Poll: What Martial Art Does Your Child Study?

Walking Blindly into a McDojo

There are plenty of articles and posts that tell you what to watch out for when you are looking for a martial arts school for your children and yourself. I touched on it as well here. Though you may be following some of the guidelines, you can still unknowingly walk into a McDojo.

One of my co-workers asked if I knew of any schools in her area for her daughter. There aren’t any Uechi-ryu dojos nearby, so I asked my teacher if he could recommend anyone in her general area and gave me a name to try. I looked him up and apparently he is a well-respected martial artist with years of experience, a rather large school with a few locations, and he runs a large annual tournament.

When my co-worker went to check it out, her daughter loved it. But the staff started hitting her with a large registration fee, a uniform fee, and mandatory paid pre-training sessions which is in addition to the pretty high monthly fee for regularly scheduled classes. All in all it was about $300 upfront, not including the regular class fees. Oh, they also require a contract. ;-)

I felt really bad about it though she took it well and has since found another school that is more sane. The recommended school’s website does not list schedules, costs, etc. which is normally a red flag, but I assumed it wouldn’t be an issue based on the recommendation. That was wrong on my part. I am sure my teacher does not know how that school is run, as he was basing the recommendation on martial arts reputation, not a business model. It really irks me how these schools are run, and it gives martial arts schools a bad name. I’m just glad my co-worker didn’t drop martial arts out of consideration.

Rank Promotion Test

Tomorrow is a rank promotion test for some students at my school. I look forward to the event and the kids showing what they have learned. They will have to demonstrate Kata, Hojo Undo, History and in higher ranks, Kumite, Bunkai and Sparring. Good luck to everyone! It will be fun.

Teaching Children

This session I've been taking a class with my son. Most of the students are kids and beginners - from "no belts" to 7 Kyus. As a higher rank student, I'm helping out as a Teacher's Assistant (TA) along with a few others. Teaching is a completely different experience from learning.

I may know my martial art at my skill level but this doesn't mean I know how to teach it. One of the things I have learned in karate over the years is that observing and following along really work when you are learning new things. My teacher is very good working with kids so I am trying to emulate some of the ways he instructs. I'm also learning from whichever Black Belt is in class and the more experienced TAs. It seems to be coming along pretty well.

Working with kids and beginners presents some challenges that I understand theoretically but are difficult to overcome in practice. It was almost painful at first to just work on the basics. I am used to working on kyu kumite, multiple katas and sparring. Demonstrating in slow motion forces me to concentrate more on my form and I'd better do it right or the kids may be performing some goofy Sanchin.

While we teach and demonstrate we keep an eye on the students to help correct form or just get the correct foot or hand in front. As you slowly go through the motions, you can see that this way of teaching works. Their eyes are watching you and they are trying real hard to copy you. They also ask good questions. One unexpected comment from a little boy was how I look like his uncle except that he has grey hair. He may need some work. :-)

So what's it like teaching your own son in class? I don't know. Any TA who has a child or spouse in class is not supposed to instruct his relative. It's a good policy. My son gets enough instruction from me at home...Plus he gets the benefit of learning directly from a Black Belt, usually a 7 or 3-4 Dan. So there is no sense of special treatment. It also helps him to work with other students who are not a foot an a half taller than him. We are both enjoying this session. My son likes karate again and will be testing for his next rank soon. I am able to take on a different, yet useful role on the school while my back is healing. It's a great way to give back and I look forward to continuing it.

Situational Awareness: Gunmen Storm Orange Line Train, Beat and Rob Passengers

It was reported to the Unsuck DC Metro blog that six masked, armed men attacked and robbed riders on the DC subway on back December 23, 2010. The whole event is pretty horrible, especially considering that Metro is a pretty safe public transportation system. But this is not a great area either. Read the article here.

Other than this act of violence, the thing that stood out to me is the "...witness said some people didn't even seem aware of what was happening." Situational Awareness is so important, but it can be difficult. I'm amazed at how the child noticed this. Seats on the trains face front and back and many trains have mini see-thru barriers between the entrance doors and the seats. It is not the best design. In my experience the New York, Boston and Moscow trains are designed much better, with open spaces. Still, they are not ideal, especially during rush hour, and special/sporting events. I hope the police catch these guys. 

Light Capacity

Jam Packed

Experience Okinawan Culture through Uechi-Ryu

When you study traditional martial arts, you expect to learn about fighting and self-defense. And in most programs and schools, that's exactly what you get. One of the things I like about studying Uechi-ryu Karate is that you can get more out of it than just the self-defense.

Uechi-ryu allows for experiencing the culture of Okinawa. The history of the islands is fascinating and in the DC-area there are good opportunities to observe and take part in Okinawan and Japanese cultural events. Many teachers incorporate parts of the culture in their classes, especially those that have studied for extended periods of time in Okinawa. Many TMA schools make periodic trips to study and train in Okinawa and there are events in the US to check out.

There are many local events sponsored by the Japanese Embassy and by Okinawan organizations. One of the bigger ones here is the Shin Shun Kai Spring Celebration in Annandale, VA. My Uechi-ryu school participates yearly by performing karate and applying it in traditional and non-traditional ways in a 10-minute routine. It's a good way to enjoy and experience the culture and to entertain the crowd. Below is a recent performance video. Keep training and learning.

Do You Look Like a Victim?

Over the Holidays, I received a book called The Little Black Book of Violence: What Every Young Man Needs to Know About Fighting. I put it on my Amazon.com wishlist after reading "Meditiations on Violence". The subject matter is very similar though the authors have different backgrounds.

Both books tell you that the best way to win a fight or confrontation, is to avoid getting into one in the first place. This falls in line with most martial arts teaching. There are excellent examples in both of what has a high chance of working for you. One, which seems obvious, can be dificult for many people to pull off. Carry yourself with confidence. That is, don't look like a victim or an easy target.

There is more involved, including situational awareness, to help you keep clear of such situations and both of these books are great for learning more about avoidance. I try to to keep higher awareness in certain areas to help avert any possible threats. Luckily, most of where I commute and travel is pretty safe. But I recently had an enlightening experience with this.

I bought a walking cane for my mother-in-law after she had injured her leg. I had to carry it home on the subway. The train was a little crowded and after a few minutes, someone tapped my shoulder from behind. A young lady offered her seat to me which I declined. I couldn't figure out why for a few seconds. Then it dawned on me - the cane.

Even though I was not limping, showing no signs of pain or even actually using the cane, someone perceived that I was injured (I was holding the cane in the same hand as my lunch bag while reading "Little Black Book" in the other).  I wasn't worried at the time because I "know" the area and crime is practically non-existent there.

But what would a thug have thought? "Great! An injured guy, I can take him." Or would he have noticed that I actually showed no signs of being injured and could possibly use the cane as a defensive weapon? Luckily that's a situation I didn't have to deal with. It just goes to show that you can never tell what people are thinking about you. Stay safe.