bushido_man96

Very well put. I feel that the goalposts tend to move just a bit further out of reach the closer we appear to get to them. This is good, because it means we are continuing to push ourselves to that next level, no matter how small a step up it might be. It remains the mirage on the horizon, just within reach, as we strive to quench our Martial Arts thirst....

2/18/2015 Defensive Tactics club: 12:30 - 2:00 pm. Warmed up with 20 minutes of forms work, focusing on the white belt forms: Chon Ji, Palgwe 1, Taegeuk 1, Songham 1, then stretched. Worked on Krav handgun disarms, mainly from the front to the head. 2/19/2015 Wrestling Practice: 6:00 - 6:50 pm. Stance, stand-ups, and lots of live wrestling. Stretch. 2/23/2015 Defensive Tactics Club: 1:30 - 3:00 pm. More handgun disarms, from front (body and head), side (in front of and behind arm), and behind (body and head). 2/25/2015 Defensive Tactics Club: 12:30 - 2:00 pm. First 30 minutes was working on white belt forms again, 5 reps each of Chon Ji, Palgwe 1, Taegeuk 1, and Songham 1, followed by a nice stretch. Club members then reviewed their self-defense curriculum for a personal defense seminar they are putting on this weekend. One of the club members brought out a Kwon kicking shield, and so I got to demonstrate some kicking.

Well done! Congrats to you!

Congratulations! Getting nervous like that is pretty normal, and it sounds like your nerves served you well, and you didn't over-pressure yourself. Keep at it! Well done!

Well, Danielle asked for it, so you guys get it: heavyweight TKD patterns! These are me do each of the 4 "white belt" forms that I've been working on and discussing here. I do Chon Ji, Palgwe 1, Taegeuk 1, then Songham 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXPl3udPIkU&list=PL1638C81C7CB19AC1&index=7 Its a little sideways, and you can't hear anything I'm saying that well because of the echo, but I try to do some deliberate stepping after each of the forms to show how far off I end after each one in regards to my starting point. My starting point is the side of one of the wrestling ring's center start lines, where wrestler's would start in the neutral position. Then I step back to that position after finishing to reset for the next form. Chon Ji was quite a ways off, nearly one stance length away, and one stance length back from the starting point. Palgwe 1 ended about 2 stance lengths back of the starting point. Taegeuk 1 ended about 1 stance length back of the starting point. Songham 1 was off just about a step, if that. After filming these, I did continue to work on them, and focused on narrowing my front stance a bit. That seemed to help, and started getting closer and closer to my starting point with each form. Songham 1 remains my most accurate form, but I think the reason why is because it only goes forward and back, and there are on 90 degree turns with the front stances, so I'm not battling the width of stance issue in that form. So, any comments are appreciated, on anything. I probably don't look very crisp, but I'm working on it. Hopefully, I can get some more of these videos up and going in the future, as well, if not to just discuss some of the differences between the way the TTA does the Chang On forms and the ITF. Please comment on them, and I'll keep working on 3rd dan stuff!

First off, its great to see the crew you have rolling in there! I'm glad its going well so far! Great, great advise on the video there. I will definitely be thinking of that underhook from now on when some tries to get me into side control. And it seems obvious, now that you've shown it here, to not let the position happen in the first place, but this helps see how to do it well. Great video, and thanks again for sharing these!

I've seen in Wrestling the smaller, faster guys giving my oldest son fits. Its good for him, though, because he has to focus and be more technical in order to cover the gap in the lack of speed. I would suggest keying on that, using quickness and sound technique to your advantage.

Welcome to KF! Have you researched your area for dojos yet? That would be the first step in your journey.

