sensei8

Last I read just the other day, that there are a possible 9 teams where Rodgers might end up at if he and/or the Packers decide it's time to leave Lambeau Field for greener pastures, if any more exist for Rodgers NFL career is concerned. Imho, it's time for him to hang up his cleats, helmet, and shoulder pads, even though Brady believes that Rodgers is good for the NFL, which to me means that Brady wants to have the retirement spotlight on him and him alone. Rodgers have been in the NFL for 18 seasons. Just last year Packers GM Gutekunst was convinced that it was time for the Packers to release Rodgers. Your questions Brian is very valid, and I too wonder which one, if any, will come true.

Now that sure doesn't seem fun at all. Good that you're seeing the various doctors to get to the bottom of this all. Meanwhile, please follow the doctors' instructions to the letter so that you can be up on your feet once again. Here's to you getting better soon. Hang in there!! You're in my prayers!!

Very interesting!! The Oakland A's might be changing both their name and location...The Las Vegas A's!! Has a very nice ring to it. A's owner is focusing on a new home, and it's not in Oakland at all. The A's are coming to Las Vegas on March 4-5, 2023 to play the Reds at The Ballpark, the home of the Las Vegas Aviators Triple A which is the A's affiliated team since 2019. The A’s also have been working with funding issues when it comes to a possible ballpark in Las Vegas. Oakland’s uncertain future is one reason it had a major league-low payroll of $49 million last year. Ever see the movie Moneyball? It's about what GM Billy Beane did back in 2002 with the A's, the A's won the 2002 American League West but lose to the Minnesota Twins in the American League Division Series, and he did it all with very little money. Talks continue, and I must say that the A's possibly coming to Las Vegas piqued my interest to the Nth degree because the Yankees will be coming to play the A's during the regular season in Sin City, and I being a big Yankee fan will be in attendance at the new A's home cheering on the Yankees. Raiders have done well here in Las Vegas, and so will the A's once all of the ducks are in a row and the A's move to Las Vegas. GO YANKEES!!

I believe that Stidham will be considered by the Raiders at the new starting QB, but like you said the QB carousel offers a lot of options for the Raiders front office to consider. If the raiders don't resign Stidham, then what will be left is Garbers who spent a lot of time on the Raiders practice squad before he was called up. Raiders’ final two games of the 2022 season. Stidham completed 53-of-83 passes for 656 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions and ran for 84 yards on 14 carries against two of the NFL’s best teams as the Raiders lost 37-34 to the 49ers and 31-13 to the Chiefs. Carr visited the Saints last weekend, but beyond that, no teams have picked him up as of yet. 9 years with the Raiders is nothing to scoff at and neither are his stats. I thought for sure that McDaniels would've been let go first, if at all, but he survived the rath of the front office. Carrs release was a $40M decision that saved the Raiders pocketbook, and in the NFL, money talks. In the NFL, the saying of Not For Long usually is reserved for Head Coaches. Time will tell. GO COWBOYS!!

Knowledge and experience won't allow you to remain at your most physical peak like one would like to, therefore, limitations begin to sour ones effectiveness one way or another. It's nothing to be ashamed of at all. My effectiveness has started to wain due to my current medical conditions. Sure, my knowledge and experience remain with me, however, I've had to do some serious retraining, especially in my transitioning which is key to the core of Shindokan. No matter what I'm facing, I'm still on the floor.

The only thing I can say is GO CHIEFS!! Every time the Chiefs and the Cowboys are in the playoffs, and the Cowboys are eliminated, I always support the Chiefs, like I did this year all the way to winning the Super Bowl 57. Great how the Chiefs controlled the final seconds that led them to the winning field goal and gave the Chiefs the win at Super Bowl 57. Living in Las Vegas these past 2 years, I can now smile that Vegas will be hosting Super Bowl 58 next year, not that I can afford to get a SB ticket. Carr was released today, so the Raiders need another starting QB.

