a quick question

[kboxer47]

hey, ive been attending a kempo karate school for some time and i train as hard as i can every class, but in under a year ive found that ive surpassed even the high ranked students and i feel that im not getting a lot out of it. well the other day i was training with a guy that practises Brazilian jujitsu and he was a fantastic fighter and offered me to come train at his dojo( and excuse me if dojo isn't the correct term). ive been interested in the style for a very long time and feel that i can seriously learn a lot more and become ten times the fighter i could learning kempo. but my question is, is dojo loyalty more important then wanting to become a better fighter? thanks for your help.

[isshinryu5toforever]

It depends on what your goal is. Either way it's going to take time. Now, the Kempo dojo you are in is either poor, or you aren't seeing everything clearly. With under a year of practice, I unfortunately would tend to think the latter. One question, what makes you think you've surpassed the higher ranking students?

[KempoTiger]

hey, ive been attending a kempo karate school for some time and i train as hard as i can every class, but in under a year ive found that ive surpassed even the high ranked students and i feel that im not getting a lot out of it. well the other day i was training with a guy that practises Brazilian jujitsu and he was a fantastic fighter and offered me to come train at his dojo( and excuse me if dojo isn't the correct term). ive been interested in the style for a very long time and feel that i can seriously learn a lot more and become ten times the fighter i could learning kempo. but my question is, is dojo loyalty more important then wanting to become a better fighter? thanks for your help.

Honestly? No loyalty is not important if it is hindering your goals. Though I will say this, if you're attending my school as one of my students, keep in mind whomever you are I can still kick your butt all over the mat

j/k, but in all seriousness if you live in the NY area out on LI, come on down to my school. We have alot to offer you if you're serious about training beyond learning katas and such.

[KempoTiger]

It depends on what your goal is. Either way it's going to take time. Now, the Kempo dojo you are in is either poor, or you aren't seeing everything clearly. With under a year of practice, I unfortunately would tend to think the latter. One question, what makes you think you've surpassed the higher ranking students?

Usually what ends up happening is a student gets to a level where sparring comes into play, and sheer aggression often wins and it goes to the students head. Now in my dojo we primarily teach point sparring, and save the real fighting for the dedicated students that truly wish to put the effort (and risk!) in to their training.

What happens in regular sparring is we have orange and blue belts (first ranks that can spar) going up against whomever and some higher ranking students while having more fighting technique and knowledge just stink incredibly at sparring. Some of them just get intimidated, and especially with sparring where there's rules unlike a street fight, they have to handle themselves differently than how they've been trained.

I'll be honest. I've met quite a few lower ranking students than me that can beat me at point sparring. It's just so much different than real fighting, or even full contact sparring. Just a game of tag. If this is the case kboxer, I'd stick around at the Kempo place and see what else they have to offer, and worry more about yourself than comparing yourself to other softer students.

[White Warlock]

Loyalty over personal goals?!?!? I'm sorry, but you pay this school so you can learn the martial arts, which is your personal goal. However, you don't feel they are providing what it is you are looking for.

I fail to see the conflict. If you have friendships there, great, fine... if you go to another school to study a different art, and you are shunned by those friends later, then they weren't really friends anyway. Loyalty to a school is not the common stock for things in this day and age. Although it's nice, if it takes you down, hinders your ability to obtain your goals, then it's a sacrifice. Not merely a sacrifice of money, time, and energy... but a sacrifice of your own dreams.

I'm sorry, but that's just too much given away... especially for ill-founded loyalties.

[BLueDevil]

Just curious, what kind of kempo are you practising that you can surpass higher ranking students?

If you could afford it then I would say take both, if that isnt a reality then I say go to the one where you think you'll learn the most. And if your already a good kickboxer that improving your ground game might be the way to go. As for loyalty, I shop at Wal-Mart all the time, but if I find a better deal somewhere else Im gonna shop there. Your paying them, if your not getting what your paying for then dont shop there.

[White Warlock]

Ugh, don't get me started on Wal-Mart and their exploitation of cheap labor forces overseas.

Definitely no loyalty should be considered for them.

[BLueDevil]

idnt mean to press any button just and example

[KempoTiger]

Just curious, what kind of kempo are you practising that you can surpass higher ranking students?

You'd be surprised. It all depends on your definition of what it takes to 'surpass' another student. I don't consider myself to train in, nor teach at a "Mcdojo", or whatever other term one may apply. But I will say that when it comes to sparring it's all a game, and lower ranking students depending on their speed, agility, size, strength, and aggression may overcome higher ranking students in that game.

I personally haven't lost to a lower ranking student in point sparring in some time now, but then again I've stepped up my training quite a bit in the realm of MMA type fighting, so naturally my speed and technique in point sparring also increased a bit. But this isn't to say it never happened, nor is it to say that it won't happen again.

I've just heard this similar type story/claim dozens of times in the past, and I'm not trying to make any jabs at you Kboxer, but I'm just letting you know that if you are judging others as well as your own talent based on the lines of classroom sparring talent, I'd take another look at what you're really learning. Because that ain't it

[merkury]

I'd check out the other school. Nothing wrong with adding more knowledge to your MA repertoire.