Displaying Trophies in front windows ...

[aikijudo]

I will probably catch a lot of grief over this one ...

How does it look to a perspective student when they walk/drive down the street and see a dojo, housed within a retail location, with an array of trophies lined across the front window?

This is a form of advertising, and I believe it to be very successful advertising for a student who is looking for training for competition. What about the rest of the people that are looking for self-defense training? What does this say to them? How many of these people just drive on by and look for another dojo?

How many dojos out there have trophies lined up in their front windows? Is this truly the best way to advertise; is this action promoting the best message to the perspective audience?

"Strike hard, strike fast, show no mercy, SIR!"


Tag, you're it.


~Kyoskute~
TMW/Aikijudo Jitsu Ryu

[booksie_girl]

Personally, I'd be put off if I saw too many trophies. Yes, I think it would attract students, but probably not really the type that you'd want.

[Kwajman]

Our chief instructor, a 5th degree korean BB. Who is incredibly talented, nice, and may be reading this (pilsung master Kim!) has some trophies in our dojang window, but they are mostly his students. He encourages them to bring trophies in for display for a month or two, then lets them take them home...Its more of a way to show off for the kids than for him to say, "Look at me!".

[Tosh]

We only ever bring our trophies etc out at the club photo once a year and at the "What is TKD?" day at the sports fair.

No big guff IMO.

But i have to say unfortunately the uni sponsers are more ready to fund successfull(in competitions) student clubs.

[Thomas]

I think it really does depend who you really want to advertise for.

I have seen some schools that focus on competitions and a younger crew that display their trophies mainly for advertising but also to show off what they do. In my opinion (pure speculation), I think the competive side and trophies appeals to more younger students than older, but I may be wrong.

We aim our school more towards adults and self defence... although because we teach Taekwondo, we also do competion training and acknowledge and praise students who compete (win, lose or draw) and show off their trophies/medals for that one night. We don't have a trophy display at our University dojang. In our our old building (downtown), we do have a small display tucked away in the back as well as some photos and news clippings on the wall.

Honestly, for me, I get the impression that a school focuses on competition aspects when I see trophies in the front window but see it as good pride thing when the display is inside and out of view for caula viewers... just my 2 cents.

[Kwan Jang]

-The vast majority of potential students (or parents of children) don't care a bit how many trophies, what titles you've won or even how many magazine covers you have been on for the most part. They care what you can and will do for them and/or their child. after they have been there for a while they may develop an interest in the sport, but that is RARELY why anyone will join your school in the first place. I have a ton of trophies (staff only) in our intro room only because then the staff has to dust the darn things.

[47Ronin]

The Mcdojang I "WAS" in (I AM LEAVING TOMORROW!!!!!!) had the place lined with trophies, good advertisement but the school isnt worth it.

[hwarang]

personally, i think it's all politics and showing off

my academy have a couple of plaques and trophies in the dojang, but inside - not in the window

i've visited a few other dojangs run by instructors who criticise my master and they have heaps of trophies displayed all over the place, but when you go up and read them, they're not for anything major, mainly club events. these instructors are always trying to get the attention at demonstration events, etc. for example, for the past 3 years there have been a few tkd clubs demonstrating at a state festival, our club has always been put last, but this year they have put us first when all the official people are there, mainly because the other clubs are crap

at our academy, the students take their trophies home - the plaques inside our dojang are the ones the students have given to our master as a sign of appreciation, etc

in my opinion - these sorts of dojangs may be mcDojangs - enticing new students with trophies

of course i'm not saying this happens for all dojangs, but i would be wary and check out what the trophies are actually for

[Bulldog]

I would always hope that the reason for learning a martial art is not to win a trophy or display them...

I tend to shy away from the schools that line them up in their windows...to me, they don't mean diddly squat...and they never did when I won them...

[Kwajman]

I know martial artists who refuse to go to tournaments for that very reason, why pay 50-60 dollars to go to a tournament and win a piece of plastic. If they know what they're doing, the instructor will know it from classtime. Otherwise its just a way for a instructor to make a bunch of money.

[aikijudo]

I have heard several instructors claim that a student must combat-prove their techniques in order to ensure the student's effeciency in defense. They further claim that fighting in tournaments is the best, and to some, the only way to accomplish this.

I believe that combat-proving techniques may be a valid argument, but I also believe there are many other methods available; other than forcing students to participate in tournament.

[Kwajman]

I know a lot of the instructors around here require their students to compete in at least one tournament before they can grade for black belt. I've never understood that one...

