Chris from CT

Well, I'll be here til' February. (29) Take care.

Not a big deal people get that confused. Aikido and Hapkido came from the same art of Daito Ryu Aiki-Jutsu. Both Morihei Ueshiba (Aikido's founder) and Choi, Yong-Sool (Hapkido's founder) trained in the same art (Daito Ryu) and story has it under the same teacher (Sokaku Takeda). So there are some similarities between Hapkido and Aikido. Going over technique and theory with Daito Ryu practitioners, it seems to me, that Hapkido (depending on which style of Hapkido you train in) has a closer connection to Daito Ryu than to Aikido. Just my humble opinion.

I would have to disagree because not just anyone can be accepted to teach at a YMCA. Also, if the Y already has a martial arts program they may not be willing to take on another style of martial art at the same time. I work for a YMCA. Take care.

I hear ya and thanks, Doug. Like I said, I have been very fortunate. In my situation it's not really competition because.... First, he's a real nice guy and doesn't have that, "need to be 'Grand Pooba' of all attitude." He is very open to other forms of training and is the perpetual student. That's one trait I really respect him for. Which leads me to the second reasoning. It's true we teach different arts, but they compliment each other's training very well. Third, everyone learns and teaches differently. This way there is more options for students to choose from. And fourth, no matter which class a person signs up for he still makes money. Take care.

I have just started my new class. One thing I would add is try to keep your overhead low. Overhead being rent, etc. One thing to try is to work out of an existing school. I have been very fortunate so far. I am working with someone who understands that starting out is very difficult. I "rent" space from him at his TKD school. Normally when renting, people want "$X.XX" amount per month. If you can, try to work at a percentage per student instead if the fixed amount per month. More students you have, the more money you both make. It's a win/win situation. Because of that, the school owner may help you with advertising and other necessities that can be expensive. This will help in the beginning stages while your student base is small by paying for space and being able to bring a little money home at the same time. In the meantime....I'm crossing my fingers and busting my hump. Take care

Hi, Jeff. I only know of a couple of people in that area. That sucks about Mike McCarty he is real good and a good guy. Others in that general area would be... Master Gary Pointer in Hartford, CT thelmon_98@yahoo.com I am not sure exactly where in Hartford, but if you e-mail him he will help you out. and in lower Mass would be... Bill May in Thorndike, MA Blue Stone Dojang 14 Commercial St. Thorndike, MA 01079 413-283-8310 admin@bluestonedojang.com http://www.bluestonedojang.com/ Master Mike Wolmershauser in Feeding Hills, MA. 157 Cambridge Street Feeding Hills, MA 01030-1643 413-786-8290 or 413-789-1001 info@ahahapkido.com http://www.ahahapkido.com/ Hope this helps. Take care & good luck, Jeff.

What state are you from? Then we cantry to list Hapkido dojangs from around the state. May be one will be near your town. take care

H@pkid0ist, GM Ji was great at the seminar he did up here in Connecticut. Good luck on your test. Ike, Welcome aboard. Take care

Shihan John James can help you out. He's a good guy and has helped me in the past. His website is at... http://www.nickcerioskenpo.com/ Shihan James is one of Prof. Cerio's "Executive Board" from the website... "The Executive Board was formed by Prof. Cerio to help govern Nick Cerio's Kenpo in December 1996. The original members were Shihan Joe Nesta, Shihan Mark Sheeley, Shihan Craig Seavey, Shihan John James, and Sensei Maryann Weeden." "As of the present the Executive Board consists of Shihan Poulin, Shihan Seavey, Shihan James, and Sensei Weeden. Our duties have been to protect and serve the legacy of Professor Cerio and to help his system grow." (12/27/2001) Take care

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Hey, Jack. Sorry to hear your not pumped about where you are training. If I were you, the first thing I would do is finish out whatever time you have there whether you've paid for one month or three. This shows responsibility in your decisions. Next I would look at all of the other schools in your area even iff you heard bad things about them. (some martial artists have a bad habit of unfairly bashing other schools). Now you have something to go on and you have all of us. When you go to each school make sure you tell the instructor exactly what you want to gain from your training. I hope this helps. Oh and ah, Jack... don't take a week off. Take care, Jack and good luck.

GM Sam Kuoha wrote two books about Kara-Ho Kempo. He may have wrote more, but these are the only two I know of. "Chinese Kara-Ho Kempo: Volume One - Fundamental Practice and Technique" and "Chinese Kara-Ho Kempo: Volume Two - Secrets of Ki and Internal Power" Take care.

Hi. My Kempo teachers are from Villari's. Sensei Jerry and Nancy are great people with great skill. It is a good style. I have probably said this as many times as I have posted, but it all depends on your teacher. There were quite a few Villari Centers in New England. At one time, there was a split with some of the higher ups that broke off and started another popular chain called "United Studios." Another chain of schools that came from the split was the "Masters Self Defense Centers" If you want the low down on that line of kempo, check out Mark Urbin's Page. He's got alot of Kempo/Kenpo info and he's a real nice guy. http://www.urbin.net/EWW/MA/KF/ Take care.

