joesteph

I remember when my boys were newer to karate and the instructor asked them to call out blocks or punches that he'd practice with them. One of their calls was for "low punch," which they'd never done, and which I thought was a mistake that he, the instructor, was being nice about as they did punches to where it's in-between navel and groin. I spoke about it with him later on and found out that you can really do some damage hitting there. The bladder, the liver . . . you'll give some internal organ a shock, and that was a punch. A kick must be murder!

They're tough as can be, I'll give you that! From 2:45 on was their version of two-on-one, and though there were "special effects" tossed in, it would still be a rough fight for anybody. I noticed they closed in for punches and roundhouses, the roundhouses looking much like Muay Thai with that shin slamming away at the ribs. I still wonder about not wearing chest protection, though. How is it that the ribs aren't cracked, meaning being unable to fight for a period of time and losing training/sparring time? I guess it's just their way. The only thing that actually surprised me was the use of knees. (I don't remember seeing elbows.) I think they were done solely to the torso. A good one, Kamahl! Thanks for sharing!

Your school doesn't fool around when it comes to self-defense, Tzu-Logic!

In yesterday's (8.30.10) New York Times, there's an article by James Dao, "Making Soldiers Fit to Fight, Without the Situps" on the front page. It seems that there had been a change in Army training back in '94, but it's recently been revised and put into effect this year. The main problem is the recruit, whether male or female, whose lifestyle has resulted in an overweight and out-of-condition person. According to the article, many yoga and pilates exercises are incorporated into the new regimen, and though long runs aren't eliminated, there's much more emphasis on sprinting. Jumping, crouching, and even climbing exercises have been incorporated, being closer to what soldiers need to do in actual situations. The article itself explains better than what I've written, above, and there is one quote I found right to the point; an army general said, "This is not just an Army issue. This is a national issue."

Going backwards is, to me, a reflex, and only by training (lots of practice) can it be controlled to have a "replacement" reflex. Maybe one of those padded blockers, the kind that's like a stick with the padding on it, could be used by a partner who'd be thrusting it at you? Do you think shadow boxing the angled move you've suggested to GeoGiant is a help, Bob?

Here's an eHow video of the Muay Thai push kick, which seems to be like what I practiced against the heavy bag. Your knee has to be on top a high chamber, and if you're tall, as I believe you are, GeoGiant, I think it's an advantage in choice of where to push. BTW, the end of the video shows a push kick with a roundhouse as a follow-up example. http://www.ehow.com/video_2353605_do-push-kick-kickboxing.html

When I did noncontact sparring, I could move straight in to fire off my shots; when I did contact sparring, I discovered I was walking right into push kicks--using the heel in the art of the dojo--that stopped me for just enough time that my opponent could get in a shot and move out of the way, meaning I got hit and had no target in front of me for my efforts. I abandoned the frontal assault. Moving at an angle is likely better, though, because, as Isshinryu observed, "You open up a lot of targets." If you've got limited room, that push kick with the heel would be my suggestion; if you've got some elbow room, I say use it--go diagonal.

I put this under Self-Defense because of the video presentation, which concludes with reference to an altercation. I was at the Black Belt website and came across a video by Thomas Cruse, Why "Destructions" Work. The first half of the video is intro, but I see his point in terms of real-world defense when using elbow and shin. He doesn't go into much about the shin in the video, except to show where he places it against a kick, but the story w/ "demo" about the elbow is interesting. I think, though, that it takes a lot of precision training to effectively perform the elbow defense that way. http://www.blackbeltmag.com/videos/297 ~ Joe

Insightful observations, Kuma.

SBD 4th gup forms: Ki Cho Il, E, Sam HyungsPyung Ahn Cho, E, Sam Dan HyungsChil Sung Il, E Ro Hyungs

When you're in your holding back mode, you're building up steam; you're creating it yourself as you generate your own stress. When you're struck, and it's hard, it's likely by accident, but, like a pressure cooker with the lid off, you explode. It's an overreaction by you if the hard blow is by accident, and accidents in a martial art are common. The first thing, to me, is to open up so that the steam doesn't build up. Next is to know who your sparring partner is. If it's hard and you know the person isn't a dojo bully, you'll likely take it more in stride. (If you know it's a bully, give back as good as you got--immediately, don't let it build up.) When I did noncontact sparring, there are those who struck me who I knew meant no harm. When I sparred in a fighting school, I wore gear, we went at it with gusto, and it was great. I left only because of health reasons; I was repeatedly pushing myself to a cardio limit. You know, I've found it's good to get hit a number of times so that you desensitize. When a friend--and that's what other students are supposed to be, dojo friends--hits too hard, it's then just shrugged off. Start off sparring with gusto, Kenny, and don't let the pressure build up; you don't want to be a hair trigger.

Put BOB up on the WaveMaster base as a point of reference to practice wrist grab defenses. Hard to do right when you're w/o a live partner. I used to first practice with a live partner, then "review" with BOB. Cross-hand wrist seizeSame side wrist seize Lower forearm seized by two hands Both wrists seized by two hands

Returning to class after Labor Day, so doing some review: Thursday: The three basic (white belt) formsPyung Ahn, the three forms I knew (orange and green belts) Chil Sung, the two forms I knew (green belt)Friday: The twelve (really six, a left and right version for each) one-step sparring exercises I knewGood thing I have the books and DVDs to make sure I'm remembering them correctly. Not bad after a summer hiatus; not polished, but not bad.

I know you didn't mean it to be funny, Brian, but I had to laugh when I read it! It made me think of myself and how I hated the last form I was working on, because of the jumping backwards segments that had me land on one leg.

