TangSooGuy

Honestly, it depends on the system/ organization in question. In my particular organization, the belt system is as follows: http://www.keystonemartialarts.com/main/belt_system.asp

One steps can be extremely beneficial, and are actually a logical link beteween basic techniques and sparring. They are just tools, though, and teach didtance, focus, timing, footwork, and basic application. Is anyone ever going to attack you that way? Of Course not, but you build up to that. A good way to start building up is Three step sparring, in which the attacker comes at you with three punches, one after the other, which helps to further develop all of the principles listed above. You can also add in multi-attacker onesteps, in which attackers come at you from multiple directions, without telling you who is attacking first... And eventually, one steps should be practiced with more realistic attacks, and without compliance on the part of the attacker.... Over time, I've managed to use several one step techniques in sparring itself, and they will work when executed correctly. There are some of our one steps that I would never use, but that is why we have so many, so you can pick the ones that will work best for YOU, and understand the principles involved in the rest, perhaps eventually making them work for you as well.

Anyone who wants to read my take...just PM me an email address, and I'll get you a copy. It may not be tonight, but I'll get it to you by tomorrow night. Sorry, but I'm busy til 5:00, and I teach classes tonight until 9:00.

I actually wrote a 100-page research paper for my 4th Dan requirements on testing and why I feel it is not only important, but necessary, when done correctly. There are a lot of things I would go back and edit now, given the time, but the main focus remains the same. If you are interested, I can email it to you at some point. Unfortunately, I am working at the moment, and don't have a copy on hand, nor much time to go into this subject. Let's just say I think testing is extremely important, as long as it is actually a TEST, and not just a show....

I know plenty of older martial artists, and even taught a guy once who didn't START training until he was over 70. You are still ahead of the game. most of my adult students are starting in their forties. You'll be fine. I'll never understand where this "martial arts is only for the young" mentality came from...

I have a theory that I can not back up in the least, that the not washing your belt thing evolved from telling students not to wash their belt WITH their unifornm.... I can't tell you how many red belts I've heard of that ended up with pink uniforms because of that.... I understand both philosophies, though. Back to the ragged belt thing...it only bothers me when I see young black belts who have intentionally made their belt ragged. I've actually seen young black belts who have cut their belts in am attempt to make them start unravelling....and that is just stupid, not to mention disrespectful...

I agree and disagree... To someone who knows what was involved in getting it that way, a ragged belt has a great deal of meaning, and is deserving of respect. To the average kid or Jo Schmoe on the street it just looks ragged. I can't tell you how many times I got asked "Why is your belt grey" when it was just faded... and later, "Why is your belt green?" when most of the outside had worn off and the green core lining was showing.... Even after explaining it, a lot of the didn't get it. Now I'm not saying I won't let my current belt get broken in, because I will, but i doubt I'll ever let it get THAT bad again... Like I said, I keep the old one on hand for the lesson, though.

I wore the same belt for 16 years. It got pretty rageddy. You get attached to your belt after awhile. In the end though, I decided it's kind of unprofessional. I still hold onto that belt, but I doubt I'll ever have one that looks like that again.

Yeah, I agree the response was a bit over the top... Your use of "only" was a little misleading, but if it means anything to you, I know what you meant. Your intention was as a compliment to the instructor's skill, not an insult to his rank. I know people who didn't start until they were in their seventies...you'll be fine. Everyone's journey is different. You have to take the path that is right for you.

You do what you have to. If your Sensei is understanding, he'll let you leave when you have to go. As long as you arrange it ahead of time, it shouldn't be a problem. I've had students that have had to do this, and it isn't an issue for me, as long as they're not disrupting the class. As long as they want to learn, they're welcome to come, but as an instructor, it's important to stick to the schedule when you can. I often run over in my Saturday Adult class, but I always stop when the scheduled class end time comes around, and ask if anyone needs to leave. Most of the time, everyone sticks around, but sometimes they can't. That's just the way of things.

Based on what you've written, you've already chosen the second one, you're just concerned about starting over, and the timing. If you can get over those two issues, it sound like the choice is already made. In all likelihood, your prior experience may help you move through the belt ranks more quickly anyway... ...and some of the best martial artists I know are "only" 4th Dan....

