sensei8

Welcome to KF, E-Thad; glad that you're here!! I did a plethora search for any Kyokushin dojo's in Akron, Ohio with not much success. Closest Kyokushin dojo is 2 and a half hours away to the west in Lima, Ohio. Sorry!! Might have to contact the Kyokushin Headquarters.

Solid post!!

They both do very well. Sure, they don't win all of the time, but who does!?! Each season they both improve, and that is the real victory. Having followed them both here at KF and FB, has been a complete pleasure through and through. They both do what the Karate maxim speaks...7 times down, 8 times up!! COME ON DISTRICTS!!!! They'll both do fine!! They're both very luck to have the support base of family and friends, and Bran, you've done a fantastic job coaching them on the side. GO KENNETH AND KENDALL!!!!!

I use weights all of the time, and even more so as I age. We were introduced to train with when I was a JBB at 13 years of age. Before long, training with weights became a staple in my training, which meant that I introduced weight training to my students ever since day one at my own dojo in 1977.

You know, imho, it's the individual that versus an individual, and not the style. The style is the vehicle in which the individual arrives in; how the individual drives said vehicle is based on that individual, and not the style.

No I don't use apps for my training because it's a personal choice. Maybe it's an old school excuse to not use a app. I don't cast a judgment on those who do use a app to train with because, like I said, it's a personal choice!!

I've been teaching for a very long time, ever since my dojo opened in 1977; kids of the very young age have always been a staple at both the Hombu and my dojo. Shindokan Saitou-ryu!! If you mean, what do I teach kids that very young and tender age?? Shindokan Saitou-ryu!! But the emphasiks is NOT Shindokan, nor is it ever mentioned to them. Why?? They don't care one way or another. Protocol and manners and etiquette and so on and so forth is taught alongside with Shindokan. They get a uniform; kids love that whole thing with the patches and belt and all. Do they learn how to defend themselves?? That's not the emphasis because who in the world can they defend against except another tiny tot; surely not a bigger kid and certainly not a determined adult. Sure we do teach Shindokan, but in a really laid back way so as not to scare them in any way. Play!! That's what I do....that's what all of the instructors do...WE PLAY WITH THEM!! Running, jumping and hopping, all sizes of balls to toss around, obstacle courses, to name just a few....and then some; whatever our imagination can come up with. My wife has always accused me of being a very big kid, and I suppose that I am; teaching them at that age is my favorite because I love to play too!! Moms seem to love how I do Play with them while at the same time teaching a lot of things other than Shindokan. Knock Sensei down is the most favorite game for them at that age because they've no preconceived notion of evilness in them. Whereas the older kids, just don't want to knock Sensei down, no, they want to SMASH Sensei, in which you can see that "KILL SENSEI" in their eyes Classes last no longer than 30 minutes: 5 minute stretching/warm-up 20 minutes of PLAY 5 minutes of cool down We talk to them while they Play Learn, but we never engage in a long drawn out blah blah session because experts say that kids have the attention span that's equal to their age: a 4 years old MIGHT pay attention for 4 minutes, but it's been my experience that that 4 minutes is pushing ones luck. Constant activities; never, what we call, dry-air!! Once you lose them, it's over...class is over for that kid; if the kid wants mom/dad, we just let them go whenever they want. When we sneak in Shindokan, it's in a game/play time without them ever knowing that they're learning Shindokan. When the kid gets older and starts connecting the dots, they have their very first AHA moment; love to witness that whenever it does happen...touches my heart every time!!!

Welcome to KF the_mars_bar_kid; glad that you're here!!

Karate is far more important than any person(s) and/or any Governing Body!! This decision is their to make, and they've made it; Karate will survive their decision(s)!!

Good or bad thing for Karate?? Depends on who's being asked: Competitors, Governing Bodies, Karateka's, and/or the layperson. This news is both celebration as well as downtrodden all at the same time, but once again, depends on who's being asked. Traditionalists might be celebrating because they despise Karate being called a sport, for any reason by anyone. Karate Sports enthusiastic minded MAist might feel betrayed with their rug having been pulled out from under them before their moment under both the spotlight and microscope. As in anything, time will tell if it'll affect Karate, but I'm sure that either side of the fence will want their chosen loyalty to be respected. Me, I don't care one way or another!!

