bushido_man96

My wife's family got together with us, and we had a good meal. The next night, we watched the community fire works display.

Pretty cool. But I don't think I would head up there. Heights are not my friend.

I always liked the Tekken series, and how they portrayed the different styles in a fairly accurate way, at least in physical performance. Street Fighter was also a great one, but not quite as good as Tekken, in my mind. Thanks for starting this thread; very nice!

7-7-09 I taught the adult class tonight, and the orientation. The adult class was a low ranked class, except for one 1st dan. So, I spent time breaking down some basics. I worked them on our cross-over side kick drill, making points so that it would not get rushed into looking like a round kick. We focused on the chamber here. I did some similar drills with the round kick, making sure that the big chamber came around, and not a shortcut chamber. At the end of class, I did a brief side-stepping movement drill for sparring. For the orientation, I tried to keep the students moving, and not getting too caught up in perfecting anything yet; we'll do that in class. We did work a bit on turning in stances, especially the front stance, which can be a tricky deal. I hadn't really done orientation in a while, and it was nice to get some students in that are kind of a "clean slate" when it comes to training. It energized me a bit.

Very nice, Bob. I like those drills. I'll have to keep them in mind.

7-7-09 TKD class: 6:00 - 7:30. I got to teach class tonight. Enjoyed it a lot. Orientation: 7:30 - 8:00. We had 7 white belts in for orientation tonight. We didn't get to technical, but mainly worked on keeping them moving, and not thinking too much about the movements.

Thanks for the reference, Alex. I agree with this exercise, as well. Height won't be important at first, but keeping everything level and consistent will. In time, you'll notice improvement.

I recommend that you do. One of the better books I've read on TKD history.

I thought I was clearing things up a bit, but now when discussing the hip position during the kick, I am a bit lost. When I do what I think is a thrusting kick, I tend to get my hips turned over a bit. I feel that it adds power to the kick. Is this not proper for the side thrusting kick as you know it, Tony?

In our TKD classes, when we test, we have a form of "testing sparring." However, during this sparring, there is never a winner or a loser declared. It is two pitted against each other, showing skills in attack and defense against various opponents. I don't know if this is something like Funakoshi might have been leaning towards, but I don't think it likely. Also, could he have been thinking of technical competitions like kata competitions? Not exactly an exchange between to combatants, but perhaps something to that effect? I find this discussion quite intriguing. I don't have much to add to it, but I have enjoyed the exchange so far, and look forward to further comment. I like a chance to learn something new.

Bob: You are right about knowledge being paramount to rank. Rank without knowledge, is really nothing. Nor do I think that it is wrong for one to be proud of their accomplishments. One should be proud of what one has earned when one has worked hard for it. I don't disagree with you there at all. I'll admit that I think the rank, i.e., the belt, did mean more to me earlier on in my career than it does now. Just the process of learning and growing now means more. If rank comes with it, then that's great. I'll still be proud of it, but it probably won't excite me as much as a junior student earning a new belt would be. Its kind of like when I was a kid, and I couldn't wait for Christmas, because you got to get gifts. Now, I can't wait for Christmas, but instead of the gifts, I'm waiting just to be together with the family. How our perception of things change over time. I understand that you follow the by-laws of Shindokan, and I respect that, and you, as well. I don't suspect that you'll take any offense from any of the opinions that I have stated, but I want you to understand that it is not my intention to offend, either.

...and everything works itself out, doesn't it? Congrats on the promotion.

I wouldn't worry about feeling foolish. You might meet someone at the new school in the same boat.

Good arguements for the front thrusting kick, Tony. Very valid. I do feel that I would have more power with my round kick, although it would telegraph a bit more. But the front kick is worth the look, too.

