Sentinels

                Sentinels are cooperative and highly practical, embracing and creating order, security and stability! People who belong to one of these types are hardworking, meticulous and traditional, and excel in logistical or administrative fields, especially those that rely on clear hierarchies and rules. They stick to their plans and do not shy away from difficult tasks, however, they can also be very inflexible and reluctant to accept different points of view.

 

 

ISTJ

The Inspector / Drill Sargent/Duty fulfiller - Practical and fact minded, individuals who reliability cannon be doubted.

 

Description: ISTJ personality types are the most abundant in society with about 13% of the population.  Their defining characteristics are integrity, practical logic and tireless dedication to duty. They are a vital part of a family as well as any organization that upholds tradition, rules and standards. Often found in law offices, regularity bodies and the military they enjoy taking responsibility for their actions and take pride in their work.

 

They don’t make assumptions, they check facts, analysis their surroundings and arrive at practical courses of action. They are no nonsense and once they have made a decision they rely on facts necessary to achieve goals. They hold their word and reputation as very important and will do anything to maintain these. They prefer to work alone on projects to protect their reputation and wont rely on others in case there are issues with the coworker. They have a sharp fact based mind and prefer autonomy and self-sufficiency to reliance on someone or something. Dependence on others is often seen as weakness and their passion for duty, dependability and impeccable personal integrity forbid falling into such a trap.

 

A sense of personal integrity is core to ISTJ’s and they will adhere to established rule and guidelines regardless of cost, reporting their own mistakes and telling the truth even when the consequences for doing so could be disastrous. People with this type may struggle to express emotion or affection outwardly, but the suggestion that they don’t feel, or worse that they have no personality at all is deeply hurtful.

 

Strengths: Honest and direct, their integrity is at the heart of the ISTJ personality type. Emotional manipulation, mind games and reassuring lies all run counter to the preferences of this person. Strong willed and dutiful the ISTJ embody the integrity in their action too, working hard and staying focused. They are also very responsible and keep their word. Calm and Practical they are not prone to flights of fancy and will serve others over themselves. They also like to create and enforce order! They like to be effective and to do so they want to bring about order and orderly rules. They also tend to be a jack of all trades and learn many different skills to put to work easily.

 

Weakness:: the ISTJ can be seen as stubborn and unmoving once they get an idea in their head. They also resist new ideas or people that run counter to their ideology of service and dedication. They can often be seen as insensitive to others and harsh and often hurt more sensitive types feelings by simply communicating honestly between the two. They also follow rules to a fault, they don’t have a way of defining an alternative route, and if the rules suggest one thing then they will always be that way. They are also very judgmental and are harshly opinionated because facts are facts! They are unlikely to respect people that break rules or don’t agree with the facts.

 

Famous:  George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Herbert Hoover, Angela Merkel, and Natalie Portman, Evander Holyfield

 

How they fair in Karate: The Inspector is a great student to have, especially as a senior in class. They work hard and will push the group to do better. The rules and social norms of a Dojo will be rabidly upheld by them and they will progress as a stout supporter of the organization. A stout traditionalist they will maintain what they have been taught for their generation and pass on the traditional aspects of their training to students and juniors.

 

How to teach them Karate: don’t offer to many alternative and opposing ideas, this will cause the Inspector to go crazy! Just the facts and only one set of them!  With bunkai you will notice that they like it one way and exploration is not their thing, straight to the point and this is what this is supposed to be. Kata should never change and if it does it better be logical, and for kumite they do very well with basic Kumite that follow specific rules. The Chaos of free style tends to leave them dry, but their good basic skills help them be fairly good at this area as well.

 

What to Expect: as students they will naturally remember things and key rules that even you forget and as seniors they will build a reputation as a traditionalist and a hard worker, but they may also get a reputation as being short with people and having bad interpersonal skills or at least lack them on occasion, which only adds to the reputation. This is not entirely true it’s how they communicate.

 

Conclusion: Practical and dedicated, the Pit bull like mentality an endearing quality for a long term student. They are reliable and hardworking and unfortunately a bit hard on others and seen as needing better soft skills when talking to others. They get frustrated with needing to worry about others feelings when logic is involved. They can create a very stable environment for the club and students.

 

ISFJ

 

The Protector / Soldier /Warrior/ Nurturer- Very dedicated and warm protectors, always ready to defend their loved ones.

