joesteph

I know that I've improved in technique concerning putting more hip/body rotation into movements, and having picked up applications within the forms has been helpful in performing them. Spending more training time in the dojang, even if it's a kids' class first and then the adult class, helped me to better know what to do when Ki Cho callouts (two to three moves to be done together, but the callout is in Korean) came up. I know where I'm still weak, but fortunately I at least showed improvement since the last test, so I feel confident that I didn't disappoint her. Actually, Adam, I feel positive about the test overall.

It's been a while (May 5) since I tested for a promotion in Soo Bahk Do, with personal matters and my having taken a fair number of Jeet Kune Do lessons (right elbow still on the mend) not having me advance as quickly as others in SBD. I've been spending more time in the dojang, taking the green belt class (which was thought of for children, but I'm permitted to join in so that I can refresh green belt requirements) and then the following teens/adult class. On Monday, after my boys' class, my teacher informed me that she'd paid special attention to me in the adult class on the previous Friday, and that due to my improvement since the last test (she's big on improvement, especially in gup levels below red belt), she invited me to take the test for 4th gup that was held today. I thanked her immediately and was able to get in some good practice, including preparing for a board break that was a roundhouse--meaning I'd have to break with the ball of the foot. The assistant instructor, a teenager who is knowledgeable and very personable, worked with me to practice the right way to perform the kick (to me, it's like a 45 degree angle) so that the ball of the foot will be the striking surface that impacts on the board. It was really demanding, especially in that we have to redo all the lower gup requirements (demonstrating that we haven't forgotten them) as well as the new ones, and I was very happy when I broke that board. I was even permitted to assist in holding the board for others to break. I'll know soon enough if I passed or not, but before I left, I again thanked my teacher for inviting me to test. I feel it's an honor when your teacher notices your performance and extends a surprise invitation.

I was thinking of the foot turning as being important to preserve the knee. There's a lot of torque on the knee if the foot isn't turned to about 180, which may mean no hip pain, but the knee joint can become injured bit by bit. I think a lot of people try to kick high with their hips and legs in what I call a "wishbone" position; they haven't turned their hips enough, especially if it's a side kick, and that leverage puts harsh pressure on the neck of the femur, where it fits into the hip socket. I wonder if these pains, in the knee and in the hip, don't occur not only because of poor form, but also because the person is trying to do it all so fast that poor form is just the logical result--and so the pain that goes with it.

I was glad to see this observation by you, Rateh, especially in that it can be applied to adults as well as children (and teens are "young adults" to me). I've had incidents with a fellow adult student who's three levels above me, and I've never backed down from him. In each instance, it was clear who the instigator was, and the action taken was "defusing" (such as separation and repeating the rules), which I thought inadequate and only encouraged the bully (as I see him) that there are no "real" repurcussions. I was very much taken aback when I discovered that, after certain incidents, he was permitted to take his next test, acknowledging his technique ability but not his "martial arts virtues" (the philosophy the art supposedly incorporates/stands for). Since those times that I have asserted myself, he keeps clear of me. However, if it were up to me, these incidents would have had me tell him that he could not take his next test at the scheduled time, in that he had displayed a "lack" or "deficiency" of what was expected other than how to break someone's bones. Sometimes, I believe an instructor knows better how to deal with kids than adults, the latter who are theoretically mature and would require no "disciplining."

Welcome to Karate Forums!

Hi SenseiJ! Welcome to the forums!

Going to a school and seeing a phenomenally talented instructor is definitely stimulating, but I wouldn't sign any contract, letting time studying under this instructor be a major factor. And I believe an instructor should not only know the material, but be able to convey it so that others can know it, which involves the virtue of patience. Some of the most talented individuals haven't got a speck of patience (the tempermental artist), and who's to say that his teacher isn't the one who brought out his talent? It's the personal touch, not the flash, that's needed for the long haul. I'd say a combo of both great talent and teaching ability is dojang heaven.

Welcome to the Forums, George!

