KwicKixJ1

lol. rolling sunday kick. sounds like something you'd get with sushi.

i heard that he could do a ridiculous amount of repetitions. which i think is more impressive than 400 pounds once.

lol

i started training in the martial arts because (being of asian descent) people always asked me if i did karate... so finally i figured i might aswell hop in and become stereotypical. since saying no didn't do as much for my self-esteem as saying "why yes, in fact i have a black belt"... but yeah, i kept it up cuz i felt right at home when i started. and for a while i kept it up because i was enjoying the steep learning curve. like... every day i felt i improved so much. but as i progressed in ranks, and my training became more focused on polishing what i already knew, my motivation changed and now i do it because i discovered that i actually enjoy getting hit. yep. that's all true, but if i had to narrow it down to one reason, i'd say cuz its one form of fun that doesn't affect my grades in a negative way.

- "whutcha gunna do? all y'all TKD practitioners can't do nothin but kick and yell. as if you could get a kick to my head without me seein it a mile away" then after throwing a silent fake... the facial expression changes to i get the above mentioned from people who don't practice martial arts and check out a class or two. BUT... the most common thing i've been dealing with is from fellow students. i'm part of a martial arts club at my university, so there are some karate people, and some korean stylists. actually... that's it. either japanese or korean. and the japanese fighters always accuse the korean fighters of having no power. and korean fighters say that sparring with a japanese fighter, means you have to look out for nothing but a reverse punch. lol, which i find kinda funny. but yah. oh. and people calling martial arts in general "karate" gets really annoying. k, that's my blurb.

sparring facial expressions: vs. white belt kicks: (the speed is just right for you to learn how to move around properly. GREAT footwork exercise.) vs. yellow belt kicks: (cuz all of a sudden... out of no where, they tag you once and you don't know where it came from... but chances are that they didn't either. vs. intermediate student kicks: (cuz all of a sudden... they discover how to incorporate power in their techniques... and it hurts... a lot) vs. advanced student kicks: (scarey... where did all those quick kicks come from?) vs. black belt kicks: (not fair! only one opponent at a time please!) vs. grand master: (self explanatory) heh, sorry. i was bored. anyways, yah, fast twitch mucles... whaddaya do to make'em work better.

hey, this subject is in the kickboxing and karate pages too... it'd be interesting to see what they say. but i was wondering what you korean stylists do to increase your fast twitch muscles. (besides repetition). what methods have you used, and felt were successful, to increase your overall explosiveness and speed. not just footwork, but kicks and punches... everything. -thanks for replying.

a lot of the time, i found that some students refuse to go all out on the instructor for 2 reasons. a.) they're scared that their best will be someone else's worst. b.) they're afraid that by doing their best, they might hurt people and this causes other people to reject them and shun them for lack of control. -basically dislike them. dunno which case it is here. but your relationship with your instructor is a very important one... and in every relationship, the key to a healthy one is COMMUNICATION.

so... if per say someone trained primarily in korean styles, then at one point or another learns a japanese kata... that's acceptable? i always felt kinda guilty to do so because i wouldn't be a part of the system. i've always wanted to learn unsu... but i don't study at a japanese dojo. i'm studying kenpo right now, but still... i'd feel kinda like an impostor. mainly, i don't want to disrespect anyone. that's the biggest reason i stayed away from learning japanese katas when they were made available to me, BUT i do know that a lot of people who compete do so. was just wondering if anybody found that offensive.

i think your positive attitude is admirable. props. its rare to see people with that kinda optimism when it comes to competing. i hope you continue to behave the way you do and that others learn from your enthusiasm to learn.

i think my sifu put it best. him and i were having a chat one afternoon and he told me that: "if you're wanting to learn how to beat people up... you can go to any martial arts academy, and within a year you'll be more lethal of a fighter than most civilians... BUT... what i'm trying to teach is how to better yourself as a human being. to be respectful to others, and to help my students to earn confidence in themselves" honestly... i train in the martial arts to have a good time. NO ONE is running outside your door with samurai swords waiting to challenge you to a duel. i guarantee that the majority of people on this website have had more physical encounters than anyone ever will in a lifetime.

lol, i forgot to put my point. my point was... i agree with johnny.

