sensei8

If I was a KM practitioner, I suppose that I wouldn't want to learn the kata, per say, like a karateka student has too; just would want to learn those application sections found within said kata that appeal to my interests, and expand from there.

Individually, yes. As a group is different. Our beach training is pretty much the entire school coming out, and our CI running a full class, adapted for the water and sand. Afterward, we get changed and have a pavilion picnic. We bring our families along; they watch the workout and eat with us afterward. It's a great time. I'd post a pic, but I don't have any yet. I can't copy a pic from our honbu's page, so here's a link to one... http://www.seido.com/photo-galleries/2014/2014-0803-beach-training# If you've never tried throwing roundhouse kicks in 14 oz gi pants that are soaking wet, standing in water that's about knee deep, you should try it. It's a different experience. Many groups today will wear their gi's while training at the beach in the fashion that Oyama did back in his days. I've never have had the pleasure to train at the beach, and believe that it might be a soul cleansing moment. Nor have I ever had the opportunity to do any waterfall training, which would be accelerating. Enjoyed the pics, JR 137; thank you for sharing them!! Where were this pics taken?? The Santa Monica beach in LA was always available and convenient for us/me to train there; just over the Hollywood Hills in Southern California. But the waterfall training, well, I've no idea where a waterfall is in Southern California, let alone the entire California state, of which I'm sure one exists...I was never proactive in finding a freezing experience. Always was willing to find opportunities where I could wash my gi afterwards.

I agree because the MA is personal; no need to advertise. Yeah, we look like LARPers when we wear Gis in public. Unless you're going to Comicon as Ryu. Plus Gi's are not cheap. Work out clothing outside the Dojo, maybe an old pair of Gi pants, thats cool, but I wouldn't do a jacket or belt. At least, thats my take. Love it...and lol on the Comicon as Ryu!!

OK...sign me up, please!!

I agree because the MA is personal; no need to advertise.

However...seeing that this is hypothetical... Nothing that has ever been seen!! Karate, BJJ, Boxing, Wrestling, TKD; a mixture of these, but not conclusive. Resistive training!! Minus anything that I feel is ineffective!! There'd be NO sports form!! Bo, Nunchaku, Jo, pool stick, baseball bat, 2X4, and sledgehammer!! No uniform and NO RANKS!! I do not hit, it hits all by itself!!

Well...if there was no MA at all, I'd have no reason to create one in the first place. There has to be a need, and if there's no need, then there's no reason to create. In this parallel Universe, absolute opposites of our current Universe, there's no violence, and if there's no violence, then there's no need to create a need because there's no MA. Then I'm stuck with..."What's a martial arts??" I'm just saying!!

Some solid posts, all. Let us not forget to pay attention to the gluteal muscles [um...our rear end]. Tight gluteal muscles will affect a great deal of many other things if not worked.

To the bold type above... First thing is that, I don't hit/strike a moving target, for the most, especially if it's Kyusho jitsu related because the hit/miss ratio doesn't favor me. Intercepting a moving target that's in my direct line of my target requisitioning doesn't need a static target. Why? I have skills...you know...knowledge, experience, and speed, just to mention a few of my skills. I pause my opponents moving by slowing them down by that which I'm doing. Basically, I get in my opponents way!!

Solid post!! To the bold type above... Time in rank, as I was taught by Soke and Dai-Soke, has very little meaning in a time frame; students aren't judged by how long it's been since last testing cycle before they petition to attend a testing cycle. Quality is what students MUST bring to the tenure's time frame. Time in grade is subjected to the governing body. Even if a Sensei signs off on a student, the Hombu, alas the governing body, has the final approval if time in grade has been quality spent, and was that quality spent quality enriched. Date A to Date B have so little concerns; it's the smallest piece in the deciding puzzle. We don't look at a students Hard Card file and/or the Sensei's report about each student submitted for testing cycles to see when was that student last tested. No we're looking for quality achieved during that minimal time in grade since last petition. The Hombu, from time to time, will send an instructor from the Hombu to observe if quality has been achieved; is that/those student(s) improving, getting better than previous. If a student, for example, is a Nidan petitioning to test for Sandan, and it's only been a year, and not the minimum of two years, then there has to be extended circumstances involved to warrant further considerations. Time in grade/Tenure are important, but it's at the bottom of our check list!!

