Then again Villari brings a lot of the abuse for his system upon himself. Contrived name, the questionable quality control, etc.
[i]
Rogue, you’re an @ss!! Watchman
Adventure is just a romantic name for trouble. It sounds swell when you write about it, but it’s hell when you meet it face to face in a dark and lonely place.
Louis L’Amour
BTW, did I mention that Rogue was an @ss? Watchman[/i]
“Then again Villari brings a lot of the abuse for his system upon himself. Contrived name, the questionable quality control, etc.”
The system itself is a good system. Its greatest strength is its greatest weakness, too much information. Most people can find what works best for them in it. (Out side of specializing in sporting events, its not NHB, or Olympic TKD or Judo tournament stuff)
But it covers so much that it takes a long time to find your nich and work on it.
If you were to find a knowledgeable instructor in the system (unluckily too may are clueless) the theory’s, concepts, information and techniques are comp. to any style.
(But we see this in every style, I even met a guy who teaches “Brazillian Style Jiu-Jitsu” Im not sure what that is)
The biggest problem Villari has is Villari. The schools worry to much about getting money from the students. I know of schools that have hundreds of students and because of the enrollment do not charge for testing (enough money comes in from the monthly fees)Villari tries new ways of getting a few more bucks out of the individual schools.
Quality control is another problem, good system but he lets anyone throw his name on the door for a price. You can walk into a school and have a great instructor, or a smoking fat guy who cant teach a dog starving to beg.
Villari could ave been a leading name in modern martial arts, but money is keeping him back.
Talk about testing for dollars, I once got to test twice in one month! It was wrong, but my ego needed stroking. 
[i]
Rogue, you’re an @ss!! Watchman
Adventure is just a romantic name for trouble. It sounds swell when you write about it, but it’s hell when you meet it face to face in a dark and lonely place.
Louis L’Amour
BTW, did I mention that Rogue was an @ss? Watchman[/i]
The forms in the Villari system may be taken from another martial art, they may not. Who cares? How can anyone say they came up with a certain type of movement? How can you claim to own the idea of movement?
The important thing is that the instrcutors understand the forms. There is a HUGE difference between 1 Pinion and 2 Pinion. PLENTY of schools have taken the forms/katas from the Villari system (USSD), and while they can perform them, they aren’t moving properly as they do them. You see they don’t ‘get the point’.
As far as I know the only form Fred Villari actually takes credit for comming up with is Sho Tung Kwok. A form only a second degree black belt in the Villari system learns. This form contains hints of all parts of the style. It is very shaolin in its movements. Its easier to teach someone who knows karate and kempo how to move like a shaolin than it is to teach someone who knows nothign about moving their body.
Also, there is another form, where the premise of the form is a karate form, being performed BY a Shaolin. It has the rigid stances of karate but grazes through them gracefully as a shaolin.
I didn’t tell you anyting that cannot be found on wikipedia.
http://www.austinkenpokarate.com/
How does this style of Karate differ from SKK?
Jenn,
I know you say you like the instructor, and the students, and the classes. However, I say this to you as a former instructor for “that organization” and a 30 year veteran of Martial Arts,having also taught for over twenty years, and studied numerous TRADITIONAL styles. The stances, structure, physics, and technique taught there is completely wrong. Not simply different,but structurally, and technique-wise, incorrect.
Training in this manner will make learning a real Martial Art very difficult, as you will have developed bad habits of movement and posture-neuropathways. In some cases, your entire career in Martial Arts may be jeopardized.
Find a real school, not a McDojo, or a Belt Factory. Learn the proper way to stand,and move correctly. Trust me. You will find a teacher you like, and people you enjoy training with, but run.
Feel free to e-mail me, and in fact, if you send me the yellow pages of your area, I will call up the schools, speak to the teachers, inquire about their history, lineage, and find you a school where you will be happy, and develop proper habits. I do this for people all the time. Why? Because I know how wonderful learning Martial Arts truly is, and I know how frustrating it can be spending time in a poor school. The problem is, most people don’t know the difference. Sometimes you can spend years in a poor school and not realize it. Some never do. I suppose ignorance is bliss, but I would rather not be ignorant.
