Chris from CT

I've done quite a bit of research on the martial arts I train in as well and got the same. From what I have seen it's like that in most martial arts. You just have to dig deep enough. It's good to know where you come. People get upset when they hear and/or learn something negative about their art, but hey, even founders (and our teachers) of martial arts are human and it keeps us from being elitist snobs. Enjoy the training. 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 2002-03-28 08:55 ]

Hey, Laurie. Welcome aboard! Glad to hear you found a place to train. Sorry I couldn't help you with a Hapkido school in your area. Take care.

That's a good point, Doug and I agree. The only reason I wouldn't, in this situation, is Koreantiger has spent years with his instructor and during that time must have had outside contact with other martial artists and there by evaluating what he has learned to that of others. If he hasn't, I'll just shut up. Take care

I'm sure this may irritate some people, but this is not my intention. Who is your hero in the martial arts? And I mean your absolute favorite! Then, pretend that you trained with him/her for as long as you trained with your current instructor and you earned rank trough them. Now pretend that your favorite martial artist isn't certified by anyone. No one even acknowledges that person as a martial artist. How would you feel? Don't loose hope yet. Does this make your training worthless? I wouldn't say so. Many great martial artists are unknown and not affiliated with an organization. As long as you feel like you have bettered yourself I would say... SCORE! What is certification? Someone who in writing or verbally backs you up and says," Yes, he/she is a black belt."? If you ever had to defend yourself, a certificate that says your a black belt is no extra bonus to get your butt safely out of there. You depend on your training to do that. Even if the toughest person on the face of the earth says, "yeah he's a black belt" doesn't make you any tougher. It may frighten a person or two, but honestly you are no different and no tougher. People say, "oh well we have standardized ranking procedures." That's great, but not all teachers are the same caliber. Just because you are a great martial artist doesn't make you a great teacher. Take two people of the same rank in an organization from two different teachers and their skill will be different. So ask yourself, is your training good? What do you think of your instructor? Hey, being certified isn't a bad thing, but I would put training first. If you really want to be "certified" you can always join an organization and test through them. Bottom line: A teacher is teaching you not an entire organiziation. If you respect your teacher you respect the whole. Just my honest opinion. 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 2002-03-20 08:20 ]

I play bass and sing. The website is down for the band, but we still have our mp3.com page running. http://www.mp3.com/xit 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 2002-02-24 07:15 ]

Myosim does make a point, always check out many schools before deciding on one for you. What is good for one person may not be great for you. As to how many high ranking blackbelts Grandmaster Pesare has under him... you have to remember that he has been around for decades and poeple like Prof. Nick Cerio were trained by him. He holds his training and the people he trains in very high respect. GM Pesare's training may not be for everyone, but he has paid his dues long ago and is a highly respected teacher in the martial arts world. 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 2002-02-06 21:41 ]

I agree with you on that, YODA. I give everyone extreme respect, but they must continuously show that it is deserved. If a person is a jerk or less than respectable they will find it difficult to continuously do because they feel like they need to "act" a certain way. On the other hand, if a person has a good heart and deserves repect it is something that comes natural and without thought. Being worthy of anyone's respect is not a casual "act." It's just they way you are. ...but of course people can change if they want to bad enough. take care

Hey, Doug. If the YMCA only has classes for kids, there's no reason for you not to see about starting an adult class there. If their current instructor isn't doing one...Why not? Do it up, Bro!! Take care

Hey, Slider. I study Shaolin Kempo that is from the Adriano Emperado lineage (Kajukenbo). There aren't too many Parker System practitioners teaching in this area. My buddy's wife trains in the Parker System and she's a talented martial artist. She can watch my back in a bar fight! Good to have you here. Take care.

Thanks, Doug! I was about to rent "The Dirty Dozen." I figure I'll rent "The Magnificent 7" intead. Gloi, what's Rashamon about? Thanks & take care.

