Montana

I agree that from one tournament to another it's a matter of what the judge sees, but I don't agree that doing lower stances, slow techniques or excessive kai's makes any difference. As a judge I look for speed, power, control, accuracy and just plain good, solid technique. Do a back flip or split and I will drop your score down at least a full point. Kai every technique and that will drop you more. Weak kicks/punches or blocks and down it will go further. Weak stances will also drop my scoring, but just because you make a wider, lower stance will not raise the score with me. Say for example you do Pinan Yondan. Maybe it doesn't look the same as MY Pinan Yondan, and that's ok. I won't mark you down for it one bit because I know systems vary. A kata doesn't have to be done the same as I do it to be great, it just needs to be done well

Check out this thread that I had a while back about what judges look for. http://www.karateforums.com/from-a-tournament-judge-and-referee-s-perspective-vt39692.html?sid=e11bfc1bb5f51986e0c5b7772343a762 Without being able to look at your kata I have no way of giving you any real advice on making you kata better. Judges are all different andlook for different things. It's entirely possible that the kata just see the other peoples kata as better than yours. In my experience, judges are people just like you. After a competition ask the judges if they could give you some advice on your kata. They are the ones that gave the scores and they are the ones that can best help you out.

I explain that shodan is "mastery" of the basics and basic concepts of the system. Nidan thru Rokudan (2nd - 6th) are consistent practrice and improvement thru training. Anything above rokudan are honorary degrees bestowed thru time and diligent, continued practice and improvement in the arts.

Here I'll disagree with you. I'm an old traditionalist and view the arts as they were intended...and that is for self-defense purposes, not sport. Health...absolutely! Sport...never as a primary emphasis. If, in conjunction with your self-defense training, you want to add the sport aspect, that's ok in my opinion, but only as an added side product of your training, not as a primary aspect. My $.02 worth...

Define LARP please.

1. throughout your karate "career", did you ever fail a Dan exam? NO 2. did you ever fail a kyu exam? NO 3. do you know somebody who did? YES And for instructors: 4. what is your pass/fail rate when you are giving exams? For colored belts and black belts? [/b]My pass/fail rate is real close to 100% passing. I don't test until I know they are ready, and generally I don't tell the student they are being tested, other than they know they are being tested in each and every class.

AGREED! That's like saying the nunchauku are just two small pieces of wood, when they are so much more if you know what to do with them.

Yeah...short and sweat...to the point. But, your testing was actually 2 weeks long, if I understand what I've highlighted in the bold above. I hadn't really thought of it that way bwefore...but you may be right! Regardless, any test I've taken since then was short and to the point. No papers, no speeches, no handstand pushups, etc. Just do this or that as requested...passed!

I never had any luck with flyers, posters, radio/tv ads, newspaper ads, etc. The best advertisement is your students and what they say about your class and you.

I'm not a doctor, but I played one once when I was single and trying to impress this really gorgous gal in a bar one night... Anyway, I don't think anybody on here is qualified to give you medical advice...go see your doctor.

You guys are gonna hate me, but my shodan test was on 7/19/1978, and I was tested by Okinawan Sensei Kuda Yuichi, the head of my system, and lasted maybwe 10-15 MINUTES! Sensei Kuda was visiting (his first vist to the USA) for 3 weeks total, and we had been working with him for 2 weeks when he tested us. He had already seen what we could do at that point, so the test was merely a formality. We generally don't place a whole lot of "big deal" on promotions, although we hit the sake pretty good after the class was over. Believe me, my shodan certificate means more to me than any other I've received over the years and it hangs on my wall surrounded by my torn and ratty origional black belt as a central focal point in the room.

I taught (past tense) because I felt it was my obligation to pass on knowledge that I've aquired over 30 + years of study and training to others. I taught because it kept that knowlege fresh in my head, and in my body. I taught to watch that glimmer of knowlege be lit in others eyes and bodies. I taught, because I love to teach others! I taught because I'm a teacher.

I actually find this offensive. Why must we as women stifle our creativity or desires about what we have in our cars etc, just to avoid "the evil man." This pattern of thought - that we must subdue ourselves to avoid becoming victims - is wrong and (I would add) induces into women (and men) an attitude of subservience. I understand that women are targeted based upon our gender, and that unfortunately we must be more aware of our surroundings than men, but I refuse to treat myself like a victim. Now, I'm a tomboy, but if I want to wear a slinky shirt, I am going to wear it. To say clothing, or something in our cars "makes us victims," is closely related to victim blaming. You are basically saying that because a women has female "foo-foo" in her car, she is asking to be targeted. That is wrong and very offensive. Women should be aware yes, because it is an unfortunate statistic that more attacks happen to women by men, but that does not mean women are to blame. You are stating with your wording that "feminine" (and I use the word loosely) things equal victims' things. That is not the case. I didn't say that having "foo-foo" stuff makes you a victim, but rather it makes you more of a viable target in that it identifies your car as belonging to a woman. A situation where this might happen is if you're at work and have to park your car out farther in the parking lot, or while shopping at Walmart...as has happened in the past a potential attacker can park next to, or close to that car with the foo-foo stuff on the mirror, stuffed animals in the back window, or with a license plate that says "I M A QT" and wait for you. If you'd rather express your feminism, that's your choice. All Mr. Lemm, and myself are stating is that these are the types of things that can identify you as a potential target and things a woman should be aware of.