 

Description: ISFJ is a unique personality as it often defies its own definition by going against traits you would assume. Though being a feeling trait holder they tend to have great analytical abilities as well. Though introverted they also have well developed people skill and robust social relationships. This group also makes up 13% of the population combining the best of tradition and desire to do good.

 

They are industrious caretakers, loyal to a tradition and organization. They are practical, compassionate and caring and are motivated to provide for others and protect them from the perils of life. The ISFJ is the perfect parent as they tend to protect and nurture their children. They take this kind of responsibility very seriously and tend to be a bit like a guard dog when it comes to their young and those that they see as friends or family.

 

They are found in lines of work with a sense of history behind them, such as medicine, academics and charitable social work. They are meticulous to the point of perfectionism and though they procrastinate they can always be relied on to get a job done.

 

They have a tendency to underplay their accomplishments and while their kindness is often respected more cynical and selfish people are likely to take advantage of ISFJ’s dedication and humbleness by pushing work into them and then tanking the credit. They are not truly comfortable in the spot light and are great family members. They don’t take due credit for team work  but will take on the majority of a task.

 

Strengths: The ISJF is very supportive of others and are universal helpers, sharing their knowledge, experience and time with anyone that needs it. And they are reliable and patient, rather than offering sporadic help they prefer to trudge away till the task is done. They are imaginative and observant and use these qualities as an accessory to empathy, observing others emotional states and seeing things from their perspective. They are enthusiastic when the goal is right and will be supportive and reliable. The ISJF is loyal and hardworking after the enthusiasm for work becomes loyalty. They develop an emotional attachment to the ideas and organizations that they dedicate themselves to. They also have great practical skills.

 

Weakness:: seen as far to humble and shy the ISJF often seems meek and receives little recognition for all the work they do behind the scenes. They also tend to take things far too personally and have trouble separating personal and impersonal situations. They also repress their true feelings and don’t feel that they can let them out, which often build up and causes even more harm and hurt. They take on far to much in an effort to please and get things done for their causes. This often creates emotional conflict internally. They are also reluctant to change and it can take a long time to change a personal preference for doing something a specific way.

 

Famous: Queen Elizabeth II, Robert E Lee, Halle Berry.

 

How they fair in Karate: a universal helper that likes to share knowledge they will do very well in Karate, especially as a Senior, instructor or Sempai. They will seek out people they can help, which can be great or not so great depending on the recipient’s reaction. They tend to bow down to those that they see as authority figures and make less than forceful leaders,  but exceptional teachers. They will be great as an instructor but when it comes to leading an organization or even being a “driving force” it is not in their nature.

 

How to teach them Karate: very easy to teach but you have to keep them focused on their own needs and not so much on others. They shine as athletes and team mates as well as seniors and dojo mates of people that need any kind of help.

 

What to Expect: Solid students that love to train and despite being an introvert they like the socialization of the club, as long as they are not the center of attention.

 

Conclusion: Practical, known for Altruism and good at creating and maintaining a secure and stable environment they are excellent students and great instructors. Not organization leaders and would crack under the stress of leadership, but blossom as club teachers and seniors.

 

 

ESTJ

 

The Supervisor/ Guardian  - excellent administers, unsurpassed at managing things or people

 

Description: ESTJ’s are representatives of tradition and order, utilizing their understand of what is right and wrong and socially acceptable to bring families and communities together. They embrace the values of honest, dedication and dignity.

 

They normally take roles as community organizers, working hard to bring everyone together in celebration of cherished local events. They are leaders that make up 11% of the population and many American presidents have been ESTJ’s with strong beliefs in rule of law and authority they believe that all this must be earned! Extremely hard workers that stick to facts and have strong unwavering opinions they enjoy challenging projects, but they don’t work alone.

 

They expect the same kind of work ethic from those they form teams with. They can earn a reputation as inflexible, a trait shared by other sentinels, but not because they are just being stubborn, it’s because they really believe in what they are doing. They help their neighbors, uphold the law and try to make sure that everyone participates in the community. They also realize that not every follower has the same path or contributions that they can provide A true leader recognizes the strengths of the individual as well as the group.

 

Strengths: The ESTJ is dedicated and sees things to completion and sees this as an ethical obligation! You don’t give up simply because it is difficult or boring! They are also very strong willed and see dedication as something that you do! They defend their ideas and principles relentlessly.  They are also direct and honest and will deliver straight forward statements in an honest way. They are loyal, patient and reliable and enjoy creating order out of chaos. They are also excellent organizers and make it seem simple and easy.

