Changes that effect traditions.

[sensei8]

This is indeed great news...absolutely great news!! Not just for you, but also for the Student Body as well as the Governing Body. Normalcy will return, but as in anything, it'll take time.

I too, tour the dojo's within the SKKA's network quite often for a variety of reasons. Whenever I was elected as the Kaicho of the SKKA/Hombu, I toured heavily to build up that lost confidence within the entire Student Body, as well as to renew tattered relationships between the CI's within the network and the SKKA/Hombu.

Slowly my travel schedule returned to that normalcy as well. As we've always visited all of the Shindokan dojo's within the network months in advance in the preparations of the Annual Testing Cycle held each and every year in June/July at the Hombu.

I remember just how nerve wracking it was to walk on egg shells when the SKKA/Hombu reopened. Having made all of those critical and vitally important changes across the board, didn't alleviate the stress, but more often, it added more to my stress at the onslaught, even though the entire reopening of the SKKA/Hombu went through a meticulously process, with our Legal Team making sure that every 't' was crossed and every 'i' was dotted before any and all announcements were formally forwarded to everyone within our network.

Failure is only a blink away!!

Steps made had to be steps enforced!! If not, the calm before the storm is devastating at monstrous proportions that can destroy every effort made.

Again, I could go on because you and I share much more than the MA, because you and I have been to hell and back, but it was, and will be, worth it all because we put the needs of the Student Body before our own interests. 'I' isn't in our vocabulary when we're addressing the needs of the Student Body.

Taking care of the Student Body with a stern resolve above all things ensures that everything else is taken care of naturally!!

Congrats on the beginning of normalcy!!

[MatsuShinshii]

This is indeed great news...absolutely great news!! Not just for you, but also for the Student Body as well as the Governing Body. Normalcy will return, but as in anything, it'll take time.

I too, tour the dojo's within the SKKA's network quite often for a variety of reasons. Whenever I was elected as the Kaicho of the SKKA/Hombu, I toured heavily to build up that lost confidence within the entire Student Body, as well as to renew tattered relationships between the CI's within the network and the SKKA/Hombu.

Slowly my travel schedule returned to that normalcy as well. As we've always visited all of the Shindokan dojo's within the network months in advance in the preparations of the Annual Testing Cycle held each and every year in June/July at the Hombu.

I remember just how nerve wracking it was to walk on egg shells when the SKKA/Hombu reopened. Having made all of those critical and vitally important changes across the board, didn't alleviate the stress, but more often, it added more to my stress at the onslaught, even though the entire reopening of the SKKA/Hombu went through a meticulously process, with our Legal Team making sure that every 't' was crossed and every 'i' was dotted before any and all announcements were formally forwarded to everyone within our network.

Failure is only a blink away!!

Steps made had to be steps enforced!! If not, the calm before the storm is devastating at monstrous proportions that can destroy every effort made.

Again, I could go on because you and I share much more than the MA, because you and I have been to hell and back, but it was, and will be, worth it all because we put the needs of the Student Body before our own interests. 'I' isn't in our vocabulary when we're addressing the needs of the Student Body.

Taking care of the Student Body with a stern resolve above all things ensures that everything else is taken care of naturally!!

Congrats on the beginning of normalcy!!

I appreciate the kind words and also the advice contained.

I find what you say very true. I am actually happier than I've been in years. It's like going back to before Shinshii devastated some of us with the news of his retirement.

To me normalcy is teaching and helping others follow their path to personal perfection. I literally could not be happier doing anything else.

I am holding a Kodansha training session this week end. It will be the first such session in the last 5 years. I am concentrating on the postures and applications of the Kata for the first 4 hours and switching to the ways of transmitting these applications to the students in a way that they get it.

I get the greatest joy from seeing our Mudansha students the first time the applications are taught to them and the light goes off in their heads and they finally get it. To me there is nothing more important to the art as once this is discovered they are hooked just like I was 35+ years ago.

The second best is when they reach Shodan and we interject the concept of analyzing different attack methods and looking at the postures and applying them to said attack with out the instructors intervention. We then have them implement this and allow them to discover what works and what doesn't and why. When they realize that each posture has a multitude of applications outside of what we initially teach them the light gets brighter and they are on their way to true understanding and inventive thinking. This is the first step to independence and realizing their personal path.

At this point the instructor becomes less of an authoritarian and more of a resource that the student can utilize along their journey and the relationship changes. The student ceases to look at their instructor as someone that tells them to do things and more as someone that they can walk next to on their path. They are a resource and a guide rather than a drill instructor. At this point I feel the student grows more so than when totally under the control of their instructor.

Most of our senior instructors understand the concept of this but not all have had the opportunity to experience the way Shinshii was able to pass this on to those of us that have had the privilege. My new mission is to keep this practice alive.

My journey, other than the last five years, has made up the best years of my life and it is due to Shinshii's views of the teacher/ student relationship and how he passed the art down through his methods and his teacher's methods. If I can effect the way in which these methods are implemented, all of our students and instructors can experience this transition and the method in which it is transmitted will maintain the traditions I have lived my life by. Thus Shinshii will remain even long after he is gone.

