sensei8

Imho, tournaments can be manipulated; I've seen it happen way to many times!!

Congrats!!

ps1, that's a very valid point. My two examples in my post had a mid level to high level black belt to certify their students.

Nobody can stop you. By this I mean, anyone, despite rank, can open a dojo and charge money for providing lessons. I've only seen 2 dojo's ever opened up for profit when the chief instructor was only a brown belt. First one opened up his dojo as an Sankyu, but while he was teaching at his dojo, he'd still be taking lessons from his Sensei, who was a Yondan. In time, he earned his Yudansha, and he never experienced a burp from only being a brown belt when he opened up his dojo. He was honest with his students right from the beginning, and his students, while he was a brown belt, never questioned him for not being a Yudansha. Second one opened up his dojo as an Ikkyu, and he conducted the classes himself, but he had a Nanadan sitting on the testing panel during testing cycles. Whomever passed, the Nanadan signed and stamped his seal of approval on the certificates. This went on way beyond this Ikkyu earning his own Yudansha. I'm not sure what the laws are in UK concerning this, but, in the USA, nobody can stop you from opening a dojo. Whether you'll get any students, well, that's up to your future students. Some consumers will avoid you like you had the plague, and others will not be so concerned with outer decorations. Nothing ventured is nothing gained.

Not always does being of Pro status mean payment; albeit, it also seeks the companionship of being in a sanctioned relationship.

But, imho, rank is an infinitesimal measure of martial skills. There's a very good reason why rank doesn't come from a cookie cutout; they're not the same from one organization to another.

Japan officials are now estimating 18,000 dead/missing... http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_earthquake

Congrats to her....and to you as well!!

Congrats holley...keep training!!

Absolutely!!

I speak mainly of the 7 virtues of Bushido. I see a lot of MAists that do not understand and/or believe in the 7 virtues of Bushido, but those who just don't want to. Again, this saddens me.

It is said that the seven pleats in ones hakama (two at the back and 5 at the front) represent the seven virtues of the Bushi namely:- Justice, Courage, Benevolence, Respect, Sincerity, Honour and Loyalty. I think I know where you are going with this sensei8. There seems to be less and less of this arround these days. sojobo Yes...it saddens me a lot!!

While winning is fun, it's the learning obtained while competing that's the true fun, imho. Keep training and have a lot of fun!!

Cover EVERYTHING from A to Z each and every time!! No exceptions!! No matter the ranking!! Standards and expectations must be high as well as consistent in both training and tests. I've failed Yondan's before for not showing marked improvement in something as elementary as Pinan Shodan. When it comes to a test: Get it right or get off my floor!! Too strict? NOPE!! Accountability is paramount!!

I've no preference myself. Front leg/back leg: both provide me with what I need per the situation at hand.

I hope that the MMA will steer clear away from that type of ranking because the Dan ranking system would only serve, imho, to only clutter up the works, and in that, weight titles suffice across the board.

Imho, the politics within the martial arts has destroyed the meaning of Bushido across the board. What was once valued, is so easily traded for selfishness. Politics within the martial arts taints the opportunities for any valued betterment. Your thoughts? **I wasn't sure if I should put this topic in General Martial Arts or Internal Arts and Philosophy or Martial Arts and Politics, therefore I placed it here: General Martial Arts. Hopefully it'll suffice!**

Welcome back!!

Best drill....SPAR...spar until the wheels fall off and then some. Nothing is better than sparring, and with different partners. And...get with your sensei asap and ask him/her those same questions? Good luck!

The prayers of my family and I are with the victims as well as their families today!! Here's a link to learn more (sorry it's in Japanese)... http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/11/japan.quake/index.html [You might find better reports, if so, please post them so that we can have a more accurate report/understanding.]

Rest is the optimal word, and in that, rest means....don't rush it.

As always, I'm on the side of the fence that's dead-set against contracts because they're so binding, one will have to pay it until the end, providing one will opt out correctly. If not, then the contract auto renews. If ones finances can't pay for said contract, then one would have to pay it, no matter what. I would just like to caution you before you sign any contract. Try to get a copy of the contract and have an attorney give you the pros and cons of it before it becomes a binding nightmare that you can't walk away from. Yes, you can just walk away from any said contract, but that causes another problem; ruining ones credit. Good luck!!

I concur...he's got good techniques...imagine how great he'll be when he's an adult. Did you notice at 0:52, his haircut is catching on with some very interesting variations.

It's right above your Avatar...it's that pretty rainbow thingymajig!!

Would any of you say that American Football [NFL] is difficult for someone to grasp because... A) Unfamiliarity B) Uninterested/ing C) Unclear