sensei8

To the bold type above... How do they taste? Like chalk? Bland? Yucky? Arnica & L-carnitine are not shakes, both are available in tablet forms (in Australia), Arnica is available as a cream as well for muscle aches & injuries. Aha...tablets!! Thank you!!

To the bold type above... A trash bag or the rolled up trash bags? I have to say that I don't think I've ever heard trash bag as an improvised weapon before, but, I don't know everything and this is quite interesting to me.

To the bold type above... How do they taste? Like chalk? Bland? Yucky?

Posture!! Very important!! Arm shouldn't be fully extended. The arm, at the elbow, should be ever so slightly bent. Keep elbows close and tight to the body. Keep shoulders down throughout the technique. Keep fingers together. Snap your technique, but only at the very last second. Kiai. Concentrating on your abs. Focus. Don't over analysis the darn thing. Use your hips, but not too early, and not too late. Watch your stance. Is it too wide or too long or too narrow. Remember everything that your instructor taught you concerning the "Do's" and "Don'ts". His/her teaching is paramount. Have your arms cross one another towards the very middle, but not to wide and/or way, way outside your opposite side. Break each part down, and in that, be specific without being ridicules; over analyzing. Depending on the style, things start and end at the same time, and with others, it's more of a domino effect. Good luck, have fun, and train hard. Wow- thank you You're more than welcome!!

Imho... Ranks should never involve what one does on the competive circuit because the rules for said venue isn't as strict as one would receive during a testing cycle. At least not in our style!! Imho... Sport karate pales against karate-do as a whole because the trophy isn't what's important. It's improving ones MA betterment. Imh... The search for reaching an "elite" status in sport karate shouldn't be important to a karateka. Compete, yes, but that shouldn't define a karateka. Competing is a blast, but it must be kept in its proper context. Imho... The most "elite" karateka/practitioner is one who place all things MA in their proper context. Furthermore, knowledge/experience far out weighs rank!!

Nice topic, thanks for it. Say what you mean, and mean what you say!! Imho, the world of being politically correct shouldn't, and doesn't have any bearing as to the who, what, where, when, why, and how I teach any aspect of the MA. Why? Being attacked is a serious thing, in that, everyone needs to be serious about the learning and the training of it across the board. If not, then please, just GO AWAY!! Use whatever tool necessary to get the message across to said student(s). Without hurting any student, my approach is to get in their face. I've no time or inclination to worry about the political correctness of any MA training. If I have to shock them into waking up, then my word, then so be it.

First of all...nice topic. While I'm well versed in many kata's inside and outside of the Shindokan syllabus, I will teach said student any kata he/she prefers, providing I know it. In that, I prefer to teach a Shindokan kata because I'm a Shindokanist, and therefore, my dojo is a Shindokan dojo. Yes, I'm a traditionalist to the core, but I'm also eclectic as well. Nope. I offer everyone free introductory lessons. Besides, said student might like what's seen and what's offered in my dojo, in myself, and in my students. Nope. This said student has already done all that's required of said students sensei before contacting me, and while this sensei is a friend, my dojo is my dojo, and his/her dojo is his/her dojo; let's remember this. Nothing. What I decide is what I decide. That should be respected from ALL concerned in this matter.

Heheheheheheehehehehehheeheheheheheeeee...ahem...sorry...couldn't help myself. Sometimes my only source of entertainment is seeing the looks on their appreciative faces. Btw, I feel and felt fine after the break.

Patrick, By the way, was this KF's second LiveStream?? Or where there many others before this one?? Thank you!! Bob

Another solid post!! To the bold type above... This is similar to what I've read about Fumio Demura. His instructor informed him that his students were going to eventually pass him; at that time Fumio Demura was a Godan. He heeded to his instructors comments, and he's, now a Kudan.

Solid post!! Welcome to KF!!

As a manager for them, this doesn't worry me. But if said manger is expected to teach, and isn't ready to teach from the start; that worries me. Not all black belts can teach, but first, they're black belts. What this ad spoke to me was that, while you're a manager of the location, we'll provide relevant training, well, that manager can't teach, nor should that manager teach the MA. Management of said location, well, train for that, and that alone!!

The theme to Enter The Dragon; it drives me!!

