O.k., where was I? Oh yeah, my Dad was in my tae kwon do class in his 35 year old judo uniform. I now was on a mission! My Dad was on one too. He decided that this was as good a time to break out that uniform as any. So after class, I told my Dad that in tae kwon do in the 1990′s, we wear pants down to our ankles and sleeves to our wrists, but the sleeves could be rolled back to mid forearm. I went out and got my Dad a uniform, and he looked great in it.

Our tae kwon do classes became a bonding session for Dad and I. Dad came to class like clockwork every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday without fail. He didn’t let weather or anything else get in the way. Being an ex-Navy guy, he was like clockwork. I mean his arrival time was ALWAYS within a minute, barring traffic issues. My Dad, drove thirty five miles one way to get to his regular tae kwon do classes. Starting tae kwon do as a 59 year old, he worked hard to get in shape. In fact, he was just downright motivated to get a regular workout in with us.

Once Dad got heavily into a training routine, we began to notice one thing that he needed to change in his routine. You see, once classes ended, my Dad who had been smoking since his teens, would go out in front of the studio about a half hour after class, and he would light up his pipe. Often, he would stand right out in front and light up. My memory tells me that he would light up even in uniform, but then again something about that memory just doesn’t seem right. Well you know, Dad realized that there was something wrong with this picture.

Dad had something to share with my brothers and me. He informed us shortly before his 60th birthday (after we had shared that it might not look to good for the business to stand out in front of the dojang and smoke) that he would stop smoking on his 60th birthday. Dad quit cold turkey on that day, and has never looked back. It is great to know that my tkd hobby eventually helped influence my Dad’s decision to quit smoking after a lifetime of doing so. There was a lesson to be learned in that for me as well. If I put my mind to something, even if it is addictive, I can accomplish my goal.

You know, one of the biggest things that Dad and I had to overcome was my Dad’s need to continue to be Dad. When I would instruct class, my Dad’s natural instinct was to help me instruct, which often lead to his taking over the instruction. You see, when it came to punching, my Dad knew what he was talking about. After all, he had been a Golden Gloves boxer in the 1950′s and had a successful career. He was a pretty boy who didn’t want to mess up his face, so he retired from boxing before breaking up his nose and face. Anyway, it took my brother who himself was a red belt (and would earn his first dan black belt under me) to come in and help my Dad to understand that I was the instructor no matter what. I had a difficult time setting my father straight with this. I guess the respect factor for him being my dad was stronger than my need to speak up. But we did fix this issue, and this was another turning point in our relationship.

Well over time, Dad hit several milestones. My father would continue training in tkd without missing a beat. And after several years of training, he eventually reached his goal and helped me fulfill my mission. That’s right, the mission that I had been on for two and a half years. The mission to help Dad earn his black belt. On this festive occasion, my Dad was presented with his black belt by our Grand Master, Young Il Kong 9th Dan. I wish I could tell you the date. (I promise to show you the pictures in the next post.)

Well, since I mentioned a third part, you know this isn’t the end of the story. In my next post, you’ll learn how my Dad earned a picture in Black Belt Times Magazine. As many years as I had been practicing and competing, and I never had one in the magazine ! Oh and you will also learn how tkd saved his life.

So stay tuned and I will get those pictures.

Once again, I am surfing the internet at midnight trying to get an idea to spark a post for this blog. I have several topics waiting to be developed, but I am just not in the mood to develop any of these informative pieces. I am not sure what I am looking for, but I will know it when I see it. Then I came across an article that caught my eye. The title of the article is “Super Grandmother Gains Karate Black Belt at 59. I see this and I think, wow, older martial artists will like this. Younger ones, might think of their grandmothers and not be able to imagine this. As I opened the article, I go no further. Click here to read that story. Then it hit me, I have a great story to share about how martial arts made a dad and a son a little closer. Only, it’s my family’s own feel good story.

