ramymensa

OH MY GOD ... I am so happy for you. What great news to read. So thrilled, I'me besides myself. You will get your strenght back, you will get your life back, as it used to be. You managed to mawashi geri this horrible thing and now you are getting back on your feet. May your recovery be smooth. Many many hugs

Bob, hang in there. I hope the treatment yields great results. No need to thank me, just fight

Keep on fighting! Donated again, a little. As soon as I get more money, will donate more.

Congratulations. Great job

Oh my, thank you guys Patrick ... phew, almost 20 years since we've known each other. You were a teenager running forums and I was sooo young myself. Oh, time flies.

Promised I'll put my money where my mouth is. Hope it helps, Bob. As soon as I clear more funds, will give more. KEEP ON FIGHTING

Bob, you are a rock! All will turn out great, just wait and see. It's a privilege to have you in the community and as many others said before, we wouldn't have such an amazing community here if it wasn't for you. Many hugs

Bob, this is all amazing news. So happy you found that support group, it's a great place to share info' and get insights from people who go through the same war. If Patrick is OK with this, please PM me your zelle email account. I'll gladly cover the first $200. It's not a lot, compared to what you have to pay for your medical care, but I hope it helps. Hang in there

As soon as you have the details, please PM me. All I will need is a Zelle email account and I can send a little help. It's not a lot, but I do think it can add up. You are an exceptional karateka and person, we are by your side in the biggest fight of your life. YOU WILL BE VICTORIOUS, but it's a long battle

Of, I hate it how money is everything, when it comes to medical care in the US, even when you pay insurance. I got a 4.5 K bill myself from a simple mammogram / breast sonogram and, even if my husband's company pays 2.5 grand a month for our insurance, they still billed me like crazy. I haven't taken my kid to see a pediatrician since 2019, because last time a FREE vaccine almost cost us 900 dollars. I cannot even imagine having to deal with this diagnosis and having to think of not being able to afford the care YOU DESERVE. Anyway ... is there is something we can do, we'll do it. And I'll put my money, where my mouth is. If you do need support to pay for radiation therapy, let us know and some of us can chime in. I can pay for 2-3 days myself, someone can pay for 1 and so on. Just tell us what you need, we either send you the money, crowdfund etc. ANYTHING to help you get better.

It's been ages since I was awarded this and was so thrilled. It's an exceptional community and being elected as a MOM is also out of the ordinary. Congratulations for this second title and keep up the great posts

Private training would be ideal, as 20-30 ore more students in a class cannot warrant too much focus on each of them (it's impossible for a sensei, no matter how amazing, to focus on 30 people at a time, compared to 2-3 or just one). When I used to train back home we'd be 60 people in the dojo, with 2 senseis. Not too easy to get all the attention needed, so private or small classes would be indeed better.

Our sensei allowed cross training in other martial arts styles as it gives a broader understanding of the MAs. Most styles rely on the same principles, even if the movements are slightly different. I was amused to find some Shotokan principles even in my daughter's tennis training. Her coach applies some of the main principles we apply in Karate and it was pretty amazing to see that it made actually sense.

Based on my experience at my old dojo, getting to Shodan takes at least 8-10 years. My guys there were a pretty old-school bunch of guys and our shodans had to train extensively for this. Given that and COVID, which is what puts us all behind everything (work, training, social life), I don't see it as an issue, as in 1-2 years (max. as I hope this madness will still last), you would prolly go to green belt max. Right now I think it's good for everyone to just train as well as they can. In MA you do need a partner to work with and ideally your sense to teach you proper timing / distance as others have already mentioned. I'd focus less on belts right now and more on just keeping up with some form of training. My daughter is doing tennis and, if we cannot train on the court (it's winter and I cannot afford paying 60 bucks/hour just to train indoors), we try to do conditioning and anything that can be done in these conditions. When the weather turns milder, we can resume her tennis lessons, but in the meantime she can build stronger muscles, get better stamina etc.

I am baffled to read all this. Came back after a pretty long absence and find out that you, one of the pillars of this community have to go through this ordeal You are STRONG, it's a horrible war you're battling, but you are STRONG. Cancer is not something to kid about, but you live here, in the US and have more chances to better care. I lost both my grandparents to cancer in the last years, but it was in a country that's still not there when it comes to healthcare. So I pray that getting access to good doctors and a stronger healthcare system will do the trick. Let me know if you'd like to chat. Whatever helps you go through this loneliness and scare. I cannot help too much, but I can listen to you and maybe make you smile. I'm sending you so many hugs, you cannot find room in your house for them

Ouch, that's nasty. Maybe he wanted to wear a belt too. Next time order 2

Welcome to the community. If you already have experience in a style, you'll do pretty well in Shotokan. It's easier to adapt your technique than to start everything from scratch.

I always learn better when I feel it's fun too. My sense is a very nice guy who'd like to joke and still work us until we drop. I really enjoy each hour spent with him, even if the classes are not easy at all. He makes them fun and enjoyable though, so we're all winning from this.

Some people are like this in life too. Never pleased with something, always looking for new thrills and maybe getting bummed up when they realize any style needs WORK and commitment.

Haven't gotten there yet, but I'd certainly try to keep it 'fresh'. And perhaps buy a new one when the initial one doesn't look too good anymore. While I can understand the 'philosophy' about it, I do wash my belts and want them to be clean and good looking. My black belt wouldn't be different.

Have trained for few weeks with our organization 'boss', a shihan who's good friends with my sensei. So we've known him for long. He trains only the 'elite', our mates who go to competitions and usually win them Training with him wasn't a pleasure though, since he tends to be a little aggressive. I'm not interested in competing, so I stuck to training at our main dojo instead.

Will take it slow. 2 times per week, since I come from a long hiatus. Then more, if my schedule allows it. right now there's a lot on my plate, so karate is no longer a priority

Get your body in shape and then train. I stayed off karate for 5 years. First 2 because of my bad back. It wasn't something I liked, but it certainly didn't kill me. Just take care of yourself, karate won't go anywhere

I am not an instructor and haven't failed any grading myself, but our sensei is pretty tough and usually fails at least 20-30% of the people who area allowed to grade. he's always telling them what they've done well and also what needs more work and is always so positive and nice that they do take it well and strive to become better.

You're already getting some great advice here. Best of luck with the new school and keep us posted. Would love following your progress. A standup style is indeed another ball game, but it doesn't mean you won't like it or even ace it.