IcemanSK

4th of July is the American independence day. I think we call it the 4th of July because we Americans don't like to waste too much time w/ all those syllables in Independence Day....We just have too much other stuff to do.

Ok, let's try it again. http://www.usatekno.net/USATekno/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=26 If it doesn't pull up the page with the picture, its under "Uniforms" & its their "Ribbed Competitor" uniform.

No, I haven't yet. It seems kinda silly at this point to buy a uniform I'd only wear 1 day a year. Maybe if my school marches in the 4th of July parade. We'll see.

I'm not sure how to grab the picture from that site & set it in here. I can get it to my computer, tho.

I found the picture of Juan Moreno (2x Olympic Silver medalist) & his frayed belt. I know he's trained hard (rather than beating it w/ a rock). I still can't decide if I like the look, tho. What do you think? http://www.usatekno.net/USATekno/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=26

As has been mentioned, its not whether the belt frays. Cuz if its worn a lot it will fray over time. Its whether you HELP it fray. I recently met an instructor who has a fairly worn belt. In our organization, you're given a new belt at each testing. I asked how long he's had it. "2 years," he said. But he owns a full time school & its in hot, muggy Florida where you sweat just putting on a uniform. Here in Los Angeles where its dry, your belt is dry 10 minutes after you take it off. My belt probably won't wear as quickly...& I only train about 10 hours a week w/ a belt on. Time to hit it w/ a rock, I guess

FYI, I agree with you to a point. I think protecting your hands is VERY IMPORTANT. And you're right to error on the side of caution. I guess we disagree to a point also on the way to condition them. Nothing wrong with that. As long as the individual knows the risks, and makes an educated decision with how to train, then I think they should be able to decide. What bothers me though is that many instructors don't know. They take what their Sensei says as gospel, or they just assume things and then "teach it". So with this in mind, it sounds that you're students are very lucky as they have someone who is thinking and erroring on the cautious side. In our dojo we use the same approach. The goal is for no one to get hurt, and we work extra hard to make sure that students develop control, and a sense of responsibility, then work up to real conditioning. Slow and steady wins the race in the long run. This is too true. A lot of times instructors teach the way they were taught....& they don't know WHY they do it that way. "Maiwaras make you tough!" or other such things said to define what a "true martial artist" does to train. MA is a very important part of my life & I plan to it til the day I die. Part of that is trying to steer clear of "overuse injuries" that cause arthiritis, etc. And the other reality is, in 24 years of training, I've never been in a fight "on the street" ....& probably never will. I don't train to settle bar fights. I train cuz I love to train. If the 20 year old wanna train by punching trees or slammin' their shins into metal bars to "deaden the nerves in their legs," great! I'll chat w/ em when they're 40 & see how they are, then.

I was overstating it a bit I guess to point out that TKD folks aren't just kickers. Of course we punch, too. But I've learned to be very protective of my hands. Heck, I know boxers who have hand problems & they wrap em & use gloves everytime! Jiffy, I see your point as well. Callouses are needed to a point. Mine are gone from my early days. They grew back when I wrapped my hands& put em in gloves....they still bled a while until the callous formed again.

Knuckle push ups take care of the "soft knuckle" issue. But seriously, I would error on the side of protecting my hands. My students do hit muay thai pads bare knuckle, but not for round after round. Being a TKD instructor, I focus on hands being for blocking. Feet, knees, elbows & knife hands are for striking when in need

Yes, we love gaudy don't we?

Agreed I agree with these 2 gentlemen. It sounds like your gut is telling you the same thing.

Some are tasteful, like this one: http://www.kwonusa.com/kwonusa/shop_artikeldetails.asp?kid=480%2C521&agnr=1028 It just has Red white & blue stripes on the shoulder & pants. Others like this one remind me of Evil Kninevel: http://boldlook.net/description.php?ref=2000 It really is an American thing, isn't it? Other countries don't do this as much.

I've not heard of it either....sorry. I know my grandmaster has kept some of the karate kata he learned in his early TKD days into our ciriculum. Perhaps its one of those.

I take no offense at your thought. We Americans do tend to go overboard with our love of the flag. That's a bit why I brought this thread up a few days before US Independance Day (July 4th). If your MA school is in a 4th of July parade, I wondered who would have a patriotic gi. I'm not dead set against them, although some are a bit much.

In my experience I've hit the bag w/ & w/out gloves. I'd never go back to doing it w/out gloves again. I've damaged my hands & wrists by not using them. Like I said, I've been doing it a long time & I want to continue to do it longer: so I choose to protect my hands.

It sounds like you handled it in a good way. You want to keep it a professional/family type relationship & (thankfully) he understands & agrees. I wish you all the success in your continued training. That conversation was not an easy one to have. You handled yourself very well.

Hehe Sohan bet that made your head grow that big you couldn't get through the door lol. That would have flattered me! *kicks dirt in envy* Why didn't that ever happen to me when I was young & single?

Name IcemanSK Style Taekwondo Chung Do Kwan Height 5' 9.5" weight 160 lbs. Titles "Best looking instructor in the house" My wife

When you throw 100' & 1000's of punches making contact (even on a bag) in training, you need to protect your hands. Yes, bags are softer & not a "real" situation, but it is vital that the hands are protected. I've trained in both traditional MA & boxing for more than 20 years. I wouldn't dream of doing rounds on the bag w/out handwraps & good bag gloves. Maybe as a young man, I'd wonder why. As an old man whose hands are still in good shape, I don't wonder.

I'm of the same opinion. My 1st BB from my instructor (22 years ago) was a 2" belt. It feels normal to me. I've worn 1 3/4" belts & they don't feel comfortable. There certainly are "showy" belts, but 2" belts are still considered "normal" size width.

1 3/4 will also hold 2 lines of embroidery. I know that was a concern w/ the original questioner. Either 2" or 1 3/4" go with a quality belt like Tokido (sp?) or Eosin Panther. They're worth the $$.

...and Tokaido's "Extra Wide" is 1 3/4" wide. Interesting phenomenon, though. I've never had problems with having a belt to hang down properly. Pretty much every belt settles with the first wash. Of course, if one is in the "never wash the belt" -club, he could moisten only the knot area. I have a 2" Eosin Panther belt (2 in fact) that are "soft" & they don't stick out sideways. They hang down properly. I think it might just be the matter of of hard or stiff vs. soft style belts. I've never washed mine, BTW.

For the WTF Taekwondo folks in the crowd, I'd recommend Sang Moo Sa/Best Martial Arts Supply. SangMooSa.com They have good items & their service is good as well.

Laurie: You are a class act. And whether you come back to the Arts or not, you always have a place here.

http://www.kukkiwon.or.kr./english/pop.jsp This is a direct way to check it yourself! I tried it & it works!