CredoTe

Perhaps it is a variation on Wanshu?

100% accurate... My MA journey has been going for about two-and-a-half decades, now, but because I'm less than middle-aged, some of our adult students over the years didn't take me seriously or outright ignored anything I tried to teach them. Even now, people say I look young (I'm not that young), and I think my perceived age plays a role in some of our adult students' acceptance of my experience / knowledge... I'm forced to "prove my pudding" to our adult students on a somewhat regular basis...

Like ps1 said, sounds like you have a good plan. And, the fact that you have the $$$ to do it (risk on it) on your own is a BIG plus... So, you have a plan, have the $$$ to implement the plan; sounds like it's time to "plan the work, work the plan" so to speak... Uh... in other things, I think some gremlins are messing with our posts... To clarify: well, lets see it then. From a previous post by The Greatest Disciple and quoted in this post above, I didn't say that...lol

A "perfect" self-defense situation is one that you walk away from (whether before things got physical via deescalation or after the physical altercation with your life). I agree; if someone comes within arms length of me without my permission with questionable or obvious intent, I own them. However, I still think Wastelander's friend "V" got a "3 out of 3". She is currently seeing a therapist, if I remember correctly, for that very reason. My friend said she has had abusive relationships in the past, so he was worried about the same thing. ...and this completes the Good Samaritan deed, hopefully with psychological / emotional improvement and healing for her... Only question, Wastelander... Did "V" walk off into the sunset a hero?

Matsubayashi-Ryu (Shorin-Ryu), Hung Gar (Siu Lum) Kung Fu Not including situations alleviated via deescalation, yes, I've used it many times to save my life or the life of a loved one. Most of these, I was able to end the situation without causing bodily damage to the assailant(s). The "worst" situation I was in involved two guys with one wielding a knife. I didn't get away unscathed (I have scars to prove it), but I got away with my life and made sure those two guys will remember me for the rest of their lives.

That video is hilariously awesome... No training?!? Ladies are born with the training / skill / instinct to kick a dude there! lol (no offense to ladies, of course )

07 Aug 2013: - Core & strength training: push-ups starting from "up" position, push-ups starting from "down" position, leg-lifts (laying on back), planks, holding kettle weights shoulder height with arms to side (for 1 minute intervals), horse and cat stances holding weighted medicine balls, kata - Cardio: fast-paced hand-target and bag work in a circuit, kata

Whoa... this is a great topic post... I've been searching the Web for the best ways to make makiwaras; your suggestions might be the best because they seem the most simple and effective. I have a question, though... Do you have a similar suggestion for an indoor version of your makiwara? My living space is not much, and our dojo is getting cramped (not such a bad thing because that means more people). I would love to have a "mobile" version of your makiwara... Perhaps a DIY attachment to our heavy bag base?

Go for it... The proof is in the pudding, though (or on the floor for others... ). What I mean by that might be best explained through a few rhetorical questions: When you create your own style / system, and thus break from the core MA style you're currently instructing, will the students follow you? Do they value your teaching methods, knowledge, experience, etc enough that they will follow you instead of looking elsewhere to continue in their core MA? As some others have already posted, what would your style / system offer that existing MAs do not? Techniques / waza? Application, analysis, bunkai/oyo? Training methods? Goal / purpose - would your style / system aim solely for street-defense / life-death situations, solely for sport, or a combination of the two? For instance: I totally agree with you when it comes to not teaching bunkai/oyo that do not make fighting sense. But in that, when I come across kata waza that do not make sense to me, I always ask myself, "is there someone more experienced than I that can explain a bunkai/oyo for this kata waza that makes fighting sense?" Also: It's great that you have the skill / experience to teach throws, joint locks, etc. "Karate" schools that do not teach these skills (throws, joint locks, bars, grappling, etc), and thus are limited to stand-up distance fighting, do not remember the Te (Ti). A "complete life-cycle" of a fight includes stand-up distance fighting, moving to and through Iri kumi (in-fighting, not "continuous sparring"), and incorporates tegumi / tuite (throws, joint locks, bars, grappling, etc). Those MAs that have supplemented the "tegumi / tuite" part with an additional MA like judo, jujutsu, etc improve their chances of survival on the street by putting more tools in their arsenal. Finally: If I were a chief instructor, I would consider making my testing periods 6 months (we currently test every 4 months). One of my biggest peeves of MA are McDojo "Black Belt Factories" that pump out "black belts" every 2-3 years. In my area, there are several McDojos in which one of their main advertising points is "Get Your Black Belt in as Little as 2 YEARS!!!" Arrr... But anywhoo... Also, as for kata requirements, our curriculum stresses quality of skill over quantity. Kata progression is somewhat slow in our dojo because of this. Most of our students are OK with this; the one or two students that have whined about not learning kata fast enough, are quickly reminded that they do not know everything they think they do, and that their kata always need work (mine too!). So... Is there any way to incorporate these things already without enraging your current organization? For instance, can you make the kyu system you described with (or without) the blessing of said organization? If you are able to do these things with the blessing (or without) of said organization, do you need to break off and form your own style / system? Again, if deep in your heart you urge to create your own style / system, do it...

