bushido_man96

And then hopefully convince them of the value of continued practice.

Many instructors are going to be looking to make some money, so they can stay open and perhaps take home a little extra for themselves. I don't think teaching Martial Arts should be a volunteer venture. It is possible to find a good school that charges high monthly dues.

You've got the bare bones of the difference here. There are some other differences, as well, but for the most part, its the focus of the two arts that separate them.

That's actually the main thing I have been doing in this forum so I guess I am on the right track. Honestly I got most of my "little" MA knowledge from here That's ok. Keep reading, learning, and once you do, go check what we say here against other sources. Another important step is to not overwhelm yourself with too many subjects at once. Research one thing for a while, and give it a good focus. Then branch out.

I'd say if you are a year out, and are doing daily routine things, then I don't see why you couldn't start back up. You need to listen to your body when you train, and just pace yourself, and test the waters as you go forward.

Its great to see you back! Alan makes a good point, there's no need to get ahead of yourself. Keep your pace up; it sounds like you are doing great. By the way, I agree with you on the pain meds. I can't stand them, and try to avoid them if at all possible. Tylenol and the like are good enough for me.

It really depends on what your goals are. If you want to increase your strength, then MA training won't be enough. If you want to get stronger, then you will need to spend some time lifting weights. If you are satisfied with what you get out of your MA class, then there's no need to worry about it.

I agree. Seek out the schools in your area, and watch some classes and speak to the instructors. See what they have to offer, and see if they meet your goals. Are you looking for competition opportunities? Self-defense? A good, physical training session? You should consider what you want out of your training, and then see which school offers what you want. Let us know what you decide on.

This, with TKD. I hear you loud and clear here.

That's right, folk style season. Freestyle/Greco falls in after the folk style season. We do the Freestyle/Greco practices until they filter out and/or baseball starts up, but I haven't convinced him to compete in Freestyle or Greco yet. He's a bit afraid of getting thrown and slammed.

This- as a general response to all self defense classes... I agree here as well. I think the big thing is like what was mentioned by Lupin. Teaching good situational awareness up front is the best way to start. From there, when you get into the physical aspect of the class, very basic stuff, and a number of reps.

No students = no style anymore. Must have those students. They are the style's most important assets, as they are the future.

There are already lots of good answers here, so there isn't much I can add. I will say this; we've all been there before. It takes time to build it, like with anything else. Ask questions, to those you know, and possibly to others around the area, if you can seek them out. I love to read, and have quite a sizable library of MA books, so I've got some answers from there. Youtube videos are a great source, too, if you can sift through all the noise out there and find the good ones (there are some members here that have some great channels to check out). Aside from all those options, this community has been greatly responsible for things I've learned about the MAs in general. Its easy to get stuck in an echo chamber where are you hear about is your own school, let alone your own style, especially in small areas without much else. Coming here helped me to look beyond what I would do, and see how others approach things, and then, I try to take that back to my training. Its a fantastic resource. Don't worry. The longer you stick with it, the more you'll learn, and the more that you'll realize is out there to learn.

Ok, its been way to quiet here for far too long. So, on Monday, I got myself to the TKD room for a solo training session. 11/26/2016 TKD Training: 2:00 pm - 2:45 pm. I basically did my own mini-class. I went through basics, then white belt and the two orange belt forms, and the white belt and orange belt one-steps. I had a good stretch, and then it was off to pick the kids up from school. Man, I am sore a few days later!

I understand your passion. I also understand what you are saying about just being able to train and not worry about thoughts of rank and structure. It really just depends on how we are brought up in the Martial Arts. Boxers and Wrestlers probably don't care as much about rank as they would ability on the mat. Those exposed primarily to the Eastern styles tend to hold rank and structure in high regard. It can be hard to see the middle ground at times.

Funny you bring this up. The first practice was on Monday, 11/26, and both were out there for it. I'm not sure what the tournament schedule looks like yet, but we are off and running with practice! Stay tuned for details!

Knowing how to fight standing up and how to fight on the ground is very beneficial.

Welcome back!

Best of luck to you! Please lets us know how it goes!

Hey, good to see you, Justice!

Most of what you say here is true about all styles. Not many are made to take on more than one opponent, and third party intervention with a knife is bad no matter if it is one on one or three on one.

I can't tell if you are frustrated with some of the responses in the thread here, but when you mention this above, it sounds like you don't think we entirely understand what you were posting about. I don't mean this to sound negative or anything, I'm just working through what's been discussed so far. And it is true that at times the thread will turn in different directions. It just happens at times, with so many different perspectives. I wanted to focus on this portion in your opening post: I think everyone sees what the subject here is, and we all have different ways of looking at it, and I think everyone has shared some good ideas, too. I do understand your predicament. Early on as a black belt instructor, I taught a course that was for a college credit in TKD. The students had to come to class and participate, and those who wanted to test could do so, but it wasn't required. However, most of them did want to, and did so, gaining some rank along the way. It wasn't a guaranteed test, though. They had to know their material, and demonstrate that they were competent to test. If they passed, they received an appropriate rank, like all other students. I think if you really are stuck on giving out ranks, as opposed to participation certificates, then this would be a good approach to take. Make it like any other class, with material that is tested on.

Not seen that one before. Thanks for posting it, Alex.

This caught my eye, so I thought I'd see how it applied to my own school. Our school runs on approximately two month testing cycles. Sometimes, during the summer months, our instructor will put off a testing for another month to give students more time. However, not every student tests, is expected to test, or is eligible to test. And we do no-change students if need be. We have our traditional class curriculum, and we have a separate ranking system and curriculum for our Little Lions program, which is for 6-8 year olds. Its two different programs. Its no question, though, that the Little Lions program helps a great deal to supplement the income of the school. McDojo, or good business planning? This is not the case at my school. Our GM is not a published author, and we don't really have a "pro-shop" to sell anything. Most of what is sold is stuff for the gym members; protein, supplements, etc. Our classes are always combined. We haven't had enough students to justify classes for beginner/intermediate/advanced classes. We used to have a black belt class, but haven't had that for some time. I don't think that makes us a McDojo, though. Nope. Our forms are a touch different from other versions, but they aren't adjusted for tournament purposes. Its not a "passing thought" in our school, but it is part of the belt curriculum. We don't train any forms applications, other than those put together in our one-steps. It is still an important part of our training, though. And, I think there needs to be some perspective here. TKD, especially when the pioneers started to design their different forms to separate from the Shotokan background, never really did do forms applications the way it was done in other styles of Karate. This is more of a stylistic difference, in my opinion. Yep, we have child black belts. They train the same curriculum as the adults, and must meet the same testing requirements as the adults. So, it appears my school hits on at least three of the points you've made above. I guess if others would want to refer to my school as a McDojo, then so be it. But I know that I've never been guaranteed to pass a test, and have not had anything handed to me in my journey throughout. My point is that not all of those things mean you are finding a McDojo. Each school needs to be looked at and evaluated to see if it is going to fit the wants and needs of the prospective student.

Congratulations everyone!