Nidan Melbourne

I'm in the in between stages at the moment, but teach privately at different locations depending on the needs and wants of my individual students. Which for the moment works really well, as majority of my students also want to train with others that they bring along. So it gives them an opportunity to do partner drills. My plan is that when I own my own site, I plan on allowing bookings by the hour of when Classes are not scheduled as to have an additional source of income. As that will help me pay the bills and to help students out who have financial troubles. As I would rather have people use the space, when not in use by Karate or Other Martial Arts (if an agreement has been made) instead of it being closed most of the time. Although if I was to do that, i'd have to have someone on Reception to ensure that nothing occurs to the site if I or managers are not there to ensure no damage occurs to my property. Albeit; I plan on have a 2 for 1 site where I also run a Gym that is attached to the Dojo, so people would have to go through reception to get there.

Personally I discuss w/ the student or family what what they can do in terms of payment. If parents got laid off from work or it is due various extraneous reasons. I generally allow the student to train for free, as I don't want them to go into financial hardship just to pay tuition for lessons. As i'd rather them have enough meals each month, over me being paid $100 for them to come. And when they get back on their feet, and they offered to pay the back debt; i'd tell them to hold onto it and use it on the family. But all of this would be kept strictly between me and the family. No other student or family needs to get involved with their situation. What I'd like to do one day, is open an account where people are able to donate funds for those who are in need. And those funds can go towards uniforms, belts, memberships, equipment or even food. But these donations would be anonymous. So that no child can go hungry because mum and dad couldn't afford a meal.

It varies greatly between who is doing the kata. A terrible unsu can be beaten by an awesome seisan.

Spot on Wastelander. There will always be people who say "You're doing it wrong", For me there will always be difference in how people do things in Karate. For instance we both could perform the Kata Anan (Reference for those who don't know it: ). However since we are of different heights + weights, along with various other factors will mean that we both will perform the exact same pattern. But with emphasis on different areas and how we move for it.

We allow it in all our forms of Kumite, but has to be with control. This is even with the amount of Kumite Equipment that we use (Hands, Feet, Groin + Mouthguard). We have 3 Forms of Kumite with varying amounts of Contact. 1. Awase Kumite Soft & Slow Sparring. Allows our students to come up with tactics and also get used to contact. Our more advanced grades will hit harder than others. 2. Point Sparring WKF Rules 3. Light Sparring Contradictory to the name, you are allowed to do anything that is restricted in the above kumite. Only available to 2nd Kyu + (Seniors Classes), takedowns, grappling, other 'illegal' techniques from tournaments etc.

I do believe knowing the bunkai to each kata is very important. And that there is more than just one explanation of its potential application. My club doesn't have a set bunkai for the Taikyoku Series, but we do get our students to figure out how to apply them. But we do have set Bunkai for Gekesai Dai Ich up. In addition to Bunkai, we have Kyogi which are self defence routines which explain our Kata. And they had to be simple, effective and suitable to you as a person.

Welcome to the forum!

I haven't heard of the Wedge Principle before, however if I saw it then I would potentially recognize it. This is usually due to how people name things that change, like Chinese Whispers.

Our logo has Red, Grey, White + Black in it with a pattern which will be described below. Additionally it is embroidered onto our uniforms, but for our transfer students it happens to come on a square patch. In the Background we have a Grey Person doing a Head Kick, then in front is a belt transitioning from White to Black with the extra belt hanging is black. The Red is in segments above the belt that is transitioning. But not 100% sure on why my sensei chose that color or pattern. As a whole our logo is placed above our heart as a sign of respect to the school and to those who currently or have trained at the club.

There is nothing wrong with doing Flexibility Training with weights. Although you have to have the appropriate supervision for those who are not at the Elite Level of Sport. In the video I am assuming the person is a Gymnast. Why do i say that? because there is a risk of injury for us regular people if there is a lack of stability and control in our movements. When you are doing strength training w/ free weights, you are often doing flexibility at the same time. Look at a Back Squat; you have to go as "deep" in the Squat and then power upwards.

Personally I haven't experienced such a problem, as where my club is located we can't have a Makiwara nor can our new location have one due to our Landlord not approving one. I'd recommend that you speak to your GP to get it checked out, because it can lead to long term problems if you don't. As I know a few people who have ignored such a problem, and they have suffered from worse injuries than what it started off as.

