bushido_man96

Well said. This is a very good explaination. I've been taught that it is slightly bent with your toes trying to grip the ground. I've tried this with even shoes on and I feel more stable. That is my two cents worth. Toes gripping the ground...YES!! Thanks, and kudos to Dobie for adding that good info, too. I don't grip the ground often with my feet, but its mainly because I don't think about it. I have experimented with it, and do think it is a good tidbit to use.

Thanks, Danielle.

I guess if I can't carry a tune in a bucket, then arguments is the way to for me....???? Joe, I like what you say, too. I do think that a formal debate or a "gentleman's disagreement" would be more like competition, and arguments with no set breaks or reprieves would be more like the fight.

And that tends to be the big beef with forms today. And to an extent, it is true. What they end up serving is as a curriculum filler for ranks, and then the applications are still used to justify their existence in the style. In my TKD school, we don't ever learn any applications; the forms are just curriculum fillers.

I would disagree. This kick is used in Muay Thai, MMA, and Olympic TKD. I've seen KOs in all of them. It's an extremely powerful kick. It's power is generated more from the momentum of the movement and pivoting of the entire body into the kick rather than from the snappy turn of the hips with the strike, however. The power generation of a more traditional round kick comes from the rotation of both the hips and leg as you turn it from the vertical to horizontal position. Both are very powerful kicks though. I really like to mix it up with both versions of the kick in order to keep an opponent off balance. If they start checking low line kicks, I'll switch up in order to rise over their knee. Additionally, I like to rotate the traditional kick to come in on a downward angle, striking the bridge of the nose, clavicle or outter thigh (using shin). All very good points. I guess the power generation is different, for sure.

Agreed. Bodhidharma has never been nailed down as the great originator of MAs in China as many believe he is to be. Its all myth and speculation.

I think it is an interesting analogy, and there are some parallels there. So, what happens if I can't sing worth a crap?

The leg should not be locked, but slightly bent. Not severly bent, but along the same lines of the degree of a lock you do on most punches, kicks, etc. Nothing should completely lock; this is too hard on the joints. But, nothing should be bent so severly that it should be very noticible.

Welcome to KF!

I try hard not to slump. I find that when I play video games or get on the computer, it helps to have a hard-backed chair to set in. Otherwise, I slump, and my back starts to hurt.

8-16-10 Push day: bench, incline, decline, and dumbells. 8-17-10 Pull day: Assisted pull-ups, lat pull-downs, upright rows, dumbell rows, and curls.

8-9-10 Weights: push day: chest. Flat, incline, decline bench, and vertical butterfly, 5x5s. 8-10-10 Jogged mile in 10:36, then stretched. TTA high green belt form and one-steps. ATA green belt forms and one-steps. Need a bit more work on these. I forgot how much that ATA pushed in technique advancement as the levels got higher. I need to work advanced kicking more. Weights: pull day: back and biceps, 5x5s. 8-11-10 Jogged mile in 10:29 today. Tired, though. Man I hate running. Stretched out. Weights: push day: shoulders and triceps. Did 5x5s.

One's just gotta love that, and I do!! Yes, I agree. At times, there won't be much momentum to utilize from an attacker, and that can get one into trouble. Take a Boxer, for instance. If he uses good technique, and sits back and jabs at you, there isn't a lot of momentum coming from that jab, but it will have enough power to start wearing you down. So at times, its important to be able to go on the offensive and end up creating some energy on your own to work with.

I think this is a pretty good breakdown. The style I am in doesn't perform many strikes, which is something that I tend want to do a lot of. I have 3 of Shioda's books. I have enjoyed them, and when I need a technical reference, they are quite helpful.

Agreed.

It has more to do with what different schools and instructors prefer in their technique, and what they feel is the standard for the style they do. Just because they call it "bad," doesn't mean it is. Its just that they don't like it, or never learned it, or have never put it to use. That's ok, but its not a good idea to discount it like that as "bad" because it isn't what some would call the "proper" TKD kick.

Good, sound mechanics, will transfer across the board, no matter the system involved. It has more to do with body mechanics than stylistic preferences when it comes to sound technique.

Awesome spin hook kick. Love Bruce Lee footage.

I'd call it a hybrid. Kind of a 45 degree angle kick. It tends to be the most popular kick that I've seen in Olympic TKD sparring. Its not bad technique. Its just a different technique. It tends to be quicker, and takes more of a straight line path to the target. But, it does tend to lack in power generation from the hip and from a lack of pivot.

I agree here as well. Hard work is just as important as being athletically gifted. Time has to be put in on both to get good at both.

I tend to agree with your point of view. I wouldn't go as far as to say that excelling forms is more like dance, but more of a focus on the technical skills involved in the Martial Arts in an individual format. I think that sparring is very technical, too, but its different than forms.

I think it has more to do with overall athleticism lending itself to better levels of performance in both. I've not seen any form segments of mine that translate to sparring well at all. And usually, if you check at most schools, one would see that the sparring training and the forms training differ quite a bit.

That's what I really liked about it. It wasn't that they just showed up and did what they were good at. They had to adapt to using different weapons. It is obvious, however, that those competitors have a very good talent, and a good eye for targeting. Even on new things, they picked up fast.

Welcome aboard!

Welcome to KF!