From: the_dojang-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com To: the_dojang-digest@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Subject: The_Dojang-Digest V6 #534 Reply-To: the_dojang@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Errors-To: the_dojang-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Precedence: The_Dojang-Digest Wed, 27 Oct 1999 Vol 06 : Num 534 In this issue: the_dojang: Re: belt colors the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V6 #531 the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V6 #533 the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V6 #533 the_dojang: TKD calendar the_dojang: . ========================================================================= The_Dojang, serving the Internet since June 1994. ~775 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: Brett Erwin Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1999 14:21:33 -0500 Subject: the_dojang: Re: belt colors > > "What do orange, yellow, purple, and brown mean?" > More money for the school! > For issue's now I have been reading this color means this, and that color > means that. Systems and school's will and have put their own meanings to > belt colors. Who cares. What is important is does the person who just > received his/her new rank/title deserve it. If not it doesn't matter if it > stands for innocence or that the holder is impervious to fear. All it came > down to is that they paid their fee. > Ok, I've read the "belt colors" thread for a while, and as boring as it is, I still want to put in my $0.02. :) I'm not going to debate about what the colors signify, or where they come from. If an instuctor says the white belt eventually turned to black over time, then fine. If, along the way, the belt turns yellow, and the instructor wants this to represent "the dawn of a new day", then so be it. But, I must add that the belts also have a few other purposes: 1) Yes, I agree that more belts = more testings = more $ for instructor. So there is some financial impact here. 2) The student learns material in small steps deemed appropriate for the belt. This is good for the student. Kind of like having grading periods within semesters within the school year within the 4 year schooling process. 3) The belts easily allow the instructor to plan/coordinate/manage the class by knowing exactly what skill/knowledge level the student is at. If everyone wore white belts until they turned black, you would have students with the same looking belt with years difference in experience. They don't need to be learning the same thing. 4) The belts serve as a "tangible reward" for the student. This is important, especially for kids to have their progress noted. This is why teachers in elementary schools but smiley stickers on homework. Heck, we even put these stickers on our "tiny tigers (age 4-6)" belts after class. They love love them, want them, and work hard for them. They can't visualize the next belt which is only a few weeks/months away. Another example is why FSU Seminoles have little tomahawk decals on the back of their helmets. People need something tangible that they are working toward. Yes, they all want "black belt", but it's so far down the road, they need to see the steps along the way. Just some thoughts... Respectfully, Brett Erwin Allen, TX ------------------------------ From: Chuck Sears Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1999 17:50:16 -0500 Subject: the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V6 #531 > From: "Alexander, Stephen (Nexfor)" > Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 11:46:15 -0400 > Subject: [none] > > Emil Wrote: > ...snip... > >>What I would like to see instead of a grading is a system where the > instructor just hands out the next belt to the student. I see a lot of > people that focus too much on the grading and attendance, and don't really > care about how a person performs in class.<< > > Yep, I agree. Better yet, lets go back to NO colour belts at all!! Just > wear a white belt until you are ready to be a Black Belt. Saves everyone > the trouble of worrying about their next test and allows them to concentrate > more on training. Also removes the confusion of how to line up in class!! > ;-> . > There are so many people who are focussed on the destination, they don't > enjoy the journey. There is a particular BB in my club who tested with my > wife and I when we went for BB about a year and a half ago. Well, since > then she always has an excuse for not training much, or not training hard. > Well, how much you want to bet that when it gets close to time for 2nd Dan > testing, you will see her training just for the test. Whereas my wife and I > have continued to train 3-4 days a week regardless of the fact we won't be > testing for a LONG time. These people IMO are not truly interested in the > MA, but in self gratification, the kind that comes from telling people, > "hey, I'm a 2nd degree BB now, you better look out".. Yep. It's those kind of folks that caused us to implement a minimum number of classes requirement before allowing students to test for the next rank. Just like one bad apple in a barrel spoils the rest of the barrel, I suppose.... > > IMO a BB or any other colour belt is just to hold up your drawers. Deep > inside you, I think most people know whether or not they deserve a promotion > or not. > True. We have a saying in our school: "You don't earn the rank; the rank earns you." When someone is ready to be a Black Belt, they'll become one. > ------------------------------ > > From: