bushido_man96

I think there are many of those who strictly cling to the idea of preserving all the forms feel this way. But before Funakoshi's standardization of the katas, it wasn't always this way. Its one of the notions Redmond points out in his book, too. I don't really think having a favorite will imbalance the art, either. I think by determining that one should not pick a favorite is in a way limiting free thinking. I disagree here. Like I mentioned earlier, Yoo Sin is my current form, and probably my worst black belt form, for sure. I do it the best I can, but if I have a choice, I won't do this form for any kind of demonstration. It does need more attention at this point in time, but that doesn't mean it should be my favorite. I'm not aware of this rule. Could you elaborate on it for us?

I've been waiting to see if this was coming out, because I did enjoy reading volume 1 so much, and found it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Chang-Hon-Taekwon-do-Hae-Sul/dp/1906628475/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1350874677&sr=1-1&keywords=Taekwondo+Hae+Sul Can't wait to get it! I will be getting a copy in December, for sure.

I love watching my kids compete in sport. I'm always talking and hollering, and get some goofy looks from my wife from time to time. Its a great thing, I think.

Another TKD stylist I stumbled on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZfzqCmt5W8&list=PLon1GNgZPzV4y3jAy9Z95lJaW1rz8vn3T&index=6&feature=plpp_video This guy's spinning hammer fist and spinning hook kicks make for a nasty duo. And when he spins, you don't know which is coming. Very impressed by this guy. Nice hands, too.

Just watch this fight with Paul Grima. Side kicks, front kicks, spin hook and jumping side kicks; so much fun to watch. He can take a hit, as well.

I think he did start with TKD, and then moved over. But if you look at the clips where he is TKD fighting with vests on, its pretty clear he wasn't afraid to make contact then, either. I think there are some differences between how he fought then and when he move to Kickboxing, but he definitely fights with a TKD flair.

But a 20 year old brown belt could open a school, because he is old enough to open a business of his own. But could this brown belt grade his own students? So now we aren't even talking about the belt, just age. Aside from that, I know some styles don't grant instructor status until 2nd or 3rd dan are reached. My style doesn't grant instructor status until 3rd dan, at age 18. And as sensei8 and others have said, not all black belts can teach. So are you saying its only us Korean stylists that are advocating this? I guess it could be. I'm not ashamed of that, though. I know my school does a good job of producing good Martial Artists, and I know that the kids we promote to black belt are very comparable to other kids of that age and skill level; we just aren't afraid to say that they have black belt skills as kids. This is the most common interpretation I hear of the black belt rank. Its "just the beginning." If that's the case, then why not let a kid who has demonstrated their ability to understand the curriculum make it to this phase? Here's another point of view I have. You only see this in the Eastern styles. My boy Wrestles, and by the time he's 16, he'll probably have a pretty good grasp of most of the system, given he sticks with it and works hard. I know this will likely bring on a "sport vs art" argument, but at the same rate, kids who Wrestle won't have to worry nearly as much about something such as this.

Really? Its not great but I don't mind it that much. Any bit of the 2nd half in particular? I can never get the U-shape punches through to the waving kicks to look any good. Yeah, starting with the U-shape punches, our style actually has a knee level side kick thrown in after each U-shape punch. From there to the waving kicks and blocks, and into those dastardly crescent kick-hand slap to side kick rot. It never has flowed well, and I don't know if I will ever get it to flow well. Its like I'm cranking along, popping and snapping techniques, and then, I go into clunky slo-mo once I hit that section of form.

He did know what he was talking about, the history with in his writings is still valid, but will anyone buy them now ? That's my point. Because his evil behavior totally invalidates his writings on the philosophy of Karate. But that's enough on him. If his books are cheaper now, then I would buy them. This one cost me around $150, and I wanted a copy of his book on the Karate Masters as well.

I love his spin hook kick, and the way he used repeat kicks, too. That last bit where he was punching that guy behind over his head/shoulder gave me a chuckle, too.

I stumbled upon a few videos of this guy, Steven Vick, who is very impressive to me. Love his style and kicking ability, and he looked descent with his hands, too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNjGw8j7EgE&list=PLon1GNgZPzV4y3jAy9Z95lJaW1rz8vn3T&index=4&feature=plpp_video

Welcome to KF! Glad to have you here!

Brains are overrated. Unless you're a zombie. Now that's deep....

