jaymac

That is great. You must feel so proud. Doesn't it feel great to get positive remarks from an instructor. Many times it is worth more than the actual rank.

What gets me though, is it is those types of people who give the school a bad name. They are bad advertisement for the owner. If they are a drama queen in the dojo, just imagine the negative things they say outside of the training facility. "I got hurt by so and so while we were sparring..." Potential newcomers to the MA may be afraid to go to a place where they fear they will get injured by other students (even if this couldnt be further from the truth).

I think it is a beautiful art and wish I had the opportunity to try it. I think it unfair though to say it is ineffective against a MMA. It probably is, along with many other MA styles. However, I bet it works against a would be attacker on the street. I know I did not join Shotokan to throw myself into an octagon cage and test my abilities against a Mixed Martial Artist. I do however, feel I have been greatly trained to defend myself on the street.

Sorry, our school is not from a chain, nor is it governed by a larger organization like JKA. I do know their is a Tae Kwon Do chain that is approximately 1 hour from here and I have heard great things from parents of small kids, but negative things from adults who feel the dojo chain focuses too much on the children and promoting rank. But that is the business of these places - to make more business. Kids are great customers.

Kez, I agree with others. This is behavior that should never have been tolerated in the very beginning. Your instructor needs to step in and do something about it. In our dojo, we focus on positive behavior vs. negative. When we have a child who is fooling around in line, we pull a student who is attentive and quiet in front of the class and say, "wow, look how awesome he/she is! He/she got right in line and is displaying great attitude by being respectful and not talking or fooling around! Then we award them a nonranking stripe on their belt to indicate their special achievement. Usually works and seldom do we have to use negative reinforcement.

Heian Yondan is the only recognizable shotokan kata I see in your list. Why don't you just ask your instructor what style he teaches. It seems funny that he hasn't shared that information with you already.

Hall was awesome! Great clips.

I make it a rule to never question my instructor in regards to when I will rank or why haven't I ranked. Just go with the curriculem. Each schools curriculem is different. What you may need to know for one rank, may be different in another school.

First of all, I cannot believe your instructor tolerates that type of outburts in his classes. Profanity in a dojo setting should not happen! We did have an individual who was a "drama queen" when sparring, and doing self defense. My instructor finally pulled her aside and said that if she could not manage to stay injury free during training, she would have to drop out of the program, because he didn't want to take the risks with her anymore. He runs a very controlled atmosphere, yet she managed to get injured somehow in every class - and she cried each time. She did finally quit.

This was a great post. I feel that in any school, there should be mutual respect amongst everyone, regardless of age, gender, rank. Anyone who comes to me and asks for assistance gets my 100% attention. I have never been disrespected by individuals older than me or higher rank, and I have never disrespected anyone of lower/higher rank or of any age. Being humble is one of the characteristics a black belt should demonstrate at all times. There are some awesome teenage black belts in our school. If I missed something because I was not there, I immediately go to those individuals and ask them to show me what I missed. I respect their abilities as black belts.

I keep all my notes in a notebook attached to my 3 ring binder that holds all my manuals. The other day I was working with a student who said, " I have to write down this kata" - she was working on Bassai Dai. That was odd to me. I have never written down kata. I just practice them everynight so I don't forget them. Does anyone else write down the movements to all their kata?

Eric, you know in the past you too (as well as all of us) have walked into someone's extended punch or kick. We are sparring. It isn't ballet. Hit happens What I do wonder about is why do the instructors need upper rank to spar children during a test. Why don't the testers spar each other? The only time instructors or black belts spar testers in our dojo is when they are testing for a Dan rank. Don't get me wrong, during the children's classes, we do spar with the kids. It is slow paced and usually I extend my hand and grab their head gear to let them know they are not covering their head. It is good training for them and me. We do not allow people to view classes or tests. If your school allows this (which you already indicated the parents were there), then the instructors should allow only the testers to demonstrate on each other, especially if it is a kyu rank and they are children.

