TangSooGuy

It's been a looong time sinceI've been able to visit the forums, as I've been concentratingon taking the steps towards opening a full-time studio and makingthat my only job. The good news is I'm almost there. I actually didn't even knowuntil recentlythat my submission had madeit to the boards. If anyone is still reading this, and does want to read my thesis, just sendme a PM, and I'll see if I can send it on to you. It's 100 pages long, and I'll admit there is a lot of dry stuff in there, so I'm a little hesitant to put it up on the web anywhere. Thanks for reading, forthose of you who took the time, and thank you for the kind words.

Some info: http://www.goldenglovesofamerica.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Gloves From what I can tell, it basically just means that they are an amateur boxer affiliated with this association. So, if that is the case, being a Golden Gloves Boxer isn't necessarily saying much. Being a Golden Gloves Champion on the other hand, is a whole different story.

Well....that is an interesting question to which I've actually been giving a lot of thought lately...I think when I start new students out, I tend to emphasize the linear aspects of a punch first, while for certain defenses, I emphasize the circular aspects first. As the student progresses, I begin to show them that all techniques have aspects of both, and that this need sto be incorporated... My latest take on it is that "A circle is a straight line and a straight line is a circle."

I've tried very hard not to, because I've always been underestimated, similar to what White Warlock said...I try to make myself very unassuming...most think I'm a very quiet, very mellow guy...but when it is time to turn it up...I turn it way up. It catches some people off guard. I did however undestimate one guy pretty seriously in a different way...he always comes off as kind of goofy, bumbling, sometimes stutters, and just genarally seems not too "with it"...and tends to get kind of "picked on" but some of the other seniors I know because of it. Then I saw this guy teach a class...and I was quite frankly shocked at his ability. It was like he was a whole different person. he was in charge, he was downright touch, and he really knew what he was doing. I learned quite alot that day, and ever since have made a conscious effort not to treat him as some of the other senior instructors still do. In the end, this earned be a pretty good friendship, and a lot of respect from him.... It really is true that you just can't judge a book by its cover.

Point sparring has its place, and it is fine for the sake of competition, and it will help you to increase control of your technique... Taken to its highest level, it really ought to be "light/non-contact" sparring, where all techniques are thrown at full force, but are stopped prior to damaging your partner. However, if both of the above are all you ever practice, you'll be doing yourself a bit of a disservice, in my opinion. Once in awhile, you need to hit someone, and once in awhile you need to get hit... Also, point sparring is usually plagued by rules such as no punching to the head, no kicks below the belt or to the back, no grappling, etc....you have to spar allowing everything once inawhile, too...or you really do miss out.

Well - I'm certainly not one to advise to to quit TSD, but it really depends on a lot of factors...I'll never advise someone to stay with an art or school where they just don't fit or feel comfortable, either. If you want "combat efficiency" both styles will get you there, but it is true that Muay Thai will get you there faster, and if that is your only goal, then maybe you should consider it. I do think , from my own experiences, that TSD offers more of a variety.. but it will also take you longer to become a proficient fighter...a more traditional approach is used in the training, and you are learning different things at a much different pace. It also depends a lot on the school atmosphere, and the instructor...depends what you are looking for, and how you feel about each. I think TSD is a great art...and it is "combat effective" ...but it will take you a lot longer to get to that stage, and in all honesty, there are certain instructors will never get you there, especially in schools where training is more sport oriented. For me, the benefits of having become a well rounded martial artist, and having been exposed to training areas from striking to grappling, to joint locks, pressure points, knife fighting, flexible weapons, form interpretation, traditional weapons training, and too many more areas to list outweighed the benefits of becoming a great fighter quickly. I've been training for over 20 years, and only just know do I feel that all areas of my training are really starting to come together to a point where I feel comfortable in pretty much any situation....but I'm a little slower than some, so that pace was better for me. I have new black belts now that are light years ahead of where I was at their level...but that's the goal of any good instructor anyway. Is my view a little biased? Probably. But I do acknowledge that TSD isn't for everyone, and if it isn't for you, find out what is.

