CloudDragon

I would like to know who the founder, instructors, and financial supporters of this place are. It seems to me like they are trying to generate a stable of full contact fighters for whatever reasons, but they dont seem to be very forthcoming with information, except the repetitive testosterone-laden rhetoric in the site. I would steer clear of these guys for the simple reason that they are using the male ego against applicants and antagonizing them. They talk about how tough the training is,and how they will make you tough, it is a control tactic used to draw people with low self-esteem and poor self-image to their place. This is because these people are more accepting of authority, more likely to be compliant to the rules, and in general, easier to mold into what the leaders of the organization want. I don't know if this is a cult, but it does sound like the people running this organization will demand a high level of submission on the part of the student. Seems kind of dangerous to me.

Use a partner to lift your leg as high as they can in the side kick position as you can comfortably tolerate and then release, slowly. do this 2 or 3 times per training session and you should see results fairly quickly.

I have seen them used to provide resistance for kicking training. Especially to work on front and side kicks.

I agree with you and unfortuantely those types of instructors are all to common.

I agree with monkeygirl. Many schools don't offer much after 1st Dan. You usually get stuck in a teaching position and get taught new technques here and there as the head instructor finds time. This does not apply to all schools, but where I find it most is when you have schools with few black belts but a large enrollment of colored belts (like 20 or 30 colored belts to every black belt). These schools seem to focus attention on getting the colored belts ready for the next test. What instructors don't realize is that they are pushing their students to new belt levels every 2 or 3 months, and then wondering why they leave after 1st Dan and find out that they have to wait 2 years for their next promotion. Insturctors need to realize that students get accustomed to learning material quickly, but not thoroughly, and they see this as the martial arts, then 2 or 3 years into training they get 1st Dan and their entire learning process and mindset must be changed, this leaves the student disoriented and wondering about the validity of their martial art.

I had a Betta fish named Max = Betta Max, get it?

LOL, omg! But why is the angel smiling?

very funny, and makes you think

You might want to consider the military, I got my AA and paid about a grand total of $800, and that was just for books. Plus the G.I. Bill pays about $950 a month just for going full time, and that doesnt count any service specific college fund. The military encourages it's members to advance their education in many different ways. As far as how this ties into MA, each service has teams that compete on several levels and getting on one of these teams is a special duty, this gives you extra pay and alot of flexibility. Even if you aren't on one of these teams, the military will offer you a great amount of exposure to other MA, I have never been to a base where there wasn't at least one type offered on base and several off base. Hope this helps.

I agree with you SS about people saying they would dominate open tournaments, but not going to them, and I would like to restate that it's fine with me if people want to learn Olympic TKD except for the instructors that don't tell their students that they are learning a sport, not a viable means of self defense.

Please let me explain as sometimes my brain moves faster than my fingers! Wait a second...you're saying that head kicks are EASIER to control than a punch to the head? No, but because of the techniques used by most sport TKD'ers to the head, (variants of round kicks) a kick is less likely to hit the face as it is circular and coming in from the side, as opposed to the jab which is coming straight in and unless the opponent is looking 90 degrees away from the attack,the fist will be near the face, see what I mean? Are you saying here that a head kick is a "sure" point, whereas a punch isn't? Again, No. I meant to say that if a player can get one point with a punch and virtually no fear of being scored on, as opposed to a head kick for two points which could create a bigger opening for a longer time for a counter, then the player would go with the punch. Hope this clears up those issues.

Hand techniques to the head are not used for several reasons, batttousai16 has pretty much hit the nail on the head with his reply, with one exception, kids. Parents don't want their little darlings running around with black eyes and mashed noses from TKD class. You see the schools that allow foot techniques to the head, specify "no face contact", even with this specification there is still a large window for accidental contact to the face if punches to the head are allowed, many even go to the extent of discouraging head high side kicks. (this is because of the linear motion of the side kick is more likely to contact the face than the circular motion of the round kick in the tournament setting) Now not all schools do this, and the ones that do won't come out and say it, it is usually under the guise of balance and speed issues. Another reason is that TKD is known for its kicks, if tournament players can rack up points one at a time with a "sure" technique as compared to a "risky" technique, they will take the sure thing everytime. After all, people can say what they want, but the reason you pay the fee to enter a tournament is that you want to go home with a trophy, there is nothing wrong with that. As far as a groin kick being dishonorable, well I have never heard of that, but as to why they are not used, see the above explanation about kids and change the body parts as needed! TKD has been "sporterized" by some teachers and is an exciting art to watch, and as long as there are people who want to learn this version of TKD, it will still be around. Unlike many martial artists, I see it as a natural progression that is influenced by what the consumer wants. Do I agree with it, sure, if presented correctly to the student. So many times I have seen schools that promote self defense training, but their sparring rules are so rigid, I can't see how they would ever survive a fight. All I can do is hope that they live a charmed life in a safe area!

https://www.oddessy.com , I have bought some of their hand made uniforms before and they are set up to do some custom work. They have sweet looking black belts that have gold or silver metallic striping. The uniforms are the heaviest I have seen and wear like iron.

I bought one of those "Run with the Army" cadence tapes. It sounds weird, but it really helps with setting a pace and the words help to distract you from any discomfort you are dealing with!

sounds like it would be terrible on the knees?

I'm sure its central states, got it off the intro letter. As far as the Kenpo, the instructor claims affiliation with Tracy's but I don't find his name on the Tracy's site. Thanks for the reply though!

I am doing research for a friend who is considering joining a school in his area. They teach TKD and Tracy's Kenpo. My question is, has anyone heard of: Central States Taekwondo Association, and the USA Kenpo Karate Network. My friend asked me about them and I haven't heard of them before, maybe some of you have?

I am doing research for a friend who is considering joining a school in his area. They teach TKD and Tracy's Kenpo. My question is, has anyone heard of: Central States Taekwondo Association, and the USA Kenpo Karate Network. My friend asked me about them and I haven't heard of them before, maybe some of you have?

one of the many reasons that a test is given in written format is that the student gets the ability to express themselves in a way other than verbally. I see it as another chance for the student to show their knowledge and an opportunity to praise them for the hard work they have done.

umm. can you expand?

maybe it was pronounced wrong or spelled wrong?

yeah, what tommarker said!

ninjitsu is the art of stealth, the ability to remain undetected. Jujitsu is an art of joint locks and throws.

I think the spelling is "tote" try a search on that

Oh and another thing, I dont think that if you asked anyone in the miitary they would admit to dealing with this joker, but he seems to have alot of "classified" docs on his site