sensei8

Solid post!!

Yeah, ask, but imho, who really cares why Seisan was added?!?! Your CI added it, so train in it, and benefit from it because it's a very solid Kata. I've not added many, but I've added Kata to my curriculum that weren't part of Shindokan because I found said Kata to be quite beneficial across the board...and I never explained my reason(s) to do so because, well, who really cares!?! It's my dojo, and I'll modify my curriculum however I want to, especially if it'll benefit my Student Body. That's just me.

Solid post!!

Congrats, ashworth; well deserved!!

I could say that I'm not "old school" Karate because I started in 1964, however, the methodology and ideology that I/we trained in was "old school" training from Soke and Dai-Soke because they were both differently from those times. Perhaps, "old school" can't be addressed as "old school" in today's modern world, no matter what age the methodology and ideology is handed down. Semantics might apply to this topic across the board.

Yeah, like that. Handed down from generation to generation, and from those great Masters of yesterday, who forged The Way for all of us who hold their ideologies close to our hearts while we take one step at a time in our own MA journey. Without them, there'd be no old school Karate to follow, and to pass onto the scoreless amount of students who still find value in upholding the methodologies and ideologies of old school Karate.

My quickest answer to this question is... Whenever one is training in Karate for sports, that is NOT old school Karate, IMHO. By the way, great topic, advfhorn, thank you.

I mean, training in Uechi Karate isn't a cake walk at all. I've the most ultimate respect for any Uechi practitioner, no matter their rank because, and this isn't the only reason, the toe training they do sends chills up and down my spine...and no...I'd never want to get hit with their darn big toe ever. My big toe hurts just watching Uechi Karateka do big toe training...I walk with a limp once I've watched them.

Just like the Chiefs, Kendall wasn't going to be outdone once the dust finally settled. It's always rewarding whenever you can best an opponent who bested you previously; helps with ones self-esteem in that which one's trained in. GO KENNETH AND KENDALL!!

Finally the 50 year long drought for the Chiefs has ended with them wining the 54th Super Bowl. Had me on the edge of my seat and chewing off all of my fingernails the entire game. What the Chiefs did all year, they did it again, as only they can do...COME BACK. 49ers put the backs of the Chiefs against the wall more times than it was necessary. Then the 4th quarter came, and the Chiefs got their second wind, while the 49ers lost theirs. Chiefs defense was merciless in the 4th quarter, and each time the 49ers started to make an attempt to silence the Chiefs, the Chiefs stuff a big rag of humbleness and shoved it right down the 49ers offensive throat, and not just once. As a Cowboys fan, I greatly appreciated the fact that the Chiefs were not going to be outdone by any NFL team. Albeit, I've supported the Chiefs year after year whenever my Cowboys found themselves, once again, relegated to being that armchair quarterbacks at home. When the fat lady sang the Chiefs chant over and over as the Chiefs became the Super Bowl 54 Champions, I sat there with the biggest Cheshire Cat grin on my face...and mildly shed a tear for all that the Chiefs accomplished and represented. Congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs nation!! GO CHIEFS!!

Congrats to the both of you for passing your Testing Cycle!! Sounds like the two of you are slowly, but surely, growing steadily as one possibly can. Things that are to come, you'll be glad, and appreciative for what the two of you have experienced thus far in your MA journey. Steady your course, and you'll be very thankful that you both went through all thus far as you slowly earn rank, especially in Brown Belt; where life there is both rewarding, as well as how Brown Belt training tends to take no prisoners whatsoever. Train hard, and train well....the both of you!!

I tend to follow the rule that a child's age is the length, in mintes, of their attention span. So, anything that involves my children classes/curriculum is based on that rule/formula. Adults attention spans better, but even then, adults become stale if their sedentary more often than not. Some things I do regarding Kata where kids are involved, and even now, I'm constantly tweaking it because not one student, no matter their age, are the same across the board. I'll just list the name of what I do, and if anyone wants me to describe it, I will: 1> Red light, Green light Drill 2> Yame Drill 3> Box Drill 4> A, B, C Drill 5> Back to the future Drill 6> Blind Mice Drill 7> Whoa Horsey Drill 8> Name It Drill (This has 4 parts) 9> Your Turn Drill (This has 2 parts) 10> Simon Says Drill 11)> King of the hill Drill These are by far both the most successful and fun for the kids. These drills help to improve every aspect of Kata. From memorizing to posture to precision; name it, it's drilled...including Bunkai. Kids are grandmasters at play, so why not let them do that which they excel at....playing; playing and learning, especially for kids, goes hand in hand.

Solid post, Brian!! Yeah, my UFC analogy was both bad and poorly written; I missed the mark completely in making my point. If you look up 2 posts from this post, that post of mine what I meant, even though that was still poorly written, but it more conveyed my point of this topic.