I don't remember; I was 7 years old, and this was back in 1964.

Ah, I guess the saying for assumptions holds true. ;P I still stand by my principles on the matter of resistance in training. Regardless if it is Aikido or not. CONTROL!! Not all display it!!

Boiling it down to bare understanding... The act of disrespect isn't the fault of the style, but it's the disrespectful acts of practitioners. A style is just a thing, but a person isn't just a thing. I don't blame MMA or BJJ or Shotokan or TKD or any other style of the MA. I hold the practitioners accountable for what they say and/or don't say. A style's never torn me down, but an individual has, and that act is an act of intent. The act of disrespect is felt by said practitioner who has perceived it to be so, and in that, the act of disrespect is therefore, real to that person. Either the style and/or the practitioner are dealt the disrespect. If the style is spoken in a negative tone, the practitioner of said style takes offense. And of course, if the practitioner him/herself is spoken in a negative tone, well, that person feels the attack personally. Again, a style has NEVER hurt me, nor has it ever offended me!! To commit that, a person has to have voluntarily implemented their disrespect towards me. Are we, or are we not, as MAists, and even more so, as human beings, complete in our MA totality??

I concur!! I see Payton back at SB!!

As far as the comment about the assumed pain the Uke was experiencing, I agree with that point. Mild discomfort, that's ok, but pain, never. Even with the discomfort, that MUST be gauged to insure that it's nothing more than mild discomfort.

I'm not sure but I think the idea of the gathering was to have a multistylistic seminar where ideas could be exchanged and of course rank issued by a board of high ranked martial artists. Professor Lee is an accomplished practitioner and author. I have come across him at various tournaments in Houston. It seems that you are right in that you show up with a check and you pass. This is not traditional though, he is associated more with sport karate (there is a huge difference). I'm no Sensei but I saw poor balance in some of the kata that is not indicative of brown or black belt, let alone higher level dans. Who am I, but a lil shodan. To the bold type above...I agree. If they had tested at my Hombu, each and everyone of them would've failed unanimously. But, that's why they tested where they did: A PASS!!

Solid post!! I couldn't have stated it any better if I tried. I just want to add something to what tallgeese has stated so well. It's that unknown that will haunt you in the days before you. You'll question yourself over ever detail, but that's to be expected because there's a lot riding on your shoulders. You don't need your governing body because your Hombu isn't the end-of-it-all thing that it thinks that it is. They need you, just as bad as you think you need them. However, without you, there's no tangible money that they can depend on, and they'll have to scramble to make up the loss. You can see that now because they want to raise the testing fees. Don't allow your Hombu to hold you and your dojo and your students hostage. And that's what they are doing by a 20% increase. Tell them NO or you'll leave!! That might not be fruitful, and it might backfire!! But they're placing you in a corner, and some type of action is needed. Hang in there!!

To the bold type above... I believe that the governing body that Mr. Smith was associated with splintered and/or closed after GM Jones passed away. AND/OR A strong desire to obtain his 8th and 9th Dan. Notice that Mr. Smith got his 8th Dan from one association, and then another different association awarded him his 9th Dan. Why not both from the same association is beyond me, except that there was a falling out or the first new association refused said 9th Dan for whatever reason(s). Mr. Smith totally ignored the staple concerning the minimum tenure, if his original governing body ever had a rule(s) addressing said situation. Mr. Smith, wanted rank, couldn't wait, so he found a way to satisfy his obsession: RANK!! Reasons vary; that's for sure.

