kendo and kumdo in kansas

[westernwarrior]

Two questions first I need a dojo in eastern kansas. I found a post for a dojo in kansas city at 6332 Neiman rd(i think) in Overland park. Its supposed to be an asian culteral center but its not there. If anyone has info on this place or another i would greatly appreciate it. Second is That I found a Kumdo dojo in Lawrence(much closer) and was wondering if i train there and moved elswhere would i only be able to train at a kumdo dojo or could i go to a kendo dojo. I know there are differences and simmilarities between the two but are the training and rankings interchangable. Any and all info would be greatly appreciated.

[taiwnezboi]

You won't be at any disadvantage training at a Kumdo place ranks-wise, which is what I think you're asking. I'm don't know about the dojang in Kansas, but the dojangs on the east coast (New Jersey, Virginia, New York) where I'm from are pretty strict about the ranks. If you switched to a Japanese dojo you'd probably end up testing for a higher rank than you had in Kumdo (but you'd have to learn all of the forms and stuff they do =P). And there really aren't that many differences.. I practice Kumdo and I play in Japanese tournaments all the time.

[sminki]

If you switched to a Japanese dojo you'd probably end up testing for a higher rank than you had in Kumdo.

Should be careful making statements like that. Master Chang just happens to be tough when it comes to ranking (and why not? not only does it produce quality, it also is a good business model) and his grading system does not reflect on kumdo dojang's grading system in general.

BTW, Western Warrior, have you done any research on the legitimacy of the teacher at the dojang and looked into federation affiliations (i.e. AUSKF affiliated or KKA affiliated school)? This is important in receiving proper recognition in your rank/grade in case you move or something and having to switch schools, etc.

[Catherine]

As well as checking out the club affiliations, I recommend that you check the language of tuition.

In Australia, the Kumdo dojangs teach in Korean. This can make it difficult if you are starting out.

Catherine

[Old Warrior]

"In Australia, the Kumdo dojangs teach in Korean. This can make it difficult if you are starting out."

Two years ago Master Seong didn't know a dozen words in English and even today his most earnest lectures are totally in Korean (I usually ask and someone translates). It hasn't impeded my (or anyone else's) progress one bit. You learn by watching. A "thumbs up" says everything. Master Seong is learning English and when I'm the senior student, I lead the class in Korean. It's been an interesting and enjoyable learning experience for all.

[westernwarrior]

i went to dojang today and at the current time he only teaches kumdo to his tae-kwon-do black belt students unless he gets enough demand to open a stricktly kumdo class so either i wait for that find the elusive k.c. kendo dojo or wait a year till i move back to san diego unless some one else knows a place to learn in eastern kansas or western missuri.

[sminki]

i went to dojang today and at the current time he only teaches kumdo to his tae-kwon-do black belt students unless he gets enough demand to open a stricktly kumdo class so either i wait for that find the elusive k.c. kendo dojo or wait a year till i move back to san diego unless some one else knows a place to learn in eastern kansas or western missuri.

Uh-oh. Generally speaking, this type of TKD dojang mixing in kumdo does not have the best quality kumdo (which oftentimes is an understatement to say "not have the best quality kumdo). Although it is a generalization, it is usually strikingly true. I would suggest finding a kumdo/kendo only place.

[Catherine]

Old warrior, the language of tuition can make a difference for some people. For you it hasn't.

My point was merely to ask so at least this student is prepared. Language is one thing to take into account when joining a club.

In Australia the kumdo clubs do not use any English at all in their classes. Although socially the members speak English. The kumdo clubs are a good way of promoting korean culture within the korean community.

If you are in a club like this and you can't understand the language of instruction, you will miss out on a lot. You will only get the basic idea from the demonstration, more importantly you may mistake a demonstration of what you shouldn't do for a demo of something that you should do.

I found this out when I went to summer camp at Kitamoto. We had an excellent interpreter and we were told things that would not normally be translated.

I also trained for a while one afternoon a week with a kumdo club. I learnt a lot of things, but one thing that I was aware of was that I was excluded from the explanations. For a while I had an interpreter, but as I became a fixture in the club, the explanations stopped. The interpreter was also much junior to me, so his ability to interpret the explanation was not as high as I would have liked.

