bushido_man96

No kidding. That team just got drummed the whole tournament, it looked like.

That's cool.

I tend to agree with tallgeese on the size matter. One other thing is that I would never assume that my opponent is unskilled. There is a difference between a big guy who never fights and a big, strong, football player who knows how to move a guy off a line, or can run through a tackler coming at him full speed. I would say that knees should be a primary target for you. You also have to watch if he is wanting to charge you or not. If he appears to be a charger, lunging at you, then work your angles, and maybe try to trip him up; then get away.

Well, if thats what you want to do, then great. I just no that I wouldn't take a shot to the groin, full blast, by a female that you are trying to get into the mindset that she is being sexually assaulted. And that is just one of the females. In the end, they all get to take a shot. The jewels just aren't that durable...

Thanks, tallgeese. I have the Talhoffer title as well. I like it, too. I have been hard pressed to find one that I don't like, yet. John Clements also has a new title out, on polearm combat. I will be purchasing that one shortly, as well. As for these titles, I usually do a review of the books that I have and read in the Martial Arts Research Library thread, if you want to check them out. I know, I don't have a life...

I agree. Everything starts with the core.

9-10-09 Push-ups: 2x20 Crunches: 2x20 Stretched: seated splits, leaning left and right, and reverse hurdler and butterfly. 3 sets of each, except the hurdler. From Tae Kwon Do: Skipping step: advance & retreat, 20 each side. Change cover and down block: retreating, 20 each side for 40 total. That was it tonight. Not much time.

CPR training is required, but not basic first aid. All of our instructors are CPR-certified (per ATA requirements). I have taken the Red Cross first aid course, and one of my instructors is a trauma nurse. We have had a few accidents over the years, so it is nice to be prepared. Thanks for clearing that up. It has been a while...

So much politics involved. It is what sucks about the Martial Arts world. But, in the end, we are still human.

I do believe Kuk Sool is the closest thing to that though. In my art, Soo Bahk Do, there is seeking to go back to the oldest Korean martial art that Grandmaster Hwang Kee could find, su bak or subak. He translated the Muye Dobo Tongji, a book about three hundred years old, and found su bak under “Kwon Bup: Fist Fighting Method.” In the book I have, Muye Dobo Tongji: The Comprehensive Illustrated Manual of Martial Arts, it says (p. 311): "t is recorded, 'The king watched the fist fighting (su bak) and archery contests.' In the note it is recorded that su bak is a martial art contest of wrestling." (parenthetic reference to su bak in text) But in Wikipedia, it says: "Subak, Soobak or Soo Bak-Gi is an ancient Korean martial art. Historically this term may be an older name for the Korean martial art of taekkyeon. "The Subak style was created in the Korean kingdom of Goguryeo. "It was a style heavy in the use of kicking as opposed to punching, and relied more on upright fighting styles as opposed to grappling and wrestling." Subak is apparently very old, and its roots may be truly Korean, but what it originally entailed is likely simple and can be debated; time advancing gave it the opportunity to evolve. I own and have read the Muye Dobo Tongji as well. It is a rather interesting book to read. I think that many of the Korean stylists, after the Japanese occupation, turned to sources like this to try to dig up a past for their country's Martial heritage. That is fine, but what is not fine is claiming that the arts of today are descended of these arts. Even here, we see two sources citing differing concepts of Subak. In the end, there just isn't enough evidence to link the styles. It is one thing to study the Martial heritage of Korea. It is another to call the Korean arts of today those of centuries past.

I do believe Kuk Sool is the closest thing to that though. As far as I know, it was founded in 1956 by In Hyuk Suh who studied the martial art of the royal palace, the martial art of the Korean Buddist temple, tribal martial arts, accupuncture, and gymnastics. They're all supposed to be Korean forms that have been used throughout the history of the Korean penninsula before the Japanese takeover. Yeaaaahh, but.....you would be hard pressed to find any Korean style that does not claim this. TKD is one of them as well. When I hear this kind of information on the "origins of the Korean styles" I take it with a grain of salt.