... and the hire 7 Samurai to fight the bandits? If that is the movie you're talking about, I believe it's called "The Seven Samurai." It's a different move from "The 47 Ronin," but I like that you too! Somebody told me that the American movie "The Dirty Dozen" is the modern day version of "The Seven Samurai." I haven't seen "The Dirty Dozen" so I don't know for sure. Take care

A little while ago I picked up the DVD of the 47 Ronin. It's pretty good! It's one of the old versions from 1941-42 (around World War 2). The version I have is black and white ( no kidding

Everybody starts in the martial arts for one reason or another (Self-defense, fitness, self-esteem, meeting new friends, help the community, get a black belt, etc, etc, etc.) after a while those reasons may change. For example... when you were younger, think of your favorite toy and how cool you thought it was. Nothing could be better! Then picture yourself in High school. People are looking forward to driving, getting cars and hanging out. Now compare your favorite toy, that you had back in the day, to getting the hottest new clothes or a new car. What sounds better if you were in High School, that favorite toy you had when you were younger or the car? This example may be a bit extreme, but what I am trying to get at is that they are both good depending on where you are in life... values change. That's alright, it's nothing to freak about. Martial arts are the same way. All styles of martial arts have so much to offer a person and what you want now may not be the same later on down the road. I asked myself that same question a while back. I thought about why I started in the arts and then I thought about what else (besides that first reason) I've gained from the arts. Hope this helps a little. 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 2002-01-07 06:58 ]

If you're not too far from Providence, Grandmaster George Pesare's school is there. He is known for being the first to bring Kempo/Kenpo to the East coast. GM Pesare was a student of Victor "Sonny" Gascon (Karazenpo Go Shin Jitsu). GM Pesare is a very good (and tough) teacher. His website is at... http://simeonegpesare.tripod.com/index1.htm I hope this helps. take care.

Master Jeoff Booth has a page that shows belt tying. The address is... http://hapkido.netro.com.au/Belt.html I hope this helps. Take care.

Humility is something black belt level students must always remember. I got this from my 1st Shaolin Kempo Instructor. To keep that fresh in my memory, everytime I tie my belt on, I go down to one knee (out of respect for my teachers and the training I put into attaining the belt) and touch my folded belt to my forehead, my lips and my chest. What I am doing there is remembering that I need to have the mind of a Black Belt (touching my forehead), talk like a Black Belt (my lips) and have a "Black Belt Heart" (my chest). Respect and humility are things that a black belt should never forget in or out of the Dojo/Dojang. Lead by example because everyone is a role model to someone. A gentleman on BudoSeek had a Korean saying about humility: "Jar ja-ran byo-ga go-gae sukinda." Translation: Well grown (harvested) rice head bows. Meaning: When rice is well grown the tops of the rice are large and full, therefore are heavy and weighs them down (bowing). Poorly cultivated rice stands stright up. "It means that the person who is humble bows lower and that the person who doesn't know as much walks around like they know it all." Alain Burrese 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 2001-11-27 07:34 ]

Acupuncture Student by day and Musician by night.

You beat me to it!!! Great answer, Jiggy9. *bowin' with respect* Some people think that the best martial arts are the ones you can learn in the shortest amount of time. It's true that some martial arts can be proficiently learned in a shorter amount of time, but remember that it does not neccessarily mean it's more effective in the long run. The best martial art for you depends on how much time you are willing to put into your training. Just my humble opinion. Take care

Welcome aboard, Doug! Take care

*bowing in respect and appreciation*

Hey, thanks!

I train in Hapkido here in Connecticut under Master Art St.Armand. We are a part of the World Traditional Hapkido Federation with GM Dr. Jung Hwan Park. I just tested for my 2nd degree last week. Master St.Armand teaches a well rounded martial art, but if I had to say one aspect that he focuses on it would be working joint manipulations and teaching pressure points to enhance the technique.

It's much better to have someone show you in person. Feedback from in instructor is very important. We may think we are doing a technique correctly, but then with feedback we realize that the technique may be incorrect or can be done even more efficiently. It would really suck if you thought you knew a technique and when you had to use it, it doesn't work because you didn't learn it correctly. Another thing about learning "Live and In-person" is having the technique done on you. This is one of the best ways to really get to know a technique and know if you are doing it correctly. Check out a bunch of martial art schools in your area. Find the right teacher for you and you'll never regret it. I hope this helps.

Whatever their teacher tells them to. Honestly, at home you should concentrate on whatever needs the most work. Work them all. Try to not let yourself fall behind in any aspect because you are focusing too much on one thing. Once you seem to be at a consistant level, spend equal time in each aspect. You want to go "forward" not "backward." Take care

Even though it does fall under the title of "General Martial Arts," Rushman has a very good point. Maybe oneday we could have a "Hapkido" section. Take care.