NewEnglands_KyoSa

I know that form, and like it very much. I would teach both. i would start with teaching the shotokan for grading purposes. and then i'd teach the korean one alittle later down the road, to those more advanced who have learned their material but still need to fulfill their time requirement. because i do believe this is a dan form correct?

I would say, charge him for the classes he comes to. Let him participate, but let him keep his previous rank. i think it could be a good thing, just as long as he/she is humble in that they don't go, well at my other school we ______. and my other instructor said to do it this______ way. i think it could be a great learning experience for both the new student, the current students around him/her, and the instructor teaching him/her.

As a student and Instructor, yelling at someone for being late for a test is nothing new. granted it may have set a bad tone, but it is up to those in the test to change that, and get out of that slump. but, i wouldnt take it personally, to heart, or anything like that. i don't think you are more in a bad mood, than you feel bad, for the kid who got yelled at, and the white belts who may have been scared. as for the kid who got yelled at, he deserved it, he wont be late again, as for the white belts i bet you they will never be late ever, as for you, it sounded like you had a pretty good test, so lighten your spirits mate, you did well, and passed, and its just a test. someone told me 'regret the test, but dont regret the rank because you've done more than test to get that rank.' but congrats, and i wouldnt lose sleep over this.

i don't think there's a need to read too deeply into the definition to a master. i just simply think it is a title given to those who have spent a great deal of time in their art, or arts. obviously one who dedicates their life, so that, they achieve a master's rank has given up a good portion of their life to martial arts and must be of some impressive skill, not perfection but a very strong ability. in my school, the title of master is given along with your 4th degree black belt(or master's black belt). to even be eligible to become a 4th degree master, you must have been in the art for atleast 13 years, it is usually much more. but there are those with inept ability and time to spare that have no missed a single grading.

in tang soo do Bassai So and Bassai Dae are for red belts. red belts are upper ranks, the last colored rank before black belt.

die or lie? im gonna go with lying...

if you can get your way out of anything with words, most especially something that might get you hurt...do it up...that's my standpoint

i have heard of the punch, but not the kick. i punch makes sense, and is almost a 'basic' concept, but it is very smart and of crucial philosophy for fighting.

hands down chuck norris and bruce lee. but i'd like to say my two professors of kempo and my tang soo do master.

good luck with your rank advancement but aside from that theres not real 'drills' i can think of that you can do to know miss open target areas, its kind of a martial arts common sense thing...hit the open area. but one thing you can do is work on light sparring with your partner and have them not throw strikes but leave certain parts open so you can recognize and strike them. then as you advance, have your partner throw a technique as well as leave a spot open and see if you can, block, identify the open spot, set it up, and counter. and also, look at the 'belly button' when fighting keeping the 'triangle' (head is tip, hips are base) in your vision, this will help, they simply cannot move without you seeing it. good luck. hope this helps.

iam not a studio owner yet, but i know and are currently helping a potential one right now...and he is doing is exactly what ninjanurse said. he talked to the community centers and is starting there, which in return will help him with the money he needs to open one up and pay for rent, but if you are purely looking for a place of your own, i'd search the general area for something that would work.

That is the case with most dipped foam gear (as it's all made the same way) but leather gear can vary a lot. Especially boxing gloves! How much lower is this stuff than other companies who sell the same things? most leather gear, name brand or not is usually not genuine leather! and personally, leather gear is waste of mine, i'll take my foam dipped any day

no worries

a few stretches that might help: get on all fours, locking your arms out at the elbows and take one leg and swing it out with the knee bent in the same position it started in, doing it 8-12 times for 3 sets and you'll start to feel it. do your both legs. another one is lay on your back and pull your knees to your chest and take your hands and put them on the balls of your feet and pull in. hold for 1-2 minutes, maybe even more. also while you're on your back straighten one leg entirely out bring the other knee half way up to your chest and pull accross with your opposite hand until you feel the stretch. again hold for 1-2 miuntes. hope these help! good luck!

well im sure in kenpo you have the 8 point blocking system, a very basic drill is to do it with a partner up and down a floor(retreating of course) that is like a very baseline drill to start with. and for anything conditioning i use door frames, it works for any technique you could imagine and they're very strong, it just makes a great deal of noise, that's all. also for conditioning, a wing chun dummy is very useful and anything arm to arm(if your partner's willing) will work as well. one more thing you can do is work with your partner in a one steps like fashion and on your kihap have him come forward with any technique he wants, and just work on this until you are prepared for everything(it'll take a while) go slow at first, and pick it up to full speed as your reaction times improve. hope this helped, good luck.

what kind of exercises, reactionary, or conditioning, i can't tell by your question what kind you're looking for?

