On another forum someone said the ATA was bad like to see other people views if they have any experience with them. I do not so I cannot make a comment never been to one of there schools.....GOD BLESS AMERICA
ATA information
- Thread starter terryl965
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C
Chozen One
Guest
I watch ATA classes a couple times a week, since my brothers are in it. And being a Kenpo Student. ATA from what I see is kinda silly, it seems to be great for kids, they jump around yell, play dance music. But it doesnt appeal to me, Ive also watched the Black Belts and (maybe its just at this school) but they have large egos, and no power, or form.
I know Ill probably get flamed for being negative but that is just my observation from the school I've seen. I understand there are qualified Black Belt students in ATA, I just havent seen any yet.
I know Ill probably get flamed for being negative but that is just my observation from the school I've seen. I understand there are qualified Black Belt students in ATA, I just havent seen any yet.
hardheadjarhead
Senior Master
ATA?
In our town they give black belts to six year old kids. Within two years of training a person gets a black belt...testing is every two months, with the first test after a month. Classes are twice a week. Kids classes are a half hour long.
Test fees start at $55 and go up five dollars each test. Tuition is a hundred dollars a month.
They have classes for kids a year and a half old and up.
I can't tell you much more than that.
Regards,
Steve
In our town they give black belts to six year old kids. Within two years of training a person gets a black belt...testing is every two months, with the first test after a month. Classes are twice a week. Kids classes are a half hour long.
Test fees start at $55 and go up five dollars each test. Tuition is a hundred dollars a month.
They have classes for kids a year and a half old and up.
I can't tell you much more than that.
Regards,
Steve
C
Chozen One
Guest
This is true. My brothers as well as EVERYONE, in the school get new belts on the same day every 2 months! And Everyone regardless of rank learn the same "Self Defense Move" together as a group. So I guess they are trying to teach,,,, who knows what.
~keeps opinions to self~
~keeps opinions to self~
10 year member of the ATA. Yes, there are some bad ATA schools around. Usually they are in the bigger cities since more people= more money. While the programs can, and are sometimes, abused, I find that when utilized properly they are great teaching tools.
Ages 3-6 are what we call "Tiny Tigers". The goal isn't so much as to teach them how to fight but to give them the groundwork they need to enter the Martial arts as they get older and teach them things they need to know to be sucessful later in life. Holding still (self-discipline), doing forms and techinques as a group (teamwork, following directions, focus), respect, raising the hand to gain permission to speak (good thing to know for school), etc. These things will make kids sucessful in school and will help them later in life. Much more important than fighting. It is pretty cool to watch 15 5-year olds holding still, not talking, looking forward, and waiting for your commands. I am sure school teachers LOVE a little kid who can do this.
Ages 7-12 are what we call "Karate for Kids". The focus is still "traditional" values with some "fighting" put into it. Every school varies.
Adults are adults.
Tutition for my instructor's school is $50/mo and mine is $45 and we both would be bankrupt if we lived off of teaching.
It is kind of hard for me to articulate the ATA's philosophy and mine and why we do things the way we do. Our late Grand Master's vision was to make the world a better place, one black belt at a time. I can speak from personal experience that the ATA has saved my life and now I have found myself in a position that I never thought I would be in- Teaching kids who come from broken homes, who get picked on at school, who are out of shape, etc. and help them gain self-confidence, self-respect, and the tools they need to make their life better, or at the very least to get through their life. That is the ATA. Everyone can do it, everyone can learn. The goal is to improve yourself as a whole. If you want to learn how to fight we can teach that to you.
Ages 3-6 are what we call "Tiny Tigers". The goal isn't so much as to teach them how to fight but to give them the groundwork they need to enter the Martial arts as they get older and teach them things they need to know to be sucessful later in life. Holding still (self-discipline), doing forms and techinques as a group (teamwork, following directions, focus), respect, raising the hand to gain permission to speak (good thing to know for school), etc. These things will make kids sucessful in school and will help them later in life. Much more important than fighting. It is pretty cool to watch 15 5-year olds holding still, not talking, looking forward, and waiting for your commands. I am sure school teachers LOVE a little kid who can do this.
