End of Formal Training - for a bit

[MooseKenpo]

Well, I knew it would finally happen. Due to my wife being out of work, and I with my Navy pay (even with benefits, it isn't that great) I am having to cut out my formal Kenpo training. I have my notes from the system I'm in now as well as my notes from USSD. I will have to suffice with that for now, as well as the great info from everyone here. Thanks everyone and please keep the great posts up! Hopefully when I retire in a year I will be able to start back up.

[Shodan]

Hi Moose-

Notes are good. Also, just passing on something I would have found useful (had I done it) when I had to take time off.......while everything is fresh in your mind and if you can, get it on video. If you have to take a long time off, it might help to review your video for little things you might forget about later. I found that one of the things that goes is associating names with techs...so it might help with that too.

Best of luck to you and I hope you don't have to stay away for too long!

Tara

[MooseKenpo]

Thanks for the great advice. My instructor was pretty understanding about it all. Hopefully I will be able to continue in the future.

[MARSHALLS KENPO]

Well, I knew it would finally happen. Due to my wife being out of work, and I with my Navy pay (even with benefits, it isn't that great) I am having to cut out my formal Kenpo training. I have my notes from the system I'm in now as well as my notes from USSD. I will have to suffice with that for now, as well as the great info from everyone here. Thanks everyone and please keep the great posts up! Hopefully when I retire in a year I will be able to start back up.

At some point you become your own teacher

[flying crane]

Just remember: You know what you know. Whatever you have learned, take it with you. It doesn't stay in the dojo. Keep practicing, to the best of your ability. It belongs to you.

I've had periods of years when I didn't have a teacher, but I never stopped training. Get creative and devise your own methods.

[Celtic_Crippler]

There's nothing keeping you from practicing the material you have learned. I echo the comments about getting yourself on video. It will help to keep you up to speed. It's also nice to re-tape yourself later to see how you may have changed/improved.

Keep the flame, and return when you can.

[thedan]

Agree with all that has been said. I do not have a school or a teacher, or even a steady workout partner any more. So I make do.

To add to what Mr. Marshal and shodan said, use that cam-corder to also tape yourself as you train and you can then critique yourself. Then, if you're like me, destroy the tapes before anyone else sees them. (Just kidding ...)

Like fc said, get creative. I also build dummies out of junk and scrap, so I have some inexpensive things to work with. Not as good as a body, but in a pinch it works fine.

I get a lot of instruction here on KT for free, as well. The only thing about this is I've changed the way I do some things so radically now that it would be difficult to go to another school and do it their way. But, some of what has been shared here just plain works better- so much so I would not want to destroy it by practicing things I now consider to be wrong.

Videos are good for reference material also. But it is amazing how much is on the net for free.

At any rate, not being able to attend school isn't the end of the ma world for you. You apparently have the desire and the drive to keep at it. That's the importnat thing. You might even find it helps you to grow in some areas, as you are now responsible for everything you learn.

Hang in there, and good luck.

Dan C

edit: CC posted while I was trying to post. Agree with him too.

[flying crane]

Then, if you're like me, destroy the tapes before anyone else sees them.

YUP!!

I also build dummies out of junk and scrap, so I have some inexpensive things to work with. Not as good as a body, but in a pinch it works fine.

Good point. When I was a kid, I took a couple pieces of scrap lumber and built a low balance beam, about 6 inches off the ground, about 3 feet long, and about 4 inches wide. I would stand on this and practice kicking, it was very helpful for balance development.

I would suspend a playing card by a string from the ceiling, and used that as a target for kicking practice. Not a power developer, but rather precision and targeting, making sure I was striking with the proper part of the foot.

I also used to train in my parents basement. There was a support pole to which I would strap a wooden dowel that mimicked a punch, or kick, or whatever. Kind of a very primitive wooden dummy. And I would work techs and combos off that.

Work a heavy bag if you have access, put some light ankle and wrist weights on an work your kata, work your techs in the air if you don't have a partner, maybe get your wife to dummy for you once in a while.