Oops, double post. Sorry. Oh wait, here's something else... "Shorinji," I have been told is the Japanese translation for "Shaolin." Take care _________________ Chris LaCava "Man is born soft and supple, in death he is hard and rigid..." LaoTzu [ This Message was edited by: Chris from CT on 2002-07-15 12:43 ]

Kempo & Kenpo - Literally they are the same, but some people perfer one spelling over another when discussing certain styles. Ex. Ed Parkers' American Kenpo Nick Cerio's Kenpo James Mitose's Kosho Ryu Kempo Fred Villari's Shaolin Kempo Karate Kung Fu & Gung Fu - Same thing, just different pronunciations/spellings Chi Kung & Chi Gong / Qi Kung & Qi Gong - Same thing, just different pronunciations/spellings Take care _________________ Chris LaCava "Man is born soft and supple, in death he is hard and rigid..." LaoTzu [ This Message was edited by: Chris from CT on 2002-07-15 12:43 ]

There are many forms of Kempo/Kenpo which are very effective. Some forms of Kempo/Kenpo include: Kosho Ryu Kempo (James Mitose) Kara-Ho Kenpo (William Chow) Karazenpo Go Shinjitsu (Victor "Sonny" Gascon) Kajukenbo (Adrian Emperado - one of the 5 founders) Shaolin Kempo (Villari's version and Castro's version) Ed Parker's American Kenpo (Ed Parker) Nick Cerio's Kempo (Nick Cerio) All of these are effective, just finding a good teacher is extremely important. When I can, I will throw some links up for these. I hope this helped. Take care.

We learned about Sin Moo philosphy, breathing exercises, and a lot of technique. It was a good time. Take care

Hey, welcome aboard, Mike! I just went to a GM Ji seminar here in Connecticut. He was a prettey nice guy. He had a good sence of humor and had great technique. Take care.

That's a good question because at one point rank was determined by skill. Now, with all the unqualified and/or money hungry people out there teaching the martial arts it has turned into a way to get and retain students. Some people say that black belts don't mean anything. I believe they still have meaning to the holder. What is a belt? A piece of fabric that someone gives you after you have learned a set number of skills or tasks set by a specific teacher. That doesn't make it worthless, but knowing that some teachers give them out just to keep motivation high does make it worthless as far as determining skill level. This is why some black belts get there rear ends handed to them by lower ranks. Having your belt should mean something to yourself. It realy has no bearing on someone else. Just because I am "such & such" rank shouldn't impress anyone. Who knows what I went through to get it. I may have been training for eight years and had a three day test with physical, mental and written sections or I could have had a physical one hour test. If you feel that you have earned it, that is what's imoportant, but don't think that it will impress anyone else. If it does, they just don't know any better because they haven't been there "yet". If someone takes thier belt off, no matter what rank, and puts on a blue belt, do they still possess the same amount of skill as before? Of course they do. Their skill goes no higher or lower because of the belt they are wearing. This is what people need to realize when receiving any belt. Putting on a belt doesn't change a person, the training and your experience does. Take care

Can they be taught together? Yes, as long as the instructor has put in the proper training and really understands the principles of each and how they differ. Many people, unfortunately, try to pass off TKD with joint locks as Hapkido. Don't be confused because they are both Korean arts. If someone practices "kicking" in their art, are they studying TKD? Sounds like a silly question, doesn't it? Of course not. This is similar to studying joint locks and saying you are doing Hapkido. There is more to TKD than just Kicks, just as there is more to Hapkido than just joint locks. The principles and training are also different. The principles of Hapkido permiate in everything a practitioner does; from joint locks, breakaways, strikes, kicks, Dan Jun breathing, etc, etc, etc. If people have joint locks in a TKD curriculum thats awsome! I believe that people should be proud of what you do and don't try to belittle it by calling it something else. Call it what it is and enjoy it. Take care

I'm only a red belt in tae kwon do (just over three years training) and started BJJ three months ago - my training id going great! I still train just as extensively in TKD but also have made room in my schedule for 1-2 BJJ classes a week. Don't say "only a red belt" because I'm sure that took alot to get there. Don't sell yourself short. First, you have three years in where I said a couple (meaning two or less). **minor point** Second I said, "a conflict can arise." Doesn't mean it has to. Some people can and some can't handle it, be it time constraints, mind-set or other limitations. You're very fortunate, appreciate it. We are all very lucky to be training in at least one style and benefiting from it. Some people will never know what kind of positive benefits we get from training in the martial arts. Take care

Good point. A factor that helps when training in a second style would be the fact of not being married. With time constraints aside (Although a very valuable point)... IMHO, If the background and foundation is there, along with the proper mind-set, it may not be a problem. But I can see where a conflict can arise if the person has only trained in a certain style for only a couple of years and then wants to train in a second style. Take care

That's pretty cool! Granted, I got my butt handed to me. When I get more time I gonna have to "throw down." take care

Great Job!!!

Some things are different in Kempo, but there is so much to remember that it could get a little confusing. That all depends on your teacher and what style of kempo you are studying. You may start off with Arnis stick drills, or you may start off with staff or knife. It's different all over. But if you study kempo, you are guaranteed to have weapons in your training eventually. I hope this helped. Take care.