From: the_dojang-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com To: the_dojang-digest@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Subject: The_Dojang-Digest V6 #377 Reply-To: the_dojang@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Errors-To: the_dojang-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Precedence: The_Dojang-Digest Mon, 2 Aug 1999 Vol 06 : Num 377 In this issue: the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V6 #376 [none] the_dojang: Re: Mr. Gibson's Tae-Bo post the_dojang: RE: testing too soon! the_dojang: RE: It's never too late... the_dojang: Testing too soon-new school? the_dojang: . ========================================================================= 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 (top line, left justified) of a plain text e-mail 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 four years worth of digest issues at http://www.MartialArtsResource.com Pil Seung! Ray Terry, PO Box 110841, Campbell, CA 95011 KMA@MartialArtsResource.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: LJSFLEM@aol.com Date: Sun, 1 Aug 1999 16:21:58 EDT Subject: the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V6 #376 A special thanks to all for your support. A group of students has spoken with the Head Instructor and Instructor many times in answer to Ray Terry's suggestion. We also proposed a student survey including medical questions for emergency. The attitude is "it is my school, i'll do it my way." I was concerned about going to fast so thanks for the encouragement re my rank. I really have enjoyed seeing my body move and bend and do things i didn't think possible. Good luck with the shoulder. Yes, Darlene, we are required to pay for the tests $45. My friend broke her hand when she was not ready and was forced to test with a speed punch break (high brown). Two others were injured slightly not broken. I agree that as you move up there is more time needed between testing and you perfect the skills along the way. Technique is important to avoid injury. If you keep on performing a move incorrectly, it is more difficult to go back and relearn it. Best of luck to you. I have been looking at other schools. I watch and then go back and participate. I gave my complete support to the school and the Instructors. It is a let down, but also shows how we begin to grow and think more clearly. Donna, thanks for the encouragement. I visited some schools and could not understand why it took so long to get to the next rank. The time element was longer and the test fee more expensive. No matter which discipline we decide to study, martial arts is a healthy road to take. I don't mind a few bruises and a kick here or there, but the injuries that take you out of your daily routine are of the greatest concern to me. I started TKD as a replacement for physical therapy after a serious auto accident 3/97. I had ankle surgery 3/98. I had great difficult walking and by body entered into a pain cycle that was endless. I have dr's support for martial arts, they think it is great, the difference is fantastic. I look younger, feel better, improved memory, more flexibility and a lot less pain. I enrolled my son when he was 8 and joined a month later. My Mom followed at age 70 and has gone to green belt. She has not done much lately due to some back problems that seem to go wild after kicking. My Dad, he picked the name Lorraine. Lorraine Garfield, NJ ------------------------------ From: "kadin goldberg" Date: Sun, 01 Aug 1999 15:11:39 MDT Subject: [none] When in sparring do people normally do full contact? I mostly just read all these things i do not normally send in digests but. What is with Tae-bo, I am sick of reading those damn things :) They are boring. Is tae-bo putting martial arts schools out of busness or what? I wanna hear something exciting :) Name, Kadin - ------------------- Quote from Bruce Lee: "Nothingness cannot be defined; the softest thing cannot be snapped." _______________________________________________________________ Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com ------------------------------ From: Kim Jones Date: Sun, 1 Aug 1999 14:17:22 -0700 (PDT) Subject: the_dojang: Re: Mr. Gibson's Tae-Bo post I wholly agree with you. There has been mention (not only from him) that only qualified people who a) hold a dan-rank in a martial art and b) people who know how the body works should be teaching the martial arts. Now, I sense a blast coming from particular directions but I care not because I'm unphased from my lack of caffeine... it's only 0605 here Korea Standard Time! Now, I was VERY suspicious when I first saw the Tae-Bo infomercials on BET some Sunday morning. Of course, Mr. Blanks probably has the lowest turn-out of injuries at his gym probably because he's the one who started it, knows how the body works, etc., etc. Mr. Gibson is correct in saying that it's not his fault... it's all these people who wouldn't dare dream step into a dojang and actually take lessons... so they go and teach people improperly, thinking they're passing on the real thing... and getting local chiropractors mad. :) that bit had me going for a minute there... it really did... whoooo! But back to the subject at hand, maybe someone should mention something on the legal field because martial arts is not about business only. Yes, it's the way some people make their living, but you'll often find that they're retired and what they do mostly involves getting up, taking care of business like going and teaching classes all day, coming home, taking care of more business, and getting up early the next day to do it all over again. Now, how to go about doing it, ya got me. :) But seriously, that's the problem with some people's mentalities. Martial arts isn't a business, shouldn't be taken that way at all. It's a way of life; I know it is to me. I breathe, eat, sleep, shower, do my life as befits a martial artist... rather than live by the 10 Commandments, you find me living by the Noble Truths, Paths, 10 Perfections... if I mess up, that's on me, I accept it... ...and I think that's what the people in your area need to do, Mr. Gibson. Pretty soon, somebody's gonna get pissed... and I think the chiropractors are probably gonna be the first to file lawsuits, if they're able to. Those people at that gym need to rethink about how they earn their cheddar. === "Vengence of the righteous strikes home to reap the rewards from the faulty." Kim Jones (ladytimberland@yahoo.com) homepage: http://members.tripod.com/NekoChan00/ AOL IM: TKDGemini _____________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Free instant messaging and more at http://messenger.yahoo.com ------------------------------ From: Chris McKenna Date: Mon, 2 Aug 1999 12:09:34 +0100 Subject: the_dojang: RE: testing too soon! > I have been > progressing with promotion tests approx. 