sensei8

My dojo did the same, Naihanchi Shodan. Our Hombu, with Greg, our Kancho leading them, did Naihanchi Nidan. Those dojo's within the Shindokan network did Naihanchi Sandan. And yes...we had fun. However, none of us registered, and for that, I feel that I let the event coordinators down; our apologies to the solemnness of this event. I am to blame on not following this through!! I deeply and sincerely apologize to those who administered the Karate no Hi (Karate Day) celebration, it's a wonderful and meaningful event. Sometimes I'm too busy, but not too busy to make excuses!!

Thank you, hammer, for your many kind words. My contributions here are only existent because of the many wonderful and knowledgeable KF members here. For me, without you and members like you, I'd be doing more reading than contributing to the many vast topics we've shared ever since I've been here. Thank you!!

Thank you, ps1, for your kind words. Making the history was meaningful, however, without Dai-Soke to share in it, the journey, while complete with him in my MA life, the emptiness I feel at times is filled with many members here at KF...thank you, ps1.

Thank you for your kind words, Brian!! More importantly, I thank you for your friendship, in and out of the MA. And more than ever before, now that the celebration is done, my goal for 2015 is... Sharing the floor with you once again because once, isn't ever enough!! So, hell or high water, I'll be coming to Hays, KS in 2015, God willing!! Your friend, in and out of the MA!!

Well, the Redskins won...good game on each side of the ball!! I figured, that after winning 6 straight games, their winning streak would come to an end. It did! Sooner than I had hoped for. However, that's the Cowboy's W/L history. Now, Romo's out with a back injury, so to compound the W/L scenario, the Cowboys will have to rely on the back up QB, Brandon Weeden, against the Cardinals. The Cowboys, imho, will need more W than L because history, again, speaks about the Cowboys racking up more L's than W's on the last three games of the regular season. So win now, and win often to offset those loses for a playoff berth. GO COWBOYS!! ***Got my fingers CROSSED!!

Now I don't feel so bad that they whooped my Saints!! GO COWBOYS!!

Thank you so very much, Archimoto, karatekid1975, and Brian!!

Absolutely!! Thank you Sensei8! You're more than welcome!!

An owner of a business ends up working more than before. Why? Many reasons!! Labor costs, being one of the reasons; someone has to be there when the doors are open, unless your a home based business. Even then, someone has to "run" the business; it can't operate itself!! In that, you'll end up working untold amount of hours being the owner, especially at the beginning because you'll be involved in every aspect to make sure that your business is a profitable one; a success!! In that, you'll not delegate much, at first, if at all, because trust is earned and even then, you'll decide to do it all, unless labor costs isn't a concern. Takes money to make money. That can't be disputed because even the most basics of conveniences take...money! Don't want to spend much money, then expect to not make much money. However, the creator of the Smile Face T-Shirt made a fortune with very little money invested, at first, but to go nationwide and/or global, money will help one reach that journey. I've no suggestion as to the type of business you could start in the parameters that you've stated in your OP, but whatever drives you...do that! But even that, and especially that, might cost more than you can ever imagine. Takes money to make money...AND...as the owner, you'll work more than you can imagine all of the time. I'm not Patrick, KF Administrator, and owner of iFroggy Network, but I can imagine that he puts in some long hours, more than he ever imagined or dreamt, but that's his passion. Passion can calm many anxieties!! Good luck in your endeavor, now and in the future!!

