The Saint

When I was looking to start learnig of TKD I attended both WYF and ITF classes. I found that WTF was not practical for me. I decided to train traditionally (ITF), as it is quite useful. At white belt and yellow tip the was no head contact and only hands. Then at yellow the kicks started (just one kick at a time). When I got to Green Belt the kick evolved into multiple (no head kicks yet). Now I am a Red belt and I am allowed to kick to the head. The theory behind this is to crawl before you walk, walk before you crawl, run before you sprint...etc you get the point. Hand skills are really nice and a lot of ITF fighters fight sideways. Lead jab, Lead back fist, sidekick and round kick are used a lot and can be quite useful. My side kick is my best kick and it keeps 3rd and 4th Dans away from me when we are sparring. Why not try it....just like reading, the more you read the more you'll know.

try the yellow pages.... You'll have to serch for a club that suites your needs at your level. gl

not to many punches in WTF, it is good exercise but I question the technic in a self defence situation. I like to punch and is very effective in dealing with self defence matters. If you do go to a WTF club, I'd go to a club with an instructor that cross trains between a couple different styles. gl

I disagree, freeweights give you symetrical movement so both sides are equal. Hammerstregth equipment is a cross between the two and is excellent

Go to the nearest 7-11 and open the pop cooler take out a 6 pack and pay for it . Just do lots of cardio and full sit ups, (not crunches) watch your diet and remember that you abs are a muscle too so working them everyday is not good for them. As for me... there is a 6 pack in the keg somewhere..???????...

I have ordered the basic pakage and will post some results when I start using the program.

Tradition TKD or Sport? We use our hands and excelleent ground techniques. An elbow or a knee on the streets... quite useful. It would be a good match between the Karate guy and a Traditional TKD guy. If it was sport TKD vs Karate..I'd say karate.

I once saw a guy try a 360 round house kick in a tournament in sparing. Little did he know that the fist of his opponent was under his jaw when he came around... lights out.... not a pretty site. Kinda funny thou how a basic technic can easily beat a flashy one. Flash is trash, I'm not a fan of the backflips and flashy kicks.

try the yellow pages, and take a free class and make up your own mind on what is best for you do you want to learn how to fight or train for the olympics? Traditional (ITF) or sport (WTF) there is a differance you'll have to decide where to go thou. I have lived in TO and it is easy to get around, so take your time when deciding. Personally, I would travel a long way to be trained by a good instructor. You can probablly find an excellent instructor nearby. goodluck

sorry about that, here is the address https://www.spartanhealth.com of the site

Has any body heard of this program. I clicked on an advertisement when I was last on the Karate forums here. What exactlly does this program do? Is it a scam? or worth the money. The basic package is $97 US and the gold is $298 US. I have read the "testimonials" on the site but I think they are a bit slanted. I want to here the cons of this program from anyone who has been on this program. The auhtor makes valid points in some of his anwsers, However, I want to make sure 100% that it is worth the money before I pursue it and not a scam.

Try going to this web site, There is a thing called a pressure mat which measures the force that your body puts on your feet. It is used for orthotics in shoes. If you could somehow attach it in a vertical position it could potentialy work. I'm not too sure on this because it has possible never been done before. Good Luck if you try it, and keep us informmed on findings, It sounds like a good experiment. http://www.swri.org/3pubs/ird2000/09-9178.htm

I guess the bully could dish it out, but couldn't take it when it comes back at him. Funny how what goes around, comes around. You did the right thing. Don't ever question a reasonable controlled defense.

Sometimes it's not the competitors thou... parents can be quite abrassive if their kid is losing bad. Thank god I haven't saw this at any tournaments.

Yes we are fortunate to have take down defenses. My intstructor also teaches BJJ so it is an added bonus for the TKD school.

Some of the abuse to the body is real for the most part. Most of the moves are practised so the atheletes don't take much abuse to the body. Personally I would not consider Pro Wreslting a martial art. It is entertainment with good atheletes that sometimes have martial arts experience. Whens the last time you've saw a pro wrestler with a black eye after they have taken a flurry of "punches" to the face. The hole point of pro wreslting is to entertain the crowd. If the crowd seems uninterested the match is over. At $50 a seat it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what pro wreslting is all about.

My ankle still isn't right but it was worth it.

EASE UP ON THE TRAINING A COUPLE OF DAYS BEFORE THE TOURNAMENT. SLEEP GOOD AND EAT LIGHT THE DAY YOU ARE GOING TO FIGHT AND YOU'LL DO GOOD. TRY TO ELIMINATE GREASY FOODS, FRUIT IS GOOD.

Last summer I had strained all 6 liegamments in my right ankler 3 weeks before the battle of atlanta 2003. I had fundraised all summer to compete in this good touney. I could not walk on my own two feet for the first two weeks and I desided to drive down to Atlanta and go watch the competition. The drive was around 1000 miles (one way) and took me a coulpe of days. My ankle was at about 65% strenght the morning of the competition and I had desided to tape it and compete anyways. I competed in Patterns and Heavy weight sparing (Mens 18-35 green to red belt). When came time to do my pattern I sliped and messed it up coming in second last place (8th out of 9). I regained some compossure and fought 3 matches. The Fisrt match I beat a guy 5-0. The second match I won 5-3 which put me in the finals. I had been eyeing up a guy all day and that was the guy who met me in the final. He easily beat me 5-1 by exploiting my weak ankle. Looking back on it I would have done the same thing to an opponent. I was more than happy to win 2nd place with a torn up ankle. I would like to fight this guy now, when I can move a bit better now.(tourney fighting only) It was worth every bit of pain on the long drive back to Canada knowing I gave it everything I could.

Elbows and knees are also good strikes and found in many ITF patterns. I like to fight from a distance thou. Fighting from a distance is good for me because I am tall and have alot of reach advantage. Personally, I would never let a fight go to the ground. Too many things go wrong on the ground if you aren't use to grappling. Overall, most regular people do not spar a couple of times a week so any martial arts would be useful in a fight. As for flashy kicks, for me they seem impractical and not useful. Mainly because I don't practice them. A good Axe kick could shatter someones collar bone thou..

I wonder if "Dean Sullivan- writer of the article" has even tried a martial art. I see structure, discipline and exercise in a controlled atmosphere. This guy is a fear mongerer and people should just stop reading his slanted written material.

Generally I can agree with: a dissappearing lack of sportsmanship or humility. If you look outside MA it is happening in other sports too. In the NFL some players act as thou they are the center of the Universe and take helents off the show there pretty face to the cameras. The lack of respect or humilaty in the NHL is shown through excessive stick work resulting in lots of injuries. I personally have notice the lack of humillity in some MA tournaments that I have been to. However, I have also noticed a great sense of sportsmanship. I prefer to look at the good of the tournaments as opposed to the bad. I do compete to win, and everyone that competes deserves mutal respect.

I agree with this, some people do make it to black belt and then quit. There is only one person still in my class, that was there when I started.

For safety reasons we don't do sweeps at our club, how many people out there still use sweeps when sparing? (which art are you studing) Sweeps can be very effective if they are done properly. We do practise the sweep when we have our self defence nights thou.