Date: Mon, 14 May 2007 02:58:24 -0700 From: the_dojang-request@martialartsresource.net Subject: The_Dojang digest, Vol 14 #146 - 4 msgs X-Mailer: Mailman v2.0.13.cisto1 MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Errors-To: the_dojang-admin@martialartsresource.net X-BeenThere: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.13.cisto1 Precedence: bulk Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net X-Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net X-Subscribed-Address: kma@martialartsresource.com List-Id: The Internet's premier discussion forum on Korean Martial Arts. 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Copyright 1994-2007: Ray Terry and Martial Arts Resource The Internet's premier discussion forum devoted to Korean Martial Arts. 2,200 members. See the Korean Martial Arts (KMA) FAQ and the online search engine for back issues of The_Dojang at http://MartialArtsResource.com Pil Seung! Today's Topics: 1. Instructors fees - too much? (dugy01) 2. TSD MDK instructor dies (Master Kevin Case) 3. University of Bridgeport awards first martial arts degrees (The_Dojang) 4. RE: Instructors fees - too much? (Thomas Gordon) --__--__-- Message: 1 From: "dugy01" To: Date: Sun, 13 May 2007 08:27:53 -0400 Subject: [The_Dojang] Instructors fees - too much? Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Hello. This is fairly long, I apologize, but I have questions regarding the teaching of this Martial Arts. Back, as a new student in Combat Hapkido (which most of you know is basically selected moves of various martial arts combined to form a type of combat self defense), I was studying with a more advanced (green belt) and a few white belts. We progressed normally, 3 months per belt, but really learning our levels. After the green belt (age 40's) made his black and was given his BB, certificate, teaching certififcate etc, he left. The were friends and he said he did him a favor giving him his bb. The class was run efficiently with us learning only our belts and afew other moves, such as knife defense, gun, and stick. Well, by then I was a green belt & new students had arrived. This instructor, added another school closer to my home, & travel would be a matter of minutes compared to an hour each way. I told him I wanted to switch to this school but he said the price here was double or I could continue on my plan but only attend classes 1 time per week as opposed to twice a week at the other school. I thought this a bit unfair and his way of making more money, but I relented as it was much closer, so now I pay double for the same amount of lessons. Another change is that it seems he has changed the curriculum. Now he is having us all purchase head gear, UFC fighting gloves (boxing gloves but with the fingers free), and he has us on the ground fighting all the time. Isn't Combat hapkido about not getting to the ground and actually putting your opponent(s) down or away from you so you can either get away or finish him off? Is he teaching us mixed martial arts as opposed to hapkido? (None of the GM P CH videos (to black belt) show any ground fighting whatsoever, only the basic takedown moves.) In short I think this instructor is finding ways for us to spend more money so he will make more money and then lengthing the time to make each belt, (adding the monthly fees), to make more money. In class, he interupts the class continuously whenever the phone rings,,,, and answers the phone and stays there for a good 15 minutes sometimes while we all stand there waiting to do something. He says that his first priority is to answer the phones because for him his desire is to make money. So he wants to "close the sale" so to speak, get the student into class, make his money and then continue. Once the student is in, that's his goal and that's the way he works it. I strongly disagree with him, I think that he should make his present students his priority and let the answering machine answer the calls and he can calll back when he is fnished with the classs. He strongly disagrees and has made it a point to let us all know by always just walking away from the class to attend to a walk-in or phone. I am at the point where I want to change instructors as I feel this instructor is very unreasonable and not only does he disregard his students by putting them second, but his increase in fees and now having us buy UFC fighting gear plus by showing us ground fighting (passing the guard, etc) he is lengthing the time by at least 1 or 2 months for each belt, especially the further belts. As we progress onto each belt, we must first pass all our previous belts, and only then do we begin to work on our current belts. Do the math... at brown belt level, u would need to pass the white, yellow, orange, green, purple, blue, brown belts before even beginning to learn the red belt. At one belt per week, and even that isn't done, it would be 7 weeks, that's almost 2 months. Then all the grappling, phone calls, he has us doing high kicks which