hammer

I went to the head master and told him that I attended the ceremony. I did tell him it was out of support for the person who was promoted. He was not happy about it but the fact that I was there in street clothes seemed to make the difference. I got "chewed out" a bit but I'm still with the club for now. Apparently he sees the split with the people that established the other school (who had been his students for many years) as a betrayal of his trust, and while I don't know (or want to know) the details, I can understand his perspective. The rules of the club (which I now know) are to ask him before going to another dojo in any capacity. There are schools which he has a good relationship with, and going to those would likely not be a problem, but in those cases he would contact the head of that school and check with them beforehand. He did relate one story from our recent tournament. He runs a separate class where there are a few BBs from other schools, and when they wanted to attend our tournament and participate in BB events he told them to talk to their instructor first to make sure it was OK. Turns out it was not and if they had attended the instructor could have removed them without any refund of the remaining dues they pre-paid on their contract. Apparently there are potential liability insurance issues as well if I were to go and participate in any activities at another dojo and I were to get hurt. Never occurred to me because I know I take any risk of injury from MA, but I guess my head master has to have his legal bases covered. The rule seems limiting, but I realize that I can either follow those rules and stay in the club or leave the club. At this point I decided to abide by the rules and will make sure I ask before going to another dojo. I did tell the head master that I was friends with a lot of the people in the other school, no issues with that...but he draws the line at actually going to their dojo. So I'm threading the needle for now, mainly because even though I think my head master's reactions are a bit extreme I don't want to give up on a club that has been a part of my life for over 14 years. Will that change at some point? Perhaps, but for now I'll stick around and see how things go.

Thanks for the inputs. Right now my gut is telling me that my days in the current club are numbered, but it's hard because my current club does have more variety in classes, class times, etc. Also, despite the way that the head master has treated some (including those who started the new school) there still is a sense of loyalty that comes from being a part of the organization for so long. There is also a financial risk in that I usually pay for dues in advance, so I'm pre-paid until the spring. There are also a few additional classes I've signed up and paid for as well. If I make the move to leave I don't know if the instructor would be willing to refund that money. If not I'd be out a couple hundred dollars.

As I'm guessing can happen in schools, we had a falling out between the head master and a few senior BBs around a year ago. Those BBs subsequently started up their own school and all indications are that it's working out well for them. There were a few BBs and students who left to go to the new school. I have known the BBs running the new school since I have been taking MA classes (close to 14 years now) and consider them and others who left to be friends. I don't know all of the details of the split and I don't ask, I just wish them well. In the new school, one of the BBs who has many years experience was recently promoted to Master. I decided to attend his promotion ceremony as a friend of his but I made sure not to wear my Gi. Unfortunately, another BB from the club I go to did attend in their Gi and when the head master found out (through Facebook postings) this person was kicked out of the club. I'm in a "don't ask don't tell" mode at this point but I feel my status at the club is potentially in jeopardy. At this point I'm still loyal to my club but I am concerned about the head master's interpretation of club loyalty. It's not like any of us who attended the ceremony went to work out with the other school, we all went as a friend of the person being promoted. Any thoughts? I actually hate this situation, I just want to go and work out...

Congrats!

Not sure about others but if I didn't have the means to push myself towards a goal I'd have a hard time working out. Do have to say that recovery has been taking longer as I've aged. Seems like the slide has accelerated a bit after 45. Regarding speed, I didn't start MA until my mid 30s so I've never been all that quick. Just need to fight smarter. Also have been glad that my doctor doesn't give me a hard time when I show up with overuse injuries or advise me to unnecessarily limit workouts. At least he knows I'm trying to be active.

One grader or more to each student...how can it be done otherwise?

Hear you...I missed out on a tournament and a few road races I wanted to run in due to this injury and I don't want that to happen again if at all possible.

Got to a workout on Monday night. Couldn't do kicks yet and ended up doing Chon Ji and Tan Gun over and over again but it felt good to work up at least a little sweat... Tough part is after spending 13-14 years working on power in a hard style it can be tough to dial back techniques to prevent injury.

These are all nice comments...especially the one about the light contact sparring. In our tournament we emphasize, as a goal, no-contact with colored belts and at most light contact between BBs. We do not, however, usually score points based on just hanging a kick or punch out there. As a matter of fact, in our recent ref clinic, the head ref said he didn't score a point because the punch thrown was a reach and that it would not have scored if it were executed full contact. Nice job from the OPs son, good speed and he can adapt and execute additional techniques when needed. Biggest additional piece of advice I can give is to pay more attention to blocking...can't always rely on one's attack to get there first, and IRL tagging an opponent isn't going do help much if you take a kick to the midsection in the process.

Thanks all...now at the phase where I can walk around with a boot. Have been doing limited strength training and a few basic Pilates workouts (which kicked my butt), but nothing significant. Should be able to do low impact leg activity (exercise bike, elliptical) in 2 weeks. Plan on going back to workouts even if it means all I'll be doing for forms is Chon Ji and Tan Gun. Biggest downer is that I'm on the sidelines for our club's tournament this weekend. Only got cleared to put weight on it recently, so I couldn't even come up with a board break that I could practice enough.

