JR 137

Great post and congratulation, Hawkmoon. Life takes us where it takes us, and sometimes all we can do is play the cards we're dealt. Your test reminded me of mine... My sensei had us do 100 front kicks, roundhouse kicks, side kicks, and hook kicks with each leg, hitting pads held by black belts. When we were done (there were 2 of us testing for shodan), he says "Now that we're done with warmups, we can begin." Begin??? After basically re-taking every single promotional test from white belt up, we finished with a 25 man kumite. It's was knockdown style, only we wore hand, foot, and head protection. We only had 1 day, but it was 8am until about 4pm. Zero breaks. We brought a water bottle and were allowed sips here and there, but if I dont think I had time to even drink half of it. We ended with a 3 minute round of kumite between the two of us testing. We both had this burst of energy because we knew it was the last thing, but we burned ourselves out in about a minute. I'm pretty sure we looked like zombies at that point. I remember telling my father and uncles about it the next day at a family cookout, as my arms and legs were covered in bruises. I only had 3 or 4 bruises on my chest and none on my face/head, so I did pretty good. I can't wait to see what Kaicho Nakamura has in store for me when I test for shodan under him. Should be interesting. Hanshi Arneil is a living legend. It's a HUGE honor to be tested and recognized by him. Much respect.

I teach middle school science and have taught physical education. In a good way, you're preaching to the choir about the virtues of teaching. I'd rather teach physical education full time, but I am where I am due to the job market. No complaints though. I just started training again in February. I'm studying Tadashi Nakamura's Seido karate, which came from his legendary Kyokushin days, although it's not full-contact and competition oriented. 15 years ago I was getting ready to test for 2nd dan in a system that was founded by a former Seido and Kyokushin sensei. Had to leave when I went away for graduate school. My former career (sports medicine) left zero time to train; I averaged every other Sunday off and typically worked 10-8 during the week. My family was my biggest motivator for leaving the field, and karate was number 2. My at least 10 years figure comes from I wouldn't feel comfortable opening a school until I reach 3rd dan. Not from a number of stripes on my belt thing or impressing prospective students thing, but a body of knowledge standpoint. I'm not sure what Seido's minimum qualifications are for opening a dojo. I haven't seen any CIs under 3rd dan, coincidentally. My old sensei pushed me to teach. He thought another student and I would be very good at running our own dojos when the time came. He wouldn't have made any money or gained anything other than pride from us opening our own dojos, so it wasn't like it wasn't genuine. The other guy is a cop in the next town over and doesn't have the time to do it. I'll start to put a plan into action the day after my 3rd Dan test, if that's where life takes me. Until then, I'm going through all the ranks all over again. Getting my skills up to where they once were, improving my knowledge of them them, and all that fun stuff. 10 years was a ballpark number. Could be more, could be less. At 3rd Dan, if I'm not ready, I'll probably never be ready. To bring it back to the original topic... When I open my own dojo, I won't make it too overwhelming! Seido link... http://www.seido.com Nakamura was/is respectively William Oliver's and Charles Martin's teacher. If you've never seen the movie Fighting Black Kings, definitely check it out. Amazon Instant Video has it for about $7. It's about the first World Open Full-Contact Karate Tournament in Japan. 70s blaxploitation meets Bloodsport, only its real. It was a Kyokushin propaganda film, but it's still great. I can't stop watching it.

I enjoyed your post Dave, has made me think, "Sport" karate and traditional karate, are they mutually exclusive, can someone who practises traditional karate be competitive in Open tournaments....... One mindset says beat the other guy any way possible and the other says you are competing against yourself. Interesting topic. I'm traditional, yet from 1964 to 1990 I competed in open tournaments quite often; I did very well. From 1964 - 1977, I competed in Open Tournaments every single week, and from 1977 - 1984, I competed in Open Tournaments once a month, and from 1984 - 1990, I competed in Open Tournaments once per quarter. My last tournament was the 1990 Bakersfield California All Open Tournament where I took home 4 Grand Championships and one 1st Place trophy(s). During all of those years I competed, I never once did what the OP speaks towards; I didn't need to. If I lost, I lost, and if I won, I won!! Did you compete in the All-Valley Under 18 Karate Tournament in '84? I saw that tourney on TV. Sorry, couldn't help it. Being from the valley and competing during that time.

