joesteph

Leg stretches Kicking exercises lying on one side, then other, on floor: - roundhouse and side kicks (done slowly) Ki Cho Hyungs (Il, E, Sam Bu) Pyung Ahn Cho Dan Chil Sung E Ro Hyung

A picturesque observation, Tallgeese, and an excellent advertising slogan for Muay Thai enthusiasts. Wham!

Maybe it's within nature's normal range for everyday life, but it manifests itself as a problem when punching. Did you notice that if you stand or sit straight, and reach straight out with a grasping hand, no matter straight ahead, to the side, or in-between, that your hand is not horizontal? The index and middle fingers are higher, your ring and little fingers are not only lower but their knuckles are, too, and, of course, the thumb lies low. If you make a fist this way, the first two knuckles are dead on target, and you're not at horizontal, but slipping back more to the 45 degree angle mentioned in an earlier post. Although the average person's body can do a horizontal fist, that doesn't necessarily mean it's what one ought to do. The vertical fist, for example, is faster for me to do rapid punching than with the horizontal fist, and if I go for the 45 degree angle, it means that, on the way to the target, my fist was vertical for most of the way, but turned at the point of impact, then continued through the target. Many weight-trainers cannot do barbell curls with a straight bar for their biceps, because the forced horizontal actually causes pain. They use an EZ curl bar or dumbbells. Maybe it's the same with making a fist; forcing it to be according to a certain position that may not be as natural as one might imagine can be less effective an even cause problems for certain martial artists.

I always like "The Quiet Man" around St. Patrick's Day. When I was in Ireland in 1991, I visited the city of Cong, on the western side of the island, where the movie was filmed. I rode in the same buggy that John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara did.

Kata/hyungs prove to be helpful to me as a lower belt. They help with my stance, balance, and coordination, and I find them most helpful when I can go by my own count, not with a group. It's true that I've profited when working as a group member, but that tends to be if we're going at a more moderate speed. The flaw I find in group work is that if one member is going faster, then others feel an obligation to pick up speed. What's also good for me about hyungs is that I can perform combinations of moves without trying to remember what the Korean terms are. I like doing sparring techniques/combos ("bunkai") with a partner in that it's more social. (Perhaps an odd thing to say, because it's supposed to be a martial arts experience?) I understand that bunkai is taken from kata/hyungs, so, at least at my belt level, I'm practicing basic movements in a flowing form that will be tapped into later on. The odd thing here is that although I find hyungs helpful to me, I get bored watching them.

Ki Cho Hyungs (Il, E, Sam Bu) Pyung Ahn Cho Dan Chil Sung E Ro Hyung

No, Traymond. When younger, I was tutored in Isshinryu, took Tae Kwon Do classes, and also studied Taiji both in classes and in combination with a friend who took more advanced classes in his hometown. My instructor points out how injury, moderate to severe, potentially lethal, can occur when she teaches us. The benefit of her pointing this out is that she then has us practice control, so that we students train without hospitalizing--or burying--one another. Do you have a preoccupation with killing, Traymond? Like the majority of the members of these forums, I'd rather not kill anybody. Perhaps this will be of interest to you: "Build rather than destroy; Avoid rather than check; Check rather than hurt; Hurt rather than maim; Maim rather than kill; For all life is precious; Nor can any be replaced." It's Shaolin, of course, and I quoted it from The Harmonious Fist Chinese Association's web site. The URL is: http://www.harmoniousfist.com My comment is that I think it's just great that this ninety-year-old is as good as he was when he was half his age.

The right decision was made. Congratulations to your son, the new dan member!

