Basics and where did the go

[terryl965]

You know back in the days we would spend hours and hours working basics like stances, blocks and proper footwork. What has happen to those days when did we lose sight of the importence of the very foundation of the art?

We had a thirty minute session just on proper front stance and long stance and all I heard after class was wy are we worried about this? I mean come on the very least this should be address weekly and it should be seen as a positive to help build the sparring skills.

How often does your school just go back and work basic from TKD?

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

We had a thirty minute session just on proper front stance and long stance and all I heard after class was why are we worried about this?

Because they'll get pushups if they don't?

Daniel

 

[andyjeffries]

How often does your school just go back and work basic from TKD?

We've spent quite a bit of time over the past few weeks going over correct body mechanics (building power from the legs, hips, waist, shoulders then to arm). Last night was about half an hour on just low block and rising block.

So fairly often in our case, but our head instructor is a stickler for decent basics.

 

[sfs982000]

It depends in my class, some weeks all we concentrate on is basics, be it stances, blocks, kicks or strikes. Even if we're not necessarily concentrating on those particular aspects, our instructor is big on basics and will point out incorrect stances, blocks, etc... when he notices them.

 

[Archtkd]

You know back in the days we would spend hours and hours working basics like stances, blocks and proper footwork. What has happen to those days when did we lose sight of the importence of the very foundation of the art?

We had a thirty minute session just on proper front stance and long stance and all I heard after class was wy are we worried about this? I mean come on the very least this should be address weekly and it should be seen as a positive to help build the sparring skills.

How often does your school just go back and work basic from TKD?

We are a little old school. We do key elements of basics daily and it doesn't matter if you are a white belt or blackbelt. All new members are told that before they enroll. We are old school and stress the fundamentals. Line drills, kiap, formation movement, etc is emphasized. We also do good amounts of close quarter hand work and blocking, before any kicking begins.

 

[Manny]

You know back in the days we would spend hours and hours working basics like stances, blocks and proper footwork. What has happen to those days when did we lose sight of the importence of the very foundation of the art?

We had a thirty minute session just on proper front stance and long stance and all I heard after class was wy are we worried about this? I mean come on the very least this should be address weekly and it should be seen as a positive to help build the sparring skills.

How often does your school just go back and work basic from TKD?

That's something I am changing, I like to work alot in the basics, sport sparring is something I do alittle, instead on class I like to do basics and their aplications.

I think somewhere the mid 90's tkd sambunims started to change the basic and fundamentals of tkd to pursue more stamina y and footwork towards olimpici sparring and this put the fundamentals beside.

Manny

 

[MSUTKD]

Never changed. Never will.

 

[chrispillertkd]

How often does your school just go back and work basic from TKD?

We drill basics every class. Regardless of what the focus of the class session is (pre-arranged sparring, free sparring, patterns, breaking, etc.) we always start with at lest a review of some basic techniques.

Your comment about basics being helpful for the development of sparring is well taken. Many people, however, over emphasize the difference between fundamentals and techniques used in free sparring. I'm not saying there are no differences, of course, but it's not as if they are completely different animals. I will say that I've seen plenty of good fighters who hd poor or mediocre basics. But I've never seen any great fighters who didn't have at least good, if not great, basics. Because of the nature of free sparring it's possible to do well without being "pretty" but the elite ITF fighters I've seen have phenomenal grip on fundamentals.

I would also point out that having good basics will improve not only your sparring but also your patterns as well as your ho sin sul. They're called fundamentals or basics for a reason; they are what the rest of the style builds on. Like a house with a poor foundation if you don't have solid basics you're going to eventually collapse.

Ultimately you can't seperate out any of the five physical aspects of Taekwon-Do, otherwise they will all suffer.

Pax,

Chris

 

[StudentCarl]

I think it comes down to a mix of demand and the quality of instruction.

The demand from colored belts is more for dynamic stuff--kicks and punches hold students' attention more easily. Good teachers can make stance work and basics interesting and relevant, but you have to really believe in it yourself and mix it in with your regular class material.

I suspect that some of this is a symptom of instructors teaching before they have mastery of stances and footwork. The last time I was taught by a first or second dan, the focus was more on overall technique...the last time I was taught by a 6th dan, the focus was on stance, footwork, and correct mechanics with a clear, simple explanation of why it mattered.

 

[Manny]

We drill basics every class. Regardless of what the focus of the class session is (pre-arranged sparring, free sparring, patterns, breaking, etc.) we always start with at lest a review of some basic techniques. Chris

This is a must!! Nothing works better the body than doing the basics. When I teach the basic blocks for example I can't feel it next day, swollen arms and chest and the arms feel so heavy, the same is for the stances, doing stances and perform them well can fatige.

