Great. Now you have me wanting to teach two tracks, so I can use two different testing methods. You're not helping.
2 more months can't hurt...right?
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JR 137
Grandmaster
It’s not just your school, it’s everyone’s. Mine included.
I tried to say several times “to each his own;” by that I mean whatever works best for the person. If I implied differently, I apologize. I like the way my school handles this better. Doesn’t mean it’s better for everyone else. I’m sure there’s things I’d think your school does better if I knew everything your school does.
I think a lot of it just really comes down to what we get used to. I have a hard time dragging myself away from using testing like what I went through. I don't think there's anything inherently superior about it - it's just what I'm used to, so it feels "right".
OP
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skribs
Grandmaster
I think part of it is that people tend to see another way of doing things, and it's hard to acknowledge that the other way works, because if that works, does that mean your way doesn't work? And it's not always about the pride in what you've chosen to do, it can also be about loyalty to your master or your style.
Agreed. And we tend to subconsciously rationalize our choices after they're made. Our minds learn to dismiss other options after the fact by rationalizing the choice we made in a way that makes it seem somehow superior. Testing and rank are part of that. I've looked at a lot of different ways instructors, schools, and associations use both, and I really haven't found a uniquely compelling argument for or against most methods. Most of them have some potential for abuse, and some potential for good. Mostly, it seems to come down to whether they are used well, and what people like. Not much else seems to consistently matter.
OP
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skribs
Grandmaster
I've had similar thoughts about my current school, compared with the school I grew up in. My first school was very much about getting it right from the bat. They tended to slow down and focus on details at the beginner level that we gloss over at my current school until later. That's the teaching style I honestly prefer. But after a few years at my school and seeing the growth of the students here, it's hard to argue that this style works too. Just took some time to see it.
And, @JR 137 I think that's another part of the issue, and I think I touched on it earlier. People see a comment and that comment is out of place from what they're expecting, but it's in a good place the way your school does things. I'll give an example within my own school. We teach our white belts NOT to move their feet when they punch. The reason is because it allows them to focus on the arm motion for now, and because the ones that do move their feet tend to run forward into the kid in front of them. It's around green belt we start really teaching the full body motion of the technique.
But we had a black belt who would come to judge the tests, who expected the white belts to know the proper punching method, instead of just what they'd been taught. He was older and couldn't come to class, so he didn't know the kids and where they were in their training. So from his perspective, all of these kids had a horrible understanding of the art because they couldn't generate power. But from my perspective, the kids are following what they've been told, and those skills will come at the proper time.
But if I make a comment on the forum and say "we teach our white belts not to move their feet when they punch" (and don't qualify that we do teach those skills later on) then how will someone read that? They'll read that as our school has horrible punching techniques and you'll never learn proper technique at my school.
As far as I'm aware, it's 급 either way. Keub and gup are just different romanizations. Korean has fewer consenants than English, so "ㄱ" can be a "g" or "k" sound, and "ㅂ" can be "b" or "p".
OP
OP
skribs
Grandmaster
My Master pronounces "keub" like "k-ew-b" and gup like "g-up". The vowel is a different sound too.
TBH, the demographics of KKW TKD skew heavily towards children, and most KKW TKD black belts are kids/tweens/teens (technically "poom" rather than "dan" ranks, if they're under 15). I'd guesstimate that at least 2/3 of the black belts we've given are poom ranks. The mini tests can be good to help keep the kids motivated and moving along in their study. For an adult, it's a bit superfluous, but 10-year olds are less internally motivated.
Huh. I've never heard it pronounced "kewb" before. My old Korean teacher used the two interchangably, pronounced more like the latter. FWIW, "ă…ˇ" is more of an "uh" sound, not "eww".
Congratulations, slacker.
JR 137
Grandmaster
Reminds me of when I got my tattoo. My brother was about 7 at the time. A month or so later, he says “You still have that tattoo?”
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