crash

this right here, exactly what i was referring to about belt integrity...or lack there of...lol... so many places want to bring out their best students as show for visitors. but the truth is, if you want to know how good an instructor really is, dont look at their best, instead, look at their worst black belts / students. notice if all their students look and act as though they deserve their rank, or was it just given to them for participation...... the student is a reflection in a lot of ways of the instructor. their attitude, control, talent, dedication, etc can all be influenced by just how much time is given, respect shown, and honest interest taken in them. and it will be efective in helping that person grow..... of course im sure im preaching o the choire here with you , but maybe someone will gain something from this rambling.....lol.... great post sensei 8, you have a great day and continue on strongly Sir...

the only thing that seems "harsh" or pointless in some organizations testing programs is the fact that they are made to be more of an ego boost for the participants to feel good about themselves...lol... to the point of even possibly causing injury. (not speaking of your org. personally.) if someone is training daily, or at least 4 ties per week they are going to know their stuff and improve regardless of whether they test or not. someones level of knowledge, form, etc... is completely what they put into it.... a harsh test or painful test dousnt make them better....and is actually pointless, they either know their stuff or they dont, which is something the instructor should know long before they test. the test is strictly for show....it really means nothing. now the last sentence you wrote i do slightly disagree with. the integrity of rank...rank has no integrity. you even stated if they show improvement they pass...but are they as good as everyone else?...does everyone have to show an equil or the same ability to pass for the same rank?... when doing calisthenics, or warm up, does everyone have to be able to do the splits? or be able to kick as high or as powerful as the next guy? if not then rank has no integrity. it is not equil and therefore shows no true level of ability.....now integrity of the person is a different issue....lol...ive trained at dojo's who were strictly traditional or under an org. and ive trained at more laid back dojo's with no governing body but superb instruction, ive even trained at a couple dojo's with only two belts, white and black...still had tests, and once you reached what would be brown belt you were allowed to wear the hakama that was part of that style as a reward. but only stripes for everything inbetween. it worked out actually as good as a colored belt system if not better in a lot of ways....testing is for the ego of the students and a reward to keep them interested. that is also why some schools with blue belt programs and the likes has a high drop out rate once that level is reached, and why so many people quit after reaching their goal of blackbelt even..it is a double edged sword in a lot of ways, it sets a goal but dousnt add anything to retention for later.....rank is what you make it, nothing more, nothing less. there is nothing special, mystical, or anything else to it... a person can be a 10th dan and still be the worst person or have the worst attitude and manners in the room....lol... what we do is nothing but repetition, the moves can be learned by anyone willing to put in the time and effort, testing is just a formality.

does anyone pass the upper kyu tests???....lol....45 minutes of calisthenics and then a 5 mile run is another 35 minutes..(at a seven minute mile, which is a good steady pace for 5 miles) not many people could complete that unless they spend 5 days a week in class or combined with gym activity. along with the rest you state is really extreme and uncalled for IMO. not doubting you, i just dont see the need for such harsh or extreme measures. im not training warriors or pro fighters. i started out in a sport based style, fought the southern circuit for a few years. trained hard and constant. but never in a way that would cause unnecessary injury or risk that can be avoided....

the answer to that would be that most other styles do incorporate "kata" in some form, boxing has "shadow boxing" pad work with hand targets, foot work drills, etc.... wrestling has "duck walks/samurai walks" sit out drills, etc....the problem isnt kata but in how it is taught or its intensity, this is one of the things i was referring to with how most dojo' overlook the more intense training that other styles focus on. if you can train in a way that equils that of other styles then as stated above, the proof is on the floor and should be shown.

my answer would depend completely on the individual, are they active already?, do they posses physical strength, cardio, etc...?... if they are wanting to learn for self defense / fighting only, then why?.....if they feel like they need to learn because they are in a dangerous area, bullied, or so on an on then i would probably recommend boxing, or wrestling, both of which will build strength and cardio along with fighting / controlling an aggressor. physical fitness, cardio and strength are a major part of actual self defense that most dojo's dont focus on. dont matter how good you can hit or kick, if you cant go 5 or 10 minutes in an actual fight you WILL lose, (unless you get a really lucky shot in...lol), so my answer would be individual specific as far as for self defense only or as the main reason of interest. learning the mechanics of karate, punches, kicks, blocks..is just repetition, getting oneself actually fit, strong, well balanced, etc... is a change of lifestyle that only the dedicated will continue to follow, so for a newbie it is sometimes easier if that is combined in a more useful program that unfortunately most dojo's dont incorporate where as a boxing gym does.

