Rateh

I saw it with my family for my nieces birthday. My brother and sister saw it before that, and said it was quite funny. It was very sad and not at all funny to me. I would still recommend it, but I would rather have seen it at home as white owl suggested.

Welcome!

Congrats!

So I have mentioned in another thread how I have to keep a notebook as part of testing and training at my current school. It has all the kup requirements, information and details about specific techniques, forms, self defense, etc. Basically lots of stuff, and some stuff I plan on adding but haven't yet. I have decided to add a new section however. This section will be called "quotes from my fellows" and will include any specific piece of advice that matters to me, that I would benefit from remembering. I used the term "from my fellows" rather than "from my instructors" because really anyone at the dojang could give me advice, even without knowing it. I figured I'd share some of the quotes I have so far, and others could add their own quotes from THEIR fellows, so that we may all learn from each others experiences. They do not have to be exact, just general from what you remember. Here are some of my quotes so far "You're trying too hard" - C. Tim "Don't compare yourself to that 16 year old kid next to you who lives and breaths the weapon, if your going in slow motion but you have improved 200% then you should be proud of that achievement." - C. Tim "Life is a series of habits" - K. Jenny "Make sure to tell him he is awesome" - C. Randy "Be creative when teaching" - S. Stan "Your mood effects the tone of the class, if you are in a good mood you will teach a good class, if you are in a bad mood it will be reflected in your students" - S. Stan

I recently had a student (about 8 years old) who was messing around in class. I addressed him, told him he was being inappropriate, and directed him to do 10 push-ups. He mumbled "yes ma'am"...and then proceeded to do nothing... So, what not to say to your instructor? "yes ma'am/sir" and then not do what you said yes to. Also, don't mumble answers to instructors either.

Ah, I don't have any personal experience with those types of techniques, so I'll take your word on it. As far as the original question about doing XMA, I think it can benefit one in many ways. And IMNSHO martial arts training doesn't have to always be just about self defense. If it's fun for you, why not? I did a bit of it back before they called it XMA (at least I hadn't heard that term before). The reason? because I found it particularly challenging. I figured hey, I know I can do a good traditional form, why not try something different?

I use chain. One of the parents of a student shortened them for me, took out two links so it's the right size for my hand (I have small hands). I don't know how one would shorten a cord without just cutting it and tying it back together, and then wouldn't that effect the performance of the nunchuku?

I have been told by instructors that if you want to be super fast with a lightweight bo, you should only train with a heavier oak one to begin with. Then when you start to get fast with the oak one, switch to a light weight.

I got hand rolls & figure eights pretty quickly (though of course they are not exactly fast). The behind the neck pass I've done hundreds of times....and I still only catch it half the time. When I practice weapons manipulations my instructor says I am trying too hard. Because the more times I drop it, the more I start putting my whole body into it, and it just makes it worse!

Welcome Nathanandnd!

Congrats! It always feels good somehow when your sore in places you didn't know you had, don't you think?

I find that changing stances can be an effective way to throw off some opponents, particularly lower ranked students, as they don't know what to do when I switch my stance 3 or 4 times in a 1 minute match. This is not effective in my experience against higher ranks, however. Particularly since I tend to throw most of my techniques only in a right fighting stance, rarely do I throw a technique from a left. The advantage of fighting right side forward, however, is that almost all of my opponents fight left forward, but they almost never fight someone who has the right side forward. I am right handed, but I prefer lead side techniques.

I did wonder what you were talking about whenever you mentioned your "hombu", now I know!

Maybe you could try giving her a homework assignment to practice kiahing while looking in the mirror. For me that was as intimidating as kiahing in front of others, except if you sound stupid only you know. Once she gets comfortable kiahing to just herself, perhaps she will start becoming comfortable kiahing in front of other people. Or perhaps you could have the class kiah to the tunes of songs (not in basics or anything, just kiahing), thus making it a silly game and help her get past the nurves that may be holding her back.

Congrats!

Congrats!!

If I am imagining it correctly, if you are striking with the side of your foot then your hip position is incorrect. If you face your hips forward on your kick, it will turn into more of a crescent kick, where your foot is up and down. Make sure your hips and shoulders are facing to the side, and open your hips so that your foot is parallel to the ground. If I am imagining it incorrectly, then perhaps a more detailed explanation of what exactly you are doing will better help me help you.

You might just have to give her time. When I started training I would kiah so quietly that I couldn't even hear MYSELF. I had a brown belt work with me for an hour to try and get me to kiah louder. After that I kiahed loud enough for me to hear it, but no one else. The thing was, it wasn't that I wasn't trying, I was just so so so so very shy that that was literally the best I could do at the time. It was years before I could kiah loud enough that others could hear me, and years still till I kiahed as loud as a yell. If she is anything like myself, having her kiah again and again in front of the class will do the opposite of what you would like. Instead of helping, you may be pushing her further back into her shell. One thing that DID help me was competing. It was through competing in forms competition that I eventually was able to kiah at a yell. When everyone else is screaming their head off, yelling loudly isn't quite as scary.

