KickChick

....being a woman it was most important in my self defense training to be able to fight as chances are I would be thrown to the ground and then... possibly have the attacker on top of me... (in the case of a possible rape situation). I don't care what type of MA I am skilled at .. plain and simple I will use whatever defense skill that I know ( chance are many TKD students do not know how to escape holds or apply pressure points so it is in their best interests to crosstrain. I have learned a bit of Aikido ...just enough to feel I can protect myself together with my tkd skills and my .... loud voice HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Check out the threads in the Tae Kwon Do Forum under "breaking techniques" there are 56 posts to read (very interesting) here lies some answers to your questions. Actually I use my boards as fire wood ... and it is starting to get a bit chilly out now! Time to break some more boards!!

funny story Henry! Haven't had the chance to welcome you to KarateForums! We could all use a chuckle here now and then...thanks!

Sounds like a a meniscus cartilage tear. Check it out doing a search on internet. Quite common sport/martial art injury due to: poor technique or insufficient fitness, not enough strength to properly align the limbs, not enough muscular endurance to preserve sufficient strength during long sets of repetitions, not enough flexibility to perform movements with ease. Injured Knee cartilage can be toughened by exercises or torn down depending on the extent of the damage. Go see a doctor!

My own personal goal was to get my Black belt before I turned 40 ... and I did a month before Go for it Joannes mum ... it certainly is not easy and requires some stringent kata practicing and don't forget to train diligently many weeks before working on cardio endurance, breathing, balance and mental focus .... this will help immensely with your mum's self confidence to go for the ...Black! Lots of luck to her

Our ranking is quite similar to CT's.... at green belt level our students start to perform more advanced kicks and blocking techniques....spinning hooks, jump side kicks... Blue belt level (which is achieved approx. 2 years at our school) 9 months CT??? WOW At blue belt level tornado kicks and 360's kicks are learned. Our TKD ranking is as follows: white, gold (sparring begins), green (now an advanced student), purple, blue 1st., blue 2nd, brown 1st, brown 2nd, Black.

Oh My! ... Look what I came back to! ...we've gotem' confused Kickbutt!

a "wild" punch of any kind...I take that to mean coming at you unexpected. In that case, you might just get clocked in the side of the head ... but if you were on your guard ...light on your feet and bobbing & weaving you might just duck that wild punch. Keep fists along side chin, elbows protecting middle.

Different situations call for different forms of defense...and therefore different weaponry. I feel there is no superior "weapon" persay ...aside from the brain...'intellect' wins in the end. Its the user that must first possess the skill --anyone punch, kick, slice, dice, shoot, whatever!...Its how you use your most deadliest weapon! My best weapon? ..

clueless....what am I responding to?

DragonWarrior....every martial artist is physically and mentally different. Traning goals are different ... but all four areas Jack mentioned I do believe are important. Jack nice answer! .. each person may need to spend a little more time training in each area so personal routines may differ. For your age and what your goals are ... what I see as your routine is pretty much beneficial to your training. I do believe howver you should train a little harder in your martial art discipline. Although you are a green belt (correct?) you should be working on more advance kicking other than front kick ...work on dynamic stretching with those kicks and then end with tension kicks ,,, reakky improves your speed and technique incredibly....good going Jack, you have acquired a good knowledge of what works for you. Remember, if it gets too easy, adjust your training accordingly. _________________ Tae Kwon Do Blk Belt 1st deg./Fitness Kickboxing Instructor (KarateForums Sensei) [ This Message was edited by: KickChick on 2001-12-01 04:40 ]

Hey ... and check this out!! Here is something you can do this weekend if you get bored! To see the way the kiyap connects the upper and lower body into an integral unit, try to perform a full-extension push-up. To perform the push-up: Lie flat on your stomach on the floor. Fully extend the arms in front of the head with the palms flat on the floor Use the fingers to raise the hands up so they rest on just the extended fingertips Fully extend the legs with the feet about a shoulder's width apart Dig the toes into the floor so only the balls of the feet are supporting the legs Now for the tough part, do a push-up on the fingertips and toes Most people are unable to do a full-extension push-up the first few times they try. They push up the upper body and the lower body, but the abdomen stays on or near the floor. To see how a kiyap locks the upper and lower body into one cohesive unit, sound a forceful kiyap and tense the abdomen at the moment you attempt the push-up. Most people are now able to perform the push-up. ...check it out see if you can do it!

...um yeah there are a few things ...really !!

pizzaboy!!

Oh....I'm all better now! It was the intitial comeback. I don't do anything half-assed so I went into my first comeback class like gangbusters ...and boy did I pay the price for a few days! Its been a few weeks now and everything AOK...thanks all!

