TSDMGK_K40

here are a few of the questions I had: Have you viewed the DVDs published by MGK? I've been thinking of purchasing them... any input would be appreciated. Where are the yuk rho forms placed in your curriculum? Do you include the softer moves in your basic motion (kihon) practice? Not only have I viewed them, I actually demonstrated several of the hyungs on the DVD series, inluding Jin Do, Rho Hai, Chil Sung Ill Rho, Chil Sung E Rho and Chil Sung Sahm Rho. I believe the DVDs are a very high quality learning aid. They don't replace the need for an instructor, but they are an excellent learning tool and reference source. We currently have the Yuk Rho hyungs placed at the dan levels in our curriculum. Yuk Rho Cho Dan at Cho Dan, one at each dan level, culminating with Yuk Rho Yuk Dan at Yuk dan. Not so much on the softer techniques in basic soo gi practice. It is practiced mostly in the hyungs. BTW, you could've asked me these questions on warrior-scholar.

I believe I can answer your question.

It's not that any particular style is more or less effective than another style. It is more about the quality of the instructor teaching you, and the intent with which you train. Find a good instructor and train hard, and the rest should take care of itself. What you will find though is that different styles emphasize different aspects of the training at different levels. For example, at an intermediate level a TSD stylist will be a better striker than a judo or mma stylist, while at the same time the judo or mma stylist will be a better grappler / joint manipulator than the TSD stylist. Things will begin to even out as both styles get higher in rank, but keep in mind that there are vast differences in the first few years of training. The best advice I can give you is to find a style that is appropriate for what you are hoping to gain. It might take some trial and error to find exactly what you are looking for, but when you find it you'll know that it is right. BTW, if you want to, private message me the name of the studio in NJ that you are looking into, I probably know the instructor if they have been in it for that long.

In my system, TSD, master rank is considered 4th dan and above. From white belt to 4th dan takes around 14 years on average (4.5 years to 1st dan, 2 more years to 2nd dan, 3 more years to 3rd dan, 4 more years to 4th dan). We have two separate testings, one for the rank of 4th dan, and a separate testing for the title of Sa Bom (master instructor). 6th dan is considered senior master, or senior kodanja, in TSD. It normally takes 11 years from 4th dan to 6th dan, making the average length of time from white belt to 6th dan a total of 25 years. Our annual kodanja testing (for ranks of 4th dan and above) is held once a year, usually in mid-January. The testing is 5 days long, starting on a Wednesday morning, and finishing with the formal shim-sa (examination) on Sunday afternoon. A typical day of kodanja testing begins around 7:30 am, with training until about 3:30 pm. From 3:30 pm until 8:30 pm is when the Sa Bom evaluations take place. At this time the candidates for Sa Bom are observed teaching, and then critiqued by all of the existing Sa Bom's present. At around 8:45pm we reconvene until normally around 12:30 or 1:00 am. At that point the candidates head back to their hotel rooms to work on their written kodanja projects, and get some sleep, before starting again the next morning. We usually get about four 20 minute breaks during the course of the day to freshen up, etc. All testing candidates are required to stay in the same hotel for the duration of the testing, where they usually work in groups of 4 on the written kodanja projects. We spend the final evening of the testing cleaning the dojang, sleeping in the dojang, and finishing our kodanja projects. Sunday morning we have free practice, each rank group works separetely, until the formal testing begins at around 11:00am. Almost every year for the past 5 years it has snowed on the morning of the formal testing, so the candidates are also outside shoveling the parking lot, in addition to preparing for their formal testing. I'll be testing for 5th dan this coming January. There will be approximately 14 candidates testing for 4th dan, 5 candidates for 5th dan, and 3 candidates for 6th dan.

My hips have popped for as long as I can remember, at least since my late teens. No amount of stretching, cardio, muscle building has changed that. The only time it really bothers me is on outside-to-inside crescent kicks. Even just one makes me somewhat uncomfortable. I can feel it start to get uncomfortable sometimes after about 30-40 round kicks.

20-35 years old "MASTERS"??? A 20 year old hasn't "mastered walking, let alone a martial art IMHO... Everyone is entitled to their opinion. That being said, I don't agree with yours. I was 27 when I earned my 4th dan, which is considered master level in TSD. In January I'll be testing for 5th dan at age 32. Is there some issue with that? There are also a few 21/22 year old 4th dans in my dojang who are some of the finest martial artists I've been around. These individuals were 9 or 10 years old when they earned their 1st dans, and they've been exemplary students ever since. Now I know everyone will never agree on what age is appropriate for someone to earn a dan ranking, but I guarantee you that if were to ever find yourself on the same floor as some of my young 20 something year old peers who happen to be masters, they would earn your respect very quickly.

It's not often that you get to see masters sparring with each other, but it does happen. In my dojang there are about a half dozen masters in my age group (20-35) that spar regularly. We also have kodanja sparring competition at our national tournament.

I'm sure v-necks are considered dobok's, as dobok simply means uniform. Anyway, in terms of durability, quality, fit, etc... I've never had a better uniform than shureido (K10 I believe). I've been wearing shureido's since 1992, and it would take a mighty fine uniform to get me to switch.

And the title of your thread is "What's the best dobok"

BruceFlea makes a good point, and I totally agree. No gimmicks, just hard work, and sensible eating habits are all it should take. Orion, You can avoid water-weight issues by weighing yourself at a consistent time every day, I do it first thing in the morning before breakfast. Jay, don't discount weight training. Cardio excercise is very important, in fact most important in weight loss, but weight training serves an important benefit. More muscle mass means that your bodies RMR (resting metabolic rate) will be higher, which basically means that you burn more calories while you are at rest or sedentry than you would if you have less muscle mass. I know my muscle mass has increased, because I can see it in my arms, chest, shoulders, etc.. I also know my weight has decreased because I can (or in this case can't) see it in my waist, stomach, and thighs. It also clues me in to my progress because I can barely wear any of my clothes anymore without some serious belt work.

none of the above. IMO, Shureido makes the best dobok's available. http://www.shureidousa.com

Actually a pound of fat is about 2500 calories not 1000. The rest of this quote is DEAD on. Many folks try to lose weight too fast and it only back fires. One reason it's so hard to lose fat is that it's very easy to eat 1000, 2000 or more calories and not think about it. Just go to a mall and have a Cinnebun (sp?) or similar "treat". Even a large fry is over 800 calories! Everything I've read suggests that a calorie defecit off 3500 calories per week (or 500 calories per day) is the standard to lose 1 lb per week. I honestly beleive it works. I was 216 lbs (6'1" tall) on 7/13/2005 when I decided I wanted to lose some weight. I joined a gym, do about 45 minutes of cardio, 25 minutes lifting, 3 or 4 times a week. Once a week I go mountain biking, in place of a visit to the gym. And I train (TSD) with my instructor 1 - 2 times per week. My main dietary changes have been as follows: 1.) I cut out juice, except OJ with breakfast. I used to drink about three 8oz glasses of juice a day (that alone was almost 350 calories per day). Water is just fine, I have it with lunch and dinner all the time now. 2.) I changed a couple things I eat for lunch, healthier sub at quiznos, turkey meal instead of chicken carver at boston market, etc. 3.) I more carefully watch my dinner portions. That being said, I still eat the foods I like, I go out to dinner with my wife, I have a couple slices of Bertuccis pizza once or twice a week, enjoy a frosty beverage or two with my friends on occasion, etc... Anyway, the result so far is that I am down 15 lbs, down to 201 lbs. The weight loss was about 9 lbs the first 2 weeks, then nothing for about 10 days, then another 6 lbs, in the last couple weeks. If you are consistent it will work. I do track calories/fats/carbs for everything I take in, for the past 5 weeks. I also track what exercise (and calorie amounts) I expend. These are more for personal motivation than anything else. Tracking it that way is nice, because more than anything it shows me if there are any trends, and lets me realize what and how much I should be eating. It will also come in handy if I get stuck before my goal, and decide to see a nutritionist. It is also important to have a clearly defined goal. The goal I set was 190 lbs. I track my weight at home every day, keeping an Excel spreadsheet and chart, which allows me to clearly see my progress, and how much further I have to go.

Our dan/black belt level forms are quite long. The Chil Sung Sa Rho, Chil Sung O Rho, and Chil Sung Yuk Rho, and Hwa Sun hyungs all take 3 to 4.5 minutes to execute correctly. They all are well over 100 techiques, some closer to 200 techniques.

When I test for 5th dan this coming January, these are the hyung/form requirements: Empty Hand Forms ( 29 total ) 3 - Ki Cho's 5 - Pyung Ahn's 3 - Nai Han Ji's 6 - Chil Sung's 4 - Yuk Rho's 1 - Passai 1 - Jin Do 1 - Lo Hai 1 - Kong San Kun 1 - Hwa Sun 1 - Wan Shu 1 - Sip Soo 1 - Sei San Weapons Forms ( 6 total ) 1 - Short Dagger 2 - Bong (Long staff) 2 - Korean Sword (Hai Dong Gumdo) 1 - Chinese Broad Sword edit: forgot to list an open hand form

I'm not sure what the exact timeline would be in your case, but in my experience it takes around 4 to 5 years to reach cho-dan. Then 2 years to ee-dan, 3 years to sam dan, 4 years to sa dan, 5 years to o-dan, etc... I earned my 4th dan nine years after I earned cho-dan, and that was meeting the minimum time-in-grade requirements of my style. So basically, in the TSD organizations that I've belonged to, it would generally take a minimum of 13 years to go from 10th gup to 4th dan. If those figures sound discouraging to you, consider this, it's been over 4 1/2 years since I last tested, and I still manage to learn something new everytime I'm in class with my instructor. Think of the goals in a short-term since, don't dwell on the end result.