sensei8

Yeah, the spring loaded gripper is a good one. Also, squeezing a ball is a good one, too.

I'm personally favorite grip training is found in Hojo Undo... Chi Ishi, Ishi sashi, Makiage kigu, Tetsu geta, and Tan are great training tools that will strengthen other body parts that will aide the grip. Weak wrists won't do one any good while gripping; the wrist, for example, is the foundation of a strong grip. This too is true for ones forearms, shoulders, and the chest, these also are the foundations for the wrist, then up to the fingers, and then into the whole hand; alas the palms are the foundations for the fingers/thumb. Not ever forgetting to build up ones legs and back; they support the whole frame. But to me, these foundational training tools become quite mute if one doesn't train with the Nigiri game...The gem of Hojo Undo!! All are important, all build up different parts of the body, and all parts of the body support a strong grip. It's those gripping jars, filled with sand at varying levels to provide different weights. The jar lip/rim can be of different diameters, therefore offering more demanding efforts to maintain a grip while performing various stances, therefore, one can strengthen the arms, shoulders, back, and legs. I pride myself on having an iron grip, and I can think of no other training tool that I owe that to except those training tools found in Hojo Undo.

I wish that both governing bodies can do something that's quite unheard of... Become as ONE governing body. To illustrate to the world that styles are nothing more than just a word that means separation, and in that, unity can be a reality!! But, that's just the wishes of an old man, I suppose.

I wholeheartedly concur!!

Solid post!! I wonder... Is it possible that we try to impress our spouse in one way or another, for whatever reason(s)?? As if my wife isn't already impressed with me, as well as being quite proud of me; not only am I a BB, but I'm also the CI. Do we seek other ways to impress our wife's while on the floor; as if she'll think more favorably towards us while we run the floor? I wonder... Hmmm... maybe on a subconscious level it could be about impressiveness... On a conscious level, my "harshness" with my wife was driven by my desire for her to be perfect because of the "it might save her life one day" mentality. Hmmm... Solid post!! Wanting the wife to be effective when it will count is why us husbands teach them as we do. In that, shouldn't all of our students get that same for the same reasons?! A tiny part of it might be that us men, love to show-off for our wife's; it's not always appreciated!!

I do agree with Brian here. Training drills/tools should have the ability to build upon and off other training drills/tools; flowing transitions have the continuity necessary. If not, then not only is the training drills/tools disjointed, but so is the application(s) when it counts.

Solid post!! I wonder... Is it possible that we try to impress our spouse in one way or another, for whatever reason(s)?? As if my wife isn't already impressed with me, as well as being quite proud of me; not only am I a BB, but I'm also the CI. Do we seek other ways to impress our wife's while on the floor; as if she'll think more favorably towards us while we run the floor? I wonder...

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

Nice tutorial; thanks for sharing it. Not to repeat myself, but I will...so much of what you do is found in Shindokan. The traps, the slips, the shifts, the redirections, this and that, so on and so forth. Close range, it's there too. Less is more; now and forever!! Weird thing is that, there's NO WC in our lineage, nor is it ever mentioned in our Densho Scrolls and the like. However, we train with a WC Dummy! How many Karate practitioners use a WCD in their training? Hhhmmmmm!!

Solid post!!

Formalities don't exist when teaching one's wife. One can forget that, and apply them, more out of habit than anything else. But, when one forgets that, one's wife will be quick to issue a reminder...OR ELSE!! Habits are hard to die, but let them die before it's too late. This post is a general post not directed towards any particular individual.

Congrats, Heidi. This milestone is a celebration of all that you've done as a Moderator all of those years. As a member and part of KF Staff, I've depended on your leadership; as a mentor, you're top notch. Thank you for all you've done here at KF, and I look forward to what the future holds for both you and KF!! I bow to you in respect, and I will say, without any ambiguity whatsoever, you are a proponent that proof is on the floor!! Thank you, Heidi, and CONGRATS. Enjoy the special moment with your husband, Mike, in what I'm sure will be a fun and exciting night for the two of you. You deserve this token of appreciation, and it's well deserved!!

I wonder if that's applicable to Oyama!! He was quite heavy handed, I hear and read.

KF for me; gives me a much needed break outside and away from the Shindokan circles!! Use to be a moderator for the Karate Forum section at Black Belt Magazine; it's now closed, the Forum section, that is!! Still visit knockdownfighters, but my interest has waned as of late.

Happy birthday to you, Ken; and many more!!

