MatsuShinshii

Agreed wholeheartedly.

Agreed Alan. I did not mean to imply that you should intentionally try to wear your body out but rather that your body will fail with age whether you never do a thing or engage in the arts. To me I would rather do the things I love and if the machine breaks down along the way, so be it. As far as getting the right nutrients goes, I have no choice. My wife is like my old drill instructor and keeps me on the straight and narrow. Well I might cheat from time to time but don't tell her. I'm afraid of that woman.

I love and respect your values and the fact that you put your students before yourself. Again I bow to you.

Just read your post and I have to say it's spot on!

I can explain this phenomenon in three words; Fast food mentality. Kids today have an instant gratification expectation in all things they do. All information is at their fingers by surfing the web where we used to read books. Some schools have identified this and have added belts or just promote quicker to keep their students engaged. I do not teach kids but my wife is a school teacher and complains every day about this. She calls it the entitlement syndrome. She says that parents no longer force their children to earn things and defend them when someone tries to force them to earn their achievements. I coached my kids sports teams for a few years and saw this first hand with "everyone gets a trophy" or "we don't keep score so there are no hard feelings". If your students have to earn something and it takes any amount of time and effort on their part most just quit and worse their parents let them and support this behavior. In my day if you joined a team or individual sport you didn't get to quit. Your father would tell you that he didn't raise quitter's. I was often looked at as the mean parent because I actually had expectations of my kids and made them earn what they had. I didn't buy them cars, they worked and saved money to buy their own. I had a job at the age of 10 (mowing lawns, raking leaves and shoveling snow) and actually went to work full time at the age of 15 with parents consent and worked part time during the school year and bought my first car in cash. My kids didn't start out quit so young because their mother had a different experience but at 14 they all were working and yep, they all bought their own cars, they didn't loose a job and they did not drop out of college. Imagine that! Funny thing is my kids are successful and most of their friends still live with there parents. My kids thank me for being hard on them as I thank my father for being hard on me. Building character and discipline in not in today's vocabulary. I qualify my students (adults 16 and up) before allowing them to fully join my school. The main thing I look for is a quitter attitude or an entitled behavior. If they show signs of these and other faulty personality traits I simply tell them they are not a good fit and show them the door. I can say that 70% of the millennium generation that darkens my Dojo doors have these traits. Very few students under the age of 20 make it past the first week. They either quit or complain until I show them the door. As for what to do about it if your income relies upon kids classes... work on the parents. I feel for your Sensei but unfortunately this is a learned behavior and the days of working for your achievements are over. EVERYONE GETS A TROPHY. We wouldn't want those that fall short to work harder so we degrade the achievements of those that put in the hard effort until everyone are looser's. And yes I am quite opinionated when it comes to this subject. I watched this attitude in my kids friends and hear how their parents are heart broken because their kids dropped out of college or can't keep a job and are still living with them. I'm an empty nester and don't have those issues but I still have to deal with it in terms of work. You can not imagine how many young men show up thinking they deserve to make "$X" and have no experience what so ever. Or those that don't want to work 40 hrs a week. The list of faulty personality traits go on and on. The problem is they are never called out for their laziness or their parents come to the rescue. I couldn't even begin to tell you what the solution is because we would have to go back in time and knock some sense into their parents thick skulls. Best I can say is choose your students wisely. Vet them so to speak before allowing them to join and make sure of what your getting. Or you could go the route of the McDojo's and just give them belts to keep them interested. As long as they feel a false sense of achievement they will keep coming back. Of course I am joking and would hope no one here would encourage this type of behavior.

Sorry double posted.

Just like any mechanical working part, the harder and longer that you work it, the quicker it will wear down. Engines do not last forever and neither do body parts. Having said that and understanding the cost, I would not change anything over the years. I have arthritis in my knuckles but still practice on a Makiwara every day. My knees are going by the way side but I still perform my Kata's and Hojo Undo every day. If they told me that I could stop now and never have a problem or continue and be screwed up in 4 years, I'd train for those four years and enjoy every moment. Some would disagree but I can not imagine life without Karate. To me it is life. If you love something and it gives you enjoyment, cherish every minute of it. The body is going to wear out with age anyway. Why not enjoy the things you love before it does?

Sorry I can't help but you can find a class by going to several, asking questions and watching classes to see what best fits you. Good luck.

