foreveryoung001

Sounds like a good system, but you might want to re-think the gis. I'm not sure light blue works well with a white gi. You might want to have them pruchase (from you of course) a different color gi for each belt. Remember, fashion isn't everything, it's the ONLY thing! Desert Camouflage with a forest green gi... I get goose bumps just thinking about it.

Just make sure you know what you are getting when you sign up for any school. Sit in on, or observe a few classes to make sure that this would be a good program for you. You might very well be able to find some less expensive schools, but the same advice holds true. Investigate, and know what you are paying for. In my school, (we teach TKD Chung Do Kwan), we charge $40 per month for classes twice a week, and then we have an open sparring session on Saturday evenings. These open sessions are free to any martial art student that would like to come and spar. If they are not my students, then we ask for a $10 yearly fee to get them on our insurance. I don't charge a fee for testing, they only pay for the cost of their belt (if they are moving up in color) and their certificate that we purchase from the association. At most it costs a student $9 or $10 bucks. This is how my instructor did it, so I am simply following his lead. Black belt tests are a little more pricey, because we give them an embroidered belt and a much nicer certificate, and that might run $65. Watch out for any MA school that will test you every few weeks and get you for $25 or $30 a pop. Just because they do that, doesn't mean it is not a quality school, but it might be something to watch out for.

A must see! That slipped my list too.

Yes it can be overwhelming, but it will be well worth it to do the research. Once you find a school that you like, with an instructor that will challenge you in the area you would like to be challenged, I think you will have an enjoyable time with your training. It is definetly worth the effort!

My routine is very similar. If I do a morning workout, then I stretch before and after the workout. Before to help warm-up the muscle (I know there are some different theories on this), and after because a warm muscle will stretch easier than a cold muscle. (again, there are some different theories). Try to find a routine that you enjoy, and stick to it. And don't be afraid to really stretch. I often see students go through the motions. As long as it looks like they are stretching, it is good enough for them. If you are not actually stretching the muscle, then you are really gaining no benefit from it. While you are in your stretch, I believe it is okay for to experience some pain. Obviously there is a big difference between a good burning sensation while your stretching, and a pain that tells you that you have gone too far. Don't over-do it, but try pushing yourself a little past your comfort level, and then as SoulAssassin said, hold it for a good 20 seconds.

But isn't that the American way of life? Instant coffee in a microwave oven still isn't fast enough. But there are those who still prefer to grind their own coffee beans. That seems like a ridiculous metaphor now that I've written it. But I think the main point is true. The Frame of Mind of most Americans is "How can I do this faster?" along with "How can I make more money?" Hence, the McDojo was born. But, within any style, and it may take some searching, but I think you will find instructors with dedication to the art that they teach. They may be getting more rare, but they are there if you look hard enough.

I usually listen to my instructor yelling, "Kick Faster!!! Punch Harder!!!" Seriously, I like quiet most of the time.

Hello R. Mclain, Currently we teach the Taegeuk forms. When I began in 1984, we incorporated a mix of the Palgue forms, with, if I am not mistaken, the first two Taegeuks. For the Dan ranks we use Koryo, Keumgang, Taebaek, etc... We currently follow the WTF standards.

Well, I do happen to know the history of Tae Kwon Do, and my particular Kwan. What I don't know is a lot of the history of, in particular, the chinese arts. It has not been something I have studied to any great degree. I am not asking for you to share your own knowledge, unless, of course, you would like to do that. I was hoping, that you might be willing to share some of the areas where you have gained that knowledge so that I may research the topic myself. The limited research I have done, does not always agree, and I am trying to come up with a general conclusion, not based on certain writers influences. My local library is very small and limited in their selection on this topic, so that leads me to the internet. I was only looking for sites that people may have viewed that seem reliable, in the information that they are passing along. I apologize if it seems like I am trying to avoid doing the research myself.