JSTREET-no, that is from Ed Parker’s Kenpo, which is a completely different breed than Villari’s. Ed Parker learned from William Chow, and although Chow taught Nick Cerio who taught Villari, they branched off into two completely different directions. Parker’s stuff is very good, very technical.
[QUOTE=Ironpig;70692]If you concern yourself with reputation you will find that the school you go to has none.
There will always be people who will nay say and grief post crap about whatever you do.
Just look for truth in the techniques, expose yourself to as many arts and practitioners as possible and be open to the idea that you may not have the be all end all art that is advertised.
Did I mention have fun?
I left Fred Villari’s because I couldn’t get a straight answer from the top masters on lineage and where the forms came from. When I asked one too many times I was told that I was being disrespectful. WTF? If they didnt know they could have just said so, I would still be there researching the answers myself.
Your experience may be different, have a great time and try to pull good skills and some friends from ANY experience.
just a few pennies from a pig…
-“bigger is BIGGER”
IronPig[/QUOTE]
Fred villari made alot of the forms after black belt.
[QUOTE=Dark Knight;70704]“Then again Villari brings a lot of the abuse for his system upon himself. Contrived name, the questionable quality control, etc.”
The system itself is a good system. Its greatest strength is its greatest weakness, too much information. Most people can find what works best for them in it. (Out side of specializing in sporting events, its not NHB, or Olympic TKD or Judo tournament stuff)
But it covers so much that it takes a long time to find your nich and work on it.
If you were to find a knowledgeable instructor in the system (unluckily too may are clueless) the theory’s, concepts, information and techniques are comp. to any style.
(But we see this in every style, I even met a guy who teaches “Brazillian Style Jiu-Jitsu” Im not sure what that is)
The biggest problem Villari has is Villari. The schools worry to much about getting money from the students. I know of schools that have hundreds of students and because of the enrollment do not charge for testing (enough money comes in from the monthly fees)Villari tries new ways of getting a few more bucks out of the individual schools.
Quality control is another problem, good system but he lets anyone throw his name on the door for a price. You can walk into a school and have a great instructor, or a smoking fat guy who cant teach a dog starving to beg.
Villari could ave been a leading name in modern martial arts, but money is keeping him back.[/QUOTE]
If you think villaris is bad check out USSD, villaris student broke off(Charles mattera) 15 or so years ago and now charges some where between 180 to 225 a MONTH!
I have found in charles mattera’s organization ussd to run by red belts and 1st and 2nd degrees.
I just got done reviewing Villari’s website, since I didnt really know anything about Shaolin Kempo Karate… WTH! Villari makes several statements concerning Karate blows are much more explosive than Shaolin Kung fu blows, allowing karate to execute fewer moves to get the job done. Also, Shaolin Kung Fu has more patterns of multiple strike, making it easier to counter attack, etc.
Well, I Dont know what this guy is thinking, but I can tell you right now He’s 100% wrong, in all aspects of Shaolin Kung Fu, power, stance, patterns, etc. For someone who mastered Shaolin kung fu, he sure doesnt know jack about it.
I really dont care what the guys calls his style. But, there’s no authentic Shaolin there. Jenn, I agree with ten tiger, Run.
[QUOTE=shaolin monkey3;699687]If you think villaris is bad check out USSD, villaris student broke off(Charles mattera) 15 or so years ago and now charges some where between 180 to 225 a MONTH!
I have found in charles mattera’s organization ussd to run by red belts and 1st and 2nd degrees.[/QUOTE]
Yes this true. A lot of people consider mattera the con man of martial arts.
[QUOTE=Citong Shifu;699817]I just got done reviewing Villari’s website, since I didnt really know anything about Shaolin Kempo Karate… WTH! Villari makes several statements concerning Karate blows are much more explosive than Shaolin Kung fu blows, allowing karate to execute fewer moves to get the job done. Also, Shaolin Kung Fu has more patterns of multiple strike, making it easier to counter attack, etc.
