GeoGiant

(turning my head from side to side to make sure no one is listening) I've done it,,,,, shhhhhh. I really wanted to work on my spinning back kick so I had my wife film me. I studied the film and asked my instructor questions and I was able to develop a fairly effective spinning back kick... my problem now is that other students expect the kick so I can't use it much. I test for my green belt in 2.5 months and I intend to film myself performing kata so I can make the necessary adjustments. I think filming yourself is a good tool.

I've never considered this...?! I'm not sure I would feel the need to buy him anything. My instructor is really committed to local charities and I always purchased fundraiser sandwiches, cookies, etc, or supported any function he was involved in.

We have 6 black belts that teach at my school but we all train under one instructor. Everyone is referred to as Sir in class. Outside of class I call the BBs by their first name..... I still refer to our instructor as Sir.

Primarily yes. My comment was based on training to fight more than one on occasion. Every few weeks we line up for a 3 or 4 person sparring drill. The drill definitely has that element of surprise and confusion.

Yeah, we sorta moved away from the point of the thread. I couldn't think of any song that described a late 30's something male that was constantly hurting himself Plus I can never pass up a chance to quote Mr. T

Contracts.... sure. Why not? Certain things require a commitment and MAs is one of those things. I'm not what you mean by packages but you sign up for a 3, 6, 9, or 1 year contracts a my dojo. People paying upfront for a black belt... hu... how does that work?

Unless your in a school yard fight, more than likely, your attacker will not let know their coming. Fighting more than one attacker gives you that sense of awareness that you'll need when attacked. After that first punch lands you better be able to adsorb the shot, diagnose what is happening and then react.

Oh, thats a good one....... What's your prediction for the fight? My prediction? Yes, your prediction. Pain!

Karate = Black gi MMA class = black gi pants & t-shirt.

I have to agree with both posts. There is a type of pain that I work through (say sore muscle), then there is a type of pain that hinders me (hyper-extended elbow), and finally there is the pain that stops me (sprained ankle). It has taken me a loooooong time to acknowledge and react appropriately to the type of pain that I have. On more than one occasion I have made a mild pain much worse because I refused to give in and rest.

The religion question is really puzzling. Aside from age, address & another persons contact info in case or injury I"m not sure why anything else would be needed. Maybe there are some others that could explain why a school would need this information...? Have you asked other students about this? Maybe you could leave those questions blank...?

In a word, no. I would not give out that information without knowing exactly how it will be used. If they want a photo, I assume it would be for some type of advertising. It sounds like you already have a gut feeling.... go with your feeling...

Wow! Sorry to hear all that happened to you. I recommend that you visit a few schools and share your concerns with the instructor. Every school is set up differently. I'm not in the medical field but 10 concussions sounds like a lot. Have you thought about tai-chi or yogo?

Well, you and I share one thing in common. We are Nirvana fans, and I love that song, too. My continued interest in Rock ended in 1994 when Cobain killed himself. I was 30, he was 27, and that was the end of keeping up with modern rock for me. He was a genius. No doubt about it. OMG! This is my hundreth post. I'm an orange belt now! Yeeehaw! I was 22 when he died. At that time I had a job that I worked for 8 months a year then we had 4 months off so I was able to travel... limited distances. I spent 3 summers straight following bands from show to show. Luckily I was able to attend most of the eastern US tour with the Grateful Dead before Jerry died. Nirvana was the one band I never got to see. There was talk of Nirvana headlining the Lollapalooza tour the year he killed himself... and I went to see 3 of those shows. I also walked away from mainstream - popular music at the time the grunge scene ended. I'm not sure how it happened. After I decided to go to college it seemed like I was too consumed with school and work to keep up and before you know it..... wizzzzz... popular culture has passed you by.

Why do you feel bad for me? I'm getting what I want. The curriculum is fine. I can train as hard as I want. I've said that the instructors are good at what they do. I'm getting a taekwondo education. That's what I'm paying for, that's what I'm getting. I don't need it to be a cult. I don't need to feel undying loyalty to the owner/masters I write a check to every month. I need to learn taekwondo and work out, and if down the road I want to open a school and do things the way I think they should be done, then I'm going to need a black belt from an established school in order to feel confident in doing that. Besides, there is nothing else here. There are three other schools, and they are all part of the ITA TKD Puls franchise. But again, I have no complaints about what I'm being taught. It's just that it's a McDojo that nickle and dimes you to death. Maybe I'm misunderstanding your posts from several threads but you haven't painted a positive image of your dojo or the BB that train there. I don't idolize anyone at my dojo or feel that I'm part of a cult. I feel that my instructor set the bar high for someone to achieve BB status and I'm surrounded by people have reached that status... its an impressive achievement. I feel the same way about someone who gets a PhD.

