Adamo

A lot of you have a lot of stuff to accomplish. A good thing of course. I'd love to see a follow up thread at the beginning of 2012 titled "What I actually accomplished." I have two goals which are easier said then done. 1) stay in a martial art. I've started Judo and hope that I like it in the long run to stay in it. It's taking some time to transition between arts. 2) More intense exercise. I use to run like crazy but have slowed that down. I'm doing more weight lifting etc. to pack on more muscle. I hope to keep this going and see a great difference by the beginning of 2012. 3) Check out one of the 2 martial art groups at the university I'm transferring to. That won't be until August though.

Everybody here has given you some great information to follow. They are playing devil's advocate which is something I always do myself. One thing I didn't read and I don't mean to step on toes. The reason why a lot of Muay Thai videos exist like that is simply the nature of training. It's a full contact martial art and it's very aggressive. It has no frills but gets the job done. A lot of karate schools are in a sad unfortunate state known as mcdojo. You don't see much of full contact karate anymore. This is all in general though. It can go both ways as well. Whatever karate school you attend, stay very skeptical and not in a rude way. Just keep an open mind but also do your own research and question things for your knowledge. Taking somebody elses information for fact in the marital arts world will get you in trouble. If your karate school is very active, up to date, and high standards it's going to give you something Muay Thai won't. That's defense against attacks such as a knife or gun. So here's my recommendation...look at your local schools. Who can you afford? That's the first question. If you don't have the money, the option is out the window. Then ask to watch a class and meet the instructor. Do you like what you see? Ask to attend a free class or 2 and then make up your mind. Ask about their credentials as well. Can you find stuff about them on the internet? Everybody is right, you can't really compare styles. You can only compare the people and their training. George St. Pierre originally did karate and stated that he is a karate practitioner at heart. Bet most people wouldn't say bad things about him...or Bas Rutten or Lyoto Machida.

Wastelander, your martial arts journey started in my home town according to your blog. Small world isn't it?

Hello fellow martial artists! I thought I'd share my recent experience. I just started Judo last week on Tuesday. I've had 4 practices so far. Overall, my instructor has had lots of experience. I can't comment on his instruction because I haven't been around long enough but he seems great so far. He does a lot of camps and traveling the world. I started with TaeKwonDo years ago. I don't mean this in a negative way (it's actually probably good) but that stuff was far far easier in my opinion. Judo is much more of a human chess match. I have to say that I really really suck at Judo so far. I know it's been a short time, but I am picking things up at a super slow pace. The assistant instructor is somewhere in his 50's. I find him to be unnecessarily rough. Apparently he does this with everybody but does it seem right for a black belt to almost choke the new guy unconscious? Learning to do this choke and he decides to demonstrate but goes in right for the choke without holding back. Not exactly fun considering I had no idea it was coming. Anyway, I find the challenge to be rewarding overall and I think I'll enjoy it. Here's my big question...any recommendations on home practice? Physical conditioning is not an issue as I've done that for years. I don't have a mat convenient, but I'd like to hear some tips on speeding up the process. With TaeKwonDo, I could practice forms and kicks at home to better understand. With Judo, I'm not sure what to do. I did pick up an instructional book recently to look through the techniques to get a better understanding. That does help some.

Good thread! This is very inspiring. It's always nice to hear about other martial artists who wish to push their edge further then before. Great way to see how you compare with others as well. I'll join in! 12/11 Squats Crunches Leg raises Lunges Leg extensions

I'm right there with you ian118118. Those questions aren't something we can answer. Those are specific to the school. I am there with you because I am also waiting to attend this Judo school locally. It's the only Judo in my area for many many miles. Best advice is to look, and call them to arrange a time. It's a good idea to show up and watch the class. Be sure to ask questions concerning contract, belt testing fees, the instructors credentials, if they compete, etc. Normally they'll give you 1 class free to see if you like it. If you go, you'll also be able to scope out the type of people. There's a local martial arts school in a bad neighborhood notorious for having people learn for the wrong reasons.

I told the instructor that I was not interested anymore. I felt like sharing anything else would create a scene. His reaction was simple. In the end he said "well maybe you can come in when you aren't busy and still train." He's grasping for things. He knows I've stopped but he'll take the hint eventually when I never show up again. I'm glad I've escaped this situation without any hurt feelings or anger. I wish best of luck for those who wish to continue under his direction. Thanks for your guy's help and thoughts on the situation.

Could you tell me where exactly I found find more information on this?