At least that is my hope. Kosei, who is our new president got to experience this not only under me but later directly under Shinshii and because of this he is now pushing me to pass this on. He feels that once the students experience this they will become our future instructors/seniors and ultimately carry on the traditions and the art to the next generations.

I agree wholeheartedly and could not be happier in my role.

[sensei8]

This is indeed great news...absolutely great news!! Not just for you, but also for the Student Body as well as the Governing Body. Normalcy will return, but as in anything, it'll take time.

I too, tour the dojo's within the SKKA's network quite often for a variety of reasons. Whenever I was elected as the Kaicho of the SKKA/Hombu, I toured heavily to build up that lost confidence within the entire Student Body, as well as to renew tattered relationships between the CI's within the network and the SKKA/Hombu.

Slowly my travel schedule returned to that normalcy as well. As we've always visited all of the Shindokan dojo's within the network months in advance in the preparations of the Annual Testing Cycle held each and every year in June/July at the Hombu.

I remember just how nerve wracking it was to walk on egg shells when the SKKA/Hombu reopened. Having made all of those critical and vitally important changes across the board, didn't alleviate the stress, but more often, it added more to my stress at the onslaught, even though the entire reopening of the SKKA/Hombu went through a meticulously process, with our Legal Team making sure that every 't' was crossed and every 'i' was dotted before any and all announcements were formally forwarded to everyone within our network.

Failure is only a blink away!!

Steps made had to be steps enforced!! If not, the calm before the storm is devastating at monstrous proportions that can destroy every effort made.

Again, I could go on because you and I share much more than the MA, because you and I have been to hell and back, but it was, and will be, worth it all because we put the needs of the Student Body before our own interests. 'I' isn't in our vocabulary when we're addressing the needs of the Student Body.

Taking care of the Student Body with a stern resolve above all things ensures that everything else is taken care of naturally!!

Congrats on the beginning of normalcy!!

I appreciate the kind words and also the advice contained.

I find what you say very true. I am actually happier than I've been in years. It's like going back to before Shinshii devastated some of us with the news of his retirement.

To me normalcy is teaching and helping others follow their path to personal perfection. I literally could not be happier doing anything else.

I am holding a Kodansha training session this week end. It will be the first such session in the last 5 years. I am concentrating on the postures and applications of the Kata for the first 4 hours and switching to the ways of transmitting these applications to the students in a way that they get it.

I get the greatest joy from seeing our Mudansha students the first time the applications are taught to them and the light goes off in their heads and they finally get it. To me there is nothing more important to the art as once this is discovered they are hooked just like I was 35+ years ago.

The second best is when they reach Shodan and we interject the concept of analyzing different attack methods and looking at the postures and applying them to said attack with out the instructors intervention. We then have them implement this and allow them to discover what works and what doesn't and why. When they realize that each posture has a multitude of applications outside of what we initially teach them the light gets brighter and they are on their way to true understanding and inventive thinking. This is the first step to independence and realizing their personal path.

At this point the instructor becomes less of an authoritarian and more of a resource that the student can utilize along their journey and the relationship changes. The student ceases to look at their instructor as someone that tells them to do things and more as someone that they can walk next to on their path. They are a resource and a guide rather than a drill instructor. At this point I feel the student grows more so than when totally under the control of their instructor.

Most of our senior instructors understand the concept of this but not all have had the opportunity to experience the way Shinshii was able to pass this on to those of us that have had the privilege. My new mission is to keep this practice alive.

My journey, other than the last five years, has made up the best years of my life and it is due to Shinshii's views of the teacher/ student relationship and how he passed the art down through his methods and his teacher's methods. If I can effect the way in which these methods are implemented, all of our students and instructors can experience this transition and the method in which it is transmitted will maintain the traditions I have lived my life by. Thus Shinshii will remain even long after he is gone.

At least that is my hope. Kosei, who is our new president got to experience this not only under me but later directly under Shinshii and because of this he is now pushing me to pass this on. He feels that once the students experience this they will become our future instructors/seniors and ultimately carry on the traditions and the art to the next generations.

I agree wholeheartedly and could not be happier in my role.

This, too, is great news to read, through and through!!

To carry on that which has been bestowed upon you, and while the responsibility is monumental across the board, that, you've accepted your new role within the governing body, and the like, in a wholeheartedly manner.

It's your role to know your role, and to be the best in it, and at it, for the sake of the entire Student Body; their depending on you, even more so, to be that leader on and off the floor.

And from what I'm reading, your normalcy is taken roots in its most natural way!! You're teaching...and loving it!! You're leading...and loving it!! You're experiencing newness...and loving it!! You're much more happier...and loving it. With you in a more positive mood and role, your Student Body will see it, and experience it, and most of all, learning as they've never learned before!!

Control the politics, as much as it's possible; everyone deserves it...and I do mean everyone!!