Optionals

[KenpoNoChikara]

How many people here have "Optional" techniques at your dojo, and what is your opinion on it?

- KenpoNoChikara

[MisterMike]

I suppose if your school has a rigid curriculum of techniques that they teach and test by, optional would mean you are not responsible for them but they are there if you want to learn them.

Or, maybe you have to learn them like every other technique, but are not tested on them.

:idunno:

[pete]

maybe its like back in school when there were extra credit assignments... don't bother if your aceing the class... but if you're not, they may teach you something to make things click and pick up your grade a bit.

of course, there were always a few who were aceing the class and did the extra credit stuff anyway, just for fun... right KM?

pete.

[KenpoNoChikara]

My school basically has something that goes like this:

Yellow belt required techniques- required to test for next rank
Optional yellow belt techniques-Yellow techniques not required for next rank, but can still be learned anyway.

It continues through the belts up to green, I think. All optionals become required for Black Belt.

Hope that was a little more clear. :)

[bzarnett]

Mr. Rebello taught me several versions of Checking the Storm (about 4), as well as other techniques such as Intellectual Departure. My students have the option of learning these techniques for amusement and historical perspective. They are never tested on them.

For our school, this is what we classify as Optionals. They are used to provide an educational value but are not part of the core.

Cheers,
Bryan

[Kenpo Mama]

maybe its like back in school when there were extra credit assignments... don't bother if your aceing the class... but if you're not, they may teach you something to make things click and pick up your grade a bit.

of course, there were always a few who were aceing the class and did the extra credit stuff anyway, just for fun... right KM?

pete.
That's right pete, there's nothing wrong with going the extra yard! It's nice to know the optional techniques - my question is - if you know the optional techniques better than the required ones do you get to "substitute" the optional for the required .... ummm - i'm guessing maybe not!

Well my old studio only had required techs, but my new studio has the optional ones. Since i already knew the optional techs, i didn't pursue this question with my current instructor.

I feel that having a working knowledge of the optional techniques should be expected by black, especially if any of the optional techs are in the forms. I definitely think it is necessary to know the application of all the movements in the forms. So in a lot of cases there's really not an option.

Donna :ultracool

[KENPOJOE]

Mr. Rebello taught me several versions of Checking the Storm (about 4), as well as other techniques such as Intellectual Departure. My students have the option of learning these techniques for amusement and historical perspective. They are never tested on them.

For our school, this is what we classify as Optionals. They are used to provide an educational value but are not part of the core.

Cheers,
Bryan

Hi Folks!
I also teach several versions of Evading the storm as well as other techniques based on "signature moves" and "tailoring actions" that Mr. Parker did as well...
sheesh,a guy give you credit and he can't spell your name right... :wah:
BEGOOD,
KENPOJOE

[KenpoNoChikara]

I also teach several versions of Evading the storm as well as other techniques based on "signature moves" and "tailoring actions" that Mr. Parker did as well...



That's cool.
Do you usually teach them just to students who want learn them, or to whole classes?

[KENPOJOE]

My school basically has something that goes like this:

Yellow belt required techniques- required to test for next rank
Optional yellow belt techniques-Yellow techniques not required for next rank, but can still be learned anyway.

It continues through the belts up to green, I think. All optionals become required for Black Belt.

Hope that was a little more clear. :)

Hi Chikara [Japanese for strength]
I'm going to presume that you train with Ed Wilson in Woonsocket from your previous posts...
So I'll address your question directly.
Traditionally in EPAK [Ed Parker's American Kenpo] there are 10 techniques for yellow belt and 24 for each rank thereafter.
In Mr. Wilson's studio I believe it's 5 or 6 for yellow then the rest are "optionals"
and I believe 6 to 8 for orange then more "optionals" for each rank.
There are different kenpo studios that do different amounts and order than from Mr. Parker's Infinite insights listings or the accumulative journals. Mr. Wilson's lists are some of the shortest i've ever seen. I believe Mr. Wilson did this to encourage rank promotion and that is his perogative. There are reasons I do not agree with that format but unless you specifically ask I see no reason to go into it here. I remember Jeff Speakman looking at the lists and doing a "double take" when he saw the requirements on the boards and said "those must be the junior requirements" to which someone shouted out "those are the ADULT requirements" to which Jeff tried to cover it but he was surprised!
Chikara, Simply stated, you are studying EPAK and I'm happy for you! Better to learn some of a great style than nothing! I recommend you learn ALL the "optional" techniques because you may visit a studio where they are NOT optional!
I hope that I was of some service,
KENPOJOE

[KenpoNoChikara]

Yes, I have been trying to learn the optionals with the regular techniues for all my belts. My most recent green ones need some serious "tweaking" though, I will admit. Did you know Ed Wilson, or perhaps any of his students?

[OC Kid]

The way I teach my students is that I will show SD techniques and run them through it. For testing purposes they can change them how they want to adapt to their own personal style, body type/ gender/ ect. The only thing Im really concerned with is 2 things
1) The effectiveness of there techniquew..will it work on the street
2) Whether they use the correct stancesso they wont be off balance.

[MisterMike]

Yes, I have been trying to learn the optionals with the regular techniues for all my belts. My most recent green ones need some serious "tweaking" though, I will admit. Did you know Ed Wilson, or perhaps any of his students?

Not to be a buddinski, but I went to a couple of seminars there in the early 90's and also know one of his prior students. I think I also saw KENPOJOE there, but he wouldn't know me from the next guy ;)

[KenpoNoChikara]

That's cool. If you don't mind me asking, do the names Al Begnoche or Mandi Remilard ring any bells?

Respectfully, KenpoNoChikara

[MisterMike]

Nope. I ran them past a friend who went there and he thought he recognized one. Are you a student there? If so, for how long? PM me if you want to take it offline.

[KenpoNoChikara]

,

[tsunami]

I have seen schools with optional techniques. It seems like kind of a silly concept to me. It appears that this would create a situation where equally ranked students would not have an equal amount of knowlege. At the black belt level, are all of the optional techs required? You would have to know them to teach them to lower belts. So truthfully in the end they must all be required.

[KenpoNoChikara]

I guess the reason why some schools have them is that some people have a really hard time with only a few techniques, and then have the others as "optionals" for those who can handle the full system. I just found out that some schools, mine included, do not have optionals required untill 2nd Black, which I really don't understand. But everyone does things a different way, I suppose, and I'll respect that.