It's made research easier or not. I can find just about anything on the web. The problem is the charlatans and wannabe's are ever present. Nothing to stop someone from posting a video and touting it as being "x". I think it is good for the experienced and informed that can sift through the fake stuff but it could be very dangerous for the inexperienced and uninformed because they would not know any better.

Those days are long gone. Boys being boys isn't within the politically correct spectrum. Do that today and parents are up in arms because their kid got whipped and it's all over the news or someone is getting sued, or worse the kid goes postal. Today as compared to when I was a kid is night and day. When I was coming up it was just boys being boys and nothing else. It built character and taught you life lessons. It also made you humble when you realized after the first time you got beat that you were not as bad as you thought you were. You respected others because you never knew what might happen if you didn't. I remember being the guy on the mat with someone pummeling me to a pulp. I can tell you I never made fun of that kid again. All apart of life's wonderful lessons when you could learn them and the only thing to fear was a good thrashing and going home with your head down to tell your parents why you have a shiner. Certainly not the same as today's youth. Ah simpler times!

NO! The customer is rarely right in my experience. I am in construction and customers often want things to be a certain way even though it will not work, be safe or meet code. The saying works in some instances but often times sitting down and politely explaining the reasons it can not be done a certain way or why they can't do it their way is the way interactions go more than not. In terms of the MA's. NO AGAIN! I do not bow down to my students wishes in terms of when they think they are ready to test or what grade they should be. In terms of idea's, I'm always open to suggestion but it is ultimately my decision and not the students. The class is ran by me. Too many chief's and not enough indian's never works. My door is open to any of my students but they do not call the shots I do. It's as simple as that. If it were the customers always right, just imagine how many unworthy black belts we would have or how many one year black belts we would have. Isn't that the main goal for beginning students? If you ask them what their goal is, it's to earn their black belt. It's not until years later than their attitudes change and the belts no longer are the ultimate goal. NO ONE will tell me who is ready, when, how fast or how to run my classes. That is my decision and mine alone. A student doesn't teach the class so why would give in to their wishes? I'm the teacher, end of story. Shinshii is always right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well maybe not but to my students I am. This is the only way to control a class size over 30 students. Keep the animals at bay.

I just proof read my post and realized that some may not know what I'm talking about. Master = the certificate that is awarded to the student. Copy = an identical certificate to the master (no it is not copied in a copier) that is kept at the Hombu. If the student looses their certificate we can issue this one. It is also handy if the student moves and joins another organization and the new instructor wants proof of rank. In which case it is scanned or copied and sent to them. This is pretty old school in methodology but it has worked for us and still does for all Yudansha and Kodansha grading's as we still use this method for them. We all agreed organization wide that we would not produce a Dan certificate that could be issued without the Hombu's consent. And since every student travels to the Hombu for Dan testing it makes perfect sense to keep it this way. We have an electronic log book for Dan grading's as well, albeit redundancy.

For the longest time we have been very out of date in our record keeping. We used a log book, master and copy certificates. The student receives the master, the copy would be filed at the hombu and all of the important information would be logged in the log book. The master certificate would be placed under the row in the log book and the copy above the row and all three would be stamped. This is how it has been done for as long as I can remember. Recently (4 years ago) we transitioned to using excel to keep our records and using an electronic stamp. Our whole certificates are done on the computer now. Each one of the CI's have received electronic certificates that they can print out. They still have to right in the cert. number and write in the students name but the grades from Hachikyu to Ikkyu are already on the certifications. Some like this as it seems to be very convenient and others like me think they look cheap. However I do like the excel log book as any CI can look back at any promotion or look up a name and grade if a student moves and joins your school. As far as any other record keeping (forms, consent letters, etc.) they are scanned in and sent electronically to the Hombu which is a heck of a lot easier than the old snail mail method when you need to make multiple copies in case it's lost by our great postal service. I'm sure there are much better and more professional ways to do this but this is as electronically advanced as we have gotten.

Tough decision but in my mind you did the responsible thing and the honorable thing. I know that it wasn't easy but it was the right thing. My deepest admiration for your ethic's. I bow to you. On another note I deeply hope everything comes out ok with your tests and you can return to life as you wish to live it. It's scary to think of the unknowns as I have been through this with a cancer scare and my father and even friends have been through medical scares. The thing to do is to stay positive and face it in your own way. Keep your head up and I'll be praying for you and your family. God bless.

