GeoGiant

I'm starting to see what you mean Toptomcat, its a shame. I love the physical aspects of TSD and I would love to know more about historical aspects. Most of the reference information I found is taken from out of print journals. You seem to have an understanding of Japanese / Korean MA history. In your opinion, do you think the Hwarang represent the beginnings of TSD?

Have you noticed the effect yet where your performance increases just due to wearing a different color belt? I noticed that a lot when I was younger-- I'd get a new belt and overnight my moves would get sharper and harder. I think it was a cross between my self-confidence being higher and more being expected of me, so I wanted to live up to the higher expectations. For the first class or 2 after I got my yellow belt I didn't notice any differnece but then I started to feel like I was more a part of the school - if that makes sense.

If you are happy, thats all that matters. You always have the option to compete in tournaments if you wish to face off against someone your age / size. Good luck.

Thanks everyone. My biggest fear is to get hit 3 times and then have to go home

What are you confused about? How old are these “kids”? I attend a Tang Soo Do class with a mix of kids, teenagers, and adults. I don’t mind working with kids but I prefer an older teenager or adult to practice one-step defenses and sparing.

I’m trying to learn more about the history (as opposed to philosophy) of Tang Soo Do. I recently read Tang Soo Do the Way of the Warrior by Dominick Giacobbe and it was very good book but didn’t give me a tremendous amount of history. The book did touch on the Silla Dynasty and the formation of Hwarang, which seem to be the starting point for understanding the history of the art. Can anyone recommend a book that would give me a good understanding of the Hwarang? I’ve searched several book sites and most books on the topic of Silla / Hwarang get mixed reviews. Mixed reviews wouldn’t scare me if I knew the intent of the person reading the book.

I've been thinking about this for a few months and I finally decided to give it a try. Unfortunately the tournament flyer doesn't list much information other than location, date & time. According to the flyer full gear, which I already have, is required. No head contact, which will be difficult for me because I'm used to light head contact. There is a weapons competition, then kata, then sparing. I'm a yellow belt and we can't learn weapons until green belt or higher so I'm looking at kata & sparing.

Congrats. No matter how fast or slow you go, just keep moving forward .

The last paragraph is odd!

I have to agree with WireFrame that seems a bit harsh for someone learning. I think you need to identify “what” your biggest form issue is & then try to correct it. After you have the big problems corrected, you can tweak your technique. For example, my Sensei walks behind people while we are doing our floor drills and he tries to push / pull people to see how off balance they are. I always stepped into a wide stance that appeared to have good form (I don’t move when surprised with a push or pull) but my stance was so wide that I tended to move forward with an awkward movement. My Sensei kept telling me not to step so wide (problem identified). To try to stop stepping so wide I measured the distance from shoulder to shoulder, across my chest. Then I put two strips of masking tape, as wide as that shoulder-to-shoulder measurement, the entire length of my basement. When I practice at home I perform floor drills while concentrating on keeping my feet on the tape. It has taken some time but I’m starting to feel like I’m improving.

PD, congrats.

I'm glad I'm not the only one! I've started my first yellow belt kata and i felt like a fish out of the water. It is expected that we are able to know our yellow belt katas by their Korean names so I have a lot to learn. Like you, I couldn't be happier by the challenge

I work with a double-end bag. I usually wear 1 lb hand weights when I work the bag. Remember to keep moving around the bag while working it. I usually do a full rotation left then a full rotation right. I like to keep my hands up (like I am holding a telephone to each one of my ears) so I practice defending a punch (ie. the bag swinging back at me).

Lets face it she will probably sell a few more singles based on this "hint".

The problem is that one person (ok, its probably a guy) that does not practice good hygiene creates a big problem for everyone else. I know my gym has had an issues with athletes foot in the locker room - GROSS. I've walked in to the locker room on numerous occasions and saw someone with their bare butt on a bench or someone not using shower shoes.