I'm seriously considering opening a dojo part-time when I'm qualified to do so. My CI has it the way I'd do it - teach a few nights a week, charge enough to keep the place open, further his studies, and take a nice vacation or two every year. He and his wife recently retired from their day jobs, so they may advertise a bit and try to get some more students. I think he's comfortable the way it is and has been for over 25 years and doesn't want to make it chore though. In a perfect world, I'd do the same. It won't be possible for at least 10 years or so though. And it's more than just a "that would be cool" thought. Who knows where life will take me.

As a student, I've never felt overwhelmed by the requirements. I've always felt that if I couldn't get all my requirements done in time to grade, then I wasn't ready to test. What's another few months when MA is supposed to be a lifetime study? Then again, I've never had requirements that were too demanding. Don't want to/can't go to black belt clinic? You don't gain the knowledge. Don't want to attend a specific number of classes at honbu in order to take your black belt test? Don't take the test until you can, as its unofficially part of the test. Honbu was 10 miles away, so it wasn't unrealistic to require us to attend 10 classes there, free of charge no less, before we took our shodan test. People have families, jobs, school, etc. Some places forget that life actually exists outside the dojo, and that families, jobs/school are far more important than MA. If my instructors couldn't accept the fact that I have higher priorities than my MA training, I'd happily find a different dojo aligned with my priorities. I hate to say it, but at the end of the day it's a hobby. It's not putting food on the table, paying the bills, keeping my family together, etc. In that context, it's just a hobby. I have no problem admitting it, nor do I regret saying it.

I fully agree. However, Kyokushin is very heavy on fitness to reach their goals. They have specific requirements of knuckle push-ups, fingertip push-ups, squats, and so on for each rank - kyu and dan level. This goes hand and hand with the number of opponents faced in full contact kumite for each rank. I've always kind of viewed push-ups and sit-ups during class as filler or time wasting stuff, but I get it. It's pretty hard to argue with the Kyokushin mentality when it comes to standards of fitness, stamina and kumite requirements. The OP is studying what appears to be a very close spinoff of Kyokushin. Kyokushin probably has a heavier emphasis on full contact kumite than any other traditional organization. With the emphasis on that, it's a no-brainer to make strength and endurance training part of the formal curriculum.

A lot of Kyokushin dojos require an Isami brand gi with Kyokushin kanji embroidered. Being that you're training in a Kyokushin spinoff, I'm assuming that this is a carry-over. My understanding of it is it's done for uniformity (no pun intended), and the whole everyone wears the same thing and is on an equal level (no one walking in flaunting $300 gis). That's all fine and good IMO so long as you like the gi, it fits right, and it's priced competitively. If it's an Isami gi, it's a well made gi that's worth the cost (relative to gis of equal quality). For a kid, that's another story, as they outgrow things a lot faster than we would. If it doesn't fit right, respectfully ask if you can get a different brand gi embroidered. I think they prefer the embroidery as it's more professional looking and less temporary looking. Again, Isami gis are quite good gis, they're just not very popular in karate outside of Kyokushin for some reason. I think they're a lot more popular in judo and maybe non-Brazilian jujitsu.

