Hey, im in a bit of a situation. I don't know what to do. I do not want to brag at all, im not like that, but in my school im one of the best. What it takes everyone to learn in 1 month, I have learned in 1 session. So, we practice...practice..practice, and I am ready to go ahead, and I have to wait untill my class is ready. I am being held back, I want to excell. What I think I need is 1 on 1 teaching with a instructer who knows what I want and is doing. I can do great things, if I could get this. However, my master is very formal, and he won't go out of his way at all to teach a student more advanced skills simply because he is more talented and passionate about Martial Arts. Im sick of being held back from my true potential. I need your advice.
Suck it up or go somewhere else. You'd probably be happier in a more sport driven school where the emphasis is on performing against someone instead of learning moves and repeating moves.
yeah, I'd say you're in a "situation". You have to look at your situation as not being "held back" but going forward at the "usual" pace. I am sure you need a certain amount of classes in order to advance in rank. There are those that reach the set amount of classes and are entitled to be promoted in rank however, may not be "ready" and are then "held back". But very rarely do you see a student being taught more advanced techniques until he reaches a certain belt level. At our school you advance individually (your no.# of classes) and not as a class. Perfect what you know up to this point in your TKD training .... if you are unhappy with your particular school then check out another. I am sure you will find the similar situation though. As Andrew suggested ... maybe you may be happier elsewhere and in another ma style.
Im the same man, but fortunately my teacher doesnt teach the entire class the same things, when doing pad-work for example the higher grades will do a more complicated technique or something like that. But basically i just see TKD now as a way to stay fit and have fun. Theres not really a great deal more "moves" for me to learn, so i just concentrate on getting everything 110% right and ofcourse working hard on my sparring, as thats one thing i think i'll never complete learning of. You could always train at home maybe? Get a heavy bag and work on that once in a while.... If you seriously think you need more from TKD you could always ask your teacher if you could go from national trails? I mean i read some about the USTU or whatever its called (USA TKD federation or something), basically you go to regional tryouts and fight, if you're good enough you'll be put in the regional USTU squad and train with them... Or you could learn some flipage, eh? 540, 720 kicks take a while to learn =)
I am not sure about your particular case, Labatt, but like Chickkick says, often there is a time requirement. At my school, we are relatively small and schedule our testings all on the same day... so that we can field all of our students and black belts at once. In addition, just because a student has met all of the TESTING Requirements doesn't mean they are ready to be promoted. The requirements listed are usually the minimum ones, like poomse and such. The master also must evaluate that you are mentally ready to go to the next level as well. Sometimes students are held back from testing to check their resolve and commitment. Sometimes they need to cultivate more control, discipline, and patience. If you have mastered the requirements and must wait longer for testing, find other things to work on. Ask questions about techniques. Work the heavy bag. Work some combinations and drills. grab a partner to practice self defence and or sparring drills (depending on level... the master may require supervision). Grab a partner who can challenge you and who you can expand your knowledge with. Don't be satisfied with just learning the minimum.
Thanks, I didn't mean being promoted in rank, but being taught further things. It's not only that, If I get the kind of training I Want, Real hard training up to my level, fast paced learning. I could excell. Helm, I think you may understand. Im so confused though. Sometimes, I think im looking for something, searching desperatly, but I can't find it. That special something. So hard to explain.
I get bored also and i know that in our school there is a time requirement along with an attitude check. As an instructor I often watch students from off the deck and how they act, talk, or move. Perhaps you show your emotions on your sleeve? Every so often I have a student come up to me and insist on being tested. Or the parent wants to know why his kid is not testing the same as little Johnnie who may not be as physically skilled as theirs. Mostly it's the attitude and their control. Think about it. I love new stuff and to help me get through the "plateau" I put on some music and free style to it. Often I find new things to work on with the combinations of the old I made up. Things that I don't do well seem to do better to music and I explore the possibilites of perhaps a new attack or defense. Just remember to have patience and, if you really feel you deserve more intense and new stuff, talk to the instructor about what is holding you back in a private meeting. It might shed light on what is up.
