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Thanks Sara! Yes, SparkPeople can be addictive. That's what "happened" to Denise and me. We just got hooked right from the beginning, and the rest is history. We have both lived in California our entire lives. We actually are thinking of moving out of state though. While the weather is nice, it's the only thing to enjoy. The cost of living is absolutely ridiculous. We both want to experience actual winters, fall, spring, etc. Anyway, thanks for the nice compliments. I do what I can to help. =)
matt
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Matt-
Just checked out your Spark page. WOW! It is like watching the biggest loser (no offense meant!). That is an amazing before and after photo of you and your wife. I, too, am addicted to Spark and probably spend more time than I should online. I joined with 10 lbs. to lose (I lost about 15 prior on WW) and am still committed. Since joining I have taken up running and finished my second 5k yesterday and managed to shave 2 1/2 minutes off my previous time. Now, onward and upward! I see you are from CA. Our two favorite vacations ever have been to San Francisco in 1999 and La Jolla last summer. My husband wants to retire to one of the two. La Jolla had the best weather we've ever experienced. That must help with exercising. Again, loved your Spark page.
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BOBBLEHEAD
4/23/06 11:27 P
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| I loved TKD. I did it for a summer with my older kids and we had a blast. When i changes jobs, i had to put it on hold. I do have plans to get back into it and will soon.
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Sara,
lol....you'd be surprised at how many parents do end up practicing TKD as well because they spend so much time watching their kids do it. If you have the time I highly recommend it, it's amazing what it does for you!
matt
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Last night was the 3rd lesson for this week and he's going again tonight just to make sure he's ready. He was validated Tuesday night on four corners and last night on hair, shoulder, and wrist grabs and also on combination kicks. He also broke the board! Feeling much better about Saturday's test. We went to the actual school on Tuesday evening (as opposed to the health club). That was so cool to see 30 or so kids at various levels working with different black belts. I think my son really enjoys it and I like watching and helping him practice at home. The duty rosters, teacher signatures, and parental reinforcement make the kids see that there is a lot more involved than just kicking and punching. The instructor gave a long lecture last night to the class telling them once again what TKD is supposed to be used for and when it is not used, how to use it to self-defend only when necessary, and how you can really hurt someone even if you are not intending to. I am completely confident that he is really doing great things for kids. Thanks for your reply. I expect Saturday morning to go very well. Maybe I should start taking lessons as much time as I am spending there and also practicing at home with my son!
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Bob,
Well said! Our instructor believes the same thing. That's why we HAVE to compete in at least 3 different tournaments before we can test for Black Belt. She comments all the time about the hardest thing we'll ever have to do is get up in front of our class, or a tournament crowd, and perform.
Fortunately I love to be the center of attention and it doesn't bother me to do it. But for most people it's amazing what it does for their confidence and self respect.
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Oddly enough, I am convinced that one of the benefits of TKD for kids is that the tests put them in a pressure situation but one they should be able to handle. I think it's good for building confidence and a sense of accomplishment.
-Bob
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It does sound like a good school. Instructors caring about the whole person makes a difference.
Good luck on the validations and testing. (OK hard work has more effect than luck but...)
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| I don't mean to give the wrong impression. The instructor is wonderful. He really explains to the kids the "why" of TKD and karate as well as the tenets. His classes are scheduled to be 45 minutes but they often use the extra 10 or 15 before the next class begins. Last night was validation (they have to have yellow, green and blue tape on their white belt before testing on Saturday). The yellow is for knowing the first form, four corners. We worked on that A LOT at home last night and hopefully will get tape tonight. The instructor is having us come to the actual school tonight and Thursday night in addition to the Monday and Wednesday classes he normally does in order to be ready for Saturday's test. I also had to send something to school for my son's teacher to sign stating that he is in good academic standing and is respectful at school. We were also give a duty roster last night to be worked on every day. It includes chores at home, work at school, practicing martial arts at home every day and finally, doing reading at home that is outside of school work. I truly believe they are working on the whole person. What a bargain for $50/month! I do understand that all schools are different. I like that he is on the kids about correct posture while sitting and listening, making eye contact and showing respect to adults. I know lots of kids I'd like to recruit for this program!
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Thanks all...
Sarajay, this does sound a lot more demanding than what our school does. kids classes are 1/2 hour for beginner and intermediate and 45 min for advanced. My son just turned 5 and has passed his yellow belt. Focus and discipline have increased noticeably so there are definite benefits. Just keep your motherly eyes open, and as long as he is enjoying it, you should do fine.
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| Congrats -- that is great!!!