Well here is an embarrassing thing that happened today. I arrived early for class today, hoping to be able to practice my 360 sweeps in the back before class (there's not a good place in my home to practice them. So the class before mine, of 6-7 year olds, starts sparring right after I arrive, but there are only six of them and the school is rather large, so I asked my instructor if i could utilize the back. I grabbed one of the hard plastic blocks (like 6 inches by 1 foot by two feet) that they had used in the back earlier that class, and set it on the floor as a target. Then I would drop to my knee, spin around, and try and hit the target. It started hitting walls and such, and was kinda loud, so I decided to grab a hand target and use it instead. I set it down on the ground, spun and missed, missed again, missed a third time. At this point all of the 6-7 year olds had lined up for bow-out and the instructor was lecturing them. I then spun, hit it, and it went flying across the room, loudly, landing right in the middle of the line-up. I grabbed it as fast as i could, as the instructor asked me to please wait till after class to practice, me mumbling sorry and that I didn't think it would go that far. I don't think he was too thrilled with me interrupting his lecture, I doubt any of the students payed attention to a word he said after that.

Welcome! I did train at USSD for a couple of months, it did not fit with me, but others seemed quite happy with it. If it works for you, great!

Thanks This is how pretesting works, and what is accomplished through it. First, black belt testings are a two day affair held in September or October, 3 hours are on Friday, 6 hours on Saturdays, followed by the belt ceremony. The testing is attended by all three Utah schools, and run by master Davis, the head of the organization. (He is located in Colorado) At every black belt testing, candidates for the next testing are presented to the board and all the schools, first thing Saturday morning. From this point until the next test the candidates are officially referred to as "candidates" and their every action is scrutinized. I can't tell you everything that they are looking for, but I do know it has to do with attitude. I also know that at my last "personal meeting" with the masters, I was told that they know I regularly attend my classes, and that I am a great help to my instructors in a teaching capacity. So I assume that is some of what they are looking for. The pretesting board consists of master Davis who is the person in charge of the Utah portion of the organization (no relation to the head of the org), the other masters who live and teach in Utah, and the head instructors of the Utah schools. Pre-testings and pre-testing classes are held one Saturday a month for approximately 3 hours (some end a little early some end a little late). If you miss a pre-testing or a pre-testing class, you are immediately kicked from candidacy. Come November, we all (candidates and the board) got together and the candidates got tested on our basics (not combinations, just basic strikes, kicks, blocks, punches) Anyone who did not have good basics got kicked from this years group of candidates. This was not officially considered a "pre-test" but it was.... One student quit after this, and decided they needed another year to be ready. In January we had our first official pre-test, this time over the low color belt material. Again anyone who did not pass got kicked out of the testing group. February and March each had a "pre-testing class" where we reviewed all upper color belt material. In april we had our "pre-test" over this material. Same rules as the other pre-tests. At this point one student was kicked out by the board. May and June will be reviews of all black belt material up until the rank you are going for. July will be the pre-test over that material. In August we will review all parts of the material that the board was not entirely pleased with. In September we will participate in our official rank testing. This testing will include some things not done at pre-testings. What is accomplished. 1. We get a taste of what it will be like to test for nine hours, by regularly training and testing in three hour blocks, with 5-10 minutes of rest. 2. We and our instructors know that we throughly know the material and are able to pass the test. 3. The tests run very smoothly because everyone knows what to expect (otherwise the test might be a couple hours longer because people don't know what they are meant to be doing) 4. All of the Utah portion of the organization is on the "same page". Because all of the masters and head instructors participate, as well as every student who is going for a black belt rank, we know all of the schools are teaching the same thing the same way. 5. It increases the brotherhood of the black belts in the three Utah schools. The Colorado and Utah portion of the organization only meet together once a year, for a summer tournament. At this meeting it is very obvious that this is the only time they get together. The Utah and Colorado instructors are not on the same page, there are noticeable differences in the way the Utah students and instructors do techniques compared to the Colorado ones. And the Utah side is MUCH more of a GROUP while the Colorado side (who doesn't do pre-testing like we do) is more of a loose collection of individuals who happen to train under the same organization. Personally, I'm enjoying the pre-test process. I am learning a lot. I've gotten to meet a lot of other black belts and get to know them. And it's enjoyable to be working with a like group of people (about 12 of us) who are all working hard toward the same goals.

Welcome!

Starting from a fighting stance as I would teach a beginner (IE cut down step by step in slow motion). Not that you're a beginner, it's just easier to explain this way. Turn/twist your body without lifting your feet (rotating on the balls - so the rest of your foot should come a couple of millimeters off the ground), until you are looking at your opponent and your hands are now between you and the opponent in a fighting position....but your legs are twisted. Lift your kicking leg so that it is perpendicular to the floor (like a front kick chamber). Rotate on the ball of your base foot until your hips and shoulders are sideways to the opponent. Base foot should have the heel facing (or within 30 or so degrees of facing - so you would be rotated slightly more) the opponent though. Sideways means that you are now facing to the left or to the right of the direction you were initially facing (if you were facing north - you would be facing east or west). Turn your leg over into a side kick chamber position. Lean backwards directly way from your opponent as you extend your kick, hooking the end of it so that the full extension is as you strike the target...in the middle of your "hooking" motion. At full extension it should look like you are throwing a round kick. Retract the kick back to a round kick chamber. Place on the floor in front or behind depending....will change the weight exchange etc depending on which. Fast speed...turn-look-lift-extend-retract (when done at high speed it is less of a front kick lift and more of a side kick - but thats hard to do in slow motion) Also at high speed there are NO pauses in motion so the turn-look-lift is one continuous turning motion. The kick should start its extension just to the side of the target...complete its extension as it goes through the target...and retract just past the target. It should not go in an upward or downward motion, but rather straight across its target. Does that answer your question?

Kyokushin (sp) might, you'd have to ask one of the members that practices it. It's a fairly hard contact style from what I know/have heard.

Wow nice, I still hit myself in the head regularly.