sensei8

Good luck...relax...and have fun!

Good luck....and just relax...you'll be fine!

Lets change the hypothetical question again. Same parameters, but, now this competitor is wearing a black belt with six or seven rank indentifiers. Could the reason that this competitor won 4 Kata Grand Championships was that this competitors Kata's were that solid, or, was it because this competitor was wearing a black belt with six or seven rank indentifiers? Could those judges have been "obliged' by seeing the six or seven rank indentifiers, thus, giving high marks because of rank?

Yes, this is just a hypothetical.

There's a local TKD dojang that REQUIRES those who aren't students, parents and guests, to bow in and bow out whenever one enters or leaves through the front door. The front door! Well, I'd politely refuse. Why? I'm paying 'X' amount per month/quarter for my kid, and not me, to attend this dojang and I'd feel I was being forced to bow. Respect should be earned, not forced on! What do you require from your parents and guests?

I believe that bowing to ones Sensei OUTSIDE of the dojo isn't determined entirely by culture and the like. Yet, more by ones own value standards and the like. I know that my Soke and my Dai-Soke would be very upset at me if I bowed to them outside of the dojo, especially if I did while we were at the local Wal-Mart or 7-Eleven. To them, the bow must be justified as to the means. When in Rome....or not.

Great solid points! For me, concrete still remains an undesired texture. Nonetheless, you still bring up some solid points. Wet Concrete is a oxymoron for me.

Good points thus far. Lets change the hypothetical from an open tournament TO an International Tournament, i.e. ISKF or AAU, and everything else in the hypothetical remains constant...could it EVER happen....then? At an ISKF tournament, for example, the following would have to be followed to the nth degree... (b) Types of Kata to be performed (i) Shitei kata: Heian Nidan, Heian Sandan, Heian Yondan, Heian Godan and Tekki Shodan. (ii) Sentei kata: Bassai-dai, Kanku-dai, Enpi, and Jion (iii) Tokui Kata: Choice of contestant, but may be restricted based on age and/or rank. Could the hypothetical EVER happen?

For the sake of discussions.... Out in the elements, in a self-defense situation, one must consider one's topography at the very moment of an unwanted onslought in anyone's strategies and tactics. There are two sides to any topography: A desired one and a undesired one! The good/bad news is that a wide variety of events are subjected to change, including the topography. Therefore, if you find yourself standing in an undesired topography, it's your job to find a more desired one to stand your ground. On the same note, if you're in a desired topography, it's your job to remain in that to stand your ground. Topography and its textures can be used for your advantage as well as to your disadvantage, being able to recognize either very quickly and adapt/change immediate are vitally important. Is there a hill near me? Is there a slope near me? Is there a recessed area near me? These are just some things to consider, but, they shouldn't be ignored. Anything, and I mean ANYTHING, that can be used to your advantage---USE IT! I think we can all agree with one thing....proper footing is right at the top of the list. Footing must be sure and true! Footing must be solid and stable! Footing! Weather! Weather affects all types of textures within ones topography. Where one texture acts differently on a hot dry day, but, how does that particular texture act when it's on a cold wet day, is of concern. Grass is good on a hot dry day, but, add rain, then welcome to the greenest skating rink. Even the most desired topography texture can turn into the most undesired when the elements are playing havoc. If one's well versed on ground grappling, then, when the topography textures are neither desired or undesired, go to the ground and do what's needed to survive. If you're not that well versed in ground grappling, go to the ground anyway but, do it on your terms instead of having the topography textures force you when you're contours are against you. One last point. Shoes! What shoes one wears react differently depending on the topography textures. Dress shoes have hard sole and become very slippery on many textures. Tennis shoes provide better traction because of the tread/rubber soles on many textures. Dress for success!!! Here's what I like/dislike-----> DESIRED TOPOGRAPHY: >>Asphalt/Blacktop. *Asphalt/Blacktop is sticky and sticky is good. UNDESIRED TOPOGRAPHY: >>Cement. *Just a little drop of sweat/moisture makes cement as slippery as ice. What are your desired/undesired topography and why?

