sensei8

Whatever the meaning of the name might be....it's a very solid Kata across the board.

Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva......................Evans Paul Daley vs. Dustin Hazelett.......................Daley Joe Lauzon vs. Sam Stout.............................Lauzon Jim Miller vs. Duane Ludwig...........................Miller Junior dos Santos vs. Gilbert Yvel..................Yvel Martin Kampmann vs. Jacob Volkmann..........Kampmann Dan Lauzon vs. Cole Miller............................Lauzon Steve Cantwell vs. Vladimir Matyushenko.......Matyushenko Mark Munoz vs. Ryan Jensen.........................Jensen Mike Pyle vs. Jake Ellenberger.......................Ellenberger John Gunderson vs. Rafaello Oliveira.............Oliveira

It's been my experience that the size of a Gi was going to provide Height factors more than weight factors. I could be wrong. Bold Look carries sizes 000 - 12, but that varies from line to line. However, Bold Look does not sell products directly to students, you must buy Bold Look merchandise through your school or organization.

That's skill/talent! Very cool! I can't even sew on a button back on my shirt.

Just to mention some of them... It's a Wonderful Life The Greatest Story Ever Told Jesus of Nazareth

I've no favorite students! For me, it's like having a favorite child and I don't have a favorite child; I love them all equally. The reason I don't have a favorite student(s) is because that would violate the instructor maxim. Yes, I'm aware of which student(s) are training/practicing harder than others, but, I push them ALL equally hard. Testing, for example, can't ever be decided by favoritisim...it just can't exist! During a testing cycle: I don't know the student(s)! During a testing cycle, my student(s) are strangers to me and I keep it strictly business; pass or fail isn't based on whom they are as individuals and what they may or may not mean to me: They're nothing...they're just a body. Harsh? No, not for me. I've got to remember that I'm their Sensei and in that, I've a responsibility to myself, to my Dai-Soke/Sensei, to my Hombu, to every Shindokan practitioner, and to my students. That responsibility dictates that I must be totally and completely impartial across the board concerning every past, present, and future Shindokan karateka; student of mine or not! Favoritisim only fogs up the Dojo! I don't allow it, therefore, I don't need a life boat to rescue me because my integrity cuts right through the fog! Clear sailings and only clear sailings!

I determine who can test, not my students and not time in grade. Time in grade only acts as a prerequisite for a pending testing cycle, but, it's not a guarantee that one would be considered and/or invited to a testing cycle! Come to class and train! Don't worry about when one can test and when one can't test: just train! Just train with all of your heart and soul and the testing cycle will take care of itself. I'll know when someone's ready to test and that's when they'll test and not before. The fastest way to NEVER be invited to a testing cycle is to not practice and/or practice very little; trust me, I know if someone's practiced or not. Testing a student based on time in grade can only serve against the means. Time in grade lets a student know when they can submit a request to attend a testing cycle and in that, time in grade lets me know that a student has meet the minimum requirement to submit said testing cycle request. The momma bird only kicks her baby bird out of the nest when that baby bird is ready and no time sooner; the momma bird knows!

"The warning signs recently placed on each side of the Dragon just do not get the attention of some truck drivers." This is from that link Patrick, very interesting info, thanks for it, I enjoyed it. Funny thing about those signs...these signs are HUGE and they're bright ORANGE, with large lettering! That would tip me off that maybe I shouldn't continue. Here's a link of those signs... http://www.tailofthedragon.com/dragon_trucks.html

Personally, I don't call any martial artist...."Master"! I have never called my Soke or my Dai-Soke "Master"! I call them by their name, or by "Sir", or by "Sensei", but, never "Master". I'm aware that within the Shindokan By-Laws, Godan and above is at the "Master" level, but, I've not meet a Shindokan Master yet. I'm a Shindokan Hachidan, but, I don't want to be called "Master" in any shape, way, and/or form. How can I, being imperfect, have mastered anything, I'm flawed at the core. I'm a student of the martial arts and in that, I'm still seeking that one perfect technique...still!

Yepper! She belongs to Shitoryu shito-kai.

