sensei8

Shindokan has nothing to do with rank/title. While we may take different paths up any given mountain, but when we reach the summit, we all stare at the same moon. It's the journey that we must seek, not the destination. Belt ranks are nothing more than sign posts along the path within our journey. I only seek knowledge; I don't, then or now, seek rank/title. Others seem more affixed over my rank/titles than I am; please let's gaze at the same moon in wonderment, and give no thoughts to my rank/title.

Excellent post...quite solid!! To be fair and honest, it might behoove us to know something about moral turpitude... A crime involving moral turpitude is one in which the conduct involved in the crime is contrary to the community's standards of justice, honesty, or good morals. The list of crimes that fall into this broad category is lengthy and include some of the big ones we're all familiar with. Among them are: Arson, Blackmail, Burglary, Embezzlement, False pretenses, Forgery, Fraud, Larceny, Robbery, Abandonment, Adultery, Assault and battery, Bigamy, and Prostitution. To answer your questions honestly I feel that I must preface my answer by saying this, I hate thieves and liars, and in that, I've no ambiguity in having nothing to do with that type of an individual...NONE!! Therefore... What was the offense? I don't care...the crime was committed. What are the details surrounding the offense? I don't care...the crime was committed. When did this happen? Immaterial...the crime happened. Did he/she pay their dues to society? Immaterial...time doesn't erase facts or the crime. Does he/she have any legal restrictions placed upon them? I hope so, and if not, then I'll place personal restrictions upon that individual. Does the offense actual have any bearing on his/her teaching MA's? Proven teaching capabilities? No, experience and knowledge can't be erased and/or denied, but they won't be teaching any of my family nor in my dojo/Hombu. I suppose it's up to ones own scruples.

NOW...it's YOU that's been convicted in a court of law for committing crimes involving moral turpitude... What should YOUR students do? Same questions from the OP.

Hypothetical question(s)... Your instructor has just been convicted in a court of law for committing crimes involving moral turpitude... What do you do? Do you quit his/her school? Do you keep your rank/title? Do you want to keep your rank/title? Do you throw any and all of your rank/title certificates into the trash? Do you lose face in the MA world by association sakes alone? Do you erase your instructors name from your lineage?

Shugyo!!

To everyone...have a safe Memorial Day!! To those who have served past, present, and future...THANK YOU for all you have done, and for all that you do now, and for all that you will do, I owe you my gratitude for your unselfish sacrifices to keep each and everyone of us safe and secure!! GOD BLESS AMERICA AND THOSE WHO'VE SERVED!!

Please check out the link... http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/jason-mayhem-miller-done-ufc-dana-white-confirms-140527628.html Your opinions?

Concerning Rank and Shogo titles. I've one simple statement pertaining to myself. My Rank, Hachidan, just means that I'm teachable and my Shogo title, Hanshi, just means that I can teach. Whatever others read into it, that's up to them, but for me, my statement is just that. Thanks!! Comments?

In the power equation... Does your shoulder play a part? If so, how? If not, why" Does your shoulder lead or follow your hips? Either way, why? Let our discussion begin.

Necessity is the mother of every invention!! I like them, and just as long as they serve the needs of your students, then who cares what they look like. I'm sure I've made my share of home made devices for whatever reason(s). AWESOME...comes to my mind right now.

The quagmire of the MA sits and simmers somewhere in a molten pot filled with a plethora of ingredients, known as "Styles", to hopefully satisfy even the most skeptical of palates. No matter the label affixed to any "style", and no matter how one might or might not decorate any said "style" so that it appears inviting, the one question still stands throughout time...Is it effective? For a name is just a name for adornment sake, but if it's ineffective, then the name of the style and/or the person(s) associated with it, matters not. Either the style and its core technique(s) are effective or it isn't. However, it's not the "style" that might be ineffective, it's more possible that the "style" and the practitioner aren't compatible.

While one might view some of these things mentioned here as insignificant, I can assure you that the layman/woman consumer, especially a parent, doesn't, and I'm not so sure that some MAists don't either. Aligning ourselves with whatever is positive and solid in order to drive our bottom line, no matter local or not, might've been a good idea for my Hombu as well as myself. My responsibilities as Kaicho are clear to me: Improve the betterment of the entire student body and of the Hombu. To drive the bottom line equitably and then some.

