sensei8

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!! Doesn't this all depend on the value you you place on a blackbelt? It seems that giving a child a blackbelt is some sort of sacrilege but really it depends on the value it holds. To the bit in bold, why would that be the case only when a child is a blackbelt? The same issue could occur when the child is a brown belt or blue. Or do you deliberately not teach the person certain techniques until they have passed that grading. Surely you should instill in any child practicing MA that showing off is not acceptable and that fighting isn't the only option. When you teach them a punch or a kick you as the teacher have that responsibility from day 1 not just from when you hand them a particular coloured belt. For the record, in ITF TKD you can obtain a 1st dan at 13, 2nd at 14 and 3rd at 16. I took my gradings at 14, 16 and 19 respectively and if I pass my 4th dan next year, I'll hit that at 23. Think of it what you will but like I said, it depends on the value you place on that belt. With some governing bodies, it is a sacrilege to award a BB to a child. Not with us, except we only award JBB to those that are under 18 years old, and that means no additional Dan ranks until after one has earned a Shodan. Shodan isn't a JBB rank with us. Value differs from one governing body to governing body, and in that, value differs from practitioner to practitioner. Practitioners within said governing body MUST adhere to what the governing body has decided. If one wants to leave said governing body for whatever reason(s), then leave, to me, it's just that simple. To the bold type above, it's not just about the kids. However, this topic is speaking about kids. Both the kids and the adults should be held to the same expectations concerning ANY RANK, not just the BB. Also, I do not hold back techniques to be taught. What I don't do is teach techniques that aren't within their current rank. I don't teach the white belt things that are meant for the green belt, and I don't teach the green belt things that are meant for the black belt. Why? They're not ready for that which isn't meant for them. Within said rank, I'll teach them everything, and I mean everything, because I don't believe in hidden techniques. Never have, never will. Would you teach a white belt a green belt technique? I wouldn't because as a white belt, they're just learning to crawl within the MA. To teach them techniques that are beyond their understanding is doing them a injustice. If not, then get rid of the belts and teach them whatever whenever and hope for the best. 1st graders don't learn things that a 12th grader is learning for obvious reason. This is the same for me and our Hombu!! In that, I instill in each and every student the morals and tenets of the MA from day one. If they violate them, they're disciplined, and if their actions continue, then they're banned. No exceptions!! I answered the question that this topic and/or poster asked. I don't approve of a child Shodan and above. What happens in other styles is their given right, I respect their reasons, and I don't condemn them. Danielle, I've told you many times that I totally respect you, and in that, I respect your BB. I've told you that I've respected your 3rd Dan, and I've told you the reasons why that I do. If you were at the other Dan ranks at ages that I don't approve of, well, that means very little to me because I value your knowledge, I value your experience, I value your Dan rank, I value you for who you are, I value you as a person who's a solid 3rd Dan. I've told you before that I consider you one of the most solid 3rd Dan's that I've ever had the honor of knowing!! Now and forever!! It's not what you were then, it's about what you are now!! I echo what our Soke has declared through his By-Laws; I don't apologize for it. If I've hurt you, I'm sorry, it was never my intent to do so. I honor your 3rd Dan in TKD, and I'll value your 4th Dan whenever that happens.

We've no less than 3 graders, and the higher the Dan rank, the more graders. Why? More eyes equals credibility. Imho!!

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!!