sensei8

Absolutely! Great post! We have that conversation / soapbox session with our students quite often, sometimes til we're blue in the face, that we cannot teach them drive / determination / desire... that, if they want to develop skill in MA, it's our job as instructors to show them the tools, it's their job as students to meet us halfway with the desire to train / learn how to use those tools properly. Yes...yes!!

Nice! BTW, do you still have the actual obi you earned in 1996? If so, and that's the one you still wear, I'd be surprised if it's any other color than a beautiful, well-worn gray... Yes. I still have my original Hanshi obi, and it's worn, but not that bad, not like the belt I regularly wear day in and day out.

Per your formula, I believe that we follow under both of your options. Why? Training means two things, imho. Can they perform at a certain level and can they perform at the prescribed standards Training at home VS training at the Hombu or a Shindokan dojo. I can still quit formal training, and then, train on my own and still, after evaluations, maintain current Dan rank. But first, they must be submitted to an evaluation, which involves a myrid of departments either at said Shindokan dojo and/or at the Hombu. Had the Shindokanist in question possessed a Godan or higher at the time they quit formal training, they must be evaluated at the Hombu. A Shindokanist CAN'T just walk into any Shindokan dojo or the Hombu after being gone for some time and expect them to not be evaluated before allowing them back onto the floor. We've strict guidelines that speak about this situation, and while they may not apply to other styles of the MA, they certainly apply to us.

Tell, for example, Morio Higgaonna, head of the IOGKF, that his size is a concern. I can list many noted MAists that are of a small stature in which size isn't a concern for them at all.

I too am glad that it's back. The Olympics wouldn't be the same!! High five to the IOC!! Even though I'm a karateka, I'm also glad that karate hasn't been selected as a part of the Olympics because I've seen what the IOC has delegated the MA to become.

How I've beaten depression in the past, and how I'll beat it in the future...Faithful prayer!!

Welcome to KF!! So very sorry to hear about your injury. Just remember, time heals all wounds, and please abide by your doctors instructions during this time and please don't rush it. Having said that, I'd like to direct you to this link because it might help you find what you're looking for... http://www.karateforums.com/martial-arts-research-library-vt8082.html Hang in there! I look forward to your future posts here at KF!!

Irreducible content!! Can we, the instructors of the MA, teach someone to have the desire to want to do the MA? No, because it's within them. I can only create an environment that brings it out of them. I set the right tone and I set the right goals! When the practitioner of the MA gets on the floor, think of why you're doing it. The MA; the training and all it pertains is something that the MAist should want to do, and in that, the MA isn't a form of punishment. I don't yield easily to adversity, I persevere. The MA has birthed that in me.

I'm a very firm believer that size shouldn't be of a concern for various reasons. Reason 1: Either you can or you can't defend yourself. Reason 2: Those of smaller statures are no less than those of taller/larger statures. Reason 3: Knowledge/skill/etc are paramount over size. Additionally, don't be intimidated by size, if so, then you've already lost!! How so, Mizu No Kokoro and Tsuki No Kokoro!! Your mind must be empty of all doubts and/or confusions in order to execute said technique(s) effectively. And it's been said before, David slew that giant, and David was of a much smaller stature. Heart will trump size and the like!! IMHO!!

Thanks!! Yes, everything worked out quite sooner than I had expected. Now, I'll wear whichever obi I choose, but, I'll more than likely wear the obi that depicts my Hanshi. That way, all concerned will quit throwing stones at me for whatever the reason(s) might or might not be. I earned my Hanshi on June/July of 1996, so I felt it appropriate for those concerned. And yes...train on!!

Congrats and very well deserved!!

It's your grandmothers decision, and while it would've been cool and all, it's her choice!!

Solid post!!

Treat that combination in two parts because they are two separate kicks; don't rush them. Allow the first kick to end before starting the second kick. Speed will come later because speed isn't important, however, proper execution is!! Hang in there and train hard!!

After a very brief day of deliberations yesterday concerning my decision of not wearing my newly earned Kudan obi, an agreeable compromise was reached for all in attendance. My points were as follows: *Dai-Soke only wore his Kudan, then Judan, only during official occasions! Therefore, those identifier obi's were his "ceremonial obi's". *Dai-Soke never wore those "ceremonial obi's" day in and day out...never!! Dai-Soke had 2-3 different Yudansha obi's that he normally wore at his discretion. *Dai-Soke, when he was Kiacho, wore his Kudan obi, but only at prescribed times. Dai-Soke, when he became Dai-Soke, wore his Judan obi, but only at prescribed times. Both ranks, Kudan and Judan were awarded to Dai-Soke by Soke, in that, Soke left the wearing of obi's up to Dai-Soke only; Soke wasn't concerned with that. *To appease all concerned, since they called for this hearing, I offer this possible solution. I will wear the obi that depicts of my Shogo titles of Hanshi; three gold bars on each end. All in attendance agreed; Hanshi obi!! Still, whichever Yudansha I want to wear should be my decision and my choice!! Why? They're [Yudansha's] mine and I earned them and I should be able to wear whichever one I want to whenever I want to. While it's been suggested outside of the Shindokan circle that I need to let go of Dai-Soke's death, for numerous reasons. I will mourn him and honor him however I see appropriate, no matter how long I choose.

