bushido_man96

The problem with Taek Kyon is that you can't find anything concrete about it. I think Wang Kee and Gen. Choi both claim to have learned it, but they never say from who.

I am curious about these developments, as well. I started my career in the ATA, and like to see what's going on from time to time. Stick fighting would be fun, and the physical requirements are probably a good thing, as long as they aren't too outrageous. I'd like to see the MMA aspects of it as well. I remember when they started their Protech programs, and offered ground fighting based on BJJ as one of the programs. And, no, TKD wasn't really the first MMA.

I think more people would understand it than you think. How many parents are there of kids out there that Wrestle? Lots. How many of those kids' moms have likely Wrestled? Not many. But, I'll bet they find the time to talk with their kids about it. Sure, there are some who won't understand everything you talk about, but if you break it down into small doses, I think most people will get the picture. Now, I wouldn't just engage in the conversation just for the thrill of it. But, I think that a lot of people see and hear so much about the MAs these days that more will understand it than you might think.

I am not a big proponent of stepping forward with the back leg to deliver a punch in sparring. Sure, it will have power, but that step kind of telegraphs everything.

I see a lot of that, instructors not sparring in class. I think they should do so, but I think many times, they don't, to protect their ego.

I think Martial Arts sports are very effective, especially because they usually have a higher level of contact and resistance in their sparring. Olympic TKD and Boxing fight to knockout, Judo, BJJ, and Wrestling all are 100% resistive. This is very good training, even with the rule sets in place.

I think if I were you I would use the opportunity here to push the ones you have to spar regularly so they get better, and then they might be able to help you get better. Otherwise, see if you can spar some of the better fighters there.

I will if someone asks. I try not to talk about rank too much, but I'll discuss it if it comes up. I like to talk about it, especially with someone who is willing to listen.

I think you assume too much here. I don't recall anyone really saying they feel a black belt is lowly. It is no doubt an accomplishment. I just don't think a lot of people tie more into it than is there--to me, it is an indicator of skill or knowledge. Not much more than that. There are those who practice styles that don't use belts, and they don't have to worry about this issue. They know what they know, and it is enough; it doesn't have to be displayed around their waist. As for giving up a black belt, I don't consider that a big deal. You can have the belt...but you can't take the knowledge, and the time that has been put into the training. I think in the end, there are those who do or do not romanticize what the black belt truly is. I'd gladly wear a white belt and move to the back of the class. I have actually done this by taking another Martial Art that I have no experience in. I'm a white belt in there, and have no problem what so ever with being in the back of that class. I'd gladly go to the back of my TKD class, too. I'm not there to advertise, I'm there to learn. And if I get to learn more by being at the back of the class, then sign me up. And I don't have a bachelor's degree, either.

This quote doesn't hit home to me. For me, its the opposite that holds true.

Ah, I always enjoy this movie. Vikings and mystic enemies who really end up being just savage men. This movie is what I would refer to as a mini-epic. I love the characters, and the plot. Based on Michael Crichton's book Eaters of the Dead, and having read the book as well, I find them both enjoyable. Crichton's book is actually a revamped take on the Beowulf saga. Good time, indeed.

Welcome!

Welcome to KF!

5-9-10 Spent some time doing basic movements on my own, and some push-ups. Did some slow front kicks without setting the leg down, and that really felt good.

Why not judge training methods by the caliber of martial artists they produce, not their degree of adherence to old methods of the Japanese Karate Association? In my opinion sparring-heavy styles of karate have produced some impressive karateka... I think this is the key here.

Fighting is a form of expression as well.

The "real meaning" of practicing Martial Arts is going to be different to everyone. Many fighters do so because of the continuing chances to prove themselves. I don't call this ego; its putting your training to the test. There are many Martial Artists who practice forms or basics, and do little fighting of any kind....yet how is that "Martial?" Martial Sports are still Martial Arts....they just compete and put it on the line a lot more often.

Well, maybe not to you. But to the outside world it is. I really think that. It may be a ruse, but the noble classes have been fooling people for all of history. Nonetheless, it's never the nobility that makes themselves noble. They don't jump up on a pedastool. Other people put them there. Case in point. I had to draw blood from a 9 year-old, patient in the mental hospital yesterday. For a lab that is. He was afriad of the needle, but when I had stuck him and was collecting the blood, I praised him for being so brave in the face of it and said to him "You must have a Samurai spirit in you." He was a pudgy kid with some serious setbacks in his life, but he was very interested in that notion. He even asked of the blood in the tube if that was Samurai blood. I told him that it was indeed. Then I gave him four stickers with superheroes on them (For some reason that escapes me, the kids in the hospital love those and will do just about anything for them--including getting better!). He loved the notion of the Samurai. He loved the superheros on the stickers. I told him, "When you get older and out of here, you should think about martial arts, being you obviously have a Samurai spirit." He seemed to like that idea quite a lot. So, you see, your black belt (I think you told us you have 45 years in martial arts and run a dojo.) does put you in a noble class, whether you like it or not. You never said you were noble, but that kid would think you are. You'd be a living superhero to him, something worthy of being on a sticker. You can't come down to him from on high (which can save him) unless you are from on high. Does that make any sense at all? Although this is a nice story, in the end, I don't think it amounts to a nobility thing. You helped someone out, got them through something. That's a good thing. But, I don't think it has much to do with the Martial Artist being noble. As for the Samurai, it has been so romanticized throughout the generations that the only things you hear about are the good things they did, and likely with a bit of embelishment alongside. As for a definition of nobility, it was usually a higher rung of a caste system, and usually only born into. If you were born into nobility, then you likely stayed there. If you were born to a lower caste, you likely stayed there. In my opinion, the training in the Martial Arts trumps this idea, because you get better and rank higher through training and fighting. The Martial Arts give a way to move up, whereas the caste system usually didn't allow this as much.

I don't really think so. I think that there is a big push by many instructors selling their programs that this becomes so, but I think that by and large, it has more to do with the person than whether or not they practice a Martial Art. There are MA good guys out there, and MA bad guys out there. That may sound kind of corny, but its the truth. Man, that's tough for me to fathom. I can't think of many of the colored belts in my school that I wouldn't mind hanging out with. But, that's the way I grew up. I can be friends with just about anyone.

This is a really cool idea. As for places to go, the only place I can think I would want to really visit would be the Roman Coloseum. As far as training goes, along with some steady ground fighting training, I would love to train in Western Swordsmanship.

It depends on the amount of time you have to put into them, and what is expected out of them. If you are expected to break down applications out of both, then two per belt might be a bit much. If not, then it might be ok.

I'm not buying into that. There are only so many ways the body can move, and for the last several centuries, its the way our bodies have been. There are no moves that can't be countered. There may come a point in a technique that is "of no return," where something is so sunk in that it can be difficult to relieve, but to say it can't be countered, is not believable to me.

I don't think that takedowns or armbars are such complex maneuvers that a white belt could not learn them. But, this is one of the drawbacks of the "basics and forms" or "kihon and kata" training style. One has to get locked into the technique before it can be "applied." I don't think that this necessarily has to be the case, though. I'm not saying that it can't be an appropriate way to learn. I do think that there are better ways to learn some things, though. As for the tweak this way and that aspect of the thread, I really wasn't referring to that. But, those kinds of questions could be annoying. But, they should all have ready answers, too, and it is always an option to allocate time after class for more focused discussion.

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This is not something I have experienced. It does sound goofy, though, especially faking an accent.