Where Do We Go From Here?
In the past, I’ve discussed the good and bad of the current situation in the American martial arts scene. While my base style was Taekwondo, the challenges are found throughout the traditional American martial arts community. I believe it is worse in the older styles of Karate and Kung Fu, where tradition is so heavily valued.
When I started a blog in 2013, I joined a number of discussion forums hoping to take part in a mature and well thought out discussion about the direction of martial arts. What I found was something far different.
New Academy Logo
Many of the members were still stuck in the old days of “my martial art is better than yours”. Discussions were anything but open and well thought out. It was mostly, “I’m right. You’re wrong.” “In Wing Chun, we do this.” “In Jujitsu, we do this.” “Aikido sucks.” After a couple months of this kind of discussion, I just dropped out of the forums more frustrated than ever. So where do we go from here?
I think you can redesign your curriculum to meet the needs of both your beginning and advanced students by making a few tweaks to how and what you teach. Using Taekwondo as an example, here is a way to implement the lessons of mixed martial arts. We need to produce students who are competent to defend themselves against attacks standing and on the ground.
Yellow Tip (Yellow/White Belt) – It takes about three months to reach this rank. I would focus strictly on self-defense related curriculum. We would cover high percentage strikes – Palm Strikes, Elbows, Forearm Smash, Hammer Fist, Knee, Shin Kick, Side Kick and Back Kick. We would hit the pad using these techniques singularly and in combination for the entire three months. We would end the class with a focus on self-defense. I would teach them how to stand up in base from the ground. We would also cover the Oompa Drill. We would cover basic wrist releases, lapel grab defense, choke defense and weapons defenses.
Beginning Ranks in the Zimmerman Self-Defense System
Yellow Belt (Yellow Belt) – It takes about three months to reach this rank. I would continue the self-defense focus but add the first form, Kicho Il Jang. We would also begin to add walking drills and timing drills. The focus would still be self-defense.
Green Tip (Orange Belt) – It takes about three months to reach this rank. We will now start to add a little more diversity to the student’s tool bag. The student will continue to learn walking and timing drills associated with this new rank. They would also learn their first throw, the hip throw. We would teach Elbow Escape from the Mount. The student would be responsible for knowing two forms with the second form, Taeguek Il Jang.
Green Belt (Green Belt) – It takes about three months to reach this rank. In addition to the walking drill, timing drills and self-defenses, the student will learn the third form, Taeguek Yi Jang. The student learns their second throw, osoto gari (major outer reaping throw). The student should have mastered standing up in base. The student will start learning submission holds.
I will continue this discussion in a future post.
