sensei8

As anyone could fear. This could end up being a polictal nightmare. In a perfect world it would be nice to have but the end result could just make things worse. Isn't that just an assumption? It hasn't been tried, and in that, there's no way of truly knowing if "it" will work or not.

Let's forget the belt. It's being tromped upon by those groups that have never earned any belt, let alone a black belt. What they do in the name of money should be illegal in some way or another. Call it what you would want to, but I want those who are fakes and liars stopped at any effective legal means in the name of the martial arts. I don't want government intervention no more than anyone else, but something has to be done to erase these fake black belts from condemning innocent students to a fate of believing in a false securities concerning their abilities. Whatever ASE does, it seems to work in that field, and I don't see the ASE has ever been accused of anything inappropriate for there own liberties and self-aggrandizement. ASE is also an non-profit organization. Who pays for the testing and the like? The mechanic's do. Who keeps the records? ASE does. Who creates the testing questions? Master Mechanics from different automotive/truck fields, and these Master Mechanics have been chosen to a ASE board for that purpose only. I've no idea if a MASE certification would work. I've no idea on how one would create an organization with the martial arts in mind. I've no idea how one could get a room full of well known and respected masters to agree on anything except that they don't agree on the 1, 2, 3... and/or the A, B, C. Style A and style B will never agree because of their own methodology and because of their own agenda; to them, that's more important than the whole. Is it better for the one or is it better for the multitude? As long as we just turn our heads away and act like it doesn't matter that the false black belts commit their acts of dishonesty, and that's what a fake black belt does, then they will continue going unchecked and free to abuse innocent students in all four corners of the world. I didn't say it was a good idea. I just provided an idea for us here at KF to discuss among ourselves in it's possibility as well as it's impossibility. If someone can ever come up with a working model that will benefit the true martial artists as well as the martial arts itself in a whole, well, I'd be interested to try it.

National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) is a professional certification group that certifies professionals in the automotive repair and service industry. It is an independent, non-profit organization created in 1972 in response to consumers need to distinguish between incompetent and competent automotive technicians. The organization aims to improve the quality of vehicle repair and service through the testing and certification of repair and service professionals. Testing is done twice a year for the written version.~Wikipedia The Official ASE website says... http://www.ase.com/Content/NavigationMenu/ASE_Resource_Center1/About_ASE2/ASE_Profile/ASE_Profile.htm You'll notice that any and all candidates for ASE testing must meet certain prerequisite's first.... "Upon passing at least one exam and after providing proof of two years of relevant work experience, the test taker becomes ASE certified. Certification, however, is not for life. To remain certified, those with ASE credentials must be retested every five years." Possibly one day, those of us in the field of martial arts would have something like ASE, but MASE, so that all of the "fake" black belts in the world wouldn't be able to infect any student of the martial arts. Like shade tree mechanics of old, that were replaced by the ASE certified mechanic, perhaps the shade tree "black belt" would be replaced by those certified instructors of the martial arts in their style of expertise. If subjecting to the government through MASE to rid us of those "fake black belts", then I'm for it. Something, and/or someone needs to stop them before the word black belt means absolutely NOTHING. I fear that the time is near us, if not already at our door step. Let the discussion begin...

Well said! Ditto!!

Absolutely...CONGRATS!!

Yes, by all means...congrats to the Packers as well as to their fans for a well deserving win...and yes, it was a great game.

