considering taekwondo

[crysis]

ok so ive had no prior martial arts training...hardly any knowledge of martial arts either... but i was walking around in my garage today and saw the red dangling thing from the garage door. in my head i thought i could so kick that. i did... heres a vid. keep in mind this thing is about as high as my head



(no martial arts training....only lots of jet li movies.)

http://www.shift-lock.net/jon/jonkick.AVI **right click and save as**


with that in mind, how fast do you think it could take me to work my way to black belt given i have some ability?

also, i live in the riverside area of california (near UCR)
i havent found any good taekwondo schools that i like so if you guys know of any, feel free to post.

 

[Zepp]

Dude, I haven't watched your vid yet, and to answer your first question, no one here would really need to. I'm sure you threw a great jump kick, and you have some decent flexibility. That's good, but it won't cut down the time required to earn a belt all by itself.

If you show up to class regularly, for 2-3 times per week, it should take about 3-4 years to have the sum total of knowledge and physical ability required for a 1st degree black belt.

Some advice: Rank shouldn't be what you focus on in any martial art. If you find a decent instructor, and you keep showing up to class, you'll get the rank you deserve when you're ready.

 

[Miles]

Welcome to MT!

The "time" it takes to black belt is not as important as the "journey" along the way. Sometimes having natural ability is a hindrance. Find a school you feel comfortable at and enroll.

Good luck!

Miles

 

[arnisador]

Progression in TKD is often faster than in other arts, but not always.

 

[terryl965]

Yea so what you kicked to your head now what happens when somebody kicks you first, you guys kill me with all this I never had training can I be a BB very quickly because I'm able to kick one stupid kick yea in time and sweet maybe but you are already looking for shortcuts to BB. Relax and in 4 to five years with devotion maybe you'll answer your on qustion.

 

[Yeti]

I have to agree with what's already been said.... you've definitely got some ability, but athletic ability does not automatically translate to martial arts ability - not without dedication, commitment and LOTS of practice.

If all you want to do is obtain rank as quickly as possible, it seems you don't really understand what MA is really all about. As Miles pointed out, the ride to blackbelt is a journey and by being fixed solely on obtaining one, you'll miss all of the good stuff that happens along the way, and all of that "good stuff" is a very big part of what the BB represents (plus you'll find your skills will suck). So don't look for a shortcut to BB . Instead, stay focused, stay humble and perservere in your training, and when you get there you'll realize that what you've achieved will mean a whole lot more than the color of the belt around your waist.

Good luck with your training.

-Mike

 

[wynnema]

ok so ive had no prior martial arts training...hardly any knowledge of martial arts either... but i was walking around in my garage today and saw the red dangling thing from the garage door. in my head i thought i could so kick that. i did... heres a vid. keep in mind this thing is about as high as my head



(no martial arts training....only lots of jet li movies.)

http://www.shift-lock.net/jon/jonkick.AVI **right click and save as**


with that in mind, how fast do you think it could take me to work my way to black belt given i have some ability?

also, i live in the riverside area of california (near UCR)
i havent found any good taekwondo schools that i like so if you guys know of any, feel free to post.

try walking before you run. There is no quick way to attaining a black belt and if you find a school that says otherwise, don't bother with them. It takes time effort and discipline to get to BB level.

 

[Adept]

with that in mind, how fast do you think it could take me to work my way to black belt given i have some ability?

also, i live in the riverside area of california (near UCR)
i havent found any good taekwondo schools that i like so if you guys know of any, feel free to post.

Who cares?

A belt is only good to make sure your pants don't fall down.

You'll only ever be as good as you are, no matter what colour the piece of cloth around your waist. Concentrate on being the best you can be, not how long it takes you to get to a certain colour of belt.

I think, and this is just my personal opinion, that the martial arts as a whole would be better without any kind of belt rankings.

 

[wynnema]

Who cares?

A belt is only good to make sure your pants don't fall down.

