bushido_man96

Welcome to KF, and welcome back into the MA world! It sounds like you've got something good going on there. I went from a light contact, point fighting system to a more Olympic style, full(er) contact level of sparring. Getting used to the vest was the toughest part for me. I did change up a few things about the way I sparred, but by and large, the change wasn't too difficult to deal with.

Welcome to KF, John_newman; glad that you're here!! Yes, Welcome!

First off, welcome to KF! You've been given some great responses so far. I'd say that if you want to train, and its the most convenient way to do so right now, then at least you'll be doing some training. I think it's definitely good to train rather than not, and groups tend to be more motivating than training alone. What I've seen happen with students who have to move away from their old school for some reason or other, and then try to keep on training, is they want the new place to be like their old place, and when it isn't (because no place is), they just stop training all together. This seems rather close-minded to me, and I hate to see good students go by the wayside because of some changes. Please keep us posted as to how this plays out!

I see your point here. Perhaps it's something that may benefit higher ranked students more.I do agree that the instructor's job is to point things out and help you make changes, but at times, I think speaking with the person who is actually scoring on you/striking you, and figure out what it is they are seeing from their point of view, and trying to counter that, could be helpful.

Congratulations!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!

Thank you, Bob! I really appreciate it. I wanted to take a minute to point out here that this running log is not just meant to be for me. I know we have a lot of new members here, and back when I started this, it was my hope that it would be a running thread where the community compared and contrasted their training time. Here is my original opening post: So please, everyone, feel free to chime in here! 12/20/2019 Strength Training Deadlifts: 135x5, 205x5, 225x3, 255x5, 255x5. Press: 45x5x2, 75x5, 95x3, 125x5, 125x5, 125x5. Stretch: Kick stretches and quads. TKD: Worked on some low rank forms; Chon Ji, Dan Gun, Bo Chung, and also on Se Jong. Finished with some stretching.

Welcome to KF, KevinD! Glad to have you, and look forward to your contributions!

12/16/2019 Strength Training Squats: 45x5, 135x5, 205x3, 225x3, 275x5, 275x5, 275x5. Bench Press: 45x5x2, 115x5, 135x3, 170x1, 195x5, 195x5, 195x5. Press: 45x5, 65x5, 85x5, 120x3, 120x3, 120x3. Stretch: kick stretches and quads. 12/17/2019 Deadlifts: 135x5, 205x5, 225x3, 285x5. Lat Pull-downs: 125x10, 125x10, 125x10. Stretch: kick stretches and quads.

It would be an easy decision for me. If the other instructor is going to be more welcoming, helpful, and not be a personality conflict, then that's the answer I'd go for.

Ditto. Do keep us posted!

Congratulations to all!

Well, I can see how that would be overwhelming, Bob! Did the doctor diagnose you with prostate cancer, or is he just warning you to get the numbers down in order to avoid it?

I like the split-screen idea, Bob, but I don't know that I could pull that one off. Have you tried that with sparring review, as well, or just on forms or singular technique review?

12/12/2019 Strength Training Squats: 45x5, 135x5, 205x3, 225x3, 270x5, 270x5, 270x5. Press: 45x5x2, 75x5, 95x3, 115x5, 115x5, 115x5. I felt pretty fatigued during this workout. I came down with something again on Monday night, and missed my Tuesday workout and spent the day sleeping. 12/13/2019 Strength Training Deadlifts: 135x5, 205x5, 225x3, 275x3, 275x3. Barbell Rows: 135x5, 155x8, 155x8, 155x8. Stretch: kick stretches and quads.

I will keep you in my prayers, Bob, as you take on this battle.

Nothing wrong with that. Things come up, and at times, it's better to wait another testing cycle, that way you can be sure you are fully prepared.

The video option is a good idea, too. I've done that before with forms, but not with sparring. What I found was that you can tell a student over and over again what it is they're doing, but in their mind, they have a certain way they see it. When you show it to them on video, then it kind of clicks with them, as they get to see it themselves. I think the benefits this could have on sparring strategies would be awesome. In sparring class, we encourage the students to try out new tactics, different techniques, and the like in order to get used to different things, get out of their comfort zones, and broaden their repertoire. Seeing things on video would be helpful in this. This would probably take more time, for sure, but would be worthwhile to do periodically.

I'm hoping to do this in some future classes, for sure. I think I can limit the time it takes up by timing out rounds and rest periods, and perhaps at the end of class allotting extra time for stretching out and allowing the students to discuss their matches with each other a bit more extensively.

12/11/2019 MA Training TKD Kicking Class: 6:30 - 7:30 pm. Although this is usually a kicking class, it is more informal than our regular classes, so a few of us spent some time reviewing some 2nd and 3rd dan forms. We did Poe Eun a few times, and Se Jong a few times each. I also did a little kicking on the bags, but not much. I spent more time helping a few of the kids with hook kicks on the target pads.

12/6/2019 Strength Training Deadlifts: 135x5, 205x5, 225x5, 225x5. Lat Pull-downs: 125x10, 125x10, 125x10. Worked on the setup with the belt on again. 12/9/2019 Strength Training Squats: 45x5, 135x5, 205x3, 225x3, 260x6, 260x5, 260x5. Bench Press: 45x5x2, 115x5, 135x3, 170x1, 190x5, 190x5, 190x5. Press: 45x5, 65x5, 85x5, 115x3, 115x3, 115x3. Stretch: kick stretches and quads. Bar speed on the squats was good. I through in the press session just to get some more frequency with it, and since I've not pressed in some time. TKD Training Went through Choong Jang twice, Se Jong twice, stretched a little, and worked through the first four three-step sparring segments.

No doubt there. I've struggled and struggled with consistent training these past ten years or so, and it isn't going to get any easier as I go along. I think a lot of people get like this, and feel like if they can't train regularly, then they just won't do it. I hate to see this, and as an instructor that struggles with consistency as well, I would hope other instructors would find it in their hearts to be willing to work with individuals that run into this.

May he rest in peace. The lives that an MAist like that touches throughout his life, and the impact he makes on so many, is incalculable.

I'm with you, Bob! It seems I'm running into layoff after layoff, stymying my ability to improve. But, we've got to just keep plugging away at it. After all, like Martial Arts, it's about the journey, and we have to keep walking that path!

12/5/2019 TKD Testing: 6:00 - 7:30 pm. We had our GM in for testing, his daughter, a Senior Master, along with our CI (also Senior Master) on the panel for testing. Most we've had in some time. Our school is changing hands now, too, and so we are in an interesting time. We had one student testing for 1st dan, and another testing for 2nd dan, and they both performed well.