sensei8

Solid post!!

Solid post!!

Solid post!!

I'll keep this post of mine as brief as possible because each of us have their own thoughts about this topic. Here's my preface... EXPERT: (Oxford Dictionary) 1. a person who has a comprehensive and authoritative knowledge of or skill in a particular area 2. having or involving authoritative knowledge Authoritative knowledge is when a hypothesis moves from an idea into one that can be proven. Always with the proviso that there may yet be avenues unexplored. Until this happens, the facts, as perceived, are authentic. I don't know how anything in the MA can be comprehensive when the ideology of Shu Ha Ri remains. Nor can an idea always move into being proven when effectiveness lies within the practitioner to be so. Then, aren't accumulated knowledge and experience OF a certain subject, like the MA, purely subjective or widespread? Another opinion. Then, who's the expert of opinions, and how are opinions viewed by said experts?? Another opinion. Once again, labels ruin the whole meat and potatoes of anything. Imho!!

Thanks, Brian. Yes they are horrible things and like you say, glad it's not more serious. I have to learn better to not stay in any one position too long because man oh man, that can really hurt just to move.

I love your workouts because they are so pure, clean and effective. You're still that beast, and I know that I'm very proud of your focus across the board. Keep it up!!

Please allow me to paraphrase my original post found in this thread... Do I consider Karate Japanese? No. I consider that Karate IS a Martial Art. Labels strip the purity of its core right down to its label.

Say this to yourself over and over... The Testing Cycle will take care of itself!! Say that until you believe that to be true. Then say it again to yourself. Not every class is ideal, but train is paramount. That Ikkyu training partner is par of the course, and it actually gives you an idea of what the different attackers are like. You stay sharp and focused no matter the training/testing partner might be. I've been on the floor for over 5 decades, and as a student and as a CI, I've never seen anyone score 100% in any Testing Cycle. This is why I'm always reminding everyone and anyone that the testing cycle will ALWAYS take care of itself. All you can do is train hard and train well, and stop worrying about the outcome of any Testing Cycle. Everything I've read in your posts tell me that you've got nothing to worry about...except one thing...worrying about a thing that hasn't taken place yet and/or it's outcome which hasn't happened yet either. One can worry themselves right into failing the Testing Cycle way before its even started. So worried that they're so fearful on messing up on the floor, and guess what?? Everyone messes up on the floor even at any Testing Cycle. You're doing very well from what I've read, and sure, nerves will be there, but when the butterflies are swarming, and they will be in the pit of your stomach, take a few focused deep breathes, and get it done. Train hard and train well!! You got this, and we got your back!!

thank you everyone for your kind words. Still having to sit up quite a lot to ease the pressure on both my tailbone and butt; I sit up more than not. Healing from a bruise isn't an over the night kind of thing...unfortunately. Not even any fun at times to drive the car because to drive, as we all know, I have to sit down to drive. The time it took to type this post, I now have to sit up. MOMMY!!

6 Months in...and still training!! That's how one does that...only in forward gear. Might scratch a gear or two from time to time, but all's good. Train hard and train well...keeping your health paramount.

Welcome back to KF, BradLee; glad that you're back!!

No phone calls from Urgent Care. Was feeling pretty good yesterday, but this morning I can't sit back without level 5 pain in my tailbone.

Let me just say that labels strip the core from the style, and the separation of the style's places one over another as far as methodology and ideology is concerned. I've been training in an Okinawan style for over 5 decades. Yet, I've also crossed trained for over 4 decades because one style doesn't answer every situation. So, Japanese way or Chinese way or Korean way or Okinawa way or this way or that way have no more meanings for me to embrace. Karate is Karate and to me, it's no longer Japanese or Okinawa. For me, it's a Martial Art and Martial Arts are a plethora of combative arts...combative way of expressing oneself honestly without being combative towards a label in order to define a MA. Again, I teach an Okinawan style, but I am not handcuffed to it no more than any other MA is handcuffed to me. I no longer want to be confined, yet to be allowed to continue in my MA growth...to increase my MA betterment without any labels. Am I ashamed of my Okinawan core?? Not at all. I'm very proud of my Okinawan core more and more each day. Albeit I'll not be stapled to it or by it because that limits my growth across the board as a MAis. Karate is Karate; no more and no less. “I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in this world to live up to mine.” ― Bruce Lee Imho!!

I went to Urgent Care, had some X-Rays done. The preliminary findings are that I've NOT fractured/broken my tailbone; just bruised it. Waiting for final findings from a Radiation Doctor to know for sure one way or another.

Feel out of my tub Saturday night when one of the grab handles gave away sending me out and down on the bathroom floor!! Tore down the shower rod, shower curtain, and toilet storage trying not to fall!! Bruised up my tailbone!! Real graceful!!

UPDATE: My Radiation Therapy with Dr. Becker is scheduled now for May 23, 2022, at 8:30am every Monday-Friday for 28 sessions!!

