sensei8

I'm glad you asked Danielle. It's one of my most favorite drills. I've 2 HUGE buckets, thanks to the Plastics section of Wal-Mart, full of tennis balls. Every Shindokan student knows the tennis ball drill, young and old love this drill because it works and it's a lot of fun...especially for me. The tennis ball drill is an awareness drill. People don't always pay attention to their surroundings, and I believe that the tennis ball drill heightens their awareness. It's a "Sensei" version of dodge ball, and I always win because I'm pretty sneaky and I don't telegraph unless I want to to just throw them off so I can SCORE. To play, one must have goggles and a mouthpiece for there is no telling where a tennis ball might be coming from. I don't throw them hard, by that I mean, I don't wind up a fastball, I throw, toss, etc, anyway that can catch them off guard but my goal is to NOT injure them, hence goggle/mouthpiece. I'll throw them right at them, I'll throw the entire contents to one student, I'll throw in a small area of students and then POW...one tennis ball goes flying to the very far side and nails a student, I'll just dump the entire contents of a bucket on top of a student that's real good at, well, ducking/dodging/etc...they can't avoid 200+ tennis balls. I'll roll them, I'll bounce them, I'll bounce one up real high, and it almost never fails, someone will look up and I'll nail them. I'll skip them, I'll throw them from behind my back to an unexpected student, I'll throw 1...2...5...8...12 at one time at different targets/students. I've learned over the many years to throw any combination of tennis balls because the students learn how I might throw at them...get it...their NOW paying attention and in that, they're more aware now. But, it's not long before I change up the billion ways I throw the tennis balls. At every annual testing cycle...I'll bring out the buckets from behind a curtain or from under a table and the cheers are deafening during one of our many breaks. Why? Because it's me against the hierarchy of the Shindokan Hombu and guess what...I've not lost a drill EVER! It's funny to watch some of our big-wigs do everything but dodge my tennis balls. I'm not opposed to stand against the wall in a Students VS Sensei game...I win some, I lose some because when every student has a ball and their aiming for ME...it's hard to dodge that many tennis balls no matter how aware I am or anybody. So, that's the tennis ball drill. Try it...your students will love it, especially if YOU'RE HAVING FUN. Your student will reap the rewards while you release some pent-up frustration...just kidding...or am I....heheheheheheheheehheeheheheheheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Sorry, no Shindokan dojo's in or around Chicago.

Congrats...feels good to be back...huh? There's an old idiom about getting back into the saddle, well, you're back in the saddle and it must feel great!! Please keep in touch with anything new!! Isn't the MA about the coolest thing?!

My compliments to you; beautiful pictures. If your sloppy, then I would love to have a tenth of your sloppyness...SOLID!

Great question. Unfortunately, my lineage is just that for the most part. Soke Saitou and Dai-Soke Takahashi are the only ones within our lineage that I handled. By handled, I mean that I was trained by them, I had an intimate relationship with both of them before they passed away. Anyone in our lineage above Soke Saitou I never meet or anything. So I have to believe what I was told. The only other "proof" we have can be found in our Shindokan Densho, Hand Scrolls, and By-Laws. We've quite a lot of photos of Soke and Dai-Soke, but of anyone above Soke Saitou in lineage, well, we've no album of each of them, maybe one photo, if that.

Satunuku "Tode" Sakugawa (1733 - 1815) Sokon "Bushi" Matsumura (1797 - 1889) Anko Itosu (1830 - 1915) Shigekazu Ishikawa (1864 - 1959) (Shuri-te) Choshu Saitou (1865 - 1962) (Okinawa-te*) (This is the father of Soke Saitou) (*Choshu Saitou's Okinawa-te Sensei is unknown) Fuyuhiko Saitou (1917 - 2008) (Shindokan founder; Shindokan was founded in 1950) Yoshinobu Takahashi (1932 - 2010) (Dai-Soke; and the first student of Soke Saitou) Me

As my Dai-Soke was so very fond of saying to all of his students...SHUGYO...Suck it up!! Now, having said that, aches and injuries are par for the course of training in the MA. In time, you'll build up the temperance of contact again; things do take time, and in that, train smart and don't rush things. Bruises will yield to solidification, however, bruised ribs are another thing. Cure for some of your injuries are an easy fix...well...block/deflect/jam/move out of the way, and if not, certain injuries will occur over and over when that area, and I refer to ribs, has received a solid attack. The blue bruises, sore leg and forearms muscles, as well as sore back muscles, imho, are just part of the training and once you rebuild up the temperance of contact again, and you will, those nagging aches and pains will subside. In the meanwhile, and it's not to infer that you've no tolerance of pain, purchase some forearm/shin pads to protect those areas. Knuckle abrasions and the like are an unfortunate or fortunate, depending how one would label it, part of training. It could be possible that with all of your sweating, you've not been striking the pads correctly; repeated glancing contact will tear up ones knuckles quickly. Only to suggest that you treat your knuckle injuries promptly, and ask your sensei if it would be ok, for now until your knuckles heal, wear light bag gloves. Me...well...I'm stupid to a fault because in my earlier days, I would just go old school and suck-it-up and forge forward, that's me, dumb at times, again, that's just me, and I wouldn't advise it to you or anybody. Hang in there...it'll all work out in the long run.

