ninjanurse

I've never come across an elbow block being banned in sparring however I will say that in a friendly class learning environment I have always considered it rude to deliberately smash your elbow downward onto the top your your partners foot.

So...33 years ago I got talked into taking a judo class at the community center and really enjoyed it, however, the instructor left abruptly leaving us in a lurch. My dads friend taught Tang Soo Do at the same center so I switched over to his class and was hooked! In college I tried the local Tae Kwon Do club but found it less than exciting so I decided to take Karate for PE credit. Several years (and 4 kids) later I received my nidan and my husband and I started teaching (with o-sensei's blessing) at a local after school program. When our oldest child was old enough to train we encountered difficulties due to his severe ADHD so we sought out a program more his "speed"-enter West Coast Tae Kwon Do. He loved it, we loved it-and eventually I decided to train there so that I could make my karate better (increase speed, flexibility, etc.). Needless to say, I enjoyed it so much that I took up TKD full time. Through a series of fortunate events we fell into a JuJitsu program on the side and I trained to shodan, while my husband pursued a professorship. Twenty years later the kids are all grown up (all Black Belts), my husband is teaching jujitsu, and I own a small TKD school. Life is good!

If you are talking about kicking or punching fast, you are talking about time, not timing. Its like running a race, and then checking how fast you did it. Its not the same thing as timing your techniques with the interaction of another's techniques. And as far as distancing goes, unless you're pretty good at jamming your own techniques, then the only thing you are really doing with distancing in forms practice is looking at how long your arms and legs are. The repetitive nature of "looking at how long your arms and legs are" while doing kata builds spatial awareness that allows the mind to calculate distances in relation to persons or objects in the environment. Given enough time it becomes automatic and thus enhances timing and accuracy. This same effect can also be accomplished by practicing "step sparring" with attackers of various heights and proportions.

What you practice does affect how you will react in a "real world" fight but if success was dependent upon how real you can make a match then we would nothing more than a "fight club".

Well said. I agree...well said.

Welcome!

Welcome to KF! Great to hear you have found a new school and are enjoying training once again...and congrats to you and your son!

Nice article! I agree with that forms are built in practice of the basics...a neat little package of all the things they need to internalize via muscle memory.

I checked out the JSKA website and noted that the belt ranking system is different from the one you have posted here but if you go to their site it lists all the technical requirements for each kyu. This may be helpful if they are indeed following the same guidelines. http://www.jskajp.org

I dont know....never have seen a red belt with white stripe-I suppose it depends on the type of material the stripe is made out of.

Personally, I do not hold to the never wash your belt thing. I tell my students to wash it before they wear it to get the excess dye out (cold water and vinegar used to work well). I have noticed the green belt thing too....usually it is those and red that I have seen rub off onto doboks...never any other colors. Hmmm....

Congrats!

Where is it? Maybe others will be looking too.

Pine Sheeting???? Maybe they did not understand the request....you want boards not sheeting.

Congrats!!!

Welcome!

I order mine form a company in VT. Always good boards-not too pricey. http://www.plymouthpine.com

Agreed here! Judging a style on whether they are non-contact or full-contact seems rather superficial to me. We train to spar full contact at my school also-the harder the contact the better-but that is merely one small aspect of our art and hardly enough to base an opinion on.

In my experience yes but it varies from style to style. I encourage my students to analyze each movement and come up with solutions (bunka) as my teachers did.

Welcome!

Welcome!

Congratulations...been there with the heel bruise-not comfy!

Hello Sai!!!! Things are grand here at KF although we do miss you!!! The school is doing well and I am well....how about you?

Welcome!!

Congratulations on the new rank!