JR 137

Seido Juku used to have a women's group (I don't know what it was technically called). Tadashi Nakamura wanted to change the culture of karate being male dominated. He started a group of his senior most women to assess and address the issues that women faced in the organization. After several years the group was no longer necessary because they succeeded - Seido karate is nearly 50/50 male/female. The group becoming obsolete was a great source of pride for those women and the organization. No idea what specific issues were addressed nor changes were made, as this was before my time. There are many dojos run by high ranking females. As far a our dojo is concerned... I don't see any issues with LGBT. Due to our building, I don't see any gender identity issues. We don't have showers, we have small male and female changing rooms which are about the size of large walk in closets. We have a single bathroom in which anyone is allowed to use to get changed if they wish. We line up by rank, initially pair off with the senior next in line, and rotate down the line. I don't think I've ever seen anyone given a choice as to who they're working with. On the odd occasion we don't pair off this way, my CI will pair us up. We've got people with diverse backgrounds (I don't think we have anyone with gender identity/transition), and everyone is treated as they should be - human beings. We've got an atmosphere where everyone is treated like family. Most of the adults are mid 30-mid 40s, so I think that definitely sets a tone for the maturity level. How are we excluding people? No idea. You don't know what you don't know. If someone asked my CI to make reasonable accommodations, I have no doubt he would if it was possible.

The barbaric way (hard styles) are fine when each opponent is fairly matched in size and weight but this is not the way of the other (soft styles) that are for smaller and weaker people, which are more appropriate for most everyone else.Imho... I just don't understand how and when MAists become so engrossed with size and weight and the like. Either you can defend yourself or you can't!! To me, this is a failed attempt to excuse off ones MA shortcomings. Never underestimate your opponent!! That has to count for something...doesn't it...anymore?!? Overpowering an opponent is what bigger people do and out maneuvering is what smaller people do. A small person's force against a bigger person's force is not intelligent strategy, due to being that it's just not using common sense. For a smaller person to duke it out with a much larger person is plain and stupid. That's why some martial arts styles exists better for smaller and weaker people, that are not based on brute strength alone. I didn't interpret anything he said as standing toe to toe trading blows with anyone nor everyone. He said "...get out there and fight..." If you train to use angles and strike, stand straight up and trade punches, or take your opponent to the ground and choke him out, anything in between or any combination of those, then get on the floor and do it. No holding back, no excuses. Yes, there's a time to go slow and work technique, develop skill, practice things, etc. Too many people focus on that solely. People need to train under full or as close to full pressure and resistance as possible every now and then. If you can't handle that pressure in the dojo with people you trust, there's no way you can handle that pressure when you've got someone standing in front of you that you don't trust. All IMO.

Welcome aboard

I get where you're coming from. I don't think any serious 27 year old student wants to get stuck in kids' classes and train for a few years until the teacher decides to let them train at the appropriate level. Reputable schools won't do this. Honestly, a reputable school will have you start off at white belt. The CI will evaluate where you're at and teach and treat you accordingly. I was preparing for my 2nd dan when I left my previous school to go to grad school. I met my now wife, started a career and a family. It took 15 years for me to return to karate. I was rusty, but I remembered just about the entire syllabus. Things needed polishing. I started at white belt, as it was a new (to me) school and organization. The syllabus was extremely close, as my former organization was under my current one before the head guy left and started his own. I started at white belt and promoted quickly through the first several ranks. I've slowed down in the promotion pace because I need more time. I know 90% of the material up to and including 1st dan. But I'm not worthy of wearing that rank. My CI asked if I wanted to double promote last time around, as there was nothing in the rank I was testing for that I didn't know nor demonstrated to him. I respectfully declined. I told him "I'd rather perfect the next rank's material than skip it. I'm not in a hurry. I can always improve." My CI gave me the look like 'I guess you're smarter than I thought.' Go visit some schools. You'll know which one or ones are right for you and which aren't. Furthermore, if you're still in contact with your stepfather, ask him if he recommends any schools. Maybe he can make a phone call or two.

Both dojos I've trained at full-time use Japanese terminology for techniques and etiquette (starting and ending class, etc.). Not that it bothered me, but I didn't care much for it my first few weeks. I didn't think there was much point. I quickly came to appreciate it. I guess it makes it officially karate or something, I don't know. To be honest, I don't think I'd like training without it. Maybe it would be too informal or too sport-like, like wrestling was. Both styles I've trained have Tadashi Nakamura in the lineage. My first organization's founder was Nakamura's student in Nakamura's Kyokushin days, and followed him to Seido before leaving (Seido was still bare knuckle at this point). My current system is Seido Juku. Nakamura was born and raised in Japan before being sent to the US to spread Kyokushin. I can relate to sensei8 here. Nakamura has been here going on 50 years, and he's still difficult to understand at times. Everyone however understands when he asks us to do a technique. Sometimes the pronunciation is a bit different from a native Japanese speaker than it is from my American CI, but it's not that hard to figure it out. Last summer was Seido's 40th anniversary. There was a week-long event with seminars, a tournament, etc. Part of it was teachers from different countries teaching a class as they normally would in their native language. There were classes in Italian, Polish, Japanese, Hebrew and a few others. Seeing parts of the Hebrew and Polish class, it was obvious that the students understood enough of what was being said despite not knowing the teachers' native languages. Japanese terms became a universal language. Along the same lines as terminology, but not exactly, I'm a big fan of the strict/militaristic/not sure what to call it traditions. Using titles, responding with an "Osu Sensei" or the like is something that's really grown on me. It wouldn't be the same without it. I think the "Yes, Sir/Ma'am" that TKD typically does is better for people, especially kids, in our culture, but for some reason I like the Japanese way I've always done in karate better.

