sensei8

Absolutely! Bad/sloppy practicing does tend to turn into bad habits and bad habits tend to turn into incorrect muscleo memory on the floor, especially if their instructor doesn't snip it at the moment it begins to happen...all this is bad.

Very interesting! Another martial artist who said....what handicap!?!Excellent! Thanks for sharing that!

Great point, besides, it would be so much cheaper than the other alternative; launch to the moon.

Yes, very cool homes indeed! I particularly loved the Villa Deys, Rhenen, Netherlands...minus the snow...I see...DOJO!

Those were cupcakes? WOW!....and...YUMMY!!!!!!!!

First of all, I want to say good luck with you Dan test. Glad to see that you've got the essay out of the way, now, you can concentrate on the three K's. As far as your question is concerned...OH YEAH! The higher the ranking, the more the butterflies/nervousness I felt.

I thank you one and all!

I just want to say this for now...IMHO, the 'punch', no matter which one it is, must be done correctly first! For the punch to be correct, imho, the SNAP must be solid, no snap, then it's a push! Therefore, to not recoil is to not snap is to not punch! The physics favoring the recoil punch isn't so surprising to me. My questions are these...did the subject do the punch correctly? Did the person using physics understand what's all involved in a 'martial arts' punch? What was the level of experience/knowledge of the one who is punching? I'm just asking some questions....nothing else...just questions!

DING! DING! DING! DING! "Johnny, what do we have for the winner?" ninjanurse, you hit the nail right on the head! SOLID! We can only show them how to properly execute/practice the side kick, but, it's up to the students to practice as they've been shown/told to by their instructor. As long as students practice poorly, then we'll have these half side/half round kicks until the end of time. Each and every class, I/you, can tell who's been practicing as well as who's been practicing correctly. On the other hand, I/you can tell who's NOT been practicing correctly in mere seconds of observing them. I/you ask them...."Have you been practicing?"..."Yes Maam/Sir!"..."Yeah, nice try, but, would you like to try that answer again because from where I'm standing, and I'm standing right here, I can tell you've NOT been practicing and you've NOT been practicing correctly!" Drives me to drink a diet soda....and....I hate diet soda's...yuck!

I too, remember this story. Brian's right, it was a very nice story. Again, Kyle was telling the martial arts world, experienced and laymen both...what handicap!?!

Does anyone here at KF know, read about, and/or seen a report on tv about any Deaf Instructor's? I've not ever heard, read, and/or seen any report on tv like this. A deaf black belt is one thing, but, a deaf instructor MIGHT be another thing! Or is it? What problems would there be for a Deaf Instructor? Would a Deaf Instructor need an interpreter/translator? Would the students obey the instructors commands through a interpreter/translator? Would having an interpreter/translator on the floor at the same time with the instructor confuse the students? (The interpreter/translator would have to be on the floor beside the instructor) I'm wondering out loud!

While Shodan has the distinguished honor of being 1:10,000, any Nidan thru Hachidan similar figures/estimates would be staggering...or at least they should be. "Recognized" would have to be the key. And even with that, "recognized" would have to be understood/agreeded upon first, but, I don't see that happening in today's martial arts politics. Any available figure/estimates would be a puffed-up amount. Why? An especially acute problem is the large number of high-ranking black belts whose only achievement has come through self-promotion of rank. Having said that, any figure/estimate would only be an half-hearted assumption, at best.

Brian, I've thought about just that solution, but, I've got to go from thinking about it to actually doing it. Kind of the "out of sight, out of mind" thing for me. Two minutes later...I'll forget what it was that I was going to get/do! Maybe I should go ahead and get that AARP card after all. Hehehehehhehehheheehehe

Yepper...it would be expensive! But, man by its very own nature is such a curious creature first, price second.

Thank you for sharing that! Very solid!

Hopefully this isn't off topic! I'm hoping that NASA does go back to the Moon just to see if all of the stuff left there is still there and in what condition. Yeah, the other reasons for going back to the moon would be great too.

ROFLMBBO

For me, Tonfa training at the beginning wasn't fun because of my hands always being sweaty. The sweat acts like brakes on the toifa, therefore, it's hard to spin in any direction. You'll get it, and just like you've already said..."Practice, practice, practice!"

I don't care how it's chambered, I don't care where it's chambered at, and I don't care the position of the body during the chamber. All I care about is how long the practitioner intends to stay in the chamber! To long, I'm there before one can utter..."Boo"! Shindokan stylists drill to jam all the time. One of the drills calls for #A to deliver any kick towards our partner...#B advances forward as quick as one can to catch the kicking leg IN its chambering postition. He who takes to long, meditates horizontally~Ed Parker

Most laymen only know a Uke as a block, nevertheless, as one becomes more experienced with the martial arts, then, the laymen starts to realize that the Uke DOES mean "to receive". Block...receive...call it what one likes, just as long at "IT" doesn't hit me!

