I'd like to award this post a shodan in run-on-sentence-jutsu (look Ma, no punctuation!)...
:uhyeah:
New Martial Talk Belt ranks - need your input
- Thread starter Bob Hubbard
- Start date
:uhyeah:
I would just give him some rank. Thsoe who complain the most about not having it or hwo others have it is many times about their own issue of not having enough for what they think.
In other cases they step into a new situation and they are now looking to have people respect them but they have to start all over and show respect to others as opposed to just demanding it based upon their positions.
Then again it could be someone not interested in rank and just not really familiar with the internet forums and has a hard time wondering why rank is awarded by posts.
Me personally, people will think what they want of me. I know I have written some things and some people took it one way while I meant it another. I know I have come on harsh in some cases and on others given people lots of chances. But you will find I usually reply back in kind to how I am treated.
Peace
OP
- Thread Starter
- #103
I have a black belt in "keeping my pants up". Everything else is secondary. I've also been waiting 7 years to hear of someone claiming their forum rank on their resume. Haven't yet, but, we're still young. 
Reaper
White Belt
well first off yes i dont really care about my punctuation nor my grammer in this case if it were something formal and of serious importance then yes i would use proper grammer so i do apologize if my posts do not meet your requirments. secondly everyone i dont know any of you i dont know much about this forum due to the fact that i have only been on for a 3 day span didnt know what the deal was wit the belt rankin thing took it as one thing and you all jumped on it which is fine you all have the right to defend yourselves. i get what you all mean i personally train everyday evrychance i get i love the arts i love the spirituality i get from it. im sorry to have pissed off so many but i responded to a post didnt mean to start a war or have people dislike me so quickly. i will admit i am the type of person that adds the spark to the wick and i do hope that i can enjoy this forum and enjoy getting to know as many of you people as well
- Joined
- Sep 22, 2004
- Messages
- 6,545
- Reaction score
- 61
Well...........I say you aint family 'til you get into it pretty good with the other members! So, at least from me....Welcome!!!
Let me offer a few suggestions for getting along better on the web...
First, spend some time lurking on a forum before you jump in. In other words, look through the posts and learn the overall tone of the forum. MT tends to be pretty relaxed, very open and friendly... but, to make life easy on everyone, we try to show at least a nodding acquiantence with the rules of grammar. Some forums, especially certain unnamed martial arts forums, can be very, very nasty and abrasive.
Second, check out a forums rules and policies. Here on MT, they're easy to find. Look at the top of the page; you'll find a link for Rules there. Or, you can just go to them here. You'll note that they policies and rules here are evolving; they show revision dates ranging from 2003 to just a month or two ago.
I'll lay you odds that, without really trying, you'll find that folks here welcome you. And forget about any initial mis-steps in short order. Everyone here usually manages to get along, even if we disagree.
First, let me say that I think communicating well is of serious importance even if it's *only a martial arts forum*. The only way we have of getting to know each other here is through writing. So, your writing does reflect on you. If something as simple as punctuation and capitalization isn't important enough for someone, why should any credence be given when they share their thoughts on a technique, or opinion on a self-defense situation? Even if the post contained valuable information, it's likely to be skimmed and dismissed as it's difficult to read.
It really does come down to common courtesy. You don't have to be an excellent typist, we don't expect zero typos, etc. but as in your dojo, dojang, kwoon, whatever, respect goes both ways. If you can't take the time to make your posts legible don't expect much attention to be paid to them.
Second, we really are a great bunch here. Martial Talk is a friendly board and we are like family. Like family, we don't always agree with other and the occasional spat breaks out, but we learn to live with and like each other. You wouldn't walk into a new martial arts school without any sense of courtesy for the members of the school and expect to get very far. Even though this is *just* a message board, we are Martial Artists, we are taught discipline and respect in our training, and that should be reflected in our communication with each other.
Third, welcome to Martial Talk! If you take the time to get to know folks here and show common courtesy, I believe you'll find this a very fine place to *hang out*. :asian:
It makes your posts difficult to read--that's the point. You'll get more replies if you make your posts easier to parse!
I have a black belt in "keeping my pants up". Everything else is secondary. I've also been waiting 7 years to hear of someone claiming their forum rank on their resume. Haven't yet, but, we're still young.