im going to say something that is not going to be popular with some, but requiring proof of the vaccination is a business killer. most businesses that started to require vax have felt a huge loss because of it, the theatre business possibly wont pull out of the shutdown and panic that it caused. (thats why the sudden rush and emergence of channels such as paramount plus, disney plus etc... it is to take the place of theatres and that loss of revenue for the motion picture industry).... the restaurants that tried or are trying to check vax status are seeing a loss of patronage and profit. gyms were hurt badly by the shutdown as well as personal trainers, to require proof of vax and lose half your customers is not going to work in the long run. and with the vax, what if someone decides to stop getting it, do you kick them out? break the contract if there is one? what if someone cant be vaxed or had a bad reaction?, do refuse them service? over time people will slow down with this just as most people dont get the flu vax. it is already happening, i know many who got the first vax but dont plan on getting more. what then? as far as whether anyone makes that choice is up to the individual, but i would not train at any place that would force it on anyone. Edited to add: after looking at the U.S population vaxxed numbers, 78%of the population has had the initial shot, 66%percent have had the second and only 33% have had the booster..so if a business actually requires that you be current, then you have lost 66% of viable customers already

and the militaries that have people teaching with no combat experience tend to be trash at war when they finally get a taste of it….there’s a pretty good example of that going on right now…I’ve never seen a boxing coach who didn’t have at least a few fights/smokers on their record. How successful are those coaches? angelo dundee never fought, he was ali's coach terry edwards never fought, yet was an excellent coach cus demato, tysons coach, 0-2 record there are many others who either never fought or werent very good, but knew the mechanics of fighting at a higher level than most actual fighters. as far as the military is concerned, most of the leaders come from officer candidate school and other leadership courses/schools within the military. before the middle eastern conflicts the US military had reached a point where most leaders had not seen any combat, yet we were still one of the greatest militaries in the world. even now there are many, many, leaders within our own units who have not seen war. yet are fully capable of leading and teaching the units they command. How many other great fighters did they "produce?" When you get into the professional levels of competition, it's hard to tell which coaches are good, and which ones are made to look good by the talent of their athletes. this is true, would Ali have been as good or better with a different coach?, would Tyson?. that is something we may never know. every coach brings something different to the table. sometimes something so simple that another may not bring that may make all the difference in the world to that one fighter as an individual. i heard someone quote a statement from an old "master" once that most never really consider fully. but have seen it come to be a gamechanger more than once through my years in this game. the quote is, "move, just move. if you stop your dead", everyone always wants to break down the movements of Kata, or what is a block and what is a punch, or how do you transition from this to this, etc.... but ive seen point fighters and sport karate fighters win real fights far more often than someone who gets caught up in all the technical stuff, why? because they knew how to move. how to keep the opponent off balance and on the defense... this isnt rocket science guys, the ones who can relax and see what is in front of them and react accordingly are the ones who will be ahead of the game, those who freeze, become stagnant or panic will always be behind and playing catch-up., good coaches, teachers, instructors in any field who can teach that and make their students see the big picture are always the ones who have a higher success rate. and how does one get past the freeze reaction if it’s their natural reaction? There’s really only one way, and even that isn’t guaranteed.practice, and then practice more..... spar, and then spar more..... why do you study karate? how often do you attend class? ive seen some people say "im just not good at this, yet they only go to class twice a week. 2 hours per week and then they wonder why they arent getting good or learning faster. you get what you put into anything in life. sometimes to get better or learn something you have to force yourself out of your comfort zone. blaming the instructor, (in anything) will not help if you are not trusting them or giving 100% yourself. not being able to leave that comfort zone or being afraid is on the student. im saying that in regards to students who want to learn self defense but arent willing to spar or are afraid to, ive seen that with multiple students through the years. the truth is, that if you want to learn to defend yourself you had better at some point know how it feels to get hit in the face...lol...not trying to be harsh or sound mean, but its self defense you are learning. if and when it comes down to using it you should be prepared to be hurt and know how it feels to work through it. theres a Mike tyson quote that says "everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the face". that was before his fight with Holyfield, he went on to say when people get hit they freeze. unfortunatley for Tyson, holyfield knew what it was like to get hit and didnt freeze...lol... when i was younger before my enlistment i trained/taught 3 days a week for a minimum of 7 hours a week.3 days a week should be the minimum for anyone seeking anything more than just an exercise class. i wrestled through junior high and highschool while also going to the dojo 5 days a week and fighting on the sport circuit when ever possible. the wrestling complimented the karate as far as cardio and balance while the karate complemented wrestling in getting hit and "seeing" body posture and movements. as well as other ways to helping each other. by the way, i wasnt meaning "you" in particular in my previous posts examples, sorry if it seemed that way and i apologize if it may have offended you or made you feel I was putting you on the spot. sorry. wasnt meant that way. my point was that anyone should ask themselves what it is they want out of whatever activity or path they are on, and then ask themselves are they really giving the activity their utmost, their full attention, 100% or are they just taking the easy route and then complaining about the results. you would be surprised at how often that is the case. no matter how good an instructor is or how good a style is, how good a student becomes will depend on how good that student wants to become and how much effort and dedication they put into it. if someone is wanting to learn real self defense they have to be all in in order to get pass that freezing up stage. someone can take all the classes and read every book out there but if they have never sparred or been hit they will still be a beginner in that first fight. and that is with anything, just using self defense cause thats where we are. but as another example, when younger and into my early twenties i was terrified of public speaking, or being "in the spotlight" if you will. performing kata in tournaments helped bring me out a little and then as an adult i went into sales after leaving the military. i had to force myself out of my comfort zone and learn to give seminars and demonstrations, as well as how to approach and carry a conversation with new clients and managers. the only way to get passed the freeze up in any situation is to practice and overcome that fear.

