Have you ever just started you martial arts all over from the begining ...

[GHETTO NINJA]

with time you learn so much stuff and it takes you on diffrent roads , but starting all over again just feels like its good to be home.

 

[Blindside]

It always feels to be the newbie student again, its a whole new world.

 

[GHETTO NINJA]

?

 

[Touch Of Death]

with time you learn so much stuff and it takes you on diffrent roads , but starting all over again just feels like its good to be home.

I have, but I always find it hard to dismiss what I know. If i would have listened to my TKD instructor when i was in the Army, I might have learned somthin'. Now I am just learning that same concept. It would have helped if i wasn't so set in my ways.
sean

 

[Omar B]

I'm not sure what you are trying to ask, your question is worded a bit odd. Are you asking if one has gone back to white belt after reaching an advanced rank in a given style? Or are you asking if one changed styles after achieving a certain rank in a given style?

 

[GHETTO NINJA]

yeah , white belt & basics and worked your way all the way up again

 

[Omar B]

I still don't know if you mean starting a new style or going back to white belt in your current style.

 

[dbell]

Last year I moved to KY and wanted to train, as a white belt, with a local Aikido school (8th Dan in Aikido) just to be a student again, and I liked the Ki of the instructor (still do...). During my checking out the school and watching the classes, I enjoyed what I saw and was ready to sign up. (Although I HATE contracts, which he works with...) After classes we talked, and he asked about my background.

Told him that I had been studying Kendo and other arts for years, and that I wanted to open a Kendo school here when I settled in, but didn't have a lot of money for rent, etc. We talked about my Kendo background, and I told him I was "Head of Family" of the style, and we talked about that some. He said I could use his space, NICE one too!, on Mon, Tues, Friday, and Sat afternoons, and any time Sunday if I wanted, and if I would work with him as well, I could come to his classes for free.

Next day I get a "nasty" email from him stating that I had lied to him, about my rank in Aikido (didn't tell him any rank) and that he felt I was trying to steal his students. He then informed me that I was not to show up at his school again, which is sad, because it is a block form my house..... (I JUST WANTED TO STUDY AND PRACTICE, NOT TEACH OR STILL STUDENTS!!) (Sorry for the shouting, hoping he hears it! )

So, if you are meaning in one art, no, but I tried.

If you are meaning starting over in a new art, yes, four times... Started with Judo, added Kendo and Aikido a couple years later, and then added Hapkido and Tang Soo Do (all at white, and worked my way up over years) a bit down the road... 40 (41 this coming August) years of consecutive MA training...

 

[GHETTO NINJA]

yeah thats what i meant , in your own style in what you know

 

[Draven]

When I was on vacation years ago I was training at school that was a mix of Karate, Judo & Aikido (basicly hapkido but not hapokido lineage) anyway, I wanted to train with my God Father's step son who I have been friends with since I was 10. The instructor never asked me about rank & I never stated any; I started from the beginning 10th kyu white belt. I did my free week (Mon, Wed & Fri) then paid for the rest of the month. It wasn't until someone "let it slip" that I had been training in MA before that she wanted to "pick my brain" about my history.

Course I haven't trained in a structured Shotokan (or off shoot of shotokan) system for years. I wanted to get back to that & I did... Nothing wrong with going "back to basics."

 

[Bruno@MT]

Next day I get a "nasty" email from him stating that I had lied to him, about my rank in Aikido (didn't tell him any rank) and that he felt I was trying to steal his students. He then informed me that I was not to show up at his school again, which is sad, because it is a block form my house..... (I JUST WANTED TO STUDY AND PRACTICE, NOT TEACH OR STILL STUDENTS!!) (Sorry for the shouting, hoping he hears it! )

Well, I can understand his reaction.
It is odd enough that an 8th Dan would sign up as a white belt in an established class. Odd but not nefarious.
However, afterward you had a private conversation with him and mentioned all your grades except the most important one (in this context). And then he found out via other means.

To be honest, while he could have been more diplomatic and asked you about it, I can see where his reaction is coming from. Especially if teaching MA is a source of income for him. Just informing him of your status and reasons for joining (possibly with a promise not to poach students and to keep this info from the rest of the members) could have prevented his reaction.