Absolutely!! Mainly because pressure points don't always work for one reason or another. Whenever a point doesn't react as it should, you better gave an immediate plan 'B' or 'C' or something. I've trained in Kyusho Jitsu forever, and I believe in it for cause, however, as in anything that's MA, sometimes plan 'A' doesn't always work for one reason or another. Absolutely! Well said. The same can be said with joint locks. I am a huge fan of joint locks, but in the end they, along with Kyusho Jitsu, and strike, and kicking, and throwing, are all tools. Solid point!! A MAists bag of tricks hold one effective tool or another; the more in ones bag of tricks, the more ones chance to walk away unscathed.

Absolutely!! Mainly because pressure points don't always work for one reason or another. Whenever a point doesn't react as it should, you better gave an immediate plan 'B' or 'C' or something. I've trained in Kyusho Jitsu forever, and I believe in it for cause, however, as in anything that's MA, sometimes plan 'A' doesn't always work for one reason or another.

Absolutely!! Mainly because pressure points don't always work for one reason or another. Whenever a point doesn't react as it should, you better gave an immediate plan 'B' or 'C' or something. I've trained in Kyusho jitsu forever, but as in anything that's MA, sometimes plan 'A' doesn't always work for one reason or another.

Better late than never, Brian with the updates. What I have always loved about Kendall and Kennth is their sticktoitiveness with wrestling; one of their solid passions. After all, baseball isn't as demanding, and oftentimes, kids and adults go for that which seems easier. I've truly enjoyed following you and boys each and every wrestling season. Hopefully their wrestling fire won't dim much or at all. Should they follow different challenges, I will always have their backs, win or lose. GO KENDALL AND KENNETH!!!!! PS: Some videos would be cool....too!!

Yeah, I too have a SB party at my house every year, although my Cowboys seem to enjoy staying at home to WATCH, and NOT PLAY IN, the SB for sometime. I'll be rooting for the Chiefs, as I always have for quite sometime, and if the Chiefs get eliminated I'll root for the underdog team, whomever that might be that year. 50 years is along time to be not playing in the SB....so... GO CHIEFS!!!!

Perhaps I'm being misunderstood here; that's my fault entirely across the board...please forgive me for that. Whenever I say, size doesn't matter, I mean that no matter the size of ones attacker, on the streets, away from the comfort of ones dojo or sport competition, you, as the MAist, and as the one being attacked, must protect yourself, right then and there, because your attacker just choose YOU!! YOU DON'T GET TO CHOOSE FOR YOUR ATTACKER!! The attacker has already taken care of that for you. If your attacker is much bigger/stronger than you, then you better deal with it one way or another. When your attacker, on the streets, is that behemoth standing right before you, hell bent to destroy you, and all that, this, right there...right now...size doesn't matter; that ship has already sailed. Get it on or get gone!! Time for the MAist to dig deeply within their training, knowledge, and experience, with that behemoth standing before you. That way, once the dust finally settles, you're still standing, and not your attacker. Btw, I've never provided a disservice to my students ever, and I take great offense to the implication, directly or indirectly!! Surely, everyone knows me here better than that, that I'd never do anything to harm my students in any shape, way, and/or form. Man, I hope I explained what I meant about "size doesn't matter" better this time. I highly respect what Noah and JR are saying because I wholeheartedly agree with you both across the board. When an overpowering size/strength shows up, and gets in my face, and wants to break me in half, size no longer matters to me...it's already here, and there's nothing else I can do about it; I'm going to deal with it quite harshly and with cause...because size doesn't matter...anymore...to me!!

Seeing that you're training in Shotokan under the direction of a Sensei, I must imply a most unfavorable suggestion... Please ask your Sensei, and follow his instructions. After all, you trusted him enough to choose him as your Sensei, so follow with your gut by continuing in trusting in that Sensei. On the side, I do like Wastlander's advice of instep pads.

