Few reasons to change your dojang
First of all, this article may bother some of the readers including the students or masters. we all know that all taekwondo schools charge students a certain fee for the enrollment, because learning is not a free service by schools, and masters deserve to get a price for their teachings.
the issue is when the students do not get what they expect from those schools they go to.
Students can spend months or even years without reaching reasonable levels or sometimes their progress isn't noticeable at all.
Some taekwondo schools do not deserve to be called ''schools'', because the ingredients that make them deserve the name of ''school'' do not exist, therefore, they turned to be just taekwondo businesses, nothing more, That is the ugly truth.
Bad signs:
- The instructors or coaches in charge do not master taekwondo techniques, can not demonstrate most of them and can not explain them.
- Taekwondo belt promotions;
Some schools do tests each month, 2 or 3 months to the same students, therefore, a student can be able to test for black belt after two years of practice or even less, which is a sad truth. And even if there are few exceptions, and some students can reach black belt in a short time, they still have to spend a reasonable period practicing the art.
Not everyone should do the test for the next belt unless they meet the requirements, because some students could be slower in learning than others, therefore, they better get more time to master the techniques of their actual level before moving to the next level including taekwondo forms (poomsae). Unfortunately some Taekwondo schools promote their students without giving any interests to the forms, which makes the students see the poomsae ''useless'', but this is the martial art, we do not take the parts we like and through away what we do not like.
- The high monthly fee and low quality equipments:
Some schools fees are very high which makes them look like they are only interested to take your money, and ignoring the main objectives of martial arts.
- Schools that avoid participations in competitions (sparring or poomsae...) put their students in isolated environment. This way they don't have clear and correct ideas about the competitions in Taekwondo.
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Good advice. Keep our art strong!
ReplyDeleteLook for proper black belt certification from Korea like the kukkiwon certificate. Most major competitions ask your Dan # if you are a black belt. Btw I'm a 5th Dan taekwondo kukkiwon and run my own Dojang.
ReplyDeleteI agree with a lot, but also disagree
ReplyDeleteI study under a grandmaster of very high level (Former Olympic Head Coach) 9th Dan Black belt. At his age he cant do jumping kicks, spin kicks and has hip damage that restricts side kicks yet he has trained amazing Taekwondo artists including Olympians and world champions
If a person trains 6 days a week on there skill in 2 months they clock up 48 training sessions, (72 training sessions in 3 months). I certainly think that is enough to pass a belt level (skill level considered also)
Forms are good for developing strong attitudes and nice technique but neglect guard (fist to hip techniques),
- timing of strike in defence (A bad timed strike can be more dangerous again a good counter fighter),
- visual or kinaesthetic reflexes for proper timing
- learning cues or telegraphs of an opponents intention to attack.
- Body conditioning (I know of a champion sport forms practitioner who punched in defence and broke his wrist as he wasn't hitting targets so the compression of impact actually hurt him.
- Dealing with nerves and confidence in confrontation. Fights can be scary, forms don't teach this
- Unrealistic moves that may not work. Some moves look great but you wont see them in a proper fight
- They don't teach avoidance and evasive footwork
I enjoy forms but if an instructor thinks this is the main thing in training they aren't really focused on teaching their students proper defence
I feel a person will make there own choice on fee. As a full time instructor, costs are high, rent, advertising, taxes, wages, equipment. Some of my friends charge high fees cause their school would not survive and close down if they charged less. Most don't understand its expensive to run a school. This doesn't come free. I've had to sell my home to keep my martial arts business alive in the past.
Finally competitions. They're good fun and its great to win medals and true there are some great qualities they build but martial arts is a personal thing not a sport. martial sport teaches a very limited version of the arts and don't always teach the correct defensive system. for example tkd fight with their hands down and use smothering to keep inside kicking range but the most common street attack is a punch in the face, a grappler would make mince meat of a fighter who smothers. You've entered their range with your hands down. Please don't get me wrong, I have represented my country for Taekwondo and won gold overseas and I enjoy forms but I do feel this is wrote too "Surface"
Traditional Arts are great but very outdated for modern defence. As with everything, things move forward adopt and change, and basing a martial art against these points without understanding a deeper knowledge on the subject.
As a student you will work out very quickly if the school is worth it or a fake school. just by how the instructors conduct themselves and the quality of training and their students
I disagree with the comment of forms (poomsae) not teaching someone how ‘scary fighting can be’. Doing poomsae tournaments can be scary, especially when you’re on your own. Poomsae shouldn’t be seen as a downgrade to kyorugi because it’s showcasing self defence techniques. In tournaments, I do both poomsae & kyorugi, & find poomsae a great way to mentally clear my mind & warm up my body for kyorugi.
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