sensei8

As a matter of fact, I've tailored one of my gi tops so that there'd be no sleeves, I use it quite often during classes and primarily when I'm training.

Solid post!!

I've not seen them for sale, but I've not looked for one either. I'd think you could have it tailored to the way you're wanting to. I remember seeing a photo of Tadashi Nakamura Sensei wearing a gi top without any sleeves; looked really good.

Solid posts, all!!

As bad as this analysis is, a very strong wind up for a golfer at tee-off doesn't mean that the ball will go far. No! How the swing is applied and therefore done, that's what makes up a golf swing. So, one doesn't have to be strong and all that to apply effective BJJ and the like, imho!! Btw, great topic!!

Solid post; I wholeheartedly agree!! Any yes, my Dai-Soke had a major influence on me, I can't deny, nor do I try to. I'll be 57 years old this October, my 50th year in Shindokan, but I'm not that spry and vigor of youth that I once use to be. I'm slowing down, and at times, it's hard to keep up the pace and such as I get older. My right knee is getting worse, but my spirit is more than willing, therefore, I push, thereto, I submit to make the necessary changes so that I can still be that effective MAist. Ask me to do Unsu, and I will, except the big jump because that big jump will kill my right knee, so I adapt and I change, and sometimes, I just want to scream out in pain. My heart's willing, but my body is saying..."Give it a rest!!"

Once a BB, always a BB! Sure, said practitioner might become cold, but the context remains. Get knocked off a horse, get back on it; in time, it'll be like you never were off the horse. Multiple BB's is just that TO ME!! An extreme overview of the basics, however, EACH is still a BB. How WE view these type of things will vary as the days and nights do vary from one day to another night; perceptive views!! I've never had more than one BB, but just because I have only one BB and someone has multiple BB's doesn't make me worse or them better or vice versa, imho. It's what's in ones heart!! Knowledge and experience trump, imho, any rank and/or how many BB's one has. If one has multiple BB's, then I bow to him/her. If one has one BB, then I bow to him/her. However, I bow in the same depth and length to them both; none is greater than the other. One can have all of the BB's they want/need, but they mean absolutely to ME is neither can be utilized if effective applied knowledge doesn't exist. If one has, for example, a Godan in one style and a Nidan in another style, they're not learned in only the basics; tenure speaks, but beyond that, knowledge and experience is what speaks even more so. Take a practitioner who has a Shodan in one and a Shodan in another, they can be in the content of just learning the basics, it's two times the effect. If combined, they both, for example, might total 10 years of knowledge and experience. In that, if you get a room full of high ranking BB's you have a combined totality of knowledge and experience that one can't argue with. That's why COMBINED knowledge and experience trumps the one total overall. That aforementioned full room might have over 200 years of COMBINED knowledge and experience, when you look at them individually, the highest might have 60/70 years of experience. That singular is measureable and so is the combined as effective applied knowledge. The sun is bright because it is!! It's mass is undeniable, and even more so, a small portion of its mass, while it is not as bright as the whole, it is still undeniable, imho. I've cross-trained for the better part of my upcoming 50 years in the MA, specifically Shindokan, but I've only received two rankings; Kudan in Shindokan and 5th Gup in TKD. Is it wrong of me to combine all that I've learnt and applied in these near 50 years, or should I restrict my knowledge and experience only to Shindokan?? Take what is useful, disregard the rest!! In these near 50 years, I've done just that. Everything I've added to my MA betterment has ALSO been added to the core of Shindokan because NO ART has the complete answer; they all accentuate Shindokan!! Imho!!

That would be cool, even if it's only in a game, to be Bruce Lee. However, I'm not too good with games, so my Bruce Lee would get his butt knocked out. Thanks for the info, Patrick. It'll be the rage of the page, that's for sure.

It's possible that that lone 1 GKR competitor does something that most McDojo students don't do...Practice!! I've seen a sprinkle, over the many years, of McDojo students that looked quite effective in their techniques, in that, their three K's look solid. Purposeful practice with an intent to improve ones MA betterment can turn a stereotypical McDojo student into that which can be lacking for the others!!

Solid post!!

JohnASE...Wado Heretic...Solid posts, both!!

This response brings up some interesting points. Have you used this against good takedown people? Typicalkly a horse stance kind if defense only provides base against one angle of pressure. How do you adjust for the movent from a single or double to a rear takedown or body lock? Traditionally, takedown artists are very good and cutting angles on the shot, and controlling elevation. How does the horse stance account for the inevitable drop to the submarine if it's base does shut sown the hip level shot? How does the more difficult to move low horse stance intercept a combination of angular changes and level changes? I notice you go immediately to strikes rather than work for under hooks. How does this defense manage to off set his base without the controlling option of the under hooks. For that matter, how do you pummel for distance without the positional dominance that the under hooks give you. I'm not saying that what you're suggesting doesn't work. I'm just saying I've never seen this sort of defense be a effective as other methods open floor and I've never seen it shut down the quality of people that you're talking about. Again, I'm not trying to be difficult, just saing that I haven't seen this tactic work before. If I'm not understanding, shoot some link to a video so I can get a better feel. I wholeheartedly concur; solid post!! Rarely, if at all, does dropping into a low horse stance work. When someone drops on me in the fashion that you're suggesting, I seek manageable angles left open through my transitions, and then I drive to and through my opponent with a spear. Either I'll drive my opponent to the ground to seek a dominate position, or, after I've driven my opponent to the ground, I'll return to my feet, and then go from there. That low center of gravity works for somethings, but it doesn't work for everything. In that, staying low for too long can upset the apple cart for transitions in the future. Angled transitions can suffer if one stays way to long in any low center of gravity position. I've been in that low center of gravity position before but I translate out of it asap, and in that, against someone driven to drive me to the ground, the sooner I'm more upright, the better I'll be. If I were to choose between a low center of gravity defense or to sprawl; I'd choose the sprawl. If someone's not comforable on the ground, being on ones back isn't so fun, and in that, being on top might be more conducive for the next game plan...maybe...depends on ground experience. Imho!!

