Rateh

Welcome to the forums!

Congratulations!

Well if you took a pole that was several miles long, and you took a piece of earth and rounded it so that it was all exactly the same distance from the center. Then you layed that pole out along the that part of the earth....are you still following me? Well, you would notice that MOST of the pole would still be touching the earth, however at the ends the pole would start to separate from the earth. That is because the earth is so HUGE that even a miles long pole is almost negligible in comparison. So only the ends of the pole are noticeably further from the center of the earth than the middle of the pole is. But we don't usually try and level something that is several miles in length, we usually attempt to level things that are several feet, like a desk. And a few feet verses the entire circumference of the earth is so very very minuscule. (The earth being 131, 479, 713.54 feet at the equator, so if your desk was 4 feet long, that's a difference of 3.04e-08 ) A number so very very very tiny, that it doesn't make one lick of difference. So really, if you want to get reaaaaaaaaaaaaally technical about it, no, your desk isn't level. Divide 3.04e-08 by 2 (to get the difference between how close the center of your desk is, to how close the edge of your desk is to the earth. Or in other words, we are dividing your desk in half to find out the difference between its edge and its center in relation to the earth), and you get 1.52e-08. So your desk is not level by 1.52e-08. Personally, I think its just easier to call it level.

Welcome to the forums!

Yes, congratulations!

Wow, thanks for the insight! Do you know what kwanjangnim means?

I have no idea. We also use choksanim (I'm sure I spelled that totally wrong) for a black belt without a dan grade (we call it temporary black belt, its between color belt and dans). I have never found that one online before.

We use hak sa nim (I have no idea how to spell it) for the rank right below black belt.

Martial arts female here. My instructor is female, her instructor is female. At my last studio all of the instructors except for the owner were female. I've never trained in a school were gals were rare.

Congratulations!

I've always been very open about my training. When people ask what are you doing over the weekend, etc, I just tell them. And I tend to practice at work when I think I'm alone and sometimes people catch me. Also, it impacts my work schedule. People like to know why I need Saturday off (for a test). Or why I can't work past 2:00 on Tuesdays and Thursdays (because I teach those days). Etc... Now that I've started a business teaching martial arts (haven't started a school, I just teach at various locations) I want people to know that I train, and that I teach. The more people that know, the more students I will get.

Welcome to the forums!

I've never liked the idea of nicknames for students. Unless you give them all a nickname it feels like playing favorites to me. Or at least I think the students might perceive it that way. Also, I just don't think up nicknames naturally.

Welcome!

I've worn glasses since I was 8. That's 18 years. I cannot get around without them and only take them off to shower and to sleep, and sometimes not even for that, because I don't like being blind. But I do not consider my glasses to be a part of my face. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I can't even see my face without my glasses on though. (I have to take someone along to go glasses shopping or I have no idea what I'm buying ) But I feel like the same me with or without.

The last organization I trained under believed in ending with the attacker on the ground. The one I currently train under believes in the "can't see, can't breath, can't walk" philosophy. Meaning that if the attacker can't do one of those things, they can't come after you. That doesn't necessarily mean PERMANENTLY can't, just that that they can't do it long enough for you to get away. Maybe that means permanently, maybe that means for a few minutes, it all depends on the specific situation.

Hmm... Well, I have worn my hair in a pony tail at the nape of my neck for 14 years. My littlest sister is 14 years old. Recently I had a hair cut and the lady cut it too short, so I can no longer wear it in my accustomed manner. This is very disconcerting to my sister, as I no longer look like myself to her. In all her life my hair as been the same, so wearing it differently I am no longer "me".

My brother used to take the leftover pickle juice and dip pretzels in it. Let 'em get soggy then eat 'em.

Welcome!

Yes, welcome! And nice introduction.

Wow, these are all really great ideas guys!

I've got plenty of flyers, but where do you put them? Could you give me some tips?

1] Which one is your style's organization a proponent of? Ideology. Our organization actually has two distinct halves. The Utah side and the Colorado side. Both have different testing requirements, hold their own black belt testings, and run their classes somewhat differently. We have the same grandmaster, under whom all black belts receive their rank. He does not care what the Utah or Colorado side does so long as they keep their martial arts "pure", if they do that, then changes in the exact testing requirements, or exactly how class is run, doesn't matter to him. He keeps an eye on what we do, and comes to all black belt testings, and teaches seminars, but he doesn't dictate exactly HOW our instructors run things. My shihan takes somewhat after him in her approach (she is in charge of the Utah half). The individual schools in Utah generally do things the exact same way, but if you can argue for the reason you are doing it differently, she will accept that. Even as an individual black belt, if you can argue for a reason you are doing a technique or form differently, and your argument is sound, then you can do it however you want. One thing that is talked about a LOT though is attitude, how you act, what is expected of you, etc. In some ways, they care more about the kind of person you are, then what you can do, when it comes to giving black belts. Now that doesn't mean they hand black belts out like candy, they put people through some hard paces. But it does mean that who you are as a person can definitely make up for short comings physically. And that's not something that's hidden from us, everyone is told that up front during lessons. Work your butt off, and the amount of heart you put into your test can make up for some problems elsewhere (unless you totally screw up of course). That's why I think it is more of an ideology. It's about building people through martial arts. Some days half the lesson is a lecture on being a better person. Not some sappy thing, but stuff that really makes you look at yourself and think, almost like a living self help book. My instructors are excellent at mentoring and giving really great lectures that make the whole class leave feeling like they really learned something. I hope to one day be able to do that. Of course most lessons are physical, except when shihan comes, then we always start with a lecture.

Sliding side kick to the solar plexus. I wouldn't use it in self defense though.

Gravy in rice....we have that for dinner almost every Sunday at my house. I was in my teens before I found out that most people put the gravy on mashed potatoes... Also, we eat tacos and burritos with catchup. For a taco it is shell (soft shell that my mom cooked in oil so its...a soggy soft shell), ground hamburger (usually with no seasonings), shredded American cheese, chopped tomatoes, and catchup. For a burrito it is identical, except that you use a soft shell that wasn't cooked in oil, add re-fried beans, and fold your burrito in on all four sides so that it is a square. I like to dip my pork chops in apple sauce, a bite at a time. But I hear that apple sauce goes with pork chops so I don't know how strange that is.