I don't know what to do

[Manny]

I don't know what to do, I've been telling my sambunim I want more self defense practice and more more clasic tkd training (the old fashion way where real emphasis is towards self defense aplications) but it seems sambunim is more interested in kicking techniques for sport tkd (tournament).

We do a lot of kicking technike for sport but almost nothing about defenses,blocking,parrying,punching,locks,trowing,inmobilization,etc,etc.

This really makes me mad!! The kids in the class don't know how to clinch a good fist for a powerlful punch, even don't know how to use the hips to traslate all the power of the body towards the punch, they don't know how to use a ridge hand or a knife hand to hit with, their blocking is so week and bad they can not block a blow or kick.

Oh boy even they don't have to dodge a punch and counter, forget about an arm lock or a good trowing moves, yes they can kick but they don't know how DEFEND themselves.

TKD is not all kicks!!!

When the class is over I ask the students to stay to help me to traing in SD moves (and to teach them offcouse) but simply they don't want to, thet prefer in some cases to kick the air shild a little.

Very sad.

Manny

 

[terryl965]

Manny that is a shame that he is not doing any Self Defense at all, maybe start out a special workout group for thos ewishing the same thing.

 

[Twin Fist]

change schools?

 

[terryl965]

change schools?

Yes that would be the easiest.

 

[Manny]

My sambunim is a very good one, is a good man, with honor and love to teach, he is one of the best sambunims in my country, I'ts an honor to me to be his studen believe me.

Terry, we traing maybe once or twice per month SD, poomse once o twice per week and a week before the examination every day.

I will let know sambunin I want a class per week only SD, with that my hunger will be satisfied, if not ..... I will not quit TKD but will need to take some self defense clases like Aikido or ninjitsu or.... well.

Very sad.

Manny

 

[terryl965]

My sambunim is a very good one, is a good man, with honor and love to teach, he is one of the best sambunims in my country, I'ts an honor to me to be his studen believe me.

Terry, we traing maybe once or twice per month SD, poomse once o twice per week and a week before the examination every day.

I will let know sambunin I want a class per week only SD, with that my hunger will be satisfied, if not ..... I will not quit TKD but will need to take some self defense clases like Aikido or ninjitsu or.... well.

Very sad.

Manny

I understand try to talk and see what happens. Best of luck to you.

 

[Kacey]

Manny, you need to remember that an instructor can be a great instructor and still not be the right instructor for you - not because of any fault in either of you, but because you may not be the right "fit" for each other. Certainly, talk to him and let him know where your interests lie - and ask him for his help. If he realizes that's what his student(s) want, he may change. If he is not willing to change what he teaches at this time, he may well be able to direct you to good instructors who meet your interests and needs, to fill in the gaps you are finding in your training right now.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

 

[tko4u]

there all kind of tkd applications. sport, traditional, self defense. if he will not let you teach them self defense, then I would suggest adding a 30 minute self defense class in the day just for it


good luck

 

[igillman]

You can do what I have done. I have found self defence articles and videos on the internet and I am practicing those moves at home. It is difficult to practice on your own, you need a bit of imagination (an imaginary friend works well) but it can be done. It is not the best way to train but it is a start.

If you have some spare wood make a dummy. It doesn't need to look like a human, it just needs to have the right bits. A wing chun dummy looks nothing like a human but it works. Just a piece of wood a couple of feet long sticking out of the wall at shoulder height works for practicing against shoulder punches. Move the wood down the waist height for lower punches and for gun defence.

Joint locks are going to be more difficult to practice on your own. They are too fiddly for me anyway, I am too clumsy to be able to them the same way twice in a row.

 

[Kwanjang]

At my school I place a big emphasis on "practical" SD. Manny, speak to him with sincerity and respect about your concerns. Or, like stated get with a few training partners of different body types and practice what you wish. In my opinion simple is better. Good luck

 

[Deaf Smith]

Manny,

Forget the instructor.

See if any other students would like to meet in an off night and practice those SD methods. Or you can put a 'martial arts buddy' on the bulletin board of the local gyms and see if anyone else would like to workout with you.

