sensei8

Let me just say this... Sign me up!! That would be fun!!

I've had a subscription to Black Belt for as long as I can remember. Over the 50 plus years, I've had a numerous subscriptions to the wide world of the MA; covering a plethora of different MA styles. Karate Illustrated was a must have back in the 70's because it covered current and future tournaments; it was the bible for following the MA tournament scenes. CFA, has been in my magazine subscriptions index for as long as CFA has been publishing its fine work. It's the bible of anything Okinawan...a no frills publication! TKD is covered well on the Barnes and Noble shelves with many different titles...I too, have a subscription to a few of them! UFC/MMA is also covered quite well on B&N shelves, yet, I only have a subscription to the UFC format! These are just a small few listed magazine subscriptions that I've had or still have. However, and for some time, once the economic downturn a few years ago, I cancelled them all because I felt that money could be used elsewhere.

Good thinking - I never thought of using them like that. You know...reuse, recycle and all. Why not having a hand-me-down gi?? I like the idea across the board. After all, the hand-me-down mindset has been culture of many countries for as long as they can remember.

Solid post!!

Congrats, Titanium; well deserved!!

Solid post!! If that doesn't work and all other avenues have been exhausted with said student, then I'm only left with one option...EXPELL the student immediately with cause!! Disrespect isn't ever tolerated, and not even for any second!! It's hard to change the mindset of someone who's under the duress of the parent. How the parent thinks, does, and says; is how a young student will be in ones dojo because that's all they know and what they know is correct and acceptable.

To The Pred and JR 137... Solid posts, both!!

His rationale is that black belts have earned the privilege of wearing what they want. Once they reach dan ranking, their training is their own and they can decide what to wear for it. We've got everything from the very proper, traditional Korean guy who wears a starched and pressed immaculately white gi every single class to the guy with the dingy faded black gi with the sleeves chopped off. It helps that it's a small, non-commercial program so we don't have to worry much about looking good for potential customers. I agree. While the training is the students own, his floor was HIS, and while you were an honored guest, the floor was still HIS. White gi ONLY...clean...tater free!!

Imagine to try to include in your class structure time of the warm up that Mario Higaonna Sensei does...it's 45 minutes long, but quite thorough!! Especially in todays model of classes lasting 45 minutes to an hour long!

I wholeheartedly agree with muttley, Wado Heretic, and Spartacus Maximus; solid points, all!!

Now THAT'S a testing cycle; one after my own heart. MEMORIES!! LOVE IT!!

I'm with Danielle on this, wholeheartedly!!

To the bold type above... I like that, and at times, I wasn't even that brave when Dai-Soke was alive because to him, "white is right", and that's all you better wear on HIS floor. Even on someone else's floor, he'd not like it, and wouldn't be afraid to let you know it, but he'd be polite. I'd test the waters whenever I could, but he'd test HIS waters and down right drown me. If you get my point!

Think of them as a torque driven technique where you go from one side of the body to the opposite side, and of course, the hips drive the torque...kind of like, to every action there's an equal and opposite action. And it that, styles have made the necessary changes to match their own methodologies and ideologies. One style will do this to do that for the sake of effectiveness, however, to separate themselves from other styles. Do they torque as much or more for effectiveness? Or to just be different, yet being effective. Hand, arm, posture orientations will do favor and reflect the who, where, when, what, why, and how techniques are to be delivered to said target for both offensive and defensive per the styles desires. You've asked some great and important questions as a student of the MA, don't ever be dissuaded by asking questions. Please always consider the advice of your Sensei and/or the governing body over others; but other viewpoints can help or harm ones MA betterment. It's your MA journey, so get as many viewpoints as necessary to improve. You've received some pretty good advice here thus far from other KF members, imho. Good luck, train hard and train well!!

Solid point!!

