Luther unleashed

Hi Luther, your correct on my age I am 31, and I am not questioning his skill nor his system or style that he in fact completely created himself, nor am I questioning my own skill. lineage is not a huge factor to me I am just extremely curious on what influences in his training affected what he created. but that being why the hiding and deceptive tactics to prevent anyone from knowing his instructor(s). one could just be a good street fighter with no background and create a system themselves. As I grow in my art so does my need for history and knowledge. I guess when I began my training history and knowledge about the art wasn't as important, it was all about the physical skill. I would like to know a little about the past. to expand my knowledge. just some of my thoughts. thanks I get what you are saying, I guess what I was trying to get at is you're going to kill yourself trying to figure it out because if you're really wanting to know but he will not tell you there's probably nobody else that will know either. I can't imagine a reason he would tell other people but not you so in essence nobody probably knows I get what you are saying, I guess what I was trying to get at is you're going to kill yourself trying to figure it out because if you're really wanting to know but he will not tell you there's probably nobody else that will know either. I can't imagine a reason he would tell other people but not you so in essence nobody probably knows lol. I would just assume your history is from a guy that developed his own system for the most part, and move forward from there . I know that is not the most helpful thing to hear but probably the most realistic way to approach it !

8 classes a week done in 2 days. Been doing that for a year, as my second location opens up that number will jump to about 20 or so, better eat the wheaties haha! Adults and kids but mostly kids.

So first let me say welcome (although it carries more weight from sensei8 haha! Long post alert below... There's a few issues here of course like why he fired you, why he won't speak confidently about his history, and what lineage have you learned! Thanks to Montana for the post to the link, probably wouldn't have found it so easily without it. I do however, disagree with his assessment of his form, assuming we are watching the same video. There's only 3 videos that I see so I'm sure we are. I don't know ANY kenpo, let me say that. Well, I know a few like for example I learned an awesome arm break that I teach to this day, because the technique is nice, but that's about it. I do know that when I saw his form it looked crisp, each technique I saw him perform was just like the last, which is how a form should look. On top of that even if his form wasn't great, there are many great MA's that don't mix with forms as water doesn't mix with oil. I refuse to hold anybody to tightly based on forms. That being said I think his form looked pretty good, and as I said I don't mean that from a kenpo/kempo (really don't know the difference) standpoint, but from a martial artist standpoint. If any person here was to judge another system they would perhaps not know the form and/or technique BUT one could easy see any crispness or intent in the movements. To me, who again doesn't know kenpo, it looked ok. Could have had more snap but as a kung fu practitioner I can relate to arts that aren't supposed to have it, so I can't speak on that part style specific. Although, his website looked great to me as well, mine is much less friendly I think. Gave me some ideas of what I'd like to see in my own. Anywho, to be honest if a student asked for my lineage and where I trained I'd tell him. I would also explain (although they should know) that I don't teach "traditional" Tang Soo Do, I teach traditional Tang Soo Do as a foundation but I integrate my other experiences into the art from martial arts I have taken going back to 1993. I do this because I'm not a stylist, I studied Bruce lee philosophies in my late teens and never looked back at being hard on myself about keeping too much emphasis on staying in one system. Maybe, big maybe, he has done similar? I didn't catch how old you were but if I add 15 years of training to you starting when you were 15 I'd guess your 30ish? Well, back in the day, even before my time more so "I'm 38" the word American was used often in front of martial arts like "American Karate" and it typically meant a bit of a freestyle art with a good deal of the instructors own personal experiences and techniques. You stated he did have some of his own curriculum. To me, it sounds like he went that route, which is essentially what I have done, except I'm open about it, even proud about it because I believe I have created a great program that can stand with other traditional schools, except he is not proud of it? It takes courage to say you do your own thing, because it sounds conceited. It sounds arrogant. Who am I, or who is anybody to creat a system? Well to me innovators do that, and I'm not knocking others who don't do it, just speaking highly of people who may have the courage. It sounds like he does this without the confidence required to take that next step though! If I were you I wouldn't kill myself over the lineage, IF the curriculum is good and effective I would simply accept that you do a system called "American Kenpo" even if it isn't the same as other American kenpo systems. It doesn't have to be! In a funny way your instructor looks like Alex from best of the best, with the ponytail and all, I was a fan growing up so more of a neat compliment to me then disrespect. Anyways, good luck to you in finding what your looking for, take care! Here's a thought that just crossed my mind writing this...all techniques and systems have a purpose, even if it's not in fighting, it may be in strengthening or something else. As long as you can make it work. It is the practitioner that must master it, and where you get it form or learn it is of little importance, you make your art/technique/belt what it is, NOT your instructor. Have confidence in your art "American Kenpo" and move forward with enthusiasm. It sounds like your in another kenpo school anyways so good for you.