Momentum transfer takes place when you walk with your arms swinging freely. This is a case of reverse-rotation forces, helping to keep balance in this case...no damage done, and some momentum from the body is transferred to the arms. The body, being much heavier than the arms doesn't effect any near-complete momentum transfer under usual walking conditions. Of course, with more hip dynamics, reverse-rotation can become an important dynamic force for blocking, striking, punching, and so on and so forth. As an example of momentum-transfer to a target, if you back-fist strike to the face of an opponent, it's likely that the momentum-transfer will snap back his/her head, illustrating that momentum has been transferred from your fist to his/her head. I pick the strike-snap to illustrate this, as the focus generally is not deep into the target or at least does not follow the target, and so it's clear that the head is snapping back due to momentum transfer and not "pushing." Often there's damage incurred in the target, such as broken bone caused by extreme pressure at the point of contact. Momentum, force, pressure aren't different variables as suggested by the question, but rather are related to each other. Impact force is often best described as the transfer of momentum divided by the short time momentum is being transferred. Pressure is the force divided by the area over which it is acting. If a thrusting technique happens to deposit all its energy into a target, then it may be possible to reasonably calculate the energy deposited into the target as one-half the square of the velocity of the projectile times its mass. Large pressure waves can often break a bone. If the striking hand were open instead of a fist, whereas there might have been enough pressure from a knuckle of the fist making contact with the face, it's possibly likely that on impact the same force would be spread over a large enough area so that there wouldn't be sufficient pressure to break bone, though the momentum transfer likely would be comparable to cause the head to snap back as well...allowing for some additional momentum not present that would have gone into the momentum of broken fragments of bone in the case of using a fist. The above gives some general description of the nature of momentum and pressure acting in a karate technique.

I thought that those commentary links would be very helpful to those students learning said kata from anew, and that's why I started those threads. Those links would also show Helan and Tekki kate commentaries as well. The Bunkai question was...well...just a question for those to ponder for the fun of it.

This is cold of me to say, but... Support from ones spouse/kids, family, and/or friends might be important, but, to me, it's just not that important. When I'm on the floor, that's where my full attention is/belongs. Nonetheless, when I'm at home with my wife/kids, family, and/or friends, then that's where my full attention is/belongs.

How do I cope with losing students? Students that quit for whatever the reason(s) might be or might not be doesn't bother me at all. If they want to quit, go for it. I just don't dwell on it at all. As you've already stated..."Those who want to train will train, those who do not will always find an excuse". I only concentrate on the students that are in the now, and not on those students who are yesterday. Just let them go...from your dojo and from your mind; your other students deserve your full attention across the board.

To answer any of these questions accurately and/or informative would take more than what's allowed in any forum. Albeit, styles differ as much as the individuals who created said styles and as the practitioners who practice said styles, and as different as the many said links that can be found on the internet.

I'd say that if the chief instructor is using Osu, then by all means, use it, and vice versa.

Another one of my uninterested topics strike again!!

Negotiate, negotiate, negotiate!! I can't emphasis that enough. Negotiate the rent! Negotiate each and every controllable, no matter how trivial it might be. Usually you can't control the utilities, but you can to a point. Still....negotiate your rate without reservation, but once its done, pay it or teach in the dark. Ever so often, revisit the powers that be at each of your utilities and re-negotiate the rates in your favor. With utilities, it's the old saying....if you want fruit, you better go to the fruit vendor. As a owner of a school of the martial arts, you have to know exactly what is a controllable, and what is a uncontrollable. Some of the uncontrollables in business are...the climate, the culture, competitors, government and policies. After that, forget the P&L, concentrate on becoming one of the best schools of the martial arts, if not in the world, then in your little pond. Just one quick thing about the P&L Statement. In the martial arts, you're a master, well, as far as the P&L is concerned, you better master the P&L before it masters you. Now...go get 'em and good luck!!

