Demo Ideas needed

[ArmorOfGod]

My school has another demo coming up in a few months and I am looking for fresh ideas. The schools that I came from weren't really big on demos, so I need some ideas.
My school will have around 15-20 people in the demo, all being lower to intermediate rank, plus me.
Ideas?

AoG

 

[bowser666]

What style does your school teach ?

 

[ArmorOfGod]

It is a mixed karate style that comes from (and looks a lot like) kempo.
In general, we use boxing footwork and boxing punches, but transition to kempo/Japanese jiu-jitsu techniques during self-defense.
For weapons, some of these students are training with bo staff, but later will go to cane and sai.

AoG

 

[stickarts]

We like to change up the music from time to time, keeping some older tunes and mixing in some newer tunes.
We also like to make it representative of the different arts we teach at the school.
Please give an example of what you do already. How does a typical demo routine go for you?

 

[ArmorOfGod]

We have only done one demo with this school. It had to be short, so I just let some of the upper students throw me around some, then let the other students do kata in groups of 3-6.

AoG

 

[Grenadier]

Why not just conduct it like you would conduct a normal class for all belt ranks? Condensed, of course, but this way, they'll get a good picture of what it is you do.

 

[MJS]

My school has another demo coming up in a few months and I am looking for fresh ideas. The schools that I came from weren't really big on demos, so I need some ideas.
My school will have around 15-20 people in the demo, all being lower to intermediate rank, plus me.
Ideas?

AoG

Breaking demos
Kata demo
Self defense demo
multi. man attack demo
weapons defense

How long is the demo going to be? Depending on how much time you have, you can showcase a variety of things.

 

[stickarts]

We have only done one demo with this school. It had to be short, so I just let some of the upper students throw me around some, then let the other students do kata in groups of 3-6.

AoG

It sounds like you are off to a good start. It works well for us when we keep things moving: the students get on stage quickly, do their thing, and the next student(s) in turn get up their quickly when they are done. You can mix it up between kata, self defense routines, throws, etc...
Do you have a school creed or a demo team creed? If not, I recommend that you get one (or more) and have them recite it at the end of the demo.
We also do some board breaking which is a crowd pleaser.
Flying side kicks go over well too.

 

[Kacey]

If you can - involve the audience. Teach a block, or a stance, or a release. Show them how easy one particular technique can be - then you're more likely to get a few to show up in class; they won't be blown away by all the stuff they see, they'll be thinking about the 1 or 2 things they learned and how easy it was.

 

[Deaf Smith]

My school has another demo coming up in a few months and I am looking for fresh ideas. The schools that I came from weren't really big on demos, so I need some ideas.
My school will have around 15-20 people in the demo, all being lower to intermediate rank, plus me.
Ideas?

AoG,

I've done many an exibition and here are some ideas;

A) Good girl, bad guy.

One of the students, a girl who you know is very good, is the 'victiim' who is attacked. The bad guy, his whole job is to kind of be a badguy/clown. He first kind if flirts and gives her a hug. She grabs him under the armpit (pectoral muscle grab I guess.) He howls... he then does a lapel grab, she retailiates. It escalates till he tries choaks and grabs from behind. Each time she cleans his clock, he gets up, does faces and stuff to the crowed, then sneeks around for another attack. This looks real good if she can do takedowns. Lots of throws! More the better. Have him yell, 'Oh no!' as he flips through the air.

B) Fast one kick one cover.
That is, two students who are very good with their feet do fast kicks at each other. I mean FAST. Back and forth as fast as they can. Lots of fancy spinning kicks, hook kicks, back kicks, jump kicks. Showmanship AoG, showmanship!! If hands are your game, do this with fast hand work. Have them practice it alot so each one knows what the other will do and has the blocks/counters ready. It's not to see who is better, but to make the exibition look good. So each one has to work well with the other one.

C) Board breaking.
Nah not just huff and puff and break a bunch of bricks or boards, but have them hold one board up, just useing one hand to hold it, and do speed kicks. Fast round houses or spinning heal kicks. For hands, hold one board in one hand, and do a speed break on it with the other (these two ways of breaking are my specialty.... in fact all three of the demo's above are! done by me (yea, I'm the clown to!)

D) Forms.
I mean real good forms. Someone who just excells in class. Have someone explain the form while they do it. Point out technique to the audience. Again, showmanship! If you have to, dream up your own form with lots of fancy moves!

E) Blowing out candles with punches and kicks. This is pure speed. Fast punch followed with an even faster retraction. Have the practitioner wind up, look like they are really concentrating. Showmanship again AoG.

And my fanciest one.... well that's a secret!

Deaf

 

[Flying Crane]

I'll make a suggestion here that will probably be completely out of line with what most others will suggest.