For core and strength training, I do a lot of free weight, hands free, and gravity-assisted stuff like jack-knives (while holding 10lb-20lb medicine ball or kettle weight), leg-lifts (laying on back), push-ups (with or without balancing medicine ball on my back), elevated push-ups, dips (with or without balancing medicine ball on my lap), burpees, etc. For my cardio, mostly just practicing all my kata with everything I have...

Congrats, well done

While we are responsible for the decisions we make along our journeys, we do not have control over the many different forks, branches, paths that we come across or when we come across them. In that sense, I would only change certain ways I handled situations with individual students; as in, I should have said or done something different in response to a tough situation with a student here or there. If I had control over when a new branch was encountered, I would have changed when I reunited with an instructor from my past; an event that led us to understanding Te (Ti), as well as shepherding / sponsorship into the WMKA... I wish this event could have happened earlier in my life, but we encounter these different paths at the times we do for a reason...

I do my games on voice chat because people have moved, including me; I don't attempt to find a time that everyone can show up, I just give a predictable time and whoever can make it gets to play. This has been hard to explain to some though I think.Predictability in schedule is very important for making things possible for busy people. I can't just spontaneously discover a few hours a week out at some specific random time, but I can reserve a six hour block every Sunday and often get it. I've had people suggest that it would be easier to show up every two weeks, but it was suggested by the people who can't seem to be bothered to show up every two weeks either so I take it with a grain of salt. We all moved, and books get lost. PF leaves all their material up for free on a website, and it's open source. I would have done 3.5 if not for that. I'm simply not at a point in my life where the idea of prowling through used bookstores for dusty and rare out of print tomes that i'll end up having to loan out to players appeals to me; PF is supported and easy to acquire. I don't object to 4, but it's closed and requires a bunch of books and doesn't play like I like. I haven't been tracking 5, but I expect it to be closed source and set up around selling books, which ironically means I probably won't be buying them, and why people still make stuff for 3.5. So it was really a logistical reason. Videogame wise, my current playlist as of late is Torchlight II, NWN2; i'd be playing NWN1 if it didn't crash on me in spite of using compatibility mode. Played a bit of Bastion recently. Also, booted up DosBox to poke around at Dungeon Master again. And awhile back, prodded at the revived Earth and Beyond that they've gotten up and running, in the MMO area. Your reasoning is totally sound... Probably the only reason we're still able to play 1st / 2nd Ed is because a) we painstakingly kept track of all our books, supplies, etc (kept in safes, waterproof storage totes, etc), and b) we constantly troll Internet sites like Amazon, Craigslist, etc or hobby and gaming shops for 1st / 2nd Ed materials. Whenever one of us spots a hit, we notify everyone in our group and converge on said location...lol Buy buy buy...lol Gaming via video chat is a great idea... will have to try it sometime. Maybe it'll enable us to play more often, as you said you're able to play often enough on Sundays... Alas, Neverwinter Nights is another series I missed, unfortunately. I will have to acquire... But, Baldur's Gate is one of the classics and one of my favs... (For some reason, I keep hearing Nelson Muntz in the distance, "HA Ha...NERD!")

