Your goals

As all beginners do when starting Martial arts you set goals of what you wont to achieve. What did you wont to archive and what goal did you set yourself when you started training. Mine is to be the best i can and hopefully open my own club and pass on what i have learnt and try to keep the highest standards possible and of cause get my black sash

My goal was to get to be a Soke, like my instructor Prof. Clark - 30 years later - I am one.
When I got my 7th Dans (Karate and Jujitsu) I thought, 'That's it I don't care now, just the Sokeship to go.'
Wrong again.
I WANT MY 8TH DAN NOW.
How childish is this?
Not as childish as the next bit.
This year I got cancer, I was in hospital waiting for the op. and some on my blackbelts came in - they had travelled the 100 miles from Bradford to see me, what was my 1st thought - I'm likely to die so the association has given me my 10th Dan. I mean it was nice to see them but..............
Hey even old guys are allowed to be foolish and vain - vain, foolish and egotistical in my case certainly.

well prof Akers congrats on 10th dan and its good to know u still carry on and try and add new goals

mate nowt wrong with that , i'm like it at the mo , looking for the next big thing , my mum had cancer last year ( bowel ) and i hope all is well now for you mate .

at the moment i have a tricky one , i'm struggling to keep conection with my students , i now have near on 200 in my main venue .
a few years ago i only had a handful , but the joy of it was ........ i had a totally personal input into each and every one of them , i now have little time with each .
and i do miss it so, sparring with each and every one of them , grading them all , shareing blood sweat and tears .
but ho hum .
now i have a new series in martial arts illustrated starting soon and got to go to south africa bodygaurding in a month.
will give me even less time .
martial arts has been my life , and all the people i have met have played a part , all the students i have trained have helped me grow .
this is why it is a tricky one .

cheers
matt

Matt.k.f.s I'm hoping your Mum is still going 'cos that's what I had, getting back to some form of fitness is a right bugger tho.
One of my guys said the nicest thing last night 'Stuart there are times I wish you were still poorly and this is one of them.'
Try this exercise I had them doing.
Bend you arm up and tuck your elbow tight into your side, then lie down on it on the floor, now using only the outside part of your elbow joint - not the point - use this to do push-ups, your shoulder cramps solid after a few.

prof i hope you are ok and glad you are still goin on and matt i hope your mom is ok to

Sorry to hear about so much bad health.but glad to hear that peeps are on the up :-)

A recent goal has been to try and improve the level of training within the art I study.

I am affiliated to the Bujinkan Dojo but I don;t study like your usual Bujinkan Dojo. There are so many poor ranks within teh Bujinkan that everyone is judged by these poor students and tared with the same brush.

I have tried to instil a sense of skill, knowledge and experience into people. I have kyu grade students that teach visiting dan grade pracitioners.

In my opinion this shouldn;t happen

I am failing in this goal as people look at how we train and what is expected of you...........then go train with another dojo as there is not this expectation upon them. The aqquirement of rank seems all important to them, without realising that you MUST have the skill, knowledge and experience to go with it.

The Japanese throw rank out at visiting students. I have seen people going to Japan nidan to train 3 weeks and come back godan. These people then suddenly become 'personal students' of the Soke of the Bujinkan.

I don;t thihnk I will succeed in my goal as there is always an easy option and that is what people look for. I rarely tell people the rank I hold and I don;t wear my rank (other than a black belt) when I train.

I would rather be judged for what people see me do than what people see me wear.