JR 137

Congratulations Spartacus Maximus

I read the post in the Enshin thread too, so I guess I'll kill two birds with one stone here... Seido's founder, Tadashi Nakamura, was the chief instructor at Kyokushinkaikan honbu in Tokyo. He was sent here (US) by Mas Oyama to start Kyokushin. For quite some time he was considered the top Kyokushin teacher in the world. I mention this because there's still a strong Kyokushin influence in Seido. We're no longer bare knuckle, but there's still that military-like mentality of respect, etiquette, formality etc. There's also the hard work and keep getting up mentality. A thing people on the outside don't often see about Kyokushin is the pace. It's not a kick and punch 100 miles per hour pace, but it's a constantly keeping up the pressure on your opponent pace. Seido, as least as I've trained it, has maintained that. Class starts, and it's one thing into the next, into the next, and on until class ends. There's typically no standing around contemplating things. I can't speak for every dojo, and it's different with kids, but that's how it is where I train and by all accounts Nakamura's dojos. Every dojo is different because every CI is different. Different teachers emphasize different things, but they all teach the same curriculum (or at least are supposed to). Nakamura, his son, and quite often Charles Martin (from Fighting Black Kings) travel and visit overseas dojos. And overseas branch chiefs routinely visit honbu (in NYC). So with this comes a good level of quality control and consistency. For an organization that's on every continent except Antarctica, the uniformity of techniques is very good. Branch chiefs and CIs are held accountable for their students' performance. Again, every dojo is different. There are some dojos that are predominantly children doing point fighting. There are others, like mine, that are predominantly adults training hard. And there's everything between. If you like the CI and the dojo, stick around. I'm not saying that as a Seido guy; I'm saying that as an MA guy. Seido isn't perfect. I'd like to see a bit more joint locks and throwing, but I can happily live with what Seido is for a long time.

Cape Town Seido is run by Jun Shihan Anver Wahab. I met him last year; he was one of the referees and judges in the division I competed in at our 40th anniversary even last summer. Seemed like a very nice person. With Nakamura coming from Kyokushin, we do pretty much the same kata. We do a few Seido kata created by Nakamura, but they're along the lines of traditional kata, unlike Enshin and Ashihara. There's no publicly available Seido kata videos I know of, but Google search Kyokushin kata videos. We do them with very subtle variation. We don't spend a lot of time on bunkai. I'd like to see more of it, but I'm ok with that.

I'm not a karate teacher, but I am a school teacher. I can emphasize with the frustration. Kids aren't made to work and earn it like my generation was. When they put in what is ridiculously considered an effort and don't win/get what they wanted, it's always someone else's fault - the teacher, classmates, the principal, the entire system, medical reasons, etc. It's NEVER the kid's fault NOR the parents' fault. I'm 40, so it's not like I'm talking about so long ago. I teach in a private school where parents pay tuition. You'd think the parents would push harder because they're paying for something they could get for free, but it's just not true. The problem isn't the children, it's the parents. In karate, they think they want to instill in their children those things the posters say - hard work, focus, discipline, etc. Nonsense. When push comes to shove, they want their kids handed a belt. The belt is nothing more than a trophy to show off. They want their kids to have a black belt; being a black belt and wearing one aren't one in the same. Furthermore, parents somehow forgot how to tell their kids a very simple word - no. And then when someone else tells them no or that they can't do something or they won't be allowed something, they genuinely can't handle it. And neither can the parents. At the beginning of the year, I tell my students the following... I don't give grades. You earn your grades. I've never failed a student. Students have however failed. Too many students and unfortunately parents think if a student isn't doing well, it's the teacher's fault. The only way I can possibly fail a student is if the student does everything I've asked and still fails. If you're here just taking up space, if you don't do your homework, if you don't study for a test, who's to blame? Who failed who? It's the same thing the sensei posted. I wouldn't post all of that one Facebook even if I could. But I also have an advantage over that sensei - I regularly email parents about missed work and grades, so their child's grade is no surprise. And I have a grade book (and it's also online) so they can't question the average. That doesn't stop them from complaining, but it definitely helps me justify the grade my students EARN. Edit - I forgot to mention something in my rant... At my school, parents are fully explained the rules. They're told the rules verbally, and sign papers saying they understand and will abide by them. Same for the students. The parents think it's a wonderful thing. Then their kids don't follow them. And they don't. Then they think the rules are meant for everyone else and their kid should be the exception. Same as the dojo - they're told the policies on attendance, grading, etc. and they think it's the best thing since sliced bread. Things go great for a few months and everything's going their way. Then things get difficult or the kid (and the parents) start to slack off a bit. Then, the rules suck. They paid their money and should dictate the rules. The rules are great for everyone else, but their kid has special circumstances and shouldn't be held back for it. It's not their fault they only showed up once every two weeks - it's soccer season. They should still be promoted anyway. My student missed 30 days of school because his family decided to go on vacation for almost a month, twice. So what if the school policy they signed says if they miss more than 20 days without a medical excuse that they'll be held back. That's for everyone else, not my kid. Sound familiar?

