MartialArthur

I send out humorous "come back to class" cards to students who have not been to class in a few weeks. I also keep all former students on my mailing and email lists for newsletters and announcements. ..

And replace it with what?? Yes, it's not the best scoring, rules, editing, etc.; but at least it is about martial artists. As flawed as it is, it's better than 90% of the other crap on TV these days. Remember, it's not designed to entertain hard core martial artists; it needs to appeal to the un-initiated masses. ..

I much prefer watching The Contender, Final Fu, or The Ultimate Fighter than shows like Survivor or Big Brother. Even though all three fight shows have their flaws and are over-edited, at least they are not just a bunch of pathetic losers with no skills trying to stab each other in the back to make a quick buck. Unlike the typical "reality" shows, they feature people who have worked hard to achieve real skills. ..

I have no problems with this show. Keep in mind, the show is not produced to entertain martial artists. We are much too small of a market. If you are a novice or a non-martial artist you might be excited by watching these young people who obviously have some skills. A good martial artist can throw fast, powerful, techniques. A better martial artist can throw fast, powerful techniques with pinpoint control. The better martial artists will have the self-control to play within the rules, however much we don't like them. In order to succeed on TV, the show must have broad appeal. Let's face it: if they followed us around the dojo with cameras for a few weeks no one would watch! Also, this is the only "reality" show I have seen on TV where most of the contestants are very respectful and answer "Yes Sir!" to the host. They don't appear to be the pathetic bunch of losers you see on most "reality" shows. My verdict: As a martial arts training video: Poor As interesting entertainment for the non-MA: not bad ..

Fortunately, time and training requirements for the black belt rank are not set by most of us, but rather people who have a much deeper understanding of their arts. I am a 3rd degree black belt, but i don't feel that I'm qualified to make such a determination or criticize another group for their requirements. My organization's national board of review (all 6th degree and above masters) sets the standards, and I don't think it's my place to second guess them. If your art has a legitimate governing body with qualified masters setting the requirements, I say the that should be good enough. Who am I to say that's not good enough or not long enough?

Different people learn at different paces. Some work herder and more often than others and will therefore take longer to achieve Black Belt. Some martial arts are more difficult to learn and take longer to reach Black Belt. Length of time to reach Black Belt does not say anything about the art itself. There is nothing "fishy" about telling a student a typical timeframe to reach black belt. It does not mean that he/she will reach it in that timeframe, it just gives them an idea of what is involved. Outside of this forum, I have never heard of any actual school "promising" a black belt in a certain time (except for a few posts on this forum).

I agree with both of you. It's the fundamentalists that want to take the words literally. I don't think there is really a problem. ..

In many cases it's a good thing. Religion can interfere with drug use, promiscuity, dishonesty...even though people may enjoy these activities. That's the point: fundamentalists take the bible literally as part of their religion. They believe every word in the Bible is literal, including Mathew 6:24 "No one can serve two masters". I don't agree with them, but this is what they say. ..

I get different t-shirts made every couple of months. People love buying t-shirts. Be careful about the economics... unless you sell most of them right away, you will be at a negative cash flow if you charge too little. I typically sell t-shirts for $18, and my cost is usually about $7. If I buy 50 shirts ($350), I only need to sell 20 right away to be at break even. If I sold them for $12, I would need to sell 30 right away to be at break even. I usually have a few that never sell (perhaps an unpopular size), so that adds to the true cost as well. If you sell t-shirts at cost, you must sell every one of them right away or you are in the hole. ..

How well a person is trained is much more important than what he trains in. A beginner in a combat MA would have his clock cleaned by a skilled karate practitioner. The style is less important than the level of skill and training. I love this one. If you follow that logic, you would want to eliminate heavy bag work (heavy bags don't hit back), target drills (targets don't hit back), pushups (the floor doesn't hit back), ...etc. Board breaking serves a definite and useful purpose. Unlike any other training aid, it gives definitive feedback about force and focus of a technique. Just like any other training aid, it's not essential by itself, but it's useful as a tool when used in an overall training regimine. ..

You will probably need a Federal tax ID as well as a state tax number. I would strongly recommend liability insurance. ..

