sensei8

I'll see it when it comes to DVD/Blue Ray. However, after watching the trailer a second time, I just might go see it in a theater instead.

Great topic!! My mom chose it for me; I was only 7 years old. I'm glad that she did. The rest, as they say, is history because this coming October 2014 will be my 50th year in Shindokan.

Great topic!! My first karate class?? WOW!! Let me think back a long, long, long, long time ago. The only thing that sticks out in my mind is that, the then Kaicho, later to become Dai-Soke, scared the heck out of me, and I didn't want to go back, but my mom made me return each and every time. I was that fish out of water, and I followed what our Sempai's instructed us to do while learning how to bow, where to stand, what to do and what not to do, learnt one block and one kick and one punch and a few stances. Other than that, it's all a blur that's decades old.

Forgive my complete ignorance, but I remember seeing the white/red bars on the elder and oldest son of the Gracies. I took it as a way that the BB's in their style's rank identifiers were done. I, too, was wondering about it, but never gave it much thought beyond what I was seeing.

We live in an age of instant satisfaction and gratification, therefore, the obtainment of high rank fuels the carnal fire within said practitioner of the MA. I do not think it's feasible for someone under the age of 18 to be a 2nd-3rd Dan. It goes way beyond the sense of feasibility to even imagine it to be so. Many will speak about, if the child can do what the adult can do, then why not? Rank goes way beyond technical abilities, and in that, it requires maturity. I groveled about being a JBB for 5 years, but I began to understand, about my 3rd year as a JBB why Soke had made that rule in our By-Laws. I wasn't mature enough to carry that monumental responsibility. What responsibility? The responsibility to understand that fighting isn't the only available option when confronted, and to not "show-off" to other children, and in that, it sometimes leads to the child BB bullying other kids because said child BB isn't grasping the aspect of one being humble before others. Can one even imagine a child 3rd Dan standing amongst adult 3rd Dan's, and then be paired up for Kumite, and age is immaterial!! I can see the child 3rd Dan freaking out!! Why shouldn't the child 3rd Dan engage with an adult 3rd Dan? They're technically equals...right?!? Bow, and then rock-on!! Why is the child 3rd Dan STILL in the child class, and not in the adult class with the other black belts?? Hhhmmmm... Well, that's different or that's not the same thing or whatever else??!!?? Either you can or you can't!!

Meijin gi's are an excellent choice, imho. Quality is noted across the industry.

Any thoughts, at all, anyone...any MA school owners, at all?? Boo-Hoo!

I think that Eric San is trying to tell you something!!

Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year...to everyone!!

That's an awesome idea. Don't fancy gift shopping on Christmas eve though! We rarely have our Christmas on Christmas so we never shop on Christmas Eve. This year our shopping day will be the 28th. Now that's clever. Plus you get the great after Christmas discount sales. Thank you for sharing.

There's a method to your madness, lol, it works, and on worth trying. My wife is an amazing guesser, in that, she's rarely wrong, and it drives me absolutely crazy. I once threatened her that I wasn't going to wrap hers, I mean, why? She shakes them, pokes them, feels them, and lord knows what else, and then she guesses right. Btw, cool gift from your Sensei. Enjoy them. Thank you for sharing.

That's an awesome idea. Don't fancy gift shopping on Christmas eve though! Me neither. The crowds are never fun, both in and out of the store. One of our largest malls, The Woodland Hills Mall, is a nightmare just trying to get there from the highway. The closer one gets to the mall, the slower the traffic moves. Wal-Mart parking lots are impossible, and inside, forget it. For weeks, the return lines are a test of ones sanity, to say the least.

Yes, I love that too. I forgot about the someone being Santa. We take turns in being Santa, and of course, Santa opens his/her presents last. Thank you for sharing.

I love it; it's so original!! Thank you for sharing that.

Solid post!! I agree with this. If all you really want to do is fight, Karate-do, isn't really for you anyway. It's not all about fighting...it's also about fighting. That's a huge distinction to make. Solid post!!