I don't mean to say that would ever intentionally score my students lower than another student. I just meant that since I know the idiosyncracies and abilities of my student, I am more likely to give them a lower score than another judge who doesn't know them...because I know when they are making a mistake, that another judge might not see. If they do a better form than everyone else, I'll score them higher than everyone else. I won't go easy on them because they are my student though, and I will probably scrutinize them more bexause I know how I expect them to be doing the form. I look for the same things in students from other schools, but not knowing them as well as I know my own students, I'm not going to see them in quite the same way. It may not be easy to explain, but it is a real factor. I think it applies to most instructors whether they admit it or not. I tend to be harder on my own students in the same way that most parents are harder on their own children than on other people's children. As for scoring - I tend to score the first competitor however I feel they truly did. I use that as a kind of base score, and score every other competitor accordingly, based on how they did in comparison to the first. We have a set scale that basically defines how many tenths of a point to knock off for making minor mistakes, or having to start over, but mostly it is subjective off that base score. I believe this is the only fair method of scoring to ensure that the first person gets an equal chance to win. All too often I see the example of bad judging where the scores get consistently higher over the duration of the division, even if quality did not increase. This basically creates a jinx on the first competitor, which isn't quite fair. Granted, it is still a disadvantage to go first, in that the competitors who go later have the opportunity to see what others have done, and "turn it up" accordingly, but I still think the first competitor deserves a fair shot. As for how I score...everything goes into the final score...focus, spirit, stance, rhythm, technical proficiency, balance, whether it looks like the competitor really understands what they are doing, whether the technique has sufficient power is is just done to "look pretty", whether they are thinking too much about what comes next....each factor may raise or lower the score from the base score I have in my mind. Usually I start with a base score in my mind of 7.0 or 8.0 as "average" and work my way up or down from there. The first person might get higher or lower than that base depending on whether they were above or below average. I've personally never scored anyone higher than a 9.5, and in some tournaments, the scoring is capped at 9.0...I think it's just one of those "there is no such thing as perfect" things... We usually have 5 judges...high and low scores get dropped. If there is a tie, they are added back in, If there is still atie, they do the form again. At smaller tournaments, we only have 3 juges, and all scores count. Back on topic regarding "bad" judging...I also got accused of being racist once by a mother...neglecting the fact that her daughter made several mistakes in her forms, and just wasn't that good of a fighter. Even worse, completely neglecting the fact that although I am white, neither of the girls that won first place in the divisions he daughter competed in were white...one was of African American descent, and the other of Asian American descent....so sometimes "bad" judging really is just perceived, without considering all the factors.

I've seen this kind of bias, too...and it's one of the reasons I'm not a big fan of tournaments. I always tell my students who choose to compete that they don't want to get me as a judge. I know what they are capable of, and if they don't perform adequately, I'll score them lower on forms. I don't care one way or another in aprring competitition. I try to give the point to whoever desrves it. If that means my student loses, that's just the way it goes....

To me..."master" is the title granted to me by my association. It is basically short for "master instructor", and not that I feel like I am anyone's master, but I do think i've become a pretty decent teacher over the last 20 years... I'm not going to rant for long on qualifications for this title, but it's on par with the amount of effort one takes to get a doctorate in college...my mother actually said my master's thesis for Tang Soo Do was longer an more in depth than her doctoral dissertation... So to me, the title of master bears no more religious implications that that of "doctor", or even a military rank like "Colonel". That said, I will never ask a student to call me simply "Master." It is a title that is ALWAYS used in conjunction with my last name, and I would correct any student that did otherwise, because being called simply "Master" would lend more weight to the title than it has in my eyes. If they want to call me something without addressing me by same, "Sir" usually suffuces, and if not, Sah Bum (Nim) would be appropriate... Christians outside the USA have been calling people Lord, and "my Lord" for centuries...and that seems to have much morereligious significance than the title of "master"... In my mind, addressing someone in my association by the title of master has no religious significance whatsoever.

