Nidan Melbourne

Congrats man

I get what you mean But what some of them have told me "you have to follow our traditions" which i did politely ask so i didn't embarrass myself.

As stated in the title what annoys me about some National Sporting leagues. That some leagues around the world use the phrase "World Champions" or similar. Personally you should be using that phrase if the national league consists of only 1 country (2 max) you shouldn't use it as it would be considered arrogant (in my humble opinion). For me the only time you could use that phrase is if you have many countries (like the olympics) competing for the title. You might have international players competing for teams but still doesn't have representative teams in that competition. Like the WWE or TNA (as much as they are staged) they get the right to have a world champion as they employ people of any nationality to compete individually or as a team. What annoys you about National Sporting Leagues?

Its good to hear that your sensei is quite flexible with the curriculum. My only problem with it is that you will have students of the same rank that are learning different things. Like you might have one student who is learning that curriculum for that belt, and one still trying to learn the curriculum for the previous belt. As much as belts don't matter like you said, but for most students they will want to feel comfortable with their stuff before being graded anyway. We use "tags" on their belt to signify how close they are to grading for their next belt. 5 tags and they grade, and it depends on how well they go. At my dojo we obviously have a set curriculum for each rank. And that the students should learn everything that is set. But for some of the curriculum we have is over a range of ranks instead of one specific belt.

I agree, I visit multiple schools that I have spoken to over the years and they call me up inviting me to train. If I agree to train there one day I politely ask what rules and traditions they have. Most of the time it isnt any different to where I train but 5 of the schools I visited had a different way of speaking to instructors and how they bow in. One of those schools that was different I was most senior student there so I was excused from doing the formal words for bowing in as they were different to what I know.

I like your points. At our gradings we get our students to do things that a little bit more advanced than they are to see how they cope. but we aren't critical of that attempt. As it is just seeing what they do. as they will learn something at the same time. We do the same with kata they do one above the belt they are. say a green going for purple they do their syllabus kata of mawashi ichi but then they will attempt gekesai dai ichi (even if dodgy).

Since I started teaching I learnt all the students and how to best handle them when to encourage them. Some just need a "your doing really well" to be encouraged to do more whilst others need a firm approach. And everyone else in between.

Well i just graduated from my masters. But i am a full time Exercise Physiologist now but i am also a full time instructor. I find i manage both extremely well. As i finish work as an EP at 3:45 pm and i start teaching at 4 finish at 9. But i have a few clients that prefer to get treatment afterwards. So i normally finish at about 10. Good thing i live within' 25 minutes of my workplace

That is a good set of improvements that you are making. Not only as an instructor but as a human being. Very few people that i know (that do MA), actually have a good look at themselves and realize that a change is needed and they go improve themselves. Which benefits them greatly and also helps their students. Like for me, I realized one day that my teaching capability was lower than i thought, so i went out and learnt from as many people as i could. When i came back to teach, there was a massive improvement. As i had students who i taught previously (who misbehaved ALOT!), come up to me and said "Thankyou for teaching me today, that was the best class EVER". And the only difference i made was that i understood every single student so much better and that i was able to push every student just as hard that i knew their limits

That's what i love about teaching students When i teach i see things that they are doing wrong and when i correct them, i realize that i do that and i'm able to correct what i'm doing. Even if I have difficult students, I still learn a lot from them. Even if i realize that I act like a complete pain in the butt during my class (which would annoy the hell out of my sensei). Even if you teach a few classes over the years, you'll spot things that you can improve on.

I feel the instructor is partially in the wrong for cracking it at your child and humiliating them. What he (the instructor) should have done was tape the wires down to the ground so no one could trip or pull on the wires. which would have caused an injury or a busted computer. Which any good school would be aware of and actually doing it (covering it). Personally i would rather a busted computer over an injured student. Injured Student caused by computer wires not properly covered (taped down etc)= lawsuit unless insured by school. But since your child had gone no where near the wire, he should have just had a quiet word to your kid or even just told him to watch out for the wires whilst he is running around. And sounds strange for him to crack it at your child for him following the instructions of the instructor It is wrong of the instructor to give him a 0 because he was messing around. Especially if it wasn't during the grading itself (or was the game during the warm up of the grading?) This is why at my school, we don't use computers or use electronics (or even us sitting at a table) during the grading. We use good old fashioned pen/pencil and paper to write down our notes, and we use an ipad for the senior belt gradings (Purple Belt and up) for pre-arranged sparring a kata. But often for the junior belt gradings (White to green belts) we will use the ipad for kata. Which is only for the review process for my sensei, and is deleted after the grading review is complete (unless ALL the parents of the children at the grading give consent for the grading to be kept on record). In terms of his facebook page and not wanting to accept friend requests is a fair enough call. As I am an instructor myself i don't want students being able to see my page. Although i have now many former students that train with me and i have them on mine . I teach the adults before my class (as i train primarily in the advanced class, but on ocassion will train in the class i teach) and have many friends in that as i train with them. Is he the head instructor at your dojo? as mine will often have the other instructors do the warm up and have the 2IC (2nd in charge) will split the class up into groups and have my sensei look after certain students. As they alternate between classes of who does the warm up and splits the groups up. But my sensei usually spends 15-20 minutes of each class dealing with parents and students from the class before or during that one. And in terms of your child being hyperactive and fidgeting, he will learn to focus on what to do and what not to do. especially since he is young he is still learning how to behave in class.