Thanks buddy, I thought it was a really good remake though so that's why used it because I happen to own it Haha! Now that you mention it, the remake is more fitting. Remaking the dojo, with a remade song in the background. I see what you were after with that. Very poetic. Even if that was pure coincidence, just go with it Totally planned haha, yeah right!

Thanks buddy, I thought it was a really good remake though so that's why used it because I happen to own it Haha!

Thanks, I am liking it so far. More to come.

Check it out guys. Been working hard to get things ready. I have a background in different arts so it was a decision to make what type of vibe I wanted to give off with colors and design. Rather then going with a very bright blue and red sporty look, I chose to go with a bit of a flat and hopefully more traditional look. I have some Japanese scrolls on the wall which stand for integrity, honor, respect. If you notice the black wall, that was a last-minute development. It is actually chalkboard paint. I intend to put class notes and announcements on it. Seems like a neat idea. I found a guy to make me some custom benches and he is working on them, the barter system LOL, letting his kids train for free for a while to pay for the benches. I really couldn't be happier or more excited. Check it out. Luthers Studio https://youtu.be/4My8kRkUBKQ

I have been operating out of a recreational center in the far west valley for the last year or a little over now. I'm opening a second location in April, which is also north west valley. Not sure of any schools at 32nd street but I was at 7th ave for a short time as well.

In addition to the statement above I'd like to make a point. The overuse of kata/Hyung/poomse or in English "forms" is a big problem in my opinion. In some schools the practicing of forms often outweighs other important skill sets. Because of this I feel that there is a hindering of ability to grow to your full potential. As an instructor I find that forms have much value, and are an excellent testing source for rank certification because of their structure and ability to standardize. Many other things learned though or often more valuable then the tradition of performing expressionless Hyung. "For every thing, there is a season"! Schools that teach TSD Hyung with great emphasis on repetition and not of application or meaningful use for a deeper understanding are growing and I feel it's a big reason that many traditional martial arts students can't truly fight. I feel that the instructors themselves are perhaps even lacking the technical know-how to teach with this depth of understanding.

If you take the curriculum from 10 schools of any single martial art I think you will see that although there are similarities, they all place a different importance on each set of techniques or Hyung (kata)! For the most part though I would say that TSD uses Hyung in a way that some systems like Tae Kwon Do don't. Because many TSD Hyung are derived from shotokan kata, they also follow the same practices of "application" of them. TKD doesn't typically have applications besides the obvious techniques you see, TSD calls this basic application. The advanced application as an example, is using a low block to free oneself from a wrist grab, and the basic application is the low block. Because of this level of depth in TSD Hyung, it requires more focus then an art that does not ha e the same depth. It is in this way that TSD probably focuses on Hyung more then some systems in general, as does shotokan. This is of course called "Bunkai" or "practical application"!

Thanks MAfreak, so far this seems to be the case!

Thank you Mo, I appreciate your thoughts!

Man I really like the bold typed above. That's what I find myself doing often, trying new ways to explain things. I had a private lesson tonight with a kid, I believe 12. I was blown away how he couldn't answer certain things like what is this technique called, or what part of the hand do you use for this strike? He has been my student since I took over my location from the last program, so in total he has trained about 14 months (12 with me)! I think the bold typed above is accurate, I also think students become complacent in training and you need to ruffle things up a bit, as a private lesson gave this student a different angle on class. I also thing you have to have a tremendous amount of patience, we all get frustrated, but you need to be able to suppress that quickly with one breath and let it go because you can't teach frustrated. To me that's a huge factor to succeeding as an instructor.