Afther the warm up and flexibility I like to star with basics and then the kicking/punching, etc,tec,

Manny

 

[ralphmcpherson]

I would say that about 1 in every 4 classes we would spend half an hour on basics. Even our 6th dans will be asked to do white belt form at least once a month, and we spend a lot of time on stances and basic blocks etc. Our GM has pretty much retired these days but when he has a meeting with instructors (about once every 3 months or so), he apparantly hounds them about teaching the basics. We had a black belt grading last saturday, which I unfortunately couldnt attend, but after the grading our GM stood up unannounced and took an impromptu class (for the first time in several years). When I asked my instructor what the GM taught during the class he told me it was all the "basics".

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

You know back in the days we would spend hours and hours working basics like stances, blocks and proper footwork. What has happen to those days when did we lose sight of the importence of the very foundation of the art?

We had a thirty minute session just on proper front stance and long stance and all I heard after class was wy are we worried about this? I mean come on the very least this should be address weekly and it should be seen as a positive to help build the sparring skills.

How often does your school just go back and work basic from TKD?

My kumdo classes are pretty much all basics most of the time. My hapkido classes are very basics focused as well. On the rare occasion that I teach a TKD class at KMA, my classes are much the same. I can tell that other instructors' classes are not.

Basics win fights. Basics get you home. Basics provide the foundation for all of the intermediate and advanced material.

There is no substitute for good basics.

Daniel

 

[IcemanSK]

Never changed. Never will.

And your technique shows it, too! Cheon Kwon never looked better than at the FIC in Chicago. World class, my friend!

 

[Archtkd]

You know back in the days we would spend hours and hours working basics like stances, blocks and proper footwork. What has happen to those days when did we lose sight of the importence of the very foundation of the art?

We had a thirty minute session just on proper front stance and long stance and all I heard after class was wy are we worried about this? I mean come on the very least this should be address weekly and it should be seen as a positive to help build the sparring skills?

Master Stoker don't take this the wrong way but, the thread could and maybe should go another direction because you own your own dojang, are the chief instructor and design the dojang's curriculum. Why did you change? Who, as you state, really "lost sight of the importance of the foundation of the art.?"

 

[terryl965]

Master Stoker don't take this the wrong way but, the thread could and maybe should go another direction because you own your own dojang, are the chief instructor and design the dojang's curriculum. Why did you change? Who, as you state, really "lost sight of the importance of the foundation of the art.?"

I have new student from other schools that are commplaining because there previous instructor did not see value in the basic like stances and punches. They have been coming around but it has taken me to bust a few down from red belts to green belts for them to fully understand how important it is. So I have never changed but I have had to learn how to handle students from other schools that did not believe in my way of training. I hope that makes sense to you.

 

[Archtkd]

I have new student from other schools that are commplaining because there previous instructor did not see value in the basic like stances and punches. They have been coming around but it has taken me to bust a few down from red belts to green belts for them to fully understand how important it is. So I have never changed but I have had to learn how to handle students from other schools that did not believe in my way of training. I hope that makes sense to you.

I now understand. I've seen that a few times.

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

I have new student from other schools that are commplaining because there previous instructor did not see value in the basic like stances and punches.

If they are willing to trust you to train them, then they should not complain and let you teach and do your job.

They left the other schools came to you for a reason. Probably because you offer higher quality instruction. If they want to be better, they need to listen to you, quit complaining, and train.

They have been coming around but it has taken me to bust a few down from red belts to green belts for them to fully understand how important it is. So I have never changed but I have had to learn how to handle students from other schools that did not believe in my way of training. I hope that makes sense to you.

Glad you laid it down for them!

Daniel

 

[ralphmcpherson]

I have new student from other schools that are commplaining because there previous instructor did not see value in the basic like stances and punches. They have been coming around but it has taken me to bust a few down from red belts to green belts for them to fully understand how important it is. So I have never changed but I have had to learn how to handle students from other schools that did not believe in my way of training. I hope that makes sense to you.

Ive seen a few come over from other schools recently and the annoying thing is that when they do form there are no stances at all. They have the hand movements and kicks down correctly but do the whole form in a sort of "combo stance", its not quite a front stance or a back stance or horse stance, its just like they are standing there and walking from one movement to another. Its good to see that you, like most reputable instructors, knock them back a few belts until they get the fundamentals down correctly. I hate seeing black belts with poor stances.

 

[Kacey]

We do basics in every class - if your stance is off, everything else will be too.

 

[puunui]

We do basics in every class - if your stance is off, everything else will be too.

The question then becomes, what is the mechanics of a proper stance?