Nidan Melbourne

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.

Depends on their Grade and also the tournament that they enter. Here in Australia, Australian Karate Federation Tournaments are considered the norm for Karate Tournaments. So the only time a student would get an advantage is if they end up dropping a division bracket. For Instance we have 10-7th Kyu, 6th - 4th Kyu then 3rd kyu+ Divisions. So if a 3rd Kyu gets demoted to 4th kyu, they 'may' have an advantage if they know what their doing. However a 1st Kyu getting demoted to 2nd Kyu would have no difference in the above scenario.

It varies, my sensei was in his early to mid 20's when I first started training. Albeit he was a 2nd Dan at the time, then he got promoted to 3rd Dan when I was 11 and he was 25. But he continued to study and learn from absolutely everyone and anyone that would be open to teaching him.

To the bolded point, my sensei finally did that with his Sticks Training (Balintawak Arnis, he is currently a Level 6 [Completion of the Art])

As the header says what is your clubs protocol for Passing and Failing Students at Gradings? Our Clubs protocol for Passing Students are: Results [Pass]: Students find out the following class, so they receive their new belt & promotional certificate. In-Grade Restrictions: During the Grading, instructors determine if students have any weak areas in relation to our In-Grade Tests. We indicate the weak areas as a +6, which means that we will give students additional time to develop that area prior to being tested. As we normally test students every 6 lessons, so they will be tested after 12 instead. Additionally our protocol for Failing StudentsInvolve: Pass/Fail Limit: At each of our gradings, we fail students after they receive more than Three (3) +6 Lessons. Sometimes we will allow students to be promoted with 3 +6 Lessons, but is purely dependent on how their attitude and levels of effort on the day. Notification of Negative Result: Our Chief Instructor notifies the Parent or the Student (if over 18), of a negative result prior to the following class that they may attend. Explanation of Result: Not only does our Chief Instructor explain to the student why we failed them (or their child), we will sit down with the student (and parent if present) to explain in detail why and also what they need to do to be successful the following time.

Hi Lynn, That is unfortunate of the situation that you are now in. It is difficult on the two scenarios that you have listed. For the lack of payment, how is your club going in terms of numbers of students that train? But I do see it strange that he decided to take over your classes and not pay you for your services. Especially if it was after a certain amount of time that you were actively paid for your services. As I started of as unpaid, but only till mid-2016 that I started getting paid and that was after 4 years of actively teaching with him. It happens when instructors are replaced or leave, a drop will occur in terms of student body. As it happened when my sensei left our former club, 90% of the students left the dojo and followed him to his own club that he started. Then your second situation regarding one of the other instructors, can develop usually out of jealousy or a comment that you may or may not have made and rubbed them the wrong way and they never said anything about it. I'd say either train/teach on a day that they're not there (if possible) or move on. As you have every right to not have to deal with what has happened and to be treated fairly. So if you left, then your students would be understanding if they found out your reasons for leaving. As much you want to train in a Traditional Dojo, are there any other dojo that are closer to your place of residence and work that is more of a reasonable distance to travel? I ask because, in a way I feel like you may be slightly restricting yourself in the type of school that you can train in. Because I know many dojo that exactly "Traditional" but teach in a way that is still traditional yet taught in a way that is scientific and through best practice to enhance the training of the student.

That is unfortunate that it 'protudes' out. The most I have seen from Shock Doctor are their mouth guards, and not much else.

I stopped for a total of 1.5 Years, because I was completing Year 12 at the time and also needed the extra 1/2 year off cause i needed a break. It wasn't hard for me to get back into it, because it was a relatively short break.

They do concern me, as i know what the potential risks are and what can happen to my brain. When I am training, that is something I work on is protecting. my face.

- Put effort in to your training & gradings - Work Hard + Smart - KISS Principle - Don't Rush especially in Kata - Look after your body - Don't treat others poorly

I do like it when my CI has multiple styles/arts under his or her belt. As they took the time to learn each one, and also that they can pass on that additional knowledge too. My CI does Balintawak Arnis as his additional MA, and every now and again teaches us that curriculum. Which means that we are also learning it, but also will dramatically improve our primary art of karate due to the amount of rotational force being required.

Now you all may of heard these terms before, either on here or somewhere else. It is important as martial artists to be aware of these terms, as we are susceptible to being affected by one or the other. As is anything sport and health related. Undertraining is where you are training less than what you are supposed to, and can have a negative impact to your health. You may not become injured, but is similar to being inactive or sedentary. Whereas Overtraining is defined as doing way too much training or doing something to excess and without sufficient rest. Athletes are often at risk of this especially around competition time. The potential risks are burnout mentally, and also putting your body at risk of injury. These risks may appear as either very minor or severe, often as athletes or non-competitors not caring or taking extended amounts of time off. But how do these impact us everyday martial artists? It impacts us where we don't look after our level of training, too little or too much.

I use Skins under my Gi which I find to be comfortable, but have found that the durability of portions not to overly fantastic.

It isn't overly consistent at my dojo, but we do try and educate our students that they should practice good hygiene to prevent spread of infection etc. But I am picky with Fingernails and General Hygiene with my students, and have sent people home for poor hygiene before class has even started. And those I sent home smelt BAD, and you could tell that they didn't think about others. I wash my gi's after each usage, but depends on what i've done as well. If I wore it for 1 hour and did very little I might stretch it out to a 2nd day for usage. So I've washed both my gi's that i've worn this week, and will most likely take both with me tomorrow to the Dojo. As I am going to teach for a couple of classes, then will be going to the new dojo to assist with a Grading.

Well Two Things; but they interrelate so much: 1. Relax!!!! When you relax, you develop and form better habits than when your tense. Also it prevents you from doing something silly that could lead to injury. 2. Listen to Your Body! Also means to remember that you need rest, as all humans do. Because if you don't then you will get hurt.

That I am capable of way more than I believed!

I practice my Kata/Forms in different ways like you said. It is honestly amazing to see what deficits that you may have by adding or removing something. On Monday we did all our kata without our Arms, which is harder than it looks especially with the more advanced kata. Other way we do it is without our legs, so we remain stationary and do all the related arm movements. If I get time tomorrow morning i'll film it and load it up.

Well deserved for your time here