Zaine

Congrats! Well deserved!

Yes we did! The techniques done at close range both with and without a sword are so similar. I would not be surprised to find out that Fiore had some knowledge of karate.

YES! Check out Schola Saint George! They're dedicated to practicing Fiore's manuscripts. I've started in their system and I am having so much fun doing it. It's a good system that teaches some great stuff. For me, it's very relatable to EMA and my instructor equates it to the fact that our bodies can only do a finite amount of things so there will be overlap. If you want more about Italian sword fighting you can check out the manuscripts of Fillipo Vadi.

I didn't fall in love with MA until after achieving 1st dan. I like it enough, sure, and I was committed to it but it wasn't until I moved away that I found the love for it. I noticed that I was thinking about it a lot and constantly practicing. I studied more of its philosophies and fell in love with it. I may have been a late bloomer in both MA and the love for it but I'm certainly glad that I never gave it up.

Solid post! As a teenager this was a concept that I struggled with. It's very easy to get a complex when you're on the journey to become a MAist. You may think things such as "I am better than them because I am X kyu/dan and I have a deeper understanding of my body." You start to size up people and that's detrimental to the process. It's just one of those things that you have to learn the hard way most times. Just another part of the journey.

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

I'm happy that everything worked out well!

Welcome to KF! It's great to have you! Congrats on your passing! The relax thing definitely comes in time as you become more confident and comfortable as a Martial Artist.

I agree with this. As a MA you should be humble and should have taken the parent aside (like in the office) and handled it that way. Saying "do you know who I am" just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. That being said. The parent does need to be respectful of the instructors on the floor and any spectator needs to wait until after class to bring up any concerns that don't seem to be harming another student. I think that you handled it poorly in that what you said sounds like posturing and to an angry person that's threatening and (since they've already picked the fight option) it will only escalate the situation. In the end, I think that she should apologize to you but I also think that you should apologize to her for exploding. I know that may sound counter to what you think but remember that you are an example and clearing the air on both sides is never a bad thing.

Great interview! Thanks for sharing!

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.