sensei8

Thank you, Patrick!! My last shot was December 8, 2021. Next shot is April 2022.

My Medical Oncologist ordered several X-Rays concentrating around where my T12 is located. Waiting for results. Mid-Back spasms are the worse. Can't laugh, God help me if I sneeze because my wife can hear my back snap and crackle from the other side of the couch, can't breathe in deeply, bending over is an exercise in itself, getting up isn't fun anymore, and sitting on the couch relaxing is a wonder when the next spasms will occur at its schedule, and not mine. Yet, I can sleep and roll over and whatever else while sleeping with NO spasms. Can't figure that out at all. Getting out of the bed for my many trips to the bathroom is another matter and laying down.

Welcome back, crash; glad that you're back in the saddle!!

Great advice so far!! Interesting how this thread is titled...Donation-based. Meaning not free; a fee is leveled at whatever the student can afford, and/or a set fee for some worth donations for classes, akin to perhaps a seminar. I'd not allow any student, short/long term, take their shoes off and get on my floor, wherever that floor might or might not be at, without the appropriate insurance no matter where the venue was being held. To many things can go right, but way too many things can go wrong. Protect oneself first, protect the venue second, protect the student thirdly, and then protect the unknown whatever that might or might not be. Something to chew on, for whatever it's worth. For donation-based classes, the teacher pays to rent a space and those who show up to take a class will give however much they want or are able to afford at the time. The instructor usually promotes a specific cause or charity and donates any proceeds. In the end, the amount people give is subtracted from rental space costs. Another tidbit to consider, possible receipts might be necessary for donation-based classes. For donations worth less than $250, a simple dated receipt with a description of the donation is enough. If the value is between $250 and $500, you'll need written documentation from the organization. If the donation-based classes are free, meaning that the teacher is donating their time, I refer back to the 2nd paragraph above, nonetheless. Like Brian mentioned about Royce Gracie, no matter what the intent, there's never a guarantee that anyone would show up. I too, offered classes for free to all LEO's, and not many ever showed up no matter how sincere my offer was. As far as the logo on anything for anything of any type can swallow up practically any and all available funds. While it sounds good at first, that glee will slide off of one's face once the bill arrives. I never created a logo for my dojo, and I was in business forever and a day; I used the patch that the SKKA, our Governing Body, offered at a very nominal price. Oh yeah, I'd stay far away from the Cobra Kai as far away as the East is from the West. Nothing can come good from opening up that can of worms. Hang in there!!

Welcome to KF, Grapplezilla; glad that you're here!! I look forward to your contributions here at KF, and not just in the grappling forum/threads.

Welcome to KF, Grapplezilla; glad that you're here!! Shotokan and Kyokoshinkai are effective styles, and either would complement your background. Of the two, I'd choose Kyokoshinkai due to its nature of contact; one has to experience before one can apply effectively.

taken the price into consideration it doesn’t look like a beginners gi. Why wouldn’t it match a non-beginner? Just curious.No such thing as a beginner gi. There might be gi preferences for beginners, but to be honest, a beginner can wear a medium/heavy/iron gi, but after one class in a medium/heavy/iron gi, the beginner will be diving into a lightweight gi faster than one can blink. Onyx oxygen gi is pricey, that's for sure, but not overpriced. With this gi being lightweight, it's idea for both beginners and non-beginners alike. Clear with your CI before you parade onto the floor. Many dojo's only allow students to wear plain gi's with no advertisements whatsoever.

Welcome to KF, Gamemistress Jessica; glad that you're here!! I've no experience with the onyx oxygen gi from Arawaza. Due to it being lightweight, it'd be an excellent gi for a beginner because a medium/heavy gi will overly task a beginner on the floor. As far as the "see through" aspect, wear an appropriate shirt underneath the gi. To know for sure, once the gi arrives, dunk it under some water, then put it on to see for yourself.

