sensei8

I wholeheartedly agree!!

1 on 1 = Your Kumite partner IS and WILL BE...Your Sensei!! That fact alone scares most students, while others love it. More are scared than not!!

Welcome to KF; glad that you're here!! Very interesting!! If it'll help someone, then I'm all for it!! Thanks for sharing it!!

Only 24 hours in a day and only 7 days a week and only 12 months in a year and only 365 days in year...If I only had more time!!

Welcome to KF; glad that you're here!! Century MA Supplies, to name one!

Some great advice, all around from everyone!! CHECK WITH YOUR CI, then go from there!! Bo's and Jo's...which one are you wielding?? If the Bo is short, below your head, than it's a Jo...or the like, thereupon. If the Bo's too long to your stature, then it's going to be too cumbersome to effectively maneuver it accordingly and effectively. Imho!!

Welcome to KF; glad that you're here!! If possible, look at it this way, for now, you're receiving private lessons: one on one with the CI!! Sure, the lessons are free, but for now, you've got his undivided attention. And I believe, that's priceless....literally!! If this instructor is providing your MA needs, than it appears quite simple...stay where you are right now. Yes, there are going to be style differences in methodologies as well as ideologies, but it your MA needs are being meet, and you feel that this instructor is qualified across the board, then hell or ball of foot...well...when in Rome...!! You can only assume/guess why you're the only student for most of the time, but, unless you're "in the room" as to why this might be the reason(s) as to its existence of loneliness on the floor, you might be putting the horse before the cart and label said instructor as inadequate because his school isn't busting out at the seems with students. Enjoy the private lesson, or the semi-private lesson [when the other students are there] because imho, that could be the diamond in the ruff!!

Any comments on the question in bold type found in the OP?

Congrats; well deserved!!

Glad to hear the he's been "nicer" but you've reasons to doubt his sincerity as well just how long he can keep it up...I doubt that he'll maintain for much longer. I pray he shows me that I'm wrong. If he's still making his unnecessary comments about the new CI, then, he's already showing you and others that he's not really trying hard at all; he'll slip up before to long. I pray, again, that he'll prove me wrong!!

"When in Rome, do as the Roman's do!!" To me, this seems fair, as cultural protocol demands. Offending a culture isn't polite and respectful, but it can be dangerous, depending where that culture is. It's always best, imho, to avoid any culture shock, if at all possible. For the times that I was fortunate enough to visit Okinawa, I had an ace in my pocket so that I wouldn't be offensive to the Okinawa culture, and this included the culture of Okinawa Karate...Soke and/or Dai-Soke...my aces in my pocket. Even then, I still messed up, and was called onto the carpet by both!! Not fun, and I was accountable for my actions!! For example... *It would behoove you to research the culture of Okinawa and the culture of Okinawa Karate before you do and/or says something that'll land you in some hot water on either front. *One of the biggest no-no's that I learnt the hard way, was to ask a local Okinawa karateka, that YOU'VE JUST MET, to introduce you to their Sensei. First time I did it, I wasn't allowed to return with Soke/Dai-Soke to Okinawa for 3 years. I embarrassed them both, and it took a personal toll on whom I had asked. *Accept whatever training that's offered; don't demand, nor request, specific training...one's lucky to ever be invited on their floor!! After all, they're the hosts, and guests need to act accordingly. *Guess who's coming to dinner? Great movie, bad idea if you show up at a dojo without prior arrangements having already been made. It's down right rude; hence it's the fastest way to not receive any training. Remember this...formality, at all times!! *Remember I mentioned formality, and in that, if you're lucky enough to be invited to visit a dojo while in Okinawa, make sure that you're respective enough to present some small gift for the CI. Oh yeah, don't forget a gift for the CI's wife. It's important enough to remember!! It's the thought that counts, and in Okinawa, you don't have to buy an expensive gift, that alone would only trouble the CI; the gift is a sign of your appreciation!! *Make any and all arrangements yourself; it's your responsibility!! You need a hotel? Fine! You need a way to get around? Fine! You want to sightsee? Fine? Don't ask the hosting Sensei or the hosting Sensei's students to help you with these because it'll vex them. After all, it's your problem, and not theirs. Just some tidbits, that I learnt the hard way!! Now... Let's put the shoe on the other foot! How do you think this would work if those aforementioned protocols were used in where YOUR school is located with the same fever?? While Soke and Dai-Soke were alive, and while the Hombu was located in Canoga Park, CA...USA, then later in Van Nuys, CA...USA...that formality that they were both born into and raised to follow and obey without any ambiguity whatsoever, they were both Okinawan's, that same formality was alive and well at the Shindokan Hombu!! Any comments and thoughts??

Solid post!!

I do truly think that you'd like Shindokan, and what it offers. For me, it's not surprising when I hear from those who've tasted Shindokan that what they experienced was unexpected...especially in our brand of Tuite!!

An outstanding tutorial; as always, Alex!! Thank you for sharing it!! Nice to meet your coach Mike Budnik. His transitional options were excellent across the board. His points were exceptional: *Do the unexpected!! *Increase the ladder!! This you speak towards quite a lot, and I wholeheartedly concur! Sweep's not complete until dominance is established!! Imho, his two options, from the mindset of the unexpected, were pure poetry indeed!! EXCELLENT!! What do you teach when your student meets dominate resistance in trying to create space, and the space isn't happening??

Solid post!!