Solid post!! Owning and operating a dojo IS a business, and students ARE customers, and on the business side, both must be treated accordingly. The business and its customers must be cared for; neither can care for themselves. Recognizing the differences make and break any business. There are business decisions and there are dojo decisions...both must be treated differently. I've seen dojos care more for dojo decisions than for business decisions, and that was that dojo's undoing. Not all black belts can teach, and not all black belts can run a business. Wearing multiple hats is essential to the overall betterment of any business, like a MA school.

Interesting question, which I'm quite sure will have varying answers. So, I'll just answer with what I teach based off what I've been taught... Torso remains straight. The appearance of twisting of the torso is due to the engaging/engaged/disengaging hips.

Survey the competition, the other MA schools, in both your immediate areas as well as the neighboring areas for a starting idea. Whatever the median yearly household income for your area is, I'd certainly wouldn't ignore that vital factor. Forever and a day, my dojo was located in Van Nuys, CA. So, before I even hung up my shingle, I did some serious research. The average median family income in 1978 was roughly $21,020 with a population under 100,000 with a median age of 28. While I deeply respected the moderate diversity that is the San Fernando Valley, I cared nothing about the demographics that made up Van Nuys because I'm there to teach students the MA, and I don't care what the ethnicity of my student(s) are. I do care about foot/car traffic; location, location!! I want to know what schools and how many, as well as what type of businesses surrounded my dojo. There were 4,917 families headed by single parents or 21.3%, considered high for both the city and the county. Educating myself about Van Nuys from the business aspect, after all, I was raised and schooled in Van Nuys, but knowing The Valley as a kid is not the same as knowing The Valley as a business owner/operator. After some time, I opted to charge both a flat fee and a variable pricing. For example, I learned that in Van Nuys between 1973 - 1975, Van Nuys average median family income was $22,350; $1,332 higher than 1978. Therefore, to avoid moving my price structure up and down like some crazy yoyo due to how the average median family income acted, I charged $25 per month. As time rolled forward, my price structure settled around the neighborhood of $50 per month, with the highest of $100 per month. Van Nuys population nowadays are somewhere near 136,443 residents in the 8.99-square-mile Van Nuys neighborhood—or 11,542 people per square mile. The median age rests comfortable between 28 and 35. More schools and businesses, however, the average median family income tops any of my research because if I charge Beverly Hills prices in The Valley, or more importantly where my dojo rests, I'm sure that the demand of my services would demise quicker than a burp. All in all, no matter what a MA school price structure might be, if one can't teach, then price structures are mute. Research is paramount before one can hang up their shingle. Imho.

Now that was a very uplifting update across the board. Congrats of you earning your Green Belt. Seems that you've found a new home. Thank you for sharing!!

Welcome to KF, LionsDen; glad that you're here!!

Happy Mother's Day!! Happy Mother's Day to Kara!! Be safe and have fun!!

Apparently so.

I'm eclectic. As a traditionalist MAist, I always keep my options way wide open because change is inevitable on and off the floor. Personally speaking, I don't have time to worry about what this topic is discussing because I'm complete in my totality as a MAist and as a human being. My traditional core is primary, while the other methodologies and ideologies are respected, and intertwined with my traditional core. Effectiveness and open-mindedness are the properties of the practitioner, whether that practitioner is mature in their techniques define effectiveness and/or mindedness, that IS a very cold dish to serve. Techniques without it being mature, is the furthest thing from being effect. Mizu No Kokoro and Tsuki No Kokoro are the not the ramblings of yesteryear whatsoever. This mindset requires maturity, the same maturity that techniques crave for. Hence Shu Ha Ri needs to be willing to allow it to run its courses over and over and over. Well, I have to worry about MY MA betterment, and not the rest of the MA world as to if IT will or if IT won't. My MA betterment is all I can forge forward with, and not another's. Because of that, I decline to answer the provided poll.

Most, if not every business, worries to some degree the flow of customers across the board. There are many tables of concern to track, and that's a normal concern of any business. This day last year, we had X customers...This day last month, we had X customers...This day last quarter, we had X customers. These concerns, while important with the P&L and other tracking tools, shouldn't drive said CI/Owner/Operator to many sleepless nights. Right from the very moments the dojo doors opened, the CI/Owner/Operator needs to surrender to one undeniable fact of business...Customers come and go, no matter what. The faster that one can recognize that fact, the sooner the CI/Owner/Operator can do what they're supposed to do when one is running a MA school...and that one thing is...TEACH!! The floor is for teaching, the office is for fine-tuning the business. If done right, the two departments take care of each other. If done incorrect, one department suffers while the other department wanders around lost...trying to find the escape door. Students want to quit?? Then by all means, quit; the sooner the better. I'm not saying that the CI/Owner/Operator need not fix that which is broken because what is broken better be fixed one way or another, What I am saying is, don't lose sleep over it...TEACH!! When in whatever department the CI/Owner/Operator IS, then wear THAT HAT, not at the same time. Business adage...There's time for things to be done, but not all of the time; everything has its time, and every time has its place!! No matter what, one can only be at one place at one time putting out just ONE FIRE AT A TIME!!