bushido_man96

Honestly, I wouldn't get too worked up over the idea that an instructor promotes when he sees fit. I do believe that is how the majority of BJJ schools have done it, and I really don't believe being socially awkward is going to hinder your ability to achieve rank, unless you choose to avoid working with partners altogether, which would be an obvious concern. Another thing to keep in mind is that horror stories are usually just that; an event that someone heard about, and may not have experienced, that happens outside of what we would view as the "norm," and then it gets focused on and almost sensationalized to the point that it is foremost in our minds, and therefore we think of that rare event as "the norm," or at the very least, as a common occurrence, which it is not.

I'm curious about the history aspect; is there actual history pointing to Bodidharma actually teaching Sanchin (or his derivative) to the monks, or is Sanchin just grouped into the possibilities of what could have been taught to the monks?

That's quite the journey, Sailor Sinbad. I'm pleased to see that KF has been such a big help for you! That's what makes this community so great!

I thought I'd get this started, so....ahem....HERE BEGINS THE DISSERTATION OF THE WAY OF SANCHIN KATA BY KRIS WILDER. Something that jumped out at me on pg xii of the foreword by Hiroo Ito: When I see statements like this, I almost immediately take issue with it. There are a few points I have problems with here. First off, is the use of the term "bodybuilding." Bodybuilding became a term to describe anyone that chose to pursue the increase of strength through lifting weights; it became a catchall term for many who didn't understand the concept of what they were describing. Secondly, this feeds into the idea that being strong is detrimental to the Martial Artists in general, and Karatekas specifically. I think it is irresponsible and dangerous advise to give anyone to avoid seeking out strength training as a way for people to improve their interaction with the physical world...because it is a physical world. Based on what I've seen as an instructor and martial artist in general, there is no indication that being strong is detrimental to martial arts performance; in fact, like any other physical activity, being strong is beneficial. A very strong man can learn to perform with the same mechanical efficiency as a weak man. The third issue I have is with the idea that there is no historical information that indicates that samurai lifted any kinds of weights. So what? I'll bet they didn't drive cars either....because they weren't there. This statement is not an indication that strength training would not have been beneficial to the samurai. Something I've noticed over the course of my MA career, especially early on, was that it seemed taboo for someone to want to get bigger and stronger, whereas if someone was already big and strong, it's ok. I've always seen this as a rather huge inconsistency. For these reasons listed above, I've made it a rule to never take "strength training" advise from Martial Artists. Those are some opening thoughts from me. I can't wait to hear others.

Yeah you do...and you have NYY Pitcher Cole...nice!! My team is full of...well...it's full. Yeah, I'm going to have to do some tweaking, I think. May need to look to DP for some of those trades...

It looks like the draft took place? I seem to have a roster, anyway.

3/29/2023 Strength Training Rowing Machine: 2 minute warmup. Squats: 45x5x2, 135x5, 185x3, 225x5, 225x5. Press: 45x5x2, 75x5, 95x3, 115x1, 144.5x5, 144.5x5, 144.5x5. Snatch Grip Deadlifts: 135x5, 185x3, 255x5, 255x5. Iso-Lateral Bench Press: 35x10, 35x10, 35x10 (17.5). Light squat, press, then snatch deads again, on a 10% deload. Sets felt good on reps 1-4; #5 is always a grinder. On the iso-bench, I found I've got to have that seat all the way up; too low and the angle of my arm affects my shoulder. TKD Class: T-Shirt Class: 6:30 - 7:15. Did some heavy bag kicking, and made myself move around it with some footwork. Also some speed bag work. I did not feel great today. Body just felt like it didn't want to move, but I made it move a little anyway.

A quote from Taken: Love IT!

That all sounds good. And we just do an autodraft, correct?

I appreciate that response. I'll be sure to keep it in mind, and understand that I may struggle with it initially. I look forward to your response to chapter 1. I think we'll generate some great discussion going forward!

I think the term "mastery" gets a little too overused, and we got caught up in too much. I think "expertise" is a much more valid way to approach what a black belt has accomplished upon reaching that rank.

3/24/2023 Strength Training Rowing Machine: 2 minute warmup. Squats: 45x5x2, 135x5, 185x3, 225x1, 270x5, 270x5, 270x5. Press: 45x5x2, 75x5, 95x3, 115x1, 142.5x5, 142.5x5, 142.5x5. Pretty wiped out after the main lifts, so skipped the accessory stuff again. Hoping to get back on those next week. 3/27/2023 Strength Training Squats: 45x5x2, 135x5, 185x3, 225x1, 275x5, 275x5, 275x5. Press: 45x5x2, 75x5, 95x3, 115x1, 143.5x5, 143.5x5, 143.5x5. Lat Pull-downs: 130x10, 130x10, 130x10. Iso-lateral Bench Press: 30x10, 30x10, 30x10 (15). Had some balance shifting issues on the squat today. I felt my weight shift forward on a few reps. Still ironing out form issues, but the weight is moving ok. Press seemed better today, too, and I got the accessory stuff worked back in. I wasn't feeling nearly as winded.

