tkdkarategirl

That is absolutely insane. I agree with Ninja nurse...that's what I would do if it were a student in my class misbehaving, stop class and make an example out of them...why not do it for the parents as well? Additionally, I understand that as a commercial school, you NEED your students (and their parents $$), but from personal experience, you MUST be careful who you allow to stay in your school, it only takes one or two bad attitudes to make a school take a turn for the worst...

dllee, there is a thread in instructor central that is full of info on a martial arts ministry, you should check it out.

Just my humble opinion, but if you're learning a "martial art" for violence only, you're only learning the "martial" and not the "art." There's a distinct difference in a martial artist and a 'karate student.' My husband and I use our martial arts as an outreach ministry at our Church, we teach 2 nights a week and once we're ready (we only have 4 high ranking adult students, and one high ranking Jr. student, so we've got a while), we're planning demos in the community to bring in more students. If you can get someone in a Church for ANY reason, they'll be ministered to, if even simply through attitudes and fellowship, again, just my opinion... I know there is one student in our adults class that hadn't set foot inside a church since he got married, and he and his son are taking with us and hearing the word during our stretching, "bible study" time...

Luke 22: '35 He also said to them, "When I sent you out without money-bag, backpack, or sandals, did you lack anything?" "Not a thing," they said. 36 Then He said to them, "But now, whoever has a money-bag should take it, and also a backpack. And whoever doesn't have a sword should sell his robe and buy one. ' God doesn't want us to be unable to defend our families, our friends, our ourselves if someone or something threatens their (our) lives. gotta work... more later

Have fun with them! We always attempt to have at least one instructor participating with the kids while the other is correcting stances, etc. We walk through stretches and warm ups with them, answer up with them...We try to always end class with a game so we end on a fun note and they want to come back and work hard next class so they'll have the opportunity to play a game again (Dodgeball seems to be the favorite, we play a version where you are unable to use whichever body part the ball hits, like you have to hop on one foot if your left leg is hit, or keep your right arm behind your back if it's hit...). And for every one time you correct a child, you need to praise them twice...their egos are so fragile, so LOTS OF PRAISE!! And I agree, they're not little adults, and we shouldn't expect them to fully grasp a concept in one class, or even one month of classes, kids are ongoing projects!

I'm in TN, east TN to pinpoint it even more. I had actually already posted this topic in the Korean MA forum a while ago and forgot I had put it there...someone found the school I was talking about and posted it there... It's just strange to not be able to find ANY information on it...

how funny...that's the school I was talking about!!

Anybody heard of it? We have a school in our area whose instructors are certified through this council, but I've never heard of it, and haven't been able to find anything on the web about it...

YAY TANGSOOGUY. I guess it's just hard for students to realize an instructor/owner has to make a living for his family...and being a MA instructor is not easy on the instructor OR his/her family, ESPECIALLY when they're not making enough money to make ends meet because people aren't willing to bring new students to classes and then complain about having to raise monthly dues...anyway, off my rant now... I would visit the schools in your area and see what they're offering compared to what they're charging. Depending on how sure you are about your (or your child's) dedication to and seriousness about this venture, you can judge which price you're willing to pay... As always, the middle-range is probably the best, but don't overlook the guy charging $5/class who teaches in his garage, you're likely to get the best REAL training from him if his references check out OK. When our dojang was open full time and we were paying rent, we charged $45/month for unlimited classes throughout the week and recommended they attend no more than 3/week to give their body time to rest...

Anyone heard of it? A couple of my husband's former students decided they wanted to open their own school here...I don't question their ability to teach, but I do question their TKD abilities and when they said their instructors were all certified by this group, it made us wonder...we haven't found anything on the web about it (and I'm hoping they don't frequent this bulletin board... ...) I know organizations don't really mean anything anymore, but I thought it interesting that one of them is listed as a 3rd degree when she couldn't pass the 2nd decided exam for my husband...I guess if you make your own organization you can be anything you choose... Just curious.

I'd be interested in a TSD school around here, but we're lucky to even have more than 1 (insert any kind of Martial Art) school in our county... As far as kicks and TKD...I believe most "sport" tkd is 20% punches and 80% kicks...we teach a more 'traditional' style (Chung do kwan as well), and do our best to work with more like 30% punches and 70% kicks (well, you know it's hard to count percentages when you're sparring, but we strive to stress the importance of using your hands when sparring/fighting...). I don't much care for the WTF "olympic" style of TKD...to me it just seems to be a bunch of jumping around and slinging your legs around...but even some of the students I started with are that way...they won't throw a punch the whole time they're sparring you, and if you throw one at them they don't know how to block it...anyway, I think that style of TKD is....'ugly.' But that's just my opinion and I hope nobody takes it as an insult or anything, it's just not as graceful as a more traditional style... And I'm rambling so I'm going to stop....

