sensei8

Congrats, kenpo4life; well deserved!!

A BJJ gi and/or a Judo gi and/or any same like gi is different than any other gi because for the most, they're made specifically for grappling, and developed to withstand the pulling and grabbing that Bjj consists of. If you're training in Karate, then you'll be better off with a gi designed specifically for Karate. Karate gi's aren't made out of paper, so they will take punishment, but not the type of punishment that a BJJ/Judo will take. Many Karate gi's come heavy or light or middle weight; those are of a personal choice, and not much of a requirement. I believe that beginning students should purchase a lightweight gi, otherwise you'll be wearing a small sauna. A lightweight gi is perfect for any beginner across the board. Where you purchase a Karate gi from will also be of a personal choice. Most dojo's sell gi's, therefore, ask your CI for advice in this regard, and get the CI's directions as to what you should do. If the dojo sells you a Karate gi, it'll be a lightweight gi; a Student gi, and they usually come with a white belt. I hope what I've said in a nutshell helps you.

We train in Shugyo training; one of its staples. To us, Shugyo is training, and training in its raw unforgivable core, To us, Shugyo is ShuHaRi, and ShuHaRi is Shugyo; inseparable. In ShuHaRi, and with every element that is Shindokan, it has Shu (Protect), Ha (Break), Ri (Separation). Each aspect of Shu Ha Ri has Shugyo deeply interwoven in it, and without, neither can exist effectively. Life is hard; so is training in the MA, or at least it should be. So, we've been taught to turn doubt into reality, therefore, while the overall training in the MA is hard at every level of ShuHaRI, Shugyo mindset prohibits complaining; suck it up...or get off the floor until the proper respect can be given to the floor. Shugyo never ends; it's an ongoing process that chips away as it molds. The goal of Shugyo is for the student to gradually absorb knowledge about the discipline and this is to be done instinctive. No student gets any feedback; little, if any, and if any is provided, it's quite little. Students don't get it regarding their performance in the discipline. They don't get any direct input or feedback as to what and how to do things. They are expected to experience training, in which, they've just got to put the puzzle pieces together of their own. Our Dai-Soke was quite fond of always reminding us all...SHUGYO...his way of telling us all to SUCK IT UP; quite complaining/whining because we're there to train. Well, that's in the rough nutshell.

1) Defeat Prostate Cancer. 2) Re-lose weight; getting that back on track, and stay on track this time no matter what. I believe that with those two, my plate's full enough for 2020.

Yeah, I failed miserably across the board!! Therefore, I'll not make any New Year's resolutions anymore!!

Solid post!!

Welcome to KF, John_newman; glad that you're here!!

Welcome to KF, Eighties; glad that you're here!! MMA schools, as well as many other MA styles, for that fact, just don't believe in Kata/Bunkai for their own reason(s); it's just not their sought after methodology and/or ideology. Having trained in old school traditional Okinawa Karate dojo for over 5 decades, I'm a firm proponent of the 3 K's....Kihon, Kata, and Kumite, and for me to not have that in my life would be akin to having no air to breath. I can understand the MMA approaches where Kata/Bunkai is concerned because they want to cut out the middleman and get right into the brass tacks of what the street will be like in a reality fashion, not muss and no fuss. Whereas, we being believers of Kata/Bunkai approach preferred by many through its Oyo and the like....to each his own, I suppose. I do believe that whether it be traditional or MMA, they do reach their desired goals in their very effectiveness, even though both don't see eye to eye across the board. If you want Kata/Bunkai or MMA, with what each can offer, then as an old idiom states... "When in Rome, Do as the Romans do" or as I've heard before, "If you want tomatoes, then you'll have to go to the tomatoes vendor". So, if you want to train with your son for your given reasons, and no matter how alien to you it might be, you'll have to move with the cheese and train in MMA with your son. Albeit, if your heart is crying out to you to return to the way of traditional Karate training, then go where you heart lays and yearns with your ever fiber. However, change is inevitable one way or another. To me, whichever MA journey you decide upon, there's no wrong answer. Perhaps the more you're on a MMA floor, the more it'll be much more welcoming across the board. After all, the floor doesn't care which floor you train on, just as long as you are training in an effective MA seriously and consistently. I got your back on which way you decide, Chris!!

To each and everyone, I'd like to wish one and all a very Merry Christmas, and safe travels wherever that might be. Christmas is about spending time with family and friends. It’s about creating happy memories that will last a lifetime. Merry Christmas to you and your family!!

I really enjoy following your posts here quite a lot, Brian!! Keep it up; your a beast!!

