sensei8

In my honest opinion... Whether one supports it or not becomes quite mute when the CI decides what will or will not be taught/trained. If the student likes it or not, it will fall on deaf ears because the CI runs the dojo and not anyone else. Get use to it!! If not, go somewhere else!!

Opinions about Bruce Lee about his fighting abilities are all over the map. We can measure all we want, and discern even more, however, whether his fighting skills meet our expectations truly don't hold water. "I'm not in this world to meet your expectations, and you're not in this world to meet my expectations." ~ Bruce Lee Many renown MA have stated their opinions about Bruce and his fighting abilities, and it seems the their opinions in this regard are highly unanimously respectful to Bruce's fighting abilities. The discerned eye can tell as to what one possess in this concern through many trained observations, and in that, the summation of 'why' is to the summation of 'because', whereas, I hold Bruce in high regards in this concern.

By humbling oneself daily!! No one knows everything about anything. Coming across as a know-it-all about anything, even if one is well versed, humbling oneself daily can go quite a very long way, especially in the regards of peace in the midst of a calamity. For starters, at least!!

What I find fascinating is that every new student is a different opportunity for an instructor or coach to learn something about how they teach or coach.Let's take your 62 year old new student, for instance. This person will probably have a skill that considerably younger students may not have; patience. This provides all kinds of avenues to take as an instructor. However, where this student shines with patience, he/she probably lacks what the younger students have; physical ability. This will present it's own set of challenges when it comes to teaching or coaching. However, we also have to be aware enough to take into account the possible life experiences that either the young or old student present to us, and take into account all those things when approaching each class we teach. The old saying... there's more than one way to skin a cat...albeit, there's more than one way to teach; teaching IS that inevitably change to that process!!

Solid post!!

Even now still, I remain impressed with your MA journey; it isn't one of a casual passing, but one of sincere devotion to ones MA journey. Keep up that fire that is burning brightly burning within you!! Train hard, and train well!!

Well, I suppose that I've spent more time on the couch than the dojo in my 62 years. I mean, while I've been training in the MA for 55 years, I have sat on many a couches an untold amount of time, whether that couch me in my home or elsewhere...I even have a few couches in my dojo, of which I am sure I spent quite a lot there as well for numerous reasons...shoot, I've even slept on them too. Please don't misunderstand me because the floor to me is sacred, and it always shall be. Having been in the MA for 5 decades and a half, I've spent super duper chunks of time on the floor, whether that be my floor or someone else's floor.

Thank you, Brian and Alan!! I've started to continue my workout journal, as of which, I will make a post once per week in this thread. This journey shall, and will continue with the vigor as it's never known....my life depends on it!!

Thanks, Brian for sharing that article; I enjoyed it quite a lot!! New students come in all ages. Therefore, when it comes to the floor, this all depends on personal knowledge as well as experiences. So, a student my age, 62 years old, for example, will ask pretty much the same questions as a much younger student, albeit, the floor is equally strange to them both. Nonetheless, the knowledge and experiences of a student my age might grasp far faster than the younger student...perhaps!!

It's been quite a while since I chimed in any updates on this thread; sorry about that. The update is not good at at all...so bad, that I'm not willing to share it in its totality here as of yet. DEPRESSION is my constant companion, and has been since my sister passed away in January 2018!! Then, there's been the SKKA being dissolved in its totality this past July. One thing after another, even my own dojo has had its difficulties away from the floor; the floor is as solid as its ever been, but off the floor have hit a bump in the road. Deep depressions has set in, and often times, my thoughts have been betraying me across the board. I ask myself as of late...Where is my value anymore?? No answer has been given, if ever at all. Then in July 2019, I once again severely hurt my lower back once again, but this time, worse than before...it's now been nearly 4 very long months since my lower back injury. Days turn to weeks and weeks turn into months... Just last week, I was given the green light to return to the gym and the floor by my PCP; but no more than 3 days per week for now; light duty, so to speak. My restrictions are 2 hours maximum of walking, standing, bending, and 15lbs of lifting; Physical Therapy of 3 days per week. Weight has come back, not in its totality as when this thread began, but enough to keep me very deeply depressed. So much so that I still wonder what my value is anymore?!?!?!? If I've let anybody here down because of this setback in this threads journey, I beg for your forgiveness!! I...I...never mind...thanks!!