Me too Neo. I did come across a website last night that was quite different and not sure what I think of it really. I don't have the url, but please look up budo karate house and check it out. I guess it is a school for male students who are between the ages of 17 and 23. It is a 3 year program. It is not a college. It trains these boys to fight full contact Karate. I don't believe they have graduated anyone yet. Everyone has quit before their 3 year were up because it was too hard, too strict ...

When I sit in on Black Belt testings, I do want to challenge the testers, but not to the point that I may injure one bad enough to cause them pain and inability to finish a test. That is just ridiculous. Especially because they will eventually sit on my future Dan testings. I wouldn't want someone to take revenge on me during my test.

Thanks for that Night Owl. Funny how he can only knock out his students. I laughed a little too when he said that many athletes are not affected by this. So what does he call his students?

When I do either, I really try to keep my center of gravity. I keep my knees bent and head over rear. Obviously if you are doing a roundhouse or side kick etc..., you are going to be leaning back, but typically, I just try not to throw my balance off by leaning when it isn't necessary.

Kez, you don't have to keep getting a black belt to yourself. Achieving BB is a great honor. I am talking about those individuals who show moves outside of class to onlookers just to show off, or none stop talk about their MA training to everyone. They are the ones who end up being tested by others who want to prove an inability to defend oneself.

You would do fine in Judo, but if you cannot get there, see if you could find someone to go and train with you. Offer to pay for the gas to get there. If you really have lost your passion for Shotokan, talk to your instructor. It may not change your mind, but at least you will get it off your chest. Also, look into what is offered in the area around the University you will be attending. Good luck.

Injuries will occur, it is a risk we all take by being in Martial Arts. Luckily, I have only had a minor few. Good thing, because I have to go to work for a living. Missing work because of an injury I obtained during my training, would really put a damper to paying bills and eating.

I think it is a cool idea, but really, what would you do with the degree? Can you make a life of it? Does the course teach you business skills and management skills to run an effective dojo? I also wonder about the skills of an individual who after 4 years of training, has a 2nd Dan. Is this person capable now of adequately teaching many students? What happens to their training after they have completed the degree? I would love to do something like that, but to make it an actual major in college? What about a minor in MA and a major in Physical Education? That sounds good. You can probably get hired somewhere with that degree.

I have been taking Martial Arts for such a large portion of my life, that I don't think I could not kick in a fight. I love to watch boxing and would even love to try it, but am always afraid if I do, I might accidentally kick my partner.

Kez, I am glad that things are better. I hope Ryan will gain back some of the confidence he lost in this situation really soon and beable to put his heart back into Karate. This situation should be a lesson for all of us. Bullying is a problem that has escalated out of control all over the world and it doesn't only occur to teens or at school. Children of all ages are bullied at school, on the computer, in their neighborhood, etc... Unfortunately, Martial Arts is not a fool proof system. You could still get your rear end handed to you as a 35 year old 4th Dan Black Belt just as easily as a 9 year old little boy with a purple belt. It is the one who has no fear and is so over confident in their abilities that should be more wary. They are probably the ones who display their skills publicly and show off. Your son did nothing wrong, and he is not weak. He had to deal with something huge for him, and it is going to take a little to overcome, but he will. He shouldn't feel that Karate failed him. Our way of dealing with bullies has failed him.

I was given a Dim mak DVD once to watch. In the very beginning it cautioned the viewer about the severe and possibly fatal results that could occur to a-would-be attacker if used. I shut it off after that point and returned it to its owner. Firstly, I do not want to train in a style that its only defense is to severely injure or kill an attacker. What if they were just throwing a punch. This DVD claimed that it could teach pressure points that would immediately stop an attacker, but years down the road, that one technique you used, could actually kill that person. Give me a break. I would rather try to defend myself against a crazed, adrenaline pumped individual with the self defense that I can practice over and over on an uke (without killing them), than rely on a death touch.

My instructor always has the music on. I do not always notice it until it is off. On many nights during the week at 7:00 the hockey game starts. I am an avid Sabres fan! When it comes on, I want to listen. Then he turns the radio off. I know it is best though, but you gotta love those sabres!

This is great!