bushido_man96

9/12/2013 TKD class: 6:00 - 7:00 pm. Basics, worked on my foot speed in stances and knife hand speed. Forms: Chon Ji, Dan Gun, Joong Gun, Hwa Rang, Choong Moo, Yoo Sin. One-steps, white and lo-blue. Sparring, tough, felt tired and heavy, and took some shots to the body.

I would go with effectivness. One could say they go hand in hand, but I don't think that is always the case. A properly executed technique should be the most effective means of performing that technique.

I would confront the instructor, and there is also a good chance I would talk to a law enforcement officer about it. Where I live, we call that battery, and abuse of a child. Maybe this guy thinks he's an "old school" instructor from the "school of hard knocks," but that is just unacceptable behavior. I respect the fact that you acknowledge that your son was in the wrong to begin with. But, a different form of punishment would have been appropriate, like witholding him from sparring for a time, or some other means. But not physical punishment like that. If one of my instructors did that, I would probably get rid of him.

I'd call "heart" the desire that a practioner has to keep getting better, to stay motivated day in and day out for the life-long journey.

I don't know if "traditional" training would be good for all styles of Martial Arts. Take the makiwara training from your example. A Boxer won't benefit as much training there, becasue they are going to be more concerned with making their punches work with their footwork. They also strike with big gloves on. Knuckle conditioning isn't a big issue for them. I think you'd also be surprised at the amount of power they generate with a simple jab. Sure, on could train jabs on the makiwara, but for a Boxer, punching a bag gives more of the feedback they want. As far as accuracy goes, they train that with their focus mitts and speed bags, which have the added benefit of moving while striking.

9/10/2013 Defensive Tactics: 1:45 - 3:00 pm. Worked on the system that they teach for self-defense, including a review from the previous week, along with a rear choke defense involving a cross-hand trap/reach over grab the ear, step around to secure arm to shoulder/arm lock; a hair grab defense into a standing arm bar (I had some trouble getting this one lined up right), and a headlock defense from the ground that was a lot like one we did at the GRACIE course. 9/11/2013 Taught TKD: 6:00 - 7:30 pm. Basics, forms, one-steps, and sparring. Had 3 new white belts in class, so I slowed a few things down to break things down for them here and there. Also got a good chunk of sparring in.

I'm not a fast person by any stretch. I went with slow, I guess like a machine. I try to be deliberate and not waste time throwing things that won't land.

I've seen my share of "going through the motions." I think the main issue is that we all view the Martial Arts as a life-long pursuit, but most kids don't. Their attention spans tend to fold after a few steady years, and they just end up in that holding pattern. How to fix it, I'm not sure.

I think some kids just get to the point that they are either burning out a bit, or have done something so long they fall into a rut. They need a jolt, something to wake them up again. And some kids do just "go through the motions."

I think for the majority of people, its tough to display aggression like that. Keep in mind that 90% or better of the people in the world lead peaceful lives minus physical confrontation, and most of them are perfectly happy for it to remain that way. So when you ask a sheep to turn into a sheepdog or a wolf, its tough for them to do so. He may also be afraid of the reaction, too. I think the answer is more time and exposure to this kind of training, to bring the students around. I don't think its necessarily a disease of the dojo. Its the way some people are.

I think the McDojo title gets tossed around a bit much, and I think that there are probably more quality schools and instructors out there than there are McDojos. I was an ATA member early in my career. I felt that the training I received and the instuctors I had were very high quality. And yes, the school/club did try to make money. Its easier to stay open that way. Its well-known that the ATA has its own tournament circuit, too. Its a decent circuit, and its all kept "in-house," so to speak, with the use of a "Top Ten" points system, and regional, national, and a worlds tournament held yearly. Tournaments can be a great money-maker for a school or region, and also a great advertisment in and of itself. Now, all that said, I don't think the desire to compete is a bad thing, and I don't think an instructor should limit a student's ability or opportunity to compete in tournaments. Tournament desire can really push one to work hard and understand what it takes to set reasonable objectives towards obtainable goals, and how to set about doing this. These are good skills to learn. Now, it is the job of the instructor to make it understood that there is a difference between tournament competition and self-defense, and the relevance of tournaments should be kept in check. I don't think that "traditional" styles will die off. However, I do think that they can benefit from some changes. I know that no body wants to hear that, really, because the traditional training style is what has been done for x years, and all that. Most likely, changes have been experienced along the way, but they've been so few and so far back, they are accepted as the norm, when they might not have been. I think cross-style tournament competition could be a great training experience. Learn how a DT instructor would teach things. Another thing "traditional" styles need to realize is that since there are more training options out there, the "traditional" style won't always be the first choice for someone. A Wrestler who just got out of high school, with no college prospects, may gravitate to a BJJ school or an MMA gym. There are more choices available now, and if a prospective student doesn't like the stricter atmosphere of a "traditional" school, but prefers the looser atmosphere of an MMA gym or some BJJ schools, that will affect their decision, as well. So, there are a lot of factors at work in the world of MAs now. I think it will constantly cycle, ebb and flow. And generate concern in equal cycles.

