bushido_man96

A good instructor should be able to do several different things. Teaching is an obvious one. An instructor should be able to aptly demonstrate techniques for demonstration purposes. One does not have to kick high to kick proper. An good instructor has to be able to relate to all different kinds of people. Kids, adults, and even older adults and those with disabilities. Everyone learns differently. An instructor must have good teaching methods, and be able to alter them when the situation arises. An instructor has to be able to help everyone "get it". Good instructors have to be able to think on their feet.

Aodhan, where is your ATA school located?

One of the major downfalls of a young black belt is that they tend to burn out. I hate to see potentially great young carreers peter out due to boredom.

The sparring has definitely changed. With all the safety epuipment and rules and overcautiousness, it has allowed the genre to open up more to children and women, who would usually be opposed to harder contact with no padding. I remember the good old days...two lines down the middle of the floor, facing each other, no pads, no refs, low ranks getting pummled by high ranks, and on and on. Oh yeah, there was also that concrete Armory floor. Good times.

My instructor tries to get the idea across to the students that 1st dan is not the only goal, and that if they quit after they achieve it, then they can't really go around saying that they are black belts; they could say that they were black belts.

Sometimes when I think about the time I have in-rank, I think, "man, I could be a 4th degree by now." Oh, well. No big deal. I just keep on pluggin'.

Don't chase. Good idea. What if they find out I am not chasing, and they don't chase me?

Own it and read it. Others that are recommended are Master of Defense: The Works of George Silver, The Codex Wallerstein, and Medieval Swordsmanship.

This is one way that I look at forms. They are a set of moves and stances strung together to help build coordination and skill. Sure, some of the techniques will never be used, like and x-block, but doing these techniques causes you to coordinate different parts of your body in different ways, helping with skill development. As for the x-block, it could be used if you are using both hands to redirect a punch to your face, and then turning your hands to grab and wrap the opponent up. It is just not used in the complete technical application that is used in the form.

Thanks for the info, all. I have some books on BJJ and one on small circle jujutsu; I think I shall start reviewing them.

Those days were called the "golden age of karate." The sparring was with little padding, and usually had pretty good contact. Some of those gusy got hurt. Even with lots of control, when you are competing, you get excited, and the contact level is elevated. Safety equipment has come a long way since those days. That is also a factor.

I don't like the extreme forms, with back flips, jumping split kicks, and goofy looking monkey rolls. These forms are only a display of acrobatic and athletic ability. I don't care much for musical forms, either. And for those who don't like forms, that is fine with me. I like to see why people do or do not enjoy them.

try holds rather than locks, they are easier to apply and can make it easier to move your advesary around quickly. I use the rear naked choke and both the full and half nelson all the time, as well as some other holds. Thanks, elbows_and_knees, that is a good point. I didn't think to differentiate between holds and locks, but you make a good distingquishment. I'll keep that in mind.

I would let it slide. If they let you walk away, then I say you did alright. Let him run his mouth. The best thing you can do is look at him and his buddy with confidence, as if to say nonverbally that if they want some more, that they can come get it. Remember, you never know who you may be setting an example for.

I am hoping to get a job as a jailor here in a few weeks (Interview this Tuesday). For legal reasons, I am not going to be able to attack resisting inmates with my fists. I am going to have to brush up on my joint locking skills. In the street, I prefer to fight with my hands, if they are free. I kind of like the Kenpo guy's interpretation. If somebody grabs me somewhere, I am going to punch them first, and then maybe punch them again, and if they still haven't let go, I will either try a joint lock, or punch them again. Joint locking has its uses, as I am sure to find out shortly, but I am not going to stand there and get my face handed back to me because I am trying to work some guy into an arm bar.

It is refreshing to see so many positive comments about forms and forms practice. Sparring gets so much attention, it seems like our forms go by the wayside. I know that when I get older, and slower, and have less reaction time and athletic ability than I have now, that forms will still be there waiting for me.

