bushido_man96

Just think of it as being "lower maintenence!" Getting to the point of no maintenance too It seems kind of funny....there are those with hair, who shave it, and those without, who want it.

We can't get much here, either. One hundred miles west of here, though, my folks have 30". I am jealous.

I was born in Norton, Kansas, USA.

Good luck to you!

You are right, they are no substitue for a teacher, however, depending on your skill level, you can still garner some learning from them, and they are great for visual reference.

This is very solid advice, not only for this topic but for self defence in general. This is good advise, when it comes to combat. I think the initial thread is about a testing scenario, but that doesn't make this advise any less good. Actually, this is how you would want to do it, I think. Great advise, MizuRyu. With this advise in mind, it is important that one does not get into the trap of assuming that one technique will take out one person in a multiples situation such as this. Most likely, it won't. Many people can take more than one shot, so you have to be prepared to blast at one, and watch for the others. Getting one off of his feet would be helpful, so you could turn for a second to concentrate on another.

It doesn't really matter where you hit them. If you aren't in school, and the police is contacted, both will most likely go to jail for fighting. If you send them to the hospital, however, that is when it gets worse for you.

Yep. I still have mine back home! Maybe some day I'll get it here. I remember the game Final Fight as well. I loved it too. They had it on the old Sega CD. Great game.

Quite true, Kerry!

That's a nice idea, but if you decide to always wait to get hit, one day, you will get hit.

Just use your cell phone, and give it a voice tag, so you can grunt into the phone, and then yell into it after you fall down!

1. I think that this was avoided because Dr. Kim was focused on physical training, as opposed to this. However, it is important, and cross has quite a few ideas on the subject, if you send him a PM. These skills are important for anyone, MA or not. 2. Focusing more on simplicity and economy of movement, I would say here. Some things will change, like maybe the height of kicks, or endurance levels. 3. Curriculum changes.....hmmm, tough one for me. I don't want to say make it easier, because most older adults don't appreciate getting a cop out. However, instead of sparring for so many rounds, demonstrate practical self-defense in a real-life scenario. Again, important for all, but younger atletes would rather show off and board break. 4. ummmm, don't know for sure. Creative juices don't flow too well for me. The importance of using your surroundings, and getting others around you involved could be of use...

Now that is a true cross-over there, with BJJ and TKD. I would jump on that chance in an instant. I would love to be able to tie in kicks with the ground game, even if all the kicks were below the belt. I'll bet the BJJers picked up a little something to take along as well.

MMA in the Olympics would be great. I think the pankration movement pushed for it, but it got out voted by something else. They were really hoping to get it in for the Greece Games. I think MMA has really gained a fanbase over the last few years. It may not be as popular as wrestling, but what makes wrestling (pro) so popular is all the talk and showboating. I don't think MMA needs that.

That's a cool analogy, baron. I think I will take that and use it in the future, if you don't mind!

Sounds cool. I have always had an appreciation for boxers, and I think it would be a great compliment to your TKD kicking and striking skills.

Yeah, in some schools, Kerry. It is that way in the ATA, but in the TTA, there isn't one. We have 3 levels of brown, instead.

I understand where your arguements are coming from, AikiGuy, but I think that they are a bit general, overall. Speed has more to do, I believe, with muscle structure, as it pertains to slow twitch and fast twitch muscle fibers. This will have more to do with speed than with height/weight. Take Lance Armstrong, for instance. Phenomenal athlete, however, I don't think I would consider him a "fast" athlete. He was built for endurance. Now, take some NFL running backs. Larry Johnson is 6' 1", 230 lbs. Not a small boy, in my opinion. However, he runs a sub 4.4 40 yard dash. I don't think Lance Armstrong could hang with him in the 40. However, I would take Lance in a marathon. It has more to do with size when it comes to speed and power.

That may be true, songofkanga, it won't really develop the muscles as much as some weight resisted movements through crunches and other abdominal exercises. I am proof of this. I have the old spare tire, and 13 years of just martial arts training hasn't changed that, and it hasn't improved my ability to do crunches or other abdominal exercises.

Man, that looks like quite the deal. It looks like they offer just about anything for anyone's interest. Very cool. Maybe someday, I can talk the wife into a vacation to England!

I've got a notebook with my colored belt certificates from the ATA, TTA, and ICHF. My mom has my first black belt certificate framed back at her home, and I am kind of proud of that. It's cool to flip back through those certificates, and look at the dates and all that stuff. I think about all the people that were with me when I did those testings, and now, I am the only one left....

Here, it just sounds like he was pushing you. Nothing really wrong with that...maybe he thought that you were really talented, and wanted to see how far he could take you.

I agree with you here, for the most part. There should be some level of technical proficiency that should be observed at each level. I don't mean that everyone should be able to run 5 miles, and then spar 14 people, though. Someone may not be able to do a head level side kick. However, what I care about is that they can do a knee level side kick the right way. I am not an athlete by any stretch of the imagination. However, I know athletes who coast on their abilities, and I know individuals that don't possess a drop of raw talent, but they work their tails' off. In my book, that makes a difference. I like the way you state your thoughts, here. I have made the analogy before of professional football coaches. Not many of them could go out and play with the pros they coach. Actually, many of them have not had pro careers, either. However, they do have the knowledge and the ability to teach others, and help them understand. I didn't realize this was the case in Japan. That is new to me, and very interesting.

This is a very good point. It is kind of a double standard in the martial arts. I guess it is because a belt means so many things to so many people. Is it supposed to show knowledge gained? Skill in combat? Time and effort spent? A combination of those? Those are good questions. Some of the answers should hold for most arts, regardless of what their philosophies and methodologies are. In our school, if a lower ranked student asks you for help on something, as far as knowledge goes, you should be well prepared to help them. For the most part, this is limited to material like forms, etc. Having a colored belt try to teach another how to do a new technique is not the same, and they should not be held to that standard, until they are closer to the black belt level. However, there are always exceptions. Some have a knack for teaching; others have to learn it.

I hope you to do not have the same wife Congratulations BM Tom That is cool, Sohan!