bushido_man96

Good advice here. A piece of advice I would offer is that as you progress in your lifting, I think you might do your body better in recovery by attending classes on the same days you do your lifting. That way, your off days from lifting are off days from other activites, and you get your full recovery in.

Ouch! I agree with the others to get it checked out. You could check it by holding the finger out straight, and then tapping the fingertip with the palm with the finger straight. My mom told me when I was a kid that if I didn't pee my pants after that, then it probably wasnt broken. But, to be safe, get it looked at.

I wish you recovery here. My wife has been dealing with some rheumatoid arthritis, and it can be painful. She has made some changes in her diet, stays away from certain things, and has been feeling better lately. I hope it goes well for you, and you are able to keep training.

That would be cool. The obstacle to that is finding which part to make safer and which rules to impose or restrict from the regular UFC.Actually, I think it would be safer than Olympic Boxing is now. They don't take as many blows to the head with all the gear that it is believed to help make the sport safer, when in fact, they just encourage more slugging to the head. Of course, not many will actually view it that way, or take the time to research it properly to see which is safer. I think that by and large, the IOC would probably view it as too barbaric as is to allow it into the Olympics.

Mystery solved!

I agree, that's exactly what I saw in those kicks. Such great body control. I'd love to see some attempts at breaking.

I do like his kicking method. It worked out really well for him, and I think disguising the kicks with the chamber like he does has a lot of merit. Not a bad method to emulate, but it shouldn't be the only one, either.

Have a "TKD father" as such makes sense to me, having an instructor that you default towards, and I imagine that most of us do have such an instructor. But again, I say knowledge base is going to be something that has to be considered when you need to fall back on someone for advise. I use the grappling knowledge again as an example. Or, lets say strategy in use of Defensive Tactics. It all will depend on the instructor's knowledge base as to how much you can fall back on them. In this day and age of cross training, I do think that most of us probably have that one instructor that is out of our base or favorite style that we tend to refer to more often than most, and then the others fall in second or third, or whatever. Its good to have that solid foundation you can fall back on.

I've just finished with Tang Soo do after reaching my goal of 1st Dan. Looking to do something a bit different and so for now have chosen BJJ. You are right when you say it is humbling rolling with those guys!!! Even the second belt takes like 2 years (Blue) and I'm amazed at the skill level and how they can wrap me up so easily. Then again I have no grappling skills at the moment. None of the guys I trained with, even 5th or 6th dans, would ever win against these blue belts as they are completely different. They also spend their time grappling and can't progress unless they have proved their skills. Whereas a lot of our time was spent doing forms etc. Although that is true and a very good point, I'd also imagine a blue belt wouldn't be able to strike very well or beat a 5th or 6th dan in a punching and kicking contest. I agree, its all relative. Its only natural that the guys who spend their time ground fighting will excel there, especially against someone who has no grappling experience at all.

Its not so much a Martial tradition as it would probably be more of a cultural tradition. I'm guessing Chinese, and am assuming Kung Fu or the like, since you use the word sifu. Check into Chinese customs to see what would be proper.

Nice. I wish I could have had something like that, instead of really consisting of one full hour+ class and then a testing the next day. But, it was worth it, and I had fun for the most part.

There are two parts to that instinct: fight or flight. Many won't fight until they can't fly anymore. I'm not saying it can't be learned, but, by and large, there are a lot of people who just aren't predisposed to committing violence on another.

I thought this was pretty cool info: http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/news/440869/Most-common-subs-in-UFC-history-graphically-displayed

Check out this video of some interesting kicking techiques: I'm not going to speak on the practical applicability of these kicks. Some have some use for TKD sparring, and others look good for demonstration purposes. What I am impressed with is the body control involved with most of them. Especially jumping and spinning, and then kicking with a twist kick in the opposite direction. I was impressed. They would be fun to practice!

Especially if MMA does make it into the Olympics eventually.

