bushido_man96

I thought the Judo episode was good, too. I think that Bill might have done ok, with his wrestling background. Jason got tossed very clean a couple of times. He was a good sport about it, though. I got a little caught up on the Karate episode, and I was a little disappointed with the fight at the end. I thought that Bill might have tried a few more kicks, especially to the legs. I'll give him one thing, though; he is tough! I think if Jason and Bill would have switched for the end fights of these two, they may have been more interesting. I can't wait for the Pankration episode! That should be sweet.

I agree with DWx. It is basically the underlying story being recycled. In the original, Lee wasn't an agent, he just helped the agency out (if I remember right). There have been lots of remakes of movies, and they aren't all bad. You just can't go to this movie and expect Enter the Dragon. That is when you will disappoint yourself. Aside from that, there are plenty of skilled Martial Artists out there that could make the role look good. Granted, not as good as Lee, but it can still look good.

Ah, that makes sense as well. That way, a plateau doesn't necessarily stall you out?

Battle does not favor the righteous, or the just; it favors the prepared. My personal favorite: I concede that it was a cheap shot, but it was the only one I could afford.

Seeing the white, I don't really understand. I don't think you are blanking out, though. As long as your are moving and reacting, and are in control of yourself, everything should be fine.

Sorry, but I laughed a bit when I pictured a soccer mom looking to take her 9 year old into martial arts and seeing this drill as soon as she walks in the door... Well, that may not be the exact context in which it would be trained. The students that you would do these drills with would need to be able to understand the situation, and the circumstances that would make it justifiable. I would hope that none of our children would have to face a situation that required the usage of such a technique.

Thanks, NightOwl. Although I don't discuss the Chinese MAs very much, I do find interest in just about every style that is, has been, or will be. I will look into your title, and maybe it will become mine some day as well. Hey, just checked it, and it does look interesting. Those kind of manual set ups are right up my alley, and it has a good price on it, too. Thanks again; I'll look into it. After this load, though, it may be a month or so...

Welcome to the Forums.

But you never know if someone may pull a knife. It is always something to think about.

It may turn out alright. It sounds like it will just have a similar story line to Enter the Dragon. You can't expect it to be that. As long as you keep an open mind, and lower expectations, it should be enjoyable to watch.

Good points also, Kevin.

Ah, I see. Thanks for the clarification, Menjo.

There are ways to train them. Most of the time, you would just train on the ways to get where you need to be, the set-ups, I guess. When the opportunity is there, you take it, if it is justifiable. Training with fruit is a good way to kind of get a feel for what it may be like. Loren Christensen talked about a drill in one of his books where one partner lies on the ground with goggles on. The other partner kneels, and with a piece of fruit on the goggles, starts to dig his fingers into it. While doing that, the partner that is "getting his eye dug out" starts to flail, yell, and writhe in pain, to simulate the reactions of doing such a thing.

I, too, get a discounted rate for being on a contract. Also, as part of the contract, the monthly fees come out my account via EFT, which makes it nice that I don't have to worry about writing a check every month, or getting behind on payments. Really, contracts can be beneficial, as long as they are used right. If you have been at the same school for a few years, and don't think you will leave, getting on a contract probably won't hurt you that much.

I don't understand what you are saying here. I try to consider everything seriously the first time, especially if someone is trying to be threatening or overbearing towards me. I don't try to act tough. I just try to be myself. I always try to be prepared and aware, though, too.

How does the reccomended test compare to the decided? Do you have to more/different stuff or is it the same? Just wondering... I will have a 2 different forms, different board breaks, and I will have to spar higher ranked black belts for the sparring. I may have to spar more matches, too. Not for sure there.

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.