I'm completely unaware of any specific requirements. One doesn't even have to know the MA!! Huh? Sure, a person can MANAGE the dojo and know nothing about the MA at all. For the instructor, one can have a Kyu rank and still teach...there's no law against that. Who comes into a school of the MA? The CONSUMER!! The consumer might require that the instructor be a BB!! The consumer might want that the school is affiliated with a well known governing body!! The consumer DECIDES what they're looking for, and it'll be up to the school to meet a general requirement per the consumer(s) that darken the door. To me, "requirements" are wide open for interpretation(s), and these interpretations will surely vary!! The only license one needs is a BUSINESS LICENSE...a TAX LICENSE...both are not always needed. Check with your local, state, and federal rules/regulations/laws. Remember, state trumps local, and federal trumps state AND local!! You don't even HAVE to hang up your MA Certificates and the like!! These are something a consumer might want to see. Pay rent/utilities...hang a shingle...TAH DAH...you're in business!!

Awesome idea, Brian!!

I'm sorry, I don't have a picture to show you. I had one once when I was 16 years old. It was made for me by my grandpa on my moms side. I gave it to one of my students a billion years ago.

Thanks for sharing these, Danielle!! I thoroughly enjoyed them ALL!! And I concur...it's a milestone for these two governing bodies to share the same floor in such a respectable manner. If these two can do this, the future surely looks promising for all. I was pleasantly surprised, and I shouldn't be, to see that the arena was packed to the rafters, and the crowd received BOTH teams with equal enthusiasm!!

The type of "receiving" that we practice in Shindokan is akin to one catching a football. We receive the attack, and transition almost simultaneously, so the flow remain intact to the target. A football wide-receiver does what? He/she receives the ball, in a form of a catch, tucks the ball into the body, and then runs toward their end zone in a simultaneously manner. These actions are similar to what we do in Shindokan with an attack.

If it's agreeable with both students, and with the CI, heavy-handed sparring can take place. The two key...BOTH STUDENTS...and the deciding key...the CI have to take place first. The CI, of course, can end the agreement at the CI's discretion. Learning can't take place when one's being place in a situation that's uncomfortable across the board. Stop...bow to your sparring partner...quietly request that your sparring partner to ease up on the contact...continue sparring UNTIL it appears that the heavy-handed contact will only continue. CONTROL isn't a request; it's the right of every student/practitioner!! As I've mentioned many times before, Greg, our Kancho, and I Kumite extremely hard and deliberate with each other. It's what we enjoy, and it helps us across the board. Other Shindokan Senior Ranks will not and do not Kumite in the manner that Greg and I do, nor do they join us on the floor during our sessions.

That's AWESOME; better late than never!! Teach her...be very patient!! Anything else will put you in the dog house, and I don't need to tell you that. She's your "first official student", and that's cool, but before that, she's your wife. I hope it works out better for you than it did with me!!

Ankle braces are a great tool for assistance in stabilization especially after an injury. But the concern is that it is masking the issue of ankle issues and these actually increase the risk of knee injuries. So you would need to work on ankle stability as a weaker ankle joint leads to an increased risk of injury especially with kicks. Point well made!! I use them for support so that I won't become injured! This was my idea, and not a doctors!! I understand that you use them for prevention, but the risk is that you will actually injure yourself somewhere up the kinetic chain (ankles - knees - hips - spine - neck) and most commonly in the knee. Do you train your ankles as well or not at all and go for the ankle brace instead? Was the idea of wearing them more prevention of injury or because you feel like you can't trust your ankles as you used to? The ankle takes a long of shock in when moving, jumping and landing then the knee also does the same. By you restricting that ability, that is why the shock travels to the next joint in the line. Like I said, it was MY idea, and not my doctor. My doctor's have said the same things that you have, but, none of my doctors have advised me to forgo them either. I suppose that I wear them more as a security blanket, and yes, that's a dumb reason to do so. Yet, I've not been injured because I've worn them. I do train my ankles, just as much as any part of my body. I do trust my ankles; wholeheartedly!! How's the saying go?...An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of a cure!! In my tiny mind, I believe that I'm protecting myself. Like wearing an elbow pad and a knee pad. I don't need them, but I'll wear them if I believe that they'll help/protect me one way or another. I was once told that wearing a back brace weakens the back. My doctor said that's true, but only if you're wearing it while walking. Wear the back brace when you're going to be lifting, but one has to lift properly first. A friend of mine, back in Owasso, OK works at Whirlpool, and he was told that he couldn't wear a back brace at Whirlpool per what I spoke about the brace making the back weak, but how can an OSHA approved back brace not be allowed, because his job entails lifting while at work. Anyway, I'm babbling, sorry!!

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

Great topic; thank you for starting it. Great OP!! Even nowadays, I struggle to get that get-up-and-go gumption, and that's usually when I get up too early after staying up too late or if I'm under-the-weather. But, that struggle within myself doesn't last that long because, and beyond the fact that I've responsibilities to my students to be in-house, the urge to learn and to teach, and my unending love for the MA!! Don't get me wrong, imho, the MA can be a love and hate relationship; I'm not perfect, but I will say this, over 50 years, I'm more on the floor than off the floor willingly. Your OP speaks in volumes, and therefore, mirrors what I've felt from time to time. We all have our reasons for going, and in that, no ones reason's are greater or lesser than others, imho!! It's not a contest!!