sensei8

Nothing is going to happen, just as long as he/she is respectful across the board while in my dojo, and even more so if he/she is in the Hombu. I'll greet him/her according to how they receive my dojo, my students, and myself. Again, even more so if he/she is in the Hombu. I'll offer him/her something to drink, and then we'll sit and talk for a little; feel out each other, so to speak. Mutual respect will be adhered to throughout his/her visit(s), form all parties concerned. I'm interested more in his/her overall intent over his/her cordial and affable curiosity. If our conversation ends favorable for us both, then I'll ask him/her which class would he/she like to observe and why that/those particular classes. If I sense the innocence of the request(s), then I'll invite him/her to sit in the bleachers to watch the class/classes, only as an observer. After, I'll engage in more conversation, not for his/her approval because I'm not seeking that, just for his/her overall impressions, and then I'll engage the conversation to a final conclusion. Do I invite him/her back? No! He/she sought my dojo out, and I didn't seek him/her out. My intent is to only be an affable host for him/her. Am I ever suspicious of intent? Not always, just guarded over my dojo and my students. Even more so over the Hombu.

Do you have a complete link address? I couldn't access it. Thank you in advance.

I like this drill because it isolates the hips in a positive and tangible way. I also find use in posture enforcement drills as well so that the hips are isolated. Transition from one stance to another while moving from point A to point B and while maintaining correct posture. Thank you Kuma.

I train eight days a week. By that I mean, there's not enough days in any given week that I'm not doing some type of training. So, I often train quite often. I think, for now, and it's up to you and your instructor, you're doing fine, and in that, you've found a doable balance for now. Increase...decrease...it's also important, imho, that one doesn't under-train or over-train because either can have their own negative implications in the long run. Good luck.

What's the difference? Color. If you want a black Gi, buy one, but if you want to wear your new black Gi in class, well, you best ask your Sensei first. Some schools don't allow kyu ranks to wear a black gi, solid or mixed with a white top/bottom, unless they're a black belt, or brown belt at least Good luck.

Methodologies OR preferences. It's a fine line that one has to daily balance upon. Vertical or horizontal; just as long as their effective at its application is the only thing that I believe should matter at the end.

I concur...please go visit a doctor. I hope you start feeling better soon.

I think that those schools of the MA that pass everyone at every testing cycle should write their certificates on a one dollar bill; for that's where their ethos seems to lay upon.

Politics strike again. Dictating when one can and/or will talk about another MAist in any good light is politically driven, imho, because when politics permeate any dojo, that dojo looses its focus, and the focus in any school of the MA is to train, and in that training, one should be seeking their path of betterment and leave the politics of the MA at the door. Yamashita Sensei, imho, is an excellent karateka. As far as the term "Yamashita Shorin Ryu", I'm sure this is just saying that this Shorin Ryu is Yamashia's brand of Shorin Ryu; his own interpretation of executing Shorin Ryu.

As I'm posting this, I'm in one of my Gi pants, as a matter of fact, I slept in the same Gi pants. Gi pants have multiple uses of when one can wear Gi pants. For me, they're an easy on and off; no zippers, no belts, no snaps...just slide them on/off with the greatest of ease.

Official style of karate?!? There's nothing official that brands a style of the MA official of anything. Google isn't the official governing body for the MA styles of the world. This link might answer your questions, or at least direct you a way to find the answers to your questions about Shotokai... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh%C5%8Dt%C5%8Dkai Hope this helps.

First of all...Welcome to KarateForums.com!! Secondly, with the amount of members here, I'm almost sure that you'll receive some info and the like to help you. I'm sorry that I'm of no help to you.

In Karate there is almost no time when you use only the muscles of your upper body. The hips always form the base. The moment one kicks, punches, and blocks your hips will naturally move. You don't move the hips on purpose; you must move your hips naturally. You exhale strongly but not entirely when striking, punching, kicking, and the like. Exhale 70% to 80% of your breath and leave 20% to 30. This is in order to deal with the next consecutive attack. Here are some of the drills that I put my students through to get them to understand their tangible hips... For nearly all kicks, I start out with slow dynamic kicks. This is a good stretch as well as a way for the student to see the proper line of motion - in slow motion. And for many kicks, I have them move the hips without the kick. This forces them to focus on the hip and not the kick. For kicking, one drill is to have them kick as of they didn't have any leg below the knee - so they just point with the knee. I keep extra long belts for those folks who need more visuals; for them, I'll replace their short belt with a longer one and then they can watch how the belt moves. If the belt doesn't move, it means their hips didn't move. So I would my run my students through a few dynamic kicks, watching for the whipping belt. I also run my students through a few dynamic kicks at slow motion. Once they get the idea of the moving hip, then they can add the slow throw of the instep. I prefer teaching the instep method of the kick because it produces better formation of the leg and knee, and it helps them extend their kicks. With ball-of-toe, new kickers tend to hold back a little. Side kicks: the easiest way is to have them do kicks along a smooth wall. This will aide ones posture. I'll use a focus pad or a blocker to encourage their head from bowing down too much. I'll attach a bag of tennis balls that will hang over the hip toward the back; the idea was to try to fling the bag with the hip; this was to build the crescent kick. I don't do this because it's very time consuming, and I have a lot of students, which means I have to have a lot of bags/balls. So instead, I have them imagine the technique, which seems to work fine. As to punching drills, I explain that with the reverse punch, they have to lift their heel a little. When they do this, the resistance pulling the hips back is released, allowing the student to more easily punch. I do not do this drill with a forward punch. For the knife hand block, it's hard; I tell the student to imagine their knife-blade going in one direction, and their forward hip twisting backward in the opposite direction. I don't dwell on this because it's not used much. Another drill I do is similar as described, but this is walking up and down a line. The student steps forward, then lifts the knee pointing to the target as the standing foot pivots backwards; the kicking knee drops to the floor and the other foot becomes the kicking knee, etc. I engage the students to focus on lifting the knee to point at the target, then to focus on the pivot foot. With a 180 degree pivot, the hip can do nothing but turn. Try these drills to better understand the concepts and principles of the hips.

I believe you would.

You know, I wanted to get a tat when I was 19 years old, but then I decided to just think about it first. Now, I'm 54 years old and I'm still only thinking about getting a tat.

Door to door? Sorry, If they came to my house, well, I'd just close the door.

Welcome to KF!!!!!!!!

Thank you for your very kind words, I bow to you as well. I thank my Dai-Soke for everything that he's instilled within me to be the karateka that I am; then, now, and in the future.

Congrats and so well deserved!!

I'm sorry that you've had some bad experiences with 8th Dans! I can only hope that I've not been one of them. If so, please find a way in your heart to forgive me. As a 8th Dan, it angers me when I read things like this because I don't want to be associated with and/or lumped in with them just because we share the rank. It is said...one bad apple spoils the whole bunch. This is how I've always been; past, present, and future. The betterment of ALL students means everything to me, and with me, it shall always be that.

Yes...makiwara training!!

OK!!

Ahem...crisis have been solved, right? Then Skype away!!

In Shindokan, we don't block...we deflect.

Then I guess I'm about to lose all of your respect with what I'm about to say...How strong is your loyalty to your Sensei/Dojo/Association??? If my Dai-Soke had been CONVICTED of a crime involving moral turpitude, most, but not all...I'd walk away from him and never speak of him ever again, and I love him more than any man I've ever loved, even more than my dad!! Some I will never associate myself with no matter what!!