Kill Jill

Well, you sound like one of my English students who says all she does each day after class is go back to her dark room! It's good that you recognize that you'll benefit from getting involved in a social sport. I used to be just like you and wish I'd started in martial arts earlier. (I started aged 25). However, you've really got to be sure that it's Taekwondo you want to try, otherwise it won't last long and you'll drop out of it feeling gloomy again. I think go and sample more than one class in your neighborhood and see if it's for you. Remember though, that the beginning is always the hardest. It will seem like everyone else except you can do all the kicks. But after a few months, you should start to feel like you are getting hang of the kicks.

I often do my searches now under Google>Images. That way it's faster to see what type of results look more useful to you. Anyway, I can see 2 different Koryo diagrams displayed on the first page (one is from the above link). I've just 'learnt' Koryo in my 2 metre by 2 metre bedroom. Funny how I always have to resort to teaching myself the forms instead of being able to be taught from someone in my actual gym. It's really not ideal. I've also watched the Koryo forms that people have put up on YouTube - their techniques are all so different. I was all set for going for the 2nd Dan in December, but last night my gym told me that I can't take it because they want me to train with them for 4 months 6 days a week. With their class at 9:30pm and the fact that I have to wake up at 6am for teaching, it now seems like I have to wait another couple of years until I have enough time for such full time training again. Sigh.

At the very beginning, I think once a week is okay. Just so you can get the feel of it, and start to get your body used to extreme stretching and exercise - especially if you are an 'older' student. However, I would also try to do some supplementary training outside of class - situps, stretching, some running because your physical stamina will not increase much by exercising just once a week. Gradually, you should increase the number of times per week you go to class. I've noticed that people really do make more improvement the more times they attend class. In Korea, everyone is expected to go to the gym for 1 hour 6 days a week. When I tell a gym owner that I will probably come 4 days a week max, they get funny about it. But, when I do attend classes everyday, such as when I have a vacation, quite simply, I start to feel it as a chore to go to class, and could see quick burnout happening if I sustained this attendance rate. Do whatever you feel comfortable with. I started out with 1 day a week. I ended up with 5 days a week. It took me about 4 years to get a black belt.

I just wonder about long term injuries in general from martial arts. For example, many professional ballet dancers will get hip replacements in middle age often due to having spent their life doing the splits. Likewise, in most martial arts classes, stretching by doing the splits is typically demanded every day.

Are you henpecked? Oh no... I can't understand people who try to block other people's hobbies regardless of the money issue. If you're prevented from doing something that you want badly, it will have repercussions later one. Stand your ground and take her along even if she will only be willing to be a spectator. Ask her if she'd prefer a housebound overweight couch potato whose only skill of manoevre would be to press the remote buttons. Come on tiger!!! (My current test question on dates is telling a man that I do martial arts. If they laugh, I know that they are too conservative and don't believe in the idea of a strong woman. Time to ditch them. Problem is, so far EVERY guy I've ever told has laughed their socks off when I tell them I do martial arts. What is going wrong with this world??? It's 2006!!!!!)

If you contact the Kukkiwon admin via their website, you can retrieve your number if you give your name, date you took your test and place where you took your test. It took me one year for my dojang to get me my first dan cert, so I had to go via the Kukkiwon to get it myself.

You asked what 'style' we practice, but the list you gave are federation names, and don't encompass all styles as such. The WTF is connected to at least 9 core kwans (schools) which all had their own philosophies and technical differences, for example. There are also 'styles' such as Tang Soo Do which are offshoots. Sorry to add to the confusion...

I searched for the term 'Nereo Chagi' and I saw the German site on which it was printed. I think they got confused how to Romanize the Korean pronunciation. I would suggest that they mean 'Narooh' Chagi which is the axe/cutdown kick, or 'Nayrooh Chagi' which is the double turning kick.

TKD outnumbers all MAs by far here, followed by HKD and then Gumdo. There are a few gyms here which teach other MAs, although they are not found in every neighborhood. GOM made the good point that movies can influence a surge in an MAs popularity. Ong Bak, for example, was very widely watched here - released here in 2003 - and therefore we also saw a rise in Muay Thai gym promotion. Whether such gyms could ever eclipse the popularity of TKD gyms will probably never happen in this century, though! It seems that kids will typically start out in either TKD, HKD or Gumdo and if they stick with them, they will stick with them for ages. Korean people tend to opt for what's familiar to them. When the kids reach their older teens, they may have a fancy for trying something 'on the edge' and might opt for a 'harsher' MA, such as if they are inspired by a movie trend. Remember, here they have college programs which have full time training in all sorts of MAs. Anyone who goes through such a program will probably come out quite talented in more than one MA. Mixed MA gyms are a small but growing number. One such gym I like the look of is this one: http://www.gongkwon.net/ They now have an English language section - wow! Although there are still more links and videos on the Korean pages - easy to spot even if you don't read Korean, so you should try to go through the Korean pages, too. The master, Kang Jun, has in my view done the most to promote MAs in Korea. He has MANY books on bookstore shelves; is actively promoting his techniques through TV; he hosts zilliions of seminars; and is perhaps one of the first here to try and attract foreigners through the creation of English pages on his website section. I also like the comment he makes on his webpage that he recognizes that most MA gyms in Korea have become little more than 'places for recreation.' Spot on.

Is that not what I said? btw - If you were here at the Kukkiwon this week, Scott, did you see the 'Mission(ary) Cup?' Perhaps our paths crossed!

I'll add one thing (or two) : The 'Tang' in 'Tang Soo Do' comes from 'Tang' as in 'Tang dynasty'/China. As the Japanese occupied Korea, they tried to modify words of Chinese origin out of nationalistic purposes; thus the name of Tang Soo Do was changed to Kong Soo Do. Therefore, it may explain why some Koreans might not initially recognise the name of Tang Soo Do. What'd ya think about that explanation, Scott? Also, I have problems sometimes just in getting Koreans to recognize my pronunciation of certain words. I was talking about 'Yudo'(Judo) the other night to someone, and it took them about 15 minutes to understand what I was talking about!

Kyokshin Karate seems to be on the increase here at the moment judging from a surge of promos I've seen for gyms. Otherwise, I have personally never seen any other strands of Karate promoted in Korea. I guess it owes to Kyokshin having the closest relationship to Taekwondo. Hapkido gyms here are largely about gymnastics and strength building. I do lots of throws, but not many ground locks.

Sounds phenomenal! Congratulations!

Well, it seems there's some good advice here. However, I think it is hard to visualize the written descriptions. I need a 'live' trainer! But, I did like the idea of practicing with eyes closed. I think I can try that out - afterall, my foam covered nunchaku are fairly painless if I get hit. I got some cuts and bruises from the aluminium ones, and I daren't try the wooden ones, although I've heard they help develop stronger arms than the lighter ones. Has anyone here actually knocked themselves out with nunchaku training? I'll add some more videos when I can - but strangely, my webcam suddenly packed up after my Steven Spielberg run 2 days ago... I'll have to get a new one.

Actually, I decided to turn the blocked toilet issue into a new video series for English language learners. You'll be able to watch what happens with the toilet if you go back to my link/site. Well, all the 2 handed moves are the only ones that are taught in my gym. They are all the moves anyone there knows. I tried to find some other techniques through the internet that I can develop by myself. I would like to develop the wrist spin and hand spin and finger spin, but even though I think I understand the technique involved and have practiced quite a few times, I don't seem to have any success so far. I know that someone will say practice more and eventually it'll come, but I'm not so sure at this stage. I seem to 'strangle' my wrist or lose the nunchaku after a couple of rotations. Any advice?