A lot of it will come down to the instructor and the desire of the students. A good instructor will find the passion and motivation of the student and focus on that. I have worked out with TKD instructors who only focused on the sport aspect, and I have worked out with those who were more focused on self-defense. I was also in a Tang Soo Do Clud for a brief time where they only focused on sparring. There are TKD schools that have a good well-rounded curriculum, and will help students get exposed to several different aspects of the art and sport. But I think you will find that in any style. The teacher is what will determine the direction of the class.

I like to throw a few side kicks out to hold off my opponent, and then shuffle into a hook kick coming up behind their head. For effectivness, a big grandiose shuffle outside cresent kick over their head. Their eyes always seem to follow the foot. As my momentum carries me towards them, a simple reverse punch seems to land consistently. I don't know how flashy those are though.

I am hoping that some of the more knowledgable folks here may be able to help me. I have been trying to find some information of the origins of some of the particular styles. To research on the web, I seem to find a bend in the general direction of whatever the personal feeling of the writer are. I see some sites that will tell me that the mjority of the Eastern Arts started in Korea, then I'll find one that says, Southern China, and even Japan. I would like to find to reliable history that I could pass along to my students. Does anyone have a link to a credible historian that may have researched this topic? And help would be greatly appreciated.

I would think that you should use whatever technique would work and that you are most comfortable with. If you are not comfortable kicking to the head, then do not do it, when it comes down to defending yourself. If you are only comfortable kicking to the head, then why would anyone say, "Don't do that!"? In a true "fight" where injury or death is a real concern, it's not the time to try any technique that you have no confidence with. I would say that goes for something as simple as a palm strike. If you do not have any confidence that you can land it, if you have never practiced it, and a technique that you are more comfortable with would be just as effective, then go with what you are comfortable with, and save the practice for class.

I'd also like to know why Point sparring is for sissies. Point sparring definetly has its place in the MAs, just as other types of competition. IF you exclusevely train for one particular type of tournament, then you limit yourself and your art. As for kicking quicker. I have to agree with Practice. Legs weights are good, but not only for bag work. Try wearing the weights and go up and down the floor with your kicks. Try to make every kick in perfect form. Start simple, ie, front kicks, round kicks, side kicks, then work your way up to some of your spin kicks. Do them with power, quickness, and good form, and I think you will see some good improvment.

In Northern Michigan, we refer to bad drivers as "fudgies". We are a tourist area and a lot of people come here to buy fudge from the shops on Mackinac Island. They are referred to as fudgies, and that usually relates to the fact that they really don't know how to drive that well. A little closer to home. A nuclear Power plant was recently decomissioned about 50 miles away. A certain piece of euqipment had to be shipped to the strorage facility by way of my little town. They trucked it over here, and then placed it on the railroad car here. It took them about 4 days to lift this huge thing onto the car. In the papers, the nuclear regulatory people kept referring to it as a "Nuclear Vessel". So we began to blame things on the radiation from the nuclear vessel. Instead of gremlins or ghosts, are bumps-in-the-night are caused by the "Mighty Nuclear Vessel"

Most of it will depend on how much you work outside of class. In the style I trained with in the 80's, we only met twice per week, but I worked out with another student at least two or three days a week outside of class. I managed to test for my 1st dan in just under 4 years. this was a little quicker than most in that style, but I really worked my butt off. There were those students who didn't work outside of class, and some of them were still at their 2nd and 3rd gup ranks when my friend and I tested for 1st dan. It really depends on you and how much you want to put into it. If the price fits into your budget, and the training times fit into your schedule, then this might be a good place to look into. Good luck, and let us know how your search is continuing.

I have to agree. I took a long lay-off between training. About 10 years (long story), but I still stretched everyday. Once I began training again, my form came back relatively quickly, but because I had stretched all along, I did not lose any height on my kicks. And, once I began to get my form back, I even noticed quite a bit of improvment on some of them. I am a firm believer that you can never stretch too much.

