JR 137

Didn't think you were insecure at all, Lex. Just saying that bashing others makes people look that way. I'm pretty sure you're classy enough to let people do what they want while you go about your own business.

I've never failed a promotion test, and I've never seen anyone else either. Both schools I've been affiliated with had the policy that the student is invited to test when they're ready. The student has already earned the promotion, and the test is a formality. In this instance, if the student doesn't promote, it's really a failure of the teacher and not the student IMO. I've heard of very few students failing a promotion test. They failed due to doing stupid things - disrespectful acts, giving up, and completely freezing and not being able to get back to the task at hand. Those are on the student, not the teacher. I've never failed a test, and have been invited to test every time according to schedule. There were many during my tenure who weren't allowed to test for various reasons. Most often, they just weren't ready. I don't think a student has any business testing if they haven't already earned the promotion. If they're on the bubble, that's not good enough. Kids are a different animal altogether. The true point of them in the MA is teaching a foundation, giving them all the things you see on the McDojo ads, and getting them to love the MA. If passing them along keeps them interested and motivated, then I'm ok with that for the most part. As they get older, things should change. I say around middle school age. Holding kids to adult standards is absurd. I'm all about holding them to a high standard when it comes to discipline and the like, but techniques will come with maturity. Hook them while they're young, just like the tobacco companies want to do. They'll grow into great martial artists if you let them.

I think the very first UFCs banned the follow (there may have been a few more things banned, but these are the ones that come to mind): Groin strikes and grabs Eye gouges Fish hooking the mouth Knee joint kicks Pressure point strikes I remember George Dillman immediately using the phrase "See why it's banned by the UFC!" in his kyusho (pressure point striking) ads. Kicking a downed opponent was banned immediately after the Savate stylist roundhouse kicked the Sumo stylist in the face while he has down and sent his teeth flying. Justifiably or not, I remember the strikers immediately stating the rules were biased against strikers pretty much since day one. The complained that just about every banned technique was a strike and it wasn't truly "No Holds Barred" as it was being promoted. As for me, I lost interest pretty quickly. Taking someone to the ground and holding them there to wear them down for what seemed like an hour didn't remotely resemble any real fight I had ever seen before nor since. Every time I've seen a fight go to the ground, it was accompanied by several others stomping, kicking, or hitting one or both of them. The guy on top usually gets a beer bottle to the back of the head. All this coming from a guy (me) who was wrestling and studying karate at the time. I'll take a good boxing match any day of the week. Not even close to how boxing was back in the day.

It's good to finally know the Japanese terms for this. I know there are many descriptions / variations on this concept, but I didn't know these terms yet. The same feeling that I often get! However in my experience it's not even really being 'disconnected', it's just not there. There is no 'outside' for the moment, no other place than the tatami / dojo. It's not often we get to experience it, but finding your 'happy place' can be mentally relaxing while simultaneously being focussed / aware. Perhaps disconnected isn't the best choice of words. More like it temporarily ceases to exist. When someone's throwing a punch at me, I don't have time to think about how my wife aggravated me. When someone's throwing a kick, my daughters not listening to me doesn't enter my mind. When I'm working on a kata, my job doesn't exist. Who thinks about the house being a mess or dishes needing to be done when you're on your knuckles doing push-ups on the hardwood floor? I don't.

There is no substitute for hard work. That was written on a college athletics weight room at a school I worked at. It meant a lot of things. If I owned a dojo, it would be written in kanji right next to the shinzen. I figure people would take it more seriously if it was a Japanese saying somehow. Ren Ma (keep polishing) would flank the other side. A famous football coach (which one escapes my memory) said "That which should be done tomorrow MUST be done today." I'll do it tomorrow is an excuse. One that I've used many times too, unfortunately.

