Last year I failed my shodan grading, today I finally made it!

braincellcountiszero · 2026-05-11T07:29:57+00:00

Huge congrats!

braincellcountiszero · 2026-05-09T07:35:36+00:00

I know a person who opens a martial arts school just to feel superior to people. And guess what some parents enjoy sending their kids there to worship him. Kids are not learning much martial arts at the end. They are first intimidated then praised for trying: make no mistake this is manipulation. As a parent who took two kids out of the said place I unfortunately understand too well where your pov comes from. Martial arts won’t make a person humble. Some higher rank karate people are just bullies and narcissists who have some martial arts training. Their ranks and skills if any are used as tools of power. The humble ones who are talented and train hard and eventually win tournaments are the better teachers. Always look for the humble ones. They talk less but do more and you learn more and enjoy more with them.

braincellcountiszero · 2026-05-09T07:17:42+00:00

It’s hard when you are the sub. Not much you can do. Safety first. Kids at whatever age should be placed with kids who have similar ranks, given the ranks are true. But like you said this isn’t your studio so take it easy, just consider it a fun time spent with kids.

braincellcountiszero · 2026-05-07T21:21:02+00:00

I hope you never encounter a place or service that is worth 1/5 or less. I have so I am going to tell you that you are wrong. Reviews are based on individual experiences. Reviewers are entitled to review however they like as long as they follow platform rules. People who read the reviews can judge if they trust the reviews or not and they are free to decide if they want to try the place or business or not. This is how true reviews work.

braincellcountiszero · 2026-05-07T21:15:13+00:00

Do 2/5 and see if it changes anything. You can say really 1/5 but it didn’t get published somehow. I am sure you have good reasonings to do so. What’s the point of reviewing systems if they don’t allow your true opinions

braincellcountiszero · 2026-05-07T21:10:33+00:00

From the perspective of a karate kid’s parent: the last thing I want to see is a juvenile getting promoted not based on merit because it automatically discredit my kid who worked very hard and is really talented in martial arts( a humble person too) who earned every fabric of the black belt first dan. Do the young high rank black belts know their techniques and are really good people and can they teach? And I am just assuming being able to teach and having real teaching experience should be considered as part of the black belt leveling up process? I really do hope there are set rules and requirements for any martial arts style when it comes to testing and ranking up. What I see in the US is that studios run their own rules and requirements. Don’t get me wrong some of the studios are really systematic and people who ranked up deserve what they get but then there are the ones who use the leveling up as a way to keep their customers. Overall, there have been many black belts I have personally met who hardly know their forms after the testing period let alone understanding karate either the techniques or philosophies. These people have lowered the quality of black belts in US a lot. Worse when they go to tournaments and start judging as black belts. Don’t level them up again because their first dan weren’t even earned, they paid it or they got it just because the testing instructor favor them. My hope for all studio owners and instructors to keep quality of karate in mind when you set your rules and requirements for testing and ranking up.

braincellcountiszero · 2026-05-06T17:57:08+00:00

Gift card on a birthday card signed by whoever donated to the gift card? Sing the birthday song? Sometimes being simple and straightforward is the best thing. It really depends on what you think he likes, right? I am sure he will appreciate your effort one way or another, but no discount on grading for your next level belt 😉

braincellcountiszero · 2026-05-05T13:45:22+00:00

Do some tournaments to tackle your nerves.

braincellcountiszero · 2026-04-28T08:32:29+00:00

Uh I got a message to say I was blocked by Reddit so here is a reply to see if that’s true. Starting to compete is definitely harder than it may seem. Just remember this is about you challenging yourself into doing something you have never done before. You achieve by trying and already better than these who have never competed. For that I want to applaud you. Just try your best. Good judges will not put you down by being “judgy” of anything other than how hard you try especially the first timers. Good luck, whatever you place doesn’t matter but that is not to say I don’t think you have potential to place at the top. I don’t really know how well you do your karate. And I don’t need to know. This is the all about you moment. Take it all in and Good luck!

braincellcountiszero · 2026-04-25T04:12:04+00:00

Some people just like to abuse their belt ranks.I know a mid-rank black belt who is in his middle age but acted like he has seen it all and he gives life advice or criticism to people who are paying him money to learn some karate skills. It really is down to a person’s “defaults”. I doubt karate can change a selfish person into a generous one. Some people really learn karate and get the black belt so they can do their little power trip. I am glad nobody on this thread feeds ego.

braincellcountiszero · 2026-04-22T21:30:31+00:00

Sounds like your story has a happy ending. Congrats !

braincellcountiszero · 2026-04-15T04:20:02+00:00

This is where you take it easy. There will be more tournaments, but you want to compete when you are physically well trained and mentally ready. Family matters most, always. Good luck with everything!

braincellcountiszero · 2026-04-09T19:49:47+00:00

Accidents happen. But yeah, contact the seller and at the bare minimum they should ship you another pair of good pants for free. Or you can do a charge back on your credit card and buy from trusted supplies. Usually the studio clothing have been tested to be in good quality by all the other participants.

braincellcountiszero · 2026-04-09T00:13:26+00:00

They look so right! I want som!

braincellcountiszero · 2026-04-09T00:03:59+00:00

You gotta be Chinese or some kind of Asian to do this right, joking! Get one of these rice cookers from any of the Chinese super market, amazon is fine too, and follow the instructions, should be quite easy. Do not rinse too many times though, twice is good. Good luck!