I am going to add it to mine Bob could you Please, this will make me more legit. :mst:
Reaper I can one thing for sure family argue and fuss all the time but when something comes at one they all stick together. I look at the members here as a family, we share, converse and talk bad to each other. The family extend to everyone so that would include you, so I will come to your rescue, I have a hard time with punctuation and spelling myself on this forum but I have come to relize it helps the family to better understand my points of view. As far as adding spark to the wick you have not seen some of the blacksheep of this big family, stick around and you shall see sparks and the complete fire from time to time. I for one welcome you and hope you can see past everything and bring some great topics and converstation to the forum. You like to train all the time me so do I and I also love the spiritality I personnally get from training and teaching, I have been on a road of enlightment for nearly 40 years and one day I hope to get there.
Let me expand on the idea of using reasonable grammar and punctuation practices, even when "it doesn't really matter."
One of the principles we use in martial arts is that how you practice reflects what you'll do under pressure, right? We practice and rehearse how to respond to various attacks so that when we face them for real, we respond without thought. The same principle applies to other activities in life. If you habitually write grammatically sloppy posts, when it matters, you'll have problems writing well. And you may not have the time to do multiple drafts or to try to fix it. Imagine applying for a job, and being required to provide a timed writing sample during the process. (I know of several jobs that do this in the hiring process.) But U R usd 2 ritin lik this. or even just not using punctuation and capitalization when you write. So, even though you'd be ideal for the job, under that time pressure, you can't turn out readable product.
Another important thing to remember is that we don't have facial expression, body language, and tone of voice in a textual communication. Depending on who you ask, as much as 80% of communication relies on non-verbal signals. In writing, we can supply much of that with punctuation.
Grammar and punctuation don't have to be the hideous monster many of walk out of grade school English classes in dread of. Most of us don't really need to know what the pluperfect tense is, or the intricacies of the use of tildes and schwas. There's a great book out, and it's cheap; a paperback cost less than $10 last time I looked. Invest the money in a copy of Strunk & White's The Elements of Style. Read it; apply the rules to your writing all the time. I guarantee that you'll write better, more effectively, and with less effort if you do so -- and that, when it counts, you'll write well.
*Please pardon my contribution to the thread drift.*
Working on my writing skills has been a personal Jihad for me and a subject I have learned to more fully appreciate as a training aid. I firmly believe that our body, our spirit, our soul and our mind are all connected. These various systems are independent of each other while at the same time interdependent with each. Many physical illnesses can be tied directly to mental and spiritual weaknesses and many mental and spiritual illnesses can be directly tied to physical weaknesses for an example. Knowing this, I believe that we can affect one system by not only working on that system but by working on other systems as well. Want your mind to think more clearly do push-ups as well as mental exercises, want to do better push-ups work on your spirit as well as physical exercises.
How we live our lives is a reflection of all these systems and by working on the different systems we affect all the others and of course our lives. When we correctly train physically it will at the same time positively affect our mental and spiritual lives as well as our physical lives. If we correctly work on mental exercises it will positively affect our spiritual and physical selves at the same time. If, on the other hand we approach our training and living incorrectly that work will of course negatively affect our lives and our well being.
What does all that have to do with writing and grammar? As I said above how we live is a reflection of the shape and condition of our various systems, and how we write is a reflection on how we live. If we write aggressively and cantankerously it is a reflection of our personality at that moment, if we write negatively, positively, sloppily all are reflections at that moment. The same is true when we train physically, if we train with aggression, sloppiness, laziness or precision it is a reflection of who we are at that moment. The same is true as to how we drive, how we mow the lawn and how we answer the phone. What we are doing right this minute is not only a reflection but it is affecting all of our different systems.
When we practice martial skills do we approach tasks sloppy and lazily or do we approach our tasks with focus and precision and purpose? Approaching our mundane daily tasks with the same disciplined focus and purpose that we apply to our martial training by consequence will change our martial skills for the better and of course change our lives for the better.
I personally try to approach my writing like I approach working with a knife (whether fighting or throwing). I want to be precise with both the word and the blade.
Communicating ideas well is a lot like body work, it takes discipline, focus and purpose and correct practice. The more you do the better you get but it takes maintenance or the skills will atrophy.
