ps1

I always prefered a white gi. Even in BJJ, I wear white a majority of the time.

In what way?? If memory serves me, the notes of Lee were formulated into the Tao of JKD, and if that's true, while Lee didn't actually pen said book, the notes and all were Lee, thus, Lee "wrote" the book. In the words of Chris Kent: "HOW MANY BOOKS DID BRUCE LEE WRITE? There is a scene in “Dragon - The Bruce Lee Story” which bugs me a bit. It is the scene in which Bruce Lee, in the midst of recovering from an injury sustained during a challenge match with members of the Chinese community (an extremely “Hollywood” elaboration on what actually took place), receives a copy of The Tao of Jeet Kune Do from the publisher. I understand the need for the film business to heighten dramatic elements, and am not one who watches movies looking to find mistakes or inaccuracies. But the reason this scene bugs me is because it leads people to mistakenly believe that the book was written by Bruce himself and published during his lifetime. So, for the sake of historical accuracy, how many books did Bruce Lee actually write? The answer is that he personally wrote only one book. “Chinese Gung Fu: The Philosophical Art of Self-Defense” was a 97 page book written by Lee himself and published in an extremely limited edition in 1963. The book was re-published by Ohara Publications in 1987. “The Tao of Jeet Kune Do” was actually published in 1975 by Ohara Publications. It was then re-published in a revamped format in 2011. While the material contained within came from Bruce Lee’s written material, the book was not actually written by Lee himself. It was compiled and edited by Gilbert Johnson, a noted writer working for Black Belt at the time. A four-part book series titled, “Bruce Lee’s Fighting Methods” was published in the late 80’s or early 90’s (I don’t have a copy with me at this time so do not have the exact publishing date) by Ohara Publications. The text for this series books was put together by the publisher, Mito Uyehara, utilizing material from the Tao of JKD as well as other articles pertaining to JKD published by Black Belt magazine. Uyehara was both a student and good friend of Bruce Lee. In the late 1990’s Tuttle Publishing released a series of books containing Bruce Lee’s notes which were compiled and edited by John Little who worked in conjunction with the Bruce Lee estate. There have been countless books concerned with Bruce Lee and JKD published in the forty years since Lee passed away, including several I have written myself. But as far as Bruce Lee goes, he only wrote one. (Note -- For the sake of historical accuracy it has been noted that Bruce Lee did assist James y. Lee in writing the book “Wing Chun Kung Fu” which was published by Ohara Publications in 1972. However, his name does not appear on the book)." The biggest problem is people pick up the book and think they are reading what Lee actually meant. They aren't. It's not an instruction manual and quite possibly includes ideas that Lee actually decided not to use in his art.

If you can find an instructor with legitimate lineage, yes, it's a great art. However, many (I dare say most) do not have legitimate lineage. They read Tao of Jeet Kune Do and say they're teaching JKD based on what they've learned in the past and what "works best for them." What they don't realize....Most of that book wasn't even written by Lee.

Good luck and speedy recovery. Welcome to KF.

I will learn anything, anytime and anywhere. I currently own a BJJ academy in Cuyahoga Falls, OH. But I hold dan rankings in Aiki Jujitsu and Shotokan and a 3rd degree black sash in Chuan Fa. I have also trained kick boxing for about 8 years, kenjitsu, iado, kobudo, sogo bujitsu and Tae kwon do.

I'm glad it's back. But I'm also of the opinion that it was never actually gone. I feel that it was a grand (and effective) marketing ploy. Expect to see wrestling in prime time this next Olympics. This campaign was designed to, inexpensively, give people a desire to watch...and I anticipate lots of wrestling coverage in prime time as a result. Just my 2cents.

