bushido_man96

Thanks, Heidi.

I think this is the main concept that should be taken away with pressure point training. Not all will work on everyone, so make sure they are solid, effective strikes/contacts when you do them, so as not to rely on the response of the point itself.

Thank you for sharing this with us, Heidi. I imagine that many Marital Artists find themselves in this situation during their journeys, and grapple with the choices at hand. I commend you for sharing this integral part of your journey with us! Thank you!

9/3/2014 Defensive Tactics Club: 1:00 - 3:00 pm. Worked on self-defense stuff after warmup; wrist escapes, self-defense, etc. After the class was over, one of the college Wrestlers worked with me on some Greco throws; belly-to-back suplex, belly-to-belly suplex, and an armspin. Good times! TKD Kicking Class: 6:00 - 7:00 pm. Lots of kicking, heavy bag and paddles. We did sets of back leg round kicks middle, then high, front leg round kicks middle and high, front leg and back leg side kicks, sliding away front leg side kicks, spin side kicks, and jump spin side kicks. We also did some continuous kicking (repeat kicking), back leg repeat round kicks, front leg repeat round kicks, spin side kick repeat round kick. On the paddles, we did front leg ax kicks, back leg ax kicks, switch foot ax kicks, and front leg crossover ax kicks. Had a good stretch after class.

I have the same question as Archimoto. I also wonder at what your goal is?Its tough to make the comparisons that you are wanting to make here. Are you trying to make a weight class in order to compete? If that's the case, then look into the competitors of the different classes and see what they are, if that is your plan. Just keep in mind that the heavier weight classes are going to have bigger and stronger competitors in them.

All good posts here. It will be a challenge, but you should be able to pace yourself as you go, and see improvement as you come along. I think the best thing for you to do is take the dive and get started in it. It just might change your life.

Sorry for the delay here; I've been busy lately. The Olympic style of sparring is geared for 3, 3 minute rounds, and although there isn't a lot of punching that goes on, the contact is a higher level, and usually "body displacement" is required for a technique to score a point. Points are still scored, but you can win by knockout, as well. It is a kick/counterkick type of sparring, with lots of footwork as well. Hopefully, that helps.

A very good article, Devin. Your use of the flight plan metaphor is fantastic, and you really lay out the hows and whys of setting goals and objectives. A great article for Martial Artists to read several times throughtout their careers. Well done!

I'm glad you enjoyed it, Alex. So much of what I have done and read here at KF has gone into it, especially all the great and talented members I have met here.

Thank you so much, Bob! That really means a lot to me. It was so much fun to train together, and I really hope to be able to do it again soon. The time passes so fast, and we always stay so busy! Where does the time go?Bob, training with you was quite an honor and a great experience, and I learned so much in our short time together. You are an excellent MAists through and through, and its a blessing to me to be able to learn from someone with so much experience.

There are many aspects to each style. TKD is no different. There are many great kickers out there, and there are different styles of sparring for different styles of TKD. Right now, I do more of an Olympic style of sparring, but I do punch quite a bit, because I enjoy being in close and punching. In the Olympics, however, most of those competitors know that the scoring comes with the legs, and that is what they focus on. I think the biggest part of it is the hogu, the large chest protectors that are worn. There is really no point in punching it; it absorbs too much, and you don't get the body displacement that judges like to see in scoring points. Now, that is only the sparring side of it. Not all styles are going to spar like an MMA match would be. If that was the case, then all we would have around is MMA, which might get dull after a while. Danielle, thanks for sharing this article on the hand techniques of Taekwon-do. Its a very good synopsis, and TKD really has many more hand techniques than it does kicking techniques, in my opinion.

Thank you for the kind words. The ATA has a bit of a different testing cycle and curriculum than many other styles, so earning the black belt rank that soon isn't as uncommon in the ATA at it is in other styles. Looking back, it probably should have taken me longer, and I probably would have benefited quite a bit from it if it would have. I can relate with you being a white belt multiple times over. It is kind of a refreshing feeling, in a way, and I gained much from the experience.

Thank you for the kind words, CredoTe. I guess I could say that I have been blessed to have so many different instructors throughout my time in TKD, each with a different approach to teaching and different specialties. I did pass my grading, and am currently 4th dan. Onward and upward from here!

Congrats, guird!

