still kicking

4-5 times a week, it looks like you got hooked right off the bat. That is awesome!

Oh I know, DWx, I guess the no eating and sleeping part just grabbed my attention, because I do love eating and sleeping! In moderation, of course, ha ha. But I do get the point, and loved the video.

Well, that's cool. It was inspiring, and I very much appreciate his ambition and energy, and I agree with it all except for the not eating and sleeping part. You have to use not just the emotion of desiring success, but also your brain, which tells you that the body needs adequate rest and nutrition in order to function optimally. But he will probably find that out when he is a bit older.

Congrats, MasterPain. Did you have that speech prepared in advance?

Hi Patrick -- Just putting in my 2 cents worth of support for you and all your hard work. I hadn't even been on here in a while, due to work and training committments, then tried to log on an found out I'd been kicked off -- which I now know was a technical glitch. It was a great relief that it wasn't because of something I had inadvertantly said that was over the top unacceptable! (though couldn't really think of what it might have been). In any case it is true, I have been insanely busy with work and karate, and it is partly the support of this forum that has enabled me to continue with my training after 2 hip replacements earlier this year. I am doing great! Though not perfect-- facing some challenges related to that. Still on schedule to test for shodan-ho in March, though. When I came back to log on and there were glitches, I realized how much I have come to depend on, and perhaps take for granted, that these forums would be here. All of this is to say, to everyone, but especially Patrick, I do not take you for granted, and your being here has very much enhanced my training! I plan to post more once things slow up just a little in my work and karate life. Ha ha ha. I do hope you're all stll around! Still Kicking

I was gonna guess 10 million, but it was just a wild guess. At some of the tournaments I've been to it seemed like they were all there at once, and were mostly kids. No offense, kids, we love you.

There's such a thing as competitive cheerleading? Who knew?

Why is that sad, sojobo? My point was that I enjoy training for it's own sake, but when I get older I will probably need to slow down at some point and focus on teaching. Sounds normal to me.

I am currently quite immersed in the 3 Naihanchi kata. For our black belt testing, we have to perform all of the Kihon, Pinan, and Naihanchi kata (as well as 2 optional kata). To be honest, I do not yet understand what is so special about the Naihanchi kata! I mean I understand that Kihon and Pinan kata are the fundamentals, and have some idea of the applications and importance of the Naihanchi kate, but why are they considered to be more fundamental than the 3 Bassai or 3 Rohai or 3 Kosokun kata? Well, sensei8, I will have to save what you said, but also, mostly, practice and think about it lots more.

Willard814, FWIW, my favorite gis are the Juka Emerald, and also the Tokon America. I think that Tokon makes a great gi for the price. Whether you go with the tournament cut or traditional cut, IMO, depends partly on your build. The tournament cut is better for people with shorter arms and legs compared to the rest of their body. I also like the Tokon Spirit, which is lighter and cheaper than the America. I do like a heavy gi for competition or performances, but the lightweight one is good for training on warm nights. I need at least 2, but prefer to have 3, because I am too busy training to do laundry as much as I should.

tallgeese wrote: Absolutely, and I can speak to this with authority. I have been meaning to address this question, but wanted to wait until I had the time to give it some thought. Here are some of the things that black belt means to me. First and foremost, just being honest, it is vindication. I had already earned shodan in the same style, same system, same school, more than 20 years ago. When I came back 5+ years ago, I was told that I would have to start again from white, since I had been gone so long, and also because some things had changed. This seemed quite reasonable to me, though at the time I assumed (big mistake) that it might take me a couple of years at most to re-earn my black belt. I used to train fanatically, muscle memory is strong, and things came back to me quickly. Now I am glad that I did not know that it would take me a minimum of 6 years to get back the same rank I'd had before! Why is the rank important? On some level, it is not important at all! I am so happy to have rediscovered karate, and I love training. However, let's not kid ourselves. Every night it's "line up by rank", and I have had to work through some anger and frustration at times. Now that I am up to 1st kyu, and 1st kyu in kobudo as well (we have to get to shodan in kobudo before we can get shodan-ho in karate do, which was not a requirement in the old days), I am at the best place possible. Why do I say this? Because I remember in the past that the most fun I ever had in karate was in training for black belt! I love my school, but it is so extreme how long it takes to get to black belt! My peers who will also be testing this year, who are quite a bit younger, have been training between 8 and 12 years already! I mean training hard and regularly, with some minor gaps due to school and work requirements. To me, this shows an amazing level of committment! For me there is just one little fly in the ointment, though. Earlier this year I had to undergo two hip replacement surgeries. Recovery is going very well, and I think I am still on track for shodan-ho testing next March. Things are not as great as I would like, though Dr's and PT's tell me my recovery has been remarkable. Patience has never been one of my stronger virtues, but obviously this is a great chance for me to work on that. At any rate, I am optimistic that by fall I will be ready to crank it up and train as hard as will be expected. I am confident that with more time and healing and training I will be much better, in terms of flexibility and ROM, than I was before the surgery. Sorry about the long winded approach to getting to the point. Quite simply, the reason I want to have my black belt credential is that I would like to stay involved in the world of karate for some time to come, and at my age, I feel that my main contribution will be in teaching and passing on knowledge to future generations. You youn'uns might laugh and mock about an "older person" being able to be effective, but you shouldn't. I have seen some very impressive 70+ year olds performing, and I'm not nearly to that point. As many have said, there are many reasons to train, and it's not just about being able to beat people down. In my opinion, being knowledgeable and able to transmit a style to others, even if not able to demonstrate flashy kicks to the head too well (how about calling up a teenager to show it when you are in front of the class teaching!) is a legitimate reason to award bb, assuming, of course the person also has respectable skills at what they can do. At any rate... I intend to train as hard as I can for as long as I can, but I need to get at least to shodan so that I can ref in tournaments and teach independently. That's what black belt means to me!

