Trying to help my 13 year old

[coffeecat]

Hello all,

I joined this forum because I am to gain some insight into Martial Arts to help my 12 ( almost 13 year old ) son. For almost a year , he has been training online with Capoeira nation training videos and was very interested in that form. He was very disciplined and would do this every day until he he became increasingly verbally frustrated and complained that he needed a real instructor because he couldn't see himself clearly to know if he was doing things right. I could not find any instructors for him that were close by and affordable. There is only ONE that I could find and it is far from my house and was more than I could afford. I looked into USA Karate, because some of my friends go , but he seemed resistant and was really insistant on Capoeira.

Now recently, his brother began to work next door to a TKD/ Pasaryu center. The Master is Kang Rhee. It is convenient and affordable. After hanging out at his brothers work, right next door, he asked to sign up. By his reasoning, Capoeira was not going to happen so might as well. I signed him up and he has begun going every day. It's been 2 weeks.

So I am here looking at these forums, and not really sure what I am asking. I just want to be helpful to him because I can tell he is passionate and disciplined. After browsing around the forums and doing searches I have read various things and just want to ask some questions.

Someone said in one of the threads that Kang Rhee was not known for producing fighters but for his forms. Is this a bad thing? What is the difference?

Pasaryu is a style that is developed by Kang Rhee himself but does not appear to be widely known or widespread. Is this something that is okay?

Is it common to mix and match Martial arts styles? For example, can someone become proficient in one Martial arts style and then switch to another. I doubt that his passion for Capoeira is going to go away and if he eventually finds an instructor how realistic is it to switch back and forth between styles?

Finally, I have several friends in USA Karate, and I think they do more MMA. I have realized after reading these forums that MAYBE I should be alarmed that my friends kids just joined last year and already green belts?

[MasterPain]

The kid loves Capoeira, so he likes the art aspect of martial arts. For that reason I would say that being more of a forms teacher than a fighter is okay. If your kid was into Krav Maga, it would be an issue.

All arts were created by someone who was alive once, not handed down by Odin or Mars, so I see no problem with an art created by someone who is currently alive, as long as they had a solid background in martial arts to build their system from. My system was put together by my teacher, and after 20 years of training, the way I fight is different from his. So often a person will end up with a unique style based on their own experience. I should note that our system has a curriculum, but it's more about principles and concepts than certain techniques. Our teacher has 9 black belt students and we all have a little different way of doing things.

Mixing styles is fine, however some people seem to think they can spend a couple moths in this art and a couple months in that art and know what they have to offer. The reality is it takes a couple years to start to grasp an art, and a few more years to refine it. That being said, Capoeira is very unique and hard to translate to. But TKD tends to be rather athletic so it can't hurt.

Belts are kind of a carrot and stick thing, the thing to do is see how his high rank students look. If a black belt looks sloppy, it's not good. In my school, a green belt took about a year, but a black belt takes AT LEAST about 5 years of a few days a week.

[joesteph]

Considering that he's only going on 13, studying a martial art now can mean he'll be in a better position than you're in to decide what to continue with or change.

So long as he's enjoying himself, you're doing the right thing for your son.

[MasterPain]

Considering that he's only going on 13, studying a martial art now can mean he'll be in a better position than you're in to decide what to continue with or change.

So long as he's enjoying himself, you're doing the right thing for your son.

I got into details, but I think you got straight to the heart of this matter. Great point.

[bushido_man96]

I agree, there are great points here.

As for the creating a new style thing, what I've noticed is that at times, new styles come from either different training concepts, or different goals, as opposed to the creation of something totally new. Just that the person had a different idea in mind than who he learned from originally.

I think that your son will find the classroom experience a lot more enlightening than trying to learn online or from videos. As he gets more experienced in Martial Arts, he may find he can benefit more from those videos or online information.

Someone said in one of the threads that Kang Rhee was not known for producing fighters but for his forms. Is this a bad thing? What is the difference?

Just because someone is good at forms, doesn't mean they can't produce a good fighter. Some of this will depend on what your son is looking to get out of it, too. If he wants to be a good fighter, over time he should be able to adapt his training to reflect that. And even if the instructor isn't known to produce fighters, he should be able to help your son learn some basic fighting concepts, which should come out of the style, anyways. From there, he can choose to learn and grow how he wishes.

Finally, I have several friends in USA Karate, and I think they do more MMA. I have realized after reading these forums that MAYBE I should be alarmed that my friends kids just joined last year and already green belts?

In many styles, a green belt could be considered an intermediate rank, so a year may not be unheard of. It depends on what kind of testing cycles the school uses.

Good luck, and welcome aboard! Keep us posted on the progress of your son. Or better yet, show him this site, and you two could post together.

[coffeecat]

Thanks all of you, for your replies. They have helped alot. I know I may seem a bit overbearing, but if I am going to sign a 3 year contract I want to make sure of what I am getting myself into.

To the one that said my son will be in a better position to decide what he can do considering his age, you are right. As he grows up he can study whatever he wants.

My son said ( but I haven't verified it yet) that at the TKD/Pasrayhu center there is full contact sparring. Full contact is better right?

The contract will be for every day for 3 years. Classes are an hour with 15 minute sparring time at the end. All belts train together. Does that sound like enough time?

And you're right, I need to tell him about this forum...

[joesteph]

You might find that it's light-to-moderate contact, and with gear, especially at the lower belt levels, and that full contact is permitted under certain circumstances, such as if at brown or black belt level. Higher belts are often paired with lower belts to show them the ropes, fighting at the level the lower belt can handle to build up confidence with experience.

Contact is a good thing in my mind, so long as the rules are adhered to. Finger techniques, for example, might be taught, but never used in sparring to protect students' eyes.

BTW, Coffee Cat, three years? Contracts are usually for a certain number of months or a year, unless it's a program, as in going for a black belt. Was a program chosen?

[coffeecat]

Yes, 3 years. I signed a contract for three years. It was a lifetime membership deal. The contract is they go free for the rest of their life after 3 years.The place gave me 2 for 1, so I included my oldest son for free. The Master was actually offering me to go but my maternal instincts reminded me that I have another son so I put him in it instead. Plus my oldest son works and goes to school so he needs to take some time for stress relief. Also last night they just told my 13 year old he can train with both srs and Jr classes. That is 2 and half hours every day. I know it is a long contract and it was not called a black belt program or anything like that. I know what you are talking about because my friends have a contract with their

karate place but it is called a "black belt " program. I don't know how long it is though. However I do know they pay 150 for one and my deal was ** deleted for confidentiality **

Edited January 25, 2011 by coffeecat

[sensei8]

I'm dead set against contracts in the martial arts, always have and I always will be. Why? Because, imho, contracts only care about themselves and not the student. So, if and when you son(s) quit, and I hope they don't, but in case they do quit, you'll be stuck in a contract that you're going to have to pay until the end of the contract and if you don't cancel the contract properly at its end, you'll be automatically renewed without your knowing it and/or able to do anything about it.

Hopefully you've read the contract and its fine print and visited with a contract lawyer as to just how binding Rhee's contracts are...and I'm sure his contracts are as binding as fort knox.

Stuck in a contract for three years is a really long, long, long, long time. Who's to say that this style of the martial arts is for your son(s)? Only time will tell!!

[ninjanurse]

Contracts are not bad, it's the people who administrate them that cause problems. Just be sure to read the rules thoroughly and remind the boys that a commitment should be kept not broken.

Keep us posted on their training!