Sparred Tonight

[bushido_man96]

It's like I said earlier, they teach you how to spar, and we spar every class. I can't fault the school for that.

Making you spar and teaching you to spar and two different things. If all they are doing are telling you those 4 pointers you mentioned in your op, that's not teaching you to spar. That's telling you those 4 pointers. Teaching you to spar is drills, pad work, instructor's sparring students and kicking the student's butts until they can kick yours back. Teaching someone to spar is giving them combinations that work for their body type and letting them develop them. You can't just simply say "spar" and expect everyone to be good at it. Those with natural ability might develop it but most people will just flounder around like the blackbelts you described.

If you want them to be better maybe you should start leading by example. I find nothing works better for getting people to keep their guard up than clocking them round the head with a kick or backfist or whatever. They learn fast that way.

I could not agree with you more. I wish my school put more into it like that.

[Sibylla]

I would look for another place to spar. Even if it ment another style. Kickboxing could be suitable. At least from what I've experienced the instructors will spar and they have no problem doing so with people from TKD or karate.

Pressing the issue in you current TKD dojo can cause you problems. It sounds to me that you and your wife really want to train there so why rock the boat.

[Martialart]

I would look for another place to spar. Even if it ment another style. Kickboxing could be suitable. At least from what I've experienced the instructors will spar and they have no problem doing so with people from TKD or karate.

Pressing the issue in you current TKD dojo can cause you problems. It sounds to me that you and your wife really want to train there so why rock the boat.

I'm not sure what "pressing the issue" means. I couldn't care less if the instructors spar, and I want to study Taekwondo.

In the end the skill level of the black belts in the class is not really my problem nor should I let it be my concern. For whatever reason, there is this group of adolescent black belts. Obviously they've been there at least a few years in order to be 2nd and 3rd dans, and only now is there a slow building up of lower colored belts in the adult classes.

What I surmise is that there must have been a block of time when few new people were joining the club. Perhaps it coincides with the start of the great recession. Whatever the case, my wife and I are green belts now, and we need to focus on our own training.

[Chitsu]

Shouldn't the whole lesson be geared toward teaching students how to fight - not just the Kumite section.

What I mean by this is when your sensei is drilling you in bassics - it is all about putting you under pressure and driving the best technical results out of this.

When you are practicing Kata - you should practice it with realism. "IKI TA KATA" or kata must be "alive"

When practice yakusoku kumite (pair work) - it should be done with intent and purpose at all times - with correct combative form.

Do all of the above and the sensei should have insilled the core principles, techniques, mindset and stratergems of fighting even before you put your mits on.

I was a national squad member and was fortunate enough to represent my country on several occassions.

I also have students who are in the national squad today - and they are very very good - but I don't fight them. I will demonstarte on them and give them examples and drill those examples with them, but i very rarely fight them - I don't have to.

Also - If am fighting one - I can't see what the other 20 are doing so cant coach them (not forgetting the safety issue also).

Chitsu

[Martialart]

Another update on sparring. Sparred tonight as well, and now I'm starting to learn these matches don't have to be won, do going all out and nearly passing out from exhaustion is not helping me learn combos, counters, etc. Slowing down, staying loose and letting the other guy attack every now and again has definitely improved my stamina.

I'm surprised none of the multiple dans couldn't advise me on that and I had to figure it out myself, but there you go.

What I was told tonight is how hand to head techniques are not favored because it's to easy to score with them. It's allowed but there shouldn't be any contact. I didn't say anything, of course, but come on! I don't need to make contact, but calling it too easy to score is nonsense if the other person has learned to keep their guard up properly.

This is one of my cheif complaints about taekwondo in general is that they emphasize kicking almost too much.

Remember American Kickboxing. Now that was cool sparring.

But hey, they say hand to body is a.o.k., and you can make contact. Well, when I was doing head shots, I was stopping just before contact (and I'm still going to do that because it is allowed). If I'm going to punch to the body--it's going to count.

Oh forget it. I'll go easy. Whatever.

It's just getting nailed every now and again is a great teacher, and you don't have to get all cocky or agressive about it. Friends can spar that way, or at least I can.

[Toptomcat]

That's pretty silly. The only time punches to the head are 'too easy to score with' is when you've told your students not to throw punches to the head, and nobody learns how to defend against them.

If someone told me that I'd be tempted up and leave right there, and I have a taekwondo background. Emphasizing kicks is one thing, but telling your students that head punches are frowned on risks crippling their ability to deal with them.

[Sibylla]

I would look for another place to spar. Even if it ment another style. Kickboxing could be suitable. At least from what I've experienced the instructors will spar and they have no problem doing so with people from TKD or karate.

Pressing the issue in you current TKD dojo can cause you problems. It sounds to me that you and your wife really want to train there so why rock the boat.

I'm not sure what "pressing the issue" means. I couldn't care less if the instructors spar, and I want to study Taekwondo.

In the end the skill level of the black belts in the class is not really my problem nor should I let it be my concern. For whatever reason, there is this group of adolescent black belts. Obviously they've been there at least a few years in order to be 2nd and 3rd dans, and only now is there a slow building up of lower colored belts in the adult classes.

What I surmise is that there must have been a block of time when few new people were joining the club. Perhaps it coincides with the start of the great recession. Whatever the case, my wife and I are green belts now, and we need to focus on our own training.

By the sound of your posts, the quality of the dan rank is already seriously affecting your training..no one can train in a vacuum. Some people take "own training" way to literally. You need good training partners and to be a good training partner.

[Martialart]

That's pretty silly. The only time punches to the head are 'too easy to score with' is when you've told your students not to throw punches to the head, and nobody learns how to defend against them.

That's how I feel. Of course I didn't say that to my owner/master (excuse me: the owner/master).