CBAUGHN@aol.com > Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 13:38:33 EDT > Subject: the_dojang: Re: Ready for Testing > > Emil Fisk wrote: > > << What I would like to see instead of a grading is a system where the > instructor just hands out the next belt to the student. I see a lot of > people that focus too much on the grading and attendance, and don't really > care about how a person performs in class. They might be lazy, playful, or > whatever, and yet still be serious and do very well at the grading. Should > this student be allowed to the next belt level because he performed well > for 10 minutes even though he was playing around in class for the past > three months? The classtime should be a period of constant evaluation > instead, thus making the students work hard and at their best behavior all > the time. When the instructor feels they're ready, he simply calls the > student in front of the class and congratulates him or her for oustanding > performance and attitude, here's your next gup certificate or belt, yadda > yadda yadda. >> > > ...snip... > It's true there was no pressure, everything was very low-key; but the > students didn't seem to retain the information or training quite as well as > when they'd had a regular test. The most off-putting part, though, was that > there was no longer a "test day" where parents and friends could come and > watch videotape a student taking his/her test and celebrate having passed. > Students started dropping like flies, and had the old ways not been > reinstated, I believe a previously thriving school would have gone under. A public testing is the closest thing to actual combat that we can implement. The student is under stress to perform and has the adrenaline pump going on, with the attendant loss of concentration and fine motor skills. Someone who performs adequately under those circumstances has a much better chance of performing adequately if it's needed for real. > > > I would note that they never did this with the Black Belt Test, which was > always held as a special test with only the parents and friends of the testee > being allowed to watch -- no other students allowed except those at Dan level > (and if a parent was a student, too bad unless he was already at black belt > level). For those who passed, there was also a wonderful "Rite of Passing" > celebration during the evening following the test. Everyone looked forward > to this milestone (and it was truly worth the work and wait). > Our Black Belt tests are conducted as a regular testing. We want everyone to see what the students have to do to earn the actual Black Belt - it really motivates them when they see someone put in the effort and achieve the reward. ------------------------------ From: "Mike Roberts" Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1999 22:49:20 GMT Subject: the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V6 #533 It's cool to read so much from people that know a lot about martial arts. the stuff about the belts was interesting. I never knew what the colors meant. I just knew black was a master. thanks Mike ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ From: d.d.parker@juno.com Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1999 16:51:12 -0600 Subject: the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V6 #533 Illona, Thank you for your kind words. Though I confess that it will be YEARS!!!! before my kicks reach a level that will satisfy my expectations.:>) Daniel ------------------------------ From: Ray Terry Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1999 17:05:42 -0700 (PDT) Subject: the_dojang: TKD calendar The_Dojang Calendar of USTU/WTF Taekwondo Events 10/27/99 Dates and locations subject to change. 1999 11th Central Wisconsin TKD Oct 30 Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin 7th California Open TKD Oct 30 Irvine, California Garden State Cup '99 TKD Nov 7 West New York, New Jersey Wisconsin State Open Nov 13 Appleton, Wisconsin 16th Western Regional Nov 13 Los Vegas, Nevada US Gold Team 2000 Training Camp Dec 3-5 Colorado Spgs, Colorado/US TKD Test Event for Sydney Dec 4-5 Sydney, Australia 2000 US Open TKD Champ Feb 2-6 Honolulu, Hawaii 6th World University TKD Champ Mar 29-Apr 2 Kaohsiung, Taipei World Cup TKD Apr 14-16 Lyon, France 14th Asian TKD Champ May 14-18 Hong Kong, China 1st Int'l Women's Open TKD Champ June 22-25 Los Angeles, California/US Korea Open, Chun Chon Int'l June 24-July 1 Chun Chon, Korea 27th Olympic Games Sep 13-Oct 1 Sydney, Australia Olympic Games TKD event Sep 27-30 Sydney, Australia 6th African TKD (3rd Women's) Champ Zimbabwe 13th European Senior TKD Champ Athens, Greece 12th Pan American TKD Champ Puerto Rico 2001 World Cup TKD May Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam WTF General Assembly & Executive Sept Council meeting Cheju City, Korea 15th World TKD Champ & 8th Women's World TKD Champ mid-Sept Cheju City, Korea 7th Central American Games Guatemala City, Guatemala 2002 14th European Senior TKD Champ Turkey 7th South American Games Cordoba, Argentina 2003 14th Pan American Games Santo Domingo, Dominican Rep ------------------------------ From: Ray Terry Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1999 20:10:51 -0700 (PDT) Subject: the_dojang: . ------------------------------ End of The_Dojang-Digest V6 #534 ******************************** 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. All digest files have the suffix '.txt' Copyright 1994-99: Ray Terry, Martial Arts Resource, California Taekwondo Standard disclaimers apply.