tsdstud

cho dan Tang Soo Do MDK received an 8th gup orange belt in Hapkido before leaving to focus on TSD.

First off Sano, what're you thinking? Honestly. Anyway. we teach more prevention than anything. How to not fight. We teach the art before the martial. I believe that I could hold my own in a fight against most people. But I don't know that I could against a person that trains specifically for fighting. I wouldn't fight to kill or maim, just enough to neutralize the situation, whatever that may entail. I'm not in kung fu, but a traditional style. Obviously kung fu works cuz it's still around.

Thank you for all your help. I'll let you know what I get on the paper. (if its good, that is!) haha, maybe i'll just put it up in here. nah... wouldn't do that to you guys. Karatekid- my black belt essay was much like this also. Our question was what we have gained from TSD and what we are going to give back. Probably the easiest paper I've ever written.

HI, I'm writing a paper for my college English class on the martial arts, why people start and what they get from it. Things like that. And I don't want just stories from my area and style. So, can you guys share with me? I'll need your name (for citing purposes), relative age, relative location, style, and belt or time studied. Also, how you joined, why you joined, and why you picked the school/instructor that you did, also what it's brought you if wanted. I'll leave my story as an example. Chris, early 20's from Michigan. I joined Tang Soo Do 5 years ago. I got my black belt this summer. I joined at the school where my younger brothers trained. After my freshman season of soccer, my parents decided that I needed to do something so my dad gave me the choice of karate w/my brothers or dance. It wasn't too hard of a choice to make. Now, I basically live there. I'm at the school 5-6 days a week and nearly all of my friends are from there. It has become the central part of my life and I hope to open my own school in the future. any type of response will be greatly appreciated. you can either post here, PM me or email me at tsdred@msn.com. thank you very much!!

We don't get that but once. Our master instructor did a seminar and he had my instructor and some of the other instructors come around to check on our stances. I'm not sure that I wouldn't mind that all too much now, but I know as a lower belt I would've.

I don't know about legitimacy and all but I feel lucky to have it the way I do. I know my instructor and the whole hierarchy from him up to Hwan Kee. and I do like how they set forth rules on what to teach, it keeps everything uniform. But that's just me

haha, fights erupt all the time at my school and my house. My dad and I'll just look at each other and it'll start. All in good fun w/very rare injuries.

So Prom was Saturday. We had a good night. Sad to see it all end though. That was the 7th dance we've gone to together. HAd to take a pic of us dancing the last song. Too bad she'll be gone to college in a few months... After all that, she had a date last night. Totally screwed my night/week. Ah well, got another prom Thursday. Course, it's another karate girl. She's not from my school but another one an hour away that's part of our association.

That is a good question and I can see you and your instructors points. I do disagree though. At my school we are only allowed to go to certain approved tournaments where it is known that the judging is most likely to be fair and the respect level is the highest. Most of our tournaments are closed. I think that those types of tournaments do a lot of teaching and more than how to kick and punch. The same way you can learn sportsmanship and teamwork in AYSO and t-ball you learn while honing your martial arts skills. It also helps nerves as far as getting up in front of people to perform. That is possibly what I have learned the most from tournaments, how to have no problem getting in front of a crowd. Our #1 tournament rule, Have fun and learn something.

Man, that's something I could never do. Course, I'm a really small guy (5'8" 150) I don't know whether to think you guys are crazy or give you the utmost respect.... Either way I'd never mess w/a contact fighter.

haha, like that last post but anyway. This month I was at a TKD/TSD tourney and it was hard for forms. We had 4 TSD judges. And since we're all in the same federation there are no differences in our forms so they know exactly when we screw up even in the slightest even if we cover it. A TKD guy won our division. And I'm not knocking him at all. he was a very gracious winner and could very possibly had the best form. But our judges wouldn't have known if he screwed up or not. It is frustrating but I guess you've just gotta accept it.

No, I don't think it could be classified as "hitting a woman" because they're fully intent on blocking it and hitting you back. And you're not doing it out of anger or anything. this said, I do automatically hold back on girls a little. I'll do the same techniques with the same speed and everything, I just won't hit them as hard as I would a guy.

