sensei8

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.

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.

Solid post!!

I was at the dawning of Musical Kata's back in the 1970's, and grading for that new and strange division was based on effectiveness and believability. Far fetched movements received the very lowest score. Then that division was at the cuspid of adding emotional content, one that told a story, so much that your Kata had to pull on judge's heartstrings. I'm not even sure if that type of divisions still remain. In short, I've not seen that division in long while; last I judged in one was mid 1980's. I mean, that division was the rage of the page back then. It saw the sun rise and set in practically one deep sigh.

Two steps forward, one step back. Yep, sounds like a MA drill. Seriously, you're still forging forward no matter what. You're still training in a world that, for the moment, been turned inside and outside. You're still training hard, and training well!! I'm still so proud of you and your MA journey!! Take care, be safe, and PRACTICE!!!!!!

However, I receive no treatments, and those scans are a part of treatments, yet if I don’t pay the $250 per scan, then no scans, albeit, no treatments. Money over patient care.

Very much so. Thank you, Patrick. Doctors assured me that I'd never have to worry about money, that I'll get the necessary treatments and the like...that was then, I suppose. At the start of this, I told the doctors that I'll pass away from cancer because of financials. Doctors said, "No", doesn't feel that way now.

Peripheral vision is already there. Unless focus is lost. It's also lost against multiple opponents, which of course means that constant adjustments must be made. Against 1 opponent, peripheral vision is sharply focused because I look directly at my opponents, i.e, chest, and nowhere else. Mizu No Kokoro and Tsuki No Kororo are concepts that need to be understood. Mind like the moon, and mind like water speak how clouds getting in the way of ones vision of the moon, and if the water is unsettled, then the moons reflection is no longer sharp. One easy training exercise that I do with my students is the toothpick and straw drill. To perform this, set up a central vision target. This can be anything, just so long as you’re able to focus on it. Then place a cup with a straw in it near the edge of your field of vision. Then, while focusing on your target, take a toothpick and attempt to place it directly in the straw. Knowing one surroundings, while I focus on one point, is that peripheral vision. I love to play chess. I can focus, i.e., on the center of the board, contemplating my next 4 moves, but while I'm focusing towards the boards center I can still clearly see the other pieces on the board, even if those other pieces aren't part of my next 4 moves, I can see every piece on the board whether they be on either side or towards the bottom; my peripheral vision knows exactly where those idle pieces are at all times. I know where my opponents limbs are at all times. So much so, that I can see the faintest telegraphic movement; I see my opponents movements in slow motion.

So that I might understand better, just what exactly is this topic about?? In a nutshell, please.

Yes, as a JBB. In the dawning of musical Kata, competitors at those tournaments created, made-up, their own Kata to the music of their choice within the prescribed time limits. Just made it up at the spare of the moment; usually right before it was time to bow-in. For the longest, before the newness of it all fell away, I used Te-Fu-Do-Geri...which doesn't mean a darn thing, but as a JBB, it sounded pretty darn cool. Those were the days. Te-Fu-Do-Geri sounds pretty awesome, is it a required kata at your dojo? No. Like I mentioned in my first post in this topic, it's a made up kata and made up name for musical kata's at tournaments in the early 1970's. I suppose that Te Fu Do Geri might mean, but I strongly doubt that, because I made it up... Te = Hand Fu = Gentle Do = Way Geri = Kick/Feet The Way of the Gentle Hand and Feet

All devices on planet Earth...EXCEPT, of course, MINE!! Hehe, I'd find a way to sneak in and use it, if it were the only one left! I'd keep it right with me. However, knowing you, you'd find a way because there'd be a will.

Explain this. When I spar, I look at the chest area, but don't focus on it, using my peripheral to see what moves. I agree. It's like in basketball, where players are taught to focus on the opponents hips; where the hips go, so does the body.

Yes, as a JBB. In the dawning of musical Kata, competitors at those tournaments created, made-up, their own Kata to the music of their choice within the prescribed time limits. Just made it up at the spare of the moment; usually right before it was time to bow-in. For the longest, before the newness of it all fell away, I used Te-Fu-Do-Geri...which doesn't mean a darn thing, but as a JBB, it sounded pretty darn cool. Those were the days.

Lowered costs? Yes. Lowered standards? No. Money is just that, of which lowering costs is the right thing to during these very difficult times due to the current pandemic. Money over students has never made much sense to me. Sure, every business is in business to meet their overhead, as well as a profit. However, I can lower costs for all concerned to meet their expectations. I've lowered costs before this pandemic, and I never looked back because it was the right thing to do back then, and it's the right thing to do nowadays. I'll never lower my standards for any reason because without integrity, there's no reason to teach the MA, and no reason to have a business whatsoever. It's not about quantity over quality; that's an oxymoron. Lowering costs do not share the same stale breath with lowering standards; standards remain high, no matter what. I'd stop teaching the MA if I had to lower my standards. I can't say the same for lowering costs. I'd still teach because my standards would remain high, even if I had to lower my costs.