I enjoyed your post Dave, has made me think, "Sport" karate and traditional karate, are they mutually exclusive, can someone who practises traditional karate be competitive in Open tournaments....... One mindset says beat the other guy any way possible and the other says you are competing against yourself. Interesting topic. I'm traditional, yet from 1964 to 1990 I competed in open tournaments quite often; I did very well. From 1964 - 1977, I competed in Open Tournaments every single week, and from 1977 - 1984, I competed in Open Tournaments once a month, and from 1984 - 1990, I competed in Open Tournaments once per quarter. My last tournament was the 1990 Bakersfield California All Open Tournament where I took home 4 Grand Championships and one 1st Place trophy(s). During all of those years I competed, I never once did what the OP speaks towards; I didn't need to. If I lost, I lost, and if I won, I won!! Did you compete in the All-Valley Under 18 Karate Tournament in '84? I saw that tourney on TV. Sorry, couldn't help it. Being from the valley and competing during that time. Ahhh, you're killing me JR 137...I saw it at the movie theater. Being from the Valley during that time, as you say, California in itself, back than was a wash of tournaments all over the state of California, and that's why I was so often at tournaments weekend after weekend. A group of us traveled all over the state, sponsored by our parents. One didn't have to look hard to find a tournament in California. Las Vegas and Phoenix are just a stone throw away, as an alternate source for finding a tournament.

They are pretty crazy. I'm sure they'll spruce up the Dojo though. While I doubt that they'd be approved by governing bodies, or many dojo's for that fact because they're a distance away from traditional wear which is in the minds of every MAist. Nor do I see them being excepted at any traditional MA tournaments for the same reasons. It's hard to break away from that traditional mindset, however, I'd wear them because they look quite comfortable and cool; I like pants like that!! I'd let my students wear them at my dojo, but I'd strongly suggest to them that they'd not wear them ON THE FLOOR at the Hombu!

Students in regular or private schools, for one reason or another, carry a full load of academic classes, and then they do extra curricular classes on top of that. Staying up late, and often times, they're up all night doing homework. From 7th grade and up, the load a student takes is more than overwhelming, and when the sun rises, and they've still not been to bed yet, not all of their homework is finished. MA students are faced with a different kind of stress, but stress nonetheless!! And at times, MA students take on more than they can handle, yet, they can't find the time to smell the roses before the next whatever it might be over the next horizon. When the tale-tale signs are staring you dead square in your face, the time to intercede is right then, just not in an overbearing way, but in a subtle and caring way, yet not intrusive.

I enjoyed your post Dave, has made me think, "Sport" karate and traditional karate, are they mutually exclusive, can someone who practises traditional karate be competitive in Open tournaments....... One mindset says beat the other guy any way possible and the other says you are competing against yourself. Interesting topic. I'm traditional, yet from 1964 to 1990 I competed in open tournaments quite often; I did very well. From 1964 - 1977, I competed in Open Tournaments every single week, and from 1977 - 1984, I competed in Open Tournaments once a month, and from 1984 - 1990, I competed in Open Tournaments once per quarter. My last tournament was the 1990 Bakersfield California All Open Tournament where I took home 4 Grand Championships and one 1st Place trophy(s). During all of those years I competed, I never once did what the OP speaks towards; I didn't need to. If I lost, I lost, and if I won, I won!!

I'd love to!! However, I've never done Fantasy Football before, and I'd feel that I'd suck the life out of the joy for others because I've no previous experience. Sorry!!

Nice tutorial, as always, thank you, stonecrusher69!! Please define what you mean by "natural responses"??!! What's natural in the MA??!!

Thank youm CDraper, for your post; very solid!! As a student, do you feel that your MA plate is way too full, and does that add to the stress levels of trying to reach and meet expectations all of the time?? Do you feel that you never satisfy your instructor??

I once, and I want to stress once, was berated by Soke AND Dai-Soke AT THE SAME TIME, and that was quite unnerving to say the least, for wearing a Blue gi to the Hombu. THIS very same gi... http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii31/sensei8_2008/089.jpg Needless to say, I didn't make that mistake again!!

Anyone?? This topic deals with the stresses that are put upon a student by US MA Instructors, and often times, by the governing body!! Sure, as students we're taught not to complain, but to just suck-it-up and deal with it. I've read articles in the past about students committing suicide because the stress was more than they could deal with. The expectations were more than that student could bare with anymore. Perception is reality to that student, and we instructor need be more sensitive of that. Pushing/driving a student to become better is vital and important if a MA student is to become better.... But I ask again... TO WHAT END??!!??

As far as cut goes, nothing specific, just as long as the fit isn't long or touch the ground at all. I've never been a fan of extreme short cuts; to me they seem to appear as though they're wearing their little brothers gi. I understand the short cuts, just not my preference. Students can purchase a gi from whomever they want just as long as the gi meets our minimum requirements. Shindokan patch is required free of charge to the student. Kanji is specific with "Shindokan", yet that's found on the patch already. "Karate" is allowed, but only on the left extremely lower label.