Ages 7-12 are what we call "Karate for Kids". The focus is still "traditional" values with some "fighting" put into it. Every school varies.
Adults are adults.
Tutition for my instructor's school is $50/mo and mine is $45 and we both would be bankrupt if we lived off of teaching.
It is kind of hard for me to articulate the ATA's philosophy and mine and why we do things the way we do. Our late Grand Master's vision was to make the world a better place, one black belt at a time. I can speak from personal experience that the ATA has saved my life and now I have found myself in a position that I never thought I would be in- Teaching kids who come from broken homes, who get picked on at school, who are out of shape, etc. and help them gain self-confidence, self-respect, and the tools they need to make their life better, or at the very least to get through their life. That is the ATA. Everyone can do it, everyone can learn. The goal is to improve yourself as a whole. If you want to learn how to fight we can teach that to you.
When I was visiting California back in 1995 for the Internationals, me and a friend stopped in to see an ATA school in Victorville, and they invited us to join in because it was Sparring Night, I had a bad knee, but my friend suited up and sparred, he was only a purple belt (WTF Traditional TKD) and sparred against their black belts, and most of them were affraid of him, and said he kicked too hard.
I also was not impressed with the breaks they had to do, for their Master's 5th degree test his toughest break was a double jump front kick (Which I had to do for Brown Belt). For my instructer's 5th degree test, his toughest break was a Triple Kick/Double Punch break.
Sorry for the long reply...
I also was not impressed with the breaks they had to do, for their Master's 5th degree test his toughest break was a double jump front kick (Which I had to do for Brown Belt). For my instructer's 5th degree test, his toughest break was a Triple Kick/Double Punch break.
Sorry for the long reply...
S
Spud
Guest
Joined the ATA in 90, took me about 26 months to earn my first dan. Came back and joined again 10 years later didn't care for the evolution of ATA over that decade. They have an aggressive business model that allows their school owners to make a decent income teaching (a good thing), but may be too concerned with growth and not quality (I acknowledge that judgement is on my limited sampling pool). There are many good instructors in ATA and I can't say enough about their forms, they are excellent.
But, IMHO they push belt testings way too fast. Their closed tournament system leads to an enormous amount of state, national world and intergalatic champions (kind of silly, but). Most importantly, with such a closed system with rapid belt advancement, and limited contact, many of their students don't truly understand their limitations. I received a rude awakening on my skills when I started sparring some other guys from different systems in grad school.
On some levels I really like the ATA, but they don't fit my current needs for training so I've gone elswhere. ATA works for many people, more power to them.
But, IMHO they push belt testings way too fast. Their closed tournament system leads to an enormous amount of state, national world and intergalatic champions (kind of silly, but). Most importantly, with such a closed system with rapid belt advancement, and limited contact, many of their students don't truly understand their limitations. I received a rude awakening on my skills when I started sparring some other guys from different systems in grad school.
On some levels I really like the ATA, but they don't fit my current needs for training so I've gone elswhere. ATA works for many people, more power to them.
Han-Mi
Purple Belt
good seeds and bad seeds. The worst thing is that the bad seeds are more popular due to a lack of initiative and pride in America. ATA does not teach preferable methods IMO but, they aren't bad.
Han-Mi
Purple Belt
It may have been just the schools I have seen but, the method they used for round kicks and some other techs were not efficient or as effective as I have been taught to do them. Kinda hard to explain the difference without a visual to show you. Just small differences, of course I suppose there are plenty of schools that aren't ATA doing the same type of thing, it is just that my experience with a couple of ATA people was that they could have used a little tweeking.
G
Galvatron
Guest
I think the ATA is utter BS.
I don't really care if a draw flack for that remark.
I don't really care if a draw flack for that remark.
Method for round kicks? Isn't there only one, or else it wouldn't be a round kick? I guess I would have to see it. I have watched the UFC and Pride fighting and I have seen other martial artists of other styels do their techniques and I don't see much difference in the technique itself.
By any chance are you referring to the chamber and executing of hand techs for color belts?