Do practitioner of the MA have any advantage because they're some type of Medical Doctor?? I wonder that because they study the anatomy quite seriously. In that, a Medical Doctor knows where and how to strike, manipulate, push, poke, hit or etc. to get that desired intent. Well, I would!! I'd use anything I knew in order to survive an attack because...All's fair in love and war!! Let the discussions begin!

I completely agree with you, Noah. What I see, is that more practitioners put much more value on that piece of paper. Both from where and whom the piece of paper came from. It's the listing of these type of certs as part of their resume that just make me drop my head, and shake my head, and deeply sigh. Consumers can be impressed with a long, yet meaningless resume. Makes the consumer feel comfortable in their decision when it comes to spending money. Proof is on the floor; undeniable. Proof on a piece of paper; deniable!!

I agree with how can anyone truly master something that's complex. IMO it's not that they've mastered it completely; they've mastered it relative to most others. Solid post; put quite concisely!!

Tigerclaw, Possibly, the link below might give you what you're looking for... http://sdssmartialartsoffairfield.com/

I know he is running his own studios in ct right now. I use to work with him back in the day when he was with Villari's and united studios. I am on my own because of his bad business practices. He a good at his arts and is a great teacher. Good info, Spackard! Might help fill in some important gaps for tigerclaw. How old is your info, Spackard??

That's a good question, Doomed. I think that the different Kempo factions are more lineage than methodology. I don't see much differences, if any, when I watch and/or cross train with the various Kempo practitioners, and that might be that I'm not a formal student of any Kempo faction, and for that, sometimes to me, the little nuances are missed because...often times, to me, a fork is just a fork; an effective tool. And if I'm wrong, hopefully, vantheman will set me straight.

Oh yeah, those Sumo practitioners are quite strong, and something to reckon with if you're ever in a fight with one. The 6 second fight can be akin to a bull in a China closet; quick finality!!

Solid post!!

Solid post!! To the bold type above... Nothing! Aside from that, if I was a Kravist, I suppose I might want a fresh eye on different applications that would increase my knowledge, thusly my MA betterment. I'd be looking for those AHA moments!!

Solid post!!

Yeah, like I stated earlier, the problem is mine totally. I just need to learn to address people by their proper titles no matter their field. I'm not seeing the forest because of the trees!! On more reason why I've had a hard time with the Master title is that, I'm a firm believer that how can someone master anything when we humans are so fallible; we're not perfect. Again, the problem is mine totally, and I need to worry about things that are much more important than the word "Master"!!

Great responses, thus far! Thanks, all! I suppose it's the layperson that will assume just the opposite of what all of us here already know. It's the layperson, that's victimized to assume something that's not accurate. The seminars I've attended, and they're have been tons of them, and if I received a cert for it, I just filed it in the bottom right drawer of my desk that's at home. Some MAists collect seminar certs for various reasons. The Okinawa Karate-Do Rengokai seminar in Naha, Okinawa states this in there full page ad... "This [seminar] accelerates their progress and deepens their experience, while preventing or eliminating the bad training habits that lead to ineffective karate technique." I agree that that's what your Sensei is suppose to do. I suppose that getting a different ideology from those listed in my OP, is a important element to that practitioner. For the layperson, as well as the inexperienced MA student, could it be that receiving their cert gives them the right to teach it to the unsuspecting public?? I suppose they could. However, todays layperson isn't that easily duped one way or another. Paper can impress!! Can is such a big word. I'm thinking out loud, just for a conversation.

This is the crux of it. People are blending two different words Master the noun and master the adjective. The former meaning someone who is in charge of something and the latter meaning someone who has acquired a high skill level in something. They're not interchangeable. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/master Danielle, solid post. Because of my Christian beliefs, I automatically take offense to the Master label, and it might be in addition that when someone addresses a MAist as "Master" Smith, and then bow, I get offended by the gesture. Having said that, and thinking over your post, I see where I've erred all these years. And it's been spoken well here regarding the Master title. Master Craftsman, Master Plumber, and so on and so forth. I'm fine in the context, yet, in the MA context the bowing before/after the word Master gets under my skin. I understand the bowing in the MA. I understand the title Master in the MA. Yet, putting them together, well, that was getting under my skin. It was my problem, and now, I'm seeing it in a different context. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?!! Thanks, Danielle, as well as those KF members who've tried to tell me just what Danielle said here.

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

Update...NONE to report. However, my eyes are on my mailbox because I've directed the Legal Team to mail me their final report to my house, and not to my office at the Hombu. Soon as I get the mail and ingest the info, I'll let you all know the findings, minus any findings that are proprietary protected. The wait's killing me!! Sheech!!