I found this thread interesting. Let me share my thoughts here.... I worked at a school district for 6 years. My own boss was a 3rd degree Shotokan instructor. Him and I discussed this same issue before. Majority of fights that occur are just pushing and simple things. Stuff you can run away from and be fine. Very few fights (at least in our area) are dangerous to students. Good? No! But not going to cause injury or death. If such a fight where to occur, you must defend yourself instead of the alternative. That's a given. The harsh reality of the school system is different. When discussing this matter with the school's administrators, I found out that in the state of Illinois, ANYBODY in a fight must be punished. Fighting results in automatic suspension for a few days or worse if necessary. If you weren't the person to initiate the attack, but you still attacked back, you still by law will receive punishment which is suppose to be suspension.

Understood Lupin1! I completely understand that consistency can be somewhat of a challenge. But to go from slap happy humor one day and then 2 days later people are doing push ups because they made a minor mistake is just not great. The standards change so much that kids never know what to expect. When the standards are set super high, he becomes militaristic in nature and it kills the fun for the kids. By merely looking at the parent's faces sometimes, you can see they are not happy. I thought about sharing it with him. But when he knows what he's doing and prefers it that way, I'm not sure he'll change. He's very stuck on his ways. I kept myself pretty set when helping these kids. They knew what to expect from me and vice versa. I was told often by the instructor that I'm being "too nice" by not demanding push up's when a kid simply can't pump their leg high enough to kick like Bruce Lee. It goes this way in the adults class. His statement has always been that if the lower belts can't perform with the higher belts, then too bad. That's their problem and they'll have to work it out themselves. I think ultimately that the kick in the rear will come to him when he realizes that I've quit as has some of his other students. My original post is only a taste of the man's attitude. I could go on and on about little things he's done, but I'm not here to moan and groan. Just look for others thoughts.

After a lot of thought and searching, I've quit. I haven't told the instructor yet. I just am not happy with many things and realize that it's not going to push me enough. I found out that another mom is very unhappy with the instructor so she's leaving as well and she's been there for 3 years. I found another instructor locally that has a gigantic reputation and I'm told he's a genuine man. I've signed up for classes there and have never been more excited to train. Thanks for the recommendations.

This has to be one of the most exciting moments in your martial arts life for you. Best of luck and at least you'll have worked for it once you get it.

Thanks again. I've begun to reap the benefits of every bodies knowledge. Some wonderful articles around here.

He is a 3rd degree black and he's been doing this for a little over 30 years. I've seen the official documentation from places such as Kukkiwon. It's WTF also. That's a really good idea about sharing an outside source. I never thought about that. I think I will seriously give that idea a try. You're right, ideally it should be that way. I just know that emotions can run high when a student brings something to an instructor. I wouldn't want him thinking I'm telling him how to run things. But as mentioned, outside sources and very small hints may be a great way to start to see how he reacts. Thanks!

Thanks for all the warm welcomes.

Thanks for your input. As stated, it was not set in stone and never mentioned to parents or students. It was also going to be done during a normal class. I figured holding it off by 3 or 4 days would be easy. For some reason he was stuck on that particular day. I will keep my eyes off myself. I hope my post did not come off as egotistical. I have been thinking this through for quite some time now for the pro's and con's. I feel in the middle still.