Now this story doesn’t begin with the son doing tae kwon do then the dad joining later – well it does, but let me explain. When I was a boy, I had heard stories from my dad about how he had earned a black belt in judo while he was stationed in Japan. He told us a story about how he was attacked on his way home from class, and how he had used judo to flip his assailant into the “benjo” ditch. If you have ever lived in Japan like I did as a boy, then you can picture the mess! Well, being boys, my brothers and I never knew what to make of the stories. When we wrestled with Dad, we could tell he knew how to throw us, it was always gentle and masterfully done. So we knew he was telling us the truth, but we really didn’t understand what it meant to him.

Now, let’s advance the clock about 18 years to where the real story begins. I was opening my first dojang, a satellite in the Young Brothers Tae Kwon Do Academy of schools. I was behind schedule for my Grand Opening Demonstration, so I spoke to my dad about coming to help me complete the facility. You see, my dad had just retired, and was sitting around at home watching his money grow in the stock exchange (and I mean ALL DAY LONG). He had always told us not to sit around when we retired, but now he was sitting around. He had only been retired for 2 weeks at the time so I am sure he didn’t have a routine down yet. Well, now I was going to give him an activity.

First, he helped me build and complete the school. Then as the task of building the school wound down, he arrived on his usual schedule. But this one day, he showed up with a gi in his hands. I was shocked to see this sight. He had an old white Judo gi in his hand. He informed me that he wanted to do TKD with me in the back of the class. I told him that he should go in the back and get dressed. When he came into the room with pants half way up his shins, and sleeves that were 3/4 in length, I was a little dumbfounded. He had on a uniform that hadn’t seen daylight in over 35 years, yet it still fit him. But what stood out the most was his belt. He wore a brown belt into my class. That moment made several thoughts flash in my mind. Now, it was all coming back to me. He had never gotten his black belt! He had passed his test, but was never promoted with the belt. His Navy unit had shipped out before he received his black belt. So now, I had a mission! My mission, to get my dad into his black belt.

Come back for the next part, and I will tell you how my dad ended up highlighted in Black Belt Magazine. You’ll also learn how his training helped save his life. To learn more about black belts, judo gis, and tae kwon do doboks visit http://www.mas4less.com.

As I wondered about what would be a good post to share, I was out looking on the internet and trying to get something to spark my mental juices so that I would hit that magic writing “sweet spot”.  Instead, I might have used up the brain cells sending comments to my contemporaries.  However, I did come across several interesting posts worth sharing. So rather than narrow it down to just one, I thought I would just share some of the interesting posts that I came across.  BTW, it is not that I am being lazy, it is just that after testing my students this evening, I am worn out. I know, I know, wahn, wahn, wahn!!!  That is o.k.  I still need to post something. Since I always write these really long three and four part series posts, I wanted to do something quick, interesting and easy. So here they are.

For those of you looking for free information about Judo, I have found you an e-Book that I will not have time to read.  Will one of you pleeeeeaaaaase have a look at this and review it for me.  This book is about workouts for Judo.  To receive your copy of the free eBook on the “10 Essential exercises for Judokas” simply click the link right here.  http://matt-daquino.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-new-ebook-workouts-for-judo.html

Happy New Year! The new year seems to have begun a long time ago now. But I am still writing 2010 for the date once in a while. Anyway, I have been silent on this blog for far too long, so here is our first post of 2011.

I have been involved in several conversations recently with both martial artists and non-martial artists.  I have noticed several things about these conversations.  When I speak with a non-martial artist, the conversations always end up about Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, or the latest MMA winner. When I speak with other martial artists, another theme arises.

When I speak with other martial artists from different styles, the conversation often ends in a discussion (or dare I say a “pissing contest”) about our/their instructor’s accomplishments. It gives us martial artists something to discuss that we have in common, and the “pissing” part is  because everyone wants to believe that they made the best choice and selected the best school, instructor, or style.

Another common direction that conversations with other martial artists takes is that the discussions sometimes turn into a history lesson of a pratitioner’s own style of martial art.  As a taekwon-doist who has gone down this discussion path myself, I have shared a solid understanding of the rich history of my martial art.  But many martial artists who are new to martial arts training do not know the history of their chosen style. 

