ranger1100ky

You're very welcome! Glad you like it!

15? And you're worried about being too old? Let me introduce you to a lady named Marjorie Templeton. Years ago, she gave TKD lessons as a Christmas present to her grandkids when she was 60. When she took them to the first lesson, they got her out on the floor doing it with them. She stayed with it and three years ago was inducted as a Master Instructor at age 83 (IIRC). And she's still rockin' on. I see her at the major tournaments and she is just a hoot to be around. She's definitely a hoot to be around! When I started in TKD, back in the early 80's... She was a first degree decided black belt, sharp as a tack, and just absolutely a stellar example for all of us rugrats to look up to. She teaches my instructors now, and I saw her not too long ago. She is absolutely AMAZING.

BTW... In closing Sir... The only proper thing for you to do... Is to THANK her for revealing some of your weaknesses, and express APPRECIATION to her for doing so, because it will help you become a better martial artist. NEVER 'badmouth' another martial artist... Remember that while rank MAY allow you 'some minor' privilege... it DEMANDS GREAT RESPONSIBILITY of you... The responsibility is GREATER than the privilege... and a RESPONSIBLE senior ranking martial artist, NEVER fails to show FULL respect, to not only their seniors, instructors and other leaders... BUT ALSO TO THOSE FOLKS, who are their martial arts JUNIORS. That's right... if you're a black belt... you show RESPECT to even the newest white belt. Calling a martial artist that whups you 'lazy', to me... is an act of very sad disrespect... THINKING for even a MOMENT, that getting beat by a 'lower rank', is grounds to feel 'belittled' or 'embarassed'... to a point where you feel justified in trying to 'belittle' them? THAT is RIDICULOUS! What you should feel less than thrilled about... is YOUR PERFORMANCE... BUT... you should feel ELATED that SHE did well... beating you, might very well have been a highlight in her martial arts career! She might very well ADMIRE you... and might take beating you, as a sign that 'HARD WORK CAN PAY OFF', and that 'SHE "CAN" accomplish her dreams.' A wise high ranking black belt once told me this, when I was a kid... I'll now share it with you... "The student with ONE thing they do GREAT... is more formidable, an a student who does 100 things 'so so'..." That simple side kick, from a 'lazy' classmate... sure upset YOUR apple cart, didn't it?? My goodness... can you NOT see the OPPORTUNITY to better yourself here? Can you not see the BEAUTY within your defeat?? Cherish your own accomplishments... CHERISH THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF OTHERS... EVEN if it means THEY beat YOU... in fact.. if they beat YOU... CHERISH THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENT MORE. Use defeat as an OPPORTUNITY to see where you are WEAK... so you can make yourself BETTER. THANK YOUR OPPONENT, and RESPECT THEM WELL for HELPING YOU TO LEARN AND BECOME BETTER. THAT is the job of your classmate or tournament opponent. To challenge you... to help you learn to be better. Just remember too... this bit of wisdom... "The Master of Taekwondo knows... that they can always learn something new... even from the youngest white belt..." Attend to your learning... and don't forget to show proper respect and gratitude to your fellow students. (even if they also are your opponent from time to time). After all... without classmates and opponents... the journey of martial art would be a very lonely one... AND... it would be a lot less worth making the journey too, if we had to go it alone without fellow students. Take care, Paul

Blocking and sidestepping is usually a good thing to do.

Doesn't feel weird to me at all... If someone does better than me... I EXPECT them to win out... Then I expect MYSELF to learn WHY they beat me... so I can improve myselt to not let em beat me the same way TWICE. Losing's okay... Just don't lose the same way twice...

