Belasko

The 11 yr old is impressive in regards to speed and control of the Bo. However it is basically an XMA type form that he is demonstrating and shows a lot of flash and showmanship in it. I usually prefer a much more traditional for without the flash. I would love to see how he could do with that. The second clip the guy is a joke. I saw several areas where I would have loved to sweep his front leg out from under him and put him on the ground. At several points I even saw where a kick to that from leg would have been devastating d/t it not being bent but still braced against the ground. Basically he was extremely lucky he didn't get his butt kicked.

I did just what you are considering except that I had done TKD for about 2 years when I took Judo. I did find that it complimented it very well, to the point where I did almost through a roundhouse kick to my opponent after a throw . However, this not being allowed it would have been an issue if followed through on. Back on topic though, I would recomend spending a bit more time in your current style before jumping into a second one. But when you are ready jump in whole heartedly!

At 2nd Dan I still have those days. I've seen a 6th Dan doing a demonstration totally blank on a green belt form, even with prompting . Everyone has one of those days despite rank, age, skill level etc. you learn to work through it and realize that being human you won't achieve perfection all the time.

What I see in many cases where someone wants to get "the best of everything" is that they go to a class for a few months then go to another school and learn some more techniques for a few months and change again and keep doing this. What ends up usually happening is the person knows a lot but has poor technique in most. A good way to start is to take one of the three styles that you have worked at for a while and stick with just that for a bit. I have often heard recomended that you should focus on a style until you get to the advanced ranks then start taking an second style that has more emphasis on some of the techniques the first is weak in. Example: Start with TKD then compliment it with a grappling style like Judo or Jujitsu or vis a versa. Just remember to keep practicing the first one and not give it up entirely to the second. This will enlarge the bag of tricks immensely. I've only seen a handful of people that have done this with more than 2 styles before age 30, but all of them are truly skilled and can be extremely devastating.

It's an older one but I've some truly impressive demonstrations done to "Jump" from the early 80's. Don't remember the group though, and no, it's not Chris Cros or whatever those ones were.

The side kick height in Basai hasn't usually been a item of debate for the most part in our school. We usually have an emphasis on practicality and therefore usually through the side kicks at the level of the floating ribs. However I know that for demonstrations we will through it at a higher level like the head. Depends on what you want to achieve by it.

My recomendation is to get ahold of one of the books written by Steve Jimmerfield. He is a retired state trooper from AK that developed strategies for dealing w/ people in situations where dexterity of your hands can't work, specifically cold weather, but it carries over well to this situation. Grabs are not used in the traditional sense of using fingers to latch on. He also instructs at several seminars during the year. If you ever get a chance to attend one do it.

Have to agree with that appearance. However I do think that TKD can be effective. Any martial art can be effective if it was taught well and practiced on a regular basis for a long time (years). I know of several TKD practitioners who have used it in self defense situations and it has been extremely effective.

I train and instruct in a traditional Tae Kwon Do. We do not train for Olympic style fighting. We have a strong emphasis on kicking but also develop upper body techniques. Tang So Do may share roots with traditional Tae Kwon Do but in my experience they are distinctly different. Would have to agree entirely. TKD and TSD are distinctly different. On the main topic though, sport TKD is fun to compete in, but so can traditional, however tournaments are few and far between for them (at least in my area of the country). Don't forget that there is a military based TKD out there as well. In the end though, if the schools instruction is not any good what's the point?

ive always been told to look at the persons eyes. the eyes give everything away. its the same when i used to play steetball when i was younger in a 1 on 1 situation you look at the persons eyes not at the ball. I've heard all sorts of things to watch, eyes, chest, hips, legs, arms, etc. The one that I've found seems to work the best, because eyes can be trained to focus on something other than what is being targeted, and I teach is to focus on the sternalclavicular notch. this point will move at the beginning of any movement whether they are punching, kicking, or just shifting weight. There are few times that their move is not telegraphed just a touch.

Have to disagree here. Two people from the same school can tell when someone is backing off some. If they can't they are usually pretty dense. Usually all it should take is explaining the rules of engagement for the dojo. When someone stops a kick or a punch an inch or two in front of your face it's pretty clear that the point was good and that they would not have been able to continue with their technique. If they choose to ignore this as was described it is nothing short of ignoring the rules that were most likely put in place for the safety of the students.