Rank is a personal thing. Thinking someone isn't worthy of a certain rank when only seeing them for a few hours on one day isn't really exercising good judgement. Is rank solely based on physical ability? How much progress has the person made? Do they have any physical disabilities? Reminds me of a lady I used to train with at my old dojo. She was a 3rd dan when I started. My first several weeks training with her made me lose a lot of respect for black belts. She had everything physically memorized, but there wasn't any power behind anything. She was slow, and uncoordinated. Kicking above her waist seemed painful (not physically). She was always the first one in and the last one out. She always had a smile and a look of determination on her face. She never gave up. She did everything she was told to do, without question nor hesitation. If she couldn't do it, she'd kill herself trying. Whenever anyone had a question, she'd help. She'd show anyone anything she knew, and did quite a good job teaching it. It may not have been there physically, but she easily conveyed it. After I was around her for a few months, I felt like she earned her rank more so than anyone else there. She put more into those 3 stripes on her black belt than anyone I know. By what you've said, if you came in on the day of her 3rd dan test and knew nothing of her other than what you saw for those few hours, you'd have failed her. Her drive would have been very apparent however. Rank is a personal thing. If it wasn't, every 3rd dan would be able to outdo everything every 2nd dan in the system does. Every 1st dan would do the same to every 1st kyu, and on and on. Yes there's a physical standard we expect. But it's not the only standard. Growth is most important when promoting IMO. Maybe I've got it wrong.

Have two conversations asap!! First have one with the recreation center management, but only with those that have the authority to make any changes long lasting. To discuss the possible ramifications of playing both ends against one another at the same time. Can't eat the cake if theirs no milk to wash it down...Can't eat the cake and have the cake at the same time. Second conversation with the other school. It's not about who was here first, but it's about minimizing indifferences so that there can be a cooperation between the two, and that the students are provided a solid foundation of quality instructions. Bottom line, be better than the competition across the board, and if not, yield the ground! Both conversations must be held professionally if either are to reach a amicable solution to the problem(s) at hand. Attack the problem, and NOT ONE ANOTHER!! BE THAT CONSUMATE PROFESSIONAL...even if it's going to kill you to do so!! What he said. Speak to both parties. If nothing happens, do what he does- advertise to his target demographic. Don't bash him, no matter how hard it is. Potential students will view it as you being insecure. I've spoken to my CI several times about other dojos in our area. He always says, in one way or another "they've got to do what they've got to do. We don't have to do that."

Funny thing about doing my kicks the way I described above is I noticed I have to lean a lot less when throwing them now. I feel like it's a lot more of just my legs having to kick, which means I'm rooted more. Being more rooted means more powerful kicks. I've only been at it 3 weeks now, but I feel so much better.

I've used the bungy-cord type rope you're referring to, but not in karate. Resisted running and jumping stuff mainly. One of my favorites was sprinting to a medicine ball, and running out of rope right before you could grab it. The standing and hitting pads that you do sounds like a great idea. That's all about core stability. People focus so much on arm and leg strength. If your torso can't stay upright while throwing strikes, they're never going to be nearly as effective. Fighting a person with a torso that's so strong it can't be moved is brutal. I learned that one the hard way playing (American) football defensive line and wrestling. Facing a few guys about 20 years who didn't budge no matter how hard I pushed changed the way I look at strength training to this day. Everything I do in the weight room is standing up. What's the point in bench pressing 300 lbs if you can't stand and push that much weight? I do standing single arm "bench" presses on a pulley tower, among other things.

Everyone's overtraining point is different. Seeing a plateau is a sign; not being able to get stronger/better no matter how hard you push. Yes, everyone has limits, but plateauing before those limits are reached are a warning sign. Constant fatigue is another sign. Exercise should make you feel more energetic and physically better overall. That doesn't mean that if you're tired for a day or two here and there you're overdoing it; but if you generally feel worse off because of training, then you're overtraining. Insomnia is another sign. Just like being overtired leads to worse sleep, overtraining does the same. Constant setbacks due to injury. Constant muscle pulls, sprains, etc. tell you you need to slow down. When people go too far, they actually decrease in performance. People get weaker and slower. As important as training is, proper rest and nutrition are equally important. Improper rest leads to more injuries, and improper nutrition leads to greater recovery time and decreases in performance. I was an athletic trainer (sports med, not personal trainer) for 15 years. Most of that time was spent with NCAA Div I men's basketball and men's soccer. Basketball is notorious for overtraining, and the season is very long.