There's nothing wrong with wanting to create a style. Imho, there's two mindsets here for wanting to create a style... 1) To share it, thus teach it! 2) For personal reasons! For the newly created style to catch on, the methodology and ideology must excite that student body, and usually it starts with just one student. If you've no students to teach your new founded style, you'll be having a conversation by yourself. Things start out small, then if you're fortunate enough, it'll have a snowball effect. That has everything to do with brand management!! You'll have to become a proponent of what you've created. Some practitioners create styles; personal styles, and take it to their graves. Their personal styles are usually a mixture of things that they've learnt over the many years and then add them to their core style. Oh, it'll be noticed, and it'll be difficult to keep it under wraps because humans are curious creatures. But, mums the word!! I suppose I've created a personal style because I feel I'm quite eclectic in my MA. I've cross trained throughout my entire MA journey; adding this and that to Shindokan from different styles. But my loyalty to Shindokan prevents me from violating the essence of what Soke created; I don't want to bastardize his creation!! That is MY believe and MY choice, not anyone here can change that. Selfish? NO!! Either way, what you've created must be effective across the board!! This must me, somehow and someway tested until it is!! BJJ is effective because Helio Gracie tested it against the world until the wheels feel off...that brand management was bold and effective!! Same thing for, for example, Shotokan...Goju...Wado...TKD...Judo...etc!! Nothing happens overnight!! Will people laugh and ridicule and scoff and snicker when you mention that you've created a MA style? Yep!! They might be affable towards you when you speak about it, but I suppose that that's to be expected! You just don't accept that, and forge on in your belief...actions speak louder than words!! Hang in there, do what helps your MA betterment, and the doubters can just, well, go eat a pizza!! Oh yeah, if what you create is effective...sign me up!!

Sometimes, being ambidextrous isn't always a great thing. Many MAists dominate while using one side only; it's either a personal choice or a medical choice. Neither is a bad way, imho! Sure, the ideology of the MA is to be ambidextrous for many various reasons. Have you sought out your instructor with your concerns? He/she is your first contact in any MA matter. Are you right-handed? Are you left-handed? Sometimes, people favor, out of muscle memory, their dominate side because it's so natural for them to do so; automatic. If there's no medical reason(s), then I say, work through it. Force your left side to be the dominate one during practice, and while on the floor. Convince your brain that your left side works just fine. But, while it's frustrating, I wouldn't allow it to be the focus. Just keep working your left side, keeping to the fact that you're executing said technique on your left side as you've been taught!!

Great tutorial...great topic!! Thanks for sharing it, Alex!! I loved the simplicity of each transition, while, there's a lot going on from 'A' to 'B' to 'C' and so on and so forth. Intercepting intents of the opponents as they reveal themselves can be hard at first, but so is everything else in the beginning. Great to see everyone working, and no one ran you two over, even one group was close!!

That's great to hear!! And you're not jumping up and down and yelling at them or putting them down whenever they make a mistake like many parents do.

Whoa...I hadn't considered that possibility. Thanks, Brian!!

Imho, Master is just a word! It's how it affects you when you hear it, read it, say it, and how you respond to it.

WOW!! It touched my heart deeply!! Thank you for sharing it!! Knowing that your two sons are wrestlers, I know that this touched you deeply as well. Kenneth and Kendall are lucky to have you...and I know that you're extremely proud of them equally on and off the mats!! That, which you shared, might as well have been signed by you!! You're an awesome dad with awesome kids, and you're blessed in having Vicky at your side!!

I've not started my own style, nor do I plan to!! I'm no one special!! You've been given some pretty good advice here, and I wish you much success!!

Formality is more important to some, and not others. I've only one Master, and He lives on high!! Our Hombu is only formal when it comes to the annual testing cycle as well as it's annual award ceremonies.

The bold above is exactly the point. We are lucky in that in this day and age we have easy access to so much material, in print or online, and that nowadays it is easier than ever to get in touch with people from different styles and backgrounds to share information. If you wanted a professional boxer to come do a seminar it's now much easier to find and get in touch with one. Lots of seminars are now open to anyone and widely advertised too so there's always choice. You don't have to just invite someone to your dojo because you know them through a friend of a friend or because they happened to turn up on your door asking. You now get the choice of what it is and who you think will benefit you and your students the most. Time is a commodity and with greater networks and knowledge we get to be more discerning customers. It's not "we don't need you", it's what are you going to teach me? Maybe it's just my experience but it seems like there is a seminar or workshop on nearly every other weekend I could attend. And I have done so and have trained with boxers, other MA, police self defense courses and of course plenty of great TKDer's... But with so many things going on and easily accessed you have to make informed choices about what you want to spend your time doing. That's why there's the question of what it is someone (like Bob) is bringing to the table when offering to conduct a seminar. Maybe it is because I have my work head on (I work in sales) but I see it as you are selling yourself as a product when offering to conduct a seminar for a school and in order to convince people to train under you they should know what your unique selling point is not just the fact that you want to do a seminar. Kusotare said earlier "In order for me to buy you as a service therefore, I would need to see you in action.". And you are selling a service as such. That's not to say you can't learn something from every instructor, you can, and I'm sure we would all learn a lot from Bob, but why is it wrong for the earlier TKD instructor to decline a seminar if he personally did not see a benefit? Solid post, Danielle!! To the underlined bold type above... This TKD instructor and I have known each other off and on the floor for just over 5 years. We've exchanged with one another for almost all of the time that we've known each other; this TKD instructor has been over to my dojo to teach seminars to my students, and I've been over to this instructors dojang to teach seminars to that instructors students. We've exchanged methodologies/ideologies with great benefits for our respective student bodies. Neither of us charged the other; a nice exchange of knowledge across the great divide!! But, for the love of trying to understand, I'm shot down each and every time that I approach this TKD instructor...with no explanation as to why? Not that I deserve one!! I can only suppose that this TKD instructor doesn't want to be approached by my own initiative; "don't call me, I'll call you". However, I've been approached by this TKD instructor to conduct seminars at my dojo, yet, I didn't initiate the contact, nor have I ever refused the offer...ever!