My workout buddy is a 3ed dan woman. Yes woman (not my wife... and yes my wife knows.) We meet once a week and spend an hour and 1/2 doing pure SD. Grabs, holds, throws, locks, punching, kicking, elbows, knees, eye pokes. bag work, and just to me what should be at least 70 percent of any martial arts class! Yes 70 percent. We workout very hard (we both love looking good in a dojo!)

So maybe a workout buddy would be an idea.

Deaf

 

[tko4u]

Manny,

Forget the instructor.

See if any other students would like to meet in an off night and practice those SD methods. Or you can put a 'martial arts buddy' on the bulletin board of the local gyms and see if anyone else would like to workout with you.

My workout buddy is a 3ed dan woman. Yes woman (not my wife... and yes my wife knows.) We meet once a week and spend an hour and 1/2 doing pure SD. Grabs, holds, throws, locks, punching, kicking, elbows, knees, eye pokes. bag work, and just to me what should be at least 70 percent of any martial arts class! Yes 70 percent. We workout very hard (we both love looking good in a dojo!)

So maybe a workout buddy would be an idea.

Deaf

deaf, with ALL due respect. you cannot respect your instructor and simply say "forget him". If you do it in his school, after he said no, you are simply disrespecting him.

For instance, I wanted to learn Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. My instructor doesnt know bjj, and doesnt have an interest to learn. So, because I respect my ONLY teacher (i believe you should only have one by the way) I decided because I wanted to learn jiu jitsu, I purchased the gracie dvd series, started with beginner, intermediate, then went on to advanced. My point here is that you should always respect your instructors wishes.

 

[TX_BB]

Does your Sa bum teach Self-defense? In some schools only basic self-defense is taught until you have proved your commitment and dedication to the art/sport, hence my tag line. If you really just want reality based SD, you may need some place else, like my favorite the US Military(SF). Good Luck

 

[Blindside]

deaf, with ALL due respect. you cannot respect your instructor and simply say "forget him". If you do it in his school, after he said no, you are simply disrespecting him.

For instance, I wanted to learn Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. My instructor doesnt know bjj, and doesnt have an interest to learn. So, because I respect my ONLY teacher (i believe you should only have one by the way) I decided because I wanted to learn jiu jitsu, I purchased the gracie dvd series, started with beginner, intermediate, then went on to advanced. My point here is that you should always respect your instructors wishes.

When I was in any school beyond elementary, I learned from specialists in teaching a topic. In middle school, one instructor taught math, one science, one language. By high school, one instructor taught physics, another chemistry, another biology. By college one instructor taught wildlife biology, one botany, one dendrology, and another genetics.

Did me taking class from another instructor "disrespect" any other instructor? Of course not, martial arts seems to be one of those few areas that admitting that you are a specialized instructor is something forbidden, and that students of that same instructor have to share those same limits or be cast out of the cult of personality.

If you don't like what your instructor is teaching, and he won't teach you what you want to learn, what is important to YOU as a student to learn, find someone else who will.

Lamont

 

[MA-Caver]

change schools?

Agreed and grill the next instructor on his school's idea of TKD... if they're into sport TKD then try and find another... if no others then... :idunno:

 

[Deaf Smith]

Well tko4u,

When I'm in class, I play the game the way the instructor sees it. After all, it's their school. BUT, what I do on my own time is my time, not theirs. I'm not a kid. I can see the instructor not wanting to do something they haven't trained for nor desire to even do. The only thing is, that instructor does not own my body nor my brain.

This is not disrespecting the instuctor. This is getting more skills the instructor will not offer. If he does not offer it, find a way to study it.

Oh but one thing guys, what I would not do is try to learn two arts at once. Don't take Shotokan and Taekwondo at the same time. Master one then take the other.

But you see, Manny does not want to master another art, just practice sefl defense the instructor seems to be failing to deliver. I'd get some of the guys and go practice extra on my own, which BTW surely everyone here practices outside of class, right?

Deaf

 

[jks9199]

deaf, with ALL due respect. you cannot respect your instructor and simply say "forget him". If you do it in his school, after he said no, you are simply disrespecting him.

For instance, I wanted to learn Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. My instructor doesnt know bjj, and doesnt have an interest to learn. So, because I respect my ONLY teacher (i believe you should only have one by the way) I decided because I wanted to learn jiu jitsu, I purchased the gracie dvd series, started with beginner, intermediate, then went on to advanced. My point here is that you should always respect your instructors wishes.

