[diamondpete]

hi Rachaella

Thanks for sharing your experiences.

Originally Posted by Rachaella

please no jokes about martial arts classes at the Y...

I think that who you study from, practice with and what you put into is more important than the where you are actually doing it. Unfortunately, part of the "branding" of MA depends on creating a hierarchy of MA, where the MA schools are somehow automatically higher than the Y or even a guy teaching in his yard. There are a lot of poor schools.

If you had a good experience at the Y, then that is exactly what it was, a good experience. I am not particularly impressed by how MA is branded and marketed in some places and how to make their own "brand" better there is a tendency to belittle other experiences to make their own seem more legitimate or better by comparison.

Originally Posted by Rachaella

So, I started wado ryu karate and got my shodan in 3 1/2 years. And yes, I did have to start over at white belt, but it was worth it. Overall, while there are some differences, the tae kwon do I learned was less sport-oriented and more traditional. Again, some differences, but in my experience, there are many more similarities and the transition is not a big deal.

Have to agree with that. Your body only moves so many ways, as does the defender/opponent/partner. I think it is more a matter of emphasis on what parts are used, and to what degree (force, targets, etc)

Originally Posted by Rachaella

Realistically, wado ryu has more emphasis on using the entire body, while tae kwon do's strengths are in its kicks.

Don't know enough about TKD to comment on that except to say that I suspect that varies greatly depending on what form of TKD you are studying. Hopefully Chris C. will comment on that.

Cheers

Peter