tessone

You'll be young for a long time, Hiya. Trust me on that one. Don't fret it too much. Do TKD and get good at it. Wait to start another art til you've progressed in the first one. You'll be able to make time for martial arts in high school--don't sweat it. College is a little more of a stretch (but my friends and I all train 4+ hours a week, run, lift, etc.), but in high school, you'll have no problem. And besides, the other arts aren't going to disappear in the next few years.

On the other hand, I know a schedule like that would kill me. A lot depends on how much physical shape you're in. I'm very dedicated to Kuk Sool and train as often as I can, but more than an hour class four times a week is too much for me physically right now. Even four a week is sometimes too much. So you have to do what's right for your physical level, not just what you can do without stressing out.

Welcome to the forums, YnGrsHppr!

I don't think that's an apt analogy. Not only do China and the US have political differences, but there are also significant cultural differences and a tremendous geographic divide, not to mention no unity of purpose or origin. TKD, on the other hand, is one art. Lots of things are taught different, and sometimes the intent might be different, but the major issues are political, and seem to have sprung from a feud between two people. I'm honestly curious to hear the opinions of TKD practitioners on the boards from both sides.

What about the original 8-bit NES? Mike Tyson's Punch-Out represent!!!

I'm sorry, but this is patently not true. The Kuk Sool Won black belt curriculum is many times larger than the color belt curriculum. Even for someone who is a black belt holder, there is a lot to learn--weapons, more forms, more techniques and self defense tactics, etc. It's not just perfecting what you've learned. I have no doubt it's the same way in many, many other arts.

To me, black belt just means an advanced student. That said, it's understandable if someone came in wanting to get the basics and felt they'd reached that goal with the black belt. I know people who have gotten to first or second dan in another art, but upon finding KSW, they left the other art and devoted themselves to the study of Kuk Sool. Sometimes you just have to find what's right, and maybe it was their time to move on...

Welcome, and good luck finding a new place to train!

I'm not sure I see what all this "What's the kewlest art?" discussion really does. It seems to me it just sows dissention. Every art has its pluses and minuses. I like Kuk Sool in particular because it's so comprehensive and the people I know who are involved in it are great. I'm sure both things could be said about a lot of arts, Korean or otherwise.

Looks like he's a black belt. I especially enjoyed the breaking at the end.

Gotcha. I remember seeing some ads in TKD Times calling for unification and things. Is it even a possibility?

I play on the accordian, Everyone comes to see. Birthdays, shucks! Only once a year! Birthdays, shucks! Only once a year! This is translation of Russian happy birthday song. Am wishink forums very happy day of birth!!!

Where does Korea as a nation (or government, I suppose) stand in the argument?

Isn't there already another thread somewhere about Mike Tyson fighting martial artists?

How long have you studied kickboxing? I've found with languages (and most other types of mental training, at least), that focusing on one thing til you're proficient is preferable to going in two directions at once. Maybe it's a good idea, maybe not. Just make sure you don't overextend yourself.

And we have a winner! Godwin's law in effect as expected.

I have a hard time putting much stock in them. If you have, say, a kickboxer vs. a TKD stylist and the TKD stylist loses, all that says is that one particular kickboxer beat one particular TKD stylist one time. Who knows what could happen in a rematch, or with different stylists? But people try to generalize from them and start knocking the styles of the losers. Not cool.

Sounds good to me. I like the images, and I don't think it looks too busy at all. Just make sure the lettering is clear on the actual sign.

I see nothing wrong with belts, as long as people don't place too much emphasis on them. They provide short term goals while you're still in the process of learning the basics. At our school, all color belt tests are less than $50. I think the prices might even be standard throughout KSW, but I'm not 100% sure. Testing from 1st dan and up is a lot more expensive, but once you're a black belt, you're considered a senior student and the idea is you have an important role in building up the organization. That makes a lot of sense to me.

Regardless of the merits or demerits of the Kyoto agreement, countries shouldn't back out of agreements they've signed. Take NMD. Not only have we angered half of the civilized world, but the Bush administration chose the most expensive, least effective variant. If the US is to do NMD (which is questionable), the government should have chosen the Arleigh Burke-based variant.

This is exactly what those ultimate fighting things were early on. Now, though, they've added a lot of rules, so it's not as interesting (though less dangerous).

http://phrontistery.50megs.com/unit.html stone unit of weight equal to 14 pounds

Hehehe. What a great show. I still miss walking down the street with a beer in my hand talking to friends over in Russia. Needless to say, walking around drinking alcohol on the street (unless you're in New Orleans) is frowned upon around here.

Post the pics if your mini-get together works out!

Welcome. Good to have you!