bushido_man96

MMMMMmmmmm, looks yummy!

Realistically, you would give them what they want. If they want you to get into a vehicle and go somewhere with them, then you act. Grab the arm choking you with both hands, drop into a half squat position, and throw them over your shoulder. Gotta be careful about that knife, though. Elbows_and_knees can probably answer this one better than I, however.

Rick has a lot of good things here that I would like to comment on. Another thing you could do is to have the sensei teach several more classes, with you walking the floor with him, assisting him. Give some of the same comments that you gave previously, and then see how they react. Very good point. Just give them the pushups. An even better idea is wait until testing rolls around, and when they ask about testing, you tell them that you don't feel that they are ready because they have a problem with dealing with instructors respectfully at the school. Of course, this would be a last ditch effort, and hopefully would not come to this. This is an interesting idea, and I kind of like it. Another option is to wait until they do ask your advise, and you could tell them that you thought they already knew that, or something to that effect. Make sure that when you teach, that you exude confidence. Project your voice when speaking, and walk erect. When I teach, I like to be nice. But when people start to test you, then it is time for the gloves to come off. It is your class, and you should run it your way. Many instructors, especially new instructors, go through phases like this. If you went and opened up your own school, with your own original students, you would not see this problem. People just don't adapt well to change. The old school way of handling this was that the instuctor would just line the class up for sparring........

Who, me?

Oh, man, that stinks. I LOVE to listen to a good piano player!

Holy Cow!! Tell me you are not serious!

Thanks, Sohan. Maybe I will try a little more distance, then. The only bad thing about distance running is that I have always just dreaded it. I think I run about a 15 minute mile! I am slow; not very aeordynamic!

On the federation website (can't find page again right now....) they have Trademarked Moo Duk Kwan and have copyright on the Hwang Kee created forms. But there are schools out there that perform the Yuk Ro, Hwa Sun, etc. I wonder if forms should be able to have copyright. I understand trademarking Moo Duk Kwan, because that is the name of the institution not the art.... I see your point, but look at it this way. You can write it down on paper, and then perform it. A play or a book is the same way.

Thats for sure. Isn' this what makes it great!! Otherwise, we be having much to talk about, eh?

Yeah, this is where we differ. The idea that learning a fighting style has to somehow be culturally cleansing is primarily a belief that was popularized in the east, and now anyone who has experience in a martial art thinks that this is the way it is supposed to be. Masters try to trace it back to the way of the Samurai, or even the chivalrous Medieval Knight, but even these views are somewhat over-romanticized. To sum up, it is not required of a fighting style (or an art) to make a person a good person. Ultimately, it is up to the person. Most of the morals and ethics are set up by society, and it is up to parents and mentors to enforce the guidelines. For some reason, Funakoshi believed this was a responsibility of his, and so he passed it on and on, and so it goes. Not that it is bad. It is wonderful. I teach my students not to start fights. I teach them right and wrong (in my eyes). But in the end, it is their decision, not mine. Intergrity, trust, respect, determination, confidence....all stuff that a very good football player, Curtis Martin, said that he learned from playing football. So, now do we call football a martial art? No worries!! I am quite enjoying this conversation, actually!

TKD doesn't really have a lot of animal concepts in it.

On the contrary, I try to work harder than anyone else in the class. By the end of the class, I am completely spent. I also do my best to help out every one that I can during the class time.

Great explanation, glocmeister!

Wow. It is very cool to see that kind of humility.

Well, hopefully, I am going to get to fight again today. Last week, aside from getting my head poked around like a cue ball, my brother and I worked on some single weapon work (swords). I worked strong hand and off-hand, and hopefully I will get to do some more today. I gotta do some blocking today, too. My neck is still sore!

Nice article, Laurie. I can relate to the public speaking fear. But, for some reason, I am cool as a cucumber in front of the TKD class. Sometimes, I think I get so into it, that I think the students just want me to get on with it, and stop rambling....but, I had to get up there one time first to do it! You have great preserverance, Laurie!

Wow, that really opens things up, doesn't it? Here is the way I see it: you both lost and gained. You gained lots of knowledge through many different experiences, both good and bad, both physical and mental, both in-school and out. You lost a lot of faith, and now have doubts about your accomplishments. You should not doubt your accomplishments. You have done many good things amongst many bad events, and you should commend yourself for it. Now, you know what can happen, and what you can do differently to prevent it. Learn from this experience, just like you did from all of the others, and you will be much better for it.

Nice article. It is very interesting to hear about the credentials of those we don't always see in our own "national" spotlight.

Very nice article. I decided to back-track, and check out the previous articles. Lots of good stuff here! I love the parallel made between Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, and the path of the martial artist.

However, if Hwang Kee never copyrighted his material, then I don't know if it can be copyrighted now. I see the same thing with the International Taekwondo Federation form set, the Chang 'on forms. They were never copyrighted, to my knowledge, and anybody who decides to break away and form their own association, ends up using these forms. I have seen them many times, in many books, all with a little variation here and there. The association that I am with currently uses this form system.

Cool! Congrats, french fri25!

He probably does do a different version for application and bunkai. At least, I hope.

This a very good point. It is the same way with learning bunkai or doing self-defense applications, and moving with them, or saying "ok, you got it," when it is not working in actuality. Don't worry about what the others think about you so much. Remember, you are there for you, not them!

Yeah, it is important to know when to stop.

Good for you, Laurie!