some more opinions wanted

[bluewaveschool]

Ok, these things are prolly covered in threads somewhere else, but I'll just combine the things I'm interested in hearing your take on into 1 thread. I only have the opinion of my 4 1st degrees, would like to know what others think. A lot have to do with various habits I'm having to break.


Colored uniforms on students - The last main instructor didn't care what color they wore. The head instructor came back and saw students wearing red and black (a green and a yellow belt) and was on the fence, color of your uniform doesn't mean anything, just color of belt. I flat out banned anything other than white. I let the students that already had colored uniforms keep wearing theirs, so they didn't have to incur the cost of a new uniform. Century is greedy.

Colored uniforms on instructors - I only wear white or black. I have one instructor in a blue/black 'team' uniform, and another that wears red with black stripes. I think that if you earned the black belt you earned the right to ear whatever color you want.

Side kick - Some how, these kids were taught how to throw a side kick without pivoting the standing leg and getting the hip rotation. They were also taught to swing the foot backwards like a pendulem as they chamber. I can't even do it, totally screwed up. I preach it over and over, I point out when they get it wrong. I'd about to the point that i'm just going to say 'no pivot = push ups'. We go up and down the line, we work with each kids one on one. We do 4 count kicks. Anyone have any tips that they do with the kids that work?

Sparring gear - Mouthguard/cup must have, gloves/feet to spar other students, headgear under 18. No chest protectors required. I've never used one. Are they really worth the extra money?

[Fiendlover]

Ok, these things are prolly covered in threads somewhere else, but I'll just combine the things I'm interested in hearing your take on into 1 thread. I only have the opinion of my 4 1st degrees, would like to know what others think. A lot have to do with various habits I'm having to break.


Colored uniforms on students - The last main instructor didn't care what color they wore. The head instructor came back and saw students wearing red and black (a green and a yellow belt) and was on the fence, color of your uniform doesn't mean anything, just color of belt. I flat out banned anything other than white. I let the students that already had colored uniforms keep wearing theirs, so they didn't have to incur the cost of a new uniform. Century is greedy.

Colored uniforms on instructors - I only wear white or black. I have one instructor in a blue/black 'team' uniform, and another that wears red with black stripes. I think that if you earned the black belt you earned the right to ear whatever color you want.

Side kick - Some how, these kids were taught how to throw a side kick without pivoting the standing leg and getting the hip rotation. They were also taught to swing the foot backwards like a pendulem as they chamber. I can't even do it, totally screwed up. I preach it over and over, I point out when they get it wrong. I'd about to the point that i'm just going to say 'no pivot = push ups'. We go up and down the line, we work with each kids one on one. We do 4 count kicks. Anyone have any tips that they do with the kids that work?

Sparring gear - Mouthguard/cup must have, gloves/feet to spar other students, headgear under 18. No chest protectors required. I've never used one. Are they really worth the extra money?

I've taken Japanese karate for 5 years and Soo Bahk Do for over one so I have seen different things.

In Soo Bahk Do everyone wears white uniforms from white belts to the master. Only the color of the collar is different depending on what colorr your rank is. In my Japanese karate everyone had colored uniforms including instructors. I perferably like Soo Bahk Dos version better.

I don't have any suggestions for the side kicks though. I can't understand how they can throw a sidekick without pivoting. :confused:

For the Japanese karate I took, if we were not a blackbelt, we had to wear a mouthpiece, helmet, gloves, feet pads, shin guards, chest guard, and cups for guys. Blackbelts only needed gloves, cups, and mouthpieces. For Soo Bahk Do, because it is light contact, only mouthpieces, helmets, gloves, and cups are required but that is only for tournaments. For nrmal sparring in class nothing is required.

IMHO only mouthpieces, cups, and gloves should be required personally.

Hopes this helps.

[granfire]

As the laundry lady in my house I like the idea of colored uniforms. but that is your decision what you want to see. I also like th idea of having your instructors in something a bit different, easy to see at a glance, but again, your call.

Sidekick...we did focus kicks, stand by the wall and do kicks a t slow/medium speed, control the mechanics. Does not do much for the pivot but at least the swinging back is controlled, and 15 on each side is plenty, BURN baby burn... ;)

Add shin guards and elbow pads to the gear list. the cloth elbow bads don't cost but 10 bucks or so but nice to have over the bony parts, same as a little cussion over the shins...had a sick looking bruise once from colliding with a very stout leg of a big kid...we never had chest guards...but - in this day and age I would make the head gear requirement, too. Nobody can really afford these days to get hit in the noggin, but that is my personal oppinion.