Nice to remember those 2 days...I miss them quite a lot!!

Congrats on your 4th stripe...way to go!!

I concur with everyone here, and good luck Alex; you'll be just fine!!

Solid post!!

It means what it's intended to mean. "Kill With One Blow"!!! I interpret it to mean that I will strike, kick, block, punch...EVERYTHING...100%...as hard as I can EVERYTIME! To give 100% in everything that I do that is of the Martial Arts...in EVERYTHING that is/belongs to my Shindokan/Martial Arts training! I love this post sensei8. It encapsulates a lot, especially the second section. At our dojo we constantly remind students that they should preform kihon and kata as if each technique were the last one they would get in a fight that meant the living or dieing. 100% effort and commitment to the movement both physically and emotionally. Addressing the question though, I do believe the "one strike, one kill" ethos of training has more to do with the adaptation of Japanese budo, most especially sword work, than with the idea that one could, and would, literally end a life with each single technique. Thanks for the kind words ShoriKid!! And back to you...solid post from you as well!!

Use of Force Aha...thanks MP!!

What's UoF?

shuto uke is knife hand block, however shuto uchi is knife hand strike - they are different as a block comes from a different part of the body moving in a certain way that is different from the strike which comes from another place to ensure maximum damage I respectfully disagree, actually. In your style it may be important to perform them differently, but in my dojo we do not make the same distinction during kihon practice or kata. In the air, a shuto is a shuto--it only becomes a shuto-uke if we are actually using it to receive a technique, and it only becomes a shuto-uchi if we are actually using it to strike. We generally call it shuto-uke for simplicity's sake when beginners or people from other styles are around, but the more advanced students tend to just call it a shuto unless we are actually applying it as an uke or uchi at that moment. Quite SOLID post!!

I would do that for any Kata competition; appearance is part of the scoring. Other than that, yeah, that's dedication. Is it really that weird? We'd get our butts kicked if we turned up to class with a creased dobok! These days, I'll only iron my gis for our annual testing cycle. Other than that, I'll wear my gis right out of the dryer. Did I say iron, I mean dry clean, I don't have the patience anymore to iron.

I agree. This is a very interesting point. I am not one for going to hammer my training partners - we are there to better ourselves adn others.... but if someone wants to throw a heavy kick during a sparring match - well, Ill see your kick with one of my own This does not mean that I will lose my cool and revert to being a caveman, but sometimes meeting force with force can be a great teacher! Both posts are solid. The only mutual hammering I do is with Greg, our Kancho. But we don't lose our cools, and this is how WE train together. For us, it's a chess game, seeing who can best the other first, and trust me, both Greg and I know how to have our turns at the other...otherwise known as a receipt. Give me one hard and you're going to get one back and then some. This again, is a mutual hammering session that we wouldn't do with anyone else, in or out of the Hombu. When I tested for my Rokudan-Hachidan, my Kumite sessions were with Greg and no one else per my Dai-Soke because we do hammer each other relentlessly.

Some very good points there JZ! Remember, as a MAist, I could care less. But, I'm mulling over many things as Kaicho, and right now, I'm just thinking out loud. Please don't misjudge my honorable intent; I've responsible for the entire student body, in and out of the Hombu, as well as the betterment of the Hombu and the like within Shindokan. Any established/recognized Okinawa Organization. A positive connection with Okinawa. "Don't know Shindokan" judgmental comments might hopefully stop. The judgmental comments will have lessened. Will I actually do anything? No, because, as a MAists, again, I don't care about what anybody thinks, internally and/or externally. Within our student body, the feelings are mixed, but not much from our adults, both students and Sensei's/Hombu, more from the children students because they don't understand why Shindokan isn't known like Shotokan/TKD, even though everyone from their Sensei to the Hombu has addressed these concerns to them in a nurturing and educational way. I truly believe that, as a student body, we are quite complete in our totality.

I would do that for any Kata competition; appearance is part of the scoring. Other than that, yeah, that's dedication.

Facing a gang...RUN AWAY FAST!! You might get a few, but the odds are in the favor of the gang, imho.