How Much Longer will I Struggle to Catch Up?

[drewtoby]

It has been over a year since I switched over to the "real deal" Hapkido school from a TKD+HKD school (taught small circle Jujitsu as HKD?). I have learned more in a year at my new school than I did in four years at my old school, and I have no regrets for switching.

However, I have yet to test into this federation. I feel like I wasted my time at my last school (4 or so years) and although I hate to admit it, sometimes I feel discouraged. I "know" the new techniques and forms, although they are still very unrefined. My teacher is working with me to test into the equivalent rank (only a few away from Black Belt) but feel that I may never reach it.

I am goal oriented, but understand that rank means nothing without knowledge and skill. It is painful for me to see how far behind I am, and how long it will take for me to be able to be able to apply what I am learning to a self-defense scenario, either on or off the mat. In a way I see I have started over in the art, and am progressing all over again, only this time more slowly due to a larger curriculum. It is only fair that I am able to hold my equivalent rank once I have perfected the needed material after a lot of practice. I am nowhere near a black belt now. Still, I am tired of wearing my old school's belt. In a way it reminds me of how little I learned at that place.

Does anyone have any words of wisdom or any advice? I am feeling a bit stuck right now...

 

[drop bear]

You are supposed to be a small fish in a big pond. That means the people you are training with are of a quality to test you. It is not as comfortable and not as nice for the ego but you will grow as a person quicker.

And you are too tied up in this rank progression idea.

 

[ST1Doppelganger]

Not running thru a schools curriculum most likely means you have a quality instructor that wants a quality student so don't stress over it. Keep learning and your instructor will let you know when your ready. Like drop bear said dont get caught up on rank.

 

[Buka]

Don't beat yourself up too much. Your last four years weren't wasted - unless you lollygagged around the dojo, missed a lot of class and didn't put forth much effort. But if that's not the case it wasn't a waste. You obviously learned. So you didn't learn as much as you now think you should have, so what? Are you out of time? Will you die tomorrow? Probably not. Sounds like you're on the right path now.

As for the belt thing, I'd mail you one but you obviously want to earn it. Okay, go earn it. That would be defined by the people teaching and running the dojo. You should have absolutely no say in the matter. None, zip, nada. As for it being painfull how far behind you are." It's not a race. And if you want to approach it as one, think of it this way - what if you hadn't made the switch when you did, what if you were just making that switch now?

 

[jks9199]

I can't help but be reminded of a story.

A man went to a renowned sword master, and asked him "how long will it take to learn your sword system?". The master answered "Ten years."
The man replied, "What if I study every day, twice as long?" The master answered, " Twenty years."

As long as you worry about catching up -- you'll never get there. Train. Focus on learning what you're being taught, and developing the skills and understanding of it. "Catching up" will happen in time.

 

[oftheherd1]

It has been over a year since I switched over to the "real deal" Hapkido school from a TKD+HKD school (taught small circle Jujitsu as HKD?). I have learned more in a year at my new school than I did in four years at my old school, and I have no regrets for switching.

However, I have yet to test into this federation. I feel like I wasted my time at my last school (4 or so years) and although I hate to admit it, sometimes I feel discouraged. I "know" the new techniques and forms, although they are still very unrefined. My teacher is working with me to test into the equivalent rank (only a few away from Black Belt) but feel that I may never reach it.

I am goal oriented, but understand that rank means nothing without knowledge and skill. It is painful for me to see how far behind I am, and how long it will take for me to be able to be able to apply what I am learning to a self-defense scenario, either on or off the mat. In a way I see I have started over in the art, and am progressing all over again, only this time more slowly due to a larger curriculum. It is only fair that I am able to hold my equivalent rank once I have perfected the needed material after a lot of practice. I am nowhere near a black belt now. Still, I am tired of wearing my old school's belt. In a way it reminds me of how little I learned at that place.

Does anyone have any words of wisdom or any advice? I am feeling a bit stuck right now...

I am a little confused. You seem to be admitting you have a long way to go to master what you are now being taught. But say your teacher is working to get you an equivalent rank to what you had. Then you say a BB means nothing without knowledge and skill. What are you trying to say and what is your goal in Hapkido?

Do you want to get to the belt level you had at your previous dojo only? Why? Although you sort of hint at it, do you want knowledge and skill, or a belt to show others you supposedly have it? Knowledge and skill only come with practice under a good teacher. And it takes a certain amount of time, even for a skilled student. Are you discouraged because others at your school know you studied 4 years and may not be at their level?