Gays use purple, the color Christ wore on the cross as "their" color. Some groups burn crosses. The "wedding party" originated from way back when people believed demons would come to steal the bride away from her true love...the maids were there to confuse the demons and hopefully they would carry away the wrong virgin... Wedding bouquets used to be stinky weeds and ugly things to keep demons away... We're not going to stop using these Christian symbols simply becuase people started using them from bad, nor are we going to change the wedding traditions as we know them simply because they originated to keep demons away... Same difference...We don't need to let everything be off limits for us just because of where they came from (I've been discussing the yin-yang with several people lately...my theory is what's to say we can't take something with questionable roots and turn around and use it for good...if we're getting terribly technical about it, yin-yang is simply a map of the universe made way back when by chinese astronomists (is that a word? )... I celebrate Halloween and have no qualms about it....I know what I believe and I'll happily share it with anyone who asks...(oh, and they do... )

people side kick without pivoting their base foot ? How the heck do they not blow their knee out? (It seems it's a little more complicated than the WTF instep vs. the ITF toes pulled back round kick...) Anyway, We teach TKD and incorporate some throws in self-defense oriented classes, but that's really about it...My husband has some training in Kung fu, Aikido and various weapons, but he doesn't teach them along with TKD on a regular basis...

If you're advancing at a traditional tkd pace (belt testing every 2-4 months) you have no business sparring at all as a white belt.... I'm 5'2 and I get frustrated when I get hit, too...I get hit in the head a lot .....I've found if I stay in closer and keep my hands up a little higher than the average person, I don't get hit nearly as much...plus being close, I can execute kicks, but if my sparring partner has longer legs, they have a hard time fully executing anything (except for maybe a hook kick...)

Wow...I've always thought Martial Arts helped me feel more secure in who I am...I don't have to prove to anyone else what I can do because I know I can do it... What happened to fighting outside of class for self defense purposes only? A verbal attack is far from a physical attack, and were I a judge seeing the case of you 'assaulting' 5 guys (which I don't care who you are, that's stupid b/c you don't know what kinds of weapons they may have, especially if the place you live is actually as rough as you make it sound), I'd find you guilty of assault...I don't believe name-calling is illegal...Besides, as a martial artist, we are to practice self control. If I went out beating up everyone who called me names or said something not nice about me, I'd probably be like, the Godmother or something... (not really, just trying to make a point, I just don't get to know people like that so they can't get to know me... ) IMHO, It takes a bigger person to just walk away.

Ki (Chi) is an internal energy everyone has...I don't want to go into it here, though, because I don't want to start any religion/martial arts debates in here...We don't plan on incorporating on "ki", since it's mostly a chinese and japenese thought. (My husband did teach Tai Chi for quite a while, though, and managed to do so and still believe in God...) As far as budo, we're teaching mostly taekwondo, and only incorporating akido as a self defense and training aid, and kendo will only be taught to our higher ranking students who choose to participate in a weapons program (when we'll have more one on one time to explain exactly what our thoughts on such things are), so we won't be incorporating it into our overall curriculum...but regardless, it means (as far as I understand) the way of the warrior, finding your way through the struggle...I think we all do that on a daily basis...

Our karate 'school' is not a school, more of a club, and actually is serving it's purpose as a ministry in our church. We don't charge 'tuition' only charge for testing, and ask for a donation (we don't keep track of who gives what, it all goes in a jar as they enter the gym) for those who have it each class... There is one school in our town (it's a TTJC school, for anyone interested) that does charge $20) for their stripes...As I think I mentioned before, they're also the school that has the 'Black Belt Program....' You pay so much money up front, and you're basically guaranteed a black belt in ONE year...garbage, huh? The man who 'runs' the school draws students in by advertising that he's a "former NFL football player..." It makes me sooo angry, so I do know where your frustrations are coming from, because I've been there, felt them (and it's awful to see someone like that succeed when you're charging $45 a month/student (just enough to cover the bills), and teaching for the ART of it instead of the SPORT of it and you're not able to draw students...here he is charging AT LEAST $115/month and he's getting new students left and right...I guess becuase his style is more "flashy..." anyway, that was a personal rant.) I totally agree that this whole "business" of McDojos is stupid...we have people saying they have black belts who in no way really had to earn them...they just had to show up for class and learn their hyung. You know, My husband took kung-fu from a man who built his own dojo on his property...he charged $1/class (to cover equipment) and I don't think he charged anything for "testing"...he didn't give out certificates, etc...and his class was FULL all the time...we're talking like, barely enough room to work out full...that's what I want someday...(we'll see!) Anyway...