Did anyone else have trouble with the first section of the first sentence here? I'm glad you brought it up, ShoriKid. I didn't think it was properly worded myself, and thought that perhaps he just wanted an attention-grabber to kick off his article. I did like the rest of it, and my posts on the article, above, don't quote that opener. Personally, my restatement would be: For starters, self-defense is a right, but not an unlimited one. It can be restricted in a variety of ways. The right of self-defense and the use of force towards another person are justifiable only when a person reasonably believes that such force is immediately necessary . . .

If you check out the December issue of Black Belt, there's an article by Dr. Mark Cheng starting on p. 68, "Back to Basics." The subtitle is "3 Karate Kicks and How to Fine-Tune Them." The third of these is the side kick, in which you chamber like a roundhouse to deceive your opponent, then turn your body and have the lower leg of the kicking leg hang straight down, and finally fire off the kick. In Soo Bahk Do, that "second chamber" is the standard chamber for the side snap kick (Yup Podo Cha Gi in Korean; Yoko Geri in Japanese), as shown in photos 3 and 4 at: http://www.tangsoodoworld.com/reference/reference_techniques_side_kick.htm The photos of the Black Belt sequence are on p. 72. The column on that page that focuses on the Side Kick also has a trick in it. Perform a roundhouse to get your opponent to move, but then step down (as I interpret it) instead of retracting the kicking leg, so that you can perform a stepping side kick. It's a good article for someone who wants to pick up a slick trick or two.

I have the suspicion that before there was this exhibition tournament, I'd have been sparring with my sons, and they'd have landed some good ones on me before this. It's in public? What better way to show the world the warrior you trained your son(s) to be? Watch it become a story that Dad goes around telling everybody.

Happy Birthday, Bob. I wish I were a young kid of 52 again, myself. (I'm 57.) Enjoy your youth while you have it!

An important point to consider. We often think of a hormone as serving a single purpose, but nature has efficiently chosen to use it for several purposes. In the case of Human Growth Hormone, it's not just for height but for internal organs to develop well. Thanks for the posting.

Hi Raul, welcome to KarateForums. Since it's from arthritis and not from poor technique, you have to listen to your body. He knows what he's talking about. He's probably met lots of martial artists who can do this but can't do that. The full-contact kickboxer Bill Wallace couldn't use his right leg for kicking due to a permanent knee injury, and his career's one to envy. Nature will not conform to our desires, no matter how sincere they are. You'll do more damage and then be unable to do other kicks. I weight-trained for twenty years. There's a big difference between getting sore muscles to warm up and working through the pain of what is an injury. The injury worsens, and then other exercises can't be done. I'm speaking from experience. I ask you the favor, Raul, of taking the mistakes I made in the past, especially when I was new to weights, and factor them into your position in the martial arts. When I weight-trained, I put a lot of stress on my joints. In my case in particular it was the knees. I took glucosomine-chondroitin tablets, available from a health food store or online, and they were a valuable asset for me. Don't forget the chondroitin. It's like take calcium tablets but no magnesium to work with the calcium. Enjoy what you can do in your training. You don't have to keep up with your black belt friend; you're learning from him. I think it's great to have someone to share martial arts with, especially if he's got knowledge you can tap into.

I can't believe that someone like me, who's never been to MA workshops, has been to two this month. The first had been a JKD one, the second was in my art, Soo Bahk Do, at the national headquarters in Springfield, NJ. I was glad this was at night, not having to take off from work/teaching to attend, like the JKD workshop. This one was loaded with dan members who wanted to study knife defenses and "sleeve" techniques; the gup members, like me, were there for different spins on defense against the wrist grab and applications from the forms. It started off like a class, which I didn't expect, but the instructor took what we normally do to start off a class anywhere and tossed in some extra moves to spice it up. We did solo movements beyond what we'd normally do to start, and then we did partner movements to put in some practice. I guess you just have to give it a chance. The wrist work had some tricks thrown in that were really based more on footwork and twisting your body than manipulating the joints once you took hold. Takedowns were incorporated, which I was glad about. For applications, first we would do a form, then a segment would be taken from it to practice the now unveiled secret. One of the movements that my teacher had shown me, to break free from a rear seize and then do a takedown, was presented instead as a block from a frontal attack and a takedown done differently. That's what I like about a forms segment; you can learn/practice one application, then be introduced to another, and so on. I liked this workshop because I could concentrate on the material I've been practicing so much, to acquire knowledge now, rather than find out at a higher belt level. Seminars/workshops . . . I'd say that if they're close enough to drive to, give them a shot.

