White Warlock

The fact many of us have the time to post begs the question as to our intensity of training. To me, this is one of the places i go when i'm at work and on a self-imposed break, or where i go to wind down after a rough day. It allows me to do a little cogitative exercise on the arts while i wait for knee surgery and helps me to work on my writings, as well as some of my projects. That said, there's no indication i study at a mcdojo or otherwise. I do understand tkdBill's point. I have encountered, both here and in the streets, plenty of persons who think they are receiving quality instruction, and who find fault with other schools, whilst minimalizing the faults of their own school(s). Because of this, our standards differ. What some here consider to be 'acceptable' for their school to partake in, i may very well consider to be exploitive or insufficient, or possibly even 'cultish.' There is no concrete definition for McDojo. It morphs according to people's needs to denigrate one or more schools/instructors, or their needs to 'defend' their particular school/instructor.

san soo did not have forms either. They were added later, with the encouragement of Jimmy Woo by some of the students that wanted something to carry-down so they could teach some 'standard.' Many san soo instructors never adopted those forms, and thus still teach the old way... basic 45, and so on.

I've worked with mentally challenged students before (yeah yeah, throwing out my credentials as some form of obtainment of credibility... sorry guys). They cannot be treated just like anyone else. The ongoing politically correct statement is they are 'special.' This also indicates how you should treat them... as special. First off, there are two parts to this. One is, he's mentally challenged. The other is, he has behaviorial problems. These in combination make him difficult to work with. While you cannot dismiss what it is you are attempting to teach, you also must realize he will not learn as readily as you would hope. The fundamentals may be grasped, but the reason behind them, the spirit... will likely escape his grasp. This, combined with his behavioral issues means you will likely have to consider finding alternative means to 'encourage' him. Having him sit-it-out 'can' work, but it can also make him feel out of place. It's important to ensure no other students laugh at him and that they don't pester him, for these things will drive the child to become even more of a behavioral problem. There's no cookie-cutout for how to handle 'special' kids, but here are my recommendations: Special He is mentally challenged, so what you say may not be comprehended in the manner you wish it to be. Special kids do need special attention, which means you may have to spend a little more time accommodating him, so he 'feels' special. Impression, to special kids, is more important than actual content. They want to feel loved and wanted, and are thus quickly turned off by segregating actions or special mistreatment. A little limelight on occasion can do wonders to his interest level and his respect for you as the teacher. Behavioral When he complains, it is important to hear him. That does not mean to 'react' to what he says, but it is important that you hear what he says, so that you have a good idea of what it is that turns him off, or that disencourages him. Behavioral issues with special kids are far more basic and uncomplicated. They tend to act negatively to pain and positively to pleasure with far more 'obvious' presentation than other kids. If you react to this positive or negative outcry, they may be inclined to go to excess. So, you have a difficult job of curbing thier disinterest, whilst also curbing their enthusiasm. I.e., if you're able to get him excited, it may be a hard job to get him to calm down, so don't 'rush' the process of getting him out of his negative attitude. Enthusiasm is curbed by pain, so if he says something hurts, there are two simple routes you can take. One is to have him not perform the action that hurts. The other is to make the 'hurt' part of the challenge. Something as simple as, "does it hurt? good! Let's do it again!" I know this sounds wierd, but if you try it, you'll see that a little 'switch' occurs, and he suddenly will become intrigued. Granted, this second approach doesn't happen with all special kids, but it does work with many, and it's was my preferred approach. Why? Because it was self-governing. I.e., they could be taught to be enthused by the negative, but at the same time the negative curbed their enthusiasm. A simple example of this is to give a high-five when they succeed in doing 20 pushups, or something similar. Again, a combination of enthusiasm associated with a negative AND recognition, attention, friendship. Also, because the child is special, it is not likely that the other kids will gain a degree of jealousy. If, however, one or more do, than it is important to resolve this by showing them that the special kid has feelings too. This last part is about teaching kids in general, but with a special emphasis on special kids: Teaching material is always the nature of the beginning and intermediate teachers. You teach the techniques, the math, the history, whatever. You provide the information and expect the students to study. If they don't perform, you give them low grades or don't promote them. If they do perform, you give them good grades or promote them. The link to the children is superficial, in that the goal here of the teacher is to be the content provider, and the goal of the student is to be the content receiver. There is no actual recognition of kids as anything other than recipients of knowledge... This approach needs to be abandoned. While it is important to have a clear understanding of what it is you intend to teach, and how you intend on teaching it, the greatest success is in connecting with each and every child. Treat each and every child as if he were a student of the martial arts, not merely a student. He/she is a comrade in the study of an artform that you revere, and while he/she may not have reached a point of enthusiasm as high as yours, that does not mean they cannot one day obtain such enthusiasm. Don't think of them as students, or even names, but as nephews and nieces, daughters and sons. Look at them as something special. While they are in your class, they are your relatives, for they share a common interest... or they 'can' share the common interest. The special child is also your nephew, or son. He is a special case, because he requires special care, but he is a person who has feelings and who wants to belong, just like you did... like you do. Have all the children feel like the school is their second home. You get this to happen by allowing them to take responsibility for things on occasion, by giving them special attention... all of them. One day Joey, the next day Samantha. Call them by their first names and let them call you by your first name... except, of course, during drills. Always make a clear distinction of when it is time to focus on studies, and when it is okay to be buddies. Making these clear distinctions will also help significantly with the special child. He, at first, may find this 'separation' somewhat disorienting, but he will adjust rather quickly, and consider it part of the game... part of the fun. Before class starts, you are John. When class begins, you are sensei. When class ends, you are John again. By making title distinction, you'll instill in the special child, and in the other children, a sort of on/off switch to behaviors. They'll know when to behave like they do at home, and when to behave like a student in class.... and they'll respect you for it. Hope this helps