I teach grades 3-8 Science, and grades Pre-K 3-Kindergarten physical education at a catholic school. This is my 4th year. Prior to that, I was an athletic trainer at a few NCAA Division 1 schools for about 18 years. I mainly did basketball and soccer, but did some football and hockey too. I loved doing that, but the Division 1 basketball traveling schedule was really made me get out. Not enough time to raise my kids. I still work as an athletic trainer at a local high school off and on after school.

I was 18. My girlfriend at the time started training there 2-3 months beforehand. I gave her a ride one night and stayed to watch class. I've always had an interest in karate, but I didn't have any intention on signing up. I was so impressed by the sensei that I signed up that night while she was changing. My first class consisted of about a 45 minute private intro lesson with the senior-most assistant instructor. It was brief history, protocol and expectations, followed by basic stances, blocks and punches. I was supposed to watch the rest of the teens class and have another private lesson, but sensei invited me onto the floor. Honestly, it wasn't anything groundbreaking. I don't remember doing more than a few line drills and trying to follow along with Taikyoku 1. My first full class was drastically different. It was all ranks adults. I wasn't aware (I don't think any of us were actually aware, come to think of it) that sensei had the kumite portion of his yondan test the next day. The class sparred all night, and sensei lined up with us. Bare knuckle. The students took it easy on me, relatively speaking. Sensei was a bit more fired up. He had this look in his eyes that I haven't seen since. That taught me to never look my opponent in the eyes. Getting changed in the locker room, I looked down and saw a straight line of bruises all the way down my sternum. On the way out, sensei pulled me aside and said "you did great tonight. Please don't take getting hit personally, especially getting hit by me. Some nights we go hard." My reply: "I love it. If I didn't want to get hit, I wouldn't have signed up to take karate. See you Monday!" Part of me really misses bare-knuckle Friday.

Everyone plateaus, sensei. No, you haven't reached your maximum weight loss. Keep at it. In my experience, when you plateau, that means it's time to change things up. I know you're on a roll and you probably feel like you've got a routine, and if you break it it'll backfire on you or set you back. IMO ignore that thought. Maybe take a break for a week. The weather's changing (at least it is here in NYS). Get some yard work done this week. Staying on your feet and cleaning up the yard, painting the porch, or something along those lines might be a good temporary change of pace. I'm sure your wonderful wife can find some things that need to be done Or try changing your routine. I'm a big fan of interval training. Mixing high intensity for short bursts with lower intensity - i.e. alternating getting your heart rate up higher than you're used to for a minute, then slowing down for 4 minutes. With your condition, it's imperative that you ask your doctor before this though. You're doing a lot of different things, and doing them for long durations. Perhaps shortening the duration and increasing the intensity. Again, consult your physician. I'm not sure if you're monitoring your heart rate during exercise. Using something like a Fitbit or better yet a Polar heart rate monitor could be the game changer you're looking for. Polar makes a chest strap that monitors the electrical activity of your heart to determine your heart rate. I think it sells for $80 or so. It connects to your smartphone (if you have one) and displays and keeps track of heart rate, calories burned, etc. I recommend Polar over the watch ones because they're far more accurate; they're the ones used in exercise physiology labs, and for good reason. When you plateau, it's because your body has adapted to the demands you've placed on it. You've got to change the demands. The best advice I have is to consult with your physician. Let him know what you've been doing and where you're at. Ask him if interval training is safe for you. Ask him m what your maximum heart rate should be. Monitoring my heart rate and doing intervals took my training to the next level. It's been studied quite a bit and with positive results across the board. If your doc says it's safe and gives you some parameters, I can help you out. I'm sure Liam will have some great insight too. Polar heart monitor... https://www.polar.com/us-en/products/accessories/h10_heart_rate_sensor