If the standards have been lessened by the individual by their premeditated actions, then that individual must be held accountable. Otherwise, the standards mean nothing!! This has no bearing on my comment. Option 2 suggests a set of predetermined standards were met. This is in past tense; meaning it already happened. So they were already met. Premeditation has nothing to do with the scenario. The standards do not change based on intent. It's not as though an instructor sees a black belt quit and then says, "Well, you only have to be able to do 5 kata instead of 6 now." IF a particular person believes option 2 to be true, then the black belt title can not be removed. This has potential exceptions: An attorney can be disbarred and a medical license can be removed. The same goes for rank if some sort of rule/law is broken. As you've already stated..."It certainly depends on how you look at it." We seem to be looking at it differently. Within Shindokan, a Dan can be, and has been, removed by our Hombu; I've stated one example of that in previous posts. Standards are everything, and I believe that our Soke was speaking about standards whenever he did remove rank. That's on paper. In the heart of those Shindokanists that have experienced that type of Soke judgement, their knowledge and the like aren't affected; they remain!! I certainly understand what your point is. However, according to your bylaws (as I understand you speaking of them), a person who is not training is breaking your rules. Therefore, you don't fall under Option 2. More like a 3rd option: Yudansha are continuously graded against the bylaws/rules of the association. Out of curiosity, once their rank is stripped, what does their rank become if they return to train again? If your bylaws specify that your training is a continuum, the only logical place to start again would be the beginning (pseudo-philosophic arguments aside). To the bold type above... NO!! Our By-Laws aren't trivial, and by that I mean, students continual training isn't a concern, and if a student wants to stop training for whatever reason(s), that's none of the Hombu's business. Why? It's their journey and it's their business!! It is not a violation of our By-Laws and the like to not train. That's a personal choice and has no merit whatsoever. The example I provided in earlier posts involved my most senior Dan student, who had lied on his testing cycles petition. When questioned by our Dai-Soke, my student withheld the truth; lied about said criminal conviction. The conviction in itself doesn't warrant a Soke judgement, it's the mitigating circumstances that warranted such from our Soke. Had said student told the truth about said conviction(s) on the testing cycle petition, the demotion of Dan rank wouldn't have ever occurred. In that, it came to our Soke's attention by our Legal Team, that said student had been lying about said criminal conviction for quite a long time on many, many testing cycle petitions. How it came to our Legal Teams attention and/or what was the type of conviction and the other surrounding mitigating circumstances the caused our Soke to demote said student isn't a concern for our discussion, and in that, it's details are private across the board. Said Dan student has completed his PIP, years ago, and in that, said student was finally allowed to submit several testing cycle petitions for Hombu approval, and has achieved the Dan rank that was removed, and then some. I don't mean to insinuate your bylaws are trivial. My apologies if it came across that way. However, based on what you wrote, your system seems to fall into Option 2. You award a dan grade based on meeting a prescribed set of standards. As long as a student doesn't break a rule/violate your bylaws, they would continue holding that rank; even after taking a long break in training and then returning. This mirrors my physician example. The only time the title would be removed would be if the physician committed an infraction that warranted such an action.

If the standards have been lessened by the individual by their premeditated actions, then that individual must be held accountable. Otherwise, the standards mean nothing!! This has no bearing on my comment. Option 2 suggests a set of predetermined standards were met. This is in past tense; meaning it already happened. So they were already met. Premeditation has nothing to do with the scenario. The standards do not change based on intent. It's not as though an instructor sees a black belt quit and then says, "Well, you only have to be able to do 5 kata instead of 6 now." IF a particular person believes option 2 to be true, then the black belt title can not be removed. This has potential exceptions: An attorney can be disbarred and a medical license can be removed. The same goes for rank if some sort of rule/law is broken. As you've already stated..."It certainly depends on how you look at it." We seem to be looking at it differently. Within Shindokan, a Dan can be, and has been, removed by our Hombu; I've stated one example of that in previous posts. Standards are everything, and I believe that our Soke was speaking about standards whenever he did remove rank. That's on paper. In the heart of those Shindokanists that have experienced that type of Soke judgement, their knowledge and the like aren't affected; they remain!! I certainly understand what your point is. However, according to your bylaws (as I understand you speaking of them), a person who is not training is breaking your rules. Therefore, you don't fall under Option 2. More like a 3rd option: Yudansha are continuously graded against the bylaws/rules of the association. Out of curiosity, once their rank is stripped, what does their rank become if they return to train again? If your bylaws specify that your training is a continuum, the only logical place to start again would be the beginning (pseudo-philosophic arguments aside).

