MartialArthur

Not necessarily. Quality of training is just as important as length of time training. Actually it's more important. A dedicated student in an excellent program will be better off than a student in a mediocre program for a longer time. Another example is the guy who only trains 2 times per week vs the guy who trains 5 or 6 times per week. It also depends on the art. Of course if the black belt is promised in any length of time there is a problem, and I wouldn't trust the school. A long length of time does not ensure a quality black belt. In some martial arts, an excellent program can train a skilled black belt in three years. I know because I have seen it.

Don't call me Sir!, aefibird, you guys are exactly right. This is how I would sum up proper TKD self-defense training: 1. Don't let a fight go to the ground. 2. Train for ground fighting 3. Number one priority in ground fighting: how to get up quickly/safely. Oh, yea, and don't punch a guy in the face! Use elbows or palms!!

Fairfax_Uechi, I don't disagree with you at all. The real hopeless cases are very rare, and the guy who this post is about is probably one of them. It is probably his instructor's only hopeless case. Actually, he might not even be hopeless, just stupid and not straightened out by his instructor yet. I stand by my statement that his instructor would be livid if he found out about the incident. If he's a good instructor, he will then straighten him out. I'm not going to jump quickly to point the finger at the instructor because people do stupid things. I really doubt the instructor was ok with him wearing his uniform around town.

Yes, but you do not guarantee that an individual will receive a black belt, including slackers and poor students or bad attitudes. What if I work hard for 2 years and then die? Do I get my money back? My point is that I think it's a myth that some schools guarantee a black belt in a certain amount of time. It just doesn't happen in real MA schools, even the ones that some may call a "McDojo".

No, actually staying on your feet should be your goal. You can deliver much more devastating blows from your feet than you can from the ground, and if need be you can escape. If you go to the ground, you could be totally screwed even if you consider yourself to be a good fighter. That said, all martial artists should learn ground fighting skills. The most important part of my ground fighting is regaining my feet so i can really hurt you (or run away).

Sorry, but Mr Myagi was way off on this one. I have had several students who do not always follow the rules I set out. They do stupid things. I can't imagine an experienced instructor that has not had a problem student or two. Maybe Mr Myagi isn't a real MA instructor, he just plays one in the movies... I would be willing to bet that this guy's instructor does not condone his actions and would be livid if he heard about it.

I wear my schools logo all the time. It's great marketing for my school. I get asked about it, get to have a conversation and sometimes even set up a trial class.

I am familiar with a number of MA schools in several states, and I have yet to hear of a school that guarantees a black belt to anyone. The one exception: several posts on this board about some un-named schools. I don't believe that any real MA instructors guarantee a Black Belt in a certain time frame. Whoever posted that misunderstood the instructor (or the person who knows someone who's cousin's friend said that...) I do think most instructors and most orgs have a minimum time to reach any rank, including Black Belt. I think that is appropriate, and there should not be an accelerated or fast-track program to Black Belt.

Ideally, yes. Unfortunately it doesn't always work that way. If a student's personal health insurance has to dole out thousands of $$ for a back injury, they will look for someone else to sue to recover their money. I would not be so worried about the student suing me, hopefully he likes and respects me. Unfortunately his insurance company (and their lawyers) could care less about me.

What belt will you give yourself in your new style? You do not truly have a proper understanding of martial arts until you have taught martial arts for a long time. Until you teach for a while, you don't realize how much you need to learn. I have been teaching for almost 5 years, and I have a much better understanding of how much I need to learn than I did when I earned my first degree black belt many years ago. I thought I knew a lot.

Is there any personal exposure if someone gets hurt? If something bad happens could you lose your house? I don't think a homeowner's policy would cover it.

It's not just the "instant society" that keeps people from achieving Black Belt. Throughout history, only a very few have reached the top of any pursuit. In the middle ages, most people never became knights. In the 16th century, most people did not explore the world. During the industrial revolution, most people did not become captains of industry. Most Little League ball players never reach the Majors. They all dream of it, but most don't stick with it. The fact is, in any age, most people do not achieve great things. Most people are content to just muddle through an average life. There is nothing wrong with most people. Those of us who are driven to achieve something special are the vast minority.

Most of the taekwondo schools I am familiar with (including mine) work with takedowns, basic ground work and self defense. I have not seen any "pure" taekwondo schools. Yes, taekwondo is the core curriculum, but most instructors and orgs adapt their programs to be more well rounded. We do high kicks, jump and spinning kicks, but not to "get a job done". The flashy kicks are a form of artistic expression, it is what makes taekwondo a beautiful art (and pretty cool). When we need to get a job done, i.e. self defense, we use powerful, direct strikes and kicks at vulnerable areas of the body. We train for this as well, and my students know this. There is an "art" side of taekwondo, as well as a brutal efficiency when needed.

When "Joe Average" sees a child wearing a black belt from my school, he would be absolutely correct in assuming that he is a pretty tough fighter. I have 10 and 11 year old black belt students who could take on anyone their size and would do quite well against even a 12 or 13 year old. They are quite capable of defending themselves against their peers and even against somewhat larger attackers. Of course I'm not going to have kids fighting adults, that would be silly. I don't think anyone in the "mass public" expects a child to be able to fight an adult just because he has earned a black belt. Are they tough kids? Yes. Are they invincible? No.