and the militaries that have people teaching with no combat experience tend to be trash at war when they finally get a taste of it….there’s a pretty good example of that going on right now…I’ve never seen a boxing coach who didn’t have at least a few fights/smokers on their record. How successful are those coaches? angelo dundee never fought, he was ali's coach terry edwards never fought, yet was an excellent coach cus demato, tysons coach, 0-2 record there are many others who either never fought or werent very good, but knew the mechanics of fighting at a higher level than most actual fighters. as far as the military is concerned, most of the leaders come from officer candidate school and other leadership courses/schools within the military. before the middle eastern conflicts the US military had reached a point where most leaders had not seen any combat, yet we were still one of the greatest militaries in the world. even now there are many, many, leaders within our own units who have not seen war. yet are fully capable of leading and teaching the units they command. How many other great fighters did they "produce?" When you get into the professional levels of competition, it's hard to tell which coaches are good, and which ones are made to look good by the talent of their athletes. this is true, would Ali have been as good or better with a different coach?, would Tyson?. that is something we may never know. every coach brings something different to the table. sometimes something so simple that another may not bring that may make all the difference in the world to that one fighter as an individual. i heard someone quote a statement from an old "master" once that most never really consider fully. but have seen it come to be a gamechanger more than once through my years in this game. the quote is, "move, just move. if you stop your dead", everyone always wants to break down the movements of Kata, or what is a block and what is a punch, or how do you transition from this to this, etc.... but ive seen point fighters and sport karate fighters win real fights far more often than someone who gets caught up in all the technical stuff, why? because they knew how to move. how to keep the opponent off balance and on the defense... this isnt rocket science guys, the ones who can relax and see what is in front of them and react accordingly are the ones who will be ahead of the game, those who freeze, become stagnant or panic will always be behind and playing catch-up., good coaches, teachers, instructors in any field who can teach that and make their students see the big picture are always the ones who have a higher success rate. and how does one get past the freeze reaction if it’s their natural reaction? There’s really only one way, and even that isn’t guaranteed.practice, and then practice more..... spar, and then spar more..... why do you study karate? how often do you attend class? ive seen some people say "im just not good at this, yet they only go to class twice a week. 2 hours per week and then they wonder why they arent getting good or learning faster. you get what you put into anything in life. sometimes to get better or learn something you have to force yourself out of your comfort zone. blaming the instructor, (in anything) will not help if you are not trusting them or giving 100% yourself. not being able to leave that comfort zone or being afraid is on the student. im saying that in regards to students who want to learn self defense but arent willing to spar or are afraid to, ive seen that with multiple students through the years. the truth is, that if you want to learn to defend yourself you had better at some point know how it feels to get hit in the face...lol...not trying to be harsh or sound mean, but its self defense you are learning. if and when it comes down to using it you should be prepared to be hurt and know how it feels to work through it. theres a Mike tyson quote that says "everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the face". that was before his fight with Holyfield, he went on to say when people get hit they freeze. unfortunatley for Tyson, holyfield knew what it was like to get hit and didnt freeze...lol...

