Nidan Melbourne

That is unfortunate that you haven't been able to find a school that is understanding that you want to train but also that you travel for work as well. At my dojo we have a number of adult students that are in the same boat as you. But what we have as a membership option is lesson based and isn't time based. It is a 40 lesson membership so it is enough to cover all the lessons required to grade + a couple of lessons of the next rank on the proviso you pass your tests when they are scheduled and also when gradings are set. That membership was designed for those who are always very busy and can't always make it to the dojo every week. So less stress for the person.

Congratulations to your sensei! you have the right to be proud! That was an excellent Chinto

Although i believe it depends on the brand of the belt itself. All the belts I have owned or currently own; the companies advise that you cannot wash your belt. But have seen some brands that are okay with you washing the belts.

It is funny because as an Instructor I hate (tbh) it when people try and help when they actually don't know what they are talking about. Even a lot a students that are inexperienced I have noticed try and do it to the instructors. Although I admit that I do it, BUT only because I have many years experience teaching. But i listen to what they say and don't interrupt what they are saying. But chime in when information they are giving is actually incorrect or could be described in a way that more people understand. ALSO I do check with the instructor if it is ok if I do it, although I don't do this to sensei or a fill in head instructor (My sensei has been away on holidays in the US for the last few weeks)

No i don't have a weapons licence as I don't train in weapons with the exception of Balintawak Arnis (Sticks). But I do plan on applying for one.

Welcome to the forum njc81! Here in Victoria we have strict laws regarding all weapons. And requires permission from the police commissioner to own or import. http://www.police.vic.gov.au/content.asp?Document_ID=110

I found it moderately hard but that is because it was the time i started taking karate seriously. But I have taught a lot of students over the years and a lot of them have quit because it is getting harder for them to pass tests. Especially when they start failing more and more because they aren't using their hips correctly and not doing kihon correctly. So they get disheartened when they realise they can't cruise through the grades like they used to. As green belts in my dojo is 5th kyu so the middle belt. We expect them to perform all techniques + kata that are up to their rank to a high standard.

That's how my old school did it. In my opinion that is excellent for the kids, it gives them a sense of achievement rather often and keeps them striving to move forward plus it doesn't drain any wallets! Now, my school ran $200 for dan gradings, but that did include registration with the national governing body, we tested in a hotel conference room, so it covered the cost of that, and also it covered expenses for the board members including the founder of our system.. All in all, it is terribly steep but when you think of where the money goes it makes sense.. I want to say the gup gradings were $35, I could be wrong it's been a while since I did one of those. When I look back at my school I think that sometimes it was a bit of a mcdojo but for the most part I think it was on the up and up. We graded every 3 months and if you were ready and your time in rank was satisfied you could test at each one, that's how I moved up so quickly. I also attended classes 6 days a week, so I was definitely prepared when it came to the grading cycle. I think that rapid advancement of some sort is needed with younger practitioners, hence why I am a big fan of the colored stripes between gradings, it really makes you feel like you're doing something. Now the way that I would do it personally would be to have around 10-12 ranks for juniors and also add the colored stripes, probably grade every 3-6 months and allow them to move up but at the black belt level I would have an age requirement and an extremely high standard. For the adults I would only have 3-4 belts total, I feel that they do not need the same motivation that the juniors would and therefore could be in the same rank longer, this would insure that their costs were kept down and also that when they did move up there would be substantial improvement, I would probably only grade them once a year.. At least that's how I see it but alas I do not have my own style, or even my own school. Why are your dan gradings so expensive? I'm curious to know the breakdown of the price for it? If there are more or less of people that are eligible to grade does that cost change?

What was the overall reasoning for students returning their belts after being promoted? I am guessing it is to save on costs of belts (for the operations front)?

excellent work Bushido_man96! Patrick did you take a photo of the sword for us to see?

Sorry moderators + Patrick if it is in the wrong forum. I am looking for some specialised training for tournaments in particular Kata from other styles of karate. As I am wanting to gain the experience and knowledge so I can try out for the state team next year. Does anyone in Melbourne Australia know anywhere I can train for that specialist training? Moderators pull it down if deemed inappropriate

Tbh sounds like a belt factory

Check out some of the pics that my partner took for me on the day https://www.facebook.com/liamohalloran/media_set?set=a.10153176810013142.1073741835.541368141&type=3

accidents happen and you have apologised profusely for it. It shows that you weren't out to hurt her. I have knocked out a few people before and i felt guilty about it for ages. They all have said that it was their fault because they didn't have their hands up

If you are going to do full contact biggest rule is HAVE PARAMEDICS there as they will ensure safety. and many locations will mandate you have them there or even just first aiders on hand at all times. even 1 or 2 per tatami

Congrats RAM18! that is a huge step.

