bushido_man96

Maybe he's getting pressure from someone else in regards to it?

This is kind of how I look at it. In our association, 3rd dan is an instructor, 4th dan is a Jr. Master Instructor, and 5th dan is Master Instructor. We don't really have a Master that isn't an instructor, so the titles kind of stay together. Whether that's by design or not, I don't know. But that's how I look at it. I don't know that I could consider myself a true "master."

Thanks! I don't mind at all! That's a cool tool you used there, and that just takes this thread to the next level of awesome! Thanks for showing it here. As I watched the video more, I did see that my front stance was quite wide, which doesn't make much difference going forward and backward, but does when turning. Like I mentioned, I tried to focus on that when I practiced further, and it seemed to make a difference. Another issue may be the way I do back stances (L-stances). I was taught that in back stances, the heels stay in line, and I see in a lot of ITF manuals that they are not lined up, so this could be causing part of the issue, as well. Thanks for putting those up! They look really good. The balance on Yoo Sin just killed me. As I practice and review my forms more, I'll try to get some more videos up. We can compare and contrast the differences in our forms, and that should be fun, as well. So cool! Like I said, you have just added the next level of awesome to this thread! I did love that game. That guy is something else! So quick with his feet.

Thanks for posting these. Takes a lot to put forms up on YouTube for all to see... One quick observation and question I have right away is that your stance transitions are direct...in TKD I was taught to make stance transitions by always coming to center, but in the Kyokushin kata I have learned so far, the stance transitions are more direct. Is what I was taught in TKD unique to the school I went to? You are welcome. I don't really put them for all to see, but just the one's I want to see them. Yes, our stance transitions are always done direct. Some of the ITF styles do it differently, but I teach for the students to try not to stop in the middle of the transition. I teach them to bring the transitioning leg close to base leg, but not to stop. I try to use the turn to generate hip rotation for the technique I'm going into.

