bushido_man96

This is a tricky one. Some instructors are, and some aren't. It really depends on what kind of person they are. Now, as a person, no one is replaceable. As an instructor, although we may really like the one we have, doesn't mean there aren't instructors out there that don't have more to offer. With that said, I don't want to sound like some kind of mercenary student or something bouncing from instructor to instructor. I've had 4 TKD instructors throughout my journey, and each of them have offered something a bit different in my training. I've enjoyed my time with all of them. But if asked to pick one of them to be learning under right now, I know which one I would pick. With that all said, replaceable probably isn't the work I would go with. Our journeys take different paths, and they tend to wind and twist. Along the way, we stop at different places, and at times have to move on. So although I wouldn't necessarily use the word replacement, things just change for us, and different chapters in the journey end and begin.

To "endure" is to "enjoy" the Martial journey. Perseverance is the key to the practice of the Martial Arts. There is no finish line, just a long journey, that hopefully lasts a lifetime. I'm sure all of us can think about those who have walked this journey with us, and of those who started this journey with us. But as the journey continues, and we stop to look around, we see that fewer and fewer are still walking with us.

Sounds like a good read. I'd especially be interested in the little bit of history he includes. Thank you for the review!

This is great news! I doubt any rule changes come about, but interested ITF practitioners would really only need to seek the coaching necessary to prepare them. Great news!

