kensei

Here is my bad and good. One high ranking instructor I used to train with was great on the floor. Joked about and taught classes with a great amount of humor and was very personable at seminars, but the minute this guy was off the floor...dead pan and no personality, he acted like it was a horrible thing to be here teaching and he did not socialize. His junior on the other hand would come out and while on the floor he was a task master that would drill us into the floor, he was great to train under if you liked almost being killed each class....it was great! Off the floor, what a great guy, funny talked to kids and hugged you and was fantastic. the other good one that I have trained with is Saeki Sensei out of Ottawa. The guy is very nice. One camp I mentioned off handed that I really liked a shirt he was wearing. I was being polite and trying to make small talk (it really was a great golf shirt however).. Did not think much of it and went back to my hotel that night. Next day I was given a plastic bag with the shirt in it. He went home and laundered it and then gave it to me......I was floored. He is a great Karate teacher as well!Fantastic Human being and the kind of guy you want to be part of an organization with.

Very true, and wise words. In Canada we lack a control pin however, we are not allowed to retian fire arms, and in someways it was working so darn well for us, we did not have guns, the thugs did not have guns, only a hand full fo bad guys had guns, they were a BIG DEAL up here. If you had a gun you were NUTS and probably one of the most dangerous types around. Now every thug with $1000 they stole from some one can get a gun smuggled up from the states, and I am only talking about hand guns and auto's. Its gotten bad in big cities, not to bad here but still getting bad. Now all the young thugs that grew up watching american gun movies are thinking they need to pack heat...its getting bad. I used to teach my students to defend themselves by striking once and running...Now I say "Kill the guy or he may kill you" my favorite saying is "Better judged by 12 than carried by 6". This is a mild exageration mind you...but its how I am starting to really feel!

I think it depends on your goals and who you are training. Military and police types...YES this is great training..... children and little old ladies/men...probably not so much! However, I am starting to realize that the states is a very strange and dangerous place to live, kind of a different hidden side from when us visitors come down and go site seeing and stay in our secure hotels ext and so on....so maybe the kids and little old ladies should be trained like this. My ideas of training and survival training are changing over time, I was a military officer for a while way back and I thought that training with guns and with set ups like "hot kill zone training" was and should be just for police and military...now I am starting to think even here in Canada, were the gun man will hold the door for you before kidnapping you, we should all be training for hard core bad situations more and more! ......Sad really!

The feild of home study is litterally filled with DVD's and study courses that you can take from Tae Kwon Do to Tai Chi, from Judo to Kendo...but the one thing I think is Uber-important is to have a good training partner and to be realistic, if you are going to grow you need a guide till you get a to a specific level. For ground work the gracie University and Gracie Barra groups are great, both have tapes you can use to learn and grow, you will need a partner and a plan to go to a local gym and work out. The best thing about the Barra group is that you dont grade via taped testing, you go down and meet a instructor and fom a bond, learn and over time you get your belt and know you earned it. You can get your blue and purple from the gracie accademy with out ever setting foot in a gracie gym. As for striking arts, a partner and some tapes will go a long way but travel and train with other instructors a bit and you will learn a tone. If you are stuck at home then tapes are okay but you can not learn from Solo training alone unless all you want to be good at is Kata.

Fang, Avoid the belt thing...it comes across as flowery stuff to most non-martial artis types, unless you want to go into the idea of a belt system and that it stated with Judo founder ext and so on....but again, its kind of fluff stuff. I however love history and the history of TSD is kind of interesting and sheds light on lots of hidden little truths that were mixed up or hidden by the Korean governement and founders. Its a interesting thing and you can even go into how Chuck Norris, Movie star and American hero (Stop laughing ) is a TSD black belt that started his own off shoot. The potential for a really interesting and educational paper is in that my friend. I would skip the whole belt thing because each style has a idea behind the belts and reasons often affect the view of them....like we dont have a blue belt but I sure as hey would not say to someone...I am a blue belt it signifies the blue sky TSD is a great martial art and has a interesting and fun traditional history and true history...dig their I think and good luck!

I agree with Oitsuki, Their never was a time when "traditional" meant what you were learning went back much more than 50 years or less to when it was merged with different styles or changed in some way. Even my Shotokan Style was created by merging two styles of Tode in Okinawa and then underwent major changes several times when Kendo Ideas were introduced as well as when Gigo Funikoshi changed things around...then Nakayama and finally the last generation changed things as well. Styles will change based on ideas of who is in charge. I like the "Traditional" feel of Shotokan vs say a kick boxing school, but that is all. I dont think one is better than the other in reality. they are both stand up styles and if you have a good athletic young man in both the style is almost not important. The diversity in styles is a good thing in some ways and with some styles, and in other ways and other styles,.....well the watering down and the complete mental changes that are made seem to ruin the styles. It all depends on what your goals are...and how the changes are made, some are good and some not so good.

