Any USSD students on here?

[Drunken_Monk]

Well it seems that we have had a bad rep attached to us. We learn from what most people would refer to as the father of all "McDojos". I however dont feel this way, not anymore at least. See, to me the defense style that is taught at through USSD is an effective one. One that has a lot of potential and a lot of room for growth.

I can see how so many people would rag on the USSD chain as I myself have witnessed many "students" being tested and promoted to the next rank when clearly they should not have been. It angered me to watch this. I have also witnessed the power of the all mighty dollar. It was a sad day indeed but I have learned to focus on myself and push myself to new levels. I am making the style work for me and believe me, it does work.

Dont let all of this trash talk get you down, we practice an effective style of martial arts that when learned and executed correctly is very mean.
Remember the martial arts are only what you make of it, you can fake your way to the next rank but your only cheating yourself. You will have no one to blame but yourself. Remember that USSD is filled with a lot of great teachers, I have three great ones in my Dojo, dont hesitate to change instructors if you dont like yours.

All in all I hope we can use this Kempo forum to share ideas on what you like and what you dont like about our system. This should be a place to grow and learn from each other. Not a place to express your hate towards a system or its people/practitioners.

:bow:

- Juan (Testing for his Green belt this Saturday (04-22-06)

[jjaje]

Juan,

Good luck on your green belt test. It is true that if you want to get something out of your training you have to put something into it.

[Drunken_Monk]

Thank you Jeff. :)

What style of Kempo to do you practice? Im interested in learning as much as I can about the different flavors of Kempo. :karate:

[AndrewSimonsen]

Well it seems that we have had a bad rep attached to us. We learn from what most people would refer to as the father of all "McDojos".
Actually the ATA is more commonly reffered to as the father of all McDojos.

[Kenpo5th]

don't feel to bad about being labled a McDojo... I don't train at USSD, but I do moderate a USSD message board (a request from a friend, sine my original ranking is in that lineage) at http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/USSD1/

Personally, I think Charlie Mattera is brilliant, as both a business man and a damn fine Martial Artist. :bow:

[jjaje]

don't feel to bad about being labled a McDojo... I don't train at USSD, but I do moderate a USSD message board (a request from a friend, sine my original ranking is in that lineage) at http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/USSD1/

Personally, I think Charlie Mattera is brilliant, as both a business man and a damn fine Martial Artist. :bow:

Shaun,

Welcome to Budoseek and thank you for posting. It sounds as if you've been very busy for your 28 years.

I would like to take this time to remind everyone that you have to use your real full name filled as part of your profile. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

[Danjo]

Well it seems that we have had a bad rep attached to us. We learn from what most people would refer to as the father of all "McDojos". I however dont feel this way, not anymore at least. See, to me the defense style that is taught at through USSD is an effective one. One that has a lot of potential and a lot of room for growth.

I can see how so many people would rag on the USSD chain as I myself have witnessed many "students" being tested and promoted to the next rank when clearly they should not have been. It angered me to watch this. I have also witnessed the power of the all mighty dollar. It was a sad day indeed but I have learned to focus on myself and push myself to new levels. I am making the style work for me and believe me, it does work.

Dont let all of this trash talk get you down, we practice an effective style of martial arts that when learned and executed correctly is very mean.
Remember the martial arts are only what you make of it, you can fake your way to the next rank but your only cheating yourself. You will have no one to blame but yourself. Remember that USSD is filled with a lot of great teachers, I have three great ones in my Dojo, dont hesitate to change instructors if you dont like yours.

All in all I hope we can use this Kempo forum to share ideas on what you like and what you dont like about our system. This should be a place to grow and learn from each other. Not a place to express your hate towards a system or its people/practitioners.

:bow:

- Juan (Testing for his Green belt this Saturday (04-22-06)

It sounds like you found one of the few good ones to train in. Where are you training BTW?

Most problems with the USSD have to do with the price and the idea that due to the fact that quality suffers due to the instructors being fulltime employees. This makes it difficult to keep up quality because of fear of losing business if you're too strict. Many of the people in the USSD that are serious are like you. They put a lot into what they are doing and push themselves harder than they are required to by their instructors. But you must realize that you are the exception to the rule (as wittnessed by the belt tests you refer to). When you get to the end of your current contract, you might consider checking out a couple of other places before re-comitting yourself just so you are aware of what else is out there. Then, if you're still satisfied with the USSD, go for it. Meanwhile, keep holding yourself to that high standard.

