From: the_dojang-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com To: the_dojang-digest@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Subject: The_Dojang-Digest V7 #198 Reply-To: the_dojang@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Errors-To: the_dojang-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Precedence: The_Dojang-Digest Mon, 27 March 2000 Vol 07 : Num 198 In this issue: the_dojang: require report cards? the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V7 #196 the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V7 #197 the_dojang: Sparring Rules the_dojang: Promotions the_dojang: Masters Belts the_dojang: RE: The_Dojang-Digest V7 #193 the_dojang: Re: 5 month Blue Belt the_dojang: Corea vs. Korea [none] ========================================================================= The_Dojang, serving the Internet since June 1994. 800+ members strong! Copyright 1994-2000: Ray Terry and 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! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Mac" Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2000 20:30:12 -0600 Subject: the_dojang: require report cards? <> Illona, I don't require them for tests. I do let any student that makes all "A"s (or maybe one B) a Master For A Day. I tie an extra belt I have on them and let them stand in front of class during the bow in. When they line up, of course they are at the head of the line. They feel so special. The funny thing is, I believe the last child I did this to was the student whom I failed on their last test. I think the student is used to getting their way with their parents.... not me. You were so correct in your last post. Our job as instructors is to help students improve. You sound like you've done that. My father used to hold Football over my head - bad grades, no Football. I do encourage them to do well in school, but I've never required to see their report cards for eligibility in rank testing. Maybe I should begin to.... Mac ------------------------------ From: Oregfightingarts@aol.com Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2000 22:18:22 EST Subject: the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V7 #196 << So, the purpose of sharing this with you all is - does it make a difference? Can we make a difference? >> The vicitm of abuse often 'leaves' a number of times before they stay away for good. You helped with one of those times. As a Martial Artist and police officer, I feel that it is my responsibility to intervene on the behalf of someone who can't. I have done it before, both on and off duty, and will do it again. The arts give us the ability to back up our words and ideals (if it comes to that). Many people object to assinine behavior, but few are willing to lead the fight....good job Anthony. M.Gajdostik ------------------------------ From: Oregfightingarts@aol.com Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2000 22:47:08 EST Subject: the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V7 #197 Do any of you that have your own schools require report cards be turned in also? Illona, Absolutely...I feel report cards are an intristic part of showing that learning of all kinds is important. If they dont have good grades, I sanction them by keeping them out of activities they enjoy, and I wont let them promote. At the same time, I mandate that they appear early for class (or stay late) and receive tutoring in the subjects in which they are deficient. It never takes long to get them back on the right path. The potential wrath of a Sabumnim sometimes is of more concern to a student than that of his/her parents. I am a teacher, and will teach whatever is necessary to help a student succeed. As for complaining parents, at every promotion I take detailed notes of the student which contain many microcorrections that need to be made or ideas to improve the students training. Everyone present sees me writing fast and furious, and because it is known that I go over the notes (with the student) at the next class, I rarely get any comments on how the student did. Train hard Mark Gajdostik ------------------------------ From: "tink73" Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2000 22:27:54 -0600 Subject: the_dojang: Sparring Rules Kevin... What kind of tournament are you involved in? The rules vary for each organization and type/style of tourney... The One and Only... Tink ------------------------------ From: "Moja Kwan - C. Richards" Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2000 12:20:44 -0500 Subject: the_dojang: Promotions Dear Mark, I used to have a database, to check attendance and time in rank, then print out a list and have all my assistant instructors give a thumbs up or thumbs down to everyone who qualified on time/classes. For the next month, each "helper" and assistant instructor had a mentee. It was their responsibility to ensure that person passed their exam (or report back to me that student should wait). On "test" day everyone passed and got their belts (with a philosophy lecture of course) at the end. Tradition was relaxed a little to let parents come up "wherever" they wanted to take a picture of sabumnim tying their child's belts. Over the last ten years of teaching I have had one student I considered OK to test request to wait, one parent wait to test together with their family, and two students that I called into my office