If so, put that behind you! It will only be a distraction. You must remove other students from your space other than as you may be able to learn some things from them. Under no circumstances think that you are guaranteed to learn as fast as anyone else. You can only learn at your own pace. The more you learn the basics, the faster you can pick up on the more complicated techniques. Always be sure you you are learning what your teacher teaches. If he is more effective than you, find out why. You may have gotten close, but missed some nuance of what he is teaching. Done correctly techniques are rarely resistible. Watch for that as a measure.

I find it unusual that your previous 4 years were wasted, unless you were totally taught incorrectly. There had to be at least a few pearls of wisdom from your teacher. But if there weren't, so what? You seem to have found a good place. Learn and build on your learning.

Oh, I don't know what you were taught, but small circles are a part of Hapkido as well.

 

[Danny T]

Words of advise.
1. Stop comparing - open your mind and spirit to learning. In reality it is what you do and how well you can do it. (Your forms and applications) Not How Much You Know!! If you must compare then compare yourself to yourself not others. How much have you grown not others.
2. Accept – you say you ‘understand’ rank means nothing but you have not accepted your skill is not at the level required for the rank you feel you should be. You state you ‘know the new techniques and forms’ yet admit they are unrefined. Accept that your skills are not refined and that you are not ready for the level. Keep practicing properly and it will come.
3. Short term goals, intermediate term goals, long term goals. Keep focused on your long term goal in the martial arts and the other goals will come and go.
4. It’s not so much about what you train and practice, it’s not about the color of the uniform, the number of forms you can do. It isn’t about the belt. It is about ‘How’ you practice. If you are good, then you are good. If you are not ready then you are not ready. Practice until you are good. Then continue to train and practice. Enjoy the journey, for it is a constant polishing and refining process.

 

[geezer]

... My teacher is working with me to test into the equivalent rank (only a few away from Black Belt) but feel that I may never reach it.

Does anyone have any words of wisdom or any advice? I am feeling a bit stuck right now...

It's great that you have found a quality school where you feel you are learing more. As far as being a little discouraged over slow progress, I can totally relate.

Why don't you schedule time for a private talk with your instructor. Tell him your concerns over progressing slowly and see what he rcommends. Maybe you can set aside som additional training time or can pony-up the extra bucks for some private lessons, and together with your instructor try to set a rough timeline for your advancement.

Remember, ideally your instructor will tell you when you are ready. But in the real world, it is up to you to take responsibility for achieving your goals. I never met a highly skilled master who just sat back and did what he or she was told. They all made commitments, trained very hard and took an active role in their own progress.

So set goals and work with your instructor to achieve them.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Stop struggling and thinking about your old school….you apparently left it for a reason….train and focus on your new school. The longer you focus on the past the longer it will take you to get where you want to go

 

[WaterGal]

I know it's frustrating and a blow to the ego to have worked hard and trained for a long time, only to go to a new place and find that you don't know nearly as much as you thought you did.

But don't feel bad about your situation! It says something good about you personally, that your response to the situation was to face your ignorance, double down and work hard to get up to this school's standards. I've seen people in the same sort of situation who just give up and quit, because working hard is too hard or having lower belts be better then them makes them feel too vulnerable.

Don't worry, you'll get there. Just keep working. Your teacher might be able to give you some tips for practicing at home or resources you can look into, or maybe you can find another student to practice your techniques with in your spare time.

 

[Crossracer]

Words of advise.
1. Stop comparing - open your mind and spirit to learning. In reality it is what you do and how well you can do it. (Your forms and applications) Not How Much You Know!! If you must compare then compare yourself to yourself not others. How much have you grown not others.
2. Accept – you say you ‘understand’ rank means nothing but you have not accepted your skill is not at the level required for the rank you feel you should be. You state you ‘know the new techniques and forms’ yet admit they are unrefined. Accept that your skills are not refined and that you are not ready for the level. Keep practicing properly and it will come.
3. Short term goals, intermediate term goals, long term goals. Keep focused on your long term goal in the martial arts and the other goals will come and go.
4. It’s not so much about what you train and practice, it’s not about the color of the uniform, the number of forms you can do. It isn’t about the belt. It is about ‘How’ you practice. If you are good, then you are good. If you are not ready then you are not ready. Practice until you are good. Then continue to train and practice. Enjoy the journey, for it is a constant polishing and refining process.

+100. Well said sir


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[Prostar]

The short answer is...forever. You will always be behind someone and ahead of others.

It takes a while to understand that it is your journey. The other school taught you some of that. Part of what you learned is where not to go and where to go to learn what you desire.

So relax, enjoy and keep on kicking.

