Montana

100% in agreement on all counts!

The originator of the thread is looking for our opinions and knowledge about the art, so I went to the website at http://www.chunjido.com/ and looked it over. I wrote a whole, long thing about what I saw on the website and how I felt about it, but I think I'll just say...it looks like a typical tae kwon do system from the video I watched. Not all that imprssive. Don't let the hype of what the instructors say on the website influence you. Much of what is said, in my opinion, would have to be verified to make me happy.

I had a student join my class years ago with no prior martial arts experience. He was in his early 20's and he told me from the first that he had bought a black belt when he was 16 and had it set up as a little shrine in his room and hoped some day to earn and be able to wear it. (Yes, a few alarm belts went off about this) He really was a lousy student, and thought he knew it all, when he actually knew nothing. He lasted maybe a month and quit coming. A few months later I ran into another sensei from a different dojo and we got to talking. This students name came up and the other sensei said this guy and coem into his dojo and again, stayed about a month then quit coming. I made it a point over the next month to drop in and say "Hi" to other local instructors I was on good terms with, and found out this guy had done the same thing to two other dojo's. Anyway, as to the question...I see no problem buying a belt before you earn it. Just don't use that as your goal.

I was not required to write a thesis, nor spend days doing a dan test. I tested before the head of my system, Grand Master Kuda Yuichi and my shodan test lasted maybe 10-15 minutes. He called me to the front of the room, asked me to do specific techniques and kata, then motioned me to sit back down. I passed. As for my opinion of a thesis? I see no need for it, but if that is the requirement in the system you've chosen, then you must accept it as a requirement for the test.

Well, if this individual was doing this kata in a tournament in the black belt division, I'd probably score him a 7...out of a possible 10. No power, balance issues, a couple of extra steps in there, etc. Not very impressive IMHO for a black belt...and he's a 9th dan grand master? Sorry to say this, but IMO he didn't do anything to improve the image of TKD to the world.

For the first 10 years or so that I taught, I was just thankful to have SPACE to teach a class, let alone any equipment. Most of the places I taught wouldn't allow us to hang a heavy bag and money was tight for everybody (late 70's).

I disagree. Weapons and their techniques, at least in my system, are an extension of the empty hand techniques. Competency is needed in the karate aspect prior to learned the kobudo aspects.

' I don't allow "practice weapons" in my dojo. Weapons training starts around 4-5th kyu and we use the real thing.

7 years is a long time out of the martial arts. My suggestion is to wear white, advise your sensei that you used to be 1st kyu grade, and you should, because of your experience, progress more quickly than your average student due to your past experience.

What I teach my students about the amount of force to use in a survival situation (real fight, not tournament) is basically what the law states, and that is that you should use the amount of force necessary to insure your survival and safety, and no more than that. However, what I also teach my students is that if you are faced with a situation, such as a home intrusion where your life, or someone else's, is in danger and your truly feel that you could be killed, then the use of deadly force may be needed to keep yourself, or someone else, from dying. Over the 30+ years I've been doing the arts, I've often thought about what I would do if someone broke into my home and held my family and I at gunpoint with the possibility of my own, or a member of my family, being killed. I think (nobody really knows for sure until it happens) that I would not hesitate to do everything in my power, whether it is using the martial arts, a knife or a gun, to kill the home invader. Basically, I feel I would, and could, do anytthing I had to do to keep myself and my family safe.

Not a chance! My students, from youngest to oldest, men AND women, are lumped into the same class..ALWAYS! We train and learn together despite abilities, gender, strengths...and yes, weakness's. I have seveeral people in class with various disabilities, including myself, such as bad backs, knees, shoulders, bad right hand (myself due to a chainsaw injury of the right wrist) etc. Fast learners or slow makes no difference, we are all here to train and learn and we find ways to compensate for those that aren't working with a 100% perfecft body, coordination or brain. I've been teaching this way since 1978 and it works well for me and I wouldn't do it any other way.

definitely would take a lot of practice.

FUNNY!

The first thing I'd ask my student is "Did he touch or swing on you first?" Depending on his answer he'd get obne of two responses from meL: 1. Good job! You defended yourself! 2. All he did was verbally assualt you? *insert butt chewing at this point*

To have martial arts knowledge, say from books and videos, but no experience using that knowledge, such as practice time in a dojo, is pretty much useless in application.

Open tournaments are those that are open to ANY system to enter. IE: karate, TKD, kungfu, kenpo, etc. How do you join? Just show up and register.

Assuming youtr Nahachin is the same as mine...where there is a crossing step then lowering of the center of gravity and both hands come from about the groin straight upwards in front of the torso to center of the chest level...that's movement is breaking a grab/bearhug from behind. Quoting myself here..and noting I made a mistake...what I was talking about is Nahachin Nidan, not shodan...oops! First hand movment of SHODAN is either a right outside open handed block or a strike (take your pick) to the throat followed on the next step by a grasp to the back of the head and an elbow smash.

Your health is the most important thing you have. Without it, you have nothing. Skip the test.

Assuming youtr Nahachin is the same as mine...where there is a crossing step then lowering of the center of gravity and both hands come from about the groin straight upwards in front of the torso to center of the chest level...that's movement is breaking a grab/bearhug from behind.

AGREED!

Just to add. It would take a absolute minimum, if the minimum time between gradings was observed 17 years to go from white belt to 5th Dan. so if they started at 1 year old the youngest would be 18. anything less than that is a shambles Show me a 18 year old 5th Dan and I'll show you a belt factory.

I'm having a sale thru thru end of the year for $200 US currency.

Unless it's the same system, or VERY similar one, all students start out as white belt, 10 kyu in my dojo. I would expect the same of me if I joined a different dojo myself.

I found this on Google under worlds youngest black belts. http://youngblackbelts.tripod.com/ Alexander Maskeny, is only 7 and just received his black belt, in fact he received 3 black belts from “The World Tae Kwon Do Federation”, “Tae Kwon Do Ji Do Kwan, Korea” and “U.S. Tae Kwon Do Grand Master Society”. Here's another link on a couple of guys in their 20's that did it http://www.umamn.com/usa-bin/show-staff.cgi ' Rediculous if you ask me.

Since you mentioned there was a board of other instructors other than your wifes normal instructor, I would guess that they didn't share your opinion of your wifes skills and looked at her thru more unbiased eyes than yoyu and her instructor did. What you saw from your wifes performance might not be the same thing the other instructors saw, or were looking for.