Yes, we practice Hojo Undo regularly as it's intertwined with practically everything that we do.

Karate 1 TKD 1

As you describe in your OP, as part of the curriculum?? No, sorry. My students can do things like that on their own, if they feel a need to do so, and I'll help them if they've any questions along those lines.

At the moment my strength training is focused on monkey bars, a kenisis cable machine, supplemented with (at the moment sitting around 20kilos working my way up to 36kilo) dumbells, hand stands and push up; among other things, such as squats just not with heavy weights 16hrs per week.Supplemented with an additional 10hrs boxing (including agility skills, focus striking, ballistic punching and hand conditioning) also 10hrs kicking and stretching also within the week. Plyometric exercises is something which needs attention however I am very boxer agile. I fully understand that an Olympic weight lifting programme is suitedable for maists, it however doesn't grab my attention as much as Callesstetics; Also comprehending that combat sports needs a good weights programme, however I am plenty strong enough to fight martial art wise, where I probably give up strength for flexibility; which is another issue. My martial arts journey is inseparable from JKD where my physique is similar to Bruce Lee than it is to Arnold Schwarzenegger. Despite seemingly looking (myself to be) deluded in the area of strength and not looking like a Hollywood Spartan Warrior, I'm happy enough to not look like a cartoon Potato Couch Armchair Warrior LOL Not that it's any of my business...with you having had 4 heart attacks, what does your PCP and/or Cardiologist suggest to you as far as exercise limitations?? I mean, what you've described in your first paragraph above,as to what it is that you do, seems a tad tasking, but that's me. More than likely, if your PCP and/or Cardiologist is anything like mine, they both tell me "Listen to your body while you exercise; do what you can tolerate, and if you push yourself, take extra care!!" I hate their advise because I'm asking them to help me set up an exercise program so that I DO NOT task myself overly too much. I've let them read over my exercise journal, but even after then, they give my their standard reply. I always push myself because that's born within me to do so, and I'm dumb enough to push and push and push.

I've not done jumping jacks since I was in high school; didn't like them then, don't like them now!! Just not my cup of tea!!

Yeah, Higaonna Sensei just might have a problem with the courts, IF, an issue was to arise with his actions...after all, Higaonna Sensei's hand conditioning is quite impressive. I, myself, don't worry about what the courts might or might not consider in this regard because the issue at hand is for me to defend myself, therefore, I'll use whatever means are at my disposal; I'll worry about the police and/or courts when the time comes.

Kind of sounds like demotion!! However, forget rank because rank means nothing whatsoever. If one doesn't seriously train on and off the floor, then yes, they lose the ability to remain sharp and effective. Rust sets in when one becomes sedentary to such a degree, that any effectiveness once obtained is lost to some degree; the lower the ability, the harder to regain an effective edge....doable, but difficult. Train as though your life depends on because one day it just might!!

Any questions I have regarding health, I ask my PCP and Cardiologist. Very important to me to adhere to their advice, so much so, that if my Sensei and his Sensei were still alive, I'd ignore all of their suggestions completely.

Rank can't be taken away once earned; rank is forever!! We only demote if an act of moral turpitude has been proved in a court of law. In the first video link in the OP, there was no sense of needing to maintain anything because, imho, there was never any quality of knowledge or experience with those shown in said video; can't maintain quality when quality never existed. I train everyday, albeit, I don't train to maintain rank because rank means nothing to me compared to knowledge and experience, but to maintain effectiveness through live resistant training as well as the 3-Ks. Nonetheless, I've just turned 62 years old, and I've medical concerns that might take my sharpness away, but I'm on the floor as often as I can. Whenever my health concerns interfere on the floor, then my assistants do those physical attributes under my ever watchful eye. My physical abilities might wane away from time to time, but my knowledge and experience remains, and my effectiveness remains as tangible as ever. I just reached my 55th year in the MA, and while I might not be in my peak anymore, I'm as effective as ever, if even more so; a fine wine gets better and better with age.

Thank you, Danielle and Alan!!

Nope, not directly/intentionally, because it's just not.

Thank you, JR!!

Perhaps tournaments involving the MA should be banned all together because while they act as some type of a test, they're one of the most ineffective means to reach an honest conclusion of any type. Imho!!

Solid post!!

Thank you so very much, Patrick and Brian!! Now that I'm 62 years old, I can still smile every day!!