sensei8

You've matured quite well as a MAist!! I'm so very proud of you!!

It's funny, well, no it's not, but it is what it is. A black belt in one style is a green belt in another style for many reasons.

That awkward point when all of your rank progressions are political? I hate that as well. Huh? I don't quite understand the question.

Great to hear that!! Hopefully the new dojo is quite challenging on the floor across the board!!

I see this not as envy, but as a sign of respect and admiration for what they've accomplished.

Opps, my bad, I misunderstood the OP question... Overall, I hate that I've no superior to teach me anymore within Shindokan.

Yes, that's it!! Cruel device, but helpful!! Thanks wayneshin!!

EXPERIENCE the Kata, and in that, EXPERIENCE the Bunka/Oyo of said Kata. But, not as the teaching model through the syllabus would have one to think. No! Not to be complying, but to be restrictive and resistance to any and everything presented. Experience is the best teacher. So, experience the whole outside of any known box. Run known drills, then change them however to challenge them without any warning. That's why I love the tennis ball drill; it tests one's awareness.

I love them, if we're speaking about the same thing. At first, I meet my match in them, but in time, I learned to depend on them. Can't be without them!! You have a picture you can share? To see if we're talking about the same thing.

Wastelander's post is quite solid. I'd get a medium weight to begin with, and then up grade to a more heavier bo in time. Composite bo's, what I call airplane propellers, are fine for what they're designed for, sport, but I'd stay away from those if your Kobudo is to refine over the years. Imho!!

Yeah, that would've not been good for all. WHEW!!

I wholeheartedly concur!!

Thanks for sharing all of the latest videos...AWESOME!! Congrats to Kendall for qualifying for State; he'll be just fine...nervous...but he'll be just fine!! Be safe on your travels, and to Kendall...I'M IN YOUR CORNER SIR!!

Hwa Rang Do!! Something I'd train in but more than just through exchanges!

I agree 100%. I hated contracts until I started running a school. Most professional instructors do this for a few reasons: 1. Steady and dependent cash flow: Paying bills, planning marketing, and paychecks are only possible with a steady cash flow. 2. Steady Paycheck: Most instructors double as the school owner too. I think it's pretty fair of a person to want to know how much they will make from month to month. Look at your own situations. How would you like it if your workplace randomly handed out paychecks? This month, you get $200...next month nothing... the third month you get $5000. 3. Your instruction is better because of it. If an instructor has to constantly chase down checks from the non-payers...and I know I was shocked at how many people "forget" to pay...he is spending his time and energy focusing on that task and not on training you. When an instructor has a system set up for automatic payments, he spends more time working on class setup and less on chasing people down. 4. Contracts are a standard part of society. I don't know why some people freak out when a martial artist does it. I have a contract for the private school my daughter attends. If I pull her out today...I'm paying till Fall. I have a contract on my house payments...It's called a mortgage. Try and buy a house and just say, "I'm not signing anything." I only have problems with contracts under the following conditions: 1. They guarantee a certain rank in a certain time period 2. They have unreasonable exit clauses. My exit clause has sections for moving more than 25 miles away and serious injuries or change of heart in the first 30 days. I also don't think it's bad for an academy to make money. I want my academy to make money. That means my instructor is able to focus on me instead of worrying about his second job or whether he'll make his mortgage payment this month. The McDojo is characterized by "do anything" marketing tactics and low rank standards. On top of that they also tend to do the same things that good schools do: contracts, charge for testing, in school parties, retention programs ect... In other words, "You don't get what you're paying for." To me, "McDojo" is synonymous with "fraud." They are the slimy car dealer of the martial arts world. They will tell you anything to get you in the door and take your money, even if what they tell you isn't true. They're playing the odds that you won't bother complaining. I've had countless people call me asking for kickboxing. I own an BJJ academy. I have been given the advice by some "experts" that you should always say you have what they're looking for because people don't know the difference. That would be the action of a McDojo. Instead, I do this: "No I don't have a kickboxing program. We teach Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the academy. Were you looking for kickboxing specifically?" IF YES: "Ok, no problem. Let me give you the number of Ryan down the street. He's the best Kickboxing guy I know." IF NO: "Ok. Let me tell you a little about jiu-jitsu. You may be interested." Simple...I find the truth is 100 times more powerful than any lie. I have done this no less than 10 times and every time the person chose me because they appreciated my honesty. McDojos don't do that. McDojos: - Anything to get you in the door - Don't care about your skill To me, those two things make it a McDojo. Solid post!!

I wholeheartedly concur here with Brian!!

Tuite!! Our brand is a in-your-face type, an extreme close range model, and that, can be quite difficult to adopt to first, no matter the level. This is usually difficult because it takes a special mindset to be comfortable in a close range environment.

Solid post!! Have you had any injuries in your hips? Students of mine that have had this problem have had some issues with their hip-pointer due to some injury to that area in the past. Also, as suggested already, stretches that concentrate on your hips/lower back. This is about the hip pointer... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip_pointer

If it's at all possible, and depending on the circumstances surrounding, that competitive spirit must be kept in check for it to be healthy. However, envy and jealously are not the marks, imho, of a well grounded MAist.

Welcome to KF!! Solid post!! To the bold type above... Kyu ranks, for us, are full ranks, no matter the age. However, the JBB was and is designed for those under the age of 18 years of age; at the forefront of this mindset is "Maturity". This is how our Soke made it to be so; with no ambiguity!! Who's to say who's mature or not? In our style, our Soke was the one that set it up, and it was his authority that said yea or nay!!

Nice Oyo!!

Point fighters equalizer...Reverse Punch!!

That's great ... congrats on your black belt I wholeheartedly concur!!

Envy...Jealousy...Competition...are these normal with top students? Imho, if so, they're not top students!! Are these mindsets due by their own design?

Do you think someone can change this mindset or not ?! so if you were raised in the way that Pressure is your enemy, can one day it be your ally Sure! But, one must WANT to change said mindset in a proactive manner! Sure, pressure is one's ally already, but is that positive pressure or negative pressure? If negative, then do what's necessary to make it positive. For example, testing cycles can generate a lot of negative pressure, i.e., worrying if they'll fail or not, to such a point that the negative pressure affects performing anxiety. That's why I'm always saying..."Allow the testing cycle to take care of itself", and that means, what happens will happen, don't worry about the test itself; just perform/execute to the best of your ability. You mess up during a test, big deal! A passing grade isn't based on a few mistakes; they happen! Pressure on a testing cycle IS that necessary ally, and in that, don't listen to the naysayers, block them out, and rock and roll!! You control the mindsets so that your mindsets don't control you!!