sensei8

Imho, no, it's not okay to learn the martial arts from someone that you've described. Values that you hold dear are so important across the board. While skills are important for an instructor to have, the negative mentoring can run askew and possibly infest the student body as the student body tries to emulate the instructor...it does happen more than one might realize. Good Morals and good reputations should be paramount for any instructor of the martial arts, above all and any skill set. Ask yourself this...would you want your children to learn anything from someone with questionable values/morals, regardless the skill set of the instructor? Your answer just might be the answer to your question. Good luck, please keep us informed.

Ditto.

Welcome to KF!!!!!!!!

ROFL... Thanks Ev....I loved it!!

Solid post!!

Nothings wrong with disengaging. But, in free movement you're already disengaged until someone makes the first move.

To me, it's quite apparent that this Nidan FORGOT that this is "OPEN SPARRING", and from what you've said here, formality takes a back seat, which this Nidan forgot about as well. Ranks a privilege and honor, not a right. I don't see that you did anything wrong here Ev, especially since everyone in attendance was explained to about what "OPEN SPARRING" means at your dojo. More importantly, everyone who's not a student/instructor at your dojo is a guest and guests are required to act professional and the like. Ranks can cloud up everything, and many believe their own press more than they should. A Nidan challenging a Blue belt is inappropriate, imho, because when a Nidan challenges a Blue belt, it's like me challenging the paper boy. Hang in there Ev...it's all good!!

I'll work many, many hand techniques with cable pulls, and many other hand techniques with dumb-bells. I'll also use the bottom cable pulls connected to either foot to work on sweeping movements.

It's still, imho, a matter of choice to engage or not during free movement, while in the clinch/grappling, it's either engage or suffer.

Free movement is the only "phase" that requires intentional thought. One has to have the "Wants/Needs" within oneself to move effectively within free movement because when ones in the "clinch" or "grappling", one must choose an effective solution before ones opponent does. Outside of the "clinch" and "grappling" one can choose to either fight or flight. Thoughts on not only how to close the distance, when required/necessary, but how to increase/open the distance as well. Inasmuch, free movement needs to understand and appreciate the many different angle transitions as well, and in that, each aspect of free movement, for the good of the cause; the defense/offense, needs to remain in concert.

However, respect always remains and respect is always paramount.

Sorry Heidi...I did it again...HAPPY BELATED Birthday!!

Oh I hate myself...SORRY Brian...HAPPY BELATED Birthday!!

Good luck to the Ravens, 49ers, Patriots, and the Giants. I'll be rooting for the Ravens all the way. GO COWBOYS!!

If one was to only train/practice just one kata for their entire life, it wouldn't be a wasted life.

Solid post!!

Solid post!!

Well deserved...CONGRATS SIR!!

Yes...AWESOME!!

Shindokan by itself is not enough!! Shindokan is not all that and a bag of chips, and neither, imho, is any style of the martial arts. Why? We're imperfect across the board. While, I believe in Shindokan with all of my heart, mind, body, and soul, it's, and/or I'm better, as a martial artist, if I've more than one trick up my sleeve. I've trained in a plethora of styles of the martial arts to accentuate Shindokan, even though, it [shindokan] is my core style.

Ball of foot!! In Shindokan, the usages are vital in our ashi sabaki, footwork, as it accentuates our movements. Whenever we pivot, step through, moving, turning, step through and half-turn, as well as our step through and turn, we're on the ball of our foot through our transitions. Good topic!!

This is one of my concerns...Are LEO's properly trained in self-defense? I don't think they are. A LEO out of an academy, imho, has no more experience than a White belt, and, imho, that's well enough to get them in some serious trouble. What the LEO has, and it's evident in this video, thanks for sharing it with us Brian, is many weapons to choose from when LEO self-defense "skills" doesn't work...like the taser used by this LEO...it stopped all the fight in the suspect. OFFICER PRESENCE....it's a missing element, imho, with many LEO's.

Whatever happened to the first guy the LEO's tried to arrest? The second guy deserves whatever a court of law gives him. I'm no LEO expert and in that, I've tons of respect for what they do, and imho, it's to protect and serve, a very dangerous job. Having said that, the officers were out numbered but I heard this once... Officer Presence! This will do a lot until back-up arrives. However, some civilians don't care one way or another, they react before they think, imho. It's me, but I guess I would've pulled out my weapon and not my pepper-spray to hold the crowd at bay, but I do understand, the less and most desired method is preferred by any police administration. I think the officers did what they had to do. No, the one officer had no idea what he was doing on the ground, but he did what he knew. I wonder if it was textbook taught in their academy?!

To my opening questions: Are there wrong answers? Are there right answers? Are there only wrong answers? Are there only right answers? Preference? Dictated? Ordered? Prohibited? Ego-driven?

Solid post!!