Obstacles to training

[kempocos]

I find that time is not the issue here are mine,

 

The people who will not resist or complain when I resist during self defense drills.

 

The folks who complain about sparring, getting hit while sparring.

 

Instructors who will not let sparring matches go to the ground.

 

Instructors who will not allow the questioning of techinques , or be willing to prove thier effectivness against a resisting attacker.

[CheekyMusician]

Time problems for me, too. School never used to get in the way much, but now I've started Uni, that'll probably start to cause some problems with my karate training, considering that I have to wake up at 6am, leave the house at 10 to 7, walk for 30 minutes to get to the bus stop, go on a bus for 40 minutes, get the underground, spend the day at Uni and get the bus back. Arrive back in my town for about 5pm or 5:30pm, then another 30 minute walk home. Not to mention reading specified texts, doing essays etc.

 

That probably wont get in the way too much, though, just like school didn't when I was there, but the thing that is difficult when it comes to my training is other commitments that I have. I have piano lessons on a Monday which means I have to miss karate class. I've been playing the piano for 12 years, and studying karate for 1, so quitting piano isn't really an option. Tuesday night I help my mum run a youth group where we teach kids guitar. I don't really like teaching, but feel obliged to support my mum. I generally have a Wednesday night to "myself" (usually spent catching up on school work, piano, guitar and trumpet practice etc.), go to karate on a Thursday, have a Friday night to "myself", work all day on Saturday and on Sunday I teach a Bible class. Preparing lessons for the Bible class is the real killer. It seems to take up so much of my time because they're 16 year olds, so you can imagine how hard it is to keep them even remotely interested.

 

I'm planning on starting to attend another karate club or two in the town where my Uni is, but that would mean that I would risk falling behind with my music and my uni work, so I'll wait and see how things go for now.

[gheinisch]

Wow, that's a tough schedule you have kataman. I'm not a bus driver but I do work for a transportation business, an airline to be exact. I think your schedule is a little harder than mine with the split shifts and all. I don't know how you keep up with it. I do agree with what you say about it making you a better martial artist. "Where the heart is willing it will find a thousand ways, but where it is unwilling it will find a thousands excuses."

 

-unknown.

 

Very good points Kempo, that bothers me as well. If you are going to train then train. And as our Hanshi says, there are no stupid questions. He loves it when we question a technique. It shows that we are listening and thinking. He also gladly shows us a technique if we wonder if it will work or not.

[Coco]

I got tons on my way lol. Im a full time student, i play the Bb clarinet, the Eb alto sax, and the guitar, so i have to practice in addition to hw, also i gotta attend marching band/jazz/concert band rehersals, im learning 3d modeling/flash animation and i got a girlfriend... erm you know

[pmh1nic]

I'm out of school, all the kids are grown and since I run the school nothing gets in the way .

 

But I understand the time pressures and it can be a real challenge to "make the time" to train. I really as I've gotten older that you never find the time, you have to make the time. We budget our money but a more precious commodity is time and the need to budget it is as important as budgeting your money.

 

kempocos

 

I'm not sure at what level you're training but the amount of resistance applied needs to be moderated depending on the experience of your partner. In the begin when your trying to learn the rudiments of a technique very little resistance should be applied. After you get beyond learning the technique by the numbers more resistance can be applied. If you begin applying resistance too early or too much it actually hinders the learning process.

 

Most of my students work full-time jobs, support families and are going to have a difficult time explaining to their employer why their nose or jaw is broken, they're suffering partial hearing or sight loss, will temporally need handicap access to the rest room because they got hurt sparring in martial arts class. Too often I've seen "light contact sparring" turn into an all out brawl. Strict control needs to be enforced during light contact sparring.

 

I'm a firm believer that learning effective self-defense does require experiencing being hit and taking a punch. But what might be viewed as a light punch for a person that has some fight experience or from a person with a significant size/weight advantage can be very traumatic for a person with no fight experience. Toughening them up should be done very gradually.

 

Add to that the liability issues faced by the school (I just renewed my school's injury and liability insurance so this is fresh in my mind) and I completely understand the stance of the instructors regarding limiting and strictly controlling contact during sparring sessions.

[kempocos]

pmh1nic,

 

I understand your points, the classes I train in are upper kyu - Black and Black only. I mentioned safe levels for many of the reasons you listed.

 

Let me cover my points a little deeper, they address the same folks who never break a sweat during class doing kata, sparring or drills they never sweat. Before anyone says conditioning then I say if you push yourself you will sweat.

