sensei8

Congrats, wagnerk; well deserved...and for the 3rd time...NICE!!

I'm not sure if I'm in or not. Nothing I read on the invite screen implied that I have or haven't joined. Any ideas?

What does rank mean to me? These two questions pop up here at KF from time to time... What is your rank? What does rank mean to you? Both questions are harmless across the board. Seeing those questions are harmless, I will answer the latter question. To me, rank means nothing!! Not anymore and hasn't been in a very long time. It's more of a nuisance that varies as much as the wind does. Rank is ineffective, and without effectiveness there is no knowledge/experience and without knowledge/experience there is no betterment. There was a time that I sought after rank like the flower seeks after the rain until I earned my Sandan. Then like a light switch, I no longer sought after rank because within rank there is no effectiveness. I seek effectiveness. Rank is the last thing I ever want. Back then, I sought after rank to Sandan because I needed Sandan to open my own dojo. After Sandan I needed to improve my MA betterment through knowledge and experience, and not through rank. Yes, over the many decades, I earned rank as well as Shogo Titles. Yet, I never sought after rank/titles; that was up to my Soke and Dai-Soke. I've turned down Testing Cycle invitations many times for my personal and MA reasons. I sought after anything, other than rank after earning my Sandan, in order to improve my effectiveness through my knowledge and experience which was dependent on my MA maturity. Knowledge and experience without effectiveness, no matter the rank, has no fruitful bearings whatsoever. What does rank mean to me? It means nothing. Rank has its place and purpose. Whatever respect I might have towards rank is that I respect the maturity that rank can never bring. Rank? Proof is on the floor...now and forever.

Yes. Let's opt 6 teams so we can give this a try while being competitive.

Congrats, Fractured; well done and well deserved!!

Lord, I'm super rusty with Fantasy anything. Please bear with me as I knock off all the dust and cobwebs.

Welcome to KF, KumiteDutchie; glad that you're here!! Good luck on your upcoming Testing Cycle for your NiKyu at the end of this year. Train hard and train well.

Congrats on being selected for your Nidan Testing Cycle. Congrats also that your Sensei is donning his gi once again for this most auspicious moment. Don't worry about being nervous because any Testng Cycle takes care of itself; just do your best. Good luck!!

Is this Part 1?

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

Welcome to KF, KumiteDutchie; glad that you're here!! Doesn't ring a bell with me, but I'll do what I can to help you find what you're searching for. Meanwhile, I hope you'll introduce yourself in the KF Introduce Yourself Thread.

Very few QBs are given the reigns to run their offense. QBs, again, like Peyton Manning had complete authority to run the offense. QBs have to prove their worth and not all QBs in the NFL are given that right. Like in anything, one down at a time to prove themselves worthy of full authority with their offense.

While reading your post, ramymensa, I started to tear up because you've also been in my corner with everyone else here at KF throughout my continued fight with my prostate cancer, and seeing your warm smile and your big red nose, it means everything to me as you and everyone here at KF. THANK YOU!!

I agree with DarthPenguin that there's really no right or wrong answer because it's up to the practitioner. The CI/Governing Body can guide, but the decision lies within the practitioner and not in the Governing Body!!

Great topic, Revario; thank you for it. While not a Kyokushin practitioner, I can fully appreciate their methodology and ideology approach to sparring...no protection, for the most part. Protection certainly has its place no matter how different their sparring is approached. I can't judge any styles sparring approach because they view safety differently. Some have barely any protection while others have every protection gear known under the sun. Protection can create sloppy and ineffectiveness in their techniques because of the possible false security given by the wearing of protection and the inability of the CI and its instructors of not providing effective correction. I believe that children practitioners need to wear more protection than adults because they're still physically developing. I might tend to overdo the protection whenever it comes to the kids. Whereas the adults, minimum protection, and of course, experience and knowledge of the adult students might determine. I believe that sparring is a very important aspect of any MA training, and above and beyond that, effectiveness of techniques and applications are paramount. As a CI/owner and operator, the safety of my student body is paramount to me...so is effectiveness. If it's too hot in the kitchen, get out. If it's not to hot, then train hard and train well. Protection to the hands and feet for bag work? Sure, especially for the beginners, but sooner or later the protection of the hands and feet can be tossed away. Of course, getting the proper bag is important especially for ones home training. Eventually makiwara training will come to the student and there's no pads there at all. Train the entire body responsibly at all times. Imho!!