Is that $12.99 per month?

Wow, that's quite a lot to take in. Thanks for sharing it. Reading the book as an uninformed practitioner, I'm not sure on how to separate the wheat from the chaff. I agree with you on the Fibonacci Ratio explanation; it reminded me of General Choi's explanation on sine wave. When it comes to the section on the mechanics of the movements for Sanchin, I've been trying to understand those. For instance, when he talks about getting the spine in the proper position for the kata. That doesn't appear very natural to me, so I'm trying to think about getting into that position and making sure I'm doing it right. I think we could get into the weeds on the discussion of this book, and I'd like to do that. If you like, we could take it chapter by chapter, and see what we come up with. And any take you have on the performance of Sanchin along the way, I'd take to heart.

That sounds very interesting, indeed. Do they have their own rank progression system, different from more traditional Shotokan systems? I didn't know if Shotokan had an orange belt or not.

I think we could discuss the book in this thread here. I saw some things as i read along that jumped out at me a well. I'm still working through it, but we could get started.

I see your analogy. However, if you prune a branch, you don't have "nothing;" you still have the branch. See what I mean? It's very confusing, and I don't think that word does it justice.

Those are good points, DP. I saw a similar quote about pacifism once: "Only a warrior can choose a lift of pacifism; everyone else is condemned to it." Strong words. When we create something, our personality comes to light, and also grows, and is therefore enriched. I think also every time we explore and "create" something, we learn about ourselves, whether good or bad, thus the "deepening of the personal dimension of the soul." As for the personality being rooted in the "nothing,"....when I see this, I wonder if the translation of whatever that word would be in Chinese is really very well expressed in English, or with the word "nothing." In my mind, nothing can't have something in it; to me, it seems like a void. Therefore, can something truly be rooted in nothing?

Update here, I'm beginning my journey in learning Sanchin. I'm starting by re-reading Kris Wilder's book, The Way of Sanchin Kata. There are lots of interesting discussion points and tidbits in this book, so many that I think this book could get it's own forum dissertation like the one started for Tao of Jeet Kune Do, especially after working on Sanchin itself. I'll be looking into some of the video references made earlier, too, after I finish reading the book.

What is that Machida Virtual Dojo like? I'd be interested in what kind of Shotokan he's teaching.

Many years ago, while in college, I played in a fantasy hockey league in intramurals. Didn't know a thing about hockey, other than what I caught on Sportscenter highlights. But I did have a good time playing in the league.

I think you make some good points there. I'm not necessarily against larger organizations, but they do come with their own set of CQ issues.

So, I've been giving this some thought, and come up with an interesting paradox. In order to give life to the "artless art," and in the end to have "no technique," you have to start by learning something in the first place. I think it would very difficult for someone with no MA or fighting experience at all to step out of the house, and all of a sudden be creating an art that "just is" without knowing anything in the first place. So, in order for the art to "just be," you had to have something to start with in the first place. Bruce had Gung Fu to start with, after all. And even though he didn't want to put any restrictions on his style, he did have drills and concepts that he taught (these things seem intuitive, because having drills and concepts makes it easier to organize thoughts and processes). Anywho, that's where my mind went on these thoughts. Fear not; the next post will be up soon! Just wanted to read others' thoughts on this, as well.

I think if you start introducing steps like junior instructor, senior instructor, and beyond, then you get right back to the same issues you have with the dan grades. I do like Noah's idea of an instructor certification, but beyond that, you end up back at the pomp and circumstance that was there before, only now it's the instructors who start thinking highly of themselves over other instructors who haven't reached the same level of "instructorship" that they have.

I'd be leery to attempt to tie anything to competitive achievements. Reason being is that there comes a point in competitions where natural ability becomes a big factor in who is able to compete and who isn't. It's easier for great athletes to demonstrate skill in competition. But great athletes aren't always the best coaches and instructors. There are lots of people out there that are so naturally gifted that they pick up on movements easily, and don't struggle with physical skills. Hence, they don't have to troubleshoot as often as the less naturally talented, who have to work harder and smarter to get just a little bit more out of everything. These are the folks who tend to become good coaches and teachers. Case in point here. Knows the curriculum for shodan, but due to the competition standards set by that instructor, can't be a shodan. But may in fact have the competence to teach and coach the movements, given the chance.