bushido_man96

Looks like fun. American Ninja Warrior type training, or adults on the jungle gym, basically. Sadly, I can't do pull-ups, nor jump high.

Forms on the prairie? Maybe with tornados in the background as a distraction? Yeah, that's ok. But I have to leave my shoes on, and usually train in pants, because some of the taller grasses and weeds can be quite irritating. Tornadoes don't bother me. I often have to go looking for them for work.

There are risks inherent in anything we do. That said, doing nothing is worse. We don't spar in class to knock each other out, and we try to exercise control to the best of our abilities in class. Fail to do so results in being removed from sparring. That said, we still get tagged from time to time, and its our responsibility to take care of each other, so I always check the welfare of my partner if the need arises.

No beach. Landlocked in Kansas. Oh, woe is me!

Don't expect them to do something that you've never trained them to do...

Solid post!!!!!I agree as well. Teaching people to stay out of dangerous places, travel in groups, and how to identify what predators are looking for in a victim are all parts of self-defense that are just as important as learning the physical techniques.I think the problem is that this is the part of self-defense that most young people are least interested in hearing about, let alone learning. For instance, telling college-aged folks that staying out of the bars will increase the likelihood that they won't have to defend themselves is going to fall on a lot of deaf ears. On top of that, getting them to be able to identify the traits and characteristics of a potential attacker or an imminent attack while inebriated is an even further challenge. Thus, the physical aspects of self-defense tends to always get the focus. I also think that good verbal Judo, learning how to de-escalate a situation, and then learning how to talk to the police about what happened, are also very important parts of the whole of self-defense.

McDojos are an unfortunate occurrence in the MA world. I hope that with time and experience, those that are associated with them learn the truth, and then branch out to better places.

I think a peaceful warrior is one who is good at war, but prefers peace, but also understands when its necessary, there is total conviction to resolving the conflict, by whatever means necessary.

Perhaps 100 is too many. But, step 1: Breathe.

I don't think this will happen. Look at other professional sports, men's and women's divisions are separate. Another reason I think we won't see this happen is due to the current climate of domestic violence, specifically men being violent towards women. In a society where we are working to protect women from being abused by men, I don't foresee a company like the UFC actively seeking to pit men and women fighting against each other. It just sends a bad message. I also think that at the UFC level, it wouldn't be as competitive as many people think. I forget what Rhonda Rousey weighed, but it was under 140 lbs, wasn't it? For all her skill and ability, if she was pitted against a male the same weight, and a UFC caliber fighter, I don't think the fight would be competitive at all. And this is not a knock to women fighters. But women just aren't as physically strong as men are as a rule, and the same would hold true in professional level athletics, if not more so. Overall, I think it would be a bad idea, send the wrong message, and be bad for business.

I'd say my style isn't similar at all. But, something I've always loved about JKD, is that it is made up primarily of concepts, and regardless of what your style or techniques are, one can learn to apply the concepts of JKD to what one practices.

I've never "given up" on Martial Arts, but I have had life happen a couple of times where it required a bit of a hiatus from active training. Coming back sucks, as things don't really get easier to do the older (and heavier) I get. But, it always comes back, and I learn more about what I can and can't do, and I have to adapt my training to that.

Talent, physical gifts, can exist independent of experience. Experience will hone and refine over the course of time, and talent will become more helpful. The key is to not let talent make you lazy and just assume it will always get your through.

There are lots of good points being made here, and I think Kusotare has some particularly good ones. Ask yourself this: strip away all the other stuff, do you still enjoy training at that school, and do you find what you are learning to be of value? If the answer to that question is yes, then I'd say drop the problem people from your Facebook page, ignore the noise, and keep training. If it isn't, then driving 30 minutes to a training facility that you enjoy isn't a huge sacrifice, especially with the amount of time you mentioned you spent training. Those are my thoughts. Please keep us posted as to what you decide to do. Recall one of the major tenets of the Martial Arts: perseverance. Its not just through physical adversity...

Try to avoid it! Gi snapping / popping probably means you are doing the technique poorly. K. I'd tend to agree. Although I don't necessarily think that if you are snapping the gi that the technique is done poorly, I don't think a lack of gi popping means that the technique is incorrect or lacks power. A lot of gi popping has to do with the material the gi is made out of, how thick and heavy it is, if the gi has been ironed and starched, etc. Its kind of akin to twirling a weapon. Its looks good, and adds some flair, but does it have a purpose?

The best thing about the Martial Arts is that it offers the opportunity for physical improvement along with character improvement from having to work hard to get better. That creates physical and mental toughness, like many other physical activities do. I'd say the bad and the ugly are the political aspects of the Martial Arts. I've come to accept that this is something that will just be in the Martial Arts world, so long as it is run by humans. Overall, I'd say we've got a pretty good thing going.

In TKD classes, we don't wear any training shoes. When I train Krav Maga, I wear shoes or boots, depending on the outfit I have on. Earlier this year (or late last, I tend to forget), our defensive tactics club hosted a two-day training session, in which day one was training in the mat room in short/t-shirts and no shoes, and day two was training the same techniques and concepts on a practice field in full uniform: gun belts, vests, work boots, the whole nine yards. It was a very valuable training experience, and I recommend everyone do it every so often.

This is a very good read. I think every Korean stylist, not just TKD practitioners, should read it. I believe there is a new version out now, too, with some added info.

That's how oblivious I am; I didn't know we weren't!

I think that learning how to use a firearm properly is important for any Martial Artist. Learn how to draw it from where you holster it, practice malfunction drills, and practice reloading (this can all be done in one session and for fairly cheaply). And don't just shoot; work on shooting and moving. Now, using an rifle replica for a "traditional" weapons form, well, when it comes to competition, part of success is knowing what the judges like and don't like. And if the description is "traditional," then it probably wouldn't include firearms.

I think you've nailed it here. That's a great breakdown.

7/10/2017 Strength Training Press: warm-ups: 45x5x2, 65x5, 95x3; work sets: 121x5, 121x5, 121x5. Lying Triceps Extensions: 40x10, 40x10, 40x10. 7/13/2017 TKD Class: 6:00 - 7:00 PM. Back to class! Basics (lots of huffing and puffing), forms (Chon Ji, Dan Gun, Do San, and Gae Baek, all by instructor count), one-steps, and then stretch. My legs were starting to feel pretty tight, so I sat out sparring to stretch them out. Not a bad first class back. My knees yelled at me, and my kicks weren't as high as they used to be, but I'm taking the little steps getting back into it.

Stress-Recovery-Adaptation. First, stress the body enough to trigger an adaptation. Then rest for the necessary amount of time, and after you have rested, your body should have adapted to the training you did. That's the easy part. Tougher is implementing the plan. When one first starts off training in a Martial Art, less could be more. Start off with two classes a week, and get your body acclimated to the training. Once your body has adapted, add another class, and the benefits will keep on coming.

Do your fives.

I'm a non-sine wave TKD practitioner; ironically, I practice the ITF forms. Prior to that, however, I was in the ATA and did not use sine wave then, either. I have done lots of watching of sine wave forms, and although I understand the reasoning behind it, its not my preference for generating power. I've always used my hips more, and tried not to rise and fall when I do techniques. Now, with that said, I'm not saying sine wave doesn't work. I'd have to spend time learning and doing it to really make a decision there. Its just another way of doing things.