After having a long conversation with Greg, our Kancho, I've stubbornly have to admit that my own dojo doesn't have a website simply because I'm cheaper than cheap. I don't want to spend an unknown amount of funds to create and maintain a website; for me, a website isn't a tangible thing that I can physically touch...stupid of me, I know, but I'm a miser...I'm a Scrooge when it comes to this. I'll spend untold amounts of making improvements to my retail store and to make sure that my dojo has the latest "junk". In that, I'm like a mechanic that has to have the newest tool, no matter the cost, just to have it because you never know if you'll need it, but it's better to have it than not to have it. I told Greg, I'm a cheaper than cheaper cheapskate when it come to creating and having and maintaining a website because my active student body is 308, at the time of this post. That's a respectful amount, imho. I've not been under 300 student body in many, many years!! I'm not hurting financially; I'm quite comfortable, and that comfort, I suppose, as far as I'm concerned, is the reason that I've become a Scrooge Master!! Is it stupid of me in this concern in this age of the internet? YEPPER...it is!! However, if I may borrow at movie line... "Mamma said stupid is as stupid does!"

Another great tutorial, Alex!! Always covering the fundamentals through and through!! As with any grappling transitions and the like, a lot of practitioners, especially beginners forget to properly address that their opponent is going to attempt to counter each and every movement, i.e., found in this, and in any tutorial, will not always work out in normal speed. In the tutorial of any technique and in any transitions, things work out during training drills as well as in step by step run-throughs that are being done at a meticulous speed for the sake of learning it. However, at normal speed, especially when learning a new transitional movement, one's opponent is going to attempt to thwart every transitional movement. That's to be expected, and that's to be understood, and that's to be trained upon so one can counter the counter and STILL successfully complete the intended transition. In this tutorial, the hardest, imho, is maintaining it to the end,...is placing one foot, and then the other foot into the opponents arms in order to prepare for the very next transition. Time on the floor, lessens ones frustration at this segment!! Will it work out each and every time? No, but the percentages of success are greatly improved over time, but things to happen and any grappler knows that, and in that, they're prepared for things to not quite work out so well. Recovering a momentary loss of transitional control is crucially imperative...recover it without pause, and if it's not possible, quickly change into a different transition all together because one movement leads to another movement, and so on and so forth, until the upper hand is yours, and not of your opponents. Sometimes, giving up one transition for another is part of... Study your opponent...study yourself...make a plan...carry it out!! That's why, there are more than just one way to skin a cat. Plan 'A' don't work, then go to plan 'B', and so on and so forth to control segmental transitions of our opponent's body. Center line, distancing, hip control, and isolation, and then some, as you've mentioned, are doable, and to be so, imho, omo is not an exception, preparation of hidden changes should be heightened during the transitions. That's the beauty of live training versus static slow non-resistive training. Discoveries are made, therefore, corrections are achieved on the floor/mat!! Again, Alex, great tutorial!! I'm now starting to see why you've opted to NOT showing the recap at full/normal speed. Keep up the great work. Off topic, again, sorry, but you're filming this with a GoPro camera? I've got to get me one. Come on Santa!!

I'm not a full-time formal training kyokushin practitioner, as I've cross-trained in it over many years, but I'm 57 years old with my core being Shindokan. I've no major or lasting injuries; I've been training in Shindokan for 50 years. The bold type above, imho, answers your own question concerning if there are "Any reason to not take kyokushin over the long run?" If the desire to train in kyokushin is that strong and you're not experiencing any major or lasting injuries that would strongly prevent you from pursuing your desires, then I say, GO FOR IT!! Listen to your doctor and listen to your body!! I mean, this might speak to your uneasiness... https://www.kyokushinkaikan.org/en/news2012/10/83-year-old-super-granny-tests-for-4th-dan.html Anyway, I wish you success on and off the floor!!

Congrats chrissyp; very well deserved!!

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

For just a moment... Forget, if it's possible to do so, that she's a child! Forget, if it's possible to do so, that she's a black belt! Forget, if it's possible to do so, that she's wearing a gi! Rate her Kata execution! I've heard so many times over the years that "She's/he's a child playing...she/he was performing memorized movements...how cute" because, for me, that argument's mute, because all of us that are training in a style that teaches Kata's, perform memorized movements AS ADULTS!! Was she performing a Kata or was she executing a Kata? Imho, they're not the same! Performing a Kata means that the movements are dead! To execute a Kata means that the movements are alive!

Absolutely!!

