bushido_man96

Our testing requirements are forms, one-steps, sparring, board breaking. So, alas, we don't hit any self-defense areas, although our one-steps are referred to as our "self-defense techniques," which I don't really buy into. They could be a good training tool for that, but they have to evolve to do so. The DT class that is taught at the university has a very good testing they do for midterm and final. One guy wears a Redman suit, and then there are usually two other "attackers" involved. The 3 attackers wait in the mat room, while the students go run wind sprints or what we would call "the line drill" in a basketball gym. After running, the person comes to the mat room, where the Redman attacks them with some kind of choke or something, and the student has to defend. From there, they are put on the ground mounted, and side-mounted, and the "attackers" offer resistance while they have to improve their position. The wind sprints gets the students tired and amped up, which more closely will simulate how the body acts when the adrenaline dumps. And the first attack is a spontaneous attack, so its more like getting jumped. Although this system has some limitations, I think it is a good base to build from.

Thank you. My condolences, as well.

Our certificates come from our HQ school. The GM just prints them out from his computer.

I don't think they do forgo doctor's advise. They just don't give it, because they aren't doctors. So, all they can do is take in clients, have them sign the waiver so they take responsibility of their own health, and go from there.

I think daily stretching, even if its light stretching, is good for the body. That said, I don't stretch nearly that much, but I should. Perhaps I will get more to it now. Thanks for the article info wayneshin. Very good to see some numbers to it.

10/20/2014 TKD Class: 6:00 - 7:00 pm. Taught class. Covered lots of forms, both new forms after testing results came back, and reviewing old forms. We have decided that we are going to start holding the students more accountable on their old material, as they tend to let it slip after a while if we don't harp on them in class to practice it. It is likely that we will begin testing students on previous forms in testings from now on, too, which I think we should have been doing for some time. 10/22/2014 Wrestling: 5:45 - 6:00 pm. With football season coming to a close, Wrestling season is just around the corner, so Kendall and I are going to start trying to work on it some more. Today, we did pretty much some free-flowing takedown work, snaps into Iowa twist, and sprawling to the Iowa twist. TKD Class: 6:00 - 7:00 pm. This was pretty much an open kicking class, as the instructor is gone this week. I was there pretty much to supervise, and I still can't train worth a darn with the virus I have lingering. I did do some front push kicks on the bags, trying to develop more power and burst with that kick. I also worked with a student on their ax kick variations, and working on sparring strategies for them, too.

I thought he sparred pretty well. I'm not sure where the concern about the judging came into play came from, but I've got a different angle, too. From the watch, I think it was called pretty fairly. As for the contact concern, it could have had something to do with him bumping up to an older division, where that level of contact may have been more the norm. Perhaps the refs didn't feel it would be fair to rest of the division if they had to hamper how they fought to adjust down to Zac's ability due to his age. But that's just a thought, though. Overall, looks like he competed well, and if he learned something, then it was worthwhile.

Here's an article I saw the other day, and thought I would post it up here for some discussion: http://dandjurdjevic.blogspot.co.uk/2009/10/another-blind-alley-sine-wave-debate.html The author of the article isn't pro-sine wave. I'm not either, really, and I think this article brings up some interesting points of discussion about sine wave and whether or not it produces power, or how well it does it.

Did you use the sine wave motion when you were in Jhoon Rhee's school?

All very good points. The footwork one can learn in Olympic TKD is very valuable. The footwork is akin to Tai Sabaki in a way. You react to movement with movement, and use movement to set up an opponent's movement. The footwork can be a whole game in and of itself.

Thank you for the options, all you guys. That helps a lot!

Nice. I like your constant reminder about keeping pressure on. Should I be overly concerned with riding my weight on someone with being a bit heavier than some of the others? Or if I grapple with a female? Do you modify anything so that you just don't crush and injure someone?

I've heard of people around here in the past that would go to the bars and start things so they could use their skills. That's a huge misuse, in my mind. However, its been documented in the past that MAists had challenged others, although this isn't as common as it used to be.

The key to kicking with the ball of the foot is making sure you are at the proper angle to the target so the toes are back far enough and you don't hurt them. Lining up for board breaking with ball of the foot kicks is good training for getting those angles down.

Krav Maga is not a "quick fix" self-defense system, nor is it really designed to be trained for a day or two, and then that's it. Like any Martial Art, it needs to be practiced over time. Nor is the whole art included in a one week course. There's a lot more to it than that. Our instructor didn't tell us at the end of the week that we had it all, and that was it. No. We had a great week of training, and learned a lot of good principles to train by, and now its our job to go back to the departments and continue to train, improve, and get better.

Both videos are very good. Very inspirational.

If you are looking at something to show your appreciation, and perhaps the appreciation of the entire school for his dedication, perhaps getting a plaque made up would suffice? Perhaps something with a picture of the students in the club on it, and a nice piece of written appreciation? Something to kick around, as well. The knife is a good idea, too.