Actually, Brian, that's the way my instructor wants us to switch legs for round kicks, as it's according to the art. I've found it fine when doing sparring exercises, ones that my instructor puts together (or takes from a source) in which we do a chain of three-to-four moves. It works when going back-and-forth with a partner; it's not as fast as the switch you first mentioned when sparring, in that we're moving all around the dojang. Maybe it's something I can use as a surprise in that it's practiced, but not used by the students. I can see one of the reasons that it's required to take a certain amount of time in-between belt levels; the instructor needs the time to press her students into using some sort of variety in their sparring! Self-defense techniques Ki Cho Hyungs (Il, E, Sam Bu) Pyung Ahn Cho Dan Chil Sung E Ro Hyung

"joesteph" or Joesteph comes from when I was married. When we got a computer (in the '90s), we needed an email address. I combined Joe and Stephanie, and so got JoeSteph. But most times it's asked for in lower case letters, so "joesteph" came about. Even though I'm no longer married, when I had the choice of changing the name--or using a new one--for different "accounts," I decided to continue to use it, reminding me of the romantic years of my marriage.

Leg raises Leg stretches Ki Cho Hyungs (Il, E, Sam Bu) Pyung Ahn Cho Dan Chil Sung E Ro Hyung Sparring exercises, bag paddle blocks, self-defense techniques Lying side and roundhouse kick exercises Core kickboxing DVD workout

No problem, Michi.

Ahh,but isn't this the point, how do you qualify this. You may have misunderstood me, Michi. The rest of the paragraph reads: One of the two points I was making in my posting is that we keep presenting, as I see it, that the individual has to have knowledge of the martial art from, say, kata/hyungs to techniques to its history to whatever. Let's use it as a given, rather than keep repeating it. The second of the points was that what we need to consider is the ability to instruct, to teach others what s/he knows. That's why I compared the MA instructor with the college professors. They don't have dan memberships, but they do have doctorates. An individual can be brilliant, but can that individual teach/instruct others?

This doesn't sound like martial arts to me. This sounds like less martial arts knowledge every generation. Brought to a logical conclusion, there would be no MA knowledge beyond brawling if this were so. Why would an instructor do such a thing? Since we live in the present, and life-and-death struggles between students and their instructors are rare (nonexistent?), I still don't follow. Traymond, why would an instructor hold back MA knowledge? This would go on for generations until the art is no more. Why would an instructor of today do such a thing? Very likely true, ps1. That's why soldiers in the field are within certain age parameters. By and large, the military wants neither those who have seen too few summers nor too many.

Should we all agree to make it a "Given" that the person who is the instructor does possess the knowledge? If we keep re-stating, qualifying that the person has to have the knowledge, we're simply reinventing the wheel. As a classroom teacher myself, it's a no-brainer that if I don't know the material, I can't teach it. Suppose we consider college professors as an analogy. Consider two professors in the same field of study, each with a doctorate, each having published a book and a number of scholarly articles. - One is dry as dust. Class is a bore-a-thon. S/he can't explain the material in a manner that her students can learn without a struggle. - The other is "alive" in the classroom. Attending class is a pleasure. The material is imparted crystal-clear. This professor is a "natural," who keeps his/her students interested. It's the same in martial arts. A martial arts dojo, dojang, training hall, whatever, is still a school, a classroom. The ability of the instructor to teach is of paramount importance. The wild card in this is the age of the students. Someone can be a fine instructor of a certain age group, and yet a dud with another. Being able to teach different ages equally well is not common in the field of education. Is it the same with martial arts instuctors, who are, after all, teachers?

I'm trying it out by starting in a right stance, looking over my left shoulder, doing a fast hop of the right leg to about where the left was, and shooting the left straight back. I've also tried it in the left stance. I can see it's for closer quarters when you want to back kick but there isn't the room for a regular one. Yeah, I really like it, and it doesn't require much of a jump. I refer to it as a switching stance kick, or "switch kick." You can do it with a round kick, too; you just switch forward instead of back. Nice variations. Brian, I've included the "switch" for the back kick "hops" that I practice. Against a WaveMaster, you can keep back kicking, switching every time the kicking foot returns to the floor. The reference to switching for roundhouse kicks is something my instructor did introduce, but as the art dictates, so I had no speed. When I spar, I switch left lead and right lead hands, thinking of punching, but I've been experimenting with the same switch for the roundhouses, and it's become more natural, speedier to do, if I do it as you suggested.

