Sens55

I think they've covered his MA career in previous posts. He was the real deal. But I'll still think of him as Braddock in those wonderful MIA movies. And let's not forget the Delta Force movies! Seriously, he's one of the first to help take MA skills into mainstream Hollywood. At that time it was a heck of a transition.

You can get quite a few on Ebay if you're patient.

I like watch his stuff. Even if there is a lot of wire work, his ability to match humor (American humor no less) with his movies makes them fun to watch.

I don't care who wins. I just think it'd be fun to watch them go at each other. If Tyson can get inside, he'll do damage, but if he's taken off his feet he's in trouble.

Depends on who it is. Lots of things can work, but nothing works all the time. That's why we learn so many moves. Some things will work on an amateur but won't fool someone who's trained. As a general rule, don't box a boxer or grapple a grappler. I try to put them out of their element. That's why I study stand up and ground work. Not so I can match them in their strengths, but exploit their weaknesses. That being said, I like to throw a couple of low roundhouses to get them to move their feet. It tells me if they're comfortable moving around. If not, I attack their legs. If so I'll keep attacking low and try to draw their focus to my feet to open up a few jabs to the head.

I've never been a fan of the point sparring I've seen. I completely understand the concept of not getting injured. After all, those in the UFC these days are professionals. Most of us have jobs or schools we want to go to and be functional at come Monday morning. But most of what I've seen develops bad habits by only allowing points to be scored by "hitting the dot". In focusing on that, they leave other parts exposed that, in more realistic scenarios, would be attacked (i.e. knees and head). Also, they reward the fastest punch or kick, not the most effective. In one class I knocked a guy sensless with a backfist (legal, but late). He couldn't continue, but he scored the point first. In a real fight he'd probably be unconscious. Anyway, I'm all for a realistic compromise between effective training and safety.

I say "who cares". Unless the mediocre black belt is from my school then it bears no reflection on me. I don't feel that they represent me just because they're in MA. I represent me. And I don't worry about how others perceive me. My self-esteem is not dependent on the approval of others. As such, I try not to judge others. I have no idea of the trials and tribulations they may have had to overcome to reach their accomplishments. I know that I've had knee-surgery on one knee, rehab on the other, rehabbed both shoulders and broken every finger on both hands at least once (some twice and one finger 3 times). So do you think I care if my high kick isn't as high as a 15 y.o's? Not a chance! Let me break his knee cap and see how high his kick is when he can walk again. I could find it easy to sit on a couch at home and use my injuries as an excuse, but I don't. I know I'll never be accused of having "beautiful" form, but it's better than it was but not as good as it will be. Just remember the old saying, walk a mile in their moccasins.

BTW, the color of the belts is based on your posts in this forum, not what you wear in your school. If you read the FAQ's I think it tells you how many posts to reach each belt level.

The lights out trick is good. Our instructor just has us close our eyes, which is even better (in my opinion) because it also affects your balance. Other than that, practice, practice, practice. Once she has the moves down pat and more importantly the confidence in herself that she has the moves down, she'll become more fluid.

I don't think anyone who has ever hit their "funny bone" can refute the fact that pressure points exist. And, yes, a few can be lethal. But I doubt whether or not a strike can cause death at a later point like some proponents of Dim Mak will contend. It is worth noting, though, that some things that might have mystified can now be explained. I'm sure every one of us has learned some variation of a shudo to a carotid artery. However, I work out with one doctor who got VERY upset when he was lightly popped on there. It wasn't that it hurt him, it was, as he explained that anyone over 30 might have build up of plaque in the artery that even a slight, but direct jarring, might dislodge leading to a potential stroke. Maybe the illusive Dim Mak is attempting to explain this from their ancient point of reference. Just a thought.

I can't see how there's a correlation. Unless they're saying that he meditated so much about his thieving that he mentally executed the theft so many times that it translated into better performance in real time. If that's true, I'd have to believe he could have found a better focus for his meditation.

