sensei8

Not really. Kumite and any form of rule based fighting you can only practise say 30% of potential techniques as in a real fight. You/we are practicing timing, footwork in a stand up fight with guards etc. When was the last time you saw someone lift their hands up in a guard positon for a street fight, measure the distance and pull off a straight reverse punch? I haven't. Do you practice glassing someone in your dojo? Do you practice poking eyes out? Tearing a set of keys across someone face? Ripping a finger out of it's socket? stamping on peoples rib cage? Pulling out a pen from your pocket and stabbing someone in the face? Pushing one opponent away from you as someone else comes in behind you with a knife? What you practice in the dojo is different to what you would use in a real fight. I've already offered up my thought/opinion, therefore, the summation of 'why' is to the summation of 'because'!!

It boils down to one thing, imho, and that is....SELF EXPRESSION. Isn't that the core, and the right of every martial artist? To express themselves honesty to not only themselves, but to others as well. After all, self expression is of one's own personality, feelings, or ideas. The practioner of music Kata is doing it for themself, first, and for the observer second. Hopefully, not always, the observers sees and feels what the practitioner is displaying through movements. The music sets THEIR Kata alive and without the music, it's STILL that practitioners own interpretation of body movements. Kata to music allows just that!! A chance to see the practitoner put movements to music; this, imho, is beauiful to behold. Just as when we see dance put to music; its the dancers chance to express themselves honestly, as the visual properties of that music comes alive. It's the beauty of watching the human body EXPRESS ITSELF!! Isn't that beautiful to behold? It is to me! I don't watch Kata done to music for it's effectiveness as much as I do for its beauty through expression. Effective techniques will exist no matter the venue!! They either are or they aren't. But, imho, that's not what's important about the Music Kata division. No. Music marries Kata, and that is beauty, both in art and in the individual. I've never seen a rose as beautiful as THIS ROSE!! Nothing will change that fact! In that, art is interpretated differently by its viewers. I see this picture my way, and someone else sees that same picture their way and the next person sees that same picture their way, so on and so on, but the picture remains the same in our eyes. So, is music Kata only for its effectiveness in the martial arts? Imho, it's not!! Parameters change because people change; it's inevitable, and in that, we need to accept that change. Take a step back and don't judge music Kata for only its martial arts context, but judge it for its martial arts beauty! As a matter of fact...don't judge music Kata at all; allow it to just exist for what it's meant to be. Beauty is a characteristic of a person, animal, place, object, or idea that provides a perceptual experience of pleasure, meaning, or satisfaction, hence music Kata! See it for what it is...BEAUTIFUL SELF EXPRESSION!!

Rule based fighting=A safe means to fine tune knowledge/skills Real fighting=A real means to those fine tuned knowledge/skills Imho!!

OUCH....Dallas Cowboys...1-7!! The only saving grace is that the Bills have a worse record of 0-8. Well, there's always next year! How about them fighting JETS!! AWESOMENESS!! Tough loses for the Chiefs and the Dolphins...sorry Patrick and Brian. 6 real closes games...congrats to the winners of those real close games! 3 blow-out games...congrats to the winners of those dominate games! Congrats to the other winning teams!! MNF...Bengals (2-5) hosting the Steelers (5-2)...the Bengals have lost 4 straight games...so, my prediction for this game will be...21-7 for a Steeler win. This weeks bye teams: Broncos, Titans, Rams, 49ers, Redskins, Jaguars Next weeks bye teams: Packs, Raiders, Saints, Chargers GO COWBOYS!!!!

"Teaching martial arts" can be a very difficult task for both the writer as well as the reader because not all black belts can teach!!

In your opinion...The martial arts PLUS a controlled environment EQUALS...what?

Funny thing about the back/L stance is that, for the most part, I've primarily seen said stance used only in one venue time after time...KATA!! In Kumite, I've rarely seen this said stance. Front and side stance seem to be the stance of choice. We don't see the cat or diagonal side or hour glass or the many other unseen stances used in Kumite. Now, the weight distribution to the rear in the back/L stance can limit mobility. However, imho, lack of experience ISN'T the true reason of it's limited use in Kumite. The true reason is more than likely a choice of "comfortability" preference. Nonetheless, the back/L stance is an effective stance when it's used in its proper context. Obvious to me, Kumite isn't the proper context for most practitioners.

Thanks Bob! But I don't actually have any students atm... would love to have my own class/school in the future but with all the studying for uni and other things I don't really have time for my own training let alone have time to teach others. These are just some teaching ideas and methods based on my own learning and experiences which I occasionally get to inflict on others at the school I train at and that I'll work on with sparring partners if they're less experienced. Well, then your fellow TKD practitioners are luck to have you to train with and have fun with!! However, when, and if, the day comes to you and you open your own dojang, those future students will be very luck to have you as their instructor!!

You're welcome Patrick!!

Welcome to KF James!!!!!!!!!

Welcome to KF!!!!!

That's new to me; never seen them before. Interesting and I'm only wondering just how difficult, if at all, it would be to take off after a sweat dripping workout, to take off. The price of it isn't that much! I might have to get one myself.

Whenever I judge kata, and this comes up, and it does quite often, I laugh to myself, and then I just judge their kata. To me, the name they shout out doesn't sway me one way or another to dock any points, because to that practitioner, it is what they say it is to that practitioner.

SOLID post!!