Hello to all! I just registered after being impressed with the conversations and great feedback. I'm hoping that this becomes a place I frequent and also share my knowledge with others. I'm forewarning you, I can often write a lot. It occurred to me that it might be a wonderful idea to come here to share my experience. Being a rather knowledge group of people who share the same passion, this would be the perfect place to share my thoughts and questions. I've had this issue as of the past 3 months... I started with TaeKwonDo locally because I already knew the instructor. I am good friends with one of his children. After admiring the arts ever since I was young, I finally gathered the courage to ask if I may join. It made since because the school is very close to home and it wouldn't be too drastic of a change for me. I've become highly dedicated to my training. It's something I can never settle for less then best in (hope that doesn't come off as big headed.) The more I read, the more I understand. I finally hit green belt. In our school, the order is white,yellow,orange,green,blue,purple, 3 degrees of red, "deputy" black, and then finally black. Being the fact that I have almost never missed a practiced and really push myself, the instructor has allowed me to help at green belt. This is very limited as I'm obviously not some grandmaster. I attend the kid's class and assist as necessary. It's kept basic such as warming up, stretches, encouragement, and other small things. This is of big help though to the instructor. I should also mention that he is always in the room when I am helping so it's under his watchful eye. I've become rather attached to this place. I've poured hours into helping the children and put even more hours into my own training. Other students have grown near and dear to my heart. I feels like home and that's something I enjoy. It's changed me mentally and physically. I have learned so many techniques and been the launching pad for my martial arts. But... My problems are numerous. This instructor is wonderful on the personal level. I will never want to burn that bridge and consider him a friend. This is what makes it terribly difficult to present any of the following issues to him. I started to notice it with the kids class. Once I began to assist and read about being a good instructor, little things came out. His consistency isn't the greatest. To the untrained eye, it's not noticeable. There's days he's very lenient with the children. Other days it's about constant encouragement but then there's times where it's boot camp. If something isn't nailed, it's push ups. It makes me wonder what the children would be like if it was consistent. As a student, you can never be sure how he'll react. When he is making you do push up's, it doesn't feel like discipline. It feels like punishment. I’m the kind of guy who believes that a student doesn’t need to be yelled at. This isn’t yelling out of control or anger, but it’s a pretty loud yell as he feels they need to be pumped up. How far can you really take that sort of an attitude though with kids 12 and under? Most of them won’t understand the martial art’s benefit as deep as an adult would. Most of them are there for fun. This yelling was bad one day that a student began to cry. I had the horrible experience of seeing the mom on the sidelines watch and try to hold back her tears for her child. The father sat with his mouth shut but I could tell that it wasn’t fun for him either. This student was crying because they were being forced to do push up’s constantly because they would forget to kihap, or drop their hands during kicking, etc. This student had been attending for about 3-4 months and was a white belt. Eventually, they left and went elsewhere. To this very day, that same child refuses to take classes anywhere else. Recently belt promotions were coming up. Attending college limits my time so I can’t always attend classes. The instructor was very well aware, weeks in advance, that a particular day I could not attend. I politely asked if he could schedule the promotion day to a few days later. This way I could be a part of it and watch these kids get their belts. His response was, “Oh, no. Sorry dude.” That was a hard line for me to hear. I’ve been alongside these kids for a while and been their encouragement to constantly do better. One of them has autism and some other disorders. He was going up from white to yellow which is a big deal. For me to not be there to experience these kid’s excitement of receiving their belt wasn’t easy. I felt rather angry for being pushed aside after all that I’ve done. None of the students or parents was aware of an official date because one had not been planned so I wasn’t asking for a whole lot. The compliments are also one in a few at this school. I feel they can be a great thing for pushing students. I’m the type of guy who enjoys finding one good quality about a student and using that as a confidence booster for students. It really makes them push themselves harder. I’ve noticed that it’s completely different with the instructor. When we are in private, I’ll tell him that so and so has this wonderful quality. His response is usually “Ya, but...” His compliments are only given to those athletically gifted. I was also hanging out with another black belt from the same style. While discussing some techniques, he noticed my hand positing. Turns out that my left hand on this technique was in a terrible spot and would have be knocked out if somebody spotted it in sparring. This is what I was told to do by the instructor and it’s never ever been corrected. I felt very angry to know that it’s been let go and it’s such a stupid mistake. I’ve never gave it much though until now but I see the man’s point on keeping it in this new place. This was the only difference I’ve ever noticed compared to other school’s positing of the hands. The man told me that everything else looked great. The other big issue is sparring. I feel major lack of confidence on my sparring capabilities. I’ve been neglected and the instructor knows how I am during sparring. In my opinion, this is something students should be doing fairly often. It doesn’t happen often enough in this school. While I’ve got wonderful technique on many things, throwing it all together while bouncing around with an opponent is terrible. So here’s my question…what to do? If I leave, I leave behind many friends who I’ve watched grow and have helped me. It’s given me many new capabilities and I enjoy it. It’s very very affordable for a college student as well and it’s close to home. If I stay, I feel like I may not reach my fullest potential in this style. I also will have to continue to endure inconsistency in attitude. I’ve looked into other schools that offer styles I’m interested in, and the prices are decent but not quite as great. Breaking it to the instructor would be rather difficult because of the friendship and it wouldn’t be easy explaining my thoughts on how he handles things. If I leave, I would have to figure out a way to tell him I'm done while avoiding the discussion of why. That would probably lead to an argument.

I have been hanging around this forum for a short amount of time. This is one of the few martial arts forums I've been impressed with. So let me give 2 thumbs up to the owners and moderators of this website. You do a great job at keeping things under control. I haven't seen any signs of angry people who battles over what style is better, macho attitudes, etc. I honestly only started my martial arts endeavor 2 years ago. It's grown on me tremendously. I've enjoyed seeing movies with such feats since a young child. It wasn't until I had some confidence to try it out. I now can't get enough of reading books, websites, magazines, and watching DVD's. After 2 years, I can say that this will be a life long journey and I'm always looking for that new edge to give myself. Look forward to discussing the arts with you ladies and gentlemen on the boards.