I think that this definition is misleading. The medieval Europeans had martial systems as well. The western world has a serious misconception that advanced fighting systems came only from the far east. This is not true. I have been studying western martial history for some time now. In looking in some of the old manuals, one can see many similarities between judo or jujutsu and the "wrestling tricks" that masters-at-arms taught there soldiers. The Martial Arts of Renaissance Europe is a very informative study of these western martial practices. An excellent web site to check out is https://www.thearma.org. Check them out and have your eyes opened. yeah, definitely. boxing, wrestling, sword fighting, sword and stick, joint locking resembling jjj, archery, horseback riding, etc. This just isn't what the mainstream envisions when "martial arts" are mentioned. look into espada y daga, for example. Heck, look at kali. Notice the spanish names of many of the techniques? spaniards put their spin on kali when they invaded the philipines. Yes, this is true as well. I love to study the history of any and all martial systems, and I think they all deserve their dues.

I think that this definition is misleading. The medieval Europeans had martial systems as well. The western world has a serious misconception that advanced fighting systems came only from the far east. This is not true. I have been studying western martial history for some time now. In looking in some of the old manuals, one can see many similarities between judo or jujutsu and the "wrestling tricks" that masters-at-arms taught there soldiers. The Martial Arts of Renaissance Europe is a very informative study of these western martial practices. An excellent web site to check out is https://www.thearma.org. Check them out and have your eyes opened.

13 years of taekwondo in two different associations. Like them both, too. Still practice my old forms every now and then, just to remember.

Bravo. I am not sure what I would have done in that situation. It is good to defend yourself, even if it is only verbally. By showing your self-confidence, you made this guy go pick a different target. Not that it's my business, but did you report the guy to the authorities? Maybe give a description of a guy who might be hassleing others as well? Hopefully he won't choose any other targets. If you felt that your life was threatened by this guy, then saying you would kill him is fairly appropriate. People go on today about the levels of an encounter, and you have to respond with force equal to what is brought to you. I think this is bunk. It gives lawyers leverage to help set criminals free. Good for you.

I know we all talk about sparring and fighting a lot, and with good reason. Most of the people here who signed up for martial arts classes did so to learn self-defense, and it is easy to relate self-defense or fighting with sparring. I am no different. I would like to know how many of you out there like and appreciate the practice of forms. I personally love it. Watching beautifully done forms is a tribute to the patience and practice of technique. I am mostly talking about traditional style forms, not extreme forms with back flips and stuff like that in them. When I go to compete, forms is my favorite part of the competition. I am not trying to say it is better than sparring, and I am not comparing the two. I like to spar as well. Forms practice holds a special little place in my competitive heart, I guess.

In all of our traditional classes, we do basics for warm-ups. They are the same basics every class, and in the same order. Starts with hand techniques, and moves on through three sets of them. Then we move on to kicks, and then combinations. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes to get through them all. I am dead by the end of that, and then we do forms, starting with the low rannks first. After that I am really dead. Then we do one-steps, and then spar. I can never seem to get used to the classes, and even after several years, I still get tired. I am soaked by the end of a class.

One of the main reasons I continued to train was because I had no desire to ever quit. My dad instilled a pretty good work ethic in me, and I am never satisfied with my performances. I can always get better. As far as avoiding physical conflict, that has a lot to do with self-control. Know the places you are going, the people that will be around. I avoid the bar scene. However, I am married, and love to just be with my family. (Met my wife in TKD, by the way ) Just using your head will help. If you aren't cornered, you can most likely walk away.

This is a good article. In this day and age, people need to have short term objectives to lead them to long-term goals. The color belts serve to act as the objectives that lead to the goals.

Great ideas, everyone. Thank you. I went to the gym and sparred with two of my tallest classmates on 4-14-06. One is 6'3", and the other is 6'5". The former is a 1st degree, and the latter is a blue belt whe has just returned from a LOA. I felt that I did a little better, I made some contact on them, and and even got each in the head once. I worked on sidestepping, too, but is coming hard to me. When I do my footwork drills on my own, I sidestep forward at a 45 degree angle. However, while sparring, I still find my sidestepping going more backwards than forwards. I guess I just need to get used to it. I did land a few spin side kick counters as well. Its coming, I guess. Here's another question: Do you all think I should try to sidestep even without them attacking? Like, instead of trying to slide forward, should sidestep and use some footwork to get in close to them? Thanks for the replys....keep 'em coming!!