mindsedgeblade

That's a little strange. A no compete clause in a karate contract? How do they plan to enforce that?

Teacher in bad mood. 200 jumping jacks. 50+ pushups. Bruised wrist (they don't like when you drop 185 lbs on them). Calves burning, wrist screaming. Watching two 11 yo black belts flop like fishes? Priceless.

Maybe. Three seems to pare it down a bit too far, but certainly fewer belts than many places use would be better. I would say AT MOST 6. 4-5 strikes me as ideal. Just enough to tell what forms someone knows and approximately how long they've been training. White, couple intermediates, black. If it's more than the 4-5 years for 1st dan, you don't need to know. My old school used 6- white, yellow, blue, green, red, black. White was basically no belt or uniform- just workout clothes and didn't last long. Black belts had embroidery, but usually no dan stripes. The new school uses at least a dozen (common use, plus higher stuff). White, white stripe, white/orange, orange, orange/green, green/brown, brown, brown/red, red, red/blue, blue, black, black with dan stripes, black with red (master/teacher), red/white (grandmaster). Far, far too many.

I did the same thing. Made 1st gup (kyu), started training for 1st dan test, then graduated college. Sure, I trained on my own, but after a while, I drifted away from forms, and there's only so much you can do at the Y. Took four years off before starting at a new school. Different name but more or less the same style and lineage. From a TKD MDK base to WTSDA. Minor differences in all the forms, but same techniques. Kept my belt, but dropped me to 2nd gup. Been with this school about 6 months, and I think I'm finally comfortable with all the differences, and I'm getting ready to test for their 1st gup. Would have taken less time if I could make it in more often, but work and family gets in the way. Just warm up and stretch (extra- most places don't do enough) and you'll be fine. I didn't lose too much flexibility, but I've got it all back now. You sholdn't have any real problems integrating.

Me either, but I think I have to for my next test. What's the big deal, it's just a little board. As long as you're not sleep walking, it should be a piece of cake.

Actually, holding the stick in the middle makes a lot of sense if you use it for grappling. It's not always an analog for a bladed weapon, and it doesn't have to be just a club.

I have the opposite problem LOL. Where to find a uniform that is long enough but I can't swim in!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle in a tux? LOL

Too bad tests aren't about what you're comfortable doing....

First time I've tried kick ups and a lot of the staff stuff. So things didn't go well...

And now I'm all sore today Worked on kick-ups and dive rolls and spinning staff yesterday. So my neck is stiff, my hands are in knots, and my knees ache. Graceful is one thing I'm not. But it was fun!

Surely you're joking?! Those are considered to be the same level technique?

I just got back from a three week business trip (out of the dojang for nearly four weeks) and feel extremely rusty. This feels like part of an ongoing trend though, and I'm beginning to get frustrated. During sparring last night, I was taking far too many hits, and from unexpected opponents. During line drills, I had a very hard time with jump spinning kicks like I haven't since I first learned them. I don't know if I can remember all of my forms- and I don't have that many! Like my overall skill level is declining. I was wondering if anyone else felt this way?

My old school did no breaking- at least up until black belt. Really not much point, as we were mostly male, and nearly all college age and very fit. Lots of heavy bag work though, which I feel is much more useful. Nothing you want to hit is going to react like a board or brick. I visited a school near my parents place and blew the students there away when I snapped a side kick out and broke several (3-4) of their rebreakables. The new school does breaking at most of the testing, even the children. I haven't tested with them yet, but I anticipate no problems.

Have you got a Video of this jump in Bassai, I practice Bassai TSD version but we don't have any jumps in it Where most places do a shuffle punch- going back down the center after the side kick. I personally think it's silly, as are a lot of the explanations of certain moves. I'm as likely to jump straight legged and locked down as I am to stick my fingers in front of a sword or staff to protect my wrist. Why would you destroy both?! About 0:53 in this vid. (not my school, but close enough)

I rather like the jump in Oh-dan. My school has a jump in Bassaid Dai that is truly awkward though. It's a straight jump with a left-right punch from a low front stance without changing feet.

Just had a very interesting class tonight. "Endurance Sparring." Everyone formed a line to one side of the floor, and one person went front and center. Each of us got to fight him one after the other. Unfortunately, with 8 people each "round" was less than a minute, but the primary was forced to fight a "fresh" opponent every "round." Still, it seemed to go by very fast. The most difficult part was switching tactics- or rather, levels of force- between opponents. One round, I faced a short 11 year old that tends toward boxing, but hasn't fully grasped what that entails, the next I was facing a girl that spars "typical sport TKD," and the next was a guy my height, but faster and stronger.

My feeling is that sparring lower ranks (depending on how they personally spar, and age), about 20-50% is correct. Sometimes you need to slow things down so they can learn how to react, and not discourage their improvement. Higher ranks, 50-75%. At the top of that range, a missed block can result in injury. Of course, all that goes out the window if you have a VERY strong/fast white belt, or an old/injured third dan. Air pads (for drills) are good for 75-80%, since you can still damage the holder. And heavy bag for 80-85% (regularly). Sometimes you NEED to go higher, but much above eight-tenths takes the risk of injury too high for continuous training. The same goes for any training. Pro racers that go out and push to the absolute ragged edge crash more, causing damage to equipment and body. Pro snowboarders don't go out and do 1080s and Mctwists every day, because if they screw up they risk a broken neck.

Ditto! I can't think of anyone that would opt for Army/Marine PT over martial arts... "Hmm, let's see. Kicking and punching and sparring, or running and pushups... "

I usually go lightly with lower ranks- letting them set the pace and trying to guide them. Some of them are timid yet. From time to time, they let loose, and I consider it a challenge to let them know what's what without going too far. It usually feels like the black belts are trying to beat the snot out of me But I get a few good licks in too.

Very nice writeup. I certainly didn't feel that way when I first started learning though... They were just confusing, repetitive patterns in uncomfortable stances. But the more I get into applications (and higher forms), and realize what the forms can actualy do, the better I like them. There's a lot of talk about the Pinan/Heian/Pyong Ahn forms being designed as a "complete self defense system" which meshes with what you're saying. And I can see the Ki Cho/Sae Kye Hyung are exactly what a beginner needs too develop rudimentary skills. It's an "infantry skills manual." I would love to have 3-4 people available to attack when I do a form, to see how it works to kick the bejeezus out of them I would almost say, "throw out any other punches and kicks in the air besides forms," but there is a lot to be learned in line drills throwing combinations and moving forward, and flowing between stances. And shadow boxing is a good warm up. It's no replacement for hitting something though. Whether it's a partner, a pad, focus mitts, or a heavy bag, you need to HIT SOMETHING to refine techinique and power. The one thing I don't really see the point in is having a bunch of people milling about looking confused and throwing wimpy technique with their heads down. Which is why I love focus mitts and a good partner... You never know what to expect.

I agree. Any solid kick or a combination of heavy punches easily tips a freestanding bag. And they are VERY prone to leaking, whether filled with water or sand. Maybe you can attach the base to a sheet of plywood? Or put something even heavier in there... like BBs or lead shot.

Actually, my department only has one man (lol, poor guy!). In general it's a male dominated field, but I don't see it so much these days. Is it a department of two by any chance?

I know this was meant as a hooray for karate, but it still makes me really sad how unequal academia is. ;_; Go female entomologists! How many women are in BUG science?!

Not female myself, but there are several at the new school. Two instructors, at least two 2nd/3rd dans, and a host of little ones in the kids' class. At the old school, there were two instructors and one in training for black belt, and a few off-and-on gups. You know, there were more women in my karate school than all of my engineering and math classes for a given year combined...