Out of Pod Experience

Haha, it's funny because taekwando is to martial arts what those children are masters

Hop, hop, hop kick! Hop, hop hop, kick!

Too cute!

(One of them seems to be more interested in the hopping than the kicking... :) )

It's a little depressing when you think about it. Parents are essentially paying for their kids to have a daycare where they dress up in martial arts uniform, but doing a rather great disservice to the martial art itself and the kids. Studying a martial art has much to do with discipline, focus, and determination, and is a great commitment.

If they really just wanted their kids to hop around and play, they could have taken their kids to a playground or daycare, but if they want their kids to study a martial art, they should at least take it a bit more seriously, no matter the age. (I'm not saying torture the kids constantly with drills, either, but what it's become today is just.. meh).

Hmm... I have to think that you might be surprised at what kind of virtues can be instilled in a younger child...

Oh well, still sad what martial arts in the U.S. are in a state of...

There are plenty of high quality martial arts schools in the US. You just have to dig a little for them. Also, in my opinion wrestling and/or jiu-jitsu are what one should really work on as base styles with Akido as the standing form for defense, all three of which have high quality dojo's in most relatively populated areas.

Also, unless you all see something that I do not, that dojo could very well be located somewhere in Asia. I do not hear much that sounds like English being spoken and the two kids and the instructor look to be of Asian descent. That being said these are not disqualifiers in of themselves.

All of that aside, Taekwondo in the US is more like a day care then it is martial arts training. This could be switched if the goal of gaining a higher ranked/colored belt was instead focused on self disciplin. Self disciplin is something that can be taught to children if it is constantly reinforced in the dojo and at home.


Slade

Agreed, there are indeed some high quality dojos in the U.S. My very first one did Shotokan karate and was excellent. I looked for a long time before I found one as good. That one taught Hsing-I kung fu. The quality depends on the teacher, not the particular style, of course. Actually I think it's probably more about the lineage than the teacher. If the teacher was taught well, he/she will carry on the tradition in his/her own dojo. I think the thing with Tae Kwon Do (and also Kenpo) is that it a lot of the original teachers back in the 1960s and 70s learned it in the military or in police training. The emphasis was purely on quickly learning a**-whupping techniques. Other things like kata and the meditational aspect were de-emphasized. I personally think those traditional training techniques have a practical purpose. They seem abstract or "philosophical", but their purpose was to take the student beyond being a good puncher-kicker. They were to make you into a relaxed, autopilot, faster-than-thought, tightly focused good puncher-kicker. You're not going to get that training in one of those strip mall after-school recreation dojos.

But again, it's all about the teacher and his/her lineage. No doubt there are Tae Kwon Do and Kenpo teachers in the U.S. who go way beyond selling lessons and vitamin supplements. (OK, go ahead and turn on the flames, I can take it....)