What is your favorite blocking defensive technique? This depends on what is being thrown...a punch? A kick? Grab? I suppose my favorite is a back knuckle strike to a nerve point on the attackers arm/leg. What is your favorite attacking technique? I tend to favor a lunging backfist to the face, whether I'm attacking or countering an attack. It's very fast and (if I say so myself...lol) and can be quite accurate and hard to defend against. What is your favorite kicking technique? Easy, the front leg snap kick when the attacker comes at me. What is your favorite "hand" technique (Tiger Claw, fist, back knuckle...)? Again, the backfist because it's fast and retracts quickly.

God? We'll just assume you meant "good"...ok?

You will find that a majority of kicks in Clasiscal Karate and Okinawan Kata etc were original taught to delivered no higher than Gedan level, Chudan was a "rare" technique in Kata/Karate. I believe, please correct me if I am wrong, that it wasn't until the popularity of Tae Kwon Do did Japanese Karate start to add Chudan and Jodan Kicks to its arsenal. I also believe that Tobo Geri Waza (jumping Kicks) again was a quite recent development within Traditional/Modern Karate Not to stray off topic to much (to late! lol) but there are those of us in old school Okinawan karate that still don';t, and never will, do high kicks. As for jumping kicks, there are a few jumping kicks in kata designed to cover distance, not height.

To the inside/outside knees, inside/outside of the thighs and possibly lower ribs...yes, I'd use them, but no higher.

I've been judging and refing tournaments since around 1980 and have never seen mats used. Generally hard wood (gymnasium) or tile floors.

Being aware of the situation around you is #1. Personally, I'd forget all about the actual self-defense moves because not one of the partici[pants will remember them a few weeks after the seminar, let alone be able to do them. A friend of mine, Jerry Lemm, taught a 2 hour womens self-defense seminat which was GREAT! He spent the entire 2 hours talking about awareness and things that can make a woman a potential victim, such as vanity plates like "I M A QT", "HOT BABE" or MARY'S CAR". These are cool, but obviously label your car as a womans and can make you a target. Other things Jerry taught was to take all that female "foo-foo" stuff off you rear view mirror that identifies your car as a womans. It's better to have "This car protected by Smith & Wesson" bumper stickers than "Mary Kay Representative" on the back of the car.

100% in agreement on all counts!

The originator of the thread is looking for our opinions and knowledge about the art, so I went to the website at http://www.chunjido.com/ and looked it over. I wrote a whole, long thing about what I saw on the website and how I felt about it, but I think I'll just say...it looks like a typical tae kwon do system from the video I watched. Not all that imprssive. Don't let the hype of what the instructors say on the website influence you. Much of what is said, in my opinion, would have to be verified to make me happy.

I had a student join my class years ago with no prior martial arts experience. He was in his early 20's and he told me from the first that he had bought a black belt when he was 16 and had it set up as a little shrine in his room and hoped some day to earn and be able to wear it. (Yes, a few alarm belts went off about this) He really was a lousy student, and thought he knew it all, when he actually knew nothing. He lasted maybe a month and quit coming. A few months later I ran into another sensei from a different dojo and we got to talking. This students name came up and the other sensei said this guy and coem into his dojo and again, stayed about a month then quit coming. I made it a point over the next month to drop in and say "Hi" to other local instructors I was on good terms with, and found out this guy had done the same thing to two other dojo's. Anyway, as to the question...I see no problem buying a belt before you earn it. Just don't use that as your goal.

I was not required to write a thesis, nor spend days doing a dan test. I tested before the head of my system, Grand Master Kuda Yuichi and my shodan test lasted maybe 10-15 minutes. He called me to the front of the room, asked me to do specific techniques and kata, then motioned me to sit back down. I passed. As for my opinion of a thesis? I see no need for it, but if that is the requirement in the system you've chosen, then you must accept it as a requirement for the test.

Well, if this individual was doing this kata in a tournament in the black belt division, I'd probably score him a 7...out of a possible 10. No power, balance issues, a couple of extra steps in there, etc. Not very impressive IMHO for a black belt...and he's a 9th dan grand master? Sorry to say this, but IMO he didn't do anything to improve the image of TKD to the world.