sensei8

You get better by the day; experiencing some things that only few experience!! You took the advanced class in stride, especially it being your first time in the advanced class. Well done!!

First off...Congrats for celebrating your 1 year anniversary. Speaks volumes because that first year is the most trying for any MA school for many reasons!! So, you deserve a big.... Typical?? Imho, there's nothing typical about student attrition. My rate is somewhere around 10%-15%, on an average. Of course, that number bumps up to around 20% rate, depending on the time of the year...vacations and summer events seem to be my momentary bump up for that 20% rate. However, I've been around far more than 1 year, therefore, my numbers are going to be much lower than a MA school that has only had their doors open for 1 year. My first year was fueled by the continued surge of interest in the MA with the public from the early and mid 1970's. However, I also had Dai-Soke at my dojo quite a lot during my first year, and on the floor with me; he was my "Assistant Instructor", of which he brought with him several of his Sempai's as well. Even with all of that, the learning pains were harsh that first year because my churn rate was churning at a monster rate of 55% for my 1st and 2nd Quarter, and didn't start to show a sign of slowing down itself until the end of the 3rd Quarter, and by the end of the 4th Quarter, my churning rate had a comfortable 35%...and it gradually became lower and lower, even with the annual summer events bumps. May I ask...What was the highest number of students you reached?? How many students do you have right now?? If you can average between 35% - 40%, you are doing well. Of course, the lower the churning the better. What I do is that I take all the students I had at this time last year, and then add all the new students who enrolled in the following 12 months. Compare that sum to the current number of enrolled students. If I then end up with less than 35%, I'm doing well, in which I maybe lost 1-3 students.

MEIJIN: Their Gis have the Ventilated Underarm Gussets in all of their uniforms. I've a few of their various Gis; high quality, imho!! Here's their link... https://www.dragon-tsunami.org/Products/Pages/Meijin.htm

Yes, in my youth!! My right knee went one way and I went the other way. All I did, and it drove me stir crazy, was rest, and physical therapy when the time was ordered...was quite a long while before doctor gave me the ok to return to the floor. I took no short cuts, and when the doctor said I could go full time on the floor, I was mindful of what the doctor advised....BE CAREFUL!!

It's a good question. Maybe there isn't any?.... What are the benefit(s) if there aren't any formalized drills?? Perhaps uncertainty of any continuity of some degree for either the student and/or the instructor. Possible chaos on the floor...should I learn this first....or that first...or at the same time...oh never mind... The benefits that I see in formalized drills is that there must be a learning starting point somewhere and somehow. Then perhaps, once a learning starting point is understood and established, the non-formalized learning point begins. In learning/teaching anything, a starting point must be understood and established. Baby steps at every turn of learning/teaching, whatever those baby steps are. I'm not sure I follow. Why would one need formalized, impractical drills to ensure continuity, when we have kata? Why would one need formalized, impractical drills to maintain order and prevent chaos on the floor, when we have an instructor leading the class? I would also argue that starting with realistic drills would provide a "learning starting point" that is much more practical than the formalized drills. We don't even start having our students work the formal yakusoku kumite drills until 7th kyu prepping for 6th, and by that point we have taken them through quite a few practical self defense drills against realistic attacks. It hasn't caused a problem, and I'm honestly You seem to misunderstand me, which is my fault!! I don't ever condone anything impractical anywhere. No one needs impractical anything whatsoever, and what we teach isn't impractical, whether it be formal or not!! Anything that either the CI and/or the Hombu have deemed as necessary training, is formal!! However, I despise anything I believe to be impractical, and anything impractical is ineffective.

Imho, no matter the type of respect, respect is earned, and never given on a whim; integrity should always be paramount.

Congrats, wagnerk; well deserved!!

It's a good question. Maybe there isn't any?.... What are the benefit(s) if there aren't any formalized drills?? Perhaps uncertainty of any continuity of some degree for either the student and/or the instructor. Possible chaos on the floor...should I learn this first....or that first...or at the same time...oh never mind... The benefits that I see in formalized drills is that there must be a learning starting point somewhere and somehow. Then perhaps, once a learning starting point is understood and established, the non-formalized learning point begins. In learning/teaching anything, a starting point must be understood and established. Baby steps at every turn of learning/teaching, whatever those baby steps are.

