sensei8

Well, learning from a DVD isn't easy at all especially with no prior experience in what the DVD offers, imho.

I'm with Brian on this...only your sensei truly knows the answer to your question, providing your sensei understands your question. I've an explanation for you because I've done this Kata for many, many years but I would still revert you back to your sensei!

Playoffs are upon us again and it appears that we'll have some great games to watch. By prediction for Super Bowl: Falcons VS Patriots...Patriots WIN!! However, I'd love to see either the Jets or the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.

At home; only in the garage or my wife will KILL me!

I define EFFECTIVE this way... If your instructor is effective across the board, and you believe in your instructor; than what she/he provides you through their style(s) of the martial arts will also be effective. What my Soke placed in the curriculum was effective, and what my Dai-Soke supported in the methodologies that he taught was effective as well. However, I tested what was being taught to me over and over again until there was no doubt in my mind that what I was taught and what I was teaching was, in fact, effective. If not, then I discarded it, even if it was in our curriculum. Why? I've a responsibility to myself and to my students first and foremost, no matter if this included angering my Soke and Dai-Soke. It's effective if I say so through my blood, sweat, and tears!! For everything that I've kept that's of the martial arts was because, to me and for my students, that said technique(s) was more than adequate to accomplish a purpose; producing the intended or expected result!! I'll test the technique(s) over and over and over and continue to test the technique(s) by placing them through one microscope after another until I'm satisfied one way or another. It's effective because I say so; it works for me, and in that, I teach my students what I believe in, just as I'm sure you do as well. Techniques that I don't believe in, well, I wouldn't line the bottom of a bird cage with. I do not judge a martial art's effectiveness from what I see in the ring; I take the time to actually analyze the techniques. And I have, and I still am. Am I always right? No! And when I discover that I'm wrong about a technique(s); I discard it immediately! Your definition of EFFECTIVE?

What you're saying does make sense. I used the words "Effective Self-Defense" in my opening post to take the place of words like, Tae Kwon Do or Shotokan or BJJ or MMA or Judo or any of the many styles of the martial arts. So, let's just forget about effective self-defense for the moment because its not the main reason for my post. It's like most schools of the martial arts are trying so hard to be so political correct in their ads, however, they don't want to list the style(s) that they teach atop the by-products of learning the martial arts. *Shindokan Karate-do Saitou-ryu & Kobudo *XX years of experience *$$ (monthly price of tuition) That's it! Nothing more and nothing less. List all they want to list. List things like the locker rooms, like the square footage, like the length that they've been at their location, etc. Cluttering their ads anyway that they want to is OK, imho, just as long they list their style(s) in its prominent spot. Their ads, imho, make it appear as though they're ashamed to mention their style(s) in any shape, way, and/or form. But, as I've already said, their ads are harmless, and in that, there's no real problem with them. It's just like a pebble in my shoe when I see ads similar to the sample ad in my OP.

Over the many past years, I've seen this type of generalization in TV ads, phone book ads, flyers, and newspaper ads, to name just a few types of media's available to each and every martial arts school owner to advertise on. For example... Our Programs Help With... *Respect, Courtesy & Self-Discipline *Positive Behavioral Changes *Self-Confidence *Focus & Concentration *Improving Grades & Productivity *Goal Setting & Self-Control Its meaning is quite understood by its consumers, and its fairly harmless. Yes, the martial arts does help with these as noted at the bullet points in the ad above. I don't question that content at all. What's missing in ads of this type, imho... EFFECTIVE SELF-DEFENSE This school of the martial arts seems to forget that the martial arts is for one; learning effective self-defense. Albeit, the items in the above ads bullet points are just the by-product of learning the martial arts. Why are martial arts schools so afraid to mention that they'll teach effective self-defense, first and foremost? Possibly they don't mention effective self-defense because they don't teach ANY self-defense. BTW, we can say all of the bullet points in the ad above in your own ad, but hopefully you'll be mentioning the style(s) that your school does teach as the first bullet point in your ad...or...just mention your style(s) as the only bullet point(s)!! Your thoughts?

I stopped making resolutions along time ago.