Welcome to physical activity! Any martial arts has plenty of activity, this is for certain! Tallgeese has, as always, hits it right on the head!

It means what it's intended to mean. "Kill With One Blow"!!! I interpret it to mean that I will strike, kick, block, punch...EVERYTHING...100%...as hard as I can EVERYTIME! To give 100% in everything that I do that is of the Martial Arts...in EVERYTHING that is/belongs to my Shindokan/Martial Arts training!

For me, the term "Master" means nothing outside of its formal context! "Master" has its place in the martial arts and shouldn't be taken outside of its intended context. The term "Master" and the term "Rank/Title" both have meaning ONLY inside of its proper context. Even the Japanese use the term "Master", but, I believe that they're more intune of how to properly use it than us Westerners are. Just don't let it get ones head any bigger!

It was more than a pleasure to share this with everyone here at KF. More importantly, I'd be amiss if I didn't say one other thing. While earning a black belt is fantastic in its own right, we musn't ever forget those who've earned belts below the black belt, because those too are without a doubt...TRUE MARTIAL ARTISTS as well. No matter what one's mental/physical condition may or might not be! I've said this over and over...the most important belt in all of any martial arts is the....white belt! Without the white belt, the other belts are meaningless and unreachable!

As an instructor of the martial arts, I've been witness to many wonderful as well as inspirational moments. Moments that can't be denied as anything short of AWESOME, as these precious moments tug at my heart-strings and cause my eyes to tear up, and say to God, "Thank you!" I've been priviledged to have instructed many students that had either a physical or mental disability. Students that are blind, students that are wheelchair users, students that are missing a limb, students that have down syndrome, and students that are deaf. These students have enriched my life tremendously one way or another. Yet, these students weren't disabled in their heart; for their hearts are full of life, drive, and determination. I bow to them, those whom I've personally known and to those that I've only had the pleasure to read about; each of them are champions, each of them are true Martial Artists. Their roads aren't smoothly paved, their roads aren't without problems, their roads aren't layed with roses, and their roads have many pot-holes...but...we're doing alright. Wait...you thought I was talking about the...no...I'm not talking about any mental or physical disabled martial artists, no, I'm talking about us. Those of us who pity and/or treat these outstanding martial artists any differently from whom they truly are, people. Those are the truly "handicapped" amoungst us! Some brief examples of these outstanding Martial Artists: 1) George Sanchez, 47, is blind, and after passing his test this month, he is also something that defines his character much more: a karate black belt. Sanchez, who lost his sight at 3, said the path to the black belt was difficult, but he has had help along the way from instructors. George is a Martial Artist! 2) Leon Lacabanne, 34, has accomplished something quite difficult. He's become a black belt of Karate, the highest belt rating of the art. And he didn't begin with Karate until after he became legally blind. Leon is a Martial Artist! 3) Bradley Schneider was born with Down syndrome, but that hasn't stopped his passion for martial arts, and now he's earned the highest honor; he has earned a black belt. Just because Schneider has Down syndrome doesn't mean he has special needs. Bradley says this about being a special needs person, "Focus on what you are doing, that, my friend, is special." Bradley is a Martial Artist! 4) Alistair Anderson is a deaf karate black belt. Something which makes this achievement even more outstanding is the fact that Alistair has learning difficulties and suffers from a condition termed dyspraxic tendencies - affecting the ability to co-ordinate movements. Alistair is a Martial Artist! 5) Jessica Cox, 25, a bilateral congenital limb deficiency doesn't stop Ms. Cox from achieving and surpassing her goals. Jessica Cox has One Pilot's License, Two Black Belts in Tae Kwon Do, and...Zero Arms. Jessica started Tae Kwon Do when she was ten, earning her first black belt at fourteen in the International Tae Kwon Do Federation. She rejoined American Tae Kwon Do Association in college and earned a second black belt. Jessica is a Martial Artist! 6) Erik Kondo, was left a paraplegic in a 1984 motorcycle crash, his life was changed from that moment on. Since then, Erik helped to deliver his second child in the front seat of his car, and, Erik earned his black belt in Small Circle Jujitsu. It was a long six year journey to black belt, but, Eric will tell you that other than helping in the delivery of his second child, earning his black belt is right up there as being very memorable. Erik is a Martial Artist! When I see these types of stories, I just can't help but to ask..."What Handicap?"