I do my games on voice chat because people have moved, including me; I don't attempt to find a time that everyone can show up, I just give a predictable time and whoever can make it gets to play. This has been hard to explain to some though I think.Predictability in schedule is very important for making things possible for busy people. I can't just spontaneously discover a few hours a week out at some specific random time, but I can reserve a six hour block every Sunday and often get it. I've had people suggest that it would be easier to show up every two weeks, but it was suggested by the people who can't seem to be bothered to show up every two weeks either so I take it with a grain of salt. We all moved, and books get lost. PF leaves all their material up for free on a website, and it's open source. I would have done 3.5 if not for that. I'm simply not at a point in my life where the idea of prowling through used bookstores for dusty and rare out of print tomes that i'll end up having to loan out to players appeals to me; PF is supported and easy to acquire. I don't object to 4, but it's closed and requires a bunch of books and doesn't play like I like. I haven't been tracking 5, but I expect it to be closed source and set up around selling books, which ironically means I probably won't be buying them, and why people still make stuff for 3.5. So it was really a logistical reason. Videogame wise, my current playlist as of late is Torchlight II, NWN2; i'd be playing NWN1 if it didn't crash on me in spite of using compatibility mode. Played a bit of Bastion recently. Also, booted up DosBox to poke around at Dungeon Master again. And awhile back, prodded at the revived Earth and Beyond that they've gotten up and running, in the MMO area. Your reasoning is totally sound... Probably the only reason we're still able to play 1st / 2nd Ed is because a) we painstakingly kept track of all our books, supplies, etc (kept in safes, waterproof storage totes, etc), and b) we constantly troll Internet sites like Amazon, Craigslist, etc or hobby and gaming shops for 1st / 2nd Ed materials. Whenever one of us spots a hit, we notify everyone in our group and converge on said location...lol Buy buy buy...lol Gaming via video chat is a great idea... will have to try it sometime. Maybe it'll enable us to play more often, as you said you're able to play often enough on Sundays... Alas, Neverwinter Nights is another series I missed, unfortunately. I will have to acquire... But, Baldur's Gate is one of the classics and one of my favs... (For some reason, I keep hearing Nelson Muntz in the distance, "HA Ha...NERD!")

And from: We currently have three students who are just going through the motions / have Dojo Disease; two youth students (11 & 12 yo), and one adult student (17 yo). They are all three in a "holding pattern" at their current ranks, and won't advance until we see improvement. The 11 and 12 yo don't seem to want to be in class (parents making them do it - which is OK in some ways for a certain period of time) and don't seem to care they're not advancing. We've had "the talk" with their parents about maybe being time to consider other activities, but the students insist that they want to be in class. The 17 yo has pride / ego issues and has a "full cup" all the time... We've had discussions with him regarding his attitude and that it is impeding his improvement. In all three students, training them harder hasn't worked, training them in different / alternative ways hasn't worked (people learn in different ways, tried finding the best learning method); the main reason we haven't kicked them out of class is because they haven't become a significant distraction / hindrance to learning for the others (thus, giving us a chance to work through this with them). Good share Your instructor's post has good wisdom in it. But, I think your instructor's "Brown Belt-itis" is only half of what is described by "Dojo Disease", or perhaps a more specific manifestation of it. It's not that our students mentioned above are neglecting to practice "lower" skill and kata in preference for more advanced stuff... As for other things, I'm sorry to hear you feel you're in a slump. We encounter many hills, valleys, and crevasses in our karate journey; it's easy to get "bored" or disillusioned with our training or skill after practicing the same things for what seems like the millionth time. I think we've all been there (speaking from one instructor to another); and, I think, maybe that's one the differences between us as experienced instructors and students making their early way on their journey: realizing we're in a "slump" or "just going through the motions" and snapping out of it (as you say). I believe that they are. I believe that they are. I do believe that they are part of a larger issue. That issue, I believe it to be, is birthed by our society believing that the short cut to any known goal has to be much better than going through the many untold years that it truly takes. MA students have discovered this to be true. Hence the creation of many McDojo's and the like. In that, the other co-issue is money; unfortunately one begets the other intentionally. Promotions are given out just like some mutant piece of candy. It's no longer of any value to have to truly earn any promotion, and this is true when instructors and the like are handing out 100% pass ratios to their students. This breads false securities into their students and before it's too late, they're finding out the truth at a horrifying cost; someones life or serious injury. They can't defend themselves out of a wet paper sack even after a hole had been provided; they believing that what they've wrapped around their waists, are meaningless out in the streets of hard-knocks. Students who want the fast promotion deserve what they get; meaningless instructions, but what an expensive lesson to finally learn. And for those students who just go through the motions without any fruition, the same goes for them as well. For those students who don't want to hear the truth...get out of my dojo until you can be honest with yourselves first!! These type of students can be helped, but it'll take tons of patience [for the instructor] as well as discipline [for the student who WANTS the help] to free them of this type of training bondage. But, again, the student MUST want the help from an qualified AND caring instructor who's 180 degrees away from the uncaring instructor who'll say anything and do everything that would help that damaged instructors' P&L statement, and not the students betterment. For example, a bad driver can be taught how to be a great driver AND a safe driver; but it'll take time to correct the bad muscle memories that have deeply rooted and misguided. Both, the instructor and the student have to accept and allow time to properly nourish the starving wanting that's trying to escape from it's training dungeon of times past. In time, the hopeful student will begin to shake loose the chains that have been binding them for those many years that taught them ineffective MA. Once that student has finally emerged triumphant as the MAist that will partake willingly in the type of training that's not only needed, but the training that is required across the board. That "new" student will gladly pour out swimming pools full of blood, sweat, and tears to become solid in their MA training as well as in the never ending journey. They'll begin to see the true value in being totally and completely accountable for their training. That accountability will require a new learning set of skills because that needed accountability is alien to them, and in that, they'll have to be taught to accept that level of accountability across the board. It will not be an easy road for both the student as well as the instructor, but it'll be well worth everything in the long run. Besides, nothing should come easy; hard work is required for hard results!! Awesome post Great advice... I'm seeking experienced MAs' advice because I definitely do care You're actually swerving into my follow-up question... I'll post the follow-up thread question in a few more days; I want to wait to see if any more of the experienced MAs around here have good advice. Great posts so far from all...

