Lessons learned from traditional MA

[r12477]

Best part of your post:

"Semi full contact"

I'm glad that I'm not the only one who noticed that.

[DerAuslander]

My martial arts path really started with WTF Taekwondo. And over the years, I've found certain deficiencies in my TKD training and bad habits I picked up from sparring semi full-contact for points. I've learned that a lot of traditional martial artists find a sort of cognitive dissonance with classical or sport training and some of the realities of fighting. That being said, I've found that there were lots of important benefits from my TKD training that I wouldn't trade for the world. And some of them have nothing at all to do with fighting. What are some of the lessons from your traditional martial arts training that you'll never forget?

I'd like to add that I've posted a very similar thread in the Korean TMA forum. I deliberately reposted it here because I'm curious about what sort of different answer I may get. I don't want just Korean MA fanboys answering my query.

WTF Taekwondo is not a traditional martial art.

[Yimchaloi]

Well, isn't that what WTF competition is? I always heard it called semi-full-contact, as opposed to just straight point-sparring. I could be wrong, but I thought the reason it was called that was because it was full force but with a lot of target restrictions...

[Yimchaloi]

Would you care to elaborate?

Sure! This is what I said above:
"Non-fighting benefits? My school taught breakfalls as well, and living
in Wisconsin I've used those more often than I've been in fights, it seems. **** ninjas, what about icy sidewalks?! I'm also grateful for the confidence it gave me through my teenage years and as a young adult. I even learned basic fitness as a kid from my Taekwondo class. No physical education class in high school would've taught me those stretches and training drills."

And reading some of the other answers people have given has made me realize some of the other obvious non-fighting aspects too. Like a lot of the respect that I learned. My first school really helped to shape my moral compass as well, and part of that was probably the age I started at. And of course, that a black belt isn't as bad ass as it always seemed as a kid. Like everybody else here, I've been exposed to the 4th dan kids and myself have sparred people who had a high rank that translated to a whole lotta nothing when it came down to it.

[Diesel_tke]

I learned that doing forms with incense burning doesn't make the form any better, but does cause you to cough when breathing heavy.

[Escrimator]

(...)And reading some of the other answers people have given has made me realize some of the other obvious non-fighting aspects too. Like a lot of the respect that I learned. My first school really helped to shape my moral compass as well, and part of that was probably the age I started at. (...).

If you had to learn this outside your household,someone fucked up in raising you.If they didnt **** up,then give them due credit.

The best any school can do is enforce rules of behaviour as they pertain to the sport or discipline they practice,to ensure you last long enough doing it as not to be an nuisance,and at least make it clear why you need to walk out when you insist on breaking\ignoring them.

Its not your Instructor´s job to make you into a decent human being.If youre a grown-up its nobody´s job but your own.

[Yimchaloi]

I think there's the wrong assumption being made here. I think a good MA instructor is just like a good coach. When you are growing up, you don't JUST rely on your parents to learn lessons. Can you not think back to some of the non-academic lessons you learned from teachers? Or from a really good boss at your first job? To say that you can only and should only learn some of these things in your own home is awfully limiting. I teach my daughter respect, but once she is in school and such then that means she'll be spending many hours away from me. I sincerely hope that the other adults she spends time with help reinforce such things. I hope that she has positive role models, and that I can find her a wonderful training hall when she's older where they can help teach courtesy, self-control, discipline... I see nothing at all wrong with that. I'm not passing the responsibility off, it's just that a child learns from the whole community and from all of society, not just their parents.

And yeah, growing up I needed something like MA to help guide me. Broken-home and never met my prisoner-for-life father. Without martial arts in my life when I was younger, I would probably be a much bigger piece of **** as an adult.

So nice way to be a fucking asshat, dude. Can we get back on topic instead of you rippin' into me for ****?

[KickPuncher]

I learned that any decent gym should have a shower. 1 hour of forms and horse stances are one thing, but an hour of pads or rolling is quite another - especially after getting staph twice.

[DerAuslander]

Well, isn't that what WTF competition is? I always heard it called semi-full-contact, as opposed to just straight point-sparring. I could be wrong, but I thought the reason it was called that was because it was full force but with a lot of target restrictions...

No, Olympic Taekwondo is full contact. If I can knock you the **** out with a kick to the head, it's full contact. If I can crack your ribs with a SBK, it's full contact.

[Justin C]

i think traditional martial arts are great for kids and even some adults at good schools.Some of my best students come from Okinawan karate.That being said If you want to learn to fight it is important to switch to MMA later I think about sixteen is the right age.Personally I have moral issues teching anyone younger then that joint destructions and chokes.