sensei8

Its quite funny to me, how many of us as MAists will speak of how the belt doesn't matter. But in this case, it does.... ....so, it leaves me to wonder how many of us have gone back on what we said when we claim "the belt doesn't matter...."????? No, the belt still doesn't matter, not to me; knowledge is paramount. I'm of the crowd that says no child under 18 years old can have a full-fledged Yudansha because my Soke said so...period! I'm of the crowd that says a child that's 13 years old through 17 years old can only have a Junior Black Belt, but no rank advancements until one becomes 18 years of age and older because my Soke said so...period! Because my Soke wrote our Articles and By-Laws, then for us of Shindokan, this is our gospel truth, and these particular Articles/By-Laws have never been challenged, thus they've not been changed to date. Therefore, I'm still not going to worry about the darn thing because it is what it is, and for us in the Shindokan, it's a done thing. It's out of my hands!

BINGO!!!!! Summer days in the dojo are all about CREATION. Excellent ideas THAT WORK! Nothing ventured; nothing gained. I'll also show a little drop during little league and any major high school sports seasons. The more major the sport to THAT school, the more the drop. Again, for me, this type of drop isn't so bad, but, it's nothing I ignore. When it came to baseball in little league/high school, I'd be found playing baseball, and not at the dojo as much.

Do you mix it or just spread it in layers? and how on earth did you get that combo? When I make a sandwich peanut butter and mayo aren't the first things I think to mix! ROFL! First I put 2 heaping teaspoonful of pb; spread it out. Then I put 1 level teaspoonful of mayo on top of the pb; spread it out. Then ENJOY IT! My brother came up with this one day when we were teens, and we ran out of jelly and bologna...so...a little experimenting later and PRESTO...one lovely can't resist sandwhich....YAHOO! Oh yeah...toasted or not, it doesn't matter....it's all in the mood. = me drolling twice

Just make sure you dunk the fries in the Frosty. If you just throw them all in they get all mushy. You still get that salty/sweet combo, just mushier. Note to self: One fry at a time! Got it! Thanks...YUMMERS! = Me drolling

"Will this work so that I can use it instinctively in vital combat against an opponent who is determined to prevent me from doing so, and who is striving to eliminate me by fair means or foul". ~ Rex Applegate Have you, as a martial artist, applied the Applegate test on everything that you've ever learned in the martial arts? AND... Were you being perfectly honest with yourself while you applied the Applegate test? Forget about systems, styles, methods and ideas for a moment because those things tend to slave us into a unwanted mindset, no, a dangerous mindset. For me to blindly follow the who, what, where, when, how, and why of Shindokan is not only risky for me, but, it's pretty foolish of me to do so. Not everything in the Shindokan bible is effective FOR ME, therefore, I won't practice it. Yes, I'll teach it, and then I'll expect my students to discover for themselves if it's effective for them or not. Our Soke put it, whatever 'it' is, into Shindokan for some reason, and it's possible that everything worked effectively for him. But, I'm not him, I'm just little old me! I'm just being honest with myself!

That's the key, imho, to passing out flyers...tracking how people have heard about you. Invaluable tools...the flyers and the tracking. Yes, I've always found that to be true about the summer months. What I've concluded is that VACATIONS happen and the martial arts doesn't. I can't say that I blame them; everyone needs a vacation. The good thing about vacations and the summer months is this...they both will end! One of the things that I do in the summer months is that I adjust my P&L to allow me to maximize my revenue during the summer. For example, there are three main things that I do to make this happen, especially during the summer months. The first thing I do is to strengthen my P&L by reducing expenses, turning around or eliminating unprofitable segments and stopping losses. The second thing I do is that I stabilize the balance sheet by managing cash, preserving liquidity, reassuring creditors and lenders...in other words, buying staying power for recovery. And the third thing that I do is to optimize opportunities for the dojo to express its abilities in the marketplace and move ahead profitably. I employ a zero-based budget approach so that I can determine a break-even level of operating expenses. Justification of every expense item, no matter what they might be, is required. After all, the P&L is a snap-shot picture of how viable my dojo is or isn't. I certainly don't want to have a blurred picture. No, I want a crystal clear picture. Those summer months seem to last forever, and they don't, but, by properly adjusting the P&L during the summer months will stop us from being burnt.

Imho, that's fine just as long as the floor is seperate from the relationship! My wife and my daughter train under me, but, when I'm on the floor, I'm not honey or dad, no, I'm the instructor and they're the students. It's just that simple. Can a instructor seperate himself/herself from the relationship long enough to teach effective martial arts effectively? I can and I do!

Not me. If I can't pronounce it and/or if I don't know the english translation of what it is...I just won't eat it. I learnt that the hard way, so, I'm stubborn that way. I may not know what I'm missing and it's probably quite tasty, but, I'll just miss out on a good meal. To each their own!

Excellent posts thus far, I thank you all! I don't believe in systems anymore. Nor in methods or ideas; what's there to teach? If someone said this to you...how would you respond to this?