Everyone's got their own theory about the eyes. I say you choose to look where you see best, and if you see best through the eyes, even if the guy's a foot taller, then that's what you do. But if you find that looking straight at another particular part of the body gives you the best dead-on and peripheral vision, just say "Uh-huh, yeah, okay" to those who tell you you've got to look at the eyes and go on doing what's right for you. I've been taught to look to the eyes as the telegraphers, that there's an "eye war" going on, etc. If this is what the person telling me believes, that's okay for them, but I don't believe it, so it's not okay for me. I want to look where I can see all the weapons, and unless ninja stars are going to be shot out of my adversary's eyes, I'm looking lower. I like to look across the chest area between the shoulders, with a scan down and up, sort of like a "T," to see what's incoming--and what's open. In JKD (and I'm sure other arts do this), the body is just divided into quarters; there's no "look at the eyes and then beam out like the sun in the sky over your opponent's body." There's nothing wrong with trying suggestions, but only you have the right to think and decide for you.

Welcome back to KF! Things will work out, so you might as well enjoy the break before it's back to the nose to the grindstone.

I'm spiritual but not religious. My parents are the religious ones, but never practiced a martial art. If my art (Soo Bahk Do) were grounded in religion, it would never have held my interest, and I wonder if it would clash enough between its religious side and my children's needs that I'd have to pull the plug. The tenets are ones I've already arrived at through introspection, reading, and experiences in life. I find myself comfortable in contemplating what my style (Moo Duk Kwan) calls virtues, as we're pretty much on the same page.

I enjoyed the article, and it reminded me of how the Moo Duk Kwan is the philosophical ("Institute of Martial Virtue") side of Soo Bahk Do. I had a conversation not too long ago with a dan member of master rank about the qualities theoretically instilled by following such tenets. We agreed that they are excellent reinforcements to values taught in the home, and how many parents want their sons and daughters to take part in an activity that buttresses what's emphasized in the home environment. At the very least, these help (they don't raise the child for the parents) in steering the young to developing good values, if not virtues, along the road to adulthood. But then when we got to adults, we saw the adult not as coming in as Locke's "blank slate," but already formed. In other words, if the adult enters and is already in tune with the MA virtue direction, that person may find comfort and expression among like-minded, good-willed people. However, if the adult enters with an attitude nothing like this at all, perhaps even scorning such talk as drivel, that person will simply pay lip service, memorizing the codes for testing and touching the right bases as expected, but the individual will likely remain just as callous as ever. I'm thinking of someone in my dojang right now, and he's got great technique, but he's a con-artist when it comes to values/virtues. The thought may be that such individuals don't last, but there's always this one and that one who makes it to dan ranking based on technique/talent, as I expect him to. Please don't misunderstand. I believe that everything said in the article is a wonderful complement to home values, and that adults who are in this mode will embrace and enjoy what is a solid character foundation, but I just do not believe that the adult who comes in looking down on such virtuous thought will do a 180. Positive character development must begin in the formative years, and continuing to offer outlets of right-reasoning to those who have reached adult years will be welcomed by them as an ongoing fulfilling experience.

