Dimes

I sure am glad I don't have to organize Karate clubs anymore. The gym bookings, the ads, the association paperwork all sucks.

The worst part is the money.

There is the yearly association fee to be collected from each student. For the ISKF, that is $40 per annum. Of course, there needs to be enough money collected to cover everyday costs. Our club is collecting $30 per month for this. Whenever there is a big instructor in town, expenses have to be covered. They also normally receive an honorarium. For the one this week, the club is collecting $30 per person. Mustn't forget testing fees. They run about $25 each.

It isn't the amount, it's the endless collecting. The nickel-and-dime effect.

Let's say somebody trains all year, and attends 3 seminars, and tests 3 times. This would work out to being $565 per year, collected in 19 little piles.

I used to do it differently. To collect the same $565, I'd change the system to a single $140 dollars each 3 months. The club used to pay the association fees, the seminar fees, and the testing fees. No extras at all. For some people, it was too much all at once, and for them I'd collect $50 per month. Most preferred the 3 month deal.

Heck, why not collect all $565, and call it even for the year. Or a ten-year $5650 deal.

I hate repetitive collecting, or paying. I currently pay my club dues a couple of months at a time before they come due.

But at least, in Karate, we save money on shoes.

Selfish

Testing for our coloured belts on Friday. I don't really know which are going for it, and which are not.

I can think of maybe three White Belts who are ready, and maybe a Yellow or two. Maybe our Green will try, too. Not a big grading, even if I've forgotten a person or two.

I expect a respectable pass rate.

I do hope that Dixon Sensei is not as polite this time. He had all three of our Black Belts sit at the examiner's table with him. The usual purpose of this is so he can make verbal comments to the club's instructor, or to ask questions about a candidate. If a club's instructor cannot be there, a stand-in Black Belt should be. No reason for all of us.

I bet he wanted our Sensei there for these reasons. I had been the club's Sensei up until almost that date, so he probably had me there so I wouldn't feel insulted and left out. With two of us there, it would have been rude to have excluded Armando.

If I get to sit at the side with the rest of the club, I can make discrete written notes to pass along to candidates later. I can also talk to people, and encourage, and answer questions. At the side, I can do some good. At the test table I can do none of these things. One must sit, and be reasonably still, and be totally silent unless spoken to. Can't even take pictures or video.

If I were Sensei, of course I would be at the table, but I'm just one of the guys in the line. If we had ten Black Belts, we wouldn't all be at the table.

Just in case I'm put at the table, I'll bring my iPad along with a good movie on it.

Just kidding.

Lord Voldemort

I got my Green Belt late in 1983. Shortly after that, we had a seminar with a different sort of guest instructor.

This was the third seminar we'd had, I think, but this time it was a Japanese instructor. His name was Sakurai Sensei. He was the instructor in Montreal, and was doing a visit to Dojos in BC. I have no idea how we'd wrangled to get him up north.

He scared us all to death. Back then his English wasn't great, and we had to try hard to understand what he was saying. It was doubly important as he didn't say much. He also never smiled. Not once. Not even a glimmer.

He pushed us incredibly hard. Exhausted and blistered, we tried to keep going. He had us do a few new things, but we couldn't do them, which I'm sure frustrated him. As our bodies faded we did worse and worse. I was frustrated, too.

But we made it. Nobody died, and the scary Japanese man went away.

Later, he moved to BC, and visited us quite often. His English became top-notch. As it turns out he smiles all the time, almost. He isn't scary at all.

But back when I was a Green Belt, I swear he was Voldemort... or worse.

Sweat

I've been a summertime runner for many years. It was a healthy thing to do, but I just couldn't force myself to run through the off season. Call me wimpy.

About five years ago, I started running year round. I don't run on workdays, but get out on all the rest. I was proud of turning into a more serious runner. Of course, there are many folks out there my age or more that do it better.

Two years ago, I replaced our second car with a bike, and have ridden it to work ever since. I also use the two-wheeler most of the time as my non-work transportation, too. I am proud of being a biker rather than a driver. So now I was a running, biking fool. Still, I am bested by many other old guys.

Last November, I returned to Karate training. I typically attend three classes a week. Now I am a biking, running, Karate dude. Can't imagine all that many old farts doing that particular combination.

Oh, yeah. I can dance, too.

Bedard

Bedard Sensei was here tonight.

It was darn near perfect. Nothing new or revolutionary, but lots of stuff we haven't been doing. There is so much.

For example, he did the warm up stretching differently. Maybe Bolognese Sensei will adopt some of them, maybe not. What is good is that she might. Stability is good, but so is change.

He also explained the same old stuff in slightly different ways. Yes. Fabulous.

He also acted as outside eyeballs, and corrected us as a group on some common weaknesses.

This is what a seminar is supposed to do.

He also seemed really happy to be with us. 4th Dans don't do many seminars, so it was likely a treat for him, too. Higher belts sometimes exhibit evidence that they are going through the motions. None of that tonight.

And it was fun that he beat up Wade so much.

Real Reflections

It is very hard to work on Kata, solo. It is nice to have a highly-experienced instructor to give feedback.

I don't have one of those right now.

No problem. I know what the moves are, and how they are SUPPOSED to look. I can help others to attain correct form. To work on my own, I need eyeballs outside of myself.

Simple enough. The technology has existed for a very long time.

Mirrors. A wall of mirrors, or even two walls of mirrors....or mirrors all around. Wheeeee!

It can't happen in a rented school gym. Could try and find one or two portable ones, but they'd have to be portable. If portable, they'd have to be indestructible.

I've never heard of portable, indestructible mirrors.

Teeth

Here's a news flash from a guy who has been in Karate for decades.

Punching hurts.

Betcha didn't expect that.

Practice punching doesn't hurt. Hitting empty air is perfectly painless.

Hitting stuff hurts. Stuff like punching bags, focus targets, kicking shields. It all hurts.

Not right away. Not the first hit, or even the tenth. Do a hundred and you'll see what I mean. This is assuming, of course, that you are hitting with enough force to simulate decking an opponent.

Good old Newton taught the world that hitting something means that something is hitting you back. The impact is equal, and goes both ways.

Hit the bag really, really hard, and it hits you back.

You can get used to it, just like you can get used to the dentist. I have crappy teeth, and go to the dentist more than most. I'm pretty used to it. I tend to fall asleep while the dentist is working away. I've gotten used to hitting stuff, too.

I don't like dentist visits, but I've got bitchin' teeth because of it. I don't like the feeling of hitting stuff hard, but I like being able to do it.

You can put up with a lot to get good teeth, or to gain a skill.