sensei8

I certainly don't think you're intentionally trying to hide something Bob. But think of it like this: suppose you've always wanted to play the guitar. You hear from your friend down the road that there is supposedly an amazing teacher called Jim in the next town who is completely revolutionary and can play a guitar like noone has heard before. But you don't know where Jim lives or plays or even if Jim is a real person. You do what most people do nowadays and try to find him via the Web. Unfortunately though you can't find him anywhere. Why can't you find any trace of him? Now Bill also lives in the same town and is a pretty good teacher too. Probably not as good as Jim but good enough. Bill has a website where he explains a little bit about himself; his influences, his teachers, places he's played and people he has taught. Maybe he even has a couple of videos showcasing his talent and some testimonials from past students. Above all Bill has plenty of contact info on there and an invitation to call him for a chat if you think you might be interested - no obligations. As a new prospective guitar player keen to start playing, do you: a) keep hunting for Jim He could be the best guitar teacher in the world. He could play the guitar with an incredible new method that noone else can. Or he could just be your average-Joe that's been hyped up. You might not even like his style of teaching or the way he plays. You don't even know that Jim really exists or if he still accepts students or that he wants to be contacted. b) take lessons with Bill From his website, his testimonials, his videos and from who he studied under, Bill looks pretty good. Maybe he's not as good as Jim but he seems good enough. From looking at his website you've already got a good feeling for him and what he is like and you think you would get along. You also know where he teaches and how to get in touch. For a lot of people, scenario b) is what they are going to go with. Bill has offered up information and made it easy to get in touch. He seems to be forthcoming with info and seems to welcomes new students and wants to share his style. Ok so you could miss out on an amazing experience with Jim but Jim hasn't made himself available and you don't know for sure how good he is or if he will want to teach you. Yes some people might choose option a) as they are willing to take a gamble for the best teacher but the vast majority will go with b) because they have already feel like they know Bill and have developed a relationship with him despite having never met the guy. Now replace guitar with Martial Arts. You could be missing out on a lot of prospective students who choose option b). Maybe you value those that persevere with route a) more as a student, I don't know. But in this day and age, people (especially the younger generation) like to have info easily accessible and upfront. If you don't, chances are your competitor will and not all prospective students will have the time nor the inclination to seek out the Jim's of the MA world when the Bill's have made everything easy already. Solid post!!

Katahdin...I love them. Thanks for that, Danielle. I've been hauling around a gym bag style for so long, that I don't like them. But the backpack style has caught my eye over the years. I see a lot of people, not just MAist, carrying backpacks...NOW, I see why, and I'm getting one of the KATAHDIN backpacks this weekend.

Get the back foot the one connecting you to the floor correct, this is critical, and then you can drive the kick through the Hip, and focus all that effort through the knee! Now consider this ... put your back foot on the floor and point it at your opponent/sparring partner/bag ... kick the bag. Rubbish wasn't it! Now place the foot at 45 degrees on the floor and point it at your opponent/sparring partner/bag ... kick the bag. Better right! Now place the foot at 45 degrees on the floor and allow your self to rotate on the ball of your foot (to spin) at your opponent/sparring partner/bag ... kick the bag. Better again, right! maybe a little more power, but certainly felt easier correct! Now consider your knee. Repeat the above and focus on 'pointing' your knee at the target. So why do I say knee at all? point the knee at the floor, and kick the ribs ... you can't Do the same for the ribs, but kick at the head ... you can't The knee is the critical bit, get that wrong and all the spinning and power in the world will not help you. So return to the kick in general. Rotate the hip, and now you aim (the angle of the knee) and foot placement come into play, (the above mentioned domino effect) not only can you now hit what you aimed at you do so with power. More than you realized as well I promise you! Solid post!! It astounds me to no end to see experienced MAists that aren't properly rotating the supporting foot. We teach that the supporting foot MUST rotate a complete 180 degree away from the kicking leg. That way, full rotation allows the hips to finish. Methodologies; what's one way isn't another's way!!

Every spinning kick I've learnt DID NOT come from Shindokan. Cross training my entire MA life, and a year of TKD, as a Shindokan JBB, is where I learnt every spinning kick. I befuddle mostly every Shindokanist whenever they're on the floor with me because they forget my kicking arsenal...Shindokan only teaches kicks below the waist, and we teach NO spinning kicks. Our kicks are designed to crash the base in every imaginable way.

I don't know? I've been a martial artists and a Karate-ka for 30 years and my hands / knuckles are completely un-marked. To the OP's question though, I don't think it is easy to recognise another practitioner, first, because martial arts is such a broad church and secondly, if they are like me, most decent martial artists would rather not display that trait. K. I wholeheartedly concur!! To the bold type above... I believe that most MAists can't be identified by sheer appearance; that that's what a MAist strives for.

How do YOU recognize another MAist, one that you don't know, outside of their MA environment?? By their mannerisms? By how they carry themselves? By their physical features? By how they speak? Well, I suppose it's true...One can recognize its own kind!! However, is it that easy to tell?

Thats an interesting insight. I have not thought of it this way but tend to agree that if you do not have the students respect they will not pay as close attention. I will have to pay closer attention to this in the future. I can think of only one student but after reading this I believe you hit the nail on the head and have answered why it was so hard to get through to him. Great observation. I wholeheartedly concur!!

