bushido_man96

That doesn't seem like a bad price, depending on the versatility of the equipment.

It sounds like you've accumulated some great experience and knowledge, and have a plan for incorporating it into your brand of training. I think this is a fantastic thing, and I highly encourage it.

I agree. Then my next testing wouldn't cost me an arm and a leg.

3/29/2021 Strength Training Squats: 45x5, 135x5, 185x3, 205x1, 225x1, 250x5, 250x5, 250x5. Press: 45x5x2, 75x5, 95x2, 122.5x5, 122.5x5, 122.5x5. Deadlifts: 135x5, 185x3, 205x1, 225x1, 270x5. Squats felt good today. Only a few bad reps, but overall, felt good. Deadlifts were good; rep 4 floated away from me, but I got it back on rep 5. MA Training Weapons: I got about 10 minutes of stick work in with Kenneth before leaving for class. We worked on single stick flow drills, and I spent some time mirroring him to get the motions of the strikes down a bit better, keeping them more under control. TKD Class: 6:30 - 7:30 pm. Black belt class. Warmed up with Do-Kangs 1-4, then went into three-steps while some recommended black belts brushed up on some forms prior to their testing. I made it through all 12, with them getting a bit rougher closer to the last ones. Just need more time with them. There is one of them that ends up kind of like an Aikido shio-nage, but we stop it at the shoulder and do a dislocation. I hate the technique, and I can never seem to get situated to the point of actually getting the lock like others do on me. It's really frustrating. And then, some of the last ones just don't seem to flow well, and I don't like much about how they work. We finished with some Ho Sin Sul work. We went back to our kick defenses, catching mid-level round kicks and then doing a reap or twisting the leg for a takedown. During the course of our work, I brought up possibilities with getting to a mount, which progresses to ground fighting a bit. After the class, the instructor said he didn't want to get the cart before the horse on the ground fighting stuff, which I didn't think we did. We didn't work it with the rest of the class, I just kind of explored it. But, oh well. No big deal. In the end, I thought it was another good class. I stretched a little afterwards, and a little later on at home.

It's easy to focus on the all the bad things happening in the world right now, and I truly understand your point of view in regards to not wanting to leave your students wanting. As an instructor, I think it's important to be real with them, and not to promise anything other than what you can deliver (which is what I believe you are doing). In the long run, I'm not so focused on my students "winning" fights. I want them to survive and get away, or protect their loved ones if necessary. Not all of that is synonymous with winning, at least not in the sense of an MMA match, a Wrestling match, a Boxing match, etc. I think that is where the big differences lie.

I do tend to agree with other posters here that there tends to be a negative stigma associated with self-promotion. Another option he could have considered was speaking with different organizations about his predicament, and see if he could seek a promotion through said organization, if they deemed it appropriate. But even that option tends to open up some more negative stigma, such as why he had to switch organizations, did he just pay another organization to promote him, etc. There is no good answer here, it seems.

3/26/2021 Strength Training Squats: 45x5, 135x5, 185x3, 205x1, 225x1, 245x5, 245x5, 245x5. Press: 45x5x2, 75x5, 95x2, 120x5, 120x5, 120x5. Deadlifts: 135x5, 185x3, 205x1, 225x1, 260x6. I got a leather punch in, and as kind of a point of pride, I had to punch a new hole in my weightlifting belt in order to get it to cinch up just right. 3/28/2021 MA Training Weapons: I got my sticks in, so Kenneth and I did some single stick drills for about 15 minutes. I was getting him familiar with the different strikes at first, and then we did some flow drills.

I agree with the fact that technique needs to be sharp and the Karateka needs to be able to demonstrate their skills with them. I tend to agree with Bob in that not all black belts can teach, but I do think that when asked, a black belt should be able to demonstrate their knowledge and an ability to relate that knowledge to some extent. As far as being competent in boxing or grappling goes, I don't necessarily agree. Those are two different disciplines, and to spend too much time trying to hone boxing and grappling skills takes away from honing Karate skills and methods. I think you allow them to explore those things on their own. But, I do think that some exposure to them, based off your own knowledge, training, and experience, can be beneficial to their training. If you want all of your Karateka to be super athletes, then you'll have to be selective about the kinds of students you train. You'll want to train natural athletes, those who are explosive and fast. Personally, I wouldn't do yoga, even for free. I do strength training on my own, because I find value in it. But I don't force those things on my students, especially as black belt requirements, because not all of them have the time or desire to put the time into doing those things. For sure, they are beneficial, but forcing them on students will probably end up limiting the student pool you get. And the fact of the matter is that not everyone can or will become a "super athlete." Especially the older population. This is admirable, but again, I don't think attainable by everyone. There are people who, talented as they may be physically, just aren't geared that way psychologically. It's the whole sheep, sheepdog, and wolf principle. But, I do think it is possible to train this to an extent, yet mileage will vary depending on the individual. This is admirable, and is what I think all styles should be working towards. Our school has been taking steps to work on more self-defense oriented things, and I think it is going to pay dividends. The students seem to be enjoying it, and seeing applications and discussing actual situational issues stimulates the students in thinking about their techniques in different ways. This is a tough one. I think it's important for students to understand coming into it that Karate and MMA training are two very different things. MMA is much more focused on things like pad work and drilling with partners, moving in the ring, etc. I think encouraging students to go experience that kind of training would be very beneficial. I like the thoughts behind the path you want to put before your students. Just putting in writing shows that you have a plan, and shows that it matters to you what and how your students do and perform. I think it's great.

