continuing martial arts training in college???

[twistkick kid]

Hi everyone

I am a brand new second degree black belt in TKD and will be starting my senior year of high school this August. By the time I am eligible to test for my third degree, I will be a sophomore in college. This wouldn't put me in a quandary if I were to be attending a local community college like Palomar or Miramar, but I am planning on going to a four year school either in Nor-Cal or out of state. Should I find a local TKD studio or club through the college? If the school I choose does not offer TKD, I am willing to try another martial art.

Any help would be appreciated

twistkick kid

[Wa-No-Michi]

Hi everyone

I am a brand new second degree black belt in TKD and will be starting my senior year of high school this August. By the time I am eligible to test for my third degree, I will be a sophomore in college. This wouldn't put me in a quandary if I were to be attending a local community college like Palomar or Miramar, but I am planning on going to a four year school either in Nor-Cal or out of state. Should I find a local TKD studio or club through the college? If the school I choose does not offer TKD, I am willing to try another martial art.

Any help would be appreciated

twistkick kid

Why rush?

Personally I wouldn't put a time span on these things.

Go to college and have a blast (thats what the law says you have to do). If you find a compatible TKD group then thats a bonus. If you don't, learn something completely different like Kendo or Olympic wrestling.

Either way, you can come back to your belts later... Its not a race as your dad would say

[tallgeese]

I've got to agree with Michi. Just go and see what you fall into. Campus is a great place to stumble across all sorts of things.

Also, I'd be willing to be that your current school will make some sort of testing allowance given your situation. Maybe look at testing you on break or something of the like.

[twistkick kid]

I'm not rushing... my head instructor has a habit of pushing me through a little quickly because I figure out the material really fast ie I already know all the techniques for our third degree form and have half the pattern memorised with the proper stances and positions.

I wouldn't want to do Olympic wrestling. I'm really short and kind of skinny... I'd probably need to get peeled off the mat with a spatula when I finished my first class

[Kempohands]

Hey, I just went through a similar situation, though I earned my 3rd dan a month before I left.

I had been training in Kempo for 12 years and went 8 hrs away from my school to a remote upstate NY town (well, remote relative to what I am used to being from suburban long island) to attend SUNY Geneseo. I looked around and couldn't find a kempo school, but found out that the college had a karate club. Classes are twice a week for two hours and are run by an instructor from a system called Tatsu-do Karate (a melding of Shotokan type Karate and Aikijutsu). I'd suggest looking for something like that. Try to find a way to train near the college so you don't have to go too out of your way and if there's a club, that's great because then money won't be much of an issue. Also, jump at the chance to train in a different system! After 12 years of one style, it was refreshing to put on a white belt again and learn something new! Best of luck!

[bushido_man96]

I agree as well. Don't worry about the testing time cycle. There will be other opportunities if you miss that one.

I also agree that you just look around and see what is offered when you get to college. There are plenty of opportunities out there, and most colleges have either clubs or even MA classes available as credits.

[DWx]

You situation is pretty much the same as mine. I'm finishing up my first year of uni now. I am also eligible (time wise) to do my 3rd dan when I want but I held off because I don't think that in my current situation I would be able to fully learn everything and I would rather be a good 2nd dan than a sub-par 3rd dan. But that's my decision, its up to you with what you want.

Definitely check out what the college and local area has to offer. At my uni there is a TKD club but unfortunately its not really what I am looking for. I still go to class occaisonally but next year I will probably look into something else. Great thing about college is you are exposed to loads of different styles which you can go try out and get to meet people. Classes are usually cheap too which is great if you're on a student budget and if you don't like something there aren't any contracts or anything to make you stay.

What may be slightly different about my situation is I commute home most weekends (for various reasons) but my home TKD club is very good in that I can surprise them and just turn up when I want to train so I'll usually spend the entire weekend at the dojang. If you are desperately wanting TKD maybe you could do the same but to be honest holiday training might be enough.

[bushido_man96]

Definitely check out what the college and local area has to offer. At my uni there is a TKD club but unfortunately its not really what I am looking for. I still go to class occaisonally but next year I will probably look into something else.

I'm not trying to point any fingers or make an example out of anyone, so please don't take this as a personal affront, DWx. It is far from that.

But, quoting DWx's situation above, I think this kind of thing tends to happen quite a bit when searching out the next school of your style. What happens is that it isn't like the one that you had, and so instead of doing something similar, yet a bit different, you end up searching out something totally different, anyways.

We had a gal show up that was on the Texas A&M TKD team who was on a few weeks break at our TKD school one night. I asked her a little about what her school consisted of, etc, when we had a break after doing basics. She wasn't very comfortable with our school's set-up, and although she was polite, and worked hard, she didn't come back to anymore classes. She was used to a lot more sparring-oriented classes.

[isshinryu5toforever]

Yeah, TKD teams are pretty much completely sport oriented. They kind of rely on their black belts to pull them through, and teach the new kids really quickly. I was on NYU's TKD team, by senior year I earned my black belt, but I was fighting in the top divison before that due to experience.

Just look at the MAs you do in university as a new challenge. Give Judo a shot, or BJJ, or even Kung fu or Kenpo. Most universities have a lot of options.

[DWx]

Definitely check out what the college and local area has to offer. At my uni there is a TKD club but unfortunately its not really what I am looking for. I still go to class occaisonally but next year I will probably look into something else.

I'm not trying to point any fingers or make an example out of anyone, so please don't take this as a personal affront, DWx. It is far from that.

But, quoting DWx's situation above, I think this kind of thing tends to happen quite a bit when searching out the next school of your style. What happens is that it isn't like the one that you had, and so instead of doing something similar, yet a bit different, you end up searching out something totally different, anyways.

We had a gal show up that was on the Texas A&M TKD team who was on a few weeks break at our TKD school one night. I asked her a little about what her school consisted of, etc, when we had a break after doing basics. She wasn't very comfortable with our school's set-up, and although she was polite, and worked hard, she didn't come back to anymore classes. She was used to a lot more sparring-oriented classes.

I get what you saying bushido_man96. I think that is maybe part of the problem for me and the classes here at uni. Because I've only ever trained with one group/style, I think the uni club kinda didn't meet my expectations and was a little too different but the same for my liking (if that makes sense). Its not the only reason though.. I have some issues with how things are done (I find some of the teaching methods a little too archaic) and to be honest, most of the time I would be just left to my own devices because the instructor didn't want to interfere with how I'd been taught before so he very rarely would offer corrections / criticisms. I didn't exactly learn much so it was just practice time for me.