What do you mean, they suck? They aren't great athletes, and don't compete at a high level? No power or technique? Do you watch them test, and do they meet the testing requirements? Sometimes, this might be the case. Not all Martial Artists have the ability to be great athletes. Most of us have full time jobs, and families that take away from our training time. I'm a 4th dan, and there are some younger and more athletic 3rd dans in my school that probably look like better Martial Artists than me, a pudgy 36 year old who doesn't get to train a whole lot. Being a black belt is about consistency and perseverance, among other things. Do consider that. I'm not saying that time in should guarantee a grade, but as we get older, and wait longer for each testing, our physical abilities might start to decline. I know mine have. Well, it just depends. Like I said, everyone is different. Do we all get the same black belt? No. What makes the Martial Arts different from other endeavors or team activities is that we move at our own pace, take our own journey, and compete within ourselves to become better than we were, not necessarily better than everyone else. Now this, I don't necessarily agree with, but I think there are other organizations that are like this, too. But, each organization view things differently, and perhaps think that the higher ranks aren't as much about physical performance as they are about matriculating the style. But, in my opinion, I do think physical aspects of testing should still take place, even if it is simply a demonstration of all the criteria of the style. But that's just me. (I also don't understand the aversion to naming the organization you are a part of). Our tests are still based on the ability to perform the curriculum. I've seen some older black belts in my org that don't perform as well physically, but that's part of getting older. Its not for me to say they shouldn't have their rank because they got older. My instructor is pretty hard on the technical aspects of our style. Good technique is important. But it doesn't have to be the highest, or the fastest, or the best technique. But it should look right. Could you elaborate more on what you mean by "doing stuff?" I can do all the basics pretty well. 360 degree jumping kicks are harder for me now. I can teach them, but they are hard to demonstrate since I weigh 265 and have knees that hurt. Should I be more athletic and be able to jump around and do flying kicks because of my elevated dan rank? I think this is, as you mentioned, probably more of your ego than anything else. Now I will say this; if I were present in your school, and higher ranked than you, but aware of the time you have in and the knowledge you have, I'd have more respect for you. But I'm not big on the whole rank/respect/hierarchy stuff. I'll be the first to pick up pads and put them away. I don't care where I line up in a class. I just want to take the class. Maybe those in your class should not have been promoted. Or maybe they should have. In the end, its up to the head instructors and the testing panel judges than anything else. The question is, do you trust their judgement? If so, then keep on keepin' on. If not, then perhaps its time to move onto a different org. I think this happens in a lot of places in the MA world. I think things like this is why so many organizations have splintered. Someone decides to do things their way, so they move on. Then someone they teach decides to do things their way, and they splinter. And so goes the MA world. I think black belts should be some of both, merit-based and effort-based. Something you haven't really touched on that is important for the black belt ranks is the person's ability to pass on what they have learned. This should be considered part of the equation, as well. Many of us mortals have a max level that we tend to tap out at physically. There just isn't much to be done about this. Also, as we get older, our bodies start to get older and decline, as well. Such is life. So as older black belts move up, what is important, the physical side, or the mental? This has been a fun conversation, and I don't mean to just sound like I'm browbeating you. This kind of thought process is normal, I think. When it comes to ego, the best thing you can do is come to class, work hard, and do what you can to learn and make yourself better. Eventually, you will get what is coming to you, and in the end, all things will work themselves out.

Yes. Both of the organizations I've been a member of has tested kids under 12 to black belt rank.

Congrats, and keep up the good work!

I think these are all important. The head instructor and the assistants, or even just black belts, should be good reps for the school, and should provide a smile and some helpful information to those who wander in looking and asking questions. People will remember being helped in such a manner.

I agree with ps1. This is what contracts should be for. I sign a contract at my TKD school, usually for 5 years at a time, because I know I will be training, and it gives me the best deal. Funds come directly out of my account, so I never have to worry about being up to date with dues...I just go train. From there, I just have to pay for testings, tournaments, etc. This guy really was just wanting to rip his students, and it sounds like he snowballed enough people to make some money on it. I don't think things like this happen as often as we might think. Just when it does, the "contracts are bad" arguments come out in force.

Great answer.

Most gyms aren't really in the business of checking to see if you are healthy enough to exercise. They want business, so most likely just have members sign a waiver stating that the member is responsible for assessing their level of health and all that. If ever in doubt, see your doctor about beginning physical activity.

9/29/2014 Evening TKD Class: 6:00 - 7:00 pm. Taught class, mainly doing forms and one-steps review for testing. 10/1/2014 Defensive Tactics Club: 1:00 - 3:00 pm. Mostly review for the club's first self-defense workshop of the year. 10/2/2014 TKD Testing: 6:00 - 7:30. Not a big testing, but we've got some kids moving up the ranks, with some big testings coming up for them! 10/3/2014 3-in-1 Trial Class: 7:10 - 8:30 pm. I spoke more about this class in the Comparative Styles and Cross Training forum here: http://www.karateforums.com/my-recent-experience-with-a-style-called-3-in-1-martial-arts-vt47386.html The class opened with some jogging, which I detest, along with some moving in fighting stances and throwing punches. Afterwards, we did a lot of breathing and stretching. The instructor puts lots of emphasis on being flexible. We did some basic kicking, then we did some rolling and breakfall practice. At the end, we did some finger locking and a kote gashi version using the thumb for the most part. 10/13/2014 TKD Class: 6:00 - 7:00 pm. Did about half the basics, then went into working on forms review and learning new forms after students got their new belts and certificates from testing. Also did some one-steps review.