Depends on a few things. 1. Which "name" are you looking for? English, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Portugese ect... 2. Once you have that, you could start looking into books for BJJ, Judo, Yudo, Chin Na ect... As far as online resources, https://www.judoinfo.com is a good one, although it looks like it's undergoing some updates right now. There are millions of grappling videos on youtube and websites galore. Books: http://www.amazon.com/Comprehensive-Applications-Shaolin-Chin-Practical/dp/094087136X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1378507572&sr=8-3&keywords=chin+na http://www.amazon.com/Kodokan-Judo-Essential-Founder-Jigoro/dp/156836539X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378507609&sr=8-1&keywords=Judo http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Aikido&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3AAikido Good luck.

If the standards have been lessened by the individual by their premeditated actions, then that individual must be held accountable. Otherwise, the standards mean nothing!! This has no bearing on my comment. Option 2 suggests a set of predetermined standards were met. This is in past tense; meaning it already happened. So they were already met. Premeditation has nothing to do with the scenario. The standards do not change based on intent. It's not as though an instructor sees a black belt quit and then says, "Well, you only have to be able to do 5 kata instead of 6 now." IF a particular person believes option 2 to be true, then the black belt title can not be removed. This has potential exceptions: An attorney can be disbarred and a medical license can be removed. The same goes for rank if some sort of rule/law is broken.

You're in Washinton DC. Of course it's expensive. If you're not looking to make a profit, then the best bet is to start in someone's garage or basement. Once you have a few people, then you can go look for a more commercial location. But your best bet for a nice, open location is probably a local church. They tend to have halls they rent out and it will be far less expensive than a YMCA.

I don't believe in free help. If someone is working for me and I'm unable to pay them directly, I give them free uniforms and training. I agree that it's excellent and even optimal for them to teach. It makes them more technical and ensures they can both do and teach. But I don't make it a mandatory part of their training.

Let me point start by explaining that BJJ has two separate ranking trees for Adults and Children. There is no overlap in belt color at all. For children, it goes as follows: White, Grey/white Grey, Grey/black Yellow/white, Yellow, Yellow/black Orang/white, Orange, Orange/black Green - the first two ranks take about 6 per rank to be graded. The rest all carry a minimum of 1 year in training. Once you turn 16, you are automatically moved to the adult ranking tree. So it's highly unlikely that most children will ever reach the green belt level. Adult ranking tree is as follows: White, Blue, Purple, Brown, Black -> It takes about 2.5 years per rank. Yellow belt = Blue belt, Green belt = Purple belt This means that when a child turns 16, if he/she is wearing a Yellow belt, he automatically becomes a blue belt. If he/she is wearing an Orange belt, he automatically becomes a blue with 2 stripes...ect... Ok. For kids, I have a grading every 2 months. 99% of the kids are grading for a stripe on their belt (because belts take 1 year to earn). They earn 4 white stripes then 1 red stripe (review stripe) then they can test for a new belt. This is done in this manner because kids tend to forget moves quickly and the constant grading keeps everything fresh in their minds. - I have a rather large kids class and this is the easiest way to ensure I'm getting the information to them consistently. For adults, they become eligible for a stripe every 20 classes (for white belts). At that time I take the student aside (usually during open mat) and evaluate their knowledge, skills, and abilities. If I determine they are ready for a stripe, I put it on them. If they aren't ready, I work with them on what they need. Colored belts are eligible for a stripe every 100 classes. I handle them the same. However, after 100 classes, it's extremely rare that someone isn't ready. So it's a combination of the two methods. Once my adult class gets larger (over 40 or so students), I'll probably go to organized testing for them as well. I'm still figuring out how to charge them for it though. I feel bad charging for a piece of athletic tape on a belt. So I still don't charge testing fees for stripe tests. Only belt testing, which is required to get the certification from our association.

It certainly depends on how you look at it. I see two options: 1. Black belt = a person who can perform at a certain skill level Option 1 example: Sumo. In the art of sumo, you fight for rank and lose rank based on your fights. If you lose a fight, you go down in rank. If you win fights, you go up in rank. 2. Black belt = a person who completed a prescribed set of standards Option 2 example: A person can go through medical school and never work as a physician with patients. Yet, 20 years later, that person still has the title doctor. I wouldn't want that person operating on me, but they retain the title none the less.

Reminds me of something I say about Jiu-Jitsu all the time. "Small people develop the best jiu-jitsu. Sometimes because they work harder, but mostly because they have no choice."