Creativity is key, when you are on your own.

[Dr. Dave in da house]

I was glad to see the posts here. Nothing prevents you from training your butt off with the material you already know. Look up "rearrangement", and use the concepts to puzzle-piece the stuff you have into other combos to figger out new ways of using your body.

If you bring mindful curiosity to the material you have, you could probably keep yourself busy for years.

Good luck,

Dave

[thedan]

Oh, man! Now we're going to have to have a "one upmanship" contest!

... I took a couple pieces of scrap lumber and built a low balance beam, about 6 inches off the ground, about 3 feet long, and about 4 inches wide. I would stand on this and practice kicking, it was very helpful for balance development.

OK, so I start with a strike. Big deal!

I would suspend a playing card by a string from the ceiling, and used that as a target for kicking practice. Not a power developer, but rather precision and targeting, making sure I was striking with the proper part of the foot.

Gotcha! I found a bunch of dog toys at the Dollar store, which were small tennis balls with bungee chord loops threaded through them. Several in a bag, for a buck. So I strung a few together, extended the loops on others, and I hang them around my garage or patio at different heights and spacing. They don't blow as bad as the paper I used to hang. I work all kinds of focus drills off them.

... There was a support pole to which I would strap a wooden dowel that mimicked a punch, or kick, or whatever. Kind of a very primitive wooden dummy. And I would work techs and combos off that.

I took an old, broken 8X6 sighn post and mounted it. I put pipe and wooden dowels in it and use it sort of the same way.

Work a heavy bag if you have access, put some light ankle and wrist weights on an work your kata, work your techs in the air if you don't have a partner, maybe get your wife to dummy for you once in a while.

'Nuther strike. My wife kicks my ass, so I had to stop using her as a dummy. So I build my own.

I built one dummy out of scrap pipe and carpet padding, and a little carpet for the bony structures- and a lot of duct tape. Another dummy is a fire hose doubled and hung, with old shoes filled with sand attached so I can position his legs. Immagination is the limmit.

My standing dummy is so anatomically accurate and realistic looking that I use him to get even with my wife for beating me up. I move him to the patio about dusk, right outside the sliding glass doors. Then I just wait for the scream- and run! It's difficult to run and laugh at the same time, though. Which, of course, explains the fresh bruises.

Dan C

[flying crane]

Oh, man! Now we're going to have to have a "one upmanship" contest!OK, so I start with a strike. Big deal!

...

Dan C

Excellent Stuff!!

[Carol]

Here's an idea from the FMAs. If you saw The Human Weapon episode set in the Philippines, you may have noticed the Philippine Marines hitting a stack of tires with sticks.

If you have the space, stack up a set of old tires (can often be obtained free from a tire shop) in the corner of your garage or basement.

Voila. It's a life-size whack-a-mole! Hit the tires with a stick. Hit with a bokken. A training blade. Punch...Kick...Elbow...Knee...Clothesline...you get the idea.

[kit]

Wow one upmanship, yeah, well I've got you all. I was once so desperate for a live dummy that I drove to the freway entrance and got one of those guys with a sign that said 'will work for food.' Turns out that the guy was an old Viet Nam vet. Once I past the smell he wasn't bad.
No kidding, what ever happens don't stop your practice...better air kenpo then no kenpo

Kit

[KenpoChanger]

Agree with all that has been said. I do not have a school or a teacher, or even a steady workout partner any more. So I make do.

To add to what Mr. Marshal and shodan said, use that cam-corder to also tape yourself as you train and you can then critique yourself. Then, if you're like me, destroy the tapes before anyone else sees them. (Just kidding ...)

Like fc said, get creative. I also build dummies out of junk and scrap, so I have some inexpensive things to work with. Not as good as a body, but in a pinch it works fine.

I get a lot of instruction here on KT for free, as well. The only thing about this is I've changed the way I do some things so radically now that it would be difficult to go to another school and do it their way. But, some of what has been shared here just plain works better- so much so I would not want to destroy it by practicing things I now consider to be wrong.

