joesteph

I feel that if you've prepared yourself as best you could by training, you can even choose the degree or level of combat in the fight you're in, because you know what to do, how far to go, and are adept at delivery. This is why a martial artist who's demonstrating techniques might say that a certain technique would not be used against a drunk, but it would be used in another situation. I've found that the more home training I do, the more confident I feel about an altercation. It's even interesting to look at an upcoming situation (this large guy is passing me in the street; I'm in a seated position in a diner; I have to pass this group of teens who are mock-fighting one another) and determine what you would do to defend yourself. You can only have ideas of what to do if you've been training faithfully.

Wow! Brian, you really tell it like it is.

I've seen and followed this advice by Tallgeese when sparring, even though it's non-contact that I'm doing, even when I practice with BOB, to keep myself trained in what is, to me, the right way to protect myself. What's funny about this is that the opponents I have in sparring sessions don't use the leg up, as it's not in the art I'm studying. I don't know that I'll definitely be attending the school I'm visiting this week, but I do know that sparring is a regular activity, and it incorporates contact. That means hands, elbows, and legs in all the right places.

I can tell you that the Koreans do not make eye contact first, that they look down when bowing at the waist, and that my instructor has said that it's a sign of rudeness to look at the other person when bowing, that it says, in effect, "I don't trust you." In the movie The Karate Kid, Pat Morita's character "corrected" Ralph Macchio's, saying, "Look eye. Always, look eye." I'm interested in that as well as you are, Shotokan, in that I thought that the Japanese would look directly at one another, particularly the eyes, but realize that it's something I got from a movie. Even though Pat Morita is of Japanese descent, it doesn't mean he's a martial artist and would be familiar with martial art protocol to draw on for a motion picture. (I understand that Fumeo Demora did the martial arts scenes of "Mr. Miyagi." I wonder if they consulted him?) BTW, no matter how many years ago that movie was made, you'll always find someone familiar with "Wax on, wax off."

Ki Cho Hyungs (Il, E, Sam Bu) Pyung Ahn Cho Dan Chil Sung E Ro Hyung Self-defense techniques One-step sparring exercises

At first, I thought my favorite photo would be one of the open-air scenes, as they're so beautiful, but the very last photo of the two little boys won the prize.

I'll bet that while we're wondering how the goat is managing this, the goat is probably wondering what all the fuss is about.

The exercise I get at home is really karate-oriented. It may be lower in physical demand, like hyungs, medium, like leg raises and stretching, or higher, as in kicks against a WaveMaster and hand strikes against BOB. When I look over the Martial Artists' Training Log, I see what I do at home that contributes to overall health, and it's really preparation for the demands of my martial art, from which I gain exercise when I'm in class.

I looked for this response that I'd made at an earlier time to Taylor's article, because it just came up tonight while having dinner with a friend. I've had greater concern regarding non-contact sparring in my school, and so I've made an appointment with a different school, to observe a class and speak directly with the chief instructor. One of my friends just could not understand how I could be concerned about sparring, about self-defense. He thought that my sons would be a concern, because bullying does go on in schools, but he went on about how safe the towns we live in are, how we've never been mugged, and that he's certain that I can take care of myself--just as he can--without the need for self-defense exercises, such as sparring. We're both in our fifties, and I told him how I could tell even in a non-contact situation how vulnerable I am in fighting a teenager--or two. He was certain the situation would never arise, and that if he were ever accosted, he'd just end the conflict by punching his adversary in the mouth. He even added that the kind of persons who go to such schools are the ones who like, and start, fights anyway. There was really no amicable way to cause him to understand that he could be attacked just going to his car in a mall parking lot, and that being in middle age didn't make us better fighters than teenagers, although I was able to make some headway that the individuals in martial arts schools are the ones who tend not to start altercations. His mind was closed, though. Essentially, we agreed to disagree, something which enables people to get along.

Leg stretches BOB: - punching combos to the face and body - other hand strikes - finger, elbow, and forearm strikes

Wow! Thirty custom molds, fifty pounds of costume, and a year to make. When this guy starts on a project, he doesn't quit. Good for him!

How would we know if they are not forum members? I don't follow the quote you took, Tiger. It's too out of context as to what I posted. Here's the paragraph: I specifically said "I've not noticed"; then I asked why. To gain knowledge, I then presented an invitation. Are you yourself an instructor who tested younger students and awarded dan membership based on their abilities, Tiger? If so, great; please share the merit you discovered when you decided that dan membership was earned. If you or another member of the forums haven't, then, to clarify in case of misinterpretation, the question is not directed to those who have not. I was hoping for a response by someone who had judged and determined that dan membership would be awarded to a "young student." That person (or persons) who made that judgment call could then be sharing his/her thoughts freely, that we may exchange knowledge in a spirit of dialogue. The invitation is still open.

As he was quoted in the article: "There's been some lows as well, and I definitely won't miss getting punched in the face for a living!" I won't question wisdom born of experience from a man who lost 256 fights.

Wasn't the first one a Transformer? He looked like a man-size toy!

