Nidan Melbourne

I trained with a collector who had around 100 different uniforms that he has collected over the years. although the older ones that no longer fit, he had admittedly framed and had a little thing of time frame that he used and any milestones or accomplishments that he achieved whilst wearing it. I collect Karate Gis for a little time, but had maybe 12 different ones that I used concurrently.

I agree with you on that fact! We can have disagreements, but when we can have a friendly discussion around something when it comes to opposing points of view. Yet when it goes past civil, we can longer have civil discussions. I love discussing differing styles, because I love to learn about how we differ and why they do things the way they do. But then it also challenges my perspective of why my style does what it does it does. So true, to me they are meant to help form a key part of our core values. Especially if we start training from a young age, as the virtues that we learn in our training for some are the first ones they are introduced to. My Core Values; in a large part was formed from the IGK Virtues and evolved as I got older. The other Core Values for me; formed outside of class and what I held as important to me. Its interesting with how different generations were raised; like I am a Millenial and you are part of an older Generation. When I first started learning my clubs virtues, I didn't really understand what they meant to my daily life and how important they would become to me. Now as an Adult, they are incredibly important to me. The current generation that is starting out, I don't know how much they understand. But definitely is a little project I will be working on over the next few years. I love the virtues that the SKKA have, and when I look at them they just slot in nicely for me and don't cause any ruffles with my core values. I'm updating a Dan Grade Exam atm, these make me think it is worth adding ours in to our exam to see if they know them and their understanding of each.

Recently I was speaking to a student, and they asked me about whether my club (the one that I was in the process of starting up) had any virtues that would be a core aspect of our club. So I wonder what does your club or organisation have in terms of Club Virtues? Back to the story: I said yes we do, and follows the virtues of the International Goju-Kai Karate (IGK) that was formed by Tino Ceberano Hanshi. They were the same virtues that I learnt from my time at my first Club (Australian Goju Karate; from what I've heard they formally closed a few years ago). So they are: 1. We are proud to study the way of Goju 2. We are Courteous in Manners 3. We strive to Develop Courage and Fighting Spirit 4. We Cultivate Fellowship and Understanding 5. We Respect the Ideals of Loyalty and Honour When I talk about those to my students; and they normally do ask questions about them and how they help our training and our lives. Some aren't as straight forward or clear, yet as we develop as karateka and as humans they should be clear. Now when I first learnt these virtues, I wasn't given much in terms of an explanation as to what they mean. But was generally told that as I got older, I would understand what they mean. But I try to make it a little easier on my students, and have them explain them in their own words to me. Here are my interpretations; but I leave it open for change as I continue my training and I get older these may change. Simply put, you should be take pride in what your learning and to give 100% into what your learning. Can be substituted for any style or martial art. Sometimes I feel like this one is a "no duh" type of situation. But sometimes people need to be taught that they can take pride in what they're learning or even if they are teaching. This is something I really struggled with growing up, but as I got older this became clearer to me. It talks about how we treat others, more importantly how we treat ourselves. This is in my mind a lifelong pursuit. As we need to have the courage to stand up for whats right and also to have the courage to fight when necessary. Overcoming our fight/flight response. Now Fighting "Spirit" - having the ability to fight like you mean it and without fear. I personally love this Virtue, as we as a community need to foster relationships. Then once we foster those relationships, we need to develop an understanding of one another through communication and how we look after one another. In my mind it is so important to cultivate these because it is at its essence how we work together in class and learn without causing conflict. Closely tied to point 4, where we show loyalty and honour those around us but also to those who have come before us. When we train, we need to keep in mind the efforts of those before us (especially those who taught). If it weren't for them, we wouldn't have Goju Karate that it is today. Also this talks about our relationships as a whole; current, future and past.

thoughts are with everyone and for the safety of everyone during the fires. I hope your state and federal governments do the right thing surrounding water supplies, considering what I've heard about the state being dryer than the Sahara. Being in Australia, I and my fellow Australians see the impact of Bushfires regularly. some of our fellow members (also aussies), unfortunately experience those 1000x worse than I do. So my prayers are going out to everyone suffering atm.

Here in Victoria, we recently started running a Recycling Program where certain eligible bottles could be returned for 10c per item. South Australia has run such a program for a long time; but was only for 5c per item, but don't know if it has upped its return amount to match Victoria or not. The main condition of return, is the item had to have the Barcode to be scanned to prove what the item is and to ensure that it can be recycled in the program. So 10 items = $1 100 items = $10 You can get paid Electronically (at all locations), Cash (some locations) or you can Donate the amount to the charity of your choice. If you choose electronic payment; I have found that it is paid out normally within 5-8 hours on a weekday, or a couple of days after a weekend deposit. So if your a massive Soda or an Alcoholic then you can return a lot of cans or bottles. I'd love to return some of these, as I find the laying about everywhere where I go as there is a homeless population around where I live that drink wine everywhere. So out of curiosity, does your country or state do something similar? and how much do you get per item? If you are interested, and your state/country runs a program like this please share.

Hope you and the family are safe Patrick. I know how scary wildfires can be, along with the others Australians that are on this forum.