Self promoted? Ehh..... I'm not so sure I'd go quite that far with it. Let's you and I say, Sam... that we're 8th degrees... for the sake of arguement... General 'testing' rule of thumb... you can promote up to one rank BELOW your own... (so a 9th degree can test a student up to 8th degree) Who tests us for 9th degree then? I haven't heard of a long list of 10th degrees out there... have you? For what it's worth... Hee Il Cho has been in martial arts since just after the Korean war... if my historical knowledge is correct... So let's say he started in 1955... just for yuks and giggles... It's 2005 now... subtract the two numbers and you come up with 50 years... (give or take a year one way or the other... I'm not sure exactly when he DID start... I just know the ballpark figure) 50 years practicing TKD, and basically being a career martial arts instructor and school owner? Umm... in my book... his 9th degree certificate is as authentic as you can get... (And I don't care if he found that paper in a Cracker Jack box...) If his own students (i.e. those in his association) thought he just 'slimed his way up the ranks' and wasn't respectable and deserving of that rank and the title of Grand Master... I doubt that AIMAA would still be around... pure and simple... and I doubt he'd have the reputation he has. His martial history IS authentic... and if I'm not mistaken... he has been a part of the WTF and ITF and the ATA at differing times in his career... I know for a fact, that he WAS at one point, in the ATA. Now if he'd have been in TKD for say... 15 verifyable years... I'd be the first to say.. 9th degree would be 'stretching the truth'... But with his time in TKD? no doubt... he's paid the dues, and earned the title. (At least IMHO) Your's in TKD! Paul

That's an interesting view.... and I can understand why and how someone might hold that view. I pose a simple counter for consideration... What good, is it to send someone to a tournament... if they haven't got the roots of their martial knowledge well developed, and steeped with the proper frame of mind and ethics that go with martial art? Sure... they can win a trophy... and perhaps they might even 'win the whole she-bang'... A piece of pot-metal on a ribbon, or a plastic, metal and rock trophy for first place, is a nice thing when one has earned it... It means far less though... in most martial arts... than matters of courage, self-control, honor, not just GOOD sportsmanship, but EXEMPLARARY sportsmanship, patience, humility in victory, and inner strength in defeat. We can turn to other 'nice to haves' in training... weapons training... What good would it be, to train someone to be an 'expert' with nunchuckus, without teaching them the history of the weapon, without giving them a 'well rounded' education? The 'tournaments and other stuff'... that '5%' as I put it... IS nice... and sure... we may do those things often enough, that it seems like MORE than 5%... it might SEEM like 80% of what we do... But I think if you step back and look at the heart and soul of martial art... the building of a good, sound and ethical student, who not only knows how to perform the art technically... but mentally and ethically as well... Then you see where my arguement comes from... How we get to the proverbial 'positive growth and change of the student through martial art'... isn't as important as GETTING that positive effect. When I began... we had forms, one steps and some in class sparring and now and then we'd go to tournaments, tested every 2 months... and that was that. Nobody gave a hoot, who won what trophy... it just wasn't that important... though we would applaud those who went and gave it their best shot, regardless of their placing or not. We sparred quite a bit in class too... And heaven help us, if we let our self control lapse, or if the wrong 'tude' showed up... The importance was not in what we were doing... but HOW we did it. If we didn't keep the 'proper' attitude.. (including paying rapt attention to our instructor at all times).. then we got to work on increasing the strength of our arms. Hence... I give tournaments and other 'nice to do' things 5% of weight, in building a solid martial artist. Now I'm NOT saying, tournaments don't have good benefits for students... they do, or we wouldn't have em. We can do em 95% of the time... but to me... that still doesn't change how much 'weight' I give them. If we do good at the 80% (weight) part... build the character and spirit of the student... Everything else, takes care of itself... because we've created a situation where the student's actually approaching study properly... and this, in turn, helps the instructor to IMPART the knowledge, so that the student actually gets all they CAN out of it... rather than just the 'superficial knowledge' (i.e. learning how to kick and punch, without learning the philosophy, history and ethics of the art itself) Kinda see where my arguement comes from there? Hope my clarification helps... I know I'm not as clear as I'd like to be this morning. Your's in TKD, Paul

