Cross Dressing

[Seig]

Sorry, couldn't resist the name of the thread One of my students had been studying TKD before he started dating my sister. At the time I was only teaching private lessons at my house. She brought him over to meet "Big Brother" and he and I got to talking. We hit it off and he started telling me about his training, Tess kept checking on me because of the choking noises I was making. That night I introduced him to Kenpo. By the time I opened my dojo, six months later, he was a brown belt in TKD. He also joined my dojo. He asked me if he should quit TKD, and I told him, at that point in time, it was a silly thing to do. So he has kept up with it. Of course, the time they told him he needed to defend against two punches and he unleased Circling Fans on them, they were dumb founded:rockets: Well, later today, he tests for his TKD BB. Last week when he went to get signed up for the test. They told him he had to have a white GI, he has worn black the entire time he has been training with them. (Thus Cross Dressing) He asked Tess and I to come to his testing. How could I say no? So later today, after I get off work at 8am, I get to go home, clean up and go with my student to PA to watch his TKD test. I must admit, as a TKD convert myself, it will be interesting to go watch. It will also be akward, as an instructor of another style. If I didn't think someone would take offense, I would wear all my Kenpo regalia.

 

[Sigung86]

Seig,

You know you'd piss them off. Go incognito ... Wear a ninjitsu outfit!:rofl:

Good luck to him in his testing from me...

Dan Farmer

 

[Goldendragon7]

This could be fun to watch and make cat calls from the peanut gallery..... I mean what are they gonna do...... throw me & Dan out....... LOL:rofl:

:asian:

 

[Klondike93]

defend against two punches and he unleased Circling Fans on them, they were dumb founded

Sounds familiar to me.....Hmmm, lets see, where have I seen this before?

Oh yes now I remember. When I went to take my black belt test we had to do a thing called Ho Sin Sul, self defense. Well wanting to make it look good, I pulled out Lone Kimono and Five Swords and made it look a lot more interesting. Passed and they never even knew I used kenpo to do it too

:asian:

 

[Goldendragon7]

You devil you........ I can't believe you made them look good with our material!

Well I never........

 

[Klondike93]

It made me look good, they were stunned and didn't know what to think. Think for a sec, here you have all these high ranking TKD people, even a Korean and I start doing EPAK for my self defense test. The beginings of me turning to the kenpo side.


:asian:

 

[Goldendragon7]

didn't kick you out! lol:asian:

 

[Klondike93]

Originally posted by Goldendragon7

didn't kick you out! lol:asian:

Well...........

I was accused of "bastardizing" TKD so it was a mutual departure and I have'nt regretted it a bit either.

:asian:

 

[Goldendragon7]

Good for you.

:asian:

 

[Kirk]

Originally posted by Seig

So later today, after I get off work at 8am, I get to go home, clean up and go with my student to PA to watch his TKD test.

K, you got me curious ... I see you're in W.Va, but going to P.A. I
used to live near Washington, P.A. just north of the W.Va border.
Are you anywhere near there? I still manage to get up there from
time to time for a visit ... would love to visit Yankee Kenpo school!

 

[Seig]

