joesteph

Last night, I had my 3rd gup test, and while I'm happy to say I passed it, I did have two mishaps while doing what is supposed to be non-contact sparring. One teen was rushing in to score (non-contact) points, and I tried for a kick that might be interpreted as a push or even stop kick, so that it's not as though he would have scored. My leg raised in a front chambered position practically reflexively, if not instinctively, and his groin was grazed. He wore no groin protector, and did feel it enough to cause him to bend down on one knee, but he was all right. The next teen I sparred is practically a chodan, and while we were sparring, he rushed straight in. The same protective reaction occurred by me, and I don't know what attack he wanted to do, but he ran right into my knee! I don't know if a groin protector would have prevented pain, but it would have been a help. The poor kid just dropped. He needed time off by himself for awhile, and was able to return to the test, but I really felt bad. I did say to my teacher that I feel they're both running right into me. It's not that I tried to knee anybody, but what else can be expected if someone (even though it's non-contact) practically crashes into you? She just said she'd work on it with me. When I took contact sparring lessons at another school, I learned (wearing gear) that you can't always "bull" your way through. If your opponent is an actual adversary, he may be opening himself up to his own injury and defeat.

Congratulations, Wastelander! Enjoy wearing that great belt!

Rather than refer to the contract, which has already been signed, I'd like to ask you to consider the amount of daily time put into training. He has homework, a social life outside the dojo/dojang, and need for his body to rest/recuperate. I believe it's too much time to take, despite the generous time offer. It'll burn him out. Why not an hour a day, 3-4 days a week, for your son to start out, Coffee Cat? It's better for him that if he's hungry for more, more is available. It's psychologically better to be in a state of readiness to add more, than feeling it's work, like a job, and needing to cut back.

You might find that it's light-to-moderate contact, and with gear, especially at the lower belt levels, and that full contact is permitted under certain circumstances, such as if at brown or black belt level. Higher belts are often paired with lower belts to show them the ropes, fighting at the level the lower belt can handle to build up confidence with experience. Contact is a good thing in my mind, so long as the rules are adhered to. Finger techniques, for example, might be taught, but never used in sparring to protect students' eyes. BTW, Coffee Cat, three years? Contracts are usually for a certain number of months or a year, unless it's a program, as in going for a black belt. Was a program chosen?

Considering that he's only going on 13, studying a martial art now can mean he'll be in a better position than you're in to decide what to continue with or change. So long as he's enjoying himself, you're doing the right thing for your son.

Is this to keep your upper body relaxed, Kuma? When there's a "shrug," I wonder if it interferes with stamina as well as speed.

Just had a cortizone shot today in that spot an inch within my hand, right into whatever joint is there. Had to be done. Can't go on with limitations forever.

The heel-thrust kick is like a front kick, Danielle, but imagine almost striking with the flat of the foot, except the heel is forward enough to make contact. In the photos, the woman is against a wall, and she's giving a good shot, like a shove with some kicking power to it, to her assailant. It's suggested to go for the solar plexus or the bladder. I've seen a Muay Thai YouTube video of that kick, with the defender standing and leaning his body forward, stopping the forward motion of a much heavier man. When I studied at another school, several times I made the mistake of going straight forward against my sparring partner. I ran into that kick (wearing gear), and even though it could be a teenage girl who I far outweighed, I'd be stopped as she leaned into it, even if paused just long enough for her to move out of the way of my forward attack. (One of the problems of having done non-contact prior to this is that I didn't run into anything that stopped me. Someone can think s/he's a locomotive, when it just isn't so.)

It sounds like the kick is being used like an axe kick, rather that straight across, such as to the head. My teacher favors teaching it so that we aim for the collar bone when sparring and for self-defense, although in certain exercises we use it straight across, as though against the head. Since Soo Bahk Do is non-contact, the kick is permitted in sparring.

That's how the front kick is shown in the photo within the article, Jason. It's a woman who has an attacker grabbing her upper arms face-to-face. She has her lower shin striking, as you suggest.