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LOSINGIT61
4/7/06 10:37 P
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| Congrats on passing your test and advancing to purple. I've been thinking about getting back into it myself. Since I'm full of all this energy, I don't know what to do with myself. But its a great feeling:-)))
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| Congrats.... Always wanted to join martial arts, specifically akido. But when I was younger my mom was one of those people who hated violence of any kind. lol.
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Sara,
You're welcome. That school is definitely different than ours. We don't have kids break boards until they test for blue belt. It also sounds like the instructor works more into the class than TaeKwonDo. wrist grabs, shoulder grabs and hair grabs have nothing to do with TaeKwonDo. You mention the terms in Japanese, did you mean Korean? TKD is Korean, so maybe you were given wrong information, or the instructor is teaching something other than TKD. Anyway, your son will learn a lot from this either way. As long as he wants to continute it you should definitely encourage him.
matt
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| Hopefully, you are correct and the hour and a half is for the whole class, not each student. They have to know one form (four corners), 4 kicks (sidekick, roundhouse, front snap and oblique), single, double and triple punches, hammer fist, wrist grabs, shoulder grabs and hair grabs and be able to do kicks in combination. Board breaking is also on this test. Some terms are only given to them in Japanese ( ke ma sa sogi - horse back stance, middle attack)so they have to know those. And, they are expected to memorize the 5 tenets of TKD and know the difference between TKD and karate when asked. I have worked with my son on the sidekick mostly because he was not "rechambering" his leg after the kick before returning to position in combination kicks. Maybe it will be ok on test day and I am just unsure of what to expect. We were told they would be bringing in black belts this Monday night for the validation process (?). I agree about the different styles being taught and not wanting to teach a child something different than what the specific instructor wants. Their belt order is: white-yellow 1, yellow 2, green 1, green 2, blue 1, blue 2, red 1, red 2, brown, black. Thanks for all your input.
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Hi Sara!
The school you're son is in sounds very demanding, especially for a 6 year old. Typically a childs first test isn't much more than 15-20 minutes. The test for the entire class may last 1-2 hours, but your son doesn't know enough to fill up that time on his own. When we test the kids we only test them on their first form, 4 blocks, 3-4 kicks, and 2 self defense moves.
I do agree that he should be practicing at home, but I wouldn't worry too much about you needing to correct him. If the instructor is relying on the parents to correct the children then he isn't doing a very good job teaching. The child should be able to take the basic skills home and work on it a little bit each day, then go to class and have the instructor fine tune it.
It definitely gets "easier" to remember the skills as they progress. Its hard to say for your son though because his school sounds different than ours. Students don't achieve yellow belt until their third test, which is 6 months into training. That shows the difference in school and styles though. You will want to check with the instructor about the books or videos. Since there are different styles you don't want to buy something that doesn't teach the same stuff your son is learning.
I've never heard the term "validating" before, so I'm not sure what that means at your school. Never be afraid to ask the instructor. If the instructor won't take the time to answer questions then you probably don't want your son training there.
Like Bob said, kids do eat this stuff up. We have 5 and 6 years old in our school that can do some amazing things. Most parents drop the kids off and pick them up after class. So don't worry that you can't "help" your son. Just be there to support him and encourage him to follow his dreams.
matt
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Sarajay,
In TKD you always build on basics. When you test for your black belt, you especially want your basics to be solid.
Encouraging your son to practice is good. For specific advice about how you can help, I'd ask his instructor.
Kids eat this stuff up, especially before they enter their rebellious teens. I'm sure that your son will do fine.
Cheers,
Bob
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| Sorry for intruding into the guys discussion but not too many women are talking about TKD. We started our son in it about 6 weeks ago and he was moved up from the beginner to the intermediate class after less than a month. He is 6 1/2. He was asking to do it and we also thought the focus and discipline would be good. His instructor is fantastic but I am concerned about the time and energy put into this at his age. The instructor is offering it at our health club so I used to drop my son at class and go downstairs and work out. Now, I feel like I have to stay and watch the whole hour because he is testing for his first belt (I believe yellow?) in a week. It is exhausting just to watch! I am taking notes so I can help him at home. The instructors want them to practice at home which is difficult if no one else in the house knows TKD. I need to be able to tell him what he is doing wrong. We were told this first test would take about an hour and a half. I am worried for him. He is focused and doing a good job but wow, is there a lot to remember! Does it ever get easier in terms of building on what they already know or is it all new for each belt? I don't want to get him totally immersed in something he can't keep up with. Also, I am looking for books or videos that might show some of the forms, kicks, etc. Any basic info out there? Lastly, they will be "validating" at the next class. What does this mean exactly? I am just a clueless mom at this point so I would appreciate any input anyone has.
