joesteph

Ozpunker brings up an interesting viewpoint. When he says "practice," it obviously refers to training. When a martial arts technique is to be identified, is it automatically to be associated with a trained fighter, no matter what level (belt as usual measurement) s/he is at, to "legitimize" it as a martial arts technique?

You had an icestorm in your part of the country, Brian, and I had a snowstorm that killed class at night. I was looking forward to one more class before the Xmas-New Year's break, and to give the chief instructor presents (a book from me, a box of chocolates from the boys) for Xmas. Leg stretches Sparring exercises; self-defense techniques Ki Cho Hyungs (Il, E, Sam Bu) Pyung Ahn Cho Dan Chil Sung E Ro Hyung

What country are you from, Traymond? In the US, this is assault. My children's instructor uses a more enlightened approach than beating the children. She uses her intellect. She uses her importance to the children, who respect her, and, perhaps, as my children do, will name her on the list of people that they love. My boys are age seven. They're special needs. My brother-in-law, when he was growing up, was beaten regularly by his father. Today, we would recognize that he was special needs, as is his daughter, my niece, and who has never been beaten. She's now attending community college--with never a bruise upon her body. Children who are not special needs? Yes, my boys are mixed with them one day per week (the other day individually as special needs). I participate in both classes my children are members of, and I have found their instructor refraining from the misguided beating of any child to other, enlightened means. And I am not the only parent (or other relative) present, although I am the only parent on the dojang floor. The parent or relative is right there, in a place where chairs are set up, bearing witness and supportive of the instructor. A dojang is a school, and some school matters are best handled by aware family members. At age thirteen, the student is in an adult class in my instructor's dojang. You stated that you were beaten at that age if you did anything wrong. What in the world could a thirteen-year-old have possibly done to warrant a punishment as primitive as a beating? Were your parents aware of these corporal punishments? Is it in your culture? It's an appearance before a judge in a court of law in the US. If you wish to look back at these times as golden years, that is your prerogative, but I would most certainly not.

Hey, this is some movie. Looks like something worth waiting for. I poked around for a couple of other teasers, and though it looks like another "natural disasters" movie, it's the way it's done that generates interest. Thanks for the posting, Gandhi.

If you look back at the OP, John, Ghostfighter was speaking about defeating someone not only larger and stronger, but intimidating when he gets angry. That last notation made me realize he was speaking about someone in particular. My response to him (posting on p. 2) was: I think we got wrapped up in how to take Godzilla apart, meaning the thread got off on a tangent. But it has been interesting.

Often times, we don't have an actual definition, or, as in the dictionary, there are several "definitions" presented for a single word. Yet we seem to recognize it when we see it or experience it. Confining to unarmed combat, a short, simple definition might be: A martial arts technique refers to a movement or series of movements that are fight (martial)-oriented and have a fight (martial)-associated objective.

It's been referred to as "guilt by association." And it can be tremendously unfair.

Home Leg stretches Class During class, did "physical fitness" exercises; sparring combinations; some sort of "Round Robin" involving required sparring combos, but I didn't care for it. After class, had extra help from the assistant instructor on a non-required sparring combo, plus went over newest self-defense techniques to identify where I've needed some "fine-tuning." Disappointing news: I thought that the dojang wouldn't be open next week on Wednesday, Xmas Eve, but it'll be closed on Monday and Tuesday as well. No lessons for my boys next week; next class for them won't be till January 5.

In Pyung Ahn E Ro Hyung (meaning the second of the Pyung Ahn, or as you're saying, Pinan forms), there are three high/rising blocks (sang dan mahk kee) in the first half, stepping to the first kihap, but on the way back, there are three middle punches (choong dan kong kyuk) to the second kihap. Oops! I see my "name" error. What you're describing as Pinan 2 is the first in the Pyung Ahn series in Soo Bahk Do, called Pyung Ahn Cho Dan. The mistake I made is that I'm studying another hyung as well, the newest one for me, Chil Sung E Ro Hyung. That's how I made the name error, saying "Pyung Ahn E Ro Hyung," above, but no matter what number is given, the hyungs are extraordinarily similar. I guess each grandmaster decided a different order for these. It's a long, rocky road to becoming a dan member.

