Kicks

here's a couple more for you: http://www.livaudaisnet.com/mafit/videos/vid_3.gif http://www.livaudaisnet.com/mafit/videos/vid_7.gif

I agree, and I will also say that wasn't a top notch TKD fighter either. We have kids, teenagers, in our school that if they kicked you in the head like that you wouldn't be getting up. What I would like to see if two top notch muay thai and TKD fighters in a match. No matter the outcome it wopuld be very interesting to observe. For you muay thai folks who were offended by that clip, check out the muay thai fighter beat an inferior TKD fighter (Thai VS Tae Kwon Do): http://www.fightclips.net/teakwondo.htm Both these clips only show that a superior fighter would win no matter what the fighting style.

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Uusss!!!

Well that blew your credibility with me. Now I know its a scam. NO ONE gives away a "special membership pin" !

When I first read the opening post on this thread I thought the question was about testing for first degree black belt. I'm sorry. I hope my horror stories didn't give to any negative vibes about your first ever test in the martial arts. You'll do fine. All the schools I know of won't let you go out there for your first test and embarrass yourself, because you just might not come back. So they know that you are ready and you will pass. A good school won't just pass you to pacify you, they'll prepare you and let you test and pass on your own, but you've already proven yourself before the test. So go, relax, and have fun. Good Luck!

Now I know where this get this stuff from! I saw The Matrix.."I know Kung Fu".

the tkder youz gosta told mez wat orgazation youz yapin' 'bout dude. Izit AAUz, UzSA Taekwondo (de ol UzSzTzUz) or watz?

When I tested for 1st dan there was about 8 of us testing together. All was going well, quite well, when it came to breaking. The first 7 of us broke our boards (knife hand down chop). Then the 8th guy came up (he's a hot dog, a show off) and he was supposed to do the knife hand down chop through two cinder blocks. He asked, uhm..told, our Grand Master he wanted to do 3 instead. Well, the Master blew a gasket! It was like an insult to him. This old Korean Master had all 8 of us start the test over beginning with the most basic form and work your way up. If you made the slightest mistake you failed. I went the farthest and got to the 7th form when a 4th dan caught me for having my knife hand sightly bent on an overhead block. Remeber, this is after I had already done a day of testing! The bottom line...everyone failed that test because of one. He failed us in front of the whole student body and parents. We had to attend every class the following week and then retest the next weekend in private. What a humbling expierence.

All of your courses sound good, but I don't want to take as much as a half a day to bet that black belt. Can I just get the Cliff Notes and do it in an hour?

"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming---'WOW, what a ride!!!'"

At our last belt test (in December) we only had two students testing for their first dan in TKD. Both failed. Their forms (kata) were weak and they showed no spirit. They knew their sparring and hapkido combinations but didn't show power and snap. Theit free sparring was good. They did their break after several tries and removing two boards (they were supposed to do a knifehand down chop through 5 boards). One struggled through his TKD history, the other (an adult) made excuses that he's been too busy with work. I haven't seen either one since then.

aefibird: You go girl!!! Congrats!

aefibird wrote: LOL, my kids and I actually have done that while swimming!

OK, flexability is a given. Stretch when already warmed up. Strength is another given, but not just leg strength. Develop your "core". Ever go to a yoga class? They do a lot of core strengthening exercises. You need to develop your supporting muscles too. Work your hip flexor, abs (upper, lower, sides) and your lower back. Balance is key. Stand in front of a mirror and do your side kick as slow as you can and as high a you can. If you need to support yourself with a chair, then do so, for now. Alternate legs. Do this exercise often and consistently. I've seen some people do it with ankle weights, but if you use weights NEVER kick fast with them on. You'll hyper-extend your knee. A note about resistance training. I used to use those bungee cords for my kicking. There was a Velcro wrap on both ends. I'd wrap one to a pole or arm bar at the gym and the other end to my ankle. I'd do my kicks against the resistance of the cord. I ended up injuring my right hip flexor in 2001. I had extreme pain and had to go to PT. He relieved the constant pain, but I still have an occasional aggravation there and more pain the harder I work out. I recommend you don't use those.

I take Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido. We do not use weapons in any of our TKD training and have limited use in our Hapkido. But my son and I were interested in learning both sai and bo. Since we don't have an instructor at our school to teach us as we would like, we are going it alone. We incorporate the weapons in our traditional forms (katas, poomse). Already knowing the application of the hand techniques helps with developing an understanding of how to use the weapon instead of the hand. An example of what I'm talking about can be seen in a video of me and my kids doing a traditional TKD form with and with out weapons: http://www.livaudaisnet.com/mafit/videos/TaeGukOhJang.wmv If you have to go it alone you may want to try incorporating the sai into your Tai Chi routine.

There's tons out there on the web, you just gotta do some surfin', but here's a start for what its worth: http://richie.idc.ul.ie/ian0/video_clips.htm#clips2

Possibly over stretching the knees. Don't stretch through the pain, and DO NOT bounce when you stretch. Age. Legiments and stuff in there start to hurt a lot more after age 35. Hyperextension: Don't hyperextend your kicks. Don't do spinning kicks on a heavy bag; that will hyperextend the knee. Don't kick with ankle weights on. Your thigh issue might just be latic acid buildup. Stretch during your workout as well as after the workout.

OK, stay off that leg.

Fighting fans? I see a lot of fans fighting at soccer games.

After seeing many posts, video clips, and debates about XMA (Extreme Martial Arts) I thought it would be fun to start a thread, in jest, that the next wave of MA would be in RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS! You know, where they do gymnastics while handling ribbons, balls, hoops, etc.... see photo: http://www.rsg.net/rsg/pics/kwitniewska_a_4.jpg Well, guess what???? Someone beat me to it. Check it out... http://www.angelfire.com/ak4/sentinals/nss/rhythmicgymnastics.html UNBELIEVABLE!!!

Where are these Insta-Black belts when it comes to tournaments? I'd love to test their skills. (I know, they don't compete, they just kill, but it was a funny thought to me.)

I wear several hats. I'm the manager of the Information Systems (computers) Department for a Wholesale and Retail company. We have about 250 employees. I am also the Systems Analysis and Computer Programmer (mid range computer). I have two network and system operators under me who I work well with and enjoy being around.

On your profile you lists "10 years of Tae Kwon Do, a few years of Kubodo, & 1 hour of Kung Fu!" Please tell us the story behind just "1 hour of Kung Fu". Is there a story there?

*Joanne Siddall* said: I tell my students to yell (kiyup) when they are sparring. The reasons I give are: 1. Startle (scare) your opponent. 2. Yell at pont of impact. This tenses your muscles and makes for a harder hit. You should be relaxed until impact. This goes for wheather you are the one hitting or the one being hit. Yell if you get hit. You don't want to be in the middle of taking in a breath when you get hit in the stomach, that'll knock you out! 3. Yelling forces you to breath. When you yell you let all your air out and your body automatically forces you to breath in. This way you have to try to "remember to breath". Just remember to yell!