Possible interpretations of Bunkai's!!

Without any doubt, it's quite unsettling to deal with those who abuse the MA. Being an instructor of the MA for 4 decades, I use to take these barbaric acts as a personal act on what I hold dear within the MA. Why would they chose these less than honorable acts? I can only assume!! What's in the heart of man, is for him/her to say. Nonetheless, those disgraceful acts are theirs to decide if they are honorable or not. To those the choose to dishonor the MA, their acts are not a dishonor! Why? Maybe, it's the Martial...it's the war...that they find the pleasure in committing such horrific acts in the name of the MA..I suppose! Personally, I detest their actions, and in that, I can personally label them as unworthy of the MA. There's not much that I can do. I can report said student to the Police, but only if they've committed a crime; they will have their date in court. I can expel said student from both my dojo as well as from the Shindokan Hombu. I can pass rules of accountability within my dojo as well as within the Shindokan Hombu. I can erase their name(s) from my dojo as well as from the Shindokan Hombu. I can choose to never associate with this person(s) for the rest of my life; I've no use for thieves and liars, nor do I have use for those who would abuse and dishonor the MA. What can't I do? I can't, and won't, strip them of their rank/title. Our By-Laws forbid that; it's not an option, nor does an act exist that permits it. I can't take personal physical actions upon him/her. That, would be a crime. A crime in which I'd be subjected to having aforementioned five things done upon me; of which, I'd be guilty of. Modern times wouldn't permit me to commit unlawful punishments upon this type of person. After all, this isn't 1600 Japan, nor am I one to take the law into my own hands. Can I defend myself if they choose to assault me? Sure! Defend! Anything beyond that would be me abusing the MA; that's not an option I'd choose! Moral compasses have run askew in those types who would abuse the MA in order to commit crimes against others.

I agree...I train with the bokken more as a warm up before going live.

Solid post!!