AKA muscle memory. Several elite athletes have said that when it really matters most, it's like time slows down/everything moves in slow motion. I remember Michael Jordan specifically saying this.

Is a practitioner or Bartitsu referred to as a Barista? Sorry, couldn't help it.

I haven't heard those, but I've frequently heard Mu Shin - No mind.

I don't know if it's moving zen or moving meditation, but the dojo is the only place I have ever gone to that I can completely leave the rest of the world behind. I don't have a single thought other than the task at hand. No job, wife, kids, deadlines, unfinished chores, nor anything else. It's been a very difficult few months; the dojo is the only place if feel disconnected from it all. We had a meditation class last week (our dojo does this monthly, which is a common Seido tradition), and I was discussing this with my CI afterward. He nodded and said "my brother used to call this place his therapy." Quite fitting.

And if politics don't divide an organization, money will. The whole 'why am I paying dues to you and getting nothing in return?' mentality.

The way it should be IMO.

When do the polls open? Vote early, vote often! Kidding about the often part.

Excellent choice. Congrats Kyonovice! Great having you here.

Proper cool down helps a lot. A lot of static stretching afterwards as well. Not stretching too far, but long sustained deep stretching. Contrary to popular belief, muscle soreness is not caused by a build up of lactic acid; it's the inflammatory response itself. Where there's muscle damage (exercise is controlled muscle damage), there's inflammation. When you're more sore than usual, one of the best things to do is light activity followed by stretching. Basically a warm up and stretch. Helps circulate

Comes across perfectly clear to me; I'm a school teacher too (MS Science). I'm in a private school, so I'm not married to standardized tests. My opinion is if you're going to formally test for dan ranks, you should also test for kyu ranks. Why should the most important (so to speak) tests be your first ones? Would it make sense if the SAT or ACT was the first test a high school student ever took? Kyu tests help prepare students for dan tests and being black belts after a test IMO. I view the test as part of the education process, not its own separate entity. I'm not an MA teacher, so maybe I'm off here. The highest I've attained was shodan (was invited to test for nidan and was preparing for it when I left for grad school). Getting back into karate and starting over from white belt in a very close system (my former teachers were former students of Nakamura), I love testing. The new belt doesn't mean much to me; I love the test itself. It keeps my honest to myself regarding my progress. But I really like what you said about when a student shows they're ready to move on to the next kata, but not other aspects of their rank and therefore not moving forward. I guess no matter what you do, there's always a bump in the road, or a odd situation that doesn't follow the true intent of why what's being done. Solve that one, and a different unforeseen glitch surfaces.

An old thread, but I had to dig it up because I miss boxing soooo much. I grew up watching Hagler, Hearnes, Leonard, and Duran. Whenever they fought, it was like the Super Bowl. Everyone got together. I started losing interest around the time De La Hoya retired. There was a dip in talent, PPV had a monopoly on good fights, HBO basically threw in the towel, and I think regular boxing like Tuesday Night Fights on USA Network went off the air. My 2 favorites to watch, which are a tie... Julio Cesar Chavez - The knockout artist who didn't have a typical knockout punch. He wore his opponents down using angles and a solid mix of body shots and head shots. It seemed like he knocked out everyone in the 7th round. He could box and stand toe to toe. Always looked like he got stronger as the fight wore on. Always looked like he was in control. Never looked beat up after a fight until he fought De La Hoya the first time. Mike Tyson - If he could have kept his head on straight, I think he'd have been the best of all time. After D'Amato and Abrams's death, he fired anyone around him who wasn't a yes man. Surrounded himself with people who only told him what he wanted to hear, not what he had to hear. He forgot that his movement was what made him such a hard target and explosive puncher/counter puncher. He figured he could knock anyone out with 1 punch. He was right, but he didn't remember that anyone else could do the same. He only trained for 3 days for Buster Douglas. And it showed. After Douglas, he stood up straight and threw haymakers. He became a punching bag for anyone who knew how to keep him on the outside and move. Holyfield and Lennox Lewis exploited this.