The feeling of being held back is terrible, but ask yourself why you think you have this feeling. Is it the instructor, does their curriculum actually not cover BB and is concentrated on the color belts? Could it be that there focus is not on you because they have other BB grading shortly? Tons of questions to ask yourself. My only suggestion would be train more on your own. I know you are heavy into competition and would like to train more for that right now, so work out a schedule where you do more of that on your own time. Find spaces you can do that. Find partners who are willing to train with you on their time too. You'd be surprised what you can come up with . . . and if you find out any good drills let me know, I'm always looking for new ones I can play with. Completly unrelated, Labatt you should come compete in a tournment my school's hosting this summer. Think you'd get a kick outta it. BB only with sparring, forms, breaking, and self defense demonstrations. Sparring is round robin too so should be lots of chances to do that . . . and I think we're in the same weight category Let me know if you're interested, I'll send your school a tournment package. We'd love to have you guys come up.
Thanks for the replies guys. I don't know where to look though... Artikon, the notion is greatly appreciated, I doubt our master would want to though. We barely go to any tournaments now, didn't used to be that way though... I will search, and if you find out anything that you think I will be interested in PM me please.
I thought the same thing once, all we drilled was basics, over and over again. I thought I was being held back, so I left. I have sparred with other people now and my basics are not good enough that I execute them instinctively in sparring, so I should have stayed there drilling basics really.
Good call Bon - the best advanced techique is just basics performed at a high level. What seperates the Michael Jordan's of his sport from the run of the mill players? Does he use more advanced techniques? Does he use a different "energy?" does he do a hard style vs an internal style? NO - the difference is that his level of attributes are higher so he performs the same stuff at a higher level. What makes a champion boxer different than a club level boxer? Does he use different "secret" punches? No - he uses the same handfull of tools - what makes him stand out is not technique but the attributes that he applies them with....the more martial artists wake up to that the better.
I understand how you feel,but I've been in taekwondo for 6 1/2 years . I'm a 2nd degree black belt with american taekwondo association, and I was feeling like you when I first started. My instructor was strick to a certain point and knew that I wanted to excell faster than the other students, but when you are in at a certain belt level it's best to excell but also to perfect what you already know, especially in form or weapons. When you do this you will see abig difference when you go to tournaments, especially if you got to your first one and come home with first place. Even when you reach black belt, people think that you know everything, their wrong, there's a whole universe of knowledge waiting for you.
-I agree with Yoda. It's not the quanity of cirriculum, it's the quality that counts the most(though I will say that being well rounded and adaptable is a must). Both (all-time greats) Joe Lewis and Bill Wallace had very limited arsenals in their competitive days, but they used their arsenal so well, that even though their opponents knew what was coming, there just wasn't anything they could do about it. I recommend showing your instructors how serious and dedicated you are by excelling with what cirriculum they've already given you. Show them by your actions that you are ready for more. If they don't really care (unfortunately, there are a few like this out there), then you may either want to either find a new school or to use the seminar/ video option. I believe that we live in the best time ever to be a martial artist. The availability of knowledge has never been this great. I don't feel that one can or should learn just from videos and seminars, however, for those with a strong enough base, it can be an awesome oppurtunity. You can learn sparring strategies from Joe Lewis. Kicking(sparring)from Bill Wallace. Olympic TKD from the USTU nat'l coaches or Olympic gold medalists. Or Creatve forms and MA tricks on the Black and Blue Produtions tapes of Mike Chat, Jon Valera, or David Douglas among others. Seminars and vids can give you these and other options of enhancing your TKD skills or you can possibly branch out into, say grappling skills, with A Frank Shamrock(who is very good at connecting the dots between stand-up and groundfighting). Just some food for thought.