The Gi already has a fantastic pocket for holding mouthguard and for the instructor/coach to hold onto things without an actual pocket. its the overlapping flaps with the belt keeping things up. Great pocket it is

Fortunately I haven't met many karateka who have a Shogo Title, but from the ones I know have simply said call them Sensei or whatever title they had, no need to make a fuss. over which. One Kyoshi I've met said he doesn't care if we address him as Sensei or Kyoshi as both are terms of respect. My Shihan has the same attitude to naming conventions. Because his view is that mistakes happen, and if we have visitors or guests from other schools "Sensei" may be the only one they know and use. I was told by a well respected Australian Martial Arts figure; that a Shogo Title is special thing awarded and should be well respected if your awarded one. And that they educate others (when asked) on why such titles exist, but don't place them on a special pedestal. But when they say to students "its ok if you still call me sensei, but you can also call me Kyoshi" it is a reminder for themselves to remain humble. He also explained that each level was similar to a qualification at University (college) - Shidoin/Bachelors, Renshi/Honours, Kyoshi/Masters and Hanshi/PHD.

I get where you're at with your training, BUT the difference is that for you; it surrounds your mentality around training and the belt system. AND not the actual training itself. For some, training for them feels like it has become stagnant so motivation to go becomes difficult. So for me; currently I have some external factors that prohibit me from training, unless I can find a dojo that would permit me to train but also meets my requirements. But first and foremost what is impacting me I need to resolve first before I think about returning. Yes, people talking about discipline and motivation when it comes to training. But understanding why a person is finding it difficult to make it into class is a different story. I see 3 things happening when a person goes to class without having resolved what is causing their issues: 1. Low attentiveness = Your not getting much out of the class = Disrespects the time and effort of the Instructors and the other Students there 2. Not focusing on what your doing = Injury = You miss even more time 3. Poor Attitude = disrupts everyone around you = Pisses off everyone I recently spoke to a few students who are continuing to train or who have taken a break from training. To get a better idea of whats going on for them and also how I can improve on what I teach and how I do things. So the ones who took time off; some took time off because of their studies, health, personal or financial reasons. For others they felt like their training wasn't well defined once they reached a certain point in their training. And for some it their training became "Boring" because they were often doing the same stuff day in day out. Yes I can appreciate the importance of training the basics regularly throughout the ranks; BUT in my eyes once you reach a certain rank there should be a certain amount of stuff in your curriculum or things you can add to make classes more difficult or interesting. When I look at our Junior Classes; everything is new to them ergo it is difficult. But for say a Shodan or even a Nidan, those requires are now considered "standard" or "easy". But when I see our Black Belt Classes a lot of instructors aren't introducing "new" things to enhance the knowledge of their students. SO when I teach our advanced classes; I do teach what they need to know but also introduce new concepts to keep things interesting. Especially when whatever "new" stuff I teach might actually answer some of the questions they may have had in relation to something they have learnt previously or currently learning. When I first stepped away for a period of time, I lost my way but when I returned to train I had a renewed interest in what I was doing.

hahaha welcome to the club

I know currently i am no saint; as I am going through some stuff which I can't talk about here. But to give voice to those who may have lost theirs due to a criminal conviction. As an Instructor, there are some people with certain Criminal Convictions that I wouldn't permit to train in any way shape or form. Especially with the way the classes I taught were set up. However if classes were set up differently, I would consider them differently. Also I would have to give potential students time to prove themselves prior to being able to join class. Like what Sensei8 has said; where we as instructors and CI need to protect our existing student body at all costs. Even if it means saying no to some. However I do want to give people a fair chance at rehabilitation, in any way that I can. So I sit down with them privately for them to explain and to get a fair chance for me to make a decision. More often than not, I would maybe give them private tuition or small group training where those who can't train in normal classes.

It varies a lot from manufacturer to manufacturer. Even then retailer to retailer. Some include it for free, some do charge. I know a couple of places that charged maybe $10 per side. But the quality was questionable at times. Other places at most was about $90.

Sparring with a HR Monitor I've done recently. Not entirely fun especially if you do get hit there. But something I did learn from the experience, is that if you do have an issue area that can't get hit. You learn dang well fast how to fight properly and avoid getting hit there. But you do need to put the time and effort in to learning how to do it. But that's normally why we do stuff like that under supervision from appropriately qualified people.

That is so true, how stressful it can be. especially with how many ingredients are typically listed on the items. One thing I was taught, was to look at the Ingredients List and see whats in it. A lot of things I would buy, i'd rather go to a butcher or a green grocer to buy some stuff over going to a supermarket to buy the equivalent. Upside to that? less preservatives and additives. Also a lot of the items mean to added sugar, just the natural sugars that are in the fruit/veg and the meat. But at the end of the day, is moderation and how much you exercise.