I saw that the topic was reopened since its original January post, Danielle, and when I looked at the video, I liked it because I could follow it--which is what your most recent post is explaining. When I was learning new forms, I bought the DVD and slowed it down using the DVD player function. I imagine you've gotten that kick down by now. Was it mainly by practicing it repeatedly or by specific exercises?

Kyo Sa Nim is used in Soo Bahk Do (and, I believe, Tang Soo Do) as a title for those who are from 1st to 3rd dan, and who have passed testing to be instructors. (Sa Bom Nim is 4+.) Cho Dan is used for a 1st degree dan member, just as shodan is in a Japanese art. If you take cho and add it to Kyo Sa Nim, you'll get Chokyosanim (or "Choksanim"), which is likely what your art is using for the temporary black belt, Rateh.

A very good point, which is why it's better to

I'm 1952, Bob, so believe me when I say, "I hear you!" My boys are 2001. Very interesting! Glad you enjoyed it.

It's entirely possible, Danielle, not only because of Kung Fu in his background (and likely some knowledge of Tai Chi), but Korea got hit with Chinese culture even before Japan. He found success in obtaining students when he first referred to his art as Tang Soo Do--The Way of the Chinese Hand, or even The Way of China Hand. Of course it's kwon for Tae Kwon Do--The Way of Foot and Fist! I don't know why I did that, Danielle! Kwon is fist in Korean, so hammer fist is Kwon Do, backfist is Cap Kwon, palm heel is Jang Kwon, and yet spear hand is still Kwan Soo. I've read that kwan can be school, organization, or institute, so that holds up for Moo Duk Kwan as the Institute of Martial Virtue, but it can also mean leader, as that the Kwan Jang Nim is the honorable leader of the place (where we practice the art or way). Even Do Jang and Do Bok have their roots, the Do Jang or dojang (jang as place) being the place of the way (where we practice the way) and Do Bok or dobok (bok as a robe) is the attire of the way (uniform).

Soo Bahk Do uses Chinese; we even count in it (as well as in Korean). The characters for Soo Bahk Do are all in Hanja/Chinese, not Hangul/Korean, although if you see the official badge of the US Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan, both are present. Soo is hand in Chinese; sohn (and apparently son) in Korean. Regarding Soo Do v. Sonkai, you're actually using Korean in your art, Danielle, while in Soo Bahk Do, Chinese is either mixed in or preferred. (A friend who took Tae Kwan Do years ago always counted in Chinese at that time; now that he's taking Soo Bahk Do, he's using both.) Soo Bahk Do is translated as The Way of the Striking Hand. Tae Kwan Do, I've seen, is The Way of Foot and Fist. But note kwan in TKD. Doesn't that also mean school or organization or institute (as in Moo Duk Kwan, Institute of Martial Virtue)? There's actually more that I found when I was all fired up my first year, some interesting, and some confusing.

I figured that much. Wonder why Joe's school use "yu gup ja" instead of the equivalent term for "mudansha".... It could just be to avoid involving the term "dan" when at gup level, Danielle. It's also more uniform, with you/yu used for all those below 4th dan; for 4th dan+ the person's called "master," as my sons' teacher is Master Noelia Lago, who's 4th dan, but sometimes Mr. Menendez (3rd dan) has instructed.

I just uploaded a photo of my children on the USS New Jersey, the most decorated battleship in US history, under Family Photos.

I liked the reference by the demonstrator to the piston motion. You could see the power. The October issue of Black Belt has an article by George Ilyadis titled "Straight Blast: Punching Your Way Our of Imminent Danger," with a photo of Bruce Lee alongside the title. Lee's Jeet Kune Do is a combatative art. From the article on p. 66: Bruce Lee told his students, "When in doubt during a self-defense situation, straight-blast." . . . It's a series of alternating left and right vertical fist strikes intended to overwhelm the opponent . . . [T]he barrage relies on short-range punching power and speed . . . [it's] like the difference between going to war with a semi-automatic rifle and a machine gun. Looks like a solid self-defense technique. More info on it can be found in Tim Tackett and Bob Bremer's Chinatown Jeet Kune Do (the first volume), describing it on p. 45, pointing out the difference between the JKD and Wing Chun blasts, and showing photos on p. 46. (An error regarding the photos is that the captions for photos B and C are reversed.)

Here's a video from a Muay Thai series on eHow: "How to Toughen Up Your Legs for Kickboxing" http://www.ehow.com/video_2353629_toughen-up-legs-kickboxing.html

The Japanese term shuto and the Korean soo do are most often translated as knife hand, but I've heard that it has also been called sword hand, instead. In Phillip Starr's Martial Mechanics, on p. 25, he says: Most striking and thrusting techniques utilize some kind of screwing or snapping movement in the wrist just prior to contact with the opponent. Figures 4-4 to 4-7 show how it is used in the execution of basic sword-hand strikes. I liked the reference to the sword hand better than knife hand, feeling that, in ways, it may be more accurate. Whether striking at an opponent's neck with your open hand palm up or palm down, you're trying to cut his head off, as though with a sword. The whole forearm is like a sword, and the hand is the part of the "blade" that makes contact; it's the cutting edge. You might slice with a knife, but do you cut off in such a manner with a knife or a sword? Use an open hand ("blade edge" of the hand) block. Due to the hand's connection with the forearm, doesn't it feel more like you're using a sword than a knife? It's funny that the open hand, if thrust fingers-forward, is called a spear hand, whether nukite in Japanese or kwan soo in Korean. Perform it against an opponent's solar plexus or jugular notch, and it's more like stabbing with a knife than thrusting with a spear. If the "larger" weapon is referred to in this technique, why isn't the same done when chopping? I'm not looking to change martial arts terminology, but which do you feel is more accurate, knife hand or sword hand? POLL ABOVE Edit: Changed "chop" to "cut off"