[Thomas]

Originally posted by Kwajman
I know a lot of the instructors around here require their students to compete in at least one tournament before they can grade for black belt. I've never understood that one...

My master strongly recommends that every black belt candidate has attended a tournament at least once in their color belt days.. preferably competing in sparring and forms. He would prefer that people compete once per color level, but we are in the backwoods, and don't have many opportunities. By the way, this is in (WTF) Taekwondo.

The reason is so that every person in our dojang has fought at least once and knows the difference between training in class and having someone wanting to knock you out. It should bring a bit of experience in when working with junior belts of what to do and what not to do in sparring... with the points having been driven home by a non-cooperating opponent.

It is also part of the test to see if the student is willing to apply what they have learned. It is one thing to just do techniques in class and another to use them. Granted, sparring in a tournament may not be "real" fighting, but it is as close as you'll get in your style short of an actual fight. Students should be afraid of the unexpected and should be afraid of getting hurt... but they should be abble to overcome it and do their best.... win , lose or draw.

[Kwajman]

Very good points, I'm sure you've done tons of sparring in your career...

[Thomas]

Kwajman: I've done a few tournaments, but that isn't really where my passion is. I love to spar in class, especially with loosened rules and such. I personally prefer the self defence side of martial arts, and I also like forms a lot.

As an instructor now, I am very grateful for the tournament experiences I have because I can pass it on to my students. It's one thing to teach sparring drills and another to actually know hoew differently they will be applied under the duress of competition. Lately I have been trying to find a tournament to compete in to refresh my knowledge and the "feeling" you get at one.

[Kwajman]

Thomas, I always like your posts! Thanks for the insight...

[KickChick]

Our Master Instructor does encourage all of his students to enter area tournaments ... many we have gone to together as a school and other have been entered individually by students.

We have found though that they are getting more and more expensive to enter. Many also stipulate that you must be a member of their assoc. and/or org. in order to compete.

I have found that larger area schools which hold open-style tournaments are run rather smoothly and fairly inexpensive to enter (although trophies aren't quite as nice) ... but its the experience and self confidence I believe that is gainedthrough competition that is of utmost importance to the student.

We've had several in-house tournaments that prove successful with the younger kids... often being held around Christmas. Its sort of a dry run of an official tournie.

We also give a trophies out during our belt promotions for Best Overall performance, Best Break and Best Forms.

I too like your posts Thomas! :D

[neryo_tkd]

Originally posted by Kwajman
I know a lot of the instructors around here require their students to compete in at least one tournament before they can grade for black belt. I've never understood that one...

i think it goes with the territory. to me a black belt is someone who can break boards (meaning someone who understands what is behind it and is able to apply it), someone who does forms with nice clean technique thus understands the way the forms should be done and the way the technique should be executed, someone who is able to apply the accumulated knowledge in fighting.....etc (there is neither time nor space to explain all this in details, but i guess u get my point).

sparring at the club is completely different from fighting at competitions, and a person who wants to test for the black belt should have fighting experience.

so far i have been to many competitions. the reason why i went was not to win the trophy to show off. i like fighting. i have all my trophies in my room and when i look at them, i think about my fights. when the newspapers write about us, they mention in a very short sentence that i won a trophy but the rest of the article is about how i fought and what i presented. and that's the part that matters. it also doesn't matter if you lose a fight, the most important thing are your skills. and all the experience i gained at competitions is so helpful now when teaching others. an instructor without fighting experience is in my opinion deprived of very important knowledge. i love it when my students ask me what to do in a certain situation. i am able to give them an answer out of my experience and tell them something that will surely work.

after reading some of the posts i have come to the conclusion that in some schools it doesn't matter if u don't break boards at belt testing. ''maybe'' this can be accepted with lower belts, but with higher belts definitely not. so a black belt should be a person with all skills required. of course there are differences between black belts, but certain criteria should be satisified, fighting experience included.

u can't just say: i don't like forms. if u r a black belt u don't have to like them (we are all different), but u should be able to do them. same thing goes for fighting.

[Thomas]

Originally posted by neryo_tkd
[B
u can't just say: i don't like forms. if u r a black belt u don't have to like them (we are all different), but u should be able to do them. same thing goes for fighting. [/B]

I absolutely love this quote and agree totally!

By the way, thanks for the praise, all... with so many good posters here, one has to try to be as honest and true as practical! Thanks

[neryo_tkd]

:) :) :)