sensei8

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.

Try wearing something underneath to combat the sticking problem. Yeah, it might be, might be, might be, uncomfortably hotter, but that would depend on what that material would be; a lighter material would be much better. OR... Bring an extra gi pants with you, and when it gets sticky, ask the CI if you can change real quick. First though, speak with your CI in private about this and see what he/she says.

Just because someone's a human being, it doesn't mean that they know how to be a human being. The welcome mat is so small, only ego and the like can stand upon the darn mat. MAist's, by their own nature, are so un-trustful toward their own kind, and even worse, for those who aren't their own kind. What's on to do?!

Ever have one of those mind numbing silly way off the base days? Well, the difference between Shorin Ryu and Shorinkan IS... They're spelled differently!! I now redirect you back to the first sentence of this post. The style IS Shorin Ryu Shorinkan...founded in 1975 by Shugoro Nakazato; a branch of Kobayashi Shorin-ryu...the style that Noah [Wastelander] trains in...so... They're both the same thing; the one and the same thing.

Shindokan Saitou-ryu was founded in 1950 by Fuyuhiko Saitou, Soke, Judan; not an ancient style by any means, and if it is, so am I...I was born in 1957. Good grief...I'm old...er...est!!

Without not getting into a Christian or religious discussion, I've not seen the movie in question, nor do I ever plan to; uninterested across the board for no other reason that I just don't want to. A billion years ago, I was once told that I couldn't join their church unless I disavowed the MA. Well, you can see my answer. The MA is evil and so on and so forth; that's their opinions, and they've that right...so do I...I'll continue my MA journey until my last breath!! I simple ignore things like this because I've not the time nor the patience for things like this.

To the bold type above... Wesley's also a 2nd Dan in Hapkido, and yes, he's a 5th Dan in Shotokan!! Dolph Lundgren is a 3rd Dan in Kyokushin!!

All in all, safety first, and in that, the fighter in black = DISQUALIFY IMMEDIATELY!! I'd even consider probation for a short time, 3 months, without any ambiguity!! Kind of harsh? When weighed against safety and the injury the one fighter endured...huh...NO...not harsh at all!