sensei8

True beauty of the weapon, imho, is when the practitioner and the weapon becomes one; indiscernible. Yet, Brian speaks very true when he says..."This may sound a bit crude, but the beauty in weaponry is in its killing efficiency." How can one ignore the weapons main reason for its existence; killing. Wait! The weapon is for self-defense! Yes, but in order for that weapon to aide in self-defense, that weapon, when once chosen to become active, has to surrender to its most basic reason for within its creation, and that is that it kills. It is crude, but, it's understood! No weapon commits any said action; practitioners commit every said action. The weapon is the innocent party of its actions. A weapon is indiscernible to the wielder as lust is indiscernible to love. While either are seperate, they're dependent to one another because they need each other, and that need can't be denied. The weapon is just a tangible thing of beauty when it's just lying on the floor, but, when I pick up that weapon, that weapon and I come alive as one; indiscernible. Lay the weapon back down onto the floor, it becomes dormant until called into service again by the practitioner.

A test in Karate is just like any other type/kind of test; nothing to them at all. Please understand that I'm purposefully downplaying the test because the most important thing, imho, is to not blow any karate test way out-of-porportion; to not be scared of any karate grading test. That'll just make it almost impossible for one to pass; nerves are normal but out-of-ones-mind kind of nerves over a karate test aren't. Remember Mizu No Kokoro [Mind Like Water] and Tsuki No Kokoro [Mind Like the Moon]; remain calm and undisturbed before, during, and after your test....you'll be fine! What Blade96 explains to you in her link about her testing experience will help you...I'm sure of it! Good luck!

Doh...Toptomcat beat me to it!

I once put a huge chain and lock onto my dojo's front door as well as placing very official looking signs onto every glass window-front to give the appearance that my dojo was closed forever...signs all over the windows said..."THIS BUSINESS IS HEREBY CLOSED WITHOUT NOTICE PERMANENTLY". I left the dojo closed for an entire day...without notice! My students flipped out because they thought that it was for real. Of course, it doesn't help much when I didn't answer my home/cell phone and that I wasn't home and that I couldn't be found at my usual favorite places....all day. Btw, I've a sick twisted dry sense of humor at times and that day back then was no exception. My students found it funny once I explained it to them that it was just an April Fools joke...done on April 1st...and I was forgiven...because...I showed up the next day business as usual.

To everyone here at KF and to their families...HAPPY EASTER!!!!!!!!!

Congrats John!!!!!

Nope. I just don't tie myself to any particular combo(s) because I feel that if I do, it'll limit my possibilities.

My fav...hit without being hit....I've no favs!

Now, I haven't laughed so much and so hard as I just did after I just read all 3 pages of Patrick's April Fool joke. Very well done by all. Very well done Patrick! ROFLMHO until I threw up! I'll be laughing at this all day and tomorrow and the next day and...ROFL!!!!

Story of my life...sleeping at the wheel because I MISSED THE WHOLE THING..... I saw the link but I wasn't even interested in looking at it and now I've missed out on the fun as well as the joke. I'm such a dork!

Now that's funny! Show's what one can learn from KF, huh!?

When I posted "NOTHING" "FREE" I was speaking of my own idle hopes and dreams of possibilities over some other horizon. I've only known one way to operate my dojo's; as a business. In that, my business' were for profit, therefore, my prices (Instructions/Retail) were set as low as possible so that I could ensure that a profit was being made when the economic downturn was at its most dynamic point. Even before the bottom fell out of the economy, my prices were never high across the board. That's only because, I don't think that learning any martial arts should come at a high price, but at an affordable price that allows all walks of the economic spectrum to partake freely.

I've always only known our headquarters as HOMBU. That's what our Soke called it and that's what's written in our Densho, Hand Scrolls, and By-Laws. So, that's why I write it as I do; it's all I've known.

Sure, but, where and how should the line be defined? I don't like his ad no more than anybody else, but, this guy has a right to operate competitively for profit. I doubt the effectiveness of what he claims in his ad. By not buying what he's selling is how the line should be drawn to stop these type of ads; getting them right in their pocketbook, but, this guy has an already established customer base that's looking for these kind of ads. Ads that can provide them with a quick fix to their self-defense needs. Meanwhile, he has the free enterprize system on his side until he violates the free enterprize system, and that's up to lawyers to address in a court of law.