What I meant was an elbow strike down on that stack of bricks, yeah an elbow back or across would have serious defensive applicability. But not really down on a stack of bricks.

Wow, I haven't been on here in about a year and just checking back on this.... You know, my instructor met his fiance at our docheng but most of the students don't even know it. He keeps it very professional and she'd have it no other way so there is no problem. I, however, haven't learned my lesson and dated that girl again. Didn't turn out, of course. We've got prom next week but I don't really want to go. She'll be going 2 hours away to college this summer. We're still planning on being best friends though. In the meantime, I'm starting to date this girl from another one of our karate schools (we have 7 under the same master) that lives an hour away. Going to her prom too. I guess, if you can be mature (unlike the first girl ) then things are fine.

How we dot it: Stand at the corner of the ring and bow to the person that just finished. Walk along the outside of the ring until you get to the middle. Snap a turn towards the judges and bow in. Now, you've got options. As far as announcing your name, etc, we are told to follow the first person in our group as it is proper etiquette. If I'm first, I won't do it. Either way, you end up close to the edge of the floor go to choon bi and shout the name of your form. Wait for the head judge to motion to begin and do your thing. Afterwards, we turn around so the judges can score us. Turn back around and bow to them and back out of the ring. Turn and bow to the next competitor. Congratulations on your first tournament. Even if you do get screwed remember 2 important rules; Learn and have fun!

I always get this question from parents and non practitioners. Sparring works on speed, accuracy, and moving your body. My instructor stresses that it is not real life but more like a game of tag. I would never fight how I spar, but I can use things from my sparring to fight.

wow, didn't know that TKD lady. We usually only break around tournament time. But when we do, it's all about focus and accuracy. The big stacks of bricks are impressive but many sa bom nims I've talked to would rather see better technique than an elbow strike or something cheesy like that.

I'm a red 4 in TSD. That's 1st gup second pretest for black belt, or the last belt before black

My story is sadly close to monkey girl's. My freshman year, after soccer season, my mom asked me what I was gonna do. I said sit around and do nothing. My brothers had been in Tang Soo Do for about a year at this point. I had done my share of making fun of them for the breathing and things like that. My dad, though, said I couldn't sit around I'd either have to join karate or the dance studio that 2 doors down. I chose karate and am now on course to open my own school. (hopefully!)

Well I'm 5'7"... front kick 7'3-4" round kick 6'4" or so turning side 6'8" or so not that I'll ever kick that high in a real fight though

Well, I had this girl I liked holding one of those rebreakable boards for me. I was doing a ridge hand strike, never tried it so the board wasnt all that big. Well I came around and went through the board like butter, and nailed her in the chest. It knocked her back and everything. I hate it when our instructor says to only use hands to the body while sparring a girl. Because they automatically cover their stomach but nothing higher, daring you to hit them.

My school feels like my family. Friday nights we go to one family's house and watch horror movies. That's all our Friday nights. From age 10-60. Well, a lot of our competition team does that, not the whole school cuz there's 500 students. We also have "the 4 brothers" 4 of us guys that all started together. We don't hang out all that much apart from karate functions but we have so much fun there. We all went to different high schools, date the same girls and act like brothers. The moms there have so many adopted kids. Besides being part of the 4 brothers I have so many little kids that are like brothers. Does anyone else get this feeling at their school?

wow, and I thought some of our workouts were hard.... Our hardest was probably last weeks. We're getting ready for that big world ITF tourney in Panama. (18 days, I'm so nervous) Anyway, the air conditionor was broke and it was 95 outside. With the humidity and body heat from an earlier class the dojang was 105. We spent 2 hours doing forms and weapons forms with the "bands of joy" Rubber bands that connect the ankles. So of course, we concentrated on the kicks. Then after that we went outside (with our now 20 pound doboks) and ran two miles. Another hard one was the last one before Y2K. We did 2000 kicks in 45 minutes.

I agree with Kicker, I think that it would not be good in the martial arts, kind of defeat the purpose. But, gun defense should definately be taught.

I'm working 2 jobs. I'm a stocker at a grocery store about 30 hours a week. And I work at my karate school daycare 20 hours a week. I start college next year, getting my business degree