It's also a handicap to learning and doesn't provide you with even a modicum of conversational Japanese, so you'll still have to rely on an English-Japanese dictionary just to get to that school. /tangent off, enjoy your informative discussion.

probably need to download the appropriate video codec. one of these might do the trick for you - http://www.divx.com/divx/ http://www.xvid.org/ (recommend this one)

glad i don't spend my spare time learning all these token Japanese words

Bah! Missed this thread from the onset. Now i'm going to have to read all 8 friggin' pages in one shot.

hehe

Thank you Jussi. I've found many errors in that book on other topics. Seems Corcoran and Farkas did a worse job than i thought when compiling information for that book.

Is it anything like this video? http://www.compfused.com/directlink/873/

Source - Martial Arts: Traditions, History, People by Corcoran and Farkas

used to play violin and clarinet. was good at the clarinet, but quit playing it after my two front teeth got damaged in an accident. The vibrations going up my nerves was... well... nerve wracking. I played the harmonica and piano pretty well, although never had any training. Nowadays, i don't play any instrument well. Guess it's not like bicycles, eh?

Goju, it is him. Wer, it's nice to know he feels comfortable posting here, but i see no reason for all this fanfare. He's a practitioner, like many of us, and should be treated as an equal. Indeed, i believe the fanfare is counterproductive. thanks

Actually, i don't do karate. Haven't in ages. In fact, i almost ignored this community because of it being written as it was. Good thing i didn't, as most of the others are just plain horrid.

I must admit, although they are merely competition rules, i found the kyokushinkai competitions to be a tad odd, with the no-face striking. Could create a bad habit of not defending. Also i noted the competitions were done close-quarters, which exposes them to grapple assaults, yet i did not note any grappling actions. These two issues could be problematic for the practitioner.

hehe

Well, when you say 'advanced katas,' have you ever seen those katas before? I haven't seen the video myself, although i'm sure if i did i would be able to tell whether it was a parody or not. However, i respect the staff of The Iaido Journal, as they've repeatedly demonstrated their degree of knowledge on issues, therefore i'm more inclined to believe them than i am a salesperson.

The editors of The Iaido Journal believe it is a parody. No-dan, get it?

yet another good point. granmasterchen, you should post more often.

Hmm, good points.

If you do indeed send me a pm later, by all means ensure it is with respect and without profanity. Thank you. Seriously though, i've read your posts at another site and am aware you are courteous and respectful. Welcome to karateforums. As to the question, a multitude of sources including interviews from many shou shu practitioners, and researching comments made by practitioners. But also, i obtained information first hand, by visiting the schools and watching. I cannot claim to know the art, having not studied it for an extended period of time, but it does demonstrate, and has been noted by actual shou shu practitioners of the art, that the core of the system is kempo karate. In truth, much of what i posted was obtained sometime back directly from shou shu websites, and from the interview with the founder that is ages past, but also from statements made by various practitioners, both shou shu and otherwise. That is not the totality of the post, but it is the majority. As to the black belt you are inferring, i believe he is an 8th degree black belt in kempo karate. I am not aware of animosity between Tracy kempo karate and Moore's shou shu, nor do i believe there is any, so i feel this tangent should cease. Thanks. That is not correct and i kindly request you not make leap assumptions of how my mind works. It is not interpretation, but fact. Information presented in that article, by the founder of shou shu, was incorrect. As i did not speculate on 'why' he presented incorrect information, so too you should not speculate on whether i have an ulterior motive, other than to present the information and the associated indications of fallacy in the knowledge base of the founder. Your understanding of hearsay seems to be incorrect, in that i did not present any comments from people posting hearsay. My presentation of thier comments is known as quoting or paraphasing, but what they stated was direct-source. I stated above where the information was obtained from. If you wish to discuss this issue publicly, i am amenable to that. I think this community can benefit from open discourse, as long as it abides by the rules of this community (if it doesn't the posts get deleted, so that really sort of throws a wrench in things). I request, however, that you present verifiable information to counter-claim, if that is your intent. I know you are a proponent of shou shu, and i think it is important for me to let you know that i do not have an issue with the system. As far as i'm concerned, it is a valid art. I am not keen, however, with the manner in which many, possibly most, of the schools are managed, nor of the pricing systems. They are far too costly for what is provided and the schools offer far too much mystique for my tastes. I am also not comfortable with the historical inconsistencies presented by the founder (sincerity is a big issue with me). I also don't entirely agree with the ongoing belief that any system can present a martial artist who can battle multiple opponents simultaneously, unless of course those opponents were all of 'lessor' or 'no' skill. I have fought multiple opponents on many occasions and have found there to be viable ways for this to be done. However, when handling persons of same or similar skill level, 'multiple' opponent defense is not all that effective. That is not to say it cannot be done, but i've never been a proponent of comparing oneself to the non-fighter, the drunk, the group of rowdy teens, or the lay person working at a keyboard. These persons are not practitioners, and it is the practitioners that have taken an ill route, or non-practitioners utilizing weapons, that i consider to be of importance. These are the persons i must learn to defend against, to neutralize, to eliminate... not six lame drunks who think a fight is to stand there and take turns punching. Well met