I was having this discussion with someone yesterday. I've been going to my gym for years, mostly to use the cardio equipment. I always carried a pair of shoes to run in AND a pair to lift weights in. Carrying 2 pairs of shoes is a hassle but I was spending a lot of $$$ on running shoes and I didn't want to prematurely blow the soles out so it seemed like necessary evil. When I started martial arts training I started to workout in my basement more. I usually mix weight lifting with practicing kicks on my bag. For example, I like to lift "something" for 10 reps, 30 sec rest, 10 kicks on each leg, 30 sec rest, then back to lifting = 1 set. I find that 3 or 4 sets like this get my muscles fatigued and my heart pounding. Well the unexpected result of training like this is that I hate wearing shoes to workout now! Again, I'm in my basement so I have the luxury of being shoeless, but when I'm doing clean-n-jerks barefoot I feel a lot more stable than doing them with shoes on. I have to agree with others on the hygiene thing. From what I see, its hard enough for some people to wipe a machine down when they are done... I can't image what their personal hygiene is like!

Wow, I can't believe he stopped and turned the tap off during the fight!

Congrads! I just tested, passed, and received my yellow belt a few days ago. I have to speak in public sometimes so getting up in front of people never bothered me... or so i thought. About an hour before my test I thought I was going to jump out of my skin! I performed my katas without a problem although I was told that I was a bit mechanical on the first one. The feeling of passing was GREAT! Because my test started at 7:30 pm on a week night and everyone wasn't finished until 9 pm no one went out after but I managed to celebrate with a few pints at home! Good luck in the future.

I found a site that sells Thai heavy bags at a reasonable price... only thing is these bags are synthetic leather... I'm not sure what / how durable that material is. Here is the ad - "Awesome tri-layered synthetic leather construction is super tough and strong. Massive 6' size is ideal for full body simulation and workouts. Comes complete with chain and swivel to hang and bottom D-ring to secure to floor. Bag is expertly packed with foam liner and firm resistance fiber filling to keep shape and resist sagging, bowing or settling." Color: Black Size: 14" x 72" Weight: 100 lbs.

I already have a double-end bag that I use to practice sticking and moving... etc. I want to use the heavy bag to train for power so I don't want something that moves around too much. I'm looking at a 150 lb leather heavy bag but the price is around $300 !OMG! Can anyone tell me if the bag is worth this or should I buy a 90lb cloth/canvas-type bag from my local sporting goods store?

Thanks for the video Tonydee!

Thanks for the advice. The reason I started to think about the low leg was due to a sparing experience. I was working out with yellow belt that is a lot younger & smaller... well he threw a sidekick and his heel landed on the outside of my thigh... WOW it hurt. 3 days later I still feel like I have a bump the size of tennis ball on my leg. I'm hoping to get a heavy bag in the near future so I can practice hitting my shin against something.

I'm a tall guy with a good reach..... and I'm slow. I'm trying to find a move that I can use to get my shorter opponent to drop his/her hands. I've watched a lot of sparing videos and the Muay Thai low leg strike (using my shin to strike the outter or inner thigh of my opponent) seems like a great move for me. My line of thinking is - the distance between my foot on the ground and "your" thigh is the shortest distance between any 2 points, other than maybe a jab to the head/chest. Also, this is a move I can do from a distance and then close on my opponent. First and foremost, I want to make sure I'm not going to cause someone an injury. Does this type of move present a greater danger to my training opponent? As a person that has had knee issues in the past I'm very wary of doing anything around the knee area. I should say that we train to fight in my dojo so the concept of points is not relevant to me. Why does everyone think? Is my logic flawed? Am I presenting un-needed danger to my training partner? Any suggestions on how to train to use this technique?

I read a lot of old school vs. new school type comments. I assume that new school equates to a laxing (I don't think laxing is really a word, but you know I mean) of the traditional rules of interaction between a master and his students as opposed to a fundamental change in the way the physical art is being practiced.....? In other words, the way we act in the dojo has because more casual while the blocks, kicks, etc, have remained the same...? When I first posed the bowing question, I assumed that there was a universal answer. After reading everyone's comments and agreeing with the pro (proper respect doesn't stop at the dojo door) and con (not drawing attention to myself and others that are training) logic I think the best thing for me to do is ask my instructor for his preference.

This seems like a great rule-of-thumb.