What do you call a "side cut"? In my old Hapkido school, the term would probably be used to refer to a kind of turning kick motion where the blade/foot-sword cuts along a sensitive area such as around the knee cap, doing damage as it's dragged across... but not sure if we're on the same page...? Hey Tony. Sorry for the miscommunication here. When I refer to a "side cut," it is actually a side-stepping motion, to get off line and attack/counter. What I do is step off line with my back leg, forward at a 45 degree angle or so, and I like to make it a sharp, fast motion; so I use the word "cut." Its really just a side-step. I'm concerned about the way forms competitions seem to encourage this. Showing the strength and flexibility to hold the leg up high seems to be more valued than actual correctness of technique. That's dance, not martial arts! I've seen lots of students come in who thought they could kick well just because they were especially flexible, and they don't tend to have the stomache for the hard work and introspection required to develop the correct techniques, as they're more concerned about keeping their leg up as high as they can, regardless of where the opponent actually is. We discuss this in class a lot. My instructor is big on technique first, height second. He does like to see kick lockouts in the forms, to build strength and those muscles that hold the legs out, but he wants proper form, too. I agree that if it is going to be high, then it has to be proper technique, first. I don't look at is as "dance," though. I look at it as technique refinement. Technically correct high kicking is one of the most beautiful things to see in the Martial Arts, in my opinion, regardless of whether or not it is street applicable or not. But, it has to be done the right way.

Nice post, Tony. I agree that learning the basics of movement principles in power generation are very important to any MA that one studies, and taking shortcuts are not going to help anyone in this area.

7-6-09 Weights Seated row: 115x15x3 Seated chest: 150x15x3 Lat pull-down: 102x15x3 Shoulder press: 78x15x3 Leg extensions: 130x10x3 Leg curls: 160x12x3 Barbell curls: 55x15x3 Triceps press: 139x15x3 Gripper: 20x10, 10, 10, 15 Decline crunches: 15x10x3 Stretched the upper body afterwards.

I've been managing 3 or 4 sessions of Combat Hapkido per week now, too. Hopefully, we keep this up throughout the summer.

I agree. These are good choices for some acrobatics.Welcome to the Forums.

I'll 3rd that response. Go check them out, and see for yourself. Either of them may be great options.

Those are great points, isshinryu5toforever. I find myself worrying about what other think of me when I am practicing outside in my yard or driveway. It does mess with you a bit. In the end, you are right; you have to just worry about yourself. Just do your kata, and then be done with it. In regards to what Joe hit on a bit, when someone is watching you, you think about what you are doing more. Performance isn't the time to learn; performance is the time to perform what you have learned. That doesn't mean it can't be a learning experience, but at the same time, it isn't as conducive to learning as focused drilling/learning time is. So, perform the kata, then take the praise/criticism/suggesstions, and then drill/learn. That should help you out, I think. I also like the idea of being talked to while performing a kata. Instead of zoning out, one should be able to have awareness of things going on around you while you are doing something.

Thanks for the photos, Tony. They help me understand a lot better. First off, after seeing your pics of the piercing kick, I'll admit that I have never done it before. To bring the knee up from the outside like that just seems very foreign to me, for a side kick. I would do that with an inside crescent kick, but not with a side kick. At least not yet. It does seem like a very odd motion. For the thrusting kick, the way I practice that now is much the same as you show, only I take the chambered leg up to that angle, which I feel keeps it tighter to my body, giving me more of a thrust, and a less big, swinging movement. We do get that initial hip twist in prior to chamber by virtue of a reverse punch in a front stance done prior to the kick. Now, I would be interested in the front leg versions of these kicks. With the thrusting kick off the front leg, would you still pick it up like a front kick chamber, and then use the pivoting motion? What about the piercing kick?

Tony, have you read Alex Gillis' book A Killing Art? It is a very informative read on the politics that made TKD what it is today.

I agree here, and this is a major component of Combat Hapkido. Seperate the mind from the body, etc. And if you get in a good strike first, they just might let go.

I've wondered the same thing myself, especially in my training time in Combat Hapkido, and now Aikido. What I have found is that it is a starting point, a training tool. The wrist grab allows the defender to see how to get to the points needed to manipulate the hand or arm into a lock, or for a takedown. The rank that I am currently at in Combat Hapkido, there are no "wrist grab attacks" in the curriculum; it is all lapel grabsl, shoulder grabs, etc. However, the mechanics and such that I have learned from the wrist grabs early on keep popping up in the techniques I do in the higher ranks. Early on, one attacked with a wrist grab, the defender will often do a re-grab, in which the defender gains control of the attacker's wrist. This re-grab leads into the techniques that are done later on, which may start out as just seizing the attackers wrist when he grabs your shoulder, lapel, etc. I also agree with tallgeese on the weapon control bit. Very important there. Another important aspect of such techniques is not to dally when you get them going. Get it done, and fast, before they get too much time to resist. The crash points during conflict is also a good point. Hockheim talks about them, calling them "sticking points" in a fight; at times, you may get hold of a wrist. Then, you know what to do.