Did your instructor tell you not to learn BJJ? If so -- how did you respect him by simply using videos instead of getting personal instruction?

I respect my teachers. And I've had more than one. Many, if not most, of us will have more than one. There is one that you'll emulate and be more strongly tied to and guided by -- but that shouldn't discount the others. Nor should it, at an appropriate time in your training, prevent you from seeking knowledge from someone else.

I do think the basic idea of "blow off what you've been told to do what you want" is bad. There are reasons I don't want students doing certain drills or exercises when I'm not there; it's to avoid learning bad habits or getting hurt. But if they want to work on aspects of the system that I'm not pushing in class -- more power to them. I only have so many minutes a week to teach... I won't hit everything every student wants in that time. It's hard enough to cover what they NEED!

Personally -- I'd say that if Manny is unhappy with the instruction at his school, it's very possibly time to look for a new one.

 

[tko4u]

Did your instructor tell you not to learn BJJ? If so -- how did you respect him by simply using videos instead of getting personal instruction?

I respect my teachers. And I've had more than one. Many, if not most, of us will have more than one. There is one that you'll emulate and be more strongly tied to and guided by -- but that shouldn't discount the others. Nor should it, at an appropriate time in your training, prevent you from seeking knowledge from someone else.

I do think the basic idea of "blow off what you've been told to do what you want" is bad. There are reasons I don't want students doing certain drills or exercises when I'm not there; it's to avoid learning bad habits or getting hurt. But if they want to work on aspects of the system that I'm not pushing in class -- more power to them. I only have so many minutes a week to teach... I won't hit everything every student wants in that time. It's hard enough to cover what they NEED!

Personally -- I'd say that if Manny is unhappy with the instruction at his school, it's very possibly time to look for a new one.

My instructor (kwanjang) did not tell me he didnt want me to learn bjj. He simply said that he did not want to learn it, so it was up to me. So that is what I did. I wouldnt learn from anyone but him.


Also, on the one instructor thing, I meant one at a time. I know people will sometimes change instructors, but for me, I wanted to learn another art my instructor did not know, so instead of me finding a school, I felt that it was the most respectful thing to just learn it at home. I only want 1 teacher. Maybe I am just more loyal than some, but there is no way I would go to another instructor to learn another martial art.

 

[granfire]

Interesting idea.

But I consider myself having many instructors. Some wear a dobok, others don't, some are my seniors, others are not. I think going from one MA to another there is no need to keep loyalty. Within the style...

I filled in teaching a class for another school. It was a last minute deal so I had no chance to tell my instructor before hand, but I did send him an email.

I guess that it was his own instructor's school did not hurt any!

Anyhow, though I do respect my instructor (the way our school is set up I have more then one....) but he does not get to make the definitive decisions on my life. He does not like swords but I do, so if I get a chance to train swords, I will do so, even without him. He likes BJJ and Escrima, I not so much...does that mean I have to do it?!

 

[tkd1964]

I don't know what to do, I've been telling my sambunim I want more self defense practice and more more clasic tkd training (the old fashion way where real emphasis is towards self defense aplications) but it seems sambunim is more interested in kicking techniques for sport tkd (tournament).

We do a lot of kicking technike for sport but almost nothing about defenses,blocking,parrying,punching,locks,trowing,inmobilization,etc,etc.

This really makes me mad!! The kids in the class don't know how to clinch a good fist for a powerlful punch, even don't know how to use the hips to traslate all the power of the body towards the punch, they don't know how to use a ridge hand or a knife hand to hit with, their blocking is so week and bad they can not block a blow or kick.

Oh boy even they don't have to dodge a punch and counter, forget about an arm lock or a good trowing moves, yes they can kick but they don't know how DEFEND themselves.

TKD is not all kicks!!!

When the class is over I ask the students to stay to help me to traing in SD moves (and to teach them offcouse) but simply they don't want to, thet prefer in some cases to kick the air shild a little.

Very sad.

Manny

From what you are saying, your instructor is not giving his students a true TKD class and is taking the easy road by just doing kicking drills. This may be what the majority of his students want( since you say they don't want to participate with you after class). This may be the time for you to respectfully tell your instructor that you need to move on to a different instructor.

Taekwon!!

Mike