It does mean a lot, Bob! Glad you've enjoyed the thread. I think this was Brian's brainchild and it's been an excellent accountability tool. Thank you, Alex!! This is Brian's idea? Now, that's very cool!! I do agree that this forum is an excellent accountability tool for the MAist...after all, we are accountable for our training!! I'm glad you've been enjoying it, Bob! I enjoy reading what everyone else is doing, and it helps me stay motivated, as well. 02/12/2015 10 minutes of work on Taegeuk 1, with focus on the walking stances, especially the width of them. I'm trying to get closer and closer to ending on the starting point. Wrestling: 6:00 - 7:00 pm. Did lots of stance work with movement, staying low with a good base. My legs got tired! Also worked stand-ups. 02/16/2015 Wrestling: 6:00 - 7:00 pm. Stance work, double leg takedowns, stand-ups.

I think issues like this will continue to be the norm as opposed to changing anytime soon. But I wouldn't say the result you got was because it was an ATA school. Rather, it was because it was that ATA school. I imagine some others would be willing to host a seminar.

I'm an instructor at my school, so for me, its a place to go help and teach people what I enjoy doing. Hopefully along the way, I'm able to become a resource for them.

Its nice to see some break downs like this. I especially like to see the use of the low kicks. I look forward to seeing more.

In truth WTF should maybe call theirs a front stance as "ap" 앞 translates as front. Not sure what "gunnun" means exactly, but pretty sure that doesn't mean "walking". I had a book somewhere on the Korean language and terminology, will see if I can dig it out. If you feel comfortable sharing maybe post a video? I can try to put a video together of me doing those four forms. The more I practice now, the more I think that perhaps my front stance is too wide, as well. But, I like to have a wider stance, as I feel more stable, and like I get good power generation from it. More nice looking techniques. I'd like to see some pre-application form segment, to see if he is taking some of these combinations from the form segments, or if they are just various moves thrown together from the forms. I know I've been off a bit, but don't worry, I'll be kicking up the third dan comparisons hopefully this week!

Thanks for the review here, Alex. It sounds like it would be a good addition to a weapon's text library. In other FMA works, I've see that there is a crossover between open hand and weapon techniques. Does this work make mention of any open hand work at all?