Very solid post and well said!

Hypothetical... Could someone, in your opinion, enter into an open tournament having less than one year of training in totality and then WIN four Kata Grand Championships in the Black Belt Division?

Tony, I enjoyed your post....very solid...and I thank you for it!

Outside of the dojo? No...never! Inside of the dojo? Yes...always!

I've placed this topic in the General Martial Arts section for one reason: We're products of the Martial Arts and in that, this topic concerns every Martial Artist, not one specific style and/or one particular practitioner. Each and every day, day after day in some dojo found all around the world, people train in "unequal" ways. I'm referring to the practice of techniques on one side of the body more than on the other. Have you ever stopped to think why we practice 3-step & 5-step sparring, but not any even number of steps? In Karate, practitioners don't perform any even numbered step sparring. That means that we do no 2-step sparring and no 4-step sparring and no 6-step sparring; karateka's only do odd numbered step sparring. Or, how about how we almost always start attacks with the left side forward? Even when performing basics individually, we, more often than not, seem to take an even number of steps other than odd. What we are doing is working one side of the body more than the other, for some certain techniques and strategies. This may not be an entirely bad thing. But, it may not be the right thing for everyone, all the time. But why force everyone to practice in the same way (such as left side block, right attack)? In Kata, we often have sequences of three repetitions, or attacks that use the same side for each occurrence in the Kata. By training one side repeatedly, we can possibly make that technique become a natural reaction if performed on that particular side. But, what if the chance arises in a self-defense situation to use it on the other side, and we are ill-prepared? For self-defense purposes, doesn't it make sense to practice both sides of every technique and strategy? In Shindokan, we've always been the proponents for training even-number steps more often in sparring and/or starting from the opposite side sometimes, as well as performing Kata mirror-image (starting from the right instead of the left) on a more regular basis. Practicing in such a way can be a real eye-opener. Some people who have trained for many years and look like they have totally mastered a certain technique or combination may not be able to stumble through the same technique or combination if done on the opposite side. In closing, wouldn't it benefit the practitioner of any Martial Art to equally train both sides of their body instead of just one side? Of course it would! But, more than not, many practitioners of the Martial Arts don't and they're lopsided across the board. Those that practice one side of the body over another have either a very strong left side or a very strong right side, but, not both. What side is preferred? What side is preferred when executing one certain technique and not the other side? What side is preferred so much that certain techniques aren't ever performed from that one side? So...are we, Martial Artists, Lopsided?

Shawn, Congrats and pretty soon....you won't be tired anymore....until next class. Wankan? Wankan is your first kata once you've earned Shodan? Wow! In my stye, Wankan is an advanced Kata usually reserved for Yodan; minimum Dan rank to begin to learn it. Again...CONGRATS!

It's been my experience that one doesn't have to do much to get someone in a choking position. Why? They usually end up getting themselves in that position all by themselves while they're trying to escape/reverse from some other hold and the like...and WHAM...all of a sudden...they end up in a choke. Still, you're right, getting someone in a choking position by ones own self isn't that easy because they just won't be still....how rude! LOL!

Your welcome, glad I was able to help...anytime!

Wow! Company Policy/Rules or not; I'm not going to just stand there while someone gets a beating. Finally, at the very end of the beating, one guard does appear to say something to the girl that's doing the beating.

Way to go Joe, You were very solid and right on point. Not only did you protect your kids and yourself, but, you also protected those teenagers by not allowing them to go outside. Had those teenagers gone outside; only bad might've come had these teenagers not listened to you and thus, they heeded your words. You kept your head during a very dangerous situation by the aforementioned acts, but, you also were calm enough to think while all of the commotion outside was happening by moving you and your kids away from the windows. Calm, cool, and collect! Way to be in the moment...excellent sir excellent!