And then we have to add in things like endurance, tenacity, the ability to take punishment, toughness, etc.... This could go on forever...

I have to rescind my previous statements on breathing, and provide different data due to my more recent lifting experiences. I was doing a 3x5 or 5x5 lifting plan, and it the method of breathing taught by some of the biggest out there is the use of the Valsalva maneuver. Basically, hold breath during the lift (both down and up), then take a short breath between reps if needed, and hold during the lift.

Congrats! Nicely done!

Kudos to you on completing these courses. I know I'm not in nearly good enough shape to pull one of these off. I'd have to start with plain old 5ks, and work up from there.

Its interesting to think about. Perhaps it was just something someone liked a long time ago, linked themselves to it, and it stuck? Wolves tend to run in packs, accept for the "lone wolf," which is an exception rather than the rule. Maybe its an allusion to this lone wolf mentality.

I see the point you are getting at here, but I don't think speed is any more a guarantee to hit than size is. Speed isn't good for anything if you can't hit the target, or don't have sound technique. Speed is just another physicl attribute, like strength. Having it is one thing. Putting it to good use is another.

I believe he would be. The scenario you describe is similar to the really old masters, whom due to age and / or other natural debilitation, cannot physically train much anymore. The sheer volume of knowledge and experience they could impart to students would be invaluable. I agree, as well. I think that there are a lot of shades of grey in this question, and depending on the circumstances, one could decide either way. If someone just ups and quits the MAs, then what? Not a black belt, because they choose to stop training? I can see how some would say no, not a black belt anymore. But then again, I could argue how could it be taken away? The belt can be physically taken from us, true. But how many of us then make the argument that the belt isn't what's important, but the knowledge and experience is? It really is a tough question to answer.

Do let us know how that turns out! 9/4/2013 Taught TKD: 6:00 - 7:30 pm. Basics, forms, one-steps, sparring.

That's a good question. I think it takes time. When you get started, you are "taking Martial Arts." Once you've been at it, then you become a Martial Artist.

Our TKD instructor brought the Combat Hapkido curriculum in to supplement our TKD training. What I like about it is that I can use most of the technical training I've done through TKD with strikes and apply things here and there with the Hapkido. Its worked well for me. tallgeese makes some good points about some styles that seem to fit with others. Its interesting, and I'm not sure why its that way. Perhaps its a perceptual thing in some people's eyes.

This year marks the 20th year of my addiction. All those years have been put into TKD, along with Hapkido, Aikido, and Defensive Tactics.

But what if you hadn't trained in 15 odd years? Let's put it this way: you begin your MA training under an instructor, who let's say is a 5th degree black belt. He has to move, retire, and falls out of training, due to whatever life throws at us. Would you not respect him as your instructor throughout the rest of your life? Would you tell him that you now out rank him, and no longer respect the knowledge and experiences he passed on to you as his student? Or, do would you still look at him as that 5th degree black belt that took you under his tutelage all those years ago? Does the belt/rank automatically beget respect? Whether he was a 5th kyu or a 5th dan if he has knowledge and experience that I would deem valuable then that garners some level of respect. But is he a blackbelt if he hasn't trained in any way shape or form for 15 years? I'd say no he isn't. He was but now isn't an active one. An inactive or dormant blackbelt. Just as physical skill requires constant practice and exercise, so does knowledge. I'd wager he'd forget a good chunk of that knowledge after 15 years of inactivity. To the bold type above...NO!! I agree with you, Bob. No, it does not automatically beget respect. I should have noted in my example that there was a mutual respect present already between the two individuals I was speaking of. Now, lets add to the scenario. What if something happened and he couldn't train any more? Some debilitating disease that broke down his body, causing a slow demise, during which time he couldn't train. Still a black belt?

Good news. Interesting point your bring up, ps1.

As I've gone through my MA career, I've become wary of the claim "this style focuses on bringing down a bigger person." I think this is a catch-line many use to reel in students. If your style teaches self-defense, it teaches self-defense; not "self-defense against bigger opponents." With that out of the way, I do think that size and strength are factors that need to be taken into account when it comes time to defend oneself. The nice thing is that size/strength are at least a factor you can see coming. You can't necessarily see someone's experience until you get into it with them. Either way, just because someone is big doesn't mean your plan changes. If leg kicks are a core technique in my self-defense, then I'll kick a guy in the leg if he is big or little. What does change is if I decide I want to stay in a fight with someone that much bigger than me. Do I really want to have to fight with a 6'8", 300 lb football player? Getting tangled there would not be fun. But, at least I can see the guy is big. I can't "see" if he is a Wrestler or Boxer. Now, when it comes down to size and strength, AND skill, that person probably has an advantage. All the components together...nasty. So, you have to decide if your experience and training can help outweigh a few of those advantages, and bring you to the fore. So, from there, some choices are to continue to train, which I think most of us would do anyway, and add something to your schedule that would help add some size and strength to yourself, like lifting weights or what not. Is it necessary? No. But, it can be advantageous.