Videos are good for reference material also. But it is amazing how much is on the net for free.

At any rate, not being able to attend school isn't the end of the ma world for you. You apparently have the desire and the drive to keep at it. That's the importnat thing. You might even find it helps you to grow in some areas, as you are now responsible for everything you learn.

Hang in there, and good luck.

Dan C

edit: CC posted while I was trying to post. Agree with him too.

Yer close, we should get together and train some time.

[thedan]

Yer close, we should get together and train some time.

PM me.

Dan C

[John M. La Tourrette]

Well, I knew it would finally happen. Due to my wife being out of work, and I with my Navy pay (even with benefits, it isn't that great) I am having to cut out my formal Kenpo training. I have my notes from the system I'm in now as well as my notes from USSD. I will have to suffice with that for now, as well as the great info from everyone here. Thanks everyone and please keep the great posts up! Hopefully when I retire in a year I will be able to start back up.

No you don't.

Start your own "Self-Defense" class (or classes).

Since it is "self-defense" your rank is NOT necessary.

Teach what you know from those 5 different areas of martal arts you put in your profile.

Teaching others in the military "self-defense" will keep your skills honed and give you bodies that also want to learn.

DOC

[thedan]

Wow one upmanship, yeah, well I've got you all. I was once so desperate for a live dummy that I drove to the freway entrance and got one of those guys with a sign that said 'will work for food.' ...

OK. That is one up. Creative, effective, ... realistic, even.

So, what's the going rate ... ?

Dan C

[thedan]

Start your own "Self-Defense" class (or classes). Since it is "self-defense" your rank is NOT necessary.

I tried something like this once, years ago. It was more of a self defense study group. No rank, no style, we just got together and worked out. Did ok for a bit. Then a couple of them moved, one quit, and pretty soon it was just me again.

I'm thinkin' I should get my smelly butt to the freeway entrance with a cardboard sign and wait for desperate Kenpoists to come by.

Dan C

P.S. Kit, I'll call your one up- HA!

[MooseKenpo]

Thanks for all the great ideas! As far as starting up my own self-defense class, I'm not a Blackbelt in any of these. The highest rank I hold is in USSD Shaolin Chaun-Fa. I would like to start what "Dan C" talked about because I had previously done this many years ago and it worked great. However most of the people I know now, besides the ones at the school I just had to quit, don't study martial arts. There IS the judo course on base here that is free, besides the initial registration fee and judo gi fee so I might try to budget that in and study that, along with my current knowledge. If there is ANYONE in the San Diego/Coronado area, I would greatly like to get together for some study/sparring/exchange of ideas. My schedule is rotational but is planned well in advance so it is easy to make plans. Thanks to all here and the great ideas! This is why KT one of the only Martial Arts forums that I frequent.

[Kenpodave]

Thanks for all the great ideas! As far as starting up my own self-defense class, I'm not a Blackbelt in any of these. The highest rank I hold is in USSD Shaolin Chaun-Fa. I would like to start what "Dan C" talked about because I had previously done this many years ago and it worked great. However most of the people I know now, besides the ones at the school I just had to quit, don't study martial arts. There IS the judo course on base here that is free, besides the initial registration fee and judo gi fee so I might try to budget that in and study that, along with my current knowledge. If there is ANYONE in the San Diego/Coronado area, I would greatly like to get together for some study/sparring/exchange of ideas. My schedule is rotational but is planned well in advance so it is easy to make plans. Thanks to all here and the great ideas! This is why KT one of the only Martial Arts forums that I frequent.

Well, "class" is such a formal word. You don't need to go to a club or have a studio to start a class. You need a couple of buddies and an empty garage or backyard. Teach them what you know and they give you feedback. Teach your kids. Set personal goals...speaking of which, I am stealing this from another forum that I just now read...keep your goals SMART---Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely.

Where there is a will, there IS a way.