The idea to build a team is a great one. You can not market, organize, promote, work with school leaders, find medals or prize's, Find judges/Refs, book the locasion,set up, run the whole thing as one person...heck ten people may have a hard time. find a good lawyer that does the legal points for you and insurance, find someone with a marketing back ground that can dedicate time to promoting the tournament and people for other jobs. Also, document EVERYTHING. if it goes well you will have a road map to build off of and if not you will have a way of finding issues you did not cover. You can slowly eliminate team members if they are not required and merge jobs. Little things like feeding judges are important to the success of teh tournament so make sure you have your whole thing planned out and about a month out get the team together and run through the day making sure every detail is planned out. a well planned event can be come an annual or quarterly event quickly...a poorly planned event will die out quickly.

I dont really think you can take away someones Dan ranking, but making them wear a white belt when they come back to acknowledge their time away is acceptable. they are still "What ever" Dan's but just showing they have a way to remember or show they remember the basics.. I remember one story were a student of another instructor was teaching at a club and training with her insturctor as well as taking Kyokushin classes with her spouse to augment training. Her instructor got mad and asked her to stop training in Kyokushin and only do Shotokan. She replied by stopping her teaching and saying she would not teach but attend classes with both styles for her own benefit. Her instructor sent her a letter, which she passed to me (we were friends on the internet) and she showed me that her instrucotor, with out his instructors approval nor the organizations approval, stripped her of her rank and told her to not come back. he lost a dedicated student who was looking to improve herself and isntead of working hard to keep her and help her, he basically chased her off.

We HAD an instructor in our organization like that....its best to leave them a wide birth and pretend they dont exist. the inevitable happened, he went from a HUGE dojo with 60 people, to a smaller one, then a smaller one and his attitude made his club numbers go from 60, to 40 to 20 and finally he walked away. My guess is his attitude really poisoned the bunch. It was nice to see him go, if he had a better attitude he could have had a club with 100 people in it...but he belittled others and acted like we owed him something. He was my senior by a belt level and a few years training and I had to put up with and clean up a lot of his issues and messes..... I was glad to see him go and I tell students now that the weight of our dojo seems to be much lighter and happier!

One more, my instructor is in his 70s now, 72 to be exact and even when I met him, he was in his 40's he did not look intimidating at all, he is 5'2" and a small Irish guy. About 7 years ago he was working as a security guard in a small shop down town. He would greet people and just kind of hang out and help people out with thier stuff. His boss knew him from training with him and one day this REALLY big dude came in and was bugging people and they sent him over to deal with the guy. Apparently he dealt with him, he wont talk about it and says that things like this make him sad to talk about.....but the guys boss, whom I know fairly well, told me that it was kind of a blur, the guy thought he would shove my instructor and with a swift kick to the guts and a wrist lock the guy was outside and puking his guts out....proving once again "booze and a lack of intellegence will make you sick". My instructor in his 60's would best athletes in their 20's on the floor. Crazy stuff like that make great stories, but man they are fun to watch as well.

My grand father on my moms side came to Canada and was a butcher, a general contractor and also...well he boot legged home made Vodka to the states....besides that I remember him as a butcher and he had these great big hands, he was a really great person and a great grandfather. I remember one day in his shop this guy came in (Shop was in bad neighborhood to say the least), he asked for a steak and then pulled a knife out and wanted all the money in the till. Grandpa took that kid out like he was standing still, he tossed him to the floor and broke his arm with a armbar then picked the guy up and with one punch KO'd his partner and then rolled funny and brok the guys ankle. My grandmother called for the police, but they really were not needed. I was amazed that this almost 70 year old could do all that....turns out he was a golden gloves boxer in the states and also a Sambo fighter from Russia. Who knew? He never said a word about it. My mom told us years after he passed that he used to triain behind the shop and then take a train to fight, be gone a few weeks and back home to work like it was no big thing.

From what my instructor has told me it can take anywere from 8 months to 2 years to get your Blue belt depending on how well you learn. Some people may take a bit more, but that is if they dont train regular and they dont put their time in on the mats.

Generally my instructor does the Kyu testing only, we leave the Dan testing to the National rep for the JKA and invite him out, he is a great guy to have out. For the Kyu level my instructor watches everyone in seminars and twice has he said something to me like "No, lets give that person a few more months to work on that" and asked them not to test. We have also failed a few people that were not up to the test. But generally we dont let people test unless they are ready for it. We do not announce those that failed, we dont view it as failing, they were simply not ready for the next level.

