IcemanSK

Is static stretching (ie. holding your chest to your legduring hurdle stretches) or boucing a better way to stretch?

You'll be in my prayers for your surgery & recovery, Laurie. If you're like me, when you CAN't workout (due to illness or injury) is when ya wanna do it more. I'd suggest going over forms in your head & maybe do background work on TSD (terms, history etc) on the net or in books. That way you'll have it as you prep towards coming testing.

My best friend was in a similiar rank situation I am, only worse. He trained under the guy that gave us bogus ITF certificates from day one. When he went to a school to resume training (w/ his kids now) he offered to be busted down to white belt. They said, "No, you're a 2nd Dan black belt. You earned." I would have never thought to do that. He's been there almost a year. At some point, he'll test for 3rd under these new folks.

Yea, if I had a certificate with their signature on it saying that I have earned a Dan rank......I would have issues with that. -Adam Yeah, I thought it was odd, too.

Has anyone here had to join a "local" or national organization before your instructor recommended you to Kukiwon for rank? Like receive a BB from your national org. & then later be recommended for Kukiwon? Is this a standard practice?

I spoke to an ITF master recently who told me he busted one of his BB's down to white belt after the students returned after a 10 year absence. So, I guess it can be done.

I'd recommend it under a uniform, especially for women. I know a lot of women that have a hard time finding something comfortable to wear under their gi. This is a good product for that. Especially the LooseGear shirts.

Thanks Reefer. That's more of the kind of help I was looking for. I should have been more clear. Since you have a daily opportunity to see how to handle these situations. Your words have much weight. I went from a master who everyone respected (in our class & other masters) to a guy that few respected (I found out why years later) to a class that had no rank system & only respected those who earned it. (Regardless of rank). Now I'm getting back into tradition class situations & trying to find my way again. Thanks for your words.

How about another type of situation. Lets say you're a 3rd Dan senior student who took the rest of the students to a tournament because your master instructor needed to go out of town & asked you to. During the tournament, another master instructor in your system tells you your students are sloppy & they don't have the right patches on their uniforms etc. Basically, telling you your instructor doesn't know any better. In the real world (outside of MA) there are ways to deal w/ unprofesional & pushy people who have no business telling you anything about people that he's not over. (Besides Boot to the head! I mean). I'm sure I'm not the only one who's seen this type of thing. Some folks throw their rank around simply because they can. How would the senior BB's here handle this type of thing?

Its only a part of the way the ITF has done the Chang Hon forms in recent years. Its not part of all MA, or all of TKD for that matter. I'll leave it to those who knows what it is exactly to help define it. All I recall, is that it seemed to me to be an unnecessary movement while doing forms.

On the street, I always ask myself, "What would Chuck Norris do?" And then, its a no brainer. But then again, since its never happened to me on the street (in 23 years of training) its not an issue. Of course had I known that was gonna be the case, I wouldn't have bought all those pairs of Chuck Norris & Billy Jack jeans from Century & all those Rex Kwon Do pants from Zubbaz. Zubbaz? Never heard of them.......I thought he was wearing Ottomix pants. -Adam Zubbaz were the pre-cursor to Otomix. They were the 1st real popular pants like those in the late 80's. They didn't have the flag pants, tho. Just crazy patterns.

Thanks for resurecting an old thread. I'm not sure we could ever definitively say which TKD forms are "Best," but we can exchange ideas on the merits of each. I like the Chang Hon forms for a few reasons. 1) They each have a unique name & history. 2) They are complex & use more than just basic techniques. Although, I'm not a fan of the sine wave. I like the Pal Gue forms also because they have unique techniques in them. I like Koryo & the few other BB form I've seen. In my experience, I've seen many more ITF BB forms than the WTF forms. The ITF folks that I've seen really seem to enjoy their forms.

Ah, there's the rub. A job & a life. But also, a style vs. techniques. MMA takes techniques they like/need & incorporate them. When one learns an art or style, its mastering that system (hence the thread). But as has been aluded to, most have the luxury of taking time (& expense) to learn a smorgasboard of styles to be as "well-rounded" as others. And fewer still ever come across the need to defend themselves on the street in their lifetime anyway. So, being "well-rounded is not an issue.

I've sadly never seen it in friendly competition. Once I saw two masters want to go at it in the parking lot (like Ren & Stimpy) at a tournament. I also had to help break up a fight between a guy at our school (who came in 2nd at WTF Worlds in the early 80's) & a master who was being groomed for his own school under my master. Its started out friendly, but one cheap shot too many escalated into something ugly quick. The Korean master was asked to leave immediately. The "champ" was asked to leave the day after. The master never was aloud back. The "champ" came back a year later after begging forgiveness.

On the street, I always ask myself, "What would Chuck Norris do?" And then, its a no brainer. But then again, since its never happened to me on the street (in 23 years of training) its not an issue. Of course had I known that was gonna be the case, I wouldn't have bought all those pairs of Chuck Norris & Billy Jack jeans from Century & all those Rex Kwon Do pants fro Zubbaz.

I really like the Pal Gue forms, too. I did the Tae Guek forms & then PG 6, 7, 8. I thought they were more interesting than the Tae Guek forms. Then when I trained at an ITF school, I thought those were great, too. Those (the Chang Hon forms) are cool not just because they have deep stances & cooler movements, but also cuz each has a unquie name & a history behind them. To answer the "What do I do on my off days," I either run or box at the gym at the same community center I help teach karate. But, I think I'm going to be working on forms more. Cuz hopefully, I'll be training for promotion testing, soon.

I'm not sure what you mean. Could you clarify your question, please.

Jill, Shhh! Don't give Orion any ideas. Next thing ya know, he'll be... Dunno about the electrocution (good question) but what about the glass raining down on you, too?

Thanks Jill! Thanks much appreciated

I you grow to love Koryo poomse as much as I do. Its a neat form. Congratulation.

I had no idea either - ITF schools number the same as WTF in my local area. I'm WTF, but my Master often does cross training sessions with a couple of ITF and independant TKD clubs/groups. Yes, WTF do fight full contact (no punching to head, though). In the UK, the ITF is much more popular than in the States. I'v been quite surprised that in the Los Angeles, CA area there are only a handful of schools. An ITF guy told me recently that there's only about 10,000 ITF folks in the USA. The WTF probably has that in California alone. Its a shame that there's such division between them. Both have great things to learn from one another & have so much in common.

Laurie: You are my new best friend Thank you very much. My Korean is quite rusty.

I've gone to the Kukiwon website & even the FAQ's are in Korean (although it says "FAQ") Can anyone point me to the place where I can change the site to English? I've seen it in English before. Thanks

You seem to have appologized sufficiently for it, & thought of how you could have done it differently next time. You know there will be a next time. Maybe not there, but somewhere. Its happened to most of us on one end or the other of that situation. I've seen it with "Masters" at tournaments wanting to fight each other in the parking lot (Like Ren & Stimpy) over a "cheap shot" or "bad call" one student got over another. You seem like the type of person that this incident has caused you to reflect. That's a good thing. About the opportunity to test for 3rd Dan there or 2nd here.....I see you point about wanting to test for your master. But, the opportunity you have in Korea is quite unique. I wouldn't blame you for testing here in the States (It's completely your call). But I'm guessing if you talk w/ your master here in the States, he'd appreciate the opportunity you have there. You're a good man & thoughtful. You'll make a great master, someday.

I second the penguin. Ringside has great Super Bag Gloves (The Contender brand is inexpensive) & wrap your hands. It'll save your hands & give ya a good workout.