What's Missing?

[CredoTe]

In another thread, I talk about discovering something I felt was missing from my Karate / MA training. (For anyone interested, that thread is here: http://www.karateforums.com/my-new-white-belt-in-my-own-dojo-vt45380.html) The intention of this discussion isn't meant to be another "what would you change in your MA journey"...

Rather, in your current MA training / study, is there anything you think or feel you're missing, whether it's conceptual, methodological, or stylistic? Is it something your school, instructors, or organization is missing? Do you have enough authority within your school or organization to fill anything that's missing?

I'm interested in everyone's responses...

[tallgeese]

I've been encourage since early in my martial career to look for those things that can be effectively added to my overall arsenal. It's been very beneficial.

It let me check out boxing and later kickboxing and MT for different striking strategies and training methodologies. After seeing the advent of grappling in the UFC, we realized that we needed to address this facet of combat, so many of us started training is some form of grappling art.

As to authority, I'm out of a small enough splinter organization that it's pretty open to change.

It's the sort of thing that's a constant thing when you look at my history and really that of the whole organization. Right now I've come to really see the depth of FMA's and the elegance of their weapons work. It's something that can add a lot I feel to what we currently have as part of the art. Especially with the methods of training they use.

[sensei8]

Very interesting topic!

Improving my betterment; it's something that I take very seriously. Therefore, I'm always on the look out for something that's missing from my karate-do, and whenever do I find it, no matter from what style of the MA, I'll add to my own karate-do betterment providing that it's effective.

For example, over the years I've added the kicking of TKD because Shindokan doesn't allow kicks above the stomach/waist. But the TKD kicks that I learnt from GM Young Ik Suh were exactly what I was looking for. It's not knowing how to kick high, but it's knowing when a high kick will be effective for that moment. This speaks to the conceptual and methodological and stylistic things that I felt that Shindokan is missing because TKD aren't allowed.

Nonetheless, I teach them either way because my job is to teach what I know to be effective, no matter the style and the like. My job isn't to tell my students or the student body of the Shindokan what is effective or not, even though I've my opinions/beliefs, that decision's upon the student to decide. Yes, I will voice my opinions if a technique is effective or not, but, I'm speaking mainly my opinions.

I've dabbled with a many different styles of the MA, and in that, I've added what I felt was effective for me, and for my students. I'm always exchanging with one MA style or another, and sometimes I find some golden nugget, and other times I find nothing; it can be a hit and miss.

There are some things that my Hombu is missing across the board, but which governing body isn't missing a thing or two or three or..well, you get the idea.

Being the current Kaicho of the Shindokan, I've the exclusive authority across the board to add and/or remove anything that I feel will help the student body in improving the betterment of their karate-do. Soke had a great model for all of us to learn effective Shindokan. Dai-Soke was the perfect ambassador to add and tweak Shindokan, but not remove the core. I've always added and tweaked and removed whatever I felt appropriate concerning the betterment of Shindokan, and I still do.

But listen, please, Shindokan doesn't define me because Shindokan doesn't teach everything, that's why it's a style or a way, but not the only way. No MA can claim that, no matter how much they might or might not believe that.

The betterment of myself as well as the entire student body of Shindokan is my primary focus, and it must be done without any ambiguity and/or reservation!!

[CredoTe]

Great posts guys! Thanks for the input!

[MonicaToledo]

Great post!!

[CredoTe]

Great post!!

Thx! And welcome to KF!

[bushido_man96]

Rather, in your current MA training / study, is there anything you think or feel you're missing, whether it's conceptual, methodological, or stylistic? Is it something your school, instructors, or organization is missing? Do you have enough authority within your school or organization to fill anything that's missing?

I'm interested in everyone's responses...

I think my main style, TKD (my TKD style, not all TKD styles), is missing a big piece of self-defense application. We don't do a lot of self-defense oriented training. We unfortunately spend a lot of time "teaching to the test." At testing, we test on forms, one-steps, sparring, and board breaking once you hit the brown belt ranks. So, classes include heavy basics, then forms, one-steps, then we get to sparring.

I think we have a good vehicle for adding in some variation with our one-steps training, but the problem is we never move from the down block, punch, defend method of training them. And some of the higher ranked one-steps include a lot of high kicking and spin kicking, which develop some great physical skills, but application-wise, need to be addressed more and in different ways.

The upside to the training method we use here is that we have a pretty technically proficient group of students, by and large. There are some kids that tend to slack off, but that's a different issue.

When I was teaching my hour-long class these prior months, I would try to save myself some time in the class to address some different things for the students. Some self-defense ideas like working from a fence position, and working on the crossed-arms chamber position that so many hand techniques start with as an initial blocking posture. And these ideas were just as much for me to try to learn something new as it was to present something new to the students.

