bushido_man96

I think that a little blend of both would be the best. It is good to have the discipline, and also good to know that the instructor is someone you could approach and be friendly with for something. Say, like, watching a football game, or something.

Hey, Kez, no big deal. Thanks! In around 4 months I plan on completing the deal to get my 3rd decided. I have been in TKD for 14 years now, and probably would have hit this mark sooner if I would not have had to change schools. But, that doesn't matter. Its all about the journey, not the destination.

Best of luck to you!

Those are all great points, Ottman. Great post!!

8-15-07 Back/Shoulders/Biceps Assisted pull-ups: plate 12x10, plate 11x10, plate 10x10 Back hyperextensions: 3x15 Seated row: 110x10, 120x10, 130x8 Forearms Gripper machine: 3x15x25 lbs. Abs Physio ball crunches: 3x15 Side raises: 2x20x30 lbs. Solo Workout 5:00 - 5:30 Se Jong hyung: 3 times Back leg round kicks: 3x10 each leg on heavy bag between the above forms sets. Gae Baek hyung: 2 times Step-up round kicks: 3x10 each leg on heavy bag between the above forms sets. Walked through my Combat Hapkido curriculum for the second belt rank for the last 10 minutes of the session.

That sounds great! Glad you found something you like.

The ATA stands for the American Taekwondo Association. It falls under the umbrella of the WTTU (World Traditional TKD Union), but ATA is the flagship, so to speak. ATA is the American body, WTTU covers ATA schools in Europe and Asia, I believe, and the STF (Songham Taekwondo Federation) is the South American equivalent.

I started my TKD career in an ATA school, and became a Certified Instructor and achieved the rank of 2nd dan before moving. I enjoyed my time with it, and had some very good instructors. ATA schools have in the past have done a rank equivalency transfer. How they will approach this for you, if they do, I don't know. They may have you demonstrate the material that you know, and then promote you to the ATA rank equivalent. In my current style, Yul-Guk is the 6th rank. So, in ATA, that would put you at blue belt level. If they allow you test in like that, you will then have to learn all of the ATA material up to that point. Howeve, you will come in at your rank. Of course, they may promote you lower or higher, based on whatever their credentials are. Not all ATA schools are created equal, however. When I left the ATA, the schools hadn't started all of the new XMA flash yet. Probably a good thing, too, because I can't do that stuff, let alone teach it. However, you should visit that school yourself and find out what it does have to offer you, and see if it will meet your needs. If it doesn't, then it would be best to find another option. As for black belt kids running around, I say this: Don't worry about them; worry about you. Focus on you. My school does some things that I don't agree with. However, I go with the flow, worry about my training, and if I ever run my own school again, then I know what I would do differently. Hope that helps, and I hope that you find what you are looking for.

Yeah, because my current instructor, who is not WTF, went to the National Qualifier several years back.

That would be a good idea. Also, check to see if they seperate their kids and adults classes. If the school is big enough, they may do this, which woud be a benefit to you.

I like to segmented practice when first learning a form. First, I get it all memorized. Then, I start at the beginning, and break everything down, like Danielle says, and that way I only worry about putting 5 or 6 moves together and getting them right. Once I feel comfortable with that section, I move on to the next. Here is the key, though; once you start working the next section, on your last run for the day, do the first section like you have been, and then do the next section added on. It may not look as solid as the first section, but at least that way you keep up on all of it, and can begin to think about linking them together. Good luck with it Kez! Keep plugging away, and you will be fine!

I kind of like that. Much like Wrestling, you know where you are by what you are able to do when you practice.

I think the term "traditional" is a misnomer in itself.

Here is my interpretation of speaking of someone trying to hurt me: If you want to hurt me, I am going to try as hard as I can to make sure you get hurt. In fact, if you want to do harm to me, and resolve to do so, then I want to hurt you even more, so that you don't think that it is such a good idea to try next time. That is just the way I think, though. Sure, some will say "turn the other cheek." However, you only have two cheeks.

Yeah, it was the last two issues. They were decently informative, written by a couple of Martial Artists that are also lawyers. They talk about some of the generalities to expect, and also give some examples of the difference between some states.

As I get the books read, I will let you know how they are. I do a little blurb on most of them in the Martial Arts Research Library sticky after I get them read. Working nights helps out some. When it isn't busy, I have something to read.

I shop for books on several different websites, with Martial Arts books being a top pick of mine (go figure ). Anyways, one of these websites sent me a coupon for 25% off if I order by a certain date. So, I ordered 4 books that would have cost me $91, but instead, only ran me for around $68. A good deal, I thought, considering the last book I ordered was about 3 months back, and ran me $175 on its own. Anyways, my happy titles will be enroute very soon!! They are: HIGHLAND KNIFE FIGHTING KRABI-KRABONG RENAISSANCE SWORDSMANSHIP SIGMUND RINGECK’S KNIGHTLY ARTS OF COMBAT

Nope, not retired. Just done making "Martial Arts Epics." Whatever those are classified as.

It is hard for us to tell you if the school is reputable with really taking a first-hand look. If the instructor took the silver in Judo, though, I would say his Judo is probably pretty good. As for the other two arts, I suppose it is possible to hold rank in them, but holding that high of rank would seem to raise a question as to how much time he actually got to spend training. If you have been to some classes, what are they like? Have you asked the instructor what his ideals are for testing and promotions? These are some things you may want to ask him. I hope things go well for you. Welcome to the Forums, and to the Martial Arts!

Perhaps bouncing is a bit much, but I find keeping a variable flex in the knees going helps to initiate motion, especially for being a heavy guy.

Here, here! I love that one! That would be quite nice to see. One can imagine how much this would different from the sport that is seen today.

This is the worst, I think. Finding something you like, and then having to move, and find something else. When I moved for college, I had to get into a different style of TKD. It was ok, though. I worked my way in pretty good, and went from there.

Has anyone seen the ads for the new movie War? Jet Li, Jason Stathom; I can't wait!

I would say do it, but that is just me. I don't think it would affect your other training that much. The environments will help you keep things straight, I think.

Thanks, guys!