bushido_man96

3/26/2019 Strength Training Barbell Rows: 75x10, 75x10, 75x10. Lat Pull-downs: 110x10, 110x10, 110x10. Spent 15 minutes on a bike, too.

I think its important to keep in mind that it was a tournament setting, as well. Some of those that take competition seriously will put themselves in a mindset of being above their competition. After all, we are talking about using physical skills to overcome another person. I see it in Wrestling all the time. What I wonder is if this is an attitude that they only display at tournaments, and can turn it on and off, or if its an all the time thing. Some can turn it off, and some can't.

And a Happy Belated Birthday from me, too! Hope it was a good one!

Just now seeing this. So far, my bracket is holding up well. I've got Duke and UNC in my finals, and all of my Final Four teams are still in it (Duke, UNC, Tennessee, and Gonzaga). The K-State and Iowa State losses have hurt me the most so far, as I had both of those teams getting to Sweet Sixteen.

Great points above, Devin. Our Little Lions program really helps to float the rest of the school, which benefits all the adolescents and adults that train with us in the traditional classes. It can really be a boon to a school.

Hey folks, just dropping in to let you know that the State Tournament update is coming in soon. Suffice it to say that I was very pleased with how both boys performed at State this year!!!...

Back in the gym after a very long layoff. Not to mention spending most of the last month and a half being sick has really slowed me down. 3/25/2019 Strength Training Squats: warm-ups: 45x5x2; work sets: 135x5, 135x5, 135x5. Bench: warm-ups: 45x5x2; work sets: 95x5, 95x5, 95x5. Barbell Curls: 45x10x2.

I'm not sure what that first video was, but I'd guess there were probably some things done wrong, if the "x-ray" that was shown is factual. My guess is it is not. At any rate, "heavy" is kind of a relative term when it comes to weight training (I choose the term "weight training" because training and exercising are two different things). I just recently got back into the gym to lift, so what I consider "heavy" is different than what someone who has been training for 5 years consecutively considers heavy. Like many things, the heavy squat included, the key to avoiding injury lies in proper execution of technique. And if you can't execute a proper squat with light weight, then one should not progress to heavier weight using improper technique. Flexion with rotation under a load is the most dangerous movement for the spine, and if the squat is performed properly (proper Valsalva maneuver along with proper alignment prior to taking the weight off the bar), then this movement is avoided, a proper squat is performed, and gains are achieved.

Have you considered using a hooked grip for deadlifts? Its an option that will allow you to continue to use a double-overhand grip, and should put off the use of straps, as well.

Keep up the good work!

I agree, this is the most difficult part about becoming an instructor. Your time is no longer your own.

I have not, in the sense you are describing here. I'd have to say the closest thing to a "parent" style to TKD would probably be Shotokan, and I have never been to a school or worked with a practitioner. I have, however, had the pleasure to do something like what you've asked about with Sensei8, learning how things we do are similar or different, and our approaches to things. It was very informative and valuable time spent.

Sometimes forms work, sometimes bag work, sometimes focusing on specific techniques and refining movements. Sometimes its high impact, and sometimes its slow and repetitive movement of technique.

Its important to practice in levels of resistance. The first component of practice is drill. Drill the technique so that one knows it is being done the right way. Concentrate on specific cues in order to see the technique to completion. Once drilling has accomplished what it is designed to do, which is learning the technique, its important to add levels of resistance along the way. When drilling in the wrestling room, being a good partner and when drilling with around 50% resistance helps the other partner see the application in progress, and iron out any small issues the practitioner is having in execution. Wrestling live is where each partner attempts to complete the moves in real working order, reacting to the reactions of the partner along the way. This is when the practitioners start to learn how to chain movements together in order to make things happen, or see when things change and a new technique or tactic is needed. This can all be applied in the Martial Arts school, as well.

We typically don't start anyone under the age of 6, but each case is different, and I think each child should be evaluated based on how well they pick up and are able to participate in the class. Some six year olds aren't up to the challenge, and some four year olds are. As a baseline, starting around age six works out pretty well for us.

This is not the case. Training with very heavy weights can be quite beneficial to the entire body, especially exercises like the squat and the dead lift. As with any exercise, performing it correctly is the key to not causing injury. This starts with the proper training in how to do the lifts correctly. Once a lift is correctly learned, then its time to start loading the bar and adding weight. Its also important to keep track of weight training using a training log, which should be set up in such a way that an open log book should show between a week-and-a-half to two weeks worth of training notes. By keeping track of the programming (which is also very important), the lifter can see what how much weight/reps they did in the previous workout, and this guides them in selecting the proper weight for the current workout. In order to get stronger, heavier weights have to be lifted. Proper tracking and programming help the lifter approach these weights in the proper manner.

