I've got lots of issues and need some advice...

[exile]

Thanks for that post, Exile. Finding a place in a traditional dojo out here is a hard row to hoe. You don't offer money and expect to be taken on as a student. In fact, the Hikari no Dojo charges $5 a month for their lessons. the money is a token. The kind of dojos I'm looking at have 5-10 students. 20 at the very most and that is a huge training group. All of these teachers are very selective and very wary of taking on new students. For example, one of the Isshin Ryu people I approached interviewed me once on the phone, once in person, and once to test my skill. He said he would take me on as a student for two classes a month for $120 dollars. I took that to mean that he wasn't really serious, but was being polite and didn't want to say no. In Japanese culture, I guess this is commonplace, so I politely refused.

Anyway, I was invited to come and see a class and meet Mr. Goodin. I'm going to follow through with that and see where it leads. Hopefully I can make some in roads and get my name out there.

Good! I think that's the exactly right course for you (not in an absolute sense, but rather—as I hope I made clear—given your own vision of the MAs, which is similar to mine I think, so I understand what the issues you refer to are). My guess is that, as Guardian indicated, persistence is the key. A reputation for seriousness and dedication is probably the crucial thing here, and from what you say, you're getting off on the right foot.

The scene out your way is obviously very, very old-school—proof of the student's devotion is a prerequisite, to a much greater extent than it is in our McDojo/McDojang-infested MA world here on the mainland—but the rewards will be correspondingly much greater. I earnestly wish you good luck on this quest, but personal qualities, which are not matters of luck at all, will in the end, I suspect, be far more important—and there, I think, you have many advantages.

 

[Makalakumu]

That's amazing that the teachers are so selective there. I'm getting ready to move into a Japanese style for the same reasons and am getting increasingly apprehensive about the move. Is it possible to start at a larger school and once you have more experience in the style move into one of the more selective schools? Although that may hurt more than it helps...

I don't know if it would hurt or help. There's so much about the culture that I don't understand out here. For one thing, everyone can pretty much tell that I'm fresh from the mainland. That's a strike against me for long time kama'aina. The fact that I'm haole also is a strike against me.

 

[DavidCC]

if he doesn't take you as a student perhaps you can at least become acquainted or even friendly to the point where you might be able to have discussions with him about your kata and other topics of interest. Maybe he is apprehensive about taking on a student who he feels may already have a "pretty full cup". I think you are right about the cultural aspects and there being a lot you aren't aware of.

Maybe there are some old-school Hawaii people on this board who can help? Maybe Dave Crouch? (user Kembudo-kai Kempoka), he's from the Islands way back when...

 

[dancingalone]

That's amazing that the teachers are so selective there. I'm getting ready to move into a Japanese style for the same reasons and am getting increasingly apprehensive about the move. Is it possible to start at a larger school and once you have more experience in the style move into one of the more selective schools? Although that may hurt more than it helps...

That would be a bad idea in my opinion. Dojo hopping is considered bad form among Okinawan karate teachers, and the teachers will the goods know who each other are. It's best to just zero in on a qualified teacher you absolutely want to learn from and then be persistent and polite in your requests for training. They will respect your sincerity after you demonstrate it.

Unfortunately, your desire to publish books about karate and its history is problematic...

 

[Makalakumu]

Good thoughts dancingalone. That's pretty much my take on it. I think the book thing is a big turn off, but on the other hand, I want to be up front about it and NOT have a teacher learn about it through the grapevine. All of this might be easier once I finish the darn thing sometime this summer.

Consequently, all of this might have to be put on hold anyway. I found out yesterday, that the owner of the house we are renting and using as my dojo has leukemia. He needs to sell it in order to pay for the medical bills. Originally, when we contracted with them, they intended to use the property as an investment and were looking for a long term lease. Now they need to sell. So, I guess that puts me back out there trying to find a place to live and train. The good news is that rents have dropped like a rock because of the recession. I should be able to find something for A LOT cheaper then what I was paying.

 

[Flying Crane]

Do you like the place? any chance you could siimply buy it?

I never thought I'd be able to buy a home in San Francisco, but with the recession, we just closed on a modest little house with a good basement with training space. We are actually just outside San Francisco proper, but right up on the edge of the City.

this recession is terrible, a lot of people are suffering, but if your finances are solid and you've been careful, you might be able to find something now that housing prices are dropping. I understand Oahu is also a very expensive area, but maybe you can pull it off...

 

[Makalakumu]

Do you like the place? any chance you could siimply buy it?

I never thought I'd be able to buy a home in San Francisco, but with the recession, we just closed on a modest little house with a good basement with training space. We are actually just outside San Francisco proper, but right up on the edge of the City.

this recession is terrible, a lot of people are suffering, but if your finances are solid and you've been careful, you might be able to find something now that housing prices are dropping. I understand Oahu is also a very expensive area, but maybe you can pull it off...

I've thought about buying it. Having a house with a dojo attached has been awesome. The problem is the recession. Housing prices are predicted to drop 30% on Oahu in the next three years by all of the major realty agencies. Some people are more optimistic, some people are more pessimistic, but everyone agrees that they will continue to drop. That said, I just don't want to buy yet. I'm going to sit on my money and wait until we get to the bottom.

The good news is that there is a lot of good stuff out there with training space attached or with spaces that are convertible into training space. I'm not worried.

 

[Flying Crane]

I've thought about buying it. Having a house with a dojo attached has been awesome. The problem is the recession. Housing prices are predicted to drop 30% on Oahu in the next three years by all of the major realty agencies. Some people are more optimistic, some people are more pessimistic, but everyone agrees that they will continue to drop. That said, I just don't want to buy yet. I'm going to sit on my money and wait until we get to the bottom.

The good news is that there is a lot of good stuff out there with training space attached or with spaces that are convertible into training space. I'm not worried.

Sounds like you are in a good situation with lots of options that may come to the surface down the road.

I agree, I expect the housing market will continue to drop for a while. How far will it go? How long will it remain at the bottom? When will it turn around? Those are all things that are hard to know for sure.

Part of me felt that we should have stepped back from the market for a while and let the market drop a bit further, but we found a place that seems to fit our needs in many ways, so we jumped on it. I'm now a homeowner, and never expected to be one as long as I lived in this area. Literally, we signed the papers last night. My mortgage is significantly less than the rent I've been paying, altho I've needed to borrow and steal from my retirement savings to make it happen.

Well, keep your eye on the market and look for the right thing. It gives you time to position yourself, build up the necessary savings for the down payment and stuff. Good luck!