sensei8

I can completely understand why the coverage as it is when you see the number of events for each. I can see why anything MA is where it is; fan based interest, I suppose. Thanks for the breakdown Patrick; allows one to see a wider picture.

Congrats on your 10 years as staff with KF. In the time I've been here, I've grown to trust you, depend on you, listen to you, and to learn from you across the board. You've earned my respect, and in time, I pray that I'll be able to follow your examples across the board. Here's to another 10 years!! Thank you for all you do!!

Welcome to KF!!!!!!!!

Yes!! Thank you for that post!! He's lucky to have you as his son!!

It's not my cup of tea either!! I'm not into that type now or back then and not in the future. I highly respect those who have the fortitude to embark on something like this because it takes a special person to endure these types of physical tests. To them, I bow!!

Welcome to KarateForums!! Being a Sandan has always been considered as the idea rank for someone to possess while starting their own dojo. However, I've seen brown belts start their own dojo's and they're still at it. They too also trained continuously under their Sensei/Shihan and the like while teaching at their own dojo's. Your student body will be up to you. However, every dojo needs a student body of all ranks; white to black belt. Many dojo's starting student body only consist of white belts and then those white belts become yellow belts, and so on and so forth. Many invite practitioners of their own style and/or other practitioners from outside of their style; therefore, invite as you see fit. Since money and the lack thereof will dictate to you as far as what you can and what you can't do, then let your smallest idea grow with every being of your heart, mind, and soul; small ideas beget large ideas. When I first started, I had a catalog from Century Martial Arts Supply sitting on my counter right next to my sign in sheets. If they wanted something, all they had to do is tell me, I'd make the order, then send it in, and in 2-3 days, their order would be there when they came to class that particular day. After that, I grew a supply store one item after another, and before I knew it, I had a full blown supply store in the front of my dojo. I wouldn't mess with making your own certificates because your certs can still come from your Shihan and/or the governing body that your Shihan belongs to. However, there are many companies that can sell you generic certs or they can make custom certs if you so desire. Many supply houses sell a wide variety of certs, but they too can be found to be quite generic. For as long as I've been in the MA, I've received all of my certs from my governing body; those have satisfied my desires. Most/Some/Many governing bodies will provide certs to you that all you have to do is fill in date, name, cert number, and your signature...then send it in for the governing body to affix stamps/seals. Now, you can make your own stamps and seals but the clout needed to back them up might not be so appropriate and the like. Community centers in your town, churches, public schools, gyms, another dojo that sublets time, YMCA, dance schools, and this is just a small sample of where one might start when ones funds are limited. After all, store fronts are quite expensive to say the least. Plus there's the utilities and the like; things that aren't negotiable at all times. Insurance, imho, is a must because injuries happen, but, you can be sued for just about anything. I'd say that having insurance is paramount! Many insurance companies provide quite reasonable prices to carry, one just has to let their fingers do the walking in your local phone books. Also, they can be found in many MA magazines. While advertising is essential, it's also quite expensive to run a successful advertising campaign to attract new students. So, find a local tournament and see if you can put on a demo or put up a table to sign up new potential students. Flyers work and sometimes flyers don't. It depends on where you blanket because not many businesses are keen about you decorating their store front. There are yard signs that are cheap and public property will allow them, if only for a short period. Good luck...hang in there...and believe in yourself across the board!!

Welcome to KarateForums!! While I did not find any Kajukenbo schools in Egypt, I did find this site that might be of some helpful use to you... http://www.kajukenbo.org/schools/

Happy Fathers Day!!

The tenure ones traveled isn't a validation of ones ability because many things can be garnished on ones path. Knowledge can be misunderstood for something that it's not by just ones tenure. Knowledge against application knowledge is incomplete, imho; either one can or one can't!! Theory knowledge is incomplete unless it's brought under the microscope of analysis that's questioned over and over until it's proven. Robert Frost said it best... "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” The longer one travels on their path, they must ask themselves one question over and over... Is my path tainted? Answering that honestly will make all of the difference; now and later.

Thank you!!

Not every dojo that awards JBB are trying to pad the bottom line on a P&L Statement. It's an time honored act that's done not for money but for awarding those from the ages of 13-18 years old who have earned them. Those styles of the MA that use them will have a hard time convincing those styles of the MA that don't use them, and vise versa. I can see a lot of strong points from both sides of the fence.

