JazzKicker

One of the cool things about martial arts is, they're inherently minimalist and frugal. At least, most started out that way. For example, the Okinawa farmers, kobudo weapons like nuchaku, sai, tonfa are adaptations of farm implements. When I first started, for striking targets we had foam pads, cut in squares, layered, and tied together with a belt. We'd use empty anti-freeze jugs for kicking targets. Jhoon Rhee's "safe-t-chops" were a novelty, most of us used what was little more than an elastic sock with a thin piece of foam in it. Equipment has come a long way, but you still don't need much of anything beyond sparring gear unless you're into fancy uniforms. What had changed is membership in a club- I priced out some a while back, the MMA gyms have gotten expensive.

One that I remember was a World Tang Soo Do one-step, #8, I think. I nick-named it "Ring-around-the-rosey twist-a-roo". Opponent throws reverse punch, soo do block with front hand, grab attackers wrist with it, twist clockwise whilst pivoting yourself counterclockwise to strike with simultaneous backfist to head and side kick to knee.

You could, but it would be a bad idea. Kicking can be really bad for your low back, especially if you overdo it. I overtrained in my late 20's-early 30's when I did a lot of Tang Soo Do. Hundreds of kicks a couple of times a week, plus jumping and spinning. Not knowing better, I blamed it on a long commute and uncomfortable car seat. But really, it was overuse and biomechanics A few years later I trained in Hapkido, and I learned to lower my head and relax (for things like spin & high kicks), not stay in such an upright position. It took the strain off my sacrum! Another breakthrough was learning a Tai Chi form. This taught me a more relaxed, less rigid stance, and lower center of gravity. This would be good for your back no matter what else you do with martial arts.

It's a name that doesn't translate well literally. We call it Tai Chi generically just like "karate". Tai Chi Chuan really isn't about punching or fists, anyway. Most practitioners aren't into the martial aspects at all. There are indeed strikes like punches, open hand (soo do) strikes and pushes, crescent & front kicks in the form I do.

Try to remember you are doing this just for fun. It's not life or death, it's not your livelihood. Your ego is simply trying to protect itself from what it sees as a threat. Many schools, before a tournament, do a little simulation as prep. The have the black belts sit as a panel, and students sit and watch, and have you come up and do your form as you would competing, bowing in & all. Likewise sparring can be done that way, too, with corner judges, etc. Hopefully your school does this, too. As you get more experience with it, you won't be so nervous, just like any kind of performing.

I've had peaks and lulls over the years, often it was related to the activity level of club I was training with, sometimes it was changes in priorities in my own life. The first time I slacked off was after college, getting established in career and the rest of life. Coming back to it a couple of years later wasn't too bad at a local club that didn't train too hard. But then I stepped it up, to advance in dan rank. Then I got more into non-traditional training, and it was certainly rougher. Eventually I lost interest and the clubs folded or moved. I've always kept my own solo training going, though not very consistently, just for fitness and flexibility.

Sure there have been new styles of martial arts emerge in the Internet age- they're called "MMA" generically. But coincident with that was the rise of the UFC, which pretty much destroyed the notion of superior styles, reducing it raw athleticism (and having a good ground game). Yes, old school training worked, and still does, but modern, science based sports training can be more effective and less risky, injury wise. I do think more traditional training imparts both a mental toughness and muscle memory through repetition and skills training that can't be learned from YouTube.

Since you're "not even close to 1rst Dan yet", this is a problem with the school's lack of instructors. It used to happen to me as a black belt, too, but one fix for that was to have a separate Black Belt class, where you get to train. If you're not even a black belt yet you shouldn't be teaching AND paying.

Hi All, I found this forum kind of by accident, and it seems refreshingly "adult" and active compared to others. I'm in my mid-50's, first started in martial arts over 35 years ago. I haven't been very active in the last few years other than backyard solo training, though I keep fairly fit with other activities (cycling, some weight training, walking). Over the years I've trained in everything from traditional karate to Tai Chi to MMA, had great instructors, and met and learned from some of the legends in martial arts. These days so much of martial arts seems to be for little kids or young men who want to learn MMA. It's been hard to find a place to fit in! I hope to get some ideas to re-spark and inspire my training in some form.