CredoTe

For our dojo, Shodan kata requirements: Fukyugata Ichi, Ni Pinan Shodan, Nidan, Sandan, Yondan, Godan Naihanchi Shodan, Nidan, Sandan Once competency is shown in the above kata, a student is then shown the kata Ananku. When they can show competency in Ananku, then they may test for Shodan. Total: 11 kata

What I like about Matsubayashi-Ryu (Shorin-Ryu) is that it's based on natural, direct, small movements with explosive/destructive power. On top of that, it's ability for short-range, close-quarters in-fighting combined with bars, locks, takedowns, grappling, etc make for a pretty darn effective art. What I don't like about it is some things they do that's pure Matsubayashi-Ryu seem counter-intuitive to their adamancy that all things be natural. For instance, a minor detail IMHO, is that in genuine Matsubayashi-Ryu, the chamber position is up in the arm pit. That has never seemed natural to us; it's too tight and puts too much stress on muscles and tendons in the elbows and wrists. The chamber position we teach is bottom rib (not waist or hip) because that serves for a more natural and straight range of motion when striking.

Welcome to KF! From your description, it sounds like a good dojo. A key factor in your description is: The fact that the chief instructor/director teaches most of the classes says something substantial about him/her. In most of the poor dojos I've experienced, the chief instructor (CI) hardly ever teaches (lower ranked "underling" blackbelts/instructors do most of the teaching); mostly just sits in an office and/or behind a desk to observe and collect fees (if present at all). In these kinds of dojos, the CI usually only teaches "special" classes for "high ranking" or "inner circle" students.* From what you've described, your CI is very approachable, teaches often, and involves as many students as possible in activities...marks of a good dojo. Also, in most dojos, it is fairly common for higher ranked students other than the CI to run warmups or the like; they're studying to become instructors, themselves, and need the practice. As for your style, the terminology you're using (i.e. "Heian Shodan") leads me to believe that you are Karate (not Tae Kwon Do, Kung Fu, etc) from a Japanese style (as opposed to Okinawan), probably Shotokan. The fact that you do a lot of "mixed" or an array of moves doesn't necessarily mean your dojo is a "mixed" art. Most of the "singular" MAs, like Karate, Kung Fu, Tae Kwon Do, have many different types of techniques with different uses (applications). To compare, I study Okinawan Karate known as Shorin-Ryu (Matsubayashi-Ryu). To us, the "Heian" kata are known as "Pinan"; same kata, but differences in language (Okinawa is part of Japan, today, but is culturally/linguistically different). * These types of dojos/CIs misuse (corrupt) cultural concepts from Japan to prop themselves up. In Japan, there are remote and inner students depending on familiarity and trust. The more they know and trust a student, the more they will teach. There are others here on KF that can explain this cultural aspect better than I.

It is the single most important thing anyone can do! This builds respect this builds trust, the result is understanding! I'll add I watched a young girl attend my youngest sons club for the first time on Wednesday, she was about 3inches tall! (seriously tiny, really small) and not at all happy about the strange world she was now looking upon! She was in tears, hiding inside her dads coat...! My sons Sensai spent time speaking with her and Dad and asked Dad to come in and watch at the back with her. Then as the session went on, he would ask different students to go over and chat with them. Always watching what response they got. One student made a connection, and the little girl started to 'copy what was being done, about 20 mins later it was all smiles and then another 20 or so Dad was allowed to step outside and watch! MA in some schools is very military like, yet other schools some might describe them as mcdojos, but putting that aside, MA is what you make it, it it feels right ...its because it is right for you! If there is no connection, no rapport there is no point...why make a bad situation worse? The lad in this scenario is clearly very large so would have been put upon to do or advise or even see things by people who see him being more than his actual youthful 14 years, the little girl who came to my sons club, so small so petite would have been protected shielded from pretty much everything. With the girl her 'wrapped in cotton wool' life to date has not allowed her to develop any measurable confidence. With the lad it sounds to me that he is simply reacting as a child does to being forced, expected to do things beyond his years, in both cases confidence has taken a beating and each child is pulling back as is natural for anyone in such a strange place. Very solid post, Hawkmoon Thanks for that...