No I live on the other northern end of the state. Near Harpers Ferry. Well, my student's BB test has come and gone. He passed, I hugged him and congratulated him. Now for the rest of the story!:cuss: It was :cuss: awful! I think I have a bald spot from pulling on my hair and my wife nearly had to call 911, I was choking on my tongue! Where we had to take him was a little over an hour north of here, in PA. Now keep in mind, I had been up since 5pm the day before and it was now 12:30 on Sat afternoon....My student is Chad. Now when we got there, Chad's TKD instructor was walking in and Chad greeted him and introduced me. Now, had he used just my first name the guy probably would have remained happy to see me. He cooled noticeably as soon as Chad told him I was his "Sensei". I became personna non grata immediately. Tess wore Otomix Kenpo pants, unfortunately, mine are so disreputable she won't let me out of the house in them. I wore all black. As I mentioned in my earlier post, they had to wear white gis, which they conveniently mentioned to Chad three days before his test. He came out of the changing room in these stark white pants and T-shirt, I tried to get a creamsicle and a nutty buddy from him, he said no. Then I tried to get a quart of milk in a glass jar. He said no. I told him to go change a bed pan, he said no. It was all fun and amusing til 1:00 when the test was due to start. The test was scheduled to start at 1:00. It started at 1:30. The "Master", the first caucasian 8th degree in TKD that I have EVER seen seemed more interested in getting people to sign the roster for dinner after the test than he did the test. He interrrupted the test 4 times to make sure every one had signed it. Once we had taken our seats, I began paying serious attention. As I have mentioned before, I have BBs in TKD. The first thing that came to my attention was the condition of belts and gis on the canidates. I would have thrown most of them off the floor immediately. Most of them had ratty gis, and their belts, if even tied coreclty were so uneven it was insulting. TO make matters worse, all of the women and a few of the men were on the testing floor wearing earrings. Mostly BIG hoops. They also wore necklaces. They began the testing with breaking. The "Master" explained to us unintiated that breaking was to demonstrate how devastating their power was if they hit a human, gasp. Out of the 20 1st and 2nd degree candidates, three succeded in making their break whithin the first three tries. Times have changed, when I tested for mine, you had two tries or you failed and it was AFTER the rest of the test. I won't comment on the so-called techniqe they used. They then moved onto kata. All but two of the students totally screwed up on at least one of their katas, so badly they had to restart three to four times. The judging panel walked a 2ND DEGREE CANDIDATE THROUGH HER KATA, she flubbed it up and they told her to go compose herself and try again in a few minutes. Enough of that, I feel my blood pressure going up. Then they moved onto the entertainment part of the test, oops I mean self-defense. They tested them on the the WHITE BELT self defense techniques. I saw more missed blocks....The really funny part was when one of the BB candidates grazed a female 2nd candidates ear with a kick, he didn't even rock her her head and she totally lost her composure and screamed "****", the master ran for an ice pack. my comment was, I hit white belt harder than she got touched and had she not been wearing earrings she would not have known she had been touched. The "Master" then explained that's why they NEVER do contact, it's too dangerous. Tess checked on the strange choking nosies coming from me. A few of the candidates did some judo type throws and stuff using a yellow belt UKI, he made them look good. They were the same techniques I use in my intro to Karate course at the local college. I was full of mirth at this point. Then they moved onto NO CONTACT sparring. That was hilarity at it's best. The 2nd degree candidates had to fight two attackers. Two of the fourth degrees came out from the judging panel to fight this one really big candidate. He really laid into them, they came at him really hard. He left them both gasping and one of them on the floor, there was contact in that match. One of the Fourths later said that he hated that because the candidates had no and were out of....control, but the two fourth degrees were. I said, what I saw was two alleged fourth degrees get their collective @sses WHUPPED, by a second degree candidate. They only real testing done that day was my patience. EVERY single candidate was passed. I would have failed every one of them, including my student and probably taken away a few belts while I was at it. My studnet made the comment afterward that his orange belt test from me was harder. The "Master" singled Chad out after the test and told him that he was not properly prepared for the test. Tess had to push me out of the McDojang. I loudly commented that THAT particular comment should have been made to the instructors that brought their candidates in in the first place, not their students. The "Master" made over $5000 yesterday. We then went to dinner and to see "Spider Man". I got home and to bed about 11:00 last night.

 

[Goldendragon7]

Now thats a story!

:shrug:

 

[Seig]

Not only is it all true, I left most of it out.

 

[Klondike93]

It sounds like your an old ITF guy. When I went for my black belt test, we had to buy new uniforms, everything had to be neat and clean. We had to do a non-contact sparring too, and I kicked the guy I was sparring in the head cause he was getting real stupid.

But anyways, how about a part two of the story some time.

I have to go put some icy hot on my sides now from laughing so hard.

:asian:

 

[GouRonin]

Originally posted by Seig
The first thing that came to my attention was the condition of belts and gis on the canidates. I would have thrown most of them off the floor immediately. Most of them had ratty gis, and their belts, if even tied coreclty were so uneven it was insulting.

I can see the gi's being kinda ratty being indicative of not taking care in personal grooming, not that I think a Gi needs to be in good shape but what is insulting about uneven belts?

 

[Goldendragon7]

Your dork! one tail 1 1/2 foot..... the other 4 " give me a break... looks like hell! and he doesn't know or care how he looks.
:soapbox:

 

[Seig]

When I'm done fuming I may post more about the ordeal. Gou, GD& is absolutely right, it also shows a lack of respect. The reason the belt tails are supposed to be even is that they represent balance.

 

[Klondike93]

Shows your a slob when you have them really uneven. Some have them off just a little, but I've seen quite a few that have it really uneven and it looks like crap.

Even belts is a pet peeve of mine....


:asian:

 

[GouRonin]

I wasn't aware belts made that much of a difference to what we do. I guess that's what has happened to me since I went to a beltless system.

I must be doomed to eternal damnation now.

C'mon, seriously? Wow, that's a little too traditional for me. I think it if it's even it looks nice but I'm not gonna fume over it.

I like the belt knot to the side for women and men in American Kenpo students for several reasons but respect isn't one of them.

Are we assuming that other systems and schools must conform to our own standards? Who are they insulting by not having them even? Their teacher? You said he was a bit of a tool anyway. Why worry?

Am I missing the point here? Help!

 

[Goldendragon7]

anything about a guys belt unless he is in my system or my student. If he is going to wear the darn thing, then wear it properly. No, any custom of Kenpo I wouldn't force on another system.

Mostly it is my personal pet peeve. As other items of the martial arts ..... the belt tied untied, worn or not worn, stripes no stripes ..... If you are challenging me or my skills, go ahead go for it..... I trashed a guy that came into my studio once and I was wearing a very rare "white" sweat shirt and "white" sweat pants, I always wear black!

Be real......... yes we need some good traditions.

:asian: