stoneheart

I'd be happy to pay for a video or dvd of the forms. I'm a kata geek myself.

Is your supporting leg locked out so that it is completely straight? This is a common mistake in performing front kicks and it prevents you from kicking as high as you could with a flexed leg.

Can someone explain what a #1, #2, #3, #4 kick is? Thanks.

Why call it taekwondo, then? Just say you are practicing American Foot-Boxing.

Patsuai, I would be interested in discussing Soryu or Shudokan karate with you, either on this board or through email. I workout with a Soryu group in Texas and I have connections also to the Yoon Byung-in lineage.

I myself prefer to use the Japanese/Okinawan terminology when possible. My old sensei used to call out the names of the techniques we were drilling and then would immediately follow with the English translation. I found that user friendly for newbies. In intermediate-advanced classes, he used the Japanese terms exclusively.

Let me add that a teacher who teaches for profit can indeed be a great teacher. It's just my thought that depending on teaching the martial arts for at least part of your livelihood is a difficult proposition and can force you to do things differently from what you might choose should money not be part of the equation.

Let's be frank. There are lots of TKD schools that cater to the commercial children's market. Some parents put their kids into soccer, others choose TKD for their children. Since the art can't be taught with true martial intent or meaning to children for a variety of seasons, classes tend to degenerate into sport karate and cheerleading. TKD isn't the only martial art guilty of this; it's just more visible. The trick to avoiding a McDojo is to find a teacher who teaches to further his art, rather than just going to the nearest strip mall dojo that offers a free uniform with enrollment. I am fortunate to live in a decent sized city with a progressive economy and have been able to train in a number of styles with different teachers. In my experience, I've found the non-commerical teachers are the ones that teach the good stuff.

Thanks, Kill Jill. I was hoping you would chime in as someone currently in S. Korea.

Laurie, I hope your latest training situation works out for you. Assuming your new school doesn't use the sine wave method, you'll find many similarities between the ITF forms and what you practiced in Tang Soo Do. General Choi lifted many of the movements for his hyung directly from the Pyong An (Heian/Pinan) kata.

Thanks, Luck. May I ask the source of your information? The discussion I read made nereo chagi seem to be much more potent than a front kick, although yes, I know the front kick is considered to be the superior kick by many Okinawan systems. Specifically some Wado-ryu guys were discussing kicks from TSD or TKD. One brought up nereo chagi as a technique that would add value to Wado, and I know Wado has a front kick already, so that leads me to believe he meant something else. The Wado-Ryu discussion I refer to is an old one, otherwise I would ask the original author.

I came across this term on the web, and I was hoping someone could tell me what it means. Chagi means kick, so it is a kick of some type. A google search only turned up some Dutch(?) sites. Thanks.

The ATA forms are copyrighted, so it's not likely that you will find directions anywhere on the web for them. There is a DVD set of the ATA curriculum along with the matching books available. I'd say looking around on Ebay for some of them is your best bet.

I don't think I've seen a traditional ryu-ha yet that did not have grappling implicit within the oyo bunkai. Goju is especially known for close range combat, frequently leading to a takedown or throw. Low level karate-ka only see the superficial which is the brute trauma caused by blocks, kicks, and punches... They don't realize that the technique you use to control your opponent is immaterial, so long as you actually DO control your opponent. I think it's great that you teach grappling explicitly to your students. Please keep up the good work.

We all express our martial arts differently even when we practice the same style. This is due to body type, athletic level/physiology, and even mental temperament. Just because YOU express yourself differently from your teachers, it does not mean you must diverge so long as everyone realizes this. Remember that their teachings help lead you to your current path. Why then is it a necessarily "wrong" path to them or to you?

I don't pretend to understand my teacher's motivations completely, but I know he wants to pass on his knowledge lest it be "lost". It's tough when you turn the martial arts into a business. All of a sudden you could find yourself relaxing your standards or letting something slide that you normally would not let because you want the monthly fees to keep coming in.

Wado-ryu does seem to be a well-rounded art. Throws and takedowns are specifically taught in the system and is given emphasis in the bunkai. Congratulations for deciding to learn karate. It's an enjoyable physical activity in of itself, and if you train realistically as this dojo seems to, karate can be an excellent means of self-defense.

Thought I would start a new thread after skimming through the class prices posts. I've studied a number of martial arts, including tang soo do, goju-ryu karate, judo, and now kenpo. I think I've been lucky enough to have good instructors in all of them and I feel what I have received from the classes exceeds the cost of tuition. Win, win situation. You know what, though? My kenpo instructor has been the best out of all of them. Classes are small and the curriculum is freshingly straight to the point. He explains in great detail what the principles of his art are and then all of our drills specifically work towards those self-same principles. Ironically, he doesn't charge any of his students a dime, although we'd all be willing to pay him. Sure, I buy things for the school as they come up, but the real tuition I pay my instructor is my loyalty, my friendship, and my committment to learning his teachings as best as I can. I feel very lucky.

Train long enough and the problem will take care of itself. Really, why even worry about it? You ARE the most junior person in the class. Just work hard and pay your dues. You will earn respect as you improve in skill and demonstrate your dedication to the art, and your ranking will follow.

I used one for about a year. There really wasn't much to it. I just sat and struck my shins while I was watching tv. Over time, my shins did toughen up and I could use them as a striking surface with the round house kick. Never tried it on my feet, though.

To be frank, many instructors have nothing more to teach their black belt students. This is especially true if the instructor only mastered the PHYSICAL aspects of training and thus lacks the true understanding of martial arts. I've been around some highly ranked individuals. Some were very impressive, others not so much. The impressive ones all had delved into the mental and energy aspects of training, realizing that therein lay the ultimate path.

I have one of the heavyweight Adidas. It's not my favorite and seems overpriced for the overall "fit and finish" of the clothing. I will not be buying another when this one wears out.

Angela, what an incredibly concise way to state it. My thanks. I will try to remember your words as I work on my kata.

I think you're taking the wrong approach. Why bother trying to match a younger man's strength and athleticism? In the end, this will be a losing proposition for you, no matter how hard you work... In fact, the harder you work, the longer it takes you to recover as an older karateka, and this puts you deeper in the hole. My teacher is older than me, but he whips me every time. Why? Because his technique and flow is much better than mine. His movements are tighter and he doesn't have the flaws that I have that slow me down. Simple example is tai sabaki. Because my teacher can avoid an attack more economically, he's simply in much better position to counter than I am, trying to execute the same motion. I know this doesn't help you much if you have focused heavily on external karate. I've always been told that you cannot rely on speed and strength forever, because they will abandon you sooner or later. When that happens, you'd better have worked on your finesse, else your quiver of arrows will be awfully empty....

Arthur, I appreciate the dialogue from your and Balrog's side. Unless someone brings something new to the discussion, I'll bow out at this point and let my previous posts speak for themselves. I don't think either one of us will change our minds on this one.