Spartacus Maximus

Yes, the literal meaning of "sensei" is "one who has gone before". However, the word is used for teachers in all sorts of fields. As for the title 'shihan' , it is usually given to somebody who has been given approval to teach. Often this is the chief instructor of a branch dojo. Renshi is more common though, and all titles appear on most dojo member name boards.

As it is the case with many Okinawan dojo, titles are used but only for formal recognition such as on a person's grade certificate next to their name or on the presence board where everyone hangs their wooden name tag on the dojo wall. 5th and 6th dan get the title of shihan 7th and 8th get the title of kyoushi 9th and 10th have the title of hanshi None of these are ever addressed by their titles. They are called sensei if teaching in a dojo of their own and sempai by everyone lower than they are when training with everyone under their own instructor. One has to be teaching to be called sensei. It it not awarded with any specific grade and it is used with its original Japanese meaning. It means teacher, and only teachers are called sensei by their own students. It is very simple for everyone because there are only three ways to address others. Peers and below are called by their names. Those who have been at it longer are called sempai, which means senior and whoever is teaching is called sensei. A sensei can be anywhere between 3 and 10th dan. Sempai is anybody who has been training longer and /or is older than that person when they train together under the same instructor who they call sensei.

If a person is completely new to karate or martial arts in general, the style is irrelevant. What matters is what exactly that person wishes to achieve through training and wether or not the instructor is competent. Forget the specific martial art and focus on the intructor(s). Then answer these questions: Does the instructor teach in a way you would enjoy? Does the instructor have a likable personality? Does the dojo/school have a good atmosphere? If you can answer yes to these, then regardless of style go for it and enjoy training.

Being followed incessantly is annoying and can be quite disturbing because it can easily spiral into a very threatening or violent situation. The scariest thing about them is that there is no way to know exactly what their true intentions are, nor how mentally or emotionally disturbed they might be. Some might be satisfied with invading their victims' privacy or terrifying them. Others might be seek to actually physically harm. What can one suggest to a friend who is being stalked by someone who actually went as far as following his victim across from international borders?

People who have little to no interest in martial arts will never understand. It is a waste of time trying to explain it to them. The only reply that makes sense is to laugh off their question. This very question is precisely one of the reasons one would be better off keeping martial arts training as private as possible. The less people know about it the better it is.

If one has time and resources to spare, it would do much good for a martial arts instructor to read and study some literature on the subject of physical/mental development. Better yet, register for an undergraduate level course on human development. This will give valuable insight on what is reasonable to expect from different age groups. 12-14 year olds have very different levels of concentration and motor skills from younger children. At ages below that, it is just not reasonable to expect them to grasp technical concepts that might be obvious to adults. The savvy sensei teaches and evaluates young students according to their level of development.

It is unfair to deny another person's right to earn a profit. There is also nothing wrong with teaching martial arts as a business. If one is getting money or anything else of tangible value in exchange, it is commercial and it is a business. Just like any other business, there are honest and reputable ones as well as unscrupulous dishonest ones with questionable practices.

The media is full of articles from a variety of sources claiming that doing high intensity power movements can result in injuries to the joints. Supposedly, the elbows and knees are especially prone to damage from repeated movements such as found in forms/kata. Does anyone have any experiences with this type of injuries? Has anyone been taught about them and the ways they can be prevented or treated? It would seem most instructors rarely cover this in any detail explicitly. The only exceptions are those who have some kind of knowledge or training in human anatomy in addition to martial arts skills.

Inflated egos and entitlement are nothing new in the martial arts. People with these unpleasant and irritating character flaws are just as common in martial arts as any other group. Respect and the ways to get it is exactly the same as anywhere else. Genuine respect cannot be demanded in any way. It comes from the way one behaves around others and how one treats people. A fair person gets respect An honest and ethical person gets respect A humble and modest person gets respect A kind and helpful person gets respect A person who listens gets respect If such a person is one's sensei, a bow or a good handshake is probably appropriate.

Another good point of the "predator mind" role play is that anyone can do it and get really good at it, even young school age children. It is perfect for teaching how to look out for potentially dangerous places or people. This is far from a novel idea as this type of training is given in police academies. It is also very easily found in books and online references explaining how to spot signs of aggression in a person's body language. Most if not all attacks are 100% avoidable if one is aware and observant. The problem is that unlike other animals, people have a stupid knack for ignoring their own senses. In this modern society, the only ones who take advantage of natural human senses are those whose life and livelihood depend on it. This is very unfortunate because training is not hard to do and takes only a few minutes I the entire day.

"Warrior Spirit" is nothing more than an idealized concept to glamourize violence and chaos to those who have never had the misfortune of finding themselves facing them and the painful consequences they bring. Only a fool can be fearless. The truly brave are afraid, but they still make decisions and act on them knowing the risks or dangers. It might be more realistic and accessible to consider "determination" "survival instinct" instead. Both of these qualities can and are trainable because they exist in everyone. All it takes to bring them out and sharpen them to a fine point is the right motivation and encouragement.

There are way too many self-defense courses, classes and seminars perpetuating the misconception that self-defense is confined to physical techniques. The best and probably the hardest to find will be a course where the instructor will help students increase their awareness and learn to spot and effectively avoid dangerous places and potential attackers before physical defense is necessary. A very effective exercise is to organize a walk around the neighbourhood. Students practise thinking like a predator. They must watch the people going by and look for those that look light easy prey. Role playing is a very effective way to train for this and this kind of training should take up most of the content. The very last part can cover a few simple and quick techniques such as breaking common holds.