Whenever I was younger, we'd all get the families together and have a big Christmas day. Kids opened theirs first, and then the adults last. Only thing about getting all together is when someone was "late", and that was decided by my grandpa, our gift opening event would be late, and when you're a kid, late is not a good thing.

Cool, I'll look forward to read about the results. Have fun!!

I hear you, and thank you. My wife loves to "guide" us to which one she thinks we should open first. I'm like you, unless my wife has her way , I'll choice the one closet to me, or as my son likes to say, the one at the top of the pile. One additional question... What time do you get up on Christmas morning? When the kids were younger, we got up just as soon as the kids were awake. If I slept in for any reason, my wife would send them in our bedroom to wake me up, and often, I was awoken quite abruptly, as only young kids can do. Now that the kids are adults, 19 and 18 years old, we get up no later than 9am, or at least that's our plan.

Christmas is here once again. It's a joyful time for many reasons, but it can be a stressful one as well. How so? Well, with more than one gifts at ones foot, deciding which one to open first isn't always that easy of a choice. Don't want to seem greedy. Don't want to hurt someone because theirs wasn't opened first. What to do? So, I've a few questions to ask of you... *Do you open the smallest first? *Do you open the largest first? *Do you open the middle size first? *Do you open the prettiest first? *Do you open the oddest shaped first? *Does someone beg/ask you to open a specific one first/last? What's one to do??

I would love to join a kick boxer in a few rounds of sparring to show what my traditional karate is all about. Let the floor be the judge. YES!!

Thank you so very much, Zaine!! I will have more question, I'm sure, after I read the link you've provided. Again...THANK YOU!!

In the business sense...How would you define Good Will? How would you increase your Good Will? Is the obtainment of Good Will important? Do you find value in your Good Will? Every business, and I include a MA school as a business IF it has any overhead, especially overhead that must be maintained, begins to increase their Good Will each and everyday. Business goodwill is a key intangible asset that represents the portion of the business value that cannot be attributed to other business assets. Put differently, business goodwill reflects the synergy among the various assets used by the business to produce income: in a well-run business the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Intangible accruements go beyond the net worth of your MA school. There's the building [if owned], the accounts receivable, its inventory, and the number of students. What else is there? It's not tangible! It can't be purchased! But, without it, the only thing you can sell is within that said box. Nothing else, and nothing is quite a lot!! Your Good Will isn't a simple thing to acquire. No. It takes a lot of wining and dinning. To begin to even figure what your Good Will is worth, one has to first agree that Good Will isn't tangible and it's not a guarantee. Whatever your community thinks about you, that's the core of your Good Will. Here's a small, and I mean it's a start, list to think about... 1) Time in business 2) Benevolence 3) Integrity These, imho, are things that are at the cutting edge of deciding ones Good Will. However, these elements are only valued if ones even interested in selling own business. Albeit, one should know what ones Good Will value is worth every quarter end. It's better to know now because it truly matters. Your thoughts, please!!

Ooohhhh...I like it...I'm getting goose bumps...I LOVE IT...I WANT TO DO IT...YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!! I love contact so much so that I often look for excessive contact!! I could be sick, but I know what I like!! Thanks for the link, I need that! My wife says that she thinks that she's seen what your video showed on some current TV contest, do you know what she's referring to?? Thanks for the video!!

Solid post!!

First of all...Welcome to KF!! Secondly, the foam Nunchaku that's shown at the site link is fine, especially for beginners. As a gift, the picture of the dragon does add some class to it, imho. Is your dad learning the Nunchaku form his instructor?? I ask this because... I don't allow any of my student to practice with the Nunchaku unless they're being taught it. Why? Inexperience breeds improper muscle memory into said student. Students should practice, but they should only practice what it is that they've already been instructed on, and that's important if ones to excel at said Kobudo weapon. It's not innocent play in your home per what I've just mentioned. Increase what ones been taught but don't experiment with techniques that ones not familiar with. Have fun with any Kobudo weapon, but respect it first and foremost!! One rung at a time!!