foreveryoung001

I am a firm believer in finding a way of training that will keep the enjoyment in the art. Even within my own classes, I will work with each student in some different ways, push them in different directions, help them to focus on areas where each individual needs the work. But I try to do this in a way that will be challengeing without scaring them away. Being a relatively new school in my area, I have smaller classes right now, a solid core of 12 regulars, biggest class so far was 21, so I may have an opportunity to focus more individual attention on them for now. As for the Shaolin training that you have described, it sounds very much like a Zen practice. From the little I know of Zen, you would perfect the individual parts of a technique, and then when all of the perfected parts were put together, the theory is you would have a perfect technique. I've read stories where children were given a bow, and were taught to draw the bow and then release the bow without ever touching an arrow. They would do this for years, and then when the arrow was finally added, they had very little difficulty in hitting their marks. I have never tried training like this... I'm not sure I have the patience, but I like the theory behind it.

My mother was a Saint. Then she got traded to the Giants. Now we are making progress. Don't you feel better since you have opened up. HEY, IS SOME STANDING BEHIND YOU??????? oooops, my mistake.

I'm with you on that one. It was opening night last night wasn't it?

I'm not a big one for labels... but, I think honing your skills to compete in a tournament, can be considered more artistic than not. Someone who only likes sculptures will never call a painter a true artist. Depending on what type of music you play, there are those who would consider one guitar player an artist, and another just a "guy playing the guitar." If this person does not consider it an art, just because you attend tournaments, then I don't think anything will change his mind, but don't let him change your mind. Be confident in who you are and what you do. If you are a martial artist, don't let anyone else's opinions influence you. Just MHO.

Ahhhh, true humility......

Well said Master Jules!

Uh, actually I'll take the blame for you on that one.... Oops, did that slip out? Man, my wife has trained me well. Actually, I see this exact same thing in my wife. She has put on some weight since having our last child. She doesn't like it, but she doesn't want to do anything to lose it. Through the radio station where I work, we have memberships at two different gyms in the area, but she doesn't go. She doesn't feel like it's her fault (who cares what her diet is), she doesn't see why she needs to be the one to work to lose the weight. She's hoping the magic pills work, or now, she is trying to talk me in to paying for liposuction(sp?). Now, I know your body does weird things when you're pregnant, but the baby is almost two now, and she has a horrible diet, doesn't do any excercise, and doesn't know why she is being punished by putting on weight. Since there is no one else she can logically blame, she blames God for this one. She's actually mad at me for losing all of the weight that I lost. I keep trying to get her to come and train with me. Get on the floor and work your butt off.... literally. I think I got completely off topic.... Sorry

Somebody's got too much time on their hands. I think you're blocking kicks... you need to open up. Here, lie down on the couch.... now, tell me about your mother....

I think that is one of the prime characteristics of a population that is generally becoming more narcissistic. I see it more and more, that "nothing is my fault", let's find someone else to blame for all of my problems.

Another way that may help open some dialog is to write him a short letter. Begin by telling him what you enjoy about the class. Highlight the positives of your training. Then simply say that you have a couple of questions regarding your training, and ask him if it would be possible to meet withi him outside of class to discuss a couple of ideas. Aske him for a time to meet. This is a very non-threatening way to approach him, and will let him know that you would like to speak with him, but would also allow him to pick the time and place where he would feel most comfortable. Just a thought. Good luck, and let us know how things go.

Hey, just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean somebody isn't out to get you...

Shane, Have I got an opportunity for you to train your students.... Now, I know we teach different arts, but maybe a little cross training into TKD.... Hmmm? I could give them a good lesson of rake the leaves in my yard, and get my deck winterized. And if you think they are advanced enough I could even show them reshingle my roof... but I usually reserve that training for the more advanced belts....

Ah, a calm sensible voice of reason, backed by logical and philisophical thought.... Go away! We're trying to be paranoid here....... Just kidding It looks like you're new Logan... Welcome to the forum Uh, you're not out to get me or anything are you?...

I've never heard of them, but I think you will find people like that in any sport, activety, hobby, etc... that you are involved with. A lot of it gets down to the old debate of which style is best, and IMHO there will never be a style that will be conclusevily better than another for every person in every situation. So if these folks want to learn, experiement, and find something that works better for them, then I say more power to them. I don't know why they have to cut down a particular style in doing so, but that could just be human nature...

The feeling you get on a sunny autumnmorning, when you walk outside fearing that you are not dressed warmly enough... but then the warmth of the sun catches you... Sweater weather..... Having snowball fights with my kids....

I don't wanna.... it might scare me. I ask a lot of stupid questions..... and I'm uh.... well.... I'm over 30....

Welcome Ted! How's it going eh?