Completely agreed. It's not just the MA. Substitute weight loss or physical fitness for MA in your post, and it really smacks you in the face of how bad it really is. How many people have collections of exercise equipment in their basement or thd latest (at the time) workout craze DVDs in a closet somewhere? I've got a total gym in my closet. In all fairness, I don't have space to use it properly since I moved. Once the clown downstairs leaves and takes his stuff in the basement with him (including a treadmill, elliptical runner, and rowing machine covered with boxes of junk), I'll set it up along side a heavy bag that's in my shopping cart waiting for the day he leaves. He's also got an exercise bike and that ab wheel thing in the shed. I guess him and his family didn't realize working out every single day isn't as fun as the commercials make it out to be. Sorry for the rant, I'm just fed up with the guy and all his stuff EVERYWHERE.

I don't mean this the wrong way, Luther, but ... If he was already there, your dream was opening a dojo, and the realistically best place for you was a 2 minute walk from his place, would you do it? This isn't a guy that owes you anything, and you don't owe him anything. It's one thing if you're both under the same organization; quite another if you're not. I'm not saying this thinking you've got insecurities about anything at all; just playing devil's advocate.

I thought it would be at your dojo. I wouldn't drive out 30 miles each way unless I had the time on my hands and he made an offer I couldn't refuse. And even then, it would be my way or no way. Kinda like Mr. Miyagi without disguising blocks as chores. He'd have to catch a fly with chopsticks though.

And here I was going to talk you into giving the guy a chance... What was your motivation for starting MA? We all came to the dojo with different expectations and ideas of what it was going to be and what the training would entail. What I know now really doesn't align with what I thought it would be. Where I am after training is a completely different place. I'm sure very, very few of us can honestly say we joined for all the right reasons, and every one of those reasons are all still valid today. Treat him like any other student. He's a beginner, even though he doesn't think he is. Even though you don't think he is. You never know, he may turn out to be a great student once he and you get passed that initial not truly knowing what to expect stage. Or he could get even worse. Only one way to find out.

Talk to your sensei about it. He/she may not know it's happening and may want to know about it. Don't go in complaining and demanding that the instructor be dealt with though. Politely inform your sensei, and leave it at that. If you don't like the way it's handled from there, that's another ball of wax. For the record, only an idiot would say what he's saying. Reminds me of a soccer coach telling his kids to knock the ball down with their hands if it went over their heads while defending when I was refereeing. I stopped play, went over to the coach and politely informed him that an intentional hand ball is an automatic red card (thrown out of game, team plays short handed, and the kid has to sit the next game). I told him I'd give him one too because his player was following his instructions. His response - "We're awful; we've got to compete somehow!" My response - "they're 7 years old, you're supposed to teach them how to play the game instead of how to cheat to stay competitive." Some people just don't get it.

Ouch! And I'm NO "scam artist teaching fly-by-night Rex Kwon Do." I don't have a website/facebook, our Hombu doesn't have a website, and neither of us truly want a website, and my reasons as to why can be found somewhere here at KF!! Btw, I'm quite finished defending our/my reasons for not having/wanting a website!! A WEBSITE MEANS NOTHING...IMHO!! Why? Proof is ON THE FLOOR, and not in some website! I've known and seen so many schools of the MA that have running water and power and real MA training, but their ineffective across the board. I take offense to being lumped as a fake, and this is what I'm being told that that I am. If I am, then so is our Soke, Dai-Soke, student body, and Shindokan!! I've more important things to worry about than creating and managing a website, like, teach Shindokan, and administrate the SKKA!! I respect those who do have a website, but I'm/we're lampooned and lambasted mercilessly because I/We don't have a website!! I think you took his post the wrong way, sensei. I'm pretty sure he was referring to public/uninformed potential students' perception than reality. When looking for a dojo, the one I chose didn't have a running website (it was down), and the Facebook page wasn't very good. It's sole purpose was to let students know of scheduling changes due to weather or the like, remind them of special events and times, and post some pictures in case students wanted them. They now have a simple website - http://www.adirondackseidokarate.com I think it's crucial to have a web presence. Doesn't have to be elaborate; just something stating who you are, what you do, how to contact you, and when classes are available. I don't have Facebook (yes, that one person in the universe without it is me!) nor care for it, but it's a good way of easily communicating a student body and potentially making things more personal. Have a look at our dojo's page - https://m.facebook.com/AdirondackSeidoKarate If you scroll down to the photos section, I'm in the first pic, standing with Tadashi Nakamura

