joesteph

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Here's an article from Black Belt magazine, July 1999, "The Secret to Success in Tang Soo Do Sparring." http://books.google.com/books?id=uM4DAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq="world+tang+soo+do+association"&source=gbs_summary_r&cad=0_0#PPA32,M2

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Excellent observations, Bob, as the forms are not a dance but have MA meaning, that the teacher knows his or her students, and that this process isn't only about taking a test for a new color belt or additional stripe.

I remember a friend who's a former phys ed teacher telling me that she felt greater soreness two days, not the next day, after a really good workout. It sounds like it's lactic acid buildup ("on fire"), which is normal. I realize you don't think you did a lot, but you were likely working your calves fairly steadily over two days. Assisting in instructing, did you do warmups with the students? You may have been exercising your calves and not have even realized it.

A really wonderful panoramic view. I played around with it and could even see that skylight ceiling as well as the details. Fullscreen was the best mode for me. Thanks for finding and sharing this, Patrick. I've sent the link out to friends who are interested in this for themselves, or have children.

I kept thinking about ShoriKid's posting that contained the "London Prize" rules. Bare-knuckles softened by "mufflers" on hands and interesting: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Prize_Ring_rules

Yes, I have that clapper, and it's really designed for the larger of the two WaveMasters, the Powerline. It doesn't say so in the ad, but I happened to have purchased the Powerline first because of the extra padding, and when I put the clapper on, I realized I'd lucked out. I didn't buy the clapper from Century, who makes WaveMaster, and I don't see something comparable in the Century catalog. I bought it from AWMA, and they have it shown only on their bags. The ads read that it's for medium and large bags, but no brand name is used. You likely have an "original" WaveMaster, so that's why the straps don't work right, even though the clapper itself fits well on the bag. If you've got the knowhow to attach velcro to make the thing work, just make sure it's tight as can be. It's designed for that side-to-side movement only, so vertical strikes will loosen it. I use it on-and-off for a change of pace/variety.

Go for it.

Thanks, Kuma. Great video. Fast and clean. Nothing fancy, just rapid-fire straightforward karate.

Happy Birthday to Karate Forums--and many more! :pony:

These are my banes, ShoriKid. I'm always tense in the upper body, especially the traps. As for balance, it's not that I lean improperly if throwing a punch, but that if I have to do a lot of turning--not even spinning--such as in doing a form, I have to do it slower than others in class or else my balance goes off and I'm wobbling when I complete the turn. A good example. A very good one. (Grammarians out there . . . Is this a metaphor?)

When I took GM Son's TKD years ago, there was a double-block in which one arm was the obvious blocking arm, but the other was parallel to it as a backup, therefore not touching, but "just in case." Now that I study Soo Bahk Do, there's the obvious blocking arm, but the second arm has its fist touch the inner upper forearm of the blocking arm, near the elbow. I remember reading that some arts don't have that second arm/fist touching the first one, but the second is very close. These seem to "bolster" or "buttress" the blocking arm instead of being "backup" as in GM Son's TKD.

The lead punch in Jeet Kune Do essentially does this with the lead foot, JusticeZero. I hadn't heard of the rear foot's heel doing this. Is the idea based on "equal and opposite"?

In the May 1996 issue of Black Belt, there's an article on shito-ryu by Thomas Williams. There are photos of the jump kick in this art on p. 53, with the caption: "In shito-ryu, jumping kicks are used primarily to cover distance, not altitude." The photos and full caption are at: http://books.google.com/books?id=H9oDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA5&dq=Black+Belt&lr=&source=gbs_toc_pages&cad=0_1#PPA52,M2

The June issue of Black Belt has an article by Scott Shaw, "Forgotten Fists of Taekwondo." His article refers to the emphasis on sport in TKD as opposed to self-defense, not saying that TKD lacks SD, but, on the contrary, that the hand techniques aren't emphasized enough. Shaw says on p. 97 that "[TKD] began evolving into an Olympic sport [and] that process brought numerous rules and regulations that altered the art's self-defense slant. . . . The [hand strike] sacrifice was made because Olympic rules prohibited punching to the head." (emphasis added) He went on to say that the sport aspect overshadowed the self-defense aspect of the art, with instructors concentrating on the former. It's interesting that you can kick to the head, but not punch there. Do you think that punching to the head/face should be permitted in Olympic TKD, or that it would adversely alter what has developed? Do you think that the introduction of permitting such strikes would encourage instructors to incorporate more hand techniques, particularly punching to the face, into self-defense training, or that it'll have no noticeable effect? POLL ABOVE