ME!! I'm right in the middle of touring every Shindokan dojo...its now week three. Reason for the visits? Hombu PR event. Mainly it's to ensure each and every member of the student body that the new Hombu is still there and that we plan on going nowhere. To build up their faith in the Hombu; knowing that the Hombu is there for them 24/7, no matter the situation/question/etc. To also bring the student body up to speed on what's new, like the new Mentor Camp that will be debuting in 2012 about mid July, right after our annual testing cycle, and how it'll affect/help them one way or another. Mentor's don't have to be of a Dan grade to Mentor. For example, a mom/dad can mentor their child, or a teacher from school can mentor a Shindokan student, any person who defines what a Mentor is to that student. Of course, any member of the Hombu can be a Mentor to a Shindokan student. Camp will be just that...CAMP...fun, crafts, sports, swimming, horseback, hiking, biking, etc, and of course daily Shindokan training sessions. KEY>>>NO FORMAL GI'S ALLOWED!! While visiting Shindokan dojo's, I was tended to my ever needs, and while I was receptive to their pampering, I felt slightly uneasy at times because, again, in my eyes I'm nothing special, I'm Bob, but I do understand the why of it. I'm very informal in my dojo mannerism and the like because I don't want the formality of it to interfere with training. Why? That's why we're there in the first place, and that is to train. Not to take anything away from our adult students, but I always have a blast with the kids. Their honesty across the board is very refreshing in a MA world full of egos; however, kids will let you know whats on their minds in the drop of a hat...I just love it!! I always carry 2 buckets of tennis balls, and every member of the student body knows what's in store when I haul out the tennis balls: The Tennis Ball Drill!! The kids just love that drill more than the adults did!! I ran the floor while visiting, but only when the Chief Instructor of that said Shindokan dojo had invited me to do so. I taught all ranks, both kids and adults. Held advanced Tuite segments with their Dan ranks, then held beg/inter level Tuite segments with the Kyu ranks. In the three weeks out, I've awarded one surprise promotion to an unexpected Chief Instructor, Jay Christensen, from Rokudan to Nanadan as well as the Shogo of Kyoshi. Few more weeks to go....AND I'M HAVING A BLAST!!

Welcome to KF!!!!!!!

Welcome to KF!!!!!!!

Welcome to KF!!!!!!!!

Welcome to KF!!!!!!!

Welcome to KF!!!!!!!!

Welcome to KF!!!!!!!

Ouch...Chiefs can't get a break: their season is not akin to last year. Sorry Brian!! My Cowboys have mastered losing the game in the 4th quarter. Romo made a wild/crazy Super Bowl prediction..."This team is going to win a Super Bowl at some point." Yeah...I'm sure that will be true whenever it does happen, but, imho, Romo won't be a Cowboy at that historic moment. It's all good....at least we get a season of the NFL...poor NBA might not even have a season!! GO COWBOYS!!

Fridays for the Hombu is its slowest because of the varied High/Mid-High sporting events. Then Saturday would be the Hombu's second slowest day during the varied summer sports programs, like little league, followed up with basketball, then soccer. Third slowest for the Hombu is family summer vacations. Forth slowest for the Hombu is right before Thanksgiving through New Year season. All in all, the Hombu still has its student base that will be at the Hombu no matter what!!

Imho, the true reason for the student decrease is the economic downturn. The MA, not just Karate, is a WANT and not a NEED. One needs to pay rent, buy groceries, pay utilities, and the like. One wants to learn the MA, but the money it takes each and every month to partake in MA classes can be used for something more important, as I've noted already.

Very nice article, and your article proves that YOU CAN TEACH KIDS...that takes a special gift. Not all black belts can teach, but even more so, not all black belts that do teach, can't teach kids. Solid!!

Yep..me too! Couple of old ...uhhhh...dudes I guess. ROFL...what's one to do?!

Learning from the internet, imho, is no different than from learning from a book; fragile at the best.

That was a GREAT article Brian!! Being honest with oneself across the board is very important, however, not easy to do for one reason or another. This article will get my vote as Article of the Year, should it be on the ballot.

It was only a matter of time....well deserved!! Congrats MP!!

Yes...Boston and Tampa are still dangerous...can't take them lightly at all. As I've always said, any team in the playoffs is there for a reason, and they must be treated with a lot of respect...or...you'll get your due deserts...a LOSS/SWEEP. Royals have struggled for quite along time...they've only been to the WS twice, winning the WS in 1985. The Royals have been in last place in the division for the sixth time in seven years...ouchy. There not in last place now...there in 4th place in the AL Central out of 5 spots. Phillies have gotten my attention since Red October is right over the corner. Their pitching staff are AWESOME, and this will task any team that faces them during the playoffs. Their win/loss ratio is better than the Yankees and their percentage is .36 than the Yankees. The tag team of Halladay and Lee scare the ding-a-ling out of me, even though they don't have the lowest ERA during regular season. Come Red October...their ERA's will drop...watch!! GO YANKEES!!

I was being kind Brian...lol when I spoke about the Chiefs win/loss ration...sorry. That's not good for the Chiefs to have lost Charles for the season. Still, two games down, nothing to do about that...a lot of the season still left to play.

Are you ready for Red October...well I AM!! My Yankees are in first place, and today, their magic number to earn them another Division Championship is...5, with only 10 games remaining in the regular season. 5 games ahead of their arch rivals, the Red Sox. Super congrats to 'MO for his 602nd save, clinching him as the all-time Saves Record Holder. Is he the best Closer in all of MLB? Well...602 speaks for that. We've done well for ourselves this year, and it appears that Red October is setting itself up, and the fans, as one wonderful time across the board. Will the Yankees land up in another World Series? I'm hoping for just that! Will they win this years World Series? As a Yankee fan, I of course say yes. As a realistic Yankee fan, let's wait to decide that once we see who we'll be facing because any team that's made it to the WS is no slouch of a team and they must be reckoned with a lot of respect from the boys in pinstripes!! GO YANKEES!!