to suggest waiting and offer some private lessons. I guess that means I promote. Our "promotion" experience would consist of everyone doing every technique they new until they ran out of material and sat in anjo in the back. Only later did I reorganize the test so that White and Orange finished in the first hour and were dismissed. Usually, over half would stay to watch, out of curiosity and to lend support to their friends/seniors. It usually took about 2.5 to 3 hours to get all the way through 1st gup. Of course at that level we should have some measure of their inner strength and endurance (neh kong). Later that evening/late lunch I would take the examiners to a working meal to discuss areas to improve in our teaching. The test is really for us as instructors to step back and see, how are my assistants relating the material to gups, what general areas need the most work in future classes, what week areas of mine are reflected in my gups at test time. Just one humble opinion...looking forward to hearing what others have had success with on the list or direct email. Yours in the arts Charles Richards Moja Kwan TSD ------------------------------ From: "Moja Kwan - C. Richards" Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2000 00:16:20 -0500 Subject: the_dojang: Masters Belts Been lurking in the shadows and enjoying the wealth of knowledge about Korean Martial Arts on this list. Has anybody heard of any dojangs practicing Tang Soo Do under the Chung Do Kwan banner (circa 1944)? I am familiar with the Moo Duk Kwan but understand the "Blue Wave Gym" identified themselves as Tang Soo Do in 1944/45... Question #2. I understand Soo Bahk Do and Hwa Soo Do (and Tae Soo Do) are now registered trade names by the various grandmasters. Is Soo Bahk Ki still a common domain name? Final question (#3) I've seen several systems utilize the extra-wide (3") belts for masters rank (no stripes) and most TSD uses either midnight or black with a central red stripe. Does anyone know the history of using the central red stripe in Tang Soo Do, or if the plainer (wider) version is used? Response (dragging belts behind cars). In 1996 I gave my blackbelt of five years to a friend from Romania who was in the US on a temporary basis. That belt was just beginning to gray and fray at the knot. I still have several Dobohks that have a faint gray stain around the belt line. I didn't know there was another way besides sweat and tears to gray a belt and fray the knot area. We ended up testing together, him for Cho Dan (in our Association) and me for Sam Dan. He and his friend were my two on one partners for sparring. It saddened me when he decided to return to his homeland so I gave him my unstriped belt to have a part of me training in Romania, and commemorate our brotherhood. This past Saturday he and my best friend (an Ee Dan) came over to my home (an hour drive for them) to train. It was good to see all my old friends (my old belt included). My friend will be in the U.S. through his Ee Dan exam, and will be wearing "our" belt. This is truly an honor. Yours in the arts Charles Richards Moja Kwan TSD ------------------------------ From: "j.park" Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2000 09:48:06 +0100 Subject: the_dojang: RE: The_Dojang-Digest V7 #193 - ------------------------------ From: Oregfightingarts@aol.com Date: Sat, 25 Mar 2000 00:43:53 EST Subject: the_dojang: failing tests Hey all !!! Last Wednesday, a fellow instructor invited me to his dojang to help with testing. I train with him several times a month, and I get a chance to see his students perform. I was suprised to see several test candidates that I felt shouldnt be anywhere near a test, but I held my tongue. Most of the students did very well, and I issued my recommendation of promotion. Two, however, I did not feel met minimum ability criterium, and I recommended them to fail. He passed them both. His school, his perogative, I know, but one of his higher ranking students (part of the leadership team) came to me later and asked why the two passed. I told him various reasons to promote a student (time spent, improvement seen, attitude, effort etc.) I do not hold tests...I hold promotions. When I feel the person is ready, they get promoted. I still make gup ranks perform all of their requirements, but they will not fail (but they dont know that...my secret) :) My question to the instructors of the list....Do you promote or test, and if you test do you fail students? Best Regards, Mark Gajdostik Oregon Fighting Arts/ TNT-Police Combatives - ------------------------------ I am an Instructor in a taekwondo association based in the north east of England. We grade or promote our students, but none of our students who grade fail. However if the students are up to stratch then our cheif instructor tells the students instructor that, that student MUST NOT attend the next grading, by writing MNG on the grading form. (MNG = Miss Next Grading.) Yours in Taekwondo TKD instructor. p.s. i will not give my name incase my cheif instructor or any of my fellow instructors are on this list as this the students do not know about. ------------------------------ From: CBAUGHN@aol.com Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2000 07:44:39 EST Subject: the_dojang: Re: 5 month Blue Belt Gecko K. Martial Arts wrote: << I just say a 8 year old who has only been doing martial arts for 5 months