Myst

We were practicing tumbling with one of those huge plastic balls. You would use the ball to help you tumble, and then let it fly out of your arms when you came up. I was the highest belt in class, so my instructor had me demonstrate it. Well, I let go of the ball, but it went in the wrong direction! It bounced into a 6 ft. trophey, which would have fallen and broken had I not jumped up and caught it before it hit the ground! I still haven't figured out how I got across the room so fast!

My dojang has puzzle mats but we never use them. We have blue gymnastics mats that we use. They're really good for doing over-the-shoulder throws and hip throws. You still get the breath knocked out of you (that's just a given), but they're pretty soft so you don't get too bruised up.

I wear a size 1 uniform from Adidas (My first ever uniform was a child size 00! ) For sparring gear, I wear a chest protector, headgear, arm pads, knee and instep pads, and a mouthpiece.... No idea where all of it came from.

I got started with MA because I was obsessed with Jackie Chan, but now its become like a lifestyle for me. I can't imagine myself not taking MA. It has physical, mental, and social benefits, plus its just fun!

I'm extremely happy with the school I'm at. Been there for 10 years, gonna be there for another 4 years (at least). Maybe I'll find a college close by and still be able to train there....

When training with sai, our instructor used to require us to wear "tkd shoes", but he hasn't done that for awhile. Otherwise, we're barefoot.

I've trained in WTF TKD for around 10 years, and just tested for my 3rd dan in December. I've also trained in Okinawan Kempo (Kubado) for about 4 years and hold a 6 gup. I very briefly (for one hour) trained in Kung Fu with my Physics teacher... weird story.... As for whether my school is open or not, we aren't allowed to attend another dojang while we are still a member. (I didn't tell my instructor about the one hour of Kung Fu ) Personally, I'm open to all styles.

Actually, the thought of suing them never came to mind. But now that you mention it... I was just wondering what everyone else thought of it, because it had never really made sense to me.

When I was younger, they could never find another girl my age or belt rank at tournaments, so I had to spar an "exhibition match" with a boy. At my dojang, we hardly ever had any 6 year old girls, so I sparred the boys. I was used to it, and I usually beat them. In exhibition matches both opponents win, so there's no real competition. My parents tried to tell the officials that I always sparred boys, but they said it would be unfair to me if I lost. What are your thoughts on exhibition sparring? I can understand if its an 11 year old guy and a 7 year old girl, but I always got paired with someone my size and rank, so it didn't make sense to not have a winner.

We do something similar. If you are under 15 and testing for your bb, you get a poom, which looks exactly like a regular dan belt. When you turn 15, you just keep your poom until you test for your next degree. Then you get the dan.

Umm... Probably qualifying for the Junior Olympics when I was 7 (I think I was a blue belt...) But my mom didn't let me go 'cause it was in Florida and I live in NC... Oh well...

WTF TKD, a tiny bit of Kung Fu, and Kubodo (other). Overall, TKD is definately my favorite!

I was taught how to do butterfly kicks because I was on the demostration team, and I was taught never to use them in an actual class or sparring match. Like everyone else said, they're just for show... and it looks really cool if you can break a board with it!

I definately respond to a couple of pressure points, it just takes a little more effort for it to work on me. I'm not sure about my sister, though. Like I said before, it seems like she doesn't feel it at all, but she could just have a really high pain tolerance level.

Yes, he's a TKD instructor. I believe he holds a 5th dan... No, I have no idea why we don't respond... I'd be interested if anyone had any theories though!

It took me about 3 1/2 years to get to black belt, but I've seen others achieve it in a much shorter timespan and a much longer timespan, so it basically depends on the dojang and the ability of the students.

My sister and I don't respond to pressure points. I can feel it a little when someone presses really hard, but not enough to subdue me. My sister, on the other hand, doesn't feel them at all. My instructor used to push as hard as he could on my sister's pressure points and she would just stand there! So if you're going to use pressure points on an attacker, make sure he's hurt enough so that if the pressure points don't affect him, it won't make much difference.

There's also one near the base of your throat (not sure what its called). If you press in and down it doesn't really cause pain, but it cuts off air circulation. Not sure if it would be considered a pressure point or not...

Over the years, I've learned that "big" doesn't necessarily mean "strong", and "small" doesn't always mean "weak". Ok, scenario: I was a 4 ft 4 in. nine year old girl, about 70 lbs. at a sparring competition. For some reason, I was paired with a tall, enormous guy. I thought, "Ok, I'm dead meat." But when the round began, I learned that I could use my small size to my advantage. I would get into the red zone, score a point, then get out again. All my opponent could do was deliver a push kick (which would send me flying out of the ring), but I used my speed to avoid his kicks as much as I could, and I ended up winning the match.

Testing for my 3rd dan was definately a memorable experience! Other than that, I think standing in the science lab, learning Kung Fu from my Physics teacher is up there as well!

Definatley go for sai. I started training with them when I was about 7 (I had to get the ones that were like six inches long ) and since then they've really helped me in my open-handed MA, because most of the techniques that are used with sai, can be used with openhand. Anyway, the point of the story is, go for it!

Do they have to be TKD-related? No, just normal resolutions you would make every year.

hehe. Our instructor has us turn in our New Year's Resolutions to him every year... This year, my goals are to learn my new form (Taebek), and to start working part-time at my dojang when I turn 16 (July!)

I definatley agree with you on that one. My instructor has us bring in a copy of our report card every quater. At testing we are asked to recall our family member's birthdays, our grandmaster has all the kids up for promotion go give their parents a hug, he asks us if we listen to our parents, if we get along with our siblings, etc. Last year, I was even asked if I talked on the phone with boys all the time! I was then told that it was alright some of the time, but not all the time! Anyway, my point is that even if a student meets all the physical requirements (sparring, breaking, patterns, etc.) we still look at their character, and my instructor has held students from promotion because of low grades, lack of respect, etc.

WTF Tae Kwon Do. I started training because I was a six year old tomboy who was obsessed with anything martial arts (at the time, I think my obsession was on either Jackie Chan or Bruce Lee). I love how it has instilled a great sense of patience and respect for myself and others in me. Also, I'm an introvert, so it gives me a place where I can yell as loud as I want and improve my "public speaking skills" when I teach the class. Right now, the only thing that I dislike is the fact that we've had to cut down on classes because my instructor has a full-time job working with at-risk kids in the school system, as well as running the dojang.