sensei8

It sure is; thank you, Patrick.

I rarely think much about instructors who teach under those kind of guidelines because how else is a beginning student suppose to earn that type of experience. Well, not all instructors have the patience to teach beginners, and taking experienced students presents other problems, like, retraining bad muscle memories, which can be more frustrating than teaching new students.

Thank you so much, Danielle!!

...and increases ones waist line.

In Synchronized Kata, yes. That's because they're all doing the same Kata at the same time for one total score. That's the only time I've ever seen more than one of the floor at one time. I've never seen, in any capacity, where in the Individual Divisions where two competitors are on the floor at the same time executing the same Kata. I mean, I've not ever seen that in all of the years where I was active as a competitor or judge or Arbitrator. Well, it's a big world, and I've not been to every Karate tournament held.

Yes, you're more than welcome. As Brian says, it's great that you're sharing your experiences with us, thank you. I never stop training. Virus or not; training for me is a daily thing.

You're right because timing factors might also include, bowing in/out, walking in/out of the floor, and waiting for scores to be revealed.

Thank you both, Brian and Colin for your kind and insightful words; they mean everything!!

10lbs is a respectful weight that will benefit you across the board. Not to light and not to heavy; just right. Going up weight, imho, is more of a personal preference, and not a requirement, even if insisted by the CI. Students ask me for my input on a plethora of subjects all of the time, but things like that, well, I leave that up to the students. IF I say anything, it's to remind them to not rush and or push training; baby steps, that's the MA.

Today marks the 19 and a ½ year anniversary of the launch of KarateForums.com. Patrick has asked me to address the community, as a senior member of the staff. I see this as a great honor and a privilege to be able to address this great community on this day! Being online for 19 and a ½ years is quite the milestone, and it brings to my mind one of the most important qualities all martial artists must accept: Proof is on the floor. February 23, 2008 That's the date that I joined KarateForums.com; I've never looked back to that moment with any regret, whatsoever. I have Brian, bushido_man96, to thank for that moment, and without his tenacity in bringing KarateForums.com to my mind, I might've never kicked open these unknown doors. Like a shooting star that streaks across the nighttime sky, and then fizzles away before it's too late to appreciate just what might've been, I, too, during my very early days here at KF, nearly disappeared in a blink. But, if not for the interventions of Patrick, and of his staff way back then, I wouldn't be here today to have this distinctive honor to speak about KF, its staff, and its countless members. Thank you, everyone, for opening up my eyes some 12 years ago. KarateForums.com quickly became that safe haven for me to escape from the closed bubble known as Shindokan Saitou-ryu; but more importantly, the SKKA, the martial art and governing body that I've trained in for these past 56 years, thus far. However, eating, sleeping, breathing, and drinking Shindokan for those 5.6 decades has been my deepest and sincerest privilege, especially under the watchful eyes of our taskmasters Soke Saitou and Dai-Soke Takahashi. Bubbles stand up against the forces of nature and, oftentimes, the bubble surrenders to the unyielding pressures brought up against it. Albeit, the pressures of being part of the SKKA hierarchy for nearly 30 years, a pressure release valve was needed quite desperately... KarateForums.com was, and still is, that escape vent. I came to not only need that escape from the SKKA, I depended on that release back then, and still do now, from all that KarateForums.com could only provide me away from that bubble. As I battle against a new personal challenge, KarateForums.com as well as its members stand toe-to-toe with me as I fight this that is within me. Their compassionate support as well as their words of comfort mean everything to me, and these aren't idle words, for I mean them with all of my heart and soul. This too is the means of what "the proof is on the floor" means within the gates of KarateForums.com; no one is alone and no one stands alone. Not with family, and KarateForums.com is family. A plethora of knowledge and experience, in and out, as well as away from the martial arts, seeps from the pores of each and every KarateForums.com member. Their topics constantly challenge all of us, as we are so willingly passionate with each other to engage from one conversation to another. This helps each member to find that which they either seek for and/or that which they desire to share which they're so very heartfelt about, whether it be about the martial arts and/or the world outside of the martial arts. Everyone is always welcomed with open arms. These expressions that I gladly speak towards here are the areas where KF excels. Proof is on the floor. Time and time again, KF has exhibited that particular thing with unwavering distinctions. Thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts with you. Happy 19 and a ½ years to KarateForums.com.

Thank you, Brian. I got the shot in my left hip because that's the only way that that nurse has ever done it, even though she looked on the records to see how it was administered last time, records show that it was in my left arm. I will post the Scan appointments just as soon as I find out.

You might want to put a note inside your refrigerator that reads.Are you hungry or bored? Have a Merry Hibernation DWx But I know how to ignore my own note hanging in the frig, if need be.

Why do so many TKD tournaments insist on running two people doing forms at the same time? As a judge' date=' I'd much rather focus my full attention on one competitor's entire form, and judge accordingly, as opposed to having to watch one for a few techniques, and then the other for a few techniques, and have to make a decision. As a competitor, I'd much rather be the sole focus of all the judges that I'm performing in front of, rather than having to wonder about how much of my form they actually watched. Does anyone have any idea why it's done this way?[/quote'] I've heard, don't know if it's true of not, they judge 2 at a time for expediency. I mean, Testing Cycles are done in groups; expediency. Otherwise, be prepared for a very long and trying day for all concerned. Who wants to go to an event that takes f o r e v e r ?? Fast way to lose competitors and spectators for the next time.

