Lupin1

Super congrats to your cousin...made it to the SHOW!! Can I ask, his name?? I mean, that's really cool!! Kris Bryant. Give it two years and everyone will know his name!

Woo hoo! I was raised a Yankees fan (which in northern New England is a rough upbringing), but as my cousin is set to make his major league debut with the Cubs this year, I looking to those Cubbies!

I think anyone who studies karate is a karateka, from the first day they set foot on the mat until they choose to end their training. Nothing else necessary.

Congratulations! Keep up the amazing contributions!

I don't like the term "master" used as an honorific more due to the historical connotations of slavery or subservience. I know some of the other schools around here do it (I've heard my instructor who also teaches at another local school referred to as "Master Lee" by a friend from that school), but I don't think I would feel comfortable using it myself. I mean, I guess if I try hard enough I could convince myself I'm like a Jedi padawan... But it would still feel awkward to me.

I was 8. It was the Power Rangers/Ninja Turtles/3 Ninjas era and I was gonna be one or all of those when I grew up.

I taught 2nd grade for a few years and I had a problem like that at one point. I was a fun teacher. I had high expectations, but I also liked to make class fun and, it's mostly my fault for not nipping it in the bud, but a few of the kids took it a little overboard and i had trouble reining them in when it was time to be serious and they were starting to get disrespectful with some of their jokes. What really worked was just to level with them. Take ten minutes at the beginning of class one day to sit in a circle with the entire group and chat. Tell them you enjoy having fun with them and you know they enjoy it, too, but when it's time to settle down they're having a hard time. Ask them why it's important to settle down and pay attention. Let them come up with the reasons (so others can learn, so they can learn, so they can get better at karate, etc). Then have THEM come up with some things they can do to make a change and help their friends and themselves learn better (settle down immediately when you call them to order, "stop look and listen", etc). Then have them all agree to try it out. Everyone's gotta agree and you all have to be a team and help each other remember to be the best you can be. After the meeting is over, have a nice, productive class and then play a game at the end and praise them for their hard work and comment on how you got so much done and still managed to have fun. Honestly-- the best way to handle it is give the kids some credit. Most of them want to be there. They want to learn karate. And, if they're over the age of 5, they know what proper behavior is and why it's important for learning. The more you turn it around and show them you trust them to know what's right and to do it (with some help, reminders, and encouragement), the more likely they'll be on your side and you won't be fighting them.

We run out of a Boys and Girls Club, so the kids are required to be members of the club ($50 a year). We use their facility and are covered under their insurance (for a long while we couldn't spar because of it. Can now, though). We share the room with their wrestling program (we do Tuesdays and Thursdays, they do Mondays and Wednesdays) so it has mats and mirrors that were bought with money fundraised by the Boys and Girls Club. Adults are responsible for ordering our own uniforms, belts, sparring gear, etc. For the kids we'll order uniforms for them online and charge them what we pay. We also get second hand uniforms donated to us or we buy some when we have the money for kids who can't afford a uniform. We've acquired a good number of belts over the years, so the kids are just presented with their next belt and they have the choice of either bringing in $5 to keep their old belt or turning it in so we can use it again. We've had a few wavemasters donated over the years and adults in the program have also donated kicking paddles, shields, and sparring gear and we've also supplemented our supply with the kids' dollars as needed. For weapons we've got a good supply of bo staffs and short sticks that people have donated. When adults get to the more advanced weapons in the dan grades they buy them themselves (the kids don't touch weapons until junior black and then it's just the staff and stick until adult black belt). Basically, our facility costs are null due to being a program of the Boys and Girls Club. Personal equipment is bought by each person at cost as needed (or can be borrowed as available for the kids). Club equipment has mostly been donated over the years by adult members or has been acquired slowly over time by saving up our dollars.

We don't technically charge at all. The adults don't pay anything, though most of us donate $50-$100 once a year when the Boys and Girls Club we run out of holds their Bowlathon and most of us also donate equipment and our time helping out with the kids. The kids are asked to bring a dollar a lesson. We put an old coffee can by the door and they drop their dollar in as they come in. We don't keep track of who pays and who doesn't, though. Some days we'll have 10 kids training and not a single dollar in the can. We tell the kids the dollar is for equipment and, while it does go towards buying belts, uniforms, sparring gear, etc, the main reason we have the kids bring in their dollar is that it gives them a tangible way to see the value of their training. By dropping a dollar in the can that they could have otherwise spent on a soda or a candy bar from the vending machines, they see that the hour they're spending with us is valuable and therefore they *theoretically* put a bit more into it than they would have if it was completely free.

Part of holding an advanced rank at our school is having the correct attitude and setting an example for the lower ranks. I have seen our instructors demote a student one belt temporarily (usually for a week or two) for constant misbehavior or constantly giving zero effort. It's very rare, but it's happened a few times and it wakes the whole class up when it does happen. It's a good reminder that there's more to rank than skill and knowledge. Your attitude plays a big part, as well.