This is a topic that pops up periodically, and if you search through the pages in the Korean Martial Arts section, you will probably find more detailed replies. Just letting you now, that since it has popped up a few times, you might not get as many replies as you normally would. In any case, speaking in extremely general terms only, I think most people would tell you that TSD is more self defense oriented while TKD is more sport oriented. That is not always the case, though, and it really depends more on the instructor than the art itself...you will find some very Sport oriented TSD schools and some very self-defense oriented TKD schools. You will find some schools in which TSD and TKD are almost indistinguishable from each other, and others in which the difference is as plain as night and day. Therefor, classifying the difference between the two has become difficult at best. Some TSD does seem more willing to accept roots in Chinese, Okinawan, and Japanese martial arts in addition to Korean heritage, while I'd say most (but not all) TKD downplays this. A lot of TSD downplays this, too, but not all... TSD is probably closer to Japanese Karate than TKD is...but there are still marked differences...A shotokan student and a TSD student may do the same forms, and in some cases the sae techniques, but I've been exposed to both, and believe me, they do the some of same things in very different ways. Sorry if I didn't answer your question...in all honesty, I'm more trying to show why it is such a hard question to answer.

Congratulations...I've been teaching for about 4 years...just promoted my first two students to black belt last weekend... That is a great feeling.... So keep it up, and your efforts will definitely be rewarded.

I don't see anything wrong with it if you are not in a teacher/student relationship. I don't think instructors should date their students... that's wher ethe ethics comes in. However...if you are both students, why not? If you can keep arguments offf the training fllor, it could be hugely positive. I met my wife at college, while we were training in the smae class...we now both run a small school (35 students, but growing) together.

Frankly, I'd say that most of these prices listed are dirt cheap...for some of them, I don't know any martial arts school or even YMCA program that will teach for that much. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, just realize you're getting a heck of a deal. The going rate for martial arts classes at a full time school around me are around $100 a month. Is that reasonable...frankly yes, I think it is, when you break it down to what you are really payting the instructor on an hourly basis. If you can get quality instruction for less, then by all means, do so. Just don't assume that hiher rates automatically mean you're being ripped off. The rates are usually set at what the instructor needs to charge in order to survive.

This is a tough one, I'll admit. I have to do things month-to-month right now because I run things out of a YMCA. I have a 90% retention rate for this year so far, but in past years I have seen kids dropping out. It really depends on why they're leaving, though. If it is because the kid genuinely doesn't want to be there anymore, contracts won't help, in my opinion. These kids just make their parents lives miserable (and sometimes yours too) until they don't have to come anymore. On the other hand, I have seen some kids leaving more because of apathetic and uninvolved parents than I would care to see. This is where the contract/ committment really comes into play. If you can get the parents committed to the kids training, it helps tremendously. I plan to open a full time school someday, and I'm not sure I'd use contracts, but I can see the benefit for this reason, particularly with parents that view it as just another hobby, where their child can leave for a few months, and come back ready to resume again from where they were. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way.

As far as etiquette, any good instructor should be able to tell you what any and all fees are at present, without having anything to hide. I would find a time to talk to your instructor one on one, and simply say something along the lines of: "I've heard that as rank increases, belt testing fees also increase, particularly at black belt, and I am a little concerened as to whether I will be able to afford it. Can you give me an idea of what belt testinf fess will cost all the way up to black belt?" You may meet some resistance, or double-talk at this point...which is fairly normal. Most instructors would like you to be more focused on your training than what future costs are involved. However, you need to be firm and let him know that you need this information. If he outright refuses to tell you, or pretends not to know...personally I'd say you have a problem. Also, as others have pointed out already, 60 dollars may be expensive, or about right. If you are paying $100 or more in tuition each month, I'd say it's a little on the high side. I'f you're paying $50 or less per month, I wouldn't complain about the test fee, personally, as you're getting a heck of a deal on the training itself.