What makes a good Sensei? Honesty across the board; first by being honest with themselves first and foremost!! Being a published author or having produced DVD's and the like in the martial arts genre doesn't make a good Sensei. Those are nice platitudes to have for one reason or another, but that doesn't guarantee that the Sensei will be good at it; teaching that is. After all, a Sensei is someone who must have the ability to teach, and their black belt doesn't guarantee that attribute. I've never written a book. I've never published any type of DVD. I'm not a famous martial artist. I'm not well known. I've never been written about in any martial arts publication. This and that. I'm just me, and I believe that I'm a good Sensei across the board. You see, my Soke, and then my Dai-Soke didn't believe in having a website, didn't advertise...ever, other than word of mouth. They despised the tournament scene, however, they never prevented us from participating in them. Go or don't go, they didn't care one way or another UNLESS, I/we shamed ourselves and/or them and/or the Hombu. If we acted to big for our britches, they'd put us back in our places fast. None of them were ever interested in the many things that Sensei's of the past and/or the present were/are interested in. Despite all of that, I consider them both good Sensei's, and I'm not alone in this analogy. They'd always remind us that Karate-do isn't meant to be dependant on commercialism of any type. It's not their cup of tea, and in that, they'd never deny others for their tea flavor. Being honest with oneself to be a good Sensei is important, but it's not that easy! The OP and the two that follow make solid points across the board. Hopefully, I've added something of value to this discussion.

I voted "system"!! Imho... Without a system first, there would be no sensei! So, as to not overuse something I've said here many times before, but it needs to be said again, NOT ALL BLACK BELTS CAN TEACH!! However, a viable and effective system must exist first! Not a mutt system that's been thrown together like Dr. Frankenstien did for his monster; a little bit of this and a little bit of that, it won't exist for long, and it shouldn't. Limited knowledge bears no fruit! Once a black belt is wrapped around the waist of the sensei want-to-be, the system needs to mentor the yudansha through an Instructor Training course before they can officially instruct anybody. Then and only then will the new Sensei become himself/herself viable and effective under the system's umbrella of endorsements, as well as finally receiving their systems stamp of approval. That's key! Having a viable and effective system for the Sensei to hang their yudansha upon is paramount . NO SYSTEM = NO SENSEI...NO SENSEI = NO STUDENTS. In the martial arts; putting the horse before the cart simply means that going about a project in a haphazard fashion, setting up steps out of order and working in a confused manner. It's counter-productive, inefficient and disorganized. It simply doesn't work. The only result may be spinning one's own wheels, and the project goes nowhere. The system produces the sensei; not the other way around!!

This might be of some help for you... http://www.hanni-sakas.com/CombatJutsu06/Links.htm

In a nutshell... "Best", especially in the martial arts, imho, is nothing more than an illusion. Looking at the plethora of styles of the martial arts, the arts in themselves are solid across the board. Having said that, practitioners of the martial arts aren't cut out from a cookie sheet; we're different across the board. Nonetheless, I win today, but tomorrow I lose. This doesn't make my style the best/worst nor does it make the other practitioners style the best/worst either. After all, I'm not fighting the style, I'm fighting the practitioner. Practitioners CAN lose, but the style, imho, can't be defeated. Why? Interpretation defaults actions. Why? The summation of "why" is to the summation of "because". Sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose. There's always someone better than me/you on any given day. Not many have beaten [bLANK]. Perhaps the right person hasn't come forward yet for one reason or another. Again, even if the right person came forward and then lost, it was the practitioner who lost and not the style. Isn't that practitioner a representative of said style? And if he/she is, then the style isn't faulted. We are fallible beings, and in that, we can't win all of the time; it's unreasonable, it's wishful thinking. The question would be better served if it was worded this way: What style of the martial arts is BEST FOR ME? That can only be truly answered by the one asking the question. Advise can be given, but the advise must be sound. Can one be perfectly honest with oneself? That's not easy to answer.

The "Gi" has its merits, but, for me, I'd, sooner than later, discard the gi because it's going to be in my way and provide a "tool" to use against me.

Very nice article...I enjoyed it a lot! I've viewed Bruce's saying that you quoted in a different way, but that's the beauty of the journey. Still, a solid article across the board!!

Both have to be taught one way or another!!

Congrats to you!!

Don't waste yourself!!

Ego fuels both the arrogant as well as the ignorant; ego has no place in the martial arts!! "If I tell you I'm good, you would probably think I'm boasting, If I tell you I'm no good, You know I'm lying." ~Bruce Lee Was Bruce both; arrogant/ignorant in this saying of his? I don't think so. I think Bruce was complete in his totality.