One more thing, this medium is a written medium, it allows us unlimited time to write out precisely what we are trying to communicate, to weigh and consider our riposte before hitting the submit button. While I have met a few of the Martial Talk posters most I have not yet had the pleasure. Even while being limited to the written word I do judge the posts of all posters and assume that they all judge me on the quality of my writing, the ideas as well as the presentation of them. If I purposely write sloppily and lazily, if I am purposely short and impolite in my writing they will see the reflection that I am putting out there and see not only how I am writing but how I am training and living not seeing me necessarily as bad person but perhaps as prideful, lazy, angry or a sloppy person and this is not a bad thing, this task (writing) as all tasks can become diagnostic, if I find myself writing thus I immediately see this as a symptom of areas of weakness in other aspects of my life. By first treating the symptom I can then start addressing the other areas as needed. By polishing and adjusting the reflection on one task you adjust and polish all other areas of your life and training at the same time.
Regards
Brian King
JKS9199
Thanks for the book recommendation
Working on my writing skills has been a personal Jihad for me and a subject I have learned to more fully appreciate as a training aid. I firmly believe that our body, our spirit, our soul and our mind are all connected. These various systems are independent of each other while at the same time interdependent with each. Many physical illnesses can be tied directly to mental and spiritual weaknesses and many mental and spiritual illnesses can be directly tied to physical weaknesses for an example. Knowing this, I believe that we can affect one system by not only working on that system but by working on other systems as well. Want your mind to think more clearly do push-ups as well as mental exercises, want to do better push-ups work on your spirit as well as physical exercises.
How we live our lives is a reflection of all these systems and by working on the different systems we affect all the others and of course our lives. When we correctly train physically it will at the same time positively affect our mental and spiritual lives as well as our physical lives. If we correctly work on mental exercises it will positively affect our spiritual and physical selves at the same time. If, on the other hand we approach our training and living incorrectly that work will of course negatively affect our lives and our well being.
What does all that have to do with writing and grammar? As I said above how we live is a reflection of the shape and condition of our various systems, and how we write is a reflection on how we live. If we write aggressively and cantankerously it is a reflection of our personality at that moment, if we write negatively, positively, sloppily all are reflections at that moment. The same is true when we train physically, if we train with aggression, sloppiness, laziness or precision it is a reflection of who we are at that moment. The same is true as to how we drive, how we mow the lawn and how we answer the phone. What we are doing right this minute is not only a reflection but it is affecting all of our different systems.
When we practice martial skills do we approach tasks sloppy and lazily or do we approach our tasks with focus and precision and purpose? Approaching our mundane daily tasks with the same disciplined focus and purpose that we apply to our martial training by consequence will change our martial skills for the better and of course change our lives for the better.
I personally try to approach my writing like I approach working with a knife (whether fighting or throwing). I want to be precise with both the word and the blade.
Communicating ideas well is a lot like body work, it takes discipline, focus and purpose and correct practice. The more you do the better you get but it takes maintenance or the skills will atrophy.
One more thing, this medium is a written medium, it allows us unlimited time to write out precisely what we are trying to communicate, to weigh and consider our riposte before hitting the submit button. While I have met a few of the Martial Talk posters most I have not yet had the pleasure. Even while being limited to the written word I do judge the posts of all posters and assume that they all judge me on the quality of my writing, the ideas as well as the presentation of them. If I purposely write sloppily and lazily, if I am purposely short and impolite in my writing they will see the reflection that I am putting out there and see not only how I am writing but how I am training and living not seeing me necessarily as bad person but perhaps as prideful, lazy, angry or a sloppy person and this is not a bad thing, this task (writing) as all tasks can become diagnostic, if I find myself writing thus I immediately see this as a symptom of areas of weakness in other aspects of my life. By first treating the symptom I can then start addressing the other areas as needed. By polishing and adjusting the reflection on one task you adjust and polish all other areas of your life and training at the same time.
Regards
Brian King
JKS9199
Thanks for the book recommendation
kidswarrior
Senior Master
Wait, let me get this straight, you're going frame and hang Post Whore Supreme on your wall? :rofl:
Sorry for the interruption. :-offtopic
kidswarrior
Senior Master
Didn't even know they still sold this. My copy is over 30 years old--like me.