Oh, i don't know about that. The vast majority of schools, in my opinion, are like this. That means, we would be in the minority.

The display was nice. Its effectiveness is highly questionable. Many times he twirled the weapon, released it from his grip, and performed other 'never do' actions. It was a forms competition, and thus 'display' was called for. Based on this video I cannot possibly make a determination as to whether he would fare well in an actual confrontation. These sorts of theatrics can work at a high school level, but not at an adult level. When my brother was in high school and i was in junior high, after we had moved from a violent neighborhood (East L.A.) to a peaceful neighborhood, we encountered three guys of similar age that bothered us because we walked past their house every day to go to school... and thus we were easy targets. When they proceeded to act up on us, both my brother and i dropped into stances and went back-to-back, without even talking to each other. Those three guys freaked out and backed off. What worked for us there was that we 'knew' each other, and the guys were young, like us. If it were adults, the stances would have been a bad scene, especially if one of them had a knife or a gun... because now we gave them a heads-up of what we know. That's something to seriously consider here. Theatrics can get you killed. It's as foolish as showing your cards in a poker game. If they know what you have, they know whether to up the ante or fold. If they can up the ante, you can be sure they will, and two bullet holes in your forehead really isn't such an attractive thing. Additionally, by posing such theatrics, you remove the element of surprise. The guy was able to cause his opponent to falter, and then play it carefully, and that worked against his opponent under the circumstances. Indeed, he may have read the situation and realized it was the way to go, but it was a risky venture. As to what happened, he got in a lucky punch. Overall it was a hit and miss and i saw little demonstration of skill.

ShotokanKid, i am truly sorry i didn't see this thread earlier. The advice you recieved from others of going to your father is not only good advice, it is truly your responsibility to do so. I'm going to cover a few things here, and i hope nobody is offended by this... but i think it needs to be said. A fourteen year old being regularly assaulted / threatened by an adult... is child abuse. It is a crime, and the actions he is committing are crimes. Not merely crimes, but felonies that are taken very seriously, especially in Southern California. If he does it to an adult, it is still a crime, but not as serious. That said, this is not an issue you should be debating about ShotokanKid. Your silence is EXACTLY what he wants from you. Either he will continue with this behavior, or he will escalate. Escalation can go into very wrong areas. His aggression is one thing, but his continued behaviors seems to indicate he has a 'preference' for physical contact in an otherwise sexually intolerant environment (church). In such a case, it is indeed likely that he displays this interest in something that is not entirely intolerable, as can be noted by your pastor's lazy actions to resolve this issue. I'll also add that your pastor should have told your parents, and should have gone further on this issue. He also should have checked back with you to see if the incidents were continuing, or if they were continuing with others that you witnessed. The fact that he didn't indicates to me that you need to seriously talk to your parents about the possibility of, after this issue is resolved, changing churches. I'm serious here. A pastor that doesn't act 'firm' enough on an issue like this... is not a pastor to listen to sermons from. If you truly do not want to talk to your dad, then talk directly to the police. I think, as many others have said here, your absolute best option is to go to your dad. There is absolutely no reason for this continued behavior, whatever the motives. Your lot in life is not to be someone's victim, but by staying silent, by not acting with extreme prejudice on this issue, you are allowing yourself to be a victim. It's a choice, it's your choice, and you don't have to be a victim. It's also your responsibility, both as a human being and as a martial artist, to speak up and against such behaviors. Gain strength that most everyone in this community who has posted in this thread are giving you the same advice. It's the right thing to do. One last thing. Your dad possibly getting angry or out of control on this issue is mostly a demonstration of how much he cares for you. Let him know you love him, and that you want him not to get in trouble while resolving this problem. But, also let him know how serious the problem is. Don't sugarcoat it and don't wait.

Yes, Patrick and staff do a good job of keeping the riffraff out.