This. The instructors routinely place BBs in class in line next to students who need help (and students with an attitude definitely need help). Gets them more motivated when they are next to someone who has more experience and maturity.

Where I go to, instructors do "secret" assessments all the time...we have a minimum of classes required for consideration to the next rank, but after that it's up to the instructor as to when a student is checked out for testing. It's then up to the BB checking out the student to determine if he/she is ready to test. Every now and then an instructor will bypass the check outs and just approve for testing based on what they see in class. Beyond 1st Dan it's all up to the headmaster...there are class attendance and time guidelines which are mostly followed. Actually what happens occasionally is that a BB is invited to test and the person decides or has to back down for some reason. Edit: Congrats to the OP. Remember, you were promoted because you already met the standards for the rank.

Upside of all of the running I've been doing is that my cardio during MA workouts is much better...downside is that I suffered a fibular stress fracture just above the ankle a few weeks ago. It was most likely due to a combo of running mileage increase, participating in a 10K road race, and continuing to do normal MA workouts through pain. Sure there are some running mechanics issues going on as well. I'm now having to keep all weight off of the leg for a few weeks and I may get back to workouts in a few weeks after that. Just wanted to post this to provide a reminder to others to listen to pain and not always try to push through it. I'm just hoping that somehow the cardio improvements made will be easier to regain once I can get back out to running again.

Was there a time requirement or was it just being able to run the distance without stopping? We don't have any running requirements, but I was invited to participate in testing at another school where they did have a running requirement. Not sure what they would require for someone my age but the younger male testing had to run 7 miles. As mentioned before in this thread and based on my own experience, aside from the cardio benefit distance running really doesn't do much for MA. When I was training for my BB the recommendation was to do intervals instead of distance.

What would the impact have been if the student had just told the Sensei that she was bowing out because of knee pain? The club I belong to has a large number of older (40+) students and it's no big deal for a student to bow out at any time. It's up to the student to do so... I can understand the need for courtesy and protocol in class but a martial arts class isn't the military...and even the military will allow someone to take a break on PT because of pain that could result in injury.

Just had a clinic on Juche...our club actually does both forms, but Juche is designated as our highest BB form and Ko Dang is a required form for 3rd Dan. I give any 2nd Dan a lot of credit for doing this form well...while it's certainly not the longest form I'd put it up near the top (along with Moon Moo) for physical difficulty.

+1...Slow motion kicking (by the numbers) is really good for balance. In class we also use combination kicks as a means for a balance drill...combine front snap, side, roundhouse etc. We do the kicks with full power but not quickly. One other suggestion I received from an instructor a while back was to stand up and balance on one leg during TV commercials. Have not done this much but when I did I realized that commercials run pretty long...

+1...Slow motion kicking (by the numbers) is really good for balance. In class we also use combination kicks as a means for a balance drill...combine front snap, side, roundhouse etc. We do the kicks with full power but not quickly. One other suggestion I received from an instructor a while back was to stand up and balance on one leg during TV commercials. Have not done this much but when I did I realized that commercials run pretty long...

That's a big plus in the club I am a member of...we tend to keep a lot of black belts (including a number of masters) around, and we do have advanced workouts, although I wish they were weekly. Getting through black belt forms can be a challenge when you don't have the chance to work on them in class. Regarding getting either overconfident or lackadaisical, I've been a BB for over 8 years and I have yet to be anywhere near either. Even on the few occasions when I'm the highest ranking student in a workout class I usually see someone who is younger, quicker, more flexible, etc...

Will be re-learning Juche in a month but I'd say mine at this point is Yon Gae. They all have different challenges though...

+1IMHO the response needs to be proportional to the threat, regardless of the gender, size, etc. of your opponent.

All of this is why I have no issue with our club only hosting one invitational tournament a year with perhaps one or two other schools. Might be interesting going to open tournaments, but people get so wrapped up in winning (or having their kids win) that they behave inappropriately.

First try at a 10K distance last weekend...thought I was pacing myself but when I hit the last little uphill before the end (1/4 mile at most to go) my legs were about to give out so I stopped, walked briefly, and then jogged the rest of the way. Think it was too much to go from 4.5 to 6 miles and the heat and humidity didn't help. Would have had a run time just under an hour if I didn't stop... Will want to do that distance soon but I think I'll get in a few 5 mile runs in first. There's a 10K road race in September that I'm considering running.

I think it's all down to personal preference...and I'd admit that running is not for everyone and that there are plenty of other ways to get cardio conditioning. I don't think I could take running on a treadmill, and I've tried 30+ minutes on an elliptical and on an exercise bike, found both very boring and they don't give me the workout intensity that an outside run does. When I first started it was hard on the knees/ankles, but after dropping the weight I have not had significant issues there as long as I watch my form. I have found that it's important to have the right footwear, I was initially running with older cheaper sneakers and it was very painful on the feet. Do wish there were more direct benefits to my MA training but I'm still pleased with how it helps me with my overall fitness.

Sorry to ask but what is free roll? Have seen it mentioned a lot in this thread...