You'll only ever be as good as you are, no matter what colour the piece of cloth around your waist. Concentrate on being the best you can be, not how long it takes you to get to a certain colour of belt.

I think, and this is just my personal opinion, that the martial arts as a whole would be better without any kind of belt rankings.

there is some truth in that, it was only brought in properly for westerners. I recall a mass training session involving Gradmaster Kim 9th Dan. He asked the students what the belts were for, the answer they gave was to show rank. He said that it was to encourage proper abdominal breathing, I never forgot that.

 

[TigerWoman]

I have seen so many promising people start TKD. They have flexibility, they have strength, they have stamina, they have ability. They usually quit by yellow belt. Why? They are lacking in patience, they are lacking in humility, they are lacking in courtesy, they are lacking in respect, they are lacking in discipline, they don't like doing it over and over (kicks, punches, form)-repetition, they lack self-control, they don't p-e-r-s-e-v-e-r-e. All the natural talent in the world won't get you black belt and even that is not the goal. The goal is a lifelong change in you. TW

 

[Adept]

there is some truth in that, it was only brought in properly for westerners. I recall a mass training session involving Gradmaster Kim 9th Dan. He asked the students what the belts were for, the answer they gave was to show rank. He said that it was to encourage proper abdominal breathing, I never forgot that.

Nice anecdote. I think (and this is only a hazy guess) that ranked, coloured belts were only introduced in the sixties, and they were taken from Judo?

I could very well be (and probably am) wrong on that though.

 

[ave_turuta]

I have seen so many promising people start TKD. They have flexibility, they have strength, they have stamina, they have ability. They usually quit by yellow belt. Why? They are lacking in patience, they are lacking in humility, they are lacking in courtesy, they are lacking in respect, they are lacking in discipline, they don't like doing it over and over (kicks, punches, form)-repetition, they lack self-control, they don't p-e-r-s-e-v-e-r-e. All the natural talent in the world won't get you black belt and even that is not the goal. The goal is a lifelong change in you. TW

TigerWoman: I always enjoy reading your posts, but this time you excelled yourself! I started TKD last september and even though I am still an 8th gup, I can already see the great improvements that TKD has brought to my life: I am much less stressed, I am happier in the other spheres of my life, and I feel so much healthier than before. My goal was initially to regain my health and also to de-stress myself, not to get a better rank. Over the months, I have found myself gain in confidence, flexibility, overall health, and I feel calmer than ever. My goal is not to get a black belt: hopefully I will, maybe I won't. The important thing to me is the road taken. I take my practice very seriously, I enjoy every minute of it, and even though I am not as flexible as the higher belts or the younger kids, I am very proud of my achievements so far and the little improvements I notice from one day to the next. I know I have so many things to learn still, but... this is precisely what keeps me going! I am lucky to have superb teachers and an amazing TKD master, all very humane and wonderful people, who can appreciate the efforts that I make.

To the person who wrote the initial post: I am just a beginner, but I can certainly tell you that if your only aspiration is to get a belt colour, you will probably get discouraged very soon and will drop once you see that things just keep getting harder and harder and it takes you longer than you had expected to progress in ranking. This is not about colors, and nobody really cares what color belt you are: your qualities as a person, your capacity to sacrifice and improve yourself, and your behavior as a partner to others in the dojang, are by far more important than the color you wear around your belt. Believe it or not, I enjoy being a lower rank belt in a dojang filled with higher ranks: I appreciate the patience they show towards me and their kindness, and I know they are not judging me on the basis of my rank, but on my willingness to improve myself. I still remember when I got my yellow belt and everybody around clapping and cheering and smiling at me. It was just a yellow belt, and yet at the same time more than just a yellow belt for me. But at the same time I don't need a belt to tell me that there are still a gazillion things to learn or that the people around me are all deserving of my admiration, each for a different reason, regardless of whether they are a BB or not.