I can't answer that! He should've, but he didn't for his own reasons. I can only suppose that quitting for him isn't in his make-up to do so because no matter what the outcome might've been, he was going to continue until the fight ended on way or another. And to quit, to bow out, would've been worse for HIM than for him losing the fight at the hands of the superior fighter. Again, I'm only guessing!!

I can't answer that! He should've, but he didn't for his own reasons.

I'm unable to truly help you in your search for a quality Shotokan dojo in UK, and that's because I live in the USA. Good luck in your search, and the good thing here at KF, there's a number of members that live in the UK that'll be better to help you. Welcome to KF; glad that you're here!!

When I first started learning Bo, I broke the lampshade one night when the wife was in bed. The next night she took my Bo away and gave me one of the sponge swimming noodles I use to teach kids to practice with. I couldn't argue..there were scrapes all over the ceiling too

I surely don't want a steady turn over of "wannabes" because if I do have that type of steady turnover, then there's something desperately wrong with me and/or with Shindokan. Turn over ratio, imho, must be less than 2.0% of ones student body; that's acceptable to me as a CI, and for grins and giggles, it's acceptable with my banker as well.

Yes!! I'd take the lose. Why? There's more to gain than to lose by tapping out as Pantangco did; for both fighters. Imho, he demonstrated bushido to the nth degree. Win or lose; they're not as important as ones MA betterment, imho!! I bow to him for his actions!! Instead of hurting Rasner, he choose to tap out; awesome sportsmanship!! Thanks for sharing it, Brian!

Welcome to KF!!!!!!!!!

Congrats...feels good, huh!?!

Imho, There's no use in getting angry with said McDojo's because they'll be here until a law is passed that will end things that make them McDojo's. The banner in the window is just a marketing tool that will or will not attract perspective new students. Customers are dumber than a rock! They know what they want, and they know how to ask questions, and they know how to come to a decision. However, some will fall prey to that marketing tool; can't stop it's potential drawing power; that's why marketing tools are just that...tools to draw the customer through the front door. Trial lessons can pour mud all over their first impressions. First impressions, aka, proof is on the floor, can either win students or lose students. Not all customers/students will see the red flags until it's too late, if they see them at all. You've received some pretty good advice, imho, before my post here. Just relax, do your training and try to not let McDojo's and the like ruin your MA betterment. Dai-Soke told us to..."Concentrate on YOUR training, and don't worry about things that you can't change!!" In that, I got this...Worry about yourself, and don't worry about everyone else!! I understand the frustration, believe me. I've no use for McDojo's and the like, but, the only thing I can do is worry about my students and my dojo. So, I can rest my head without any worries when I go to bed, not quite so sure that McDojo owners can say the same thing. Let them be what they are!! All I seem to do is just shake my head in disbelief and feel for McDojo students. Hopefully, one day, one a McDojo student will walk into my dojo or yours, and have a "Aha" moment, and breathe a sigh of relief, and hopefully they'll join your dojo or mine or someone else's solid school of the MA.

First of all...Happy 13th Birthday karateforums.com, and many, many more!! Thank you Patrick for all that you've done for KF, KF members, and for the KF staff; past, present, as well as the future, which looks pretty bright!! I'd like to echo everything wholeheartedly that Patrick has mentioned in his OP. We've a great community; that's second to none...I sincerely believe that with all of my heart, mind, and soul.

Great posts, all, thank you!! In my OP, the context of what I'm trying to get at is this... To teach techniques that are "deadly", therefore, are aimed to cause death to children/kids is the responsibility of the CI/Sensei in the dojo, and having said that, that accountability belongs to the CI/Sensei. Outside of the dojo, that accountability belongs to the parent(s)/guardian(s). When teaching any technique to children/kids, I'm reminded that they're just that: CHILDREN/KIDS! In that, I don't teach them any technique by telling them... "If you do a certain technique(s) this and/or that way, you'll cause death!" No, I teach them how to properly execute said technique(s) without emphasizing any possible medical ramification(s). That's for someone else to teach, and I'm not that person. I don't even entertain that with adults because I'm not there to teach my students techniques that might cause death. I'm there to teach them how to be effective with what they're learning or have learnt outside of how to cause death to anyone. I know I can, with what I've been taught, cause death to my attacker IF I CHOOSE TO, but Dai-Soke made it perfectly clear to all of us in Shindokan... "If you want to learn how to kill, and not karate-do, then you've no right being here!! Go now!!" But with the quote above, the closest to deliberately teaching "deadly" techniques to any of my students is by doing just what's in said quote above. I want to teach them the essence of Ikken Hisatsu WITHOUT teaching them how to kill. Be deadly accurate and so on and so forth!! At the end of any testing cycle, I've never asked... "With what you know, can you kill?" NO! Instead I ask... "With what you know, are you effective?" To answer this for myself, I say, "Yes, I am, but, I can always be more effective, but, that will take time. Until that time arrives, I will be the guardian of my MA betterment! That too, will take time." If a CI/Sensei is telling their students, no matter the age that this and that can cause death, then, IMHO, that CI/Sensei is irresponsible across the board because, IMHO, while "deadly" techniques MIGHT be a by-product of any said MA technique(s), that should be the last thing that one wants to learn from the MA. Again, this is only MY opinion!!

No matter the karate style chosen, if at all, for the Olympics, I seriously doubt that kata would be included because, for the layperson, kata isn't as fun as watching two people trying to knock each others block off, imho. For the layperson, kata can be as exciting to watch as watching grass grow.