question

[hong kong fooey]

Okay I have a question. I have been studying TAE KWON DOE for about 2 years now and I am almost a black belt. the problem is that we never learn anything new until we get our next belt it always the same thing and it makes the class kinda boring. I have started to take a compleatly different style of martial arts also but the problem is that the class is on the same day as my TAE KWON DO class. m,y question is should I just drop my tae kwon do class and focus on my other class or should I stick with my tae kwon do class?

 

[terryl965]

The answer is simple do you wish to obtain your BB in TKD if thats mattersstay if not and the other class is more of what you are looking for make a change. Me personnally I would finish TKD and then start with another style. You said you have over three year vested in it, so finish it.
Terry

 

[OnlyAnEgg]

Okay I have a question. I have been studying TAE KWON DOE for about 2 years now and I am almost a black belt. the problem is that we never learn anything new until we get our next belt it always the same thing and it makes the class kinda boring. I have started to take a compleatly different style of martial arts also but the problem is that the class is on the same day as my TAE KWON DO class. m,y question is should I just drop my tae kwon do class and focus on my other class or should I stick with my tae kwon do class?

Funakoshi wrote that it should take three years to perfect a kata; that's for the first three, mind you. In that sense, I expect a lot of repetition in my class. I haven't been disappointed so far. With regards to my TKD classes, we practiced the forms in much the same way you describe. When we achieved a certain level, we practiced for the next level and all levels prior. We would observe the more advanced forms from a seated position. Is that not the way of advancement for many things?

Dropping an art is a personal choice. I would not feel comfortable suggesting such a thing to anyone based on this description. I don't think I would suggest it under the circumstances to one so close to 1st black in any event (barring, of course, severe circumstances).

Respectfully,

egg

 

[FearlessFreep]

OK, admittedly unless you are practicing pretty intensely, several hours per day every day or something, two years to be 'almost at black belt' is pretty quick.

One thing to keep in mind is that there is a big difference and a lot of work between 'learning a technique', 'knowing a technique well enough to use it', and 'prefecting a technique'. It takes a lot or repetition to really get something down to where you can use it and a lot more to really get it to where you can use it well. So saying that you only learn new stuff when you reach a new belt is not too surprising. It may be a bit boring but like anything else, it takes a lot of continous practice, and patience and diligence, to really get something down. I mean, in music you practice scales and exercises over and over and over again until you can finally play them smoothly enough and quickly enough without having to think about it that it's something you have to use whenever you need. Same with martial arts. I mean, I've been doing this almost a year and a half and I'm a lot better at the techniques, etc... that I needed for my orange belt test. By that time I hadn't perfected the techniques, I just knew them well enough to claim that I knew them in order to pass the test, but I still do them over and over again and I'm a lot better now then I was then.

So, no real direct advice because I don't know the nature of your classes, but don't be surprised if you only learn new stuff when you reach your next belt level because it's possible that your instructor is doing this to keep you foused on the material you have been taught without distraction. If you learn one technique in a month and practice it over and over again, you will probably be better off in the long run, then learning one new technique every day


Be patient.

 

[arnisador]

If you're that close to black belt you should consider finishing it...but if you're unhappy, yes, look for something else. In the long run, if the art doesn't hold your interest, you won't stay with it.

You must know a lot of technique by now--and in any art your teacher will stop showing you new specific moves or traditional teachings at some point. To what extent are you bored by the teacher, and to what extent by the art?

 

[shesulsa]

Two years for your black is VERY fast. If you're that close, I'd stick it out and finish.

You might also want to remember that 1st black is a mastering of the basics in most arts - 1st dan study is where it starts to get fun!

Stick it out for a little while and start visiting schools of other styles to see what you want to cross-train in after your test.

 

[hong kong fooey]

Thanks for the advice. I think I will stay with TKD until I get my black belt. but I can still go to the other class as well thats what I have been doing. the thing is that my TKD class is only on tuesdays but my other class is on tuesdays and thursdays I can go to the monday class now because I am only a white belt but once I get my next belt I can only go to the tuesdays and thursdays class. soo I have a lot of thinking to do. I mean I want to get my black belt in TKD because I have spent alot of time to get where I am right now and it would be stupid to quit when I am this close to getting my blackbelt

 

[Eric Daniel]

Okay I have a question. I have been studying TAE KWON DOE for about 2 years now and I am almost a black belt. the problem is that we never learn anything new until we get our next belt it always the same thing and it makes the class kinda boring. I have started to take a compleatly different style of martial arts also but the problem is that the class is on the same day as my TAE KWON DO class. m,y question is should I just drop my tae kwon do class and focus on my other class or should I stick with my tae kwon do class?

