Spartacus Maximus

It is natural to feel great disappointment when one has spent the time, energy and dedication teaching someone a skill; seeing potential in them only for them to quit at the very time when their efforts begin to show results.

the best puzzle mats are the ones about 2,5cm thick and medium firm(yes, some makes/brands have different firmness). Floor mats that are too thick/soft will not react the same way. Something with minimal cushioning close to bare floor/ground. Mats that are too thick/soft will feel like standing on a bed mattress and may even increase the likelihood of foot, ankle or toe injuries.

The longer one trains in the same style and dojo the more lonely it gets. Things and priorities get in the way and life changes. It is only the smallest minority of almost obsessively dedicated individuals who manage to continue past shodan. It is even rarer for those who reached sandan or higher within the same dojo. Usually by that time everyone else who started around the same time have quit way before or soon after reaching shodan. For every 1 person continuing beyond shodan, there must be a crowd of people who left after reaching shodan. It would be interesting to ask a few sandan and above how many people who earned their grades at the same dojo at the same time are still actively training.

Every indoor training space will have a smooth, even surface and most of them have floors with hardwood, linoleum tiles or similar materials. Many will install the typical martial arts or gym mats over that. The only difference that comes to mind when considering the dojo floor, is that there may be more caution when doing things like throwing and falling, or being down on the floor. Knowing that any real life situation is highly likely to happen on uneven and unpadded ground, it makes sense to train on hard floors or outside whenever and wherever possible like the old timers did.

Unless the space has no other users(other renters) or were personally owned, it seems more practical and less of a hassle to have only things that can easily be taken down quickly and easily. It would be infuriating to have something really nice, only to have it lost or destroyed.

Worst ever seen was a senior student nearly take his ear off with a kama that wasn’t all that sharp

Worst ever was a severely sprained thumb from catching a hard kick directly on it instead of the forearm/wrist area like a block was supposed to be done. Misjudged distance and timing during drill. Took dam near 3 months before the pain/sensitivity got back to normal.

What makes the difference is the type and strength of bond an instructor has with the students. In the modern day, it is surely not a common occurrence for a martial arts instructor to feel personally and strongly responsible for a student’s misuse of what they teach.

A dojo’s decor and aesthetics ought to reflect the instructor and whatever system is taught. It would make little sense for a traditional TKD dojang, for instance, to have Judo related items if the instructor does not practise or teach Judo. Many martial artists appreciate and admire the skills of others who train in different disciplines from their own, but it is better to stay relevant to one’s system. Space is vital for a training place, so a minimalist approach is preferable, personally. Walls would be bare, except maybe some portraits of the instructors from my lineage going back to the founder. The entire floor space would be for training and equipment, no decorations, because clutter is distracting and space can be expensive.

One issue with using belts is that it has become so familiar that people expect it. Even the average nobody who knows nothing about martial arts except what popular culture and media says will be aware that martial arts=belts. This is so ingrained that it has become practically impossible to run a school without using belts in some form. Perhaps maybe you might teach a small group without using belts at all, but the second it turns into a formally established school/dojo, people will start wanting and expecting belts or at least some outward marker or progress and rank. In this karateka’s humble opinion, three or four belts is ideal(ex: white, blue, green, brown). Time in grade are minimum guidelines before being considered for the next level; and depend individual efforts. just like in school. Progress is always personal and never automatic. One look at schools will show precisely why the average students-customer seems convinced that skills and knowledge can be bought, consumed and instantly effortlessly acquired like they would at a fast-food store. If that is how people think and behave concerning school, we should not be surprised when they hold the same mentality about martial arts, or music lessons, or whatever else they think can be gotten just by throwing down a wad of cash

It would not be a surprise knowing how common dishonest practices are in the martial arts world. As you have said more than once, martial arts schools are businesses, and no matter what they sell or provide things if it can happen then it probably does.