Great article!! I was biting when I was 10 years old, and it scarred me, the fear that is, the bite was minor. But, whenever I'm around dogs that I don't know, I DO PANIC. Whenever a dog owner says, "Don't worry, she/he won't bite you", but, I wonder if the dog knows that she/he won't bite me. So, I keep my distance until the dog gets to know me, but even then, I'm very respectful of the dogs TEETH and I won't put my hands near the dogs head in the fear I might startle the dog. I love dogs, the ones I know, and I've owned many dogs. I guess it's the unknown with strange dogs that scare me to death. Your advise is solid! Hopefully, I can put your advise into action one day. Thanks for the article!

DWx, Let me just say this one thing to you...SOLID!! An absolute solid article, great read. Your students are lucky to have you as their instructor!!

I think I will order one just to test it out. My wife is most likely going to kill me for order another martial arts test piece but oh well LOL!!! Did you look at Sensei8 backcatcher idea. Those look pretty good also. Just not sure how well they breath. I'd imagine that they breath very well, after all, a MLB catcher is behind the plate for 9 innings, some innings long, some short.

That one looks similar in design as to my first MLB catcher protector link.

Well I thank you for the feedback. I actually received my Nidan April of 2007 and my Sandan in 2009, the intent of this paper is to add legitimacy to it because I do not actively participate in any major organization. There is no one to turn it into because I did it out of self-motivation. It gives me the opportunity to receive peer feedback. If the responses were "you are so far off it's not even funny", then I would have a lot of work to do clearly. The plan was a "what do you know about karate from personal experience" for Shodan Paper. "What do you know about other people's views on karate" for my Nidan Paper. My next big project is a 30+ page paper on the Dan/Kyu System - exploring its effectiveness and postulating if there is a better rank structure and award system used by other organizations. Well, I feel dumb for not have read the paragraph by your picture at your blog. Peer feedback; makes sense. Now I understand why it was a Nidan paper and why you have presented it to the KF members...PEER FEEDBACK. Again, it was a very well written paper and it still edified your knowledge base at your Shodan level back then. I'm quite sure that your knowledge base has increased, otherwise, you'd not be a Sandan right now. Well, I'll excuse myself for the moment so that I can wipe off "Dork" from my forehead, sheech, I'm so dumb at times!!

Very solid post!!

Well, it wasn't in the cards for the Rangers! Giants WIN the WORLD SERIES by winning game #5 by a score of 3-1. The 3 run homer by Renteria in the top of the 7th inning sealed it for the Giants. Why the Rangers didn't walk the always a threat Renteria to load the bases for the least of a threat Rowland...but, that's not what Washington did...result a 3 run yard...oh well. CONGRATS TO THE GIANTS!! GO YANKEES!!

Guess what? If the Rangers don't win the World Series, Ranger catcher Bengie Molina will STILL get a World Series ring. Why? He played with the Giants before being traded to the Rangers on July 1, 2010. Plus, he'll get a ring for the Rangers winning the pennant if they don't win the World Series, and again, either way he'll get TWO RINGS!! I agree with John Shea of SFGATE.com when he wrote..."Bengie Molina's charmed life..."

Absolutely!!

You know, if been looking at the chest protectors that are being worn by the MLB catchers. They look unbinding. They aren't bulky. They take an 100 mph fastball with ease. The only problem is the ribs aren't protected at all, that I can see. Although the chest protectors worn by Bengie Molina of the Texas Rangers appears to have some rib protection. What do you think? They cost around $35 - $89. http://cgi.ebay.com/WILSON-A3320-MLB-CATCHERS-CHEST-PROTECTOR-INT-BLACK-/300461837892?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0 http://www.rawlingsgear.com/baseball/baseball-protective/xrdcp.html http://media.sunherald.com/smedia/2010/10/19/23/20101020-005555-pic-641235771.embedded.prod_affiliate.77.jpg

So often the basics of the martial arts are relagated to be inferior to advanced techniques. Why? The basics seem to not be sufficient enough for the martial artists palete. No, they want to use only the most effective advanced technique at hand. What have the basics ever done to any practitioner for that practitioner to hold them in such a discarded light? Seeking out for the advanced techniques is appropriate, imho, just as long as the basics aren't ignored. My Dai-Soke was quite fond of reminding us all the time..."Advanced techniques are incomplete without the basics. Learn the advanced techniques, but not at the risk of the basics" Building bridges that lead up to the what's considered advanced must set upon the foundation of the basic techniques of any and all martial arts. One can't climb Mt. Everest without having to have acclimated oneself at the lower altitudes first. Same thing in the martial arts, imho. I've always felt that the white belt was the most important rank of them all because without the white belt, black belt can never ever have been achieved. Therefore, without a solid foundation of the basics, advanced techniques can't ever be effectively learnt. Many, many times conversations regarding techniques seem to circle around what effective techniques are the advanced ones. So much so, that one forgets to mention the basics because they've summized the ineffectiveness of basics, and in that, they'd rather execute advanced techniques no matter what. Then, when one observes a local tournament of the martial arts, nearly if not all of the practitioners in attendance don't throw not one advanced technique. Why? Because they're way to busy throwing the reverse punch, the jab, the front kick, the side kick, the downward block, and/or the rising forearm block...BASIC TECHNIQUES!! Why? Imho, it's because the basic ARE effective in it's simplest form, and the other funny truth about the basics being effective is because they WORK just fine! And if a black belt of any rank would truely think about it, and if that black belt could be honest with themselves, then that black belt would realize that they've been perfecting their basics much, much more longer than the ellusive advanced techniques that are at their disposal. So, before you discard the basics techniques within your styles curriculum over the advanced techniques, please remember this... In every advanced technique there lies an effective basic technique. Even more so; no basic techniques equals one thing...no advanced techniques!! Your thoughts?