bushido_man96

7/2/2015 TKD Class: 6:00 - 7:00 pm. Basics, forms, one-steps, and sparring. I have to protect my left knee more and more now in basics, so some things are getting changed. I'm not doing right leg jumping front kicks, because landing on my left leg is killing my knee. Pivoting with footwork is hurting, too. My form went well, Choong Jang, but there is a point where I have to do a front kick, then rechamber, pivot and face the opposite direction on the right leg, and then set down the leg to the rear, with some reaction arms stuff going on in there, too. Its the biggest pain in the form right now. Sparring went well. I got tagged by a few of the young guys a time or two, but got my shots in.

Love it! Still one of my favorite MA movies!

DWx is spot on with her analysis. You really have to take an angle to attack the board. You can work on the toes a bit, by pulling them back and using the floor to work the flexibility into them some, but I really think the gains you could make doing this is pretty limited. Some people have the ability to pull their toes back farther than others, as well. My instructor can pull his toes back freakishly far. I can't do that. In the end, the key is finding the proper angle.

Congrats!

I agree, Luther. I think that was part of the reason that the belt system came about, was for the use of setting short term goals and objectives. If you can present a plan to students, and they can see where they are going on this journey, and how they can get there, it is really helpful for prospective students. What's important, though, is that the system isn't cheapened by making the road too easy.

Sounds like a good experience! Congrats!

Most English speaking Karate dojo will also refer to Kihon as "basics". The word Kihon however is more accurately translated as "foundation". When you think of it that way, it makes a lot more sense. K. Yes, it does. Thank you.

I've seen this happen before, and as an instructor, its important to really monitor this. If you get two guys or gals that just like to bang, something like this can escalate out of control in no time. In my time coming up the ranks, I never had an issue matching levels with someone, but it almost never ended up being a productive learning session.

I'm a big guy, but not tall. I find that even though I'm bigger, I still can move relatively well, and I have some flexibility. As I've gotten older, I haven't had as much time to put into training as I used to, so its tougher on me now.

6/29/2015 Strength Training Squats: warm-ups: 45x5x3, 140x5, 180x5, 205x3; work sets: 255x5, 255x5, 255x5. Press: warm-ups: 45x5x3, 65x5, 85x5; work sets: 108x5, 108x5, 108x5. Deadlifts: warm-ups: 135x5, 195x5, 225x5, 275x3; work set: 315x5. I managed to do what felt like pull an abdominal muscle during one of the warm-up sets. It hurt, but I put a belt on, and pulled the work set. A few days later, its not bothering as much. It really bothered me that day, though. Defensive Tactics Club: 1:00 - 2:00 pm. Palgwe 1 and 2, Choong Jang. Practiced takedowns with Kendall, focusing on getting a good penetration step, and keeping the hips under him, and his head up on the drive. I was a warm body for one of the students to work reps on the arm bar from the guard, and then from the mount. 6/30/2015 Defensive Tactics Club: 2:00 - 4:00 pm. Review of armbar and Americana from mount, and some work on the guillotine choke from guard. Some single stick work. 7/1/2015 Strength Training Squats: warm-ups: 45x5x3, 140x5, 180x5, 205x3, 225x1; work sets: 257x5, 257x5, 257x5. Push Press: warm-ups: 45x5x3, 70x5, 90x5; work sets: 120x5, 120x5, 120x5. Power Cleans: 100x3, 100x3, 100x3, 100x3, 100x3. Power Snatches: 72x2, 72x2, 72x2, 72x2, 72x2.

Thanks, guys. Bob, Kendall has been more passive with his shots lately, mainly I think because he isn't shooting close enough, and is getting caught underneath. We've been working on it, though, and I hope to work it out of him by the start of the season.

I swear, Alex, you are a mind reader, because the kids had questions on this in club this week. The situation you showed first is how I've learned it, for use in or DT material. You and Mike both hit on some technical aspects that I wasn't aware of, and I really, really, appreciate that. I'm sharing it to the DT Club's FB page.

Very cool. Thanks for sharing that. I was wondering how long it was going to take the ref to see that he had gone to sleep.