This post was originally published as an article in a dedicated KarateForums.com Articles section, which is no longer online. After the section was closed, this article was most to the most appropriate forum in our community. I received this book, Taekwondo: A Step-by-Step Guide to the Korean Art of Self-Defense by Master Kevin Hornsey, for free from Tuttle Publishing, who contacted Patrick with the offer. Part One: Introducing Taekwondo Part one of Master Hornsey's book begins with a very brief synopsis on Taekwondo history. He doesn't delve hardly at all into the actual history of Taekwondo, but states that the earliest martial art forms in Korea had different names, were passed down secretly and only after the Japanese occupation ended did these arts enjoy revival. This is about as in-depth as the history section gets, other than a set of bullet points listing dates of interest in regards to the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF). Master Hornsey doesn't mention anything in regards to General Choi, Hong Hi's influence of Taekwondo or its roots in karate experiences in Japan. In my opinion, the author probably shouldn't have bothered at all with this section, as it doesn't provide any helpful information, other than some highlights of the WTF's international influences. Master Hornsey next goes into what Taekwondo is: the physical and spiritual benefits of its practice, like developing self-control, spirit, self-confidence, etc. Master Hornsey spends time in the book discussing the development of the spiritual aspects of Taekwondo and how learning traits such as courtesy, modesty, loyalty and humility help promote peace and happiness in the student. For those readers that enjoy some of the more intrinsic aspects of martial arts study, Master Hornsey does a nice job of elaborating on that aspect and tends to retain this theme throughout his book. One of sections that I found very beneficial is the section Master Hornsey spends on finding a school and instructor. He discusses the importance of researching the schools available to a prospective student and details points such as finding governing bodies that can point a student towards a school or show a student what schools are in the student's area. Master Hornsey gives good advice on seeking out the head instructors of the area schools and provides a general idea of what to expect in the conversation. He also advises watching a class while making sure to note the size of the class and what the instructor emphasizes, in addition to speaking to other students about the class. Master Hornsey provides a bullet point section highlighting good questions to ask an instructor. He follows with a section discussing Taekwondo school etiquette, discipline and conduct and describes the grading system as it pertains to his school. Part Two: Training In part two of the book, Master Hornsey delves into the physical training aspect of Taekwondo and leads into this by discussing how factors such as age, natural ability, the student's ability to practice and the student's instructor all have an effect on advancement. Hornsey discusses a typical class format and what to expect in class. He touches on warm-ups and basics, partner work, advanced techniques and cool-down. After the training section introduction, Master Hornsey has sections that detail warming-up exercises, stretching and drilling. In the drilling section, he covers aspects important to performing good Taekwondo techniques, such as hip action, moving and footwork. He follows with basic techniques, which include stances, target areas, blocks, strikes and kicks. Hornsey goes into detailed sections of each with photos and descriptions. The photos are large and clear (and in color) and use arrow graphics to show the direction of travel of the techniques, direction of hip rotation and striking/contact points. He covers a nice selection of blocking, striking and kicking techniques, as well as a nice variety of basic, intermediate and advanced techniques. This section of the book is very helpful in its descriptions, and the format of the photography is nicely laid out. The large color photos are great, and the arrow graphics provide good technical detail. After the technique descriptions, Master Hornsey lays out three of the WTF forms in the book: Taegeuk 1, 4 and 8. The layout at this point in the book gets a bit choppy, in my opinion. Each form section begins with a description of the form in the header, but this description stays in the header, with the form photos and explanations laid out on the rest of the page. In order to read the entire form description, you have to flip over the other pages of the form descriptions to finish it and then go back and read over the form photos and descriptions. Another issue I have with the form descriptions layout is that when the form turns, he shows one picture of the turn and then all the techniques are shown from a front view. This is nice for showing the technique, but can be confusing for someone who is not familiar with the forms themselves. However, I don't think Master Hornsey wanted this to be a book on forms, nor were these three forms the main focus of the book, so other works would be much better to cite for forms references. I will reiterate, though, that the descriptions are good and the pictures are clear and large enough to discern detail in the techniques. By choosing to demonstrate these three forms in the book, he shows a basic, intermediate and advanced form of Taekwondo to the reader, providing a look into what advancing in Taekwondo has to offer. Part Three: Taking it Further Master Hornsey finishes the book with part three, a section on sparring and self defense. This section is an overview of what a student can expect in Taekwondo sparring, and he lays out some partner drills showing some sparring concepts. Hornsey does the same with self defense scenarios, using the same picture and description format that is used throughout the book. The section is decent; not exhaustive, but giving some nice examples of what Taekwondo has to offer. In conclusion, I think Master Hornsey's book is a nice choice for a student who is looking at beginning a journey in Taekwondo through a WTF affiliated school. Master Hornsey gives good, sound advice in regards to taking steps in locating a school and speaking with an instructor, detailing what to expect in a class and has a great section describing different techniques that can be found in Taekwondo. He spends a good amount of time discussing the intrinsic aspects of Taekwondo study, which appeals to many students more than just the physical aspects. The book is well written and, other than the few layout points I mentioned earlier, flows very well. I think it would be a good book to use as a beginner resource for a beginner student in WTF Taekwondo. Buy the book: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk (KarateForums.com receives a small commission on any sales generated through these links).

Thanks for the description here, Iceman. I had read somewhere in one of my books that the insides of the heels were supposed to be on the same line. Either way, I was doing the stance about shoulder width apart, which was way too much, although much more comfortable to me. I did a session of forms work last week focusing on Taegeuk 1 only, and narrowed the stance considerably, and that really helped me out with the form line. I was getting much closer to ending on my starting spot. This is kind of a funny point for me, seeing what the ITF calls a walking stance, and what the WTF calls a walking stance, and in my styles of practice, I've never used a stance referred to as a walking stance. The ITF walking stance is what I've always called a front stance. I think with Chon Ji, I'm losing something in the turns, like you mention. Perhaps my pivot foot is slipping some. It ends pretty close, but I can't seem to get it to land right on.