I like to say that i'm crazy for continuing something whilst others have quit many years ago. I always get asked how many times i've done certain things in Karate, like certain kata and my response is that i've lost count. My general response if they ask if i'd done Kata 'A' the same number as Kata 'B'. My response is always "Maybe, I have no clue". Why do I not know? because that will stop me from progress.

OMG that Video I just want to facepalm because of the comments. But some of the techniques could do some damage, but some are indeed unrealistic. We have some Pre-Arranged Sparring + Bunkai that feel unrealistic or wouldn't happen in a Self-Defense Situation. Albeit our Gyakusoku Kumite is teaching us various different skills that would be benefiting us for a self-defense situation. Be it Distance + Timing, Angles, Open + Close Hand Techniques etc. Every one of our 1st Kyu's and Black Belts are required to create our own Self-Defense Routines that are dubbed Kyogi (I've posted previously about it). So our 1st Kyu Seniors are required to come up with 25 Separate Routines from Seeiunchin Kata, and each one can be as short or as long as they want just with the one rule of at least 1 technique (or part thereof) has to be from the kata itself.

We say 6 Years Old at my Dojo, which where I live is 1st Grade at School. But we often allow students who are on the verge of turning 6 within' a space of 2-3 Months to train. Our New Dojo has a "Mighty Mites" Class which is designed for 4 + 5 Year Olds, but the way it is taught and curriculum is different to our Juniors Curriculum. Hypermobility is something that you are often born with, with the exception of extreme circumstances. With the Juniors, I am more mindful of the fact that certain activities could be detrimental to their Physical Development. But this is also taking into account the fact I am trained to recognize and understand what milestones children at certain ages are required to meet. Yet with the Seniors; I know that majority of them have met 90% of their developmental milestones. So I am still mindful of any potential changes, yet am able to go harder on them.

I feel like it would be difficult to incorporate in a Martial Arts Club, especially where Distractions can be hard to manage especially in a rented space. At my Hombu Dojo, we rent the space and there are colourful things hanging up all the time. Whereas at our Secondary Dojo which is currently being updated has nothing hanging up. But we may have a couple of trophies won by our competition squad, albeit may be living on the second floor of the dojo. I feel like it is achievable to move on together as a unit, because then everyone is learning and achieving together. And allows them to encourage each other in what they're doing.

You can see a Fake Karate CI from a Mile Away if you know what you are looking at. Those who have no prior Martial Arts Training, often won't know the different between a "Fake" and a "Real" CI. Have I seen McDojos where I live? Yes i unfortunately have, often to a certain club that I won't mention again here on this site (unless needed). For me a "Master" is one who cares so deeply about the individual journey of every single student that they have. Are they progressing appropriately for their requirements and needs? are they progressing emotionally or mentally? For me a "Fake CI" doesn't do that nearly as much. As they are often more consumed with the bottom line than anything.

After having trained informally in Balintawak Arnis (Formalised by Grandmaster Bobby Taboda) for 3-4 Years. I finally had a formal lesson with my Karate Sensei's Sticks Instructor, and oh boy that was fun. Like when you do an exercise in class that leaves you sore for a few days because of the difference in how you used the muscles throughout your body. It was exactly the same for this sticks class. How you ask? Balintawak Arnis is predominately done with One Stick in your Right Hand, and most of the drills or exercises that are done involve rotation or different angles that directly impact your Forearms and Upper Arms. For most people; the muscles in your forearm are accustomed to Flexion and Extension due to the wrists, fingers + elbows. Yet not accustomed to the rotation that is done by the muscles and joints. Would I do this again Of course I would, and is a tonne of fun.

Welcome to the forum. Point Sparring is only one part of the whole part, even if it is not a realistic form of combat for Self-Defence. As some parts of it, like the lightness on the feet, agility and reaction time. At Dojos it is the job of the Chief Instructor (CI) to do different types of Kumite, and not just solely one type. At my dojo we do several different types, with each to teach us different ways of fighting. Be it Full Contact, Point, Light Contact etc. At my dojo we build up the types of sparring, over time so everyone is able to learn the skills required and also by the time they are adults and at Black Belt Level, you are able to do full contact. Why do you ask? Because it would be considered dangerous if we allowed 10 Year Olds doing Full Contact Sparring that don't understand how to adjust with their partners and also how to do certain skills/techniques with safety. As I saw one dojo (they are no longer open), that only allowed full contact sparring with no restrictions to location of where people are able to strike. And the Sensei's logic was that it will prepare the students for a Self-Defence Situation. What happened? People got injured and law suits happened (which all got settled through Mediation).