In my opinion, the rules about Kyu ranks not being allowed to request sparring from a Dan rank has nothing to do with respect. It has everything to do with not wanting to prove yourself. My version of the rule is this: "Anyone can request to spar with anyone else. Everyone has the right to refuse randori with no questions asked." It's that simple. Maybe I have a bad shoulder and it's acting up. Maybe I'm watching someone and evaluating. There's a million reasons to say no. But there's a million reasons to say yes, too.

Good post. My instructor and I have a similar way of saying it. A little more brutish, perhaps. "Put it on the mat!" When my students ask if I'm worried about "school x" down the street or "instructor y" who teaches the same style as me; I say no. When pressed on this I simply say to them, I put it on the mat. My students see me put it on the mat day in and day out. If what I put out there isn't good enough to satisfy them, they will leave. If they are satisfied, they will stay. But this is a product of what I can do and am willing to do. It's totally in my control. Put it on the mat, the mat doesn't lie.

I know the feeling. Even at my Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy I often want to put that we train "Real" Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. And it's a relatively new art form. It's just that, with all the tourneys and "no-gi" grappling stuff out there, too many are losing the point of BJJ's inception. Which was self defense. So here's an art, developed in 1925, that already has a great deal of watering in less than 100 years. Whaaa..?!? Ya'll in BJJ/MMA are experiencing the same thing?!? Stick a post-it on my forehead and call me "stupid"...lol I didn't think you guys had to deal with this; that this is one of the main reasons MMA came about... As I mentioned in my thread starter about MMA seeming to figure it out for themselves, what did you do, or continue to do, to figure this out? Style aside, what are you guys on the lookout for in terms of "watered down" JJJ/BJJ/MMA and "McMMAs"? For instance, what does your specific BJJ/MMA gym do (or don't do) to "keep it real"? I can't speak to MMA, which is a sport in and of itself. But in BJJ, there are three factions. 1. Traditionalists: Those who believe the system was developed for Self Defense using leverage based techniques with a focus on grappling over striking. It should be trained primarily in a gi because the gi slows things down and allows you to become very technical. Free rolling should be done both with and without striking and is always best to start standing because that's where most confrontations begin. --->>>> This is where most of the Gracie Family falls. It's also an art, not just a sport. 2. Players: These are the guys who do BJJ and believe it's just a sport. They don't practice it as a self defense art. They may be quite skilled but honestly don't know/care what to do if someone is striking at them. 3. Pretenders: These are usually all no-gi guys that trained a little bit and feel they are experts. They see no use for the gi and usually focus on physical attributes over technique. They'll pump iron for 3 hours then go "grapple." These guys annoy the heck out of me.

Very nice Bill...very nice! What's written on the left side in the red area? Master Pedro Sauer signs every belt he hands out. I sent a picture of that signature and it was digitized and embroidered onto the belt. It is an exact replica of his signature. I was very impressed with the work.

I know the feeling. Even at my Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy I often want to put that we train "Real" Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. And it's a relatively new art form. It's just that, with all the tourneys and "no-gi" grappling stuff out there, too many are losing the point of BJJ's inception. Which was self defense. So here's an art, developed in 1925, that already has a great deal of watering in less than 100 years.

I know you said you didn't want to get into qualifications and stuff. So I won't ask you that. I do have one question, more out of curiosity than anything else? What makes your new system unique enough to be its own style?

Certainly the body will follow the mind. In that, no endeavor, martial or otherwise, is purely physical. That said, I'm not understanding the connection between your poll question and the statements you're making in your OP. I agree with Justice Zero. You're only ever going to be effective in the areas where you regularly train. If you never actually train on the ground, you'll be ineffective on the ground. If you never actually train standing, you'll be ineffective standing. But no system is more superior than another. It may be superior for YOU. But that's not a product of the system, rather a product of the hard work the individual put in.

Seeing as tea tends to be caffeinated, that may not be the best idea. I would recommend the meditation or reading a book.

I explain it this way to people who don't understand it. A bow is, simply, a sign of respect. Our class begins with a bow to the image of Grandmaster Helio Gracie. Since it's impossible to simply shake his hand, the bow is the closest thing we have. Most people get it after that.

It actually sounds more like you need an understanding instructor than a particular style. I would check around and explain the situation to the instructors. See who's answers you like the best and go with that one.