Good ones!!

If the standards have been lessened by the individual by their premeditated actions, then that individual must be held accountable. Otherwise, the standards mean nothing!! This has no bearing on my comment. Option 2 suggests a set of predetermined standards were met. This is in past tense; meaning it already happened. So they were already met. Premeditation has nothing to do with the scenario. The standards do not change based on intent. It's not as though an instructor sees a black belt quit and then says, "Well, you only have to be able to do 5 kata instead of 6 now." IF a particular person believes option 2 to be true, then the black belt title can not be removed. This has potential exceptions: An attorney can be disbarred and a medical license can be removed. The same goes for rank if some sort of rule/law is broken. As you've already stated..."It certainly depends on how you look at it." We seem to be looking at it differently. Within Shindokan, a Dan can be, and has been, removed by our Hombu; I've stated one example of that in previous posts. Standards are everything, and I believe that our Soke was speaking about standards whenever he did remove rank. That's on paper. In the heart of those Shindokanists that have experienced that type of Soke judgement, their knowledge and the like aren't affected; they remain!! I certainly understand what your point is. However, according to your bylaws (as I understand you speaking of them), a person who is not training is breaking your rules. Therefore, you don't fall under Option 2. More like a 3rd option: Yudansha are continuously graded against the bylaws/rules of the association. Out of curiosity, once their rank is stripped, what does their rank become if they return to train again? If your bylaws specify that your training is a continuum, the only logical place to start again would be the beginning (pseudo-philosophic arguments aside). To the bold type above... NO!! Our By-Laws aren't trivial, and by that I mean, students continual training isn't a concern, and if a student wants to stop training for whatever reason(s), that's none of the Hombu's business. Why? It's their journey and it's their business!! It is not a violation of our By-Laws and the like to not train. That's a personal choice and has no merit whatsoever. The example I provided in earlier posts involved my most senior Dan student, who had lied on his testing cycles petition. When questioned by our Dai-Soke, my student withheld the truth; lied about said criminal conviction. The conviction in itself doesn't warrant a Soke judgement, it's the mitigating circumstances that warranted such from our Soke. Had said student told the truth about said conviction(s) on the testing cycle petition, the demotion of Dan rank wouldn't have ever occurred. In that, it came to our Soke's attention by our Legal Team, that said student had been lying about said criminal conviction for quite a long time on many, many testing cycle petitions. How it came to our Legal Teams attention and/or what was the type of conviction and the other surrounding mitigating circumstances the caused our Soke to demote said student isn't a concern for our discussion, and in that, it's details are private across the board. Said Dan student has completed his PIP, years ago, and in that, said student was finally allowed to submit several testing cycle petitions for Hombu approval, and has achieved the Dan rank that was removed, and then some.

Exactly God / Jesus knows what's in your / our heart. That's one reason why He reduced the Ten Commandments to Two: 1.) Love God / Jesus before anyone or anything else 2.) Love your neighbor as yourself To the above bold type... YES!!

Well said... Totally agree... I wholeheartedly concur!!

What makes a MAist? Hhhhmmmmmmm?? When is ONE a MAist? From the very first day they started training or not until that one begins to understand or not until that one does understand?

Solid post!!

Where? Was he an extra?I saw him at least once. During the basement scene where all the prisoners are being kept and Bruce Lee is running through everyone with various weapons. Staff, sticks, nunchucks. Eventually he grabs a guy by the neck and front kicks another guy. Than they zoom into Bruce's face and he jerks his body (showing that he broke the guy's neck by his hair). That was Jackie Chan. I have also heard that he was in other spots of the movie. He was also in as stunt doubles for a couple of the samurai characters in "The Chinese Connection." Ever notice that Chuck Norris got his start in movies by having his neck broken by Bruce Lee? I always say that Bruce Lee is so famous that anyone who gets killed by him becomes famous too. To the bold type above... Now that's funny!!

Ouch!! Sorry to hear that!! Hang in there, and before you know it, you'll be rocking and rolling!! Also, you have karateforums to visit while you get better.

Yes...that's very AWESOME!! Thank you for sharing that!!

I believe that every MA out there has a cross-training match; the search will be worth the find.