From: the_dojang-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com To: the_dojang-digest@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Subject: The_Dojang-Digest V6 #77 Reply-To: the_dojang@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Errors-To: the_dojang-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Precedence: The_Dojang-Digest Mon, 8 Feb 1999 Vol 06 : Num 077 In this issue: the_dojang: Re: rank the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V6 #74 the_dojang: praise/criticism the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V6 #76 the_dojang: Jumping Thru Hoops the_dojang: imposter phenomenon the_dojang: moral codes the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V6 #76 the_dojang: Re: visit to a chiropractor Re: the_dojang: praise/criticism the_dojang: . ......................................................................... The_Dojang, serving the Internet since June 1994. 800+ members strong! Copyright 1994-99: Ray Terry, California Taekwondo, Martial Arts Resource To send e-mail to this list use the_dojang@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe the_dojang-digest" (no quotes) in the body of an e-mail (top line, left justified) addressed to majordomo@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Replying to this message will NOT unsubscribe you. See the Korean Martial Arts (KMA) FAQ and online search the last two years worth of digest issues at http://www.MartialArtsResource.com Pil Seung! Ray Terry, PO Box 110841, Campbell, CA 95011 KMA@MartialArtsResource.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Date: Mon, 8 Feb 1999 16:16:11 EST Subject: the_dojang: Re: rank jamaica wrote: << It's when you are a student and have to depend on the conscience and moral codes of the instructor(s) and then find out there aren't any and then you struggle on to keep your own dignity until one day you just finally decide to quit or move on. >> excellent comments, jamaica. you hit the nail on the head with that one. melinda ------------------------------ From: AJ Woodburn Date: Mon, 08 Feb 1999 16:21:47 EST Subject: the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V6 #74 Jamacia Wrote: However I do think on a different level that we do have the right and owe it to ourselves to question in a respectful manner. I haven't met one person on this forum that doesn't follow that criteria. and... Sally Wrote: Not so, Aaron -- HIS belt was a mockery. YOUR belt was hard-won. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++= Thanx Sally, I see what you mean but it is not only myself I am concerned about, i mean, this kid comes in with his BLACKBELT tied wrong for heaven's sake, and I'm the only one who corrects him! I suppose I'm concerned about the TSD spirit in general, but the students are also in the crossfire. I'm afraid of what this person may teach them if he were permitted to do so. And thanx Jamacia for taking the time to read my grammatically-poor post and respond with such a helpful opinion Tang Soo! AJ Woodburn Dragon102@juno.com ___________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] ------------------------------ From: Aaron Harmon Date: Mon, 08 Feb 1999 13:45:56 -0800 Subject: the_dojang: praise/criticism A method I had heard of for giving gentle criticism was the "praise sandwich". If you want to correct someone, first praise them on something they did right, then correct them on something that was not-so-right, and then give them something else that they are doing right. Some people may not need this, but anyone who might have self confidence problems can sure benefit from it. Some thing like "Good chamber on that front kick. Make sure you check the foot shape when you hit. Great recovery." And you have to make sure that all three things are honest. Aaron Harmon 2nd gup Gia Ryu ------------------------------ From: AJ Woodburn Date: Mon, 08 Feb 1999 16:43:38 EST Subject: the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V6 #76 James Wrote: Hi gang, Speaking of balance and flexibility .... does anyone have any ideas onspecific stretches for the psoas muscles as my hips can tend to tighten up when I do a turning kick (roundhouse) .... any thoughts , suggestions are greatly appreciated ....Thanks James ________________________________________________________________________-- Stretching is a "Less than definite" art in our school, but try this: http://www.mindspring.com/~mamcgee/Tang_Soo_Do.stretch.html it breaks stretching into a comprehensive science, please dont hurt yourself AJ Woodburn Dragon102@juno.com ___________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] ------------------------------ From: "Jamaica Power" Date: Mon, 08 Feb 1999 14:17:19 PST Subject: the_dojang: Jumping Thru Hoops A thought: As I was reading the wide variety of posts on skip dans/fast promotions another associated point came to mind. We used to call it "Jumping Thru Hoops" to get what was ours. Usually was a power control thing. Sort of teasing the dog with a doggie bone and certainly a behavior not exclusive to martial arts. Say we all meet the requirements to get a blackbelt, or any belt. We did our best even our very best and even did volunteer work along the way. And we said Whew! I did it, I did everything they asked and then some and we're feeling so proud, but instead of being congratulated a few individuals are pointed to and picked out not only during the course of the year but at testings. I'm not talking about just a testing or being asked to do an extra demo or repeat a form. This is pretty standard practice in most schools. I mean repeatedly the same people are asked to do significantly more for the same reward. Tasks are not equally distributed. So some people jump through one hoop and others have 20 hoops. The standards and expectations vary greatly. I think when you couple this behavior with skip dans/fast promos it can really build a very demoralizing atmosphere because for some not matter how hard they try it is never enough. And although self-satisfaction needs to be a big part of anything we attempt we are all humans and need a few congrats, a few smiles and at least a perception of some type of equity. Jamaica jamaica_power@hotmail.com ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ From: Date: Mon, 8 Feb 1999 16:59:59 EST Subject: the_dojang: imposter phenomenon [snip] > It frustrates her amazingly----and because she is so used to getting > everything Right Away, each time she hears a correction, her mind > translates it as a personal criticism. She gets tears in her eyes