Respect is a funny thing. You have to give it out and hope to get it back, but those that give and dont get often leave a club. For the most part it is the instructors job to teach young juniors what "Dojo Respect" is, and I see often that some seniors reck that or even the instructor, by demanding respect and not giving it. You can not demand respect, if you do you get fear back, which can be mistaken for respect but it is much different! I recognize the effort all the seniors put into Karate, I have met and know of hundreds of people of higher rank than me over the years, some I respect as individuals and Karateka, others I simply recognize the effort they put into their Karate training to get a higher level. Some I do not respect at all and yet still recognize they put a great deal of effort into their training. As a Karate instructor I do not demand that anyone respect me, I respect all of my students and give of myself. If they respect me back...I am happy and one lucky instructor.

@ Wasteland.....I complely agree. I was actually putting my own style bias on that, My appologies. I should have left out the Shodan part and simply put the "understanding/Mastery" of the styles basics...and Yes, I hate the term mastery...but its the common verbage used for the idea. J

I hate it when students lie to me, but I also take it a different way....If I ask if they think they are ready to test, they say yes...I ask if they have been putting in time at home....they say yes and I am fairly sure that they have not because that means eighter A)they really are not getting it, or B) they are not telling the truth...I tend to remember that I have a very old black belt strapped around my torso and they have a much newer color belt...actually my belt is much older than most of my students...and it can be kind of scary to be chatted up by a Senior black belt who is asking questions of your training regement...even and short Welshman with more white in his Goatee than black! If its a kids I tend to correct them and get them to tell the truth or explain why they have not really progressed, and I let them off the hook a tad...catch and release as it were! If its an adult however I always make a mental note to not trust what they say. The other thing, If they have not been training at home and they tell me so...End of conversation. As a Karate instructor you can request, suggest and inspire...but NEVER can you demand, badger or bully a student. If you do...I hope and pray that some day you find yourself all alone on the Dojo floor and all your students are with more careing and understanding instructors. I know no one here would bully students! I Have seen a life time full of bullies on the Dojo floor trying to push students around and force them to accept their way of thinking. the worst part is, for the better part, those instructors tend to have been people who were not very tallented instructors and just stuck it out till they got high ranking black belts and have the skills to DO Karate but not TEACH Karate...and being a bully of students is the first step to proving that issue correct. As an instructor we need to inspire not demand things. make Karate so darn fun that they want to rush home to practice (Kids) and for adults we need to inspire them to get past the real issues they face and take the time for themselves. Karate should be an outlet for them to go and practice, decompress and destress themsevles. If they ever even want a black belt that is fantastic...but the act of doing something good for themselves in a day filled with bullie bosses, financial issues, marital problems, raising kids, debts, forclosed homes, parents that are now sick and aged, the issues of paying for their kids schooling while supporting a retired family member....we should be the place they come to work out, forget all this for an hour or two and train with others who are like minded and trying to come in out of the stress into a nice relaxed environment and shut off thier mind, and work their body to the point of exhaustion. Getting off my soap box let me say that this was just my take on why people tell untruths in the Club when an instructor asks them "that question" and not pointed at anyone person...been mistaken as attacking people in the past and this was not an attack in any way shape or form on the original post. I to hate being lied to...just take it a different way. Oh, and if they dont train at home, and you dont see progress...fail them on the next test...let them know why you failed them (no improvement) and that they would benefit from actually working out at home!

Just my feeling here but traditionally the Shodan means you have mastered the basics of a style only. Then you move on and should be (theoretically this is) learning the advanced skills of the style. Now I KNOW that is not always the case, but my feelings are that one should dedicate themselves to learning a style through and through and then when they reach Shodan and have a firm grasp of the style, then you can start cross training. Given the time frame that we have as a modern society and our training habits of working out two to three times a week...and most people dont work on Karate stuff or other martial arts stuff much at home...give yoursevle 4-5 years to really learn the basics of a style and to learn the charactoristics of the system before you go in a completely different direction. Just my thoughts, but I have seen alot of guys jump from one style to another really early and end up being kind of weak in both styles. Also, I think you need to have a solid "foundation" or "Focus" Style that you call Home when you are training. I do some BJJ to keep/Get in shape and I do my Karate as I have for over 40 years now. I find BJJ fun and interesting and different but when I am at home and want a work out I dont roll, I do Kata.