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USA TAeKwonDo
White
Yellow
Orange
Green
Purple
Blue
Brown
Adv. Brown
Red
Deputy Black (red/black)
1st Dan black
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Yooperman,
Are you taking Jhoon Rhee style TKD? For us the order of the belts is
white, gold, orange, green, purple, blue, red, brown, "novice black" (brown with a parallel black stripe), and black (1st Dan).
Some of the Jhoon Rhee schools use striped practice belts to indicate a student's progress from 1st Dan to 2nd Dan, but officially a 1st Dan ("1st degree") black belt is a 1st Dan black belt.
Cheers,
Bob
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Thanks Yooperman, from what I am hearing between you and Matt is that it could be a great fit for my son. Thanks for all the information from both of you. I will let you know what I find out and if I have any more questions
Thanks
Bart
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My 5 year old (4.5 when he started) is in TaeKwonDo, and it has had a visible effect on his behavior and ability to focus.
He doesn't advance as fast as his 10 yr old sister, but he DOES try and he knows that if he works he will get to test for his next belt so he IS motivated to pay attention and try to perform all of the exercises.
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| Thanks Matt I really think I am going to have him try this. He does need to get in better shape and his passion is playing football and I guess this really cant hurt in preparing for that sport.
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It truly depends on the child, but it can do wonders for some kids. There are a number of students in our school that it has helped more than the parents ever imagined. Some parents use the TKD as a motivator. They tell their kid they can't do TKD unless they get good grades and behave. Heck, we actually tell the kids the same thing, lol.
There are a handful of kids that it doesn't do anything for. But I feel they are kids that have true social and behavioral problems. Ten years old is a great age to start though. We have kids as young as 3 in our school, and sometimes thats a little too young. At ten years old, your son understands the difference between right and wrong and comprehend enough that it he should be able to make some positive changes in his life.
My biggest recommendation though is to definitely not force him into it. We have some kids in our studio that are there because their parents want them to be. It shows in their training and class behavior and disrupts the class at times. But all-in-all, I recommend that EVERY child should try some sort of martial arts at least once. Many will fall in love with it and can do a lot with it, including school sholarships.
Matt
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| How do you feel about the disipline and do you think it will help with behavior in school. We are really struggling with my Son in school with behavior issues and, lack of a better term, motivation to get good grades. He is going to be 10 years old and just wondering if this will help.
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Absolutely agree.
Many places will also let you take a trial class before any obligation. That's well worth investigating too.
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Yeah, we visited a couple schools and didn't care much for the instructors at several of them. The we found our current school and fell in love with the instructor the first time we met her. If a school won't let you observe, it's not the type of place you want to be anyway.
matt
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| Thank you, I am really kind of intimidated by this because I know nothing about it, so your suggestion of visiting and watching makes sense.
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TKD and Karate are the two "mainstream" styles. Biggest difference is that Karate uses hands more than TKD. The best thing is to visit a couple local schools and watch the classes. Compare the styles and the instructors and see which one fits your needs better.
matt
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With my new found energy I am thinking about joining some sort of training like this with my kids. Is TaeKwonDo what everyone recommends or is Karate better? I dont know and would need some advise before diving into this.
Thanks for any replys with suggestions. I never did anything like this so I am as green as it gets but would really like to do this.
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Our school goes:
White
White One Stripe
White Two Stripe
Yellow
Yellow One Stripe
Yellow Two Stripe
Green
Green One Stripe
Blue
Blue One Stripe
Red
Red One Stripe
First Dan Black
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Thanks!
I liked it right away, but then I started 25 years ago and only maintained bits and pieces during that time. About five different schools and 1-2 months each. (College, Army, $$, kids) Finally settled in the school I'm in now.
It's also one of those things that "It's as tough as you make it" I tire myself out, because I want EVERY kick to be as high and as correct as I can make them, I haven't learned the art of strategically slacking to save energy for the end of class.
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| Yep, purple's right after green. Then come: blue, brown, brown/white stripe, red, deputy black(Black/red stripe) then 1st Dan black.
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| Congratulations!!! How long did it take you to get there? Was TaeKwonDo fun for you right away or did it take some time before you really liked it?
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Wooohoooo!!!! Congrats, that's awesome. Our school actually doesn't have Purple, is that after your green? My next test is gonna wipe me out, it's for my red belt. But I can't wait, it's gonna be good for me.
matt
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Yesterday my daughter and I both passed our TaeKwonDo testing. She advanced to green and I to purple. She wants me to wait so she can catch and then pass me. Tough test, I was WRUNG-OUT when we got done.
Then I went smart-aleck and decided to stay for class.
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