I think I've got a whole book dedicated to Sanchin. It seems to be quite the kata.

3/9/2019: District 4 Championships. I'll start with Kendall. He initially had three others in his group, which was going to basically turn into a 4-man round robin to determine seed for state. One of the wrestlers dropped out for some reason or other, so it came down to three. Kendall won his first match in the first period, pinning after throwing with a headlock. I'd rather not see the headlock, but he made it work, so on to match two. Match two was between the other two kids in the bracket, with the other one being one of his opponents from the middle school season, that likes to headlock. We watched them wrestle, and I feel it was very valuable to watch the match. The match was won by headlock, which was set up with an underhook. After watching, we talked about ways of dealing with the underhook, and we had worked on some things against that early that morning when warming up (wrist control and such tactics). In the end, Kendall decided he was just going to take a shot right off the mark to prevent the underhook attempt. So match three, he did just that, and did take the opponent down, but got rolled through, and ended up having to fight from the bottom. The bigger opponent was able to ride Kendall out from there and pin him. But the takedown almost worked, we just have to figure out how to avoid getting rolled through. He finished 1-1, and took 2nd place, which puts him at a 2 seed for the state tournament. Kenneth had four in his bracket, so it was a round robin for seeding, as well. Two of the opponents he wrestled to and lost to this year, and the third he had not wrestled yet. It turns out he's the shortest kid in the group, with all others being at least a head taller than him. His first match was against a familiar opponent that I knew he could wrestle with, and he did just that. When he got taken down, he fought off the bottom, and at one point nearly had the kid caught on his back, but couldn't hold it. He lost the match in the end, but did not get pinned (very important), score ending 9-4. I missed his second match, because the meet was being held in split gyms and separate buildings, and his second match happened during Kendall's third match. But I was met by the opponent's dad on the way back in, and he congratulated me, because Kenneth had won. Kenneth had not beaten this opponent yet either, and his dad said his kid tried to run a cement mixer, but Kenneth defended it and caught him for a pin in the second period. His third match was against the best kid in the group, who was much bigger and more solid than the others in the group, and he pinned Kenneth in the first period. So now, the magic of round-robin scoring: Kid A won all three of his matches, so got first. Kid B, Kenneth, went 1-2, pinning one, getting pinned in the last one, and losing by points in the first one. Kid C, who Kenneth beat, beat the kid Kenneth lost to first off, but didn't pin him, and lost to the Kid A, finishing 1-2. Kid D, who lost to Kid C, but beat Kenneth, but couldn't pin him, lost to Kid A by getting pinned, also finishing 1-2. So the way it all shook out in the end was that Kenneth ended up 2nd place, I think by virtue of not getting pinned in his first match. It was crazy, but I was so happy for him and proud. So both boys, having and up and down day, get 2nd place, and for the first time they both qualified for state in the same year.

Congratulations!

3/7/2019 TKD Class: 6:30 -7:30 pm. Basics, a brief stretch, form (Choong Jang), one-steps (white belt), and sparring consisted of combinations and testing sparring with no pads. Quick stretch after class. Tonight after forms, my instructor asked me what my favorite form was. I told him it was Gae Baek, as I feel like I get a lot of power out of it, and it just seems to "fit" the way my body likes to do things.

I've never used chalk, just a mixed grip from 120 up. never had this happen before but I did seek out the new bars in the gym with very rough gnarling which is probably the reason. I definitely recommend using chalk. You don't need a lot of it, and I've purchased some chalk balls at sporting goods stores that work really well. Our gym doesn't allow chalk, because too many people scatter it around like fairy dust and never clean up after themselves. But I can get away with using these chalk balls because I just rub what I need on my hands without making the mess, and the only chalk left over is on the bar.

Too true.

Thank you so much, Bob! Stay tuned for updates!

Our school does what called a "Little Lions" program, which is very much what you are referring to, Danielle. We have a series of stripes we give out over the course of a two month cycle, all based on character traits and physical skills: balance, coordination, listening, focus, teamwork, etc. We have two 30 minute classes per week for them, and at the end of the two month cycle, they have a testing. We run a separate belt system for these classes, as well. Its really a great way to feed kids into the regular classes, and is a big part of how our school actually keeps going.

2/27/2019 Taught TKD Class: 6:30 - 7:30 pm. Basics, forms, and one-steps today. I had a couple of fresh-faced white belts in class, so tried to hammer in on some basics. The CI was sick with the flu that day, so a surprise to be teaching, but a good one, to be sure.