i agree with what Lupin is saying. To add... What's your point in joining a dojo? Is it for rank, or is it to train? Or is it to learn and improve. If it's anything other than rank, then the belt color you start with and subsequent belts you attain aren't any more important than you and the instructors knowing approximately where in the syllabus you are.

Congratulations everyone!

Someone here has a Seishin gi or experience with it. Nidan Melbourne?

Absolutely. I'm assuming folkstyle. Any freestyle or Greco?

No offense intended. I interpret the poem as it doesn't matter what anyone nor everyone else thinks nor sees as right or wrong, all that matters is knowing that you're doing what's right. It's about doing what's right so you can ultimately love who you are, which I believe is what you're doing. It wasn't intended as loving the external, it was intended as loving the internal. Seeing your soul. After reading your response, I understand (as much as I can, anyway) your interpretation. I should probably quit trying to take my foot out of my mouth:). All I can say is I'm on your side.

Hi JusticeZero. I don't think we've ever conversed, but I have seen some of your old posts. I look forward to seeing you around here. I commend your courage. I can't imagine how difficult a time this must have been and continues to be for you. Rather than repeating what others have said here, I offer you a poem that really put things into perspective for me quite a few times. To me, it's all about soul searching. I could go on and on, but I won't... The Guy in the Glass by Dale Wimbrow, © 1934 When you get what you want in your struggle for pelf, And the world makes you King for a day, Then go to the mirror and look at yourself, And see what that guy has to say. For it isn't your Father, or Mother, or Wife, Who judgement upon you must pass. The feller whose verdict counts most in your life Is the guy staring back from the glass. He's the feller to please, never mind all the rest, For he's with you clear up to the end, And you've passed your most dangerous, difficult test If the guy in the glass is your friend. You may be like Jack Horner and "chisel" a plum, And think you're a wonderful guy, But the man in the glass says you're only a bum If you can't look him straight in the eye. You can fool the whole world down the pathway of years, And get pats on the back as you pass, But your final reward will be heartaches and tears If you've cheated the guy in the glass. http://www.theguyintheglass.com/gig.htm Disclaimer: The author's family allows people to use the poem in its entirety, so long as it's credited to the author... http://www.theguyintheglass.com/index.htm

When's the season start? I've been waiting too long now Edit: Sounds shady lol.

It kind of made sense to me up until almost the end. Then it all clicked after you were on your knees and did the arm thing (without your partner engaged)... Fireman's carry from wrestling type movement - pulling the arm downward as you pick up on the opposite leg. Yes he's on top of you and in front vs standing across your shoulders, but that pull-lift-twist is the same. To me anyway. Or am I way off track?

Absolutely. There's no one size fits all rule.

Congratulations, Bob. Patrick wasn't making things up when he said you're one of the first people to greet newbies, answer their posts, etc. It was your posts that stuck out the most to me when I first found the forum. You made the single biggest impression on me when I started lurking here, and you're one of the main reasons why I registered and started posting. Of course there were others, but you stuck out the most. Don't know how else to say it, other than thank you.

It's your training, not your sifu's, sensei's, nor anyone else's. You have to do what makes YOU happy. You're a paying customer, not a subordinate. That being said, I'll play devil's advocate for a bit... If you split your time between two different systems, you most likely won't get as good at either of them as you would if you spent the total time training in one of them. Cross-training is a great thing, but there's a time and place, just like everything else. If you've been at one for quite some time and have a solid understanding of a bit more than the basics, cross-training is great. It could fill gaps in your primary art, give you a different perspective on things in your own art, break up the monotony, and so on. But if you don't have a solid base in either art yet, it could easily stall your progress. Let's say you have 4 days a week you can dedicate to playing sports. You really want to get good at something, and you don't have much experience with anything. You choose to do basketball two of those days and baseball the other two days. It's going to take a while to get really good at either of them, and you'll probably be average at them. If you instead chose to do basketball all four days, you'd get a lot better. Hopefully this is what your sifu is trying to say rather than coming off as a guy who's insecure about keeping students. I'm all for cross-training. But after the solid foundation has been laid. I'd rather get really good at one thing before I start looking into adding different things. I don't know where you're at (skill-wise) with either system. If you feel you're at a good point in your training and at the point where you're refining rather than learning a lot of new stuff, cross-train. That's just me. Again, it's your training. Do what makes you happy. You're the only one you really have to answer to.