Perhaps it would look more obvious if watching adults ice skating for the first time, chaotic looking to say the least.None maists attempting Sparring for the first time, is gonna look more like a Brawling than anything else, like every thing else, just takes time to develop some basic skills. For the most, it lacks the resistant training, which is a Shindokan staple, because these participants don't want to be handled. They want to be coddled and go through the motions, and aren't receptive to our brand!! They seem to think that fights happen in slow motion and their attacker will stand still the entire counter. Still, I'm giving my instructors a wide berth to fine tune this program.....open mind, Bob, open mind!!

E-Bogu and Seidoshop!! Their Tonfa's are top notch in my book, and are reasonably priced. Not saying that Century MA Supplies, my go to MA supplier, sells inferior Tonfa's, because imho, they don't. Seidoshop and Century MA Supplies for the Bo!! The Seidoshop Bo, while it was quite pricey, over $250, yet, it was as solid as I've ever seen.

I'm pretty sure that Soke and Dai-Soke didn't need outward identifiers for any student whatsoever; and neither do I or does most CI's. As Spartacus Maximus points out, business had a lot to do with the advent of satisfying the business side of the school via the students, as well as parents, rank inquiry.

Even why I'm trying to sincerely support the one day self-defense class, and things seem to me acceptable across the board, it still seems and feels wrong to me. But I'm keeping an open mind!!

Solid post!! Funny thing about JBB obi's, as far as Shindokan was concerned, are there were no outward identifier at all in Shindokan, but in a very brief moment of time, by the time I earned my 6th Kyu, JBB obi's had the white stripe running down its entire length of a BB. How were JBB's identified before that?? They weren't!! Only Soke and Dai-Soke knew whom they were by a glimpse. I distinctly remember seeing Brown Belts that had 4 stripes on their obi's in my infancy at the Hombu; and that was Soke/Dai-Soke's outward identifier for JBB's.

Solid post!!

Muscle memory seems quite evident here. Re-Training one's muscle memory is possible, but can be very difficulty to do so. How long one's been doing something, even if it's correct, over and over makes it even more difficult to Re-Train ones muscle memory. I believe that while Re-Training ones muscle memory can be somewhat difficult to accomplish, a seasoned and much qualified instructor CAN, by all means, Re-Train a students muscle memory. Albeit, one can have multiple muscle memories. Kind of like being able to speak several different languages; an internal switch is voluntarily flipped. So, one can do multiple MA successfully by flipping that internal switch on and off at will. Again, for that, I believe that the key there is found within the quality of instructor(s). There must be that effort and accountability on both the student and the instructor equally. Imho!!

My wearing blinders towards one day self-defense classes all of these years has stifled my Student Body's chance of fruitful and effective expectations through their own MA betterment. Some say, better late than never, yet, I'm not sure if that's overly fair to my Student Body, whereas, better late...is still late, nonetheless. Thus far, things are looking up.

Solid post!!

Well, I think that my harshness is limiting possible potentials that are not mine...they are of that individual who wants to attend and learn as much as they can from a one day self-defense. Who am I to deny that individual to learn something, even if it's just one thing. If an individual attends a one day self-defense class and learns only one thing, then that one day self-defense class has tremendous value. A tangible value that money can't buy; it's the knowledge and experience, no matter how brief the exposure might be. So, after a meeting of the minds with all of my instructors, my dojo will conduct self-defense classes for its very first time, and on a regular basis. Hopefully Soke and Dai-Soke aren't turning in their graves...to much!! I now see the value of adding self-defense classes to our Seminar calendar. Not just for the potential financial benefit afforded to the dojo, but for the value of that one student who wants a one day self-defense class. Everyone here knows just how much of a proponent and advocate I am for my Student Body; Student Body first, dojo second, me third/last.

A belated great news about the progress!!

Like the saying goes... The family that trains together, stays together!!

Yes, and very nice looking dojo; looks right out of Okinawa.

Recently I read that Dan Inosanto and Shannon Lee voiced their disapproval of how Bruce was being portrayed in this movie, and they were distancing themselves from this movie.

Welcome to KF, Mykaratejourney; glad that you're here!! Tough choice; boils down to preference. Tokiado; a proven quality Gi in its cut and endurance, and I love the half sizes, which the Seishin doesn't. Price wise, well, the Tokiado WKF Yadudo is about $230 USD, while the Seishin Gi is about $270. They each are WKF approved and they each promote different advantages in respect to size, weight, and extras. Might require you to flip a coin!! Good luck, and please let us know what you decided.

Is the Hulk broken??

Congrats to the both of you; 1 down, many, many more to go!! Train hard and train well!!