bushido_man96

Well of course I would hope the 8 year old could prove himself both in knowledge and in skillset irrespective of his age. Otherwise he shouldn't really have the belt should he? I'm of the opinion anyone, regardless of age, should be awarded a rank if they check all the boxes and meet all criteria. Out of interest, at what dan rank do you say someone becomes a master? In my style it's at 7th dan however in some styles a master title is given at 4th dan. Our's is at 5th dan. I'm not crazy about it, but it is what it is.

This is one of those arguments that proves that "the belt doesn't matter," until it does matter. But perhaps we aren't discussing belts, but ranks, which could be different. I'll play a little devil's advocate here. Why does one have to be past their physical prime in order to be considered a master? And why not wait to hold judgement on someone or show them respect until after spending some time speaking and training with them? Each should be considered on a case-by-case basis, certainly, but to make a judgement call without any other information is a pretty quick jump to a conclusion.

12/17/2013 Did 55 minutes of basics, using almost all of the floor at our gym. Then, had a good stretch. I'm sore today, but yesterday, I felt loose and pretty good. I will do some more of this, looking into the Encyclopedia for more "fundamental exercises" to do up and down the floor to change things up a bit.

Oh cool! I missed that episode. I'll have to see if I can Netflix it or something.

I think the main reason is because what was originally Kalaripayattu is not the same as what it is today. I think that what it was is probably gone, and there is an attempt to resurrect it because of the stigma of being "the oldest style," which I doubt is the case, unless he was the first man of the first civilization to do any fighting, which would be really hard to trace. I'm not trying to put the style down. That's not my point. But I don't think there is a hard and fast way to trace back what the practitioners of today are doing to what it was orginally.

That sounds like a great experience! Keep up the hard work!

KC pulled out a win against division rival Oakland, but it didn't end as pretty as it started. I was a bit nervous that KC allowed Oakland to really get back into that game in the 3rd quarter. But, they really turned it back on, and defense came up with some key turnovers, although they gave up a lot of yards, which is a concern. Overall, though, KC clinched a playoff spot, and things can still swing in their favor for the division, if they just take care of business. Patrick, I saw the Phins took care of NE, which puts more of a damper on NE's playoff pursuit of the #1 seed. Bob, the Cowboys won, beating the Packers. Are they still hunting for a playoff spot?

Well, it sounds like you did a good job for your grading. Its no fun to not pass students, but it happens from time to time. So, was it a learning experience for you? What are your thoughts overall, other than the review you gave?

Thank you, everyone! Your support means the world to me! I get to add a solid black stripe down the side of each pant leg.

This gets state a lot, and a lot of times, its all that gets stated. No elaboration, no clarification, just statement.I like to see more about where all these applications are in these katas. I have read some good books that elaborate a bit more on this, and they are immensly helpful.

For us that would turn into the spare GI jacket drill. If we loved you it would even be clean. Relatively.

Who's planning to go see 47 Ronin? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1335975/ I think it looks very entertaining, and am planning to go see it.

I think its a good way to go. The school I attend has a website through the gym we are in, but not a Facebook page, yet. I keep hoping we set one up.

I'm not sure the coffee is the issue here. I drink coffee or pop (soda) often, and don't have these issues. It could be you have these issues, and are trying to associate it to something you do, in this case, caffeine intake. It also sounds like you are experimenting on yourself to see how it affects you, but you don't have any kind of control subject, and seem to be just randomly adding caffiene. You might want to start by going to see your doctor, and talk to him/her about your issues and concerns. You may want to speak with a psychiatrist or psychologist after that. See what you doctor recommends. As for the coffee, if you feel you don't need it, then stop drinking it. Or cut back to one cup a day. See how things go from there. Good luck to you.

It sounds like you've got a good idea of what you want to see out of making progress. If you go visit some schools, ask the instructors about how they approach gradings, and you should be able to nail down someone with similar ideas to yours.

I think some of the ideas and movements relate to that, because the fencing styles that were popular in France at the time would get used with Savate techniques. I don't think they have the same roots, but were just relevant at the same time and place.

I didn't watch the bunkai, just the forms. Each form had some nice touches to them. I thought the Italians did better kicks, and the form had more kicks, but the Japanese had more intricate hand techniques. Both were synced up well, but I thought that the height difference for the Italian girls might not have played in their favor, but I'm unsure if that was the case or not. I'd probably have to go with the Japanese team, even though I did prefer the kicking in the Italian kata. I think the Japanese did a more intricate form, so they would get my nod. All 6 of those performers blow my technique out of the water.

I think it would be a fun one to learn. Its one of those more obscure styles, and I always think its fun to delve into the history and techniques of these styles.

This is a pretty cool event. Thanks for sharing these with us, and here's to continued progression for you style and organization in the future!

That one would be fairly subjective, wouldn't it? But, a solid goal, nonetheless. On a serious note, good luck to you and your future fiance.

Welcome back to KF! Kalaripayattu is pretty tough to really find around; its just not that popular. I'd be interested to hear from someone who actually participates in it.

Well, its been a busy few weeks. KC got back on track after dropping 3 in a row, beating a Washington team that has not peformed well all year. Raiders this week, and a win can clinch the playoff berth. Go KC!

Well, the results are in, and I passed! I got my certificate yesterday (those on Facebook have seen it), and now just need a frame for it! My instructor has ordered me a belt, and I need to have some tailoring done on my uniform pants now. Onward to 5th dan! Thank you for all the support you have given me. It has really made a world of difference!

The annoying thing is that i've have only taught the junior classes a handful of times. so i am not really all that acquainted with the students there. But those times i have taught them they know how tight (instead of using a word associated with our butts and could have had this post removed) i am about doing things. I'll let everyone know how it goes and how many students were there. the biggest grading i've helped out at was 16 students and that was an adults grading Look at it this way: They are the ones testing, so let them be nervous! I remember when I used to floor judge for testings at first. I would get nervous. But eventually, I just thought to myself, "this isn't much different than leading a class, and they are the one's testing, not me." So, I don't get nervous for it anymore. I just do my thing, and let them be nervous. After all, its their testing, and its about them, and not me. Hope that helps.

Congrats! Job well done!