This is a very interesting situation. I'd be very interested in knowing all sides of that story, but unfortunately, we probably never will. Normally, I'd say that to promote oneself would seem to be self-aggrandizing, and probably only done for personal reasons (improving business prospects, etc.). However, on the flip side of this, is the politics that we all know exist in the Martial Arts world. And politics in MA cause all kinds of issues; splinter factions of different organizations (hell, there are three "different" ITF orgs), or people just starting their own "style." These things happen, and not all of the splits that have happened have been negative. For the time being, I think I'll withhold judgement in lieu of gaining more information about the situation.

I'd say if you can find it, do it for sure. Both of my boys wrestle, and I've had some great times working and training things with them. But, being 43 myself at the time of this posting, it's gotten harder and harder for me to work things like takedowns with them.

This is what I've seen in my experience, as well. I see a more likely chance of this happening when the classes are mixed, and not separated into kids and adult classes. That way, they get the feeling of truly training together. I absolutely agree with you here, Bob. I think the vast majority probably feel like they don't have the time to dedicate to it.

3/24/2021 Strength Training Squats: 45x5, 135x5, 185x3, 240x5, 240x5, 240x5. Press: 45x5x2, 75x5, 95x2, 117.5x5, 117.5x5, 117.5x5. Deadlifts: 135x5, 185x3, 205x1, 225x1, 250x5. I really felt like I misgrooved some squats today. MA Training Class tonight wasn't really a class; there were only two of us there. So, I spent a half hour going through all colored belt forms and one-steps, and also did Kwang Gae, Poe Eun, and Gae Baek. Finished with a good stretch that felt really nice.

Ooh, that does sound like a bit of a pickle. Do you notice any ill effects if the dosage is increased?

Incredible SLK59 with all you have endured and continued with your MA journey. It really goes to show how your spirit is a winning one. I second that! What a horrible experience that must have been! Keep up the good work, and you'll get there!

Used it once then I broke my hanging bag bracket they only record a kick when they sense an impact so you need to kick a bag or pads. They were created for WT Taekwondo so they have also been using them in sparring with the hogu as that will record the impact. I'd like to try them in sparring where I think it would be more useful but as we use foot pads rather than hogu I'm not sure how that will interfere with the sensor. As an adult they seem to work fine but I don't know whether the kids can kick hard enough to get a reading on the sensor (some of my rubbish kicks weren't registering). I would be interested to see how it works hooked up to hogu and doing some sparring. In our classes, even with the pads, we have pretty moderate contact, not really drilling each other, so I'd be interested to see what it would take to register impact.

Sounds like a fun class! Also, great that you are starting to get back to some contact work.

Yeah, those are the stats, and I'd say they are pretty close to that now, too. What I'm saying is that there doesn't seem to be an interested adult demographic here, or in many rural areas that I've seen. Yes, there are plenty of adults; but I don't know how many adults there are with spare time on their hands to put in two or three hours of training per week.

3/22/2021 So, some backstory to lead up to this day. After my last training session, on 3/17, I had a procedure scheduled that forced me to fast for the rest of that Wednesday (so I only had breakfast), and then had nothing by mouth after 8:30 am the following day, Thursday. I also had to have two doses of a medicine that basically gave me the runs to clean me out for this procedure. So, to sum that all up, terribly hungry and dehydrated, and then sedated on Thursday, and then too much busy stuff going on at work on Friday to make that training day. Squats: 45x5, 135x5, 185x3, 235x5, 235x5, 235x5. Press: 45x5x2, 75x5, 95x2, 115x5, 115x5, 115x5. Deadlifts: 135x5, 185x3, 205x1, 225x1, 240x5. I did a 10 percent deload, and honestly, it might not have been enough. Everything was hard, but I did complete all my sets and reps. Hoping Wednesday feels better. MA Training TKD Class: 6:30 - 7:30 pm. Black Belt Class. Warmed up with Do-Kangs 1-4, moved to three-steps, and then spent about the last 20 minutes of class on more Ho Sin Sul. We moved into some kick defenses using some sweeps and takedowns.

Sounds like a case of hurry up an wait. I'll be thinking about you, Bob.

That is very interesting. I'd be interested in seeing data on my kicks, for sure. Are you drilling with it regularly?

Thanks for those, Danielle. I had seen the one by CK Choi (bookmarked it), but not the one by GM Campbell. I'm considering taking the time to learn the form, in the style of how we do forms. I noticed that CK Choi seemed to have considerably less sine wave than GM Campbell. As far as the book goes, I've found it interesting. I'm at the back end of the book, which he has dedicated to putting all the forms into the written format found in one of the condensed encyclopedias. It's not enjoyable reading at this point, and he seems to have done it more for a nostalgia purpose than anything else, but I'll trudge through it. There are several forms in the Encyclopedia that our organization does not use, and several are out of place in comparison to the ranks they are done at. So I am considering spending time on the ones that aren't in our curriculum. I've seen another book that is formatted in the vein of the Encyclopedia, and it's titled as Taekwon-do Study Companion, by George Achilles Lazarou. Heard of or know anything about it? I'm looking to get it next: https://books.lazarougeorge.gr/en/product/taekwon-do-study-companion/

Back in my ATA days, we used to do a variation of forms practice called "form in a phone booth." Yeah, I was teaching classes when that analogy actually worked. I mean, they weren't really around, but people still knew what they were... Anyways, it was a fun variation on the forms, forcing students to really work on adjusting their footwork to still generate power, all the while completing the form in about a 4 foot square space.

3/17/2021 Strength Training Squats: 45x5, 135x5, 185x3, 205x1, 225x1, 260x5, 260x5, 260x5. Press: 45x5x2, 75x5, 95x2, 130x5, 130x5, 130x5. Deadlifts: 135x5, 185x3, 205x1, 225x1, 265x5.

I think you are close here, but I don't think one will be under anyone's control. But, there's another angle that is possible that would make that appear to be true.

We don't have any special titles in our school, beyond those that come with certain ranks.