I think that in theory, I will never catch up for the simple reason you just mentioned. Been thinking about that a lot the last few days. You might one day catch up to your Sensei's rank, but you'll never catch up to his knowledge. Besides, you're very correct when you say that you'll never 'catch up'! Why? Because your journey is YOUR journey alone! Your journey isn't to 'catch up' with anybody, but to be honest with yourself across the board each and everyday.

More Karate in the UFC? For me, the bottom line is that I don't really care what the core style of the fighter is. What I want to see more of is the code of Bushido in/out of the octagon, and not the unsportsmanlike conduct that seems to permeate the UFC before/during/after a fight, and I'm glad to see the Mr. White isn't going to allow those unsportsmanlike actions to continue anymore, after all, they're martial artists, not barbarians. Yes, I'd love to see more Karate represented in the UFC because I'm a Karateka, but, the UFC doesn't determine if Karate is the effective art that it is or not, and for that fact, the UFC doesn't make/break a style of the martial arts. Why? The UFC is just a venue of its type, nothing more and nothing less. As long as their are rules, we'll never know in a styles complete totality.

Well...Week #16 for me was sweet and lots of presents, not just because it was Christmas, but because some NFL teams are for REAL!! Although I'm a die-hard Cowboy fan, and the Cowboys have struggled this year, I've found enjoyment in watching some other teams across the board. For example... I've enjoyed the Chiefs because it's good to see them back on the top as division champs. Their win over the Titans was masterful as a team. I can't, we fans can't seem to enjoy it enough when players jump up into where the fans are and celebrate a TD, no, it's not ok, according to the NFL for more than ONE player to do the Lambeau leap after a TD. Why? If it's unsportsmanlike to do this, well, then stop the other team from getting into the end zone. If you can't, then don't look. The NFL is too busy, imho, in taking a fun and exciting thing, like bonding with the fans, into something that it's not...unsportsmanlike, imho. I can't wait for the time when the ENTIRE offense does the Lambeau leap at the same time FOR THE FANS, because the Lambeau leap is FOR THE FANS AND NOT THE NFL. I've enjoyed the Jets because they've played for real, and it was good to follow them especially for me since they were in ESPN NFL Training Camp with the Jets earlier this year. I loved the raw passion of the coaches and the players. Even though the Jets lost a close one to the Bears, the Jets still clinched a playoff spot---and for me, that's awesome. I followed the Jets more this year than before because the Cowboys weren't doing anything. Oh, I'm a die-hard Cowboy fan but sometimes, I want to watch and cheer a team that's actually winning...like the Chiefs and the Jets. Both the Jets and the Chiefs will have a tough playoff schedule against some tough teams, and in that, if they [Jets/Chiefs] want to advance to the Super Bowl, well, they need to CONTINUE in being awesome, even though only one of them can advance to the Super Bowl. My Cowboys have had their ups and downs this year. They lost ANOTHER CLOSE game against the Cardinals. And that's how its been for the Cowboys this year...close loses, not many blow-outs, but close ones, and in that, a win is a win and a lose is a lose no matter how I want to rationalize the whole thing. Romo being out hurt the Cowboys' hopes, however, Kitna hasn't been a bad thing, no, imho, he's been a good thing for the Cowboys, even though he gave up 2 interceptions right away that the Cardinals capitalized on. Giving Wade his walking papers also was a good thing for the Cowboys, but, giving up 3 turnovers will hurt any team, and the Cowboys rallied back and almost won the game. Almost isn't a win! Other teams I enjoyed this year were...the Ravens, the Patriots (they've won 7 games in a row), the Dolphins (who lost to the Lions, which I thought the Dolphins had that game, but...the Lions roared), the Steelers, the Rams (who are on the cuspid of winning their division), the Eagles (even when they beat the Cowboys...aarrgghh), the Bears, the Falcons (they've won 8 games in a row), and some of you here won't like this, but, I've enjoyed the Lions (who've won 3 games in a row, which is rare for the Lions as of the years past) who've played the role of SPOILER to some dynamic teams I think that the Falcons VS the Patriots will be in this years Super Bowl in Dallas, TX. For some teams next and final week...it's for all of the marbles and for others, it's going to be their role to just take all of the marbles home for themselves! GO COWBOYS!!

Congrats!!

To everyone here at KF; have a safe Merry Christmas!!

Welcome to KF!!!!!

Congrats!!