Thank you Patrick, as well as to those who've wished me luck. Thank you all!!

Our By-Laws require the current Kaicho [President] to be awarded the rank of Kudan. I'm the current Kaicho, and in our history, only my Dai-Soke and I have held the Kaicho title; my Dai-Soke held it for close to, if not over 40 years.

Well, in our By-Laws, Kudan and Judan are only awarded to the current Kaicho and current Soke type; we've eliminated the Soke type, but the Kaicho type rank is still in the By-Laws, and we haven't made any amendments as of yet because we're not in full agreement as to it's wording and the like. Until, my upcoming test for Kudan, all ranks up to Hachidan are only awarded upon passing any and all required testing criteria.

I never wanted to reach "the top", rank speaking, and this is because while my Dai-Soke was alive, he was Kaicho and was Kudan. I didn't want to ever reach a rank that he had, as crazy as it sounds, it was an act of respect for him!! Still, when he became Dai-Soke and was awarded Judan, and then I became Kaicho, I still didn't and still don't want the rank because of a promise I made to myself those many years ago.

Are you wanting a governing body that's more universal? By universal, that said governing body wouldn't be for one style, Shotokan, for example, but will cover ALL styles of Karate. Trading one governing body for another only, at times, and imho, only allow a practitioner to replace one set of pro and cons for another because every governing body has them, pros and cons/rules and regulations. The grass isn't always better on the other side of the fence.

For those who train and/or teach BJJ, what other styles of the MA round out your MA training? I ask this because not one, imho, MA can cover and/or handle each and every situation that one might encounter on the street. In advance...I thank you for your posts!!

I may not train each and every day because of my teaching duties and the like, however, I do believe that while I'm teaching, I'm also training to some degree. My betterment isn't ignored. Teachers have AHA moments even while they're teaching.

My Dai-Soke would've done whatever was required of him because he would've been there for one thing and one thing only...train!!

I've been selected, against my repeated wishes, to test for my Kudan. It's something that I've never wanted and it's something that I've some deep mixed emotions about. I earned my Hachidan on July 1995. Is it overdue? Have I meet the tenure requirements? Ranks only a word, a word I'd rather to never utter so that it wouldn't ever be misunderstood, especially by myself. I'll test this July 8-10, 2013 before a testing panel at the conclusion of our annual testing cycle at our Hombu. Let the chips fall where they may!!

You know Brian, I've always felt that a MAist must be proactive across the board because your journey and my journey and every other MAists journey is special and it's theirs, and the MAist must protect their journey. I'm not in the position as Kaicho because of rank/title, no, I'm Kaicho because I protect the betterment of each and every student; mine and the entire student body. When I protect them, I'm protected as well.

I suppose that what a lot of MAists don't like is when some organization(s), like the IOC, take the purity of the MA, turn it inside and outside to fit it into their brand(s). But if the IOC wants to take Karate and turn it into something I don't like, well, then I don't have to watch it, and in that, the IOC governs the Olympics whether I like it or not. But, for the most, I'll watch any MA in the Olympics, not to see how I can complain, but for the beauty that IS the MA and to learn and to have those "WOW" and "AWESOME" and "Oh, that is/not good"! I don't own the MA, I'm just a student of the MA.

Congrats and well deserved!!

I've stretched before any class all of my life, and I've not faced anything negative in the way that our Dai-Soke taught us. I stretch my students and myself before every class just the way I was shown; I've been stretching in this manner for 49 years with no ill effects. We/I also do a cool down stretch at the end of each class. Again, I view an exercise as a stretch and vise versa. Sometimes my brain works goofy!! Still, I hear what you're saying Justice, and I respect what you're saying!!

Welcome to KarateForums!! Find the organization that you want to compete with. Then, join said organization, if that's required. Then, understand ALL of the rules/regulations in which you'll be entering. Then, start entering tournaments that are in line with it's National equivalent. Then, start placing high, and of course win some as well. Then, start following, from the start, your score, the higher the score, the better because if you're not placing with respectful score, you'll not get the invite to the Nationals of that association. Win the key Championships get you into the Nationals automatically. Placing in the top 3 in the key Championships consistently gets you an invite to the Nationals of the association. Good luck and keep us informed!!