Patterns in public?

[JBrainard]

Nothing else is available. There's only the one room. If I keep up with the dog, practicing outside is great, but I don't have a privacy fence. But it's OK if the neigbors think I'm weird, I think they are weirder.

Then be a weirdo and practice outside your pad
Or, something that I do: When I'm at work and need to take a 15 minute break, I go outside the building (somewhere the smokers don't hang out) and practice some footwork, striking patterns, etc. Plus, it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling when I go back inside to work.

 

[Shaderon]

Where I train it's a gym also, the studios are sometimes empty and when they are some of us pop in and train for 10 to 15 minutes in the nice open spaces with the mirrors round. Quite often I've had people wandering in and watching me for a while before their classes start. I've found it great publicity for the class, loads of people have come up to me and asked "what's that you are doing?".

 

[jks9199]

There is really no story here.

My Sanda sifu prefers hitting trees instead of a heavy bag. Palm strikes, kicks, forearm strikes and elbow strikes. But to be honest I just can't get myself to elbow a tree just yet. I recently got a new heavy bag and told him about it, and although he did not say anything beyond "Why?" I got the impression he thought it was silly, to soft and for whimps.

His sifu had him train with trees in China and that is the way he wants me to train now. So that is why I am hitting trees

It is just that I have joked about it WAY to much here on MT and I really need to stop doing that.

I used to hit trees in lieu of or along with using heavy bags, shields and so on...

They're not very forgiving of poor wrist alignment or balance! And the uneven ground is good preparation for reality.

Probably oughta do some more of that as I think of it now... And take my students out to do it, too...

 

[terryl965]

There is really no story here.

My Sanda sifu prefers hitting trees instead of a heavy bag. Palm strikes, kicks, forearm strikes and elbow strikes. But to be honest I just can't get myself to elbow a tree just yet. I recently got a new heavy bag and told him about it, and although he did not say anything beyond "Why?" I got the impression he thought it was silly, to soft and for whimps.

His sifu had him train with trees in China and that is the way he wants me to train now. So that is why I am hitting trees

It is just that I have joked about it WAY to much here on MT and I really need to stop doing that.

Back in the old days we did nothing but kick palm tree's it was the only way o train in some places.

 

[dubljay]

When I was living in the dorms a guy down the hall was a shotokan BB and we would do our respective forms at night after classes out in the grass between buildings. Eventually we ended up with sort of an impromptu class kind of thing with other kids that lived in the dorms. Other than that experience I tend to shy away from doing forms or anything MA related in public, not out of embarrassment or anything like that... I just figure the less people know about me the better.

 

[tkd_jen]

I guess this doesn't really count as public, but often on my lunch break I'll go through some patterns, just to stay fresh. My coworkers have gotten used to it, customers not so much. I get the dreaded comments like 'boy don't want to tick you off' that sort of thing. I can't quit though.

 

[searcher]

I do them in the backyard, at the gym in the aerobics room, at the dojo and dojang. I am becoming a lot less caring of what the public is thinking. I live in a small town and everyone knows you train, so I findit silly to try and hide it. And I am getting to old to care.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Back in the old days we did nothing but kick palm tree's it was the only way o train in some places.

Cool

Back in the old days I was getting slammed into the floor that had only a carpet for a pad and sparing with no protective gear (jujitsu) but we did not go hit trees back then. As a matter of fact we didn't do that in TKD either. I read about it before but it was never actually part of my practice until Sanda.

Try forearm strikes from ma bu (horse stance) with your back to the tree (standing slightly of to the side. one up, one down, repeat. Lightly higher than normal ma bu by the way, sink as you go for the lower forearm strike

Palm strikes are done from Ma Bu... On occasion but generally just from a normal standing position since it is more likely you will be hitting from that position than ma bu.

 

[Yeti]

All the time. I use to meet up with a friend and we'd train together in the middle of Boston Common. We'd go through one-steps and forms. We got looked at all the time and a few yahoos would comment but for the most part we were left alone. We even had one person ask what we were doing and how she could get involved.

 

[Nomad]

Yep, just about every week. When you first start doing forms "in public" you will feel self-conscious. This is part of the training, IMO, and overcoming it is a definite step forward (letting go of the ego part of you that cares what other people might be thinking while they're watching you).

Our instructors have scheduled full classes at parks or at the beach, partly for that reason and partly just to get out and enjoy nature.

I have worked on forms on the street in front of our house (no backyard), at parks, at the beach, in foreign countries, etc. Occasionally I've had someone heckle while driving past, and once I had a couple of people come up nearby and conspicuously start wrestling with each other... I ignored them and started in on a weapons' kata (3' staff) and they shortly lost interest and went away fairly quickly.

In choosing a spot (on those occasions where I can choose), I think it's important to pick somewhere a little out of the way... in other words, don't go into the middle of a busy public park with families all around and a "look at me" attitude... if you go a little ways off to the side, you'll find that most people will ignore you, some will watch for a little while before getting bored, and a few may approach with questions. Strangely, the better you get at your forms and the further you have progressed in your training, the less likely you are to be bothered.

Now if I go somewhere new to train (by myself, as I recently did in a park in Italy while on business), I usually feel self-conscious for about the first run through of the first kata. After that, the feeling disappears and the forms just flow. I always feel fantastic after doing this type of workout for an hour or so, and it always makes me wonder why I was reluctant to do it in the first place (see the ego comment above).

 

[Cirdan]

I occationally do Kata in the park, usually in a secluded spot. When there I practice the moves very slowly and with open hands. And no loud kiais, no need to attract the kind of attention you don`t want.

Actually practicing MA in public is not that uncommon here. The Tai chi and Capoeira guys can be seen in the park every now and then , and sometimes people training basic moves with a bokken. I even spotted a large group of Ninjas once

 

[cali_tkdbruin]

I used to practice my poomse in the aerobics room at the local Y when I had a membership. No big deal, and nobody really gawked at me and my training partner daughter because there was always a much bigger group of Shotokan karate guys participating in their own class on the basketball court in the main gym.

 

[RED]

I'm going to make a new post on this , but some of you mentioned doing patterns in public with weapons how does the local law enforcement take that?

 

[Nomad]

I'm going to make a new post on this , but some of you mentioned doing patterns in public with weapons how does the local law enforcement take that?

To me, this is a gray area, though I could theoretically get in trouble for it. When I have practiced with weapons in public they are always wooden sticks (bo, jo, bokken) which were usually used in a "classroom" setting; that is, with our senior instructors present and directing. When doing this, safety is obviously a prime concern, and I don't think anyone would mistake our drills for fighting. It is amazing how some people will walk right through a group using weapons in a park, which definitely adds an extra layer of situational awareness.

I suspect that a LEO would have to be having a VERY bad day to attempt to press charges on us... if anyone were to approach and ask us to stop, leave, or change what we were doing, we would politely comply as we have no wish to make anyone else feel uncomfortable. Generally, people's response has been more curious than anything else.

It is interesting to me that someone could get in trouble for having and manipulating a 3' x 1" staff while someone 5' away swinging a baseball bat (which could do at least as much damage if used as a weapon) would not be harrassed because the former is a "weapon" while the latter is (perceived as) "sports equipment".