Now, we will dig into the black belt forms, where the ITF typically has 3 forms per rank, the GTF adds one to give them 4 (except for at the 5th dan level), and the WTF only has one per rank. But, it gives us lots for review and discussion, so here we go! ITF 1st dan Tuls: Kwang Gae hyung: Po Uen hyung: Ge Baek hyung: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGNd6F5_2G8 Here is a video of me doing Ge Baek, where you can see some of the differences in how we move: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wqrnrhio69U&index=3&list=PLon1GNgZPzV65jiQitS1fnyBTI2rkpnEo Kwang Gae: The Encyclopedia calls it 39 movements, but with the double kicks, it would add up to a few more techniques than that. We get quite a bit of new stuff, too. Parallel ready stance with Heaven Hand as ready position, and from there, the form starts in a very slow manner, with tension upset punches. There are also some footwork additions, with forward double stepping, backward foot shifting, and forward double step turning, seen toward the end of the form. There is also the knife hand low front block in closed stance, done in a circular motion, followed by the outward pressing kick/side kick consecutive kick, done on both sides. We also see the high leg lift with stomp into the back fist strikes, then shifting into front stance to the double forearm blocks, then shifting to the low block with the reverse hand, to slow spear hand thrust. There is a lot of concentration that goes on in this form, and although it has its slow spots, the power points of the form make up for it, I think. I always enjoyed performing this one, and the middle section, starting with the knife hand circular block and leading into the side kicks, then the pressing blocks, and the turning stomping/back fist sections, always made this form a challenge, and fun to do. This is the only form we do in the TTA at 1st dan. Po Eun: 36 moves by the Encyclopedia. This form has a very Tekki/Naifanchi approach, in that it stays along one line, going side to side, and uses a sitting/middle/horse stance for the most part. I do not do all the bouncing up and down when performing this form in my school; we stay as level as possible during the movements, and in the sitting stances, we stay level for each of the techniques. We see a U-shaped grasp, which we do as palms, a twin horizontal elbow thrust, a horizontal punch using both arms, X-stance low forearm front block, and a back elbow thrust. Lots of very compact combinations in this form, which really makes it move along pretty quick. In the TTA, this form is a 2nd degree recommended form. Ge Baek: 44 movements. We see lots of footwork in this form, too, with both feet shifting around. In the TTA, we don't shift both feet quite as much as the ITFers do, though. We see the low twist kick, but only on one leg in this form, the right leg. We see a double arc hand block, the palm scooping block, the 9-shape block, and a back fist front strike that is augmented with a supporting arm at 90 degrees to the strike. We also see an upset one knuckle punch done with the right hand. In place of the jumping side kick in this form, we do a hopping side kick, and the arc hand blocks we do in slow motion. We also have some slight footwork variations. One day I will have to get videos of me doing the forms, to share with here and how we do them slightly differently. In the TTA, this is our 2nd dan form. GTF Pattern Jee Goo: This form has 30 moves, and you read about the philosophy behind the form here: http://taekwondo.wikia.com/wiki/Jee-Goo Thanks goes to truejim for that link! Jee Goo means "the globe," and the pattern is performed in a + on the ground, which harkens back to Chon Ji, which is the same pattern, +, and is "heaven and earth." A nice little twist, I think, and probably done that way on purpose by the forms creator, GM Park, Jung Tae. We don't see a lot of complicated techniques or footwork, but the form repeats itself and stays very balanced. We get front kicks, side kicks, round kicks, reverse hook kicks, and a kicking combination towards the end that is a high outward vertical checking kick followed by a side kick, done in consecutive kick fashion. Also notice the decrease in the use of sine wave in the GTF stylist. I checked some other videos of the form, as well, and there is some sine wave usage, but it is significantly diminished over what is seen in most ITF videos out there right now. Kukki 1st dan Poomsae: Original Koryo: Koryo: Original Koryo: I count 22 movements, in a very straight line form. But the combinations are quick and crisp, with lots of the foot shifting we see in many of the Palgwe forms. According to Richard Chun and Doug Cook in their book, Taekwondo Black Belt Poomsae, this form was created between 1965 and 1967 along with the original Yudanja set with the Palgwe forms of that time. This leads me to wonder what other Yudanja forms are out there that might parallel the Palgwe forms. Of note here, other than the footwork, we see a 4-knuckle strike to the throat, an X-block performed in a sitting stance, a knee-smash, and a combination of grabbing and pulling an arm into a back leg front kick, followed by a jumping front kick. At the end of the form, there are several movements going backwards, but in more of a shifting motion rather than an outright stepping motion, which I like better for self-defense purposes. Koryo: I counted 48 movements here. I count lots of open hand moves, spear hands, knife hands, upset knife hand strikes, etc. The form also opens with early consecutive side kicks, and we get side kicks and front kicks in this form, too. There is also an interesting sequence with an elbow thrust, to a knife hand block, followed by a target punch, then pulling into a side kick. Lots of little things going on here. There is also downward tiger mouth thrusting strike, simulating striking into the knee cap of a captured kick (or so I've been told before). A nice form, with a nice balance of hand and foot techniques, and seems to flow well. ATA 1st dan Form, Shim Jun: 81 moves. Long form. Edit: translates as "begin planting seeds for the future," and interpretation is "new role of loyalty through physical and mental training." We see in this first ATA black belt form the use of what is called single-hand technique, where the reaction arm is not used to pull back, but the hips are supposed to be relied upon for power. This demo doesn't show that well, but its supposed to be that way. We see a jumping hook kick in this form, as well as a jumping side kick. We also see a step-spin hook kick, and a triple consecutive kick, done with a slow side kick to low section, then a round kick middle, then a round kick high section (or middle). There is a low inner forearm block performed here, as well. We also see what the ATA calls "compound double blocks," where one hand is a fist, and the other a knife, like the square block in this form. We also see the double guarding block motion changed from the both hands reaching back method of chambering, to the crossed-arms chambering, which is more prevalent in Karate styles that I have seen. Edit for ATA form information: New blocks listed are "9" block [moves 16, 33], square block with one hand open and one hand closed [34, 54], double blocks with one hand open and one hand closed [34,54, 55, 74], advanced double blocks (done with arms crossed chambers) 1, 17, 76, 79], and advanced double knife hand block [6, 22]. New kicks are foot stomp 8, 24], #1 jump hook kick [15, 32], step forward spin hook kick [47, 67], step forward #2 jump side kick [75]. Movement types are listed a tension movements (5 seconds long) [13, 30, 45, 65], slow movements (2 seconds long) [51, 71], circular movements [7, 23, 78, 81], and single arm blocks and strikes. So there we go, our first mouthful of black belt forms in Taekwondo. Any and all feedback is appreciated!