Don't laugh, if possible, at what I'm about to suggest!! Here goes.... Are you right handed or left handed?? Often times, student tend to favor the dominant side across the board, no matter the techniques. They can pivot better with their left side than their right side because they're left handed due to their own comfort zone in doing everything with their left side...their mind becomes, and knows the left side in everything that they do in their left side dominate muscle memory. I'm right handed, so I had to LEARN how to be ambidextrous in the MA. I always favored to use my right side because I was use to my right through my muscle memory. Through the MA I learned how to trust my left side, and this transitioned into my other activities. I can hit on both sides of the plate during baseball/softball games...I can place kick with both my left and right foot...I can bowl and shoot pool with either my left or right hand...I can use hammers and the like with either my left or right hand. All because I had to learn to be effective in my MA on both sides, and not just one. Takes some time, as most things do, to getting use to, and then some more to become effective in the ambidextrous world. If you're laughing still, then that's ok!!

I've used a various aides like Tiger Balm, and the like, for many years; more years than I care to remember. But what I've truly depended on is a solid warm-up routine starting with stretching from head to toe. Nothing to introduce the body to cardio then stretching. I more or less use ice/rest/RICE afterwards, if necessary.

It's all about one's approach that must be appropriate. Give what's helpful, and nothing else, no matter how much tempted. I'd offer that whatever I felt would help to widen their scope of understanding, after all, that's what teachers of the MA do, teach. I can not teach nor more than I can not live without air, while at the same time, reminding them that their CI is the ultimate final authority!! That depends on the maturity of that student, as well as the one offering the help!! Not all black belts can teach!! As a interested bystander, as to not infect my way with their way; asking in what way I might be able to help them to better understand, but to not counter what their CI is teaching.

Why are you not a fan of it? Good question. You really got me thinking why I don’t like it, and the honest answer is because I’m not good at it. It’s one of those things that you don’t like what you’re not good at, so you avoid training it because you don’t like it. My feet are very flat. My toes aren’t flexible. So the ball of my foot doesn’t stick out very far when I do that kick and front kick. I think because of the angle the roundhouse comes it at, it would be pretty hard to use the ball of the foot with shoes on. A front kick, at least my front kick, rises upwards on contact, so wearing shoes doesn’t hinder it much. My roundhouse is hindered by shoes. I’ve hit a bag with both kick while wearing shoes many times; roundhouse with the ball of the foot isn’t a good kick for me, but front kick with the ball of my foot is perfectly fine. Even if it was a good kick for me, I’d still prefer the lower 1/3 of the shin. It’s a lot bigger surface area and therefore I don’t need to be as precise. It’s like swinging a bat vs a hammer IMO. Sure the hammer will have more pressure, but the bat won’t miss as easily. As for breaking your foot by using your instep to the head vs shin or ball of the foot, I don’t think that’s a real world concern. I’ve seen countless full power instep to the head kicks in competition, and I haven’t seen a broken foot. I’d be willing to bet less people break their foot off of someone’s head than break their hand off of someone’s head. I say that percentage-wise because obviously less people kick the head than punch it. It would be an interesting scientific study. Do you really need to pull back your toes though in order for it to work? this guy doesn't... http://shitokai.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Sensei-Tanzadeh-Performing-Mawashi-Geri.jpg Had better look a little more closer again...His toes ARE pulled back of some degree!!

Why?? Why not?? To train in IT is better than not ever training in IT; the summation of 'why' is to the summation of 'because'!!

Great topic' thanks for starting it Melau!! Many empty chairs sit around the Shindokan table, with both Soke and Dai-Soke having passed away, as well as many of the original hierarchy, with ranks ranging from Nanadan-Judan; these are all missed each and everyday. As a Kudan, within the Shindokan circle, I've not many, if any, that can assist me in my growing and learning in Shindokan...I'm the highest ranked!! We all struggled to make end meet when Soke and Dai-Soke passed away. We had each other, and that had to meet expectations, as limited as they seemed. Dai-Soke's teaching methodology was Piece-Meal, giving us just enough to wet our appetites for what was to come, and not giving us so much as though we assume anything, as any student tends to. My training now is a lonely search for that which once was, and I never come close to that which I'm searching and longing for. Yes, I attend and run seminars because that's what I do...I teach...in short, I do much more teaching than I do learning. I seek out for that which can and will improve my MA betterment, and I search outside of the Shindokan circle. Video learning turns me off, therefore I will not partake of that venue!! What part of Shu Ha Ri am I in, if in any shape whatsoever?? My MA is starving to learn and improve!! I'm a teacher of the MA who is crying out to learn!!

