JimmyNewton

but i still dont kno what you mean by political?

when you were talking about "politics" earlier. what did you mean really, because i guess i'm put of the loop

wow, that should be an awesome experience. i've never been but hope to go some day. good luck!

i doubt i';ll be able to amke that camp with work and all. i'm not sure about the polictical aspects of everything. my sensei actually retired asnd is just teaching a few people privately.

almost 5 years total.

i am. I live in charlotte, NC and train with Willie McIntosh in Shelby, NC

you'd have to contact my brother. shoot me an email and i'll give you the info.

i'm positive. I think its to see how we cope and resolve what he was telling us. But yeah, i'm 28, train hard and never saw this coming. as I mention, i'll keep you posted on the results. However, the other student is a highschool student, so maybe he;s trying to teach them the lesson and i have to be part of it in order for it to work.

besides..when you've been broken down, and broken down and hit rock bottom....there's no where else to go but up.

yeah, i know what you mean. i've had all kind of mixed up, confused feelings. i'll do the best i can. i tend to to be very modest and humble in the dojo. i'll admit, i was shook up the day it happened, and definitly thrown for a loop because i felt like i was nailing everything. (katas, sparring, etc) but as i mentioned, he has a long police and military background and i think its coming inot play. i'm sure i'll figure out the motive behind this particular "sphinx riddle" in anohter month or so. i'll keep you posted when i do. other than that, i'll keep training and pushing and lend as much as ahelping hand to the other brown belt as i can..

i think his military and police background is actually coming into play. i'm not too broken up about it. we'll work outside of class, eventually re-test, and the lesson will be learned. i mean , i know people will have mixed opinions, but ultimately, if he saw us as selfsh and needs us t o re-examine ourselves, then its ultimately his call.

i'm 28. it through me for a loop as well. he does every test differently and i think the point of this one was to illustrate the importance of teamwork. that and to see if we bounce back, or mope and and break.

i actually had my test this saturday and did not pass. i thought i was ready. It was actually myself and one other student testng together, and neither one of us passed. we had to write a paper, go over al techniques, self defense drills, sparring drills, a katas, all weapons, etc. however, we had 2 weeks off of practice to prepare on our own, which we did. however, in those 2 weeks, myself and the other student did not communicate outside of class. we found out that by not communicating and working TOGETHER outide of class, we failed. We failed each other as classmates because you are only as strong as your weakest link. Sensei did not mention when we' retest, but said if we do not get t together and work as a team, we will remain profesional brown belts unless we go to another dojo and "buy" a black belt form them. it was a humbling experience. We are now communicatiing daily and holding each other accountable for practicing outside of class. its like we report to each other to and are working as a support system. Sensei hammered the issue of teamwork and that in life, you cannot get anywhere without the help of others. We are trying to resolve our issue and hopefully will retest soon.

wont be there as i live too far away but i've read abernathy's books. i'd recomend anyone has can go to do so.

i'm not really skilled with craftsmanship and building. luckily my brother is, so maybe i can get his help.i saw some cool dispalys for sias and tonfas, but they dont mount on the wall

heres a good drill we did for balance, ankle strenghtengfing, etc. stand with feet about shoulder width apart. start right leg, raise knee, front kick. thats 1 then for 2, raise knee, 2 front kicks then set leg down. 3, 3 front kicks, set leg down. and so on up to 10. by 10, its really hard, but with practice, gets better. then go through the left leg 1-10. then with proceed to do roudhouses and side kicks in the same fashion. by the tim you get to 10, doing 10 kicks onwhile staying staionary and not setting the leg down in between..it works wonders for conditioning, balance, anke strenght, etc. its a good drill, but it takes practice.

i have a few places to shop for Okinawan weapons. my question is does anyone know of any nice dispalys, particularly wall mounts? I'm wanting to hang a seperate set on the wall in one of my spare bedrooms. i can visulaize how i'd like it to look, but i was wondering if therre are any display fixtures other than mounting with nails. let me know what you've got. thanks jn

There's a really simple answer to this one. It's just sport, twice or three times a week. If you're not hopelessy uncoordinated you'll pass. Good luck btw! i dont really agree with " its a sport" once or twice a week. I think living as a martial artist, regardless of style is a was living and a lifestyle to be practiced daily.

never heard of one either

there is an enshin karate school i'm contemplating joining in charlotte nc in 06. i'm currently in Shorin Ryu karate, but its an hour away from where I live, where the enshin is 15 minutes.

i think the "what's the Point" mentalitiy would be like saying..whats the point of building models, collecting, baseball cards, going fishing, etc.. it's just a hobby that he started that he excels oat, and hopefully migh sell a few suits along the way

repetition

cool thanks. i emnailed direct tv but havent heard a response yet

do you any of you guys out there get thew blackbelt tv channel? I recently heard about it. I liv in Charlotte, NC. i dont have it, but just contacted direct tv inquiring how to add it on, but havent heard back. it looks pretty cool. lots of anime, fighting movies, competitions from around the world, etc. just wondering if it was new or if its only in one part of the country or what the deal on it was and if anyone had it. also..if anyone does have it, do you have to pay more for it? ive also heard it was supposed to launch mid-2005, so i dont even know if its national. any feedback would be appreciated. thanks

sounds good..thanks for the reply