Greg, We don't plan on charging a flat fee...we do ask for a $1 donation per class to be used for equipment (unfortunately, we are not financially able to fund our efforts as much as we'd like), but nothing required, nothing officially recognized (we have a jar we put out at the front of the gym and they can drop something in as they come in if they're able...)...We use our website for everyone to buy their gear (my husband was working a second job in the afternoons to make ends meet, so that is kind of our way of making sure we don't lose all of that income...we'd sink!! Also, any extra from that will be put right back into the school for whatever needs we may have), but it's at a huge discount, and we're working on getting sponsors for the ones who can't afford to pay, and we also told them that if they're not able to buy something they absolutely need, that they need to come see us and we'll do what we can to get it for them...(if God wants us to do this completely, he'll give us a way) The pastor was REALLY receptive, he actually took akido not too long ago....there is one lady in the church concerned with "mysticism" who has been calling trying to meet with us, but she just mostly has a problem not understanding the yin-yang we plan on using when we start kendo, etc...(she thinks b/c it has been used for Cults and stuff, we can't use it to glorify God...and I know the whole meaning behind it is kind of iffy, but that's another post...) Right now we're targeting the 10-14 age group, the youth (14+) have their programs, the younger kids have the Upward basketball, soccer, and cheerleading, and it just kind of seemed the "tweens" were left out. We eventually would like to be able to open it up to all ages (5+), but we're not sure when that will be able to happen. We'd have to have 2 classes each time we met (5-12, and 12+) and we don't have time for that right now. Right now we've got all the beginning white belts, my husband (3rd degree black) myself(red...I've been in tkd for 3 years now, but had a baby when I was supossed to be testing for my black and I'm working on getting back in shape!!), and 2 red belts...so we're all reviewing the basics for 50 minutes, then the higher ranks spar for the last 30 minutes of class... Anyway, I've started rambling, but I sure will check out your website...I'll probably be back with more questions, too...

I think a look at the history books will show Eastern civilizations to be just as nasty, brutal, and well.... human as Western. touche....I do think they have a little less...um, human in their human, though...(just the respect they have for their heritage, etc.)... That's what I get for not covering everything, huh?

Read Sun Tzu's "The Art Of War."

Hmm, Instructing kids is certainly different from instructing adults who can recoginze when they are progressing. Kids NEED that visual confirmation that they're doing well...If you'd like to criticize, feel free...I don't have to answer to you (thank goodness, I'd probably never get anything right then!). I teach taekwondo because I love it and want to share it with everyone I can...not because I want to please people like you. We'll not mention the views/morals/standards held in the orient versus those held in the Americas...Eastern thoughts and ideals far surpass anything we could imagine here, and they are a much more respcectful and peaceful people than we. Americans like to see progression, and see it quickly...otherwise they will quit. Orientals learn for the pure sake of learning and bettering themselves, even without a quick outcome (I certainly do wish I could have their patience)...(oh, and I'm talking about the 'old school' orientals, just for clarification). Unfortunately I am not in the orient, I am in the Americas and if I intend to teach and be accepted here, I have to do some things the 'western' way rather than the 'eastern' way.

stripes, like electrical tape on the ends of their belts so they can see how far they've progressed..... wow. Polkadots would be cute, wouldn't they?

Our biggest thought on it was..."How do we bring more teens/tweens into the church?" We wanted something to get them TO the church first, then minister to them later (we include a bible study in our classes...and plan on doing community activities once we get enough kids enrolled...) I guess it's like the Upward programs...I mean, how do you evangalize through basketball or soccer? It's basically the same concept...You bring them TO the church first, offer them great fellowship, Christian concepts (honor, integrity, perseverence, respect, discipline, etc), Christian love, and fun, and hope that your witness wins them over. My husband's big thing is he WANTS to teach TKD, and feels he's been called to...his attempts at having a BUSINESS failed because he wasn't willing to do what you have to do around here to succeed (the other karate schools in the area are ruthless...). So after church one night, he tells me...God doesn't want a business, he wants a ministry...So here we are. Foreveryoung...that's what we want...we want to be able to show someone what we can do, then be able to tell them WHY we can do it!! There is a kid enrolled in our class right now...he's 13, not really involved in anything else, he attends youth group outings at our church, but doesn't really seem to 'fit in' with them...we want kids like that, who don't really 'fit in' in any of the other (great) activities our church offers, to have a place in their church where they can use their talents to minister to other kids their age... OK, now I'm rambling..but thanks for the ideas/encouragement guys... As far as organizations go, I've not really been able to find too many I agree with...we looked at one where you had to be a pastor to be the instructor and be certified...we actually considered just joining the AAU and kind of forming our own little thing (we eventually want to take the program to other churches in the area)... Ok, enough rambling for now...

Are you serious? If we wanted to rip people off we'd just give them a no belt start and make them pay for their white belt! There is a school in our area that DOES charge for stripes on belts (and they don't just stripe white, they stripe EVERY belt)...but they also have an "accelerated black belt path" if that tells you anything about their curriculum. No fees until they test for yellow... Wow, I feel picked on and don't believe I said anything to deserve it...

Krav Maga is WAY more martial than Art, and if you want to just beat the crap out of someone, it's probably a good choice...Meaning that it isn't really based on a "way" as are most other martial arts, it's just a way of fighting... Have you checked out any history or anything on it?