My utmost respect for your decision to step down. It shows your selfless character and your commitment to the organization and student body rather than yourself. It would be selfish to maneuver to stay as Kaicho... If you travel against your doctor's advice and the worst occurred, you'd be putting your needs over your family's needs to have you around. If you stayed onboard as Kaicho and didn't travel, you'd compromise your position for your own unwillingness to step down. If you hid the advice from everyone and didn't inform your doctor of your travel, you'd be lying to everyone and putting your needs before everyone else. Like the person of character you are, you did what was best for everyone, even though it wasn't what may have been best for you emotionally. You'd think it would be easy for everyone to do the right thing. I've seen too many people not do this because they don't want to let go of their position of power. Deepest bow of respect (I'm not good with emojis).

Congratulations and the best of luck to you with this big step! I don't have anything to contribute on the computer stuff, sorry.

I asked myself the same thing. I went with the new ones. Why? First and foremost I wore the belts my sensei gave me. Second, new start, new belts. Leave the past in the past.

The customer is always right in places where 11 year olds are given 4th dans.

Welcome to the forum, Christine. I took about 15 years off from karate. I started all over again about 2 years ago. Getting back on the floor is such a great feeling.

4th kyu. I was preparing for my nidan test during my first go-round in karate about 16 years ago (wow, time flies!).

She does know what your going to do. She is in your head dude! I'm trying to figure out how!!!

She does know what your going to do. She is in your head dude! Also, she's been on the floor with you long enough that she does know you quite well enough; familiarity is everything. I'd agree with this, however I've only sparred with her a handful of times. And we don't see each other very often - opposite schedules in training. And she's been able to do that since the first time I sparred with her, literally. She just owns me every time we spar. And she doesn't do it in a way to show her dominance or anything else negatively. I've been wanting to ask her what it is that she sees, but I haven't had the appropriate chance to. I don't think I have any outright tells, as no one else (even the people I spar with regularly) do what she does, and my teacher hasn't told me of any. It reminds me somewhat of the few videos I've seen of Mas Oyama sparring with his students - he'd barely move, yet his students couldn't him him, and he was able hit them at will. Not that she's Mas Oyama level. But regardless, she's just an example. I'm just trying to figure out more of how some people are able to do this so I can try to incorporate it. I know, keep sparring...

Yep I would have to agree with you. My knee's pop from time to time but they are not grinding yet. I have heard of this but, knock on wood, not first hand. I feel for you. Can you still train or are you past the point of training? If you are it's definitely not the end of your carrier. I was down for a month and couldn't do much of anything for 6. I still was able to teach class those last five months albeit without showing takedown or kicking techniques. I incorporated one of my Yudansha students to help in that department. I always have heard that once your body goes it's pretty much over but I see it differently. Your body might have gone but you still have a treasure trove of knowledge to pass on. I guess the moral of the story is life does not end after you loose the ability to do something. You can still teach and from my experience, quite effectively. My teacher has had both hips replaced, and he's getting close to needing one of them redone (they only last so long). Needless to say he doesn't demonstrate too many high kicks. I've only seen him spar once (with me during my 4th kyu test). It doesn't matter if the teacher can demonstrate. A teach can have senior students demonstrate. It doesn't matter if a teacher can spar. The teacher's personal abilities are irrelevant IMO. What matters is if the teacher can teach. The teacher needs to be able to see the faults in the students' technique and methods, and correct those faults in a way the students can understand and implement them. Also, everyone ages. Some people refuse to accept it and adapt. Those people injure themselves further and further, and get to a point that they're not physically capable anymore or they're ineffective. The wise person accepts the fact that they're aging and will continue to age, and adapts to it. Take a look at Jerry Rice. He played far past his physical prime because he constantly changed his approach when necessary. When he started slowing down, he focused more on his routes and evading tacklers more. Randy Moss and Terrell Owens refused to do so. They thought they could still outrun any defender. Once they weren't the fastest guys on the field, they "got old" really quickly. If you're coming up on a hip replacement, work on your hands to compensate. If you can only spar for 5 minutes before your body is in too much pain, or you're not as evasive and strong as you previously were, get crafty. Train smart.

