bushido_man96

I agree with sperki on the jump training. Find you some good plyometric exercises, and set up a program for yourself. Also, I would keep up the weight training, but I would train with high weight and low reps to build strength. The more weight you press, the more muscle fiber you recruit. I think this, in conjunction with the plyometrics, will help your gains. When you do start plyometrics, make sure to give yourself around 72 hours rest between sessions, for full recovery.

4/27/09 Session 2 100 Push-ups Week 5, Day 1: 17, 19, 15, 15, 25 = 91. Felt good, and my arms are sore! Ladder work Inside thigh stretch I: 3 sets, holding 3 reps each for about 3 seconds, each leg. 3rd rung, then 4th rung, then 3rd rung. Inside thigh stretch II: 2 sets of 10 on each leg, 2nd rung, then 1st rung. These are also one-leg squatting exercises. Inside thigh stretch III: 2 sets of 10, raising and lowering the leg in side kick position. DWx's book review on Cho's The Complete Martial Artist, vol. 2, got me to thinking about my copies of the books, and so I went sifting through vol. 1, and found some exercises Cho was doing with a step ladder. These are a few of them, and I think I may put something together to do from time to time at home.

I agree that you should ask your instructor. Also, ask him if he recommends any reference material for you to pick up and read; I did that with my Aikido instructor. He pointed me in the right direction, and now I am off and running. Also, lots of practice will make it clear in no time.

Cool. I'll contact them this week.

Its cool that you are experimenting with it. I think that using Cho's kicking method can definitely help in developing some of the more difficult kicks in TKD, like the two-direction kick, and other two-legged kicks, if that is something that one wants to do. One thing is for sure, I think that guy is one of the greatest kickers around.

I agree on both accounts here. Your first poing, being comfortable with it, is important. If it is a tactic that one would consider, then it would be important to train for it, at least periodically. I like this approach, too. Its a good way to seperate the mind from the body, so to speak; get the aggressor distracted, and also draw more attention to yourself and the situation. I don't know if I would try it all the time, but I am sure that there would be times that would warrant its usage.

I think you nailed it here. Perhaps this was what he was searching for. I'm glad that he had the opportunity to find it, too.

Well, it doesn't have so much to do with how fast the kick comes back; every kick should come back as fast as it goes out. It has more to do with the impact that the striking surface allows, and how deeply the kick penetrates. Hope that helps.

RIP.

If it didn't have running water and electricity, I couldn't live there. Gotta have my computer running!

Well, the jump spin side kick is the only one I try it with, and I don't think I jump much higher. However, I don't try to fling that back leg out there if I am just doing a really quick reverse side kick, which is more like a switching kick than a jumping kick. I haven't attempted it on a flying side kick like in Choong Moo hyung. Have you tried the method out there? How did it work for you? Did you have to jump a lot higher?

You bring out some good points there, Bob. But, I tend to be a bit simpler of a man...I feel that the person grabbing has a degree of control of whatever it is they have grabbed. Now, that doesn't mean that the person being grabbed doesn't have options. Like you said, the person that has been grabbed may have a free hand or two, or two free feet. However, is said person grabbing me is a skilled Wrestler, Judoka, Aikidoka, or BJJer, I may very well be screwed, regardless of having a free hand or two. Just playing a bit of devil's advocate...

Well, it was the only school in town when I started TKD. I have liked it since, and have stuck with it. I got into the Combat Hapkido when my current TKD instructor introduced it as a supplement to what we were doing in TKD. I have stuck with it. I had heard about the Aikido club, and the highest rank student at our TKD school had gotten into it. When they had a free weekend seminar roll around, and went to check it out. I had a good time, and thought I would give it a serious look.

Thanks, tg. 4-27-09 (geez, is April almost over???) Weights Bench press: 225x8, 9 fail; time to go up maybe. Row: 190x7, 8 fail Military press: 125x5, 6 fail Lat pull-down: 160x9, 10 fail; time to go up. Leg extension: 160x9, 10 fail; go up. Leg curl: 205x10, 11 fail; up. Machine curl: 60x6, 7 fail Triceps push-down: 180x4, 5 fail Ab wheel: 2x10 Cardio Bike: 5 minutes at 90 rpm; 5 minutes at 100 rpm; 5 @ 90; 5 @ 100; 20 minutes total. Stretch. Martial Arts workout Combat Hapkido: 9:10 - 9:50. Since we tested in Aikdio last week, we let it go for this morning and took some time to focus on Combat Hapkido. We did a review of the yellow and orange belt material, and then I worked on my red belt material. I am a bit rusty, and I will be spending some time focusing on the siezes and entries, so I can make my transitons smoother.

Yes, I agree, tallgeese. Those mats work really well for our TKD and even our Combat Hapkido stuff, but I have found that rolling around on them without full-leg gi pants on can really rough up the knees. The MMA guys that use our gym to roll around some have brought in a few of their own Wrestling mats for that purpose. I don't blame them at all!

I usually tuck it in, but at times, I fail at that, too. I like the way that Cho does his non-kicking leg, but a serious range of flexibility is required to do it that way, I have found. So, I don't always get it when I do it his way. I have found that by doing it the way that GM Cho does it on the reverse/spinning side kicks, it is easier to keep from over-rotating the kick and missing the target, because it tends to snap your body to a stop at the appropriate time.

Its not being hit that bothers me; I can trade blows without a problem. What bothers me the most is taking that side kick that keeps me away from being able to trade blows. That sucks.

I wonder if he will continue?

I think that this is a common thought, but I don't think that it is a practical line of thinking. Why would one want to put oneself behind the eight-ball, and allow someone to strike first? Here is a simple drill that anyone can try the next time you are at the dojo, or, even at home with someone that has no MA training at all: The Towel Drill 1. Face your partner, and hang a towel from your shoulder, letting it drape down so that half of it is to your front and half to your back. 2. With your hands down at your sides, tell your partner to "attack" you by trying to take the towel off of your shoulder as fast as he can, without warning. Your goal is to try to stop it. How did it work out? I've done the drill before, and I know that it is not easy to keep the towel from being taken. In fact, most of the time, the "attacker" ends up holding the towel. 3. Now, alter the drill a bit by putting your hands up in a fence position, and letting the "attacker" take the towel whenever he feels ready to try. Getting the hands up makes your defense quicker, for sure. But still, after analyzing the data, is it a chance that you want to take, to put oneself behind the reaction curve like that? Not me.

Yes, I could see it as a jabbing kick. I think that in sport kumite or something like that, it could be useful. For SD, I would rather just hit with the heel, though. Very good points, though.

Thanks for the introduction to Wado.

That would be great. I loved the Predator movies, although I still haven't seen the latest, AVP Requiem. I need to get it yet.

I think that the "Cocaine" drink marketers would have thought out the naming process a bit more.

I still got a bit nervous with my Aikido testing coming up. I didn't feel anything up until the day of testing, but as the hours wound down, I started to get a bit nervous. I'd imagine that I always will, too.

Thank, Danielle and Patrick.