Thanks guys. The Doctor Who is treating her has stated that he feels 90% recovery is an accurate assessment of where this fight is today for kids under 15. As I have researched it recently, never researched it prior to this day unfortunately, I have found this to very but pretty accurate. This is all I hear, because 90% is pretty fricken good

Yes I always appreciate the similarity between the two styles, as The TSD forms obviously came from the shotokan forms. In my version of TSD there is much more "flow" as I call it, it's less rigid and less robotic. Almost like it's a softer version. If you don't mind I'll post mine for a reference as well as I believe mine, although a little more fluid than many practitioners, has a more realistic rhythm of how it is supposed to look. I don't mean to say it as if I'm judging the practitioner that you have chosen as an example, but I'm just saying it's a very interesting way of performing the form. Also to your post previously about the knee tap,I have never seen the knee tap performed at almost every movement, however, In TSD The knee tap represents a few different techniques, in most forms we perform it once or twice and that is it. It represents a counter or defense against a lead leg sweep, it also represents a counter from a lead leg sweep in that the practitioner should go directly from their own knee to the opponents knee. There is no knee tap in my system for this form however. Knee tap for myself is only prior to back stance and never front stance. Me performing pyung ahn cho dan http://youtu.be/sQxMMTr_6yo This is an example of what I think is the more common way it is performed, as I said mine has a lot of hip movement which is not the most common system, the practitioner you are using as an example as an awful lot of very slow and large robotic looking steps. I believe this to be most common here. As I typed in the form name this was one of the first ones to come up.

Your very right. Ya know, sometimes it doesn't matter what people do when you reach out to them, because it's your actions you have to live with. Sometimes all you can do is try your best to do the right thing, and one can only hope it's received well. If not, that's on them to carry that! Thanks again.

Agreed! I did however try to be the bigger person in a simple disagreement that led to separation and as I heard he was packing up and moving to Japan, myself and my family offered a gift and my children wrote him letters. I asked for him to please meet with us just to give him these things. Message showed read, NO REPLY! I have no problem letting go of the past and making an attemp at making amends, but not really the type to follow a person around and try repeatedly! I set an example to my family, who knew exactly what happened in the past, by doing what I thought a good person would do. He did what he felt he needed to do which wasn't the same thing, no worries.

Wayneshin, thanks for your kind words. I'm so sorry to hear about your daughter although happy to hear she's doing better. Hits home for me so I got a little teary eyed reading it, then I read sensei8's comment and read these both to Angela and my wife. I was overcome with emotion and couldn't help but cry, thanks guys lol! Sensei8 that was really touching the way you wrote that, with such respect for her. She was moved. Angela in the picture was on her 14th day of being in the hospital and yeah her smile and positive attitude is fricken inspiring to me. To be honest she's 13 and I was starting to see some teenager attitude, as in ATTITUDE lol. Since the diagnosis and all she has had to endure she has really been centered and it's a real humbling lesson for all of us. Her attitude is fantastic. There are ways to find good in really bad things huh? Anyways, thanks guys. I am thankful for her training because the instructor she earned her black belt under was extremely hard on her, as he is all people. He makes you work extremely hard physically and push to a level mentaly that teaches you how tough you are, really. I'm glad because I believe it's shown her how tough she is, and helped her in this fight. I wish I could tell him, but he has turned his back on me based on personal reasons that had to do with bad blood in my leaving. It's a shame. I'd like him to know how positive his being tough on my kid has been. Also, I'd like you all to know and remember even though this is the Internet, we have great ability to touch each other on small, and gigantic levels. Means a lot to see what's written here!

Thanks to both of you! We are fighters jr137. We are also a very close family. It is a hard situation but I believe in being positive because as you stated, you just have to play the hand dealt. Thanks for the positive words guys.

So about 2 months ago my daughter (13 almost 14) was diagnosed with leukemia, which for those who don't know is a cancer of the blood. It was very hard to hear, the upside is she's responding to treatments very well and the cancer is already appearing to go into remission. Not only have I felt the effects of my discipline in this situation because it's a 2 year treatment plan that requires going to the hospital multiple times a week, and I must rely on my discipline to help me become at ease with a crazy schedule while handling this AND tuning a business. My daughter though, is tough. She is a black belt, she is my biggest helper in class, or was until this. It is my hopes that her training will help her to face this with a "going to kick your butt" attitude. She's too sick to help in class or train right now as the chemo is hard on her, but I plan on having her sit at the table with me for our next testing which is this month. It's my hope that she will see the honor of being up their, but also I feel she is so tough and given me so much help and so much of herself, she really has earned a spot up there and I want others to see what a fierce attitude and dedication can get you, RESPECT for one, but also reward. Here I share this with the KF folks, putting a personal situation out there. Not for attention but because I always feel the need to find good and inspirational things in situations. My goal is to always inspire. In this case, it is my daughter Angela who is doing the inspiring. Also, a student of mine (6 yrs old) wears a "karate kid" bandana and has worn it for a year. He gave it to my daughter so she will be strong to fight cancer haha, inspiring in itself. She's wearing it here. http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_S6z3YM6VIs/VqPWQLcDgOI/AAAAAAABC30/2g5hxUvH2pA/s1024-no/IMG_1078.PNG I think it would be cool if others could post how martial arts may have helped them through similar situations in their life, that were outside of the dojo/dojang!