 

If the person does not resist at all and just goes with what is expected the body reactions are not the same by either partner. This becomes clear when reaction drills are done. If you have never done this try it with your students, have every one gather put one in the middle close thier eyes and have someone grab them then they open thier eyes and respond. We also do this where the attacker is picked and the person open thier eyes when the instructor says now, they have find what direction the are coming from and what type of attack, kick , punch, weapon. This opens the eyes of to happens when things are sudden.

 

Sparring Full contact does not have to mean full power. The no contact, or point type tippy tap sparring build bad habits in distanceing, stances, footwork. As they rise thru the KYU ranks power should increase. Once in the upper KYU's to DAN light head and leg contact as well. Then thier are times when advanced students need to bring the power up , not all the way but to what both are comfortable with know how the dynamics change.

 

I mentioned the instructors from past training more than current. I feel that instructors who never allow sparring or drills to go to the ground are not providing balanced fight training. The attitude that all techniques will work the same on all people regardless of who uses them is also false. I have taught many times that the person needs to consider the attackers size, apparant stength as well as there own before relying on a technique.

 

The person who trains will get the hurt every once in a while. The MA who complains of this is like a surfer complaining that they are getting wet. It happens. That is why the training must be taken seriously to keep it to a minimum.

 

I looked at you profile , I am in jersey now but moved off the the island, several years ago where is your school. I have family and freinds that ask about places they can train every now and then.

[SBN Doug]

Hmmm, let's see. I used to work 12 hr rotating shifts at a chemical plant's quality lab when I started, but luckily my school master allowed me to come in to any class I could make.

 

Now-a-days, a regular work day, son's football practice after that, daughter's marching band on the other days, wife works weekends, my dojang is an hours drive away, yard work (big yard), yada, yada, yada.

 

I am fortunate to have made it to my level by now. In as much, I can train on my own (at 6am), and still gain the majority of the benefits. I get to the dojang on Friday nights to learn new material, but right now I'm on the last of a three year wait before starting my two years of testing for 3rd degree. So, I just need to keep polishing what I know.

Edited September 25, 2003 by SBN Doug

[daeinwolf]

Well, as of right now I am a full-time college student doing my undergrad work and I work 40-50 hrs a week. So that can be kind of trying. Up until here recently, I had a fiance to balance out . Toss into all this that I am paying my own way through school and I have low fiances. Because of this, I am taking a break from Budo Taijutsu. I should be getting back into that here in few weeks. My Hung-gar instructor does not charge, but he lives 2 1/2 hrs away. Aside from all of this I try and sleep sometimes .

 

Peace favor---Joshua

[pmh1nic]

kempocos

 

Any student at the Brown or Black Belt level should be able to handle a fair amount of "controlled" resistance. I also agree with you that at this level the intensity of most training sessions should be relatively high (translate that to mean the students are breaking a sweat). None of my students are going to stand around and socialize during a training session.

 

I agree with just about everything you said. I always came to the dojo to train first and socialize second, after the training session was over. Usually I could find other like minded students and gravitate towards them when the group brakes up to work on technique.

 

The level and intensity during sparring is a sticky issue for owners of martial arts schools. My very early experience was at small school on Long Island where we went full contact from the start (white belts) and you sparred against everybody right up to Black Belts. Concussions, blood and bruises were the norm after those sessions. I grew up in NYC (Harlem and the South Bronx) and had probably 25 or 30 street fights under my belt before I ever walked into a dojo so the sparring wasn't an issue for me. But there were quite a few other relatively new students that never came back after their first sparring session.

 

That's the extreme. The other extreme is not allowing any sparring. Unfortunately in our litigious society many school owners are going to err on the side of safety and avoiding a lawsuit (and liability waivers aren't worth the paper they're printed on).

 

My school has been in operation for a little over a year. I've got one advanced student (Brown Belt - Karate, Blue Belt - Jiu-Jitsu) who has trained in various styles off and on for over 15 years. All of my other students are new to the arts. A couple of them are at the point where it's time for them to get a little taste of the intensity of sparring and experiencing some contact. I am struggling with different ideas regarding how to introduce sparring into our curriculum and finding the proper balance between realism, safety and not overwhelming them right from the start.

 

Anyway, I appreciate your insight and comments. My school is in Brentwood, NY. If you have a friend or relative in the area that would like to check out the school have them drop me an e-mail (pmh1nic@hotmail.com).

[kempocos]

pmh1nic

 

I lived in the lake ronkonkoma area for 35 years, My cousin is a wreastling coach in brentwood. I will let him know so if any of his guys are looking for training.

 

Good luck with the new school, from your comments I am sure you will do well.