Earl Weiss
Senior Master
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2009
- Messages
- 3,631
- Reaction score
- 966
I always say my history with MA's goes back 20 some odd years. training off and on since the mid to late '80's. Even when I wasn't in classes, i was researching, studying history, trying out free classes/seminars whenever possible. I think that's a more honest way instead of saying I've got 25 years under my belt. When pressed, I can try to lay out what i did when, but it gets a bit convoluted after awhile.
How does someone like me answer the question of how long have you trained without being dishonest and without degrading legitimate training?
Peace,
Erik
Well, when queried about stuff I have done , I say "I dabble".
I have a first Dan in Ju Jitsu thru the USJA Ju Jitsu Division. This was achieved by starting with some Judo in 1971, and then hooking up with a good Ju Jitsu man in 1975 who became chairman of the USJA Ju Jitsu division and training with him to supplement TKD striking skills with grapplinmg skills. After about 15 + years of this he said to a bunch of us TKD guys who were doing this that our striking was generaly superior to his Ju Jitsu students striking, and we knew 80% of his grappling curriculum. (We had concentrated on more fundamental SD stuff and not some of the more traditional variations. ) So he suggested that we buckle down and get the remaining 20% of the grappling down which we did. I also spent 2 years at a traditional TKD / Hapkido school. (1975-77)The Hapkido was similar in many ways for the falling and joint locks of Judo and Ju Jitsu . I also rounded out the Ju Jitsu and Hapkido classes with seminars and workshops.
So, If people as about my Ju Jitsu and Hapkido background I jsut tell them "I dabble".