Thanks for the support here, truejim! And the lists on the GTF forms. I think they use most of the ITF material, but have some a few of their own sprinkled in. Perhaps I'll go back and sprinkle in a few of those forms for comparison's sake. Now, as I get into the black belt forms, things are going to get a bit strange from my organization. My plan here is to follow the curriculums of the major associations here, the ITF, the ATA, and the Kukki/WTF, and how they present the forms for their black belts. Then I will throw in what forms my association does at those ranks. It should be fun from here! In the ATA and the TTA, there is a "recommended" black belt rank. In the ATA, its a red/black belt, with the top half of the belt black, and the bottom half red. I was always told to wear the belt with the black on top, because it symbolized you were still a red belt working your way "up" to black belt. In the TTA, we have what the call a "skunk belt," which is a black belt with a white stripe through the center of it. In both associations, there is no new form for this rank. They repeat performing the last form they did, Choong Jung 2 and Choong Moo. Choong Jung 2: Choong Moo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4ecoWIbOXY

Congrats on getting into your new facility! That's got to be a great feeling! 1/26/2015 Defensive Tactics for the Departments: 12:00 - 2:00 pm; my January offering for Dept DT. Worked primarily on the Krav Maga choke defenses, and on cleaning up the pluck motion, and footwork. Front choke, side choke, rear choke, front choke with push, rear choke with push, front choke against a wall, and rear choke against a wall. Finished up with some GRACIE mount reversals; UMPA and UMPA with swim and trap. Wrestling Practice: 6:00 - 7:00 pm. Stand-ups from referee position. From bottom and on back, worked on bridging to make space and the dropping and hip heist to belly, then recover base. From top referee's position, worked on crashing the arm to half-Nelson. In the intermediate practice, Kendall got to work on chicken wing & single wrist, and a double chicken wing. These were great pinning moves. 1/28/2015 TKD Workout: 11:45 - 12:00 pm. White belt material. Chon Ji x2 Palgwe 1 x2 Taeguek 1 x2 Songham 1 x2 TTA white belt one-steps (7) x2 ATA white belt one-steps (3) x2 Choong Jang (4th dan form) x2 stretch. Defensive Tactics for the Departments: 12:00 - 2:00 pm. Focused on the Krav Maga choke defenses (front, side, rear, front with push, rear with push, front on wall, rear on wall), and spent a little time on handgun disarm from the front. Really focused on cleaning up the pluck again, and on working the footwork.

Welcome to KarateForums, Matt!

Welcome to KF!

Alrighty, somewhere along the way here, I've run out of all my other forms in keeping up with the belt ranks I currently do. And not knowing how the belt ranks really line up in the WTF, I'm sure I got off there, too. So for now, at the TTA hi brown belt level, we do the form Choong Moo hyung. Choong Moo hyung: 32 moves, with quite a few kicks. We see the bending ready stance prior to the first side kick, which is to the rear, and we also see the jumping side kick here done in a kind of leg bicycling motion. We don't do the kick that way; we take two steps, then come off with a back leg flying side kick, which is simpler than the kick he does here. Then you get a back leg round kick/spin side kick combination, a round kick to the 45 degree flank, and a combination of two back leg side kicks towards the end of the form. As for hand techniques, there are lots of open hand techniques, with the knife hand square block, a knife hand high block/upset knife hand strike move, and a horizontal spear hand strike. We also get the knife hand checking blocks, which are an X-block that checks a technique, but could also be used as a catch. We have an inner forearm block that comes to the inside, which is seen common in the early WTF/Kukki forms, but appears for the first time in the ITF forms. There is also the tricky jump 360 degree spin into the knife hand guarding blocks, which is a challenge, because you are supposed to jump from and land in the same spot. Overall, a very challenging form, but one I like. Footwork tends to be key for a good performance.