Nicely done. The round kick is one of my favorite breaks to do. Here are some breaks from my 4th dan testing. I really botch the spin heel kick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wYR-mMZxU8 Not pictured was the flying side kick.

I see this a lot. A form shouldn't just be blown through to completion. Each form has its own pulse, its own rhythm, its own life, and its important to learn where to pause, where to combo moves, where to tense and where to relax. Moves can and should be done fast, but that doesn't mean the form is done at light speed.

We don't have kihon, but we just call it "basics," but, I think this term is a disservice. These are all important movements, and if they aren't good, then no other techniques will be good, either.

RIP.

I wouldn't mind running my own school again; I have done so in the past, before I moved to go to school. The only problem is that right now, I don't think I could honestly dedicate what I need to for one to be successful, with my boys being young, and they being so involved in so many other activities. I really make myself available to them for practice, training, and playing and watching, so unless I did a very limited schedule, I would have a tough time running a full-time school. But who knows? If I did end up running a school, I wouldn't mind doing it under my current organization. By and large, I like the curriculum as far as testing requirements go, and if I was making my own schedule and teaching my own classes, I could dedicate more time to what I wanted to work on with the students. Thanks for sharing this. Its good to do those kinds of drills, to at least get the students thinking and seeing different things.

I think the major factor is that the person has to be willing to change. In my experience, far and away, most individuals aren't willing to make the change, or make the sacrifices necessary to facilitate those changes. I love to see the success stories, because they are so few and far between.

That looks like a fun drill, and they really seemed to be enjoying it. Kids love to play, and they learn though play, so the best mode of teaching is to teach through play. But its a fine line to walk in getting the kids to play in a controlled, constructive manner, or collapsing into a goof-off session. This week, I worked with our 4-7 year olds on balance, and I used it as an opportunity to teach a jump front snap kick. One drill I would have them step their back leg up to the front, then chamber the front leg and hold it, before kicking. Then I worked up to them standing with one leg knee up for chamber, then have them jump and switch their feet. From there, it was simple to add in the kick with the jump switch portion of the drill.

I don't think that the term "soke" is necessarily synonymous with a specific rank, like 10th dan, but it does appear to denote stature or position in a hierarchy.

6/25/2015 Department DT Training: 2:00 - 3:00 pm. Worked on choke defenses again for review and just getting more reps, and also pistol disarm from the front. TKD: Palgwe 1 and 2, and Choong Jang x2, then a good stretch. My left knee really didn't enjoy Choong Jang. Taught Little Lions Class: 5:10 - 5:40 pm. Finished week on balance, and also reviewing control, working a lot of jumping front kicks, from one leg up, then switching and kicking. We did this with and without pads for targeting. Taught TKD Class: 6:00 - 7:00 pm. Basics, forms, and one-steps. 6/26/2015 Strength Training Squats: warm-ups: 45x5x3, 140x5, 185x5, 205x3; work sets: 254x5, 252.5x5, 254x5. Kendall and I were switching out some of the fractionals for our sets, and I forgot to put them back on mine for my 2nd set. Push Press: warm-ups: 45x5x3, 70x5, 90x5; work sets: 117x5, 117x5, 117x5. Power Cleans: 99x3, 99x3, 99x3, 99x3, 99x3. Power Snatches: 70x2, 70x2, 70x2, 70x2, 70x2.

You could ask to look at the insurance plan. But that aside, look around online at companies like Century or AWMA to see how the same gear stacks up in price. If its TKD, a chest protector and the headgear tend to be the more expensive pieces. It could be that the insurance policy has approved the gear that he sells, and therefore covers sparring with his gear, as opposed to whatever anyone else would walk in with. But that's just me spitballing.

All good points, Bob. Thanks for the reply. The groups that we become part of really mesh us together as units. You mention the LEO's, which I agree with. An army unit also comes to mind.

An update here. Kendall just completed our local FHSU Tiger Wrestling Camp this past week, on Wednesday finishing with a takedown tournament. He went 1-1 in matches, against bigger and older kids. He was pretty passive in his first match, though, and hopefully we can work on it. He said he had a pretty decent time at the camp, and talked to me and showed me some of the stuff he learned, which is what I am always looking for with a camp like that. It was the 2nd year he attended the camp, and I think he will go back next year, too.