It could be an unofficial (best way I can call it) kihon kata; a kata to introduce kata, so to speak. I have no experience with Van Clief's system, so I may be off base here. Empi is an advanced kata typically taught in Shotokan and styles that were influenced by it, I believe. There's a lot of different versions of it, and some schools do several different versions of it as well. Seido does what we call Seido Empi No Dai and Sho at higher black belt ranks, 3rd and 4th dan, I believe. I'm not anywhere near that rank yet; I've only seen them when in class with someone that rank, so I'm speculating. I think Shotokan does Empi at or very close to black belt.

Sooo many "tough guys" came and went during my tenure. Usually the amount of conditioning we did got them. The remaining 10% of them or so couldn't handle all that work for no instant success. Unless you have some judo or jujitsu experience, or are only wrestling against other beginners, there's zero instant success. And judo/jujitsu experience only carries you so far. We used to say it takes at least a year to get competitive if you're a good athlete. Closer to two years. Very few people can handle all that work for "nothing."

Weird Al and Frank Yankovic are not related. Common misconception because they have the same last name and play the accordion.

Or could it be that you are far more aware of your mistakes and know your body better than you did 3 years ago? Maybe looking at some video footage of then vs now would shed some light on it for you, if you have any of course. Another thought crossed my mind after I posted... Could it be that you and your classmates are progressing at the same rate? My CI was telling us about when he was in his kyu days, several students approached his (their) teacher out of frustration that they didn't feel like they were getting better. The same people were 'winning' during kumite, the better kata performers were always better than their counterparts, and so on. Their teacher told them that they were all improving at the same rate (relatively speaking), so it wasn't easy for them to see themselves get better than each other. He said that after owning his own dojo for close to 30 years now, he sees it all the time. If there was any video of his students, they'd easily see the improvements. We don't video ourselves often, if at all, so it's not like we're going to review the tape to confirm. Just a thought.

As a former wrestler and assistant wrestling coach, I can honestly say that I've learned some of the most valuable life lesson from wrestling. There's no sport that's got the level of accountability that wrestling does. Come to think about it, boxing probably has the same level. But I don't think there's the whole team/dual meet points. But I digress... In wrestling, there's no one to blame but yourself. YOU win, and YOU lose. You don't have the best game of your life that someone else messes up by dropping the game winning catch in the end zone. You don't have an absolutely horrible game, yet your team smacked the other team. You make or miss weight. I got robbed by a bad referee call once. The ref called me pinned about 3 seconds after the buzzer went off. Even the other team's fans booed. My coach and the other team's coach argued it, asking if I was pinned before the buzzer went off, but he slapped the mat afterward. He said "I have no idea, I didn't hear the buzzer." Seriously. I went to my bench, thinking I'd get some sort of sympathy from my coach. Know what I got? "IT WOULD NEVER HAD HAPPENED IF YOU WEREN'T ON YOUR BACK IN THE FIRST PLACE!" I had no come back. Accountability.

To expand on IcemanSK's post (if I may), the problem that Michael Jordan and so many others like him had was probably the mentality of "how can you NOT see this" or "how can you NOT do this?" Because it comes so naturally to them, they have a very tough time explaining it. The person who's struggled with it, and came up with a way for it to make sense to him/her has a far easier time relating, I think. Of course there's exceptions - Larry Bird is no slouch in coaching, but they're truly few and far between. To be honest, I can't think of any hall of fame player in any sport who had a successful head coaching career. Some have had good assistant coach careers, however.

