bushido_man96

I don't remember; I think it was local, but I'm not sure...

Maiming a guy's eyes just for trying to punch you won't go over too well in the court system. This is going to vary from situation to situation. If the attacker has verbally announced that his intent is to cause bodily harm to you (in not so many words... ), then you may be able to articulate it to a court. I like the idea behind the shield. It is much like a Boxing guard, and the use of the elbows is nice, too. It also demonstrated usage against a shooting takedown.

I don't necessarily view this as the true goal of the Martial Arts. It may be the goal and personal philosophy of many, but I don't think it is fair to blanket all Martial Artists into this ideal. For many practitioners, the goal is to become a better fighter. And I think that this is ok.

As an instructor, if I see a student who is not getting it, I try to make it a point to help them to get it. I have said before, it is easy to teach the students with talent.

That looks like fun! Body contortion is cool!

That sounds pretty cool.

Even if you don't like the reasons that you started for, at least they got you started...

The instructors should be able to show you some stretching routines to help your legs out. Stretch regularly, every day if you can, and you will see improvement. And I agree with the others; go out there and have fun....and keep your hands up!

Thanks for the replies, guys. I'm not a quick counter-type guy, but when I am in open stance, I try to spin side kick at times. The spin heel kick is one that is a treat, too, and after seeing that one a few times, guys tend to bail out on you once you start to spin (as far as our type of sparring goes). However, sometimes, I'll just block and absorb the kick, then move in with punches until they back away, and land my own kick. So now, what kind of footwork do you apply to the defense, if any?

I agree with tallgeese. The bouts you see on TV are usually pros fighting for a purse; so they go hard. The training, however, will likely be much more focused, and allow you to develop your hands and footwork, and teach you how to move, duck, slip, etc. When they spar in the gym, it will likely be controlled, and not a fight to knockout. I think if you gave it a try, you would like it. I know I would.

I had been thinking about this for about a week now, as I was having a very trying week last week; one of the most trying of my life. I'll not go into the details, but this post helped me to marshall my thoughts for a thread: Like a family man/woman, we know it is important to not bring work home with us. At the same time, we shouldn't take home or work to the dojo/school with us. So last week, when I finally got to hit a class, I didn't know how I was going to react mentally. I was having one of those weeks when you just want to beat on something, to let all that stress out, mainly because you just constantly think about what is bothering you. But, when I got to class, and started warming up, and working out, it all went away; it just put itself on hold it seemed like. During class, I didn't worry about what was bothering me, but worried about the normal TKD class things; am I leaning over a bit when I do my side kick? Am I locking my back leg compeletly in my front stances? Am I getting good pivot on my round kicks? Those are the things I thought of. I'll tell you this, going to class that night was probably one of the best things I could have done that week. And when I sparred, my problems didn't come back, either. I was just myself, and I think that was very important.

I agree here, too. It has to be akin to leaving your work at work, and not taking it home with you. ...and, this is good fodder for another thread....

My thoughts as well. I don't really buy into the Ki flow and all that. I don't know that Bruce Lee ever said anything about Ki being a part of the technique, either.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on Chi Sao.

I guess I look at it from the way my school does things, and perhaps I am just too much of a perfectionist. But, I would like to see some things become more solid with those first two testings or so, that way you spend more time developing those good habits, and not letting them go until they are higher rank, and then have to work to fix them. In this case, I think you have to consider the bulk of the material that has to be covered and demonstrated for testing purposes. If you are expected to demonstrate lower ranked material, along with self-defense, applications, etc, as well as those needed for the current rank. You might need that time.

This is a good point. I hadn't considered it.

I've seen that video, too. Very nasty...

What are some of your favorite ways to counter the back leg round kick? ....or the front leg round kick?

Welcome!

Welcome to the Forums! Its nice to have you.

That is pretty cool. After Alpha, I didn't have access to play many more, so I'm not familiar with the advances on them. Still nice to read about, though.

I think the spiderman name comes from the wall climbing look to the knee coming to the elbow...

Thanks for the replies. Good answers, too. I see what tg is saying about early testing requirements. But, at our school, the basics are pretty involved, and all ranks do the same basics. But, I digress. The motivational factor is something to think about, too. It does help with the kids, but with adults, I think it might be less so. School focus may have a part in the process, too.

I think that the psychological aspect is the part that is the most overlooked when it comes to SD training. It is definitely worth looking into more.

Congrats to you! One more milestone down.