# New Dojang



## MBuzzy (Jul 4, 2007)

Well, I visited my new Dojang in the US yesterday.  It is a US Soo Bahk Do Federation gym.  I have a lot of catching up to do!

It seems that the US SBD Fed is much different from how the Korean SBD Association teaches.  Either that, or my instructor taught differently there.  There are many changes to style that I will have to make for this gym.  Mostly very minor, such as how they execute Choon Bee, where hands go for open hand blocks and chops and the fact that they audibly exhale with every movement, while I was taught in Korea to be silent.

In addition to the stylistic differences, I will have a great deal of the SBD standardized material to learn, such as Ill Soo Sik and Ho Sin Sul.  They also use a great number of combinations that are standardized and must be memorized.  

One possible point of concern is that I was told by the assistant instructor that they will "honor" my rank, but I would probably have to re-test by their standards at some point.  This doesn't really bother me, in fact, I told him that I would start over if I had to....but I'm kind of concerned that they may make me PAY for another Cho Dan test.  The first one was kind of expensive...not sure I want to pay again!

Has anyone had any similar experiences or any thoughts on moving to a new gym in the same style?


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## fireman00 (Jul 4, 2007)

i went from a WTF style school to an dojang that taught WTF and ITF - and went through a similar transition; seems that some masters teach to exhale on every move while others teach silence except for when kiyaps are done.  Same with hand positioning at joonbi and minor stance positionings.  Its been 3 years and I still get corrected...


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## JT_the_Ninja (Jul 5, 2007)

Do you mean loud exhalations, or just breathing? Breathing with every technique can only be a good idea.

In fact, for someone like me, who has trouble remembering to breathe at all, it's one of the things my SBN is always telling me to improve, breathing in and out. 

Hope things work out for you; don't forget to stop by Oakmont if you take the tour of Pennsylvania!


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## Brian R. VanCise (Jul 5, 2007)

MBuzzy said:


> Well, I visited my new Dojang in the US yesterday. It is a US Soo Bahk Do Federation gym. I have a lot of catching up to do!
> 
> It seems that the US SBD Fed is much different from how the Korean SBD Association teaches. Either that, or my instructor taught differently there. There are many changes to style that I will have to make for this gym. Mostly very minor, such as how they execute Choon Bee, where hands go for open hand blocks and chops and the fact that they audibly exhale with every movement, while I was taught in Korea to be silent.
> 
> ...


 
If they are going to honor your rank then I think you should not have to pay for a re-test or really re-test at all.  My opinion would be that they train and get you ready for your next test and bring you up to what they expect.  In the least you should not have to pay again for a rank that you have received already.  Just my 02.


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## jks9199 (Jul 5, 2007)

Brian R. VanCise said:


> If they are going to honor your rank then I think you should not have to pay for a re-test or really re-test at all.  My opinion would be that they train and get you ready for your next test and bring you up to what they expect.  In the least you should not have to pay again for a rank that you have received already.  Just my 02.


I missed that part in my first read...

I hope that what they mean is that you'll keep your rank, but that they won't promise to promote you further until you meet their standards.  Especially if your ranking is from a parent organization/association or one that's known and respected.  After all, isn't uniform ranking one of the things those organizations are supposed to be for?


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## mjd (Jul 6, 2007)

If they honor your rank there should be no test, a test for your current ranks only means they do not honor it and are making you test for it again. I don't see how thats honoring your rank? I would think if they truely honor your rank they would except your certification to be liget and bring you in at current rank, then make you learn what is needed to conform to their style and test you for the next rank.


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## MBuzzy (Jul 6, 2007)

JT_the_Ninja said:


> Do you mean loud exhalations, or just breathing? Breathing with every technique can only be a good idea.
> 
> In fact, for someone like me, who has trouble remembering to breathe at all, it's one of the things my SBN is always telling me to improve, breathing in and out.
> 
> Hope things work out for you; don't forget to stop by Oakmont if you take the tour of Pennsylvania!


 


mjd said:


> If they honor your rank there should be no test, a test for your current ranks only means they do not honor it and are making you test for it again. I don't see how thats honoring your rank? I would think if they truely honor your rank they would except your certification to be liget and bring you in at current rank, then make you learn what is needed to conform to their style and test you for the next rank.


 
JT - seems to be just a loud exhale.  When I was taught, it was a much more controlled breathing.  

That's what I'm not quite sure about.  I will be allowed to WEAR my rank, but I guess I have to test to this organization's standards - which are admittedly different.  I think that the Korean association is either behind or just different in what they teach, but it is very different in what is otherwise a very standardized organization.  I obviously don't mind at all learning their cirriculumto get me up to speed and I really don't mind going through the motions of another test.......I just don't want to pay again!


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## tsdclaflin (Jul 6, 2007)

for curious sake, what was the previous organization?


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## MBuzzy (Jul 7, 2007)

The Korean Soo Bahk Do Association when I was in Korea and now that I'm back home, I'm going to a US Soo Bahk Do Federation school.


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## Lynne (Jul 8, 2007)

Welcome home!

Well, it sounds like the new stuff will be a fun challenge.

Ho Sin Sul and Il Soo Sik were a mental overload for me, but I'd not previously taken Karate either.  So, I didn't know what a high block was, a reverse punch, an inside/outside block and so on.  I think you will have an advantage and I bet the wrists grips and hand combinations come fairly easy to you.

It could be a huge mental overload if your Master wants you to know 36 hand combinations and so many wrist grips by X date though.

Gee, I wouldn't think you'd have to test again for Cho Dan.


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## JT_the_Ninja (Jul 9, 2007)

Sounds like what happened when the Chengs came to our dojang from theirs in Atlanta. They weren't even ITF, but they were allowed to keep their ranks (2 cho dans, one e dan, though they're now all e dans). They had to have a few crash courses in ITF-style, but otherwise I don't know that they had any problems integrating themselves into the federation.

Then again, you're coming from TSD into SBD, so I can see why there might be more hesitation, despite the lineage.


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