Because of this, I wanted to take a moment to share with our friends, a history of karate that I found online. Because many of the martial arts
were founded in regions of asia, we find many styles claiming to be the original martial art from one asian region or another.  So, if you don’t know the history of your art, and your are is karate, then here is a viewpoint of the history of karate that you might be interested in reading.  To read more on the history of karate click here.

Well, these were just random thoughts this evening as I was checking the latest news on  martial arts. Read the karate history post and enjoy!

In this third and last post in this series, I will compare and contrast Tae kwon do uniforms to Karate uniforms. So let’s get started with a quick glance at how the uniforms compare.

Comparison

• Karate and Tae kwon do are striking arts.
• Karate and Tae kwon do uniforms require flexibility especially for kicking.
• Both uniforms require lighter fabric weights than grappling uniforms.
• Both style fabrics can range from 5 oz. to 16 oz. fabrics.

High Kick in Karate Uniform

Like Karate, Tae kwon do is a striking art.  As such, practitioners use lightning fast movements to kick, punch, strike, and block.  The need to kick high in both arts requires a fabric that is light enough so as not to restrict or be binding to the wearer.

The fabrics for both striking arts are lighter in weight than grappling uniforms.  Fabric weights can range from 5 oz. ultra-light weight uniforms to 16 oz. super heavy-weight uniforms.  The heavier range of uniforms are preferred by Karate stylists, and are also worn by traditional taekwon-doists. (Yes, there is a difference in how I spelled tae kwon do this time. There is more than one style of tae kwon do and I will discuss their differences in a future post.) Now let’s have a look at how they differ.

Contrast

• Karate uniforms have traditional criss-crossing jackets with straps.
• Tae kwon do uniforms are pull-over V-neck tops.
• Karate uniforms come in all different colors.
• Tae kwon do uniforms are traditionally white.
• Advanced Level Tae kwon do uniforms may have a Ribbed Fabric pattern.

As mentioned in the previous two posts, traditional cut uniforms have cross over jackets that secure on the sides by tying the string from the two sides together.  Karate uniforms are traditional in their cut, so they all tie in this fashion.  Karate uniforms (or gis) are available in every color in the book. Traditional karate stylists typically wear white gis or black gis , but Americanized karate stylists wear many other colors as well. Often, the beginners only wear white, but as they progress into higher skill levels, they are allowed to wear other colors.

Karate beginners often wear light weight fabrics, while advanced students often wear heavier fabric versions.  The 14 oz and 16 oz fabrics are very similar in weight and feel to denim like in your old levis. ( And these uniforms are just as durable as your old pair of jeans as well.)  The heavier weight uniforms give a crisper sound and snap effect to the demonstration of katas, thus they are often preferred by the karate sensei.

Taekwondo "Ap Chagi" Front Kick Wearing V-Neck Uniform

Tae kwon do uniforms (or doboks) on the other hand, have V-neck pull over tops.  They pull over in the same way that you would put on a t-shirt.  Most tae kwon do schools still wear white uniforms.  Tae kwon do uniforms are great for younger students because their uniforms do not pull out from under the belt and require tying frequently like karate style uniforms do. The V-neck design is being used more frequently for young children in all styles of martial arts.

Tae Kwon Do advanced students can often be recognized by the ribbed pattern in the advanced level uniforms.  These students might also have black lapels or black v-necks which signify that the wearer is a black belt.  The preferred weight of a sport aka Olympic style tae kwon do uniform is about 8 oz fabric.

Well, this concludes my comparison of the Karate and Tae kwon do uniforms, and it also concludes this series: What is the Difference Between a Karate Uniform, a Tae Kwon Do Uniform, a Judo Uniform, and a Jiujitsu Uniform? In a future post, I will discuss the differences between Traditional Taekwon-Do and their uniforms and equipment and Olympic style Taekwondo, and its uniforms and equipment. I will also discuss some of the variations in Kung Fu uniforms.

I welcome you to share your thoughts on this subject.  What differences have been left off of this list? Let us know what you think.  For more information about martial arts uniforms, please visit http://www.mas4less.com.

