sensei8

I've my share of phobia's. Spiders would be one!! If I was a spider expert, I probably wouldn't run for the hills, but seeing that I'm not a spider expert, I'll just run to the hills, with no shame and I'd be proud of myself. Besides, the run would do me good. Yes, the spider would still be in the house, but that's for someone else to deal with. "Big karate guy afraid of little spider...boo hoo" YES, there was no spider school or whatever in the dojo I grew up in. Bad Dai-Soke for not teaching me to conquer any spider at will. Eeewwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!

Century MA Supply!!

Yepper...the floor is always ready to judge whether one's ready for it or not!!

Absolutely... That's a great idea; I may have to borrow it... LOVE IT!!

In short, nothing directly. There will always be those who abuse their positions of authority, and cut corners for the sake of their egos (to obtain more authority). As for the governing body caring two bits, probably not because the Sandan is someone else to help spread the administration/overhead work around to. The only case I see the governing body caring is whether their reputation will be damaged by having said Sandan or Godan do what they're doing, and only if irrefutable proof can be shown. How much sacrifice are you willing to go through to obtain said proof? And, in the end, is it worth it? The way we handle these situations is to ignore those folks, and let the art prove itself. No arguing with them, no reasoning with them, just letting the art prove itself through the training/teaching. Those students that are more interested in trophies, belts, and egos will tend to go the way of the folks you mentioned above. However, those students that are in it for the training, learning, and the art, will eventually see through those guys and seek better training/learning. Solid post!!

I've seen said video; solid!! I smiled watching it because I felt for them; I've been there, many, many times myself. And yes, that's what I'm/Hombu is expecting from all ranks, and even more so in the upper Dan ranks. I've failed my share over the years; Dai-Soke was a taskmaster with no ambiguity whatsoever!! Some of my fails happened to me before the exam wasn't even close to being half way completed!! "YAME...SIT DOWN!!" Not a good feeling. My thought is as long as expectations of what "it" is, then the goal can be achieved. If it's left as a nebulous thing than no one can. While it wasn't defined in the film, the hachidan candidates seemed to know what it was they were trying to accomplish. I was under a master once who was always vague as a way of showing his dominance & control over students. I don't mind the bar being set high. In fact, I welcome it. But unless one can see the bar, it's a sad game & a power trip. I applaud & encourage your continued striving toward the mark, sir. Very solid post!! To the bold type above... I wholeheartedly agree!! That's not our Hombu and it's not me either!! The bar is the welcomed challenge. Thank you for your kind words. The mark will never be reached because I'm fallible by nature, but it's great to strive for it daily.

You're more than welcome!!

Glad that you returned to the MA. 7 years away can be considered a life time, but it's not really. However, you made the conscious decision to return, and that's what's important, imho. It's now for the old adages that says..."Get back on the horse", and, "Better late than never", and you've done just that. Feels good, huh?!

Our kicks are geared for no higher than the stomach, with the majority of the target being the inside/outside of the opponents legs. Having said that, we concentrate on using our shins above all others. We will use the instep for set-ups, jams, and for checks. We use the ball, as DWx has stated, for reach and/or to get under/around [however, the use of the ball for our Tuite usages is very rarely used] In tournaments, well, that's a different world. I've used them all according to the content of what my opponent is offering me, and what the rules of said tournament are. Allow face contact, I'll instep your face to death. You blitz me, I'll tap your face with my ball as I've sidestepped out and in towards you. Want to stay close with me, I'll shin your legs to a bruised pulp in order to set up the roundhouse; kick your opponent enough in the legs with purpose, opponents tend to retreat, in a haste and it's that retreat that opens a lot of possibilities. 1 year of TKD while I was a JBB in Shindokan, really opened my eyes to the wonderful world of kicking above the stomach. Over the years after that 1 year of TKD, I've become quite proficient in high kicks. Trained with some of the most fantastic TKD practitioners in the San Fernando Valley over the many years sure did help a lot. Mixing Shindokan with TKD kicking; made me a tournament champion over and over. The shin, ball, and instep ideology is a desire of preference; it's the bread and butter. I'd say that my kicking has become quite eclectic. Which is funny because Shindokan IS 85% hands, and 15% feet.

I've seen said video; solid!! I smiled watching it because I felt for them; I've been there, many, many times myself. And yes, that's what I'm/Hombu is expecting from all ranks, and even more so in the upper Dan ranks. I've failed my share over the years; Dai-Soke was a taskmaster with no ambiguity whatsoever!! Some of my fails happened to me before the exam wasn't even close to being half way completed!! "YAME...SIT DOWN!!" Not a good feeling.

If contact to the face is not allowed, said technique MUST stop just mere inches from contact. In that, said judges can determine that the technique would've been effective enough to warrant said point(s). However, if said technique isn't even close, no points will be awarded, of course.

Imho, it's NOT the style, but the practitioner that lacks effectiveness!!

I don't know, Bob. I'll take 11-5 next year, for sure. There are some tough games in there, especially with playing Denver twice (Super Bowl team), Seatle (Super Bowl champ), San Franscisco (NFC Champ appearance), and New England (AFC Champ appearance). Then there is San Diego twice, who was much improved and made the playoffs, as well. I'm ready for a challenging season. I did say "hands free", didn't I? Man I'm a dope!! I meant to say hands FULL!! Your Chiefs WILL have their hands full all year; not a schedule I'd want for the Cowboys. My 'Boys will choke in the end, as usual, history speaks that. GO COWBOYS!! Psshhh.... I'm still waiting for my Brownies to actually wake up, get outa bed, and put a uniform on...

First of all, Welcome to KF; glad you're here!! Your Taikyoku Series was excellent!! Solid!! You're an inspiration on the floor for all; an example of true karate-do!!