Yes, Traymond, four, with these having one hand extended and low, as against a kick, but the other at the solar plexus. The extended hand is palm down, while the solar plexus hand is palm up. I remember the former Jo Kyo Nim (assistant instructor) explaining the way these could be used to block and even trap/counter the opponent's kick. Now the form I'm describing is GM Hwang Kee's interpretation of Pyung Ahn Cho Dan, which is the first in the series, for Soo Bahk Do. In GM Son's TKD, and shown in his 1968 book, "Korean Karate," there are two knife hands at middle position, with a photo of a punch being blocked, not four low knife hand blocks. Yet GM Son has the blocking hand palm down and the solar plexus hand palm up, just as GM Hwang Kee uses for the low knife hand blocks. Grandmasters, even if their martial arts are related, seem to have their own interpretations.

Just tonight, the Jo Kyo Nim (assistant instructor) who's either fifteen or almost there was leading two green belts and orange belt me in different fitness exercises, then following the lesson plan of the chief instructor with the green belts practicing certain sparring moves, and working directly with me, introducing me to what were simpler but still two new sparring combos. These aren't required ones, but there are a number of sparring combinations that our chief instructor can tap into, and she put her faith in this young man to instruct us while she was working with three white belts--two adults, one twelve-year-old. I had no problem with his instruction at all, and he kept an eye on the green belts to see if they were working smoothly. He even offered to stay after class for a few minutes if I were free, to go over the second of the two new combos, because there was more challenge to it than the first. Of course, I took him up on the offer. It may be ego, as brokenswordx suggests, or it may be just the individual adult's "seeing" or "not seeing" the younger student in the position of dan responsibility.

Very interesting, varied video. You could see and so understand how the least movement possible of the object sliced by the blade meant the perfect combination of the blade's sharpness and the swordsman's skill.

So long as elbows and knees aren't brought into the weapons arsenal, and the fight remains a standing one instead of standing and grappling, then I'd say to allow kickboxers to strike the thighs. I'm not in favor of strikes to the knees. Drawing the line there, along with a red light regarding elbow and knee strikes, as said above, would keep kickboxing a striking art adequately shy of Muay Thai. "Nothing below the belt" was the way of the past; thighs have been recognized as a legitimate target for years now. The boxers who enter the kickboxing ring will have to adjust to four weapons striking from head to thigh; they'll have to train for it before entering a kickboxing ring.

Magically entertaining.

In Pyung Ahn E Ro Hyung (meaning the second of the Pyung Ahn, or as you're saying, Pinan forms), there are three high/rising blocks (sang dan mahk kee) in the first half, stepping to the first kihap, but on the way back, there are three middle punches (choong dan kong kyuk) to the second kihap. EDIT: I should have said Pyung Ahn Cho Dan--the first of the Soo Bahk Do, or, as you're saying, Pinan forms. It's Pinan 2 in your description, but the numbers don't mean so much; it's the content.

To the Koreans, Pinan has been called "Pyung Ahn" and means "Peaceful Confidence."

Although the posting is not necessarily concentrating on the Korean arts, I've found, from past studying of Grandmaster Son's TKD and Grandmaster Hwang Kee's Soo Bahk Do, that, though they're both Korean arts, and though they will incorporate very similar movements, they are not the same in their interpretation of Pinan. When extracting/interpreting bunkai (I hope I'm using the term properly here) from the form, the application will come out differently, so the combat moves will not be the same. It may not seem like a great difference if in one, say GM Son's TKD, the knife hands are in middle position, and in GM Hwang Kee's SBD, they are in low postion, but their applications in blocking and countering (as I see in GM Son's TKD) and blocking and trapping (in GM Hwang Kee's SBD) are what you're to discover/extract/interpret and apply.

Welcome to KF! Lots to read and discuss here!