Great post, Van. Excellent points! I'd like to add to what you've said in regards to the MMA styles and training. By and large, I think that the consumers of the world are fairly well informed, and with MMA being a popular draw as a professional sport, I feel fairly convinced that most of the consumers watching MMA aren't convinced that it is some sort of "easy quick fix" in learn Martial Arts. Its a lot like watching professional football on TV. I'm a big NFL fan, and watch the Chief religiously. I enjoy it, and get crazy over it at times. But, I'm also well enough informed that I couldn't walk out onto that field and even think I could play. In the same vein, I don't think most of the population watching MMA events thinks they can walk out of the arena, and into a gym, and start competing. It just doesn't work that way. Viewers are aware of the hard work and time spent training that is put into becoming a professinal athlete, whether as a fighter, a football player, baseball, etc. With that said, I don't think MMA is looked at as the "quick fix" to MA training.

Good points cheesfrysamurai. If they check all those points then (in my book) they'd certainly earn my respect. Is loyalty the same as respect? I agree here, as well. These are good points to consider in regards to the school and instructor you learn under. I think loyalty and respect can go hand in hand. If someone earns your respect, you are likely to have some loyalty to them, and vise versa. But, you can have some respect for someone's skills and abilities, but not be loyal them, either because you aren't associated with them, or don't agree with their ideals and thus choose not to associate with them. I do think this is the case at times. In the West, it has never been unusual to seek out someone different if you needed to learn something different, or if you couldn't gain anything further from the one you were learning from peviously. People's attitudes and views on things change over time. General Choi himself experienced this when he made the decision to move into North Korea with the ITF to gain government funding for his TKD. This was not popular with everyone who was a student of his, and it showed when they didn't follow him. Here's another question: does seeking instruction from someone other than your current instructor make you disloyal to him or her? If they can't provide the knowledge you seek, then how is it a question of loyalty? Does remaining loyal to an instructor also mean you should not seek out your own opportunities to expand and grow, and fulfil your dreams, because they feel you should stay under them for your entire life? I don't think so. I think its important for us as people to learn, grow, and move on, just as our children do as they grow up. There just comes a time when there is nothing more for their parents to offer them, other than best of luck and godspeed. But, they are always there for questions and to offer advice.

Ok, trying to get caught up here. Working the night shift now is killing me! Here are vids from Kendall's first tournament this year, 12/21/2013, at Larned, KS. Match 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zb7jTiKbdeU His bracket was combined 80 and 88 lbs, with four kids total. He didn't have too much trouble with the weight differences, which was good. He has been trying to do this headlock dance with kids, and we have been working on getting him to stop that, and working more on his takedowns, which are really good when he hits them. This match, he was able to get the kid tied up and taken down, but it was kind of sloppy, and worked for a pin. Match 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A649tptMJD4 He starts off good and low, but ends up worrying about the head and the hands, and comes high out of his stance. He did have a somewhat workable hip toss kind of takedown, which worked for him. He is still working on cleaning up some positional stuff when he gets on top, where to go with his hands and whatnot. Match 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8AmZDJM3eA This one was a tough one, with a kid from our same Wrestling club. They wrestled a lot against each other last year, and it was always tough. Its good to know they can train together. Still more head grabbing than I like, and he gets in some bad spots underneath, not controlling his body enough. He did hit a good reversal. Then he got high, and got rolled over. But, he learned some things, I think. He kept fighting for a half-Nelson, but that kid just is too tough to get it on, and I tried to get him to reach across and get the shoulder, but he didn't understand me. It ended up being only a one point victory for Kendall, so it was tough. He ended up taking first.

I agree with you here. There are times when a compliant uke is important, and times when not so much. In training, its important for the level of compliance to reflect what the goal of the training session is. He showed some good tai sabaki that really helped his techniques, also showing his level of skill and years of experience. My main complaint with Aikido demos is the use of the aggressive, exagerated grabbing motions as attacks. But, they do support the purpose of the demo, so I can look past those from time to time. It was fun to watch. Thanks for sharing it, Bob!