Great! Congratulations, Unknownstyle!

Thank you all so much for a wonderful October. It has been an honor to serve as Member of the Month. I feel that Karate Forums is a martial arts family, a coming together of the truly dedicated.

Home: - Leg stretches - Ki Cho Hyungs (Il, E, Sam Bu) - Pyung Ahn Cho Dan - Chil Sung E Ro Hyung Class: - Chil Sung E Ro Hyung - Simple sparring combinations - Tournament-style sparring

Thanks, Brian; the hands are down at the sides, and the grab is pinky lowest. But you also said "most" and "from being in a guard position would be a good idea." I really think that, after white belt, some guard position grabs should be introduced. I'm an orange belt with a stripe as a promotion over plain orange, and the defenses are still when you're grabbed with your hands down at your sides.

My children are age seven, so they don't fit into the 9-11 year old group, but the system for them is a series of stripes (eight of them) first, then a test to go up one belt level. That would be one belt color per year, and stripes are earned, not just awarded, so a child might take more than a year if necessary. There is a nine-year-old in class with me with a green belt and a stripe on it, and he's excellent to work with; the boy's a natural, not only in what he does but in instructing younger children. I don't know at what age he'll be able to test for dan membership, but he'll need another stripe, then a color change, then two more stripes, and then be permitted to test. The dan member who's fourteen is treated more like an adult, and his assistance is very professional; he's a "young man" on the dojang floor though he's a "kid" in high school. I wonder, since so often a question (complaint?) is raised about how young this or that dan member is, is if there is less emphasis/concern on age and the lower belts, but a greater concern about dan membership, because, at least in American society, that black belt means a certain special step across a threshold in martial arts has been made, and that it stands for something greater than the next step up in belt rank. I think that most martial artists accept that an adult with a disability/handicap will need accommodations, and will accept that this may mean that the recipient of the rank did not do exactly what others did, but worked to the best of his/her ability, and that means something. Does this also extend to dan membership? Will someone question dan membership, saying that grading is based on ability, not effort? I couldn't protest/question in such a case, it's just not in me, but I'm also just one person. Do we make accommodations for those who are older but not disabled, that there is a limit that is reached in ability when within, say, middle age or even old age for most people? Should we say we accommodate for older age but not younger? It can always be argued that the young can wait their turn, but will we actually kill their ardor under the banner of high standards? Will they--and their parents--consider it "age discrimination"? Is it fair? Just? As Sophocles pointed out, there is a point at which even justice is unjust. I've not noticed in the forums instructors who tested younger students and posted that these younger ones reached dan membership because they earned it. Is it because they are not forum members, or because they expect that if they post, they'll be chastized? Let's invite postings by those from a school in which "the young" (up for broad interpretation) have achieved recognition as dan members and that, in the opinion of the awarder, the student truly earned it? Let's hear from them in the spirit of dialogue.

Sean, has this interfered at all with your kicking abililty? I don't think it affects punching, but I saw an MMA video in which the MM artist said he took a stance different from the boxer (a bit more of the body exposed) because he was concerned about his ability to kick, even though he exposed more of himself. (Big guy, too; made for a bigger target.)

This is a good tip. It really is a helpful analogy; it's broader and makes where your eyes focus more useful. It's definitely not a staring contest where you're seeing eye and only eyes, because you're being too literal, "overfocused" (to coin a new word?).

I just rented Red Belt and enjoyed the "street fighting" aspects of it (even though the action happened indoors). It's more that it was "peppered" with MA, even though the main fight was at the end of the movie--or else how would he be awarded the red belt? And look who presented it. The acting wasn't the best, but it was offset by sympathizing with a man trying to save his MA school. The scene with the rape victim was something I had mixed feelings about, in that he was "flooding" her with the instruction move that he made, and yet that move is exactly what someone concerned with self-defense might consider. (Anybody proficient in knife defense see the movie? Was it feasible? It didn't look "Hollywood" to me.) Good for a rental and some homemade popcorn.

Hi Sean. Welcome to the forums. I practice Soo Bahk Do, a Korean martial art. I'm glad I'm taking it, not only for self-defense, but it's good exercise, and it's a bond between my boys (twins, age seven) and me. My instructor doesn't limit the art to striking, but has us do some takedowns and joint locks, the takedowns kind of as an intro to grappling, and the joint locks both standing and on the mat.

Do you scan with your eyes between these two points, Swadoryu? Instead of focusing on just one, and when fighters are in motion, it can be an added task to maintain focus on one point. Do you find yourself looking your opponent "up and down" between the eyes and the solar plexus? I concentrate on the face to upper chest area, and I've been more in tune with my peripheral vision between these points; yours are further apart, but perhaps it's because you mentioned looking for body movement (as clues--or cues).

At home: Leg raises Leg stretches Ki Cho Hyungs (Il, E, Sam Bu) Pyung Ahn Cho Dan Chil Sung E Ro Hyung Class tonight: - Required one-step sparring techniques - A variety of short sparring combinations, sometimes "mixing it up," so that some were limited mobility, but others were move, move, move . . .