taekwondomom

Maturity is definitely important, plus skill in martial arts AND skill in communication/leadership/motivation which means teaching! I think it's hard for most people under 16 to have the kind of maturity to lead a class.

Anyone have any ideas on how best to help children learn to spar? Last night in our "all belts" class--which has a mix of belt levels and both adults and children--we sparred. My son, who's a green belt (and has just returned to TKD after a hiatus of 2 years), said "I don't like sparring. I don't learn anything." A girl in the changing room complained, too. "I hate sparring. I don't think I'm good at it." I find that children don't really seem to understand sparring. They just flail away, and don't even look at the target. If they spar with other children their size, it's chaos. If they spar with adults, they're outmatched (usually, just because of size and experience). If I spar with a child, I end up not getting a good workout. If I spar a child, I'll spar for just a while, then I do some teaching ("Here, try this combination") Since I'm a black belt, I teach sometimes, so I'd appreciate any ideas about how to make sparring a good learning experience for all involved.

I'm going to be in a tournament soon and I'll need to set up my own board breaks. I get to break 3 boards. Problem is, I've never set up board breaks before. At test time, I always have someone help me so I won't get injured. I'd like to do palm strike then back elbow. Then go directly into a jump reverse kick. I've gotten some advice from our BBs, but if anyone here has general advice about setting up--how far the boards need to be from my extended arm in a palm strike, for example, or whether they should be exactly perpendicular to the floor or maybe angled--please let me know!

I am just learning TKD (2nd permanent Brown Belt) and I am a total believer in ITF--because of the way we do sparring. At least at my school, sparring is light/no contact. This means that small people like me (I'm 5'3", 110 #) can spar bigger ones! And win sometimes! My instructor says in ITF, people can use technique, speed, and flexibility to win. Power isn't as important. And we can continue to spar even as we age and maybe don't want to be hit so hard. That's my 2 cents worth!

Anyone have any advice on how to avoid blisters? Everyone at the dojang has them this time of year. The hot, sticky weather makes our feet stick to the hardwood floor, so blisters happen. I think we'd all rather have tough feet. Any advice would be appreciated.

I need some uniform advice. I'm shopping for a second uniform for practices, and I want one that's comfortable, durable, and . . . OK, flattering! I'm a small person, 5'3" and about 107#. I wear a size 3, but only because the size 2 pants are too short. I'd like a uniform that drapes well rather than a stiff, heavyweight one, maybe one with that diamond-weave fabric. I bought one on-line, but it's stiff, like my usual twill uniform. Can anyone direct me to a nice, medium to light-weight uniform (white, please, I'm just a brown belt) with a v-neck?

I am also able to do splits on some days and not others. One thing that makes it easier is weather. Hot, humid weather makes it easier for muscles to stretch. I'm looking forward to summer! I bet I'll be doing splits EVERY day! My ballet teacher says one way to make splits easier is to stretch before you go to bed. That way, your muscles won't "rebound" as quickly as they would if you had to, say, get up and spar. I'm going to try that . . . if I can get myself motivated before bed!

I am interested in learning bo. Currently, I'm learning Tae Kwon Do--I'm a brown belt--and our school does not teach weapons. Are there any regional or national workshops where a martial artist could go to get some intensive training (a weekend or week) to give some beginner background in something like bo? Or do I need to find a Okinawan Karate school and take classes on a more regular basis?

Sohan-- This is one thing I feared, damage that might lead to osteoarthritis, especially with my hands, but also feet. I guess I worry about things like round house kicks where you use joints to break. I am also a dancer, so I want to take care of my feet. I have made my concerns known to my teachers. I think they'll continue to challenge me but be aware of my limits.

Can you get lasting injuries from board breaking? I ask because that's what worries me when I break. I'm small and have small, not-very-dense (according to my doctor) bones. (I am 44.) Even if I break correctly, am I in danger of a lasting injury? Not the usual bruises or scrapes that I usually get, but an injury to bone, joint, etc. I ask because I broke a board with an elbow strike the other day--correctly--and a day afterwards, a black-and-blue knot appeared on my arm, near my wrist, probably where the board hit it as I broke through. Let me know your thoughts on this.

I saw one of these "competitions" on ESPN--they were doing poomse to music! Pop music! I was horrified! It seems that many people think of martial arts as a performing art. I guess there is some performance to what we do in TKD, but if the focus is completely on "how this looks to someone" then it can't really be a serious art. If you want TKD to be part of popular culture, though, then I suppose you have to make it fit in with music videos, American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, etc. But I joined martial arts partially because it is not popular culture, because it has a long history and a spiritual side and is out of the mainstream. Do they do Poomse at the olympics or just sparring?

Any thoughts on the reasons black belts might leave a school? Several of the black belts I admire, including one head teacher, have left our school recently. I feel very badly about this. I just got my brown belt and feel the need for serious mentoring. If you're a black belt and have left one school for another, or just left TKD altogether, can you tell me about it? On the other hand, if you've stayed, what makes you want to stay at your school?

I love this topic! It's cool to read about all the different reasons people learn a martial art. My goal is to . . . well, learn a martial art! I've always wanted to. I guess climbing through the belt ranks is a side-effect of this. I think it's strange that some people have the goal of becoming a black-belt and then they quit . . .

First, I'd like to thank DCMS for his excellent post. You must have studied physiology in some way, DCMS. Does your martial arts teacher talk about using adrenaline, etc.? I found it fascinating. And as someone who periodically goes through phases of nervousness and fear, I can really relate to your plight, writerlady. One thing I've noticed is that these things are cyclical. Sometimes you just have to ride them out. Of course this is no comfort if a test is coming up! Good luck to you in figuring it out.

