monkeygirl

Try a low-impact cardio machine like those elliptical ones. Even a bike would work, as long as you're getting cardio without being on your feet.

Oh that's just too funny!! I've actually done that before (corrected an old instructor), except that I knew who he was. He just really needed my help. And yes, I took some pleasure in this, considering that this guy was an enormous jerk.

Welcome to the forums!

I think if you can make a living at teaching TKD, then you can dedicate yourself to teaching a lot more. My old instructor got a full-time (40+ hours) job at about the same time I started teaching. He started working more and more, and was never around to teach! The 1st dans were having to learn techniques from a 1st dan instructor...we never learned anything new because our source of knowledge was working for his dinner! Of course, somewhere along the line he had stopped caring about the dojo, and decided to let a handful of Leadership Team and Instructors run the school. So, I think having TKD as your job allows you to become more committed. At the same time, you shouldn't rely too heavily on the dojo for income, because if something falls through or you have an economic emergency, the last thing I would want that person to do is to sacrifice the quality of training at the school and turn it into a McDojo. If hard times happen, bite the bullet and get a job, don't sacrifice the school. With that said, the fees at my old dojo were: 1. Initial fee: $100, included your uniform "student ID card" (they made it sound really fancy but it was just a piece of thin cardstock paper), and your first month of classes. 2. Monthly fee: $79/month on a 12-month contract, $89/month on a 6-month, and $99/month on a 3-month. Each of those prices could vary depending on the method of payment you chose (cash, check, credit card, automatic withdrawal). Advanced students paid $15/month extra for Black Belt Club, which was an extra night of training every week, and you got to learn weapons. At least, those were the last prices I could remember...I'm sure they've upped the prices since then. 3. No belt testing fees, the classes were expensive enough already. The training was good (I should know, I provided it ), and the color belts were happy. Unfortunately, there was absolutely NO program for advancement from 1st to 2nd dan, etc. You just put in your time and MAYBE learned a new kata, IF the head instructor could remember it to teach you. Quite a few people left after reaching black belt, 'cause they just got bored.

Everyone: honestly, I'm frightened by the direction this thread is taking. Let's TRY to keep it on topic, juust a little

Sorry, already got my flu shot. Although, I could still cough on you today, considering that I almost managed to sing my voice out today in choir practice

Welcome to the forums!

Heck yeah! Russell Crowe is untolerably sexy! I defy any woman to watch Gladiator and honestly say that by the time it's over she's not fell even the tiniest bit in love with Russell Crowe. Heavens knows, I never found him a particularly attractive man until I seen Gladiator, and now I drool over him on a daily basis. Yes, I suppose I do have too much time on my hands. *sigh* Tom Cruise has never really been my type. He's not bad, and I can certainly see what other people see in him, but when it comes to movie stars it's Russell Crowe and Ralph Fiennes all the way for me! Not that I would turn down Hugh Grant, Ewan MacGregor, David Duchovny, Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Johnny Depp....etc.etc.etc. Heehee. *tries to pat away her devil horns* I can't help being a hormonal teenage girl. *sigh* Russell Crowe?? BLEEEEECHHH!!! Sorry, I don't think he's good-looking. Tom Cruise...looked pretty good in Minority Report, but often ends up looking pretty slimy. Now, Pierce Brosnan is an attractive man. I may be a teenager, but I can still appreciate the suaveness and hotness of James Bond. I don't have a thing for older guys or anything, though...I prefer Orlando Bloom/Freddie Prinze Jr. [/girliness]

*pounces*

That's why God invented tranquilizer guns.

I decided not to watch, since every other MA show I've ever seen has been a pretty big letdown. I couldn't stand to be disappointed again

Higher belt forms are more fun!! From the time I was an orange belt (7th kyu), I always knew the form for the belt above me. When I reached red belt (3rd kyu), I had managed to learn all the forms including 1st dan! *sigh* Good times....

