ninjanurse

This post was originally published as an article in a dedicated KarateForums.com Articles section, which is no longer online. After the section was closed, this article was most to the most appropriate forum in our community. This book was provided to me for free by Tuttle Publishing, in coordination with KarateForums.com and its administrator, Patrick O'Keefe. Tuttle Publishing has been publishing books since 1948 and provides access to many great quality books on Asian culture - including many titles relating to the martial arts. I personally own many titles from Tuttle Publishing and have never been disappointed to date. Teri Tom is a registered dietician, strength and agility coach, and authority on Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do, who specializes in sports nutrition for the combat arts. She graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from UCLA and earned her master's degree in nutrition at the California State University in Los Angeles. She has worked with many professional clients and has been a private student of Sifu Ted Wong for over 15 years. Teri Tom also writes a monthly column for Black Belt Magazine and has published two other books, The Straight Lead: the Core of Bruce Lee's Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do and Jeet Kune Do and The Arsenal of Self-Expression , both of which are also available through Tuttle Publishing. Martial Arts Nutrition: A Precision Guide to Fueling Your Fighting Edge, her most recent effort, is an all-encompassing guide to nutrition for the professional and/or want-to-be fighter and gives the reader a good scientific foundation in nutrition as well as proven and practical advice on getting fit and making weight. It is written from a personal perspective, without any obvious hidden agendas such as corporate sponsorship, which gives it a credibility often not found in today's fitness culture. Teri Tom really gets to the core of nutrition with a no nonsense approach, as she outlines the many challenges found in martial arts training and competition nutrition through solid science and practical advice. I like Tom's approach to the book because she uses her own personal health and nutrition journey as a platform and sets the scene for the challenges faced by both the newbie and accomplished marital artist alike. She covers the basics of nutrition using both scientific data and martial and philosophical principles that give the information relevancy to the martial artist reader. This makes it less like a textbook and more like a personal counseling session. Her passion for her "art" (both nutrition and Jeet Kune Do) really shows as she converses with the reader on a more personal and insightful level that almost makes you feel like you are at the gym getting a one-on-one session with her. The writing is detailed but easy to read and the information flows easily through each chapter and on to the next in an ordered and logical manner. Profiles of professional athletes and their nutritional journeys complete the package by providing real-life scenarios to follow. I am sure many readers will identify with these scenarios and use them to shape and troubleshoot their own programs. The book is full of easy to read charts, diagrams and photos that enhance the understanding of the information and also give credit to her training and martial history. It is truly written with the martial artist in mind and pulls no punches (pun intended!). Whether you are a casual martial arts student or a serious combat competitor, you will find this book a valuable tool for your training. It provides complete nutrition and training information to help readers develop a plan for everything from losing weight to building muscle You'll also find information on proper hydration, use of dietary supplements, vitamins and their sources, calorie based meal plans, body fat assessment and calculations, cardio and various training methods to increase training efficiency as well as fat burning, and foods that fuel the body more efficiently. All-in-all, this is a well-written and practical guide to nutrition that anyone can use: casual martial artist, combat professional and newbie alike. Buy the book: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk (KarateForums.com receives a small commission on any sales generated through these links).

The key to this group is to make sure they understand your expectations-and stick to them! You want them to have fun and learn something but they need consistent direction to stay on task. I start all my kids classes with a 10 minute chat. I get them to talk about their day, relevant topics at home/school, the theme/thought of the week, etc. This gets them comfortable speaking in front of others, reinforces dojo etiquette, develops rapport, etc. I also use this time to preframe the class and reinforce my expectations. During class we change activities every 7-10 minutes to keep them engaged. Lesson plans usually cover a topic-such as balance-and all drills and activities are based on this topic. Ending the class should be energetic and fun so that they leave wanting to come back. Find the balance between talk and do-otherwise they will get bored and fidgety!

In my experience it is difficult to teach your own child as the they have a hard time reconciling the instructor/student relationship with you being "mom or dad". We gave it a go but ultimately found someone else to train them.

