karatekid1975

Cool thread. I agree. No flames wars here peoples. Keep it cool. Anyways, I love to kick, plain and simple. When I got into martial arts, I found out that I was a natural kicker (even at first when I couldn't kick very high LOL). TKD (and TSD for that matter) made me flexible. I couldn't even touch my toes when I started! Now I can do a split. I never thought I could ever do a split. And yes, I love doing tricks (trick kicks), too. Tae Kwon Do also helped me get over my fear of getting "hit." I had a fear of sparring. With the help of my instructor, I got over it little by little. Now, eventhough I still "dislike" (not hate) sparring, I just get in there and go at it with my classmates, and have a blast.

Welcome

*THUMP* Sorry. That was just me. I was practicing a breakfall from Judo (I like the subject line ). Welcome to the forum

Hiya. Pull up a chair and post away

One of my new found buddies is Heidi. We haven't hung out yet, but she is a nice person, and she is part of our dojang (three schools in all) family now. She has givin me new "light" on my school, too. Thanks again, Heidi I do have other good friends in the dojang. People I like to pair up with because we work good together. Or we stay after class to help each other. But I don't go out much. Except in the summer. One of my instructors is related to my boss (cousins)! How weird is that LOL.

I'm with Kirves. I do TKD three times a week, and Judo once a week.

Just don't make any "opinions" out to be personal attacks on anyone. Opinions and debate are welcome. Putting someone or an art down is not welcome. Keep it cool Back to the subject ...... My take on it is this. I love the high kicks. I even do "trick" kicks. But in a real situation, I wouldn't use them. When I spar, I kick to the head. When I do forms, I kick high. When we do step sparring or self defense, I don't. In step sparring, and self defense training, I train like it's for real (stopping sort of killing my partner, that is LOL). But that's just me.

Eventhough Hapkido is traditional, it's practical. It has a little of everything. Strikes, kicks, punches, locks, falls, ground work, and the list goes on. If I had a Hapkido Dojang here, I'd join in a second. It's my fav style, eventhough I've had limited experience with it (Tang Soo Do/Hapkido).

I agree Deven. Good point. When I was an orange belt in TSD, I attended a sparring clinic. I was kicked for force in the gut by another orange belt. It scared me off from sparring for a very long time. I got away with not sparring, except at tests. Eventhough I would "run" when I sparred. When I started TKD, they MADE me spar. So, I just got in there and got used to getting hit. Pretty soon, the fear disappeared. Now they can't stop me hehehehehehe

Hey, welcome.

There are a lot of people here that will help out Welcome.

You are welcome, Heidi Sorry for the "annoying" meeting hehehehehe (sorry folks. Inside joke LOL).

No, but thanks I know his whole name now. It's Tony Y.H. Ng. I will do a google search on him Edit: I did and found nothing. Anyone know how to varify someone's rank in the WTF? Thanks in advance.

I wouldn't. I've trained with hangovers before, and it's not worth it.

http://www.martialinfo.com/MartialMainFrame.htm This is a good site to learn about and search for Martial Arts and schools. Click on the "Looking for a school near you" link on the left. I hope this helps.

Right, Kickchick. I am wondering about my instructor's lineage. In Tang Soo Do, I can trace my instructor's lineage all the way back to Hwang Kee. But I'm very "iffy" about my TKD instructor. He claims to know or studied 4 arts. Which isn't a problem. A lot of people do. But he never mentions any of his instuctors names. Except one. I only know his last name. He is a Korean master by the name of Ng. Yes, Ng. That's how ya spell it. I seen a pic of him, because it's on the wall of the dojang. I don't know his rank or anything. It's kind of frustrating to me.

I started in MA for a job I had. I wanted to learn self defense (still do). TSD fit the bill at the time. Right now, I don't know why. Exercise, maybe.

In TSD, master level is 4th dan. I totally agree with you, Ninja. In my short time in MA, I cared about my rank. But now, I just train. I could care less about rank.

I been there Mike .... ouch. In my TSD school was the same. We started sparring at orange belt (which is the same as yellow in TKD). But it didn't go full contact till BB. I sparred a BB while I visited my old dojang (TSD) and she went light on me (since I'm a blue belt in both styles). Since I do TKD and full contact, I went at her. She had no choice to fight back Mind you, this was hardly any gear in TSD. Man, was that a rush. I loved it, because TKD we have gear, TSD we have hardly any. Great fun

Jasep, I wouldn't say that either, because I came from TSD. Most ranks are honored from other TSD clubs as long as you can prove it ... like certs and skill. Even TKD students were honored with "skill." If you can prove it, you'd be able to keep your rank. But you can't walk off the street and say I have so and so rank in TKD or TSD, and expect to get it. My instructor knew the difference since he did 3 different arts in his life (TKD being one of them) and dabbled in others. You had to show proper technique, forms (since he knew ITF TKD and TSD forms), and a knowledge of self defense. As far as belts. The black stripe in my TSD school didn't mean anything. The adult students had a black stripe through the whole thing, only to seperate the adults from the kids. The kids had a solid colored belt. In TKD we wear solid color belts, but we earn stripes on the end of them ("tips" also). I wouldn't call it a marketing thing either, because we don't even pay for tests of any kind. My school is expensive (in my opinion), but they don't make you pay for any tests. In Judo, we have just solid color belts and nothing else. It's about abililty here, not rank.

I won't say because I did a traditional martial art that we didn't do shin kicks, dude Talking about pain ..... I been there .... several times in Tang Soo Do. My instructor learned it (Muay Thai boxing) somewhere, so he did those, and Thai style kicks till we about died LOL. I did TSD, but my instructor mixed Thai boxing, Hapkido, and grappling in with what he taught. It was hard (painful at times), but so much fun I miss them days If you watch how I do low to mid section kicks (mostly roundhouse kicks), I kick like Muay thai folks. Head high kicks I do the Korean style kick, but I like Muay Thai style better, and I still do them in TKD

I can't eat "heavy" meals before class, but I can have a cereal bar or something like that. I need something for energy, but yet I can't go to McDonalds and eat a burger and fries an hour before class (barf) LOL.

OMG!!! I remember these in TSD (enderance week .... which was once a month). We used to judge what kind of stuff my instructor would do by his mood. If he was in a bad mood, he would kill us with technique work. If he was in a good mood, he would make us do every kick in the book. Everything from stationary kicks, to jump kicks, to flying kicks 10 times each leg ..... man my legs were like jello after that! Not to mention all the push ups, sit ups, and stuff we did first.

My classes are like Meiou's. Almost exactly the same format Weird

Meiou, I do the same thing. The left side of my robe goes on top and I tie my belt like a karate belt. ..... Cool, I thought I was crazy, but I'm not the only one LOL.