sensei8

$180 per month? OUCH! $250 per month? OUCH...OUCH!

It's possible that they don't want to have the apperance that they're dumb. Students don't want to say to their instructor that they don't understand some technique(s) for the fear of the appearance that it might reveal to their instructor. Obviously, you're the only one in your class who's actually heard the saying..."There's no such thing as a stupid question." I wouldn't. Yet, I still wonder the very same thing myself about karate students throughout the world. I agree!

I agree!

The key for you, imho, is that your instructor is "pretty good" across the board. Therefore, I believe that you're not at a disadvantage because you've never had a private lesson. I imagine that I'd love to have a private lesson from Nishiyama or Kanazawa, to name a few, but, being in a group lesson with either of those two would've still provided me a very solid lesson.

ROFLMHO GO YANKEES!!!!!

Spending more time selling/pitching the close than what was spent during the actual free trial lesson is what would've turned me off as a potential student. Does the school/instructor care more about me as a student of the martial arts or as someone who can sign a contract thus provide revenue? If it's the latter, well, I'm not interested.

Imho, It was just ok. To me it seemed to focus on Al Dacascos more than on Musashi...again, it was just ok...no wow factor.

MLB Baseball season is around the corner. Pre-season has been as it's always been to me...ok. Open day in MLB should be a holiday, imho. We've got the defending world champions....NY YANKEES going against the Red Sox in Boston on the opening day. The Yankees roster looks good, their depth looks good, bats look good, the bullpen looks good, the fight for the number 5 pitching rotation spot looks good, Mo looks good...it's all good! Yankees will miss the veteran presence of Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui as well as the clutch, Melky Cabrera. On the other side of the trade coin, the Yankees added Chan Ho Park from the Phillies and I look forward to him helping the Yankees defend the title and go on to win #28...World Series' that is. 162 games of awesomeness across MLB! 30 teams battling for the Commissioner's Trophy. Thank God for big-screen TV's...it's the only way to watch the WORLD CHAMPION NEW YORK YANKEES, even when they [Yankees} lose, they still look AWESOME! Wooooooooooooooooooooo! Play ball! GO YANKEES!!!!!!!!!

He lives up to his tagname...AMAZING! Thanks for sharing this....it was amazing!

GNR

At once? Nope! Other than the tinbe-rochin that Toptomcat mentioned. It [different weapons at the same time] could be doable until I picked up a weapon that required the use of both of my hands to wield it. Still, it's an interesting thought and the combinations are quite intriguing...which with my luck, I'd only end up hurting myself for one reason or another.

Time in grade is important, but, imho, it's only important in the Dan rankings especially Godan and above, even then, time in grade is a very minuscule element of grading. Rank isn't important within its proper context, especially when rank is compared to knowledge. Being held to a timeline can't be placed aside because even knowledge must be aquired within a timeline. Why? Because knowledge isn't always instantaneous; even then, knowledge must be nourished over time. If we rush growth, we deminish or destroy the practitioner's desire to cultivate themselves as solid martial artists, no matter the rank, Kyu and Dan alike. Imho!

I've class during the airing of Samurai, but, I'll be recording it and then I'll watch it when I get home. I'm only watching it for two reasons. One, I love ALL martial arts history. Two, something might be aired that's new to me or forgotten by me about the Samurai. Either way, History Channel will more than likely do the topic justice.

Many of us in the martial arts are quite familar with Bruce Lee's unique cat-like kiai's. If not, watch Enter The Dragon. Bruce's kiai's were unique, but, Bruce didn't use his distinctive and unique kiai away from the silver screen. Questions: A student of your's was mimicing or wants to copy Bruce's unique battle cry kiai, would you allow or deny it's use? Do you think that Bruce's cat-like kial's served/accomplished the intended purpose(s) of the kiai? Your thoughts?

It would appear to me that we're on the same line concerning this topic, we're not exact, which is absolutely as it should be. It's just that that TKD instructor I mentioned in my OP has a very different method but... 10 minutes inside of a room no bigger than a closet ISN'T a free trial lesson by our definitions..... Yes or No?

The differernt divisions, like age, are needed I suppose. But, when I get my old and decrepit self away from the tournament, I'd better hope that my attacker is as old and decrepit as I am. So much for knowledge and experience and the like.

Please check out this video.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEUZg_YaM5o After having viewed this video, what are your opinions as to its effectiveness against a knife? Imho, I see nothing of effectiveness value. Why? Several things that I noted while watching said video. 1) The attacker just stands there doing nothing after the intial attack. 2) The defender is just slapping as fast as he can, but, there's no substance to it. Super sloppy! 3) While the defender is using a knife himself, his head is wide open for counterattack from the attacker. While the attacker might be receiving some damage from the defender, the attacker might still be able to deal out his own fatal damage to the defenders head. DANGEROUS! 4) Defenders footwork doesn't provide any smooth transitions to the inside or the outside. Your thoughts?

