Zaine

Welcome back!

Welcome to KF! It's great to have you! First thing's first I would build a curriculum. That would help you focus the classes and also help your students grow. Then I would set a testing schedule. Commit to having the possibility of a test ever X times a year on Y days. This does not mean that you will always test on those days, it just means that if you have somebody who is ready to be tested, that will be the day that you do it. Now on to your first question. It's hard as an instructor to realize that we are actually learning when we teach. Try to keep a journal after every class and write down something that you learned that day. For example, if you learned a better way to explain some piece of Bunkai then you yourself have also learned. Otherwise try coming in early or staying late to do some solo training or, invite different students to that so that you can train.

Speak for yourself! Everybody learns at different paces. I totally agree - in fact, it's the difficulty or struggle that in my opinion helps develop the humility found in a true master! Great point!

Congrats!

Congrats and well deserved!

Hi kanie1972, welcome to KF! This is a difficult question because gis often differ in their sizes depending on the company. A size 3 in Century (as an example) may be a size 4 or 5 in Kamae. Most companies will have a size chart on their website or, in the case of Kamae, will have measurement selections. I have always been an advocate for tailoring to fit (if possible) with gis. It allows you to get something that is the closest to your size and then change it to your specification.

It's never happened to me but it sounds like something that would! In this situation I probably would have continued sparring, it's just what we were taught to do. A match isn't over until the Sensei says so and, just like in a real life situation, you can't stop a fight because your pants are off.

Awesome! Congrats!

Are you worried about it? Then practice! If you're confident that you can execute bassai dai with good form then relax! If you're not, then practice! Don't worry about the others. Worry about yourself. Unless they are grading everyone and only the top X testers pass then do as best as you can and forget everybody else testing. The more you worry about other people the less your technique is going to excel. You're being tested because you teacher thinks that you are ready. Worry about nothing else. Good luck! I can't wait to hear the (positive) outcome!

Welcome to KF! Great to have you!

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

I am going to agree with most here. Online MA isn't something a new student should embark on simply because you're going to make mistakes, as we all do, and you will have no one to point them out and critique. It's critical to have a class you can go to when you start. I do think, however, that learning a martial art online is an interesting way to do it and I think that it could work for some people. It would be very interesting to explore. If you do decide to start your journey online, I would very much appreciate it if you documented your process and shared it with us.

I disagree with you. You take the unique nature of your club for granted. I think your clubs attitude towards rank says a lot about your school, that your humble, have pure intentions, check your ego at the door- very cool..... But This is a different situation. It was a gathering of many schools where rank plays a big part. This I'm sure was shocking to a lot of these people. And it may have been done to teach a lesson in humility and to foster learning and focus everyone's attention on the lesson being taught, removing the distraction that may be accompanied with hierarchy. It is remarkable. And so is your school, perhaps more so because you adopted the concept full time. Solid post!

Bob hits the nail on the head. Kids classes are more about being having the children be active while learning some discipline. They're supposed to be fun while teaching them concepts like safety, the importance of staying active and (again) discipline. So play MA related games and have a great time. As for the kata, like Bob suggested, keep a 1 kata to rank ratio.

Really had to dig for this one. https://myspace.com/houseofdavidkarate/video/4th-form-koach-gadol/2519566 So a couple of things should be said about this. (1) Ignore the hebrew, the Sensei went through a change in his life and as such, changed the system over to a hebrew based one, it's still Seisan. (2) Sorry about the Myspace, it's really a mess. The video is of another student doing the kata as a learning tool for other students. It comes from Matsumura-Seito. Enjoy.

If there are reasons that you don't want to be at either then I would suggest a new dojo all together. However, given the two choices you presented, I would go with your original dojo. Problem students can be handled by bringing it to the attention of the Sensei. Big egos are going to be around regardless of where you go. However, a Sensei who is the problem probably will be less likely to change their attitude.

Cool article, thanks for sharing! I like the idea of doing this at seminars. It shows everyone that they are there to learn first and worry about rank never.

Congrats!

Welcome to KF! It's great to have you! Congrats on the fresh start! I'm excited to hear about your progress!

Welcome to KF! It's great to have you! Coincidentally, I was 17 when I got my BB in Shorin Ryu. As for the legitimacy, I think it is legitimate. I, just like you, put in the work and trained consistently and with fervor. Trust your Sensei, they know what they're doing and what you're doing as well.

Congrats! Well deserved indeed!

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

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

Good luck!

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