and the militaries that have people teaching with no combat experience tend to be trash at war when they finally get a taste of it….there’s a pretty good example of that going on right now…I’ve never seen a boxing coach who didn’t have at least a few fights/smokers on their record. How successful are those coaches? angelo dundee never fought, he was ali's coach terry edwards never fought, yet was an excellent coach cus demato, tysons coach, 0-2 record there are many others who either never fought or werent very good, but knew the mechanics of fighting at a higher level than most actual fighters. as far as the military is concerned, most of the leaders come from officer candidate school and other leadership courses/schools within the military. before the middle eastern conflicts the US military had reached a point where most leaders had not seen any combat, yet we were still one of the greatest militaries in the world. even now there are many, many, leaders within our own units who have not seen war. yet are fully capable of leading and teaching the units they command. How many other great fighters did they "produce?" When you get into the professional levels of competition, it's hard to tell which coaches are good, and which ones are made to look good by the talent of their athletes. this is true, would Ali have been as good or better with a different coach?, would Tyson?. that is something we may never know. every coach brings something different to the table. sometimes something so simple that another may not bring that may make all the difference in the world to that one fighter as an individual. i heard someone quote a statement from an old "master" once that most never really consider fully. but have seen it come to be a gamechanger more than once through my years in this game. the quote is, "move, just move. if you stop your dead", everyone always wants to break down the movements of Kata, or what is a block and what is a punch, or how do you transition from this to this, etc.... but ive seen point fighters and sport karate fighters win real fights far more often than someone who gets caught up in all the technical stuff, why? because they knew how to move. how to keep the opponent off balance and on the defense... this isnt rocket science guys, the ones who can relax and see what is in front of them and react accordingly are the ones who will be ahead of the game, those who freeze, become stagnant or panic will always be behind and playing catch-up., good coaches, teachers, instructors in any field who can teach that and make their students see the big picture are always the ones who have a higher success rate.

and the militaries that have people teaching with no combat experience tend to be trash at war when they finally get a taste of it….there’s a pretty good example of that going on right now…I’ve never seen a boxing coach who didn’t have at least a few fights/smokers on their record. How successful are those coaches? angelo dundee never fought, he was ali's coach terry edwards never fought, yet was an excellent coach cus demato, tysons coach, 0-2 record there are many others who either never fought or werent very good, but knew the mechanics of fighting at a higher level than most actual fighters. as far as the military is concerned, most of the leaders come from officer candidate school and other leadership courses/schools within the military. before the middle eastern conflicts the US military had reached a point where most leaders had not seen any combat, yet we were still one of the greatest militaries in the world. even now there are many, many, leaders within our own units who have not seen war. yet are fully capable of leading and teaching the units they command.

lets see, there are boxing coaches who have never fought, some who fought amatuer but never made it to the pro level, and a few who never fought at all, there are military instructors who never went to war, the list goes on, academia has its place, even in the combat arena

the book of boba fett is good, the last three episodes are more of a continuation of the mandalorian...must see if ya want a cool surprise and know what happens to the baby.......

is this a trick question????...lol..... if so then, YES it is japanese , if not it would be called Kung-fu........hmmmm....lol

while this type of "franchise" is , or was, fairly common back "in the day", the world has changed a lot since then and the federal gov. rules on franchises have increased and are more closely moderated than before. as a franchise you are required to follow whatever rules corporate decides to put in place or bring forth, (him being corporate, you are teaching under his name so its in his best interest to know what, and how you are teaching, its his reputation (name)on the line and he will have a say in how you operate.) failure to comply can result in fines, etc.... while you and your instructor may be good friends now, what happens if he sells or passes the business on to someone else. you could then be stuck with having the hassle of changing the business name, license, documents etc.....starting your own dojo, under his "system" or "style" but under your own name could be a better option. you could still partner up, cross train, etc.. but it would be your own operation without any possible 'red tape" or distractions of interferance from outside parties.

im not disagreeing with what you state as far as pricing is concerned, (especially in other types of business or sales,) but pricing isnt the end all of a sale in any business. "curb appeal" is often the closer of a sale regardless of price. when a potential student walks into your dojo what do they see?, how are they greeted? are they invited to watch a class or take a free class? what is the condition of your dojo?, what type of floor, equipment, etc... compared to the competition?.... while pricing should be competitive to the area and competition, the level of instruction and professionalism should be the first concern, and will dictate what you will be able to charge. this will also build your reputation as time passes and you become more established.