CloudDragon

good luck!

yep

what kyu are you now?

Wonderful article, reminds me of some real important concepts that sometimes get lost in todays world. Thank you.

Welcome!

Nope, it is a good idea to wait and get with an instructor on it first, Won-Hyo like any other form has its tricky parts, you don't want to rush into it and learn bad movements. Good Luck!

While I never force students to buy from me, I do offer gear at discounted prices and I feel that the gear I use is the best out there for our sparring style. Your instructor may be feeling the same. Also, some Taekwondo associations require you use only their gear, then your are stuck. I wouldn't leave a school, over it, but it would make me look at how much money besides tuition is going into my training. Just something to think about.

We have to remember one thing here folks, not everyone should learn martial arts, some people are not mature enough and never will be. It is better to ask someone to leave your class than to have a student from your school hurt someone misusing what you taught them. Knowing how this child acts in class I don't see how you can expect him not to use what he learns in an inappropriate manner outside of the dojo. I personally have had to ask a childs parents to remove a child from class, (this inspired his parents to go to a psych Dr., he was put on ritalin and was able to return to class and become one of my better behaved students!) asking someone to leave is always difficult, but as was stated before, its better to lose 1 than 5 or 6, and remember other parents will see this little hellion and may see it as your failure to control your class and lack of professionalism, when it is not your fault. I hope this helps.

Judo really isn't that bad for self defense, one just has to approach it from a realistic standpoint and remember that its not a sport on the street and adjust it accordingly.

uggggh

I agree with tombstone, but any pain that isnt starting to get better within 3 days needs to be addressed by a physician

I've heard of Hwarang-do, but not Hwarang-Taekwondo. I personally am not a proponent of contracts extending more than 6 months, quite simply because it is impossible to know what the future holds that far in advance, but if you are planning to be near the school for that long and enjoy what you are doing, go for it. Have fun, and my best wishes to you.

Valithor-All I require is that the candidate (for black belt) show that they have put thought and research into it. I also want to see what personal changes they have made during their training. As far as not being up to par, well, no one has failed this part of the test, and as long as they give it a good effort, no one will. I see it as more of a tool of reflection and self examination, not ability to regurgitate facts or assemble breathtaking new theories on martial arts.

Welcome

I have attended ATA schools with friends who were students, watched classes in a few different schools, and sparred with about 8 or 9 ATA stylists. I even wrote a term paper on the ATA in college. My opinion is that they are a great place to take your kids, they encourage moral thinking and a healthy lifestyle. They are very success oriented. The ATA used to be a very closed organization, but they are opening up and incorporating elements of JuJitsu and Krav Maga in their advanced training. But, they do have McDojo tendencies, there are anicllary programs and weapons training that, to me, should be included with regular fees. The instructors are well trained in the business end of running a school, which explains their commercial success. Overall I think that these schools are great for anyone under 16 who wants to add a sport to their life, but I wouldn't go there to add to my knowledge base for use in real world situations.

Welcome

Octagonal will deliver a more penetrating blow if it hits on an edge, as the force is more focused, (think of a splitting axe) plus, they make a neat whistling sound as they cut through the air that isnt the same as the round

I started training in a style with very limited sparring and target areas, after getting the living begeezus beat out of me once I started training in more open styles and have been much more successful in confrontations, just remember the old saying "train like you fight, fight like you train"

welcome

Tell me, what does HTF stand for? What qualifications did you have to have to get in this program? Did you have to sign a contract? How long will it take for your blackbelt?

Its from a school in Alaska, they teach the lethal animal style native to that area, Walrus-Do!!! Sorry, I couln't resist, if it will help, I have never seen anything close to it and it is probably specific to a Japanese school, where did you find it?

Look at "Grays Anatomy" it should be in your school library. There are excellent illustrations there, compare this to your muscle, think about swelling which could be going on, and if it really doesnt seem right get it checked out

"Hitting a girl" in the abusive context is obviously not right, but what about when a woman hits you in a fighting situation, I have a related incident that I will post if anyone is interested, but I just want to hear some opinions on a man hitting a woman in a self defense situation, how would you handle it?

Let me play "devils advocate" here, go back and check out the "free class" and sign up for it, I would suggest taking someone else along to read the fine print with you, but if it is truly a free class with no strings attached what could it hurt? If the class isn't for you, don't go back, but if this guy is successful, maybe his expertise is in instructing a class and not marketing. Just my 2 cents, good luck!

one word: Tamagochi