"Where have the basiscs gone?"

[dubljay]

[font=geneva, sans-serif]by Bahram "Burt" Eskandarion

[font=geneva, sans-serif]Boy, do I love the smell of the sweat in our studio. Do you know what I am talking about? [/font]
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[font=geneva, sans-serif]You know, when the whole class is working out hard and rough. Kicks and punches are flying everywhere and everyone does get into a deep horse stance. The cold outside air mixes with our body heat and makes a blanket of mist on the mirror. Do you know what I am talking about? [/font]
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[font=geneva, sans-serif]Well, if you are one of the lucky few that still belongs to a school that believes in training hard then you know. [/font]
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[font=geneva, sans-serif]I have been fortunate to be in a school that still believes in basics. Let me say that correctly: strong basics. [/font]
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[font=geneva, sans-serif]I've been traveling with my teacher Mr. Tom Kelly (Si-Bok) to different camps and tournaments around the country. What I have begun to notice is a disturbing pattern that is emerging among some of the schools. [/font]
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[font=geneva, sans-serif]What happened to basics? When did belt promotions and accruing another rank became more important than basics? What is this new age Kenpo we keep hearing about? [/font]
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[font=geneva, sans-serif]Why do we feel that we have to change something to make it better when all we need to do is apply ourselves to learning it correctly with all our heart and spirit? [/font]
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[font=geneva, sans-serif]What happened to carrying on the torch that was lit by our brothers and sisters who came before us and gave their blood and sweat to make the Art what it is today? [/font]
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[font=geneva, sans-serif]Do we honestly expect students to learn techniques and try to defend themselves on the street when they can't even throw a punch or kick correctly? [/font]
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[font=geneva, sans-serif]It is not about what the Art makes you, but what you make of the Art. Do you get it? [/font]
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[font=geneva, sans-serif]Well, if you do, dig in. go back and hit the floor and put more sweat and blood into your Art. Stop looking for promotions and ranks, and start looking to promote your Art by good, strong basics. [/font]
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[font=geneva, sans-serif]"Knowledge does not grow like a tree where you dig a hole, plant your feet, cover them with dirt, and pour water on them daily. Knowledge grows with time, work, and dedicated effort. It can not come by any other means."
---Ed Parker's Infinite Insights into Kenpo, Book 1 [/font]
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[font=geneva, sans-serif]Well, that is what I think but I may be wrong! [/font]
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[font=geneva, sans-serif]Oooss![/font]​

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This was taken from Steve LaBounty's website <thesigung.com> and I was just curious to see how everyone here would react to this article. Have any of you had any expereinces similar to Mr. Eskandarion's, or experiences exactly the opposite?​

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[terryl965]

Well the basics are around and the blood, sweat and hard work but only if you are lucky enough to be with a school were hard work is routine.. The trouble now adays is most schools are in it for the allmighty buck, nothing wrong with making money, just you should remember your roots and what got you into the Art in the first place... God Bless America

 

[dubljay]

I know what you mean Terryl965, I am fortunate enough to belong to a school that makes us put out a lot of effort and hard work. The instructor is always willing to stay after class and answer questions or go over forms or techniques. Too bad I have to move... hopefully I will be able to find a school that is more concerned with turning out people who know the art than selling belts.

 

[Ceicei]

Basics is the heart of martial arts. My instructor has a favorite saying that he tells his young students, "Flash without Basics is Trash". Kids are often in a hurry to look good and try flashy moves, but he emphasizes the basics must be grounded first. He tells them very good martial artists spend a long, long, long time doing the basics, that even Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, and others, didn't get to be as good as they are without their basics.

- Ceicei

 

[The Kai]

In my limited travels to tournaments and seminars there is a trend of Martia Artists lately to have gotten away from the basics. I think partly due to the McDojo efffect, also partly due to breadth of knowledge verses depth of knowledge. Sometimes i think it is easier to introduce new topics, ideas and training drills then have your student's really burn the technique into the memory. Also as the instructor you never should get away from your basics practice, but it can be hard wanted to work on advanced stuff instead.
Todd

 

[Trent]

I like this topic. We do basics in every class. For beginning students it is the class; for advanced students it's the warm-up. The continual training of the basics will greatly assist your art in coming out during stressful situations and against real resistance instead looking like an untrained slug-fest or playground wrestling match.

 

[MichiganTKD]

In modern Tae Kwon Do, basics have devolved into a quick program you practice to get you to black belt so you can begin training for tournaments. This is one of the reasons why the Taegeuk forms were developed-a quick, easy way to practice Tae Kwon Do fundementals. They are among the easiest forms to practice.
The more traditional (read-older) schools heavily emphasize basics because without basics you will not be able to do higher TKD techniques. Also, basics are designed to strengthen your body-give you good balance, graceful step, waist action, stopping power etc.
Even my Instructor (Korean-born BTW) laments the fact that basics have gone downhill.

 

[dubljay]

It is a sad trend beginning to show up in the arts, but I am glad to see there are some here dedicated to keeping strong basics very much apart of their training.