We both would've enjoyed that quite a lot. IF, God would allow us to train once again, the Bo would be the main fare.

Yes. Some Bo Kata that use the Gyaku Nigiri grip within said Bo Kata quite sparingly...for example... >Sueyoshi no kon >Soeishi no kon sho These Bo Kata use Gyaku Nigiri throughout said Bo Kata... >Heian Shodan - Yondan No Bo (4 Kata Set) >Shihōrin >Heian Sandan No Bo >Kanazawa No Bo Sho >Kanazawa No Bo Dai These few Bo Kata's should whet your Bo Kata and Gyaku Nigiri interests. They're more, for sure, but this small list should suffice for now. Many Kata train mostly the Hon Nigiri grip. Train hard and train well.

When one teaches, two learn. Absolutely!!

How far did you take the private lessons? Was it only the fundamentals? Were the students who desired private lessons regulars in group classes, or were they more of the "teach me a little bit something of Karate" variety? just curious Great questions, R5ky. Jukyu to Hachidan. I've several students that have earned their Dan rank while strictly attending private lessons, including Godan. My private lessons were never for introductions of Shindokan nor was it ever for just teaching the fundamentals. My dojo was my only job, and because of that, my dojo was open 12 hours a day. So, the majority of my private lessons were filled by adults who worked night shifts. I also had children students that took private lessons after school, and those classes were not a typical after school program where they'd get to play games, watch TV and get milk and cookie. From time to time a student who was a regular in the group classes would transition into a private lesson and vice versa.

I eat a combination of junk food and nutritional stuff. I might get some fast food on an occasional Friday, and for the most part, and because of medical reasons, I eat a lot of nutritional stuff throughout the week, like chicken and fish. I drink about 120 ounces of water a day.

Yes, I believe so.

Great to hear that you've decided in Kyokushin and that you're enjoying its training across the board. Train hard and train well. Look forward to any future updates.

The overhand grip, commonly known as the reverse grip, Gyaku Nigiri, is a very basic grip with any Bojitsu MA style, whereas they're quite a lot. Although, the overhand grip isn't the most chosen grip, which is the Hon Nigiri, which is the one hand up and one hand down. The overhand/reverse grip is very effective in blocking and striking. Therefore, both grips are utilized by any Bojitsu practitioner accordingly. There's a 12-Step 2-Man Drill that we use right off the bat, no pun attended, of our students Bo training. We start our Kobudo training once a student has earned their 6th Kyu [Green Belt]. Both students use the overhead grip. Both students take turns being on the offense and defense, aka, attacker and defender. Stances are important in Kobudo, in which use the same as in Karate-do, and what is important is that the stances are effective by them being firm. Here we go... 1> Upper Head Strike on the right from Heiko Dachi 2> Upper Head Strike on the left from Heiko Dachi 3> Downward Leg Strike on the right from Heiko Dachi 4> Downward Leg Strike on the left from Heiko Dachi 5> Downward Leg Strike on the right while stepping back with your left leg into Zenkutsu Dachi while also sliding your left hand back on the bo at the same time. 6> Upper Head Strike to the right from Zenkutsu Dachi 7> Downward Leg Strike to the left while stepping forward into Kokustu Dachi 8> Upper Head Strike to the left from Kokustu Dachi 9> Downward top of Head Strike from Kokustu Dachi 10> Downward Head Strike from Heiko Dachi 11> Downward Leg Strike on the right from Zenkutsu Dachi 12> Lower Middle Strike from Heiko Dachi In the 2-Man Drill, one is the attacker and the other is the defender which means that one will Strike and the other will Block. In short, the attacker in attempting to strike the defender in different targets with the ends of his/her bo and the defender blocks each striking attempt with the end of his/her with the exception of the downward to of the head strike and lower middle attack which the defender blocks with the middle of his/her Bo. Train hard and train well.