[Earl Weiss]

1. Uniform - Which part of the word "Uniform" is not understood?
2. side Kick Pivot Drill. A. Shoulder to wall . Place hand on wall for balance . B. Hand not on wall reaches behind and grabs belt. (Keeps from rolling shoulder and turning back to opponent - Used for practice only. Guard up all other times. ) C. By count - Up on 1. No pivot yet Knee is bent & raised so thigh is parallel to floor or higher foot parallel to floor- Check students foot position. Support foot remains parallel to wall - Out on 2. Students must pivot, empasize ball of foot pivot so foot points to wall. Leg is extended. Check foot and body position. Back on 3 - return to position #2. Check foot position. Down on 4.
Count does not have to be 1,2,3,4. Can be 1,2,3,2,3,4.

3. Safety gear. reccomend head protection for all if on a hard floor. The protection is for the students head when it hits the floor more so than from the kick or punch.

[jks9199]

Regarding uniforms, gear, and costs...

Macho and Century both have distributor programs. They'll let you in as a non-profit club at the Y, too; you may need a letter from the Y confirming that you're with them. I happen to prefer Macho... but that's just my preference.

[bluewaveschool]

The Y is set up as a tax exempt with Century and the Y pays shipping, which is nice bc Century charges retarded amount for shipping.

Head gear is a must, I was interested in opinions on chest protectors. I have 1 person, an instructor, that has one, but she's also 4'9 amd weighs 95 lbs (not joking). She's the biggest argument for cups, as she cracked an instructors during sparring one night.

[ArmorOfGod]

IMO, you should run from Century. Bold Look will give you a wholesale account since you teach out of a rec center and only charge around $14 for white uniforms. Their uniforms are equal quality to Century, but I like the cut a little better. Belts are $2. Shipping from Bold Look is under ten dollars.
Tiger Claw will give you a wholesale account if your Y director writes a sentence or two stating you run a martial arts program at their facility.
I also have an account with KWON, but they focus mostly on TKD and Judo, so I end up using Bold Look more in the end.

You are right to make the students wear the same uniform. I read a good article years back stating that different color uniforms and different patches create cliques and sub-groups among the students. It is kind of like the rich kids wearing nicer clothes at school making the other kids feel inferior or like how the jocks wear one type of clothing and the skaters wear another, thus making the groups even more seperate.

AoG

[Stac3y]

Personally, I think white uniforms are impractical on kids, and medium or lightweight ones give the observer a far better view of the wearer's underwear than I like to have. :eek:

White shows dirt too well. I do think that everyone under black belt should have to wear the same uniform (hence the term), but I would go with black--it looks cleaner and thus wears longer, so it's cheaper in the long run.

[dancingalone]

Personally, I think white uniforms are impractical on kids, and medium or lightweight ones give the observer a far better view of the wearer's underwear than I like to have. :eek:

White shows dirt too well. I do think that everyone under black belt should have to wear the same uniform (hence the term), but I would go with black--it looks cleaner and thus wears longer, so it's cheaper in the long run.

White uniforms have become the tradition in TKD as well as the Okinawan and Japanese karate styles since that was all that was available when these systems were formalizing their structure. Black uniforms didn't come about until later, and they were a hallmark of the Hawaiian-derived arts like kenpo or kajukenbo.

I agree that black is more practical. It's just one of those things...

[StudentCarl]

Colored uniforms on students..
In my experience only white uniforms are acceptable at WTF tournaments. I agree with Master Weiss about uniformity.


Colored uniforms on instructors
In my experience only the school master wears black pants or all black. Black belt students have black collars.


Side kick - Some how, these kids were taught how to throw a side kick without pivoting the standing leg and getting the hip rotation.
Not a tip but a comment: This is a recipe for future hip replacement.


...headgear under 18. No chest protectors required. I've never used one. Are they really worth the extra money?

1. Everyone should wear headgear.
a. Reduces chance of head injury.
b. Required for tournaments. Train like you compete.
2. IMO, chest protectors should be required.
a. Reduce injuries. I've had ribs cracked through a hogu, and have done that to someone else. Would've been worse without.
b. Hogus allow full power kicking. Without them, my experience is that people hold back...why practice that? They also keep some people sparring who would get hurt too much otherwise.
c. Required for tournaments. Train like you compete.

[granfire]

Regarding uniforms, gear, and costs...

Macho and Century both have distributor programs. They'll let you in as a non-profit club at the Y, too; you may need a letter from the Y confirming that you're with them. I happen to prefer Macho... but that's just my preference.