Can anyone tell me what a sine wave is? I remember discussing it in high school algebra, but recently some of you have referred to it in terms of martial arts. Enlighten me, please.

Interesting to hear about ITF vs. WTF. My school is ITF. I had no idea it was "rare." I also thought that there were two main differences: 1. different forms (we do Chon-Ji, Dan-Gun, etc. and the adults also do the Palgwe forms) 2. no contact to light contact in sparring. Point sparring, I think it's called. Doesn't WTF use full-contact in sparring? It would seem to me that the lower amount of contact in sparring would make ITF more approachable for most people. I know that some people probably like to fight harder, but not everyone! Not me for example. There are slightly more men in my dojang. In a WTF dojang, are there lots more men? (I understand that some women want harder contact and olympic training, but I would guess they're a bit rare).

We have those tenets, too. It's called the student oath, and we repeat it at the end of each class. I always wondered if the student oath and tenets of Tae Kwon Do were universal or if they were just my school. I'm very glad to see they are universal. And, yes, it really affects how you live if you're thinking about these tenets not just in the dojang but outside as well. I've noticed myself, say, being more patient when behind elderly people (respect seniors), and having less of a tendency to whine when I've done something wrong and have to do it again (indomitable spirit)!

I really like your story, Ottman. Seems like it embodies the principles of martial arts--to me anyway: to use force only when necessary and NOT misuse martial arts. You have good intuition about people, too, and you must have good self-confidence to be willing to block and avoid an attack rather than fighting! I wonder if this is especially hard for men, who are expected to fight and be strong . . .???

These last few entries have been especially interesting to me. I like the attitude that you have, Iceman, Rokushu Tao, and Goju boi. It seems that you have that ultimate skill that I want, peace with strength and unselfish self-confidence. And frightmaster, you were very brave to use your TKD skills to help someone you didn't know. I think it's good you did not break the guy's arm. You showed more mercy and true strength than he did, picking on someone weaker than he was.

Many people talk about sparring in this way: "Well, if I get attacked on the street . . . " How many of you have actually gotten into a fight, gotten attacked, or gotten mugged and used TKD? How many of you are taking TKD mostly for this reason (to learn to defend yourself on the street)? How many of you have used skills learned in TKD to AVOID a fight? (At my school, we are supposed to "never misuse TaeKwonDo, be a champion of freedom and justice, and build a more peacful world" according to the "student oath.")

I'm a dancer besides doing TKD. My ballet instructor reminds us all the time that you need core strength for balance. So do those crunches and ab strengthening exercises! Also, from ballet, I know that spotting helps (looking ahead at your target). This is especially helpful during a turn. Finally, it helps to have your body aligned. Hips over knees over feet. Shoulders aligned over hips. I'm not always good at this in TKD because we're not always in a completely upright position, like in ballet. I think it's a matter of practice. I think those drills that have been mentioned are a good idea. Just getting the feel for being on one leg, how you have to compensate for not standing on two legs--all that strengthens your core muscles and helps balance.

1. Does your dojang have coed sparring? Or do you segregate by sex? 2. Which do you prefer? 3. Are there advantages to women fighting men? To men fighting women? To fighting with someone basically your own size and strength? 4. Is your dojang ITF or WTF? What does sparring look like in class? My answers: 1. Coed sparring. 2. I prefer when I fight women, or at least people basically my size. 3. I think it's useful to fight people of different sizes, but I don't like ALWAYS having to fight people who are way bigger than I am (often happens in class). I like to be more evenly matched because I feel like I can just practice the techniques without "stretching" to reach. 4. Our dojang is ITF, so sparring is "light to no contact" We use mitts, legpads, and helments (sometimes) but no hogu. Sparring in class is usually done in long lines, randomly mixed men, women, children, with little supervision.

Thanks for the advice--and the suggestion to search Kumdo and Gumdo instead of Kum Do (I was searching with two words, and had little success) I like the idea of making one's own weapons. More on that? TKDmom

My son is in a new weapons class: "Tiger Kum Do," a class designed for children ages 8-12. They work out with the usual jukdo and mukdo (I think that's how you spell them), but they spar with swords made from PVC pipe covered with a thick layer of foam. (We did not have to buy these expensive sparring swords; the dojang has them.) And of course, they wear helmets, mitts, and hogu. My question: Does anyone else know of this kind of class for children? My boy loves it (he is 10)! And: where can we find information about Kum Do forms and about Kum Do in general. There is not much on the internet.

Hi Kicker Chick-- I wonder why your dojang decided to make this move. Perhaps there were so many people going through tests that it was difficult for one instructor to grade all of them. I am with you: I love those whole-dojang tests! There's something exciting and momentous about them that won't be matched in a buffet-style test. Still, it's possible for this set-up to work. As an instructor who does grading in another area (I teach college-level writing), I have seen group grading work well, but only when the graders are first given a chance to come to an agreement about what makes a "1" grade--or a "3" or "4" more importantly. At my college always have a "norming session" before we assess the writing of incoming students (500 students--way too many for just the writing instructors to grade, so we enlist the help of all faculty). We look at some papers together and decide what range they'd fall in and discuss it before we start grading. I think that's what I'd want to know: that all instructors are working from the same (or similar) assumptions. I bet there's some way TKD instructors could do that. Good luck with this. It really doesn't sound as exciting as the old way but maybe you can make it work.