bushido_man96

Very cool homes. Thanks for sharing. I can only imagine what it would be like to have my own gym in my own house.

That's pretty cool. It gives a sense of familiarity, in a way, knowing they aren't just sets.

That's a good idea, too. Never thought of that. Makes me think of the movie Gladiator, where Maximus always rubbed dirt on his hands before going into a fight; I'd guess it was to keep grip on that weapon.

For anyone interested, here is a link to the article that tallgeese posted on the subject: Principle Based Martial Arts Training. Be sure to give it a look; very good read.

Man, that's too bad, for both the show, and for the state of the MMA comps like this. We should have been watching a match that had potential to go for a few rounds, maybe 3, with two fighters in top form, and both rated high. Now, we will be seeing a fighter step in who hasn't had the time to adequately train and prepare for a force like Fedor, and the card will likely suffer.

Ok, the title may sound odd, but its something that I think about almost every class when I see students doing side kicks, and chopping the chambers up to where the kick looks like a half round/half side kick, and not a good side kick. Rateh noted something about learning to chamber side kicks and back kicks in the thread What did I teach today? : Now, I am not trying to assume that the difficulties in teaching a good side kick are compounded by the existence of the round kick, but when I see things like this happen in class, it frustrates me because the short cut gets taken a lot on a side kick, and the short cut is always in the chamber. Then it always turns into the half-in-half kick. Do any other instructors see this problem with teaching the side kick, especially to the beginners through intermediate levels? I even catch it in some black belts at times, trying to make a fast side kick with half a chamber. Just a little rant from me. Anyone else?

If that's the reason, it's silly. I don't even look at the belt when judging. I don't like longer belts because when I do front kicks, the end has a tendency to fly up into my face. So, I wear my proper size or 1/2 size small. John I agree with you here. If a judge is too busy staring at belt length, and not judging the form, then he probably doesn't have the necessary requirments to be a judge.

Tony, if you are looking for a different perpective to approach the ITF patterns from, check out Stuart Pual Anslow's book Ch'ang Hon Taekwon-do Hae Sul - Real Applications to the ITF Patterns: Vol 1: http://www.amazon.com/Chang-Hon-Taekwon-do-Hae-Sul/dp/1906628041/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248412649&sr=1-1 It might give you a different take on the patterns. It only covers up to Toi Gye hyung, but I think the author intends to add a second volume in the future (I hope so, anyways).

When you watch what is done in the class, look at how the kicking is done, and the footwork that is done in the forms. You can see how it will affect your knees by watching the footwork. Higer kicking will be a bit rougher on the knees, I think, because of more pivoting, and the need for flexibility. Lower kicking will be a bit better for the knees. Also of importance is learning to kick properly; making sure you have good pivot movements with the base leg, not locking the kicking leg out completely upon completion of the kick, and things like that. Quality in kicking is important, regardless of the art you practice.

I always learned it as a 1 in 10 rule, and I have seen it go that way. When I began my training in the ATA in 1993 (I think...), I can remember testing with quite a few peers. For a while, I had from 6 - 10 testing with me, for the same rank, at each testing. But as the ranks went up, the number of the group went down. At our 1st degree testing, there were 3 of us. Later on, the other 2 went on, moved, etc, and as far as I know, neither still train. But, I haven't seen or heard from them in a long time, so perhaps they have got back into it. A pity if they did not, because they both were a lot better and more talented than I am.

I agree with all of the replies here so far. There tends to come a time when the teacher can't teach as much as he used to, because the skill of the students it beginning to catch up with what he knows. Different perspectives can also lead to new learning, so going to a different teacher of the same style may lead one down a different path, as well. I think that there may come a time when instead of being teacher/student, they become peers, and can then rely on each other for learning and teaching.

I see what you are saying here, and I highlighted the last point, to emphasize it, and add to the discussion here. I think one point you have to consider is whether or not the way Qin accomplished his goal was the only means to this end. Take, for example, if Hitler would have emerged victorious from WWII. Germany may have become a very prominent and successful place to live (for some people, anyways...), but in the end, would it have been a good way to come to those reforms? I do think that at times we accept some evils as necessary, but the extent of the evil is what should be evaluated, and whether or not another route could be arrived at; much like you have stated. This is the point I was stating above; thanks for bringing it out. It does make one think. Of course, you also have to consider the attitudes of all other sides involved, as well. Yet, history is riddled with situations like this, on all sides of the globe. These are the points that tend to put a cut-off point on the idea of things being "mutually dependent." Maybe its because of my job, but I can't observe the kinds of charges and read about the things that people do, that are inherently evil, and think to myself as evil and good being "mutually dependant." Karma is an aspect of Eastern thought that I have a tough time clinging to, as well. I hear it typically translated or "Westernized" by the saying "what goes around, comes around." I just don't buy into it. The reason is, because nothing is guaranteed in life. The bad guys don't always get caught; not everyone "gets what's coming to them." Its nice to think that it might work that way, but in my experience, it just doesn't. It does appear that the most of us agree that the concept of "mutual dependence" does work in Martial Arts training: Thanks for all of the replies so far, Kempohands, tonydee, isshinryu5toforever, and joesteph. Your contributions here have been very enlightening to me especially, as I have little knowledge of these subjects.

Thank you for sharing that! Very solid! I second. If half of the talented students in the world worked half that hard....who knows?

Hehe, pretty cool. Very creative.

For the sweaty hands problem, you should look into some chalk powder to help with the gripping.

Welcome back.

I agree. Hopefully, he wouldn't encounter any problems at the school. If he is obvious and open about it, then it is also natural to assume that it might make some members nervous. So, be ready for that. In the end, though, I would think that all involved would be able to handle this in a mature manner.

Yeah, kind of a team recognition thing.

Very nice, tallgeese. Thanks for sharing. It sure sounds like you did your research in putting this together.

Very solid point, Truestar. I think that there isn't enough of that going on.

Thanks for the ideas, Tony and Bob.

I always kihap upon the performance of the specified technique. Its important to bring it from the gut, and not to yell from your throat.

This is a good point. Being a Westerner, I do tend to think in opposites more than I do in mutualities. It is a good point to bring up, because evil is not something that is, or should be considered, ok, at all.

I don't think that point fighting is bad, but I don't agree that winning in point fighting = winning in hard contact fighting. They are two different strategies, and the other guy doesn't have to acknowledge the point you just got in hard contact, continuous fighting. Other intangibles can come into play as well, such as toughness, endurance, etc. Hehe, perhaps that is a way to put things into perspective.

Cung Le has a very effective way of using the side kick in his fights. But, he has spent a lot of time developing it, too. Front kicks you will see at times, used like the tiip of Thai Boxing, but it is used as more of a pushing kick. The main reason that you don't see them as much is because the round kick is easier to set up, and tends to be a faster kick than the side kick. I think that the round kick lends itself to combination use better, too.