I'll offer the following, based on personal experience: An individual who has a working knowledge of a martial art, and who knows how to impart that knowledge--genuinely teach--others. When I was sixteen, I enrolled in a martial arts school that had an excellent chief instructor, but he was all-too-often absent, leaving instruction to his assistant instructor. I was mistreated, injured during the second month, and did not return to martial arts until I was in my thirties. I was tutored then by a friend who had a green belt in Isshinryu from when he was younger. No katas. All basics and sparring. It was contact sparring, starting bare-knuckled, then minimum gear. His teaching, combined with the weight-training regimen I followed, worked wonders for my self-esteem. Did he know more than the BB assistant instructor from my youth? I doubt it. But my friend knew how to teach what he did know, and that's what's wanted in an instructor.

And what do you say to your children, who see the stolen trophies and think you're a hero--but you feel hollow inside, knowing you are a thief, an idol with feet of clay. What would you say if your own child cheated to win? Would you condone it? Or would you say, "Don't be like me!"

To me, Brian's OP asks the question, "When does my duty to others exceed my duty to myself?" However, the OP's references to family member(s) and a charge automatically press us into the arena--"When" is identified. I am the father of two small children, the son of two elderly parents, and a teacher of high school students (all females). If I were in a "street situation" with my children or parents, it may be that I would react in the same manner as without them. I may size up my opponent(s) and respond accordingly, whether by fighting or turning over my wallet. I believe I have a greater duty to hand over the wallet if my children or parents are present, defusing the situation in the least violent manner. It may likely be much safer for them. This does not mean that it's automatic; it means that it's a course of action I have to give greater weight to. Should an opponent--or opponents--attempt to take my children, and, believe me, I'm always on the lookout, there is no recourse but to fight, with the strong possibility of having no limit to the level of violence I would utilize. I do not believe the "snatching" situation I am describing regarding my children would occur with my parents, so I'll move on. As a teacher, and teachers act in the place of the parents while students are under their care/charge, I have been on field trips with students, meaning that the school safeguards (cameras, all entry doors locked, etc.) are not there as a barrier. These trips are well-organized and usually have no self-defense/protection problems arise. However, I have wondered if my very presence as a faculty escort has caused a troublemaker to change his mind. I have been in the situation in which students returned from a trip during the winter, and therefore early darkness, and remained with them until their lifts arrived. That's "bodyguarding" as far as I'm concerned, and it's possible that my very presence prevented someone from stopping his car to cause trouble. Still as a teacher, and still acting in the place of the parents, there are lockdowns and evacuations. We have never practiced an evacuation, but we have practiced lockdowns. The room is to be locked; the lights are to be out; the blinds are to be drawn; the teacher should have his cellphone "on" in order to keep in communication. This may not sound like martial arts, but it is protecting those under my charge, and I believe it should be included. Part of these drills is to be strict that no talking is permitted. When every classroom in a building is like this, and on two floors, the police have explained that a lockdown works more effectively. "Defending" is not always about fighting. It can be preventative measures and even yielding your wallet to contain the situation. If it does resort to violence, it must be that it was in response to the power of the situation.

Leg raises Leg stretches Self-defense techniques WaveMaster: - front kicks, different types - crescent kicks (w/ bag paddle) - roundhouses, w/ & w/o step - roundhouses, MT-type - side kicks, w/ & w/o step, hop - back kick, w/ & w/o hop Practiced a back kick from a sparring combo I worked on with a green belt last class. He threw a roundhouse and I turned, taking it in the shoulder, but responding w/ a back kick. There was more to the combo, but this is what I took out to practice. Ki Cho Hyungs (Il, E, Sam Bu) Pyung Ahn Cho Dan Chil Sung E Ro Hyung

It looked like he started off with a success, then started hitting off-center, and by only the third or fourth, he missed and struck that "rail" that held them. Ouch! A piece of the rail can be seen "chopped" at. He must have injured (fractured?) his hand right there. I don't think he could do any more strikes, let alone breaks, after that. You can see a number of stripes on his black belt towards the end, when the camera moves in. I'd say he was too intent on speeding down the line, thowing off his technique. Oh, well. At least he still made the Internet.