There's a reason why the government doesn't regulate MA ranks, or the MA in general. The reason is that MA ranks are subjective to whom interprets said rank, as well as the validity of said styles. Therefore, rank, is proprietary to...WHOM?? The governing body? The CI? The school? The practitioner? The peers of said practitioner? Just WHOM?? Hypothetically speaking, for discussion purposes... Mr. Smith receives his black belt and all subsequent ranks through GM Jones up to 7th Dan; the highest non-honorary, non-political rank given by GM Jones in 1985. Mr. Smith becomes the Executive Vice President the governing body that was founded by GM Jones, and he held that position for the last 10 years GM Jones lived. Throughout this time, Mr. Smith was also instrumental in the development of the original syllabus/curriculum. After GM Jones's passing, other associations were formed, one of which promoted Mr. Smith to 8th Dan in 1991. Then in 1995, several associations joined together to promote him to 9th Dan. Through the skyrocketing promotions of Mr. Smith's 9th Dan, whom claims the proprietary rights to his 8th and 9th Dan? Certainly, GM Jones doesn't because he has passed away. The key word might be in the paragraph right above this one..."FORMED"! Nothing wrong with forming new governing bodies, they spring up quite often, some known about and some not. By the proprietary reasoning's, whom should take accountability? Mr. Smith could've remained a 7th Dan for the rest of his life, and this wouldn't have been such a bad thing. Integrity, I suppose, should've existed here. Others had obviously thought that Mr. Smith deserved said 8th Dan, and then 9th Dan, respectively because, after all, he did receive them from outside sources. Possibly, Mr. Smith can not claim any proprietary rights over his 8th and 9th Dan's because he hadn't earned them from GM Jones. Albeit, the proprietary rights belong to those outside sources because they awarded them to Mr. Smith. Yes, Mr. Smith did wear his 8th Dan, and he now wears his 9th Dan, and because possession is 9/10th the law, I guess he is the owners of his 8th and 9th Dan ranks. I don't know. What do you think??

For us? We actually rented a lodge each time. Stay in Scout huts or recreation centres. They usually have several dormitories, a kitchen and then one or two recreation rooms and a good number of bathroom facilities. Unfortunately no campfire for us either. We have considered doing proper camping but the hassle of having to put up tents swayed us to the dorm type "camping". I really do like the mindset that you had here in organizing the entire camp. Dorms outweigh having to camp outside, and in the USA, it would eliminate getting any permits that most certainly would've been required, and the Rangers would've been making sure that said permits were in order, at all of the time. Very smart of you!!

My sensei said something very poignant on this matter to me once years ago. If you look at a bunch of competitors, at least in my organization (JKA), you'll see that the people winning the championships both in kumite and especially kata are seldom below their thirties or late 20's at the very lowest (many are even in their 40s). Anyone over the age of 18 is allowed to participate, everyone is obviously considered on an individual basis in a competition, but still you see this trend. My sensei argued that this is because when looking at a karate-ka's performance over time, there are two important curves to consider: the physical peak, and the mental peak. Given a full life of training most people are at their physically strongest somewhere from 17 to 24 or so (thus most Olympians being so very young). However, with age one's experience level and mental incorporation of this experience into their karate can continue to increase. Where a karate-ka is most technically proficient and actually physically able to use techniques effectively is a combination of both of these two functions. Around 35 or so a person is still fairly strong, but what's more so, in the 10-15 years of training since their physical peak, they have learned so much through experience, even just on the level of how bodies move, that this increase offsets their decrease in physical stamina and strength. After 45-50 or so, the body decreases a bit more rapidly, but if the mind continues to improve enough, one's karate can accommodate. People who have done this in my opinion are the ones that have cracked the code. They are the ones I would like to train under. Most young masters will simply not have had to deal with the experience of a declining body yet, and may or may not rely too heavily on their heightened physical state to achieve good results. So it's not that their not good, just not experienced. I think that in a system where rank reflects technical ability in the art fairly well, rank will then naturally follow this trend where most high-level promotions (whatever they may be for your organization) happen from 30 up, depending on a person's special case of course. Sometimes people think too much about strength and misunderstand that this trend of 35-45 peak is artificial, but really, there are just other factors to consider, even just on a performance level alone. This is not even mentioning contribution to the art or responsibilities to students or research or whatever else have you. Great post. Do you think this is style/organization specific? I was always told that for ITF Taekwon-Do international competition, if you don't win a title by the time you are 25, you most likely won't win one. Perhaps tuls (our equivalent to kata) are more forgiving of age but certainly for sparring, you've got to be at your physical peak or you've got no hope. But then again that may be because of what our particular ruleset promotes compared to the JKA's ruleset. To the bold type above... I do think that this is more organizational than style. I discern style to speak about the dojo/dojang, and in that, I discern organization to speak about the governing body, the body that dictates to said style/dojo/dojang.

ROFL!! I know that must've been quite an embarrassment for him!!