joesteph

I'm sure that character development can incorporate greater self-confidence in terms of self-defense, and a boost in self-esteem when thinking of the different aspects of the art that the student discovers greater personal proficiency in performing. This character development can be for anyone of any age, but adults were specifically referred to. There are character traits, as Brian pointed out, plus clusters of traits, and even source traits that are the roots of the clusters. When speaking of adults, these have been formed for the most part, and though personality is believed to continue to undergo changes right through to old age, it isn't as pronounced during the adult years as during the formative ones. I'd say that the martial arts fulfill certain adult desires, such as self-defense and personal enjoyment of artistic growth, but they are not character developers per se during the adult years. I'm sure there are anecdotes contary to what I've said, but, for the most part, when I think of martial arts and character development, I think of the formative years.

Welcome to Karate Forums, Warren!

Hi Robin! Welcome to Karate Forums. Enjoy!

Soo Bahk Do and Tang Soo Do are very much related, and the side snap kick is the "approved" way of doing the side kick in SBD. When I've done the side kick with a different curve to get it into position, and so more of a thrusting kick, I've been corrected regarding that movement into the firing position. If you have your kicking leg hanging down like a front kick before you shoot it out, then it's the same snap kick as in Soo Bahk Do. If you curve your leg into chambering position, almost as though you were going to do a roundhouse, then it's likely what would be called a thrusting side kick. A really good thrusting side kick has, as one person posted regarding what is required of her in her art, the chamber such that a plate could be balanced on the raised kicking leg.

I went to Christensen's web site at: http://www.lwcbooks.com/ He's got some wicked offerings there.

There are many martial artists who enjoy sparring for the sport aspect of it, and work hard at sparring combinations that penetrate the opponent's defenses, or turn the tables on him. I wonder if such persons enjoy the strategy of sparring as much as sparring itself. I found an article in the May 2002 issue of Black Belt, titled "Gold-Medal Taekwondo" by Floyd Burk, with Steven Lopez as the gold-medalist in focus. There are a number of photos of kicking combos that are really strategies. The article can be found at: http://books.google.com/books?id=c9sDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT5&dq=Black+Belt&lr=&source=gbs_toc_pages&cad=0_1#PPT63,M2 This is a strategy write-up that makes the executions look more like fun than fighting. I guess that's part of the MA experience, too, to have fun.

I'm presently reading On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman. Within his background is that he was an Army Ranger, so his training had to have been unusually intense. When someone breaks a board with a strike, we know the person has precision and power, a focus on a target that might be 1" pine, certainly something that, if broken, means the individual can break a nose or crack a rib on an opponent. We hold the board and applaud when it's broken, especially if it's part of a test for promotion. On pp. 131-132 of Grossman's book, he describes ramming a finger into the eye of an opponent, so deep and with a plucking motion, that the penetration described is grotesque. He makes reference to karate on p. 132: One karate instructor trains his high-level students in this killing technique by having them practice punching their thumbs into oranges held or taped over the eye socket of an opponent. . . . [T]he process is made even more realistic by having the victim scream, twitch, and jerk . . . If this were a voluntary exercise offered by your instructor, would you participate? POLL ABOVE

When I was practicing a sparring technique on Friday, first with a fellow adult and then with a pre-teen, what we practiced was not so much for self-defense (although it could be) as it was for tournament sparring. Whenever the adult was the attacker, his roundhouse was with the instep, and I would block the kick; whenever I attacked the adult, my roundhouse was with the shin, and he would block my kick. When I performed this sparring technique with the boy, I was then asked by my teacher to be back a bit more to strike with the instep, which my young partner would block. I'm not going to criticize my teacher. These kids really look forward to tournaments, and Muay Thai roundhouses are not permitted in Soo Bahk Do tournaments. It's not in the art. When I took self-defense JuJitsu, we did roundhouses that were only Muay Thai-style, and my teacher has studied formally with my former JuJitsu sensei, so she's well-acquainted with the kick. She still attends a class of his every so often to keep up with it. Some arts keep things the way the founder had it. and I believe my art is one of them. I also believe, though, that if you're free-sparring, contact or non-contact, or in an actual fight, and you're an infighter, as I am, having a Muay Thai roundhouse in your arsenal is no handicap.

