bushido_man96

There may have been some folks who broke away from the ATA a while back, but about all they could take with them is the business model, really. The ATA has been pretty good about copyrighting a lot of their stuff. If that's the case, they aren't using ATA curriculum, but they might be trying to model their classes after the ATA model. I'm not familiar with this group. I'm not sure what kind of forms they use.

I do recall those training sessions, and I agree that training in a resistive manner is very important for understanding the limits of a technique. Demos are just that, demonstrations, and most f them are designed to catch the eye and gain the attention of the lay person, to draw them in and get them to sign up. They are, almost always, a form of advertisement.

Ok, Wrestling season has started up again, and we've got our first meet in the books, and are looking toward our next one this weekend. The first meet took place on December 12, and we've had a bit of a break since then, too. Kendall had three matches, but I've only got a few of them here (having upload issues). Kenneth had 4 matches, and I have a few of his here, as well. Kendall: Kendall is on the bottom half of the 10 and under age group this year. We've talked about this, and he knows that there could be more ups and downs this year, with the variances in how different kids grow up faster or slower than others. With that in mind, we kept our head up, have been consistent in the weight room, and he has been hitting practice hard. Kendall looks to be going to wrestle the 120 lb. bracket this year, and he is going to be on the light end of that. He weighed in at 111 lbs. for this first tournament, and he was the lightest in the bracket, wrestling a 114 pounder, a 120 pounder, and another at 117, I think. This is the Jr. Cardinal Classic at Hoisington. Kendall, match 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26HfWNZOddg This kid was a whole head taller than Kendall, just really tall. But we discussed some strategies to work within his own size, and he handled the match really well. He takes a shot, but he dives too much (shot from too far away), and got sprawled on. He started out moving well, but slowed and stopped, and was on his knees, which is not good when the other guy has leverage. But he saved that position, and was able to roll the kid over and reverse, and gets a pin. You can see them shake hands afterwards, and it looks like David and Goliath out there! I couldn't believe how tall that kid was. Kendall, match 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYgY1fk5FJA This one goes pretty quick. But when he shoots on this kid, he stops, like he ran into a wall. The kid was pretty solid. It looked like the other kid was going to turn him, like he caught him in what we used to call a "cow-catcher," but Kendall pushed through it. Match 3 was a tough one. Kendall said the kid was pretty heavy, and it went 3 periods, with Kendall winning 2 to 1, or 3 to 2, or something like that. Really close. Here are the two matches we have of Kenneth's day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0dct-vjg4w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE0BVUx7tAE As you can see, these guys are still learning the ins and outs of the sport. Kenneth has some good takedowns, but he has trouble with his balance and body positioning at times, and has a hard time keeping kids down. They both got taken down and got up a lot, so it was a high scoring match, but Kenneth didn't have enough at the end. But in all his matches, he was smiling the whole time, having fun. In his second match here, he was up against a kid that better, for sure, with more of a handle on things. But, its good learning.

Welcome to KF! Its great to hear that you are searching for a venue back into the Martial Arts. Please keep us posted on what you find!

I do agree that a hanging bag will last much longer than a Wavemaster. A garage should offer some area that you can safely hang one from, and I think you'd be much more pleased with a hanging bag.

Good book. Very informative. I have it, as well.

Well, those 2 students were no closer to testing ( due to their lack of willingness) when I closed my dojang at the end of July than they were when I posted this originally in December. Their mother did tell me how rude I was for closing my dojang in order to go to grad school, however. After all, I "Owed it to them." Did I mention that these 2 students were both adults? It was nice to hear from their mom, though. Quite odd. As an adult, I try to not let my mom handle my issues anymore.

You make good points, Bob. Laziness should not be tolerated. A lack of skill is something I can deal with, as long as the student is giving all of his or her effort in the attempt. I haven't seen anyone that I really thought was slacking in a testing. I guess I've been lucky that way. Nor have I had any issues with parents, either. Most of the parents I've dealt with are the type that have their kids in class so they can learn to work hard for things and to train a work ethic.

I'm not sure if it is part of a form, or just some combinations he's putting together. I don't recognize it, but that doesn't mean anything, either.

To the bold type above... I don't view the ATA as a McDojo. I'm not too understanding as to the methodology/ideology of ATA when it comes to their forms/[Kata], with the dramatic lack of applications as well as the long drawn out as one climbs up the ATA ranks...a 8th Dan form in length is akin to the length of, let's say, the novel, War and Peace, just as long as their forms ALL form the Songham star, or whatever they call it, is fine for them. ::taking a very deep breath:: I'll go back to my corner; sorry!! Bob, I can shed some light on the theory behind the ATA forms. When GM Lee first started making his ATA forms, he had some goals in mind. When he learned the older forms (the ITF forms, I believe), he learned most of them in a period of a few weeks time, and he felt that a form should be a bit more involved than that, and that the complexity of the form should go up as a student goes up in rank. So, in the ATA forms, you see the complexity and difficulty level go up with each form. GM Lee also felt that if TKD was trying to become a style that emphasized kicking, then the forms should also reflect that, so he designed his forms with more kicking, ranging from kicking combinations and high kicking. The ATA curriculum is also laid out for each rank, with each rank having a different set of hand techniques, kicking techniques, blocking techniques, etc, and the forms are a reflection of this. A white belt learns low block, inner forearm block, high block, front kick, side kick, reverse punch and lunge punch, knife hand strike, front stance, and middle stance. So in the form, you see these techniques. At orange belt, they add round kicks, back stance, double forearm blocks, back fist strike, etc. You see these techniques reflected in orange belt form. In the TKD Forms, A Running Comparison thread, you can watch the ATA forms and see this in motion: http://www.karateforums.com/tkd-forms-a-running-comparison-vt47646.html Hope that clears that up a little, Bob.

