sensei8

Great topic!! Thank you, Noah for starting this topic!! One of the most fun I’ve ever had with my Kobudo training. You ought to try it without any pads, that’ll get your attention quickly.

Great topic!! Thank you for starting it, Brian!! You make a lot of great points!! Yes, it’s quite disheartening whenever a student stops training after earning their Shodan. I’ve always encouraged my Student Body that Shodan isn’t the end of the road in their MA journey but that it’s only just a new beginning. A new beginnings that’s not thwarted with unreachable new goals but a new beginning that’s filled with new and exciting things to learn and to excel in. Unfortunately, no matter how much the CI encourages a student to continue MA journey past Shodan, those students still ended their MA training at Shodan. I’ve never been one to pressure a student in any regards. Ask a few times, then drop it!! I can’t stand pressure salespeople. Ask me once, maybe twice, but after that, don’t ask me again. If a customer, and our students are our customers, have no further interest in what you’re selling, then drop it. Harping over and over will only push that customer faster out the door. Closing the sale is an art in itself, and pestering a customer is a big no-no. Like the song The Gambler by Kenny Roger’s reminds us…”You got to know when to fold them, know when to hold them, when the dealings done.” Student wants to guit after earning their Shodan?? No problem…no skin off my knuckles…have a nice day. Student wants to quit, that’s ok because that’s the harsh cold truth about teaching the MA: students quit all of the time. A CI should not just feel disappointed when a student quits after earning their Shodan but at anytime a student quits, no matter the rank. I’m not saying that it doesn’t matter to me when a student decides to quit their MA journey after earning their Shodan because it does matter to me a lot. As their CI, I also have the responsibility to support and respect that students decision 100%, no matter what their reason(s) might be. Imho!!

Yesterday day was SB 59 where the Eagles were victorious over the Chiefs in New Orleans with a final score of 40-22. Who’s to blame for the Chiefs loss to the Eagles?? That might not be that simple of an answer to question but those answers will vary from person to person. The buzz around the internet seems to rest on 5 Chiefs to blame for their loss to the Eagles at SB59… 1) Andy Reid 2) Patrick Mahomes 3) Jawaan Taylor 4) Nick Bolton 5) Travis Kelce Of course, like a captain should, Mahomes blamed not the offensive and offensive lines, he blamed himself. I’m sure that the 5 individuals listed above had something to do with their loss one way or another. However, the Eagles played like they truly wanted to win, and as far as they were concerned, the Chiefs weren’t going to stand in their way from getting their hands on the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Who do you believe is to blame for the Chiefs loss to the Eagles at SB59?? Perhaps the word “blame” is to unfair and uncalled for.

My deepest condolences to the family of the one who dies in the business jet crash that Ken is referring to. I decided that there’s no way I’m ever going to get on an airplane. I don’t need to get anywhere that fast or that bad.

To the Eagles: Congratulations To the Chiefs: No 3-Peat Chiefs had no focus on both sides of the ball. Eagles overwhelmed the Chiefs secondary; total focus on both sides of the ball. Until SB 60…until next year!!

Super Bowl 59 is upon us with the Chiefs VS Eagles; kick-off at 3:30pm PT. Here’s what AOL.com has to say about this SB outcome… “As defending champions, sportsbooks currently have the Chiefs as 1.5-point favorites. The game is expected to be high-scoring, with an over-under of 48.5, according to sportsbooks. The two teams combined for a 73-point shootout in their first Super Bowl meeting.” We’ll see what we see when the dust settles down!! GO CHIEFS!!

My prayers and condolences for his family, friends, and his Student Body during this difficult and tragic time. RIP!!

Close range fighting IS Shindokan!! Close range fighting takes a lot of nerve because not many are comfortable with being nose to nose with their opponents/attacker. Watch a MA tournament. What do you see a lot of?? You see a lot of backing up/away from an advancing opponent/attacker. Why?? Their afraid!! Why?? They’ve not matured in their techniques yet. It takes time to feel very comfortable in close range fighting.

Boy oh boy I hope so; the sooner the better!! GO KNIGHTS!!

Their blatant disregard for the law will be their downfall the very moment the FTC comes knocking on their door.

My Knights must be really dizzy with their yo-yo season. While the Knights have dropped behind the Oilers in the Pacific Division, they’ve lost 4 straight games. GO KNIGHTS!!

Professional sports sure is getting a lot of black eyes one way or another. Seems the rage of the page isn’t welcoming the goodwill that should come with pro sports.