I think it's good to be able to roundhouse with both instep and shin, but there's always the preference of the kicker. I left out kicking with the ball of the foot, simply because it's impossible for me to bring the toes that far back when doing a roundhouse. When I tried, I repeatedly jammed my toes against the target, so I had to tap to execute. A dan member working with me encouraged me to use the instep, and the power--w/o jams--built up. But when I decided on my own to experiment with the shin, whoever was holding the target would let me know the power comparison, and it was always in favor of the shin.

Hi Josie! Welcome to Karate Forums!

This will sound extremely basic, but remembering to breathe rather than hold your breath is of utmost importance. My white belt days were fraught with "do it all in one breath," which was never my teacher's rule. I think breathing in proper accordance to what you're doing (e.g., a form as opposed to sparring) is an important measure of advancement. I recall an explanation of the importance of breathing out when falling, so that takedowns could be practiced better. The tendency to hold one's breath is like keeping a weight inside your chest. It's better to release that pressure than to hit the mat with it.

The new uniform I purchased is a ProForce, like the last one. It looks and feels great. I don't know if yours is all white, but my new one has a green lapel border, as I'm now a green belt. Although the material is heavy, that doesn't mean the color can't fade, but it's fine in cold water. And, yes, a ProForce uniform can feel like wearing cardboard until it softens up. My teacher suggested a fabric softener to speed things along, but I'll be toughing it out.

Good video, Kuma. Does the reference I underlined mean the fight can be stopped, acknowledging the winner w/o further damage to the opponent?

Welcome to Karate Forums, Ashley!

Welcome to KF, Shizentai!

A friend who'd taken boxing lessons when he was younger did a lot of cardio, learned punching combos, wore head gear in the ring, and the boxing was controlled in terms of impact. He wasn't there to hurt anybody or be hurt, and the only reason he stopped was because the friend he went with had trouble making time for it (family responsibilities). Give it a try, Kez, and let us know how it turned out.

This sounds like a move against someone with a weapon. I remember a saying about if the other guy pulls out a knife: "All bets are off."

He must be so surprised when you're suddenly in his face, wishing him "Trick or Treat" as you crash into him.

Do you wear protective gear when doing this, Kuma, or is this actually full-contact w/o protection? I saw a full-contact bout on YouTube not so long ago, and a roundhouse that must have been traveling pretty fast hit a raised knee, like Muay Thai fighters use. The attacker broke his leg; it appeared to be near the ankle. It looked like the knee came up just as the roundhouse struck it, so it was force against force, not the usual hitting a block that's already there, and the double force must have made the leg give way.

Unfortunately, this video is no longer available, but if you go to the October 2002 issue of Black Belt magazine, there's the article "The Shield" by Richard Ryan (p. 56) that seems to address this. It's accessible at: http://books.google.com/books?id=b9wDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT5&dq=Black+Belt&lr=&source=gbs_toc_pages&cad=0_1#PPT51,M1

"Dim Mak" is often translated as "Death Touch." It's not referred to as a powerful blow, but a mysterious and precise technique that ends the victim's life either then and there or soon afterwards. I put it into the same category as astrology. Each can be thought of as interesting, but I don't believe in either one.

Tallgeese, what do you mean by "distance out"? Do you actually mean "barge in" and try to knock them over with a shove ("before they regain balance"), or am I misinterpreting? I remember seeing a video and photos of Erle Montaigue (spelling?) in the past, with one or both of these having him doing this while demonstrating Tai Chi against a high roundhouse.

I remember practicing something like a combo of these a couple of months ago, DWx. My partner was able to kick much higher than I can, so he was doing roundhouses high enough that I could turn, let the instep "bounce" off my turned shoulder, and do a back (donkey style) kick as my response. It was fun; something I could see using in sport.

Congratulations, JusticeZero! Enjoy wearing the "belt of many colors."

It does have good info, DWx. I noticed he didn't utilize the "horizontal" palms forward at chest level position, which I usually think of for defining space/the boundary of the fence, but a more "gregarious" one, resembling a boxer's stance. Both are worth practicing. He was clear on how he was seeking to avoid a fight while all the while being ready to go in a split second. Clever fellow.