JR 137

What you should do should be determined by what you need to achieve. It seems you're doing a bit of everything. While it seems like what you're doing is good in theory (I haven't watched the videos), you should focus on what you need most and/or your biggest weaknesses. What will your test consist of? How long will it be? What are your biggest challenges right now? Without knowing any of these, it's impossible to say you're on the right track or not.

A quick search of Rhode Island karate brought up a Uechi Ryu school. Uechi Ryu is an old school Okinawan style. I've seen great Uechi Ryu and some less desirable. Uechi Ryu has been called the toughest body conditioning karate style. They spar very hard. I tried a Uechi Ryu school when I was in college for a few classes. Definitely not what I've seen elsewhere. It all depends on the teacher. Look it up and have a visit IMO. Here's what Uechi ryu's all about (a very small part)... The free sparring I've seen is pretty intense too.

My problem with mawashi geri is I turn too far and lean back too much. I don't have this problem during kumite, just during line drills.

13 years, 8 months and 6 days old, give or take 3.25 days.

I'm not from RI, so I don't know. There are many Kyokushin offshoots, as Kyokushin split quite a bit after Mas Oyama's death. Oyama Karate, Enshin and Ashihara are popular organizations that come to mind immediately. There's a ton of others, and many are local/not known unless you look closely. Your best bet would probably be to Google search karate schools in your area and look at where the instructors came from. Besides that, what is it about Kyokushin that makes you want to try it? Full contact sparring, history, etc.?

Great post, and welcome to Karate Forums. You seem to have some very good insight and experience in MA. I suggest starting a thread in the introduction section of the forum so we can get to know you better and properly welcome you.

Welcome, David. A Google search of Isshin Ryu NJ turned up quite a few places. I'm not too good with NJ locations, so I have no idea what's accessible to you (even though I lived in Westchester county, NY for 8 years). Also, have you considered another style of karate or MA altogether?

Congrats, Noah. I'm quite sure you made your Sensei proud.

I think it's more semantics than anything else here, Sensei. Teaching someone to do something (like teaching) is easy. If they've got the material down, they can be taught how to structure a class, how to critically evaluate a student, how to correct things, and so on. What you can't teach is a personality. You can't teach someone to always be polite, give them a good disposition, etc. You can help people come across better to an extent, but you can't teach someone a personality. They might try their hardest to fit a certain mold and be able to pull it off for a short time, but they'll revert to their natural self, especially when the unexpected occurs. Some have a personality for it, and others don't. Doesn't make one a better or worse person than the other. Some people only see things as black and white and don't do well when when things don't go exactly the way they're supposed to. They don't see the potential, only what's here and now. Some people are too impatient and what results now, while others are impatient and want to move on due to a "that's good enough" mentality. Going through PE Teacher training, I also realized everyone has their target audience, or a group they excel at teaching. It was quite easy to predict what level and demographic they would succeed and fail at. At the end of the day, the prospective teacher has to have a passion for it as well as the personality. Teaching them how to teach is easy; teaching them to love it and how to carry themself is the futile part. All IMO.

There's so many factors involved, but it ultimately depends on the kid. It's like potty training - the kid is ready when he/she is ready, not when the parent or anyone else is. The goals of training also need to be examined. The younger the kid is, the more the focus has to be gross motor movement over fine motor movement. Teaching a traditional high block to a 3 year old, if you expect the kid to be able to do all the little things such as blocking arm crossing in front of the chambering arm, blocking arm ending up at a 45 degree angle above and in front of their head with the underside of the forearm showing, straight body posture in proper stance, and the rear hand chambered, all the while staying quiet and waiting for the next count, you're going to be sorry. If you expect the kid to be able to consistently swat away a blocking bat above their head that's swung downward at them, you've got a chance. With kids' MA training, the "hidden curriculum" is more important than the actual curriculum - learning how class runs/routine, waiting their turn, not talking out of turn, giving, receiving and showing respect, etc. Most often, it's the parents' expectations that need to be addressed. For the kids, it's a physical activity like everything else they do at that age - gymnastics, dance, soccer, etc. These things all start at around 3 years old and don't pretend to develop kids into all-stars at that age. The competitive sport ones don't even play an actual game at that age, and for good reason; the kids don't comprehend that. MA should be the same; kids that age can't comprehend sparring. Kids as young as 3 can be taught how to throw a punch, kick, and swat away a foam blocking bat. Don't expect perfect fist alignment, toe/foot position, balance, etc. My 3 year old takes gymnastics, dance, and has done swimming, soccer and basketball. If MA was taught the same way, she'd have no problem with it either. Most kids wouldn't have problems either. Most have been half hour long, but gymnastics is a full hour. Gymnastics has the advantage of all the different apparatus keeping their interest. All of my 3 year old's activities had something that I've never seen in MA - the parents were either required to be on the floor with the kid, or they were allowed on the floor at any point and expected to come onto the floor when the kid wasn't doing what they're supposed to do. I've never seen a "Mommy/Daddy & Me Karate" class, yet it's the norm for a lot of other activities for 3 year olds. 3-5 year olds' activities typically run in 6 week sessions, yet kids' MA typically has annual contracts. After the 6 weeks, a new session starts after a week or 2 off, and the next session is more or less the same, only changing with age unless all the kids are repeat students and have demonstrated proficiency in the very basics; then the teacher may pick up in the middle of the program and move on to more advanced stuff at the end. MA really needs to learn some things from other activities for preschool kids. Traditional MA teaching at this age group is far too regimented and strictly taught IMO. Too many formalities. I think it's the parents' and teachers' expectations of MA. So with all of this in mind, if 3 year olds can do any physical activities, they can easily do MA too. It has to be taught correctly, and the parents' and teachers' expectations have to be realistic. Don't expect a 3 year old Bruce Lee to walk out of the dojo in 6 weeks. The gymnastics parents don't expect their 3 year olds to do an Olympic medal winning floor routine or all-around.