 

[foolbae1228]

To make another point...kicking and punching aren't the only things to master in the martial arts. You have ki power...weapons...forms...endurance (which you may have already)...grappling...pressure points...joint locks...I could go on, but this is just the killing side of the martial arts. You should also have healing mixed in, such as bone setting acupuncture...acupressure...meditation...etc. Those everybody has to work at, no mortal is given these abilities as "natural gifts".

Also, I totally agree with terryl965. You kicked it once, great! Can you do it again? What about on the other leg? Can you do only one kick at that hight, or mulitple? :idunno: Was it the hardest that you could kick, or was it just a tap.

Basically, you want to make sure that whatever school you go to, you have both quality and quantity. Don't feed egos. "Those with big egos have small minds."

 

[Akashiro Tamaya]

ok so ive had no prior martial arts training...

(no martial arts training....only lots of jet li movies.)

http://www.shift-lock.net/jon/jonkick.AVI **right click and save as**


with that in mind, how fast do you think it could take me to work my way to black belt given i have some ability?

With this attitude , I'd say 12 years with no guarantee ! :idunno:

 

[TX_BB]

Start training everything else will be part of your mental ability. You need to start doing and let the process take care of itself. A dedicated person with talent and ability may be able to progress within 6 months (1 in a million) or it may take you from 3-5 years very typical for even an atheltic person.

Good luck with classes.

 

[Yeti]

A dedicated person with talent and ability may be able to progress within 6 months

I respectfully and completely disagree. There is no reputable master who would confer a BB on someone in 6-months...not if that person has had no previous martial arts training. There is no way an individual can possess the knowledge and skill that a 1st Dan MUST possess in such a short period of time - regardless of how often you train. IMHO, anyone who possesses a BB after just 6-months of training has been completely scammed.

 

[TX_BB]

See this website http://chos.com/home.swf . If I read the current Kukkiwon website correctly there is no minimum time for 1st Dan this allows for the remarkable student.

 

[Yeti]

TX_BB...you are correct in your interpretation of the current Kukkiwon rules. There is no official time in rank to be awarded 1st Dan (see Article 8 for the complete table). I interpret this to mean that it is up to the individual instructor to determine when one can test for 1st Dan.

This only reinforces my opinion. Although there is no official "rule" set up for pre-Dan rank, there is a level of maturity that accompanies the techniques learned that can not be fully grasped just by learning the different kicks/punches/blocks/forms. This takes time to develop properly.

I'm a brown belt right now and my official form for my next rank (red) is Taeguk Oh Jang. I know Oh Jang...as well as all of Yuk Jang and most of Chil Jang. I also know all of the kicks required of me for red belt with at least some degree of proficiency. But there is a reason why I am not already a red belt. There is more to it than just learning what is required on paper for rank.

I freely admit the timetable to 1st Dan will vary depending on the school, curriculum, instructor and individual student. Some will progress at a quicker pace. Others will progress more slowly. But 6-mo from white to black?...if so, you have just been victimized by the grand ultimate of McDojangs...remarkable ability or not.

 

[Marginal]

If they were training 40 hours a week....

 

[TX_BB]

I freely admit the timetable to 1st Dan will vary depending on the school, curriculum, instructor and individual student. Some will progress at a quicker pace. Others will progress more slowly. But 6-mo from white to black?...if so, you have just been victimized by the grand ultimate of McDojangs...remarkable ability or not.

It hard to phathom but there are some people who just get it. In academia we call them genuises and in sports we call them naturals. In my life I seen a few geniuses and a few naturals and no matter what coach or instructor they have had they got it. It came to them as natural as breathing whether it was third order differential equations or playing baseball they just got it, all their adjustments came naturally and fluidily. I myself had to work hard on several techniques that I have a hard time with, but I don't hold it against those who God has blessed with their gift. Taekwondo is taekwondo, there is no magical powers confered to you when you earn your black belt. Your 1st Dan really signifies the mature start of your martial arts journey.

Again well wishes on your path to Black Belt