Yet anouther BS TKD Club

**Captain Spaulding** · Posted On: 11/20/2006 10:26am

Originally Posted by StrumminRonin

Okay, I'll step up to the challenge and name a TKD school that WORKS:

I nominate:
http://www.martinace.com/

That guy knows his stuff, can teach, and if you don't understand the first time he'll explain in a different way for you. And if you forget, he'll find another way to help you remember. This is one Master who tirelessly works for his students. The monthly fees are not cheap, but if he was no good I wouldn't train with him.

I find it interesting that he claims his system can get anyone from beginner to black belt with only around 300 hours of training over two years (classes twice a week and 15 minutes per day). It took me somewhere between 1000-1050 hours over four years.

**StrumminRonin** · Posted On: 11/20/2006 12:47pm

Originally Posted by youtube

how surprising that you would nominate your own school.

Dude, if you can't handle people bigging up their own schools, then you should have made that clear when you challenged forum users to find that needle. Or is this just a forum for slagging off those instructors who we have so mistakenly trusted at some point??

Originally Posted by Captain Spaulding

I find it interesting that he claims his system can get anyone from beginner to black belt with only around 300 hours of training over two years (classes twice a week and 15 minutes per day). It took me somewhere between 1000-1050 hours over four years.

Yep. It was interesting to us too when we first saw it. Generally people do take longer than 2 years. From what I have seen the rough average has been about 3-4 years, and heck of a lot more training than 2 lessons a week.

We do have one guy who got there in less than 2 years, but he trained practically every waking hour when he wasn't working or at school. So the point is, the instructor CAN bring someone of average ability to 1st Dan standard in 2 years, but are the students up for it...

**Captain Spaulding** · Posted On: 11/20/2006 1:05pm

I've seen and met guys who've become black belts in two years, but never with that limited amount of class time. Hell, in Gen. Choi's book, he talks about a program to have someone get a black belt in one year, but that's training 5-6 hours/day for 6-7 days/week.

But I imagine someone with previous exp. in a similar art (like a black belt in shotokan, for example) may very well be able to do it in 300 hours (assuming classes are 60 minutes, it's more like 285). But this instructor is saying that there's no reason why anyone can't do it. That's what gets me.

**StrumminRonin** · Posted On: 11/20/2006 1:13pm

Originally Posted by Captain Spaulding

But this instructor is saying that there's no reason why anyone can't do it. That's what gets me.

I do see why it gets to you, heck, I never really believed it myself until I saw it.

Well, just be glad you worked hard and got the grades you wanted from someone you trust. :)

**TKD Black Belt** · Posted On: 11/20/2006 1:30pm

Originally Posted by Captain Spaulding

I find it interesting that he claims his system can get anyone from beginner to black belt with only around 300 hours of training over two years (classes twice a week and 15 minutes per day). It took me somewhere between 1000-1050 hours over four years.

Phuck in the mid to late 80s just walking past a TKD club was enough experience for some guys to huck out black belts. The thing is (and perhaps this is worth discussing somewhere) that a black belt does not mean the same thing across the board between MAs or even inside MAs between clubs/schools. In some BJJ clubs I've gone into Blue Belts were ripping everyone to pieces and yet I've also been in clubs where a Blue Belt is given out after a year of training regardless of your skill.

The same goes for Black Belts. In my TKD club a BB was the product of 5-6 years minimum.

TKD

**Captain Spaulding** · Posted On: 11/20/2006 1:30pm

On a side note, a bit of trivia in this vein:

When Chuck Norris was in the military, he became a black belt in about one year. He trained 5 hours/day for 6 days/week and then 4 hours of judo on the other day.

**TKD Black Belt** · Posted On: 11/20/2006 1:34pm

Originally Posted by Captain Spaulding

On a side note, a bit of trivia in this vein:

When Chuck Norris was in the military, he became a black belt in about one year. He trained 5 hours/day for 6 days/week and then 4 hours of judo on the other day.

Yeah but when Chuck Norris was 5 he killed an entire family just to prove a point because the youngest son told him that Daniel Boon killed a bear with his bare hands.

TKD

**Captain Spaulding** · Posted On: 11/20/2006 1:40pm

Originally Posted by TKD Black Belt

The same goes for Black Belts. In my TKD club a BB was the product of 5-6 years minimum.

TKD

Is a black belt then more an indication of time spent rather than ability? If someone has all the physical skills of what is considered to be "black belt level" but has only been around for a short time, should they then be forced to wait for an arbitrary amount of time to pass?

You bring up BJJ. One of the things that I like most about BJJ is that black belts (and belts in general) are based more on a person's abilities than anything else. In TKD, there is a practice of "grandfathering" people into black belts. They might not have the abilities, but they've been in the school for so many years...

The other side of this is that, in BJJ, once you're over 18, there's no theoretical time to go from white to black belt. If someone has the skills of a black belt, they'll often be a black belt regardless of how long they've been studying. Look at BJ Penn, for instance.

**TKD Black Belt** · Posted On: 11/20/2006 2:27pm

I don't mean to imply that my TKD club was about time but rather skill. We didn't just hand out a BB because you had spent time in the sport like a gold watch or a special pin for '5 Years of Service'. Additionally just because you can 'beat up' a BB in a sport does not mean you should be wearing a BB on the mat for that school/club/style. Case and point, Fedor beats Nog does this mean Fedor should be a BB in BJJ? No, because Fedor doesn't know BJJ. A BB meas more than just skill, while these should be there a BB is an instructor in that style and as such needs to be able to teach and explain.

I really dislike schools that are promotion based solely on one's ability to tap out or beat someone of higher rank. Another case and point is this little wrestler I do BJJ with. He has tapped out a few blue belts with arm bars and has out pointed a few purples on the mat. Does this make him a purple belt? No, because he could teach you how to do what he does. The Purple and Blue can show other people how to do what he does and that is where the rank is appropriate.

Hmm, this thread sort of got off track pretty quick didn't it?

TKD BB (but still a no Stripe BJJ white belt, and dammit I'm fighting that as long as I can!)