Azmyth Posted March 29, 2004 Share Posted March 29, 2004 Hi all.. I'm studying ITF tae kwon do down in Ga. I think I have a rather good teacher... anyway I hope to be competing in some tourneys. Is it ok for students to go to tourneys without consent from the teacher at their own school? The only tourney's I have been to are school sanctioned meaning no other schools participate. But I wanna get out in the world and meet and compete against other schools and even other styles. Also.. I wanted to know if my school had any symptons of a mcdojo 1. black striped belts seperating the traditional solid color belts to add extra rank 2. 20 minutes of class is used stretching 3. no seperation between kids and adult classes, meaning 5 year olds are in my class there are also alot of ranks in my classes who I think do not have the material down well enough to have the rank. I dunno... "Fear does not exist in this dojo does it?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
embm Posted March 29, 2004 Share Posted March 29, 2004 We also have all ages in our classes, since, all ages learn the same material, it would be senseless to separate the groups. Also, I think if you must use your self defense skills that you can't pick and choose who you would use them against. In other words, if you are a 16 year old female, do you think you would be attacked by another 16 year old female or by a 30 year old man? Same for a 7 year old child. You don't get to choose. Therefore, we teach students how to defend against multiple types of attackers. We also spend about 20 minutes per class stretching and warming up to prevent injury. That is simply common sense. You cannot train effectively when you are injured and warming up and stretching prevents injury and puts you in the right frame of mind for training. As to people who you feel are ranked inappropriately, my Sabunim states you must be able to perform the techniques to the BEST of your ability. I am not speaking of memory work for forms, but for things like jump kicks. I am a 40 year old woman, even though I am a black belt, I can only do twemio yap chagee to chest level - about 5 feet high. Does that mean that I do not deserve the rank I have worked for, since I have 17 year old students that can do a jump kick over their heads? No, because I train to the best of MY ability, which is what my instructor asks me to do. Regarding tournaments, ask your instructor. He may feel you are not ready to compete yet or he may support your decision to compete, however, you won't know unless you ask. Team RespectI may have taught you everything you know, but I haven't taught you everything I know. Age and treachery can beat youth and speed any day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azmyth Posted March 29, 2004 Author Share Posted March 29, 2004 I feel as if stretching should be done on your own before class starts. Thats how I grew up doing martial arts. As far as the kids in the class go.. We don't spar, or anything.. its just that the kids are so disruptive that it makes the class stop and get interrupted. There are some times when one kid will make the rest of the class sit in a position that wears us down while they decided that acting up is more important than learning. It would be different if the kids were better mannered. Some of the kids are a joy to be around, but the few troublemakers that inhabit every class makes it miserable for those of us who do want to learn. When I said that people don't deserve their ranks.. I meant that if you know ur form, and you know the material.. and u are doing it to the best that you can do.. then I feel u deserve the rank. I'm not saying u should be able to do each kick perfect.. but u should know ur material. There are students I have seen who just don't care, and it shows in their forms and sparring... they take no inititive to get better.. they lag around and just mope. Thats what I meant... I myself have trouble doing certain kicks, but I do them to the best of my ability.. and I give it 100%.. and as long as u do that.. then u deserve it. "Fear does not exist in this dojo does it?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red J Posted March 29, 2004 Share Posted March 29, 2004 3. no seperation between kids and adult classes, meaning 5 year olds are in my class This doesn't sound like a good idea to me. Adults and five year olds? How is that beneficial to you or the five-year-old? And if the instructor is making the entire class sit, including the adults, when the kids act up, give me a break. If you want serious training then you need to find a place that can provide it. My two cents.... I had to lose my mind to come to my senses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
equaninimus Posted March 29, 2004 Share Posted March 29, 2004 I wish we had twenty minutes to stretch. There have always been Starkadders at Cold Comfort Farm! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stl_karateka Posted March 29, 2004 Share Posted March 29, 2004 Is it ok for students to go to tourneys without consent from the teacher at their own school? No---not because going to tournaments outside of your school is wrong, but because you are being disobienent and therefore disrepectful to your instructor. Talk to your sensei....why don't they allow outside competitions? Explain your concern. If it doesn't work out and he is adamant about you not competing, then you need to respect his decision or find a school that will allow you the freedom to compete. Also.. I wanted to know if my school had any symptons of a mcdojo 1. black striped belts seperating the traditional solid color belts to add extra rank ---Are you being charged for these extra belts? Tests? Is this for the adults or just for the kids? Do you get them on a 'scheduled' basis, or based on merit 2. 