Seriously sick of all this...

[Tony Dismukes]

Assuming you are accurately reporting the substance of the previous communication from your instructor and this latest e-mail from the former head of your club, it sounds like you dodged a bullet by getting out of there. They don't sound like rational people. Ignore this email and any future communications, then move on and leave the drama to the llamas.

 

[Flying Crane]

Assuming you are accurately reporting the substance of the previous communication from your instructor and this latest e-mail from the former head of your club, it sounds like you dodged a bullet by getting out of there. They don't sound like rational people. Ignore this email and any future communications, then move on and leave the drama to the llamas.

Lamas tend to be pretty centered folks, and not much prone to drama.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

Lamas tend to be pretty centered folks, and not much prone to drama.

That's why llamas are very rarely lamas.

 

[Flying Crane]

That's why llamas are very rarely lamas.

I have a pet llama lama! He wears a yellow hat.

 

[drop bear]

That's why llamas are very rarely lamas.

The grim llama provides a very useful service.

 

[Brian King]

Flee disorder, then leave it behind. At every communication simply block it and move on with the life. Do not dwell or ruminate, let it go. If you can forgive them do so but do not forget. Every single minute you dwell on this is a minute lost and we only have so many of those. Everyone is fighting a battle and in their life it is a big battle but their battles do not need to become your own.

Good luck
Brian King

 

[Ironbear24]

I really don't understand why you seem to be such a magnet for shitty experiences. I am not trying to be rude, I am genuinely puzzled by this recurring effect of bs that is slung your way.

I never had any bad experiences with kenpo or any branch of it. I'm currently training in one now and no such issues. They know I train in other arts and are fully aware of my previous history in Judo and American Kenpo. I even occasionally show up in random dojos and scare people at how random I am in my natural curious state.

I do this with TDK dojangs, MMA gyms and Judo clubs. Everyone gets to punch, kick, elbow and choke and get me into submissions, I like to train around. I'm not a one dojo kind of guy and there is nothing wrong with that. Training a martial art style is not a marriage, at no point is it ever stated you must only train here and only here.

This especially annoys me that it is a kenpo group doing this to you because kenpo is supposed to be an eclectic martial art! It is supposed to change change and adapt, and encourage you to learn all you can from anywhere, and it add it to your own personal kenpo.

 

[Ironbear24]

I mean I guess we are sluts of the martial arts world and like to train around? But at the the day who is going to have more knowledge? The people who do only one thing in the one way they are being taught? Or people who expose themselves to many?

 

[JR 137]

I mean I guess we are sluts of the martial arts world and like to train around? But at the the day who is going to have more knowledge? The people who do only one thing in the one way they are being taught? Or people who expose themselves to many?

While I agree with what you're saying, there are plenty of people who know a lot more than you and I who've only trained one style their whole life.

Knowing one style, and knowing inside out can be far better than knowing stuff from a bunch of different places. That doesn't mean it's always true, but it definitely does have its place.

While I've got a ton of respect for Michael Jae White's abilities, I don't get his mentality of what seems to be collecting black belts. Where's the depth of knowledge in 7-8 1st-2nd dans? If I had the amount of time in MA that he probably has, I'd rather a master's level knowledge in one art and decent level in a supplementary art; say 6th dan in karate and 2nd dan judo (8 dans total? Lol) rather than 8 dans total ( ) in 7 different arts.

Everyone's got their own path. Choose wisely.

 

[Headhunter]

While I agree with what you're saying, there are plenty of people who know a lot more than you and I who've only trained one style their whole life.

Knowing one style, and knowing inside out can be far better than knowing stuff from a bunch of different places. That doesn't mean it's always true, but it definitely does have its place.

While I've got a ton of respect for Michael Jae White's abilities, I don't get his mentality of what seems to be collecting black belts. Where's the depth of knowledge in 7-8 1st-2nd dans? If I had the amount of time in MA that he probably has, I'd rather a master's level knowledge in one art and decent level in a supplementary art; say 6th dan in karate and 2nd dan judo (8 dans total? Lol) rather than 8 dans total ( ) in 7 different arts.

Everyone's got their own path. Choose wisely.