In this second post in this series, we will compare and contrast the most popular types of grappling uniforms: judo gis, and jujitsu gis or brazilian jiu-jitsu gis (BJJ).  I will speak of all jujitsu/jiu-jitsu/BJJ uniforms interchangebly in this post. So let’s compare the two types of uniforms.

Comparison

• Judo and Jiu-jitsu are both grappling martial arts.
• Grappling uniforms need to be extremely durable.
• Traditional grappling uniform fabrics are single weave or double weave.

Judo and Jiu-jitsu are both grappling martial arts.  This means that the participants will grab each other by body parts, or by the clothes they wear.  Therefore, their uniforms need to be extremely durable and hold up to the constant tugging and pulling without tearing apart.

Grappling uniforms are typically made from a fabric unique to these styles. The fabric is very strong, and the seams are specially reinforced to prevent ripping.  (A new lightweight brazilian jiujitsu gi now exists and is great for warm weather training. Click on this link to learn more about this bjj gi http://www.mas4less.com/bold-look-valente-8.5-oz.-jiu-jitsu-gi-uniform)Traditionally, the fabric is usually either a single weave or a double weave fabric.  In other words, the material is either a single layer or a double layer.

Now, here’s a contrasting look at the differences between judo and jiujitsu gis.

Contrasts

• Judo uniforms require more fabric to grab – BJJ uniforms use less fabric to grab
• The judo jacket skirt is longer – BJJ uniform jacket skirts, sleeves, pant legs are shorter
• Judo uniforms are cut baggy – BJJ sleeves are cut narrower
• Judo uniforms do not have an extra seam on back of the jacket- BJJ jackets have the extra seam for helping to narrow the jacket

Although judo and jiu-jitsu uniforms are made for grappling, there are slight differences.  The rules of judo require the fabric to be used for grabbing.  The judo uniform jackets must be a certain length based on judo sport rules.  Judo uniforms are worn baggier than jiu-jutsu uniforms as well.

By contrast, jiu-jitsu rules do not require that the fabric have a specific amount of fabric for the purpose of grabbing,  therefore, jiu-jitsu practitioners especially BJJ stylists, prefer shorter, narrower, tighter fitting uniforms.  BJJ uniforms actually are cut slightly differently, with an extra seam on the back where fabric has been gatherered to narrow the jacket.  The shorter tighter uniforms prevent their opponents from having excess fabric for use in chokes, grabs, and throws.

Since grappling uniforms are very durable, often times instructors might substitute a judo gi for a jiu-jitsu gi for purposes of practicing.  Judo gis can sometimes be found at lower rates than jiu-jitsu gis.  But for competition, judo and jiu-jitsu stylists use the gis that are specifically designed for their martial arts.

In the third and final post in this series, we will look at how tae kwon do uniforms are similar and different from karate uniforms.  For more information about martial arts uniforms, have a look at http://www.mas4less.com/uniforms.

During my Thanksgiving vacation, I was perusing Yahoo! Answers http://answers.yahoo.com/ and reading posts with questions related to martial arts.  I saw a question that I thought was a good one to write about and I thought that my answer might be a bit more detailed. The question was “What is the difference between a karate uniform, a tae kwon do uniform, a judo uniform, and a jiujitsu uniform?  So let me give a basic run down of the differences.

I will begin with the traditional cut uniforms.  A karate uniform, judo uniform and a jiujitsu uniform all have a traditional cut.  Tae Kwon Do uniforms have their own unique cut and style that I will discuss later.  What is a traditional cut you might be thinking? Well, a traditional cut refers to the martial arts uniform jacket or top.  (Traditional cut can also refer to the length of the sleeves and the pant legs, but these will not be the focus in this post.) With a traditionally cut martial arts uniform or gi, the  jacket or top is put on the same as you might put on a button down shirt or a regular jacket. There is an opening in the front for you to slide your arms and torso into, then you will fasten the front some how. In traditionally cut martial arts uniforms or gis, the jacket fronts usually criss-cross and tie. There are often ties on the hips or sides to fasten the uniform prior to it being additionally fastened by using a belt to keep the jacket or top closed.

