Aodhan

Your mileage may vary. Some people who really learn and soak up well, as well as practice every day could be ready in a year. Others may need to work for 3 or 4 years to achieve the same level of competency. If you could spend 4 hours a day, 5 days a week, that's about 1000 hours in a year. I think an average blackbelt probably has about 6-700 hours under his belt (No pun intended. ) To me, having a black belt means that I understand the basic core concepts, and am ready to expand my knowledge in the art. It's like getting a college degree, once you have it, you are ready to start really learning your career. Aodhan

We teach both styles. In forms/breaking, we use the ball of the foot and the traditional full hip rotation kick. For sparring, we teach the quicker style with the foot extended, hitting with the top/instep of the foot. Aodhan

Crunches will work fine. The abdominals (Which include the obliques) run from the ribcage down to the pubis bone. They are responsible for flexion of the torso, as well as rotational flexion. A traditional situp where you keep the back straight and bend at the hips actually has minimal effect on the abs, it mostly works your hip flexors. Crunches, side crunches, hanging knee curls, anything that pretty much tries to curl you into a ball against resistance (Gravity, weights, etc) should work the abs. If you want to really develop dense muscles, "squeeze" them at the time of peak contraction. Example, as you do a normal crunch, when you get to the "top", tense your stomach as hard as you can for a second. This helps recruit and develop more muscle fibers, and results in a "denser" muscle. Don't do this more than once or twice a week for abs, since it is a fairly intense technique. Otherwise, you are pretty safe in working your abs every day. When you work the abdominals, be sure you also do back extensions (Good morning exercises, back lifts, etc), otherwise your abdominals will overpower the stabilizing muscles in your back. This can also lead to increased back pain. Aodhan

Thanks for the input, all! I've yet to decide if I want to do the kumite, it's pretty dissimilar to our "tag" sport style. Unfortunately. However, pain is temporary, glory is forever, and chicks dig scars, right? I'm definitely doing kata and kobudo, I'll let you all know how everything comes out. Aodhan

I started martial arts in general when I was about 22-23. I have students in some of my classes that are 4, and I had one that I took classes with at my old school that started when he was 77, got his black belt just after his 80th birthday. Our youngest students (Tiny Tigers) from from 4-7 years old (Although it's more of an activity class with a martial arts theme), and I think the oldest student currently at our school is early 50's (Brown belt IIRC). I don't think there is a wrong 'age' to start, although there are definitely wrong mentalities. Aodhan

Among Korean arts exclusively, I would tend to agree. However if you've ever watched an advanced level Wushu form, those are absolutely spectacular because of all the aerial requirements. Some of the shaolin style forms are excellent as well. Aodhan

I am a 2nd degree in the ATA, and among TKD forms, I agree that ATA forms generally compare well. I've done the TaeGuk forms as well, and they are comparable in parts, but have a little too much emphasis on hands (Considering that we have a larger emphasis on kicks). Eternal Grandmaster (Grandmaster H.U. Lee was our founder, he passed away in 2001) designed the forms to complement and build, and there are a lot of "ties" between all the forms. White belt form has 18 moves, Shim Jun (1D form) has 81 moves. If you look at the Songahm star (8 pointed multi colored star), it is basically all the colored belt forms and Shim Jun overlaid on each other. XMA is something the ATA is introducing in its schools recently, we are licensing it from Mike Chat (Who tested into the ATA as a 4th degree last year), and XMA competitions are starting nationally this year. As far as being secular, well, that is true. You have to be attending an ATA school to attend ATA tournaments, but there is nothing that says ATA students can't compete outside the ATA. As far as ability, we have the same range of abilities as any other martial arts system. Our sparring is different than WTF (Olympic) style, although we have recently added Olympic sparring certifications for students that wish to compete in it (13-20 y/o restriction on students currently.) We also have people that compete in the open circuit as well as Olympic (One of our instructors in Colorado was an alternate on the last Olympic team as well). I'm new on the forum, but if you have any questions about ATA, I'll do my best to answer them. Aodhan

You're kidding, right? That's about 5200 hours. A college degree (120 credit hours, x 5 since you do about 4 hours outside of class for every hour in class) takes 4 years and is about 600 hours, and is generally considered to have mastered the basic skills necessary to perform their job and/or go to advanced degrees. 600 hours over 2 years is a little under 6 hours per week. If you are spending 6 hours in class and 2-3 outside of class practicing, that is enough (imho) to be able to achieve a 1st dan ranking. Also, one of the things that I think has affected the time it takes to get a 1st dan ranking is teaching abilities. Experience and finding out what works and what doesn't, recognition of different teaching and learning styles (Such as linear vs. abstract), etc. has made better, more effective teachers. Knowing how to teach concepts such as proprioception and kinesthetics will also shorten the learning time. I personally can learn an 81 move form in about 2-3 hours. Do I have it perfected? Not by a long shot, but I can go through the whole form and remember what move comes next. Others in my class don't have a handle on it after 10-12 hours. Some people learn faster, some people learn slower. 5200 hours I would expect to be around the 3rd dan ranking, actually. Aodhan

It took me about 1 1/2 years in my current style (ATA TKD) to get my BB, but I came into the system as a blue belt already. If you go from when I started MA, it took me about 7 years, but I trained in several different styles before I found one that really suited me. I started for a year in Shotokan, moved, started in Kenpo, got about 15 months into it and moved again. Had about a year and half each in ITF, WTF, and a brief 5 month foray into Capoeira. Been with the ATA since 2000, 1st degree in May 2001, and am currently a 2nd degree with a little over a year to go for my 3rd degree. Aodhan

I train in the ATA, and I have trained previously in WTF. We do both in our school, the "traditional" and the "quick" method. For forms and technique in classes, we do a traditional round kick, where it looks similar to a front kick until you rotate your hips over, and the kick comes out designed to impact with the ball of the foot. For sparring/tournaments, we teach a lesser hip rotation, and to hit with the instep for the reach advantage, so it comes up at about the 45 degree angle with more "whip" to it. Aodhan

It depends on how much you twist through. If you stop completely with the shoulders square, then by the very nature of body kinesthetics, you have to be slowing somewhat to get the shoulders to stop at square. When I teach, I let my students know that to get full power through the punch, it's fine to let the shoulder/trunk rotate past square (Within reason, if you reach too far you ARE overextending), but the return to the square position after finishing the punch execution. Aodhan

Opening of class "I will practice in the spirit of Tae Kwon Do, with courtesy for fellow students, loyalty for my instructors, and respect for my juniors and seniors" (Preceded and ended with "Sir" or "Ma'am") Ending of class "I shall live with perseverance in the spirit of TKD, Having honor with others, integrity within myself, and self-control in my actions." Our youth oath: "Each day I will live by honoring my parents and instructors, Practicing to the best of my abilities, And having courtesy and respect for everyone I meet!" Aodhan

Hello all- I am a TKD practitioner (2nd degree in the ATA), and I am considering competing in the Grand Canyon (Az) State games this summer. I will definitely be competing in kata, very possibly kobudo, and I am considering the kumite. It is a traditional Japanese/Okinawan Karate tournament, although any tradition can enter. Our sparring is basically "tag" styled sparring, with foot/hand, chest and head gear, however I have sparred in WTF style (Olympic), and I started originally in Shotokan (For about a year total.) I have been trying to find what constitutes points under 3 point Shobu Sanbon rules, and am confused as to what would constitute an actual point. Can anyone provide an explanation or a good link? Aodhan