Oh... a couple of fast asides here... Pushups (exercises of any sort) that are presented as 'punishment'... Don't look on those as 'punishment'... Anything that is designed to make you a better and stronger student, should be considered a prescription... or a 'pull up'... The instructor isn't punishing you... the instructor is doing you a FAVOR... trying to make a you stronger student, inside and outside. Believe me... if an instructor wants to punish their student... that's easy... 'ejecting the student from training outright' or 'suspension' is how an instructor 'punishes' students... Everything else... is more like, "instructional physical training'. (I know military types will recognize that phrase)

80% of martial arts training... is building the character, and spirit the student... 15% is kicking and punching 5% can be attributed to things like tournaments and whatnot... White belts need something besides a good kata, and good techniques and stretching... White belts have muscles that need to be trained, so that those muscles will start to become ready for more advanced techniques over the long haul. Pushups, situps, kicking from the bar... leg lifts and so on, come into play. The instructor is not gonna sit there and hold your hand while he tries to 'motivate you' to do good pushups... It's a lot easier to catch you a touch off guard... maybe get a little resentment going in you, to make you 'put out more of an effort' without even REALIZING that you're doing so. Not to mention... it also gently challenges your self control a bit... and reminds you that while you may do good work the day before.... TODAY... RIGHT NOW, is what matters... Also reminds you, that life isn't always 'fair', and that HOW YOU REACT TO THAT... will have a very big influence on how much success you earn for yourself later in life. Just because the sensei peeves you today... doesn't mean taking and acting out of 'offense' is a good idea... What if you had shown lack of self control? Would you not have perhaps 'cut off' your access to martial knowledge, by getting your instructor put off enough to suspend you from training in his dojo? By keeping your control... you're showing him the character that a sensei wants to see in a student... a willingness to 'forget' minor misunderstandings, and to get 'get to the matter at hand'... That skill, is one you'll use for the rest of your life... imagine how many fights can be prevented, by 'forgiving the misjudgement of others toward you'? You think he perhaps 'hosed you' a bit there... Perhaps that's what he wanted you to think... to challenge your patience a little... to see how your 'inner student' reacted... He probably thought, "Hey... he put in some good work in his external technique... How's he doing INSIDE HIMSELF??" I'd say you did well... you did your job... and now have opened up to maybe learning a valuable lesson about how you sometimes 'internally react' to others when they 'don't recognize your efforts outwardly'... Knowing that about yourself... you can work on that and become a better student for it. Keep at it! You're doin good! Paul

CowwwwaBUNGA!!!! Dudes!!! Looks like Splinter just sliced and diced Shredder!!! Whoa!!! Major blender-bummer dude!!

If I see someone, running around with a belt that looks like it's been through a losing fight with a lawn mower... Then I look that person dead in the eye, so I can get a GOOD look at a disrespectful sot that shouldn't be PERMITTED the HONOR of wearing ANY martial arts apparel whatsoever. Even the white belt, deserves to be accorded proper and gentle care at all times. A tattered belt and uniform is only an indicator that the person doesn't have any pride in themselves, their art, or the work that goes into EARNING the right to wear the uniform and rank. If my belt starts to fray even SLIGHTLY... I buy a new one... PERIOD. Same goes for my uniform... I didn't get Taekwondo out of a dumpster or shredder, or out of some second-hand clothing shop... And darned if my uniform is going to look like it came from a shredder, a dumpster or a second hand clothing shop. There's only one right color for a black belt... BLACK... and it should look SHARP, just as the uniform should... And the SHARPNESS of the uniform and belt... should be MATCHED by the SHARPNESS of the black belt who takes pride in their study.