Ashida Kim's "Forbidden Fist of the Ninja" is highly inspirational... to Master Ken, perhaps. Quite possibly the worst I've seen.

No matter what you do, once someone has God attached to anything, you're not going to change their mind. Rightfully or not, it's the way it is. As an example Sensei8, would it change your opinion of bowing to a picture of your Soke and Dai-Soke at shomen or shinzen? We start every class with the following: Shinzen ni rei Kaicho ni rei Nidaime ni rei Our shinzen has Seido Juku's kanji There's a picture of Kaicho Nakamura And a picture of his son Nidaime (second in line) Akira Nakamura I don't view any of it as worship. I view it as showing respect individually for the entire organization and what it stands for, showing respect for Kaicho and what he's done, and for Nidaime and what he's done. Neither of those two individuals are Gods nor God-like in any way, shape or form. And if you asked them, they'd confirm just that. When I've taken class in their immediate presence I've bowed to them (along with the rest of the senior black belts), and I view their pictures as nothing different than that. I'm not going to change your mind, and I don't want to; your beliefs are yours and you have them due to life experience. Those students have their beliefs, as misguided or ill informed as they may be; they are their beliefs and won't change. But in all fairness, I can't see how it would have worked out for those students in the long run. If they were informed of this protocol/ritual/practice/tradition (I hate to use words that could be twisted or misinterpreted as religious) from the beginning, they shouldn't have started in the first place. It was only a matter of time before they found something else as a conflict of religious belief and left IMO. I'm surprised they started at all. To the bold type above... My opinion of bowing DID change when I opened my own dojo. How so? I didn't put up anything anywhere in the dojo that I had to bow to, unlike how it was at the Hombu. That was their way, and I respected their way, and I LEARNED the true reasons as to why bowing in the MA exists at all. Even though I hang a picture of Jesus in my dojo, I don't bow to it because, to me, it's an outwardly act that's not necessary because my heart is looked upon by Jesus. Did I lose respect for Soke and Dai-Soke by not having their pictures hanging in my dojo? NO!! Respect is a personal choice, and I have respect for them without having to put their pictures up for all to see. "Well, most dojo's have a picture of the founder and their Sensei, if their Sensei isn't the founder, as a sign of reference and respect!!" Good for them...that's their choice, and I respect that wholeheartedly, but it doesn't mean I have to follow suit, as that's my choice, as well. Solid post. I respect why you don't have their pictures up and bow to them. And I know why you respect why I and others do what we do. The only wrong thing here is doing something against your beliefs because you're too scared to speak up IMO. All IMO.

My most sincere condolences, Bob. This is truly the definition of tragedy. I'm quite sure some, if not all of them were close personal friends of yours. My thoughts and prayers are with you and their families, both biological and Shindokan. There's a very simple answer for your question of why not you; it's not your time. You're still here for a reason, whatever that reason may be. I fortunately have never had to ask that question, but I've been around many who have. It's very easy to answer when it's someone else asking it. A former boss told me "every day is a gift." It's times like these that remind me how correct that statement truly is. I wish I had more to say. All I can do is pray the people close to them find the strength to get through this difficult time in as emotionally and physically healthy way as possible.

