singularity6

My school is heading that way, too. We have a small school in a small town. Our founding instructor will probably be retiring in 3 or 4 years. The next highest instructor broke off to start his own school (differences of opinion, etc.) The people who're left are all second dahn or lower. While they are doing an excellent job teaching, we won't have a "master instructor" present at our school anymore. That's not the biggest of deals to me, but some folks might not approve.

That depends on the experience itself. Two events happened to me right around the same time, and profoundly affected my life. My brother got drunk and drowned back in 2007. The girl I was with for 4 years dumped me the day we buried him. While it was a toxic relationship that I was in (and I'm far better off without her,) the combination was devastating. Most of what I had worked toward in life at that point fell apart. It took me about 3 years and some grief counseling/therapy to recover. In the end, it made me a stronger person. I still morn the loss of my brother, and will until the day I die. The termination of the toxic relationship, on the other hand, was a gift.

I teach math at a college for a living. One of the mistakes my students (and my classmates when I was a student) frequently make is compartmentalizing their education. It's extremely important to broaden your horizon and push those boundaries. A good martial arts student may become reasonably competent in one or more martial arts. A great student will be able to see connections between the two arts. A superior student will not only see the connections between two or more styles, but will make connections between the connections (think Bruce Lee and Jeet Kun Do.)

I took about 5 or 6 months off. The first thing I did was mentally went through my forms (this can be done anywhere, anytime.) I also went through some basics, and started a regular stretching/workout routine, as well as practicing my forms. Granted I only started this a week before returning to actual class, my instructors were pleased that, while a bit rusty, I still had most of what I did before the break.

Yo! Welcome!

I only drink occasionally. I dislike feeling crappy the next day, so when I do drink, I tend to not mix, and only have a few (and I like the good stuff! Single malt scotch, bourbon, quality gin, Belgian ales, absinthe, etc.)

Here are a few videos that might be worth looking at regarding hip flexors.The Ultimate Hip Stretch and Mobility drill Dangers of stretching the hip flexors DON'T DO IT If you like these I now of a few more worth looking at also. Let me know what you think of these? Thanks, man!

I've decided to necro this post... I own 2 gis from Meijin: Meijin Tropical (size 5) and a Meijin Champion (size 5.5.) The Tropical uniform is my favorite, comfort-wise. The material is amazing! The only reason why I tried a size 5.5 for the Champion is because the Tropical shrank a little, but not much. I only wash my uniforms with cold water, and hang-dry. I like the kimono to be longer, and the 5.5 jacket seemed more appropriate. I had to shrink the pants some (warm water wash, and brief tumble-dry low) because the normal shrinkage wasn't quite enough on the pants, and I didn't care to pay to get them altered. Another note: My experience with anything made of 100% cotton is that one should expect a 10% shrinkage, even if wash on cold and hang-dry.

I've had issues with my hips. Starting Taekwondo at age 36 (nearly 37) has me trying to do a lot of catching-up. I find myself needing to stretch daily (duh!) and also doing additional exercises to target my hip flexors. It's helping!

If you are going to workout with the wife, then suggest investing in some extra insurance to protect the jewel's, such as a reinforced heavy duty groin cup protector. I would ask my wife to "please don't spar with me while wearing my steel toe capped work boots!" Funny thing... we weren't sparring! It was supposed to be a non-contact exercise. Hell, I took a knee to the nuts while sleeping once!

I'm not a lady, but I've needed to get my karate gi (yes, our dobak actually is a karate gi in our school) altered. Find something that fits horizontally, and have it altered. Since this will likely cost some money to do, it's probably worth while to order a quality gi. I've had great luck with Meijin's gis. The quality is amazing, and the prices aren't too bad.

My shoulders sublux/dislocate (always have.) Physical Therapy seems to help some. I also have an issue with straining my adductor muscles in my hips. Oh, I also train with my wife. She's kicked me in the nuts before.

It appears that I'm a bit late to this conversation, but my reply may be helpful to someone else in the future. I agree with Michael James with his Meijin recommendation. I have a Meijin Tropical (middle-weight) and a Meijin Champion (heavy-weight) and I love both of them! The quality is extremely high, and the prices are reasonable. If I were to choose one of mine over the other for regular training, I think I might lean toward the Tropical - the fabric feels amazing, and it's a bit more comfortable, overall.

Hello, I'm new to the forum. My journey through the Martial Arts has been sporadic until the past couple years. I took a self defense course at a local community college when I was about 20 years old. About a decade later, I took an aikido class while in grad school (yeah, I was studying for quite some time!) During the aikido class, I started exploring kendo and iaido, but then life happened, and it all stopped. I got a job in Michigan's Upper Peninsula a few years back, and felt like I should try to get back into the martial arts. That's when I stumbled upon The Wisdom Way Academy, in Gladstone. We do Jidokwan Taekwondo and Hapkido. It's been nearly 2 years since I've started (with some breaks, due to injury and life.) While up here, I also tried dabbling in iaido again, but the class was only once per week, and the instruction didn't work for me. Hopefully my body will allow me to earn a black belt in the TKD/Hapkido. I'd love to teach the art some day!

Hello, I'm new to the forum, and this is my first post. I practice Jidokwan Taekwondo, and we use the Palgwe poomsae instead of Taegeuk. Anyone else studying the Palgwe poomsae?