IcemanSK

My understanding is that roughly half of commercial schools use some sort of contract. Even EFT is a type of contract. I don't do it, but I can see value in ensuring income for the instructor instead of hoping students (or their parents) remember to pay. Schulmann certainly went way overboard, however.

I keep planning trips to Korea, then something keeps coming up & I need to cancel. I really need to go. 32 years of training, I really need to see more than I have.

The unsettling thing is that this guy is still very much in business. UFC fighter Uriah Hall is one of his students. They did a training session for UFC tv about a year or so ago.

In Kukki-Taekwondo (Kukkiwon Taekwondo), one is given a "Poom" rank (rather than a "Dan" rank) until the age of 15. At 15, that student can turn that Poom rank into a Dan rank with no additional test. One can keep 4th Poom rank until age 18, when it will become 4th Dan. That person is eligible for 5th Dan at age 22. Here's a chart that explains it. Poom/Dan Minimum Time Required for Promotion Age Limits for Promotion Start from Dan Start from Poom 1st Poom NA NA Less than 15 Years of age! 1st to 2nd Poom 1 year NA 15 Years of age! 2nd to 3rd Poom 2 years NA 15 Years of age! 3rd to 4th Poom 3 years NA 18 years of age 1st Dan N A 15 years and above N A 1st to 2nd Dan 1 year 16 years and above 16 years and above 2nd to 3rd Dan 2 years 18 years and above 18 years and above 3rd to 4th Dan 3 years 18 years and above 18 years and above

I was 14 when started training. An uncoordinated kid with Cerebral Palsy who was just delusional enough to believe I could actually do this. I got tons of support from the BB's & my master (who made me believe I could fly if he asked me to jump off the roof). This was long before there was any hint of actual ability from me. So, I fell in love with it almost from the beginning. However, I'd say I was about green belt that my body started to click with the techniques. I started with my best friend, who was a natural athlete. They figured he'd train forever & I'd give up. He quit after 6 months & I've trained for 32 years.

I have a friend who is the Senior in his Art who's famous for saying, "I can teach a dog to fight. MA is about much more than that." MA is a holistic endeavor. If all we focus on is who can beat who, we'd all quit the first time we lost...So, somewhere around white belt.

I once trained under a guy who received 4th Dan under his master then had a falling out. After the two had a falling out, he opened up a school directly across the alley (not even across the street!) from his former master & instantly became a 6th Dan (& added a 6th Dan in another Art the old master did not teach). His ego was so huge that he called himself the "state Director" of a worldwide organization, while having the actual State Director of that organization come in & do many seminars for us. For the decade this guy did this, he badmouthed his former master (sometimes within earshot of him; being so close in proximity) often to us. None of this came to light until he & his wife (also our instructor) divorced him. As talented a MAist as he was, he missed the lessons on character & integrity.

Word of mouth from students to their friends is the best way to draw new adult students into class. I listen to adult BJJ students talk about the amazing experience that is a BJJ class and see the huge draw that is for their friends to join class. If we can get our adult students to have that kind of experience, we'll have many long time adult students.

As a Kukki-TKD guy, the most difficult ones for me are Tae Guek Yuk Jang & Pal Gwe Pal Jang. They're also my favorite gup rank poomsae.

I certainly struggle with the idea of whether or not respect is earned or given. It's a very Western question. Koreans, however, do not have such a struggle. In Korean culture, respect is given, rather than earned. Status (of any stripe, in any context) means that person is given respect. Western culture, especially in the USA, is very much as "show me you deserve it and then MAYBE I will respect you" culture. Balancing those 2 sharp contrasts is very difficult. I have to earn my young students' respect in order to teach them that maybe, just maybe, that "little old lady" that they might have ignored might have some wisdom that might be helpful to them, or that the janitor in their school has great value in the world (as great as any sports hero). I would have failed in my job if my students treated me well & call me "sir" but treat their school's janitor as if he didn't exist.

I'm a huge fan of Eosin Panther & have several belts from them. In 2005 I asked about them on a thread here at Karate Forums & a gentlemen from Europe recommended them. I don't go anywhere else for my belts. A few things mentioned about Taekwondo. Shodan is a Japanese term and not used in a Korean martial art. The term in Korean for first dan is IL Dan. Second dan is YI Dan, Third dan is Som Dan. Also, another poster brought up that TKD schools give a new belt each time you increase in rank. This is often the case, especially where rank stripes are put on the belt. I have a "dress belt" with stripes on it that I only wear for special occasions. (I regularly wear a belt with no stripes). The next time I test I will send it back to Mr. Yi at Eosin Panther for him to add another stripe. I wish you all the best in your martial arts journey.

