A fellow at our dojo who has training in katana made the comment that Sensei Buckhorn's form looks like an "exhibition form", designed to look flashy but, as you say, neither efficient nor subtle as the katana should be. I think Sensei Buckhorn himself would acknowledge this, and I know that he has been working on the form over the years to "rein it in", becoming more aware of where the sword is at any given point and where an opponent might be. As an aside, the Seattle 2009 tournament (where the video was taken) was quite small by USSD standards - IIRC there were only 5 people competing in that division. It is also true that relatively few students in USSD compete in weapons. The origins of the weapons form vary - bo and broadsword forms tend to come from the monks at the Shaolin Temple; I don't know where the katana form came from.
.. Sour grapes? Do you mean jealousy because USSD is "successful"? I do not equate large #'s of students with success when it comes to quality martial arts. They probably have a good business plan and marketing and all of those things but PLEASE do not confuse that with good martial arts. As for the Katana thing...I only took like 9 Iaido classes 15 years ago and I could tell that form was garbage in the first few seconds. LOL I would love to see that video posted on EBudo or somewhere and get the opinions of real Koryo Bujutsu folks. Did he really throw the katana in the air during that kata? LOL As for beating a dead-horse it is two things for me: 1. I am hoping to discourage new folks who are looking for real martial arts and more specifically, real Kenpo/Kempo, from joining USSD. Or rather at least not joining blindly. I drank the kool-aid and was cured so I know...Maybe I can save them a few years- 2. What is more fun than making fun of the USSD? It is like a team building experience for members on MAP. It is hard to get folks on here to agree with just about ANYTHING, so when USSD topics come around....We can unite and denounce the McDojo! Nice profile BTW BCLeopard
I can tell you with absolute certainty that the answer isn't "from traditional swordwork". It looks more like the XMA baton-twirling being passed off as katana forms than anything else.
I'm not, but the fact is that people need to make a living and very many otherwise good martial arts instructors have gone broke over the years because their business plan was inadequate or non-existent. People complain about USSD being overpriced, but it is in fact comparable to the cost of a personal trainer - which suggests to me that many other martial arts businesses are under-priced for the value that they provide. Statistically, relatively few instructors can afford their own premises, at least in the places where I've lived. Most rent time at a community center or gym, and many have a "day job" to support themselves. Yeah, flashy huh? Well, there was more information there when I signed up; dunno where it went.
... Fair enough BDLeopard. I am one of those guys that is looking to start teaching at a gym or a YMCA or something. Different strokes I guess. You are an intelligent ambassador for your system and you have a sense of humor, kudos to you. I will try not to pile on the next timea USSD topic arises but I make no guarantee-- LOL James
Alright, I'm gonna chime in with my only experience with USSD. I took the free lesson at one of their studios and told the instructor of my past martial arts experience. We started out by doing basics, his looked like crap. We did basic kicks, again, his looked like crap. I did one of my forms because he wanted to see one, he said my basics and stances were good. He did a form from their system, stances and form looked like crap. Then he wanted to do "kumite"with me, not only did I sock him up, I did a skip kick front ball to the groin to find his eyes pop out of his head cause he wasn't wearing a cup amd that was only what they taught the advanced guys. Now the huge sales pitch and was told it was mandatory to take private lessons. I then told him if I could kick the crap outta him, why the hell would I want to learn from him? I had honestly never heard of ussd before this.
In general, if you're beyond 1st degree black belt in another style then you are going to need to find a USSD school that is run by a senior instructor or master. USSD schools tend to be staffed by junior instructors when they first open up, which is sufficient for the average person coming in off the street with no previous experience, but is obviously inadequate for someone with previous training. I suspect you will find this to be the case in many new martial arts schools. The studio that I attend is run by a 4th degree black belt who has been teaching for 19 years - I can pretty much guarantee that he would give you a run for your money. However, sometimes even then the change isn't worth the effort. We had a guy who was 3rd degree from another style of kung fu. He stayed for 2 years but eventually decided that he just didn't need to learn another system - he enjoyed the workouts and the sparring, but the amount of material needed for black belt was more than he wanted to take on.
... bcleopard- What say you about this guys basics? That was what caught my eye--- Poor basics, means poor training.
I couldn't agree more, Can't help but think that this guy got advanced because of the gazillion dollars he spent there. Granted, not everyone does things exactly right all the time, but really, this guys basics sucked! So how exactly is this good for someone coming off the street not knowing any better? so they're gonna advance and look like crap because they had an instructor that never coorected them in the beginning. So much harder to try and make someone change bad habits then teaching them right to begin with. And why don't they go to outside tournaments? Can't help but think they don't want the students to go elsewhere.