My first school was part of an organization for a good portion of my time there. He left and became independent during my last 2 years. The organization was local, but it was pretty big, having about 10 independently owned dojos with a total of around 1,000 students. I liked it for several reasons. We could train at the different dojos, getting different perspectives from the teachers and sparring with different people. We weren't allowed to consistently train at a different dojo, but it was strongly encouraged to occasionally go to another one for a class. There were some good teachers and students at the various dojos. I'd go to a different one every 2-3 months or so. We'd typically call ahead and ask if we could come by. My teacher left for various reasons. The ones I know of are justified. He was always shot down when he made suggestions. They weren't radical changes by any means; they were actually suggestions to go back to the way things were IMO. The straw that broke the camel's back for my teacher was when the head of the organization stopped testing kyu ranks but still demanded the testing fees. My Sensei claimed he didn't make any money on testing - the head guy would come to the dojo and test us. He was completely fine with that arrangement. But if my Sensei is running the test by himself and doing all the legwork, the only thing the honbu is doing is stamping certificates. Why should he pay $50 a head for that? I really liked the changes to the curriculum my Sensei made after he left. The best change was he got involved with Nishiuchi's Okinawan weapons program and incorporated that into his curriculum. The weapons stuff we were doing previously wasn't very good in hindsight. He undid changes that the organization made over the years to some kata. He completely got away from tournament stuff and strongly deemphasized promoting in rank. We all however missed getting together with the different dojos for events. There were events at the old honbu, massive outdoor workouts, and stuff like that that we looked forward to. They weren't too often, but they were often enough to make it worthwhile. My Sensei was one of the first to leave. The head guy and his second in line pretty drove everyone away with their MA and financial policies over the ensuing years. 18 years later, the only two dojos left in that organization are the honbu and his right hand man's dojo. I'm currently in Seido Juku. I really like the organization. It has a strong family atmosphere to it. There's a lot of karate events they do. I wish there were more relatively local dojos; the closest one is 2.5 hours away in NYC. We have people from various dojos come to us to take class due to where we are and my teacher. A few other CIs from the region were preparing to promote a few months ago, so they were coming to our dojo on Saturdays to polish up and train with our teacher and second in line. I don't look down on a teacher for not being in an organization and more than I look up to one for being in one. It's all about the teacher. Being in an organization does give more initial credibility though. If they're affiliated, you know someone else has approved them so to speak. You know they're answering to someone. You know they're not making it up as they go. But all of that is only as good as the organization itself. There are some great organizations, and some that I have zero respect for. At the end of the day, the organization isn't teaching me, the teacher is. If he/she is doing things the right way (or what I think is the right way), I'll become their student. On the flip side, there's a few dojos in my current organization that I wouldn't join. Not because they're bad teachers, but because what they emphasize. Then you get the head of the organization. My previous organization's head guy wasn't someone I cared for. He was an excellent MAist and by all accounts a good person. He wasn't very approachable and his sarcasm wasn't my cup of tea (I'm a sarcastic guy too, but his was a different brand of it). The head of Seido (Tadashi Nakamura) is completely different. He's very personable and approachable. He makes it a point to know everyone's name or at least remember who they are and where they train, and the organization is HUGE. I briefly met and spoke with him last summer at an outdoor workout. He remembered me when I saw him this summer at our tournament. It was like talking to a normal person vs some guy who's on a high horse. Hard to describe, I guess.

http://www.karatebyjesse.com/10-amazing-karate-places-i-visited-in-okinawa-but-never-told-you-about/ http://www.karatebyjesse.com/train-karate-okinawa-guide/ I heard the Dojo Bar in Naha is a great place to hang out.