That's interesting... I don't know how he made that determination. Katas are often changed and/or taught differently by different instructors. He may have been doing the form exactly how he learned it. In the ATA, the way the forms are done are fairly uniform. There aren't a lot of alterations made from school to school.

That was some pretty cool choreography. You guys must put tons of time in to make it work. Nice job!

He did not open the post with restrictions to Karate styles. He mentioned how a few of them do it, but did not restrict the options in the post to the traditional Karate methods, as I see it. I did not edit the post. I posted the relative questions by the OP.

I do a lot of Hapkido, so I am pretty good at breakfalls. I have a good slap on the mat, anyways!

Ah yes, very true.

I agree, on both accounts.

My younger brother has this same attitude, too. I remember him telling me one time that "there ain't no two men in this world taking me down..." How much truth one can really put in that, who knows. But, there is no doubt that approaching a conflict with that attitude does present a formidable opponent.

Countering can be a great tactic, but sooner or later, as a counter fighter, you will end up taking a shot. Perhaps more of a blending in of offensive striking will help him out some? Or, I am confused, and don't really know what I am talking about...

Oh I am like that too. I like to work out with a partner; I hate training alone. At the gym, its a different story, give me earplugs and music and I'm good for a few hours on any of the machines. Training alone can be hard to motivate and push yourself. That is why a lot of people like to have a workout partner, so that they push them that little extra bit, or even add a bit of competition.

I think that is the way to go. As they progress in rank, they will begin to see that side of him, too.

What I have been doing as of late is picking up one of my Martial Art books at home, flipping the pages to the basics section, or warm-up section, or even the sparring section, and just working on what they demonstrate in the book. Works for me!

I do not pursue the total mind-body-spirit aspect of the Martial Arts, yet I still continue in my participation. For me now, it is more about continuing education, I guess. I like to learn, and like to work on perfecting what I have so far. In the end, I feel it is up to the student to decide what they are trying to achieve, and to work towards it, be it physically, mentally, or spiritually.

This reference guide is endorsed by the World Tae Kwon Do Federation, and covers the material that a colored belt practitioner of the organization would need to know, aside from the Pal Gwae forms. The book is pretty well written, and easy to follow. It opens with the typical chapter on the history of TKD. It gives a history of “modern” TKD, in regards to its influence by Japanese and Chinese styles, along with the evolution and specialization of the kicking skills, giving the art its own unique flavor. After this brief explanation, the section gets into the more typical history of TKD, the ancient history, dating back to 50 B.C. and its relations with Taek Kyon and the Hwarang, referring to Taek Kyon as the “earliest form of TKD.” Pretty much the typical explanation of what many would consider an “engineered” history of an art that is less than 100 years old. Aside from this little excursion in the history of TKD, it then gets into some history on the Kwans, which seems to be fairly accurate for the most part. However, the authors do claim that the first Kwan to open, the Chung Do Kwan, was the first to teach a “native Korean Martial Art.” I don’t believe this to be entirely accurate, as most of the instructors that opened the Kwans had achieved rank in either Japanese styles, Chinese styles, or both. The authors also claim that Taek Kyon was taught to the military in Korea at this time, but there are no mention of names of these masters that would have taught it. The rest of the history up through the development of the WTF is accurate, as one would expect it to be. The meeting in 1955 to unify the Kwans under one name is mentioned, but the name chosen is listed as Tae Soo Do; I was under the impression that TKD was decided on for the name at this time. The authors put the date that it was changed to TKD as two years later. Although the Oh Do Kwan does get a mention in the section on the Kwans, there is no mention of General Choi, Hong Hi anywhere. Following the history section is a section on basic warming up exercises, including calisthenics and stretching in one and two person drills. Next comes basic techniques and stances, including blocks, strikes, and kicks. Some of the kicks are a bit advanced for a beginner, but they would follow in some of the higher colored belt ranks. No one, two, or three-step sparring is demonstrated, and although stances are covered, moving and walking in the stances (advancing or retreating) is not shown. The forms section follows. This section gives an introduction on some of the philosophy behind the Tae Geuk forms. Following the introduction are pictorial and diagrammed layouts of each of the 8 Tae Geuk poomsae, with descriptions of which way to go, in what stance, and the technique, along with arrows on the diagrams to depict the direction. This is a pretty good section, as the forms are laid out in an easy to understand format. Sparring is covered next. There is an introduction on the rules and use of protective equipment, combined with level of contact. Then it leads into basic movement drills and partner sparring drills, covering footwork, kick and block drills, and kicking and movement drills. Attacking combinations and defensive counter techniques finish out this section. This section does a good job of covering the sparring basics behind the WTF/Olympic style sparring rules. We now move into the section practical applications. This section shows different scenarios of being grabbed and attacked, countering with the typical types of Hapkido style, Ho Sin Sul based joint manipulation/punching and striking attacks. Scenarios include single and multiple assailant attacks. Board breaking is then covered, describing and demonstrating breaking techniques using several of the basic techniques described in that section. Proper board holding is also discussed. The philosophy section focuses on the manner in which the TKD practitioner should carry himself. Focus is on spiritual development, with harmony between oneself and nature; the “Do” of TKD. The core of the philosophy is the concept of duality in nature, and seeking to bring the student’s level of consciousness to “Present Time.” This occurs when the student is in tune with himself and nature to the point that his actions/reactions are coordinated with nature. Rules of etiquette and follow for home, school, and public. Several appendices follow: Appendix A: Rules of competition overview, with photos of referee signals and legal attacks. This section is pretty easy to follow. Appendix B: Belt system and weight classes discussed. Appendix C: TKD terminology. Appendix D: List of sanctioned WTF competitions. Appendix E: List of sanctioned WTF national TKD organizations. Appendix F: WTF contact information. Glossary and Index follow. Overall, I would say that this is a pretty good manual for the WTF colored belt student.

