sensei8

In your opinion, what's the key to any "deflection" as seen, for example, but not limited to, Aikido? Is there any one key to the success of any "deflection"? Imho, I believe that the one key is...Continued Directional Changes. In this, the opponent never knows if he/she is coming or going. Just when the opponent is directed to 'go' or 'move' this way, the opponent is jerked in the complete and opposite direction like a rag-doll, or a puppet. Could the one key be the feet? Could the one key be the hips? Could the one key be the body? Could the one key actually be in the totality, as one, of all three, as I've just noted...or more? I'm just wondering outloud. What do you think? Because, I'm wondering about the ONE KEY, and what that ONE KEY is!

The cross training that I've done in JKD; sparring WAS done alot. By alot, I mean, ALOT. Lead leg work was done just as much as sparring was. As far as grappling was concerned, I didn't see much of that whenever I crossed trained with JKD practitioners. Whether that was set in stone or just the preference of those that I cross trained in JKD with, I truly don't have an answer for that, just an assumption at best because I never asked. I was getting alot of grappling in my style as well as with other grappling practitioners. So, it does sound strange but, stranger things have happened before.

Can a style survive WITHOUT a Soke/Founder? I've place the word 'a' above in bold type because I'm not speaking of THE Soke/Founder. No, I'm speaking about the existence of that said title within the style's heirarchy. Could the following chain of command exist without any Soke type? *President *Vice-President *12 member Board Would this be sufficient? Or... *Soke/Dai-Soke/San Dai-Soke/or... *President *Vice-President *12 member Board Would this be more sufficient?

Why does Karate place such a value on the Karate hierarchy of Sensei's, Sempai's, and Kohai's? Simple question enough...or is it?!? Everyone NEEDS someone to teach them! Everyone NEEDS someone to lead the journey! Eveyone NEEDS someone to mentor them! Everyone NEEDS someone to believe in them! Everyone NEEDS someone...no matter the reason(s)! That's as simple as I can put it. I'll await others a chance to answer the question before I comment any further.

Even though, for the most part, we're all on the same page, imho. Again, our differing methodologies is what makes 'our style' exactly that...our style! Afterall, DWx asked this... Therefore, If I describe a "Strike" as a snap, my students/Shindokan practitoners UNDERSTAND my meaning because that's how a strike is to us Shindokanists...it snaps...like a towel or like a whip! If I describe a "Thrust" as something that penetrates, again, my students/Shindokan practitioners UNDERSTAND my meaning because that's how a thrust is to us Shindokanists...it penetrates, and by this, it travels way beyond the point of contact! Every waza in Shindokan at its core is taught to 'penetrate' beyond the point of contact. Every kick, for example, follows the methodology of Up, Out, Back, and Down, but, in a thrust kick, the 'Back' is ever so slightly paused as the hips finish the kick. Whereas, in a snap kick, the hips and and legs basically finish at the same time in the 'Back' portion of any snap kick in Shindokan.

WASH THE DARN THING!!!!!! I'm not a clothes expert, but, aren't gi's of today, not all, but most, PRE-SHRUNK. In the old days, the first thing we had to do with our new gi's was to WASH it so that it'll shrink, but even then, the shrink wasn't much. Once the gi was washed, patches could be added. Add the patches before the first wash, well, the patch would bunch up pretty bad.

Beginners! This little girl's wearing a white belt...

I get a kick out of the drivers who go around me to get off at...the very next off-ramp instead of waiting 1 or 2 seconds. Also, I get a kick out of the drivers who pull up to a tractor-trailer inside a parking lot or something doing a delivery and the driver of the car wants the truck driver to back up. Most, if not all truck drivers won't back up for safety reasons. It's easier for the car to turn around than it is for a tractor-trailer. Honking is for safety, not inconvience. Maybe some drivers don't use their turn signals is because their particular car doesn't have any because they were options on their cars model for that year, if so, turn that car in for different car with signals that are included...but...these drivers are just to lazy to flick a switch up or down. Wow, that's so hard.

Rank denotes a certain level of knowledge, granted, just as long as rank isn't more important than the knowledge achieved. A Shindokan karateka must have a certain rank first before one's even considered for any teaching title(s), but, it's then not the rank that decides the qualifications for the teaching titles. No, it's what the Shindokan practitioner has done while in that rank. What has the Shindokan practitioner done for the betterment of the martial arts before the betterment of themselves. Again, teaching titles are extremely difficult to achieve, therefore, teaching titles in Shindokan are rare. There's no test for teaching titles, like there is for rank! Shoot, time in grade allows acquisition of knowledge because if you're in something long enough and you're truly seeking earnestly/honestly, knowledge avails itself. I just want every karateka of Shindokan, to think of rank in its proper context and to stop thinking about rank as though it's only a stepping stone to higher rank. That vanity has no place in Shindokan! Shindokan wasn't founded for the sake of rank, but, for the sake of effective knowledge obtained within/without the rank. Removing every possible distraction, i.e. rank indentifiers, allows the Shindokan karateka to seek the doors of knowledge with a sincere heart, not a vain heart.

Yes they are, oh yes they are!

Congrats and well deserved!

I speak to the disruptor(s) one on one in my office, if it's a child, then I'll have the parent(s) present as well. Depending on the infraction, I'll give them one warning, after that one warning...suspension or dismissal. If the infraction is warranted, then immediate dismissal! Yes. That instructor was terminated immediately!