I like the Macho medium weight uniforms (I think they are the medium weight)

ours held up for 4 years as the only one, with plenty of washes (and no visible panties either.)

The over the counter pricing irks me, but through our instructor we got good deals.

[bluewaveschool]

We most likely can't get wholesale as we only order individual pieces as the students pay for them.

[ArmorOfGod]

You can get wholesale through Bold Look even if you order one item at a time.
For example, a white vneck would be 13.99 with about $7 shipping. The middle weights are 2 or 3 dollars more. Of course, if you order more than one item, the shipping works out better. I usually get my items within 3 or 4 days.
I am a big fan of Bold--they have been good to my school over the years and they are the only company that sells black v-necks with NO tkd logo. My younger students wear those. Also, they are very aggressive on price matching.

AoG

[Earl Weiss]

Chest protectors - No, absent a medical condition. Teach them to block instead.
"Pain is a wonderful Instructor,. But no one wants to go to his class." Choi Hong Hi.

[DMcHenry]

For side kicks, have them stand next to something - can be a chair, stack of pads, something. You HAVE to pivot, rotate your leg so bottom of foot is facing forward (towards target), kick over the obsticle, then retract WITHOUT touching the object they are kicking over.

Basically doing the drill like Mr. Weiss suggests - 1) knee up 2) pivot 3) extend leg/kick 4) retract leg 5) pivot with knee up 6) put foot down. It is just this is being done over an object which requires them to pivot and re-chamber properly or they hit the object. Once they get the step by step, you can combine some of the steps like 1) pick up knee to chamber and pivot so supporting foot is backwards 2) rotate leg up and kick and rechamber 3) put foot down and pivot back to fighting stance. Or it could 1) pick knee up 2) pivot, kick, rechamber pivoting back 3) foot down. Whatever you feel works best.

[bluewaveschool]

Right now we do a 4 count without holding onto anything. 1 - knee up 2- pivot 3 - extend leg 4 - retract leg and set down. Walls are out, lined with glass. I tell them to pratice with a chair at home and show them how, going to make them use chairs in class tomorrow night. I'm going to try and get video of this side kick for you guys to see.

[Balrog]

Ok, these things are prolly covered in threads somewhere else, but I'll just combine the things I'm interested in hearing your take on into 1 thread. I only have the opinion of my 4 1st degrees, would like to know what others think. A lot have to do with various habits I'm having to break.


Colored uniforms on students - The last main instructor didn't care what color they wore. The head instructor came back and saw students wearing red and black (a green and a yellow belt) and was on the fence, color of your uniform doesn't mean anything, just color of belt. I flat out banned anything other than white. I let the students that already had colored uniforms keep wearing theirs, so they didn't have to incur the cost of a new uniform. Century is greedy.

Colored uniforms on instructors - I only wear white or black. I have one instructor in a blue/black 'team' uniform, and another that wears red with black stripes. I think that if you earned the black belt you earned the right to ear whatever color you want.

Our organization dictates white uniforms, period. 4th Degrees and above get a stripe down the pant leg, certified instructors get a black collar. A few other things but that is it.



Side kick - Some how, these kids were taught how to throw a side kick without pivoting the standing leg and getting the hip rotation. They were also taught to swing the foot backwards like a pendulem as they chamber. I can't even do it, totally screwed up. I preach it over and over, I point out when they get it wrong. I'd about to the point that i'm just going to say 'no pivot = push ups'. We go up and down the line, we work with each kids one on one. We do 4 count kicks. Anyone have any tips that they do with the kids that work?
Tell them to visualize that they are standing next to a table. There is a ball on the table. In order for them to kick the ball and not bang their foot on the edge of the table, they have to pivot and chamber the kick so that their butt and their heel are both pointing at the ball. Now they can make contact without hitting the table.

I normally hold a blocker in front of them to simulate the table, but I've been known to actually drag a table out and set it up. Whatever it takes.



Sparring gear - Mouthguard/cup must have, gloves/feet to spar other students, headgear under 18. No chest protectors required. I've never used one. Are they really worth the extra money?[/quote]
Our organization requires them. I personally don't like them, but they didn't bother to consult me on the deal. :lol:

[bluewaveschool]

I am getting video of this sidekick tomorrow night so I can show everyone. So messed up.