Solid post!!

Good news, Dmitriy. Train hard and train well. Agreed! Perseverance is not easily attained, nor often appreciated until much later on. Keep that in mind as you train.Nor is it honored and/or rewarded properly.

That's awesome that you're pulling so many into Zoom classes! Very, very cool. Where there's a will, there's a way.

UPDATE: Today, November 20, 2020 [i got a kick out of the triple 20's] Lab work at 10am Oncologist at 1030am So, here's what the Oncologist told/explained to me.... > PSA DROPPED from 30 to 1.6 [That's not a typo] > Cancer is NOT aggressive > Continue with the shot of LEUPROLID every 3 months > Bone and CT Scans in January 2021 > After scans in January 2021, Oncologist will prescribe a DIFFERENT pill to take orally 1X daily; unsure of what that pill is until after the scan results. Doctor was behind schedule for 45 minutes to an hour. Doctor walks in the exam room, and she does her Fonzie impression...I reciprocate. She apologizes to me for not getting right back to me, but she understands why I had to cancel my November 6th scans, of which she tells me that missing appointments are to be expected and understood, from time to time, just for me to not make that a habit...which I won't, God willing. Doctors need to tend to the patient, and not to the financial side, which I prefer. She lays out her treatment plans for me, and is so excited that the PSA number dropped so low, and she is confident that it's not a temporary drop. She wants to get those scans done asap. I won't know until next week when those appointments will be for. Have you ever had a shot in your hip before?? Me neither. Well, let me tell you. First I had to wait for 30 minutes before they could give me that injection. Why?? They store that shot inside of a freezer, so before they can give me that shot, it has to reach room temperature. Then the shot!! No pain, however, there's always a however, mere seconds after the shot was administered in my left hip, very sharp hot pain got my attention. For the next 15 minutes, that sensation came and went every 30 seconds. One of the longest 15 minutes in my life. I was so very glad when that was all over and the up and down pain subsided. Last time I got that shot, it was given into my left arm. I got to tell you, I prefer the left arm over the left hip anytime. WOW!! I went over to see my social worker, which is in the same area along with Urology and Oncology departments, and plans are in the work to find me some possible Grants to offset costs of treatments, but no guarantee. Contacted the billing department via a phone call, and set up an affordable payment plan. I finally left the hospital at 130pm. Once I receive the appointments for the Scans, I'll give an update.

Good news, Dmitriy. Train hard and train well.

Sounds great there, Patrick. After all, some is better than none. On the heals of that idiom, there’s, no pain, no gain.

Thank you, Brian, and all!!

Yeah, that's not good at all, that the state might cancel their winter season. Pandemic isn't looking too good either everywhere

On a strict weight loss mission once again. I finally got a bike, so I ride my bike quite a lot nowadays. I drive to a secluded spot every other day to jog as far as 5K. I still go to the gym, mainly for the swimming pool which went from just on Saturday, to Saturday and Wednesday; I do 10 laps...that lap pool is pretty long. With my personal medical fights, exercise is tantamount for me across the board. My emotions tend to hit me on nearly daily; can't work out when I'm bawling...I know...I tried and it never ends up well for me because I am no longer focused on my surroundings. Without challenges; my life would be so darn boring...and I mean B O R I N G. *EDIT: I can't spell sometimes

Very interesting, so it brings on the next question, why did Judo have 10 dans/levels? Is it because it's a nice round number? Or some other reason? Why not 12 levels or 6? In these modern days there seems to be a bit of an obsession about 10th dan, and I don't know why. Obsession oftentimes are fueled by ego, and ego promotes wants over needs. I was the main proponent within our Governing Body as its Kaicho to remove any and all Soke types, and with that, Judan was removed from our ranking system. Gone forever. Agree 100% Bob, if syllabus is all learnt by say 6th or 7th dan and you have a few more dan grades for time etc, I don't see how may of those would be required......Except for Master Ken of course............ LOLOL Colin, now that's funny...Master Ken....LOLOLOL We still have Kudan and below; we still conduct Testing Cycles all the way to Hachidan. Kudan is reserved for the current Kaicho, even though I sternly forced the SKKA to conduct a highly strict Testing Cycle for my Kudan. In my hearts of hearts, I only consider myself a Hachidan because that's the last Dan rank I earned from my Sensei before he passed away.

I agree with Fat Cobra. Don't let this virus dictate your private training at all, if possible. Training with others in a class structure, well, that's up to the individual, and no one should ever judge anyone for taking all of the necessary steps to protect yourself from this deadly pandemic. I've underlying conditions, so I've decided to close my dojo, and go virtual, however that can be done. I'm the dullest knife in the drawer when it comes to things like that. But solo training!? I'd never stop that at all.

I've not seen and/or heard about any tournaments operating since the pandemic started. Many tournament in Texas have opted to cancel their tournaments during this pandemic. I can't blame them at all.