Enviroman

interesting

Nah, I still practice with those guys. It's sort of complicated...there isn't really too much kung fu going on. It's not a real "school" just a sifu and a bunch of guys that get together and train. I felt that, since I'm not really learning mantis officially (just some trapping and stuff, not really too many forms) that I just took it off.

I live right near Philadelphia (less than 6 miles out) so I am near pretty much any style you can name. Near my suburb, we have: 7 TKD schools, 2 TSD schools, 4 Kempo schools (3 American "Ed Parker" and 1 Kosho Shorei Ryu), 3 Kung Fu schools (2 mantis and 1 southern style), 2 BJJ schools, and a Judo school that I'm fairly sure is defunct. Out of the 7 TKD schools, I can say for sure only one is not a McDojo. And I know that 4 are considered to be belt factories. And the other one I've never been to or known anyone that studied there. One of the two TSD schools is good. The other is a joke McDojo run by a guy with a rep for cashing in on his "franchise." I study at one of the 4 Kempo schools. Two are definitely McDojos (one charges $105 for twice a week!) and I've not visited the third. All 3 Kung Fu schools have good reputations. One of the two BJJ schools has a decent rep. Both are new but one is ran by a guy with only a year of BJJ experience and questionable credentials. The Judo school is a bit of an enigma. I've called them and I've never had a call back. They don't have a website or anything...just listings in the Yellowpages and on Google.com (and switchboard.com).

I hated the first movie...gah, it was awful.

http://v5o5jotqkgfu3btr91t7w5fhzedjaoaz8igl.unbf.ca/~n39a1/KITTEN~1.JPG Like this?

Well, my all-time favorite will always be Street Fighter II. I played it for the first time in like 1991 or 1992 down at the NJ shore. I bought it as soon as it was released on SNES. It truly set the stage for all following fighting games. In fact, I still consider it a very playable game. Virtual Fighter 4 seems to be the best of the bunch in terms of realism and stuff. But games like MK have their own niche. I tend to like them all.

I haven't played in a few years. It' sone of those things that once I start I really will get myself immersed in it and it'll detract from my other hobbies. Right now I have school and martial arts. The last time I really played was when a guy at a local hobby shop was all cocky and he was playing like 3 guys at once. I watched for a bit and he said "you want some too? I'll play you." So I played him one on one and beat him pretty soundly. He said it was "beginner's luck" and asked for a rematch. I, again, beat him pretty soundly and let him know that underestimating someone is a pretty dumb thing to do...

eh, I dunno, street races don't excite me as much as they used to. When I was a teen (maybe 6-7 years ago) a friend and I would take out his Boss 302 Mustang and cruise around beating people off the line at red lights and whatnot. It was pretty sweet at the time. Now, I don't get the same thrill. Good MPG is so much sweeter than high HP anymore.

Much of it is Kajukenbo derived, much of it came from Chow himself. Also keep in mind, when Villari and Mattera left the Cerio system, they were at a level where they were in a position to create their own techniques and theories. The biggest difference in Kempo from most traditional Martial arts systems is the fact that it is always changing to improve and work more efficiently. A Master 5th degree or higher creating new techniques or kata's isn't exactly a sin within Kempo, and is in fact promoting what makes it so diverse and special. Just like how Bruce Lee taught JKD without set techniques but rather improving theories, Kempo schools branch off and reinvent themselves depending on the Master in charge. To go back to the beginnings of many Eastern US Kempo schools, one can look at the Kajukenbo model, and see how most instructors there are encouraged to teach not set movements but rather with their own flavor for what works with each individual student. Not everyone is the same, and not everything works for everyone. It's the essence of Kempo to evolve The style of Kempo I just took up is based on the idea of "natural law." Kata are still taught but not emphasized nearly as much as general concepts regarding human physiology (natural law). Some styles of Kempo are pretty close to JKD from what I've seen, in that they focus less on fixed positions and more on general concepts.