Has a lot of promise; I'm open for that idea. Thanks for thinking about that, Patrick.

Welcome to KarateForums.com, Revario; glad that you're here!! I sincerely hope you find what you're looking for, including someone who you can train with in your area, in everything you're interested in so that you can broaden your MA betterment. I believe that we have a solid diversity in MA knowledge and background here at KF. I look forward to your contributions here at KF. Train hard and train well.

They're far and away the QB that can do it all. QBs like Peyton and Brady, to mention just a few with that "ALL" about themselves. Arm strength, accuracy, touch, mechanics, able to read the field, decision making with the darn football, competitiveness, leadership, toughness, pocket awareness, kamikaze toughness, and run ability...at least. Many of today's QBs possess that, like, Mahomes and Hurts, as we know were both in the SB against each other. Not sure on which QB is staying or leaving the NFL. Rodgers might be going to the Jets and Carr appears to be going to the Saints. Both, in my opinion, have that "ALL" factor about themselves in spades.

I used to follow NHL Hockey a lot back in the 1980's with first the LA Kings then the Dallas Stars, lost interest briefly until the Anaheim Ducks came into the hockey scene. I never really had a favorite player because for the most part I support the team and not an individual player. There are exceptions to that rule of mine, like Mo of the Yankees, Kobe and Shaq of the Lakers, Jordan of the Bulls, Aikman, Irvin, and Smith of the Cowboys, and Valenzuela of the Dodgers. I have watched the past 3 seasons of the NHL and was excited that the Stars found their way back to the Stanley Cup finals, even though they lost to Tampa. With that win against the Stars, Tampa seemed to find that winning way to win the Cup back-to-back. I must say, I was impressed how Colorado held off the back-to-back champs to secure the Stanley Cup in over 21 years.

Congratulations Noah for reaching the milestone of 10 years as part of the KF Staff. You're a solid part of both the KF community and Staff. All that you've done for KF, its members, and the MA are not overlooked nor are they taken lightly because with each contribution in and out of KF, there's an exclamation point that can't be denied. As a fellow Staffer, you're solid as granite in both context as well as in content across the board. You're very helpful to both KF members and KF Staffers without any hesitation. There's no selfish bone in you across the board. I consider you a close friend in and out of KF. You're a very solid MAist as well and I hope one day soon that I can share the floor with you on one capacity or another; I'd consider that an honor and privilege. The picture of you holding the KF Award looks outstanding. You both look FANTASTIC!! Again, congratulations and well deserved!!

I absolutely agree with Patrick.

Well, there it is... PLAY BALL!!

Thank you so very much, Patrick, in ways I can never fully express to you. Just know that these words aren't idle words because I mean them with all of my heart.

I just hope and pray that the NFL doesn't try to make changes to game play like MLB already has. MLB seems like it's turned more into Little League instead of Major League.

My believe is that one of the reasons that Uechi Ryu isn't more popular, if that's even an accurate thought, might be because of its Sokusen-geri (Toe-kick) Conditioning. That type of conditioning is no joke and not for the faint-in-heart. While I see the effectiveness of Sokusen-geri, with its penetrability, especially to soft tissue, I also see that training and willingness to subject one to what it all takes to condition ones toe are way and far apart. "OUCH"!! I'm sure that that's often heard from those who are starting to train their Sokusen-geri, of which, they tuck their tails out of the Uechi-ryu dojo faster than a bullet, I'd be one of them because the idea of subjecting my toes to that required conditioning and training, no matter how effective that kick is, are not my cup of tea. Not today and not ever. That's my guess as to your question in the OP, "Why isn’t Uechi Ryu more popular?". I just know for sure why I'd never train my toes with that type of conditioning. Sure, in the MA, we're suppose to train every part of our body to serve us for whenever we're attacked, yes, sure, ok, I get that, however whatever parts of my body th/at I've conditioned and trained will have to suffice without Sokusen-geri. There are about 25 or more Uechi-ryu Governing Bodies around the world. Perhaps Uechi-ryu is more popular around the world than one might imagine...perhaps. For those who train in Uechi-ryu and in the co0nditioning of Sokusen-geri, I bow to them in all sincerity. Train hard and train well. Imho!!