Demonstrate the simple efficiency of what your art contains. Don't go the showmanship route. Don't make up flashy forms, and don't emphasize the crowd pleasers like gymnastics and high kicks and board breaks and unrealistic and lengthy fancy combos. Instead, focus on the true root of the art and the efficient brutality that it holds.

This isn't to be morbid or to shock or offend the audience. Rather, it's to show what the arts really hold, and maybe talk about the history under which they developed the way that they did, the need for a truly decisive method of defending oneself.

Demonstrate traditional forms/kata, if your art has them. Don't fancy it up. Then, demonstrate serious bunkai out of those kata. You can do attack/defense scenarios, but make it real. The defender should defeat the bad guy with quick and nasty kicks to the knees, pokes to the eyes, painful joint attacks, throat attacks and stuff. Don't kick 'em in the head unless you put him on the ground first. If you do any board breaks, keep it simple and emphasize that this is simply a method for gauging the power that a given strike holds. Don't get fancy with it. Give them a glimpse of "this is true martial arts", not flashy babysitting and entertainment for the kids. Make the audience feel like they got to peak into a hidden world that most people never see, the world of real martial arts.

I think it would be a nice change of pace, compared to the Hollywoodized demos that are often done at the local shopping mall and stuff. It could be pretty cool... I'd have infinite respect for you, if you did this

 

[stickarts]

I'll make a suggestion here that will probably be completely out of line with what most others will suggest.

Demonstrate the simple efficiency of what your art contains. Don't go the showmanship route. Don't make up flashy forms, and don't emphasize the crowd pleasers like gymnastics and high kicks and board breaks and unrealistic and lengthy fancy combos. Instead, focus on the true root of the art and the efficient brutality that it holds.

This isn't to be morbid or to shock or offend the audience. Rather, it's to show what the arts really hold, and maybe talk about the history under which they developed the way that they did, the need for a truly decisive method of defending oneself.

Demonstrate traditional forms/kata, if your art has them. Don't fancy it up. Then, demonstrate serious bunkai out of those kata. You can do attack/defense scenarios, but make it real. The defender should defeat the bad guy with quick and nasty kicks to the knees, pokes to the eyes, painful joint attacks, throat attacks and stuff. Don't kick 'em in the head unless you put him on the ground first. If you do any board breaks, keep it simple and emphasize that this is simply a method for gauging the power that a given strike holds. Don't get fancy with it. Give them a glimpse of "this is true martial arts", not flashy babysitting and entertainment for the kids. Make the audience feel like they got to peak into a hidden world that most people never see, the world of real martial arts.

I think it would be a nice change of pace, compared to the Hollywoodized demos that are often done at the local shopping mall and stuff. It could be pretty cool... I'd have infinite respect for you, if you did this

I have gone that route depending upon who the audience is. I have been invited to specific clubs that really want to get into that and thats the direction I took. In events that are more family and fun oriented we take the flashier approach although we do talk about our creeds and they do see some "real" stuff too.
I have also been invited to speaking engagements and I don't show a single move! Its strictly talking about history, philosophy, and methodology of the arts!
I think its important to take the audience into account when planning a particular demo.

 

[Jdokan]

Alot of great ideas here..tough act to follow....
How about showing defensive AWARENESS training ie..
Not walking next to the building edge...easy to get grabbed & pulled into a doorway...or the distraction technique of a 2nd person getting your to not notice the guy in the doorway...that pulls you in..etc...to the van parked next to your car...& it is either running or has somebody in it...There are plenty of ideas that can be performed/presented to an audience that can present a differnet side of the martial arts....of course these all lead up to doing a technique...but you get my meaning....

 

[bowser666]

SO many good demo points here. I think a balance of a few of them would showcase the school. Do some clean cut perfect forms, choreograph some sparring routines, do some breaking techniques, and when you demonstrate self defense, have people from the audience participate. Show them a effective yet simple technique that someone could figure out in a minute. By showing someone that anyone could do it would score mucho points.

 

[Hawke]

What's the objective/purpose for this demonstration?

Do you have an idea of your target audience?

College students? Senior citizens? Mostly ladies? Mixed demographics?

If you are going to use music will the equipment be provided for you or do you have to bring your own?

Where will you be practicing? Do you need to bring in mats? Are you allowed to rehearse there?

If you do a self defense demo maybe you can go actual speed first (MC describes the scenario) , then do the same technique but have the MC break down the moves. If you have time maybe you can have the MC describe a similar situation, same type of attack, but use a different self defense technique.

 

[terryl965]

AOG you are trying to build your school right than FC has hit the nail on the head, keep it ti what you and showcase how effective it is.