It all depends on how much you're willing to spend and just as importantly, the fit. Everyone's different when it comes to how clothing fits. Shureido and Japanese made Tokaido are the best gis I've seen. IMO they're equal in material quality and craftsmanship. My opinion of the difference between them is cut. Tokaido is a narrow cut, like a slim fit, whereas Shureido is stocky guy's cut. Take the labels off and I'd honestly think they were the same gi, just cut differently. You don't truly appreciate them until you've worn them for a while. They stay looking like a new gi for a long time. They don't change color like cheaper gis start to turn yellow/gray/brown; they stay white. The material doesn't break down like other gis. During my first stint in karate, I'd went through 3 Century heavyweight gis in 3 years. I'd get the nasty color changes in the armpits, lapel, and around the waist from sweating. The entire gi would get a gray tint to it. I'd wash them after every class. The first two I bleached every time, and the last one I never bleached, as someone told me the bleach did it. Didn't make any difference. I wore my Shureido for 4 years and never had any of that. The only discoloration was a few small drops of blood. A good friend and classmate bought a Tokaido a few weeks before I bought my Shureido and had the same results. Our Sensei made fun of us when we first got them (in a good way), saying we were treating the dojo like a fashion show. About 3 years later, he randomly asked if they were the same gis. While everyone else who trained hard went through 3-4 $75 gis, our $200 gis were still like new. Had I not lost it during my 15 year layoff from karate, I'm pretty sure it would have easily lasted another 10 years. Aside from the fashion police stuff, the material breathes far better and feels far better than anything else I've worn, which is the most important thing IMO. And it's been a higher up front cost, but cheaper in the long term. But the Ronin 12 oz. is also very good. I've had it a little over a year, and I have no complaints. If it wasn't too hot for me, I'd put off buying the Shureido until I needed to. The Shureido is better in every way, but I'd I didn't previously own a Shureido and need a lighter gi, I wouldn't have considered it. The Shureido New Wave line is pretty enticing, being a dry fit like material (like under armour or Nike), but according to the distributor they wear out very fast, as in a dozen or so machine washings. He called them a tournament/dress up gi and not a daily wear gi because of that. The New Wave gi was a few dollars more, so he wasn't trying to up sell me something else. And yes, the Shureido, Tokaido and Ronin are all "snappy" gis. I used to care about that, but lost interest.

The Ronin 12 oz. is still holding up quite well. My only issue with it is it's too hot for me, especially this time of year. High heat and humidity and karate with a 12 oz. gi in a small dojo that's not air conditioned isn't a good combo. Especially the way I sweat. I really like the Ronin gi. Easily worth every penny I spent on it. It fits me right and still looks new about a year later. For the money, it's a no-brainer when compared to everything priced within reason of it. I just desperately need a well made lighter weight gi that fits right. I owned a heavier Shureido in the past and loved it. If this one is what I think it is, I'll love it even more than the old one. When you visit in January, there's a shop in Brooklyn, NY called Kinjisan. They have a big internet presence, and their storefront should have a bunch of stuff to try on. They're typically the cheapest place online here. If you're serious about buying stuff, I'd call them when you get here to see what they have available to try on. And we definitely need to meet up at honbu for a class!

Update... I just ordered a Shureido K-11 last night. I called Shureido USA, and they had me give them a bunch of measurements of myself and my current gi in order to figure out the best size and cut for me. The process took about a half hour. Emi (the lady that does the sizing stuff) even had me text her a picture of me in my current gi to get a better idea of what I was looking for. She also gave me a ton of great info about how much it'll shrink, where it'll shrink, how long it'll take to fully shrink, washing and drying, etc. She even told me where to have the tailor cut to account for the shrinkage. Good thing I called and ordered from Shureido USA, because I would have gotten a size and a half too small if I ordered online. They cost about $15 more than other sellers, but I saved paying shipping at least 3 times - to me, return, and back to me. Hopefully this is the gi I've been looking for. I want a lighter weight K-10, and the K-11 seems to fit the bill. I'll know when it gets here. Now to stalk FedEx Ground drivers!

Not to be "that guy," but wasn't there a situation somewhere in the South where people were being lured somewhere through this game and then robbed?

I think we should make reasonable accommodations to include as many people as reasonably possible. Key word being reasonable. It's unreasonable to allow someone not to bow to their instructors, classmates, etc. I an exception becomes unreasonable when it becomes a distraction to the group at large and/or detracts from what's being taught. I heard a story of a female student in my former organization who refused to spar against men. She'd do all drills and pre-arranged sparring with men, just not free-sparring. She was allowed to do this at the dojo she was a part of (not mine), with the understanding that she would have to spar against men (and women) during dan testing. Dan testing was done at our honbu by the head of the organization. Apparently she was a victim of sexual assault. Had she not been given this exception, she'd have never joined. She was a very good karateka and person by everyone who knew her's account. She made it through shodan and nidan testing, but she needed a lot of encouragement and consoling. Sitting back and criticizing it is easy. I'm sure it was quite difficult for her to do what she did under her circumstances. If you always say "Nope. No exceptions. Good bye," you're going to miss out on some people who will contribute a lot to what you do. Just my opinion.