I've made many Homemade Nunchaku's for one reason or another. Some went well for me and others went bad for me. I'd buy some dowel, a small length of chain, and two eye-screws; then I'd assemble them. They weren't the best....or the safest....but...they served a purpose for me. I know of two times while I was in high school and I performed a martial arts demo in a talent show which included Kata, Weapons, and Tuite. Now, I can speak of some authority when I say what I'm about to say. Homemade nunchaku's are best kept AT HOME where nobody can be at risk. During one of my high school talent show demo's I was performing a Kata and when I was executing a forward strike and that's when the wheels fell off. At the apex of that technique, the nunchaku came apart. I was left with one end of the nunchaku while the other end went flying into/towards the audience. I paused just long enough to wait for the scream of pain from the audience but it never came, therefore, I continued on for the show must go on...I didn't miss a beat. I waited for the scream because I couldn't tell or see where the flying independent piece went because the stage lights were so bright that I couldn't see beyond the stage. Well, that's how my Homemade Weapon experience went. So, has anyone ever made a Homemade martial arts weapon(s)? How did it go? BTW, after my display of non-carpentry skills, I never used a Homemade martial arts weapon outside of my garage.

This is very solid advice and in that, it should be considered! I myself have never thought that I was able, for one reason or another, to pursue another martial art outside and seperate and concurrent with/from Shindokan. I took TKD for one year while in high school after I was already a junior BB, but, that vexed me because both of these arts required of me much more than I possess.

Congrats and very solid!

For me, Karate-Do is a way for me to attain personal knowledge; betterment of myself, not just studying how to fight. Karate made its transition from jutsu to do somewhere around the beginning of the 20th century. Still, I guess I'm a romantic at heart, and in that, I practice the jutsu while I balance it with the do. I believe that they [jutsu/do] can be practiced at the same time; side by side. For me, to not train both to be in concert with one another is like having my body walking down the street without my heart.

For your wife and your daughter as to their iodine sensitivity: dispose of the salmon! Did he come to your house to give you this gift? If so, well, Japanese etiquette considers it unpolite to go to someone's house without a gift; the salmon in this case. I'm sure you didn't take it right away, but, you did eventually and this is good. Why? If you had took the salmon right away, it would've indicated to this gentleman that you didn't value it much, if at all. Your gift to him was the parking space, therefore, he gave the best gift he had at the time. Salmon is a good gift to give/get! You've gracefully accepted the salmon as well as having thanked him for his gift, and the salmon is now in your freezer. It's your freezer and now it's your salmon to do with as you desire. Face has been saved! This is important!

Here's another strange road; located in Deals Gap, NC. It's only 11 miles long, but, it's a wild and exciting 11 miles, 11 miles in which it contains 318 curves, in which a motorist and/or motorcycles have to be aware of large trucks because these large trucks will cross into ones lane due to the very many hairpin curves. [Pics/Videos at this site will demonstrate this]. Well...please see it for yourselves...here's a link to the Dragon's Tail... http://www.tailofthedragon.com/ Here's a Wikipedia article.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deals_Gap,_North_Carolina

To the laymen...I simply say "Tonfa" because many laymen know it as that.

Enter The Dragon

She is just plain really really good. Yes she is...I would've scored her a 9.9 on that Kata. Very solid across the board!

I truly respect your tenacity in learning the martial arts. I've no advice worth mentioning other than...just be careful.

Now that's just way to cool!

According to one of my best friends, Wes, who plays darts all of the time: To score a Shanghai you have to hit a triple, a double and single of the number that is in play! That's accuracy! I'm lucky if I can even hit the dartboard at all let alone the side of a barn, but, a Shanghai, well, some have it and I sure don't!

I'm looking forward to: Splinter Cell: Conviction Red Dead Redemption Heavy Rain Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (I'm a BIG MGS fan!) Gran Turismo 5 Max Payne 3 I was a bit sad to see no new Call Of Duty or SOCOM! Thanks for the link Patrick!

Fantastic article! Thanks for it Patrick. For me...as stated in the opening paragraph of that article..."An unforgettable gameplay experience...", this is what I look forward to and this is what I'm looking for in a video game and this includes but isn't limited to just great graphics and a rocking sound. The more difficult it is to win, the better for me. I love a great game of chess, but, if I can win at will, then where's the challenge. A video game of chess might have great graphics and the like in its most simplistic layout/program, but, if the game of chess within its program is difficult to win....well...then that's what I want... In a video game....I WANT A DIFFICULT CHALLENGE!

LOL...Now that's funny!!!!!!!!!!!