Martial Walrus

It's even worse if you're trying to find applications for Taekwondo forms, you're lucky to find a single video on it. There just aren't a lot of people in Korean styles interested in actually understanding forms. The next best option is to look at Shotokan bunkai, since the forms are so similar. Of course, you do run into a lot of the very simplistic, unrealistic bunkai. I think the "fighting eight men" approach to demonstrating bunkai gives people the wrong impression. Kata don't teach you to fight eight people at once. It teaches you to fight one person in a number of different ways. You turn so you don't run into the wall, not to face a new opponent. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz2sS8MwLh8 I found these guys on youtube, their bunkai is by far the best I have seen. Very detailed and realistic. They also show multiple applications for each technique.

Boards may not hit back, but trees do sometimes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pg1bLu_w4c Similar thing happened to me when I tried practicing on a walnut tree. I avoid them now.

Like someone mentioned earlier, the first Korean's to bring Taekwondo to America called it "Korean Karate" since the term was more familiar with westerners. And of course, there are Taekwondo schools (as well as schools from various styles) that use the word "Karate" in their name as a form of marketing. Looking at Taekwondo, it is pretty easy to see the connections with Karate, particularly Shotokan. However, Korean nationalists will say that it is based primarily or entirely on Taekkyeon, or that the two are even the same thing. I really don't see this. I have four years experience in Taekwondo, and I have actually had the opportunity to train in Taekkyeon on several occasions. The two are worlds apart. Taekwondo is hard and external, while Taekkyeon is soft, internal, and dance like. It's more like Tai Chi than Taekwondo. Taekwondo uses stances almost identical to Shotokan stances, but Taekkyeon does not have static stances. Instead, it has a rhythmic stepping similar to the ginga in Capoeira. Both styles use a lot of kicking, but I believe that this was an indirect influence. During the Japanese occupation, Taekkyeon was banned in an attempt to suppress Korean culture. It was almost eradicated, so it is very unlikely that any of the founders of the various Kwans would have had any significant exposure to the style. It is more likely that they trained in Shotokan and tried to imitate some techniques from Taekkyeon. This would explain why the way kicks are performed in Taekwondo is different from the way they are done in Taekkyeon. Taekwondo uses a lot of sharp movements of the knee and more defined, snapping motions as opposed to Taekkyeon's more relaxed kicks that push through the target.

I've always been taught to keep my fist high up by my ribs. I think this helps develop power better than having it down by the hips. For the fist to be that low, the elbow has to already be partially extended. When you punch from this position, the elbow only moves through about half of its range of motion. However, if the fist begins by the ribs, then the elbow is not only completely bent, but also pulled back farther. This causes both the elbow and shoulder joints to travel through a larger range of motion. I feel like it would also translate better into punching from a raised guard, since your hands are going to be closer to your ribs than they will be to your hips. Like others have stated, one purpose of practicing the chambered punch is to help develop rotation in the hips and shoulders. However, I think it is also useful for getting used to pulling an opponent towards you with one hand while using the other to strike. Also, like tallgeese mentioned, a lot of blocks can be used as part of a joint lock by pulling the person's wrist to your rips/waits and striking to the elbow with the forearm.

I have a similar problem. I'm 6'2" and very broad. Gi manufactures seem to think that anyone who is my height will be built like a stick, so I have to order two sizes bigger and hem the legs and sleeves so I can actually move. Also, I'm young enough to still be growing, so I've had to go up two sizes in the past year. Maybe one day, when I've stopped growing, I'll get a custom fitted gi. Maybe.

I trained in Capoeira for a short time. I do love the style, but I just don't think it is my thing. The only time I've every been kicked in the head hard enough to make me see stars was during a Capoeira roda. My opponent didn't mean to hit me; he expected me to avoid his kick, but it was such as strange one that I could not see it coming.

This sounds absolutely evil. I have to try it.

