bushido_man96

Patrick, thanks for the heads up. I thought I had all those changes made. I will get to them, for sure. He is kind of sad the season is ending. He wanted to work to go to sub-districts, districts, and state, but he would be competing against 8 year olds, as they don't have a 6 and under age group. That's why we made the effort to get to the 6 and under state for him, so he wouldn't have to go in against guys with 2 more years of experience and growth on him right now. Next year, though, we will give it a shot. He understood that, and is looking forward to practice in the off season. Bob, our local tourney went really well. Kendall lost one match on the front end, then worked all the way through the back end to take 3rd, which was really great. I'll have those matches up and running soon, I hope. The kid he lost to was the same kid that won the 6 and under state title. Kendall got to talking with the kid, and he was a really nice kid, too. Full updates and videos of the last two meets of the year coming soon!

I don't think the perfect MA can be reached. There is always something to tweak or adjust, and there are always different scenarios that create different conditions for what we have to apply. Combat is chaos; hence, I don't think combat perfectness can be achieved. We search for combat effectiveness.

To be honest, we in the more "traditional" schools probably don't train enough using scenarios where the aggressor is shouting obscene, nasty things at someone and really getting the juices and emotions flowing. Learning to deal with trash talking, yelling and swearing in a confrontation are big part of the confrontation itself.

Hey, tallgeese, just out of curiosity, are you doing a Stronglifts 5x5 routine, or something similar? I see some familiarity. 2/20/2013 Floor kicks round kicks: 3x10, each side Side kicks: 3x10, each side hook kicks: 3x10, each side light stretch. 2/21/2013 Dynamic stretching Front leg raise, then to side, then to back. First set is knee height at 1/4 speed. Second set is waist high at 1/2 speed. Third set is shoulder height at 2/3 speed. Fourth set is head high at full speed. 12 reps for each direction. I found this setup in an issue of Totally Taekwondo Magazine. Followed with static stretch. 2/23/2013 Dynamic stretch, static stretch. Shoveled a ton of snow. 10 minutes of Wrestling with Kendall. 2/25/2013 Floor kicks Round kicks: 3x10, each side. Side kicks: 3x10, each side. 2/27/2013 Dynamic stretch: 5 sets of 12, knee, waist, chest, shoulder, head. Static stretch. Gae Baek walk through. 3/1/2013 Worked on balance, doing slow repeat round kicks without setting my foot down, and trying hard not to hold onto something. 10 minutes Wrestling with Kendall. Worked on takedowns, snap and spin, and switch. 3/4/2013 Taught TKD: 6:00 - 7:00. Back in the teaching rotation again. I'm supposed to be teaching an adult class, but the class was split half kids. I don't think they really understood the schedule change, but it should shake out in a few weeks. Covered a lot in basics, and forms took some time, so didn't get to sparring.

I've heard the book The Gift of Fear is a good read for that subject matter. Something to look into.

Several of the activities you mention require one to leave home, unless you have a pool at home. Why do you recommend against going to the gym?

I think home training can be done, but really should be the last option taken if you have others available. There will be good and bad programs out there, so do good research to find out which is which. Otherwise, seek a qualified instructor as near to you as possible to at least meet with periodically for evaluation.

I also feel that as long as you have people learning things from other people, those who learn and gain their own experiences will do things that are more pertinent to them and their own experience. Its only natural. We all learn things, but two people can learn the same thing from the same instructor, but over time apply it differently. The other factor is that times change, and along with that, technology and knowledge changes. You can drive a model T Ford if you like, but it isn't as fast, powerful, or efficient as today's vehicles. Also, Ford made changes as he developed new vehicles; he didn't stay with his first model and call it good. So in my opinion, the changes we see taking place in the Martial Arts is really only a natural process. I think it has been going on for a long time, but we just notice it more now with the availability of information through internet and other news outlets.

Congratulations! Always nice to get promoted. Yes, congrats, and congrats to you as well, ps1!

Welcome to KF!

Welcome to KF!

Welcome aboard!

I'm bit late, but congrats!

Congrats! Great work!

Congrats!

Congrats!

Hi all. A few updates, and I'll be back in to finish out the season. We went to 6 and Under State Championships on 2/24/2013, and he did well, placing 4th. I'll have videos up next week hopefully, along with some expanded commentary. This week, 3/2/2013, we have our local tournament, with 1100 kids participating! This event will finish out our season.

Bowing and what not is more of a courtesy than a respect thing. You can be courteous to someone, but not respect them.

I think the stick work would have been the most fun of all. Lucky you!

I'm confused here. I put both hands down, in front of me? And look between them to the rear?

Did you ever work this one out? Hey, thanks for bringing this back to light! No, I have not yet, but I will work with it.

Our instructor brought in the Combat Hapkido curriculum, and I felt it was interesting to have alongside my TKD. In the past, I had done bits of different joint locks, but was always terrible at it. So I felt it would be a good addition for me. Not so much. It just worked out that way. I would like to find some time to work on ground skills, though. I actually took up Aikido for a time because it was so different from the way I did Hapkido, from the techniques to the philosophy. Although I don't really agree with the philosophy of Aikido, I do like to learn about it. I did them all at the same time. I think this will vary between individuals. I think getting exposure to different styles is good for making you think outside the box. Even doing it for just a short period of time is a beneficial adventure. Even just seeing things from a different instructor in the same style can provide insight on how to approach things.

Well done!

That's cool, a great gesture by the instructor.

TKD is my main focus, so it would be that. I do have some training in Hapkido as well, and general Defensive Tactics along with that. When it comes to self-defense, though, I try not to think of it from a style standpoint. I try to assess and apply whatever is appropriate at the time.