20 minutes of class is used stretching - How long is the class? If its a 30 min class then, yeah...that's a problem Seriously though -- stretching is important and often times overlooked...be thankful!!! 3. no seperation between kids and adult classes, meaning 5 year olds are in my class --- All the time? My current school has 'open hours' on Saturdays, and that is the only time we have all ranks and ages on the floor at the same time. Of course there is usually about 5-10 black belts floating around and we can break them up accordingly. Honestly, that sounds like a detrimental teaching environment --- you can't teach a 5 yo the same way you teach an adult. Do they literally have class together, same sensei...or do they split up...please explain more. Bottom line --- are you learning quality martial arts? You say there are a lot of people who have rank but don't know the material well enough --- may I ask what rank you are? Do you know how long students had to train there to get black belts? Sorry, I've asked more questions than I've answered --- but the term McDojo has been thrown around so much --- its not my job to label anyones dojo --- but I will present the questions and you should be able to make an educated determination for yourself. KarateForums.com Sempai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azmyth Posted March 30, 2004 Author Share Posted March 30, 2004 Ok.. more detailed. the ranks... when i first took from this affiliation they had only solid colored belts with tags. you get 2 tags per rank. now they have a belt with a black stripe in between the solid belts.. so it would be white, white with 2 yellow tags... now its white, yellow, yellow with black stripe, and so on.. and yes it costs more because u have to pay a testing fee for this extra belt, and as far as I can tell it doubles the time. I'm Blue Belt.... Oh, and the kids are in ALL the classes... in my classes we range from white belt to black, and from 3 to 40 in age. I have sparred a 5 year old.. on my knees. I have been going there for about 8 months, and I started at green with a black stripe since I had been out of it for a while.. I just now tested for blue. I learn alot.. but I just feel like I could be learning more. anyway maybe that helps. "Fear does not exist in this dojo does it?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramymensa Posted March 30, 2004 Share Posted March 30, 2004 Now that sucks. You shouldn't be paired with kids. We have a mixed class too, but we, grown ups are working together and the kids are in th left side of the class and work separatelly with an assistant. We "meet" only at the stretching time (it's 30 minutes in our dojo) and at the line up. Competing against your coleagues in the school is OK, but NOT enough. You need other schools in the tourney to be able to relate to the "real" world. Discuss with your instructor all these problems and be ready to make the move if you feel the things remain the same after the little chat. The extra ranks ... they are not OK, but .. World Shotokan Karate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John G Posted March 30, 2004 Share Posted March 30, 2004 Azmyth, stl_karateka summed up the competing aspect much the same as have had I. With regard to the other questions: 1. black striped belts seperating the traditional solid color belts to add extra rank Find out if your club is a member of ITF or just using the ITF tul/form/pattern set. ITF are very clear on the system of rank Students must grade through the following belts in the following order: white belt given to the beginner (10th gup) white belt yellow tags (9th gup) yellow belt (8th gup) yellow belt green tags (7th gup) green belt (6th gup) green belt blue tags (5th gup) blue belt (4th gup)) blue belt red tags (3rd gup) red belt (2nd gup) red belt black tags (1st gup) through to Black Belt (1st dan/degree). Somethings wrong if your club is going outside this system, that is unless your club is not affiliated with ITF. 2. 20 minutes of class is used stretching This is normal along with a 5 - 10 min cool down stretching at the end of the class. This is assuming classes are 1 1/2 hrs+ long. 3. no seperation between kids and adult classes, meaning 5 year olds are in my class This can be a pain in the butt, I guess it depends on class size among other factors. 4. There are also alot of ranks in my classes who I think do not have the material down well enough to have the rank. With respect, its up to the instructor to make that decision not you. Is your club a MCdojo? You can only be the judge of that, go with your gut instinct. Respectfully, John G Jarrett III Dan, ITF Taekwon-Do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azmyth Posted March 30, 2004 Author Share Posted March 30, 2004 Yeah, I like what I'm learning.. and at the pace we are learning. I really don't have a choice since its the only school within driving distance, his prices are fair, and I can attend as many classes a week as I like. our classes last 45 minutes. 15-20 min for stretching and the rest consists of going through the motions, and either forms or sparring depending on the day. I think I'm gonna try to go to the later classes... I think most of the adults go then. "Fear does not exist in this dojo does it?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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