Welcome to KF! There are many nuances to kata that you cannot learn from a DVD however for fitness it is a good tool-anything that gets your heartrate up and moves muscle will work. You might look into finding a dojo to visit-it is not the same as a fitness club or gym-and experience a class inperson.

Congratulations!!!

A martial artist should be fit. How they get there is a personal choice-but running is certainly a useful training method as it develops cardiovascular fitness and muscle endurance...needed for fighting or running away! Our Black Belt Candidates must pass a physical test before they are eligible to take their Black Belt test...it is based loosely on the miltary PFT with variations in score given for older students. It involves running (or biking for those with injuries that make running inadvisable), push ups, and sit ups. The Black Belt test itself is rigorous and contains another fitness element that tests their performance under extreme pressure-not so much to see if they handle it physically but mentally as well. Knowing they are in shape prior to this allows the mental aspect to take the forefront.

Heian 1-5 (white-blue) Tekki Shodan, Empi (Brown) Bassai Dai, Kanku Dai (Shodan)

I use the term SWAT to identify students who are interested in learning to instruct. They assist with lower level classes a few times a week by being role models, demonstrators, uke's, pad holders, etc. This gives them some leadership opportunities and gives them a base to make the leap to Coaching when they are ready & qualified.

If we're talking strictly karate kata here-Kanku Dai. Otherwise, I favor Sipjin these days although Hansu is a close second.

And how!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome Craig!!

I agree with most of the comments here-it is tough these days to keep students past Shodan because they do see it as an end rather than a beginning. To combat this I have changed the way I approach testing after Shodan. I allow my Black Belts to "design" their own testing curriculum within certain guidelines (core curriculum is mandatory). That way they can specialize in the areas that they are most interested in (weapons, kata, jujitsu,teaching, etc.). The mandatory curriculum has a set number of points and then they get to choose "electives" worth various points-as long as they accumulate enough total points they will be allowed to test for their next Dan ranking. Electives include: "Heirloom" Kata, tournaments, seminars (with required review), Cross training in another style, pursuing ranking in our jujitsu program, Instructor Training & Teaching, research, etc.

Any school that puts money before their art...that pretty much covers it all!

"Effort is rewarded."

http://www.fourdragonskwc.com

Congratulations!!!! Well done!!!! Will say I have enjoyed then greatly and look forward to 25,000 more....better get crackin'!!!!!

That's where you and I differ I think. I don't think balance has to come from a spiritual aspect. I think that balance and finding the core of oneself can be achieved via methis that don't involve spirituality. For example, while meditation is often a spirituah practice I don't think that it has to be and one can find their calm and center through meditation without adding a spiritual aspect. "Spirituality is a process of personal transformation, either in accordance with traditional religious ideals, or, increasingly, oriented on subjective experience and psychological growth independently of any specific religious context. " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirituality 1. It does not have to be a religious experience. 2. Personal transformation is what helps achieve balance. 3. Through discernment a student learns when and when not to act/react. 4. Spirituality is who you are and no one can avoid the transformation that occurs as you experience life, overcome the rigors of training, etc. 5. Martial arts training can enhance that, even accelerate the process.

Welcome to Karate Forums!!!!

Thanks for the info...and the lively conversation everyone! I think that even among TKD schools & associations the titles of SaBoem and Kwan Jang are used/applied at different Dan levels so-eh-just a title and not a reflection of skill or age. Escpecially since some TKD "Masters" I know were given "Grand Master" rank by the Kukkiwon for political reasons only. AND, TKD is not the only art where this kind of thing runs rampant. It will be interesting to see what comes of it. Thanks again!

There's nothing like stepping back onto the mat!!!

Congrats to you both-now the learning really begins!

Each students' journey is theirs alone! Do not compare your progress with another-only use it as a guide to where you are going....you will get there in your own time!

Welcome!

Welcome back and Happy New Year!!!

Has anyone heard of this organization? https://www.ustw.org/ Or this? https://www.tkdwon.kr/eng/ Heard this term ("taekwondowon") for the first time today and am curious. Thanks!