By any chance are you referring to the chamber and executing of hand techs for color belts?
F
FunSPE
Guest
I started in the ATA when I was 8. Why? Well I was young, I wanted to do "karate" and my folks didnt know of any other place to take me. I stayed in it for several years but when I was 12 I got bored with it very fast. Besides getting bored with my training, I began to see many things that I didnt agree with. I felt that I was getting pushed through the ranks too fast along with everyone else. It seemed that everything the association did was to make a buck (charging way too much money for a belt test, black belt club fees, seminar fees, certification fees, you had to buy a specific type of sparring gear, as black belts you had to buy brand new black sparring gear, etc etc). Plus more importantly, I hated the lack of functional training. All we did was work on forms, one steps and point sparring. Sorry but none of that was going to teach me how do defend myself. I felt like I was wasting my time. At the time they were offering Pro Tech which was their additional curriculum(pressure points, joint locks, knife defense, grappling, filipino martial arts). I had gone to many of these classes and they were a waste of time. The individuals teaching these subjects had no clue about what they were doing. Instructors were coming back from "stick fighting" certification clinics and they couldnt even do a simple 6 count. It was sad.
I started taking private lessons in JKD/FMA when I was 15 and I realized what functional training really was. So a year later, I quit the ATA and didnt look back. Since I quit, I have also been training muay thai/boxing and brazilian jiu jitsu. Sadly, I really can't say too many nice things about the ATA.
FunSPE
I started taking private lessons in JKD/FMA when I was 15 and I realized what functional training really was. So a year later, I quit the ATA and didnt look back. Since I quit, I have also been training muay thai/boxing and brazilian jiu jitsu. Sadly, I really can't say too many nice things about the ATA.
FunSPE
Han-Mi
Purple Belt
Im just generalizing, but basically, just small variations in chambering and execution. I have done and observed many variations of just about all techs. I find some of the ones taught by the ATA schools less efficient than those I have been taught.Shu2jack said:
To each their own I guess. You guys leave me curious. I had to use my ATA TKD training once to defend myself against a drunk guy with a knife, my sister (whom I train) had to defend herself against a guy pulling her into a dark alley at night, and a few of my instructor's students had to get into one or two fights and wound up ok. So to me the ATA training is effective, you just need to be taught it right. It is sad to know that some schools are giving everyone else a bad name.
Hwoarang_tkd26
Orange Belt
Well,
I can't say that I have been to many other schools and organizations outside of my own, but I think IMO that no matter where you look there will be a share of bad seeds as well as good ones too, wether it be the ATA,WTF, ITF, ect.
It's not the organizatoins fault, its the instructors running the schools.
- Hwoarang_tkd26
I can't say that I have been to many other schools and organizations outside of my own, but I think IMO that no matter where you look there will be a share of bad seeds as well as good ones too, wether it be the ATA,WTF, ITF, ect.
It's not the organizatoins fault, its the instructors running the schools.
- Hwoarang_tkd26
BrandiJo
Master of Arts
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when i was about 10 or so i was in ATA the classes dident teach me much but i wasent into learning we played more games then learned anything so i got out around 11 or12 when i got back in to MA it was with my best friends dad and his classes where easyer and dident do much of what i thought was good and he wasent ATA ,,,so just cus an organzation is an organzation dont make them bad cus i know just as many schools that arent in an organzation that arnt good either ...oh and BTW i love my new school im traning at 
X
XxTKDPenguinxX
Guest
It is the school... period. The owner/chief instructor is allowing the money to flow in at the cost of the student's knowledge. I don't agree with it at all, but it is a simple fact. I am constantly drilling my students and even have lost a couple due to my.. toughness.phlaw said:
[/QUOTE]their Master's 5th degree test his toughest break was a double jump front kick (Which I had to do for Brown Belt)....[/QUOTE]
Well... I don't think this is totally accurate. I am not saying that you din't see it, but there is no "Masters" allowed under the rank of 6th degree in the ATA. Plus the break you saw is perhaps a challenge break ( a break just for the fun and challenge of it, not for test). There was no testing at the schools with a 5th degree rank.