I really like your post. It put things I was thinking into words. My old school/organization and current one are a lot different when it comes to kyu tests. In my old dojo, the dojo would be closed for the night, and there would be 2-3 tests, separated by rank and age. The head of our organization or the second in line would test the students. Our sensei would be on the floor, but not saying a word. The seniors would have scoring sheets and write comments. It was kind of a production compared to what goes on in my current dojo... Testing is held during regular class times. The juniors test during the regular juniors class on Tuesday, and the adults are tested during all rank adults class on Thursday. Adults come to help with the kids' test. Adults testing on their day are required to stay for the next class, which is black belts class, to spar them for approximately half the class. Tests are held just like regular class, except the ones testing have the focus and attention on them. They're out in the middle of the floor leading kata (everyone else is a count behind them); they're out a step further during kihon and the like. Everyone takes a turn with them during partner stuff. It's kind of like regular class were we go through the syllabus, only everything is covered, the CI throws curveballs to keep you guessing, and the pace and intensity are ramped up a few notches. A lot of people who don't normally go to that class and aren't testing attend to be a part of it (we're very family-like), and because it's going to be a tough workout. I much prefer my current dojo's method. It's our CI running a regular class on steroids, and most of the dojo is there. We typically have 2-3 adults testing. I was the only one testing once. We've got a very small dojo - around 25 adults, with about 17 being black belts (including the CI, his wife, and his right hand man).

The last student I promoted to brown went this way. I watched him for the past 2 years of training, saw where he was at at the belt prior to brown belt (we have 3 brown belts), and decided he deserved his first brown belt. I called him out at the end of class, opened my briefcase and handed him a certificate and belt for 3rd kyu. Simple, huh? No pushups (they do those every class anyway), no massive kata drills (these do kata every class anyway), and no sparring (they do that most classes anyway). Esentially, that student had been testing weekly (every class) for the past 2 YEARS! Personally, I don't see a point in a "formal" testing process like you described. I've actually been thinking about this a lot lately. Why do we subject students to testing? Is it simply because of tradition? We know they're ready. We often hear, and say, that a sensei would not be testing a student if they did not believe in their readiness. If we only test those we feel are deserving, ready, and (most importantly) capable of passing, then why do we test? It's an interesting topic and one that I think deserves deeper consideration. That being said, those requirements are fairly standard and seems to be the same ones (more or less) that I was held to when I tested for that rank. Good luck! Several reasons why tests are given, all in my opinion... Tradition: Although how old is it really, seeing as how belts didn't enter the picture until the 1910s or so in judo. I've heard of certificates or scrolls denoting abilities, lineage, seniority, etc., so perhaps those were tested as well. Rite of passage/ritual: Seems like the right thing to do. Why give a promotion without the person proving one last time that they're worthy of advancing before a board of some sort? Part of the training: The test itself can be a teaching tool. Teaches people how to respond to pressure. Teaches how to succeed and/or fail gracefully. The person administering the test isn't the students' CI: My CI promotes up to 1st kyu. Kaicho Tadashi Nakamura administers dan tests. Quality control, if you will. My CI is a 7th dan, and I'm pretty sure he can promote students up to a certain dan rank. Not sure which. Being relatively close to honbu (2.5 hours drive), he has his students test for all dan ranks at honbu. Other dojos that are further away test up to a lower dan rank in-house. Nakamura prides himself on knowing as many students in the organization as possible. He's quite good at remembering names of students outside his dojo. There's an international Seido seminar/clinic every year, and dan testing is a part of it. Not sure what the policy is for people who genuinely can't afford to travel to honbu to test. I'm sure there's something in place. I've seen some international dojos fundraise to send students. Nakamura and his son also travel to international dojos regularly.

Will people have to pay to see the videos? Will you receive money in any way? I'm sure people will be willing to do it if someone else isn't profiting from them without being compensated.

Training at both places sounds rational at this point. Make sure you speak with your sensei about it, and let him know why. Some people get weird about that, and not to stereotype, but Kyokushin guys are very traditional IMO; your situation is unique, so it shouldn't be taken the wrong way by him if fully explained.