[Spinch]

Conratulations! Makes me want to try a martial art of some type again.

[Byrntrigan]

Mar 26, 2009 9:41:55 GMT -5 bdoriginal said:

Technically, Segal's style is Aikido. There are stories floating around about him marrying a Japanese woman just so that the sensei would be more welcome to teaching a white guy the art and as soon as he learned the style enough to teach, he bolted and left his Japanese wife behind. I can vouch for the validity, but it's one of those "so fucked up, it sounds true" stories

Congrats Byrne, would have commented sooner had I seen this. Even though I like BJJ, I actually despite ground fighting and would love to add another striking element to my game (currently doing kick boxing, but if I can get my contract renegotiated to trade it for Muy Thai, I will). Kempo sounds cool. I remember as a kid I though Kempo and Kendo were the same thing because kids are stupid.

Thanks Bd.

What other styles have you studied?

[Byrntrigan]

Thanks everyone. Appreciate. I'll be testing for my yellow belt next month...

[DevSop]

I actually was taught by my stepfather in a private school. Only between 4 and 14 students at the most were ever being taught at the same time. We only had White, Yellow, Purple, Blue, Green, Brown (3 Degrees), Black. No paying for the testing and only $20.00 per month for 6-8 classes.

I always wonder what "store-front" karate schools charge because I've heard some horror stories, mostly about Taekwondo, or as we like to refer to it Take-My-Dough.

[Byrntrigan]

Yeah, I've heard those for the McDojo's.

Funny thing that you guys don't have Orange, apparently my school didn't ave them 5-6 years ago, they went to yellow as well (I guess that's a Parker school thing).

That's not bad for dues though, although we have more classes.

You can read about my school here: www.whitetigerkenpo.com

The owner / head instructor is a Grand Master trained by John McSweeny and Ed Parker.

That would have been cool to have a instructor for a father / step-father. Although he probably worked you extra hard...

[Fire-Babe]

ours is a storefront that is rapidly losing money, because while mr. kramer may be a good instructor, he sucks as a businessman.

anyway, we go white-yellow(2)-orange(2)-purple(2)-blue(2)-green(2)-brown(3)-black

www.contemporarykarate.com if anyone cares.

there's a guy that occasionally teaches judo out of the space, and then on sundays we have our sub-level-4 bruise-fest.

I can't tell you how much we charge, since, as an instructor there, my 'salary' is basically one free lesson for every four I teach. So it varies quarter to quarter.

I can say our studio is different in that we have no contracts, and lessons are private, although there are group classes held every evening as well.

[Byrntrigan]

So are the belt colors and degrees based on a tradition, or chosen by the master who devised the system / association the style belongs to?

MTA: I understand the belt used to just be white, and the reason why we don't wash it was / is that as we accumulate knowledge it turns black, so the belt issued to you from your instructor / master is the same from white to black.