I see what different people are saying and what the practices and the mentality of each group is and I dont see anyone idea as being wrong or bad. Wear your black belt, a white belt, wear a black belt with a white stripe....none are wrong. What is a black belt is a very important question. Do we see it as a grade that one earns and never loses or a specific level of technical ability, physical ability or mental knowledge? For an old man I can say that I can not do the same things that I could when I first graded for my first dan...heck over time our ability to perform is always dropping off some what. its a great question and one that probably goes hand and hand with the question of what to do with the returning Dan student.

I totally agree, And even if I dont practice your way of thinking, I respect your point of view, and I never said it was wrong, in fact its more of a "what ever your group does...do it" kind of thing. And yes, we all have a different opinion on this, or different practice. None are wrong, just different!

I dont really agree, with all due respect! If someone has taken years (more than 4) off then how can they even remember the Kata they should know? I think they should wear something to symbolize that they are at a newbie level yet again and may not recall all they need to know in the sylabus. We ask that they wear a white belt till they show they remember all the basics, Kata and kumite they need to get at least Shodan. I have told Nidans to throw on a white belt for six months after they were gone for a year! Its not a form of disrespect but more the opposite. If you have been out for a long time then you could get hurt very bad if you go up against a hungry young Brown belt that is thinking you can handle a bit of pressure as a Nidan or shodan and you cant remember the first Kata! and what if students start watching you for cues on what to do? Another reason, as I suggested that you should throw on a white belt and save a bit of face by admitting you have a bit of rust to work through. We also had a situation were a Shito Ryu Nidan was trying to grade JKA Shotokan Shodan and he wore his black belt from day one in the Dojo...he was HORRIBLE and when he tested our instructor told him he may not be ready.....this was more than 25 years ago mind you...but Yaguchi Sensei was very UNDER IMPRESSED and failed him outright. He said "much more time needed" and left it at that. He also told my Sensei to make him wear a purple belt! The guy left! When you are a Dan level in one style, it does not earn you the right to wear a Black belt when you train .....in any style....ever! I wear my white belt in BJJ with Pride and my Black belt in Karate with equal pride!

I agree with this....well written post.

A foot sweep should be practiced hundreds of times with a willing partner before trying it free style or in competition. You can really mess up your leg or your partners leg if you do it wrong. Their are different kinds of foot sweeps but the common ellement is the timing, you hae to get the partners leg out from under him when his weight is not on that foot, be it hopping around or moving in. You see in some european style Karate fighters the "kangaroo hop" style that they practice, nothing wrong with it, but if you time it right you can litterally turn them upside down! Harder are the more traditional grounded fighters, not as explosive a movmement sometimes but they have a bettr base and harder to catch coming in. You have to have perfect timeing and sweep the lead leg before the weight is put on it or it can be like trying to sweep a tree trunck.

In our club/Org. you earn a black belt and its yours. Now if you stop training and come back we make you wear a white belt for a period of time to symbolize the restart of training. if you behave poorly or embarasse the club you are simply kicked out and your rank is struck from our books as it were. You are still a Yudansha but not training with us. If you get a Ph.D in something you are a Ph.D in that area regardless of your activities. My father has a Ph.D in education and was a principle of a school here in Canada, he is retired and does not teach, but he is still Dr.J! cool eh! The thing is that you may earn a higher rank and then have to stop training as hard or step away from training for a bit, that does not mean your rank goes up and down. What about pure skill schools that test based on fitness and skill level. does this mean that an old timer can never gain rank or loses rank as they are physically unable to perform as well as they did in their 20's??

Kensei can mean "sword saint" but in this case it does not....Kensei has several meaning...in my case the name means "an important silence" ....I like the irony! Two things...Been doing Karate near 40 years now and a good buddy of mine is Kyokushin and trained with Mas Oyama at several training camps...my reasearch is purely based on what he has told me as it was told to him by Oyama. I was not saying you NEVER punch to the face, I am saying those that train for the sport aspect REMOVE this type of training from their training to make sure they dont accidentally nail someone and get in trouble. And WHOLE schools have done this as they focus on the sport aspect. We have two Kyokushin schools in our area (one of which my friend attends and instructs at) and only the one my friend teaches at has face punching in the training (at the face, not hitting the face) the other BANNED it from training to make sure the students dont do this in sport. My research is fine, the problem is you are assuming that all Kyokushina and the off shoots are the same across the board...they are not. I respect the hell out of Kyokushin and watched the Enshin fights ext, great sport fun. I tried Kyokushin as a work out once, but bugged my buddy that it was kind of the same as what we do....mixed with some really watered down Goju Kata. All in good fun mind you, his instructor was fantastic and I had a great time.

work through the application and reason for the way it is done in your head and every time you get to that point in the Kata imagine your opponent and your striking him right....again, which move and which Heian?