Ok, let me rephrase it... You see people who seem like they're performing at a really high level. Seemingly at a level higher than everyone else. And they're doing it consistently. They're not the biggest, strongest, fastest, etc.; compared to the people they're competing against, they're usually average in physical aspects. Yet they're dominating. They look like an adult competing against kids. What is it? People I've been around who are at another level seem to see what's coming and react to it. Sometimes they see it coming before the person actually does it. Sparring with the lady I referenced above, it felt like she knew what I was going to do before I knew I was going to do it.

What makes the elite, elite? There's a sandan woman at the dojo I train at. I mean this all respectfully and I don't look down on her in any way; in fact I hold her in the highest regard. Her mobility is horrible due to her size and many orthopedic issues. She can't kick much higher than mid-thigh height. While there's a lot of power in her kata and kihon, it's not exactly textbook (even though she can thoroughly explain and teach textbook technique). Despite all of this, I truly consider her an elite fighter. Unless she's obviously letting me, I can't hit her. Every time I try to hit her, she hits me before my punch/kick is even halfway to it's intended target. Seriously... there's nothing I can do that's remotely effective. I look at elite fighters and athletes and ask myself what makes them elite? Michael Jordan wasn't the tallest, strongest, fastest player the NBA has ever seen, nor was he compared to the people he played against. Same for Wayne Gretzky, Mohammed Ali, etc. It seems like people of that caliber can pretty much do whatever they want, whenever they want to in the ring, on the court, etc. What is it? The more I think about it, I think it's their vision. They see things happen before they actually happen. All most people saw was Michael Jordan's big dunks; they didn't see him perfectly read what was about to come, react to it, then make the move that "coincidentally" put him into the right place at the right time to make the big finish. Everyone saw Mike Tyson's knockout punch; they didn't see him read his opponent, slip, and "coincidentally" be in the perfect position to deliver that punch cleanly. Am I looking at it all wrong? Anything you'd like to add? To add - I'm not looking at this from a competition standpoint; I'm just trying to be a better karateka. I have very little interest in winning trophies.

Thank you, sensei. What you said reminds me of a conversation between my CI and a student getting ready to test for shodan at honbu (under Kaicho Nakamura, obviously). She was pretty nervous and asking 'what about this and what about that' questions. Through the exchange, which I was kind of involved in, I said "it seems like you have nothing to worry about as long as you show respect and follow protocol." My CI's eyes light up and he said "Yes! Kaicho expects you'll make some mistakes. He's fine with that, within reason. What he doesn't tolerate is being disrespectful, breaking protocol, or giving up." That's what karate, and all MA are all about IMO. Again, thanks for sharing!

Welcome to the forum

The older I get, the more I feel the true competition is competition against myself. I can't control how good or bad someone I'm sparring with is. All I can do is outdo myself. He better than I was last time. If someone kicks my in the head 5 times with the same kick, it's on me. It's MY job to adjust and make sure I don't fall for that fake again. When I first started at my current dojo, people thought I was getting mad at them when they hit me. I got an odd look one time from a senior student after he stopped about a millimeter short of knocking my teeth out with a hook kick. I had my typical look and mumbled a few choice words. No one heard me, but everyone knew what I said. I respectfully bowed and said "sorry, senpai. I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at myself." Everyone nodded and carried on. They've gotten used to me and know I'm sincere when I say that. We were doing some extra training for a few weeks for our annual organization tournament last year. It was me (4th kyu) and 7 black belts ranging from nidan to yondan. Needless to say I gave up way more points than I scored. One of the nidans said (in a great way) "watching your face during sparring is priceless." He had the impression of me getting hit down pat. We all had a great laugh.