BINGO!! Exactly what I'm thinking... If the Inosanto name is in the mix... chances are... the training IS intensive... and also presupposes that the student HAS experience already, and is looking for a 'seminar' type class, rather than your average twice to 3 times a week program. My opinion... if you want to study martial arts... your first step, is to 'put aside' Black Belt magazine... put all the magazines aside... Then find a school you can afford, that offers you a 2-3 night a week program, PLUS one on one time with your instructor(s) as needed. And as Aodhan says... pick a school that teaches one art... work on that, and get up in rank at it FIRST... then cross train once you have solid basics in your 'primary art'. You'll get your money's worth that way, and you'll be that much better a martial artist.

2 reasons: 1) On the off chance that one time you'll find yourself in a situation where it won't be "play" and you'll need to see as much as possible at all times. 2) When sparring, blinking will give the opponent (if he's quick enough) a window where you will not see what is going on (once again.. a short window, but if you're sparring a skilled artist, he will make use of it), and that will hurt your sparring ability overall. 1.) Very few people are 'that' fast, that you'd need to fight without blinking to keep from getting blindsided. VERY FEW. 2.) Even out of 'skilled artists', very few are skilled enough to avail themselves of an opening that lasts less than a 1/3rd of a second. Blinking is an act of nature, designed to protect your eye from damage. Look at that 'blink' as the block BEHIND your block... You block the incoming foot... GREAT! Now... if you're in a real fight...what about dust or debries that comes off that foot you blocked? What if THAT stuff, comes at your eye, gets IN your eye, and blinds you not for a 1/3rd of a second... but 30 seconds? I'd rather blink... than to try to train my body to NOT do what it is SUPPPOSED TO DO... and wind up getting hurt for suppressing a natural and ncessary defense to the only set of eyes that God gave me.

I blew a couple of testings in my time. Every bloody one of them... was a blown board break. You'd get three shots to make the break... BUT.. If you missed on the first try... that was that... you were getting a 'no change' in rank, period... The second two 'attempts' were your chance to try to end your day on a positive note, even if you did get a failing grade. Usually though, if I blew the first attempt... I'd blow the other two as well. Now all this said.. I wouldn't call those blown testings 'failures'... I'd just call them 'percussive misadventures'. No big deal... sometimes the board breaks... sometimes it feels like your hand (or foot) breaks. Only had to wait 2 months to have another go at it after a blown testing. It would only have been a failure if I'd have tossed my dobok in the dumpster and gave it up.

Most definitely there are martial arts there!! http://www.mintonsblackbelt.com/ I know the man that owns that school... and have known him for YEARS... He holds a 7th degree in TKD (Songahm style) A 4th degree in judo (And he's very impressive at that art) And a 3rd in Aikido (And he's very good at that art.) He's been in Terre Haute for years at the same location, and I can remember going to tournaments and competing against his students...(And they were NO PUSHOVERS by any means, whether in forms or sparring... they were just SOLID students and nice ones to boot) Best of luck in your move, and in your search for a school that fits you.

Fighting is never a great thing. That said... if you have honestly done all you could to avoid the fight... If you have done all you could to 'head the fight off' in advance...(letting school administration know there's a problem, and that if action is NOT taken on their part... YOU may be forced to protect yourself) And there's still a problem... To heck with it... when they lay hands on you... put em on their can using the least amount of effort and 'hoo-hah' possible... Don't make a 'big deal' out of it... they attack by pushing... you 'assist' their push so that basically you encourage them to give the floor a big wet sloppy kiss... and then back off... If they come again... then make your message of 'I said LEAVE ME ALONE!", a little more insistant... Remember... a cop always uses the least amount of force possible... and then... ONLY begins to 'ratchet up' the force level used, AS THE NEED TO DO SO, BECOMES BLANTANTLY APPARENT. So... take a page out of the cop's guide to 'use of force'... KEEP your 'use of force' absolutely REASONABLE, and CONTROLLED...(Meaning you were behaving calmly, with a mind to MINIMIZE the danger to yourself and to others), and ONLY go as far as ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, to prevent injury to yourself, or to others. Don't let fear of suspension or disciplinary action HINDER your willingness to protect yourself from harm. The bullies APPRECIATE when you DO allow that 'fear of getting into trouble' to stop you from protecting yourself. Time to stop giving them that 'gift' of a 'free ride to do whatever the heck they want'... but... do so WITH IMPECCABLE AND REASONABLE SELF CONTROL AND DISCIPLINE. Best wishes, Paul