I'll try and answer this the best I can. To me, an ethical contract is one founded on the following principles: The signer has a good-to-great understanding of what he or she is getting in to. This includes a full disclosure of your own attrition rate, a full and detailed explanation that there is absolutely no guarantee of "black belt rank" or any rank, whatsoever, and that the signer fully comprehends that he or she will be responsible for the full amount of the contract whether or not they decide to leave (including, but not limited to, health problems, lack of interest, conflicting school schedules, and relocation). Obviously, full disclosure like this will probably turn away quite a few people. Is that a bad thing? Well, it depends on what you are looking for. Full disclosure will definitely limit your class to the fully committed (or at least those that feel fully committed at the time) and/or the wealthy. And to the crux of the issue: How to survive in a small business climate with high overhead and remain ethical. This is truly a dilemma faced by nearly every mom-and-pop retail/service shop out there. Things like creative marketing, gimmicky services, hidden (or at least not clearly marked) fees, and quick-and-dirty sales pitches will net you a cash flow for a while. But these types of things are generally disastrous to a small business in the long run. Here are my keys to a successful small retail/service business: 1) Quality product. If you don't serve a good product, all of the gimmicks and marketing in the world won't keep you around. 2) Pleasant staff. Staff that remains pleasant and professional at all times is absolutely critical to a successful business. 3) Smart business model. Find a good location that you can seemingly afford with your projected cost analysis. If you haven't done a cost analysis you're going to be in trouble! Determine the minimum product turnaround necessary to remain afloat and use that as a baseline (in this case the least amount of students). 4) The ability to generate positive word of mouth. If you treat customers like they should be treated you'll find that they, in turn, tell their friends about you. Word of mouth is the fundamental marketing tool... 5) Marketing. Ah, the dreaded marketing. It's important to get your name out there. The yellow pages is a good start. Have a professional website. Have your website accessible to people (put it on business cards, on flyers, in an ad in the yellow pages). 6) Do have specials. Discounts for senior citizens, students, etc. Working on a sliding scale could bring in revenue that might otherwise be lost. 6) Lastly, communication. If a potential client emails or phones you, be prompt in returning their call/email! I can't stress this enough. Especially in the world of martial arts, timing can be critical. People are often "eaten up" by a McDojo or other slick salesman. Don't assume that you're the only place the person is calling, because you are most definitely not. Answer all of the person's questions honestly. If they ask "What is your monthly rate" answer truthfully. I can't tell you how many instructors that answer "Well, it varies. How would you like to come in and watch a class? We can discuss the payment options here." This is the lead-in line to try and pull a pressure sale. Bad idea. Gosh, that was long. I'm not sure how informative that is, but I hope someone can pull something out of it.

Sweet, thanks! Here's a link for those interested: http://bjj.org/techniques/bjjfighter/gi/mount/upa-escape/ It's not too dissimilar to what I am being taught in Kempo.

You can add extra classes, a weapons class, XMA, a (multi year)leadership class. But it's about goal setting, added value to an overall program. And making more money, adding to the bottom line of a school, is part of the deal as well. Some TKD schools can, and do make Chodans in less than three years, an 8 week testing cycle with only 9 gups, you do the math. I personaly have a 12 week cycle. TKD is not the hardest MA to learn and that's where the 3 and 5 year goal setting programs come from. Those goal settings are definitely rooted in financial gain versus some other non-financial reason (added value is what you said). By hanging that black belt carrot in front of potential customers you give added incentive to lock in for a longer period of time. Couple this with the statistical drop out rate of martial arts and you have what I consider to be an unethical business practice. It's very much like car dealers that offer loans to people with bad credit for new cars. They know, statistically, that the person probably won't finish out the contract (loan) but they get their money either way. Same here. Just because it is legal doesn't make it ethical.

DId you go to your doctor/physical therapist? They would be more qualified to answer such a recovery question...

That's fairly rare. The book series is good enough to warrant it, IMO.

A lot of styles don't require high kicking. Many okinowan styles focus a lot on punching and low kicking. Wing Chun uses few, if any, high kicks. Just stay away from Korean styles if you want to avoid high kicking. You could also join a "high kicking" style and learn to strech correctly and eventually be able to perform those kicks.