No matter what you do, once someone has God attached to anything, you're not going to change their mind. Rightfully or not, it's the way it is. As an example Sensei8, would it change your opinion of bowing to a picture of your Soke and Dai-Soke at shomen or shinzen? We start every class with the following: Shinzen ni rei Kaicho ni rei Nidaime ni rei Our shinzen has Seido Juku's kanji There's a picture of Kaicho Nakamura And a picture of his son Nidaime (second in line) Akira Nakamura I don't view any of it as worship. I view it as showing respect individually for the entire organization and what it stands for, showing respect for Kaicho and what he's done, and for Nidaime and what he's done. Neither of those two individuals are Gods nor God-like in any way, shape or form. And if you asked them, they'd confirm just that. When I've taken class in their immediate presence I've bowed to them (along with the rest of the senior black belts), and I view their pictures as nothing different than that. I'm not going to change your mind, and I don't want to; your beliefs are yours and you have them due to life experience. Those students have their beliefs, as misguided or ill informed as they may be; they are their beliefs and won't change. But in all fairness, I can't see how it would have worked out for those students in the long run. If they were informed of this protocol/ritual/practice/tradition (I hate to use words that could be twisted or misinterpreted as religious) from the beginning, they shouldn't have started in the first place. It was only a matter of time before they found something else as a conflict of religious belief and left IMO. I'm surprised they started at all.

My former Sensei used to do 3 private/intro lessons before a new student was allowed to train. The majority of the first class was discussion about the art, dojo, and the student, and etiquette. Then it was on to how to wear your gi, tie your belt, stances, turns, etc. He'd do 1-3 lessons depending on the individual. He always had a 10th-8th kyu only class to further help the transition. These students weren't allowed in all ranks classes without his permission. I think it definitely helped retain students. They weren't thrown into the mix. My current dojo doesn't do this, but it's due to we're pretty small and don't have very many newcomers very often. We're very black belt heavy, adults-wise. I'm one of about regular 4 kyu adults. We all help new students transition. Well typically have a black belt line up next to a new student or put them in the middle of the line so they have people on all sides of them to mirror once we get going for their first few classes. Everyone remembers when they first started and tries to help a new student get comfortable.

I figured they'd take the rest of month off (and subsequently not pay for that month) if they're taking a week or two off. I'd imagine same thing probably happens, albeit to a lesser extent, during Christmas season. I'm against contracts too, as I feel like it turns the MA into too much of a business and traps people in, but your case makes me rethink that one. And if it's a significant investment and source of income, it must be treated as a business (off the floor anyway). Due to a rib injury and helping my father clean out a building he's near closing on, I've only been to the dojo about 4 times since the first weekend of June. Not once did I think of telling my CI I'm taking the month off without paying for it just to save the money. I figure it makes up for the times I trained more than usual and it helps keep the dojo there. Maybe I'm the schmuck?

I knew she was "the one" the moment I met her In all seriousness, I've been interested in combative arts for as long as I can remember. Between Kung Fu Theatre the WWF and countless MA movies, I was hooked. My father and his brothers were TKD black belts when they were in Beirut, Lebanon in the 60s-70s. The TKD they practiced wasn't sport TKD; rather it was a lot like Kyokushin with some protective gear and a little more emphasis on head kicks. My uncles would spar with my cousins and I any chance they had. One uncle also wrestled Greco Roman and would wrestle with us too. I started wrestling around 3rd grade, and stayed with it until I graduated high school. I loved it from the first day, or perhaps from the moment I heard about it and was given permission. I remember not being able to sleep the night before, like it was Christmas Eve. I knew karate was for me when I saw what I assume was a Kyokushin demo when I was in 2nd grade. Guys were breaking stuff, fighting bare knuckle knockdown, doing some bo, sai, and katana. It was awesome. I begged my father to join, but he said it was "too aggressive." I guess it was his way of saying MA shouldn't be bare knuckle. I started practicing karate at 18. My girlfriend at the time's mother ran a daycare and got a Sensei to let her and her daughter to train for free, and me to pay $25/month because she got about 12 kids and parents to sign up. The night before my first class was exactly like the night before my first wrestling practice- like Christmas Eve. I trained 4-5 nights a week, with most nights being back to back classes, for almost 7 years. I left to go to grad school, and life got in the way for 15 years. I don't regret my 15 year hiatus, but I definitely thought about when I'd be able to return just about every single day. So again, it was love at first sight.

I hate to ask, but do students pay for the month, regardless of how many classes they attend? Summer vacations and the like should naturally change the attendance, but not the cash flow. Perhaps next time consider contracts. Not long term, cash grabbing McDojo contracts, but a contract that guarantees cash flow when students are away for a week or two. I know, I'm over-simplifying here.