at > least once per class. The frustration of not getting it right (read: > perfect) and hearing these "personal criticisms" about how she "can't seen > to get it" combine to a very real emotional stress. She is almost thirty, > but those criticisms, combined with her own requirements of competency, > make for a harsh combination. [snip] Thomas, When I read your post the first thing to LEAP into my mind is "Imposter phenomenon". Many individuals come up against one thing after years of success and it can defeat their self-esteem. Some begin to doubt themselves, push themselves more and get more frustrated. Many think that prior to "this" they just "lucked out" and aren't really successful. In regards to the MAs this is as you mentioned a bit more complicated. After all the physical is very different from the intellectual. I've seen students just leave and I believe many are because of these feelings. Having NEVER been an athlete and never wanting to be I understand how hard the transition can be. Sometimes I wonder why I took up MA :-) Thank you for sharing your video idea. I'll bear that in mind. Dawne ------------------------------ From: Date: Mon, 8 Feb 1999 18:00:19 EST Subject: the_dojang: moral codes In a message dated 2/8/99 3:08:45 PM Central Standard Time, the_dojang- owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com writes: << It's when you are a student and have to depend on the conscience and moral codes of the instructor(s) and then find out there aren't any and then you struggle on to keep your own dignity until one day you just finally decide to quit or move on. Jamaica jamaica_power@hotmail.com >> Exactly my point. You then find someone whose moral codes are in keeping with your own. I had a friend who for many years tried to convince me that our instructor's lack of morals had nothing to do with what he had to teach us. We all know he carried on openly with young girls in the school - while his wife watched on. Her argument to me was that this behavior, as well as other things I did not approve of, did not touch me. If I learned good technique, then what was the problem? The problem was by staying, i felt I was condoning his behavior. I felt he was making a mockery of the very codes we had to memorize. It was very much, "Do as I say, Not as I do." So I reiterate, follow your own conscience. Ronda J. Sweet tkdtiger@aol.com ------------------------------ From: Date: Mon, 8 Feb 1999 18:28:04 EST Subject: the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V6 #76 Dear Mr. Terry, There are quite a few of your contributors who appear to be rather preoccupied with their gup, poom or dan rank, and the ranking of various other people such as of their fellow students, instructors, and people from neighboring schools, as well. This extends not only to numerical rank, but to titles (such as "instructor," "master," or "bu-kwanjangnim," for example), stripes on belts, uniforms with special insignias or meanings, and other methods of martial art rank designations. To these people I offer the following good advice: Don't concern yourself with it...Don't even waste time thinking about it...Forget about it. Use your time and energy to follow your teacher, train with your superiors, and, in general, work harder. Why? Because stripes on one's black belt, "Assistant Instructor's Club" patches on one's sleeve, or special "rank trim" on one's dobok are all pointless ways to advertise something that warrants no advertising. So typical of Westerners, we tend to allow ourselves to get excessively caught up in the external manifestations of rank and the physical paraphernalia of our activity. When instead, we need to eschew all that mumbo-jumbo, and re- direct our energy to the following of our chosen paths. Sincerely, S.E. Silz ------------------------------ From: steve mower Date: Mon, 08 Feb 1999 19:44:18 -0500 Subject: the_dojang: Re: visit to a chiropractor > ________________________ > > Hi back at ya.. Lots of exercises but have you (do you need) to be > checked out by like a chiropractor/p.t. for maybe overly tight muscles > also in your gluts, quads, hamstrings and maybe some joint fixation > problems. All kidding aside, would a visit to a chiropractor be any help for a flexibility challenged person? I don't know, 45 years old, twelve years of distance running (never took the time to stretch), hamstrings and lower back are still (after four years) overly tight. I have been stretching regularly for four years, flexibility has gotten much better over the years but all gains are slow to come. I have never been to a Chiropractor, but I have many friends who were successfully treated by Chiro's. I always felt that if I thought I had a need I'd give one (Chiropractor) a chance. I did notice that Chiropractor's took quite a bashing during some of the recent Ki/Chi rants Tang Soo! Steve Mower smower@erols.com ------------------------------ From: Date: Mon, 8 Feb 1999 16:50:30 -0800 (PST) Subject: Re: the_dojang: praise/criticism > A method I had heard of for giving gentle criticism was the "praise > sandwich". > If you want to correct someone, first praise them on something they did > right, then correct them on something that was not-so-right, and then > give them something else that they are doing right. Some people may not > need this, but anyone who might have self confidence problems can sure > benefit from it. Some thing like "Good chamber on that front kick. Make > sure you check the foot shape when you hit. Great recovery." And you > have to make sure that all three things are honest. Yes, I get that sandwich approach a lot. "You know, for a fat boy you don't sweat much." :) Ray Terry raymail@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com ------------------------------ From: Date: Mon, 8 Feb 1999 16:54:35 -0800 (PST) Subject: the_dojang: . ------------------------------ End of The_Dojang-Digest V6 #77 ******************************* Support the USTU by joining today! US Taekwondo Union, 1 Olympic Plaza, Ste 405, Colorado Spgs, CO 80909 719-578-4632 FAX 719-578-4642 ustutkd1@aol.com http://www.ustu.com --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe from this digest, the_dojang-digest, send the command: unsubscribe the_dojang-digest -or- unsubscribe the_dojang-digest your.old@address in the BODY of email (top line, left justified) addressed to majordomo@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com. Old digest issues are available via ftp://ftp.martialartsresource.com, in pub/the_dojang/digests. 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