just get his blue belt today. Have you guys run into this often? What are your thoughts? >> Could the 8-year-old have been taking classes you didn't know about? Did he pass the test and do what was required to be a blue belt -- or was he allowed to pass? There are "prodigies" in everything. Sometimes a child can do so much better than even the adults in a school that an instructor will let him or her go with the testing in order to keep the interest level high. Although, admittedly, sometimes we wonder why anyone would have let certain children step on the floor to test. It's always a matter of the instructor's opinion. Sally Baughn cbaughn@aol.com ------------------------------ From: Ray Terry Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2000 6:36:48 PST Subject: the_dojang: Corea vs. Korea Forwarding... From http://goldsea.com/Poll/corea.html KOREA OR COREA? We at GoldSea choose to honor the more natural rendering commonly used in the English-speaking world prior to the Japanese annexation and colonialization of Corea beginning in 1905. American and English books published during the latter half of the 19th century generally referred to the nation as "Corea" as recently as the years immediately preceding Japan's formal annexation of Corea in 1910. An 1851 map of East Asia by Englishman John Tallis labels the nation Corea. The same spelling is used in The Mongols, a 1908 history of the Mongol race by Jeremiah Curtin, the world's foremost Asia scholar of the day, as well as in several books by American missionaries published between 1887 and 1905. Japan's annexation of Corea didn't become formal until 1910, but for all practical purposes Japan had become the power that regulated Corea's relations with the outside world in 1897 when it defeated China in a war over Japan's ambition to exercise control over Corea. The only other power willing to contest Japan's supremacy in the Corean peninsula was Russia. When it was easily defeated by Japan at Port Arthur in 1905, the annexation of Corea became a fait accompli. Anxious to avoid a costly Pacific conflict, President Wilson ignored the pleas of a delegation of Corean patriots and their American missionary supporters and turned a blind eye to Japan's acts of formal annexation and colonization of Corea. During that period Japan mounted a campaign to push for the "Korea" useage by the American press. Why? For one of Japan's prospective colonies to precede its master in the alphabetical lineup of nations would be unseemly, Japanese imperialists decided. Japan's colonial rule over Corea ended on August 15, 1945 when it lost World War II. Now that Corea is eagerly shedding the last vestiges of the colonial period, even demolishing public buildings erected by the Japanese (for example, the monstrously immense colonial governor's mansion), forward-thinking Corean and Corean American journalists, intellectuals and scholars are urging the American media to revert to the original, more natural rendering of Corea. The changeover will pose a problem only in English-speaking nations as other western nations never accepted the "K" spelling. For example, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico, among many others, use the "C" rendering. English convention, too, is on the side of the Corea rendering. Non-European names are romanized with a "C" (Cambodia, Canada, cocoa, Comanche, Congo, and even old Canton, for example) except where the first letter is followed by an "e" or an "i", (as in Kenya). Other than that, the "K" spelling is used only in connoting childlike ignorance of spelling conventions ("Kitty Kat" and "Skool", for examples). Therefore, the American "K" spelling is: 1.offensive from a historical standpoint (remember "Peking" and "Canton"?); 2.violates western rendering conventions; 3.suggests a lack of sophistication toward Corea; and 4.by connoting naiveté, imputes a lack of sophistication to Corea and its people. The Corea rendering will ultimately become universal when more Americans are educated as to its offensive and relatively recent origin. The English-speaking world was responsible for agreeing to Japanese efforts to change the spelling of Corea's name in English useage. Who better than concerned Asian Americans to help change it back? Tell us how you feel about this issue by taking a moment to vote in our poll! Should we use the conventional spelling of Korea, or Corea, the spelling in common western use before Japan began taking steps toward annexing Corea in 1904? (Updated 3/25/00 to reflect the 100 most recent valid votes. NOTE: While we do appreciate the strength of conviction that motivates repeated votes from a single computer, the practice does not help your cause as such votes are screened out.) Stick with Korea | 19% Help change American useage back to Corea | 81% - ----------------------------- Henny (Lee Hae Kang) Feel free to visit http://www.henny-savenije.demon.nl and feel the thrill of Hamel discovering Korea (1653-1666) ------------------------------ From: Ray Terry Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2000 06:20:58 -0800 (PST) Subject: [none] ------------------------------ End of The_Dojang-Digest V7 #198 ******************************** It's a great day for Taekwondo! 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 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. 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