Since there are 3 types of traditional cut uniforms or gis being discussed in this post, how do the karate, judo, and jiu-jitsu gis differ if they all use a criss-crossing jacket?  Well, to answer this, we need to separate these uniforms into two categories based on the needs of the style of martial art.  Some gis are made for striking styles, and some gis are made for grappling, tugging and throwing styles.  There are martial arts that blend striking and grappling, but most styles are primarily known as a striking style or a grappling style.

Karate styles are striking arts, therefore karate uniforms do not require the strength to handle constant pulling and tugging on the fabric.  Do not get me wrong, there will be some pulling and tugging especially when practicing self-defense skills like throwing, but the amount and degree of pulling and tugging is much less than with grappling styles like judo and jiujitsu.

Karate uniforms are typically lightweight for beginners who are usually just learning their basic striking such as kicking and punching.  As beginners grow into advanced practitioners, their practice incorporates more grabbing and throwing techniques. Thus, advanced students and instructors often wear heavyweight uniforms to cover the hybrid nature of this advanced practicing. Karate style uniforms are made to be durable, but they do not need to withstand the constant tugging of a grappling style like judo and jiujitsu.

Black Belt Mom

This is the final post in this three part series. In the first post, I shared the parent’s perspective and the child of the parent’s perspective.  In the second post, I shared the thoughts of a school owner who considers allowing parents to join their child’s martial arts class. In this final post, I will continue to share how the age of the students, the motivation of the parents, and the benefits and drawbacks of parent participation will affect your child’s karate class.

The age level of the majority of students in a class also greatly influences the amount of help necessary in a class.  When an instructor is running a class of beginners with 12 to 18 students and they are all aged 4-6 years old, then the instructor will definitely need assistance in managing the class.  However, in an advanced class of blue and red belts with the same number of participants as in the previous scenario, and they are all aged 8-11 years old, an instructor might not need assistance.  In these two examples, I would welcome any trained parent assistance for the beginner class.

As an instructor, it is imperative to learn what the parent’s motivation for training is. That’s to say, does the parent wish for just a workout, a physical fitness development, does the parent wish to know what is happening in his/her child’s classes, or does the parent wish to assist in his/her child’s classes?  

As discussed previously, when armed with the answers to these questions, an instructor is better prepared to place the parent in the most appropriate class.  In my experience, when I have a parent who wishes to assist in their child’s class, I run into one issue. Some parents will focus too much energy on their own child. Parent assistants must balance their focus equally among all students.  This keeps the other children and students from feeling that the parent is giving preferential treatment to their child.

The other students in the class typically benefit from the new parent’s training as well.  One of the ways the students benefit is that they are less likely to loaf or not work out as hard when eyes are on them, particularly the eyes of an adult.  Furthermore, the children might like to show off to impress the new adult in the class.  This helps the instructor get the most out of the students.

Finally, to sum up my thoughts on parents training in their child’s martial arts class, here are the benefits and drawbacks that I see:
The Benefits

• The parent can assist the instructor in managing the class.
• There will be better buy-in into the whole martial arts program for both the parent and the child.
• The odds for both the parent and the student of obtaining a black belt and becoming a long-time or life long practicioner are much greater from family members who participate together.
• The other students in class work to impress the parent.

The Drawbacks

• The parent might be too focused on themself or their child to be helpful.
• The parent might not have enough experience and require too much of the instructor’s attention.  
• The other students might be envious of the parent and student.

In conclusion, the benefits of a parent joining a martial arts class with their child outweigh the negative possibilities if the instructor is prepared to handle the situation.  In a school that is understaffed, the parent can be a great resource.  When the parent has a higher skill level than their child, it is easy to ask the parent to assist in the class.  When the parent focuses a greater part of their attention on the children in the class, they are usually an asset for the instructor.  Their very presence raises the work level of the class.  Then, the parent can also take time to focus on their own particular skills and development as well. This effort will possibly be a model for the student to work towards.

Another possible outcome is that the parent can become an additional spokesperson for the school.  Their enthusiasm will help to be another mouthpiece for spreading the word of the school, and since they are closer to the source, the information that they might share will potentially be the most accurate.  But this spokesperson issue raises a whole new concern that is better left for a later post.