I certainly do not have the level of ma experience that many folks on this form have so I don’t feel qualified to answer your question however the sentiment that algernon posted makes perfect sense to me. I guess what puzzles me is why you continue to train at a dojo you seem to have so much distain for. You mock the place you train, the people you train with and the instruction. I in no way intend this to be an attack, I just can’t image wanting to get BB from someone (that your describing as) unqualified to properly assess what skills are required to earn a BB or someone that is more interested in students buying BBs. Again, I have limited experience and I’ve only been associated with one dojo but my impression of my instructor and the people that he has elevated to BB is at the opposite end of the spectrum from your experiences. Honestly, I feel bad for you. Why not train somewhere else?

When I was a lot younger I tried to meditate a few times but my mind always raced or I got sleepy. During my initial attempts I thought you closed your eyes, relaxed and some Zen type atmosphere was supposed to form around you. Needless to say nothing ever happened and I gave up the practice after a few tries. Now years later I am exposed to meditation in my ma class. We meditate for a few moments at the beginning and end of each ma class. When we meditate we are instructed to clear our minds and think if nothing… let everything go. At first, my meditation was thinking about how I need to stretch my legs because I would cramp up. Gradually over time I have learned to relax and take a few breaths while not thinking about anything. It hasn’t happened often but every once in awhile I do feel like I’m snapping out of very relaxed state of mind when my instructor claps for us to stand. I don’t know when its happening but I will hear the clap and think, man I wish we could have went for a few minutes longer.

Hmmm. Well I’m a product of 80’s metal & 90’s grunge so one of my favorite bands to train to Nirvana. I can’t say that all of their songs reflect me as a MA but I know where their music is coming from. One of my favorite Cds is Incesticide with my favorite song being Sliver. The song is so simple.... its about this little kid that was dropped off at his grandparents house while his parents go out to see a show. This little kid screams the entire time that he wants to go home then at the end of the song you find out he wants to go home to be alone... kind of sad. Not to sound all Dr. Phil but that song always struck a cord with me.

Use headgear, not that foam thing that you see people use for light or no contact tournaments. Get yourself protective boxing headgear. This type of headgear is bulky but it will provide the protection you need for sparring and/or training. You don’t want to be taking shots in training that cause you to stop training.

I spar using gloves & those shin/foot guard pads. I cannot wear that bulky foam foot gear… those things always twist or my toes get caught up in the bottom straps.

I was moving on adrenaline a lot more than I thought because I’m paying for it today. However as I sit at my desk with my slipper on, I have a smile on my face! The kata I was working on is called GIE CHUL HYUNG SAH BU. The kata movements make an "I" pattern on the floor. Basically its - left low into a left front stance, right front kick without advancing, right mid punch, left high block, right mid punch… turn 180 degrees into a right low block and follow same movements only with the opposite hands and feet….turn 90 degrees into a left low block, right front kick while advancing, then 3 mid punches… left front kick while advancing, the 3 mid punches… right front kick while advancing, then 3 punches… turn 270 degress into a right low block and repeat the entire pattern. Opps that is only 12 kicks…

Beat me to it. I'm more familiar with demonstrations intended for advertising purposes.

I made it back. No kata, but I sparred. I took 2nd in the older than 35 category. They didn't have many 18 to 35 lower belts so I sparred in that category and walked away 2nd place. I had 5 fights and lost 2. The 2 fights I lost were by one point. My foot hurts like CRAZY but I'm better for the experience.

Ok, it Sunday morning & I have leave for the tournament in about an hour and 45 minutes. The heal pain has lighten but the pain is still there - no swelling. I'd say I'm comfortable putting 50% of my weight on it. I've taken ibuprofen & I will apply one more round of ice. The kata I've been working on has 14 kicks so I will not be performing my kata. I really feel like I can spar from a left side stance... that still gives me my front roundhouse & backfist. Circling the ring will be a problem so I'm going to have move in quick & box. I'm banking on adrenaline giving me the ability to put another 25% of my weight on my foot.

Thanks! I've been doing everything you mentioned. Based on my online diagnosis (yeah I know ) I only have a heal bruise. Apparently if I tore or stretched ligaments i would have pain when I bend my toes up & press on different spots on the bottom of my foot - so that is good. I'm going to the tournament either way but I think I've given up on performing a kata. I could be fooling myself but i think if I wrap my foot and ankle with an ace bandage and use a cat stance, I can spar... the top of my foot is fine... although I'm not sure I will be able to walk into the ring without a noticeable limp... I assume that would not be perceived in a positive way. Hey, maybe it will better tomorrow....