New Class - New Skills?

[Superfoot]

When you start a new martial arts class, should you deliberately downgrade your skills to appear as a new individual, or just kick and punch to the best of your ability? When I resumed TKD after 5 years, I never told my instructor I was a blue belt previously, but I think me may have noticed I had some experience. As a result, I ended up sparring with a black belt, and got kicked up well. I saw this as positive as it would teach me to sharpen my reflexes, and work up to a standard where I was probably competent enough compete. If you train with the best.....

But then I got thinking. Is this right? If I continually spar people "better" than me, will this not hinder my growth as a martial artist? I won't be sparring anyone of similar level, and hence I can't measure my own growth against someone of a comparable nature. I am going to be studying Kyokushin soon, which is a full-contact bare-knuckle system of martial arts. To be honest, I have no intention of "downgrading" my skill, and purposefully slowing down. I feel that if I perform as my best, and the master sees something is wrong with my current best, he/she can correct my mistakes.

But my question is: should an individual with martial arts experience start new classes under the guise of being inexperienced. I know you should look at everything you learn for the first time as a newecomer, so you dont get your hopes up. But regarding execution of technique. Is it best to "pretend" you're a totally new student to martial arts? Or would it be better to perform your best as always, despite looking like a show-off and risking the chance of being made to spar with people better than you. I have no problem with the former. Martial arts is not about ego to me. But with regards to being set with more advanced practitioners. Is that academically sound?

Thanx

Superfoot.

[scottnshelly]

This is a question that I have recently begun to ponder as I am planning on taking up a new style after the holidays, so I am not speaking from experience.

I think that we should always strive to improve and you can’t do that by “dumbing down” your skills. If you purposely throw sloppy kicks or pretend like you don’t know as much as you do, you are only cheating yourself. The others in the class shouldn’t be jealous of you if you start of with better techniques.

When I take up this new style, I plan on telling the Instructor that I have previous experience but want to go through the ranks and be treated just like everyone else. I think that being completely forthcoming is going to be the best policy in this situation.

[TAZ]

scottnshelly wrote: I think that being completely forthcoming is going to be the best policy in this situation.

I completely agree with this statement. In my experience, with beginning a new style after previously having studied, I found that being upfront about it has pros as well as cons. A pro being that you tend to move up in rank quicker than most, and a con being you are considered a beginner again. Just don't come across as knowing that you know more than you really do. It will eventually bite you in the rumpus! Most likely by having to spar someone with alot of skill. Also when talking to your future instructor, it wouldn't hurt to ask if you could wear your current belt rank. I did and he had no problem. It didn't mean that I was any better than anybody else, it kinda let other students know that I had previous training. Even though I was allowed to wear it, I was still considered a beginner in that system. Good luck!

[Belasko]

The major concensus is to be completely forthcoming. For the most part I agree with this. When I have gone to other schools to work out occasionally I haven't come right out and told them I have experience in another style, however I haven't tried to keep it from them so it usually is noted very quickly and comes out if they haven't asked by the time class starts. As for worrying about being pared with higher ranks, I personally would prefer that. Generally the higher ranks are the ones that have developed control and are less likely to hurt you by accident. Plus as you mentioned, working with those above you pushes you to improve.

[washjeff09]

Just like everyone else said, I also agree that the best thing to do is to be straight forward with the instructor. Don't hide any of your physical ability, and clear your mind mentally to accept the new instruction. I'm assuming that since it's your idea to start training in Kyokushin, you will be accepting to new techniques and theories, which going from TKD to Kyokushin myself, I know there are many.

For example, my roommate was looking to train in MMA. He was a fairly experienced boxers but had no all around stand up fighting skill. I suggested that we go train at a nearby Kyokushin dojo near to my college. We went there, and he demonstrated his boxing ability, and he tried his hardest to follow along with the kihon and the kicks and such, but he didn't open his mind at all to the Kyokushin style. He was so boxing biased, he refused to try and understand what we were doing; consequently, I dont think he got much out of the class.