Thanks for the update/reminder.Dr Rubin Frank Rhode
White Belt
- Joined
- May 4, 2008
- Messages
- 13
- Reaction score
- 1
Hi/Osu Bob Hubbard Sensei
Thanks for the posting on Belts and Ranks. I think that it is a good system if we slightly lengthen the times of grading for the Kyu Ranks (Mudansha levels). In the Goju Ryu system which we practice, my Teacher Eddie Cave Sensei (9th Dan) has added two additional Kyu Ranks. Weow start at 12th Kyu (White 2 stripes). This is to accomodate the younger Karate students who now can start at 5years or 6 years old. Before we use to take Children at 7 years old. Also for the Dan Ranks a !5 year old can grade at Shodan-Ho (trainee Black Belt) and at 17 for the rigorous test of Shodan (1st Dan Black Belt). Would you please be so kind as to give me your comment on this matter. This system is now in use for the last three years in our Dojos. Thank you so much.
Yours in the Spirit of Budo/Wushu
Dr Rubin Frank Rhode, Sensei
Thanks for the posting on Belts and Ranks. I think that it is a good system if we slightly lengthen the times of grading for the Kyu Ranks (Mudansha levels). In the Goju Ryu system which we practice, my Teacher Eddie Cave Sensei (9th Dan) has added two additional Kyu Ranks. Weow start at 12th Kyu (White 2 stripes). This is to accomodate the younger Karate students who now can start at 5years or 6 years old. Before we use to take Children at 7 years old. Also for the Dan Ranks a !5 year old can grade at Shodan-Ho (trainee Black Belt) and at 17 for the rigorous test of Shodan (1st Dan Black Belt). Would you please be so kind as to give me your comment on this matter. This system is now in use for the last three years in our Dojos. Thank you so much.
Yours in the Spirit of Budo/Wushu
Dr Rubin Frank Rhode, Sensei
OP
- Thread Starter
- #116
It sounds like a good way to include the younger students, and give them more time to internalize the art.
sempai little1
Yellow Belt
We start our kids at 5 in our dojo as well. We put them in a Little Dragon program where the lessons are more on respect, dojo rules, some simple basics, how to stay safe, but mostly fun and alot of running around playing "Ninja tag".
From there we can see the childrens learning styles and it makes it easier to adapt the learning to the indiviual child. Plus its really really fun.:boing2:
Once the student is in the Kyu belt program we have 16 belt gradings. 8 belts of a solid colour and 8 with a black stripe going through the center. so for example white/white stripe, yellow/yellow stripe and so on.
This method seems to run pretty fast for some adults, but kids learn so darn fast that they seem to know their next kata before you show it too them(little tyrants watch higher belts and copy their movements when we arnt watching, sneaky sneaky).
This system works well for us. From white belt to Brown stripe (Black Belt candidate) it takes about 4 yrs. Some students move a little fast some slower, such is life.
Your friend,
Sempai Little1 :wavey:
From there we can see the childrens learning styles and it makes it easier to adapt the learning to the indiviual child. Plus its really really fun.:boing2:
Once the student is in the Kyu belt program we have 16 belt gradings. 8 belts of a solid colour and 8 with a black stripe going through the center. so for example white/white stripe, yellow/yellow stripe and so on.
This method seems to run pretty fast for some adults, but kids learn so darn fast that they seem to know their next kata before you show it too them(little tyrants watch higher belts and copy their movements when we arnt watching, sneaky sneaky).
This system works well for us. From white belt to Brown stripe (Black Belt candidate) it takes about 4 yrs. Some students move a little fast some slower, such is life.
Your friend,
Sempai Little1 :wavey:
I could be inclined to make Senior Master 4000 and try to get certain thing to the effect of Junior Master / Apprentice Master at 3000. This is an alternate, but I get the feeling that you'd favour to hold the grades 500 mails apart and not 1000 mails apart, so I don't understand if this is actually helpful.
Blade96
Senior Master
I dont think i wants to be a mt black belt with just 500 posts...sorry, 543. I still a rookie. wtf.
Idk. but seems like 500 posts and me only joining in jan 2010...yep. Noob. lol.
Idk. but seems like 500 posts and me only joining in jan 2010...yep. Noob. lol.
If you don't like the belt rank, you can add a user title like I did on a day where we seemed to be talking about kittens a whole lot. That will remove the belt rank and display your title instead.
That will remove the belt rank and display your title instead.Similar threads