These are not true. I lift heavy weights at the gym, and my TKD does not suffer. Heavy lifts will not "shorten" tendons. Lifting heavy weights moves the weight through the complete range of motion of the joint. Increase in muscle size does not equal a decrease in flexibility. Lack of stretching equals a decrease in flexibility. Also, if you train with heavy weights properly, they do not make you slow. Take the bench press for example. Its not a "slow" lift. It appears slow at higher weights because the lifter is working closer to his current potential (if he's doing it right). If you see the same person bench press at around 60% or 70% of his max, you'll see him moving the weight faster. "Bulking" only happens when you increase your caloric intake in an attempt to gain muscle mass. Bodybuilders take in a bunch of protein and calories to maintain their builds. Powerlifters will do similar things. But remember, power lifting and Olympic lifting are weight-classed sports, so its not just big people who are strong. Here is a link to a female power lifter: http://www.132poundsofpower.com/ Would you classify her as bulky? This is spot on. Now, I am naturally a bulky person. My training also consists mostly of lifting weights, striking trees, and practicing poomsae, all with the goal of increasing power. However, I am also able to do a full 180 degree split and place my chest flat on the floor. Even though I have gained twenty pounds of muscle over the last few months (I'm currently 6'2", 240 lbs), my flexibility has actually improved. The typically bulky athletes such as football players and body builders are not inflexible because of their muscles mass, they are inflexible because they do not stretch adequately.

I've been kicked in the groin and in the throat on multiple occasions. I've even been kicked in both in one day. There was one time were someone tripped me and I landed with my heel in my groin. That was an interesting fail. I have a friend who kneed himself in the face. He bruised his knee, but his face was fine.

I'm assuming you're talking about practicing kicks very slowly in order to improve balance, technique, and core strength. This is probably a strength issue. The core muscles are essential for being able to have the control to do a kick slowly at face height. I would recommend that you focus on strengthening the muscles of your stomach, lower back, and hips. I know a very good exercise for strengthening the lower back specifically for kicking. You may already know it, but I'll describe it for you anyway just in case you don't. Hold onto a wall or the back a chair with one hand (for the sake of this description, we'll say it's your left hand). Point the heal of you left foot directly away from the wall and raise your right food off the ground. Your hips should be turned over, but not completely turned over and facing the floor as if you were doing a back kick. Instead, keep your hips facing the wall to your left. Your upper body should be leaned back towards the wall. Essentially, you want to be in the same position as if you were doing a round kick or spinning hook kick. Now, imagine a line going from your shoulders to your hips. Keeping your leg straight, move your right knee side to side across this line. It is most important to pull strongly when bring your leg to the right, bringing your knee past your hip so that your body makes a sort of bow shape. Do not let your upper body move, only your leg. You can begin with your leg low, around waist height. As you get better, try bring it up higher and higher until you can do it at face level. Keep doing it on one side until that side gets sore, then switch to the other leg. I hope this helps.

Haha, I've seen the kick/diarrhea word play in a manga before. Anyway, about the kiai, it seems to me that a lot of martial artists have no idea how to do one properly, at least not in America. They make it some long, high-pitched scream from the top of their lungs when it should be a short, low pitched shout coming from the stomach and diaphragm. I think they're exaggerating the noise to make it sound more "impressive" and not considering the actual purpose of the shout. I do love the sound of a well done kiai. I also enjoy the sound of Asian men yelling. An Asian man doing a good kiai is music to my ears.

Walking petri dishes... that's a pretty good description of small children. And they're always sticky... On a related note, I'm just now getting over my second cold in three weeks. Living in a dorm seems to be a great way to spread/contract disease.

For some reason, this reminds me of the time some kid (I have no idea who) soiled themselves during class. I stayed after class, along with two instructors, to mop the entire floor with bleach. We also found something on the floor that someone identified as an intestinal worm, which would explain why this kid couldn't hold it in. I guess this is another example of "don't show up sick"

Like Harlan said, it's probably just water. I'm a pretty big guy and I sweat a lot, so my weight can go up and down as much as five pounds through the course of the day depending on how much I sweat versus how much water I drink.

I just remembered this video of Morio Higaonna demonstrating several techniques like this. This is kind of painful to watch, especially the small joint manipulation stuff. Higaonna is a terrifying little man.

Paul Vunak says that there are specific positions and ways to effectively bite, and that a person should have the equivalent skill of a BJJ blue belt in ground fighting before they ever bother to study it. I'm not saying biting is useless, humans are omnivores with good incisors, but like eye gouging, it's not a magic bullet. Good point. Bitting would simply be my natural reaction since I have very little training in ground fighting. That, and hitting them wherever possible with whatever body part I have free to hit them with.

Using the finger tips to strike and gouge? My master was demonstrating self defense techniques and asked me to grab his wrist. He completely ignored where I had grabbed him and hit me with a spear hand to the solar plexus. Another time, he dug his fingers into the space between the throat and the collar bone. The windpipe and larynx are also good targets for this. What about bitting? If someone were to take me to the ground, I would bite them like a rabid pomeranian.

