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| TaeKwonDo |
Master Monty Hendrix is the Founder and Owner of Essential Martial Arts. Master Hendrix is a published author and his column "The Essentials" is currently featured in each issue of the international martial arts magazine, "TaeKwonDo Times," (sold at Barnes and Noble). Master Hendrix holds the rank of 7th Dan Black Belt in TaeKwonDo, 4th Degree Master in HapKiDo and is a Full Instructor in Contemporary Jeet Kune Do. He also has 10 years of experience in Philippine Martial Arts and several years actively training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu/Submission grappling.
Which of your accomplishments means the most to you? Why?
I don't really think about life in terms of accomplishments as much as I enjoy the journey. I have a room full of major championships along with belts and certificates but I feel my greatest accomplishment is seeing a student make a personal improvement - on or off the mat - and then having them come back to me and say our martial arts program helped them make it possible.
You hold a black belt or instructor level in numerous martial arts. What are the strengths and weaknesses of each? Which one do you recommend people start with?
All arts have strengths and weaknesses. However, these strengths and weaknesses are different for each person. I like the diversity of HapKiDo. I like the aggressive nature of Jeet Kune Do. I like the softness of Tai Chi. I like the extreme nature of the knife and stick and I like the simplicity and work out of traditional Taekwon-Do. The weakness of any art is held within the personal limitations of the individual studying that art.
When do you advocate for a child to fight back against a bully at school? Many schools have taken on the policy to suspend anyone participating in fighting even if it's self defense?
When the other option is to be injured physically. The rules are secondary if bodily harm becomes imminent.
It seems systems like BJJ and Jeet June Do do not have forms. However, systems like Taekwondo feel they are instrumental? So, how important are forms if some awesome systems don't use them?
Forms are simply a set of combinations along with a method of solo training that is handed down from instructor to student in order to build: Technical ability along with physical fitness and mental discipline. Nothing more and nothing less. All legitimate fighting systems have combinations and solo training drills that build these attributes. Some use formal "sets" and some use a hanging bag, while others simply use mat space. It is up to the individual to find a system and training method that suits them physically and mentally.
When we go to tournaments we see young kids with black belts. We also hear people speaking negatively about it. What is your take on young kids being awarded black belts?
I can not criticize how anyone trains their students. Each system has different emphasis. So, that system may or may not be appropriate or feasible for a young person to meet certain training goals and make milestone achievements. I have styles such as HapKiDo, Knife Fighting, Jeet Kune Do and Tai Chi that children are not allowed to even participate. In our Taekwon-Do program, an individual must be at least 16 years old to achieve a full ranking black belt. Below that age they can only earn a "junior" status black belt. I do this because I have no personal desire to train a child the same way we would train an adult. Therefore the black belt designation must be different for us.
Critics claim there is little or no punching in TKD. Is this so?
There is little punching seen in Olympic style TKD sparring b/c of the rules. However, I have seen many Olympic TKD stylist perform incredible feats of breaking with the hands. Additionally I have seen their forms and they have a full arsenal of hand techniques. However, we only teach traditional Taekwon-Do. The system we teach has many more hand techniques than kick techniques and hands and feet are both often and regularly used to score in sparring both to the body and to the head. The confusion for non TKD stylist is that both branches of TKD teach powerful kicks as well as spinning and jumping kicks. These kicks are very dynamic visually so I believe some people outside of the TKD community believe TKD must only be kicking b/c kicks are the hallmarks of the style. I could see this being an innocent mistake.
Why do we see so many Jeet Kune Do experts also specialize in Kali or a type of Philippine Martial Arts?
You see this a lot b/c both systems involve hand traps at close quarters. Also, JKD does not actually use weapons so FMA is a great way to learn the stick and knife for any stylist.
What changes do you see happening in modern martial arts? What are your thoughts on them?
I think you will see martial arts continuing to spread. Some people will continue to love the traditional arts. Some will love the self defense systems. Some will love the diverse and mixed systems while others will enjoy the systems that teach fitness and relaxation. With the Internet being such a large part of our lives now, I see more people becoming aware that there is a martial art out there for everyone. As a result of that you will also see more martial arts schools opening up and probably closing down. Just because you love something doesn't mean everyone will love it. Just because you can "do" something doesn't mean you can teach it. So buyer beware.
How to do you insure all 3 of your schools get enough personal attention?
We have a full staff of professional certified black belts at each location.
Is there anything else you would like to tell our readers?
Train hard and enjoy the journey no matter what art or arts you train. All arts have something to offer. Don't let anyone tell you differently. I believe there is no BEST art but there might be a best art for YOU ! Just remember not to disrespect what is the best for someone else on your path of discovery.
Thank you Master Hendrix for your valuable time and well thought out answers.
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