 

[MJS]

It has been over a year since I switched over to the "real deal" Hapkido school from a TKD+HKD school (taught small circle Jujitsu as HKD?). I have learned more in a year at my new school than I did in four years at my old school, and I have no regrets for switching.

However, I have yet to test into this federation. I feel like I wasted my time at my last school (4 or so years) and although I hate to admit it, sometimes I feel discouraged. I "know" the new techniques and forms, although they are still very unrefined. My teacher is working with me to test into the equivalent rank (only a few away from Black Belt) but feel that I may never reach it.

I am goal oriented, but understand that rank means nothing without knowledge and skill. It is painful for me to see how far behind I am, and how long it will take for me to be able to be able to apply what I am learning to a self-defense scenario, either on or off the mat. In a way I see I have started over in the art, and am progressing all over again, only this time more slowly due to a larger curriculum. It is only fair that I am able to hold my equivalent rank once I have perfected the needed material after a lot of practice. I am nowhere near a black belt now. Still, I am tired of wearing my old school's belt. In a way it reminds me of how little I learned at that place.

Does anyone have any words of wisdom or any advice? I am feeling a bit stuck right now...

I can certainly sympathize and relate to your situation, as was in that same boat, a little over 3yrs ago, when, after being disappointed with the Kenpo in my immediate area, I joined a Kyokushin dojo. IMHO, that was by far, the best decision that I've made, and I regret not doing it sooner! Years of training...I thought I was in good shape and was performing well. Needless to say, that first trial class I took, showed me that I sucked! LOL! now, FWIW, I do give credit where it's due, and I'm thankful for having a base, however, my teacher showed me how to improve on what I was doing, and my stamina went up!

Was I frustrated? Did I and do I still get frustrated and think that I wasted years? Yes to all! But what's done is done. We can't turn back time. My suggestion is to do what I did...focus on the now, don't worry about the past, and strive to improve with each class. Don't worry about rank...it'll come. I'll be the first to admit that after doing things one way, for 20+yrs, it's hard to break old habits, but in time, it'll happen.

Good luck!

 

[drewtoby]

Thank you for your responses. Just what I needed to hear! I'll keep on keeping on.

 

[Touch Of Death]

Here's a little Beatles song I sing to my guys at work.... "Try to do things my way, at the risk of knowing you will never get it right. Think of what I'm saying, you could practice your whole life and still never get it right;... So, shut up and work out! Shut up and work out!"

 

[Marnetmar]

As long as it takes.

 

[bigfootsquatch]

It has been over a year since I switched over to the "real deal" Hapkido school from a TKD+HKD school (taught small circle Jujitsu as HKD?). I have learned more in a year at my new school than I did in four years at my old school, and I have no regrets for switching.

However, I have yet to test into this federation. I feel like I wasted my time at my last school (4 or so years) and although I hate to admit it, sometimes I feel discouraged. I "know" the new techniques and forms, although they are still very unrefined. My teacher is working with me to test into the equivalent rank (only a few away from Black Belt) but feel that I may never reach it.

I am goal oriented, but understand that rank means nothing without knowledge and skill. It is painful for me to see how far behind I am, and how long it will take for me to be able to be able to apply what I am learning to a self-defense scenario, either on or off the mat. In a way I see I have started over in the art, and am progressing all over again, only this time more slowly due to a larger curriculum. It is only fair that I am able to hold my equivalent rank once I have perfected the needed material after a lot of practice. I am nowhere near a black belt now. Still, I am tired of wearing my old school's belt. In a way it reminds me of how little I learned at that place.

Does anyone have any words of wisdom or any advice? I am feeling a bit stuck right now...

You may or may not have wasted your time in the previous school. Without knowing the other school's curriculum, it is hard to say. The fact is that it doesn't matter. Its not just about learning the curriculum. The focus should be on bettering yourself and learning what your instructor has to offer.

Why would you test within a year if you're being tested to an equivalent rank? Even more importantly, why are you worried about it? I would be more worried about not being able to apply techniques in a self defense situation after a year of study. Perhaps you're too worried about learning the next piece of the curriculum instead of mastering the basics.

The path to black belt, or rather the skills that it SHOULD represent, is not a sprint. It's a lifelong marathon to that ever elusive goal of mastery of (insert name here). Don't worry about the superficial stuff. Just practice hard! :wink1:

 

[Crossracer]

I get that people sometimes want to achieve a certain rank within a certain time. Failing that they feel like they are a failure.
I approach each day as a chance to learn more about what I teach and how to be a better teacher. I tell my guys that I myself am still learning and that I will be the rest of my life.
Just enjoy all the new stuff you are learning.

Bill


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