Curriculum revamping

[TenTigers]

[markt]

[PM]

[laukarfei]

i have 2 mouthguards

"we have everything we need, we do not need to modify the art, but we need to change the way it is taught. we should forget Shaw Bros movie choreography, remember the hard traning of master's of old, use all the modern equipment and modern scientific research we have, do not worry about Pride and UFC and enter the reality based self-defense of 21st century."

understanding that this is your oppinion, id just like to touch on this and say that "pride" and "ufc" imo have only elevated martial arts. also in the u.s. its different then in europe or asia. every highschool has wrestling and weightlifting and every college aswell. both HS and college have dedicated professionals to strength and conditioning. so called "normal" people are not weak in the least bit. actually here a large majority are strong and fit. and collegiate/highschool wrestlers are no joke.

this imo is where technique comes in, i feel if the focus is on fighting then you need to step outside of your style and learn all areas of fighting. if your talking about "self defense" and developing an art or discipline then the focus should be alot different then strength and conditioning and padwork and sparring.

if you seriously want to talk about fighting in the 'real world" and training for that you have to take into account the world is different all over. in the U.S. alot of people have guns, many people carry knives and weapons are littered all over the street. not to mention people are just violent and dont take kindly to getting their arm broken etc

imo no one should be fighting on the street and a martial artist should be much more disciplined and aware of any type of fight breaking out...although things happen

[PM]

i also see very positive influence of modern MMA events, however, i also so a lot of bullshit (all this groundfighting hype eg.) - and i am not talking about sport event, but reality based self-defense.

knives, clubs, guns, other weapons - do you think we do not have them here? do you think Europe is less violent tha US? have you been to England or Scotland? soccer hooligans and rowdies, skinheads, junkies, gypsies gangs, Russian and Ukrain gangs, plenty of other troublemakers, we have them all here.

[TenTigers]

I am hoping this does not go back and forth and turn into a pissing match or thread derail as it does on the other forums. I think that is one of the things that make this forum great.

[PM]

[ginosifu]

[markt]

[ginosifu]

[TenTigers]

PM-no worries, I was just trying to nip it in the bud-before it derailed.

"Just a couple questions to the guys with schools for conversation sake...

Do you guys teach all students the same way.. same order of techniques, etc ?"
I have a set curriculum. written out on level sheets which the student gets and keeps in a workbook. Forms, applications,drills, etc.

"In a class setting, do your 'advanced' students still ask for corrections/insight on the first forms or techniques they have learned even after they have learned more advanced methods ?"

The teaching is as Ginosifu said, layered, and there are always sublties and deeper meanings and refinements. Heck, I'm still learning from my basic beginner sets. Once you learn a higher level, you go back over everything, and it all changes.

[PM]

Ginosifu:

- no competition with MMA fighters
- yes, preserve the Hung kyun tradition, ie. practical usage
- yes, as our motto goes: "traditional art for modern world"

TT, Ginosifu: i personally prefer not to teach minor sets, and push fhsyk forward earlier. syk and long pole is equivalent of black belt (i mean, black belt in the old times)

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markt:

no, the curriculum is just general and rough guidance. eg. as for the weapons, i teach some of the wepaons much earlier, as a speciality wepaon. i either choose it for the student or ask him/her what he/she wuld like to learn. also, some students enjoy more the fighting aspects, some the fitness and health aspect etc. so, they still do the application drills or sets, but i emphasise certain aspects when i teach them.

as for advanced students, well, some are pissed off when they get corrections on basic stuff (well, their problem), some regularly come back and do their own research on the most basic stuff (and grow)

how do i determine "next level"? well, bit of everything, especially flow and power in the sets, bridges power, sparrring... i would like to add - mou dak and the heart is the most imporant. i value sincere, loyal and nice students more than he best ones, and i often to teach them more just to please them and make them happy.

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TT: i like your organised way of teaching, i think it is a must.

[markt]

Thanks for the replies..

I guess I am interested in the idea of how traditional CMA can transition to a more structured process. The idea of 'mastering' something before moving on to something else is interesting -- I think this definition will vary too much between people. What is mastering a technique ... I think the traditional idea of mastery implies many many years of training. Memorization and basic usage can come quickly, but I think after several years, I do not consider myself a master of even the first things I have learned...

I am curious about how structuring a curriculum could affect motivation with training all aspects of the curriculum vs. the things at the students current level.

Also - does anyone emphasize specialization - as some techniques are better suited to certain body types or abilities ? And if so.. how does it work in a class setting .. I am assuming it would become more difficult esp. if the class size becomes larger..

[TenTigers]

to be quite honest, I think that Hung-Ga addresses people of all different physical and psychological demeanors, I believe that the person must be in the system for quite awhile before they can decide what aspects to specialize in.

[laukarfei]

"PM" i wasnt trying to compare the U.S. to europe in deadlyness lol but ummm..really i dont think there is a comparison but thats an oppinion.

my point was the world is different all over, like i said in the U.S. there are much complications when it comes to applying an art like hung kuen in the real world.

words cant describe to you the reality of the situation here, but regardless the U.S. is just an example. its like saying put a gung fu school in curitiba and see how many fights your students win on the street, people will kill you for your sneakers there and not to mention all the BJJ influence..lol like it or not.

again, not to pick at your oppinion, i was just taking the original topic in a different direction because like its been pointed out people teach for different reasons, usually their own not what is the most practical. imo the most practical would be teaching the most important for survival, health and development of the art last. which from what ive read above is not the case for any of you.

a friend of mine is a philipino martial artist and his view of fighting is much more practical imo, the drills he had been taught by his father and the techhniques were much more practical. and it wasnt as though they were so foreign to what hung kuen teaches it was just the difference in emphasis in practicality in the real world