Wow that was great. Bassai "dae" as I know it is my favorite form. Really crazy to see it done with the staff. I was able to easily follow all of the movements and connect them to the weaponless form... Neat stuff thanks for posting.

I agree, forms seem lifeless without application BUT trying to teach application to students who can't perform the movements well is not very effective. I agree with you and wish I could do more application at times but it's very difficult to teach an application when the student is getting mixed up and turning the wrong way. "Application should be reserved for good karate"!!! Forum unknown Forms can be great for many other things then fighting though. When practitioners are older and can't do some of the kicks and so on, forms are a great tool to condition and stay in shape keeping the martial artist strong and steady.

Yes, so to the previous post Soo Bahk Do is branched from MDK. As I said we were tang Soo do, when an instructor came to visit from the same system they wore MDK patches. Perhaps this is why although I learned tang Soo do, there is a strong connection to Soo Bahk do in my style. Some, as the video you posted here do not have those similarities. In all honesty I have never seen so many knee taps and pauses so I have to assume the video is of a form typically used in a demo, because it lacks the speed usually seen in TSD FORMS. I am referring to the way he performs kichu sam bu, not the form itself. As to the back stance. I have practice a tkd back stance as well being as that I started in tkd years ago so I understand your meaning. If I may offer a quick break down... Teakwondo back stance is usually more evenly weighted on each foot, although more weight on rear, I was originally taught 60% should be on rear, and 40% on front leg. Tang Soo Do stance is a bit of a closer stance, in which I was originally taught 90% should be on the rear leg and only 10% on the front. The feet make an "L" on the floor. This stance closely resembles a karate/Kung fu "cat" stance. The main difference is that the feet do not make an "L" as the rear foot is about 90% turned in, so the hips move as well making the stance more frontal.

A lot of long well thought out answers. For me, when I learn a new form, or technique, it usually takes about 2 to 3 months before it looks how it should, being with the proper power, speed, balance and timing. Now, to ask when your proficient in a style? It should be black belt. A black belt (1st degree) should be proficient and understand the foundation of the art!

I practice a few styles of tang Soo do, so it gets a little tricky to explain but it's like this. My main style is how I perform my forms. When I perform hyung/poomse I technically am performing Soo Bahk Do. When I learned many things I do o leaned them as Tang Soo Do, but my TSD is different looking in small ways as you pointed out. As time went by I started to realize that there are things that SBD practices and typical TSD does not. As an example I do my movements with more hip, and because of this my foot is closer to the ground. If I lifted my leg I would not be able to easily step turned or more sideways and produce the hip movement. I almost step to the side of you watch. This is called "offensive and defensive hip"! The Internet will say SBD and TSD are 2 different arts, but originally they were one and separated. Basically If something I do looks a little funny to a TSD guy, a SBD guy would appreciate it. I'll give you 2 quick examples through videos out there. This one is the same form, and there are things the practitioner does that is more of what I do. One thing is some styles or even schools in particular teach the student to be very square and step a bit wider. I step more forward and because I am more narrow my shoulders tend to angle a bit. In this video you see this as well. http://youtu.be/cCpkYoFgtDY Here's one more. In TKD and TSD you typically find that a front kick or front snap kick as I learned it, is thrown in an upward motion, and little to no body/hip movement is executed. Essentially the kick is an upward angled kick. In Soo Bahk do specifically and how I learned it, the kick is more of a thrusting kick that pushes straight out. It can be used as a strike or push bit is ideally intended to be a strike. In this video he explains it well. Also, as the hip moves forward and the shoulders move back there is a benefit of more reach. See here: http://youtu.be/8qVL373AaVY In essence I ranked tang Soo do HOWEVER it was an open minded school and much of what I did was actually Soo Bahk do. Sorry, I find these things interesting and as it becomes messy I just shut up and say tang Soo do haha! This is part of why I choose to call what I teach "integrated tang Soo do", because my background is broad in different martial arts, but even my Tang Soo Do is blended as well.