I guess the funny thing about this whole discussion for me is that although we have varied opinions on the subject, I guess it boils down to one thing...possibly we shouldn't even worry about the darn thing. Why? Unless we're the founder of said style, then our opinions aren't worth a bag of beans. Even if we're a practitioner of said style, our opinions to the headquarters won't merit much concern to consider a change. I don't know, it's one way or another. Give or don't give black belts to children, it's not my decision to make. After awhile, all of my posturing for or againt the practice becomes a lot of blah, blah, blah. No matter how much I like or don't like the practice, it's still being done. Why? Because they didn't ask me for my opinion, they just do it, and they don't care what I think. I'm cool with that; after all, I've got no choice AND no say in the matter.

LOL; possibly you had to much mayo and it over powered the flavor balance, it takes experimenting, but, I love the darn thing. I've not ever tried french fries in chocolate ice cream, next time I'm in Wendy's I will; that's certainly an interesting combo.

Ohhh, that sounds very yummy, and I'll take two please! [Here I come to save the day] The mayo and the peanut butter sandwhich has to have a perfect balance, or, one flavor becomes stronger than the other. Tablespoon ratio is....2 pb:1 mayo.

It's illegal to place a flyer on and/or in a mailbox! Yet, if there's a type of box where newspapers and the like can be placed; that's legal. It also, depending on local ordinances, can be interpreted, by law, that it is illegal to place flyers on car windshields. Because cars are considered private property, the flyer can be considered littering. It's legal to pass out flyers at a Public School, but, only on the sidewalk. Most, if not all schools, wouldn't give you permission because your school is for profit, even at that, non-profits don't get much better access. Besides, schools should be left alone, imho. Here are some of the places that I've placed flyers: *Local Newspaper(s) *Pizza Box-Tops. I arranged it with a local pizzeria to attach my flyers to the outside top of their pizza boxes on a Friday & Saturday. *Residental (House/Apartment) door knob; secured by a rubber band. *Health Clubs and the like that aren't in dirrect competition with you. *Grocery stores & Laundromats that have a community bulletin board, but, don't cover up any other notices and the like. *Police stations and the like *Public libraries *Cafes *Book stores *Local sporting events. *Bus Stops, just don't block and/or create a hazard. Best place to place a flyer is on the back side of the stop. *Train Stations (AmTrak) *Colleges *Sport Supply Stores *Bowling Lane *Local Sporting Events *Wal-Mart with the permission of the general manager and/or the district manager. This is rare, but, it happens. I just stood outside of the doors and offered my flyers to those coming in and those going out. I never became a pest; when a customer didn't want the flyer, I thanked them anyway. I always asked permission of the business/Corporation and/or checked with my local ordinances/laws before I started to pass my flyers out. Also, wherever I was asked to leave, I did just that, and I apologised for my intrusion. Sometimes it's not what you say, but it's how you say it!

If you're not a baseball fan, then this might not be interesting to you, but, if you are a baseball fan, check this out... http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/The-Great-Gazoo-helmets-were-everywhere-at-the-A?urn=mlb,255836 I think this is a good idea considering what a 90 mph fastball will do to you when you get hit in the temple/ear area of your head. I've never understood why the majors shunned the baseball helmets of little league in the first place, but, nonetheless they [MLB] did. I hope this new Gazoo helmet becomes a rule for the safety of the players.

My methods might not be as sophisticated as some posted here, but nonetheless... Word of mouth AND Blanket an area with flyers. With this one, one has to be careful to not break the law. Yeah, they're both time consuming, but, they've worked well for me.

Food!? Did someone say...FOOD!?! I love #1 and #4 and #5....YUMMY! I love a mayo and peanut butter sandwhich....[Drooling] I love mustard on my popcorn...[slobbering] I love dipping pickles in peanut butter...[i need a bib] I love a sliced avocado in half, toss the pit of course, and then drown the avocado with cottage cheese and smoked oysters...[Mommy] Possibly I've been pregnant a long time.

Nice post Brian...thank you for it! RIP George and Bob! The All-Star Game did some nice classy stuff during the game to commemorate them both...it was nice.

I use to compete quite heavily. It was a personal choice for me. California was a hot-bed for open tournaments and I probably competed every weekend, both as a kid and as a adult. I just loved the competition across the board. The win-some lose-some was more than evident within California because there were many, many talented martial artists, no matter the division. It made you to want to compete just to see what might or might not happen. I was part of the weekend warriors that traveled all over California. And yes, for me, it was fun! My last tournament was in Bakersfield, California at the Bakersfield Open in 1998. It was STILL fun! My Dai-Soke never pushed and/or encouraged us to compete in tournaments. It was our choice. He never deswayed us from tournaments because he told everyone, all the time, what we do outside of the dojo was none of his business unless it relects negatively on him and his dojo. Inside his dojo we did Shindokan and Shindokan Kobudo...nothing else! I echoed my Dai-Soke and in that, we did Shindokan and Shindokan Kobudo...nothing else! I never pushed and/or encouraged my students to compete in tournaments. Tournaments are fine, I loved them, but I've no desire to teach tournament sparring and the like. I never kept and/or never allowed tournament flyers to be posted in my dojo. My students in California knew I went to tournaments, and I went to a lot of tournaments. But, I went to tournaments for myself, and not for my students and/or for my dojo. As a matter of fact, I never once displayed any of my trophies in my dojo because I never liked that sort of thing. Whenever my students would ask about a tournament that I went to over the weekend, and how it went for me, I'd just say "It was fun", nothing more and nothing less. If my students asked about tournament competition and they wanted to compete...well...that's up to my students. They can investigate and research about tournaments all they want and if they want to compete...I'm not going to stop them unless they do something that reflects negatively on me and my dojo. My students were at the dojo for one reason and one reason alone...learn Shindokan! As of late, I've been entertaining the notion of competing in the Senior/Master Divisions at ISKA tournaments. Who knows, I just might.