i think that meditation can help anyone and everyone, regardless of whether they're in MAs or not. now i certainly don't believe that meditation will save the world, or believe it will keep anyone from hitting me, but i do believe it brings a greater focus and helps center your 'oneness'. i myself do very basic meditation, just when necessary, and with this busy, technological, not enough time in the day world it truly does help, and i certainly need it with my schedule.

well, this is a very stick situation john. one thing's for sure if all the components of...he's armed, he's far away, it's close to his body the only hope you have is to try to achieve peace, which is what we are taught first and foremost, if you can talk your way out, before anything else, then that is a successful fight. in that situation its either talk your way out, or get on your knees and pray. at that point, being a martial artist may mean squat. but in close proximity, with the gun aimed, the chances are increased by far. but advice is, don't get stuck in that situation! thats all i got for yah

you know...that's a tough break man. in a way i don't know exactly what to tell you. but, there really is no way to become an instructor with out having black belts in some areas. i'd like to say, youre leaning towards making your own style, or branch off into something of the sort, or atleast thats the vibe im getting. but that means you have to stick it out in some programs, and schools and get 2-3 different BBs. but the EASIER more common sense option is, ditch where you're at, you're obviously not happy. go to another school, test em out, ask some questions and join up, they may make you start at white, they may let you have some rank because of your experience. but anyways, settle down in another style that you're happy with, and if you become happier than you are now something tells me you won't mind spending the time it takes to be an instructor. but good luck, and i hoped this shed alittle light for you.

that's a very complex question because there is mental memory and muscle memory, both are different in different persons. i believe repetition in MAs are very important and techniques should be practiced upon until the practitioner feels comfortable. all variations and potentials areas and ways of attack should be explored, because how you react in stressful situations depend on how you practice.

first let me start off by saying that my school tests gups every three months. so the attendance cycle goes in three month periods. during these periods students must attend twice a week, and can only miss one class per month (or a total of three) to be eligible to test. students are allowed to 'make up' classes by going three or four times in one week, or in some cases going to a studio sponsored event. after that students are pre tested and upon passing the pretest, they are allowed to go the the test. we grade them on one steps, line drills, forms, free sparring and other miscellaneous concepts. the grading goes 1 to 10 and receiving any marks that are 5&6 constitutes failing, if it is in a category that require great understanding(ie forms) but if they get all 7s or 8s and they get one 6 on a specific technique(like a back kick) we let it go. we make comments on their pretests so they know what to work on, and we either sign off on the student, or not. then a week or two later they proceed to the test where they will be reviewed on the same material by the board.(usually all the certified masters and instructors). this way, someone different ends up with their pretest and can alter grades, or make comments, and either make the deciding decision whether to pass or fail.(only in rare cases do people fail). and then three weeks later they recieve their 'results' at the ceremony where they recieve their belts and they certificate signed by the chief master and their instructor. so im just wondering how does your gup gradings go? similar format? how much time? how much attendance? do you use jr. ranks, etc?

i'd look at some of GM ho sik pak's books and vids. i have heard a rumor that there is some bunkai in there but have never decided to for over the money to purchase them. other than that i'd google 'tang soo do books' and 'tang soo do bunkai'. if you find any good stuff on bunkai let me know, i've been lookin for that stuff forever.

if you can't tell from the look of it, and the legitmacy of the company you're buying from then don't buy it. but don't be concerned with brand names, especially in martial arts, brand names are HIGHLY over-rated. if they look and sound quality, they're probably quality, order em up, and they aren't send em back.

fighting and sparring, in my opinion, are two different things. a fight is a fight, end of story. but if we are speaking of sparring, which is a competition, it is good to have a few things perfected that you can bank on. it keeps your game plan simple. and think about it, naturally, you are only going to feel comfortable with and be good at maybe a half a dozen kicks depending upon how many are in your style. for example: i find comfort and a good amount of skill in my round, hook, reverse round, and axe kicks. using those in competition are more than enough for me because i put them in combinations with each other, and my hands. it works out for me because i feel comfortable with them, and because i feel comfortable with them im good at them. and the better and more comfortable you are with kicks, the faster their going to be, and speed is very effective in sparring.

honestly, i think you should try out some classes, see if they'll let you try a week and see if their school is right for you. if can't atleast try some visits like bushido said. personally, iam a black belt in the art of tang soo do, and i enjoy it. it is most definately a work out within self defense, and real applications, etc. i dont have much experience in wing chun, so i'd say hey try that out too. but honestly, to get the feel for it you're looking for you need to try some classes, or just sign up for a month and see what goes down. the good thing about martial arts is, you can do it for a handful of months, figure out its not for you, and go else where!