Weapons must be respected right from the very start. If one treats their weapon in a lackadaisical manner, said weapon will remind you in an unceremoniously way that you won't soon forget. Making a mistake with a weapon can change your life, and the life of others, forever. Control the weapon, and don't allow the weapon to control you. Take special care when by-standers are near; their safety is paramount over learning and training with weapons. Be wary of your surroundings at all times, in that, warn all by-standers to keep their distance while training and the like. For the most part, when introduced to a new weapon, students are given "practice" weapons because safety is tantamount. Furthermore, it's advisable to train with "practice" weapons when the floor is being shared and visitors are in attendance, no matter the skill level. I will wield a "practice" weapon when I'm not alone on the floor or in the dojo, and I've been training in Kobudo since 1967. The other spectrum of weapons training, and the purpose of the thread, is concerning the fact that there's a time when the Kobudo student finally goes live with said weapon. This is the time to highly respect said weapon with all of your heart, mind, and soul. You endanger others, as well as yourself with the smallest inattention to surroundings and with by-standards. Check your weapon for any flaw!! Is the weapon solid through and through? If not, repair it first or replace it first; either way, that flawed weapon should stay off the floor. Retire it, if need be; the sooner, the better for everyone's safety sake. After all, proper care in all manners, maintaining weapons in a safe and effective condition is part of training. I always, even when I'm not training with a particular weapon, administer a great amount of care to my weapons...I respect my weapons, and to do so, is to properly look over its continuous condition. Polish it...clean it...inspect it...adjust it...replace it...fix it...oil it...wipe it...powder it!! Treat it with loving care, and it will do the same for you!! Your weapon can't do it, YOU have too!! Always remember what your instructor(s) have taught you. Obey their guidance unswervingly! Their guidance is without any happenstance, and therefore any of their forgone conclusions shouldn't be argued upon. Don't go live UNTIL your instructor gives you the green light!! "Practice" weapons aren't boring at all because they're designed to provide the Kobudo student a means of training with minimal risks to all who train and for those who aren't training. The nunchaku, for example, can and will thump you in practically every part of your body; your finger tips or the back of your head or your elbow...you name the body part, and the nunchaku will find it sooner or later. I'd come out of a training session with a live nunchaku with new bumps and bruises and Band-Aids. Kama, for example, single or in pairs, can shred. Be careful your Kama isn't shredding you or your gi. Add a sling to it and start twirling it, you better remember that you're in the middle of this unforeseen food processor. I stuck myself right into my right knee; skewered by my one inattention. Sai, for example, has three prongs that can puncture a many body part, and one big blunt end that will crack your skull or your many other bones. I've poked myself in the side so often I started to tape pads to my sides for protection. Why? Inattention to detail!! Bo, for example, will leave you bruised and pelted while training; it's a really long baseball bat, and when I first thought about the bo and how it was so harmless, well, I was taught real fast that anything is possible, and it was...to me!! I smacked my own mouth right often...how?...inattention!! These are some examples that I've encountered when I went live for the first time. Now, these are distant memories!! Advanced movements are just layers of unforeseen tortures awaiting the less expecting students in their Kobudo future. Wielding a live weapon can be a daunting experience, especially the first time! Mizu No Kokoro and Tsuki No Kokoro must be in harmony as a MAist, and with a live weapon, now is the time that these two maxims must be attended to and in concert with one another; keeping ones mind on every miniscule movement will spare the unknown from occurring. Be mindful of the weapon!! It can crash...it can cut...it can hurt...it can overwhelm...it can kill...in short...it can do quite a lot of good, but in the hands of a careless practitioner, it can do quite a lot of bad. Your weapon doesn't care if it's you or someone else; it does what it's designed to do without any ambiguity. So be for sure that it's intended target is the only target!! Homemade weapons are fine, just as long as safety is understood and followed at every part of producing said weapon. When you purchase a weapon from either a commercial manufacturer or from a homemade shop, inspect it when you first receive it to ensure its soundness. Then, every day and every time you train with it, make sure it's still sound through and through; practice or live, either of them can cause havoc. Weapons don't destroy, the practitioner does!! The weapon doesn't love, the practitioner does!! The weapon doesn't think, the practitioner does!! The weapon doesn't decide, the practitioner does!! Go live or go home!! Nice sentiment, but without substance, it's best that one went home while leaving Kobudo training with those who can and will defend the honor of the weapon. That honor starts with safety for all!! Horseplay and weapons don't belong together; practice or live weapons!! When you horseplay, you demonstrate plain ignorance, and more importantly, you demonstrate that you've no honor for said weapon or your fellow MAist or innocent by-standers or yourself!! Protect and guard your weapon from ANYONE to accidentally and purposefully pick up any of your weapons!! Especially a live weapon!! Be guarded with any weapons that are either on display or in their resting place, especially when children are present. Their curiosity will get the best of them UNLESS you're attentive to your surroundings. Make sure that all students and visitors know the rules concerning any and all Kobudo weapons. DON'T TOUCH can't be emphasized enough, imho!! Training with a Kobudo weapon is both an honor and a privilege, and not a right for the MAist. I believe that this must be understood first before one can begin training in Kobudo, and especially when one finally goes live with any Kobudo weapon!! Your thoughts, please!!

Thank you for your kind words, Archimoto!! They mean the world to me; these aren't idle words. My wife and I were married June 14, 1993...ah, the years have flown!!

I've not meet a Okinawa Kobudo weapon that I didn't like!! I'm quite fond of any weapon in the Bo family...the Sai and Nunchaku family!! I do have to admit that I get a tickle from the Kama and Tonfa family as well!! Then there's the Tinbe-rochin [shield and Spear]. Oh, yeah, I've a relationship with Surujin [Weighted Chain]. Man, I like them all!!

Thank you for your kind words, Alex!!

Thank you for your kind words, JohnASE!! I pray you're correct because I would love to continue to train and teach for many years to come!! And yes, I've just got to put a stamp on my AARP envelope and I'm good to go.