bushido_man96

Isn't that a bit like saying "I haven't actually taken a karate class yet - I want to be able to do a good board break and have all my katas down first"? I can sympathise with the money thing, but you become fit by doing, not before doing.I agree, JusticeZero. I hear that a lot, from friends that used to do MA, etc. They don't want to go back and look silly, foolish, or etc. Either they are truly concerned about how they'll look around other people, or they are just coming up with another excuse to not do it.

Abs are built in the kitchen...well, being able to see your built up abs happens in the kitchen. Like JusticeZero mentioned, you've got to basically cut the good stuff from your diet, or be really genetically gifted to show them off.

See now that's interesting. In our version of Se Jong that is a twin palm pressing block which is a technique I know already because it's seen in Choong Jang. We do it to catch or block a knee kick or a front kick / back heel kick kind of situation. If you have the condensed Encyclopedia, it's the block on the top of pg 226. Alas, I have the 15 volume set. I'll have to do some searching through it, find the form, and see what you are getting at here.

I have thought about sprints, but just haven't gotten up to doing them yet. I am considering giving the elliptical a go for a time, and split time between that and rowing, and see if my knees like me more afterwards.

It does appear to me that the Shotokan fighters have always had a hands near the waist/midsection, as opposed to being truly up to really guard against an incoming flurry of head shots. They are able to get their hands up to guard to make up for this due to the distance they tend to fight at, in my opinion. Just throw a monkey wrench into this conversation, here perhaps is a happy medium...decent contact level, along with hand techniques to the head: Enjoy!

I've done brush blocks in Combat Hapkido, but have never done it in TKD. I'd done some parrying style blocking in the past, and in my ATA days we did a "triple pass" that contained a brush follwed immediately by brushing or grabbing action with the other hand, as some secondary Self-Defense training. In Defensive Tactics, my partner and I do a lot of block/pass/pin drills, and in Combat Hapkido we did a brush/trap/strike set, too. Just seeing this still frame in a book showed similarities in the positions for me.

It sounds like you've made an awesome comeback. Kudos to you.

These guys are giving good advise, so I can't really add much. I just make sure to take time to breathe. When it feels like things are stacking up, I just take a step back, relax, and know that I will be ok and get through things alright. And then, I always think that things could be worse. We are often more fortunate than we take the time to realize.

That's very solid advise there. Good post, Zaine.

Right, the "flinch reflex" is what I've heard it referred to as, and that is how I've worked with the crossing arms actions before. But now, with this brushing block/trapping motion, it doesn't appear that it happens quite as simultaneously as the flinch response would. I guess its a few different options. It also changes the way I see some of the high/low blocking moves in some forms. Perhaps the hand going high represents the hikite going high, as opposed to the ribs, to open up a lower target to strike? Just a thought that I will have to work with if I get a chance. We do share some similarities here, Danielle. Our down blocks do cross with the blocking arm inside, but this block crosses up higher, up to the side of our head, than the other blocks. Our middle blocks do cross the same as yours, with the palms in, so we can get that twist in at the end. The high block was a bit different, but the arms would be parallel (but not touching), and the blocking arm would travel on the outside of the pulling hand, kind of making a + sign as they went past each other. The down bock was the odd ball again, being on top of the pulling arm, blocking arm crossed to the shoulder, and basically "scraping" down the pulling arm to the block position. The parallel arms position worked out pretty well for getting to target areas ok. We didn't do a lot of low section strikes, so strikes chambering on top didn't really impede anything. And since both arms move at the same time, they get out of each other's way pretty well.

I think you are really going in the right direction here, and its sad that it is the case. I've really only been told that its a position that is used to build the power into the blocks or strikes. Now, with different research I've done, I feel good knowing that I can at least put some meaning behind the design here. Even if it is reverse engineered, its still a workable idea. This has been discussed at length, to be sure. My goal, since I am in a style that utilizes forms in its system, is to have a way of taking meaning from them, and being able to explain in a reasonable manner why something is the way it is. I won't be able to change what I am doing for some time, so I'm just trying to get the most out of it I can.

Yes, it does. I've never wrapped my hands before, but when I start to work my heavy bag again, I may consider it. The gloves that came with it are MMA gloves, but if I wrap up, it should be enough support. I also liked the instruction given for the left hook in this book. A pretty straight forward explanation on a complex punch.

In TKD and Karate, we see that many of the blocking and striking motions are chambered by crossing the arms in front of the body. In my current TKD style, we do a crossing of the arms like an X, with blocks typically crossing the blocking hand on the outside and strikes crossing the striking hand on the inside. In the ATA, we did more of an arms parallel, "hugging yourself" motion to really build tension into the snap of the technique, with blocks being chambered on bottom, and strikes on top. But why? For power? Sure, that helps put snap into the techniques. But is there another reason that it developed that way? Guys like Abernethy have used this crossing motion as a cover to defend a strike, and then move into seizing actions. Whether that was the original intent or not, who really can tell. But, he makes it work. I've been reading in Remy Presas' book, Modern Arnis, and on pp 64-65, he demonstrates an inside defense against a right punch, in which it begins with a brush block with the right hand, then a checking or grabbing motion with the left hand of the attacker's wrist. At this point, I can see how the two arms are actually in that "crossed" or "stacked arms chamber" position that we use so much in our TKD basics and forms. The technique finishes by striking to the face with a backhand while pulling grabbing arm back, like maybe to the ribs... Pages 66-67 show this defense in close-up, where you can really kind of see this idea in play. So, that all said, I'm not claiming the reason why we as TKD stylists chamber our arms the way we do is because the application is a brushing strike/checking and grabbing motion to set up a strike, but, if you're looking for something to justify that chambering motion, this is an idea to play with. You even get that "hikete" (is that right?) non-striking hand back to ribs motion justified in there, too. Maybe I'm late to the game on this one, but seeing some still photos in the right places just kind of turned on a light bulb. I'd love to hear other MAists thoughts on this, as well.