 

[The Kai]

Unfortuinatly I have been in schools that really the only time worked basics was during belt testing. The "daily" routine consists of warm ups and straight to forms.

I was taught that basics set up the foundation for higher aspects
Unfortunatly working the basics takes disipline, dedication and the 'fear' that your students will get bored (if they get a chance to compete or see other schools that boredom gets replaces with apprieciation)
Todd

 

[dubljay]

I was taught that basics set up the foundation for higher aspects

Thats exactly what basics are. If you cant block a punch there is no way you will ever get the chance to use any fancy or complex moves. Everything is built up from basics, (hence the name) the stronger your basics the stronger your advanced techniques will be.

 

[Flatlander]

After my initial bout with training in Jun Fan JKD, I chose to discontinue my formal training for the time being due to money issues, and my teacher took a hiatus for a while. I spent the next 2 years working on only my basics. I am surely the better for it. I feel better grounded. I kick better. I punch better. I am better balanced. And I am faster. All of this manifests in my training now.

I am definitely a proponent of the value of focusing on basics.

 

[dubljay]

I know what you mean flatlander. I accellereated through the belts pretty quickly, up around blue I began to feel awkward and clumsy, but thats about the same time I started helping out with the kids class. 2 months later after going over the yellow belt techniques and fundamentals two times a week for an hour at a time I noticed a vast improvement in my upper belt techniques. The same went for kata, spending a couple hours a week doing Short 1, my other katas seemed to improve.

 

[MichiganTKD]

In our school, most of what we do is related to basics practice-marching basics, basic kicking, forms, basic steps. I firmly believe that if your basics are not good, nothing else you try will be good either. Like a house with a foundation made of cardboard. It will not support anything built on top of it.
I can't tell you how many times I've judged at testings and seen students who have horrible basics trying advanced free fighting techniques. Of course they land flat on their behind.

 

[dubljay]

Well I just realized that I am a complete moron.... I misspelled the name of the thread. How many of you realized this and didn't bother to tell me? Next time tell me I'm an idiot and to go back to my corner.

MS Word has ruined my ability to type and proof read, damn you Bill Gates.


-Josh (aka idiot)- :rtfm:

 

[bluenosekenpo]

Well I just realized that I am a complete moron.... I misspelled the name of the thread. How many of you realized this and didn't bother to tell me? Next time tell me I'm an idiot and to go back to my corner.

MS Word has ruined my ability to type and proof read, damn you Bill Gates.


-Josh (aka idiot)- :rtfm:

i didn't noticice a thing.

 

[The Kai]

I guess the real shame of the lack of kihon pracice is that at some point a student who does not know to work the basics will get to a sticking point that natural ability will fail them. At that point if they have attained any rank ego causes conflict and they willbe afraid to rewind and build their foundation

 

[dubljay]

... At that point if they have attained any rank ego causes conflict and they willbe afraid to rewind and build their foundation

It is my view that controling your ego should be taught very early in a person's training, as a basic if you will. Not an easy thing to teach, but the topic should be covered anyway. Inflated ego's and martial arts are a bad combination in a street situation, some one is bound to get hurt.

Furthermore if a student has achieved some rank and is showing a weak performance of basic moves it is the instructor's responsibility to correct the situation.

-Josh-

 

[The Kai]

And i agree on both counts (most situations coukd be avoided if people use their compassion and common sense), but you are also fighting the will of the student they want more to move on and get to the "stuff" most are good about it. Actually women are the easiest to teach!

 

[dubljay]

... but you are also fighting the will of the student they want more to move on and get to the "stuff" most are good about it. Actually women are the easiest to teach!

This statement is what scares me the most about my desire to become an instructor.
If I were faced with this kind of situation, where a student is slacking on basics, and all other attempts to get him/her to straighten up I think I would have to hold off thier next promotion until I saw an imporvement of thier basics regardless of their performance of the new material, and arrange some private time to work with the student on basics only.

 

[TigerWoman]

This statement is what scares me the most about my desire to become an instructor.
If I were faced with this kind of situation, where a student is slacking on basics, and all other attempts to get him/her to straighten up I think I would have to hold off thier next promotion until I saw an imporvement of thier basics regardless of their performance of the new material, and arrange some private time to work with the student on basics only.

Funny how everything in this forum seems to run together. I just posted in another thread -- teaching tips, about this.

It has always bugged me to see a green belt, or higher, student testing and not knowing how to do a long stance. A basic that is worked on as a white belt and best learned then, because all the subsequent forms contain long stances. We have tests on showing front kick, round kick, side kick, too and if they get past two years and don't know how to execute these relatively well by then, it reflects on the teacher as well. To just "pass" them on is not doing the student any good and gives him/her a false sense of accomplishment where they really needed to do some more work. Each belt, I believe, is for a reason, to learn what should be learned at that level. Its admirable of you to take more time out of your schedule to work with them privately. But the student has to have the will to practice too by themselves. They have a responsibility too. Our master would never arrange private instruction. He sometimes gives it though if we stay after class. Something brief with a "now you go practice that". TW