Just be yourself, sensei8, lots of us believe in those things! I know you were being tongue in cheek. At least I think you were.

Congratulations -- I very much enjoy your posts!

You're welcome! Hey, cool, it looks like I've been promoted to green belt on KF.

Thanks for sharing this, DWx, I enjoy hearing details about other people's promotion tests. I'm glad those lazy butts did not get promoted -- I hate it when schools promote people just because they're there! Sounds like you have some good, motivated, students coming up in your school, which is always nice to see. I think that sometimes instructors get stuck in thinking they are doing something wrong when people aren't motivated. Sometimes maybe it does have to do with teaching methods, but it's a complicated topic why some students are ambitious and driven, and some are, well, just lazy butts. Anyway, I think it is telling that the ones you thought were "unmotivated" did not stay to watch the more advanced students. You just can't worry about them, IMO, and just focus on the ones who care!

Thanks a lot, everyone! It's been fun wearing my rainbow belt this month, and the recognition has renewed my interest in these forums, and my desire to post things that might be useful (or sometimes maybe just silly or weird, but at least to contribute). Actually, there are many things I have been wanting to post on here about lately, but work, training, rehab, and working on the dojo newsletter, of which I am the editor, have been consuming most of my time lately! But... just want to say, I'm glad you're all here, and will verbalize more when I get the chance.

Here is my diet prescription. If you are already eating pretty healthy food, the easiest way is to just cut portions. Eat less. Duh! Easier said than done, maybe, but I find it not too hard. Put less on your plate to start with. Sometimes we just eat until the plate is empty, so if there is less on there, you will be OK. If you have a propensity for a lot of fatty and processed foods, the first thing is to gradually introduce more healthful foods into your diet. It is widely agreed, I think, that this means unprocessed/whole foods -- fruits and vegetables, whole grains and beans, fish and low fat meats, low fat dairy. The beauty of it is that you can eat whatever you want! Just eat small amounts of the really fatty high calorie things, large amounts of fresh fruits and veggies, and moderate amounts of the rest. Otherwise... don't think about it too much, work out a lot, and enjoy your life!

I guess same as with black belts, all PhD's are not created equal.

Sensei8 wrote: Very sad but true. Sometimes it gets quite ugly. From what I have seen, some of the high mucky-mucks in the karate world could learn a thing or two about respect and humility from some 7 year-old white belts! I don't know why it is that for some people, the more power and recognition they get, the more they need! I have seen some very high up people within organizations gloating about swiping talented youths from other organizations, or cutting ties with this school because they are friends with that school, and on and on. It is weird to me, at least from what I have observed, that most of the lower and mid ranking people in martial arts are able to exemplify the spirit, but when they get too "important" they lose it. Not always, of course, but it surprises me that it happens at all. When I get important, I promise I will not forget all you little people.

Happy Fathers Day to my dad, and to all dads everywhere.

Welcome, StepnSteph. I also train in Shito ryu karate, and am a total fanatic. I hope you love it as much as I do!

Interesting how everyone who has posted on this so far has claimed to by shy or introverted. I don't know what, if anything, that means in terms of MA's. As for me, I am definitely introverted as well, but when I am standing up in front of the class, my passion for the art overrides all. Also... I think in general I am mostly shy when I am in a situation where I don't know what to say. I mean in a situation where there seems to be no point, other than small talk. I am really bad at small talk! I do fine in staff meetings at work, or in class discussions when I was in school, but I hate being in situations when I am supposed to just be witty and charming and light. I often find myself standing there introspecting and asking myself what the heck I am doing there. I think part of what I love about karate is that pretty much everyone there has the same passion and excitement about it, so we have a natural way of connecting.

Mostly I like to watch news shows, kind of obsessively, actually. When this gets old, my favorite shows to watch are reruns of Mash and the Cosby Show (the two best shows ever, IMO), and, more currently, The Daily Show, Chopped (on the Food Network), Glee, and Modern Family.

JusticeZero wrote: Good point! I might also add, focused and concentrated. If you think about it, though, she said don't just do your best but better than your best, which to me seems paradoxical. I mean I am who I am today, and even if my put my best into it in every way, I will only be the best I can be today. I think what she meant was more to have higher expectations of yourself, or something... Clearly she meant try hard, in terms of effort and concentrating on form, precision, speed, power, focus, etc. I can think of one person in our class who has all that, with a lot of natural ability, but to me, something seems to be missing in terms of spirit. Come to think of it, a bit might be missing in the effort department as well. Maybe it's not good if it comes too easy. Anyway... I shall continue to strive to be "better than my best", and see what happens!

One thing my sensei said after our testing/evaluations last week has really stuck with me. Promotions had just been announced, and we were getting the usual tongue lashing and pep talk combined, and she said something to the effect of, don't just do your best, do better than your best. She explained that in the future we will be much better than we are now, but if we only aim to be as good as we can be now, we are limiting ourselves, and that we should go beyond that. I think it goes along with the idea of go until you can't go any farther, then push yourself beyond that. Well, I think it was meant mostly for those in the group who were a little slow and lackadaisical, but I find it difficult to balance this idea of going all out with the goal of trying to not hurt or injure myself, which I do if I push too hard. Balance is the key, I guess. In any case, it gave me a lot to think about.