bushido_man96

I think the major difference here is in seeking out help, and being placed under the charge of one who is younger; two very different scenarios. Many adults would not like to be placed under the charge of a child against their choice/will/judgement. Especially after they have perhaps spent their time at home instructing their children on what to do, when to do it, and how to do it.

Funny. That took some creativity.

That's just plain crazy.

Looks great. Looks like Gambit will make his appearance, too. Can any of the Marvel buffs out there tell us exactly how old Wolverine is?

Is this the fight between Rowdy Roddy Piper and Keith David?

That's too bad. It looked like it had potential, too.

12-17-08 TKD class: 6:00 - 7:00. Fairly regular class tonight. We did have a student show up for the college break that is a member of the TKD team from Texas A&M. She said that our class was quite a bit different from what she has been doing. She mainly competes, so they don't do a lot of forms, and the class she is part of is mainly focused on competing.

I'm not sure, really. I guess if I had to pick, it'd be a round kick.

I think that getting into the other school would be beneficial for you at this point, too. If you can do both later, then great.

I remember my days judging in the ATA tourneys that I attended. I always felt like I was a fair, if not stringent, judge. I'd rarely give a score of 9, and sometimes I would get nudges from chief judges to give more 9s, but if I didn't think it a 9, I wouldn't give it. Overall, I didn't have too many problems with any tournaments that I have attended in the past. Maybe the politics of tournaments are not as popular as it appears; just that when it does happen, it gets talked about a lot. I don't do tourneys much any more, though, so I may be out of touch.

I think you make good points, there, NightOwl. While I was in the ATA, they had a program for younger, intermediate to higher ranked students that would get them into assisting in classes, mainly kids classes. The instructor ran the class, but these kids would assist with demonstrating techniques, perhaps lead warm-ups, and help with drills, all the while gaining some ability to control and run a class. Now, these kids wouldn't do this with adult classes, though; I think it is better to let kids stick to kids, and adults stick to adults. I know a lot of people don't have good things to say about the ATA, but some things that they do, when followed and used properly, are great tools.

I can see why you took this approach, ps1. Was there a point in training in class at which you realized that you could beat your instructor easily, and then decided that you should back off? How gradually, or how abruptly, did you realize this?

Tallgeese has good advise. Look around for something that may offer what you have done, or something like it, and perhaps make the change. I understand that not having to pay any class fees is nice, but eventually, to accelerate the learning process, you may have to pay an instructor. With that said, if you are able to contact the higher-ups in your organization (like joesteph suggested...hopefully, they can be contacted), then you may be able to work something out where you and your group could make travel arrangements for once every month or so, to get some instruction on things to work on and new things to do. Granted, this will be a loooonger process, but it is doable. You may also be able to arrange times for testing in this way, too. In the end, it'll be up to the guys in charge as to what comes of testing and gaining rank. Good luck, and let us know what you find out. Welcome to the Forums, too. Hopefully we can help you a bit.

I enjoy the challenge that training offers for me, physically. I also constantly think about different things when it comes to my training, and how I can do things to help me, should I need to apply the skills I have learned.

I like to save money, so if I can, I will. I'd go where its cheaper. If the instructor asks, I'd just be up front with him. I wouldn't necessarily be telling everyone else that "hey guys, this place is cheaper; go there..." but if you can save a bit of cash, then go for it.

Funny. Even the blooper got a spot on the list.

That's a pretty cool approach. Nice.

This is not the first time I have heard of it, and I think that something like this could do a lot for a school, as far as comaraderie goes. Do you do any kind of special class for the adults, or do a year-end review of material, a special instructor's clinic, or anything like that?

We don't usually do anything special towards the end of the year.

There's some pretty fancy kicking in that one. Nice to watch.

Very nice! He is so quick. At the beginning of Tekken 3, during the intro, you can see that character doing the form that is his namesake. Pretty cool.

This is a good approach, and your reasoning does make sense. Very nice. These are good observations, too. TKDs emergence through the Korean military result in the type of discipline that translates to most TKD schools, like you mention about Shotokan. Gen. Choi, I am sure, had a lot to do with this. A relaxed atmosphere can still garner good training, as well. However, relaxed and disrespectful are not necessarily the same thing.

Practice balance-based activities, like kicking slow, hopping or standing on one leg, and things like that. Use a timer, and try to do 15 seconds on one leg, then work up to 30, and so on.

Thanks for the tips, and help, John. No disrespect perceived at all. I am always open and subject to learning. Its how I improve.

I did have to take a guy down at work this October, and I didn't think about what I needed to do when taking him down. I did notice an opportunity to block the guy's foot, to facilitate the takedown as we were going, and took the opportunity to do so - worked like a charm. I turned the guy to face the wall, and he then spun to face me; the throw was on from there.