You know... That's something that not a lot of articles in the popular magazines hits upon... You're not just selecting a dojahng... You are hiring an instructor... That's just the same as going to take flying lessons. One bit of advice a pilot friend of mine gave me, when I gave consideration to adding 'get the pilots license' to my life's goals list... was for me to interview potential instructors... and to be aware... that the instructor I picked today... could be an instructor that, while certified and great and talented... just isn't 'right' for me. With that realization... his advice for me was to really put some time in, and to work on not just getting a qualified and talented instructor... but ALSO... an instructor that I was comfortable with... who was ALSO comfortable with me. The relationship between instructor and student, absolutely depends on communication and the by product of good communication... TRUST. An instructor without a student, is a certificate holder... a student without an instructor, is often an injury waiting to happen. (or at the least... a student who will never reach their TRUE potential) So it takes that 'team'... of instructor and student, to make things really work... So yes... look at the quality of the school... the amenities offered...(a locker room, showers, any equipment you feel might be helpful... etc...) and also... just look at who all you're gonna be dealing with. Ideally... what you're looking to do...is to find a dojang where you'll feel good about staying on, for the long haul, making yourself the best that you can be, among supportive friends and instructors. And the 'personality match' between you and your potential instructor(s)... is a definite part of the total picture. Best of luck...

I reviewed the Ultimate Black Belt test website quite a while back... It's a very good concept.. a good 'be your very best' type exercise... The day may come, where I elect to take that test on... (I've got to first get into some kind of shape, and get all the TKD rust out of my body... before I will be in a position to concern myself with such a thing...) (Gotta learn to walk again, before I can run) But the test looks like fun to me...

Ahh... here we go... These links go to Amazon... This one, is the book... "Stretching", by Bob and Jean Anderson... http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0936070226/qid=1118235031/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/002-2230009-1772868?v=glance&s=books&n=507846 It's perfect for someone needing solid knowledge in the fine art of safe and gentle stretching for all sports. Now THIS book.... was written by Sang H. Kim, "Ultimate Flexibility: A complete guide to stretching for martial arts" http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1880336839/qid=1118235031/sr=8-2/ref=pd_csp_2/002-2230009-1772868?v=glance&s=books&n=507846 I recommend BOTH books... You should be able to find them in your local bookstore...(Just peek on the Amazon site to get a look at the covers so you know what you're looking for. Now the book by Master Kim... doesn't get into TKD techniques much... he covers some aspects of static and dynamic stretching... and honestly... I recommend his book HIGHLY, because he does take time to educate you, not just on the exercises... but HOW they work, and what physiological factors come into play in human flexibility and care of muscles. As for cost... I think I paid 17 bucks for Stretching... and about 20 bucks for Ultimate Flexibility. Best of luck.

If I was to be in a real street fight, I don't want to be close enough to have to do joint locks. However, if I am forced, I will use a joint lock with enough force to disable the joint. My goal is the minimum application of force that will allow me to retreat from the situation. We train joint locks with progressive techniques, starting with single wrist grab releases, going up to 6 and 7 move release/counter/lock type sequences. Referring the inebriated person in the other post, my favorite saying to people that hear I'm a BB and say "Boy, bet you think you're tough" is to respond "Well, it really doesn't matter how tough I think I am, what matters is how tough YOU think I am." Aodhan I LIKE that! I think a Gracie put it best... He said sure, he had a black belt... and it covered only 2 inches of his backside... HE was responsible for covering the rest of it. And I tend to agree... if it comes to confrontation... I'd rather not be close enough to be grabbing them and joint locking them... I'd rather waylay em and show them my best fighting stance, then pivot on the balls of my feet while bringing my hands to my sides in chamber... and then show them how well I can sprint for greener pastures. Fighting's for the birds.