The fancy answer is that it represents a certain level of skill or a certain set of skills; for example, respect, strength, control, responsibility, cooperation, determination, persistence and concentration. The unfancy answer is that I achieved a goal, one of many, in my martial arts journey. No! In a room full of martial artists, I'm the most least special person. Why? The most important/special person is the White belt because without White belt, the black belt is unattainable. Confident? Yeah! Responsible? Yeah! Mental value? None that I'm aware of at this time. Black belts aren't the only ones that can focus in varying situations. I'm quite sure that Doctors, construction workers, and a more vast other people that are equal to the task of focusing when needed. There's nothing in the entire world, imho, that can make people feel like a black belt unless one IS a black belt. As I can't feel like a CEO unless I've been a CEO before. Other than having have been there before or having have done it before; it's just an assumption. I just hope that I get it right when it counts. Rare? Not as rare as they should be! Good topic!

My oldish sparring gear was fairly cheap, about $30 for the hands and feet, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if it is "dipped foam." But what is the naugahyde knuckle pads they are talking about??? Thanks! Check this out... See what their wearing here... http://oregonaau.org/Karate2003/Sam-Ralph.htm Those are naugahyde knuckle pads! They cost about $30.00!

I wish I could help here, but, I've never had long hair....or hair for that fact. Anyone here remember Bozo the Clown? Remember how his hair was? Well, that's what I looked like whenever I tried to grow long hair when I was a kid. Sorry, but, tallgeese....OUCH to your story....O-U-C-H! I don't blame you one single bit for shaving it right after that...I would've done the very same thing.

I'd say no. Fear and humility, imho, are incongruous; an oxymoron.

Oooo! Now that sounds interesting. Can you post what happened? Not surprising to me at all, but, NOT one student lined up whereever they wanted to, even after I had completely explained to them at the beginning and at the end of class that I wasn't kidding and that it was perfectly ok to line up anywhere for that Monday and Tuesday. They refused to move from their normal spots in line. I gave them ample amount of time to line up somewhere else. They just looked at me and one another as a calf would look like a strange gate; perplexed and confused. Each and everytime that the command was given during class..."Narande" (Line up) they lined up at their proper place...each time! Never once had I said..."Sei Retsu" ([to] line up [by rank]), they did it anyway. I even surprised them. They'd be drilling and I'd stop them to show them a fine point of the drill and then I'd yell out loud..."Narande...Ima", right in the middle of a drill, but guess what? They'd still line up at their proper place in line....again!!!!! I did this exercise/experiment on Monday and Tuesday. Monday had 8 classes and Tuesday had 7 classes; not once did any student take me on my offer. Not even in any of the children classes; that truly shocked me because I thought for sure that the kids would take me up on my offer if for no other reason but because it was different. But...no...not even the kids moved from their normal spot in line. Why? Was it because it had been drilled into them the proper protocol of lining up? Was it because they had become students of habit? Was it because we're at the Hombu? Was it because they weren't sure if they'd get into trouble or not? Was it because they truly thought I was just kidding? I don't know. I didn't ask! I'll be asking this Thursday because I'm very curious myself.

I was in constant fear of the black belts when I first started taking the martial arts; I was 7 years old. They were much bigger than me. They were much stronger than me. They were much faster than me. They obviously knew much more than me. I don't know why I was in fear of them, but, I was. I just froze in their presense when they'd address me directly. I'd shake and I'd sometimes draw back into myself and I sometimes couldn't formulate a simple sentence when I was asked a question by a black belt. Were any of the black belts mean to me? No, on the contrary, the black belts were very kind, but, with they carried themselves with a no-nonsense type of mannerism. Were any of the black belts bully's? No, they were just firm in their verbal orders and the like. Never once were the black belts physically abusvie in any shape, way, and/or form. Still, I was in fear of them. I can't place my finger on one pulse as to why it is that I felt that way, but, man, I was in constant fear of the black belts. Maybe I was in fear of making a mistake or do something or say something that was wrong and I'd be punished or something. The fear didn't start to diminish until about 6 months or so into training with these black belts. I think it was the extreme kindness of both our Soke and our Dai-Soke that lessened my fear and this kindness was a comfort. I was never afraid of my Soke or my Dai-Soke. One might think that I'd be in fear of them also, afterall, they were black belt too....but I wasn't!