Thank you, Ken and Brian!! Doctor told me that my age isn’t a deciding factor as to why my bloodwork numbers are higher than normal. I’ll find out more information as to reasons/treatment plans on March 6, 2025.

My wife brought this to my attention tonight. It seems that the owner of where she works is engaging in the practice called Astroturfing. Astroturfing is when a business falsifies reviews on a website. It’s a very deceptive way to earn consumers trust. The FTC actively monitors and penalizes businesses engaging in astroturfing. The FTC might send a cease-and-desist letter to a business and/or fine a business $16,000 per day for those that violate its "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising". How my wife discovered that her boss was Astroturfing was when my wife read a review about the business she works out, and the review that was written was in my wife’s name…my wife never wrote any reviews anywhere about the business she works at!! Not cool whatsoever!! Makes me wonder how much of this practice is permeated in the MA??

First I’m diagnosed with Afib then Stage 4 Prostate Cancer, which is still in complete remission, then Type 2 Diabetes, and NOW Stage 3 Kidney Disease!! Afib, Prostate Cancer, and Type 2 Diabetes are constantly monitored and managed by my doctors. Praise God!! My PCP doctor, Dr. Budde, is referring me to a Kidney Doctor but first I have to get a sonogram of my kidney’s. Seems like I just can’t catch me a break.

Ken, that was a fantastic post, thank you for sharing it. Whenever the Packers did in fact 3-Peated, there was no playoffs and the only title was the NFL Championship. Chiefs are facing an insurmountable task by just defeating the Eagles, let alone a 3-Peat in SB era. GO CHIEFS!!

Excellent thread, Nidan Melbourne; thank you for starting this thread. The virtues that our SKKA held very high were those of the 7 Virtues of Bushido: 1) Righteousness 2) Loyalty 3) Honor 4) Respect 5) Honesty 6) Courage 7) Consistency Even though the SKKA, the Governing Body that I was part of for over 6 decades, has been dissolved for cause, those 7 virtues of Bushido still remain with me, and will always remain with me for the rest of my lifetime because I hold those virtues to be true. Those virtues aren’t just idle words to me because they mean everything to me. And not only because our founders and my sensei sincerely believed in them as well as living them everyday, but because that’s how I was raised. In the threshold of the ending days of the SKKA, the then current hierarchy had severely weakened and had adopted anything other than those 7 virtues of Bushido. Oftentimes, MAists forget to show tolerances for those they disagree with. Whether it be an ideology and/or methodology with the throwing down of insults, and when the style is attacked, so is its practitioners. This isn’t Bushido, imho!! Through the practice of any MA, we’re supposed to inherit confidence, mental strength, courage, tenacity, work ethic, humility, compassion, integrity, kindness, respect, honor, discipline, and much more. Friendships born in training are often more real than anything else in life. Virtues are supposed to mean more than just words. Sorry for my misplaced words but the acts of the SKKA that lead to its demise has made me quite sarcastic about many certain things, Bushido isn’t one of them.

Cowboys can hire and retain all of the coaches and coordinators they want to because of how Jones controls every aspect of the Cowboys, nothing will improve due to their pageantry moves. As a Cowboy fan, it sickens me to no end. GO COWBOYS!!

Very well said, Ken. Quite alarming to see things like this happening, very sad!!

NFL rigged?? Moon landings faked?? Those assumptions are just that, assumptions. Rigged or not, the NFL will be here forever because it makes a massive fortune in revenue. Football programs make quite a lot of money from the kids to high school to college to the NFL. Other sporting programs wish they’re as popular as football is.

Sorry, I don’t collect BJJ go’s because it’s of no interest to me. I hope you’re able to get responses to your enquirer.

Glad to know that you’re ok, DP. Material things can be replaced but lives can’t be replaced.

Tell Zach that I know of his frustration because I was a JBB for 5 long years due to the Bylaws of our Governing Body. No students under the age of 18 years old can earn a Shodan. I didn’t understand the reason(s) back then but after some time, I finally understood their reasoning behind that Bylaw.

I was on the edge of my seat the entire game; I’m too old for that type of tension.

Thank you, Brian for this update. With everything that you’ve shared, you’ve every reason to be proud of Kenneth across the board. Great to know that he’s still on the mat with the proper enthusiasm and all of the support surrounding him. A freshman holding his own in the varsity, whether win or lose, is very commendable for sure. GO KENNETH!!