No ....absolutely not a fruitcake post! Actually not too many people realize just how important this sound is for tkd students especially. The kiyap is made... *At the moment of impact of a technique, whether it be a block or an attack *When absorbing blows to the abdomen *At certain points while performing forums... failure to sound a strong kiyap at the appropriate place is regarded as an error. *While free-sparring to signify a decisive technique. An attack without an accompanying kiyap is not is regarded as a strong, decisive technique *Anytime you want to accentuate an action you are performing The many sounds of kiyap are "E-eye" or variations of kiyap, such as "ya," "oh," "or-ya," "utzz," "kiyup," or "e-yup". The exact sound of the yell will vary from person to person. You should experiment to find the best sound for you. Staying with the standard kiyap sounds will keep you from saying something offensive in a foreign language. One famous Karate expert was well known for using the word "kusoh" for his kiyap...which means feces in Japanese. You sound "ki" at the start of a technique. When sounding "ki," you forcibly expel air using the diaphragm, which restricts airflow, increases air pressure within the lungs, and forces oxygen into the blood stream. This relaxes the body so all muscles may work together for maximum speed and power. You sound "ai" at the moment of impact. During the execution of a technique, all your concentration and power is focused on the moment of impact and the sounding of the "ai." When sounding "ai," you release a burst of air from the lungs that relieves the increased pressure and tenses the entire body, especially the abdomen. With the abdomen tensed, the upper and lower body are solidly connected into one integral unit. This permits the body to transfer power from the legs to the point of contact and permits the body to transfer the reaction force quickly through the body to the ground and back to the point of impact before contact terminates. After the "ai" is sounded, you continue with a normal exhale. This disconnects the upper and lower body, relaxes the entire body, and allows it to quickly return to the on-guard position. _________________ Tae Kwon Do Blk Belt 1st deg./Fitness Kickboxing Instructor (KarateForums Sensei) [ This Message was edited by: KickChick on 2001-11-29 11:43 ]

In a self defense situation ...since the beginning of my training I have been told as a woman I have the advantage with lower body strength and actually the first thing in my mind that I would do is to side kick to the middle/ or knee . (I would throw in a roundhouse somewhere because that is actually my most powerful kick I would think that would then catch the attacker unaware.

...well, at least I wasn't wearing an apron! _________________ Tae Kwon Do Blk Belt 1st deg./Fitness Kickboxing Instructor (KarateForums Sensei) [ This Message was edited by: KickChick on 2001-11-29 06:26 ]

... I just can't seem to get the defintion I want in the arms. They are solid muscle but I want those curves in the bicep area...I just hafta keep working at it and one day that will happen too!

Very nice. Yes, I like that one. That gives it a bit of an isometric resistance in working the stretch. I do something similar in our cooldown in kickboxing. We stradle our legs between 2 wavemasters...we then bend chest to thigh on left/switch to right...then bend at waist, exhale and go down in front...holding this stretch for a bit. I tell the class to relax the legs and imagine them melting into floor. People tend to tense up as they stretch which doesn't allow for muscle fibers to elongate properly.

I understand exactly what youre saying. As you go for the jump you are actually stepping forward with the kicking foot (say left lead) and driving up the knee of the non-kicking leg bringing that knee slightly forward past the lead leg.... I am working on those "jumps" doing squat/jumps .... and doing plie squats (where you squat down on the balls of your feet) then hop up into a jump tucking knees up. I have alot of jump combos that I need perform at 2nd deg. test so any tips are appreciated!

ooops...did I say "I" can do all of them? It's just a list of all the different types you can do. I do quite a selection from that list...so I don't get bored. Also works the different muscle groups in the upper body. I can mange a good 50 pushups after that I'm a noodle

...actually forgot to mention that on morning AFTER my first class back I nearly fell out of bed onto floor, and couldn't walk down stairs for nearly the whole day! I knew I was in trouble when driving home from class both legs were twitching something fierce! Has this ever happened to any of you? It is so weird...my muscles were so played! ....and its not like I don't work out! SaiFights...you should have seen me that night sitting with two ice packs wedged between my legs But yes the ice does help quite a bit ...(then follow up with heat day after!...at least that works for me!) Just that TKD training is so very different then strength training and cardio kickbox...we don't cool down either which I feel is detrimental in our training. I'll go into that more in a Health & Fitness thread later on.

I know we had this thread appear in one of the forums....so I thought I would bring it up here again. Well I am back to TKD classes (40 until 2nd deg. ) Can only get to one class a week because of KB teaching so that will have to do. Last night was my 4th class coming back into it since last Dec. Instructor called out a front snap kick (which I'm used to doing on heavy bag in kickboxing class) and as I kicked I hyperextended my knee YEEOUCHH! Wow... that does hurt! I felt the pain travel up the whole left side of me. I just now need to get used to throwing my kicks in air and not hyperextending. I teach an all-bag kickboxing class so now I need to get back into "air" kicking once again. We do use the bags also but this just happened to be at beginning of class. We can also use this thread to acknowledge your recent injuries...suggestions on how to deal with them...or if you are experiencing pain with any technique; how you might correct it.

Oh No! Not that "old people" stuff! Tiger Balm is awesome...I only use it when I really really NEED to. I now have invested in a hot tub which I use after every workout. Actually hot baths (if you don't have a jacuzzi/hot tub) will suffice. Submerge yourself immediately after your workout! Goodbye sore muscles!...well, until next time! _________________ Tae Kwon Do Blk Belt 1st deg./Fitness Kickboxing Instructor (KarateForums Sensei) [ This Message was edited by: KickChick on 2001-11-27 12:12 ]