This question shows up here at KF every once in a while, quite interesting on the variety of private lesson fees. So many things have to be considered when deciding how much to charge for private lessons. Where the MA school is located can be the barometer of what to charge for private lessons. I truly like what Noah offers for his private lesson across the board. My private lessons were $100 per lesson overall. My ratio was 80/20. with the 80 being for group lessons VS the 20 for private lessons. The smaller ratio for private lessons wasn't primarily due to the cost, but it was more due to my Student Body preferred the sizes of the group lessons.

Thank you so very much, Brian!! I too, hope to hear more great news from Dr. Goodman. Good luck at the Super Bowl tomorrow!! GO CHIEFS!!

02/09/2023 9am for an MRI Lumbar Spine with and without contrast. DONE!! As I've mentioned before, MRI's aren't my most favorite scene because I'm claustrophobic. I actually freaked out as I was inserted into the MRI machine, inasmuch that I tell the tech quite forcefully to get me out...but I take a few breaths in order to collect my wits about myself...I feel better enough that I ask for the tests to continue. I can barely see the opening whenever I tilt my eyes back as far as I can see in order to see that opening...I'm INSIDE this fandangled contraption. "Breath Bob...just breath!!" This MRI also takes 30 minutes. Like last time I had a MRI back in December 2022, the Tech piped some fantastic rock n' roll through the headsets, like, Queen, Billy Joel, The Beatles, Journey and Eagles so I didn't quite mind the MRI tunnel...just as long as I kept my eyes closed. The last 5 minutes, which turned into 10 minutes because the Tech has to redo a scan, the tech gave me a shot in my left arm this time. This shot is a dye that helps the doctors see things much clearly. This Monday or Tuesday I'll get my blood work done. I didn't do my blood work on 2/10/2023 because I forgot. February 21, 2023 is my appointment with Dr. Goodman. It was supposed to be on February 17, 2023 but it was rescheduled. This appointment will be a Progress Report as well as Treatment Plan.

Very excited for and with you as your search continues. Kyokushin would be a great addition to your MA background...nothing but respect for Kyokushin. Thanks for the update and I look forward to future updates on your search.

Our Soke and Dai-Soke were not great fans of promoting Dan ranks by what they've brought of any positive notice to Shindokan whether it be directly or indirectly. Those actional types were reserved for the Shogo Titles. Once Shodan, and all the way up to Hachidan, those black belt level were required to train as though our lives depended on it. Matter of fact, we trained even harder with Soke and Dai-Soke than ever...that was expected and if any Yudansha thought they were special or that they were going to coast, well, they were sadly mistaken. No less than three black belt or advanced classes had to be attended each week, especially if you were a In-House black belt. Whenever I was in a position where I wasn't In-House anymore, I still trained at the Hombu once or every other month for a solid week with Dai-Soke. Both Soke and Dai-Soke's core to their promotional consideration stemmed from the level of maturity of that Yudansha. No improved maturity of self and technique meant no promotional consideration. When they both passed away our training was stymied, but it never ended because training to improve owns MA betterment and maturity is a never-ending journey...so it still goes on.

Congrats, ryanryu; well deserved!!

I wholeheartedly agree!!

Solid post!!

I've never attended any teacher trainings or certification courses (online or in person) for martial arts instructors because I was taught by both our Soke and Dai-Soke for many decades; they owned and operated a highly successful Hombu and Governing Body. I've ran a very successful dojo and MA Supply Store for many decades. Rinning a business has its highs and lows, and when the lows hit, that's when some serious learning takes place.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, not all black belts can teach. Having to have a certain rank to teach makes sense but then again, it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. If someone can teach effectively, then I don't care if that teacher has any rank or not because the student just wants to learn that which is effective even if an inner tube is teaching. I'm old school traditionalist however certain ideologies need to wake up in the 21st century including that a CI must be at least a Sandan to open and teach a dojo. Of course, what any MA teacher and/or a MA school owner decides is their business,

Solid post!!