 

[dbell]

Well, I can understand his reaction.
It is odd enough that an 8th Dan would sign up as a white belt in an established class. Odd but not nefarious.
However, afterward you had a private conversation with him and mentioned all your grades except the most important one (in this context). And then he found out via other means.

To be honest, while he could have been more diplomatic and asked you about it, I can see where his reaction is coming from. Especially if teaching MA is a source of income for him. Just informing him of your status and reasons for joining (possibly with a promise not to poach students and to keep this info from the rest of the members) could have prevented his reaction.

I actually, in that initial contact, told him I was not out to poach students in any way shape or form, and re-iterated that in my replies to him in private emails, etc. In our initial conversation I never said rank in any art but Kendo, only because that was the only school I wanted to open up here. (I have since recently opened up Circular Wind Ryu as well as Kendo though.)

Yes, I probably did it wrong, but my goal was not to teach Aikido at the time, and for the past 20 years, everywhere I went to train and practice I was asked to teach, which I was afraid would happen here again.

 

[Bruno@MT]

Yes, I probably did it wrong, but my goal was not to teach Aikido at the time, and for the past 20 years, everywhere I went to train and practice I was asked to teach, which I was afraid would happen here again.

I can see how that is awkward as well.
You are probably in a 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' scenario when it comes to wanting to train aikido. The only way out I see is if you would choose something that is not aikido (so your rank would not be an issue) but similar enough that you'd enjoy it. Something like daito ryu or something. Of course, that would be compromising for the sake of niceties.

You are probably right that there is no right answer here.

 

[jks9199]

If he was a skilled instructor, he should have had a clue or 12 that you had extensive training unless you were both actively trying to hide your training, and pretty good at doing so.

It seems possible that part of his private discussion with you was an attempt to let you come clean, while saving face. Maybe a simple explanation would have saved both of you some anguish?

 

[MJS]

with time you learn so much stuff and it takes you on diffrent roads , but starting all over again just feels like its good to be home.

I do this all the time, and IMO, once you reach black belt level, that is the time to go back and really break things down from the beginning.

 

[dancingalone]

This sounds good in theory but it is a RARE, RARE person who can truly empty his cup and start anew. Let's face it, we are the culmination of all our our experiences, whether they came in the dojo or not. If one has been a long time student of a particular art, where one has engrained the principles and patterns of the system into muscle memory, it is next to impossible to just forget it and then learn material that is frequently contradictory to the original art. One might 'learn' the new way on a superficial CONSCIOUS level, but in moments of stress the prior patterns will always re-emerge.

It takes much commitment and effort to make the secondary art the new primary one.

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

with time you learn so much stuff and it takes you on diffrent roads , but starting all over again just feels like its good to be home.

Yes. I had a lengthy karate and taekwondo background but started at my current school as a white belt several years ago. When I told my master that I remembered more locks, sweeps and takedowns in my previous TKD training, he said I should do hapkido. He started the class a few months later and I was glad that he did. Been a convert ever since.

I did continue with TKD though. Starting fresh at white belt was fun. I had been out of it for quite a few years at that point and had gotten very much into sword work, primarily kumdo and sport fencing. Being back in a class and minding my kicking, punching, and blocking basics was definitely a good experience. Since the entire class knew at that point that I was a kumdo yudanga, I received a fair amount of respect from my fellow students who were encouraging and helpful to a guy in his late thirties who was getting back into high kicks after a long time.

I got so much more out of the class going in as a white belt than I would have if he had simply ranked me where I had been and worked me in.

Daniel

 

[dbell]

If he was a skilled instructor, he should have had a clue or 12 that you had extensive training unless you were both actively trying to hide your training, and pretty good at doing so.

It seems possible that part of his private discussion with you was an attempt to let you come clean, while saving face. Maybe a simple explanation would have saved both of you some anguish?

I was a side line watcher, not in the class itself. He had me watching from the benches, to see if it was what I wanted, and that is what I wanted to do, to see his Ki in action, and how he taught. So there was no chance for him to see my abilities...

 

[Miles]

I have started over several times as a white belt in different "styles" of TKD/Karate after getting my black belt. Never had a problem doing so as I pretty much have always been about training and not rank. I progressed relatively faster than other white belts due to my prior training and enjoyed the process.

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

Odd. The OP is now banned yet still online, something I would not have thought possible. Wonder what happened. He just signed up a few days ago as I recall.

Daniel