That said, learning to surmount the language barrier can bond people together.

Catherine

[taiwnezboi]

I also trained for a while one afternoon a week with a kumdo club. I learnt a lot of things, but one thing that I was aware of was that I was excluded from the explanations. For a while I had an interpreter, but as I became a fixture in the club, the explanations stopped. The interpreter was also much junior to me, so his ability to interpret the explanation was not as high as I would have liked.

I just ask someone that is high level to translate =P

[taiwnezboi]

Should be careful making statements like that. Master Chang just happens to be tough when it comes to ranking (and why not? not only does it produce quality, it also is a good business model) and his grading system does not reflect on kumdo dojang's grading system in general.


Yeah, but I noticed other Kumdo dojangs on the East Coast like Hong Moo Kwan are tough on ranking too, so it's not just us :wink:

[Old Warrior]

"My point was merely to ask so at least this student is prepared"

You are right. At my age I don't sweat the small stuff, have a fully formed ego and put everything in its appropriate place. Also, I understand the classical martial arts mentality and know how to "get along". A younster might not have a clue. Regardless of my social standing outside the dojang, when in class, I am the most humble of the humble. This attitude has made me a welcomed member of a fairly close, tight knitted community. I am older than the parents of most of my classmates and 15 years older than Grandmaster Seong. It's amazing, but I get the sense of most of the lectures without understanding a word. But, I absolutely concede that should my skills ever rise beyond shodan, the nuances begin to matter. At this point I still have so much to learn, I can't worry about that.

[sminki]

Yeah, but I noticed other Kumdo dojangs on the East Coast like Hong Moo Kwan are tough on ranking too, so it's not just us :wink:

No, it's pretty much just you. I don't think HMK has such a timeline for grading advancements as yours.

[taiwnezboi]

No, it's pretty much just you. I don't think HMK has such a timeline for grading advancements as yours.

haha alright.. anyways you seem to know a lot about my dojang.. what dojang are you from? do you ever come practice at our dojang?

[sminki]

No. I used to belong to a Korean dojang (before it went out of business) and had competed in the first tournament in Queens back in 2000. I also know some of the old members of HRK who have relocated to NY.

And of course, within the Korean kumdo community, master Chang is very well known.

[johnism]

I live in Overland park and have been trying to find a school also.
I did find this one
http://www.kckiaikido.com/
now I did not see any federation affiliations.

[johnism]

Sorry before I get railed
Click on classes and then the kendo Club .

[Cat of RD]

I know the place that you are speaking of. I should because I have been training there for a year and an half now. You won't find it to be associated to any federation. Because there was no association to any federation, I was leary about joining, but I am glad I did. The style of Kendo is called Ten Shin Ichi Ryu. If you want to know more about the style, then go to www.tenshinichiryu.com.

If you are interested, contact Charles Greathouse. He's the one who I am training under. His website, http://tsirkendo.tripod.com/, will provide you with some information as well his contact information. And if you are interested, he will let you watch or sit in on a class. If you contact him, let him know that I sent you.

The Cat

[Neil Gendzwill]

You're a long way from any AUSKF affiliated dojo. You might contact the AUSKF directly to see if they can help. Here's a thread (http://www.e-budo.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=24148) on e-budo discussing Ten Shin Ichi Ryu.

[opyk]

Two questions first I need a dojo in eastern kansas. I found a post for a dojo in kansas city at 6332 Neiman rd(i think) in Overland park. Its supposed to be an asian culteral center but its not there. If anyone has info on this place or another i would greatly appreciate it. Second is That I found a Kumdo dojo in Lawrence(much closer) and was wondering if i train there and moved elswhere would i only be able to train at a kumdo dojo or could i go to a kendo dojo. I know there are differences and simmilarities between the two but are the training and rankings interchangable. Any and all info would be greatly appreciated.
Our group do Kendo practice in Overland Park twice a week. (Wednesday 18:30-20:30, Saturday 10:00-12:00) If you are interested in joining us, please let me know by email. I'll inform you of the detail.