught beginners and the other school taught the intermediate and advanced. Also, have seen where one TKD school taught kids and the other taught adults. If it was me, I'd remain the consummate professional and make sure that what I have to offer is what the prospective students are looking for across the board. Sour grapes are unpleasant to swallow especially if you cause the grapes to sour. Lease agreements are the bible between landlord and tenants. Therefore, if there's nothing written in the lease agreement that prohibits same like programs in the venue, then the landlord can do whatever the landlord wants to do. It's a sticky wicky situation, for sure. Good luck and please keep us updated. Imho!!

How about anything I can find in my cars trunk?? Oh wait, how about anything found in my trucks bed; always goodies there abound. Sure, the cars trunk has to be close and already opened, whereas the truck just needs to be close. I do really like Montana's post about the telephone/light pole suggestion because it has a lot of effectiveness about it.

I agree!! Can't imagine its application with an attached cord. UNLESS the cord is so I'd not accidently drop it while using it only as a hatchet!! Does look intimidatingly wicked.

To the bold type above... Yes!! My general answer is this...It's just a belt!! How one covets the belt is of a personal choice, of which, should be respected by others. Imho!!

And many people inside, as can be seen here in this thread. If they "don't care about rank," why did they wait until after making shodan first before deciding that? I can see not wanting to make a grade that requires greater involvement than showing up to train x number of days per week like everybody else. But staying a shodan for life in order to show off fake humility does the exact opposite of that. Solid post!!