I respect your comments but must respectfully disagree with you. I personally think the problem is the lack of requirements and respect for the grade. I know Shodan means first step and no one within my art or any other I have taken thinks that the grade means mastery. However when I was coming up the grade of Shodan was highly respected and even though this does not happen anymore, some Shodan's actually had there own schools and were respected by their students. The difference is back then, and depending on your art/teacher still today, a Shodan was not just another belt. It meant something and that something was that you could more than handle yourself. As a black belt (pick a grade) you are a direct reflection of the art, school and of your Shinshii/Sensei. I would not dream of promoting a student to Shodan knowing that they do not have the skill and knowledge to defend themselves. Back then it brought dishonor to the teacher and the school if some Joe off the streets was able to destroy one of your black belt students. No I think the problem is western culture tries to justify promoting students to higher levels because they are afraid that the fast food mentality of kids today will cost them students and thus a pay check. Don't get me wrong I like money too and I do not condemn those that make a living teaching but not due to a sacrifice of quality. Now days it's all about how fast can we get to the next belt and no one concerns themselves with whether they have really retained what was taught previously. I have said it on other discussions and will say it again, I miss the days when you had two belts because I think they produced better Karateka then because they were not concerned with the next belt. It was about how much knowledge you could obtain and perfecting what you had learned. Can anyone tell me that the average child today, with there instant gratification, actually perfects anything? I highly doubt it. They do enough to get by and their instructors have been conditioned to accept this. So what becomes of the Shodan level? It becomes just another belt instead of what it use to represent, something to be looked up to. If the grade of Shodan has been reduced then if you really think about it what does the grade of Sandan represent. If the standards are reduced at one level all subsequent levels are reduced. By this logic a Shodan back when I was coming up was the equivalent of a Sandan today. Does that make sense? I get that everything changes but it's a slippery slope. When I was a kid you did not see children wearing black belts and if you did you took them off of them because you knew without question they did not earn it. Enter the McDojo's/ belts for money and now it is perfectly acceptable to give out belts without substance. As long as you have "x" months/years and you have paid "x" you get the next grade. Now we can accept an 11 year old wearing the grade of Yondan? We can accept students calling her Shinshii/Sensei? NO WAY!!!! Not in my Dojo. Not ever. It is all justified by a reduction of requirements or giving the grade because of something other than the requirements like, "he has made an effort and everyone deserves a trophy" type of mentality. What ever happened to winners and losers? What happened to standards? Not every kid deserves a trophy and not every kid deserves to grade!!!! If you didn't win you lost. This was not a hard concept to understand when I was a kid. God forbid little Johnny gets upset because he didn't get a new belt. God forbid little Johnny has to be told that if you do not practice outside of the Dojo and pay attention when your in the Dojo, your not going to be able to test. If you didn't earn it you don't get it. If that means that little Johnny leaves then he leaves. As an instructor my time and what I have to pass on is valuable. Give belts away for requirements that have been reduced from what I had to do to earn said grades? Nope not ever. Hold your students to the same standards as you were. That is the only way to keep your art and it's grades/belts from meaning nothing. It's called paper tigers. It's what Sensei8 always says, proof is on the mat/floor. If you can not fight at the level of your grade your certificate is worth less than the ink on it and the belt you wear is worth as much as it cost. Its reduced to just a piece of fabric just like Shodan has been reduced to just another rank. Lets just call it a continuation of the Mudansha grades and do away with Yudansha until you reach say the grade of Hachidan. While your at it just get rid of Kodansah grades because they mean nothing since the requirements for grades before them have been reduced. Call me old fashioned for my ways and methods but I can guarantee that none of my Shodan's are going to be taken to town by some street thug. I doubt this girls Shinshii/Sensei can say that about theirs. I will never say anyone has mastered anything because I personally do not think the art can be mastered. Mastery to me means you have nothing left to learn. Having said that I would instead say that in order to achieve the grade of Shodan my students have to be "highly proficient" in the grades below them (Mudansha grades) and have proved that they have leaned and become "highly" skilled in the requirements of the Mudansha grades and more importantly have been able to translate that into the ability to fight and hold there own. I think somewhere down the line and through the years most have forgotten that the Mudansha grades were the basic's or the foundation. You can not in my mind start you journey (Shodan to Kudan/Judan) unless you have a foundation to walk your path. How can you claim to be a Yudansha if you haven't first concurred Mudansha first. And within this same statement, what does Shodan or any of the Yudansha grade mean if an 11 year old can achieve what most of us took many more years to achieve? Did you really EARN it or where you given it? I think that is the real problem. Given versus eared. Or should I say bought versus earned. It used to be you could not buy respect or a grade/belt, you had to earn them. So how do you respect someone that has been given something today? How do you call someone that you can wipe the floor with teacher? Can anyone tell me that an 11 year old can teach a class of adults and go one on one in a Kumite match with them and win their respect? Respect her grade? Again this may be because I'm old school but I can tell you right now if I walked into a school and saw a child at the head of the class I would walk out and write that art off completely. Not the teacher, the art itself. Somehow instructors have forgotten this ideal that they are responsible for preserving the name of their art by passing down what was taught to them and that their responsibility is to assuring that only worthy students are promoted and that every student is a reflection of them and of the art itself. If little Johnny, wearing his new shiny black belt is beaten to a pulp by a younger kid with no training why would anyone want to go to his teacher for instruction? I wouldn't. I'm sure I will get a little heat for my views and some of the "DO" guys will tell me that it's about more than being able to fight but to them I say, It's really not. Why did you really join a Dojo? Why did you start training? If you can't hold your own why would someone take lessons from you to learn how to defend themselves? Discipline, respect, and learning to be a humble and good person is important but if we are all honest we did not start training for these reasons. They were learned along the way but the real reason 99% of students join a Dojo is to learn how to defend themselves effectively. If not, why not just join a church group or play sports? How can anyone justify giving an 11 year old boy or girl the grade of Yondan and sleep at night is beyond me. A couple things in your post... When a lot of adults start training for the first time, they're looking for an alternative to Gold's Gym. They're looking for socialization. They're looking for a hobby, and getting exercise and health benefits kill two birds with one stone. No all, by any means, but more and more each day. A lot of adults have the mentality that they don't need to fight anymore as they get older, they already know how to, etc. It's not about fighting for many of them, it's about the other things. Many parents view MA as a physical activity for their kids, as an alternative to team sports or a supplement. They need to get their excess energy out, and they won't make the (insert sport here) team. In MA, everyone makes the team, everyone gets equal playing time. This also goes hand in hand with parents wanting discipline and respect, yet would rather have someone else teach it than them. Being MA and fighting is a side effect/added bonus. They're not all there for that. That's a big reason why the McDojos exist. That's a big reason why it's easy for them to justify giving kids yudansha ranks and titles. If it wasn't about fighting, what's the big deal with rank/titles? Sad, but often true.