So by chance I was just asked by a friend of mine who is in the beginning stages of writing a thesis on Sugary Drinks and Caffeinated Drinks: As I am just assisting in getting cans and bottles (labels) so they can get data on serving sizes and how much is in each. So for 1 500ml Can of Mother (Rainbow Sherbet) - 1 can = 1 serving - Carbohydrates (Total) = 70.5g - Sugars = 67.5g - Sodium = 250mg Caffeine = 150mg Niacin (Vit B3) = 22.5mg Pantothenic Acid = 8.5mg B6 = 2.0 mg B12. = 3.5 ug (ug = micrograms) Taurine = 2000mg Inositol = 10mg Ingredients: Carbonated Water, Sucrose (Table Sugar/Sugar in a different form), Acidity Regulators (Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate), Taurine, Flavour, Preservatives (Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate), Caffeie, Vitamins (Niacine (B3), Pantothenic Acid (B5), Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12), Sucralose, Inositol, Colour (Allura Red AC). *Allura Red AC = Red No. 40 Metabolised by Intestinal Bacteria which produce Free Aromatic Amines which *MAY* be carconigenic and mutagenic *Sucralose = Sucralose is made by substituting chlorine atoms for three hydroxyl groups in sucrose, a natural sugar. THIS WAS MADE IN AUSTRALIA: Local and Imported Ingredients US may replace certain ingredients: Typically replace the Sucrose for High Fructose Corn Syrup Vs Woolworths (Store-Brand) Raspberry Flavoured Soft Drink 1.25L Total Servings: 5 Serving Size = 250ml (8.4 US Fluid Oz) No Caffeine Carbohydrates = 24.8g - Sugars = 24.8g Sodium = 8mg Ingredients: Carbonated Water, Sugar, Acidity Regulators (Citric Acid, Acetic Acid), Natural Flavours, Natural Colours (Anthocyanins), Preservative (202) *Preservative (202) = Potassium Sorbate *Natural Colours (Anthocyanins) = Naturally occurring in certain flowers - certain conditions dictate the colour it produces

Caffeine and Sugar have been linked together for a long time; as caffeine on its own is quite unpleasant. Also with the type of sugar that is used over in the US it can compound the issue for people and weight issues. Caffeine can in some ways be a whole lot more addictive than what sugar can be. Which is why you found issues around being calm. Back when I had an issue with Alcohol; I didn't have an issue with Highly Caffeinated Drinks (Energy Drinks). But when I quit the alcohol, I swapped it with the energy drinks (1/day). Yet in the last couple of years when I Mentally when downhill I consumed more daily than what was safe. WHat I have learnt is that Caffeine can mask your stomachs receptors to say "I'm hungry" as the amount of sugar in them is quite high. that's why a lot of people snack later on.

Thanks for sharing! As an Instructor, I can see who practice and who don't outside of class. - Does that annoy me? not really, because I recognise that people may not have the time or there's other factors that inhibit ones ability to train outside of class. - How does one deal with the anxiety around others being more knowledgeable? it takes time to accept that others may know more or are better, it is a learnt skill what you do. Same as you, I had a lot of anxiety and in a way jealousy around some people being smarter than me until I became a decent instructor and was offered to be on staff here to accept that fact. By letting that go, I found that my knowledge has grown greatly. When it comes to training (whatever form it takes), they will be your greatest asset especially where you observe how they move and you find out why they are doing that. WHen I get any thought that is not functional, I ignore it and keep on swimming.

I know it seems selfish to put yourself first. But if you can't look after yourself, you'll eventually burn out and won't be good to anyone. It took me a long time to realise that I had neglected myself, because I had always put others first. But I got so bad, that I wasn't able to look after my daughter.

i've watched the preview a couple of times now. Since Macchio (who portrays Daniel-San) confirmed it was 3 years post events of Cobra-Kai it makes me wonder what happens in the final part of Season 6 to have him in such fashion and demeanor during the preview for the movie. I look forward to seeing the movie when it comes out.

Well thats a surprise and thank you for whoever nominated me and voted for me in the Community Spirit Category.

Thanks for lettin me know.

How are you performing the Lunge? Tbh Lunges in my opinion are actually an important thing to do, because you are loading your joints and forcing the muscles to engage in positions that are less than advantageous in comparison to say a Squat. Thats why people feel stronger when doing squats, because their centre of gravity is closer to that of a standing person. Whereas lunges are (in a way) an exaggerated step. I have a shotty knee myself, but with lunges I teach people instead of doing a "Full" normal rep is to work up to it. Also being able to do a lunge, is a factor to preventing falls as your body is stronger in different positions. But you do need to ensure that you are doing it properly.

That i true, i'm not sure about you guys but here in Aus a lot of seamstresses/tailors are Korean or Chinese. So it doesn't hurt asking. Do you have your heart set on having it in Hang Gul?

Are you attending any AA Meetings at all? Or have a mentor to help you on your way? It might be worth spending some time each day attending a meeting or two if you are feeling vulnerable. As your able to redirect that energy and to talk out how you feel.

I'd say a Dietitian or a Nutritionist would be a better approach IMHO! But a doctor would be fine to do the bloods and give you a direction to work with once results come back. The only reason why I say that, is because Doctors aren't trained to provide Diet Advice whilst Nutritionists/Dietitians are solely trained on that. If anything if they (the doc and nutritionist) work together to provide a comprehensive approach to your overall health.