For information about martial arts supplies, please visit www.mas4less.com or www.mas4less.com/blog.

Karate Family

In the previous post, we discussed the benefits and drawbacks for parents and their children when the parent wishes to join and participate in their child’s martial arts class.  So now, let’s discuss how the school instructor views this situation.

From the school instructor’s point of view there are two considerations.  One is the school instructor’s perspective and the other is the other children’s perspective. For the school, the parent should seamlessly fit into the class with their child.  By this, I mean that the parent should not become a distraction, because of their size, or because they are a parent of a child in the class.  In our schools, we consider many things when allowing a parent to join in a class with their child.  Our most important considerations are:

1. How many students are scheduled to train in the class the parent will join?
2. How many instructors does the class typically have?
3. What are the belt/skill levels and how many belt/skill levels will be trained in the class?
4. How old are the children in the class?
5. What is the parent’s motivation for training?
   • Will the parent be involved solely to train personally?
   • Does the parent wish to be involved in assisting with the child or class instruction?
6. What affect will the parent have on the other children participating in the class?

As you can see, as school instructors, we consider many factors so let’s have a look at them in more detail.

We consider the size of the classes that the parent might attend.  In a large class, the parent might be able to assist the instructor once he/she has some competency with the curriculum.  Since we usually have classes that we divide by belt/skill levels, and secondarily by age, it isn’t always appropriate for a parent to join the class.

The number of instructors per class is also an important consideration.  In my past, I have run classes for my instructor’s school that often had 20-30 students.  In a class that is large like this, then it is great to have appropriate assistance. A beginner level parent might not meet this need, however a higher skill level parent might work out well.  We prefer to have a ratio of one instructor to every eight students.  This allows an opportunity for one on one training with every student at least once in every class.

School instructors manage to structure the classes in a variety of ways.  One way that instructors manage classes is by limiting the number of skills to be taught in a class.  This is often handled by managing the number of skill levels associated with a class simply by focusing only on a certain number of levels.

In our schools, we run beginner, intermediate, advanced, and adult level classes.  We separate parents into their own class.  We usually prefer to accomodate parents participation with their kids in our Saturday class. We have always allowed our Saturday sessions to be for family members of all levels to attend together, however our weekday classes usually remain separated by belt skill and age level.

We will look at how the age of the students, the motivation of the parents, and the benefits and drawbacks of parent participation will affect your child’s karate class in the third and final post in this series.  You can learn more about martial arts gear or purchase karate uniforms, tae kwon do uniforms and other martial arts supplies at mas4less.com

In my martial arts recreation center program, I am often asked by parents, “Can I train with my child?”  Well, this question will be answered differently in different schools. In this post, I will tell you the things to consider as a parent, and the things that the school’s instructor will consider while providing you with an answer to this question.

For many, it makes sense for the parent who often remains to watch the lesson, to use their time wisely and get involved by asking to join the class.  I can’t tell you how many of the parents that I have trained over the years, joined our classes simply by asking this question. But there are many issues that need to be considered with this seemingly simple question.

First, there are 4 points of view to look at this question. One is from the parents side. It seems to be a win-win scenario. The second is the child’s perspective of the goods and bads.  The third is from the perspective of the other children in the class. And the last perspective is from the point of the school.

In this post we will begin by looking at the child’s and parent’s perspectives. From the child’s perspective, the parent should take into consideration how joining the martial arts class will affect the child’s development. They should also consider how the child will feel about parent participation. The benefits for the child of parents joining a Martial Arts class include the following possibilities:

• Improve Child’s Focus
• Improve Child’s Effort
• Build Child’s Self-Esteem
• Improve Child’s Development
• Improve family support for the activity because parents share an activity with their child
• Child might enjoy having their parent join when other parents do not join

From the parent’s perspective, many of the child’s benefits are included.  To these benefits, I will add the following benefits for the parent joining the classes:

• Better perception of the skills needed
• Better understanding of the processes
• Physical fitness
• Motivation not to skip practices for both parent and student