With Rehabilitation using a Pool is an effective tool to use, because it reduces the overall impact on the body. We use it for those who have Spinal, Joint or Muscular Problems; mainly for those who have had surgery or major injury. However many great rehabilitation centres have pools that they use for this express purpose. And any of the Rehab Staff are able to use it as long as they have the knowledge + skills to use it safely and effectively. For Seniors even more so, but we also have to take into account we still need to get them to do weight bearing activities to help prevent the risk of Osteoporosis. But for Martial Arts, it is great because it adds resistance to everything you do alongside you having to focus greatly on the technical side of training. I have seen many martial artists utilise the Beach over a Pool, because it gives them the additional impact of waves, sand and the current below the surface.

Thanks for the responses all, I have opted not let my CI know about what has happened. Hopefully it was just a once off, and not going to be a repeat in the future.

No he didn't give any specifics which was strange. I would have pressed him (to a point) to let me know what he meant although we were in the middle of a class too. With the questions that you placed, we have trained together for 16 years and taught regularly together for the last 6 years (+ an additional 2 years give or take). I was thinking about it this morning (its 1:40 pm Friday afternoon at time of writing this post), the only time I think he could of construed me as undermining his authority is suggesting that we should get the iPad out to let the kids sign in so we don't have to do it in the middle of class and be running late. As we are now using Martialytics, which if you haven't used it before you just have to type your name in and then you are checked in. And that it is time consuming, if you have to go through another part to determine if you have to test anyone for an In-Grade Test and for what they are to be tested on. I had explained to him previously my logic of us getting it ready for the kids (+ Adults) 5-10 minutes before class, so they can check in as they arrive. Instead of us spending an extra 10-15 minutes during class doing it for them, which takes our eyes of the safety of the kids. My CI and I had discussed previously about said logic, and that it was clear of why I thought it should happen that way. And that he would adopt such a way of organizing the check-in process, to streamline the process to make our jobs easier. Otherwise the only other way that I think he might believe that I am undermining his authority, is if the kids are approaching me to ask questions about whatever they need to know instead of going to him to ask the same questions.

Hi All, So last night I was teaching with a 3rd Dan + 2nd Dan, then during the second class, the 3rd Dan takes me outside and tells me that I have been undermining his authority along with the 2nd Dans. Which is strange because I hadn't actually done anything that could be construed as undermining their authority. Unless I am mistaken and briefly did something he felt like was being undermining. When I teach alongside others in a whole class or small group situation, if one of the instructors gives a warning about something and what the consequences are, i'll follow that so there is consistency. So for further context: Our first class is full of White + Yellow Belts (9th + 8th Kyu's), and I took the warm up wanted them to be a lot quieter so the 2nd Dan could sign people in and the 3rd Dan be dealing with Parents. So the 2nd Dan and Myself took the Yellow Belts together. I let the 2nd Dan take it, because my voice wasn't feeling too flash hot. We were doing Kata, and all i was doing was making minor corrections and answering any small questions they may have had during class. Usually these questions were revolving around which foot to step with for the next step. I then also asked only 1 question to the group about when we finish the kata, but otherwise didn't do too much else. So the problem I am facing is during the 2nd Class where the 3rd Dan did what I mentioned above. I was so shocked/surprised when it happened that I didn't say anything. As I was hurt when he mentioned it. Do you think I should mention it to my Chief Instructor or just leave it (and move on)? Because I don't want to sound petty or vindictive.

Matsu - our club doesn't charge for gradings, as each of our memberships include gradings. Additionally we look at gradings like you can be eligible to attend. But there is no guarantee that you will pass by just attending. We hold students back in-grade in areas that we know they need additional development.

That is honestly too young to be a Head Instructor IMHO! As you have the safety of those that you are teaching. Knowing me when I was 17, there would be no way that I would want to run the risk of having getting someone injured or anything like that. Also I don't want to know what the premiums are like for his insurance that he would have to pay are like. When I started mine, the premiums were higher because I am relatively young (25 Years Old).

They may be ready to grade, but depends on their attitude and what they do during the physical grading itself where they may fail. I know a couple of students that are absolutely amazing when they put the effort in and have the right attitude. But then they are also shocking when they don't want to put the effort into something.