In the past, we brought in the Combat Hapkido curriculum, and that was a very nice supplement to what we did in our regular TKD classes, and I still try to keep up with it to this day. I also actively seek out Defensive Tactics classes and courses to supplement my training, as well. I have put the bug in the chief instructor's ear about maybe adding in some of the ground defense applications I've learned through the GRACIE course I took this year, which he said we may try to do eventually as something fun at the end of classes. Perhaps. The instructor also mentioned that one of the other senior black belts in the org has started adding in some ground fighting positions, and is making certain knowledge testing requirments for the students of his own school.

So, I think part of the problem lies in the Grand Master of the org, and part with our isntructor. The GM does have a set of advanced 3-step sparring segments that he shows to the black belts, and I've seen 4 of them, I think. They have some promise, and I'd love to do them in various degrees of teaching steps (if that makes sense). However, they aren't an actual requirement, and we don't currently hold any black belt classes to focus on them. I also think the testing cycle is a problem. Testing cycles in our system are 2 months long, and we are always working towards being ready for the next testing. Which means basics, forms, one-steps, and sparring are paramount. Of these, the first two take precedence. We've extended our class times, so we are getting more sparring in, which is good. But board breaking is usually only practiced on pads a week before testing, which I think could be done differently, but that's purely my own opinion. I would personally like to see the testing cycle extended to 3 months. I think this would take some of the pressure off teaching to the test, and work towards other stuff that is more inclusive of the Martial Arts.

Well, there's my rant. You asked for it....

[CredoTe]

bushido_man96's quote of CredoTe redacted by CredoTe

I think my main style, TKD (my TKD style, not all TKD styles), is missing a big piece of self-defense application. We don't do a lot of self-defense oriented training. We unfortunately spend a lot of time "teaching to the test." At testing, we test on forms, one-steps, sparring, and board breaking once you hit the brown belt ranks. So, classes include heavy basics, then forms, one-steps, then we get to sparring.

I think we have a good vehicle for adding in some variation with our one-steps training, but the problem is we never move from the down block, punch, defend method of training them. And some of the higher ranked one-steps include a lot of high kicking and spin kicking, which develop some great physical skills, but application-wise, need to be addressed more and in different ways.

The upside to the training method we use here is that we have a pretty technically proficient group of students, by and large. There are some kids that tend to slack off, but that's a different issue.

When I was teaching my hour-long class these prior months, I would try to save myself some time in the class to address some different things for the students. Some self-defense ideas like working from a fence position, and working on the crossed-arms chamber position that so many hand techniques start with as an initial blocking posture. And these ideas were just as much for me to try to learn something new as it was to present something new to the students.

In the past, we brought in the Combat Hapkido curriculum, and that was a very nice supplement to what we did in our regular TKD classes, and I still try to keep up with it to this day. I also actively seek out Defensive Tactics classes and courses to supplement my training, as well. I have put the bug in the chief instructor's ear about maybe adding in some of the ground defense applications I've learned through the GRACIE course I took this year, which he said we may try to do eventually as something fun at the end of classes. Perhaps. The instructor also mentioned that one of the other senior black belts in the org has started adding in some ground fighting positions, and is making certain knowledge testing requirments for the students of his own school.

So, I think part of the problem lies in the Grand Master of the org, and part with our isntructor. The GM does have a set of advanced 3-step sparring segments that he shows to the black belts, and I've seen 4 of them, I think. They have some promise, and I'd love to do them in various degrees of teaching steps (if that makes sense). However, they aren't an actual requirement, and we don't currently hold any black belt classes to focus on them. I also think the testing cycle is a problem. Testing cycles in our system are 2 months long, and we are always working towards being ready for the next testing. Which means basics, forms, one-steps, and sparring are paramount. Of these, the first two take precedence. We've extended our class times, so we are getting more sparring in, which is good. But board breaking is usually only practiced on pads a week before testing, which I think could be done differently, but that's purely my own opinion. I would personally like to see the testing cycle extended to 3 months. I think this would take some of the pressure off teaching to the test, and work towards other stuff that is more inclusive of the Martial Arts.

Well, there's my rant. You asked for it....

GREAT Post! Yes, I did ask for it... Good to hear that you're in a position to modify your dojo's curriculum to fill in what you believe to be missing. I have some influence into our dojo's curriculum, but I'm not CI; he has final say-so in what we teach. I'm also glad to see that you think teaching to a test and short testing cycles are unfortunate. That shows you care about doing things right, not only for your art, but for the betterment of your students, and for your own MA journey.

Thank you for sharing.

[sensei8]

Great post!!

Thx! And welcome to KF!

Yes...great post. I too want to welcome you to KF!!