Yeah, i'm running a weekly PF game with some friends. It's a pain to convince people that I actually am tolerant of them missing a couple of game sessions for family, though. I get a lot of "I don't know if I can commit to that because of my family.." yeah, I have a family too, I get it. I don't do individual XP and I handwave people being absent. I just want enough people that I can keep the group size above two after assorted cancellations. bah!I'm with you, there... I'm usually DM / GM, and our group has a hard enough time as it is to have a handful of sessions a year because we're all adults now, with families, responsibilities, etc... Wait?!? You mean we can't stay in high school forever and play games all the time?!? Only difference I see between your situation and ours is we never "upgraded" to 3rd Ed / PF / 4th Ed / soon-to-be 5th Ed... We stayed with a blend of AD&D 1st Ed and 2nd Ed.... yup, old school...

If there was a perfect MA, then there would only be ONE style... because it would be PERFECT; it would work in any situation, in any environment, in any terrain, etc (thus no need for all the varying styles that exist). Also, a perfect MA would suggest only ONE level of bunkai/oyo instead of the unlimited depths we have...because it would be PERFECT. The perfect MA with perfect bunai/oyo would work at all times, with no mistakes, errors, contingency plans / training, etc... Just my 2 cents...

Yes!! "I HAVE THE POWER...!" Well played MasterPain Com'on! We can't forget He-Man's politically correct counterpart "She-Ra", now can we???

Alas, life catches up to me, and video games tend to pass me by.... I can't seem to keep up with all the great titles out there... I still play Morrowind and Oblivion, need to pick up Skyrim and all the Assassin's Creed series. But, my favorite that I manage to still play on a somewhat regular basis requires no computer or console...just a vivid imagination (your mind is the greatest graphics card / engine...): old school tabletop Dungeons & Dragons Oh yeah! W00t W00t!!! I'm a nerd, what can I say..? Lol

Absolutely!!! Dang... my belly is starting to grumble and my mouth water after reading this thread... Someone should totally come out with a new hot dog brand called Pavlov's Dogs...lol

