bushido_man96

Thanks for sharing the video, and the info on how the WKF kind of works. I thought the form was solid. Some very quick moves in there!

Neither Chon Ji nor Dan Gun hyungs of the ITF form set have any kicks in them. Palgwe 1 of the older WTF forms does not have any kicks in it. Poe Eun, an ITF 1st dan form, only has two kicks in it, side kicks to the knee.

I agree that it does offer both, but its important to find a teacher that teaches the applications. There is a string of Tai Chi out there that focus solely on the exercise and therapeutic aspects of the style, so finding the right teacher is important to learn the applications.

The football season is over, but the "silly season" of free agency is in full swing. It looks like Suh is going to get paid by the Dolphins, Revis is looking to make some money somewhere, and Hoyer is going to visit the Houston Texans. The Chiefs have been somewhat active; Tamba Hali had agreed to restructure his contract, Juston Houston has been franchised for this year, and it appears that Jeremy Maclin will be reunited with Andy Reid as he will reportedly sign with KC this week. I do like this signing, as Dwayne Bowe has really been disappointing in his performance. I don't think Alex Smith is as limited as many others think he is, and with the addition of Maclin to the WR corps, I think he will play even better next season.

Yep, spring training is in full swing. I'm looking forward to see how the Royals follow up last season. I don't expect a WS run, necessarily, but I'd love to see them continue to compete for the division.

Welcome to KF! I'm sure you will find the "kumite" here most enjoyable.

2/26/2015 Wrestling: 6:00 - 7:00 pm. Kenneth worked on running half-Nelsons on me, then worked on his shots and stand-ups before practice got started. During practice, there was lots of live Wrestling, some work on stand-ups, and I did some jogging with some of the kids. 2/27/2015 TKD Workout: 40 min, Chon Ji, Palgwe 1, Taegeuk 1, Songham 1, 5 times each, and TTA/ATA one-steps, 5 times each. Stretch. 3/3/2015 TKD Forms: Dan Gun & Bo Chung x5 each. 3/4/2015 DT Club: 1:30 - 3:00 pm. Brought the kicking shields and did some kicking. We worked on low-level , back leg, 45 degree round kicks to the leg level, and also on some more traditional style of round kicks, off the back and front leg. 3/9/2015 TKD Forms: Chon Ji, Palgwe 1, Taegeuk 1, Songham 1, just 1 time each for review and warm-up. Dan Gun, Bo Chung, 1 time each. Then spent around 30 - 40 minutes learning Palgwe 2. It was a nice day outside, so I did forms while the kids were playing, and I got good and warm, and was getting good height on front kicks.

I am working on Palgwe 2 now, and spent quite a bit of time yesterday (3/9/2015) learning it. While learning it, I kept focusing on my front stance width, and I am definitely getting better with it. However, I am not ending on the same spot with either of the Palgwe forms that I've done so far. But, I am ending off of the start point on a consistent basis, if that makes sense. I'm not sure where the inconsistencies are coming from, but it must be in the length of some of my steps forward in stances. Perhaps I have some shifting issues when I pivot on 270 degree rotations, as well. I don't know, but I will try to get videos up of the next rank of forms I am doing when I get the chance. But, I am thinking that, with the consistency that I miss the starting mark with, perhaps this is just how these forms are? But, I will keep working at it. I did do Taegeuk 1 again, and I was still off the starting mark, but I was much closer to the finish than previously. Thank you, Danielle, for the help with that! As I was learning and performing Palgwe 2, I've discovered that in no other TKD forms that I've done, have I ever done a high block after a 270 degree turn. That doesn't mean much, but as I was turning to do the high blocks in this form, I was struck by the unfamiliarity of the movement in turning and chambering the high blocks. This could also have something to do with the way I chamber them; in the ATA, we did more of a crossed-arm chamber motion, whereas in the TTA, I've chambered the block with the blocking arm straight down, from the midline of the body. I'm sure a video will help explain that. But that could be part of the issue in why the movements feel weird.

I really liked that video. That is not a concept I would have thought of. I shared it to our DT club page, so maybe we'll put some work in on it. Thanks, Alex!

Thanks bushido_man96 for watching my video. I hope more then you to watch my videos The shifting to generate force is very important. The power always starts in the legs. Someday I will do complete video on force generation,but have to leave the best for last..I have not even gotten into weapons training yet... Thank you for sharing these videos with us. I really enjoy them. I'm curious, do you have a school that you teach out of, or do you train outside for the most part, with just a few students?

Welcome to KF!

I know I've been slacking a bit in here, but we are getting ready to make the state run now, so I hope to get things fully updated here soon, so stay tuned!

