Attention all TKD schools : You need to see this
- Thread starter msmitht
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This is nothing new, it has been here in TKD and alot of other arts since the early nineties. Even MMA has childern classes now.
troubleenuf
Blue Belt
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- Feb 21, 2007
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What a nightmare... these are the people who actually think that they are learning something and cant figure out why when they go to tournaments or other schools they are like white belts.
celtic_crippler
Senior Master
Yup...that's gotta be the sequal to "The Foot Fist Way." LOL
KELLYG
2nd Black Belt
wow!
I posted my reply in the other thread where you first mentioned this. Dont know how to copy it over to this thread so let me just say it again.
SAD... SO SAD................:barf:
The instructor looks like he is good with the kids, even has good size class, which could be because he is good with the kids and they seem to love him. BUT he's not teaching them. What poor child is going to think they can grab a GROWN mans ankle and push his knee and they fall down? I'm trying to be more positive in this reply as opposed to the last one so let me say this...............................................................
:idunno::whip:
SAD... SO SAD................:barf:
The instructor looks like he is good with the kids, even has good size class, which could be because he is good with the kids and they seem to love him. BUT he's not teaching them. What poor child is going to think they can grab a GROWN mans ankle and push his knee and they fall down? I'm trying to be more positive in this reply as opposed to the last one so let me say this...............................................................
:idunno::whip:I bet thier instructor dont let them go to tournaments, or only a select few can go, or they have "in House" tournaments to declare NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
troubleenuf
Blue Belt
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Im wondering if this is what classes look like in my old association? I left them for many reasons but one of them was when the Grand Master told me that I was to hard when I tested students. "After all, in school a D is still passing". Wow, was that a shocker coming from a old school traditional TKD Korean master. Made me realize just how important the $$$ had become to him.
Well, believe it or not this pays his bills and makes him a little profit.
I have 3 kids of my own and I started teaching them all at 2. My youngest is 2 now. She does not go to any classes but at home she is learning her basic form now. I will take 1 month to show her just the fist move (basic down low block). There are 9 movements to this form. So one year total for her to learn just this form. She will not take her first real class until 5. So by the time she steps on the mat she will know maybe 2 forms to my standard for a white belt. This is the pace these kids should be taking. But hey who wants to wait 8 years for a black belt. Should not matter what they want but for some reason it does.
I have mine take their time. And it shows when they go to tournaments now. There have been many that got promoted over my kids. My wife did not understand it at first and was the typical "Why are they getting promoted and not ours". I would tell my Master, do not promote them, they are not ready. He would just laugh. But now they are the top students in the class and everyone envies them.
Even my instructor, whose dad is a GM, took 8 years to get his black belt. He was the best student by far in the class, and made many black belts look silly, but his dad would not promote him. He made him wait 8 years. This is a good pace for kids.
1 belt a year. Imagine being a white belt for a year.
I have 3 kids of my own and I started teaching them all at 2. My youngest is 2 now. She does not go to any classes but at home she is learning her basic form now. I will take 1 month to show her just the fist move (basic down low block). There are 9 movements to this form. So one year total for her to learn just this form. She will not take her first real class until 5. So by the time she steps on the mat she will know maybe 2 forms to my standard for a white belt. This is the pace these kids should be taking. But hey who wants to wait 8 years for a black belt. Should not matter what they want but for some reason it does.
I have mine take their time. And it shows when they go to tournaments now. There have been many that got promoted over my kids. My wife did not understand it at first and was the typical "Why are they getting promoted and not ours". I would tell my Master, do not promote them, they are not ready. He would just laugh. But now they are the top students in the class and everyone envies them.
Even my instructor, whose dad is a GM, took 8 years to get his black belt. He was the best student by far in the class, and made many black belts look silly, but his dad would not promote him. He made him wait 8 years. This is a good pace for kids.
1 belt a year. Imagine being a white belt for a year.
While I agree with everything you said, it still has to be able to keep a childs attention. We can do that with our children because quite frankly they have no choice, but students wont stick around and the "business" will fail unfortunately. As an Instructor who cares about what we are teaching, we have to find a "happy" medium between teaching and setting goals (belts to kids).