This trainer spoke to me that he's been shot...died twice...while in the military overseas. I of course thanked him for his service. He's a retired nurse, just recently. Spoke how he can't stand trainers that will be on their cell phone when they're with a client. That he'll never yell and/or cuss at a client...that'd be a really smart thing for him because I told him I'd just stuff him in a trash can if he ever did. I found out this about this trainer... CERTIFICATIONS: ISSA Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutritionist, Strength and Conditioning YEARS OF EXPERIENCE: 7 Years Specialties: STABILITY AND BALANCE FUNCTIONAL FITNESS WEIGHT LOSS/GAIN FITNESS NUTRITION STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING CORE TRAINING COMPETITION TRAINING BODYBUILDING POWERLIFTING PHYSIQUE BUILDER GROUP TRAINING AND PARTNER TRAINING HIIT TRAINING I may never know his intent as to why he trained me as he did. My back right now on the pain scale of 0-10 right now is at 8; I might have to sleep on my recliner for a bit. I did inform this trainer that my cancer has metastatic into my L4 as well as my T12 of my spine.

My answer might be so darn boring. Nevertheless, here goes... IT'S HARD!! Not everyone can do the MA, knowing what's so involved in learning and training. Countless hours of drills and such, yet necessary. Takes many years to be really darn good at it, no matter what 'IT' might be. Many students don't want to put forward the necessary efforts required to improve across the board. I agree that the MA can be as boring as toast. Yet, that boring toast is boring because no effort was ever put forward to make that toast exciting. I have never really cared one way or another if a student quits. I'll open the door for them as they exit stage who-really-cares. I'll put in the Nth degree effort as their Sensei, and I'll never give up on them.... UNTIL...they give up on themselves. They'll get no sympathy from me because whenever it comes to the MA; I've no patience for the bleeding-heart students that want to and/or have quit because the remaining students deserve that from me.... that magnanimous effort. Whatever their reason(s) might be or might not be for quitting the MA is theirs, and I hold no ill will towards them, and they're not asking me to support their reason(s) to quit the MA, but they are asking me to respect their reason(s)...and I do. Oftentimes the floor will eat them up and merciless spit them out!! Quit. Don't quit. I can care less. I don't spend any sleepless nights wondering why a student quits; I sleep just fine.

This afternoon, I went to the gym. I decided to get me a trainer for 1 hour. Spent about 10 minutes talking with the trainer, who, after speaking to him, he seemed very qualified. I wanted a trainer to teach me how I can work out with my current physical limitations. Perhaps I should've sought out a physical therapist instead. I stressed to the trainer the condition of my lower and mid back. The trainer agreed that while he might push me, he'll keep my bad back in mind. The right side of my body, arm and leg, are numb and tingling 24/7. So, the trainer walks me to a Seated Elliptical Trainer. He sets up the machine. He wants me to burn 200 calories. To me, the speed seems fast, but doable. By lap 3, my lower back is screaming to me. I stop, make a few adjustments to the height of the sear and the back rest angle. The back rest angle still had me leaning backwards. At 50 calories, and with my lower back starting to protest, we both went upstairs. Upstairs, he leads me to a Ropeflex machine; one where you pull down the never-ending rope. Has me doing 5 sets of 2 minutes, and in between sets, he has me doing various trunk twisting exercises for 2 minutes. By now, I'm hurting in both my lower and mid-back. I tell him to that effect. Next, he has me doing Triceps Rope Pulldowns. 5 sets of 30, with 2 minutes of Bicep Curls with 5lb dumbbells. No back pain improvement, yet no pain increased, but stable in that regards. Then, Cable and Pulley Machine. He sets the machine and has me grab ahold of a pulley handle in each hand; one machine to my right and the other machine to my left. He wants me to touch the side of my leg, on each side alternating one side to the other, just under my knee. 5 sets of 2 minutes. Well, 20 seconds into that, I drop both handles and flop over the nearest railing. My lower and mid-back have surrendered; pains excruciating. I hang onto this railing as though it was an innertube that has just saved me from drowning in the ocean. When able, I slowly, and leaning in a question mark towards my right side, I say nothing as I gather up my stuff, and I hobble towards the elevator, taking many leans against any given wall. Trainer says nothing, but he follows me to the elevators. Within 15 feet of the closest elevators, I remind him that with my backs current state, oftentimes I can't stand and/or walk long. I told him, I know I might've let you down, and because I ended the workout, you might not think that I'm serious. He assured me the opposite. He wants me back tomorrow. I tell him, I'll try, all depends on my back when I wake up. Sure, I could've ended the workout right off the bat, and I could've managed my workout pace. The trainers supposed to be the professionals at any gym. Twisting exercises can not only make the disc worse, but it can be the cause of further problems. Of all of the given exercises known to a trainer, why choose twisting exercises to someone with a bad back?!? Not that it matters much at all, but I'm disabled, for the love of God. In all of my many decades on the floor, I'd never put a student in harm's way in any shape, way, and/or form. I am always alert to any of my disabled students to the Nth degree. Push me, I need that!! Push me, knowing my physical limitations, I don't need that when my limitations are jumping up and down in distress. Find me something else to do that won't overly task my back or give me nothing else to do. PAY ATTENTION TRAINER!! Took all that I could to make to my car...but I made it.

