tkdman102088

i pay 79 USD a month (for unlimited classes) for ITF and UTI TKD along with Combat Hapkido at my school. its the cheapest in the area. My friends school is around 200usd per month.

try and do everything as best as you can (i.e forms)....you will make mistakes and he should or will understand that so dont get upset over mistakes. also hydrate fully the night before, and eat meals full of carbs and other sources of energy it does help. as final words of advice....if you fail dont quit, just get back up and test when you are ready.

yes and high kicks are practical in some situations....and spinning kicks are very useful...my favorite is jump spining back turning kick...very powerful and useful for self defense

yes tkd is not all sport. at my school we teach tkd, and combat hapkido. with a focus on both aspects blended, one art if u wish, and both full arts(meaning two black belts). also tae kwon do traditionally was not just kicks, the term tae kwon do means the way of the hand and foot, so emphasis is placed on hand techniques, legs, and on self defense. that in its essense is tae kwon do...alot of schools have gotten away from that...and even the meaning of the term tae kwon do.

hapkido and combat hapkido are very useful in full on self defense situations if you are good that is...they were originally designed for self defense and that is their purpose.

combat hapkido and hapkido are very fun arts....my school incorporates combat hapkido and it is fun to learn for self defense and contains many painful moves(to the attacker). i like it

Kajukenbopr, a twist kick or twisting kick is a front snap kick say with the right leg that chambers across the left leg and shoots out at an angle towards the opponents left leg or your right. it is used to strike at the ribs, head, or knees. for the ribs or head you can use the instep of the foot, or for the head, ribs or, knees you can use the ball of the foot.

oops i meant Scott L. Kopperud

try the UTI(Unified Tae Kwon Do International), https://www.unifiedtkd.com, forms. They were created by Grandmaster Scoot L. Kopperud, and range from 24 movements to 113(alpha and omega have yet to be created). The good part about his forms are the movements are never used twice, so a right arm down block would be used once and left side once too, and they are fun to watch. try them, the posters are $20 each, discounts are applied if you order more than one.

excellent explanation heather smyth...that is a mighty accomplishment you attained. and you have a true understanding of the martial arts values and ways...in no way could you have accomplished that in 2 years as a child or an adult.

i would recommend possibly trying a chinese martial art like kung fu....they are much different than karate or tae kwon do, but make sure you find a reputable school...not a kung fu mcdojo. also if you do decide to do something on the likes of jujitsu don't go for being given a blackbelt a black belt has to be earned not given...do the work to get it and there will be more satisfaction garnered from the experience from white belt to black versus just recieving black.

great explanation sohan...in my opinion a black belt is not just how you fight. Sparring is something very small in the achievements that were once required and are still required by some martial arts schools. as useless as forms may be in some respects(even tho i do mine well and kno all of them for my belt level) they are part of being a black belt, so is self defense, self control, modesty, perseverence through troubles in life, and also chi power(boards are not broken by strength and technique they are broken by chi moreso than strength, if u break a board with strength you get hurt), all of these things are what makes a black belt, among a few others, if u cant fufill these things u dont deserve a black belt in the respects of most black belts(high ranking). these days alot of people are being promoted with a lack of skill, a black belt is not just a belt its a way of life and a mind set, so once again if you cant fufill what a black belt is meant to be by the old standards you dont deserve it. ive been doing tae kwon do for three years and am not yet ready for black belt and i go four days a week for an hour to an hour and a half classes, and i stay after for extra help. i am also a fast learner, an instructor and an athlete. and i can say i cannot fufill what a black belt should be. although i do posses respect for any black belt regardless if whether or not i think you deserve it...so no offense to ne one

very good point sohan...i too have encountered such blackbelts that aren's seasoned very well at all...ive sparred them and have beaten them as a brown belt who has been doing tae kwon do for 3 years at four days a week and a am in now way capable of passing a black belt test in my school or even in friends' schools.

i myself am an instructor in my school and am very well respected..but i believe that if you can attain black belt you should be able to show lower ranking students and even higher ranking students how to do a technique correctly...no necessarily be a teacher that your born with not made into.

great points people...although for some reason i cannot fathom attaining the mindset of what a black belt is supposed to have in 3 years. i.e having chi power, being cool in times of danger, and formost of all of these a blackbelt should be able to teach or mentor a student. teaching is not for everyone but everyone who is a blacbelt should be competent enough to teach anyone regardless of learning curves or disabilities without becoming angered or stressed. i hope this makes sense.

well i believe it should take from 5 to seven years to achive first dan. and yes this will be hard to settle because everyones view on the issue is different. i just want people to express their views on the issue and talk about it. theres no real answer to this issue and there will never be. just leave your point of view.

if any one would like to continue this discussion about the time required to recieve first dan i have posted a new discussion about this. also--if the original poster of this forum topic sees this i would like you to comment on my topic as well...and best wishes on your next dan test...my comments were not meant to attack you or your rank. i respect you and your rank.

I want to know why so many people in martial arts are recieving black belts after two years. i believe that at a black belt level you obtain experience and skill that can in no way be obtained in two years even with 12 hours of practice a day. present your argument in a professional manner please. IN NO WAY DO I WANT TO OFFEND PEOPLE WITH THIS TOPIC>>>THANK YOU>

i think you should continue to train because of your lack of training, in my opinion 2 years is no where near long enough to deserve a black belt. in no way do i mean to insult you or your school but i am a brown belt and ive been doing tae kwon do for three years and i am in no way good enough to pass a black belt test or even compete with my black belt friends. also if you want to avoid physical situations: 1)walk tall, 2)look proud, 3)keep a cool head, 4)if you never raise your voice when in a situation you come off as intimidating, 5)often in self defense situations i.e. someone is choking you or grabbing your shirt, often enough just taking a step forward or removing the persons hand is enough to scare them because its not what their expecting. so they will give up...usually, 6)try and saty out of places where a physical situation can occur.

its happened to me a few times..but i cure it with more practice

practice makes PERMANENT so learn your forms right and they will become right, do them wrong and they will always be wrong. and to the person aboves comment thats works best for most people so give it a try.

alright being a tae kwon do instructor and teacher myself i would be biased to say "take tae kwon do" but i think that u should not...if u do take another style take a chinese style that has fluid movements such as tai chi, kung fu, qing yi, etc.. because it will up ur skill and make u more fluid...also the forms look artsy and look great in competition. make your choice wisely...

i wouldnt say that i hate or love hyungs(kata) but they are extremely helpful in developing muscle memory, power, speed, strength, etc...their worth the effort if you practice all the time.

i think that martial arts competitions are becoming a joke. i mean who cares about seeing a form to music or hearing an excessively long kiyap. kiyaps are meant to be short and powerful thats kinda the point. competitions should be about forms, technique and sparring nothing super flashy. and as far as taekwondopia goes, its a very bad marketing ploy.

itf tkd doesnt use throws either unless the school adds in throws along with tkd.