As a Sensei what would you do?

[brokenelbow]

My TKD master would let you wear your black belt in his class and stand with his BB, you just couldn't teach until he tested you. On one hand I agree with you it's BS, on the other it's just a colored strip of cloth. Skill matters more than rank.

[darrianation]

My TKD master would let you wear your black belt in his class and stand with his BB, you just couldn't teach until he tested you. On one hand I agree with you it's BS, on the other it's just a colored strip of cloth. Skill matters more than rank.

It no sweat really, it's their rules I choose to do it so no big deal. I have never complained to them but my sensie knows how I feel but other than telling him my feelings I don't whine about it.

The funny thing is my daughter (8 years old) does Karate with me and she is always giving me a hard time about it cause' she's the same rank as me.

[Thai Bri]

Bloody hell mate. Are you collecting Karate Black Belts ro something?

Just think, 3 months in BJJ and you'd improve your fighting ability by 300%.

But that's another thread...........

[darrianation]

Bloody hell mate. Are you collecting Karate Black Belts ro something?

Just think, 3 months in BJJ and you'd improve your fighting ability by 300%.

But that's another thread...........

You are sooooo right! If there were a BJJ school anywhere near me I'd be there in a heart beat!!! Where I live there is Shotokan Karate and Uechi Karate and that’s it. I am trying to get the boxing coach teaching again but he closed down because of his bad back and he has had to have a couple of surgeries on it. He told me last week he may be interested in teaching private lessons and if he does I'll do that.


I took a three of years off of doing any martial arts because I could hardly stomach Karate anymore and there wasn’t anything I wanted to take around however I did read and get videos and went to seminars. I went to Paulson seminar; I went to Vegas to Toddy’s schools (MT) for a week of training and worked three days a week on my bag.

What I discovered is although my technique was okay at the end of those three years but I had lost my skills to spar. I had a hard time evading, parrying, blocking as well as countering. My lesson is you can practice all you want hitting the bag and lifting weights but you cannot fight unless you spar. No sparing and those skills really go done the toilet.

So now I go to Karate just so I don’t loose those ever so important skills of sparring. I still do my bag and my MT (on own) work out twice a week.

[Thai Bri]

I think you're wrong about sparring. No sparring and your sparring skills go down the toilet.

But there is a great difference between sparring and all out forwards drive blood and guts kill or get killed mad as a lunatic hack hack hack go all out to kill kill kill fighting...... And that CAN be done on bags.

[darrianation]

But there is a great difference between sparring and all out forwards drive blood and guts kill or get killed mad as a lunatic hack hack hack go all out to kill kill kill fighting...... And that CAN be done on bags.

I see you piont here! although duirng that three years I never got into a fight I I still could hit F***ing hard, and my street tactics are to go forward and overwhelm my opponent. I think I could of still done that okay.

[TNT]

Boy, I didn't know that my little innocuous question would spark such discussion...and here I was worried about an SD class....keep talking though...I'll be back here eavesdroppping ...TNT watch and learn

[darrianation]

I think you're wrong about sparring. No sparring and your sparring skills go down the toilet.

But there is a great difference between sparring and all out forwards drive blood and guts kill or get killed mad as a lunatic hack hack hack go all out to kill kill kill fighting...... And that CAN be done on bags.

Bri so you don’t think sparring is helpful for self-defense? Maybe the full out blitz will work the first nine times but what on the tenth? What I am saying is I wouldn’t want to put all my eggs into one basket. Also For us larger guys we can use brute strength but that won’t work for every one. I would like my brute strength backed up by some skill too.

I think you need to have timing, and to be able to recognize weaknesses in your opponent’s defenses and take advantage of those weaknesses. This is what sparring gives you. Plus sparring teaches you what your weaknesses are and how to correct them so they won’t be your down fall. Also you won’t have the same fear of being hit because you’ve been hit many times before in sparring. Also people who haven’t been hit much tend to flinch and or panic when they get hit. Sparring is good for all of these things and probly more that I haven’t mentioned.

I like the bull Lower you shoulder and go full speed ahead using straight punches and driving my opponent back, this works well for me but if I did (and I have) run into that one guy that this doesn’t work I sure would like to slip his punch and counter. This takes timing and practice. No heavy bag in the world will give you this type of training. Only a human partner will give you this kind of skill and confidence.