Well, I Dont know what this guy is thinking, but I can tell you right now He’s 100% wrong, in all aspects of Shaolin Kung Fu, power, stance, patterns, etc. For someone who mastered Shaolin kung fu, he sure doesnt know jack about it.
I really dont care what the guys calls his style. But, there’s no authentic Shaolin there. Jenn, I agree with ten tiger, Run.[/QUOTE]
Your right about there being no shaolin in villaris shaolin kempo ten tiger.
I used to study and work for ussd a villari breakoff school and they tried to pull the same crap villari did claiming their teaching the authentic shaolin gung fu.
Steve damasco wrote in the new black belt mag he’s been training in shaolin for 20 some years now. What a load of #@$%
[QUOTE=shaolin monkey3;699687]If you think villaris is bad check out USSD, villaris student broke off(Charles mattera) 15 or so years ago and now charges some where between 180 to 225 a MONTH!
I have found in charles mattera’s organization ussd to run by red belts and 1st and 2nd degrees.[/QUOTE]
This is one of things that irritate me about ussd. You never knew if your instructor was any good or if he was really a blue belt. A red belt or 1st degree should not charge 200 a month for karate lessons. A $100 is a fair price for a ussd red belt/black belt not $200 for an unqualified green belt at best.
After I worked there for a while I noticed certain instructors were promoted fast based on sales skills. Nothing about sparing or knowing the art it self just how many people they signed up. A real black belt should run a school not a 20 year old black belt who has only studied for a year and a half and is now a black belt.
All in all ussd’s instructor black belts are green belts at best.
[QUOTE=ninja matt;766311]This is one of things that irritate me about ussd. You never knew if your instructor was any good or if he was really a blue belt. A red belt or 1st degree should not charge 200 a month for karate lessons. A $100 is a fair price for a ussd red belt/black belt not $200 for an unqualified green belt at best.
After I worked there for a while I noticed certain instructors were promoted fast based on sales skills. Nothing about sparing or knowing the art it self just how many people they signed up. A real black belt should run a school not a 20 year old black belt who has only studied for a year and a half and is now a black belt.
All in all ussd’s instructor black belts are green belts at best.[/QUOTE]
:eek: :eek: =X
[QUOTE=ninja matt;766311]This is one of things that irritate me about ussd. You never knew if your instructor was any good or if he was really a blue belt. A red belt or 1st degree should not charge 200 a month for karate lessons. A $100 is a fair price for a ussd red belt/black belt not $200 for an unqualified green belt at best.
After I worked there for a while I noticed certain instructors were promoted fast based on sales skills. Nothing about sparing or knowing the art it self just how many people they signed up. A real black belt should run a school not a 20 year old black belt who has only studied for a year and a half and is now a black belt.
All in all ussd’s instructor black belts are green belts at best.[/QUOTE]
a $100 for a ussd red belt teaching you is not a bad idea. What they are teaching you at ussd is #@$% anyway so it should be free.
USSD instructors are promoted for sales skill not martial arts.
[QUOTE=sk girl;768794]a $100 for a ussd red belt teaching you is not a bad idea. What they are teaching you at ussd is #@$% anyway so it should be free.
USSD instructors are promoted for sales skill not martial arts.[/QUOTE]
Haha. I agree with you it should all be free at ussd it sucks in my opinion.
[QUOTE=ninja matt;770846]Haha. I agree with you it should all be free at ussd it sucks in my opinion.[/QUOTE]
They should pay you to attened their classes.:eek:
[QUOTE=sk girl;774192]They should pay you to attened their classes.:eek:[/QUOTE]
Ouch…burn?
hey sinsei shellie, didn’t you teach at the seal beach school and yorba linda ussd school?
Hey, I’m just curious; What martial art(s) are all you ex-Shaolin Kempo people training in now?