I've done both group and private. My position within the Shindokan Hombu afforded me more special private lessons with my Dai-Soke, but, those special private lessons are now no longer available to me. Speaking in general terms alone. In the group setting; life long friends are made and the comradery between fellow students/instructor(s) can be awesome. Also, mistakes made during a group setting are either highlighted or well hidden in the sea of students. Group settings can make the class seem so impersonal, sometimes cold, where a student might feel ignored or at loss because the instructor might or might not see a mistake to correct or a solid performance to reward. A hand full of sand can be lonely because that one grain of sand is important to the whole, but, it can be overlooked. Please don't misunderstand me. There's, imho, more pros than cons in the group setting. In the private setting; the 1:1 ratio is excellent. Nothing escapes the watchful eye of an instructor because it's just ONE student and ONE instructor during class. This individual attention is paramount to the growth of the student, no matter the rank. Key to both setting, imho, is the instructor(s). If the instructor(s) is/are solid across the board, then both settings are great. But, if an instructor is better in the private setting, then don't take group lessons with that instructor, and vice versa. Of course, money is the driving force in which setting to join, and in that, private lessons can cost an arm and a leg. Some schools only offer group classes for that reason alone.

For me the greatest fighter of all time isn't Bruce Lee. No. Vespasian (17 November 9AD – 23 June 79AD), was the ninth Roman Emperor, who reigned from 69 AD until his death in 79 AD. His military might was to be reckoned with!

Lineage! It's important within its proper context, otherwise, it's subjective, imho.

Ask your instructor!!!!!!! I could give you a very general list of yellow belt requirements, but, I could be either way off or dead on or kind of close. Practice what it is that you've been taught thus far and practice it endlessly. My Dai-Soke never told/gave us the syllabus in any shape, way, and/or form. His way was that when he decided to invite you to a testing cycle; you had better know it; whatever the it was asked of you. Are we suppose to only learn and then prepare for what's on the next test?

I was wondering the very same thing, but, in today's commercial dojo's, I'm not surprised at all. Beside the red gi's, I wasn't too keen about the instructor showing/telling the students what move was next in the kata with this being a testing grade.

white owl and ps1, I'm about to ask you both a really dumb question. Well, here goes... Are tournaments, PKC and the like, held frequently where you both live during the winter months considering the amouts of snow/ice that falls in those two states? See...I told you it was a dumb question.

Congrats!

In re-thinking about the possible legalities concerning ones rank, should that be brought up by the prosecution/court, rank just might play a bigger part in the whole scheme of things in a court of law. Here's what I'm thinking. Hypothetical. Let's say, for example, Kanazawa Sensei was in a court of law for some reason or another along the lines of this thread. The court/prosecution just might determine that someone with Kanazawa's rank must be admissible evidence within the scope of permissible discovery. The main thing to remember is that the scope of permissible discovery is very broad. "Reasonably calculated to lead to the discovery of admissible evidence" means that you are allowed to probe into areas that may themselves not be admissible, if doing so would shed light on other evidence that is admissible. Admissible evidence, in a court of law, is any testimonial, documentary, or tangible evidence that may be introduced to a factfinder—usually a judge or jury—in order to establish or to bolster a point put forth by a party to the proceeding. In order for evidence to be admissible, it must be relevant, without being prejudicial, and it must have some indicia of reliability. Would it be relevant that Kanazawa Sensei is a 10th Dan in Karate? Would it be relevant that Kanazawa Sensei has been involved in karate for over 50 years? Would it be relevant that the International Martial Arts Federation promoted Kanazawa to 8th dan in 1978, 9th dan in 1988, and 10th dan in 2002. Within the SKIF, he holds the rank of 8th dan, attained in 1998? Would it be relevant that Kanazawa Sensei is the founder, Kancho, and Chief Instructor of SKIF? Would it be relevant that Kanazawa Sensei has written several books on karate? Would it be relevent that Kanazawa Sensei was a kumite champion? Would it be relevent that Kanazawa Sensei is one of the world most renowned and respected karate masters alive? Would it be relevant that Kanazawa Sensei posseses extreme, if not extraordinary, knowledge of karate? Would it be relevant that Kanazawa Sensei should've known better than the chosen course of his actions, considering both his character and background? Or would a judge prohibit the facts to be admissible in his/her court of law? While the judge might allow it or not is far better for scholars of law to debate its possibilities. Yet, these type of facts would be hard to ignore, even if directed to do so by a judge. After all the dust has settled...Is someone's rank going to be a mute point? Or would the prosecutor have a field day with it once a judge allows the admission? Facts are facts! A defense attorney might object that these facts call for an opinion as well as that personal feelings have no business in the court of law.