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. My journey in taekwondo started nearly 20 years ago, in 1993, in an American Taekwondo Association (ATA) club in Colby, Kansas. My first promotional certificate dates to February 6, 1993. That was my 8th grade year in middle school. Looking at that certificate, I note that I have outlasted both of the instructors that signed it. Taekwondo would become a mainstay for me as I went through high school. My family as a whole was involved in taekwondo for several years, with my brothers and my mother joining the club after I had been there for some time. All three of them attained black belt rank. My father was also involved in taekwondo, and he was the main reason that I got involved in it. Although he never attained black belt rank, he has taught me a lot about the martial arts. My brothers became involved in other athletic endeavors throughout high school, including football and wrestling, and eventually fell out of taekwondo. I decided not to participate in school athletics, and made taekwondo my choice of physical activity, attending classes as often as I could. I enjoyed the physical challenges provided by taekwondo, especially the kicking aspects. I loved to learn and practice technique, especially kicking technique. This was and still is one of the most enjoyable aspects of taekwondo for me, even though I'm not as athletic as I once was. In August of 1994, I was promoted to 1st degree black belt in the ATA and began to assist in teaching classes. I would learn quickly that there is a difference in knowing how to do something and then knowing how to teach it. As a teacher, I was still a student, and I learned a lot about how to teach. I also learned that it was something I enjoyed. In January of 1996, I was promoted to the rank of 2nd degree black belt. I also graduated high school that year. In August of 1997, I became a certified instructor and began teaching on a regular basis at our school, eventually taking on the duties of head instructor of the school. I was also enrolled in college at this time, and I would have to make a decision for my future. In 1998, I decided to continue my college education, and moved to Hays, Kansas, to attend to Fort Hays State University. As a full-time college student, I found that I had less time to put towards taekwondo than I did as a high school student. I practiced inconsistently in some different locations for a time, and on my own, but it was not the same as being involved with a school, and I wasn't helping myself advance. I had gained a lot of experience that I was not putting to use. One evening after my roommate and I had finished playing racquetball at one of the campus facilities, we stumbled upon a taekwondo class that was going on in a dance room. We stopped and watched, and when the class finished, I approached the instructor, then Jr. Master, now Sr. Master, Scott Biskie. I introduced myself and spoke with him for a while and learned that his taekwondo class was actually offered as college credit hours. This would be the second college I would accumulate taekwondo credit hours at. It's just too bad I couldn't have majored in taekwondo. Master Biskie explained Sun Yi's style of taekwondo to me and the differences in the forms and one-steps that Sun Yi's students performed. I was told that I would have to start over at white belt level, due to the differences in the curriculum. For some martial artists, this might be a difficult pill to swallow. After being a black belt for around 7 years, I'm being informed that I will be a white belt again? But, for me, it wasn't a hard decision to make. I knew that my previous knowledge and experience would serve me well, and even though my rank might change, I would always retain my knowledge and experiences. I also knew that I would be receiving good instruction at this new school, so I stayed humble and enrolled in Sun Yi's Academy of Taekwondo. This began a period of transition in my martial arts career. I was standing at the back of the class again, instead of in front of the class. I was learning all new material, instead of reviewing forms and one-steps I was comfortable with. I was also learning different nuances in technique from what I had done previously. The class format was also different, and it took me some time to pick up on the Korean terminology. Patience and practice were the keys to getting through this period of transition. One thing that I have learned throughout my martial arts career is this: it's not where you stand in class that matters; it's that you are in class. I made my way through the colored belt ranks at Sun Yi's Academy, and Master Biskie's teaching method and overall expectations in regards to proper technique were a boon to my training. I felt that I was beginning to generate more power in my techniques, and I was becoming increasingly more comfortable with the curriculum. On October 5, 2002, I was promoted to 1st Dan black belt, once again. Achieving the rank of 1st Dan, again, was not just a goal for me, but I viewed it as another step in the long journey that I still want taekwondo to continue to be in my life. My journey through Taekwondo has been very beneficial to me for several different reasons. The collection of skills I have garnered throughout my time training have been an advantage to me in my law enforcement career. They have also helped opened the door to defensive tactics training. I achieved the rank of 3rd Dan and instructor in Sun Yi's Academy in 2007, and this provided me with another opportunity to teach taekwondo and assist Master Biskie at the Hays school. However, I would have to say that the most important thing that happened to me during my time in taekwondo at Sun Yi's Academy in Hays, was meeting the woman who would become my wife. Taekwondo brought us together, and although our lives have gotten busier, and she is no longer able to attend classes, she is still a driving force in support of my taekwondo journey. Let's face it; we martial artists are a special breed, and it takes a very special person to be the spouse to someone who enjoys getting punched and kicked in their spare time. Now I stand on the precipice of testing for my 4th Dan. There have been some hurdles to overcome in order to finally test. I had to deal with a shoulder operation that put me out of training for nearly 6 months, and my work schedule has also taken its toll on the amount of time I have been able to put into class. I have three children that I also enjoy spending my time with, and perhaps, someday, they will join me along my martial arts journey in taekwondo, as well. I look at this testing as another step in my taekwondo journey, and I hope that I am able to represent my school and Master Biskie well. I plan to continue to do my best to be both a student and a teacher of this martial art, taekwondo. I hope that I can give back for all that taekwondo has given to me. Brian Walker 3rd Dan Sun Yi's Academy of Taekwondo