Karate’s Grappling Methods is a focus on the standing and ground grappling aspects of Karate. Chapter 1 focuses on the key points that should be focused on studying kata applications, such as: Applications designed to end a confrontation on the spot. All parts of a movement are significant. Angles at which techniques are performed. Etc… Chapter 2 discusses the role of grappling in self-defense, as Iain Abernethy sees it, along with his philosophy on defending oneself in general. The remainder of the chapters break down like this: Chapter 3: close range strikes, covering kicks, knees, elbows, and arcing hand strikes like the hook and uppercut punches. Chapter 4: throws and takedowns. Chapter 5: chokes and strangles. Chapter 6: arm bars. Chapter 7: leg and ankle locks. Chapter 8: neck wrenches. Chapter 9: wrist locks. Chapter 10: finger locks. Chapter 11: ground fighting skills, including positions such as the mount, scarf hold, side four quarter hold, upper four quarter hold, guard, and use of the hooks. It is important to note here that Abernethy states that no ground fighting holds appear in the katas, but acquiring this knowledge is important in learning how to apply the katas’ methods while fighting on the ground. Chapter 12: dirty fighting, including the tactics of seizing the testicles, grabbing the hair, eye gouging, biting, fish-hooking, nose attacks, grabbing the ears, seizing the throat, finger choke, and nerve manipulation. Chapter 13: “Putting it all together.” This chapter focuses on combinations of grappling moves, both standing and on the ground. The bulk of the chapter is made up of sequences of combinations to use as examples for training both standing grappling, ground grappling, and a combination of both. Chapter 14: sparring, covering various types of sparring to focus on different aspects of fighting, especially using grappling. Some are more restricted, and some are not so limiting. They different types range from using no strikes, to strikes and grappling, or picking one fighter to only strike, while one can only grapple standing up, and so on. There are many possibilities to use, depending on what you want the focus to be. Chapter 15: conclusion. It is important to note that in the introduction to each chapter, Abernethy discusses the pros and cons to each of the tactics discussed, along with the difficulty that can come from attempting some of the various close-quarters fighting techniques in regards to the opponent’s ability to counter the efforts. This is the 3rd book that I have read by Iain Abernethy, and I have enjoyed them all, bringing something different from each of them. He offers a unique aspect on the use of forms training alongside the sparring aspects of Karate, and his ideas can transfer to other Martial Art styles as well.