[tiger_rf]

people keep saying ussd costs too much. ok heres the way i look at it.

i have done the calling around and checking into other schools in the area i live in both before AND after i joineed ussd.

1. i pay $165 a month for UNLIMITED groups classes, meaning i can fo 7 DAYS A WEEK IF I CHOOSE TO. on top of that i get a private lesson once a week with my instructor.

2. ALL of my instructors are professionally trained in HOW to teach someone.

3. ALL of the schools in this area are MINIMUM $80-100 a week for 2 GROUP CLASSES. if the school even offers private lessons they start at $50 PER HALF HOUR and go form there. I have seen them for as much as $100 per half hour.

4. there are schools nation wide which means i can go to group classes in almost any state in the country. if i move i dont have to start over again unless its an area where there is no USSD school.

5. each belt has 2-3 degrees.....why? whats the point. a white belt is a white belt...yellow is yellow.....i odnt want to test 3-4 times for ONE COLOR BELT

do the math. if you do 1 private lesson a week and the group classes (most schools are limited to 2 group classes a week and one sparring class) thats $280 a month or more.

all of the dojos i checked out before joining USSD not a single one had a qualilfied instructor teaching class it was higher ranking students that were doing it to help out. out of 5 different schools i looked into 1 had the chief instructor/owner teaching classand he was teaching a knife kata and everyone in the class looked confused.


YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR just like in anything else.

sorry guys complain all you want. call prof materra what ever you want. call USSD what you want. if you havent trained there you have nothing to say. i have aboslutely no problem paying someone the amount i do when i know what else is out there.

sorry dont mean to come off as confrontational but i get irritated when people start to bash things they know nothing about. whether it be martial arts or nething else. if i dont know then i say i dont know.

and besides isnt part of the martial arts training humility and respect?

[Danjo]

people keep saying ussd costs too much. ok heres the way i look at it.

i have done the calling around and checking into other schools in the area i live in both before AND after i joineed ussd.

1. i pay $165 a month for UNLIMITED groups classes, meaning i can fo 7 DAYS A WEEK IF I CHOOSE TO. on top of that i get a private lesson once a week with my instructor.

2. ALL of my instructors are professionally trained in HOW to teach someone.

3. ALL of the schools in this area are MINIMUM $80-100 a week for 2 GROUP CLASSES. if the school even offers private lessons they start at $50 PER HALF HOUR and go form there. I have seen them for as much as $100 per half hour.

4. there are schools nation wide which means i can go to group classes in almost any state in the country. if i move i dont have to start over again unless its an area where there is no USSD school.

5. each belt has 2-3 degrees.....why? whats the point. a white belt is a white belt...yellow is yellow.....i odnt want to test 3-4 times for ONE COLOR BELT

do the math. if you do 1 private lesson a week and the group classes (most schools are limited to 2 group classes a week and one sparring class) thats $280 a month or more.

all of the dojos i checked out before joining USSD not a single one had a qualilfied instructor teaching class it was higher ranking students that were doing it to help out. out of 5 different schools i looked into 1 had the chief instructor/owner teaching classand he was teaching a knife kata and everyone in the class looked confused.


YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR just like in anything else.

sorry guys complain all you want. call prof materra what ever you want. call USSD what you want. if you havent trained there you have nothing to say. i have aboslutely no problem paying someone the amount i do when i know what else is out there.

sorry dont mean to come off as confrontational but i get irritated when people start to bash things they know nothing about. whether it be martial arts or nething else. if i dont know then i say i dont know.

and besides isnt part of the martial arts training humility and respect?