Oh, and No I do not have any kids of my own, but you better believe when i do they will be taking the route you have described, long and hard. They will be no choice in this until they leave the house at 18.
father to son, father to son, f-a-t-h-e-r to son.......
Ha ha ha...yes Sir. I do understand needing to keep the kids attention to keep them coming. Running a dojang as a business can be a hard thing. I should have mine in a year or so. I am being groomed for the next school to open now. I will co run that school with my Sabunim then get that or my own after that.
It is the business side of things that scare me the most. As an instructor I can be strick and demanding, but as an owner I know that some of that will have to tone down.
But the father to son (or daughter) will always be best.
- Thread Starter
- #12
So are you guys saying that it is alright to promote students who look like that? I understand that you need to keep the doors open and occasionally
give a stripe away to help motivate someone at a low level....but come on! Red belts and blue belts that look like that should not be passed....for any reason. I think that I did see one good stance in the whole video.
give a stripe away to help motivate someone at a low level....but come on! Red belts and blue belts that look like that should not be passed....for any reason. I think that I did see one good stance in the whole video.
There are no universal standards for ranks, they are free to do whatever they want with whatever coloured belts they want in whatever way they feel best suits their objectives.
Of all the things I think are wrong with that video, fashion is the least of them. Some of the "self-defense" stuff they are doing is just plain silly.
For alot of us NO it is not OK, but for him it is. This is typical of the soccor mom syndrome. Give them a little and expext nothing in return, today way of thinking. It is just another program for the massess.
Black belt is the goal. (not skill) This is a problem.
Pleasing the parents (not educating them to want something more than an empty reward) is a problem. ATC, you just reminded me how important it is to continually educate the parents of my students why it's taking them so long to progress through the ranks.
Being in a business where holding students to high standards and meticulous attention to details in technique conflict with pleasing the customer makes it really, really easy to slide down this slope.
I see it as a warning to me. It bolsters my own commitment to teach. And I find it inspiration to continue to hound on the details and keep striving to make my students look as good (or even maybe BETTER!) than my instructor's students.
Pleasing the parents (not educating them to want something more than an empty reward) is a problem. ATC, you just reminded me how important it is to continually educate the parents of my students why it's taking them so long to progress through the ranks.
Being in a business where holding students to high standards and meticulous attention to details in technique conflict with pleasing the customer makes it really, really easy to slide down this slope.
I see it as a warning to me. It bolsters my own commitment to teach. And I find it inspiration to continue to hound on the details and keep striving to make my students look as good (or even maybe BETTER!) than my instructor's students.
Nope, not at all. But I do understand if this is you primary money maker. You will not be able to please eveyone. So you truley train who you can and give the other what they want as well.
You have to realize that 99% of everyone that steps into any studio is not there to be the best at it. They all have their reasons. 100% of the kids under 8 are there because of the parents. Kids under 8 think they know martial arts already. Hey the can kick just like the guy in the movie in their minds.
Teach those that want the true training and the ones that are just there to be there will get what they want to.
What are you to do as an owner. Yeah I can teach out in my back yard to anyone for free. But even they give up at some point. So what was even that all for. I have tried to teach many for free. None of them are still even doing martial arts. They all get older and have families, or go get jobs and have fun.
Even my kids at some point may stop. But I can at least force them to keep training until they leave my side. Then when they stop they will at least have the foundation to pick it up again later down the road when they are settled and pass it on to their kids. That is the true way.
GOD NO. I hope you read my other posts about it... here and on the other thread where u brought it up.
And to clarify another comment, when i said "Belts to Kids".... I meant: kids see Belts as goals. Not saying giving away black belt as goals to keep kids. But setting goals to keep kids interested and working toward "THEIR" goal, the next belt, while turning a quality student and having them earn it.
And why schools like that can continue to exist. They make the goal a blackbelt, set low standards and keep you moving towards it at a steady pace.
Skill is harder to get, some people will get it naturally, others will struggle for years and the top level is impossible for most people. But anyone can reach high rank, just have to stick around long enough.
But at the end of the day, the people there are getting exactly what they want to get, and they are paying for it from a instructor that is able to meet their needs.