Not at first, maybe later, if that Kyuodan Dojo is still in operations. Originally in Oklahoma; no! I was born in Ft. Worth, Texas in 1957. Moved to California in 1958; lived there until 1999. Moved to Dallas, TX in 1999 when my mom wasn't doing so well; buried my mom in 1999. Then I moved to Oklahoma in 1999; stayed in Oklahoma until 2008. Moved back to California to take on the duties of Kaicho/Chief Instructor of the Shindokan Hombu. Now, I'm back in Oklahoma. Let me see if I can jog your memory a little. Do you remember when you, John, and I had tried to get together to meet/train? Well, I was living in Oklahoma at the time. And yes, I'm very aware of how close you and I live near to one another, we're practically neighbors.

No, that Kyuodan Dojo is closed, and has been since very early 1999. I know this as a fact because...I owned that Kyuodan Dojo. Each dojo I've owned, one in California and one in Oklahoma, I named them both Kyuodan Dojo. Saticoy and Louise...old stomping grounds. Memories!

Yeah, but my typing fingers haven't. LOL!

I’ve not walked away from the martial arts. NO! On the contrary! I will continue on my journey. I will continue to be a student of the martial arts. I will continue to seek and explore, and in that, I will continue to discover the untold and unfounded possibilities that are still within the martial arts. I will continue to be what I’ve always been…a martial artist! I will continue to seek perfection in my techniques, but I know that I will never find that perfection. Why? Perfection is an illusion that evades us all because we’re not perfect and we will never be. It doesn’t mean that we have to stop trying! I’m proud to wear the badge proudly and I’m not ashamed to wear the badge. What badge? The badge that says I’m a martial artist, and it’s in my heart...forever! The martial arts will forever be in my life…always! I can no more remove the martial arts from my life, than I can remove the air that I breathe; they both sustain me! To deny me of either, denies me of life. Still, I find me asking myself a reoccuring question... Have I walked away from my students? I'm not sure that there is even an answer for this question that will satisfy the critics or myself. Possibly, I'm just being selfish in asking this question of myself, over and over. Perhaps I feel guilty for one reason or another because I am imagining in my mind that I've abandoned them in reality. The martial arts and my students will be in my life forever!

Methodology and/or Ideology. One is preeminent; but that depends on whom one is talking to when it comes to the martial arts. By definition...[Merriam-Webster Dictionary] Methodology: 1 : a body of methods, rules, and postulates employed by a discipline : a particular procedure or set of procedures. 2 : the analysis of the principles or procedures of inquiry in a particular field. Ideology: 1 : visionary theorizing. 2 a : a systematic body of concepts especially about human life or culture, b : a manner or the content of thinking characteristic of an individual, group, or culture, c : the integrated assertions, theories and aims that constitute a sociopolitical program. Questions: 1] Which one is your style's organization a proponent of? 2] Which one are you a proponent of? 3] Which one is your martial art based on? 4] Which one is your martial arts dependant on? 5] Are they seperate beliefs? 6] Are they said same beliefs? 7] Are they interchangable? 8] Can ones belief survive without the other? 9] Can one become a prisoner of either belief? 10] Does one belief or another truly matter? Let our discussion begin!

Bruce Lee had some awesome forearms. He knew that his forearms had to be developed in such a way that his forearms would compliment his totality. Here is a summary of what a normal day of forearm workouts would look like for him: Forearm Exercises 1) Underhand Wrist Curl [4 sets of 17] 2) Overhand Wrist Curl [4 sets of 12] 3) Leverage Bar Curl [4 sets of 15] 4) Bar Curl [4 sets of 15] 5) Reverse Curl [4 sets of 6] 6) Leverage Bar Twist [3 sets of 10] On top of this exercise he would do a bunch of grip training. This was to build on all of those tiny muscles you have in your hand and around your wrist. He felt it was necessary to do those because the hands and wrists compliment the forearms. In addition: *500 fist push-ups *2 Sets of 6 Reps Bench Press *2 hours of punching drills *Wrist Roller (Bruce Lees favorite where you roll up a weight attached to a pole with a string). Enjoy your workouts!

Solid post!