Your org is different than mine. Belt rank is separate from instructor status. After earning a black belt, you are eligible to enter our instructor program, which includes instructor trainees, certified instructors, and senior certified instructors. We even have a junior instructor program for under 18. We do not make the assumption that someone who is very skilled in MA is automatically instructor material. Since dan rank and instructor role are not linked, there is not really a problem with giving a junior a rank he earns. Now that I think about it, it's a great system.

aefibird, exactly right! It's at a point now that I chuckle every time I see the word "McDojo". While their are certainly poor schools, most people do not do sufficient research before applying the label. And when they apply it, it's for the wrong reasons. A very common mistake is to make a judgement about a school's adult program by observing the schools children's program. When i was coming up through the colored belt ranks (when I was ATA), the kid's program at my school was great for kids, but was nothing like the adult program. The requirements were the same, but the training was completely different, as it should be. While seven-year-olds can benefit greatly from MA training, they do not benefit from hundreds of push-ups. Adults do. The list goes on. Summary: Don't rush to judgement on anything, including an MA program.

Why do we do any of the training excersises we do? Practice and repetition make us better. Kicking a heavy bag a hundred times may seem silly to some people, but we know that by practicing we become better. Kata is a great way to practice our techniques in combination with each other. In each kata, we practice our blocks, stances, strikes and kicks. If you do it with enough intensity, you also get a great workout. Yes, kata can be boring, just like push-ups, kicking drills and jumping-jacks. Yet we do them.

No we don't. I have seen so many different opinions about what is a McDojo that I have come to realize that a McDojo is: "Any school that is not as good, in your opinion, as your own; especially if you've never trained there and have very little real knowledge of it." A real Mcdojo expert can spot a McDojo by looking at a website or looking through the school's windows. Success is a great indicator of a McDojo. Really good MA instructors should be poor.

Wow, I must be an awesome instructor because I can train a black belt in about 2.5 - 3 years, and they are definitely not a joke. Maybe some instructors are not as capable. If it is truly a "life long process", then even 5 - 7 years is not long enough. Being a black belt is a lifelong process, earning one is not. The black belt should not be the culmination of one's training, rather it should be a step along the way. Most serious (lifelong) martial artists earn their blackbelt rather early in their careers. The argument of 2 vs 3 vs 5 or more years is trivial on the whole. ...just my opinion

As I said in my post, I teach them all the core (required) skills. White belt through first degree black test at my school or another local school (the org has 4 schools in my area). Even testings at my school include a judging panel with instructors from at least two other schools. Second degree and above must test at a national testing, and I can assure you my students are well prepared. Outsside of the core requirements, it's up to me to make my school an excellent education and experience for my students. I like not having a lot of limitations so that I can teach how I want.

Hmmm... I'm only a 3rd degree and I already have the power to change taekwondo. Since I own a school I can teach it exactly how I like as long as I include the core skills and forms of traditional taekwondo. How I teach and what else I teach is up to me. I hope you guys that want to change taekwondo only want to change your own taekwondo and not mine. I like mine just the way it is.... Well, OK, I change it from time to time to keep it interesting or incorporate new things, but I get to decide!

Since I own a full time MA school, I take a different approach. I make it a point to wear shirts and jackets with my school logo because I want everyone I meet to know that I teach MA. Personal contact is a great form of marketing, and my shirts often draw inquiries. I've even had people come up to me in church and ask about training for their son or daughter. I typically get "Are you a student or do you teach?", to which I say "both", and that opens the door to a conversation about the great benefits of MA training. A person is much less intimidated walking into my school to meet me after we've already met and talked than it is to walk into a strange place where you don't know anyone. There are vast numbers of people who like the idea of MA training but never get the nerve to walk through the school door. Of course if I'm going into the city or out drinking I do not wear logos.

In my school, I ask the student if they want to wear their black belt. In our org, we have a rank called "1st degree probationary black belt", and that is where I put them. they are allowed to wear their existing belt. In order to earn their "1st degree decided" they must learn all of our material and test just as any other probationary black belt does. This usually takes many months to over a year. If it has been many years since he stopped training, I will evaluate the individual and place him at an appropriate color belt rank. I do not like someone with decent skills to train as a white belt because it's not fair to the true white belts - those without training and knowlege of MA.

Fortunately, your attacker is not likely to have practiced eye gouging, fish-hooking, and joint breaking on a real person either. You must practice devestating techniques, and hope that you never have to find out if they really work. Hopefully the street thug who jumps you doesn't have MA training so your own training will give you an edge.

Kids are definitely the "bread and butter" of our industry. I look at this way: Kids pay the bills, and the adults are for fun. In fact, parents of children students are often the best source of adult students. My advice for the best way to grow an adult MA program: Start a great kids program. Almost every kid has two excellent prospects that shuttle him back and forth.