Agreed there's no right or wrong way to do it it's just what people want. If some just want to dedicate themselves to one style forever that's perfectly fine and if someone wants to mix and match styles that's also fine

 

[JR 137]

Agreed there's no right or wrong way to do it it's just what people want. If some just want to dedicate themselves to one style forever that's perfectly fine and if someone wants to mix and match styles that's also fine

And studying one style alone doesn't mean only having one teacher.

Even the founders of the "traditional" systems - Funakoshi, Miyagi, etc. all had more than one teacher. Most of their students did as well.

How MA teachers have the attitude that they must be the students' only teacher for life is beyond me. You have to keep in mind they are a VERY SMALL minority who think that way. You really don't see this mentality in anything else. The only time I see that mentality as acceptable is if the teacher is a world-wide recognized authority on what they're teaching and others are completely derailing what he's teaching. Then they MIGHT be justified in saying while you're my student, you only learn from me; learn from others after you've got my concepts down. But that's really far reaching exception. Like if I was a live-in disciple of someone like Mas Oyama, Shakespeare, or Pablo Picasso. And what's the likelihood of that happening any time soon?

 

[Langenschwert]

The entire martial arts community? That's rich. The proper response to such tomfoolery is as follows:

"Dodgson, we've got Dodgson here! See? Nobody cares."

 

[Tez3]

My instructor has four Dan grades in different styles, it wasn't his intention to have them but the consequence of being in the army for nearly 30 years. You don't always get to train with the same instructor in the same style. Some styles are similar enough to be familiar but if you can't train the one you love, love the one you can train.

 

[Touch Of Death]

My instructor has four Dan grades in different styles, it wasn't his intention to have them but the consequence of being in the army for nearly 30 years. You don't always get to train with the same instructor in the same style. Some styles are similar enough to be familiar but if you can't train the one you love, love the one you can train.

Do do do do do do do do.

 

[Tames D]

My instructor has four Dan grades in different styles, it wasn't his intention to have them but the consequence of being in the army for nearly 30 years. You don't always get to train with the same instructor in the same style. Some styles are similar enough to be familiar but if you can't train the one you love, love the one you can train.

The Eagle flies with the Dove...

 

[wingchun100]

He reminds me of my previous Wing Chun Sifu, who once turned down a potential student by saying, "I will not teach you because you already do Jeet Kune Do." He also would not let me practice the Biu Jee form in front of one particular student because he knew the other guy also studied Judo. Sad really.

 

[Touch Of Death]

He reminds me of my previous Wing Chun Sifu, who once turned down a potential student by saying, "I will not teach you because you already do Jeet Kune Do." He also would not let me practice the Biu Jee form in front of one particular student because he knew the other guy also studied Judo. Sad really.

I got turned down from a Japanese Kenpo; because of my previous training, but I think it was more because, I was an Army trainee, on an Air force Base.

 

[Balrog]

So those who keep up with my threads know my issues with my former instructor basically him upset that I'm training in other styles. But I thought it was all over now but tonight I got an email from a high ranking instructor from America who used to run the club I used to train at before moving away and starting his own club. But basically the email said I had disgraced the art of kenpo and ed parker would be ashamed of me and I am obviously not a real black belt and told me he had the power to stop me entering any kenpo school on the planet and that i shoukd be removed from the entire martial arts community and the only way to resolve all this is to go to my instructor get on my knees bow to him and remove my black belt and put on a white belt and offer to start from scratch.

Yeah I reckon this will sound fake to some because it's so ridiculous but sadly not...

Courtesy and respect are a two-way street. It sounds to me like the person who wrote the email has delusions of grandeur.

It might be time for you to change styles. It's definitely time to get a whole lot of gone between you and that monkey show.

 

[shihansmurf]

Lots of giant red flags here.

I think the key phrase in this is "former instructor".

I only have a couple of people out there that I am comfortable with thinking of in term of teacher left at this point. Well, one really. As much as I respect that person, I wouldn't allow him to exercise control over me off the mat and certainly wouldn't tolerate this level of asinine idiocy. Move on to a different group. You'll be better off.


When Rob Redmond was still hosting 24FightingChickens he had posted a great article about how, aside from the contact level involved, that you shouldn't put with anything for karate that you wouldn't be willing to tolerate to play tennis. It was great advice.

Just my view,
Mark

 

[Tez3]

I was an Army trainee, on an Air force Base.

We have that here too, the army is never as good as the air force.