I've not had any issues with keeping brushed cotton clean. What I was saying here was, to me, as a rule, cotton is light in the most basic student uniform. Sorry for stepping on my own tongue!

2 years to reach Shodan? Especially at that age? I don't want to put down anyones achievements or anything, but I would be interested to witness the Shodan grading for that club. Are you thinking that its an abridged Shodan grading for that club? It might be!

Then there's expulsions like these.... http://judo.teamusa.org/pages/7264 I don't think that political differences should ever have any business in any decisions of expulsions. Misconduct is misconduct with no varying degree and how an organization defines it [misconduct] is up to that organization. In Shindokan, we've no "Serious" or "Minor" violations of misconduct, we've just got "Misconduct" and all misconducts are treated accordingly per our By-Laws. Our By-Laws protect both the Hombu AND the entire student body for the betterment of everyone and our art. Therefore, those in violation of our By-Laws are made an example of so that it's understood by all, and in that, all will know that the Hombu is the proponent of the By-Laws.

Illegal? There's nothing illegal about the free enterprize system. Whether what he teaches is effective or not is only up to the individual. I can't say one way or another based on an audio and some print in an ad, it'll take hands on to determine that. These type of advertisements have become a dime a dozen because you can find these ads in most every magazine. I wasn't impressed with the ad or its contents or claims because they're just that...things.

How much should a karate school cost? NOTHING! FREE!

That's a very good point to bring up!

Very good post! My blocking skills are excellent, but, I prefer to NOT block if the moment warrants it. I'd rather slip the attack and the like, then deliver my counter-attack. Or, to just do my own thing while my opponent is attacking. I don't have to block, so I don't whenever possible. My thought is that I can be doing something much more constructive than blocking; like hitting...and that's what I do at every possible moment. But sometimes I have to block and sometimes I want to block because blocking does have it's good points, like initiating Tuite.

I can't speak with undeniable authority about shotokan, but, I can speak with undeniable authority when I speak about Shindokan; no deep stances and no one strike one kill philosophy! Not all karate are the same. Imho, every martial arts style is limited in comparison. To speak about karate and/or any other style of the martial arts with such a broad stoke of the brush isn't fair because I'm a Shindokan practitioner, but, I'm first me and in that, I'm different, as we all are, therefore, my core style has expanded beyond anything that's Shindokan within me. What's described here is found in the Shindokan, a style of karate. While Machida is Shotokan by all that I've seen, he's a mixed martial artist inside of the UFC Octagon. By that I mean that while Shotokan is his core foundation within the martial arts, he's taken a little of this and a little of that to form what he considers as an effective style to compete with inside of the UFC Octagon. "Take what is useful, disgard the rest"~Bruce Lee. Don't we, as martial artists do this for ourselves? Well, from what I've seen, Machida does it as well.

From time to time someone must be expelled from some said martial arts organization and the like. It just happens, therefore, it's never planned and/or expected and/or hoped for. Sometimes practitioners resign from their said organization to avoid being expelled or for their own particular reason(s). A plethoria of reasons will surround one for being asked to resign or for being expelled. Nevertheless, when one has resigned or has been expelled, it doesn't have to be a black mark against that individual, but, that's for one to conclude themselves for whatever reason(s) one might or might not have. Expulsion of a member isn't ever a pleasant thing to experience, I know this to be true from first hand experience and/or from having viewed from afar. But, at times it's necessary for the betterment of the organization as well as to the betterment of the student body and for the betterment of the style. Over history, many noted practitioners have resigned or have been expelled for one reason or another. Hideyuki Ashihara[1], Fumio Demura[2], Hirokazu Kanazawa[3], Taiji Kase[3], Hiroshi Shirai[3], Shiro Asano[3], Taketo Okuda[3], Tetsuhiko Asai[3], Nobuyuki Nakahara[3], Keigo Abe[3], Mikio Yahara[3], Teruyuki Okazaki[3], and Shihan Takahashi[3]. Master Choki Motobu was expelled from Itosu's dojo..."Itosu sensei was not impressed by the young man’s bullying and promptly expelled him from the dojo."[4] Shindokan Karate-do, the organization that I'm the Kaicho of, expelled one of our very own in 2008. Jonathan Sommerfield, 6th Dan (not 7th Dan as he claims) was expelled for falsifying his own 7th Dan certificate. Jonathan was a member of the Shindokan Hombu and had access to many sensitive materials. His actions have made it a necessity within the Shindokan Hombu to secure any and all sensitive materials to only be accessed by the Executive Team and this team only! Our expulsion By-Laws weren't written by our Soke or by our Dai-Soke or by any member(s) of the Executive, Administrative, and Instructor Departments. No! They were written by a Lawyer who's not affiliatted with the Shindokan Hombu, then drafted into our By-Laws exactly as written by that outside Lawyer. Hopefully, this very brief look will allow us to try to understand and appreciate that expulsions are a necessary part, but at times, an unwanted part of any martial arts organization and the like. An expulsion strips away every tie with that said martial arts organization for those practitioners who've ever experienced it, but, it doesn't strip away ones knowledge and the like; that's forever! Any thoughts? Sources: (1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hideyuki_Ashihara (2) http://www.karatedo.co.jp/itosu-kai/english/demura/fumio.html (3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Karate_Association (4) http://www.bohans-family.com/memory/Motobu/motobu.htm