Labels! This is akin to the label Master. Many use these terms to describe someones skill level, knowledge level or just because they reach a specified grade. To me elite describes the top percentile of the art/sport/institution. What makes someone elite? are they the best of the best? If not then why are they considered elite? Is the grade of Sandan considered elite? I didn't consider myself elite as a Sandan and still do not as a Nanadan. This is the same as the label Master. To me this is as far from the correct usage as you can get. Maybe the founder or acting head of an organization can reasonably use this title but most use it to label those that have reached Yondan or Godan gradings. To me this does not fit the definition of the term. Master means you have mastered and have nothing left to learn. Elite means your better than the other 99% of your peers. Can a Sandan claim to be better than the rest of your organization? Can a Godan claim to have mastered everything? I am now a Nanadan and can honestly say I have mastered nothing and I can certainly say I do not consider myself Elite. These labels are nothing more than a way to make those that are granted them feel good about themselves. Unless your in the top 1% of your art I don't think claiming elite status is right and unless you have nothing left to learn you can not claim to be a master of anything. Humility and maintaining a beginners mind is something not seen very often anymore. Titles do not make the person. It's just a title and nothing more.

Yes it was in my teachers back yard and there was snow on the ground. I was told to take off my shoes and join his other students. My father found this man through one of his friends at work. It was shortly after I saw "Enter the Dragon" and would not leave him alone about learning MA's. His friend studied Gung Fu and offered to ask his teacher if I could join. I met his teacher that first night of training. He taught Fu Jow Pai and was very old (not sure of his age) but was extremely hard core and would often fight (not spar) with his senior students. He was gruff and not very amenable to excuses. One of the students showed up a few minutes late and he had him doing push ups and run around the rest of us until the end of class. It was exciting the day before and even during the car ride to his house. Standing out in the cold was not so exciting nor was the prospect of sparring with the other students as they were all older than me but I had my mind set on being the next Bruce Lee so I gutted it out and went home with a few bumps and bruises. I remember him telling me that I was soft and needed to get tough after the end of class but I found out later he said this to all of his students and he rarely if at all gave compliments. Being hard headed and single sighted I showed up for the second night of class for more punishment. I later found Karate and never looked back. Classes were much more hard core than they are today.

Welcome to KF.

Welcome to the forum C_Maududo.

Wow. Now that is diversity in the arts. I started at the age of 10 and was first introduced to MA by way of Fu Jow Pai Gung Fu until one of my friends convinced me to try Karate at the age of 13. It turned out to be Matsumura Seito Shorin Ryu which I took until I was 18. I also took Matsubayashi Ryu during the last year to see if I enjoyed that more but it did not stick with me. I continued my training under my Shinshii in Matsumura Shorin Ryu from 18 until present day. Within that art I also studied Kobudo. I have dabbled in other arts like Judo 1 yr, Iaido 2 yr and Ryukyu Kempo 4 yrs (really enjoyed this art but the Sensei moved and left me with no way to pursue it further) but always while training in my core art. For whatever reason something about it always kept me firmly implanted within the art and none of the other arts stuck. Maybe because I never gave them a real chance because I always felt I wasn't devoting the time my core art deserved and ended up quitting. I think it was the fact that the techniques worked and once I began my research I was hooked for life. I have learned several Chinese forms while researching my art but can not claim to have ever taken the arts themselves. I have been fortunate in that I have been able to find teachers of some of the original arts that Matsumura studied that were willing to show, answer questions and give details about the applications to the original forms/Kata either in person, via videos or pictures and in emails or over the phone. So I guess in a very small way I have cross trained in several arts but in reality I can only claim one true art in terms of a life time of study. However that life time is never ending because I feel that I have only scratched the surface of the art and still feel like an intermediate student in terms of understanding and perfecting the skills. A life long beginner if you will.

I just came across this post. I am sorry to hear about the news but I am inspired by your attitude. Keep your chin up and push ahead as long as you can. You'll be in my prayers. Out of curiosity what does your doctor say about this medication? I only ask because my father, before he passed, had read about a medication they were using over sea's but could not get it here, but it worked in holding off the disease and prolonged life in some case up to 20 years. He told me that even though it may be used in another country and works, you sometimes can not get it here because it first has to get passed the FDA and that could take years if not decades even though it's been used for the same over sea's. It might be worth trying if your doctor thinks highly of it or it has enough compelling data.