I'm really not trying to be mean here, but I have to say it... You studied for a year about a decade ago. Forget about the old rank and style (not that I have any issue with the style). NYC is crawling with who's who of MA instructors. Visit as many dojos as you can and pick the best one for you. It'll be a combination of factors such as the teaching style, class times, location, price, and so on. There are so many legendary MAists and their students in NYC, and not just karate.

A lot of teaching, regardless of what it is you're teaching, is personality. Some people can effectively communicate what they know and get people to listen and understand it far better than others. It's all in the delivery. On the flip side, some people learn far better from certain personality types than others. Some people are far more patient than others. Some people can't handle it when you're telling someone exactly how something's done, yet the student doesn't "get it" or still can't do it. Some people have one way of thinking, and can't change the way they express the way it's done; others can see the same end result and come up with multiple ways of achieving it. It comes down to personality IMO. You either have it or you don't. There's nothing wrong with you if you don't; and you're not a better person than the rest of us if you can. Everyone's got different strengths and weaknesses. The greatest teachers surely have their weaknesses too. You can't teach a personality or learn a new one. Yes, you can go from being an ineffective teacher to a very one, but it's not easy. Then there's levels - not every elementary school teacher can teach high school or college, and vice-versa. Not every great MAist can teach. Just like not every great soldier will make a great general, every great VP won't make a great CEO, and so on.

I'm with sensei8 on this one. The outcome does matter. What's the outcome of training in the martial arts? To me, improvement. If I'm not improving, why bother being there? I'll find a place that I will improve. I like it, except for the first line. I can use most of it as 'be in the moment.' What quotes motivate me? I've got 2 that are pretty much always on my mind: "There is no substitute for hard work." A strength & conditioning coach at a college I worked at had that one up in the varsity weight room. "Everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the face." A different strength & conditioning coach had that one up at another college I worked at. I guess these strength & conditioning coaches are onto something. Both are quotes that I have yet to find an exception to. Both keep me going, in and more importantly, out of the dojo. They both get me there too. For a great perspective on life and what's truly important, read the poem "The Guy in the Glass" by Dale Wimbrow.

Everyone should know their role, yet somehow some people flat out refuse to accept it. In the dojo, I've found it hard to keep my mouth shut when people ask questions. I'm a school teacher, so my job is to answer questions. Going from being the teacher to being a low rank in the dojo isn't easy when I know the answer from my previous experience. I constantly remind myself "I'm not the teacher right now. Let the teacher teach. Keep your mouth shut!!!" MA is an odd situation. Whenever you pay for a service, you're a customer. But in the dojo, you're not really looked at as a customer. It's very similar to college. Yes you're paying to be there, but you're a student. You're not your professors' boss. Same as in the dojo - show respect, follow the rules, and if you're not happy there, find a place that's a better fit. Some people won't ever find a proper fit, however.

Solid post!! In addition, I'd not bring it up with any Sempai, and definitely not to the CI; now or ever!! It's quite...well...rude!! You're new, so the time for now is to listen, and listen only!! I wouldn't say don't ever bring it up. There's a respectful and non-knowitall way of doing it. But you've got to know the people you're asking, and they've got to know you. Just like a good joke, all in the delivery. Saying "you're mispronouncing Senpai" isn't good. Saying "I've heard other people say senpai; is that the same thing or something different?" could work, in the right context with the right people.

Osu or Oss is used in place of hai in many schools. Hai is typically Okinawan, whereas Osu is typically Japanese. The biggest Osu users are the Kyokushin schools and their spinoffs, although some Shotokan schools use it regularly. Is your Goju school Okinawan Goju or Japanese? Okinawan Goju is far more common, but I've heard of Japanese Goju (mainly Goju Kai). And yes, Sempai/Senpai (pronounced sem pie) is correct, and means senior student. My advice is don't rock the boat. You're new. Correcting people your first day (figuratively) isn't a great way to earn any respect/trust/allies/etc. Give it some time, then ask about the Sempai thing.