quinteros1963

I've been away for a while so I want to find consistency again. Get back in shape and shake off the rust! BTW I missed you all.

Sounds like social promotion!

tie it even when you are not wearing it and keep it tied.

Kanku Dai

Just curious as to the different branches of the arts we have here.

1.) Pass Nidan test. 2.) Start teaching again now that I have relocated-Shotokan Club!. 3.) As always continue to train!!!

I know of several young Jr. black belts. Doesn't bother me at all. I have come across several 2nd and 3rd degrees though who we called master under the age of 18. To me that is a joke. But i understand the business aspect of it all.

Its a Xmas gift so $$ is not an issue as long as it no more that the 100 dollars set aside (lol) . My other belt is 5 years old and came with a gi I bought well before I was a shodan.

9th-Taikiko sho 8th-Heian sho 7th-Heian ni 6th-Heian san 5th-Heian yon 4th-Heian go 3rd-Tekki sho 2nd-Bassai dai 1st -Bassai dai BB -Bassai dai/Kanku dai/Jion/Jitte or Empi (Choice of)

What did you end up choosing?Meijen Pro 12 For special occasions, but my favorite is still my Bushido 14 0z.

My wife thinks i'm crazy, but after many years of training I decided I wanted a nice uniform. Now that I have a few: 14 oz Bushido and 12 oz Meijen Pro. I want a silk belt. Can any of you share what brand you have/suggest and whats embroidered on it? I want Shotokan Karate-do in kanj on the left. Unsure of my name or blank on the right. So far I've looked at Hirota and Arawaza.

Your waist times two plus 50 inches

Okinawa Martial Arts!

Skill speaks for itself. I would prefer to have the skill than the belt only. After all the belt is just an outward sign of your skill! I agree that your lineage is important; however I have met some who have the belt without the skills.

1/25-Kata practice(one hour) self defense (one hour). Plyometrics and squats. 1/26- 5K interval run and stretching followed by upper body weight training.

Check out the link below: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfHc_hBXTUE

How so?? Well why do you need to be a nidan? Or a sandan? Or a kudan? Why not just a Blackbelt? It is a tool to distinguish you from him or from her. That you are Bill's senior but Bob's junior. Early on rank is an identifier so your instructor and others can gauge your progress on a curriculum but when you are training for training's sake why do you need to be promoted further. IMHO it's to maintain that hierarchy so that both the rank holder and their peers know where within that hierarchy they fall. I don't need to be anything except a student of the MA. Those type of things are there, and were there before I came onto the MA picture. I am what I am, but it's not because of something that I did beyond my training. No one falls into the hierarchy, they're selected via an established voting proxy. Not everyone is of the hierarchy!! We use the word "hierarchy" within Shindokan circles to only note whom lies within the Administrative Chain of Command, and not within the ranks, as you're viewing it. It's an unfamiliar term for me to see rank as you're explaining it. Before I was elected into the old Board of Regents, I was NOT part of the hierarchy, nor was I privy to anything Administrative and the like. When I speak here at KF and I use the word "hierarchy", I've always been referring to those members, those chosen few, that are part of the Administration and the like. Ok...I've babbled enough...sorry! I see it as a system of Control and a Business. People want to stand out as accomplished. Most (not all, but very few) black belts are full of themselves and must be distinguished from the lower ranked dans. In my circle here in Texas the master ranked instructors can't agree on anything because of ego. Thy show little or no respect to each other, question how rank was attained and won't recognized rank outside their org. On the business side it costs nearly 500$ for 5th Dan 1000 for 7th Dan and so on! I miss boxing where all we did is train and spar. Your skill spoke for you.

Goshindo could also refer to a style taught in central NY started by Frank Van Lenten. Its a mix of the different styles that he studied in the 50's and 60's (Goju Ryu, Shoryn Ryu, and other.

I'm considering Taekwondo, as I have been invited to train with an a local instructor. The group is headed up by a gentleman by the name of Joe Vigil. He has a very successful program run at several YMCA's. He does not seem to have a digital footprint outside of this, so I don't know if I can trust the group. He is a very nice guy but I want to learn from someone who is "legit". Can you guys help me out? I'm unsure after recently trusting the masses here in the Texas sport karate community.

I SAY SEVEN

Agreed. I always say a punch is a punch and a kick is a kick. I think we should embrace ideas from other styles. Doing so promotes personal growth and gets us closer to the origin of martial arts or as you put it the core.

After reading your post, looking into "masters" that I have met or trained with, I must say that I am disappointed with rank. I will take rank with a grain of salt from now on. Its sad that many had to award themselves high ranks after breaking from a teacher and creating his "own" style. Others have accepted rank from questionable groups sometimes skipping multiple Dan grades. Where is the honor in that?

The story I got from one of my instructors who studied at the Agena Dojo on Okinawa was that some of the founder's students, after seeing that the founders of other systems were promoting themselves to 10th Dan, went out and bought a red belt and presented it to Shimabuku. So basically his own students promoted him to 10th Dan. Who promoted Peter Urban in USA Goju to 10th Dan?

15 minutes 45 is the longest but that was a few years ago

In the early days students learned from several teachers. I say yes and I attend and assist at a "traditional" dojo.