Great advice, Bob I thank you for it... I definitely don't doubt my MA skill or ability to teach; I'm very confident in those. However, realizing reaching all of our students in a manner that they can understand and do what we're teaching is where I'm shaky. Again, I understand that there will always be those that quit, that it's nigh impossible to have 100% retention. The main economical reason we worry over students quitting is because we're a small dojo (~50 students total on roster). Assuredly, we don't kiss anyone's behind to keep them; but, we have pressing economic motivation to keep all of our students because a drop in just a few students has a huge impact on our monthly budget. We're in a small town, so the local economy doesn't support monthly recreational activities at or above $100/month. We're already the highest priced dojo in town (3 total including us). Of course, this begs a question that's always in my mind: how do we become an economically sound dojo without becoming a Mcdojo? There are plenty of them out there, we just have to figure out how to do it... This starts to swerve into a different topic, but there it is It might be time to renegotiate our rent or move to a community center/church so we can focus on the art as the sole reason for retaining students; it already is, just it's part of a two-headed troll that includes cost of business as motivation for keeping students...lol If we're in a rec/community center, where rent would be dirt cheap, cost of business isn't as much of a factor. (Maybe that would turn it into a "luv-able" two-headed Internet kitty? )

Congrats!

UPDATE: We were making progress with the student, but, unfortunately, we ended up losing him, anyway. Near the end of class two Mondays ago, he flat out said that he "doesn't want to be here, anymore". His mother left with him that night rather angry with him; we haven't seen him since then, and all attempts to contact his parents have been met with crickets. I don't expect to see this student back. So... Those of you that have dealt with this before, what have you done differently after such an experience to better yourself, and better prepare yourself to deal with these situations in the future? Of course, I'm meticulously scrutinizing my handling of this situation for everything that I could have done better or different. I realize, in the end, some students aren't cut out for it and will quit no matter what. But, I can't help thinking that maybe I could have tried something different that might have better connected with this student and gave him a reason to continue.

Stretching is part of my daily morning routine; it's the first thing I do out of bed, since my body/muscles are warm. Several times a week, I do power/isometric stretching, giving a day or two in between for rest.

One of those "a-ha" moments preceded by an "ouch!" Physical "Ah HA" moments work very well, indeed...

This statement bothers me due to the fact that I hear it alot in the TMA as well as in the boxing circle almost all the time. Traditional martial art has itself to blame to be honest! (as does boxing) Its not mma's fault that tma circles began to manufacture rainbow color belt Its not mma's fault that every 8 year old and their grandmother is a blackbelt Its not mma's fault that we have a mcdojo culture that was a result of many instructors in the tma community abusing their position for profit These bad behaviours that occured in the tma world surfaced before the rise of the mma culture. Blaming mma is alot like the rap genre blaming rock and roll for its lack of popularity. Also on a last note, to the poster who was insulted by a kickboxer, I have been involved with the boxing/tma world and I will say that every martial arts/combat culture has its bad apples as well as its unsung heros. I agree with all of your points. To be more exact about my statement: The introduction of MMA into society allowed people to see there was something better out there. It exposed the multitude of schools that falsely claim to teach self defense when all they really were was a glorified daycare. That's what I mean when I say, "It's MMAs fault." So all the things you mentioned, and some, are included in my statement. It opened people's eyes to being more skeptical of what their doing. Absolutely Great posts both of you! The issues within the traditional MA are mainly internal. Those of us within the traditional MA have the power and control to fix/improve things. We cannot control what happens in MMA, so we need to focus on ourselves and that which we can control, IMHO.

Congrats!

We've thought about having some sort of party or get together in the dojo for the holidays, but we don't really have the resources right now. We did have our annual "karate banquet" back in October, though. Maybe next year we'll be able to do something special. In meantime, it'll be business-as-usual except on Christmas Day and New Year's (closed).

I'm with you... Bad first impressions are difficult to overcome. Do the same instructors always teach the same classes? If there's opportunity to experience different instructors, find an instructor or instructors that work better for you. If not, give them a chance. If it turns out they're just a pessimistic, rude lot, then it might not be the dojo for you (not sure it would be for me, either... )

Arrrg... Politics... Your situation precisely describes why arts, training, students, etc suffer... When my CI and I left his instructor's organization several years ago, we made the decision then to keep any friendships intact. When any of our students or theirs goes/comes to visit, we never hold it against anyone. Our beef with my CI's first organization shouldn't interfere with the transmission of our MA. In your situation, since your CI has expressed hostility towards any student that partakes of the splinter organization, you may want to look for an exit. You don't necessarily have to leave when you find said exit, just have one available. Don't be trapped into something, it won't bode well for any party involved. Lastly, don't worry what anyone from either of the organizations may say in regards to any decision you make. If you do leave your current dojo for the splinter one, don't let anyone from your current dojo bring you down. Your decision should be based upon the betterment of your MA journey, not for the ego/feelings of an instructor.