The heel palm strike is an excellent technique, but like was mentioned, it has certain applications. The general rule of thumb of hard soft has been mentioned. Also consider, is it easier to stitch knuckles that are stretched just by making a fist or the palm after teeth have been removed? As far as using it on hard targets I have used it for my last test where I did a 4 board (1 inch pine each) break with this technique. I have also done what we estimate to be 5-6 board equivilant with rebreakables using this. When done right it can be truly devastating.

My mind is now numb trying to follow all the theories, thoughts and explanations that have been given up to this point. Now my turn . Basically the concept is sound. However like was mentioned there is more to economy of motion than what you have eluded to. Also in reference to the power hit vs the small jabs the major thing that many are not mentioning is that all martial arts come down to basic biomechanics and applied physics. Take the ability to generate force. The amount of force generated depends of the mass of the object and the speed with which it travels. The 280 pound guy with hands the size of a christmas ham can probably hit with enough force from short distances to cause x amount of damage with little effort. The 180 pound guy can probably generate the same amount of force but he has to accelerate the fist much more to generate the same power. This then goes into the next part of the equation that depends on how much space does each person require to accelerate to that point? This will depend on their technique. Just how you move your entire body will influence the amount of force you will be able to apply. In a SD situation this can be affected by your environment, the opponent and countless other factors that are constantly shifting, but in the end it still goes back when and how the physics and biomechanics will fit together the best.

What you describe is similar to scenarios that I've seen in my school as well. Usually the aggressor is a person from another school or style and may not be used to the rules we play by. This obviously wasn't your situation. Normally the way we handle it by warning them, explain the rules we use and then continue. If they person they are sparring is able to control it as you were the instructor doesn't do anything other than explain it to them again. If they still repeatedly continue the behavior often times our instructor will spar with the person or have one of the more skilled fighters do so and just start with light contact that can't be ignored. If it continues they will match the person in force. It usually doesn't take long before they decide it's not fun being on that end and either don't come back or get in line w/ the rules. In rare instances they have been asked to leave or sit out from sparring. I've never seen someone return after that though. Either way, problem solved. In the end you acted reasonably and in my mind appropriately.

I had heard that basai can be done as either a single or double knife form and after quite a bit of time working on it I think I have the moves down for a single at least:D. Guess the next step would be to work on a double

without more information can't really help you. There are a few 9th dans out there. I have met 2 myself but both were from korea and over 80 years old. Truly impressive for their age though.

I would like to agree with Shotochem about no one in their right mind convicting this person. However, after working in the ICU and dealing with a large variety of injuries brought about by an incredible number of situations, I truly believe that common sense is not all that common. So how many people are actually in their "right mind?"

I have to disagree with them being unhelpful. I know of at least 2 people that have employed the very first of our one step defense techniques in a real life attack situation with devastating results. The steps condition you but also develop muscle memory as well as the timing and space control aspects. Without these any defense is not going to work nearly as well.

I know that where I'm from when a person does something that makes you afraid or worried that is assault. If they touch you at all when you do not want them to it becomes battery. The point at which it becomes aggravated battery is basically a judgement call based on the length of the medical bill.

sounds like a money mill to me. However I would be interested in seeing the students work out if I had the opportunity. Even in McDojo's I have seen very gifted martial artists. They are rare but I have seen them

Like they said, it is easy to injure the knee. After 10 years of ski patrol I will attest that the most common injury to skiers is knee injuries. Unless the person has a very solid stance, a kick to the knee can do impressive damage. As for attack if I felt the situation needed it I would probably go for a low side kick to either the front or side of the knee (assuming I felt my life was in danger). If it's not a situation where I want to cripple them I would recomend a roundhouse to the lower leg from the side. Often knocks them off balance quite a bit if you follow through.

I say this realizing that people love to bash it, but this is how I feel, go for Tae Kwon Do. If kicks are your strength and based on your description of your build this style could be a good match. I do advise you shop around and make sure the school you choose is compatible w/ you, regardless of style.

Either back cross side kick or turning side kick. Depends on the day, but usually the back cross.

I also have noticed this in some TKD schools, primarily the ATA style (it's the only other one in this town other than the classes I'm in). Their rules don't allow attacks to the back or head (at least w/ hands), so why should they protect them? Plus they where lots of padding so why should they worry about being hit? Like was said, in some styles the martial arts have been sprotified and d/t this things do change

And don't just assume that because it is a sport oriented style that you will spar often. I have seen ATA schools that are supposed to be sport oriented and they only spar about once every other week (4-5 classes available each week). On the other hand in the Chung Do Kwan Alliance that I'm affiliated with we spar almost every class after you pass your first test. So like ninjanurse and others said. Shop around and observe classes before deciding on one.