All the virtues or rules of every martial arts dojo could be combined into one, that is: Strive to be a good person(kind, honest, trustworthy) and a good citizen(follow rules and laws, avoid trouble and troublemakers) in daily life as well as in the dojo. Most people can manage this just fine and it is not a difficult thing to do. If it were, there would be a whole lot more bad apples

It is a little strange to bow to anyone outside of the context and environment of where one trains. Unless the gesture a normal thing to do in the surrounding culture. Bowing is part of East Asian culture. If one lives and trains there under a native instructor it wouldn’t be out of place or be strange. Anywhere else it would be quite odd and perhaps slightly cultish to many outsiders.

These are accounts heard personally, the most recent from about 5 years ago.

To avoid going too far off course in this discussion, what the old teachers meant by a « murderous disposition » was the kind of person who seems to look for an excuse to hurt someone or will purposely hurt others without concern for themselves and especially not others. Has a confrontational attitude, a volatile and violent temper Cannot control their emotions and deal with frustrations and lacks patience Is easily provoked to anger or violence by insignificant things. Knowingly puts themselves in stupid positions, in dangerous places at dangerous. As you can see, this applies to many types of undesirables whether they have a criminal background or not. In Japan and Okinawa and one or two occasions elsewhere there has been cases where someone was turned away because of supposed(not confirmed) ties to Organized Crime(quite a big deal in some locations).

Being able to spot undesirable people comes with experience. There are a few telltale patterns of behaviour that can identify a potentially dangerous individual. Some of these are obvious even to regular people. Perhaps it was/is easier to do with a smaller select group of students than in large groups where the instructor knows only names and not much else. In such a situation, what ways could an instructor use besides discussion to determine if a particular person was of good moral character enough to be taught potentially dangerous things?

There are many reasons why respectable instructors of martial arts might delay, or even refuse teaching a person. Anyone who has trained in Okinawa or Japan for a while might be more familiar with this reason. The one and only reason was that the instructor saw what could be explained as a murderous disposition, a fatal flaw of mind and character in the person asking to learn. A responsible and fair instructor, these circles would never want to facilitate or help cause violence by teaching a violent criminal to be more dangerous and efficient in felonious assault. The curious part is how early the old timers could spot this type of character. A generation or so before now, many karate instructors would know before teaching the slightest thing, whether a particular person was morally teachable.

If one really wants to do so, there isn’t much stopping a martial artist to re-do or re-train any part of what was done before. It’s a great way to go back and perhaps take a new look from a different perspective

A lot of people have a chasing rank phase at one time or another, especially teenagers and younger adults. In that respect my case was an exception. I tested/graded because my instructor insisted and I didn’t/don’t doubt his evaluation. Otherwise I’m perfectly confident and content to keep training rank or no rank

All teachers, whatever they may teach must consider the level of mental development and varying attention spans and ability to stay focused or concentrate. Each age group has different levels and individual abilities also vary. Basic knowledge and understanding of these are essential for knowing how to teach, how much and for how long. 2hrs might be good for older teenagers and adults, but it is way to long for the average youth and younger children will be bored to tears after a half hour maximum.

Depending on their age, it’s always more productive to talk to their parents/guardians or whoever paid to enroll them. In my experience, no sensible person will refuse a refund and that is usually all it takes to get rid of incompatible students Absolutely nothing can force anyone to teach anyone, especially a martial arts instructor who has none of the constraints that say, a schoolteacher might have to abide by. Choosing with whom to share skills and knowledge is one of the advantages of the occupation.

What helped was that the instructor had trained with and was well acquainted with most of the other Kobayashi Shorin ryu instructors on Okinawa(the island is small), and mainland Japan. Also, the previous instructor and himself were taught by the same teacher(successor of Chibana). In addition to that, most of the other students had significant experience and background in all kinds of martial arts. He was very well accustomed to teaching these types of people and for some reason, those with no prior knowledge of any martial art were a minority.

One way or another it is always possible to get rid of someone who is disruptive. Give them a refund if they’re paying and simply tell the adults in charge that their child/youth’s attitude to being taught and/or behaviour is not acceptable.

The nagging thought of having key concepts and important fine-points from kata, techniques or bunkai missing; is why starting over made sense. It felt like going back to school and repeating each grade, but it became clear that the instructor is always more important than the martial art, even within the same ryuha/style.

It is possible that Jion is also done in at least some dojo affiliated with/under direct students of the late Miyahara Katsuya.