Each article is a personal opinion not meant to be politically correct or politically popular. They will generally deal with good hard working sensei’s past and present. Other times they will deal with topical issues both popular and again unpopular. You will always have an option as to log in or not. This is a Red Dragon web page for the purpose of introducing ourselves and expressing our views to any one interested in joining us or our point of view. It is not meant to be mainstream anything.

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   This was my first article. I wrote it nine years ago when I began my web page in July of 2001. Of all the things I have written about, I still consider this one to be the most responsible and accurate. One of the things that jumped out at me is that, nine years after I wrote this, my concerns for the progress of Isshin-ryu and the participation of the powers that be, still exist. Fortunately, I have been able to build a viable dojo; and surround myself and my students, with some hard working and forward thinking people. To this end, progress has been realized. There is a world of new and available information out there for the asking. Training and combat preparation has taken on new dimensions. The integration of martial arts styles into our training, has reactivated the adult enrollment in most of our dojo's. The "Karate is for kids" marketplace attitude, has been replaced with the, "something for everyone" in many cross training dojo's. No one wants to be the "Karate Kid" anymore. But lots want to put on a pair of mma pants as well as a gi and pretend. It is all about attraction and retention. The enroll three and loose four math, doesn't work. You've got to ask yourself. "Why would someone want to come here twice a week for an undetermined length of time". What is my appeal and what makes me any different from any other martial arts school. If they quit, did they loose interest or are my classes not interesting. Everyone that quits is not a no good so--in- so, that is lazy and ungrateful.

   In many other ways, nothing has changed. People still quit officially at the front end of the Dan ranking system; and unofficially quit at the top end of the Dan rank system. There are reasons for both. They are opposite ends of the bell shaped curve. I'll bet most of us could name relatively all the reasons. One big one is promotion of people who were marginal at best or were just good fighters. I have made a couple of those mistakes. High dan promotions are the same but worse, because some of them won't quit. They hang on like a lazy brother-in-law, still wearing leisure suites and listening to Slim Whitman records.

   Nine years from now, some of us at the top end, will either be gone or will have our participation minimized considerably. This is why the push for future leaders is still, JOB ONE!! Regardless of whether they are traditionalist, moderate or eclectic Isshin-ryu stylist, good leadership makes all things equal and lasting.

"So You Want To Be a Black Belt"

Are you sure? Yeah right.......That’s the approach I take with each student new and old and I’ll tell you why. First, lets look at the obvious. Everyone doesn’t!!! Because if you do it right------ it is hard!! That reality alone eliminates the vast majority of the "I wanna be’s" So let me say God Bless and good riddance. I would hate to think I had spent the greater part of my adult life pursuing a passion in the company of people who would be just as happy doing crossword puzzles. I don’t think it should be for elitist alone, but neither do I want casual joiners. At some point I want to see someone have to sacrifice something along the way. Just show me you can hang. Some people working toward a black belt are like a dog chasing a car. What are you going to do when you catch it??? They see the black belt as a final destination instead of a life style beginning. In the year plus that someone in our school wears the brown belt before being tested, the real testing has been on-going. The last 90 days before promotion is like the last three weeks of jump school. If you are going to quit, it will be before you jump. I tell my students up front, ”that my job is a double edge sword” and "it is up to me to make everyone a black belt while at the same time preventing everyone from becoming a black belt." They will begin to understand that contradiction when they near brown belt (san-kyu). I am not a great believer in black belt testing. If you are a working sensei, have trained someone for two-plus years and don’t know if they are ready, then who does? All the physical and academic testing has been done up to that point of promotion. All that is required is a 100% yes!! vote from my instructors. It’s just our way. I don’t want to wait two and one half years to see if the person can take the testing pressure and knows the drill. On the other hand I know people who do extensive testing and turn out excellent black belts; so it’s just a philosophy like most every thing else we do.” It isn’t how you arrive at the game but what you do when you get there”. That brings me to the next dilemma that plagues all of us. The great black belt quitters club. We all have members of that distinguished aggregation out there. All the time, all the information, all the loyalty (sic) gone. It’s like the common cold. You can use prevention, but you can’t eliminate it. I see the black belt as a source of vehicle fuel for the person. Everyone has their own miles per gallon and some run out sooner than others. There is no way to gauge anyone 100% of the time, but there are indicators of the tank running low. I like to get to know the spouse. Their support or lack of, can make or break the person. If a loved one is against it, then you have a drop out on the way. Especially if the loved one might as well be wearing the belt, as they are obviously wearing the cahonnies. If the loved one feels threatened by the black belts time spent at the dojo, so-long black belt. Indications of this are numerous calls to black belt from the loved one during class. Obvious competitive attitude toward sensei from the loved one at any gathering. If this gets too heavy send black belt out the door to serve the loved one with all their time. I’m not up for that kind of juvenile negativity. As a general statement it takes ten positive instructors to even out one negative one. The next sign is when a black belt has to take time off every time the winds change. No matter what happens, the black belt feels that they can handle it better if they don’t have to be worried about karate. What a hero. Wonder if they ever ask themselves where they would be if their sensei felt that way. But what the hay, let the other guys worry about classes and the dojo, cause none of the other guys have any problems. You know I see that mentality in kyu’s when they treat karate as a total liability when anything else comes up, A black belt is suppose to know better. If you look closely you can see karate steadily slipping down the list of priorities. What really kills me is when people tell you how much it all means to them but the first time it is tested, they fold their tents. The person who wants to learn all they can and wants to know what you know. They then back up their claim with about two hours a week at the dojo. Either they are a fast learner or I haven’t learned much in 45 years. We have people who legitimately can’t make it more than two hours a week and they are there no matter what. I would rather work with someone who is there every time they can be than when the spirit moves them. I much more respect the guy that says, I’ve lost interest and I’m quitting. I understand everyone doesn’t want to do this forever, but stop trying to have it both ways. Lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way. If a person stops contributing and being an example then they should go. I am living proof of that. When I stopped being a working sensei I became a non-working sensei. There is no gray area here. Lead, follow or, well you know! A sad sight is the "Dead Belt Walking.” That is black belt or worse Master belt giving us all the pleasure of their company at seminars and tournaments. This pretender usually referees or judges until they nearly die from exhaustion from being out of shape. They do a lousy job because they no longer see students anywhere else, and they just want everyone to have a lot of fun. Well let me tell you something!!! The working sensei that brings people to tournaments is usually already tired and beat up from preparing their students. They also have the added pressure of getting everyone there including the students friends and family. Not to mention what happens to all that responsibility when the competition starts. If you are a young sensei and compete, you have to summon up what’s left of your emotional and physical energy and try not to embarrass yourself in front of your whole following. Yeah lets have fun. It is work......You better do well because when you get back, about 20% of your students are going to drop out and you have to rally the troops. To sweeten the pot of pain, you are probably going to have to discipline some student in or around your ring because his sensei is brain dead when it comes to courtesy and this was the first time someone told him he should not show disrespect. Many are called but few are chosen. And so it goes; everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die. Fortunately Isshin-Ryu is blessed with excellent leadership that year after year turns out new and even better talent. Every year we have a Shiai at our dojo. This year I watched the young black belts and feel that they are better than we (the old head bangers) ever were. Isshin-ryu is by and large in good hands and we all need to make sure it stays that way by preserving the old values while exploring new ways. We will do that by teaching the new generation how to reproduce itself. That brings the responsibility of progressive leadership. Being a leader by example. Clara Booth Luce said "What you are drums so loud in my ears, that I can’t hear what you are saying." Somewhere along the way "Clara Baby" must have taken Isshin-ryu from a working sensei.