Performance artists don't need tools.A dancer uses his/her mind and body. Those are tools. A singer uses his/her mind and voice; tools. I really can't take this any further.

Quite a bit so, Brian. Allan - You're taking tools too literally. Any technique is a tool in my analogy. Ducking, slipping, stepping in, etc. are tools. Just because they're not hand, arm, leg, foot, strikes or grapples doesn't mean they're not tools.

I was that guy without MA for about 15 years. I took a break to pursue grad school, my career, and my family. What did I do with my downtime? I didn't really have any. The little downtime I had I spent sleeping:) Now that I've got a little more downtime, I can pursue my second favorite thing (after my family) - karate. But like everything else - balance, Daniel San.

Don't sell yourself short. From what I know about you/seen from you, you would have been successful in just about anything you put your heart and mind to. It just happened to be MA (in a good way). If you had the same passion for, say, architecture, you'd have been a very good architect. Or anything else. For the most part, I think we all say we do what we do because we understand it and relate to it well. I genuinely think we'd come to that feeling in just about anything if we had the same passion for it. Granted, not everyone can be a neurosurgeon, no matter how determined and passionate they are about it, but you get my drift.

Welcome to the forum. I look forward to seeing you around here.

Artists use the right tool for the job. Type of paint (water, oil, acrylic, etc.), type of brush (size, shape, material), and medium (paper, canvas, wood) are all tools of the trade. Artists, particularly great artists, use the right tools for the job. The tool may be completely unexpected and non-traditional, but that doesn't make it not a tool nor the wrong tool. Sculptors use tools. Photographers use tools. The analogy still holds with artists - use the best tool to get the job done (getting the job done doesn't mean as quickly and as easily as possible). Since you're referencing art and artists, I'm reminded of a phrase that's said quite a bit in photography - learn the rules of photography, get good at using them, then learn how to break them. Your definition of tools is a bit too simplistic IMO. The most important tool a martial artist can ever use is his/her mind. But now I'm drifting. I do however wholeheartedly agree with a statement in your last post - tools are only as good as the person holding them. The person holding the tools has to know which one to use, when to use it, and how to use it. Using one's brain and walking away without resorting to physical violence is a great tool to have. We all have it, but sometimes we forget when to use that tool and how to use it.

Congratulations Tempest!

I use the phrase all the time. My father's a mechanic, and I've been around tools since as long as I can remember. If I wasn't helping out in the garage, I was helping fix stuff in the house. Or stuff like lawnmowers. It's an analogy. Or a metaphor. Don't use a rubber mallet to knock down a wall, and don't use a sledgehammer to drive finishing nails. The best tool in the world is just about worthless if it's not used for the intended job or used incorrectly. There was a thread about effectiveness of nukite/spear hand. It's a great tool/weapon/strike when used correctly. Use it to strike the throat, liver or spleen, and it's a great tool. Use it to try to pierce someone's skull or sternum, and you'll be hurting. All a knifehand strike to the side of the head or ribs is going to do is annoy an opponent. Use it on the side or back of the neck or across the throat and it could end an encounter pretty quickly. Punching someone in the neck isn't going to be too debilitating; punching that person on the xiphoid process (that little bone at the bottom of the sternum) is another story. Those examples are using the wrong tool for the job and the right tool for the job. There's a thread about the crescent kick. Same analogy applies. It has its applications. The crescent kick isn't a worthless kick. It's been taught with some pretty stupid applications. What I've been taught as a back spin kick (spinning hook kick?) has a ton of stupid applications and won't work in most circumstances, unless you're incredibly fast and athletic. But I've seen it demonstrated in a very simple and highly effective way - from a two handed grab, knock the arms down, knee the stomach, and back spin kick the back of the head while they're buckled over. Hard to explain and visualize without video. As sensei8 said, there's no one tool (technique) that'll get the job done every time. The situation(s) dictate which tool (technique) to use. That could be the different striking surfaces of the hand, foot, etc. Those surfaces have different applications in different scenarios and anatomical targets. People say the nukite is worthless. Nukite someone full force in the carotid sinus and ask them if it's worthless when they come to. If they come to. Nukite someone in the forehead and see how they respond. It's all about using the tool the right way. And at the right time. The wrong tool most likely won't get the job done.

Shureido hand-makes just about everything. If some places are out of stock, it could mean that they haven't made them in a while and have to play catch-up. I'm sure they make a specific number at a time rather than continually making them. As sensei8 said, Shureido USA will be able to answer if they're still making them or not. Shady retailers may tell you they're not making them if they're out of stock to get you to buy something else.