Congrats, Wayofaswede; well deserved!!

As a dojo owner, I reserve the right to refuse service to anyone!! HOWEVER, "Under federal anti-discrimination laws, businesses can refuse service to any person for any reason, unless the business is discriminating against a protected class. At the national level, protected classes include: Race or color. National origin or citizenship status." My business...my dojo...my rules, AND I owe NO ONE any explanation for my decision whatsoever!!

*Be prepared: practice, practice, practice. *Limit caffeine and sugar intake the day of the performance. Eat a sensible meal a few hours before you are to perform so that you have energy and don't get hungry. A low-fat meal including complex carbohydrates -- whole-grain pasta, lentil soup, yogurt, or a bean and rice burrito -- is a good choice. *Shift the focus off of yourself and your fear to the enjoyment you are providing to the spectators. Close your eyes and imagine the audience laughing and cheering, and you feeling good. *Don't focus on what could go wrong. Instead focus on the positive. Visualize your success. *Avoid thoughts that produce self-doubt. *Practice controlled breathing, meditation, biofeedback, and other strategies to help you relax and redirect your thoughts when they turn negative. It is best to practice some type of relaxation technique every day, regardless of whether you have a performance, so that the skill is there for you when you need it. *Take a walk, jump up and down, shake out your muscles, or do whatever feels right to ease your anxious feelings before the performance. *Connect with your audience -- smile, make eye contact, and think of them as friends. *Act natural and be yourself. *Exercise, eat a healthy diet, get adequate sleep, and live a healthy lifestyle. Some might be easier said than done, however, nothing ventured is nothing gained!! None are more important than the other from that list above, albeit, being prepared through practice seems quite vital...after all, it tops that list. ***Reference: https://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/stage-fright-performance-anxiety#1

While the CI is the final authority in many things, the student is accountable of themselves across the board. Train....don't train!! Be serious...not be!! Not only should the CI ensure that what they're teaching is effective, the student must find out for themselves...that too is the student being accountable. After all, outside of the dojo, it's you, and no one else that will have to ensure their safety.

Before?!?! No, for me, I prepare myself everyday in every possible way I know of to the Nth degree; my MA betterment demands that from me. Training is the fine tuning of that which is necessary through mind, body, and spirit. Tournaments are not battle in the sense a MAist can gauge themselves effectively and honestly; it's the raw core of Kumite, outside of trophy seeking, in itself that can be measured under the microscope.

Depending on the style...yes!! In Shindokan we do execute low roundhouse kicks quite a lot. This is mainly because all of our kicks are stomach and lower; no middle or high kicks whatsoever.

I wasn't able to view the video. Shadowboxing is a proven and vital aspect of training across the board. It's better to do, than not to do, providing it's being performed correctly, and under the eye of an experienced instructor.

After all, Karate-do, is a way of life; the word "do", represents "way", therefore, Karate IS a Way of life. In everything that one does, thinks, and speaks is through Karate with every aspect becoming deeply ingrained through time. Being away from the floor starts to become an unsettling disconnection, as though one can't properly function without the MA as that grounding force in ones life. I'm always speaking about time because time is that vital element that molds and shapes the MAist. There's not a minute that goes by whereas the MA isn't on my mind in one shape, way, and/or form; but that took time for that to become that constant thought and action in my life. I can no more not eat, drink, breathe, and/or speak the MA in some shape, way, and/or form, than a fish can survive outside of water, whereas, both, are sustained my that which brings it life. Some might say that that's an unhealthy obsession!! Then I say that those who say that very same thing have never experienced that true WAY of life, that can only be received through, and to, the MA; to them I encourage them to do one thing before they unceremoniously judge the MA...Taste and see that the MA is good. Yet, if they have tasted the MA, and it wasn't good, then perhaps, they didn't allow enough effective time and/or the source of which their MA emitted from was spoiled to the core.

Happy Birthday to you...Happy Birthday to you...everyone, sing it with me loud...Happy Birthday to you dear Brian...Happy Birthday to you...and many, many more!! Happy Birthday, Brian!!