I loved this part of your posting, DWx! I've been a social studies teacher at one of my hometown's high schools for thirty-four years now. I'm teaching the daughters and nieces of former students. I've been and have been known as "Mr. ___" to perhaps thousands (present students, their parents, alumnae). I'll be fifty-seven in under two weeks, making even the chief instructor young enough to be my daughter. Children, teens, and fellow adults in the dojang call me Joe. I address dan members on the dojang floor as Master, Ma'am, Mr., and Sir without a problem. I've been led in warmups and helped with hyungs by grade schoolers, and practiced joint locks and sparring combinations with teenagers. I've sometimes found it easier to work with those who are not legal adults (or have just turned eighteen) than those who are, especially with joint locks. I still feel there will be no consensus in the forums on this issue. The very title of this topic begins with "Taking Orders," and though Shotokan-Fez explained what he meant by it, it's been interpreted as "the child in charge" and different references to "instruction," the latter which I addressed in a posting "two up" in this thread. As I see it, it's mainly in the outlook of the adult.

I'm not good with the ball of the foot; too many jammed toes (next stop: broken toes), so that the former assistant instructor worked with me on instep and lower shin strikes against the kick shield to make sure they're automatic. When we spar, I kick to the outer thigh, and I don't see why I shouldn't kick to the inner thigh if it's open. I'll bet the opportunity's been there a number of times, but I haven't taken advantage because I haven't looked for it. Good tip. Thanks, Shori.

I just think that a bit of extra length to the belt gives it an aesthetic appeal. And dan members often have inscriptions on their belts, so they have to be long. Frankly, I also think it makes your waist look smaller. One of the caveats about keeping a belt clean is that those who put it in the dryer may wind up with something they can barely tie. If needed, hand wash the belt in the sink, squeeze out the water "lengthwise" between the thumb and index finger, then let it dry overnight. BTW, ps1 is right about the instructor looking at knees rather than belt length. My instructor couldn't be fooled if the belt touched the floor. And isn't it better to master a deeper stance than fake it, to live the part rather than act it? I think you're right to be against it, Traymond.

I think that, as the OP became clearer, the discussion developed into different personal philosophies being stated. But let's look at the meaning we of the word "instruct" as we've used it--and I suggest we've used it loosely. If a dan member, whether teen or adult, is leading warmups, it may be considered "instruction" only in a loose sense, in that it starts off the class, and is part of the instruction of the night, but it remains an activity often given to newer dan members to introduce them to the front of the "classroom." My chief instructor presents new, required lessons herself. But a teenage dan member who assists her follows up by working directly with us, both teens and adults, in practicing the content of the technique that has been introduced. It's supplementary instruction to me, "instruction" again in a loose sense. The chief instructor cannot be everywhere, and we students do not always need her standing right beside us as we practice techniques, but the dan member assisting her--no matter if not yet an adult--oversees what we lower belts are practicing together, troubleshooting if need be, fine-tuning here-and-there, answering questions if they come up. Still, the term instruction used loosely. The lesson plans of the chief instructor may call for more complex activities, such as calling out a combination of moves to be performed together, with the students forming a row or two rows and awaiting the commands. The dan member, teen or adult, may be assigned--for whatever reason--to call out proper combinations of his own choosing, and these must be appropriate to the belt levels (so a certain combination to green belts, slightly different for orange belts, more basic for white belts). Non-required sparring combinations, training for proficiency on the part of the students, are supervised by the young dan member. Is this where the line is drawn as instruction, or is this a gray area that these are drills, not "truly" instruction? The actual introduction of new lessons, new materials, is always done by the chief instructor in my dojang. She considers this to be her responsibility as our teacher. This is, to me, clearly instruction. Much of what we've discussed has been the teenager "in charge of" adults, but we seem to have different views as to what instruction really is, and I believe even what in charge of really means.