I agree. What I notice the most when teaching Hwa Rang and Choong Moo is that the students don't pay enough attention to the intricacies of the footwork in these forms. Good footwork will put their bodies in the right positions to perform the techniques with good power. I usually see the footwork get rushed too much, and then power fades, and technique fades.

You can always see if the instructor has some experience with throwing, and if he teaches any of the basics. There may be some in there, and you should be able to break some things down in some applications to see where some simple throws can be set up.

Cool stuff! Its nice to see some Sumo news. Thanks for sharing this. It looks like that practitioner is set up for a long run at stretching the record, too.

Thanks for the response. I keep thinking about both options, and I'll try to work on using both positions when I get to some rolling.

If you are wondering what it is, check with your head instructor. It may be something you are interested in, or it may not. Check into it, and see what it is. Please let us know what it consists of.

Yes, thank you, all! Your comments mean so much to me.

This is a great thread, and you raise some really good point, Danielle, especially in the training focus areas. You mention the statistical differences between the US and UK in regards to knife and gun attacks. I'm sure that has to do with the gun laws of each country, too.

In the state of Kansas, battery is statutorily defined as: (1) Intentionally or recklessly causing bodily harm to another person; or (2) intentionally causing physical contact with another person when done in a rude, insulting or angry manner. So, according to the encounter that Harkon had, his antagonist could be charged with battery under subsection 2 here. Spitting is physical contact.

01/25/2015 Solo Workout: 30 minutes Chon Ji x3 Palgwe 1 x3 Taeguek 1 x3 Songham 1 x3 ATA white belt one-steps (3) x2 TTA white belt one-steps (7) x2 Choong Jang (4th dan form) x3

Sounds to me like he's worried about you quitting more than anything else (possibly he recognizes that you've been frustrated with your progress lately). Seems to me he sees positive changes in you from the training and is legitimately worried that you'll quit and go back to doing "nothing" with your free time, as too many adults do, and not continuing to better yourself through martial arts or another means. Sounds like he cares about you and your well being and personal growth. This was my impression, as well. I think he was hinting that if you left, he wanted you to at least be doing some Martial Arts.

jaypo lays out some of the big reasons here. As an instructor over the years, I've seen many students leave once they hit black belt. Many set it as a goal, and once they've hit it, they think that's it. Its unfortunate, but it happens. I've had some very talented students quit shortly after black belt. Some of it could be the fault of the curriculum, as well. I am personally a fan of having black belt focused classes that provide training that is different than the standard classes. The basics are still important, but at some point, the law of diminishing returns sets in, and it can be beneficial to alter the training course somewhat. Another conclusion is that it is perhaps time in these Martial Artists' journeys to step back, or turn down a different path. If they continue some sort of training, this is a good thing, even if it isn't with your club. Try to keep in contact with them, and have open training times with them when you can. Perhaps eventually your passion will re-kindle a spark in them to return.

Looks pretty sharp! Congrats on your promotion! I truly think once you get to the ranks of 4th and 5th dan, its more about how you train and teach yourself, and what you discover in your training, and how you expand upon it, that makes a 5th dan different than a 4th dan. The style becomes your instructor, in a way, I guess.

Best of luck to you! I still get nervous for testings, after 21 years! Try to take some deep breaths, and when all is said in done, if you trust that you have been training well, then everything should take care of itself.

I agree. It sounds like you've got a lot going on there, and it would be difficult for us to diagnose from behind a keyboard. Get to a doctor, and see if you can get some physical therapy arranged. Welcome to KF, and I really hope to see you around! Keep reading and posting; its motivational...

I have to have every uniform I've ever purchased altered. I have big legs and wide hips, so I usually to get a pretty big uniform size, and then have the legs and arms all hemmed up.