 

Weakness:: Inflexible and stubborn they don’t like change and they don’t like challenge to their established thinking. They are uncomfortable in unconventional situations and are strong adherents to tradition. New ideas suggest that their methods are not good and this means change, they fear change. They are also rather judgment of others, especially those with different ways of doing things that counter their traditional views. They ignore the possibility that there are two right ways they see the other way harshly. They are also very concerned with others opinions of them and can get caught up in a strong focus on social status. They don’t relax easily and also find it difficult to express emotion.

 

Famous:  Andrew Jackson, Lyndon B Johnson, Alec Baldwin Judge Judy, James Monroe.

 

How they fair in Karate: supervisors are difficult to deal with as students and unless they make that transition into instructor/administrator they often see the Shodan as the end of the line. They don’t give up…until they meet their goal, which is often seen as the Shodan. They will do well on things like Kata and kihon but the chaos of Kumite often is seen as a ends to a mean. If they do transition to instructor they are the ones bitching about the old days and not wanting change.

 

How to teach them Karate: Keep it simple, set out multiple goals for them to work on and don’t change up things to much, they can’t stand when a Kata changes a bit here and there and they also will find one instructor to learn from because variety is not the spice of life with them. However, they need to be driven into the ground so they can relax and leran to chill out.

 

What to Expect: strong willed and determined, clinging to one way only and not wanting to have things change, they can be difficult but they are fierce in their dedication to a single instructor and will be great administrators if you need a pit bull, by the book numbers person.

 

Conclusion: Strong willed, dedicated, reliable and bursting with practical skills in running a office and dealing with administrative duties. They create a secure and practical environment for themselves and are often the glue in a family because of their dedication and reliability.

 

 

ESFJ

 

The Giver/ Provider/Care giver-  Extraordinary caring social and popular people, always eager to help.

 

Description: making up 12 % of the population this type of person is very popular. In high school they were with the popular kids and set the tone and took the spot light for all social settings. They support friends and loved ones and organize social gatherings and do their best to make others happy.

 

They are social creatures and thrive on staying up to date with friends and family. Logic and reason are not interesting to the ESFJ and things like science, politics would not be of interest with them. Practical matters and gossip are the most interesting to them. They’re normally altruistic and take seriously their responsibilities to help and to eh right thing. They love to be of service, enjoying any role that allows them to participate in a meaningful way, as long as they are valued and appreciated.

 

They respect hierarchy and they do their best to position themselves with some authority. They spend a lot of time establishing social order and prefer plans and organized events to open ended activities or spontaneous get together.

 

Strengths: they often have strong practical skills and are excellent managers of day to day tasks. They have a strong sense of duty and responsibility and are loyal valuing stability and security. They are often very sensitive and warm, especially to their family and close friends. And they develop strong connections with others who they socialize and work with. They have a strong need to belong and are accepting of others and have no problem following social cues in order to help them take an active role in the community.

 

Weakness:: they obsess about their social status and this affects many decisions they make. They are also very inflexible and reluctant to innovate and or improvise. They are also vulnerable to criticism and seen as needy.

 

Famous:  Bill Clinton, Jennifer Garner, Tyra Banks, Danny Glover, Sally Fields.

 

How they fair in Karate: These people can be leaches or the emotional pillars of a Dojo, it depends on how they come across. They will do well in Karate but will probably take a lot of the instructor’s time. They generally won’t stay to long in Karate as they don’t find the physical world as interesting as the emotional drama that they strive to be part of. Most will be gone by green or purple belt and you will always know when they are leaving as they generally will be done right before or after a big emotional bomb goes off in their life or at the club.  

 

How to teach them Karate:  If they are in your class focus their training on basics and how Karate can help and decompress them. They will respond to this much more than any technical and functional training in Karat.

 

What to Expect: Confusion, raw emotion and lots of venting! The Provider will be right behind that! They can be a huge help in times of emotional crisis and they will provide any assistance that a person may need in times of anguish, but they can also become drama queens when their services are not needed which will create issues in the Dojo.  An unfocused giver/healer will become a drama queen very quickly.

 

Conclusion: practical and caring the Healer/Giver will focus their energy on the wounded and injured, its important to keep them focused on training only in the club and keep an eye on them. They will be a make or break kind of person, they can make it to an intermediate student or fall off the pathway completely and become a major liability.  An asset most of the time they can prove themselves worthy of a lot of attention and work to keep them in the club.