Thanks for the tips, guys. I was trying to get him to bump with the hips more to help him through it. I will keep this in mind the next time we work it.

I'm sorry to hear about your sister, Bob, and I'll be praying for her recovery. I think its a good thing that you have the ability to go help her, and I think your students understand that this is what defines you. A student couldn't really ask for a better example.

Thanks for this review. I know that nutrition is a point in my life that I fall short in, as I'm sure many others do. This sounds like a good read for the serious Martial Artist.

I think that finding a different school might be the way to go. You can try to approach him and let him know that you have no interest in anything outside of a professional relationship, but in the end, this may make things uncomfortable, especially if he doesn't let up. I think the best idea is to walk away, and find a different place to train.

I agree with this, 100%. I learned from an early age from my dad, but, not for very long. I eventually joined a school, and it went from there. If my kids ever decide they want do TKD with me, I'll bring them in. But I won't make them do it. I have both of my boys in Wrestling, and I help them there as much as possible (probably too much at times), but its their thing, while TKD is my thing.

Great advise here so far. Keep things moving, keep it fun, and I wouldn't go for an hour with that young an age. Around 30 - 45 minutes is where you will see good attention out of that age group. This gives you enough time to do around 3 drills that focus on the topic of the day.

That's a good point, Bob. Also important to stance training is the transitioning from stance to stance. Make sure not to just sit in stances and work them. Move from stance to stance to get the feel for how to do so smoothly and comfortably.

Aha...Thanks, Brian. I'll look for that much closer!! Thanks, Bob. This weekend, we will be in Dodge City for Gun Smoke Nationals. It looks like Kendall only has 3 in his bracket, and one is a national placer. But Kenneth is in a novice division with 7 wrestlers. So it should be a fun day!Ok, here is Kenneth's next tournament, the Ellis Novice, 01/18/2015. Match 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nrsvD1xfag I think Kenneth wrestled this kid once before, but lost. He opens up with a tackle for a takedown, but once down, he has trouble keeping his weight on top and holding them down, so they tend to get up rather easy. You will have to excuse the shaky video, Kendall was the filmographer on this expedition. You can here is coaching commentary, as well. I wonder who he gets that from, anyway. Anyway, he rolls around most of the first period, but keeps fighting through it, and manages to do some rolling to keep from getting pinned. He starts the 2nd period with a takedown attempt, but instead of shooting, he bends over and grabs for the knee, which doesn't work out well for him. He fights off another pin attempt, and does eventually reverse, but he keeps a funny hold on the kid, and doesn't really get into good position. He starts 3rd period on bottom, and his stand-up attempt gets stifled, but the kid pulls him down onto him, and if he would turn into him, he would probably start getting some points, but he's still figuring it all out. He does eventually get free, but gets into just grabbing and pulling the kid, onto him, instead of pushing and driving. Towards the very end of the match, he gets pinned. The upside, though, is that he did score some points, and kept moving for the most part. Score was 9-13 before the pin. Match 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjE8Hh6ni5w He gets taken down early, and fights off a pin. He bellied out some off the takedown, but not enough, and gave up the back points. After he got rolled over with the half-Nelson, I don't know how he wasn't pinned sooner, but it took a while for them to call it. Still learning. Match 3: Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dusBC9t8QJc Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9bN6KYRQUQ This one was pretty quick, but this little guy was pretty darn good. Aggressive, and pretty good with his body positioning, too. Once on his back, he didn't try to fight it off at all. After the pin, they started again, with pretty much the same result. But, after all said and done, they did give him a 4th place medal.

It would be like training wall sits for an extended period of time. If you do that, guage it off that. Some stances will be more taxing, as well. A sitting stance will hit both legs well, where a back stance will focus on one leg more. Play with a timer and see how you do.