I think(like some others) that you should stay at the TKD school and get your black belt before you do another martial art. I think you should explore other martial arts like maybe shotokan karate to improve your TKD skills. The reason I said shotokan karate was because a lot of the TKD stuff was taken from shotokan karate. I believe Hee ill cho studied shotokan karate and used some of shotokan to make his style of tkd. (sorry if that is wrong information I heard but I have heard it from TKD instructors, I hope i am not spreading rumors) but you should still research other martial arts and take what you can and ADD to your TKD.

 

[searcher]

Stick it out. What you are asking is like a marathon runner that decides that with 50 yards to go he wants to become a sprinter. As you go on to train in other styles it will carry more weight with others if you can say that you have your BB, not that you were almost a BB. Many of us on the forums have trained in other styles outside of our primary, but we did not drop the style we are training in to pick up something new. We keep on training and add what we can from each instructor. When I started taking TKD I did not stop teaching or training in Chito-ryu. I kept them both going. To drop one to pick up another is to say that your TKD training was a waste of time. This is all my opinion.

 

[Grenadier]

Finish what you started. Nothing hurts more than looking back, and regretting not finishing something that you could have certainly done.

I'm going to be a bit blunt here, so if my message sounds a bit harsh, please take it with several grains of salt.

As for being "bored" in class, it doesn't matter what the techniques are. While you (or anyone else here) may very well be quite proficient at the techniques, I doubt that you have attained perfection in such techniques. It never hurts to keep the techniques sharp, and by constant repetition, perhaps you'll see something in your execution that could be fixed, or even improved.

Sure, we all want to learn new techniques, and perhaps some are pretty hungry for as much as they can get. However, it's better to be highly proficient at a smaller number of techniques, than to be just merely proficient at a large number of techniques. This isn't to say that we shouldn't learn new techniques; rather, we should focus on the present, get our currently learned techniques to a more stellar level of execution, and only then, go for the new stuff.

 

[rmclain]

Perhaps you should look elsewhere. If you can achieve a black belt in two years with that school, they have admitted they don't have much to teach - perhaps that is why you are bored? What will be the value of the knowledge represented with achieving a black belt there?

R. McLain

 

[Solidman82]

I think if you feel you want to train somewhere else then you should do as you feel. I wouldn't let belts or boredom sway your decision. If you want to go to the other school and try something new and learn new skills then go for it.

Just remember not to spit on what you came from because it will be with you forever.

 

[MJS]

Finish what you started. Nothing hurts more than looking back, and regretting not finishing something that you could have certainly done.

I'm going to be a bit blunt here, so if my message sounds a bit harsh, please take it with several grains of salt.

As for being "bored" in class, it doesn't matter what the techniques are. While you (or anyone else here) may very well be quite proficient at the techniques, I doubt that you have attained perfection in such techniques. It never hurts to keep the techniques sharp, and by constant repetition, perhaps you'll see something in your execution that could be fixed, or even improved.

Sure, we all want to learn new techniques, and perhaps some are pretty hungry for as much as they can get. However, it's better to be highly proficient at a smaller number of techniques, than to be just merely proficient at a large number of techniques. This isn't to say that we shouldn't learn new techniques; rather, we should focus on the present, get our currently learned techniques to a more stellar level of execution, and only then, go for the new stuff.

You bring up some very good points here! One of my instructors had a saying, "Quality over Quantity!" and that IMO is very true!!! I used to see people all the time learn something, do it a few times, and then ask, "Ok, I got it. What can I learn next?" Now, I'm not saying that this is the case with you HKF, but you may want to look at the reasons why your inst. is running the classes this way.

Just my .02

Mike

 

[shesulsa]

Part of your black belt test is to see if you will finish. You may not know this, but your test is already happening, right now. Will you fold or will you stand - that's the question your instructors are looking at right now.

This is not just about martial arts or TKD. This is a test about how you will face life and living. Will you cut out before it gets good or will you stick around through the hard times to see it through?

Your choice. I recommend sticking it out.

 

[still learning]

Hello, It seems you know the answer? Trust your feelings (instincts) a Black belt does not mean a thing if you do not like the classes.

Follow your feelings and go with it....!


Keep in mind repetition is what martial arts is all about.....doing it over and over until it becomes a part of you...... Aloha

Lets us know what you have decided?

 

[cfr]

Whats the new style?