I certainly expect said higher ranks to show a much more marked improvement than their previous higher ranks. Otherwise, the polish is dulled, and pitted, therefore, unacceptable. I've enjoyed thus far everyone's post; solid!! Thank you, all!! As it's been spoken about here, at the higher ranks, there's nothing truly new to learn in the three K's; just a regurgitating that's more refined. Paths are shortened during Tuite, for example. What took me at Nanadan to execute, which was much cleaner than Rokudan, was much more direct and crisper and sharper. Albeit, at Hachidan, the path was even more refined and shorter to the target, than what it was at Nanadan. What will Kudan be like for me in this regard? Hard to tell because I've just earned Kudan last year, and Dai-Soke's been gone for 4 years, this year, and when he passed away, the bottom fell out of what might've been in my learning and training. Having to depend on fellow high ranks within the Shindokan circle can only take me so far without Dai-Soke's guidance. We as a group can only go so far without him on the floor; the rest might just be a guess, at the best.

I don't know, Bob. I'll take 11-5 next year, for sure. There are some tough games in there, especially with playing Denver twice (Super Bowl team), Seatle (Super Bowl champ), San Franscisco (NFC Champ appearance), and New England (AFC Champ appearance). Then there is San Diego twice, who was much improved and made the playoffs, as well. I'm ready for a challenging season. I did say "hands free", didn't I? Man I'm a dope!! I meant to say hands FULL!! Your Chiefs WILL have their hands full all year; not a schedule I'd want for the Cowboys. My 'Boys will choke in the end, as usual, history speaks that. GO COWBOYS!!

After you remind them, what's their usual response, both facial and otherwise?

A bunch of those guys were actually wearing their gi earlier in the day, but there was a no-gi division at the end of the event, so they took them off. I wasn't feeling up to going any more rounds, so I just hung out in my gi. Thanks! That's cool. You don't owe me an explanation. I was just being silly!!

Mizu No Kokoro: Mind like the water Tsuki No Kokoro: Mind like the moon Calming of the mind before and after, imho, is a very good thing. These maxims apply to everything in ones MA training.

First of all, welcome to KF; glad you're here. Usually no punches are allowed for those who are under BB; Advanced!! Even then, all must wear headgear and mouthpieces; no exceptions. Having said that, depending on the tournament, face contact is allowed for BB's BUT the contact must be controlled at all times. Takedowns must be accompanied by an attack to the downed competitor immediate after said takedown. Otherwise, no point awarded. All ranks under BB must demonstrate control at all times. This means that is your attack is to the face, said technique must come just short of the face, but any contact to the face, depending on the severity of the contact, a disqualification might be the rule of the center judge. Always check with said tournament director to find out the EXACT rules and regulations before attending. Finding out when it happens isn't the way to compete safely for all concerned, imho. Any other contact to any other parts of the body THAT ARE ALLOWED must be controlled, in that, a chest contact must be a controlled patty-cake type of contact. Excessive contact is determined to be so by the center judge.

It is my experience that International Karate Tournaments are for ALL ranks, not just for Yodansha's. Having said that, the parameters vary, therefore, call any tournament that you might be interested in before planning to attend said tournament(s). For example, the Long Beach International, held in Long Beach, CA, separates the ranks not by obi colors, but by Beginner, Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced; levels of EXPERIENCE. The experience level is determined at sign-up/registration by how much experience one has; months or years. For example... Beginner: Less than 1 year of training Novice: 1-2 years of training Intermediate: 2-3 years of training Advanced: 3 or more years of training edits: spelling errors

To "YOU", I ask the following question... What is the DIFFERENCE from Godan to Rokudan? What is the DIFFERENCE from Rokudan to Nanadan? What is the DIFFERENCE from Nanadan to Hachidan? Godan=5th Dan Rokudan=6th Dan Nanadan=7th Dan Hachidan=8th Dan Please avoid the answers that say tenure and the like because, imho, that's not a good enough reason. And let's please avoid the reasons being political within said governing body. I tested for ALL ranks, and I never earned anything on a "just because" basis.

We do it at the beginning and at the end of each class. Even more so when Dai-Soke was alive.

I was hoping that my post was helpful for you, and that I addressed your question(s) properly. If not, I deeply apologise for that. My post was basic, and I purposely avoided going really deep in the possibilities of interpretations because of the venue that we're subjected to; the written word versus the face to face venue.

If their dedicated, thus serious, then they can't stop being a student. It wouldn't be in their character to do so. I can't! I won't! It's all I've ever known, and it's all that I ever want to do. But, that's just me, I can't speak for others. MA Seniors at times forget that they're more under a microscope than they even realize by other MAists, especially those from same said style/governing body. They're either looked up to or they're scorned because of their actions, or the lack thereof. Senior's forget themselves in that accord, and start to stray away from the core of what it is that they USE to hold dear; accountability! At times, it's difficult to live up to the stereotypical MA Senior that other MAists have decided that they should be, even though they're not even miles close to being a MA Senior themselves. If a MA Senior is disrespectful on the floor, in any way, then get off the floor!! Don't get back on the floor until they can be accountable of their actions!! The floor has already judged them, and will continue to do so. Other MAist will continue to judge said MA Seniors until the MA Senior quits all together, or gets their head gets screwed on correctly. Aging is a fun thing, but it also isn't an excuse. Especially if there's nothing physically/mentally wrong. I believe that I can speak intelligently on what I'm about to say because I'm a MA Senior myself, approaching my 50th year in Shindokan this October. So, to all MA Seniors...let me just say this...SHUGYO...SUCK IT UP!! If not, get off the floor immediately. Continuing not to get off the sacred floor only prolongs the agony of defeat!! Imho!!