Congrats Mr. Mike.

No true warrior, trains to FIGHT... A true warrior, trains in HOW to fight, so they don't HAVE to fight except in the defense of the most important things... life... freedom... the safety of others... I'm a former Marine... I've also had the dubious 'pleasure' of fighting on the street... Fighting is NEVER a 'good' thing... Fight starts... 'someone' is gonna get hurt... Lives WILL change... and chances are... they will NOT be changing for the better... Going to jail, is not what I'd call a 'step UP' in life... Neither is trying to sleep with the knowledge, that someone is dead, or handicapped, because of something you did... Nor is having the sure knowledge... that the pain carried through life by others... is something YOU are responsible for helping to cultivate in them. (When you wipe someone out... just remember... their Mother is gonna have to live with that too... and that's a really high price to make HER pay if it's not absolutely necessary to save a life.) These little gangsta punks that speak of martial art, as a means to 'kick butt'... make me sick. I still maintain, the greatest martial art move in the world, is to open your hand and shake the hand of a new friend... ( rather than to close it and hit someone in the mouth and make an enemy.) I train very hard to fight... So I will know so well what fighting entails... That I will find ways to AVERT even HAVING to fight, LONG BEFORE the 'fight' begins... And so I will KNOW without thinking... when I 'must' fight to save my life, or the life of another person, and be CAPABLE of doing so without batting an eye. THAT is the spirit of martial art... to learn to fight, so one can know how to avoid it if there's any POSSIBLE way... and so one can, if forced to... fight and win in order to save a life. One cannot have martial art... if one rejects this very spirit... If any wish to learn to 'fight'... I say join the Marines... and after they wear you out... they'll teach you how to be a warrior, rather than a fighter. Warriors fight only as a final resort when all other means have failed or are totally impractical... Fighters... are usually what warriors wind up disposing of, when it is time for the last resort of combat to be implemented.

Bowflex is garbage... The design alone, doesn't provide for consistant resistance throughout the range of motion... and there IS that matter of 'What if there's breakage?" and "Can I afford to pay for someone's hospital bill if there's a piece breaks off while I'm using it, and that piece takes out my friend?" I'm all for good exercise gear... but Bowflex doesn't meet my standards... I'd go for the "Total Gym"...(And you can buy it at Dicks Sporting Goods, both online AND in the store) Or... I'd go for a simple weight bench and free weights... Or I'd just learn to do it the old fashioned way... and get used to doing different calestentics in ways to target each muscle group properly for maximum benefit.

Better yet... Deal only with reputable martial arts supply companies... Century, MAWarehouse, etc... Check out 4 or 5 different 'big time' martial art supply sites, and see how they price that item you want... You'll find that all the reputable ones stick somewhere in the same ballpark... so if a Tokaido gi goes for say, $120 bucks average price... then all the reputable ones will price 'somewhere in the ballpark' of $100 to $140... If you go hunting for the 'steal'... just remember... You're liable to be the steal-EE rather than the 'steal-ER'... So avoid the rip off, by not dealing with any but the most well known and reputable companies... Beats trying to track down some nitwit to bluster and pester em... which, incidentally... isn't gonna get anyone their money back... and probably will NOT get them arrested either... So why waste precious time? Best wishes, Paul

Wing chun, is an art that was created by a woman... and it's also the art that Bruce Lee first studied and gained proficiency at, through the teachings of a man named Yip Man. I can best describe the art (as an OUTSIDER who wouldn't know wing chun if you dropped it on my head) as a very close quarters art... with remarkable hand techniques... (Check out some of the old Bruce Lee books at your Barnes and Noble book stores... I think you'd get a better idea of the art to hear it 'in Bruce's words'... than for someone like me, who's never taken that art, to try to descibe it to you.