Which school was your student from? I might know which student you are talking about. I saw that Sensei Edji looked really annoyed that the setonline crashed and wasn't able to print off the running sheet and timetable of the events.

Just an update from yesterday: I had 3 rounds in my division. Round 1: Won 3 - 0 Won through means of Kiken. As my opponent did not show up Round 2: Lost 3 - 0 Performed: Seipai Round 3: Won 2 - 1 Performed: Suparempei - Made some very obvious mistakes because i was flustered. 1 official was Shito-Ryu and the other 2 were Shotokan. So I placed 3rd in the end.

In relation to space a Hotel is commonly really good but may be expensive. The tournaments i attend we use basketball courts and have our mats on top of that. As it is more cost effective for the organizer to use. You don't need a sanctioning body to organize the tournament, but it would be a good idea to so they can help you with potential places and to share with other schools in the area. Insurance is massively important especially since you will have kumite at the event. So be prepared to have that as the most expensive part of your day. Volunteers and Officials are going to be the most difficult to attain. So like i said before it is a good idea to have a sanctioning body because they will/should have a pool of officials. Formatting the day will be a busy/time consuming. what divisions are you going to have? what format of the rules are you going to use? Are you going to have repecharge? - Are you going to use the WKF (World Karate Federation) rules? Trophies, certificates etc should be taken into account for how many divisions you have. How much are you going to charge competitors to participate in the tournament and how much extra for extra events? At my VKL (Victorian Karate League) tournaments I compete at they are normally $75AUD for entry (includes 1 event) + $10AUD for any extra events. with the exception of the Victorian Championships which is $85AUD + $10AUD for extra events If you can get some sponsors that would be great and have them have a stall at the tournament so they can sell their product. Like how Arawaza was a major sponsor at the recent Senior World Karate Championships and all the competitors wore Arawaza Gi's and the kumite competitors wore arawaza mits and pads.

I am unsure on the specifics for his promotion as he trains at another dojo (my old one). But he has been contributing a lot back to karate for years now and brought up the standard of the dojos he taught at.

To be safe go see a Physiotherapist or similar professional that can assist. As you may have an instability in your hips. Since you spend a lot of time at the desk you may have tight hip flexors in particular your left side. Which may cause that pain you are experiencing

Well it happens as well when roles are reversed where the female is in a position of authority and the male isn't I have seen it happen more often than when a male is in a position of power. Yes it occurs but not as often.

Probably when my pants tore in the middle of my bjj class so i had to buy a new gi to replace them.

My club does contracts of varying amounts of time but never more than 18 months. But that is with an option to pay up front in full or pay over x months if it is more affordable that way. But only 1/5th of our club has that type of membership. But everyone else either has a monthly direct debit, or 30 lessons. We do offer similar memberships to the black belt one but to different ranks/time based not classes based. All our students who are direct debit are charged $85 per month which includes; training costs, gradings, belt (if promoted), insurance, and a small part for hiring of the hall. BUT the best thing is with our memberships/contracts is that if you decide to cancel that membership there is no payment required to cancel. If you payed upfront for say 18 months and you stop completely after 12, you get 6 months of that sum back. - As you are not going to use it, so why should we keep it? But this school your talking about is very expensive and very dodgy.

Can you outline your reasons for this? Edit: spelling When my dojo first opened my sensei was tough (as in you actually had to do well). But now he is passing students on tests (for tags) and for gradings as well when they shouldn't have passed at all. For instance one of our Shodan-Ho Students should have failed because he showed a lack of control in his techniques (Could have seriously injured someone), he couldn't perform his grading kata to a suitable level (He made A LOT of very obvious big mistakes), didn't do well with kihon (even though when you go for your BB it should be of a high standard) etc. It isn't because he isn't coping with running a school, but then again he hasn't helped himself by not getting on more instructors that can take on the reigns of the weekday classes and run them 4-9 pm without him there. When many of the students I fail because they can't do a basic technique or can't perform something that they should be able to do in their sleep and they go "I should have passed!"