It's called the same thing in our group as well...Hikite. However, Higi = pull/draw; not elbow. Hiji = elbow. Nonetheless, the elbow within this principle is as you've stated in the above paragraph. Not to argue, but only to re-emphasis what we've both already said, and that is, the elbow must stay true in its path by remaining absolute close to ones side. Besides, for grins and giggles, it would be impossible for the elbow to not precede the hand on its path because, well, they're connected in one way or another on the arm; the elbow is where it is and the hand is where it is and to not leave him out of it...the shoulder is where it is...so on and so forth. I agree. As I've stated before, hikite is great for the beginning student; it's a visual stimulant that has came to life. It's as simple as counting; one comes before two, and in that two comes after one, yet, it also comes before three at the same time. Imho, it's therefore, incorrect to assume that a great hikite is necessary to make a punch more powerful, and the power in the punch isn't because the pulling hand is coming back forcefully. So many things contribute to making a punch more powerful: Breathing techniques, muscle contraction/expansion/extension/retraction, Ashi Sabaki/Yori Ashi, body shifting, dropping one's centre of gravity, using legs; pushing/pulling, the body; rotation/spinning, shoulder; movement/rotation, and, imho, the most important of all, hip/waist; movement/rotation Primarily, power lives inside the hips. A good example of this would be the one-inch punch. In the one-inch punch, the hand doesn't begin from the hip or wherever; the punching hand is...well...one-inch away from target. My Dai-Soke was always saying..."No, no, no, no...no power; it mean no hip". Another principle that compliments hikite is tsurite/lifting hands. This principle is valued in Judo, and in Shindokan, it's a important part of the Tuite that I practice within our Shindokan ryu. The right hand is the tsurite/lifting hand and the left hand is the hikite/pulling hand. To give tsurite its equal attention within KF, possibly tsurite is for another topic/thread.

Congrats and well deserved!!

Two things... One, it's apparently true that it's difficult at times to explain/describe accurately a methodology in our given venue. Two, whether it's to you "shoulder" or to me "hands"; the shoulder's connected to the...., and the hand's connected to the... In that, I didn't name the principle!

For those of us here at KF that are Yankee fans, this article isn't good news.... http://www.northjersey.com/sports/020411_Andy_Pettittes_decision_leaves_teammates_sad_and_rotation_in_crisis.html As a fan, you know that this type of event is always on the horizon for MLB players who've been playing along time...Good luck Andy, I know I'll miss you.

SOLID!!

Well, there are many drills and the like that one can do by themselves to hopefully improve ones kumite, but, imho, the best way to improve ones kumite is to actually kumite. I know it's not the answer you were hoping for, but offering you one drill after another is fine, but being able to transition said drill(s) into actual kumite, well, that can be very hard to do, especially with beginners. Beginners, without ever trying, seem to make a mountain out of a mole hill, but, it's all part of learning. Before long, you'll have your AHA moment!!

I'd say that it might depend on the type of throw that's executed. In that, even if it's the smallest amount of a positional change. You know, it's kind of like when you're standing there working at a table, for example, and while you're standing there, you adjust for either comfort and/or for leverage, still, you moved from your original position/stance.

A very solid post!!

This is when one hand is moving, forward in this case, and the opposite hand is return, pulling, back to its chamber position, wherever that point is. These two separate actions are performed simultaneously. Hence...pulling hand. The pulling hand is returned to its chambered position forcefully. The reason for that is so that the pulling hand remains close to the body as well as it returning on its shortest path. It's the old...to every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction. For the beginning student, practicing pulling hand increases balance as well as it aides rotational power. Beginning students need something to visually understand certain principles in Karate, and pulling hand, imho, is ideal. As in most Karate principles, pulling hand does have it's drawbacks. If I incorporate pulling hand in my Tuite, I run the risk of not being able to use that hand for the moment because I've trapped one of my opponents hand/arm/something. The twisting of the hand on the pulling hand side can be applied/interpreted as a grasping/grabbing motion. Hopefully, what I've described here isn't as disjointed as my OP; for that, I apologize.

Now that's cheating...and I'm for that..."I love the smell of napalm in the morning...smells like...victory"!!

While I'm on the side of....Not all black belts can teach because it's true....not all black belts can teach....and shouldn't! What any Hombu, large or small, should not do is graduate someone from the Instructor Training Course who doesn't possess not one iota of teaching ability. This is the time to act, during the course, not after. The Hombu should spot an Instructor candidate that's not cutting the mustard because the Hombu is suppose to be closely monitoring each and every candidate from day one. It doesn't take all to many days to discover those candidates that aren't all that and a bag of chips in the instructor ability area. In that, drop them from the course just as soon as it's duly noted. Sad thing is that many Hombu's DON'T drop those said Instructor candidates from the course, no, they pass them anyway for some reason or another. I say drop them like a bad habit without any hesitation! For those Hombu's who don't, I'm sure these Hombu's also just give black belts away like it's Christmas without any thought whatsoever.