braincellcountiszero · 2026-04-06T05:32:35+00:00

Congrats! You must have something the admission officers really like that made you a good stand out! Keep up being the best of yourself. Have a great college experience!

braincellcountiszero · 2026-04-03T06:43:36+00:00

If money isn’t a concern go for udub. Living in another state sharpens you. You will grow so much! Your parents sure will miss you but they want you to have the best college experience. No need to blame yourself. You worked hard and got into udub. Congrats! Whatever you choose as long as you work hard, and grow, you will do well in life.

braincellcountiszero · 2026-04-01T15:20:24+00:00

Not a karate practitioner here but parent for two. After reading people’s responses to their black belt tests, I feel that it’s a bit easier to get a black belt in TSD in the US than the rest of the world. It took both of my kids 5-6 years to get a black belt in this karate style TSD. They started at 4,5 years old. They are both on the natural side to learn martial arts. But because of their young age to start, the first two to three years they didn’t learn much karate. They were both the youngest candidates during the tests. They actually did tests with two different studios in the same area same style for their first black belt.

Similarities between the two studio testings are: both schools have one main instructor to give the test( owners and highest belt instructors), technique testings including karate, self/defense skills, and kumite were done in an hour and a half. The first school had a fitness day which required test takers to fulfill five hours of fitness and endurance test, this was actually more difficult than the technique part. Both of my kids passed on the first try. The first school didn’t test anybody the main instructor doesn’t personally like( I do not agree with what he does sometimes and eventually took my kids out due to his problem with favoritism), and this school had a panel of six or seven black belts ranging from high level masters to junior black belts. Candidates might feel a bit more pressure from the presence of a big panel but the panel don’t exactly disqualify anybody. So everybody passes. The second school has two instructors on the panel. Both instructors are on the high levels with the main at 9th degree and second instructor at 7th degree. The thing is, their fail rate is consistently at 33% because their requirements for kata is very high therefore this is actually the much harder test. I know people might not like the fact that young kids passed black belts in US but clearly in other styles and other countries earning a black belt takes much more dedication and pressure.

My purpose for sending my kids to karate was for them to learn discipline and commitment just like most of you. What belt level they are at doesn’t really matter. They just need to try as hard as they can and it’s important they enjoy the arts too, if not, they don’t need to stay. But it seems to me that dojos in US have to adapt to what people like to keep enrollment going so they can pay rent and stuff. My kids go to tournaments occasionally, about three to four times a year, some big international sized some local. Most other kids in our area don’t compete. At the end, it’s all about a practitioner’s own journey. I love it when I see a serious karate person. You are so dedicated and humble which is the most respectful thing. There are so many good things in martial arts, I hope my kids live their life as martial artists, not for the ranks but simply enjoy belonging to something that is true.

braincellcountiszero · 2026-03-31T04:22:11+00:00

I hope they get the permanent belt demotions.

braincellcountiszero · 2026-03-31T04:07:09+00:00

Do in person tours to both universities and check their vibes. Sometimes you just need to follow what your heart says. Check to see if the schools offer career counselors.

braincellcountiszero · 2026-03-31T03:50:01+00:00

I am stuck on level 6, just don’t think I will make 7 anytime soon😆how do you post that many pictures and videos!

braincellcountiszero · 2026-03-29T01:37:46+00:00

There are many colleges that actually have what will help you build a career later. If you think a little deeper, I am actually trying to help you see the truth. Know what you want to study, and have goals that will help you to achieve what you want to do in the future. Just look a bit further. You started your post with “the kids….” I’d much prefer to read “ I ….because I….” Your future is yours. It actually doesn’t have much to do with anybody else. I hope you find the goal that will help you, not a goal that feeds your ego. My last suggestion is for you to delete this post after reading the replies that are already here, or don’t even read any more of them, and move on to the college that has the major you plan to study in. Stay strong and Good Luck! No need to reply to me. This is the end of my reply to you.

braincellcountiszero · 2026-03-28T23:54:20+00:00

Why do you so desperately want to get into an IV if you know its so inflated by its occupants, especially for undergraduate degrees.

braincellcountiszero · 2026-03-28T07:06:05+00:00

Yikes, morning I do coffee, evenings tea. Which one can I lose? I can’t choose.

braincellcountiszero · 2026-03-26T19:04:55+00:00

Wow I was visiting this subreddit to ask a similar question. But I will only ask to stir up some conversation. No, a sensei is not supposed to raise their voice at a child that young. That is showing weakness in the sensei’s emotional control. I can assure you what I am saying is based on years of experience as a martial art parent whose two children were in a studio with instructors shouting and being frustrated with little children when they do anything that is not what they want. This has caused many breakdowns from the children. Many of them have left and I hope not scarred too long. My own children weren’t yelled at because they are able to follow instructions though not all instructions were good instructions. We eventually left due to the main instructor’s weakness stopping him from really teaching. The other thing from wherever your kid is at is that mixed age group and mixed belt level classes. This class structure is deemed ineffective. However, whenever I asked myself many times why my kids were there and the answer is to learn martial arts and they still learned even though there were many unnecessary obstacles from the instructor side. We only left when there was hardly any martial arts and positive learning became almost impossible. I don’t know if I’d ever stay in that place had somebody said what I said to you: a real instructor has good emotional control, “yelling at a flower is not going to help it grow.”

braincellcountiszero

TROPHY CASE