From: the_dojang-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com To: the_dojang-digest@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Subject: The_Dojang-Digest V6 #372 Reply-To: the_dojang@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Errors-To: the_dojang-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Precedence: The_Dojang-Digest Thurs, 29 July 1999 Vol 06 : Num 372 In this issue: the_dojang: The Tae-Bo Craze!!!! Good or Bad?? the_dojang: Hot! ......................................................................... The_Dojang, serving the Internet since June 1994. ~725 members strong! Copyright 1994-99: Ray Terry, California Taekwondo, Martial Arts Resource Replying to this message will NOT unsubscribe you. 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 To send e-mail to this list use the_dojang@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com 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: "Adam Gibson" Date: Thu, 29 Jul 1999 02:35:02 -0400 Subject: the_dojang: The Tae-Bo Craze!!!! Good or Bad?? Hello Fellow Tae Kwon Doists, I give credit to Billy Blanks's inovative method to attract a new type of crowd to the Martial Arts scene. I just read an article in Martial Arts World magazine interviewing Billy Blanks. He stated that he wished that only Martial Arts schools were to do Tae-Bo first and not for it to go into the big weight-training centres like "Gold's Gym" etc.... Unfortunately, at least in my area (Ontario, Canada) that's where most of these courses are being offered, in the weight-training/Aerobic centres. I guess you could say "The early bird catches the worm!!" and they can do whatever they want to promote their business, even if it damages yours. My 2 biggests concerns with the Tae-Bo craze is: 1) the huge amount of injuries that are resulting from these classes and 2) Aerobics Instructors (from these big gyms) thinking that they can teach Martial Arts moves and techniques to others while they can't even do them correctly themselves. There is a big gym right in the same building as I am, and they have been trying to put me out of business for 5 years now, by trying to sneak Martial Arts type programs into their curriculum, even though it's against their lease. They intoduced Tai Chi, Yoga, Boxercise, KickBoxing(Taught by a TKD instructor) in the past and I didn't bother to wine to the Landlord or sue them because I knew the people teaching these courses would dramatically fail, and they did. Only because they really didn't know what they were doing. But of course when Tae Bo came out, they've been trying again. On their advertising they don't call it Tae-Bo(to avoid legal entanglements), but around their gym they call it Tae-Bo anyway!! One of their Tae-Bo instructors is a yellow-belt in Tae Kwon Do who I had try out a lesson here in my gym and she wasn't horrible for a beginner, but she didn't really know how to kick properly yet. And she sure as heck shouldn't be teaching other people to kick because that's only going to lead to lot of injuries. And it has.........I've had countless people come into my studio and tell me about all the injuries that are happening in all different gyms around town who are pushing the Tae-Bo. I've heard everthing from pinched nerves in the neck, pulled-out backs, torn cartiledge, dislocated shoulders, pulled hamstrings, and pulled-out rib-cages. Actually there were so many injuries from the gym next to me showing up at the local chiropractor's office that the chiropractor got so upset she called up their gym and gave them blast. She told them that their instructor's were obviously unqualified to teach. They obviously didn't like that of course. But too bad, It's true. Tae Kwon Do is not like an aerobics class where everyone just follows along. A proper instructor stops to correct his student, not to just improve them, but to prevent them from injuring themselves. This has been the way centuries and should continue this way for eternity. Kicking and Punching can be very dangerous when done improperly and not corrected quickly, which has become very obvious, recently due to Tae Bo. My blame is not on Billy Blanks (he is innocent), but more on the fact that it is legal for anyone to teach Martial Arts who is Uncertified, Unqualified, and does not even hold a 1st Dan in some sort of martial arts background. Tae-Bo has only underlined this fact and really isn't the real problem here. I'm sure Billy's club is top-notch and ensure's safety to all his student's/client's, but he can only offer this in his establishment. Unfortunately these new Tae Bo breed instructor's(Non-Black Belts) are giving Martial Arts a bad name. You think these people who got injured doing Tae-Bo(and they don't even spar) would ever walk into a regular Tae Kwon Do studio for lessons. The first thing that's gonna run through their minds is "I'll just get hurt doing the exercises and then when we spar I'll get beat-up too!! Forget that insanity!!" Anyway I was hoping that some of you would share some related events that have occurred in your area of the world due to Tae-Bo or Unqualified Instructors that have brought concern. Maybe someone has an idea on how to flush out some of the undesirables, at least away from our own dojangs and dojos. Looking forward to your comments!! Adam W.Gibson (Martial Arts Author) ------------------------------ From: Ray Terry Date: Thu, 29 Jul 1999 15:32:27 -0700 (PDT) Subject: the_dojang: Hot! Slow again. Guess it is the hot weather, again... :) Ray Terry rterry@best.com ------------------------------ End of The_Dojang-Digest V6 #372 ******************************** 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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