Are we ready for 3rd dan? I'm ready for 3rd dan, so here we go! ITF 3rd dan tuls: Sam Il: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEAZR7-EN5U Yoo Sin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWZnRh6bssQ Choi Yong: Sam Il: 33 movements, along the + diagram. New blocks include a reverse knife hand block, ridge hand wedging blocks, ridge hand double guarding blocks, outer forearm high outward block (with a low block as well). There is a back elbow thrust done in a diagonal stance, double fist low punches, and for kicks there are a middle twisting kick, and a sweeping kick. We also see some front leg side kicks in this form, and a front leg front snap kick. The twist kick is performed with the hands forward in a reinforced knife hand side block, likely some kind of grab prior to the kick. The hands are held in the position until the kick is completed. Fans of the Tekken fighting game series will recognize the sweeping kick segment of this form as one of Hworang's "victory dances." This form seems to take a step back from the complexities we saw in 2nd dan forms, but it still would require attention to the detail involving the footwork here. This looks like a form that I could do akin to Gae Baek, with lots of power. Yoo Sin: 68 movements. This form starts with what is called a "releasing motion," simulating a bear hug defense, followed by "angle punches" over each of the shoulders, attacking the aggressor behind you. I also think of this section as elbow strikes, as well. Breaking down the moves further, you can find the angle punch could also translate into grabbing the released wrist or hand, and attempting to work joint manipulations. The next section goes into hooking blocks (we do them as knife hands) followed by punches (this section repeats), along with outer forearm and circular blocks. Next up, a low x-block that goes to high, and then into a wrist grabbing motion There is a section in the form that has Naifanchi feel to it, with waving kicks and outer forearm blocks. Ideas here could include sweeping and takedown motions. The section of the form with the U-shaped punch, or us, includes knee-level side kicks prior to going into the waving kick section. The most wonderful part of this form for me (can you sense my sarcasm??) is the target inner crescent kick into the side kick section. When I saw this form being performed as a lower rank, I thought I would really enjoy doing it. But I was wrooong! This form has never felt good for me, and to this day, I'd still rather not perform it. It starts off feeling really powerful with the releasing motion and the hooking blocks/punching, and into the X-blocks and front kicks. After that, the stepping forward and backward with the knife hand guarding blocks and the double forearm blocks seems long, drawn out, and without the power. From there, it goes into a bit of a power stage, but with some slow tension movements that seem to kill the timing for me. The waving kick section is ok, but the target kick section is a nuclear meltdown for me. This form is our 3rd dan decided form in the TTA. Choi Yong: 46 movements, back to the + diagram. This form appears awkward to me, but I look forward to the challenge of it. There are W-shaped knife hand blocks, and reverse hooking kicks that we see, which appear to be done with a consecutive side kick. The form starts with some very short combinations going to the front and then to the back a couple of times. Then it extends a bit going into the sections with kicking combinations. We get a 3 kick combination, with a 45 degree round kick, followed by the reverse hooking kick/side kick. This repeats on both sides, as much of the form appears to. We get two more reverse hooking kicks before the finish. This form is a 5th or 6th dan form in the TTA. GTF 3rd dan hyung, Pyong Hwa: This form has 50 movements, to symbolize the 50 countries that founded the United Nations Organization in San Francisco. The name and diagram (an I with a small v at the bottom) mean "peace." We see more of the balance and repeat kicking we saw in the other GTF black belt form continue here, but with much less volume. Still, I see a pretty challenging form. Slow middle kicks followed by faster, higher section kicks in a consecutive motion. We see my friend the target crescent kick return, with a consecutive high side thrusting kick (where the ball of the foot appears to be the attacking tool). Flying side kick and front snap kick are here as well, and one of the flying front snap kicks appears to travel backwards. Twist kicks appear in this form, too. It also appears to use a lot of open hand techniques. Looks like fun! WTF/Kukki 3rd dan Poomsae, Taebaek: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCx6HVAtijI 26 movements. Taebaek means "supreme brightness," and symbolizes the spirit of Mt. Baekdoo. The Poomsae follows the I pattern. The form opens with a double low section knife hand opening block in a rear or tiger stance, followed by a front kick/double punch combination. The next section follows with what is called a swallow form knife hand strike, which includes a knife hand high block with the other hand, like seen in the second move of Choong Moo hyung of the ITF. From there, a series of punches follows, but after the swallow form knife hand and each of the punches, a deliberate twisting of the palm (and opening of the hand after the punches) is done to simulate grabbing and twisting of the opponent's wrist. The bottom of the I shows a heavy "blocking" set with a diamond middle block, pulling uppercut to high section, middle punch, a front leg side kick from crane stance, then to an elbow strike, a la Yol Gok style. This repeats on the other side, and the form goes back up the I with a section not unlike the spear hand, releasing/turning and spin to back fist section of Do San. At the top of the I are a combination with a scissors block and front kick with punches. Overall, I like the combinations that are put together in this form, as it seems to have some unique moves, along with the flavor of some other forms I'm familiar with. ATA 3rd dan Poomsae, Chung San: 83 moves, and we see the single-arm technique, along with some circular blocking motions. Kicking keeps getting tougher, and we see slow side kicks followed by repeat fast side kicks. There is a combination of outer crescent kick followed by spin crescent kick, done from a neutral stance. There are target kicks, as well, done with inner crescent kicks, and jump spinning inner crescent kicks. There are also some interesting hand techniques coming into play, with a two finger poke with a reinforced knife hand below the elbow. At the beginning, the punch you see is a four-knuckle punch that comes after the circular knife hand strike. We get repeating round kicks as well, and towards the end we see spin heel kick followed by a jump reverse side kick. We also get a triple repeating kick sequence, a hook kick/round kick/side kick combination. There is also some strange gallop in the middle of the form where it looks like he is winding up a jump front kick, but instead lands to a blocking motion of some kind, then the jump front kick comes a few moves later. I only achieved 2nd dan rank in the ATA, so this form is one I've seen done a lot, but never done myself. There we have it, 3rd dan material, over and done. Bring on the comments!

It doesn't really have to be a Shotokan "offshoot," though, if you retain the Shotokan curriculum. You are just flavoring in your own other skills and curriculum along with it. This is really what lots of Martial Artists do as they advance in their training. Also keep in mind that by sticking with Shotokan, it will be easier for your students to be recognized through whatever governing body your Shotokan is tied through.

It sounds like you've got things pretty figured out. This is an interesting post, as you are asking about "expanding your horizons," and it sounds like your sensei has done just that in his own right, but he just hasn't gone in a direction you prefer. I think its great that your sensei is trying different things into his training. Try to remember, he is still on his journey, too. I also agree with the comments that Kusotare makes in regards to being a consumer, and your concerns about loyalty to your instructor. But keep in mind what your goals are; if your goals aren't consistent with what your current instructor's are, then there is no need to stay tied to him. You also have to consider where your loyalty lies; is it with your instructor, or with the art? You also have to consider being loyal to yourself. Best of luck with your grading coming up, and please keep us all posted on how it goes!

I just look at it as a rank thing. I think someone can achieve mastery minus perfection. I understand that we should always continue to strive to get better, to understand more, and all that. It should be so in any activity. The only place I really have any qualms about the issue is once outside the school setting.

Why can't you just do Shotokan, promote as Shotokan (if you are of rank and experience to do so), and pepper in your own personal touches with the Muay Thai? As you go, you could tweak what you do with the Muay Thai, adding what you feel fits and removing what doesn't. But if it doesn't work, then you and your students always have the consistency of what Shotokan offers as a fall back.

This was posted on our Wrestling club's Facebook page, and I thought I would share it here: http://us3.campaign-archive.com/?u=fcc99027a8a53353a4b766d44&id=9c9a1af3d7 This is the truth about Wrestling, and I'm proud to be a Wrestling Dad.

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).