So, therefore, while opinions differ whenever this topic is ever discussed, that I'm not seeking here whether one's opinion(s) are right or wrong or indifferent, no matter what side of the fence one stands. That we just respect each others opinion(s) through and through. I'm quite positive of several things. 1) This topic has been discussed within the many threads found here in KF. 2) That there are many opinions, of which, there's no favorable consensus among KF's members whenever this topic is discussed. 3) This topic could've fit in many different KF Forums, somehow and someway, albeit, I've choose this forum because it could fit in many KF forums, so why not here?!?! Here's the topic: Does Size Matter In A Fight?? Imho, NO. Size doesn't matter in a fight. Why?? I stopped following UFC and the like venues whenever weight divisions took up camp across the landscape slowly, but surely. UFC entered weight classes at UFC 12, and we've just finished UFC 246. If memory serves me correctly, the UFC was designed, at least in its beginning, MA style VS MA style, with no weight classes whatsoever; a single elimination kind of round-robin ruled the comings and goings of UFC. Whether UFC was designed to highlight Gracie Jujitsu or not, is quite immaterial. UFC 1-11 were no weight classes; mano a mano. Then UFC changed its mission from mano a mano to more weight classes, which means more fights, which means more titles, which means more money for Dan White. The MA style VS MA style died unceremoniously at UFC as well as the many other venues. Still, I'm a staunch proponent of the mindset that size doesn't matter. Why even darken the doors of any MA school of any MA style if that practitioner believes that size does matter?!?!? Why?? Practitioners believe in their teacher(s)...practitioners believe in their styles founder...practitioners believe in their style...and if that's true, then size shouldn't matter after the dust settles down. Perhaps whenever a practitioner speaks that size does matter is because they've only the measured confidence in themselves only on the floor but never off the floor due to their own limitations towards their lack of knowledge and experience that's consistent and effective. Why train in any codified style of the MA if size matters?? Let me say this, whenever your attacked on the streets by someone who's heck bent on hurting you, or worse, killing you, just what are you going to do when a much bigger and/or stronger thug wants to cause you harm to the Nth degree, with no remorse whatsoever!?!?! To name just a few examples... Imagine if MA schools didn't teach bully awareness, and all it possess, to a our children classes, that picked on child will not have the necessary tools to defend themselves against the bully. What else is a bully but a bigger child who's a bigger threat due to the bullies size?? If size matters, that we shouldn't teach these types of classes to our children students. Or the classes that teach rape prevention to women students. Aren't the rapists oftentimes, but not always, much bigger and stronger than their victims!?!?! If possible at all, no sense in teaching those classes if size matters for those students. On the streets, one can't decide whom will attack you and/or your loved ones. No matter who it is that's before you, you must deal with it to the best of your abilities. You can't ever choose your attacker(s), but your attacker(s) can always choose you. Once your attacker(s) choose you, you've got to size up your situation because you've got to make some very serious decisions immediately; your life just might depend on it. I do get the other side of the fence's argument because many of the things to consider are viable and tangible. Albeit, at any given time, one's got no choice, and that might mean that size just don't matter; one's got to do whatever one has to do. If size matters, then might I suggest that that individual leave said MA school because everything that ones being taught, and being trained in, is at best a muted effort and ineffective across the board. Didn't one come to a MA school to learn how to effectively defend themselves against their attacker...no matter said size...or did one come to a MA school to get a cool uniform and belt!?!?! Once again, to me, size will never matter to me, and in that, that's what I've been taught, and that's what I teach my students. I'm effective, and I will not allow size to dictate to me whatsoever. The floor is open!! Please let's not us forget my plea in the opening paragraph.

It's difficult to determine. All we can see is your side of the story here. It could be your instructor has his own reasons, and he feels they are justified. Or he might not have any good reasons.It's been said that "fair" is what you pay a cab driver (I know, not the proper spelling, but you get the point). What you have to take with you is that although someone may take your rank, they cannot take your knowledge. You have to lean on that to carry forward. Solid post!! While it might be quite frustrating or darn right enough to making one very angry, rank isn't that important at all because it's just a tangible thing; an absolute nothing but a bobble. Don't allow the trees to get in the way of the forest; knowledge and experience are far above that which might be wrapped around ones waist at any given time. That which is given, can, and will be taken away, but only for cause. Train hard and train well!!

Hi I am new here. My reason usually was Self-Defence. Physical Fitness. Mental Confidence. Interest in the culture of the martial art I was practising. Whenever I practice, I feel confident, like breathing, it is something very natural to me and there is nothing in life that feels more natural to me than fighting and practicing. Sadly this time is over now after I was badly injured... Maybe I am capable of starting again one day, but before that, a few things need to be sorted out with my body first. I practiced many martial arts, suceeded in many competitions and I obtained many belt grades in systems such as Karate, TKD, Gjogsul etc... Welcome to KF, TheStlyer92; glad that you're here!!

Solid post!!

Excellent reply, 333kenshin. Of course, anything I've posted on this topic imho. Appears that you've the prerequisite beginnings to do that which it is that you're attempting to do. Again, your path will not be that overly simple; many roadblocks on your chosen path. One that might not weather the possible oncoming storm is your style VS said acquired schools style. The current Student Body might not want to change their established MA journey for the transition that might be required of them. In the acquired school, that Student Body might not want to put all that they've achieved through many years of training, especially those of that Student Body who've been on the floor for some time for a new direction, new management, new CI, new owner, new style...new everything, including a white belt. Which of course shouldn't ever be a concern for those who are on the floor for all of the right reasons, and not for rank. After all, if those of the new Student Body aren't ranked in your style, then guess what, they will be white belts, and they should have zero problem with that, if they're of integrity. However, once they test to see that what you can offer is good for their MA journey, and they will test you until they're satisfied, of which, you'll welcome with a open mind with them testing to see that what you bring to the table is good. While you might have no problems whatsoever in securing negotiations in acquiring said school of the MA; with every 't' crossed, and every 'i' dotted, and signatures signed and keys to the front door, earning their trust, winning them over, might be another thing. That will seriously depend on you, and what you've to offer the new Student Body. They have to learn all over again in everything about everything day by day. I'd hold a open forum with that Student Body day one so that all parties concerned can introduce themselves to one another; will they feel that since of value or will they feel they've no voice. You have to prove yourself to them, and not vice versa, at least not during the transition time; they're already a family, and you'll be an unknown, well, guest with the school's keys. Please don't misunderstand me, from what you've posted, I do believe that you will be able to weather any storm across the board. So much will depend on you!!