My most embarrassing moments came from same class. I was a 15 year old blue belt, & I brought my girlfriend to watch class. Gotta impress her, right? My attention must have been elsewhere during line drills, when my master stopped class & asked me (in front of the whole class) "What are you thinking about, your girlfriend, or something? I turned red & she laughed. Later that night, I decided I was going to put everything into a spinning crescent kick (that I'd only learned the week before & was terrible at) to a pad held by my partner. My foot went over the pad, but I lost my balance & I fell hard & hit my head on the indoor/outdoor carpet over concrete that was the floor. I was nearly knocked out. Needless to say, she never came to class again.

I'm not comfortable with the idea of "either/or" in most things. I'm more of a "both/and" type of guy. I certainly appreciate your point about if one has no confidence, training matters little. However, confidence alone can produce folks like this guy.

I've trained under a very experienced fighter (who was also a great trainer), as well as folks who have had little competition experience. While the fighter who was a great trainer was able to discuss nuances that non-fighters missed, I think it was because he was a teacher at heart. I think it comes down to whether or not a fighter can teach. I've trained with several excellent fighters that couldn't see beyond themselves enough to teach well at all.

It depends on where I go. This last weekend I traveled to So. Dakota for a family wedding & a funeral. Five days of visiting & eating way too much & no energy to train. Staying with family that don't really know me (wife's family) makes it hard to do the things I normally do. But if I go home to see my folks in Chicago I always make sure I train. I can insist & no one questions it. If we go somewhere purely for fun, it's a struggle to workout, honestly. I have to really pack & plan for it. When I do that, I will train.

Despite a lot of thoughts of putting them in a belt rack of some sort, they're all in a box in my office. I have all my BB certificates on the wall, however. One of these days I'll get a belt rack. This is the one I like: http://macho.com/victory-belt-rack.aspx

I go to nursing homes often & talk with seniors. A few years ago I started envisioning myself as a senior going down to a local MA & helping out, somehow (if I could no longer train). Maybe I'm seeing an idealized vision, but that's (at the least) what I'd hope to do.

My only thing about a student wanting to cross train is "how different is what they want to train in than what we do here?" 20 years ago, as an assistant at a TKD school, I began also training across the street at a boxing gym. Because it was quite different in technique than TKD, my instructor had no issue with it. Now owning my own school, if my student came to me & said, "I want to also train in BJJ," they'd go with my blessing. For me, the key would be the student's honesty with me. I'd be upset if I found out after they'd been doing it awhile...or worse, finding out second hand.

Thank you for your insights on this. I was once the senior American student of my first master (years ago), but he had taken over the school from someone else: gaining plenty of senior BB's when he did. I never was in the position of being senior student under him, in any capacity. I do, however, have a friend who is the #2 man in his system (70 years old & has trained for 50 years) , & he has told me what it's like from his perspective. Like you, he mentioned "perks" of being the senior. Like you, he wasn't always comfortable with it. He told me that it's very odd never touching his own suitcase again, once he showed up to an event (as juniors would trip over themselves to help him). He mentioned how rarely felt like "one of the boys" among his training partners. It's why, he told me, he liked spending time training with me. Since I wasn't in his system, we could share ideas and be relaxed with one anther. Had I been in his system, I would not have been relaxed, I'm sure. He told me that when his master died, there was a clamoring of high-ranked students begging the master to rank them up with his dying breath. Then after, a constant asking of my friend for the same thing. After speaking with him & reading your thoughts, I don't envy either of you in the least. I'm happy to be where I am & enjoy helping out where I can.

I PM'd you the info.

For Kukkiwon style Taekwondoan, 4th Dan KKW is mandatory in Korea (as well as passing an instructor's course at Kukkiwon...not an easy test, BTW). Sensei8 is correct. In the US, anyone can open a school at any rank. I opened up my school under the close supervision of my GM at 2nd Dan. Now at 4th Dan, I see the value of the Korean requirement. I've learned a great deal in the time since I've opened my school that I wish I'd known before I started.

There was a time in my life when I trained to the point that it got it in the way of living my life. I got up at 5 am & ran 3-4 miles, then went to work. When I got home, I was a the gym for two hours each night. To the folks at the gym, I was an energizer bunny. I wasn't preparing for a fight, I was trying to somehow make up for the fact that my dad was dying of cancer (and I couldn't fix him...so I fixed me!) Over the better part of a year, I lost 60 lbs. I walked around at 140 lbs. on my 5' 9.5" frame. Even my instructor was worried & told me to slow down & not train so much. I ate whatever I wanted, but never missed training. I was depressed, but I thought things were great because I was training. Somedays, I'd get up & run & then call in sick to work. It took awhile, but I got past it. As others have said above, if one's training gets in the way of family, work, &/or fun, it's time to reassess one's life.

Thanks for this!!!

My question is, "why would he do that?" A question you'll never really know the answer to. At the end of it, however, your sensei backed You. This, while annoying and a head scratcher, is completely repairable by your sensei & you. Try not to loose much sleep over it. While this could have been much worse to repair, had your sensei not been there...he was there and has your back. All my best.

I used to judge fights for the IKF back in the late 90's-early 2000's. I remember Mark as a good fighter. Very sad, indeed. Prayers for his family & loved ones.