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.

Spot on! Having a sparring block is psychology issue; or does this topic have a duel meaning or perhaps it has gone off topic?I think Sensei8 was referring to the other meaning and was intejecting his views on "blocking". A little off topic but it fits in terms of discussing the arts in general. I believe Sensei8 being of an old school back ground was pointing out that there is not such thing as a block in Karate. The term Uke means to receive not to block and is utilized/implemented as a strike, sweep, trap, deflection, redirection, or unbalancing technique. You of course are correct in your interpretation of the discussion being psychological. The mental block (good use of the word block within the real utilization of the word in Karate) inhibiting a student during sparring/Kumite. Having a psychological block is a normal phenomenon for writers and artists also, the hope is that it is a temporary state, the real problem arises if it is cronic and everlasting.Meditations help to unblock the mind letting thoughts flow freely in an uninhabited state, to be relaxed and also aware. Another Eastern World concept is the I-Ching (Book of changes) unlocking stagnating thoughts with changing ideas. As with the physical blocking, Karate has had a bad rep for doing it; it is refreshing to hear that it has changed for other alternative methods described above by MatsuShinsii. I appreciate the kind words but I must clarify that it is still heavily utilized in this way in most modern day arts of Karate and is taught as such. Few old school arts teach that Uke is not a block. You coming from a Chinese back ground (at least you have spoken of Chinese styles and concepts before) would understand this concept as ours came from Quan Fa origins and are thus primarily the same except for the fact that it is practiced in the Okinawan way versus the Chinese way. Apologies for my assumption of your back ground being Chinese in origin. I guess it could be old school Okinawan Todi and not in the Chinese arts. I assumed due to other posts but I guess you could be either.

I can honestly say this has not been my experience with adults which is one of many reasons I maintain my Shinshii's traditions of not teaching anyone under the age of 16. I have actually experienced the direct opposite. The vast majority had the intention of learning to protect themselves. Yes I will concede that there are some that also wanted the added bonus of exercise and discipline in their lives but again this was not the main reason they joined. It may be the type of student I accept also. To be fair to this conversation I do interview my students and they are also on what I will call probation for a few months so I can understand the type of person they are. I do tell some to find another school right off the bat and others, after getting to know them, are shown the door as well. I practice the same standards as my Shinshii in that I only accept what I deem as worthy students. If they are not there to train or have other motives they are shown the door without hesitation. Also to be fair I have a full time job and do not depend on my students for my living so that may be the primary difference. I strictly teach because I love it and feel an obligation to give back what was given to me. So in truth I am more or less hand picking who I will teach and the majority of these students joined to learn how to defend themselves either because their job demands it or because they want to be able to defend themselves and their loved ones if danger ever comes knocking on their door. I find nothing wrong with this as long as their personality and intentions are pure. If they are not they are shown the door. I guess because I do not teach kids this is something that I don't have to deal with. And no offense to those that teach kids, because I respect the patience you must have, but I don't want to teach kids. Not only do I not want to teach them I would have to completely alter the way I teach because I could not in good conscience teach kids what I teach adults. I do not wait until advanced levels to teach what some would call "hidden" or "deadly" techniques. They are taught as they learn each Kata. Don't get me wrong I love kids and laugh at their antic's and have kids of my own. I would not trade them for all the riches and fame in the world. However I would not teach my kids until they reached the age of 16. Instead I enrolled them in a traditional art with a teacher that I know and respect. Once they turned 16 they had the option to join or continue on with him with the understanding that they would enter as a Hachidan just like every one else does. One stayed and one joined me. I now teach both of them and love doing so. But then again they are both grown adults now.

Wait, just to be sure I'm not being fooled, is this a continuation of Patrick's April fools joke?