It doesn't really matter what I/anybody else might or might not say. Because, in the end, it's what you say that truly matters. Our insights are only small parts in your martial arts journey. You and only you have the right to regard/disregard any advice. After all, it's your journey, not mine, not ours.

YES! Kata shouldn't be taught FOR THE SAKE OF RANK! Yet, on that question, it would, imho, greatly depend on the instructor's level of knowledge. Notice I didn't say anything about the instructor's level of skill, and I didn't because skill is important but not as important as knowledge, imho. A martial artist, imho, with a great deal of knowledge, and is mature in that knowledge, can choose one, two, or more kata to explore. They have that ability and that right! This is the choice of the martial artist. YES! I believe that if a martial artist wanted to learn/study Heian Shodan ONLY! This kata would be enough, after some time, to protect oneself. Necessaties or near necessaties are laced with many tangibles, but, it's the intangibles that determine the course of any martial artist. I believe in Kata, my style has 26 empty hand kata's, but, I do think at times that all of these kata's can cloud up ones mind. Kata, like Bunkai is a practice of exploration of those effective possibilities of the technique(s) within any said kata. If I did Tekki Shodan and Tekki Shodan only for the rest of my life, I would be no more and/or no less than someone who has 50 kata's rattling around in their brains. It's not quantity, it's quality! Don't only believe in kata, but, believe in yourself...first!

Didn't the "founder(s)" of any said style of the martial arts borrow a little from this and a little from that and took away a little of this and took away a little of that? The "founder(s)" started with their learnt style and then begin to whittle away at it, adding this and taking away that, until, they finally came up with a new style of the martial arts. My own style, Shindokan, came about by taking Okinawa-te and Shuri-te, and then combining the "effective" parts of the two into one. At 'its' core, isn't every style of the martial arts MMA?

Yeah...I want one...who wouldn't want 200 pancakes in an hour?

Awesome = Brian's daughter as well as Brian! If your daughters anything like you...she'll be great at it, no matter what the 'it' is! My daughter, 13 years old, does Karate, but, her passion is playing the flute. Nathan is 15 years old and he plays baseball (pitcher) and basketball (utility). I'm very proud of my kids, just like Brian is of his daughter!

Basically... I grab them...and I don't let go! It's just that simple. While there's much to Torite, therefore, the self-defense aspect isn't ignored, but, there's no need to confuse any student embarking at its onset. Immediate! Day one! Right away! No better time than the present! Tomorrow is too late! While the instructor's waiting for "the appropriate/right time" to train their students; the attacker is training RIGHT NOW!

*Thrust = Any technique that penetrates! *Strike = Any technique that snaps! These are the most basic-to-the-point explanations that I'd offer to a student without exploring/training every aspect of either.

For those styles of the martial arts that use dan stripes, or, for those styles of the martial arts that don't use dan stripes on their Yudansha's, I say this to you... Your way is your way, and in that, I find no fault whatsoever!

This doesn't describe any Shindokan karate-ka's! It's not a sin against the karate ethos, imho, because we're recognizing the Do and not the individual!

Why do you feel that titles have to be idntified any more than dan grades? Granted they may be rarer to obtain, but isn't the honour of being awarded one enough? WNM As the title of this topic states..."Returning To The Ways Of Old", this is what the Shindokan has done in this regard. For example, most Okinawan senior karate-ka's will agree that originally, there was no ranking system or uniform used in the art of karate in Okinawa. Most Okinawan styles of karate, Shindokan is an Okinawan style, make use of a separate type of stripe system than does the Japanese karate styles. In most Okinawan styles there are no stripes worn to denote the ranks of Shodan thru Godan, but, I've gone one step further by not denoting any rank stripes, Shodan thru Judan. These titles don't speak about rank, but, these teaching titles speak about knowledge. Which is more important; rank or knowledge? KNOWLEDGE! Teaching titles are MORE than dan grades, imho, and this is enough. Yes! Still, Shindokan will identify Renshi, Kyoshi, and Hanshi as previously described. Shindokan isn't the only Okinawan style that does this, Uechi-ryu, to name just one!

Brian, Are these stripes awarded in the order that you've described here? If, not, how do all of the instructors know who knows what? Typically, Bob, yes, the stripes were earned "in order," mainly because of the natural flow of things in the class. Basics, then forms were learned, and one-steps followed. However, if there was some deviation, say, one-steps were learned first, then I would put that stripe higher up on the belt, and leave room for the other stripes below it. That usually worked out well for me. Aha! I see! I like the format! As you said..."because of the natural flow of things in the class. Basics, then forms were learned, and one-steps followed." Thanks for the info!

SOLID! Hey, UFC...hey Strikeforce...Hey, MMA promoter...SHOW THE FEMALE FIGHTERS!!!! Sheech! Male or female fights...some are boring and some are great! Can't have one without the other!

Joe, Don't hate me, but, I feel I need to say this, if nothing else. Of what value would it be to learn/train how to apply joint locks if one ISN'T going to learn/train how to counter joint locks? Shindokan Tuite would be meaningless without the relationship of application and countering of joint locks. Ok, I'll go back to my corner. I agree with you, Bob, but to be honest, it wasn't something that I have had a lot of exposure to yet. This has really been an eye-opener for me. I understand! Imagine, if only for a second, for example, that I learnt Shindokan without ever knowing counters existed; Shindokan would be very one-diminsional. Scares the beetlejuice out of me! I'd have all of the bullets, but, no gun to shoot them with...WORTHLESS! What good are the bullets without the gun to shoot them, for any martial arts, what good is the offense without knowing/understanding the defense...or that one or the other doesn't even exist at all?