are TKD style not Hapkido style, and more. Now he says that once I achieve the black belt, he won't be issuing a teachers certificate, that I must attend his one day seminar ($65 or so) in order to get this certificate. He is making up a class to teach me to teach. This is not a CH curriculum, this is his own method. I am very frustrated with this instructor, but am so close to my black belt.. I am now a brown belt and have been since the end of December 2006. I rarely miss a class yet he has me issue out stripes to the lower classes and belts, where at the same time my own level suffers from lack of practice and the belt level drags on and on...So I am a brown belt now for 5 months and have only had the opportunity to practice less than half my curriculum in all this time, devoting most of my time to training lower belts. I think this is very unfair. I've told my instructor my concerns and he says that all I want to rush thru my belts and just get my belts. That 's so far from the truth. I want to learn but all this ground fight ing UFC style is not what I was hoping to learn when learning self defense & his dragging out the length it takes only costs me more. Any comments please? DougM brown belt Combat Hapkido --__--__-- Message: 2 Date: Sun, 13 May 2007 13:52:23 -0400 (Eastern Daylight Time) From: "Master Kevin Case" To: Subject: [The_Dojang] TSD MDK instructor dies Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net My heartfelt condolences to Mr. Massaroni's immediate and extended family. I didn't personally know Mr. Massaroni but am sure I've seen him and do know his instructor. My own former student and WTSDA Sr Sam Dan Mr. Russell Nevado also recently died at the young age of 27. Mr. Nevado's vehicle was struck head on by a motorist traveling the wrong way on a busy road in the middle of a Sunday afternoon. The family and friends buried him yesterday. I intend to have a moment of silence at my Dojang for both Mr. Nevado and Massaroni and my daughter has decided to dedicate her next Dan test to Mr. Nevado whom she knew well and loved like a brother as I loved him like a son Master Kevin Case 5th Dan Tang Soo Do [demime 0.98e removed an attachment of type image/jpeg which had a name of Untitled-1.jpg] --__--__-- Message: 3 Date: Sun, 13 May 2007 15:59:00 -0700 From: The_Dojang To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Subject: [The_Dojang] University of Bridgeport awards first martial arts degrees Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net University of Bridgeport awards first martial arts degrees Posted May 13, 2007 (Bridgeport-AP) The University of Bridgeport has awarded the nation's first two bachelor's degrees in martial arts. Hyun Kyu Seo and Henry K. Song received their degrees yesterday, part of a 12-hundred member graduating class at the school. Bridgeport started the nation's only martial arts major in 2005 in the school's International College. The program offers courses on the philosophical, historical and psychosocial aspects of the martial arts as well as practical classes on tae kwon do, taiji and judo. --__--__-- Message: 4 From: "Thomas Gordon" To: Subject: RE: [The_Dojang] Instructors fees - too much? Date: Sun, 13 May 2007 19:46:00 -0500 Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net I read this and re-read it. There's a lot more than just fees involved. If the instructor told you the fees upfront and you accepted, no it's not too much. However, that's on the assumption there isn't any bait & switch. In our town, I'm told monthly fees range from $35 to $150ish. One of our students moved to central Florida and said the more visible schools all seem to start around $169 and go up. So "how much" is kinda relative but one thing is for certain, consumer drives the market and the school will certainly close if it's too much. To the other things you mentioned, just from what I've read, sounds like the instructor has his priorities crossed. I rarely come off the floor for anything - much less for the phone. Old saying that holds very true, A bird in the hand..... However, we can't pick and chose what we're taught any more than we can only eat one thing on our plate. A good diet has all the major food groups. And a good martial art program does the same. The student is at the instructors mercy to teach them correctly and thoroughly. That doesn't mean a student operates mindlessly. I went back and read some of your previous messages and it looks like you've been in Hapkido for about two years. I wouldn't rush it. Best of luck to you. Thomas Gordon Florida --__--__-- _______________________________________________ The_Dojang mailing list The_Dojang@martialartsresource.net http://martialartsresource.net/mailman/listinfo/the_dojang Subscribe or Unsubscribe: http://the-dojang.net Old digest issues @ ftp://ftp.martialartsresource.com/pub/the_dojang Copyright 1994-2007: Ray Terry and http://MartialArtsResource.com Standard disclaimers apply. Remember September 11. End of The_Dojang Digest