Wow! I've been to MANY, MANY Yankee away games. When I lived/live in California I was/am a season ticket holder to the Los Angeles Dodgers, therefore, as a season ticket holder with the Dodgers, I've seen/will see every single game that the Dodgers host(ed) the Yankees, and only when the Yankees are in town. I've never been a Dodger fan; I've always been a Yankee fan. When I lived in Texas, I saw many Yankee games as well whenever the Rangers hosted the Yankees. Most memorible year for me was back in 1996 when the Rangers won AL West division title...Yankees only lost Game 1 in that playoff series. I've never been a Ranger fan; I've always been a Yankee fan. When I lived in Oklahoma, I only saw 3 Yankee away games whenever the Royals hosted the Yankees. I've never been Royals fan; I've always been a Yankee fan. One day I will see a Yankee home game...one day...soon hopefully!

Some of my basic business background. I've owned and operated several dojo's; California, Texas, and Oklahoma, all very highly profitable and successful dojo's with an average student base of 375 active students. Currently, I'm the Kaicho (President) of the Shindokan Hombu as well as it's Chief Instructor, in that, I don't own the Shindokan Hombu; I operate it. I'm very old school in my teachings and I'm very modern in my business plan of running my dojo's. I truly live outside of the box...always. I believe that you can have both old school teachings, and I have, as well as modern business models because change is inevitable and if one's not willing to change, well, there's no viable future. Greatest business book, imho, is "WHO MOVED MY CHEESE?", read that book and you'll be fine across the board. Some very good advice here by many other KF members thus far. Here's my penny... CONTROL THE CONTROLLABLES! This is vitally important to any business and a martial arts school is no exception to any rule of business survival. Knowing what the controllables are will keep your head above water. You may negotiate the following, but you don't have total control over... RENT UTILITIES Anything else you have total control over... PRICES UTILITIES (Wait, you said I had no control over this?!) [You can't control the rates! You can control utilities by bulb choices, hours of operation, how many lights are left on when the school is closed, how big the outside trash container will be and how often it'll be dumped, temp of the HVAC, cell phone or land line controlled usages, usage of any water, and the like concerning any and all utilities.] PAYROLL SUPPLIES (Office AND School Useages) ADVERTISING TUITION BILLING (If any) You have control over these things and so much more, but first of all you have to LIST EVERYTHING that's REQUIRED, not WANTED, to run your school of martial arts successful/profitable. Then once you've listed everything you have to now determine: 1) Important and Urgent 2) Important but Not Urgent 3) Urgent but Not Important 4) Not Urgent and Not Important. Once you've done that, you have to obey it because if you can't master what's a want and what's a need, you'll be closing the door to your martial arts school faster than a blink of an eye. When you're not making any type of profit, then it's not a business; it's just a place to work out. Well, working out at home is far better and cheaper than paying rent and utilities and everything else at a commercial space. Your teaching quality is non-negotiable for that is paramount. That will seperate you from the martial arts school across the street or across the town. Don't take any short cuts when it comes to teaching your art to your students. In that, the saying "You get what you paid for!" should never be in the thought of your students or yourself. Good luck in everything you do!