You have to be happy wherever you train. Otherwise, the learning is suffered through an through; students must concentrate on learning and not why the CI isn't at least affable at all. Go where you'll be the happiest across the board!! After all, it's your journey...and your money.

Brown is normally 3rd Kyu - 1st Kyu. I've not trained in two Okinawan styles simultaneously, just cross trained via seminars and/or just visiting; I've only trained in one Okinawan style these past 55 years. As Wastelander points out, especially at first, they'll bleed together, and Goju will try to take over because of that muscle memory. Oh, it can be done, but that discipline is already ingrained in you.

Thank you so very much, Mo!!

Welcome to KF, KevinD; glad that you're here!!

Congrats to all!! Thank you for your votes for me; I'm deeply honored as well as humbled to have earned your votes.

Thank you all for your support across the board!! Somehow I feel it's my fault, somehow and someway; not a second goes by that I blame myself. Maybe if I stayed true to the previous mission, the mission that birthed this thread, but I failed in maintaining that mission goal, even though I'm back on the right track in that regard. I just don't know anymore.

My PCP has used the word Prostate Cancer so much that Wednesday, I guess I just don't know. I know my Prostate numbers are 29, where as 9 months ago they were 21...I've no idea what that means. Don't know if someone with that type of cancer would go to the Urologist first or to somewhere the cancer is immediately dealt with.

Sparring reviews that I film are reviewed on split screen of the most recent sparring sessions to one of that students archived sparring sessions for comparison; to illustrate many things, but to also show progress as well as digressions, if any.

I don't find the value with challenges of this type because once fatigue sets in, and it will set in, no matter the degree, bad starts to creep in. Often times, bad muscle memory starts confusing the intent with the content across the board. It's not the quantity but the quality of the technique(s), punches, in this case. Perhaps it's akin to when one's at the gym lifting weights, and it's not the weight that's important, but it's the amount of reps that's important. Just not my cup of tea of a challenge.

Thank you Alan and Brian!! This terrifying news was told to me by my PCP last Wednesday afternoon. Waiting to see a Urologist, hopefully sooner than later; this time of the year, doctor appointments are quite scarce. PCP is very adamant about me getting to a Urologist ASAP; but it might be 2-3 weeks, and that seems like forever and a day away. No matter what, the gym is an even more vital to saving my life; have to get the Prostate PSA numbers way down. There's no QUIT in me!! Sure, I get depressed, and you can bet the farm on it, that when I heard the news, I broke down and bawled and bawled; I was overwhelmed to the Nth degree.

Nothing wrong with that. Things come up, and at times, it's better to wait another testing cycle, that way you can be sure you are fully prepared.I wholeheartedly agree with Brian here. Any and all Testing Cycle's will always take care of themselves...whenever that might be. Test when YOU can, and not when the CI says; just be sure to communicate with your CI any schedule conflicts so that you're all on the same page. Never rush to test; there's always more Testing Cycles around the corner.

The video option is a good idea, too. I've done that before with forms, but not with sparring. What I found was that you can tell a student over and over again what it is they're doing, but in their mind, they have a certain way they see it. When you show it to them on video, then it kind of clicks with them, as they get to see it themselves. I think the benefits this could have on sparring strategies would be awesome. In sparring class, we encourage the students to try out new tactics, different techniques, and the like in order to get used to different things, get out of their comfort zones, and broaden their repertoire. Seeing things on video would be helpful in this. This would probably take more time, for sure, but would be worthwhile to do periodically. What I choose to do is to run a split screen for them to observe. On the right, is me doing said technique(s), and on the left is my student doing that same said technique(s). First, the student observes themselves executing said technique(s) in full screen mode. Then the student observes me executing said technique(s) in same full screen mode. Then, for me this is key, is that once I sync screens so that they can run split screen and at the same time side by side, the student can really become awakened as to what they're doing versus what I'm doing. No, my intent isn't to have my students to be exact copycats of myself, that would be wrong of me, but to discover where they might make those those necessary corrections in which they can be more consistent in their effectiveness. The sync split screen has jogged many students minds more then any other teaching tool that's at my disposal.

I've a new battle to win.... Prostate Cancer!!

Sure...why not?? After all, the street is the proving ground for what we've learned from over the many years of training, perhaps from a dojo, for example. Albeit, the responsibility belongs to the individual. If what's been taught/learned in the dojo, and the like, aren't effective anywhere else, then they'll not be effective in the street whatsoever. Imho!!

I'm with you, Bob! It seems I'm running into layoff after layoff, stymying my ability to improve. But, we've got to just keep plugging away at it. After all, like Martial Arts, it's about the journey, and we have to keep walking that path!I wholeheartedly agree with you!! My life depends on it, and after seeing my PCP yesterday, even more so.