I found an article in the December 1996 BB issue, "The Dragon Spirit: Jeet Kune Do's Bread-and-Butter Technique" (the editors have Bruce Lee identified as the author). It's on the JKD lead punch. I thought about it and realized that it's a fast move, but you've really got to practice it to do it right. The June 2009 issue (I started subscribing) has an article by Teri Tom, under "Black Belt Times Technique: Jeet Kune Do Source," called "The Straight Lead: Step by Step." The explanation and accompanying photos, which include the author, might make for a good comparison as to how faithfully Lee's interpreted thirteen years later. She writes on p. 36: "Of course, what makes hand before body so difficult is that it runs counter to how you're accustomed to moving. . . . The straight lead, because it's a linear motion like the fencing thrust, is different." It's still something you've really got to practice, sort of a twist on "A punch is just a punch."

Any reason given? Just because there's a "reason," it doesn't mean that it's "reasonable," but it's often interesting to find out what the rationale is. It's even possible that different students have different perspectives on why it's done, perhaps only in a certain school, and no one has the guts to ask the chief instructor. If my school says that you have to do pushups with a mouthful of tacks, does that make my school and art "tougher"?

Anger is a natural human emotion. From society, we learn how to express it in an appropriate manner. I might be angry and let the person know I didn't appreciate what was said/done, or be angry and make a formal complaint. I might even be angry about an injustice and go to court. Bottling up an emotion like anger causes seething, leading to an ongoing feeling of being upset. Anger can also be a factor in choosing not to forgive another individual, as in the case of a person called a "moral unforgiver." Such a person will forgive only if the individual who committed the offense will admit to having done it and apologizes. No admission of responsibility by the other, no apology given, so no forgiveness. (This is much different from a grudge, in which someone did something accidentally, apologized, and yet is not forgiven.) It keeps a tense atmosphere, but it's up to the offender, as the moral unforgiver remains angry not only at the offense but at the injustice or, less tactfully, the pig-headedness. This can cause a problem if contained within a school. Fellow students should have a camaraderie, congratulating one another upon a promotion, winning a trophy, etc. If a student plays the bully and causes an incident, and this is not handled properly by the instructor, the one who was on the receiving end will be, and can often remain, angry with the bully. When anger separates the students, often the thought is that it'll blow over, but don't always count on it. I think the situation become more difficult to deal with if not handled ASAP.

Welcome to Karate Forums! Enjoy!

I don't think Brian was referring to anything "singularly," Michi, but to what the OP was asking. I like this video (link below) by Bas Rutten on the boxing aspect (but I'd just call it the punching aspect) of MMA, and the stance he refers to as different from the boxer's stance, in that he has to keep his legs useful as weapons--and defendable against attack as well. I think that what he says does have its applications to karate. The URL is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_gq3s3FMsg

I think this is very true. Technique/form is the key. Sometimes, when we do strikes quickly, such as to get in as many as possible as quickly as possible, form breaks down, and so the technique that gives power (hips turning, for example, as the punch is fired off) is compromised. Power is then lacking. Have you tried slower but more concentrated punches against a heavy bag or other target? Then you can focus on technique for maximum impact.

It's true. Things like this happen whether we've contributed to them or not. Some things are just out of our control, like trying to reason with a guy who's had too much to drink. There are those who hate their own lives, frequent a bar, and take it out on somebody else. An attack can come out of nowhere, like the proverbial "sucker punch." What was presented in the OP was, as I interpret it, that the sensei lost the fight. Now, having witnessed that, do you continue with him in terms of self-defense?

After reading Tiger's positng, I edited my original one, above, to what I believe is more on target.

What I concluded a long time ago is that, in the martial arts, there's a limit to what level individual dan members reach when it comes to fighting. Many, I believe, excel in the "art" of their martial art, and may have a fantastic number of trophies won in tournaments, but these are symbols, tangible suggestions that the individual is a superior fighter, but not indicators of an invincible fighter. In the tournament I attended today, which was a fundraiser, far more awards were given out for kata and weapons forms than for sparring.