8/26/2014 Tuesday Forms Workout: Side kicks: #1,2,3,4 side kicks, from sitting stance and sparring stance, floor drill, 8 min. Aternating front kicks: used kicking paddle, 20 kicks, alternating, 5 sets. Chon Ji x2, TTA white belt one-steps 1-7, Songham 1 x2, ATA white belt one-steps 1-3, Choon Jang x2, stretch.

I agree. Its very romanticized.

Unfortunately, that's the way dictionaries have defined it. I think this is erroneous in the extreme. I like this layout. Martial Arts is the umbrella, and the styles and types fall under their own categories. I think that descriptions like these are just an attempt by others to try to sell that they are something different than the others. That, or they are really over-philosophying about what it is they do. I've considered these very notions, as well. I think some "traditionalists" like the idea that they are training Martial Arts, while others are "just fighting." I think this is the wrong approach. This is a great topic! I find it a great opportunity to shamelessly plug an article I wrote in regards to this subject some time ago: Martial Arts: The Trouble with the Terminology I hope you enjoy it, as it is a lot of fun to talk about this subject.

So by this definition MMA would classify as a martial art as everything not forbidden for safety purposes is allowed, as opposed to say, point karate where a technique has to be done *just so* to score a point, and there are many restrictions on what may and may not be done. am I getting the idea? more broadly, does he define a martial art as any practice that is intended to prepare you for real combat, or any practice that SUCCEEDS at preparing you for real combat. From my experience the vast majority of aikido dojos train in large part with pre-determined attacks and specific aikido techniques. I am curious to see how you train. Street brawling would fall under this definition of Martial Art, as well. Not that a street brawler couldn't be a Martial Artist, though. But I see what Guird is getting at, I agree.

Good words, Bob. I was thumbing through an old Black Belt Magazine of mine, and found a quote by Richard Ryan in the Full Contact collumn. He stated, "People make systems; systems don't make fighters." He went on to write, "Systems provide the pathway to skill, but systems don't fight. People do." Those are some good points.

Welcome to KF!

There are some good books out there with plyometrics programs you should look into. Here are a few I have: High Powered Plyometrics: http://www.amazon.com/High-Powered-Plyometrics-James-Radcliffe/dp/0880117842/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409004434&sr=8-1&keywords=high+powered+plyometrics Jumping Into Plyometrics: http://www.amazon.com/Power-Systems-Jumping-Into-Plyometrics/dp/0880118466/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=undefined&sr=8-1&keywords=Jumping+Into+Plyometrics The last one was available for around $6. Look into some of those, and see if they offer you anything you can use.

I used to do the 5x5 method for lifting, and really liked it. I liked the idea of squatting especially, and building up power and strength. Right now, time is an issue for me, but maybe someday I'll get back to it. I have also looked into the Starting Strength method of training, and really like the idea of adding the power clean and power snatch to a workout. If I get the time, I will add it back in.

8/13/2014 Wednesday Forms Workout: 2:00 - 2:30 pm. Tension side kicks: repeating lo, mid, hi, 10 reps each side. Side kicks: fast, repeating, lo, mid, hi, 10 reps each side. Chon Ji x2, white belt one-steps 1-7, Choong Jang x2, stretch. 8/14/2014 Thursday Forms Workout: 1:30 - 2:10 pm. Tension side kicks: repeating, hi, mid, lo, 10 reps each side. Side kicks: fast, repeating, hi, mid, lo, 10 reps each side. Chon Ji x2, white belt one-steps 1-7, Choong Jang x2, stretch. 8/25/2014 Defensive Tactics Club: 1:00 - 2:45 pm. Hooray! DT club is back! Thank goodness, too. Today was pretty much an admin day, where instructors and coaches were introduced to the new members, and the ground rules were laid out for them. There is a really good group, around 18-20 total, but we'll see how many taper off by October. There is always some drop off, but if a majority of them stick around, then it should be a good semester of training! I did get one round of rolling in, so that was great. I really have to figure out positional stuff with BJJ, and figure out how to get into better positions for more subs. I did finish with an Americana.

Whatever your reason for training alone, make sure you can get some feedback somehow. Find some good sources online (youtube can be your friend) to use as references for technical work. Video yourself, then watch a video of someone with credibitliy and experience, and correct yourself accordingly. It'll be tougher to do it that way, but not impossible.