[Earl Weiss]

Right now we do a 4 count without holding onto anything. 1 - knee up 2- pivot 3 - extend leg 4 - retract leg and set down. Walls are out, lined with glass. I tell them to pratice with a chair at home and show them how, going to make them use chairs in class tomorrow night. I'm going to try and get video of this side kick for you guys to see.

If walls are out they can do a partner drill using their hand on the partners shoulder.

[bluewaveschool]

We have been using chairs. We'll keep doing it until they do it right.

[Tez3]

Personally, I think white uniforms are impractical on kids, and medium or lightweight ones give the observer a far better view of the wearer's underwear than I like to have. :eek:

White shows dirt too well. I do think that everyone under black belt should have to wear the same uniform (hence the term), but I would go with black--it looks cleaner and thus wears longer, so it's cheaper in the long run.

I chose black for ours too for the same reasons, young and teenage girls as well as older women much, much prefer black Gi bottoms if possible. Black looks every bit as smart as white if not more so. Would recommend it if you can have them.

[MasterWright]

I just want to add that some of our female students have been asking if we could use something different than white for pants. For a number of reasons but i won't get into that.

We may say that black is ok with the white top at our club.

[Tez3]

I just want to add that some of our female students have been asking if we could use something different than white for pants. For a number of reasons but i won't get into that.

We may say that black is ok with the white top at our club.

I've seen some clubs where they have white tops and black Gi bottoms, looks smart and you can still use the black edges on the tops if you use them.

[bluewaveschool]

I tell them not to buy the cheap/lightweight uniforms. Everyone has the same issue with the 7oz uniform.

[rlp271]

I'm still a fan of the all white uniform, but I grew up in an Okinawan system, trained in a competition oriented WTF system (competitions are white only), and am now currently training in Kyokushin, where they only have white uniforms.

The dojo I grew up in, and still train at when I'm home, allows you to wear black pants from green belt on, which is about 18 months in. Once you reach brown belt, you can wear a full black uniform. Black belts can wear anything they want, but I'm not really for red or blue uniforms. I've seen too many McDojo/McDojang with multi-colored, crazy patched up uniforms for student retention, because everyone is 6-years-old and wants to be a Power Ranger. I do understand the idea behind black pants, and I don't think it is bad at all.

One dojo I trained at had this setup, which I like. White uniforms for everyone up to 2nd degree black belt. At 2nd degree black belt, you could wear black pants. 3rd dan you wore a black top and white pants. 4th dan and above you wear white pants and a white top with black trim.

As far as protective gear goes, I'd say head gear is a must while training for all the reasons mentioned. I like the WKF hand gear more than the regular Century dipped foam. Chest gear I see the point of if you're allowing hard contact. I would personally make shin/instep pads optional. No foot gear. Mouth guard and cup shouldn't even have to be talked about. If you're not wearing those while sparring, I have no idea what you're thinking.

Not much I can say about the side kicks that hasn't already been said. I'll just add an ouch, my knees hurt thinking about it already.

[Tez3]

White is smart but can restrict training for women. Practicabilty should win over tradition I think.
Only our children wear headguards and shin guards, our adults fight full contact so not for them. Gum shields and groin guards for all though when fighting, optional when sparring in club though they tend only to go without once lol!

[Gemini]

Colored uniforms on students - I'm pretty traditional. Students wear white. All BB wear white w/black collar. As far as getting them, I get them from my parent school in NY, so I can't help you there. I do however, agree with your opinion of Century.


Colored uniforms on instructors - I only wear white or black... I think that if you earned the black belt you earned the right to ear whatever color you want.Assistant Instructors used to were blue, but I stopped that. In large classes it made sense. In small classes like mine, it's not necessary. I wear the same white with black trim as the other black belts. Most schools I've seen share your opinion.


Side kick - Some how, these kids were taught how to throw a side kick without pivoting the standing leg and getting the hip rotation. They were also taught to swing the foot backwards like a pendulem as they chamber. I can't even do it, totally screwed up. I preach it over and over, I point out when they get it wrong. I'd about to the point that i'm just going to say 'no pivot = push ups'. We go up and down the line, we work with each kids one on one. We do 4 count kicks. Anyone have any tips that they do with the kids that work?I do 4 count kicks also. It's a very difficult kick to learn correctly, and an easy one to develop bad habits in if not practiced regularly. I suppose my only difference from you is, while I may start with the whole class doing 4 counts, I don't continue it. I work with them individually. (not always possible, I know) I don't use walls, but I will stand with a student for support if necessary through the motion. Only thing I would suggest is, repetition. Remember, practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. If you have too many doing something incorrectly, stop. Don't teach anything more than you can teach effectively. Take them on in smaller groups or individually and let the rest train under another instructors supervision.


