# new here, questions, recc's and maybe school recc



## Th3Drizzl3 (Feb 16, 2015)

hello,

new here but lurking for a while appreciate the info i have read so far. ill start off with my backround i used to train in the wta under grandmaster Duk Sung Son in ny directly as well as one of his personal graduates later. its been many years for me but i am ready to get back into training now.

first now being in florida im having a very hard time finding anywhere locally who even seems to teach that style, it seems everywhere i look is wtf (well or ata which is a whole other thread). my questions are have any of you formerly wta or itf jumped into wtf and how was it for you? how do you personally feel it was different or the same (if at all) was the training and principles? i visited a couple wtf schools and please know im not knocking wtf at all but these schools did not seem up to par to me compared to how we used to train, what i mean it was more like the students (black belts included) were just going through the motions. we would have never been allowed to train like this....period.

is this more common today from many wtf schools? they also wanted to bring me in as a blue belt vs my wta 2nd dan ranking.

i have read some of the itf schools are similar but can not seem to find any in my area. we either seem to have "mma" schools or wtf ones. there is one other wtf school which does come highly spoken of by people in the area but i know they do the "guaranteed" black belt thing in a certain time (black belt club i think its called) and i was always very against promoting so quickly coming from the wta as many of you know if you have been there they did not just promote based on the amount of classes you attend it took many years (at least coming from Son)

im okay with starting a bit lower then i was but im looking for a very aggressive class that has discipline and where you go to train not to bs with friends and chat on the phone etc during class (i saw this at one school i was pretty surprised, two of the black belt girls were in the corner braiding each others hair?????) maybe i have not seen a good wtf school but so far im not at all impressed.

sorry for a long first post but being a bit frustrated im hoping someone can help me out here.

thank you for your time and for taking time to read my long post. and i hope i did not confuse or insult anyone i did not mean to do either.


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## MAist25 (Feb 16, 2015)

My friend, unfortunately the Taekwondo you remember is most likely going to remain just that; a memory. Taekwondo has gone through significant change since you probably last trained. Old school Taekwondo is still out there, but it is much harder to find nowadays then the types of schools you described above. My advise is to give the TKD schools around you a chance, see if you think they might be a good fit. If not, check out the other styles available in your area. 

Do not limit yourself to Taekwondo, what is more important is finding a school you feel comfortable in, get a good vibe from the instructor, and his students. I always suggest that when considering a new MA school, look at the senior students! Look at the higher ranking students and think to yourself, "is this what I hope to look like one day?" If you are impressed by their skill, that is a good sign. If they look sub par, then you will most likely be sub par when you reach that level as well. Just some thoughts. Best of luck to you.


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## Th3Drizzl3 (Feb 16, 2015)

thank you for your response. it was honestly some of the best time of my personal life, it not only taught me the art but also helped shape me into who i am in a lot of ways. and i will always be thankful for that. it is very sad things changed so much since then. it almost seems the wta itself doesnt exist anymore in a way. even the itf school i visited was imo sub par at best. i very much regret now not moving up higher personally and being able myself to teach the traditional ways. this new style seems to be just that "style". when walking into the wtf school i mentioned above i asked many questions and was given mostly blank stares. and kept being told you can have a black belt within 2-3 years???? and their "grand master" is a 7th dan?? i guess wtf has different rules for sure. that would not have been the case in any of the schools i attended.

anyway one other art i have always wanted to train in was Japanese but again the nearest school i can find is over 2 hours from me and not even sure they are legit. otherwise i have been doing some mauy thai with a friend is his home gym (he used to own a run a school till moving here to florida)

just sad imo. i so much miss "real" Taekwondo. it was an honor to have studied when i had the chance. many of these new schools advertise discipline but i sure dont see any of it. again this is not meant to offend anyone at all. there may be some very good wtf schools out there but not that i have seen .....yet.

i will continue my search though. i do hope to find a place like you described.


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## Gnarlie (Feb 17, 2015)

Would you care to describe what you do remember of your training back then, and how it was different? I would be interested to understand what has changed and how, and whether elements of that older training still remain in what I do.


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## Buka (Feb 17, 2015)

Welcome aboard, bro. 
Good luck in finding a place you like. Stay strong and don't get discouraged.


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## Instructor (Feb 18, 2015)

Welcome to MT.  Good luck in your search.


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## Dirty Dog (Feb 18, 2015)

Welcome to MartialTalk.


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## oftheherd1 (Feb 19, 2015)

Welcome to MT!  A nice place.


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## dancingalone (Feb 23, 2015)

Look for a traditional Tang Soo Do or Shotokan school with a STRICTLY adult only class.  Chances are it will be very close material-wise and atmosphere-wise to what you used to study.  

The level of contact and intensity of workout has diminished since the seventies and eighties...You're not going to get that outside of a boxing/muay thai gym these days.  Of course this is just my general observation as a veteran martial artist myself.


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## WaterGal (Feb 28, 2015)

dancingalone said:


> Look for a traditional Tang Soo Do or Shotokan school with a STRICTLY adult only class.  Chances are it will be very close material-wise and atmosphere-wise to what you used to study.
> 
> The level of contact and intensity of workout has diminished since the seventies and eighties...You're not going to get that outside of a boxing/muay thai gym these days.  Of course this is just my general observation as a veteran martial artist myself.



I think that's all going to really, really depend on the schools, the area, etc.  Where I live, TSD schools are notorious for being McDojos where the 14-year old teachers play a lot of games and don't really teach much martial arts.  While TKD schools here tend to be more rigorous and athletic (though that's _certainly _not universal).  But I think that has to do with the histories of who taught who and when and, the individuals involved and the teaching culture they created.


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## dancingalone (Mar 1, 2015)

WaterGal said:


> I think that's all going to really, really depend on the schools...



Sounds like he wants old style Korean karate.  So TSD/Shotokan would be the closest fits, especially since he mentioned GM Duk Song Son.  Sometimes fit can be a function of curriculum too, not just instructor demeanor or dojang atmosphere though of course what the school owner expects in student behavior drives this in great part.

I also suggested picking an ADULT only class which will alleviate much of the concerns the OP has IMO.

In short, I do think style is part of the equation here with what OP wants.


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## Earl Weiss (Mar 10, 2015)

Where in Florida are you?


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