Problems and solutions in the dojo: a silly thread

[evergrey]

Problem: Shodan is busy stretching in the walkway between myself and the locker room. There is a bench behind him. He is hunkered down mid-stretch, so it would be rather rude to interrupt him to ask to pass and step over him.

Solution: slide face-down across the bench behind him, torpedoing myself into the locker room doorway. Practical and fun!

Rather surprised the lady coming out of the locker room to suddenly have an Evey come shooting out of nowhere at about knee level. Luckily she's got a great sense of humor. Shodan was very confused, but I told him "I didn't want to interrupt your stretch," and while bewildered, he found that answer to be acceptable. From the office there came a heavy sigh, but no yelling, haha.

So, do you have any white belt stories? Or perhaps you still engage in creative problem-solving (that's what I call it when I get called on the carpet, haha) in the dojo? Gimme your problems and unconventional solutions!

[evergrey]

okay maybe I am the only crackmonkey here. ;} OSU!

[powerof0ne]

I'd ask him to stretch somewhere else if he was in the way. He's a shodan, not a God.

If somebody said excuse me to me while I was stretching and I was obviously in their way I'd move out of the way without hesitation.

I don't understand why this would cause any yelling or anything, you did nothing wrong.

Once in a self defense demonstration that I can't remember even how it went my sensei had a purse or hand bag as a prop and I was the purse snatcher and I was 15 at the time I said something like "Oh Sensei, that matches your skin tone marvelously" to which he had the greatest look of shock on his face like he was about to yell but he just busted out laughing. About 99% of the other time it was nothing but strict, no nonsense, no joking, hard training but we're only human.

I tend to get along better with people that can actually joke occasionally.
Osu!

[evergrey]

Oh yeah, me too! Nobody got mad, just bewildered. And amused, though that was stifled, haha.

A little later on, it started hailing, and Shihan ran out, packed some hailstones together like a snowball (amazing what force can do) and pelted Sense Dunn with it. Heh.