Sparring gear - Mouthguard/cup must have, gloves/feet to spar other students, headgear under 18. No chest protectors required. I've never used one. Are they really worth the extra money?Yes, they are. Head gear and chest protectors are required always. If anything, head gear is more important over 18. I don't have any students over 18 that don't have knock out power to the head. Even in light contact, mistakes happen. The potential for head injuries just isn't worth it. Chest protectors, absolutely. My first knockout ever was a body shot...and that was with a chest protector. If nothing else, they do take some getting used to. If your students compete and aren't used to the "feel", the competition mat isn't the place to learn.

Regards,

[bluewaveschool]

Mouthguard and cup SHOULDN'T have to be made a rule, but any of us that have taught for any length of time has dealt with students that have zero common sense and would think those items optional. It's not when one of the BB is 4'10 and she has already broken one cup with her side kick. Then again, if you don't want more kids...

[Tez3]

Mouthguard and cup SHOULDN'T have to be made a rule, but any of us that have taught for any length of time has dealt with students that have zero common sense and would think those items optional. It's not when one of the BB is 4'10 and she has already broken one cup with her side kick. Then again, if you don't want more kids...


Good girl!

Our guys wear the metal Muay Thai cups, very good until you need to get to the toilet very quickly, they have long strings on them instead of elastic so get tied up with knots, well I'll leave the rest to the imagination lol! The cups themself though are indestructable and are recommended.

[Daniel Sullivan]

Ok, these things are prolly covered in threads somewhere else, but I'll just combine the things I'm interested in hearing your take on into 1 thread. I only have the opinion of my 4 1st degrees, would like to know what others think. A lot have to do with various habits I'm having to break.


Colored uniforms on students - The last main instructor didn't care what color they wore. The head instructor came back and saw students wearing red and black (a green and a yellow belt) and was on the fence, color of your uniform doesn't mean anything, just color of belt. I flat out banned anything other than white. I let the students that already had colored uniforms keep wearing theirs, so they didn't have to incur the cost of a new uniform. Century is greedy.
Traditionally, taekwondo doboks are white. If you are going to use a different color, make sure that everyone is wearing the same color. Especially with kids. You do not want arguements about why kid X gets to wear red and kid Z gets to wear blue. Keep all students the same.

Also, unless you are an independent, your organization likely either stipulates or has a preferred dobok. If you are part of a larger organization, you should use the dobok associated with said org.

No comment on Century. I use Dynamics http://dynamicsworld.com/.


Colored uniforms on instructors - I only wear white or black. I have one instructor in a blue/black 'team' uniform, and another that wears red with black stripes. I think that if you earned the black belt you earned the right to ear whatever color you want
Once again, there are colors and doboks that are traditionally associated with taekwondo in general and with different organizations specifically. Unless you have some very good reason for doing so, I would adhere to the norms of your organization. Again, if you are independent, then this is not an issue, but I would suggest having all of the instructors in the same dobok, whatever color you happen to choose. I know that some schools put instructors in black, assistant instructors in red, and students in white. That is fine too, so long as people in each role are in the same color.


Side kick - Some how, these kids were taught how to throw a side kick without pivoting the standing leg and getting the hip rotation. They were also taught to swing the foot backwards like a pendulem as they chamber.
Huh???


I can't even do it, totally screwed up. I preach it over and over, I point out when they get it wrong. I'd about to the point that i'm just going to say 'no pivot = push ups'. We go up and down the line, we work with each kids one on one. We do 4 count kicks. Anyone have any tips that they do with the kids that work?
Retrain them and don't pass them to the next belt until they can do the kick correctly. New students coming in should be learning the kick with the pivot, so the old way should simply die of attrition. I would reserve pushups for respect or behavioural issue.


Sparring gear - Mouthguard/cup must have, gloves/feet to spar other students, headgear under 18. No chest protectors required. I've never used one. Are they really worth the extra money?
Are you sparring under WTF rules, ITF rules, or something else? WTF and ATA are the only ones who use the hogu to my knowledge. Everyone else is headgear, gloves, and some kind of foot protectors. Mouthpieces should be required for everyone and cup should be required for the boys. Hogu should only be required if you are WTF.

Best wishes to you!

Daniel

[bluewaveschool]

It was agreed upon the day I took over that none of the advanced belts inherited will be testing for a LONG time. I have a purple belt dying to test, so we invited him to a 1/2 hour private workout. We were honest with him, he's not close.