Thanks for the Heads-up

I honestly don't know why. My instructor quit teaching a few months after I tested for 1st Dan, and I didn't even attempt to find another Chung Do Kwan school at the time... Years Later, I got ahold of my grand master and asked him about it. He said that my instructor may have had his reasons, and he may have been, just plain, wrong. Since then I have worked with my Grand Master to put together an overall lesson plan for my own students, where we work on certain goals... or maybe we could call them "levels of accomplishment" where every technique is always a work in progress until the day you die, but the closer you get to "perfection" the more you are able to focus on smaller and smaller variables within each technique. I like this philosophy more than what my instructor used, but it still goes along with the main point of this thread, in that there is always more to learn, and perfection is just an ideal to aim for but never attainable.

Round kick him in the head and then let him tell you how useful it is. Perhaps your instructor would let him come and watch or even join a class or two. After he got a good workout, maybe even a little sparring, and he might change his tune. But no matter what, he is allowed to have his opinion. Don't get to angry with him just because his opinion is different than yours. There will always be people who doubt this, that, and the other thing, but you can't let it get to you. Keep training hard, to the point where you can feel satisfaction within your own ability, and don't sweat the small stuff.

I can still remember what my instructor told me during my first class after my 1st dan test, "Now I'm going to show you how to throw a front punch the right way." We worked for two weeks on perfrecting (relative term) a simple front punch. I had to begin to think in some new ways about shifting my body weight. I had just gotten my black belt, but in some ways I felt like a white belt all over again. Consider yourself blessed that you have realized this early in your training. It came as a bit of a shock to me, and in some ways, it may have added to my decision to take a few years off of my training.

I agree with most of the post about the reasons. This situation, though, about feigning injury to win, is not exclusive to woman. I wound up DQ'd this past spring when I was sparring a guy. I was doing very well against him, I was up 5 to 1 against him, when I caught him on the side of the ehad with a ridge hand. He went down in a heap, claiming I poked him in the eye. Loss of a point to me. Then I caught him with an axe kick, and layed out on the floor. I kneeled for about 2 minutes while he slowly tried to regain his feet. As soon as he was somewhat standing, they DQ'd me, and he jumped up like nothing was wrong, went and high fived his buddies, who were all laughing and joking around. The center ref came up to me later and apologized for his call, but the damage was done.

Welcome to the forum

Unfortunetly with your wrist it can be quite a number of problems. I had a similar experience many years ago, and to this day, if the weather is just so, I still feel a sharp pain... too the point where I can't do much with it, no push-ups, I can't even pick up a bottle of water without it hurting. The rest of the time, I don't feel a thing. Most likely, after taking a pounding like that, its probobly just inflamed, take some ibuprofin, use some ice on it, and don't push it to hard for a few day. If the pain doesn't go away fairly quickly, then you will want to see a doctor. There are several small bones in your wrist, and if you broke one, which ultimately is what I did, then you'll want to have that taken care of correctly. I didn't go to the doctor about ym wrist until years later, and I think that has something to do with why I still feel pain from time to time.

Neat Story SS. I entered my first tourny when I was 4th or 5th gup... many many years ago. Late 80's. I drew a by on the first round of sparring, so I had an opportunity to watch some of the other competitors. The match I was really interested in was between a tall lanky guy who just looked quick and had great technique, and another, smaller guy who was bulky, slow, and very rough around the edges. I watched the tall guy just demolish the shorter guy in the first round. We sparred two-3 minute rounds with a one minute break between. For the second round, the shorter guy came out full force (this was a light contact only tournament. normal point sparring tag) and shorty caught the tall guy with round house. Big guy blocked it, but he was not expecting the force to be so great, and shorty connected right on his chin, not with a slap round with the top of the foot, but a regular, ball of the foot smacking you on the chin, kind of kcik. It knocked the tall guy out. He was out cold for a good 45 seconds. Shorty was deducted a point, the tall guy did get up eventually and fought the rest of the round, but ended up losing in the end. After taking the blow, he just wasn't in it anymore. To this day I still think they should have DQ'd shorty, but they didn't. In the next round, I drew shorty... who was actually closer to my size, 6' even, he just looked really short again against the 6'4" guy. Being in my first tournament, and fighting a guy who I had just watched knock out another comeptitor really freaked me out. I was very defensive, and at the end of one I was ahead 1-zip. In the second, I thought he would do exactly what he had done to the tall guy, and he did, but I was ready for him. My instructor told me that if he tried anything like that to counter just as hard and to let him know that I was not a push-over. I blocked the round kick, and countered with a reverse punch to his sternum. I knocked the wind out of him, and had my point taken away for excesive contact, but when we started up again he was the one that was afraid of me. I ended up winning that round 3-1, and went on to place 3rd in my division out of 15. I don't know how remarkable this story is, it's just the one that sticks out in my head. I suppose I could dress it up a little and start telling it with shorty knocking the guy out with a jump spinning 360 reverse hook kick... The guy who took first in our division was the twin brother of the tall guy. I had to fight him too.... got my toosh whipped I think the final against him was 9-2 or something pathetic like that. To this day I still have a hard time sparring against someone who is that much taller than I am.