Tallgeese is right. Children are not treated as adults in the dojang, any more than adults are treated as children there. Let's remember that what was demanded was an apology to a boy who was struck; if the special needs child doesn't learn the right and wrong of it now, he will continue the disruptive behavior. The belt is not sacrosanct; it represents that he's recognized for working hard and complying. If he fails to do so, after due warnings, the belt is removed, the parents are fully aware, and the way to demonstrate compliance is an apology. The belt is returned with praise at "doing the right thing." The boy is not struck, screamed at, or ordered to do innumerable pushups (which he likely can't do anyway). If he does not learn social skills in a setting that gives much more leeway (I know; I participate) than other kids' classes, then he'll gain nothing that will help him in life--or even through grade school. This may be the right way for another, typical child, Bob, but it is overkill for the special needs student. Whatever they do, they must feel they are still liked by their teacher and will be forgiven. They simply have to be directed to do something that they can do, often something social ("Yes Sir/Ma'am," bowing, shaking hands, and never intentionally hurting one another) or simply compliant (like the examples of the front stance and reverse punch). No one is being cruel. No one is stealing. Special attention and lots of leeway are the rule but they do have their limits, even for the special needs student. There must be limits, or it's permissiveness that will only damage character instead of doing good. This is why it's called "tough love."

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now we're talking! This is what I was saying in my posts. I specifically stated where the belt would be, in full view of the student, and that it's able to be back in his possession when he does what he's obligated to do. When I said to take away, there must have been a misunderstanding that it's lost forever. I've gone over my past postings, and it boils down to semantics. To "take the belt away" but give it back when the student performs the apology or front stance is done is not the same as a permanent removal. The belt not being worn but right there in the training hall, with the parents aware, I still defend as being a valuable discipline tool. The special needs child does not lose rank to start all over, nor is he expelled. He's learning that he must comply.

When I saw that Mr. Sasso's essay was online through Loyola University, I knew I had to read this one. His coverage of Assault, Battery, and the Duty to Retreat was interesting. I found this important: When a martial artist defends his use of self-defense, he raises what is called an "affirmative defense." An affirmative defense is an individual's way of saying, "I did the illegal act [battery] that I am being charged with, but I had a legally justifiable reason to do so." Self-defense is an acceptable affirmative defense listed in the Rules of Civil Procedure.

I wanted to read this one in particular, as I live in NJ, and examples from other states may not fit where I live. From Detective Mendez's article: This issue, the ability to defend yourself, brings up some very interesting questions: Do you have the right to protect yourself in any way you feel is necessary? Are you protected against assault charges, criminal or civil lawsuits brought against you by someone you injured while defending yourself? If you are threatened with bodily harm, are you justified in taking any action necessary to protect yourself, your significant other or your personal possessions? "Any" can really get you into trouble. When a martial artist, especially a Black Belt is accused of excessive force in self-defense, the standard is usually higher than that of a novice practitioner, a non- martial artist, and a reasonable or prudent person. Many courts believe that it is only fair that one with unique skills is held to a unique standard. This will sound odd, but being at gup level in Soo Bahk Do (I have a green belt), and taking Jeet Kune Do (there are no belts), might actually fly better in court than the Black Belt, perceived by many as someone whose entire body is a weapon.

Sometimes a medication (years ago, the medication to use for this was Voltaren, possibly still available in generic form) can work wonders for freedom of movement, certainly reduction of inflammation (some part of that elbow is inflamed). Resist the temptation to "test" the elbow by doing such motions as overextending the arm to hear a "pop," or doing motions that hurt before, and you want to see if it still hurts. There is nothing like warm water (I have it cascade over the injured joint, whether elbow or shoulder, while in the shower) to give the joint a needed relief. You'll need to go to the doctor for a medication with more painkiller than an over-the-counter, like extra-strength Tylenol. I've never had luck with those creams/lotions that claim to soothe. Good luck, Jason, in health and when testing.

We'll have to agree to disagree on this one, Bob. When dealing with special needs students, alternate measures as compared with the typical child are used. In the case of the belt, it's a temporary measure that the child understands. If they don't learn that there are repurcussions to defiance, the behavior worsens to fits/tantrums. It's hard to find the Golden Mean between being harsh and being indulgent. I still suggest that FushinRyu speak with the parents about the belt removal system, explaining the concept and giving it a go for student compliance. Children with ADD and ADHD, like one of my nephews (whose exhibition of it was withdrawal rather than defiance) who is now in his freshman year of college, must react/relate with the real world. People will makes excuses while the individual is a child. They will not do so when the individual is an adult. Now is the time to start, and karate is an excellent starting point.