bushido_man96

A lint roller is a good idea. Also, if you have the time, you may just hang-dry you gi. That will keep the hair off, hopefully. Do you have pets?

ps1 has a very good explanation. The stances are very much transitional, especially in fighting. MMA_Jim also brings up very good points on the stances. When you take a stance, you have to consider two things: stability, and mobility. Now, the higher and narrower the stane (in general), then the more mobile you are, at the expense of stability. However, the lower and more stable you make your stance, then you sacrifice mobility. Therefore, when you have to move and react to an opponent in a fight, then you want to be in a place that allows you to be mobile and stable in varying degrees at the same time, which is why the Thai stance is so good for this, as MMA_Jim mentioned. Now, if someone shoots a takedown on you, then one of your best defenses may be to sprawl. By sprawling, you sacrifice your mobility to stabilize your position. This is the transitional phases of stance work, in its essence.

Well, I think that TKD is an Art, that is also a sport. I think it can be both, but doesn't have to be. Neither do I think if it is one, that it is never the other.

Can someone explain more about this philosophy please? Well, what exactly would you like to know? Maybe I can give a little something for you.

Boy, that does sound odd. I don't think I could pull that off. You would have to have some funky hip flexibility and strength to do it, I think.

Good points, ps1. It could be school differences, or it could be just a different drill. What was the drill for? Floor drill, or in a form? It could be many different reasons. When we do our basics in class, we move our front leg in the manner that you described as well.

It really sounds like typical kid stuff. Just keep him encouraged, and let him know that you support him. Also let him know that there aren't a lot of 6 year olds out there doing something like this, and that it is very special that he has the opportunities to do these things. That may help. After the break, he may be ready to go as well.

You can sign me up for an autographed copy, Killer! I am all in!

Those "Idiots" and "Dummies" books are a lot better than they lead on....on all topics. I've read the Karate one and it is very informative. I agree this is an excellent book, although if you practice another style other than ShotoKan or Shotokai it is just another book for you library I agree. I have several of the "Complete Idiot's Guide to (whatever MA)," and they have all been well written. Most of the information is general, but there is a lot of it.

It just takes time and practice. Once you get that drive put together, you will see improvement in your technique.

Hopefully it is not a hyperextension. Like ps1 mentioned, if it persists, see a doc.

If you are skilled at takedowns, then perhaps feining like you are "puffing up" and stand tall, then drop fast to takedown, that can throw them off, because they will most likely "puff up" with you, making themselves taller and more vulnerable to the takedown.

I have seen Cung Le do some pretty mean suplexes, too. That guy is a takedown and throwing machine.

A well-handled situation, NightOwl. Way to keep your head.

Wait till after class, or go in on an off day, and you say to him: "Mr. _____, I wanted to tell you that I am going to also be training at such-and-such a school on such-and-such days." That is really it. If he asks why, then tell him why. If he says ok, then cool. If he doesn't like it, and doesn't want you to do it, then you have to make a decision to either stay with him, and follow his rules, or go your seperate ways. It is really pretty simple. Don't make it tougher than it is. Just go for it.

That is tough to do, but it makes you think really hard. I have only done in with a few basic forms, and it is still very hard. A good drill, though. Another fun forms variation is to have one student start a form, and do a certain number of moves, and then have them stop, and the next student has to pick up where the previous left off, go a certain distance, and then another picks up where he left off. It is good for getting the handle of knowing where to start in the middle of a form, and not having to start at the beginning all of the time.

I understand the point that you are trying to make here, but not everyone looks at MA clothing the same way. When people see MA related things, they immediately think about fighting, and that is where the problem comes in. It shouldn't be looked at differently, but with MA, it draws a different type of attention. One kind of double-standard that I would mention is that I don't think you would see the same kind of thing if someone wore their high school Wrestling shirts or hoodies. I think it is weird, but many others would not. Of course, I view Wrestling as much of a valid Martial Art as I do Karate, TKD, or BJJ, so it seems like a double-standard from my point of view.

I disagree. For it to be a "new" system. It should contain elements that no one else does. This simply eliminates the elements that are believed unnecessary. That's not new. The school teaches Thai Boxing and Jiujitsu. He can call it whatever he wants, but both styles have a long history and have been combined in tandem by many fighters. In actuality, it seems very much like what many MMA gyms are doing nowadays. Like you mentioned, ps1, the combining of these styles has been going on for quite some time, with the influence of MMA. Thai-Ju-Jutsu is really just a fancy catch phrase, so when people look up the gym, they get a general idea of what they are getting into (if they have the Martial Arts and language experience to associate the ideas, that is).

I have heard of the exercise before, and as some of the others have mentioned, there are other exercises done to get some of the same results. As long as the person doing the walking is careful about where they step, I don't see it as a bad exercise. Unconventional, unorthodox training exercises like these are good for feeling something different other than the same old feeling you get from traditional exercises like crunches or sit-ups. What ps1 and Montana mention about the use of muscle control under various situations are good points. These types of exercises would be great for those situations. With the interaction of many physical activities, it is important to experience that kind of resistance when training, so it doesn't take you by surprise when it does happen in actuality.

Sounds interesting. Definitely a different way to shake up the forms routine. One that I have done in the past is doing the form in a telepone booth. You have to stay pretty much in a 3' x 3' area, and you coordinate all of the techniques and turns of the form into that tight space. You might try it as well.

Well, all it takes is time and training, right?

At our school, we usually wait a week before belt promotions. Our instructor usually has some belts on hand, but not usually all that we need.

Yes, but no elbow strikes.

12-20-07 Squats: 2x10 Turn back kick: right - 3x5. leg - 3x5 Stretch: 10 minutes. Really focused on breaking down the turning back kicks. Points I focused on were the turn, high and tight chamber, and making sure the toes pointed down as much as possible on the kick.

What do you mean by pulling punches? Many people who are forced to participate in light or medium contact sparring will pull off their punches at the end, so as not to cause a foul, or break sparring ettiquete, etc. It is either from a lack of following through the target, or from focusing the technique to far in front of the target. Or, a psychological "pull-up" of speed at the end of the technique.