Hello & a general question

[tr1904]

First I want to say hello to all the members here. I really like what I have seen of this forum thus far.

Secondly, I have a question. I am not sure if this is the right place to post it or not. If not, I apologize...still feeling my way around here.

My questions is as follows. I used to study Kenpo and am thinking about getting back in it. My schedule prevents me from really going to a dojo on a regular basis. I saw an ad in Black Belt Magazine for the Internation Karate Connection Association.

They have a dvd "learn at home" system. I check out their website and it looked pretty good. I am just wondering if anybody here is familiar with that system.

Also, a friend of mine is trying to get me to study with him at the place he studies. They teach wado-ryu there. He said it is like shotokan in a way. I've never heard of it. Is anyone here familiar with that style?

Thanks and I look forward to being a part of this forum.

 

[Kacey]

First, welcome, and happy posting! :wavey:

Second, quite a few discussion have taken place about "learn-at-home" systems; the general concensus is that such systems are good for additional training, but not as a primary method of learning.

I don't know enough about wado-ryu to be able to answer that one, but hang around; someone will know.

Good luck finding a class that works for you!

 

[Xue Sheng]

Second, quite a few discussion have taken place about "learn-at-home" systems; the general concensus is that such systems are good for additional training, but not as a primary method of learning.

Yup that sums it up pretty well

And Welcome to MT

 

[tr1904]

Hey Kacey and Xue. Thanks for your answers. I didn't know that this had been talked about before. I will look around here and see if I cna find a thread or two.

And thanks for welcomes!

 

[terryl965]

First off Welcome and happy posting

On to your question, first learning any style of martial art needs to be with an instructor so you can fuly understand the total concepts of your training, vidos cannot and will never be able to correct any mistakes you are making just me opinion.

 

[tr1904]

Thanks Terry!

Another question popped in my mind. There is a studio a few miles from my house. I was told the instructor there teaches the Karate Connection style of Kenpo. Is anyone familiar with this style of Kenpo?

 

[stone_dragone]

Greetings and welcome to MT!

Video learning, eh... I personnally believe in it, if done correctly (i.e. frequent interactive evaluations, support system in place, etc) and think that it is a good method IF you can't find an instructor (notice the emphasis).

Otsuka, the founder of Wado Ryu was one of Funakoshi's (shotokan) top students. That would explain the similarities.

I reccommend getting the intro video for IKCA (30 min) and see if you like it and go to the Wado Ryu school...check out everything available to you.

 

[tr1904]

Thanks Stone. I think I will get that intro video. But, I was just looking to see if anyone was familiar with that style. I know the vid will make it seem like the greatest style ever. I just was looking for independent opinions on it.

That is interesting about Wado-Ryu. And you're right...that would explain why the two are similar. Thanks.

 

[DArnold]

First I want to say hello to all the members here. I really like what I have seen of this forum thus far.

Secondly, I have a question. I am not sure if this is the right place to post it or not. If not, I apologize...still feeling my way around here.

My questions is as follows. I used to study Kenpo and am thinking about getting back in it. My schedule prevents me from really going to a dojo on a regular basis. I saw an ad in Black Belt Magazine for the Internation Karate Connection Association.

They have a dvd "learn at home" system. I check out their website and it looked pretty good. I am just wondering if anybody here is familiar with that system.

Also, a friend of mine is trying to get me to study with him at the place he studies. They teach wado-ryu there. He said it is like shotokan in a way. I've never heard of it. Is anyone here familiar with that style?

Thanks and I look forward to being a part of this forum.

Video's, DVD's, Books are all good "TRAINING AIDS" but they can not replace a class!

 

[Tez3]

My first style is Wado and I love it. It is similiar in style to Shotokan but there are some interesting differences. My instructor who comes from Shotokan says that Wado suits me being smaller and less strong while Shotokan suits him being a big guy. Otsuka Sensei was also a Juijitsu Master so incorporated a lot of that into Wado. It's a style I've have found very easy to take with me into MMA as it teaches a lot of 'bobbing and weaving' boxing style moves which are very useful doing standup.Wado is very popular in this country whereas I gather it's quite rare in the States.

 

[Jade Tigress]

Welcome to Martial Talk!

 

[jdinca]

Welcome! The downside of video learning is that you're not going to get the nuances of the system that you would with a live instructor, provided said instructor knows them himself.

 

[exile]

Welcome to MartialTalk, tr—it's good to have you with us!

My own feeling about videos, CDs and such is that—as several posters have already poinnted out—they can be valuable aides in technique refinement—but for acquisition of basic skills, you need intense one-on-one guidance. This is true in any activity with complex kinaesthetics that in many cases go against our intuition; skiing is a good example. When I was first learning to ski, I found that individual classes taught me incomparably more than group classes, where out of half or three-quarters of an hour you might get a grand total of five minutes of the instructors' time, and when I started teaching skiing myself it became clear to me how little help I could really give any one student out of a class of eight or so, as vs what I could do when responsible for a single student's progress. Eventually it became clear to me that students who try to learn to ski only via group classes will never acquire anything like the technical command that students who work with a single instructor do, unless they're natural prodigies. Now consider that with a video, you don't even get that five minutes' worth of immediate feedback.

On the other hand, after I'd been skiing for many years, I found a couple of videos that illuminated some subtle points about the use of knee- vs. hip angulation, and how to use the two in a racing turn, that gave me some very useful ideas I could incorporate into my own practice. I had enough experience by that point that I could watch the skier going through the gates and know just what they were doing and feeling physically throughout the turn, and how to experiment with small modifications of my own technique to maintain my edging further into the turn to ensure a clean carve as far as possible. Those videos would have been utterly useless to me during the first few years I was skiing, though. I wouldn't have had a clue about the `body language' that expressed the demonstrator's internal adjustments in hip and knee angle through the turn, even with the slo-mo replays and detailed comments. I'd have just been baffled—and mind you, these weren't advertised as advanced techniques; they were just about the basics of a carved turn, using racing sequences at one point for illustration. They were the sort of thing a complete beginner might look at and expect to be useful in learning basic technique.

I think something similar is going to be true for the MAs. Video aids are great when you already have a lot of sensory experience with MA moves, techniques, scenarios and so on developed under an instructor's watchful eye; I don't think they have much of a role, or any, at the beginner and intermediate stages—just my $.02.

 

[stone_dragone]

Thanks Stone. I think I will get that intro video. But, I was just looking to see if anyone was familiar with that style. I know the vid will make it seem like the greatest style ever. I just was looking for independent opinions on it.

That is interesting about Wado-Ryu. And you're right...that would explain why the two are similar. Thanks.

Not a problem. I personnally came from a Goju Ryu/Shotokan hybrid and spent about 12 years doing that before I came to the IKCA. I still practice and teach my original style, but it gets more and more infused with kenpo every day. Having a nidan before starting, I found that their attention to details and method of teaching, testing, reviewing and correcting to be far better than I ever thought possible. It is this system that has convinced me of the value of such a training method. CAVEAT: IT IS ALWAYS BEST TO HAVE A GOOD INSTRUCTOR TEACH YOU IN PERSON.

 

[tr1904]

Thanks for all the great info all!

 

[Drac]

Second, quite a few discussion have taken place about "learn-at-home" systems; the general concensus is that such systems are good for additional training, but not as a primary method of learning

Yup that sums it up pretty well

I agree..Good luck and Welcome to MT...

 

[KempoGuy06]

Welcome

B

 

[IcemanSK]

Welcome to MT!