sensei8

Solid post!!

A book is judged by its cover. This is true. However, once the book is opened, and then read, and then appreciated, the contents overwhelm the tattered cover. My covers tattered, but that's it!!

They may seem pushy, but I could be that you're viewing it in that light. MAists must push themselves each and everyday. An instructor of the MA is going to push you whenever it's necessary. It's those moments that will mean everything to you, and it's to YOU, that the MA journey is worth. Don't quit, push through whatever it is that isn't allowing you to improve your MA betterment. It's suppose to be hard, real hard. Now, if this instructor isn't fit for you, then find another one, but find that one instructor that provides you what you're needing and wanting. Yes, it's a MA maxim, and it's not meant to be a personal attack, and that maxim has already been mentioned here...Shut up and train!! But if something is bothering you, then address it and move beyond that which is interfering with your MA training. The atmosphere must be conducive with training, and if it's not, then you must do whatever it is that helps you and your instructor. It's a two way street, and in that, before one can look at their instructor as the possible cause of what's delaying ones MA betterment, they must look at themselves honestly first. Then and only then, can the MA take place within yourself. Good luck, hang in there, and train hard!!

I'm not a BJJ practitioner, and what I've noticed is that the "standards" are pretty much up to the governing bodies rules/regulations surrounding the said "standards". What's standard with one, isn't for the other.

Hands down my favorite quote from the whole video. It really says it all for me.What Mr. LeBell speaks about is solid, however, not all MAists are willing to not criticize, for whatever the reason(s). Sad, but true.

Well, after having given it some thought, my 2014 resolutions will be: Professionally, they'll be the same as they were in 2013, but with more emphasis on reaching a more amicable agreement on finalizing said items that still remain on the table for conclusion. We'll see!! Personally, I'm considering many things, but nothing concrete worth in listing as my 2014 resolutions, for the the moment. EDITS: Spelling and additional thoughts reached at a later time.

I concur wholeheartedly!!

I concur!! I'd like to see some writings and/or some videos about Kalaripayattu, if you have any to share.

Great topic, and a great topic to end the year with!! Do you have a dojo/training hall holiday party? At both my dojo and at the Shindokan Hombu, we'll have a party to celebrate the year that's ending and a year that's beginning. So that I can be at both celebrations, my dojo will have its party tomorrow, Saturday, and at our Hombu, its party will be next Saturday. Do you take time off, train extra during the holidays? The week of Christmas as well as the week of New Year, I do take the two weeks off. Yes, my dojo's still open, and so is the Hombu. I don't do any other type of special/extra training, other than my normal training, but on that, I do nothing MA wise on Christmas day and New Year day because family is more important to me than the MA will ever be. Meetings, dinners or gathering of instructors? Nothing official. This Sunday, I'll be taking my instructor staff to dinner, but nothing will be official. They deserve it, and it's important to all of us. I will not conduct any official meetings and the like while I'm at the Hombu, and everyone there knows that that is a big no-no with me during these holidays. Other things are more important than meetings!! Don't want them, and I don't need them, and I don't want to see them happening.

Congrats on your up and coming Shodan testing cycle. Better late than never, huh?? Btw, it's not the end of the tunnel, but it's the beginning of a new tunnel!! Train hard, train well, relax, have fun, and allow the testing cycle take care of itself. You'll be fine!!

After all of the drilling that one can possibly do over and over for many years, I say, spar, spar, spar, spar, spar.....................and on and on and on and on.............

But to say, because my attacker is taller and/or bigger than me, I've no chance, or very little. Imho, the applied effective knowledge of the MA should eliminate, or at least drastically lessen, that feeling of inadequacies. In all of the cross training that I've experienced over these many years, Judo practitioners that I've swapped on the floor with have that mindset that size, while important, isn't a concern. Grab me, and I'll do all that I can, no matter physical size, to dump you on your head as hard as I can. It's that mindset...Mizu No Kokoro and Tsuki No Kokoro for life!!

You're very welcome!! Let us know how things go, please.

Solid post!! To trap just to trap is unnecessary across the board. Knowing how to is tantamount. Our brand of Tuite utilizes an enormous amount of trapping, and I do it without thought, but only when it's necessary, not before. It's all about, imho, effective applied knowledge!!

Oh... I didn't realize that, Bob. I apologize. All the Kiba Dachis I've seen were at tournaments and they seemed way wide/long; so much so, that I didn't see the practical use because they looked too immobile to do anything... Maybe your Kiba Dachi is closer in dimensions to Shiko Dachi or Jigotai Dachi..? Stances at tournaments, especially Kiba Dachi, imho, are much more wider than said practitioner would normally perform due to the air that surrounds said venues. It's the..."Look how wide/long my XTZ stance is!!". Not as wide as Shiko Dachi or Jigotai Dachi either, more like, between those and Heiko Dachi, especially whenever executing our brand of Tuite. Now, we/I do use a standard Shotokan Kiba Dachi quite a lot on and off the floor. But way wide/long...no!

Yeah...this year my goals will be easy. I won't be making any for 2014. If I was to, then my 2013 professional goals still stand, but not possible.

My 2013 goals are Hombu related weren't meet, again,...sorry. 1) Finalize our very first official website...and then make it public. NO...I failed that one spectacularly. Still, agreements amoung my fellow Shindokan Hombu Administrators and the like haven't been reached, and in that, we might not ever reach this zenith. 2) To make our monthly newsletter, One Heart...One Way, available to other MAists, not just for Shindokanists. NO...Same thing here as with creating an official website. We believe that the only way to make our newsletter available to other MAists, is through having a website. Many doubt that those outside of the Shindokan circle wouldn't be even the slightest interested. So that too, delays its possibility. 3) Open the new Central Hombu...located in Oklahoma...Tulsa county. NO...We've delayed that for now because it's just not that important at the moment. It's more towards what I want to have happen, and not what's important for the student bodies betterment. 4) Reassign the current Hombu as the Western Hombu...at its current location. NO...If we're not going to move forward with opening a Central Hombu located in Tulsa, OK for the moment, then there's no reason(s) to pursue this either. 5) Amp up our seminars from every other month to every month. YES...This has happened, and will continue far into the future. 6) Invite other styles of the MA to conduct seminars at BOTH Hombu's. NO...Again, to reach the masses, we believe that having a official website would be necessary, and this includes, having a FB site as well. So, as long as we can't agree on many things, I don't think it'll happen in my life time, but I'm very optimistic, however, as time goes by, I'm becoming more and more pessimistic. Forgive me Alex for this...but...I believe that they are in concert with my MA goals somehow...Ok...I've some personal goals...I hate making them because something always gets in the way...like me. 1) Keep losing weight...I use to be about 350lbs...hush now...and I'm now 298lbs...my goal is 250lbs...my wife and kids deserve that. YES...I'm not at my goal of 250lbs, but I'm still under 300lbs. 2) Spend MUCH MORE time with my family...hence one of the reasons for goal #3 above. YES...Not by much, however, my travel times to and from our Hombu isn't as hectic as it has been before. As a family, we spend as much time as our different schedules will allow. 3) Get two more MA related tattoos...I know...I'm an old idiot. NO...Not importantto me anymore!! 4) Learn how to dance...my wife deserves that...I've two left feet when it comes to dancing...kata doesn't count!! YES...I've surprised here just recently when we went out dining one night. She was wided-eyed and smiles from ear to ear. I've still more lessons to take because knowing 2 dances is very limited, imho. 5) Finish my memoir's...or at least get closer to finishing it. YES...Getting closer...but still quite along way from finishing first draft. Well...now my 2013 goals are in the hands of fate...good luck!! It seems that I had more success with my personal goals than the professional goals. I believe that's because decisions are much easier to reach when there are less people helping to make them. What's one to do?!

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

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

Well, I don't have to tell you this, but, it's suppose to be hard and harder and hardest as you progress up the ranks.

The annoying thing is that i've have only taught the junior classes a handful of times. so i am not really all that acquainted with the students there. But those times i have taught them they know how tight (instead of using a word associated with our butts and could have had this post removed) i am about doing things. I'll let everyone know how it goes and how many students were there. the biggest grading i've helped out at was 16 students and that was an adults grading In time, they will get to know you and vice versa, and they'll learn to respect you in a different light. You'll do just fine!!

Well deserved Gareth!! Feels good, doesn't it?!!

If it works, I'm no one to knock it.

I respect the weight class divisions...completely! What I don't respect is when those who are partakers of said venues, think that what they do is far superior to every other style of the MA, as well as those practitioners of said other styles. I've heard it and I've read it and I've exchanged with those of said venues, and to them I say, you'll have no choice on whom will attack you on the streets.

First of all, Welcome to KarateForums.com, glad to have you here!! As I always suggest to those coming up to a testing cycle...Relax, train hard, breath, and allow the testing cycle take care of itself. You'll make mistakes, but you're allowed some, so, if you do mess up, just go on and don't dwell on it at all. You'll be fine!! Good luck, and please let us know how things went!!