i started out studying "youn wha ryu". its this off'ish korean style with a jeet kune do idea. it gave me great basics (because i took it seriously). and then i moved on to olympic tae kwon do. for the first few years of my martial arts career i was an excellent kicker. that's all i did, but i ALWAYS knew that my hands were lacking. i never had the reaction time or the coordination to throw a good hand strike. as a matter of fact... i tested it out with my sabunim at the time... and yep... i got to the target faster with my foot than i did my strong hand. so i went on to a more rigid style of tae kwon do, which was more like kickboxing (under master roy d. kurban- one of the old school greats) and that put power into my kicks and taught me how to block... but it wasn't until i ventured out into praying mantis kung fu and kenpo karate that i became just as comfortable with my hands. my first week in praying mantis was THE greatest learning experience of my entire life... and when i went to study kenpo with another sifu to work on my traditional material (only to find out that he studied wing chun under my mantis sifu)... that opened up a whole new dimension to my sparring. i think its best to get a good solid foundation, and walls, and then decorate & accessorize later. because i am very aware of how limited i would be if i had done only ONE thing. anyways... thanks for reading.

i started competing a while back, and i've pretty much stuck to korean systems (sorry...) i'm training in kenpo as of now (better?) and was wondering... some people at tournaments compete in japanese kata... when they're tae kwon do stylists. i understand that they must have learned the kata from someone with experience in the style... BUT do you guys think its ok for a non karate practitioner to learn a japanese kata to broaden his/her horizons. (please note that i said "broaden the horizons" not just use the kata for tournaments)

umm... since no one's said it yet. do A LOT of sit-ups. at LEAST 500 crunches per night. try to get at least 150 per set. that's how i increased my kick speed for years. everything else is pretty much supplemental. like... hip abductor and adductor weight work. y'know... the one where you have the pads on the inside/outside of your legs and you open/shut them... this will also boost your flexibility. but yah. crunch crunch crunch. and once 500 gets to be easy, bump it up to 1000. and don't use one of those dorky sit-up machines. do it yourself. oh... but keep in mind that you need to work out your back too. if you have a rockin six-pack, but a flimsy back, you WILL suffer from back pain due to the imbalance in strength distribution. anyways, hope that helped.

COOL!!! i've always wanted to learn hwarang do... looks like a sweet style. i think the whole "world champion" thing... well... you have to keep reading friend. at the bottom of every world champion title, the circuit is usually listed. world champion of ____ circuit. like, y'know boxers... "heavy-weight" champion of the world... or "olympic" gold medalist... or world champion NASKA... honestly... i think we should just wagor the world and start holding a mortal combat tournament. then we'll REALLY see who's the best.

oh, and about the "just for show" & "don't pack as much power" comment. -...i think you're wrong. i can't put nearly as much force into a paddle with a standing kick as i can with my 540.

there's always been controversy about the more acrobatic techniques featured in current tournaments. honestly... if you learn them properly they won't do as much damage as everyone says. i mean... kyokushinkai practitioners are hardcore, and they study VERY traditional karate. it all depends on what you make of it. demonstration purposes or not... being able to hit a target with a really advanced move will only improve your body knowledge. it opens up a whole new world in point sparring. i think learning how to manipulate your weight by getting used to being upside down can't do anything but speed you up on your feet when you're right side up. continuous sparring is a different story. but if the argument is whether or not it's practical... i've been studying martial arts for a while now, and i've NEVER used a front stance downblock in sparring. so it all depends. it takes a lot of skill, and focus to be able to pull the stuff off that competitors are using now-a-days. oh... and the continuous kiai is very annoying. and unsu to music is (in my opinion) very disrespectful. i hardly see people doing traditional forms to music. usually, musical forms are forms that the competitors put together for that season.

depends on what circuit you're wanting to compete in. if you're looking for open tournaments that allow for tricks & other non-traditional motions during forms, and features musical/creative/traditional korean/japanese, point fighting, self defense, continuous fighting... etc. go to any dojo and ask them if they know of any local/state circuits that hold tournaments like the ones you're looking for. you live in california... and that state is THE place to be for open style. lots of GREAT competitors come from your neck of the woods. check out info on the west coast team, and you should find tournament info somewhere along the way. and btw. if you're afraid of getting hit in the face... i'm assuming you're not EXTREMELY high ranking. and because of that, i highly doubt you'll find an open tournament that will allow lower ranking participants to make face contact. hope that helped.

i think if you're TRAINING and you're looking at your situations as BEATING your instructors, then there's a lot of wrong ideas going around. Fact of the matter is that you're still labeling him as your instructor. not your equal. just cuz one of my students gets a point here and there doesn't mean by any means that they should leave. IF you find another coach who you feel could make a world of difference in your abilities, then MAYBE think about changing academies. BUT... please, before trying to "wandering warrior" your way through the world searching for temporary "best" coaches... try and remember why you started training in the first place. i highly doubt you walked into your school and said to yourself: "i wanna beat that guy"