Good job on putting your hand up to help teach. its always appreciated when we have students offer to help out when its needed

Like everyone said PRACTICE. relax into the stances and not force each movement. Each step should feel natural

Happy birthday BOb. Hope you have a ripper of a day

Do the best you can. Like you i train at two schools, and both have differences in kata. I train in two goju-ryu schools and in the katas there are stance differences which makes it hard to remember which school does which one. What i did was discussed it with my sensei's and they both told me to do what is most natural and comfortable. Like in Seeiunchin kata we were taught with sanchin dachi in some sections, whilst at my other school we were told neko ashi dachi. Which would change how hard the hand techniques would be. So they don't care which version i do as long as it is true to me and the school

Well I wanted it it to fight better fighters. They have since bumped him up...but he still needs better fighters. We do not care about the belt...it's about finding a better fighter than himself. I'll answer to the best of my abilities but understand that I have little to compare to. Mostly we practice by exercising, footwork, technique and trying to string useful combinations. This helps him tremendously with the basics, technique and of course sparring. He likes the bo and is self teaching/learning his own creative form with it. He has competed before using a bo in traditional style. (what I prefer) He is attracted to the flashier creative style. Best way to not have sloppy technique imho is to get hit really hard. Everything is talk, talk, talk...you get hit hard because you were sloppy? You'll remember that. He is a 2nd degree brown belt now and they have in the 1st and 2nd degree black belt sparring class. He is killing them. Sensei will put him against black belts much larger than himself so as to avoid the smaller kids (kids his size) from taking the shots. That doesn't work because big people tend to be slow. But I suppose they also can absorb more punishment. Most kids tend to take karate not too seriously from what I've seen. I was shocked to see horseplay in the black belt class...but it's there. IDK. There is a massive gap in talent between the kids he regularly fights and the national tournament kids. <--- THAT is a huge issue for us. IDK what to do about it at all. I am not a pushy person...and even if I was...there isn't anything to push against/for. I've come to the conclusion that there is nothing to do but keep on keeping on. We might change schools once he hits black belt though. IDK. It is frustrating when the kids who are in the black belt class don't take things too seriously. I train in the advanced adults class at my school (it is meant to be green belts and above but in reality it is only 1st kyu and black belts who train in it) and we will have a good laugh but we do focus when it comes to what we are actually doing. But in terms of the difference in skill level of those in his school and the national team is obvious in the names themselves. Even if he is helping the kids in his regular class in terms of their skill level for sparring they will learn so much from him and will improve the overall challenge that he has in general. As we have two guys who are in the national team and even though they destroy us everytime the spar with us, they will be taking the time to ensure we get better. And also what you said about big guys tending to be slow, which I am overweight and i take that as an insult. As not all bigger guys are slow, we can be rather fast and agile. I fight against state and national competitors on a regular basis and i often am able to hold my own and often have been able to score and beat them. If you do decide to move schools once he reaches black belt, look for ones that have a specific kumite class. Which would be good for him. As my old school, we had our normal classes, but on the 1st floor at the same time we had sparring classes where it focuses only on sparring.

Best of luck for your grading. Hope you did well

Congrats was he pleased with how he went?

Sounds like an amazing challenge. Even if he doesn't pass, he knows that he did his best.

I know how you feel about getting outnumbered. when i was a kyu graded karateka i was the only one who a kyu ranked student. the rest were highly ranked dan graded students. now it isn't like that since i moved schools. As now i am the 2nd highest ranked student at my school as a 2nd dan (the other is a 2nd dan also but he has trained for much longer than i). The other students in my class are; 2 nidans (myself and the other nidan that i said before), 4 shodans, 5 shodan-hos, and 1 1st kyu. It is scary when you are learning new curriculum before your black belt, then the review and preparation. It is amazing when you do get to that stage where you realise how much you have actually learnt and how much you have improved.

Hahaha maybe I should. According to shihan it hasn't been done before in his entire life. Which made it even more special.

As most of you know i attempted for my shodan in august and passed. But i had forgotten to tell you all is that shihan (who is my sensei's old instructor) told me to expect some very important news when he is in the country next which he was last night. Apparently he told my sensei to double grade me after the grading finished. Which makes sense as i did all stuff that a person going for their nidan would do. And turns out he told my sensei that i am worthy of my nidan and not my shodan. So i am now a 2nd dan. I was not expecting it at all. As shihan had been training for over 60 years in goju-ryu karate and 40 years in kung fu. So no one at my school could doubt his wisdom. According to him i performed everything as a 2nd dan level student, the determination in everything i did. And apparently he even saw that i would make any technique look strong or soft when necessary and the bonus that i can change any movement part way through if it isnt working first time around.

my sensei (and sometimes his sensei when he comes to teach) to our absolute max. And both push all students in different ways. As each of us a lacking in one thing or another in life and they push us harder and harder until we realize what it is and we either break and tell them off or they can see that we have improved. 9 times out of 10 we break and crack it at our sensei. But we always have the same conversation that you had with yours. We all are greatful that they do it for us, as we come out as better people for it

1st Dan in Goju-Ryu karate (since 2008) and a white belt in Brazillian Jujitsu

Unfortunately i haven't learnt these as they aren't from my style. But i have seen them on youtube but they seem to be really interesting