The March 2011 issue of Black Belt magazine has an article by C. Lee Long, "Need to Know: The 5 Kicks Every Martial Artist Must Master," pp. 74-75. I've read in a different article that the front kick and the roundhouse are all that are needed, but Long identifies five: 1. Front Kick 2. Side Thrust Kick 3. Thai Kick 4. Wheel Kick (roundhouse) 5. Heel-Thrust Kick The photos and explanations given are very good in terms of self-defense, not sparring. Training/practice for self-defense, not in sparring, which has rules, would apply here.

Just saw the post! Congratulations, Nevinyrral!

Joe, you're staring right at black belt, aren't you? Way to go my friend...way to hang in there! Thanks, Bob, but I turned 59 on Monday the 3rd, so my plans are to concentrate on red belt for myself, while encouraging my boys, who are 9, to work towards black. They're my present rank, 4th gup, and enjoy karate, even though it's an extra challenge as special needs students, and have talked about becoming red belts next. I enjoy the father-sons connection, know that this physical activity is good for them, and look forward to Patrick and David passing me by as they climb up the belt chain.

My martial arts resolution is to earn my red belt (3rd gup) during February, and learn the new curriculum at that level as proficiently as I can.

You were in a dangerous situation and defended yourself accordingly, but looked back at it afterwards regarding how much force you used. As you observed, Davison, it was a learning experience.

Sparring! Yes! Thanks for clarifying, GeoGiant!

What happens with me, Jay, is that I don't get angry at the time, but it builds slowly, and then I'm very angry--too late! I realize that if I had expressed anger at the time, it would have been viewed as appropriate; later on can actually make me mad at myself for not having been angry then!

Sounds good, Brian!

Are you posting that you committed a crime? You have the right to remain silent according to law. If you feel terrible, speak with someone you can confide in, remember that you may need an attorney, but don't put it into writing and post it on the Internet, Davison. With all due respect to what GeoGiant has said (such as if you lost control during sparring and feel badly about it), I wouldn't put something into writing, such as "went above and beyond the self defense aspect."

I can't say that my recent injury is the scare yours is, GeoGiant, but here goes: During December, I became bolder with jump kicks (for distance, not altitude) against the WaveMaster, and hitting BOB harder and harder. The BOB I used at the dojang for my last class before the Xmas-New Year's break is kind of beat, so the dummy turns. Undaunted, I kept striking hard at BOB's "back," which has less padding against the post than the front does. I was doing a lot of hard punching, and while doing shovel hooks, felt a pain in my left hand. I kept up the punching, and my hand felt sore at the end of class, but I shrugged it off. Mother Nature gave me the pain warning, and then I think it's called pherenomes that kept me going. Or free will. I saw the doctor on Friday, and he believes that the pain I still have in my hand is damage to a tendon. I thought a tendon would be injured by strain only, but he said hard blows can do damage, too. My ring finger knuckle is fine; it's the connection from the finger joint into about an inch within my hand--following the tendon line--that's inflamed. I'm taking an anti-inflammatory and I'll be back in the dojang tomorrow. I'm actually lucky, since I can still do karate, but there are punching limitations I have to incorporate for my left hand.

Without using words, someone can demonstrate being aggressive or being arrogant--such as when sparring. The behavior exhibited says a lot. In theory, ignorance is that someone doesn't know, or doesn't know any better, but it's often combined with the idea of being disrespectful to others. This leads to asking, "Is bullying a combo of arrogance and ignorance?"

A very Merry Christmas to all at Karate Forums! Enjoy!

In the last of the Rocky movie series, Rocky Balboa, the only way he could stand up to the younger fighter was by what his trainer said to use: blunt force trauma. Sounds more like the puncher, and I thought the fight scene at the end was a blast.

I just learned from a friend who's studied judo for a good fifteen years that what she read in the article happened to a degree in her dojo in the past, especially the out-of-hand escalation segment.

Thanks, Danielle! Ethics! There can be some really interesting (wild?) discussions when you enter that territory.