I trained there for a year and a half. The "Trained" instructors went to an "academy" which authorizes low ranking colored belts to wear "red" belts that conceal there otherwise low rank and teach the class to people that outrank them. Rancho Cucomanga? I train at Bishop's Kajukenbo Academy where Professor John Bishop personally teaches his own class twice per week for 1 1/2 hours per night. If, for whatever reason he can't be there, another BLACK BELT teaches in his place. The test fees per belt are $25 dollars (USSD Cost $65 dollars for a purple belt test and it went up from there). The total cost of the classes? $40 dollars every 6 weeks. Rancho is close enough to drive to Diamond Bar easily. Not to mention that there are tons of classes of various martial arts that cost way less than what you're saying here. Ralph Gracie JJ was $ 110 per month for 4 days per week. Shotokan was $60 dollars per month. Judo, kung Fu, Jiu Jitsu, and Karate were $99 dollars per month (whichever one you wanted to take) at Warren's Samurai Academy. All of these are fairly close to you, so I'm not sure how well you looked. that's just off the top of my head when I was looking for a new place to train after leaving the USSD. You are probably locked into a two year contract at that price no?

[jjaje]

OK, you both have had your say on this subject. As the sticker says "your mileage may vary" and you each have a different personal experience, and it's OK to disagree. However one persons personal experience does not dictate whole system.

I would prefer it if we did not get into a contest of trying to have the last word and rehashing the same points again and again.

Back to the original post - how did the Green belt test go? What did you have to do for it?

[EncinoMan]

Yeah, how did it go? Who proctored your test?

[jjbeard926]

I've read a lot about USSD from both its supporters and detractors lately. I feel I should now put in my 2 cents worth.

As with any martial art, or really any discipline at all, your school or dojo will matter more then which art it is. I get asked a lot which art is best, or most dangerous or most practical and of course there is no real answer. But here's what I see of USSD and other McDojos vs the "normal" dojo experience.

First who I am: I've been interested in martial arts since I was a child. I wasn't allowed to attend classes since my parents were concerned about me fighting in school so I learned all I could without them knowing. I luckily had a friend whose father was a third Dan in Korean Judo. He had retired from, teaching due to several health problems with his ankles and legs causing him a great deal of pain when teaching classes for more then about an hour a day. Of course teaching less then that was impractical so he was reduced to overseeing belt tests and judging tournaments. After I explained that I was interested in learning (but leaving out the fact that I did not have permission) he agreed to teach me when the occasion permitted. I ended up taking several classes with him each summer until they moved away, about 3 years after I had started. I learned a lot but it was very informal. But most importantly it let me see what it should look and feel like to learn real self defense. I proceeded to try and learn karate from videos and found them to be useful as doorstops or paperweights. I have since dabbled with different schools but due to moves, the needs of raising a family and financial issues I hadn't found one that I could stick to for very long.

On to more recent times, I now have a family and my daughter started showing interest in martial arts about a year and a half ago. I found a dojo about a block from our apartment run by USSD. At first I blew it off as a McDojo since they call themselves self defense rather then by the discipline they teach. I usually avoid that type of school and wanted to see some of the smaller dojos in the area. After much searching and calling around I had in hand a list of smaller dojos to visit and look into. My first searching was via the internet to see what locals thought of them. I was upset to find that most of the local reviews that were positive were for the USSD schools both in my town and the neighboring town. I decided to ignore this though and view the smaller schools for myself. I was very disappointed by almost all of them. Out of nearly a dozen schools, all but one were way too small for practical classes. Many had barely enough floor space for one sparring ring, let alone two or three. All were in varied states of disrepair, one had loose floorboards, another had dirt everywhere, it wasn't looking good. But the worst of it was several of these "more reputable" small dojos were run by idiots. I found several "Kung Fu" instructors who couldn't tell me which type of Kung Fu they taught, one actually didn't know there were types within Kung Fu. I asked another about sparring and he said they never sparred at all and that he found it unnecessary for training. Anyway, I could list all the problems here but I won’t.

USSD:
Even though I didn't want to look at USSD I was getting a little desperate and was about to start searching in downtown LA or the San Fernando Valley for a school (either would be between a half hour to an hour drive for us without traffic and trust me when I say there is always traffic). So my wife went to look at USSD by herself, I still didn't want to go having heard negative things about it. She came back very excited and talked me into taking a look even though I said we weren't going there no matter what. I'll list what I like and don't like about the school to make it easier to read.