If you're just starting out and you're not sure you're going to stick with it, the cloth is definately cheaper. I still like them better for my shins & instep. But, if you plan on sticking with it, foam is better in the long run. Prices can range tremendously, but $55 for a set isn't too bad. A good set of foam will cost much more.

Guten Tag Golden Tiger, Begrussen. Hoffenlich will du alles du wunschen finden. Das is alles meines Deutsch dass Ich erinneren kann.

Wait until you have to do it MORE than once a day, as I often have to do before a late afternoon or dinner meeting.

I would say it depends on what you want to do. If you just want to study traditional martial arts weapons there are plenty of schools that have that as part of their curriculum and many have pointed out those systems. However, if you're interested in self-defense then you might focus on something that you're likely to have on hand if you ever need it. Guns and knives come to mind. I know many traditionalists will argue that guns aren't a martial art, but I would disagree. I think the gun is today what the sword or bo was hundreds of years ago. And knives are easily obtained, most often legally carried. Not saying that's the route you should go, but just offering another perspective. I like to focus on practical applications and these fit that bill.

My biggest mistake is overcoming my instincts. After years in the Army, I often go for knees or heads, which is generally frowned upon in the class. Also, I study Ju Jitsu as well as TKD, so if someone clinches I'll do a joint lock or something. It kind of upsets some guys. Others don't mind.

All I know is I hate shaving my ugly mug every morning. I can't imagine taking the time to shave anything else. I can't believe when I was a kid I couldn't wait until I could shave. Now I look forward to weekends so I don't have to.

Good article. I think if a Christian has confidence in his or her beliefs, things like bowing shouldn't be an issue. As a few have pointed out, they equate bowing with handshaking. Paying respect is a far cry from worshipping. I think the references to magic and such are more on the thought that some elements of Christianity always attempt to find evil in anything they don't understand or agree with (and Christianity is not alone in that type of conservatism). Not much chance they'll change their conviction. But there is a lot of room under the Christian umbrella for those that are comfortable with it to believe and still study MA. Of course, it's highly unlikely you'll find many on this board whose Christian beliefs prevent them from studying.

Save the money, buy a tennis ball instead. It'll do the same thing. Just squeeze the heck out of it all day when you're hands are idle and it'll make a difference. Spend the money instead on a pair of grappling gloves. It'll help on the sweat part of it.

I agree with some, it's never too late to start. One of my biggest inspirations in our school is a grandmother who ended up in custody of her granddaughter after the girl's parents were killed. The girl is about 13 or 14, very shy and has some emotional issues. The grandmother thought MA might help her in the confidence department, but the girl was too shy to do it alone. So the grandmother joined too. She's in her late 60's, about 5'1" and 110 lbs, but she WORKS. The girl has shown a lot of improvement. Making friends at the dojang is part of it. But I'm convinced that she couldn't help but be inspired by a grandmother that loved her enough to go through the work, pain and trouble to train with her. Who cares if she never actually achieves an actual black belt. That lady doesn't needed it. She's already a master as far as I'm concerned. And the positive impact she's having on that girl is far more important than anything either of them will actually learn in that class. It's also a nice life lesson to me. Sometimes we get caught up in the pettiness of a lot of things (heck, we argue in here about mediocre black belts and what is a "real" MA), when the real issues of life are sometimes the quiet anonymous struggles that we'll never see or understand.

My advice is to pay attention not only to the art, but to the school and the instructors. Everyone learns differently, and if one instructor uses a teaching style that doesn't work as well with you, it might be an impediment to your learning, even if the art is one you might otherwise like. It may take some time, but look around. If you read some of the other posts in this forum, you'll see that people have much different experiences from one another, even within the same art. Find the one that works for you. Try/watch a few classes first. If you do, I think you'll find that, for whatever reason, one style/school/instructor will appeal to you more. No need to try and figure out why, just go with that feeling and you'll probably be better off.

