Archimoto

This terrific thread serves as a great reminder - sorry I know this is corny - to SEIZE THE DAY !!! I realize and admit that there are times when I take my ability to train for granted. This reminds me to enjoy every class, every lesson, each and every drill. So that eventually, if I have to, I can walk away as Sensei8 notes above, with NO REGRETS! Great thread !

Hey Hammer, which half marathon are you doing? I'm an avid runner, have run several marathons and am thinking about doing a half next year. Possibly the Philadelphia half, still debating.

Hi everyone: I am a long time JKD and Muay Thai practitioner that recently took up TKD along with my very young children. The experience has been wonderful and learning a new art is simply fascinating. I've spent a lot of time over the years sparring and competing, especially in Muay Thai, and very much look forward sparring in TKD eventually. Even as a TKD newbie I can already see big obvious differences between the styles and can only imagine how it manifests in sparring. For example, in TKD the body mechanics for the first ~50% of a round house kick, snap kick, and in some part the side kick are nearly identical making them very hard to individually identify until it's almost too late. Curious if any of you have made a similar transition and whether you have thoughts or comments you'd be willing to share.

Hi everyone, I've seen belt display racks out there, curious if there are any outside the box ideas for what to do with old belts? Would love to learn or think of something cool, fun, or at least memorable to do with them...

Thanks CheeseFrySamurai !! By the way I completely agree with your characterization of radical change rather than displacement under certain circumstances. Sums it up perfectly.

Thank you Scohen for your question because it's inspired me to watch the movie!! I'll have to que it up and report back. Thanks !

Wow !!! A heavier question there never was !!! The martial arts for me started off as a personal endeavor and over time began to influence and inspire the way I think, the way I eat, the way I LIVE and that I'll always take with me. In this regard I think it's possible to walk away from the MA and still remain a Martial Artist. Life often presents battles outside of the ring where our training and mental preparation can be most valuable and is most needed. As for me, the most important thing in the universe is my family. I dare not conjure a scenario for walking away from MA but my family is everything to me and there isn't anything I wouldn't walk away from, or run through, for them. Of course, it goes without saying that I believe I would always remain a martial artist !!! Great question Sensei8 !!! I can't wait to read your view and others on this !

I agree that two hour sessions are ideal for adults and also agree that most adults don't have the conditioning for a two hour class. My school has one hour sessions that you're allowed to take back to back so everyone has the option of a one hour or a two session. There are pros and cons to this setup but it seems to work well enough. I'll say however that I have always focused on my conditioning, I think this comes from my days of competing in Muay Thai logging in miles hitting the bricks. My point is, even a one hour session can be immensely valuable with the proper focus and conditioning. I see so many students waste valuable time sucking wind. I believe strongly that conditioning training outside of the dojo, dojang, or school, should be part and parcel of every training regimen. Just my humble opinion !!!

Thanks Sensei8, great topic. Now that you mention it I think there are two types of instructors, those who want to teach, and then there are those who want to be the ones teaching. I think the latter has a hard time keeping it simple. Your thoughts?

Great video thanks Patrick! To a certain degree her situation is reminiscent of Roy Jones Jr's - there just isn't enough competition to cement her legacy as a great fighter despite everything she's accomplished. I happen to believe that she's in fact THAT good but unless the UFC recruiters scare up better talent we'll never know !!!

Thank you Patrick !!! Will watch this in the morning. To be honest, trash talkers lose points in my book so I'm not a fan. Your comment about the trash talking has piqued my interest !!!

Welcome !!

Good question. Preset combos are a good thing to have however it's also good to let it flow. You want to be fluid while shadow boxing because that is what you want while in the ring. I always do a few standard combinations to get going but then improvise. Sometimes I'll go through the alphabet, finding alternate combinations to write each individual character. Other times i'll visualize an opponent and work on my counter combinations using blocks, etc. I think the main thing is having fun - the rest falls into to place with repetition.

Welcome !!! Interesting question - I'm sure there's much to debate but in my opinion a martial arts journey belongs to the individual. In that regard your belt is worth exactly what you put into it - and no more - and from what your saying it sounds like you've worked hard for it and obviously your instructors saw something worth promoting. By the way, that applies to every belt in every color IMHO. So in the end YOUR belt is worth exactly what YOU think it's worth. So I ask you - how would you answer your own question ?

Interesting question. At a school that I trained at years ago we had an annual pot luck that was a huge hit with the adults. Totally casual.

Hi Sapphire !!! One of the most marvelous aspects of the martial arts in my opinion is the transformation that each and every practitioner goes through mentally and physically. As long as your sensei allows it I humbly suggest that you keep rocking the sweat pants to class - put all of you focus on your physical transformation - and one day you'll strut in to class with a gi - THAT FITS ! I know it's easier said than done but I mean it. I think you will earn tremendous respect by taking this approach. You can do it !!!

Have no problem with it. Obviously there are pros and cons. Agree with DaveB's post 100% !!!

Stunning !!! Thanks for posting !!!

I have found that those with poor conditioning have a particularly hard time enjoying or simply preparing properly for a fight. Does that make sense? I'm not saying by the way that applies to you. Just sharing an observation. Personally I thoroughly enjoy sparring but am not surprised by your comment as I've known others who feel the same way. Interestingly, I find that preparing for a fight or a competition is infinitely more grueling than the fight itself. I happen to like the pain.

Very nice !!! Thanks for posting, I really enjoyed it. Easy to see why you're testing for BB soon ! Good luck !

That's an interesting quote. While I'm new to TKD I am a lifelong martial artist and am thoroughly enjoying the learning of a new art - it's like learning a new language. In this regard there are constant revelations for me - almost on a daily basis. Being someone that - while practicing other arts as a youngster - scoffed at the very notion of a pattern, I'm pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoy doing them now and further how valuable they are to my overall development. At a very basic level, I'm enjoying the refinement of coordination, body control and awareness that results from practicing a pattern repeatedly. I think I know what you mean when you say a pattern can be open, honest and direct !!!

Nice job !!!

Interesting approach. Thanks for the breakdown ! Is this standard operating procedure for all shindokan dojo's?

I don't mean to interrupt, please excuse me for inviting myself to the conversation. Having said that, we test every testing candidate on every single technique per rank, with no exceptions; providing that their request to test has been approved by the Hombu. This is why our annual testing cycle at the Hombu is two-weeks long!! So, for us, it's not an unusual process. Not an interruption at all!! Interesting approach. In your hombu how does one become a testing candidate? Are they asked? Do they ask? Perhaps both? You mentioned that your test is annual - is there a required minimum amount of time in the school before someone is eligible for the next testing cycle?

Being an instructor and a student myself, I appreciate the emphasis that you place on respect. Over the years, I was just as thrilled by being invited to test as I was about passing said test!! I would never endorse someone that I feared to be of poor character - doing so would be disrespectful to the art.