That's the thing, though. If you look back to Okinawa or Japan, it was basically "just another belt". Shodans were not revered or respected any more than anyone else. They were basically beginners themselves. Speaking as an American, most karate was brought to our country by military men who served on Okinawa and Japan in the 50s-70s. Those men studied karate there for an average of 18 months. They then came back home with their black belts and their military beliefs of rank and respect and they started their schools with that mentality. Shodans were revered and put on a pedestal in the beginning because there weren't many of them and they were pretty much the highest ranking karateka in the country. The military-like training atmosphere where shodans were called "sir" or "ma'am" and treated with military-like deference was a product of most instructors being military men who took rank seriously. In Japan or on Okinawa, people would think you were crazy to talk about Shodan as if it were some huge thing. It's basically a beginner rank over there. I agree that most places in the US who are pushing little kids to high ranks are doing for money and not out of some true understanding of what a black belt is, but I think the level of gatekeeping that comes from it is slightly ridiculous. All we can do is recognize that rank is completely subjective. It means different things to different schools. All you can do is judge someone's rank in the context of their school and recognize that they're not comparable. I spent a year and a half in Okinawa training and have visited for a few weeks many times over the years so I am very familiar with the laid back atmosphere. I also understand the Military/black belt connection as my first Sensei and my Shinshii were both military and were stationed in Okinawa. My point is the degradation of the art and my absolute frustration with it. It's not just about Shodan or any Yudansha/Kodansha grade. It's about what some have turned the art into and how meaningless it has become due to their efforts. When I was a young man you knew that if someone wore a black belt (pick a grade) they earned it and was not someone you really wanted to mess with. Today we see children with grades it took me more than their life time to achieve, you see phonies with titles that literally take a life time to achieve, you get graded not on merit but on monetary value. Worse you see grown men that should know better but have no integrity and wear a grade they never earned. Our art no longer represents what it used to and has been reduced to an after school kinder care program where you get a grade if you just show up, serve the prescribed time and pay your money. You can be promoted because you won a tournament (not Judo, there is a definite difference) or you got good grades or worse because you took something else that can be remotely tied to the art like Yoga and the teacher gives you credit and rank. What?????? I kid you not that I know a teacher that does this for these reasons. Not because you learned the curriculum and have proven that you have become very proficient but because you won a patty cakes contest or took a yoga class. Come on!!!! I guess my real problem is there is no honor in the art anymore. Kata are changed to mystify judges and has absolutely no value within the realm of actual combat, Kumite has been turned into a game of patty cakes which again has no value for real combat and the meaning of achievement has been changed to winning trophies, showing up, paying enough money and how fast you can be given the next grade. There is no personal achievement earned through blood, sweat and tears anymore. Heck in some arts you are told not to make contact at all for fear that someone might get a boo boo. It's a joke! I get that westerners are different than Okinawan's and I know that all too well. However I can also tell you that the standards are also different. If you walk into a Dojo on Okinawa, or at least the few I've trained at wearing a black belt and can not hold your own against there equivalent you will get shown the door. The main difference is they live it were as most westerners just do it as a hobby. So yes they do see it as another belt but their mindset and the way they look at things revolves around the fact that they do this as a way of life and it becomes second nature and, no, it's not as big of a deal. Having said that we are not Okinawan and we have our teachers and our teacher's teachers standards to up hold. I guess it boils down to, anything worth doing is worth doing right. To me the path that the arts are heading is not right. I can conceive that it does not effect me nor my art because you will not find such lunacy happening, in fact I just quit my old organization for similar circumstances. However it does effect us and others that do take this art seriously because unfortunately most westerners do not make the leap to realize that Karate is a broad blanket that encompasses many arts. They do not think that my art or say Shotokan isn't the same as the art they are disappointed in. They just associate it with Karate in general. So some of you are right that we should live and let live and I agree that there is nothing I myself or any one individual can do about it so why worry about it? I also understand that a CI can do as he pleases within his Dojo and if they wanted to they could give out black belts right after Hachikyu. However if you think what others (McDojo's) do does not effect the integrity of your art, think again. I brought this up as a specific topic concerning this 11 yr old and pretty much knew where this would lead and I also know how passionate I am and bull headed I am on the subject as a whole. I sure did not mean this to get this deep or philosophical in nature. It was merely meant to address this scenario. However the acceptance of this girls grade or of the decisions of her instructor are very disheartening to say the least. I know I am old fashioned and a stickler for tradition and I am very proud of that because I am my Shinshii's deshi. However I really thought this would be a no brainier and a light-hearted discussion and maybe even a few laughs. But this is not the direction it went or what I expected. An 11 yr old with the grade of Yondan! Let that soak in. How long did it take you to achieve this grade or better yet if you have not achieved this grade how long have you been training and what grade are you. Really, this make any sense at all?