2 months apart. I > attend classes most > weeks 3 days. In the school we are expected to test. I have > never seen a > student not "made ready" according to the Head Instructor for > testing. There > is an ever increasing amount of injury to students. > Fractures, sprains, > knees, backs, shins, broken hands, and as a result, lost > student members. > Students are instructed to spar without proper equipment and > other students > are told to purchase the equipment due to insurance > regulations. I read this letter with real interest, I am now a black belt and like other people in my class it took me 4 1/2(approx.) years to reach black belt (Training Continuously) and was amazed that they are grading/testing you so quickly. Although you are more than likely doing a different syllabus (Ours is the ITF Do-san/Dan-Gun etc etc), I agree that a 2 month gap for perhaps the first 3-4 gradings but after that we slow down to about 2-3 tests a year! Our instructor who is a 5th degree checks each student to see whether they are ready to grade before being allowed to sit the test. And it is certainly not the case that a student will pass the test for turning up and paying the fee. A person starting at our school would certainly NOT be a blue belt after training for a year (unless they were lucky enough to be able to train 5 nights a week, every week). IMHO I think ours is a far better way to train in that, you have to be able to perform far better each time you test, do every technique to a higher standard, NOT just be able to perform the next higher pattern/form/kata etc, which a willing student could do in a couple of hours. It has always bugged me when people say stuff like "Yeah, I made black belt in two years, what took you so long?". When I sat my black belt grading it was extremely hard work and of the dozen people grading not everyone passed. It really meant something to me because it was such hard work. I didn't want to pass if it meant turning up with a big smile and the examination fee. What would that have been worth?!! As to the other point about injuries, I was unfortunate enough to watch two black belts fighting when one of them ( a good friend)hadn't bothered to put his shin guards on (laziness??) and suffered a fractured shin bone (Tibia and Fibula) after a kick went wrong, showing the power generated and just how dangerous MA can be. As far as being "Told" to spar without the proper equipment on either person, that is just plain wrong, no matter what style you do. If you don't have the proper safety gear then you MUST have NO contact sparring, that's obvious. I love TKD, but I wouldn't want to risk multiple injuries everytime I sparred in the class just because my instructor told me to! I think you should look about for a new club, there is always other clubs and styles and you will know when you go along and watch and speak to the students training at a new club, weather it will be right for you and what for what you want from the Martial Arts! Chris McKenna GTF 1st degree Scotland UK ------------------------------ From: "Atchinson, Kerry M" Date: Mon, 2 Aug 1999 10:38:11 -0500 Subject: the_dojang: RE: It's never too late... > From: Ken Ashworth > Date: Fri, 30 Jul 1999 11:19:46 -0500 > Subject: the_dojang: Tae-Bo > > I just recently started my TKD journey at the age of 40. I have my first > > belt test in 3 weeks. I have been going to class 3 nights per week since > June 2. If it weren't for the Tae-Bo videos introducing me to punching > and > kicking I don't know if I would have discovered martial arts. I did the > Tae-Bo tapes along with my wife and two boys (5 and 6) for 2 months before > > starting the TKD class. We had a blast doing the workouts together. I > have to admit that seeing "The Matrix" is what put me over. I saw it 3 > times the week before I found a TKD class. > > Ken Ashworth > Houston, TX > > Awright! I also started at 40. Hope TKD turns out to be an indispensable part of your life, like it has for so many of us. Kerry ------------------------------ From: "Diane Goodman" Date: Mon, 02 Aug 1999 11:53:23 -0400 Subject: the_dojang: Testing too soon-new school? Hi Lorraine - I am the same age as you and returned to martial arts (after = 12 years out of it) 6 years ago at the age of 42. It was very important to = me to find a school that 1) let you progress at your own rate, 2) valued = discipline and structure but was not too militaristic, and 3) was = conscientious about not letting people "go crazy" during sparring! I did = find a school with those criteria. Our instructor monitored our progress and let us know when he felt we were = ready for testing. If you didn't feel you were quite ready, you could wait = (but not too long). An instructor that pushes you along to test when you = aren't ready sounds like s/he is mostly in it for the money. It is at the = very least embarrassing, and at the most, dangerous, to have a black belt = but not have mastered the techniques and feel confident about them. (It = reminds me of the way some students are pushed through the public school = system and end up as high school graduates who can't read, write, spell, = or do basic math.) I feel that no one should be sparring without some type of padding/protecti= on; how much depends on how "full contact" your school is. And everyone = should be equally protected. The instructor should tell the students = exactly what type of protection materials to have, and no one should be = permitted to spar unless they are wearing their protective gear.=20 If you can talk to your instructor about this, definitely do it, and = changes may be made. If other students feel this way, all the better, = since your instructor will not want to lose students (and $$$$). If = nothing can be done, you would probably be better off finding another = school if your current situation is unbearable.=20 Good luck. Diane L. Goodman Bradenton, Florida =20 ------------------------------ From: Ray Terry Date: Mon, 2 Aug 1999 09:57:38 -0700 (PDT) Subject: the_dojang: . ------------------------------ End of The_Dojang-Digest V6 #377 ******************************** 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 an 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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