1) Very clean and well kept Dojo. Proper respects were shown to the dojo including a no shoe policy in the dojo, bowing when entering and exiting the dojo, the students were required to keep the dojo clean but were not being forced to do trivial labor to clean the dojo like some were doing (I seriously saw a group class at another dojo spend half the class sweeping and moping, that sort of activity while fine and may be part of training shouldn't count as training time).

2) Competent instructors. While the sign read self defense another said they taught Karate and then the brochure said Kung Fu. I found this disturbing and a warning flag went up. However, when I asked the instructor she explained that they actually teach Shaolin Kempo Kung Fu. She was also able to tell me the lineage of Shaolin Kempo and how it relates to and descends from other forms of Kung Fu. No other sensei had been able to or was willing to explain their art to me in this manner. Most had left it at Kung Fu and those that had known had simply said Hung Gar, Wing Chun or Wushu and left it at that for me to figure out. I am lucky that I knew what each of these meant, but still it could have been confusing to a newbie. At USSD the sensei went on to explain why the signs say different things, her explanation was roughly that they don't view their version of Shaolin kempo as being Kung Fu any longer since it is so far removed from the original forms. They use the Shaolin forms as a basis for their teachings but they use many Karate forms and the easier Japanese terms for many things, then they use Ju Jitsu, Aikido and Jeet Kun Do styles to "mix up" the training a little more and make it more practical. I respect and appreciate this since I learned early on that no street fight is ever one with one style of martial art. A MMA style should be used if possible.

3) Access. The dojo being so close means less wasted time going to and from the school. There are three within 15 minutes of my apartment. Also for only a little more per month then many of the smaller schools were asking I have access to the school 7 days a week and I often take advantage of that fact. I never feel unwelcome or as if I was overusing the dojo. In fact the head senseis are usually very glad to see me and every other student at the school. They usually ask if I want to sit in on a class or if I just need some time to meditate or use the equipment.

4) Size. The USSD dojo I attended was about the same size as the largest dojo I had been to visit. It was separated into 2 main rooms, a private lesson room and the group room (also with a restroom, 2 dressing rooms and a storage area). Even though it was quite large the room seemed teeming with people. There were a fair number of people training when I visited, a few working forms alone, several more working with a sensei on forms, a pair practicing point sparring (we wont get into the point vs real sparring argument here) and a group class going on working in pairs. I was impressed at the sense of order in the multitude of students and teachers, also the school had enough room for all these people work around each other.

5) Lineage. The head sensei was able to tell me directly the lineage of her 2 black belts. She and her partner both are double black belts in Shaolin Kempo. Her first belt came from another USSD school in southern California and her second came from Professor Charles Materra, at the time 9th Dan in Shaolin Kempo as bestowed by Shi Yongxin of the Shaolin Temple in the year 2000. He has since been awarded 10th Dan by the Shaolin Temple. She was also able to trace both her first sensei and professor Materra to Fred Villari student to Master Nick Cerio all the way back to Grandmaster James Mitose. The dojo also has two other instructors that are also black belts.

6) Price. The price is a bit more then most schools in the area, but I've seen others that charge as much and don't offer what USSD does. It was a major concern for me as it appeared the McDojo title was fitting and that this might be a belt factory type school. However, I had my daughter start since the search was for her to begin with. She has spent the last year and a half at the USSD dojo and loves it. I watched several of her lessons and they do seem to be teaching her quite a lot. I've seen her reflexes improve, her strength, endurance, respect and her skills are much improved.

I have since joined as well and find it both hard and rewarding. I never leave without breaking a sweat and usually there are sore muscles as well. As with any art you get what you put into it. But the dojo is a big effect on people’s view of the chain. I've heard some horror stories about some of the dojos but others are very good.

My recommendation is not to write them off without checking out your local USSD School. Mine is well worth the cost, but yours may be no good. It depends on the head sensei and how they are being run.

[jjbeard926]

Bah, forgot my signature.

[TonyU]

Bah, forgot my signature.
No need, as long as you real name appears in the profile.

[jjaje]

Jordan,

I'm glad you found a school you can grow in and be challenged in. I agree it is more about the individual school than the name brand.