bushido_man96

I'd be nervous about it to, but I also think it would be worth checking out, just to see how it works. Who knows, maybe one could glean some new scheduling ideas from it.

The problem is that most people don't realize how much of themselves they put out there. If you have a navigation app on your phone, then you are broadcasting your location via GPS. If you "check in" everywhere you go on Facebook, then you are basically advertising your whereabouts all the time.Google yourself or check the phone book, to see if you are in there. Its interesting what you can find out about yourself on the internet.

I can see why your instructor did what he did. Kind of clever, too. Didn't change a thing, except some belt finagling. At the same time, its too bad he decided he needed to do that because of the other dojo. As an instructor, I have never tried to convince anyone that they should come to our school as opposed to another. I'd kind of wonder about the other instructor if he is spouting that stuff to the other kids, or if its just the kids coming up with it on their own. Just remember, talk is cheap.

Thanks Bob. Its good to see you again. I hope you are doing well! If I recall right, the word uke actually means "to receive" rather than "to block." Just with this nuance in mind, it alters the way I see some applications happening that I was using blocking for.

This what I am inclined to go with more than a two-arm blocking action. There is actually a segment in our Yoo Sin form where we X-block low, bring it up a high to an open-handed X-block, and then we twist the open hands around the wrists in a grabbing motion that would seize into a wrist lock. From there, I'd be inclined to look at the level the X-block goes to, high or low, or mid section. So, I'd be inclined to think that a high level X-block may be indicative of a lock like Shionage, where the attacker's arm is taken over the shoulder, and a mid-level or lower X-block may indicate something more like Kotegashi. Those are just some thoughts, though. I will keep this in mind, too. In Rob Redmond's book, Kata, The Folk Dances of Shotokan, he makes references to this idea of kata using similar movements to link back to each other. I also try to consider the moves in front of and behind a move, and also any kind of turning motion involved. Lastly, I really try to reference guys like Stuart Anslow and Iain Abernethy who really spend a lot of time on this stuff. Thanks, tallgeese. I will try to do that. I hope I really get to work on some of this a bit more, at least maybe before class with some other students so I can kind of test it and work with it. If I ever run a school again....oh, the changes I'll make!

Good job to them!

We don't do Sam Il, to my knowledge, unless its the 5th or 6th dan form; I'll check when I get back to the gym. How you describe it makes sense.

I haven't heard that term, but I have heard of "Menkyo Kaiden," which is a certificate of transmission. Is this what you are asking about?

Good points, both of you. A softening motion, so to speak, would work well with some angled footwork. Danielle, you are right about not meeting force on, with a front kick or a side kick. But a round kick, you really don't have that choice, unless you soften it and move at an angle, like JusticeZero mentioned. Sweeping style blocks, that would catch and lift the leg, I think would be a better option, like some we see in our forms, like Won Hyo and Yoo Sin. I do start to think that the Thai style leg check is probably one of the better options for low kick defenses.

Modern Arnis: The Filipino Art of Stick Fighting, by Remy Presas. I picked this up at a used book store, too, under $4. Its a typical Ohara publications book, so those familiar with them know the format. It gives a brief history of Presas' journey and style, and then gets right into it. It covers 12 main angles of attack, and 12 ways of dealing with the attacks. Stick and empty hand applications are demonstrated, showing how this style works off the same principles and movements with a weapon in hand or without. It also covers some flow exercises called sinawali and rodonda, as well as some disarming techniques. I liked this book. Short, sweet, and to the point.

I've been pepper sprayed. It can't be that bad.

TKD has done well evolving as a fighting art, I think. One of the main things lacking is low kicking.

I still really wonder about actually blocking low kicks with the arms. You have to get low to block them, and you are blocking a much stronger limb with a weaker one.

Welcome to KF!

You make an interesting point here. Martial arts often teach weapons such as a sword due to tradition, or in my case, because one could not really understand how to defend against a sword until they knew how to use it. I think the interesting point here however, it the correctness. Despite a sword being the easiest thing to emulate from a stick found on the ground in a confrontation, it is starkly differently from handling an actual sword. It causes me to wonder if sword fighting has fallen into the realm of tradition or if there is practical purposes. Face value I would argue for both. One finds that the control over their own bodies increases as you learn to make something an extension of said body. Reference the bold section, in some of the materials I've read, some weapons systems started with the quarterstaff, and moved on into sword techniques, and most of the techniques behind each were transferable. There are some nuances when using an actual blade, to be sure, but the concepts behind each were very similar. Thanks for the vote of confidence here, ShoriKid. Most of my knowledge just comes from reading and referencing. The ARMA is an organization that looks at the applications of techniques in actual combative sparring, and not recreationally like the SCA or others. I think HEMA is pretty close to the same as the ARMA, having study groups that work to interpret the texts and apply the concepts in sparring. I'd take to hear what Zoodles says here. He appears to have the actual experience through classes and studies.

It sounds like your school has quite a curriculum. Can you tell us what your testing consisted of? Either way, congrats on your promotion!

I don't think there was anything wrong with Mr. Cokeley's approach. He heard a disturbance, made a very civil request, and the got attacked. He even stated he was going to go call police, but seeing more coming, he took the right direction and floored the guy. Could it have gone worse? Sure, but any situation can. Who knows if the drunk would have stopped once he started? Good for Mr. Cokeley, I say.

11/20/2012 Early AM walk-thru of ATA and TTA 9th gup and 8th gup material. Songham 1, Chon Ji hyung, 3 ATA one-steps and 7 TTA one-steps. Songham 2, Dan Gun hyung, 3 ATA one-steps and 4 TTA one-steps.

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.