Holyfield wants back into the ring and to regain his championship. This article was in the 12/17/08 New York Times. Do you think Holyfield has a chance? Will make a good showing?

No class for the boys; instructor ill. Worked out together at home: Ki Cho Hyungs (Il, E, Sam Bu) Pyung Ahn Cho Dan At home after they went to bed: Leg stretches Chil Sung E Ro Hyung One-step sparring exercises (had to be extra-quiet!)

Doesn't it all boil down to what the lesson is, what the lesson plans for the class really are? The references to fighting may have nothing to do with what the lesson is, let alone what the lesson plans for that class may be. It could be calling out a series of moves to a row or two of students (teens and adults) that might be "low block, high block, reverse punch with a kiai/kihap." The individual calling out combinations such as these must be qualified to do so, meaning that a dan member of teenage years or greater can call out respectable, sensible combinations, and even aid those who get lost (like me, if it's in Korean, and I mix up "San Dan Mahk Kee, Yuk Soo Do Kong Kyuk" with "Ssang Soo Mahk Kee, Yuk Soo Do Kong Kyuk"; that is, "high block, ridge hand strike" with "double-arm block, ridge hand strike"). The dan member may be "assigning" one-step sparring combinations that are not required ones, as the lesson plan of the chief instructor has indicated, but know what s/he is doing, because s/he's been there, gone through these, and knows how/where to troubleshoot. It may have nothing to do with age in this case if it's a teenager or adult. Are we speaking of introducing new material? I'll go with the chief instructor introducing the new, and the dan members--who could be teenagers or adults--available to help in subsequent lessons that repeatedly review this material. The chief instructor can't be everywhere at once, such as if the whole dojo/dojang is performing previously taught drills at the same time, or the chief instructor is working with one group of students, relying on a dan member--teenage years, adult years--to supervise other students performing other work that ought to be known by the lower belts, but there's always something to fine tune. I have read postings expressing concern regarding actual fighting ability, maturity, and a "power trip": - I am not in a position, based on personal experience, to comment on actual fighting ability; I'm too limited there. - In terms of maturity, don't count teenagers out; if anything, teens may take it to heart and simply need the cooperation of students of all ages, even if it's for warm-ups. If the teen is not being mature, the chief instructor can catch it now and settle that matter, even assigning the teen dan member to do the task again, at another time, with the teen knowing s/he is being monitored. - I wonder if the "power trip" matter is something that can occur with teenager or adult, and that it should be reported to the chief instructor no matter what the age of the dan member exhibiting it. It's self-evident that it's unacceptable. I'm not so certain this matter can be resolved to a consensus of the forum's adults. I believe that, in the end, it doesn't boil down to the individual teen dan member, but to the individual adult's reaction to teen dan members.

It's a conflict of interest. pure and simple. Is there a problem in securing a decent number of referees/judges that this is done, or is it that the tournament is schedulers find it easier simply to assign competitors here-and-there w/o examining who the referees/judges are?

This one will be a wickedly wild action ride. Looking forward to it.

Excellent! One door closed and another door opened. You and your friends are lucky, Ranpu. It's nice that you've remained on good terms, but you have a new sensei now, and he is your instructor. The summer is a long way off. Finish the winter and spring first, then after experiencing the teaching of this "new" sensei, you can make an informed decision. Why not concentrate on the present, which will include many months to come, and cross that "summer bridge" when you get to it? There's no need to feel you've got to make all decisions now, Ranpu. Why pressure yourself--and your friends--about this now? Enjoy the new dojo and the new sensei's teachings, and leave the future to come on its own. You are not being disloyal to your old sensei, which I imagine you might feel right now, over if you don't promise to return to him in mid-2009. He closed shop, and you and your friends have made a new connection. Don't be surprised if you all begin to feel quite quickly that this "new" sensei is your true teacher, and that you wish to study only under him.

For my young children, personal development, both emotionally and physically. For myself, the opportunity to share, have an active role, in this development they're undergoing.