An Abernethy class would be a blast!

I agree. That's kind of the point of sparring. I want lower ranks to hit me. I'm not infallible, and I want to know where I'm leaving openings, so I can start defending them.

Man, that's rough, Danielle. I haven't had experience with that kind of injury, but I'll be wishing you a speedy recovery!

Danielle has put up some great examples there. I like the ITF style of sparring, and it reminds me a lot of ATA style sparring, but allowing head punches (the ATA does not). However, I don't like the ITF's method of doing forms, but that is a personal preference. I like the thought behind Olympic sparring, but I think they've gotten carried away with it, and have allowed it to get a bit too sloppy. I don't think a fighter should be scoring a point when he's looking up after falling down with a technique. There can be some exceptions to this, but often, it shouldn't be the case. The ATA team competitions are new to me. Very cool. A lot of people don't like the ATA because they view them as a McDojo.

A nice compilation. Thanks for sharing it with us!

Do you think you can walk into a fencing class and just start fighting? Or be a soldier by picking up a gun? Because it doesn't take a.lot of training to mimic a movement, doesn't mean that the mimic has the strength to be effective, the speed to land the attack, the coordination to respond in any situation or that the information is sufficiently ingrained into their brain that it.doesn't fall away when fear and adrenaline smack him upside the head. That's why part of the training in traditional ma is technically specific aerobic drills that you repeat over and over again until you can't loose them and when you are scared and caught by surprise you fall back on them until your brain re-engages. I see the analogies you are trying to make, but I don't think they always match up.If I walk into a fencing class, I won't be winning any fencing competitions any time soon. But, I imagine I would start learning some moves and some applications on that day. As for the motor skill development, I think its important to do both the "aerobic drilling" as well as seeing and working applications for the techniques. Both can be done, and it can be productive. In my Krav and GRACIE DT courses, we started learning application right away. It can be done in Karate and TKD just like it can be done in BJJ or DT settings. I think it has more to do with instructors not wanting to break from the traditional mold of teaching.

Those are good suggestions. You could also try to meet with them outside the school setting, so as not to draw any attention to it.

I agree with you here. We usually move things around so that we can get together for a meal or for opening gifts, and all that. We typically move Thanksgiving around a little, too.

12/16/2015 Strength Training Press: warm-ups: 45x5x3, 65x5, 85x5; work sets: 101x5, 115x3, 128.5x5. Assisted chin-ups: 135x10x3 (supersetted with press). Lying triceps ext: 55x10x3. 12/17/2015 Strength Training Deadlifts: warm-ups: 135x5, 165x5, 195x5; work sets: 232.5x5, 263.5x5, 295x6. Power snatches: 105x2, 105x2, 105x2, 105x2, 105x2. 12/18/2015 TKD Testing: 6:00 - 8:00 pm. We had a good night of testing, mostly kids. Our GM was also there to guest judge, so it was a nice evening! I was the floor judge for the testing, so it was especially easy for me.

There are good ATA schools out there, and there are bad ones. I wouldn't say that the ATA is "closed off" from the rest of the TKD world, but they do have a self-sufficient tournament circuit. You have to be an active member of the ATA to compete in their tournaments. The judges have to attain levels of judging certification to judge at ATA tournaments. They run a Top Ten points system that keeps track of eligibility for competing at the World Championships competition they have annually. They really have a good system.

We really don't have too much of an issue with this. If the instructor sees some of it going on, a quick tongue lashing usually puts an end to it. If that doesn't do it, push-ups usually follow.

Years ago, at my ATA school, after testings, we had a "fun week," waiting for results to come in. We'd do things other than the typical class formats of basics, forms, one-steps, and sparring. Sometimes, we'd have other instructors come in and teach, or work specifically on self-defense related stuff, or other things like that. Right now, we have a week off for Christmas, so nothing like that going on.

The ATA has its own tournament circuit, and there are lots of ATA schools, and lots of schools host regional tournaments. In TX, you probably wouldn't have trouble finding an ATA tournament to go to at all. The ATA has lots of competition venues too, since I have left that association. They have their "traditional" point sparring system, and I think they also started doing Olympic sparring tournaments. They also have forms and weapons competitions, both in a traditional and XMA style, I believe. Are there not any other open style tournaments in that area throughout the year?

Not all TKD schools are sports-centered. You can find some really good ones out there that aren't centered on competing, if you know what you're looking for. If you are looking for competition, though, then looking in the realms of the WTF and ITF sanctioned schools would be a good start. The ATA also has its own tournament circuit and yearly World Championships competition, but not everyone likes the idea of going with the ATA. If you're looking at the Olympic style sparring methods, go with a World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) sanctioned school. The International TKD Federation has a different sparring setup, but still a very competitive tournament scene.

Nothing is effective for every single person. If there was one universally effective method, there'd only be one art being taught at every dojo, the same exact way to every student. I agree with you here.