Yoga, like many other things, is no more than a tool. The tool can make you, or it can break you; it depends on how it's used, and by whom, under difficult situations. I'd rather have a tool in my toolbox for those untold days, than to not have said tool at my disposal. Never know when the tool might be needed. A tool is only as effective as its user; a practitioner is only as good as his/her tool.

UPDATE: This morning, January 13, 2022, I went to my Oncologist appointment at 8:30am. Since the end of the Americas Care Act has ended, my co-pay for the office visit is $20; not bad. Dr. Goodman and I spoke for about 15 minutes, he gets right to the point. He asked me if I went to get the X-Rays of my mid-back, and I informed him that I did that the very day that he wrote out the referral. He indicates that he's still not received them back as of yet. He asked me if I went to the hospital that's part of the medical center that his practice resides. and I told him "No". The hospital doesn't except my insurance. The hospital sent me to another Image Center that's a stone's throw away from the hospital, however, that Image Center doesn't accept my insurance either. I was then directed to another Image Center a few miles away from the second choice, of which, they did accept my insurance...three times a charm. Dr. Goodman asked me the name of that Image center, and I drew a big fat blank, and I wasn't smart enough to get their business card, nor was I wise enough to keep the proof of the visit; I misplaced the darn thing. Dr. Goodman says that there's only three places that he sends patients to, so he'll become Sherlock Holmes and track down the X-Rays, and he'll call me with the results. I told him that my mid-back has its moments from a scale of 0-10, pain wise, and that the Chiropractor is still on the burner, pending the X-Ray results. My PSA (Prostate-specific antigen) dropped once again. It's gone down from 0.12 to 0.09!! Our goal is to reach 0.01, and then to maintain that through management. Dr. Goodman tells me that we can still wait until June for Radiation Therapy Treatments. However, he says that the sooner, the better. The type of Radiation Therapy Treatments is called Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), yeah, a mouth full, for sure. My understanding about IMRT is that it's far from being affordable, can be painful, and can cause secondary cancer...not what I wanted to hear, nor read. Without insurance, IMRT can cost near 60K...pain can be from being readjusted while on the table and from the machine itself...the secondary cancer scares me the most. One cancer is enough, in the name of Jesus!! My next appointment with Dr. Goodman is March 3, 2022 at 1pm. My next appointment for my Eligard shot is April 8, 2022 at 1pm. Afterwards, I went to the Financial Department to see if my Financial Assistance for my Eligard shot has been renewed for another year. Now some disheartening news about my Eligard shot. I was NOT RENEWED for the providers financial assistance. No Patient was. The provider, after all of the paperwork was submitted to the provider, the provider closed the window. The window might reopen when fundings are provided. The closed window might be due to the fear of another pandemic purge, where lockdown and the like might be implemented once again nationwide. Who knows why?!??!! The Financial Department at the Comprehensive Cancer Center will keep a close eye on the situation daily. If the window opens, then we'll be contacted. I will check in with that department in 7 weeks when I see Dr. Goodman. How am I going to continue my treatments every 4 months without the blessing for the Financial Assistance? I guess I won't. Money before treatments. Once again, Eligard now costs over $15,000 per shot. I wept in the office of the Financial Manager.

As a patch, what size do you have in mind? Our Shindokan shield is 4-inch; not to small, not too big. My avatar here at KF IS the Shindokan Shield. I do like your design overall. The diamonds play tricks with my eyes, whereas, if the diamonds on the east were switched, were the solid red and the open were switched. Perhaps that's the OCD in me.