As for the sparring, I do use spinning hook kick while I spar. It has been a good friend at times, and not so good a friend at other times. If you find someone a half step quicker than you, you will find that they can slip in something as simple as a reverse punch while you're spinning. If you are the quicker one though, and your aim is good, it can be a good point getter. I've been lucky enough to not have had to usu any of my training in a "real-life" situation, but I think getting fancy when it comes down to life or death, might be a little over the top.

Oh, that's what the kid gets for trying to steal a drink from dad's "Secret" stash. Seriously, as a father, I think it looks completely irresponsible. An inch or two off, and your child is looking at a potential serious injury. For the next trick, watch as I circumcise my child with a Samurai sword, now hold still Johnny.... Oooops!

Mine came from the name I use on the radio. The Last name "Young" was given to me by my first Program Director, and it stuck with me for every station I worked at. I got out of radio for a brief time in the mid-90's, and a firend of mine, who knew me by my radio name kept calling me by that name. one day I said, you know you don't have to call me that anymore, I don't work in radio, and he said I would be "forever Young". One of my favorite songs is Forever Young by the group Alphaville, and it just sort of stuck. The 001 came from Yahoo, because "foreveryoung" was already being used at the time I signed up for an email account. It's just sort of stuck ever since, and now I'm back in radio and back with my old radio name

I think a good daily stretching routine may be the best way to start out. The are several different thoughts on the topic, and you may want to research them. But, once you find a routine that you enjoy, and has some proven benefits, stick with it. I'm a firm believer that you can never stretch too much. I took almost ten years off of my training after my 1dan test, but I still stretched every day, and now that I have begun training again, I've found that I have not lost any of my original flexability. In some ways, I would say I have even improved. Not in technique, of course, but even my regular side kick seems to get up a little higher than it used too. I don't have any suggestions for a name of stretching routine, I just use the same routine that my original instructor liked me to use, but I have seen on-line some different books and videos that look like they may be worth investigating. I would suggest find a routine that incorporates static and dynamic stretching, and eventually some isometric (sp?). Static stretches are ones where you are not moving the muscle that you are stretching, like doing the splits. Dynamic stretches would be where you stretch by moving the muscle, such as swinging your arms or legs to a point where your muscle stretches, or rotating your head to stretch the neck... things like that. isometrics then get you using the muscle while you are stretching. These can be quite hard on your body, and might want to be avoided until you have worked with a certain routine for period of time. If you make an honest effort to stretch regularly, even to the point where you might be in some pain... a little pain is good, a lot of pain is not so good... then I think you will find your flexability will increase very quickly. By quickly, I mean you should see some real improvment within a couple of months. Good luck!

When you say "Spiritual centering" are you referring to the eastern philosophies that you might find incorporated within a particular MA, or are you looking for one that will stay within certain boudries of your current belief system?

Depending on mood, any of the following might be my favorite... Shawshank Redemption Brave Heart The Matrix (Only the first one. I thought the whole concept was pretty cool.) Dr. No French Kiss (Hay, how'd that one get on the list?) Better Off Dead Monty Python's Holy Grail

I had to start keeping one in the lower belt ranks. For testing, my instructor would make every belt write an essay, and these along with training note, training logs, and notes on the history of our style of TKD would have to be turned in before every test. All the way through 1st gup, where I had to add an instructors log. For 1st dan we had to have our instructor sign off on our instructor log which had to have at leeast 25 hours logged. This was 16 year ago. Recently, I have decided to pursue my 2nd dan, and will have to start the book all over again, as my original was lost many years ago. When I was younger, I didn't enjoy keeping the book updated, but many years later, I can see the value of all of that work, and wish that I still had it around.

P: did yo know the spped limit was 55 mile per hour? Y: Yes officer, but I wasn't going to be out that long. P: Didn't you see the "stop" sign back there? Y: yes officer, but I don't believe everything I read. In the immortal words of Steven Wright: I had to go to court the other day because a cop wrote me a ticket. I pleaded 'insanity'. I said "your Honor, would anyone in their right mind park in the passing lane?"