I'm actually really liking this guy's Megami pin up. Don't want to steal someone else's unique tattoo, though... Hmmm... http://imgur.com/4V2fi9G

Congrats! Keep it up!

Here's him doing the same kata after class one day (so not practiced to tournament readiness or anything. In fact, we don't practice that kata very often at all) For a tournament ready kata-- here's him doing our version of Gojushiho (keep in mind we're not a Shotokan school-- our instructors learn this version of Gojushiho as a supplementary study) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4m95IbL8vs And finally, here's him doing Kusanku when he was a Shodan I always try my best to work my way over to stand next to him whenever we're doing kata. Brings up my own performance significantly.

Here's a video of my strict, traditional Korean instructor doing Sunsu kata from Isshinryu. He's been practicing martial arts since he was little, first in South Korea then in the US. He's a 5th Dan in both Tae Kwon Do and Isshinryu Karate. This is a karate kata done for a TKD tournament. He's a very tough, precise kata technician who demands nothing less than perfection from us. So to see him do this is all the more awesome. The video is a little shaky, but it's still enjoyable. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXnDTOFN5I0

Beyond the very basics (kiyotsuke, rei, dojo, gi, hajime), we don't teach any Japanese at all, though in the black belt test guide there is a section with just a few (maybe 20) Japanese terms and words it's good to know. As a teacher, though, it depends more on how you approached the matter with her. As long as you didn't purposely embarrass her or insult her while you were calling her out on not knowing her stuff, I see no problem expecting someone preparing for her shodan to know the requirements. That said-- we give all our students a written (well, e-mailed) black belt test guide upon reaching 3rd Kyu. That way no one can say they don't know the requirements and people can rest easier knowing they aren't missing anything and know exactly what to practice. If your dojo does some secretive elements to the test, you can still preserve that. For example, our test has 32 required demonstrations with #32 listed as "the rest of the exam remains untold". Might be something to look into.

It's like that at my school. Our head instructor is an officially ranked 8th Dan only because his old instructor (a member of the United Isshinryu Karate Association) decided to show up randomly at our dojo and present it to him. My instructor didn't ask for it or test for it or pursue it in any way. Before it was made "official", he would just say "I don't really keep track" and because we're not affiliated with any organization, that's ok. The two other instructors at our school aren't officially ranked. Our head instructor never officially promotes past 3rd Dan, though both of them have been studying since 1984 (they started the same time and tested for black belt together) and, if asked, our instructor will say something like "they're probably around 5th or 6th Dan".

We've gradually reduced our schedule because people just didn't show up. We used to have adult class Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, but at first no one was showing up on Thursday nights, so we cancelled that class, and then it started being my instructor all alone most Saturday mornings, so after his cancer diagnosis it wasn't worth it for him to hold that class any more. So now the adults meet only on Tuesdays. One of the main reasons I started attending the kids class is to get more training time in. For the kids we have Tuesday and Thursday. Tuesday is usually slightly better attended because that's when we usually spar (because there are more adults on hand to help) and that's a lot of the kids' favorite part. We also used to hold classes year round, but in the summer no one would show up and it was a pain to open the club, which closes early in the summer, only to have no one show up. So now we only hold classes during the school year and break for the summers, though the adults meet at my instructor's house most Tuesday nights and practice for a bit in his driveway. It leads to much slower progress, but it's a very small, free program, so you have to work with what you have.

The other week was -40 F. I woke up cold with every muscle in my body stiff and tense. Then I sneezed. Pulled something in my neck and couldn't turn my head to the right without severe pain for two days. Still feeling it.

True. I'm not sure who originally put it up. I went away for two years to serve with AmeriCorps and when I came back, it was up. Never inquired as to its origins.

For some odd reason we have Walt Disney's "If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It" on our wall. Granted, we share our space with a wrestling team, but I'm not quite sure how the quote relates to either activity... Probably the most uttered phrase by my instructor, however, is "What you don't practice, you can't do".

Sounds to me like he's worried about you quitting more than anything else (possibly he recognizes that you've been frustrated with your progress lately). Seems to me he sees positive changes in you from the training and is legitimately worried that you'll quit and go back to doing "nothing" with your free time, as too many adults do, and not continuing to better yourself through martial arts or another means. Sounds like he cares about you and your well being and personal growth.

Shows that there are dedicated, spirited karateka to be found in every style.

Congratulations, Brian! You're truly a representative of this community at its finest. You set a superb example and it's always a pleasure and an honor to read your posts!

Welcome Matt!

Also good to point out that, as a yellow belt, you're not expected to have *too* much power. At that level, you really want to focus more on your technique, balance, and focus. Developing power is really the work of an upper belt, after they've developed decent technique, as good power comes from good technique and trying to put too much power with poor technique could lead to injuries. I'd consult with your instructor before attempting weights. Ask him to assess your technique to see if you're ready to use the weights safely and then maybe bring them into class and have him show you the best way to work with them for strength building. In the meantime-- maybe do some squats, sprinting, or more traditional strength building activities.