I remember a long time ago, a brown belt in Shotokan came into our dojo. He was very, very Shotokan in the way he fought, and he didn't hide it at all. He kept training and eventually he turned into a very well rounded karateka. He's now a nidan in our style.

So what I am trying to say is don't hide your ability, and open your mind to all the new things you can learn training in Kyokushin. Have fun and good luck! Osu!

[Dragn]

I've started over in a few arts and visited a number of dojos. I find its always best to just be honest about your background. Humble but honest.

I wouldnt try to purposely hide my skills. But I dont go out to prove them either.

If I'm in a new dojo or just visiting, the only thing I am concerned about is trying to learn as much as I can about their way of doing things.

So after I went From TKD to Muay thai, I didnt try throwing TKD back spin kicks etc. Even though there were oportunities to. Even if it meant being battered a little, by someone who I could have beaten if I had used all my techniques.

Once I had gotten a good foundation in the basics of MT, I started integrating some of my TKD skills into it, and my classmates appreciated it.

Similarly when I visit Karate dojo I dont go throwing elbows and knees etc, if its not something they train in.

If you want to test your skills against other arts there are plenty of competitions around. When visiting or starting out in a new dojo you really need to empty your cup as the saying goes, and be respectfull of their ways.

Oh, and I always wear a white belt! To ask if I could keep my previous rank in a new style is just unthinkable. The new instructor will * your skills at your first grading and award you with an appropriate rank for the new style.

Rank isnt really important anyway. Just focus on improving your skills.

[AndrewGreen]

Starting of in a new place by trying to mislead everyone is never a good plan.

[elbows_and_knees]

I've started over in a few arts and visited a number of dojos. I find its always best to just be honest about your background. Humble but honest.

I wouldnt try to purposely hide my skills. But I dont go out to prove them either.

If I'm in a new dojo or just visiting, the only thing I am concerned about is trying to learn as much as I can about their way of doing things.

So after I went From TKD to Muay thai, I didnt try throwing TKD back spin kicks etc. Even though there were oportunities to. Even if it meant being battered a little, by someone who I could have beaten if I had used all my techniques.

Once I had gotten a good foundation in the basics of MT, I started integrating some of my TKD skills into it, and my classmates appreciated it.

Similarly when I visit Karate dojo I dont go throwing elbows and knees etc, if its not something they train in.

If you want to test your skills against other arts there are plenty of competitions around. When visiting or starting out in a new dojo you really need to empty your cup as the saying goes, and be respectfull of their ways.

Oh, and I always wear a white belt! To ask if I could keep my previous rank in a new style is just unthinkable. The new instructor will * your skills at your first grading and award you with an appropriate rank for the new style.

Rank isnt really important anyway. Just focus on improving your skills.

exactly.

[JusticeZero]

If someone comes to my class with a martial art background, I want to know what it is. In fact, I ask directly. I also ask if they have dance experience or do any other sport with great regularity.

Reason: That means there's some things I can pick up on that will be contradictory to their experience, or be meaningful to someone in their art, and highlight them for them. For instance, I can tell the taiji person the exact points where the stances differ and where they are similar, and with a bit of research I can get some of the CMA terminology of hard to explain concepts. I can specifically point out to the BJJ guy the points and tricks i'm using to avoid turning my back. I can watch for the things that are a good habit in their art that are a bad habit in mine instead of taking the shotgun approach.

I don't want to hear anything about wearing your other belt to class. You may have a brown belt in Isshin-ryu Karate. That's all well and good. But you still haven't even earned one in my class. Likewise, if I go to your Isshin-ryu class, i'll be wearing a white belt. I haven't studied Isshin-ryu before. If I go there, it's to learn how Isshin-Ryu does things, not to show off my mighty skill. People who just came into the class and don't know how things are done in that school don't get to wear colorful belts.

[Anbu Alex]

You dont have to down grade your abilities but also remeber if the style you are going is different from the one you studied before remeber that you have to have a white belt mentality and liseten to the instructor cause you wont go anywhere without it trust me there are alot of ppl i know who dont go with the white belt mentality and then their ego gets killed afterwards