tessone

If you want to cross-train in two different arts, that's one thing. However, what is served by training in two rival styles of the same art? A lot of people in the martial arts have no respect for their instructors and take a very Western, smorgasbord approach to everything. If something doesn't suit them, they walk out and blame the instructor. Respecting one's instructor is extremely important, and training under a rival master is extremely disrespectful. In KSW, if we want to train somewhere outside our own dojang, we're supposed to get permission from our instructor and the instructor of the school we're going to. Nearly 100% of the time, the instructor will say yes, and often they'll know the guy or gal, give them a call, or at least send greetings through you, etc. But this way they have some oversight over your training, since it's their job.

Learn martial arts from a book? Not a chance... Martial arts isn't just a collection of techniques, forms, etc. It's a way of life, and you can't participate in a way of life alone, with books. I strongly believe that training with others is crucial.

Got my yellow belt today.

Hi! Welcome to the forums, and I look forward to reading your posts!

On the question of low stances, I don't understand why schools don't train with low stances. The reason I hear from people is that it isn't practical for self-defense--who ever said it was supposed to be? I always thought it was just for building leg strength... I'd chuckle if anyone dropped into a low stance in a street fight.

Congrats! Any plans for college? I remember how nice it felt to have my last class in high school. Now I still have two years til my B.A. and another six after that to the Ph.D. I'm going to be in school for a loooooooong time.

Last night at testing, our master asked us to do our form the way SaiFights describes (starting in defensive stance and doing everything with the opposite side). It was an interesting exercise, and the people who had the form down best went the farthest before he told us to stop. I certainly plan to try it backwards more often! _________________ Chris Tessone White Belt, Kuk Sool Won [ This Message was edited by: tessone on 2002-05-29 14:03 ]

Welcome to the forums, WhiteShark!

I'm not so convinced it's a rip-off. Think about all the things your organization has to pay for on the very small percentage they get from testing fees (a bit higher for black belt) and your yearly dues. Those bills can get pretty expensive, especially when you're supporting thousands (sometimes millions) of students with literature, gear, seminars, etc.

The entire World Kuk Sool Won Federation uses the same system: White Yellow Blue Red Brown Brown-Black Black (up to 10th degree) There are stripes (or tips) between each belt level. There aren't many belts compared to some other arts, but there's a whole lot to learn for each one. Also, getting from brown to black requires getting seven black stripes (I think this is standard--KSN Doug?) and testing twice (with a year between each test) after getting three black stripes.

Although his economic policy bugs me sometimes, I like Vladimir Vladmirovich a great deal. Did anyone on the forums see his speech to the American nation following 9/11? We saw it several times a day over there for about a week. It was really touching (don't know how it sounded in translation).

...or else there were political considerations at play. Not everything is as simple as "WTF sucks".

I don't think skipping stripes is too bad, because stripes just measure your progress toward the end of a very specific part of the curriculum. They're intermediate stages only. As for belts... I dunno. If someone is so impatient to get to the next rank, I think they're missing the point. One could spend years at the white belt level perfecting the basic kicks, your first form, and your first few techniques, and still have things to learn. It's nice to advance and learn new things, but doing it too fast comes at a cost. KSW's motto: "We need more practice."

The katas are not there for no reason. The katas are meant to contribute to the overall abilities of the martial artist. However, to say that self defense is the most important aim of martial arts is to miss the whole point, which is much greater and cannot be divided into component parts and rated for importance. Secondly, don't write off the whole belt system just because black belts in some arts are easy to get. There's a thread about this, I think here in the General Martial Arts forum. You might want to read it.

I just got my staff today, and I'm content to just practice with it.

That stuff is usually taught around the black belt level in KSW. I think some instructors hold self-defense style classes where they teach this earlier, though. There have been a number of articles in Black Belt about defenses against a gun attack. If they're close and you're fast, it seems like it could work. If they're six feet away from you, you're in trouble. _________________ Chris Tessone White Belt, Kuk Sool Won [ This Message was edited by: tessone on 2002-05-23 22:21 ]

I dunno about that. I've clocked myself pretty hard in the arms and head with a bong before. Not fun.

Very true about the flashiness. It's surprising how simple moves can look *really* impressive to someone who's watching.

I like it! The red border really brings the image together (both graphically and philosophically).

Personally, I'd recommend buying regular mats and doing the floor in a thin carpet. That way your students will build callouses on their feet, situps won't be weird like on the mats, etc. _________________ Chris Tessone White Belt, Kuk Sool Won [ This Message was edited by: tessone on 2002-05-23 21:09 ]

If he's doing all kinds of self-defense techniques, he's going to need the rubber knives and guns. Rubber knives also work well for falls. One of the black belts will often hold one under us when doing front falls. Can't hurt you, but it's still a good psychological motivator.

Welcome to the forums! What art do you do? I know for certain there is a Kuk Sool Won studio in Barcelona, because a friend of mine is training there next year during his study abroad. I don't know about other arts.

Every martial artist I know started with the staff.

I really had to think about it, though. I think the last time I took a pain reliever was before I started Kuk Sool, and that's been about a month and a half. I'm not big on pain medication.

Ah well. I guess I'll have to stick to bongs*. * For those who don't happen to practice Korean arts, I'm not referring to anything illegal. Bong is just the Korean word for "staff".