I was reminded about a somewhat similar situation a while back... There was a huge TKD demo and competition going on in a mall I used to frequent. I was waiting in line at Fatburger (I love Fatburger!) and a girl ahead of me was wearing her dobak and belt. Looking at it, it had 4 stripes. I first thought they were tape, like signifying levels within a rank, but no; they were embroidered. Then I saw the English calligraphy one one side of her belt - Sensei Amanda. I thought maybe she looked a lot younger than she actually was, trying to give the benefit of the doubt. And I'm getting old. After she ordered, mom came up to pay. The cashier said "wow, you're a 4th degree black belt. That's great! My son is ready for his 1st degree, but he has to wait until he's 16 to get his black belt." The mother replied "Why? She's 14 and has her 4th degree." The look on the cashier's face was priceless, and probably mirrored mine.

I looked on the KNX Boston webpage, and in the comments section someone asked if they can attend without hotel fees. Jesse told that person to email him or PM him via Facebook. Maybe you can too? http://www.karatebyjesse.com/knx2017/

YONDAN at 11? Maybe I should ask it in English... 4th degree black belt at 11 years old? Where I've come from and practically everything else I've seen, yondan takes longer than 11 years to earn. Key word - earn. There could be legitimate exceptions to the 11 years total - something like a gold medal Olympian Judo player, a Kyokushin World Open winner, etc. Since it takes 99.9999% of the people out there more than 11 years to EARN a yondan, I'm going to have to say I have zero respect for an 11 year old's yondan rank. Show me a legitimate international gold medal won against adults of the highest caliber, or something reasonably similar, and I'll show the utmost respect for the 11 year old's yondan rank. Anything short of that won't change my mind. There's legitimate adult sandans who've trained longer than that kid's been alive. At 11 years old, if she started training at 3, she'd have about 8 years of experience. And what would the quality of the training be at that age? Again, show me indesputable proof that she's worthy of that rank, and I'll show respect for the rank. Until then, I'll walk away shaking my head.