You have to wonder how serious somebody has to be about learning to defend themselves when they want to be treated like they have an extra chromosome by their instructor. "Yay! Good job high five!"
If the little otaku wants to know all the reasons why NOT to do USSD, she (or, god forbid, he) can PM me.
I think we gave her enough reasons...she still went and did it. God help her. ex-USSD student or instructor I take it?
Here are some good threads: http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2074 http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46382 http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46380 http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5993 http://www.bullshido.net/forums/showthread.php?t=32233 http://www.bullshido.net/forums/showthread.php?t=2143 What I wouldn't give to be able to spar with OP full-contact. The deadly two-fingers-extended tiger claw, tripod stance, and Secret Katas of Shaolin would prove formidable techniques.
I live in Phoenix and take Hawaii Kenpo at the Kiwanis Rec Center just off Mill and Baseline in Tempe. It's ony $45.00 a month for 1.5 hours twice a week. Here is the link http://pkreconline.tempe.gov/eConne...xId=0&NextPageValue=NextButton&RecordStart=21 I love it! The class is small and you get a lot of help.
Why I do not like the USSD I joined a USSD dojo once and it turned out to be a big mistake. And here is why. One it was why over priced. I was paying close to $200 a month. Plus they kept trying milk me for more money. First they tryed to get me to play to get my picture taken in different martial art poses. Then they told me if I wanted to spar I had to $200 worth of gear from a certian store. Once I bought the gear they told me I still could not spar until I played for special sparring classes something they did not tell me be before I bought the gear. They kept try to get me to buy extra private lession and a bunch of merchindice with there logo on it, like shirts, bags, hats, and things like that. The place is way over priced. The second thing I do not like about USSD is that my instructor that put me with was just a kid and not even a black belt. Pretty much all the kid did during me private lession was talk about killing people and how cool he was. Their web site says that all instructors are black belts but mine was just a green belt or brown. Plus, all the instructors there would belittle me and the other student in subtle ways. The last thing I hated about USSD is that the main instructor would spend a big part of class time tells to bring in people other to join up. They asked us to hand out flyers and go around talking to people about how great they are. I did not bring any body in and they looked down on me for it. The only thing USSD is good at is marketing and anybody who wants to learn martial arts should stay away from the USSD.
Where are you located? I can give you some alternatives depending on where you are. PM me if you like.
ummm. I wish I could say that I am shocked but I am not...Best of luck to you though and like Dan I would be happy to refer you to a REAL martial arts school if you'd like. James
I'm sorry that you have had the worst of all experiences with USSD. I trained in two different states with them and had generally good experiences, although they often try to grow faster than their resources permit. As a matter of curiosity, is the school that you trained at still USSD, or has it been rebranded to Z-Ultimate?
What it all boils down too is WHO IS YOUR INSTRUCTOR. Doesnt matter what your learning if your instructor sucks. I am currently attending a ussd school and I have yet to have anything negative happen. I havent had product pushed on me, or been asked to bring people in or hand out flyers, neither has anyone else I've asked. My teacher is very focused on proper technique, my uniform was free and my first month was free and so was my daughters, never heard of the "special" sparring class. I had a belt test recently and it was a real challenge, mentally and physically. BUTTT my teacher is awesome, he knows his stuff and has a background in other systems. So it all boils down to WHO IS TEACHING YOU. You could be training in the perfect martial arts system and if your teacher sucks your going to have a bad experience.
USSD? Unstructured Supplementary Service Data? Or More Like; Unstructured Supplementary Self Defense? I would think, if such a org was to project a product, as shown within their org title*, that they would be in a better position to back it up. There are McDojos everywhere, however, many of these offer a product without a "grand need" to back up their product. Simply, you know what you are getting at those When it comes to the issue of self defense, and such a subject within the title* of a place/organization, ( subject within the title*...*Self defense) I WOULD expect; A Concise study upon many aspects of self defense not limited to physical methods What I will not expect, nor tolerate from such a subject within the title* of a place/organization; -Katas -Belt Ranking -Tournaments or Sport Activities -Regurgitated Myth References, such as Shaolin The title is misleading and inappropriate This would be like me opening a McDonald's and when customers come in, I sell them Mexican Food (No offense to Mexican food) I rather see someone going to a well org TKD/Karate/Judo school than this place of misleading title reference* As others who posted here having a bad run with USSD; http://united-studios-of-self-defen...he-money-or-the-heartache-20100224172433.html http://www.ripoffreport.com/sports-...f-se/united-studios-of-self-defense-e555a.htm By No Means, I As A Martial Artist Who Appreciates Any Martial Art For What It Strives To Achieve And Achieve With Its Practitioners (Provided These Practitioners Clearly Understand What They Are Doing)----; -----I Am Not One To Take Position To Belittle Any Martial Art I May Joke About Other Martial Arts; That Said, I Do Not Like A Title* Given Upon Something When It Is Something Else Totally Different The Org Could Have Been Called; United Studios Of Martial Arts United Studios Of Kenpo (Kempo) Something Of That Nature (Z-Ultimate Self Defense Studios is far worse in title) If It Depends Upon The Instructor, Then Why Lure People In By Calling It Self Defense, When It Is Primarily A Standard Martial Art Org? If I were an instructor there, I would quickly look for another org. that I could have a better representation of myself as an instructor I'm sorry, but I have always been at odds with names, titles, lineage, mythology, legend, history, and semantics, within martial arts People need to step back and clearly say what they offer, what they cannot do, and allow newcomers to decide if that is their choice without the pizaz, clever wording, or pretty packaging . . .
