Zaine

You will be missed on the staff Heidi! Thank you for all that you have done.

I don't see why this should interfere with your flexibility. I would suggest, however, trying out a specific running program. I also hated running, but personally did C25K and found running to become more enjoyable. It's just a different type of exercise. What is your stretching routine before and after your run? Usually, when I run, I do a warm up and cool down walk in lieu of stretching.

This was a great prank. So, when will you be issuing refunds?

That's awesome! Congrats to your daughter, you must be incredibly proud.

When I was a teenager, my friend fell in love with Seisan, and I fell in love with Wanshu. We spent hours practicing our respective favorite kata. However, as I got older, I found myself practicing techniques in the Pinan set more than anything. I found myself employed those techniques in sparring, and have focused a lot of time on those.

Welcome to KF! It's great to have you!

Welcome to KF! It's great to have you!

I wouldn't worry too much about this. If that is how another club does business, then ignore them. Focus on making sure that you're club is running well. If it gets to the point of slander/libel, get a lawyer. Otherwise, just continuing doing the best you can.

I imagine what is covered would vary greatly depending on the school. The school I got my BB at had us sit down and essentially went over what the CI expected out of us with our instruction. Mostly, it was a recap; he just explained how he taught us the things we knew. It all depends on what you want out of your instructors. I would just give them your expectations. It seems that your list would be a perfect starting point. I don't think you necessarily need to go into finances and things like that for someone who is just an instructor, but having them first aid certified, or CPR certified is a pretty smart step. You could even get certified to certify people and cut out the middle man. I am not sure which certificate you are talking about having extra of, but if you are speaking towards the FA and CPR certificates then it's useful to have all instructors certified. You never know who will and will not be at the school, and it's good to have your instructors informed on proper technique and care of an injured student.

Welcome to KF! It's great to have you!

That's awesome. I've been really diving into Lictenaur lately and it has been a ton of fun. I've also taken the time to pick up a rapier, and it's just been a blast.

Do you focus on a certain person or country for longsword?

Welcome to KF! It's great to have her!

"You're the only one who cares if you fail." An visiting instructor told me this one day. Changed the way I saw learning in general. If I was the only one embarrassed by not doing it correctly, then I was the only one getting in my way. Training became much smoother after that.

Would have loved to make the stream. Thanks for all that you do for us Brian.

Firstly, I don't think that Sensei8 would appreciate being hit. All this talking of hitting BOB might but him on edge. Seriously, however, I tend to lean more towards BOBs for training. I find that both suffer from easily from (my) user error of not ever anchoring it properly, but in the case of BOBs I like the "realness" that comes with it. Being able to feel, in one way or another, a humanoid response in your own body to a kick is something that I enjoy. As far as I know, and my knowledge is admittedly limited here, the problems with splitting have been fixed. That being said, the WM is more durable. I would, however, definitely just save up and by the Outslayer and BOB if that's what you want.

Welcome! It's great to have you. Where do you train in DFW?

Merry Christmas to all!

This would be super hard to research, but really interesting to find out. I wonder how successful a poll would be. Some arts divulge these things though. My club had three, me being the first. It closed down shortly after the third was tested. My sensei's dojo (Matsumura-Seito Shorin Ryu) has 32 overall black belts, with 13 of those still being active within his dojo, and 19 being listed under the "non-active" section. James Coffman, Gagne's sensei, does not have such a list on his website, so I'm not sure where the numbers are after this point.

From my perspective I think that your Sensei sees your effort. If you're the one asking all the questions, perhaps your Sensei finds it better to focus more on the students who are self-advocating as well as you are. Furthermore, knowing what you should be doing and being able to do it aren't the same. If, in fact, real-world application is where you feel weakest, then the bunkai is a good thing, and you should be doing a lot. That being said, talk to your Sensei. Tell them what you want to know, and your end goals as far as kata and bunkai are concerned. It's entirely possible that it has not crossed your Sensei's mind to mention that, and it is also possible that you're one of only a few interested in that particular area. Showing this interest to your Sensei would help you immensely. I've never met a teacher, MA or otherwise, who wasn't enthusiastic about their students furthering their own journeys. At the end of the day, it's best to approach your Sensei. Be bold about how you learn. We all learn differently, and your Sensei knows that. Give them the opportunity to teach you in a way that will best facilitate your growth.

Welcome to KF! It's great to have you!

I've had friends take them off in the past, and I've had friends become experts at defending their heads. It really all depends on what you do I guess. Contact lenses seem like the best option to me though. That being said, I only wear glasses to read, so this has never been an issue.

I definitely did not do the second one. Instead I ventured into the world of online MA, which was an awesome experience in itself.

Same as always really. I just want to get better. I might look towards opening a studio, or taking in students towards the end of next year, but we'll see where I am then. Really, if anything, it would be great to pick up a new style.

Congrats everyone!