Nidan Melbourne

If i were you i'd take up BJJ, especially when it does come to safety. I wouldn't change from TSD to another style. But do both. If you have time issues then you can alternate with weeks at each. But if it is too much for you to pay for both. then maybe do BJJ or if you want judo

I think it is a great idea for those from different martial arts to come together to spar. As long as rules are put in place so safety came first and the amount of contact is agreed upon. especially if the style focuses on locks etc. Learning, safety and enjoyment of all parties are extremely important.

and she shouldn't have to send his students to another school for grading. For Kyu gradings he can run them fine since he is a nidan. He should know what each rank should be able to do. Although he would have an issue if he was running black belt gradings.

At gradings at my dojo our shodan-ho's (provisional black belt) and shodans are allowed to grade students for their kyu gradings. Their input does factor into whether a student passes or fails. At dan gradings we require the grading panel to all hold a dan grading. But at the same time our dan grading candidates are at a 'black belt' grading which means any student attempting for any belt above blue belt can attend. so we allow non-dan graded black belts (Shodan-Ho) assist. We allow non-dan graded black belts to assist at those advanced gradings but their comments are taken into account

I'm open with my MA training when i'm training. I've never had any issues with police or anything. I usually do kata, kihon and pre-arranged sparring (when i have a partner)

Well, (this is strictly my personal opinion - I might be wrong ) the Taikyuko "Katas" do not fit into the Goju Ryu system. Instead, they teach bad habits: 1- stepping forward in Zenkutsu Dachi with Oi Zuki 2- even worse, stepping forward Zenkutsu Dachi with a block 3- mawate; the turns are performed by moving the back foot (moving the body into the attack). In all later Kata, turns always include evasion by moving the body off line (moving the front foot). Obviously this is quickly expanded to throws. 4- promote wrong concept of distance (opponent is simulated too far away). I believe the intent behind the Taikyuko were to train large groups of beginners in body awareness (so that they know where their left foot and right arm are etc..). I strongly believe in small-group training and there body awareness & coordination can be learned through Kihon, Kihon Ido and partner exercises within the Goju Ryu framework, i.e., in line with later Kata principles. I am also a goju practitioner but I disagree with you to an extent but you do have a right to an opinion. The taikyoku Kata are beginner Kata to help students learn how to move into stances. Kihon works well moving forwards and backwards but doesn't really incorporate turns. The taikyoku Kata does help with the more advanced Kata with manoeuvering and hip movement. Stepping into zenkutsu dachi with an oi zuki you do have a concept of distance. You can step into an attack and zenkutsu dachi is a stable stance.

Kumite is always a fun one to watch. When I see advanced students fight I anticipate what they will do with their opponent. I wish to see some form of takedown or throw.

In terms of private practice with kata, i have found that it is important to know the pattern first. I am a 2nd dan but i still practice my basic kata and retrain myself for any mistakes i've made for years. If you make a mistake it is best to stop practice that small section that your having trouble with and get better at it. Then you can restart the kata with that improvement. It is up for debate but can take twice as long to correct a mistake if it was ingrained into you to correct it and it to become the norm.

This is actually a quite interesting thing to bring up. Because i do want to study as many kata and forms of karate as possible over the years and this one is a definite thing i wouldn't mind learning

Good luck! we believe in you!!

and you will have to prove that you took appropriate measures to try and prevent any escalation from words to violence (if they started talking prior to the violence). If violence straight away that you didn't use excessive force to stop them

in terms of fighting taller opponents you want to get closer in to fight them. But i do recognise that you do kyokushin so this wouldn't really work all the time as they would be able to strike your head. But like previously mentioned use your angles because the more angles you use on top of going forwards and backwards they won't be able to predict your movement

it is always a good feeling to have that white belt around your waist once more. I found when i started doing BJJ (after i already attained my black belt in karate) and got my white belt it reminded me that everyone is still learning and to be humble in what i know and not to be cocky about being a black belt

Thats nice and easy there jaypo! I'd so prefer being on the mat interacting with the participants

Congrats Hammer

There is definitely a line that you can easily cross when defending yourself. More often than not that you can easily ease tension before any violence occurs. Otherwise if violence does occur i've noticed that you should do enough to stop the aggressor but not enough to full on injure them. But if they attack me say with a knife i'll defend myself equal to the damage that they could deliver to me. I usually restrain and stop them in their tracks before they do more than they regret.

Takes time and you still can freeze up in a real situation. In terms of getting better at it in safe situation you fights where anything can happen. say having 3 on 1 or 4 on 1 and having them pressure you as much as possible. Even then that can't prepare you completely for a real self defense situation, because of the unpredictability of those assailants.

How long has he been following you for now? if you have to potentially speak to the police for assistance. And how exactly do you mean mentally challenged?

Like the header says how do you run your gradings as an instructor? Do you have your instructors sit behind a table and have one roaming (or all sitting) or all the instructors roaming whilst one is up front giving instructions to candidates? During the grading what is your favorite part of it? As in you like the kumite the most or kata or whatever else you have to test students. Also what is your least favorite part of gradings aswell? Personally my favorite is a tie between kata and kumite, as i specialize in kata at my dojo and i love kumite as an instructor (and as a student as well) because i can really pressure students into working their absolute hardest. Our instructors (all of them) roam making sure students are performing the techniques the best they can, and to ensure they aren't slacking off at all. my least favorite part of the grading is the combinations because it can be tedious to think of combinations that are hard enough to really test students but also easy enough for them to manage

Interesting idea to have a Bachelors in Martial Arts. i know a South Korean University offer a Doctorate in TKD

Depends on the person. I get private lessons on top of my usual classes because there are things I want to get covered with my instructor one on one. But I get a couple of sessions free due to me teaching for free. but for students they pay for the room and time.

Nothing to do both at same time. It can keep things interesting for you

I train specifically for Goju and not so much Shotokan (but have done a couple of classes in it) and have left me good.

good job on the results Do-gi! work hard for your grading first then focus on the next tournament.

out of curiosity why did your school recently add red belt?