Boxer's Start-Up: A Beginner's Guide to Boxing by Doug Werner. I picked this book up, along with a few others, in a used book store. This book went to print in 1998, but I still think its a good read if you are interested in Boxing. The author writes with a pretty loose, conversational tone that makes it fun to read, and there are plenty of illustrations to boot. It covers equipment needs for the beginner, stance and basic footwork, basic punches and basic combinations. It also covers bag work and focus mitt work briefly, and defense and counters. Its pretty straight forward, and not too complicated. It is a Start-Up. What I really like about the book is that the author kept a journal of his training, and he includes enough of his journal at the end of the book to give an idea of how his training came along over the course of 6 months. I paid under $4 to get it used. Not a bad deal, at least not to me.

You say its nothing immoral. So, if its not that, is it something politically related to the main body of the style? Has he slighted some high rank? If that's the case, I don't know that I would let that affect my decision to stay. I may be jumping to conclusions here, but since you are being rather vague, I really don't have any other option but to try to plug holes.

Sounds to me like you are doing ok. And kudos to you guys who can run 5 miles it at time. I do 10 minutes on the treadmill, and my knees then ache for a week.

Well, I think you did the right thing in seeking out both parties. If the other guy had too much ego for you, oh well. Such is life.

What I loved about doing Aikido was that it was my chance to be a student again. It was actually refreshing going to a class where I wasn't a senior student or instructor, and was always the one being depended upon to help others out. I love being able to do that in TKD, don't get me wrong. But its also nice to be able to go into a different format and be the newbie again. My time in Aikido, Hapkido, and Defensive Tactics training has really helped me to see different things in my TKD classes, especially in forms and ways to adapt one-step training. I think Judo will treat you well. Have fun with it!

Here, we look a little bit into Se Jong tul of the ITF styles. Here is an ITF version: There doesn't seem to be quite as much, or quite as exaggerated, I'd say, sine way to his form. But you still see the individualization of technique, for the most part. But, I don't think that is bad for this form, as it is a lot of one technique one way, then turn and do another technique in another direction, with really only one spot where you get a good chance to really combo some techniques, on the back end of the form. Here is the version I do, and you'll see pretty directly where it goes awry in comparison with the ITF styles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCNaSl1b0fU&feature=autoplay&list=PLon1GNgZPzV52Ef_tAanXfcPXyraURw2I&index=2&playnext=1 From move 7 into move 8, move 8 goes back towards the start, a 180 degree turn, as opposed as the move to the right at a 90 degree angle in the other forms. But then, move 9, we do double guarding blocks in a middle/sitting/horse stance back toward the initial direction that was the front, then we get back on track with the spear hand thrust. Why, you ask? No idea. None at all. Also a bit different is what I call the "shove down" move, where we really dip low into a squat to "push" someone to the ground, then come back up into the slow, two-handed push. From there, our double high/low block is a bit different, the high being an inner forearm block, and in closer to the body. Also, instead of double slow palm pressing blocks, like in Joong Gun, we do a single, right handed palm block, slow. That's our TTA version. What's yours? (and no making fun of my bottom!)

TKD Kickboxer Hassan Kassrioui youtube highlight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaDM2c-KssY&list=PLon1GNgZPzV4y3jAy9Z95lJaW1rz8vn3T&index=9&feature=plpp_video He has what appears to me to be a very long spinning hook kick. He seems to really load the leg, in kind of a straight legged manner, almost like the start of a spin heel kick, and then hooks it at contact. It seems like such a long kick, but he lands it. You can also see how he used it to set up the spin side kicks he throws in. Fun to watch.

I loved the way you "harmonized."

I think him and his coach are probably equally at fault. The coach should probably have seen it coming, and he himself should have been able to feel where it was, and that it was going to go. But, in training, accidents do happen.

Welcome to KF!

Eh, that is rough. I'm sorry the outcome of the game you got to see couldn't have been better. It was close, though.

I'm with you on this one. If it is as you say, nothing illegal, that covers most everything that I would consider leaving over. an instructor is only human. However, if it is something very much against your values and you just can't get past it, then you need to make a choice. If you're just concerned with public opinion over an embarrassment, these things all eventually blow over. Someone will wear a dumb dress to the Oscars and everyone will be talking about that instead. I agree with both posters here as well. Without any further information, its really hard for us to gauge what you have going on. Take all these things into consideration, and then make your choice. Hopefully things work out well for you in the end.