Zaine

That happens sometimes. It's important, I think, to just keep trying out different schools. Give them a couple of visits even. You never know if you came on a bad day.

Hammer is absolutely right. Goju Ryu could be a great entry style, but it could also be no better than any other you might encounter. The best advice is to shop around and visit schools. Most dojos will let you sit in a watch, or even participate, for free to see how they operate. Find a place you like and stick to it.

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

Welcome back! It's great to have you!

Congrats! Well deserved!

This is something that I would talk to your Sensei about. In this case, it's more of an issue of approval from them. Personally, I would be nervous to step into a club and find that the instructor was not at least a 1st Dan. The fact that you're a 2nd Kyu might hurt your business. What experience do you have teaching at the moment? Have you begun teaching classes at your dojo, or at least assisting?

I would venture to say that us in the MA world have a leg up over the competition. A good instructor will teach things like respecting others and humbling yourself, which is a big thing in customer service. We're given the tools for that through our training, and it shows in our everyday lives.

Congratulations Brian. It's been great to have you. Here's to another 10!

Hey that's great! Congrats on your achievement!

Welcome to KF! It's great to have you. Good luck on your search!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/121836960955?lpid=82&chn=ps&ul_noapp=true This is the only thing I could find. I don't know if a translation exists.

Something that has been said here a lot is that not every BB is instructor material. It's always interesting to me, then, to see schools require all black belts to teach (something that is common in Texas). For me, instructors have to have both the desire and the skill to teach. Not everyone has what it takes to be a teacher, it requires a different set of skills that they may not have learned in the dojo, and sometimes the example of a great instructor is not enough to teach someone what it takes. In the U.S. any Joe Schmo can run a dojo, we don't have any special qualifications other than the logistics of opening and running a business. However, were I the head of an organization (and I'm not) I would require classes, books read on teaching, and it would be something one could fail. Teaching requires a very different type of passion than MA, and it's important that our instructors have that passion for teaching. If they don't, their instruction can fall flat, and eventually the students they're pumping out are less than our standard may be.

My deepest condolences Bob. My thoughts and prayers are with you as well. I love all the support I'm seeing for you here, and I am happy that we can be a part of your family in your moment of need.

I hear they serve really great te(a) in Naha.

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

I imagine chi would be Wisdom, or maybe even Intelligence check. Who knows those, I played Arcane when it came to spell casting.

The story about the nails is interesting. I couldn't find anything about it searching on the internet (other than this post). Who told you the story and did they give a tradition from which it was passed down? I love hearing folk lore but I can't find anything on this.

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

Congrats LLLEARNER! Well deserved!

Congrats to your daughter!

It's hard to say without seeing exactly where you're freezing up at. My suggestion would be to just relax and do it. The reason most people who are physically capable of doing backflips can't is mental. You just have to take a deep breath and go for it. The way you describe your roll is odd to me. When I do a roll, my momentum forces my feet over. I have no choice but to finish if my body is already in motion. From your description, I would definitely suggest relaxing and letting the motion carry through.

It really depends on when you're ready and when the organization you're a part of feels your ready. I started at 8th kyu with bo and didn't learn another weapon until 4th kyu. Regardless of whether or not you think your ready, your sensei will know when you're ready. Talk to your sensei about it, and don't worry so much about ruptured testicles. Depending on your style, the nunchaku shouldn't be near those. I will say that most styles have you train with a myriad of weapons, and not just one of your choice. Though you can certainly focus on one in your personal time, and after Shodan.

I can't believe that I missed this thread! I love weapons! Right now my favorite is split between kama and eku. I have always really love kama, and I think that their use requires subtlety and grace. I just like the eku in general though. Something about using an oar to fight is just something that gets to me on a deep level.

I disagree with this. Sure, they can be fairly straight forward and easy to grasp, but I think that they go deeper. Take the Pinans for example. At face value they low level kata (depending on your style, I didn't learn Pinan Sandan until 2nd Kyu) that seem to follow a set pattern. However, look at the movements, especially as you get into Pinan Sandan. When you come to the bit where you move your foot circularly, and strike first with your elbow and then fist: that's crane. As the Pinans progress, you can more easily see the influence of crane style in them, and that is something that definitely needs to be explained. Overall, when it comes to teaching, it is important to not assume that a student doesn't need explanation. What we find easy does not necessarily translate well to others. Some people need to be told that this-or-that block is for a kick. It is our impetus, as teachers, to explain everything, even those things that seem obvious.

Hakatsuru and Chinto. There was a thread not too long ago that asked about the connection of White Crane and Okinawan/Japanese karate so I've been exploring the history of those kata and MA in general lately. It's been incredibly fascinating.