I have a couple of reviews of some TKD books that I have finished recently. From Creation to Unification, The Complete Histories Behind the Ch'ang Hon (ITF) Patterns, by Stuart Anslow: http://www.amazon.com/Creation-Unification-Complete-Histories-Patterns/dp/1906628556/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1389739630&sr=1-1&keywords=stuart+anslow I have read most of Anslow's other works, and have been impressed by them so far. In his Hae Sul books, he starts each chapter of each form with a brief history of the person or events that the form is named for. These histories are a couple of pages each, and they are much more informative than anything else I had found before. Gen. Choi's encylopedia contains just very brief paragraphs of the form name explanation, and that's it. So, these intros were very nice to read. However, Anslow admitted that they were brief, as well, as the focus of the Hae Sul books was the self-defense applications of the patterns, and not the history of the patterns. After reading the history of Choong Moo in his Hae Sul book, I was so intrigued by the story that I hoped he would eventually just do a book explaining the histories of the characters and events behind the patterns, and with this book, he has done just that. Anslow begins each chapter with the brief description that Choi used, then follows it up with when the pattern was finalized, and who worked in conjuction with Choi to form the pattern, as well. Then, he proceeds with in-depth historical analysis of the pattern's namesake from there, pointing out any mistakes made in the initial explanations by Choi, and clarifying any dates that might have been wrong by Choi, amongst other things. This book makes a great read for any TKD student wanting to learn more about the histories involved with the patterns created by General Choi, and why Choi picked those names. There is also some interesting history involving the introduction of pattern Juche, the dropping of Ko-Dang, and other such historical nuances that have affected the ITF throughout the years. Anlsow also offers some historical references for the GTF form names, as well. If you love to read up on the historical side of the Martial Arts, this book is a great addition to any MAist's library, and an essential one for a TKD student. Taekwondo Step Sparring, by Sang H. Kim: http://www.amazon.com/Taekwondo-Step-Sparring-Sang-Kim/dp/1934903213/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1389740352&sr=1-10&keywords=Sang+H.+Kim This is a pretty straightforward book on step sparring practice in TKD. Kim does a good job of laying out the basics and ettiquette of step sparring practice, and then delves into advancing from beginner, to intermediate, to advanced step sparring. What I liked about this book is that it showed some different courses of action to take in one-step practice, moving from the more rigid one, two, or three-step sparring for beginners consisting of the block, attack, block, counter, to more advanced types of step sparring with more interaction and more fluid responses. Kim interjects mastery points and other points of emphasis along the way, also pointing out how things will change in technical application as a student advances, not remaining so rigid and becoming more adaptable. Kim also gives pointers on developing step sparring that can lead into self-defense focused practice of sparring exchange practice in sparring stances, and not the typical down block/front stance beginning phase. Overall, not a bad little book, if you are looking to change up step sparring for classes. I feel that step sparring should be used as a tool that adapts and develops over time, and not as a rigid set of curriculum for belt testings. This book does a good job of relaying that aspect, as well, and points a student in a good direction to tayloring step sparring to particular needs.

Yeah, I'm not sure how some of that pricing happens. Maybe it was used and autographed? Not sure. I didn't think the price was too bad, and if it reflected what the small blurbs that he put in his Hae Sul books showed, it would be worth the cost to me. After reading it, it was worth it. I'll be posting a review in the Martial Arts Research Library thread soon.

Yes it is, from the second tourney last week.

It was short-lived. For some reason, the Chiefs can not beat the Colts in the playoffs. KC really just needed one stop, and one scoring drive in the 4th quarter to win that game, and coudn't pull it off, after giving up the big lead in the 2nd half. KC did a lot of good things this year. But, they need to shore up their defensive scheme a little bit. They gave up way too many yards in the second half of the season. They were good at producing turnovers, and their special teams play was great. They've found a great #2 back in Davis, and Charles will be great again next year. I really can't say anything bad about Alex Smith this year, as he set career highs in several categories. I think with another year under Coach Reid, he will grow even more as a passer, and KC will get better. Next year's schedule will be tougher, though, and hopefully fans don't get overly expectant to repeat this year's success, as KC took adavantage of some great circumstances early on in the year with their schedule. On a side note, how about that college bowl season? Was that a great set of BCS games, or what? Not a bad one in the bunch, except maybe for Baylor getting drummed.

Thank you so much everyone! Happy Birthday, Heidi! Hope you have a great one! I did treat myself to a couple of new TKD books for this day, and I plan to make a trip to the bookstore to have a look around tomorrow!

I would consider it. Teaching is fun for me, so any opportunity to do so is a good one. If he changes it, then that's his perogative. I could be teaching some regular student right now that might decide to change things later on. There really is nothing I can do to stop it from happening, so why fret too much over it?