ninjanurse

Welcome to the forums! Sorry I have no opinions about gi's as I think everyone is looking for something different in fashion and comfort. I am partial to a heavy weight though...more sweat!

Glad to have you here!!! Enjoy the forums and good luck on finding a school!!!

Welcome and enjoy the forums!!

I agree that you shouldn't compare a style that you haven't studied. I have studied Shotokan but I will not compare only comment. Everything that I have learned from my Sensei's I have taken with me on my journey as it is and will always be a part of me. It has influenced each art I have studied and given me a solid foundation to rely on. All martial arts have something to offer someone, and not all martial arts are for everyone.

Traditional oriental diets consist of veggies, rice, fruits, and a small amount of lean fish. They did not eat meat, drink milk, deep fry their foods, or snack on sweets. It is only recently with the addition of fast food and the influence of the "American Diet" that we are seeing an increase in heart disease, diabetes, cancer, etc. within the oriental populations. That is just a fraction of my 2 cents!!!

I know, I know....nobody's ever heard of them outside of that school as far as I can tell. Very nice forms though!

You crack me up HobbitBob!!!

Well....it's like the old saying: "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink!" Just because you go to class doesn't mean you are going to learn by osmosis and suddenly one day you are a Black Belt. It doesn't work that way (as fas as I know!) and anyway, what would it mean if you didn't have to work HARD for it? We've all had students like that haven't we?

I'm with you!

My old WTF school did Palgwes for gups. The only "official" BB form was Koryo, the rest were Choo Mu's. My new WTF school does all taegeuks and traditional TKD BB forms. Go figure?

Not at all, your gi is for training and if you want to wear it at home for training I think it is OK. I prefer to train in sweats and sneakers at home as your balance is different than in bare feet and is more realistic.

You need carbs to replace your glycogen stores and protein to build/re-build muscle and tissue. Rehydrating with electrolyte containing fluids is a plus too!

Overall physical, mental, and spiritual well being!

Get the book "Eat To Win".

Poor Scruffy!!!!! Definitely get a professional opinion before wearing a brace! Braces do serve a specific purpose but they can cause the muscles and tendons around an injured part to become weaker and thus increase your problems and chances for further injury. I would also suggest taking TKDLady's advice...but please don't pick on Scruffy!

I have a lot to say about this but I will try control myself and keep it short-as if!!! First of all, go where your heart leads you. You will be much happier in the end. If you are a Martial Artist you will not be able to stay away from it no matter how hard you try and you will cry everytime you see a school, commercial, tv event, magazine ad, etc. Secondly, be true to your roots but don't give up opportunities to learn new things or build on the old by being stubborn or afraid to go outside your comfort zone. I have studied several arts of different origin and I have never forgot what each has taught me. In fact I bring it all with me and it makes my style my own. If you do change styles don't sweat the katas. You know the basics-learning the patterns will not be hard. Over a lifetime you will learn dozens of them and you will be able to keep them straight so what is the difference if they are form one style or the other? The same with the techniques. I know at least 4 different ways to do each basic technique! The trick is doing the right one at the right time, i.e., "Today I am a doing TKD not Shotokan dummy!" Eventually it will not be hard to do and just think of all the different possibilities of combinations you can come up with!!! Lastly(I'll spare you anymore ranting for now), if your style is not available anymore, go with what you have (refer to my first comment) until you have the ability to bring it back. You will never lose what you already have and you may even find another style that you can be just as passionate about.

I don't know who used them first in competition but I believe that the "tornado kick" (a 540) was traditionally taught. Several systems have capitalized on the athleticism of such kicks-especially the 720-for demonstration purposes and they have become quite popular with the younger set. For me...no thanks! I love my knees way too much!!

The "do of belt tying" is style/school specific, some for cultural reasons others "just because". Personally as long as everyone in the same school ties their belt the same way I'm cool with it. This happpens to be one of my martial arts pet peeves!!!!! Sorry, I just can't help it !

Grappling is anything "in the grasp" whether standing or on the ground.

Confidence does not equal aggressiveness. Nor does finding an opening mean that you are "looking for a target". Being naturally cool and calm is a blessing that some of us just aren't born with, it has to be learned through overcoming fears and developing confidence in yourself. You are lucky Martial Girl!

What ever works!

Good advice!

Does it matter? If you're not willing to kill someone you shouldn't train in martial arts for the purpose of defending yourself. Unwillingness to kill is a sure way to get killed in a fight.

Sai is correct. As you go up in kyu's/gup's the performance standard gets tougher. You must also remember that your best is not the same as someone elses best and each student should be evaluated as an individual with his/her strengths and weaknesses coming into play. It is not always about how well you kick and punch but rather what kind of person you are and how hard you try. Additionally, physically development and coordination are different at different stages of growth and must also be taken into consideration when grading.

I'm afraid that there isn't anything you can do about it except not do anything in class-just stand there and be pretty!!!!