Must be different than my taekwondo too. None of what we do is just for show. We teach self defense, but also train for physical fitness, speed, agility, and power. Sure we do high kicks and jump spinning kicks for those who want to learn them. Why not? They sure are a lot of fun, and the younger students want to learn them. Is there something wrong with having a little fun while learning martial arts? ..

I love the high kicks as much as the next guy. I love setting up my opponent with sidekick jabs to the torso and then turning one over and smacking him on the back of the head...or catching the helmet with a spinning hook kick so that he has to turn his helmet back around on his head. That is for sparring and having fun only. In the unlikely event that I find myself in a real fight I would never try a high kick. My goal would be to deliver a devistating attack that would end the fight quickly. Unless delivered and placed perfectly, head kicks are unlikely to accomplish that. Since I spar several times a week, but I don't ever really fight people, practicing my high kicks is definitely worthwhile. ..

The whole world will be different in 25 - 30 years. Whatever laws and requirements there are now are likely to be much different in the coming decades. You might very well need some sort of professional license someday in the future. As far as federal taxes, there are proposals currently being considered in the legislature that would completely change things like withholding tax and income tax in general. Until you are within a couple of years of opening your school, I would not worry about business regulations. Concentrate on your personal development and document your new art. ..

The 19 - 30 age group is almost non-existent in my school. Here is what I see: All of the 18 and under students' fees are paid for by mom or dad. All of the adults pay their own way. I guess there is a gap in time between when someone's MA training is free and when it is worth paying for. ..

Are we talking about becoming a master or just a black belt? I think everyone will agree it takes many years to become a master. A black belt, on the other hand, is just beginning the journey to master. Example: the US military can train some people to be lethal killing machines that are extremely cool under fire in a matter of a few months. It can be done. Is "chi power" supposed to be a requirement of black belt? Being an instructor and being a black belt are two entirely different things. Many outstanding martial artists are terrible teachers. ..

For most of us, there is no need for martial arts at all. We train because we want to, not because we have to. We do the high flying techniques because we want to and because we can... and they're fun. ..

Why not? How long do you think it should take? My school takes a minimum of 2.5 years but 3 years is more typical. Some people on here have argued that it should take 10 years minimum. Of course it depends on the art, the instructor, the individual, and the frquency of training. I think this argument will be as easy to settle as arguing what is the best color. I like blue. ..

Maybe her teaching is high quality but her standards are so high that private lessons are needed in addition to group classes in order to pass the tests. Seriously, she is up front about the private sessions, so maybe it's just how her system works. Private lessons can be useful, and group classes are useful. What's bad about a hybrid system that relies on both? ..

Good for you! It's always fun to learn new and challenging techniques. Learning the "high-flying" stuff adds a great bonus to your training and can be very rewarding. Since I never actually get into fights, and I live and work in very safe neighborhoods, I have the same viewpoint. I'm in it for the workout and the challenge. Oh, and it's my job. Working on the practical stuff is important, but learning the fancy stuff makes it fun. I love teaching my teen students how to do the 360-jump-spin kicks. I think their parents are amazed that a 45-year-old instructor can demonstrate such a move. Most of the "lobby parents" best thing is swinging a golf club or working the TV remote... and many of them are younger than me! MA keeps me young, and doing the arial kicks makes me feel young. ..

I don't like the headbands ..

Great post, Aodhan. BTW, I don't allow headbands in my school ..

Absolutely true, JimmyNewton. There are 80-year-old masters in wheelchairs that I would love to learn from. ..

Yes, that was a good thread. I am interested in the numbers, hence the poll. ..

On many of the threads there is much posted about the effectiveness or lack of effectiveness of a martial art. Of course I like having the ability to fight and defend myself, but I personally have never gotten into a street fight as an adult and prefer not to. Even if I did get into a fight, I think it's more likely to be a guy at a bar throwing a haymaker or trying to tackle me rather than squaring off against a skilled fighter. I train more to stay in shape and stay focused. Since my school is in a suburban community, most of my students are here to work out and be challenged, but I don't think they actually get into street fights either. I'm interested to know how many people train because they actually need to because they fight often or live/work in a dangerous area where they feel threatened, and how many train just because they like the training. ..