I tend to agree with you. The student only knows what is in their mind but looking back on my early days I respected my Sensei because of the rank and position at first and after getting to know him I started respecting him for who he was, for his knowledge and for how he treated me. At some point I no longer saw the rank or position but rather saw him for the man he was. To this day I still respect him and consider him a second father in some respects. Maybe this is the normal progression since we have to get to know an individual before giving them our respect. Very solid post!!

Yes, I agree, she owes you AND whomever else was offended an apology for her actions, imho. I also think that you owe her one as well for your "Do you know who I am" comment...that's just me. It's up to you and your Sensei, and not me!!

too late at 24? You've just started life, the bit before now was learning basics, this period is when you should be training the hardest to be the best at everything you can be - work, play, the lot! Later in life - like another 24 years you may start to slow down a bit but not by much. At 45 I can run rings around EVERYONE in my Dojo and most at the Dojo's where I do my training, age is just a number. One of the Sensei I train with is 61 and hard as nails, fit as a fiddle. Growing old is mostly in the mind but don't waste a minute getting there. Solid post!!

I wholeheartedly concur!!

Unlike you Bob, I was born in the Internet generation Neither's better than the other and I am sure yourself and the Shindokan body are fine as you are. That said I would agree with the following sentiment from Patrick: Nowadays I think for most people having some sort of Internet presence is a given. If you don't have any trace on the Web it can be a turnoff sometimes in the sense that a website provides a story and information about the product or service before you even leave the house ear pick up the phone. If I know of two schools in an area offering exactly the same style and same level of teaching, I probably would be more inclined to the one that has a website/Facebook/Internet presence as, although not technically true, it does convey a sense of transparency. The school that doesn't have a website to me would seem a bit cloak and dagger, like they were trying to hide something or intentionally did not want to be contacted. That's how the younger generation function though. We "Google" stuff first. We want information first. Having an Internet presence makes that possible. Great post, Danielle!! The sentiments that you share with Patrick, have caused me to ask this question... Does anyone here think that I'm trying to hide something?? I've been so forthcoming here at KF since I became a member, that even the slightest hint of an implication that I'm hiding something is an insult to my integrity!!

Solid post, the entire post!! I wholeheartedly concur with the bold type above!! I also want to see that said strike is solid and unwavering; hence, the target gives and not the core of the strike/any technique.

Great topic, thanks for starting it. Respect begets respect!! At first, I'm quite sure that the respect I was given by my new students was due to my title/rank. However, in time, my title/rank was no longer a concern, nor was it an afterthought with my students; I earned their respect, but only in time!! Not by what I did, but by what I didn't do. Respect is earned, and never forced upon either. My students started to see, and still see that I'm humbled to have them as my students; they see me as that "big adorable teddy bear", their words...not mine!! While respect begets respect for all concerned, the respect I have for my students is unanimous without reservation. I don't look at my students through their rank, but through their heart, in which, they don't wear on their sleeves. For us, it's a mutual feeling that's been both given and earned in time!!

As with anyone, I would've asked her to come into my office so that we could discuss what just transpired, and not on the floor...ever!! I'd have one of my instructors present during the meeting in order to protect the integrity of the meeting for all present. There would be an understanding by meetings end without having embarrassed anyone, particularly her. If she was still unwilling to comply, then I'd escort her out, but not until, behind close doors, I informed her that she's no longer welcomed here until she can conduct herself appropriately!!

I suppose I've never found my favorite gi yet because I'm still buying gi's, whether I need them or not. Like a mechanic who buys more tools whether he/she needs them or not.

SpeedKills, In time, with proper training and guidance from a qualified instructor, you'll understand more as well as generate more power from your hips. Everything takes time!!

Imo, yes, it's worth adding the hook at the end. If not, then, it's no longer a spinning hook anything, it's a spinning whatever. Neither is bad, imho. With them both, you'll have inertia on your side, however, by adding a hook, you'll increase a method, for example, to get around deflections and the like. With the hook, you've now the ability to quickly end with a roundhouse or side kick without having to return kicking foot to the floor.

First impressions are also the last impressions; both can be lasting. How an instructor is perceived by their student body and visitors, no matter how positive it was before drawing negative attention to current events, that new perception is what they'll be remembered for. What was favorable, is now tarnished!! It takes just one event to lose ones student body!!

I think this statement hits the nail on the head. You've been teaching for so long and have developed such rapport in your community over time, that you probably don't need a website. If someone in your town wants to train martial arts, there's probably a local business owner or teacher or parent saying, "Go see Sensei 8." And this SHOULD be the goal of EVERY academy owner. However, for upstarts today, having a website is a great and affordable method of letting people know you exist. The world runs on the web and well over 50% of parents do a preliminary search on the web. For people starting today that want to run a school as a full time job...you should have a web presence. Good article though. Thanks for your kind words, ps1, solid post!! I agree your premise on having a website for schools starting out in todays market as full-time instructors; a need that needs serious consideration.

Very nice find, indeed. Thank you for finding it, and for sharing it as well!!

The hips push/drive the technique(s); almost the entire body acts in a domino manner, therefore, driven to its target. However, the hips, imho, are the engine that drives any said technique(s).

Inertia is something else that can't be ignored; increased momentum can add something to said technique(s), therefore, seeming more powerful than those techniques that are straight forward. Imho.

It's never late for anyone in any MA, imho.

No, I haven't!!