Well, I started assisting with classes at my old dojo when I was a blue belt (5th kyu) at age 14. In November of that same year (red belt, 3rd kyu), I became the head instructor of my very own class, a family class...but I had been outright "teaching" classes for awhile. As long as the office manager was there in case of an emergency, I was good to go. At the time, we were shorthanded, so maybe that had something to do with it. Promoting helpers at blue belt was a common practice, but having 14-year-old red belts teaching their own class was deeefinitely unusual. That was what my dojo was like, but other dojos believe that nobody should even ASSIST without a dan rank, and they shouldn't become full-fledged instructors until 3rd or 4th dan. Different schools and style will have different systems for their teachers, so if you really want to know, you should ask an instructor. I know that's a difficult question to ask, though. Some old-school instructors used to take a person's belt if they asked when they would be testing next, hopefully you don't have to put up with that. If you can, though, ask your instructor or the other students in the leadership program. Chances are, you'll start helping somewhere between 5th and 2nd kyu.

I think that was the point of Depp's character though...he's bumbling and almost drunken, and yet somehow manages to be a successful pirate...for lack of a better term. Gotta love Orlando Bloom, though

I couldn't decide if Johnny Depp was drunk or....flamboyant in Pirates of the Caribbean.

I think Shotokan is a little closer to kickboxing, it would be a nice complement to your ground training. Tae Kwon Do is going to be a little more about speed, and yes, flash. Unless the school in your area is a little more combat-oriented like mine was. Both will train in kata. Does Pankration do any of those? If not, kata will be something new for you that you may or may not enjoy. TKD should also train you in stamina, because TKD sparring is often about sustaining quick, hard movements over a long period of time. Can't tell you much about Shotokan though. I'll leave that to the others.

Yeah in the summer we usually wore t-shirts and no gi top with our pants, just to keep us cool. I'd always end up missing it, though.

Nifty! Thanks MA!

The norm at my old school was 3-4 years (I got mine in about 2.5 because I was there 5 nights a week teaching (20 hours a week normally, 35 hours for two weeks in the summer due to a morning summer camp). However, there are sooo many different federations and substyles and schools of TKD that are all different from each other, and not everyone belongs to a federation. Those who belong to a federation like ITF and WTF still have a lot of creative freedom, so even within federations you'll have huge differences. It's almost gotten to the point where "Tae Kwon Do" is as broad of a term as "Karate"! Maybe we need to start breaking it up into "Goju-Ryu", etc. Anyway, my point is: because of these differences, you probably won't find an "official" ANYTHING for TKD as a whole. The best you can hope for is the official word from a strict federation. By strict, I mean a federation that has their instructors re-certify with them every few years so that they can be updated on the curriculum. Every school is uniform and demands excellence. At the risk of bringing up everyone's favorite label, these strict federations are sort of like a fast-food chain where every store has to follow menu and health regulations. If the menu and health regulations are excellent, more power to them! OK so I got a little off-topic (what else is new), but hopefully you get my point. TKD can be really really frustrating for someone who's trying to find general info about the style.

I've been to only one open tournament, but it wasn't a great experience. In order to accomodate all styles and schools, the sparring rules were insane...no head contact!! The other problems were less general and had more to do with the way it was run (my division was very small -- me and another girl -- whereas the boys' equivalent was huge; the blackbelt division was 14 & under which meant two 14-yo's vs. two 8-yo's; judges weren't certified...every black belt that arrived was a judge, so the school with the most blackbelts had a huge advantage; etc etc). It's a very nice concept...being able to meet and compete against practitioners of many styles. I wish I could have found a good one when I was in my "heyday". Now, I'm out of training, and it'll take me a good six months (at least) to be good enough to compete again.

Welcome to the forums! Why don't you tell us all a little more about yourself? What style do you train in, how long have you trained, what rank are you, how old are you, what do you like to do, what was the name of your third grade teacher...the works.

I would say that jumprope and running don't work the same muscles. They each require different kinds of coordination. I find running to be more difficult for me, but I could jump rope much easier (and no, I'm not talking about 6-year-old-little-girl-in- her-Easter-dress jumproping ). This is just a theory I'm making up on the spot, but it seems logical to me that whichever exercise is more difficult for you (in terms of stamina), will get you in "better" shape, because it will strengthen your weaker area. Can anyone support/disprove this theory? I'm not exactly a fitness expert so I'll leave the rest to the more knowledgeable.

I've heard something to amount that certain states REQUIRE instructors to be certified through their parent organization, but I don't know for sure. I know that certain organizations (ATA for example) are very on top of things, and make their instructors re-certify on a regular basis...every year or two, I think. Kuk Sool Won may have a similar system...Doug?