If you don't use these skills you loose em'! At least that has been my experiance.

[Hikage]

returning to a previous idea...

If you can permit me to go in time to the discussion from a few days ago, I'd like to address Darrianation's white belt problem.

I'll be blunt. That's crap. Where I'm from, a black belt is to be respected in any art. If a black belt shows up in my class and can produce some sort of proof (such as a certificate) then he or she is welcome to wear that belt in class. This includes all arts. We are a ninjitsu class, but karate stylists (or any style) are welcome to wear their belts and are recognized in the bowing in and out ceremony as having the earned instructor rank within his or her own style.

That being said. Most, after a few classes, opt not to wear their rank and even if they do wear their belt, they still go up in rank in Ninjitsu as they earn it like a regular student. So you could have a 10th kyu wearing a black belt. So it's not like they come in as a black belt and have to wait to get rank until they also hold black in our art. (Does this make sense?)

This is a rarity with us, seeing as our class is relatively small, but it happens. Even more rare is when someone from a similar art comes into class. This person is welcome to come to class, practice with us for a few months, and then test into the class, based on our basics. If he can do the basics, even if he doesn't know teh Japanese name (he can learn that easily) he is awarded with the appropriate rank.

Here's my point. Perhaps I'm just a product of my environment here, but I think that this sort of thing is crap. We are all under the umbrella of martial arts and one of the core elements in the arts is respect. Unfortunately, this idea of respect has gone out the window when you start crossing style lines. People bicker even within the branches of karate, grappling, sticks, etc and it is ridiculous. I understand pride for your school, but there is a bold line between pride and disrespect. I am honestly downright appalled on this board for example of how much back talk those who have been in the arts for 20 - 30 years receive from those who have been in it for 5.

Bottom line, a black belt is a black belt in the arts and to be respected by all martial artist, regardless of the style. Colored belts ok, I understand that they might not carry over from style to style, but black is black and to be revered. I know I'm rambling and I've said a little in a lot of words, I'm tired, but in short, Darrianation and all others to whom this has happened -->
It's crap. money making crap.

-Hikage

[jubaji]

I am honestly downright appalled on this board for example of how much back talk those who have been in the arts for 20 - 30 years receive from those who have been in it for 5. black is black and to be revered.

Pretentious poser

[jubaji]

Oh, almost forgot.

[brokenelbow]

A belt is only a length of cotton that covers two inches of you ass.

[Hikage]

A belt is only a length of cotton that covers two inches of you ass.

Obviously the belt itselt is inconsequencial. I suppose I should have chosen my words more wisely. When i refer to black belt, I refer to those who have achieved a level of instructor within the art and as instructors should be revered. Clear things up?

-Hikage

[brokenelbow]

There are very few people I'd raise to that level of adulation, none in martial arts. I respect my instructors for their knowlge, their skills and their abilility to pass those on, but that's it. They're just people like anybody else.

[old skool dude]

Getting their faces filled in....

Oh yes. Without the pre conceived ideas instilled by the system you teach (whatever that is) the mutual benefit could be great indeed.

And the higher ranks in the lesser able systems may well get their faces filled in.

I sorta agree with Bri on this one. Although I would substiture the term "lesser able individuals" as opposed to lesser able systems.

I recall many years ago when I was a teenager and first started learning Goju. I had no prior training in the art ( aside from a couple of months of hung gar I took from age 11-12)
I used to run everyday, and shadow box, spar...(jailhouse... I PROMISE I wont start THAT THREAD AGAIN! ) and picked up a coupla things from karate magazines I could get my hands on. I came into the school and the instructor asked me If I wanted to spar. I said okay, they put me up against a coupla white belts, I beat em.Then came some yellow belts, same thing. They brought out some green and purple belts... same thing. The only ones who gave me a challange was some of the black belts. At that point the instructor yelled stop, turned to me and said, "where'd you learn to fight like that? where'd you learn to kick like that?" I told him "from books..." He laughed his ass off and teased the students who got beat! It was a surreal experience. I eventually joined the class and from day one started working out (as a white belt) with the brown and black belts.
As an "untrained person" I wasnt really impressed with any of the posturing kicks etc. Because although my "training " was raw, I was accustomed to hitting, and being hit, so it was no big thing.