Bushido_man, please don't let me think You're putting disabled people in the same bracket as children. They may be disabled but they are far from being "child-like". Question, You're in a group of people, mixed ages and abilities, everyone needs to get out of the situation for survival as it dangerous for everyone. So You're telling me everyone in the group is going to stand to attention etc and listen to the 10 year old boy? Or listen to the amputee who's an ex-marine etc. I don't think Brian is saying that the disabled or handicapped are like children, more along the lines of any reason that's been given for children not to have a blackbelt can be considered a reason for those people not to have one too if we wanted to discriminate that way. Reasons like children aren't physically strong enough, children aren't able to examine a situation and act like a mature adult would, could be applied to some people. And even if you don't want to think about it like this, again, what do you say to particularly small adult females or immature adults? Thank you, DWx. This was exactly the point I was making.

Bushido_man, please don't let me think You're putting disabled people in the same bracket as children. They may be disabled but they are far from being "child-like". I'm not bracketing anybody. I'm just pointing out what I think are inconsistencies in how some award black belts. I didn't say anything of the sort. Are you saying all of your black belts could stand up and take control of this very vague situation you have just laid out? Have all of your black belts had survival training? If so, what does this entail, and how does it work into the curriculum for testings? Are all ex-military automatically eligible for black belt status when they sign up for a class, but the 12 year old girl in this article doesn't even get considered?

I think there is some truth to this. Grossman has some thoughts on this phenomenon in his books in regards to how warfare has changed, as well as the warriors, over the years.

I agree with you here to an extent, but I also believe that one can train their mindset to get past this kind of thing, and learn how to deal with that fear when it comes on.

Wow, never knew that about dolphins. You never hear anything bad about that animal. I've learned something today. And that animal is considered one of the most intelligent on the planet.

Its not just Capoeira, Justice. Although I don't experience this quite to the extent that you do with every technique, there are some that I get it with. When I throw a spinning heel kick, with all my 250+ lbs behind it, I make sure its either not full speed, or I try to "slow up" the kick when reaching the target. I'm not always flexible enough to kick over the other person's head, so what usually happens is it gets blocked, or they swerve out of the way of the slower kick, then hop in and punch or kick or whatever. There have been a few times when I have told someone, "hey, next time, I won't pull that kick." Then it kind of registers with them. But its always after the fact. This is a very good idea. I've had some impromptu things like this happen in some DT stuff we've done, but never in Aikido class. This would be a good idea for Combat Hapkido.

I'll tell you this about Yoo Sin, DWx: it will never, ever, be my form. Its my current form, and I just can't stand doing it. I like the first half of the form, but the second half is just a pain in the butt for me.

When it comes to Karate history, does the guy know what he is talking about? I'm not condoning any part of his personal life. I just say the book is a decent one for a KarateKa to read.

Just yesterday I finished reading Harry Cook's Shotokan Karate, A Precise History. I know that there are a lot of negative opinions about Cook out there now, but be that as it may, this book is, I would have to say, a pretty well researched and layed out source of information. I'd love to give a concise review of the work here, but I've been reading it in bits and pieces for the better part of a year and a half, so I'll leave it to others to read and decide. Its full of anecdotal information, insight, and a lot of work went into putting it together. I'd say if you have Karate-Do Kyohan in your library, this would probably go well alongside it.

Yep, all too complicated for me.

I am reading (thanks to DWx ) Rob Redmond's book, Kata, The Folk Dances of Shotokan, and on pp 50 - 51, he relates the idea of having a "tokui" kata, or the one kata that you specialize in. This is the form you do that Redmond says you would have particular skill in; perhaps the one you are known to perform, given the chance and the choice. Redmond puts it this way: "This will be the first kata that you stop becoming and start making into you." I know we've had some varying discussions on forms practice in general, and I thought, what the heck, why not throw this direction in there, too! So, do you have a form that you feel you specialize in? For me, it would have to be Ge-Baek. Its a second degree form for my school, and I always loved doing it, I could really rock it out with a lot of power, and I had my best tournament placings ever with it. My best testing so far, when I tested for my 3rd dan, this form was a requirement. This form's movements seem short and compact to me, and I feel I can deliver every ounce of power my short, stubby, round body can muster into it, and I am exhausted upon completion, and feel like I really just rang somebody's bell. Yeah, Ge-Baek is my form. What is your "tokui" form? Even if you aren't a high rank yet, and feel you've grown to enjoy one particular form above all the others, please share it with us, and why.

I think at times, looking at different training strategies and scenarios might be more beneficial than just openly sparring. However, with the sparring idea in mind, I think an Aikidoka would benefit greatly by having some proficiency in some strikes to set up their locks and manipulations. That's what I like and dislike about Aikido; the style of training isn't conducive to sparring, but the randori style they use can be a good training tool. However, the idea of sparring would also open their eyes as to what it would actually require to pull off their techniques in a more offensive (as opposed to defensive) manner. One of the things that I like more about Hapkido is that things aren't based as much on the other person's energy to do the moves. Hapkido stylist tend to create the energy they need, when they need it.