Are you turning your standing foot and hip into your kick? When you do a round house, your supporting foot should pivot 180 degrees so that your heal is pointing towards your target. This also forces your hips to turn with the kick. If you don't turn enough, it is impossible to execute a proper kick. Your kick will strike at an upward angle instead of parallel to the floor, losing a great deal of power. Failure to turn also places strain on your knee. Whenever I look at fighters who only though round house kicks with their foot planted and toes facing forwards, I can only think about how they will cripple themselves from tearing the ligaments in their knees. As for the side kick, you also need to make sure that your heel is pointing towards your target. Your hip and buttocks should not stick out. Rather, your kicking foot, knee, hips, and shoulder should be in a single straight line. Also, you may need to improve your flexibility and core strength, especially in your hamstrings and lower back. Other than that, you just need to practice. Try holding onto a wall or the back of a chair while doing a side kick slowly to full extension, then hold it for a few seconds before pulling it back slowly. Do not let your upper body move, only move your kicking leg. If you want a good example of a proper round kick, side kick, or any other Taekwondo technique, I highly recommend watching these tutorials. http://www.youtube.com/user/kwonkicker?blend=1&ob=4

The rule at my dojang is that anyone who has a Dan ranking and is eighteen or older should be referred to as Mr. or Ms. using his or her last name. Instructors are always addressed with the title sir/ma'am or sabomnim. My master is always addressed as sir, master, or kwanjangnim. I have never called him be his first name, and I imagine that he would be offended if I did.

I'm normally a very huggy person, but I rarely hug people in the dojang, even ones I'm close to. Doesn't seem quite appropriate. Besides, I also sweat a lot. I'm pretty sure no one wants to hug me after I've been training.

Given what I know of those styles, I don't find that surprising. That would explain the more circular nature of Goju blocks. Strangely, I have always been taught to use the knife hand block more as an attack against my opponents attacking arm than as a way to ensnare it, yet I've also been told to make it a more circular movement. The way your current style does it is how mine also does a single-knife hand block/strike. What about the double knife hand (i.e., when the non-blocking hand is used to cover the solar-plyxus instead of being pulled back to a chambered position). Do you begin with that hand in front and bring it back, or with it behind and swing it forward with the blocking hand? I find the "strikes on top, blocks on bottom" idea strange. I've always been taught to start from the opposite of were my hand is moving. If I am blocking upward, start below. If I am blocking downwards, start above. For middle blocks, whether it is above or below depends on the specific block and how it is being used. The way you were taught in Shuri-Ryu is similar to how I've been taught in Tae Kwon Do. I agree with your point about the many different ways of doing it. I also should have specified the type of knife hand block I meant (the inside to outside knife hand block with the rear hand guarding the body), since there are many different types that all have clearly different purposes. However, even the same type of block will be a little different based on the context. Still, I'm curious about how and why different styles do it differently.

It's both. In Taekwondo and Karate, most blocks are actually modified strikes. They can be used to either defend or to attack, depending on the distance. I understand the application of the knife hand block for my own style. I'm asking for someone to explain how the differences between different ways of executing it effect application. Is it because it is meant to be used differently, or simply a matter of preference?

The knife hand block is one of my favorite techniques. I've noticed how different styles teach it differently. In Shotokan, the guarding hand starts extended in front, then is drawn back to cover the body while the blocking hand comes forward. In Kyokushin and most Korean styles I've seen, the guarding hand starts behind and is brought forward to cover the body as the blocking hand comes forward. Also, the blocking hand moves in a straight line in some styles, while it moves in a sort of overhand arc in others. Can someone explain the significance of these differences and how they effect application?

I think you should learn as many as you like as long as you understand the application of each form. The brain has an infinite capacity for memory, so it's not like you have to pick and choose which ones to remember. Of course, you may only have so much time to practice each one, so it may be necessary to set a certain limit. I myself know about twenty forms off the top of my head, but I practice them all regularly and am frequently required to teach them to my fellow students, which really forces me to learn them well.

I've always been taught that when transitioning/stepping between stances, whether in forms of during sparring, to never lift my feet any more than half an inch from the floor. It should be more of a slide than a step, since it is a waste of time and energy to lift them higher. Because of this, I have never really thought about what part of the foot I'm landing on. However, I always keep my weight on the balls of my feet, even when my heels are touching the floor. So I am more in favor of ball to heel.