Then don't. You shouldn't have to train in a place that you feel uncomfortable training in. That being said, as a new student in the dojo it probably wasn't the best idea to remind (or correct) the sensei on bunkai. It doesn't come across as helpful from a new student and not a lot of sensei (or people) know how to take it in stride without feeling like it was an affront. Again, if you feel uncomfortable then just find another dojo. We learn better in a place where we feel comfortable with our surroundings and you will end up enjoying your training more. Agreed... How well do you know your new instructors? How well do they know you? Usually, as an instructor myself, when I'm confronted with a "new" student (I know you said you're a returning student) that attempts to help/suggest/correct me, I usually respond with something like, "Thank you, we instructors will handle it..." in as professional manner as possible. It's not that we're trying to discount input from new students; we're trying to establish credibility as instructors, as well as prevent "too many cooks in the kitchen". It's the same line of reasoning why we don't allow advanced kyu students to teach kata to any less ranked/experienced students. They can help other students with kata, but cannot teach kata. Only black belt / instructors may teach kata to students, but I digress... The instructor could have had a bad day and let it get to her (yes, not professional, but we're human, too), or whatever. On the other side of that, there are instructors that are just egotistic and rude. Either way, if y'all don't know each other well enough, yet, give it some time to get to know each other. Then, misunderstandings from attitudes, emotions, etc will happen much less.

Congrats! Journey onward!

Thanks, Kusotare I'll check it out

Where's a good source for Japanese Karate / Wado Ryu history? I mean, besides the usual Funakoshi books and whatnot? I've looked around on places like Wikipedia, but I'm not sure how much I can trust those sources. I say "besides Funakoshi" because I like to have more than one source of information. I have quite a bit of knowledge when it comes to Okinawan karate/Ti history and genus, but not much of Japanese...

Agreed... You want some give in a makiwara.

I just had another "Ah HA!" moment, a pivotal point in my development in Ti, last week. My Ti instructor was working with me on my power generation (gamaku), starting with the simple straight punch (regular and reverse) and basic blocks (low, middle/chest, high/head). In the middle of the training, something just clicked, and my hip/body/muscle control were able to generate optimal power as it should be. The best way I can describe the physical feeling of the power/force going from the floor, through my legs and hips and torso, and directed at my targets out the ends of my arms/fists is like this: imagine yourself in a hotrod car of some kind, sitting at a start line, and then putting peddle to the metal; your body is thrust into the back of the seat as the force/torque is applied to the car and your body. In a similar way, that's what it felt like when I applied my gamaku correctly. Instead of the roar of an engine, the air really cracked/popped and my targets sounded like dry tree boughs snapping loudly in the woods when I struck them. I thought I could crack/pop the air and snap my targets before... oh, no...not like this... Soon, I may actually start to develop focused / destructive power, or atemi, as my Ti instructor has and demonstrated for me. I thought I had power like that before; I've smashed all manner of boards, bricks, etc; I've defended myself on the street with my power. But, no... Not with atemi... that's something different...

Yes. Looks pretty cool. For a brief second, I thought, "What does Keanu Reeves have any business being in a samurai movie?" Then, I remembered I thought the same thing about Tom Cruise being in The Last Samurai, until I watched it and saw how great he did. Likewise, I think Keanu Reeves will do great.

Congrats!

Sorry, haven't come across it in my journey or in tournaments. Welcome back to KF... I joined July 2013, so I'm new since when you last were here.

Agreed

1. Continue working on getting back into pre-surgery condition: ~200-210lbs (~90.72-95.25kg), build stamina, build strength (my strength is OK, just not what it used to be) 2. Continue my Ti journey; hopefully, by end of 2014 my Ti instructor will recognize me as an advanced student in Ti. 3. Complete my learning of the moves of Kusanku (rest of my life to master). My Ti instructor is slowly showing bits and pieces of the Kata; ensures I can perform the moves with high skill before he shows me the next part.