Situation? No matter how good you are at what you already know, there is ALWAYS room to improve. Robert
Alright, I'll try to perfect, and excell in what I already know. But, this won't last long. I know myself pretty well, and my ambition will come in.....and I wil want more, more than just more. Also, I plan on talking to my master about this issue after my 3rd degree. Keep an eye out, and if you see something that you think I may be interested in, pm me. Thanks
Labatt When I first posted, I didn't realize what your level was. I think I know what you are feeling. As a 2nd dan who is coming up on meeting the time requirement (2 years) for the 3rd dan test, I have spent quite a bit of time feeling bored and overlooked (especially between 1st and 2nd dan). Very often at the school, most of the classes are geared for color belts and the black belts just go along with the class or sometimes teach. It seems like we rarely got any new techniques to work on... So what did I do? At first I started slacking off on going to class... then I decided to go the "work hard on the basics" route. After a while of going constantly and working on basics and helping out the other students, the master began to approach me to teach classes (and do some warmups). This has been a real challenge and motivator for me. I like it. But still, I didn't feel I was learning anything new... Lucky for me, there are seminars that come around (hapkido, jui jitsu, kickboxing) and my master has been encouraging me to go and check them out. in addition, sometimes I am asked to share a few new techniques from them with the class... and sometimes the master adds new variations. This has filled some of the need to see new stuff. Also, the master has been setting up "advanced classes" lately and working with the black belts and senior reds to try to give them a little more attention. It's not always the best but I realize that paying atention to the color belts (the majority of the school) is what keeps students coming back. But it is nice to learn new stuff and you may need to have a chat with your master about advanced classes or other things that you can do. Good luck.
-LaBatt, like Thomas, I did not realize that you were at this level when I gave my advise. It sounds like your master instructor has not yet learned the lesson of developing cirriculum for each dan level to keep you learning, progressing, and growing. It is just as important for you to learn as the color belts. Respectfully talk to him about this. If you want to stay, my advise on seminars and Thomas' may be the best way to go. However, if he does not meet your needs, then he's going to have a hard time retaining any of his advanced students. It's a hard and painful lesson for a master to learn.
Labatt... I was in much the same situation as you in Hapkido. While others were just trying to remember which direction they were going with the techniques, I had them down pat after a couple of repetitions and was already perfecting the intracies of them. My solution isn't for everyone, as it is very demanding - but it works for me!: Cross training! TKD isn't keeping your interest level up - so why not (if finances and time allow) just join in another art and do them both simultaneously? That's exactly what I did. While it is very demanding, somewhat confusing - it keeps things interesting with constant switching. It forces you to get everything perfectly straight in your mind so that you don't embarrass yourself by mixing things up in different dojos. It also supplements both of your arts, making them both more dynamic, giving you a better general understanding of principle - making you an all-around better fighter. Personally, I don't think there's anything better than starting in an entirely new system while still progressing in a 'base' system. I was getting bored and somewhat impatient in Hapkido - I could kick better than most of the BB's at Green-strap and was bored at the pace we were learning techniques. Now I'm training 6 days a week, I feel like superman, and it keeps my mind active and it's just more stimulating. I have more to offer both of my dojos - and I'm all around better at everything. I have a much better general understanding, and I'm a far better fighter. I'm also less bored and have more apparent 'patience' in class because the cross-training gives you more patience for the boring stuff. Blah blah blah.. cross training is all that... What'd ya think?
Wow, didn't consider that. I hadn't realized, that you people were once in the same boat as I am right now. Unfortunately, cross training may not be possible at this time. I think I just got to find what im looking for. I can see it.....in my mind. It's a vision I've had for a while now. Although, make believe perhaps, and I know this sounds obsurd, I believe somehow it will become true. For I will not settle for anything less of it. Talking to all of you, made me think. I wish we could all get together and train with eachother! Wouldn't that be sweet???
Also, I want to point out what I also meant was that some few people are more talented naturally. Just can kick better, higher, faster, with better technique, better power, and better flexibility. Now I know there are people out there who could whoop my ass(im working on that) and who are better than me, but in my school im simply the best.