I first saw the term "Dojo Disease" used / coined by bassaiguy in his forum topic here: http://www.karateforums.com/dojo-disease-vt45017.html As an instructor, I've encountered "Dojo Disease" (as bassaiguy describes) in a few students. Another anomaly that I'm sure we've all encountered as instructors is certain students in class that are "just going through the motions". You know how it is, these students do not really seem to want to be there (perhaps forced there by their parents or whatnot), or they think that they don't need to train hard (if they just look like they're doing it right, they'll get promoted). So, a conundrum I ponder includes the following questions: Are "Dojo Disease" and "just going through the motions" related? Are they the same thing? Are "Dojo Disease" and "just going through the motions" merely symptoms of a larger issue? If so, what do you believe is the larger issue? In the handful of students I've had in the past that were inflicted with either "Dojo Disease" or "just going through the motions", I didn't have much success in "training it" out of them. So... Any thoughts, advice, experience, wisdom, etc that you can provide, please do! I have a follow-up thread related to this that I will start once I have a good chunk of responses here...

Oops... Looks like I was "corn"-fused and got the idea backwards...lol Thanks for clearing that up!

And from: Great posts!!! We basically have the same idea in our dojo... Harlan makes a good point, as well, but we save the "In short: leave" conversation for a student that has been given a 2nd chance or 2... We can't just play "whack-a-mole" with unruly students because our potential student body pool in our town isn't the largest... However, even if we did have a large student body, sensei8's and Lupin1's explanations would still apply (But, we could play whack-a-mole, so to speak, with students that refuse to improve their discipline / respect / behavior that have been given many chances...whack-a-mole with a boot to their rear ends out the door)

We've experienced this issue several times in the past, also. We train in Matsubayashi-Ryu: if a student comes to us that has no training in Matsubayashi-Ryu, s/he starts as a white belt, period. When we receive a "transfer" student from another school that trains in Matsubayashi-Ryu, we have the transfer student try out a week of classes to see if s/he likes and can handle them. We also use the time to silently evaluate the transfer student's skill / progress level and gauge what kyu s/he would be at according to our standards (regardless of her/his current rank). After the week of classes, we have a private meeting with the student (and parents if s/he is a child) to inform her/him of her/his rank. We then give the student a choice: take the rank as we evaluated, or keep current rank from other school BUT s/he must wait to test in order to improve her/his skills up to our standards for her/his current kyu rank. If the transfer student is stuck at her/his current rank for a year, so be it. As for a "guest belt", that's a good idea. However, we don't use a guest belt because there's only been one transfer student we've had in which this student's current rank color matched ours. All the others came from schools that use different color schemes for their kyu system. If, in the future, we find we receive a higher number of transfer students with a similar kyu color scheme, we'll revisit the guest belt idea.

Charlie44, long story short: in sport competition / tournament sparring, preemptive, on-all-the-time aggression will increase your chances of victory, as tallgeese and bushido_man96 suggest. Your question is actually very similar (perhaps the same) to another thread under this forum group. For my full explanation regarding this issue, I suggest reading my reply here: http://www.karateforums.com/agressive-or-passive-vt42748-10.html There are many other great replies on that thread, as well. As for this thread by you, Charlie44, here are just a few of the good replies / advice from others (IMHO), followed by my 2 cents: And from: And from: And from: MasterPain, your advice is very direct ; like an arrow unerringly penetrating its target (hence your username, no? ). Great explanation / analogy, JusticeZero. Anger and aggression are often used synonymously when they aren't the same thing. Harkon72, your advice is sound, too, but I ask for clarification on one point: the advice you mention regarding calm focus and calm purpose, do you relate these to being passive? Your advice regarding good technique and form, relaxation and control allowing quicker responses, "meet each opponent like a whirlwind" (great analogy ), is great anytime. bushido_man96, you also make some good points. You're right, using aggressive tactics are good, especially in MMA bouts / sport competition (or any other physical sport, for that matter). However, anger can and does quickly cloud the mind of most people. I realize you're making the case that it is possible to be angry without clouding the mind or losing control; very true. I think it's great that you have that ability. But, most people do not; a possibility is no guarantee. Your advice about developing an offensive game and balancing tactics, is all good. I guess the only 2 cents I can add to these hefty pieces of advice is that it is entirely possible to be calm, relaxed, and in control while being aggressive towards an opponent (aggression = pressing your opponent with well executed techniques).