Usually when we have guest instructors, they don't get paid. We take care of their hotel expenses if needed, in addition to any travel expenses, and pay for their meals. If you prefer paying him something over taking care of the expenses yourself, calculate what it will cost him for the above, and pay him that. From the sound of it, though, he's inviting himself, on multiple occasions. That breaks the line of ettiquette in my opinion.

yellowpages, http://yp.yahoo.com/ http://www.switchboard.com Check your local YMCAs, health clubs, etc... it shouldn't be too hard to find a bunch of places, really.

I actually woke myself up from a fighting dream once, when I kicked the wall...I'm just glad I didn't kick my wife.

Half inch braided nylon....generates much more force than you would think.

VERY nasty welts....and slashing with a rope can break an un supported board fairly easily once the technique is acquired. Paladin Press will be releasing a flexible weapons video within the next year, which from what I hear from 'inside' souces should be pretty good....

I'm going to have to agree with the three above me...I couldn't make heads or tails out of it....and I read it twice.

I have it, but I haven't had a chance to play it yet. I am looking forward to it though. I'm still trying to figure out what crack they were smoing with Quan Chi's "Tang Soo Do" from Deadly Alliance, though....like no TSD I've ever practiced.

I voted very rarely...and I mean very rarely...I've probably only purchased it 3 times I can think of, and usually then only because of oe worthwhie article surrounded by tons of crap. In general...not worth it, in my opinion.

I organized a Kick-a Thon about two years ago to help fund the building of a new YMCA where I will be teaching. I had a little under 20 participants, we spent 45 minutes actually doing the various kicks, and raised approximately $1500 dollars. Obviously given more time, and more participants, more money can be raised. Basically the gist was this: I gave each student a sponsor pledge form, where they get sponsors to donate either a flat amount, or a certain amount per kick, up to a cap point, setting the goal of the students to reach that cap point. I also offered incentives for the person who did the most kicks and the person who raised the most money, in the form of gift certificates redeembale for merchandise atretail price (you save a lot this way when you pay wholesale price, but these two students are still essentially getting something free) I set a deadline for the pledge form to be returned, and set up a spreadsheet with each students name down the side and kick challenges going across the top. Kick challenges included: Several different types of kicks, a balance challenge where it was as many kicks as they could do without putting their foot down, a speed challenge where the time was shortened to 30 seconds instead of a minute, etc...you can make up pretty much anything. Each student was partnered up with someone tocounttheir kicks and hold targets, and we alternated minute by minute, with only half kicking at a time, and half getting a minute rest by counting between each challenge. After each set of kicks was completed, I recorded the number in the spreadsheet. Our highest kick count came close to 1,000 kicks over the course of the event. Their final kick counts were given to them, and they were sent to collect their pledges, and have them returned to me by a specific date. Unless they talked with me over extenuating circumstances, they were responsible for collecting and returning all the money that was pledged. I may do this again, as I now may have bigger numbers participating, and it was a quick way with minimal effort to raise some money, and the YMCA was overjoyed. If you go the extra mile, you can get some good publicity as well.

I think breaking can serve a purpose, but I think it all too often gets blown out of proportion, and ends up being more about theatrics than technique. When looked at the right way, breaking can be a good tool to challenge oneself. That said, I don't believe kids should ever break with their hands..but certain breaks with the feet can be okay. I know a black belt who is also a pediatric doctor who generally concurs. Brweaking wit the hands in particular can cause damage to growth plates, and the child's hands may never develop properly. Children should also never attempt to break adult sized boards. Small children should be breaking 6" wide boards if they break at all, and larger children should break a maximum of an 8" wide board.

yeah...I always get a kick out of telling my youth class that i have belts that are older than they are....

Off topic a little bit, but I HATE it when people assume that a child cannot truly grasp or appreciate what black belt is and what it means. Can every child? Of course not. But I know some twelve year olds or are more mature and responsible than some of the 40 year old black belts I know... Ok, enough on that rant. I got my black belt in 1989. I was 15 at the time, so somewhat ironically, I have now been a black belt for longer than I was alive when I initially got it.

Just in case you are still looking, and need something simpler: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/knightshade/tsd/tsd_hangul_medium.jpg

I've trained on puzzle mats as well...and I'm not a big fan of them. I've seen knee, ankle, and tow injuries that I attribute directly to the mats. I prefer hardwood, or even carpet, over the puzzle mats. About the only thing worse than puzzle mats is concrete, or linoleum...I've trained on both, and they are bad... Most people I know with puzzle mats do it solely to cover up concrete floors without having to invest in wood... It's better than the concrete, but still has huge problems.