I do believe that Yoga can help practitioners center themselves with all that's involved with learning the MA. Plus, the many other benefits that Yoga can provide, i.e., stress relief, reducing inflammation, relieve anxiety, and improve health for one's heart. If you have a bad lower back, Yoga can help with pain. The MA needs other things to improve the engine that drives the MA. Recharge with Yoga, if that's what's needed. A lot of us in the MA will perform Zazen/Mokuso, seated meditation, before and after class, so why not Yoga as well; Yoga can be the standing meditation; both beneficial.

Thank you so very much; it means everything to me, RW!! Now and forever!!

Pinan sets because I'm an Okinawan practitioner. However, I'm very well versed in the Heian sets, and between those two, my preference is Pinan over Heian because of the more uprightness of their stances. I'm also very well versed in the Gekisai sets as well; quite similar stances of Pinan. I primarily teach the Pinan sets, but on occasion, I've also taught the Heian and Gekisai sets, whereas I train in them more than I teach them; depends on where I am and whomever asks.

I hope that whatever decision(s) you make, benefits all concerned in this matter. Assuming can get everyone involved in this matter a heap load of headaches in so many ways. Be smart and keep your head above water.

Yep. 1944-45 saw the passing of masters like Motobu, Funakoshi (Gigo), Hanashiro, Tokuda, and Kyan. A couple of them never got to really formalize their knowledge into a “style”, yet their students did. The 'founder of Shotokan' never developed a style ? gspell68 is referring to Gichin Funakoshi's son, Gigo, and not Gichin himself.

I think Master Ken just might have issues with a many of things found in the link you shared with us. Like you, I too, would've chosen different applications, but, to each their own. I did get a chuckle out of it, thanks, Zaine.

A few things come to my mind. We're not doctors, for the most part, and we're not THEIR doctor. We're not the parents. They're students. We're owners/CI of our MA school. What I'd consider is to speak to my attorney first about this issue in order to find out what are my rights and obligations according to the law. As owner/CI, our first responsibility is to the business, myself, and my Student Body. One wrong thing can spell the end in a blink of an eye. I'd tread slowly and carefully, and as it's already been mentioned, it's your school, and you've the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason(s). Now, the devil in me says to tell the father that this is my decision, and if the father can't abide by them, then there's the door...in a professional way.

I'd like to repeat some of what Patrick spoke about in the OP... This is as equally important as any donations; either are greatly appreciated as well as needed. I thank each and everyone here at KF across the board. This fight is far from being over; I will beat the survival rate, God willing!!

Congrats, ramymensa; very well deserved!!

No!! Martial Arts without contact is akin to a swimming pool without water; empty. Contact allows one to experience 'IT', whatever 'IT' might be in one's MA. However, a car is a car even if I never drive it in order to experience driving it; I can't deny that what I'm looking at is a car. I can appreciate the car's overall expression, yet, if all I do is look at it, then I'm missing out on experiencing its effectiveness, its ergonomic subtleness. If I don't drive the car, I might as well just get rid of it or take the tires off the car because it's not being applied as it should be. Same thing to the MA. In Shindokan, we can't train in it without ever experiencing its effectiveness. Of course, during drills and/or solo training, there's little to no contact since that time is geared towards learning something new, of which, afterwards, contact is a very key element to training. How do I even know what that car can or can't do unless I experience its abilities for myself?? I first have to become intimate with the car by sitting in it, and by handling its many features. This is akin to drilling in the MA. Now that I've become far more familiar with the car, now, it's time to experience it. Taking it slow at first to get use to the feel of it, and then gradually, take it on the open highway for its full experience and effectiveness. Yet at the very same time, to not being reckless because the car must be respected, and if the cars power and effectiveness isn't respected, it'll reach up and smack you right upside your head. The brakes and accelerator pedals and the turn signals and the mirrors are all vital elements to handle the car from point 'A' to point 'B' safely, and the most important element in handling this beast if common-sense. Same thing in the MA, common-sense must be embraced. In the MA, common-sense are our brakes and accelerator pedals, turn signals, and mirrors; know how to use them before your opponent smacks you right upside your noggin. Drive and train safely, but contact IS a vital important element to training in the MA, if not, then swimming on dry land might be truer words after all. Imho!!

Once again, if I may... I didn't know Karate went anywhere where it had to make a comeback. Recently I read that at present, around 100 million people on five continents and 192 countries practice karate. Sounds pretty viable to me, still. Marketing drives the horse, and sometimes the horse can't be led to water to say it's soul.