Perhaps it is an old fashioned custom, but there are still a few dojo where everyone is expected to learn from those who are more experienced and help teach those who are new. Not everyone has what it takes to become an instructor, but everyone should be able to contribute in some way to the improvement of others.

The best and quickest way to get a satisfactory answer is to directly contact whoever the authority may be. For parks and other similar public places it should be fairly easy to find a name and contact information for inquiring what is or is not allowed.

It could be an Okinawan or Japanse thing, but most of the sensei there had some form of interview discussion with potential students followed by a probation period of up to a week of individual training to observe and get a sense of what type of person the student is and how/what they should learn first. For example, some students are taught kata/techniques in different order with different emphasis. This if common in private, semi-private or small dojos. It may be difficult to do past a certain number of total students, but not impossible. Each beginner starts with different attributes so if feasible it makes sense to take advantage of these to decide what to teach. As the saying goes, a good teacher teaches what the student needs which is not necessarily what the student wantsor think they need. This is true in general, not just in martial arts.

It is indeed a wonder why these people were not immediately told to go elsewhere. It is most unfair to everyone to give such people special treatment or make exceptions because of their personal beliefs. These types invariably end up being more trouble because they will keep making the same excuse. Their beliefs will always be a source of annoyance and possibly aggravation for others in the dojo who will not understand why these people think that this entitles them to special exemptions from following school rules or culture. It is amusing how such people somehow think that respect means everyone everywhere should make exceptions for them. The only right way to be respectful of anyone in a dojo is for every single man, woman or child to follow exactly the same rules and protocol with no exceptions asked or given for any reason. What if the people in question refused to train with girls or women because of their "beliefs"? Would it be the same? Some people are just not willing to get along with others and keep on making excuses not to, no matter how many hands are extended to them. Any sensible sensei would do well to refuse to deal with them at all because they are the farthest away from the ideal candidate martial arts student as they come in with a closed-mind.

With few exceptions, mixing close personal relationships with business of any sort is usually not a good idea. Wherever it happens at one point there will be a positive or negative bias.

The push-up is classic body weight exercise used in every type of physical fitness activity or training. It has a wide range of variations, but mostly all of them involve no equipment. Some use bars placed on the ground for that purpose. Is there any difference or advantage in using push-up bars versus the usual no-equipment variations?

The instructor decides who is and is not welcome and is never, ever under any obligation to teach anyone. Rules and protocol are for everyone without exceptions of any sort, special treatment or accommodation. If one starts making them for some, one must make them for all and it never ends. These students should be told in no uncertain terms that they either follow the rules and protocol like everybody else or leave! This should be done with everyone present so that it is clear for all who wish to train there. Some might be quick to scream and whine about discrimination, but it is not a point to argue. Those who do not agree with treating everyone fairly and equally are free to remove themselves so that those who do may return to the business of training.

Humans, unfortunately, are the weakest and most defenseless of all the animals. We have no claws and our teeth are puny and useless compared to almost every other species. What makes humans able to stand a chance against the various large and fiercer animals is our intelligence, which allows us to use strategy as well as making or improvising weapons. That is what a human should use in dealing with an animal attack.

What a strange call. The instructor probably dodged a bullet here if this parent and child never called back or visited. Within reason, every potential student should be given a chance to prove that themselves ready and willing to make the effort to learn. Sometimes though, one can see a potential problem coming. There are many solutions to deal with these types of issues. The simplest of course is to refuse to teach below a certain age group. Another one is to do some kind of pre-entry evaluation in the form of a few easy questions for the parent and youth/child. Something like these: A: Is the child able to focus on a single task for at least 10minutes? This requires an appropriate attention span/focus and concentration. B: Is the child able to ride a bicycle without support or training wheels? This requires a sense of balance and spatial awareness. C: Can the child throw a tennis ball against a wall and catch it easily? This requires coordination. D: Whose idea was it to start training? Ask both the parent and child separately. Anything except a clear "yes" to questions A to C means the child is not ready and needs more time to develop those basic physical skills. All of these can be tested on the spot at the dojo within a short interview.

After a few years training there is a certain point where one might question one's skills or purpose of continuing training. How can one best overcome this with the added pressure of living up to one's instructor's expectations.

Indeed, JR 137. The instructor mentioned in the original post is of the older generation and a senior student of Chibana. Besides the "no sparring/kumite" until 4dan, there was no context to clarify exactly what this means.

There is the details of the law which depend on where one lives, and then there is good old common sense, and following that is the best advice anywhere. It may not guarantee that there will be no legal trouble and aggravation for the "defender", but following common sense minimizes the possibility of ending up on the wrong side of the law. Home is the last possible place to where one can retreat. If attacked there, the first priority as dictated by common sense is to protect oneself and family if applicable. The second is using whatever is necessary to force the intruder to retreat outside and off one's property. Once there "defense" is over and any additional force beyond that point will not be seen favourably by the In other situations, the goal is escape from the threat at all costs. It is very difficult to pin an assault charge on someone who is seen as running away or struggling to break away from an attack.

If it's the norm within the "karate culture" of wherever one trains, everyone eventually gets accustomed to it just like any other dojo protocol. Visitors and outsiders probably do find it at least a little strange, but it is always more polite and respectful to go along with it. The majority of dojo where it is used have a very strict atmosphere, heavy on protocol. Dojo and instructors who have a more laid-back and casual style of teaching closer to how karate is taught in Okinawa will likely not use it.