I have to second our young Rising Soldier on this one. Along with what Kirves pointed out earlier. If your wife has an issue with it, bring her along. If she won't participate, have her watch so she knows there's nothing there. That being said, if she's that untrusting, there may be bigger issues at hand. Grappling on a sweaty mat with a group of people around is hardly an environment for intimacy. Having drinks together after class is another issue, though. If you're on the level and haven't given her a reason not to trust you, then I'd say there may be some stronger issues at hand here. My 1st wife was quite untrusting and always thought there was more than meets the eye in everything. It was one of the contributing factors in our divorce. Trust is a foundation. Without it, you can build a house, but it won't stay up for long. Address that issue and things like grappling will take care of themselves. Otherwise, you'll quit your training, but the problem will still be there and manifest itself somewhere else later on.

If you have always liked Aikido, then by all means, take it. It certainly couldn't hurt anything....permanently anyway.

In that case a history lesson might suffice. If you look at the history of TKD and Hapkido, they start pretty much back in the late 50's when the Korean government attempted to "create" national martial arts from the various schools that existed in Korea at that time. If you know Korean history a little, you'll know that Korea was controlled by Japan from something like 1912 until 1945, and then was split into 2 Koreas after WWII. Prior to that, the Korean peninsula had been controlled by the Chinese and Japanese off and on for centuries. As such, the Koreans had quite an identity issue. In other words, they didn't REALLY know who they were, becuase they'd never really been a country, just a group of kingdoms of were a state controlled by another power. They felt that having their own MA would help with that issue. So, they created TKD from the various schools. Many schools were folding into what is now TKD. The same happened to Hapkido. TKD and Hapkido are the relatively new terms that are officially recognized by the Korean government. They are actually based on other "less Korean" arts like Ju Jitsu, Chinese Gung Fu and such. The history of Hapkido even says as much: "During the years that followed, a large number of Korean martial arts appeared, including Hapkido, Tang Soo Do, and Taekwondo. It is difficult to separate which elements of these styles came from older Korean martial arts, and which came from other influences such as Japanese Karate, Budo and Aiki Jujutsu. Combining the techniques of Daito-ryu with the techniques of the old Korean style T'ang Hand, Choi formulated the principle techniques of “Hapkido". This style came of age as an art in 1963 with the official use of the term Hapkido. Choi worked with Ji, Han Jae to develop and teach Hapkido to various military, police and elite bodyguard factions in Korea and around the world." As you can see, both of the arts are roughly based off of the same arts and just have "new" names. The T'ang Hand that he refers to is the same "Tang" in Tang Soo Do, which is a Chinese term. Tae is the rough Korean equivalent. The difference is not so much as what is "in" the art, but like I said, what each art chooses to emphasize. TKD as most of us know it, obviously focuses more on the hard styles of kicking and punching. Hapkido on the soft joint locks and throws. But TKD also has soft elements with the same moves and vice versa. Some schools teach an even combination of both and some have more focus on certain elements. So to answer your initial question "What does TKD have that Hapkido doesn't?" the answer would probably be "Nothing". But then again, Hapkido doesn't necessarily have anything that is not found somewhere in TKD. Hope that helps. http://www.khihapkido.com/Choi.htm

I think the confusion lies in the point made by Dahmanegi. When the Korean arts came to the U.S., they were frequently called "Korean Karate" in an attempt to capitalize on the popularity of Japanese and Okinawan Karate that had become familiar to a lot of Americans already. Most Americans at that time wouldn't have understood any of the "subtle" differences between the arts. They had a gross concept of what "karate" was, and to them, most any martial art was called karate. It wasn't just the Americans that did this. If you look up "Korean Karate" as a title in Amazon, you'll find books by Duk Sun Song and Sihak Henry Cho using this term. Most today would say that there is no such thing as "Korean Karate". However, at the time it was popularly used, it referred to styles that were imported to the U.S. from Korea like TKD, Tang Soo Do and Moo Duk Kwan. All, at one time or another, have been called "Korean Karate".