I've seen these dobok before. It just seems odd to have one rule normally then to ignore it for competition. There must be a reason surely? Wrestling is so much easier; the club usually provides the singlet. Thank you, Heidi and Iceman, for laying out some of the nuances of WTF competitions. I was not aware of them, and had not ever seen those rules explained in any of the books I've read on WTF TKD. I couldn't imagine an ATA black belt having to learn all those forms for competition purposes! So, Iceman, what do you do for the students that you have that want to compete? Do you mainly go to open style tournaments, or AAU events? If I recall, I think the AAU accepts WTF, ITF, and ATA forms now for TKD forms competitions, but I don't know if they only do rank-specific forms, or not. Do you have some students that go to compete at the elite-level tournaments? Also, once you become an instructor level black belt, are you required to learn the remaining black belt forms in order to provide the knowledge to pass on to those that do go to elite-level competition?

I agree. That sounds odd.I think that 1-on-1 training is a great thing, especially early on in the journey. However, being able to train in a group has several advantages, as well. Training with other people can be motivational, giving your someone to push yourself against. Also, its good to be able to work with various partners of different body sizes and gender in order to learn how to augment techniques or strategies against them. Working in a group also helps to build camaraderie, which is great for training. Enjoy the personal attention while you have the opportunity, but also try to seek out others to train together with, as well.

Simple, correct explanation.

Thanks for showing these applications. It seem so simple the way you demonstrate them, but I'm sure that there are a lot of little details I'm missing out on. I try to watch your hips move, and in this video I could hear your feet shifting on the ground, as well. That helps me to "see" where the power is coming from.

You are making valid points, chiliphil1. Many TKD schools have programs that they gear towards younger students. If our school didn't have a program for younger students, and the gym business that the school is run out of, then it probably wouldn't be around. We just don't have enough adult students. I wish we did, but we just don't, and I don't know how to fix that. So, many schools need those kids programs to keep the doors open for the few adults that take classes.

Thank you, Bob. It really is written with the beginner in mind, providing good information for a TKD practitioner that is just starting out, or for someone searching for a style to study, and looking for information on WTF TKD.

Of note: WTF Black Belts 1st Dan and up who choose to compete in Sport Poomsae must learn all Black Belt Patterns through Unsu...it is a daunting task for a new Shodan. I will agree that the patterns are short but the details are challenging. I didn't realize that, and it seems a bit daunting, indeed. If that is the case, then why have the forms assigned to ranks?

I'm glad that you enjoyed it! I'm sure it provides a nice physical challenge, to boot. 84 moves is a long form! Let me know how you progress with it. Be sure you don't add it to your curriculum for your classes, though, as the ATA has copyrighted their forms. But if you are just challenging yourself with, by all means I'd say have at it!

That is undoubtedly true but after 2 years of good training your basic punches and kicks should be at a functional level. You should continue to practice and improve them of course but I think you reach a level of diminishing returns where you can put in a huge amount of time to make your punch a tiny bit better. Maybe some of that time would be better spent working on other areas. I agree here as well. There is a point of diminishing returns, and time is better spent improving other skills to augment the ones already gained. Some TKD schools may advance through colored belt ranks quicker than some Karate styles, but they make up for that on the black belt end, where most TKD styles have set times between each black belt rank before becoming eligible to test. I would also add that there is so much more to TKD than sport. Its still a traditional Martial Art, with many of the same basic techniques as Karate styles. It does offer the added physical challenge of jumping and spinning techniques, yes, but proficiency in that area does not come without having good, solid foundations in basic techniques. No, there is nothing wrong with being modest. But when someone constantly insists or alludes to that fact that they are "modest," then it becomes a bit much. Some become so modest that they become indignant towards the idea of becoming a higher rank.

That's great to hear! Keep up the hard work!

You guys are welcome. I'm glad you like it.

I like these. The more I watch, the more I am seeing some things that look similar from Wrestling. That first transition your coach demonstrated, it looked a lot like what wrestlers do when the sit out and then gizoni an arm that comes over the top. A wrestler then hip heists out, and is ready to go to work. Here's a version of it: Again, not the same, but I see some similarities. I really liked the structure you mentioned in making the hip shifts on the knee/elbow escape you showed. That will be helpful. Again, thanks for sharing these videos. They are great!

Early on in my TKD career, I switched my sparring stance to spar southpaw, although I'm right-handed. I did that for years, and I got pretty good sparring from that side; so much so, that switching to orthodox took some time. Now that I am in law enforcement, I switch back to orthodox more often in class and training, mainly to get into the habit of always keeping my gun side back.