bushido_man96

Excellent. I haven't gotten a new book in a while, let me know if it is any good. Thanks. Will do. All right, I got the book, and have begun to read it. There is lots of interesting history information in it, along with some things about Gen. Choi Hong Hi that I did not know. So far, it is very interesting. I glanced ahead to some to the advanced forms, just to take a peak, and it is like, wow, it will totally change the way that I train TKD. I will keep you posted.

Very nice post, patusai. You make a very good point about how the masters tested their techniques. Whether it comes down to fighting or randori, these high speed training/fighting with a resisting partner/opponent is where the true test comes in. However, kata practice in a controlled environment, including bunkai training, is a good way to start training for these advanced situations.

Good story. Pride is a terrible thing. I got my 1st dan in the ATA in a little over 2 years, and worked my way up to 2nd dan. When I left my hometown and joined a new school, I had to start over, and take almost another 2 years to get to my new 1st dan. Perhaps this was a blessing in disguise, after what I see here about the negativity received about 2 year black belts. I do know that if I were to run my own school ever again, I would probably have testing cycles about every 3 to 4 months, and do a lot of things differently than my instructor does now.

I think that forms practice is a very important tool in the study of martial arts. There are many good things that come out of forms practice. However, that does not mean that those styles that do not rely on kata training are lacking in their style. Each has its own way of training, and each has something to offer. I love practicing my TKD froms, and I feel that they are very important to the art of TKD, if they are practiced for the right reasons, and are analyzed in order to find the applications therein.

This is a great statement. Many high ranks don't think like this. It is important to always approach each class with a fresh mind, so that you can always find something new to learn.

Actually, I have a few questions, and they can be to anyone in general that deals with these things. 1. Do you teach bunkai to the junior (children) students? 2. Can you give me an idea of how you go about your bunkai practice? 3. What is the difference between your "junior" syllabus and "adult" syllabus, if you have this seperation? I am sure I will have more questions pop up as answers to these come in, and I appreciate your input. Thanks in advance!

I would like to know how the absorption of a kick works in Muay Thai.

Very nice analogy, Steve_K.

Welcome to KF, sonofkanga!

I haven't had one of those in years. I may have to go back to them.

Any grappling style would go well to help your groundfighting skills. Just take a look around your area to see what is offered.

Mine is too, but usually I punch it a while, and then come and make some posts!

Very interesting. I may have to try it sometime. Here is a good one. You grab a partner, and you both get into pushup position, facing each other. Pick a number, like 5. Then, one person begins, doing 5 pushups, while the other waits in the up position. When done, the other person does 5 while the other waits. Then the other goes again, doing 4. You keep this going, alternating and waiting, all the way down to 1, and then you go back up to 5. It is a great workout, and a good way to push each other.

Check here: http://www.karateforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=8082 The Martial Arts Research Library sticky.

Welcome to the Forums, ShotokanTre!

Wow, sounds like some hard core testings going on here! Sounds like fun, but I think I would die afterwards! My black belt tests mainly consist of basics and forms, usually about 3 of them, and then all one-steps, 3 rounds of sparring, and board breaking, at usually 3 stations. My 1st dan testing included all of the forms and one-steps, which included 9 forms. Maybe not as taxing as some, but it gave me a good workout.

Kata can be used to improve endurance, if you choose to train it that way. Everyone gets so caught up in doing the kata they way that they are initially taught, that they don't see how many other ways there are to train with it. Katas (or forms) are a training tool. If you want to train endurance, then do several forms over and over again, for an allotted amount of time. If you fight 2 minute rounds, then burst through either one form, or several forms, all together, without stopping, for the whole 2 minutes. If you fight 3 rounds, then do this 3 times. If you want to train fighting techniques or combinations, then alter the techniques in the form to reflect the way that you would fight. For example, while fighting, you most likely would not drop into a horse stance and execute punches from the hip. However, you could stand in a more able fighting position, and execute the punches, blocks, kicks, etc. from an arm base position, and practice that way. There are so many options available to forms training. Remember, they are training tools. They are not so sacred that they cannot be altered to suit your needs for one training session. Remember, open minds!

Anywhere from 2 to 5 years is what I have heard. How long should it take? There are various answers to this question. Really, you should not worry about how soon you will get your black belt. If you go to class, train hard, and pay attention and keep an open mind about your study of the martial arts, the rest will come in time. Your instructor will let you know when you are ready to test for your next rank. Also keep in mind that it is ok to miss a testing here and there. Martial arts will come to you at your pace, and not anyone elses. Most importantly, enjoy your training! The nice thing about the martial arts is that it can be a lifelong experience, if you want it to be.

I have not really heard of this before, but it sounds very interesting.

I did a search on it and found some interesting info. Never hear of it before. Always up on learning about new things. It's like ancient UFC. Yep, it really is. Only it was a lot more brutal, and they didn't care if someone died in the process. It was usually an invent in the Hellenic Games, along with boxing and wrestling.

Sorry to hear about your experience with the TKD school, kenpo.stylist. Hopefully, your experience with the other school is better.

This clears up my perception. Are all of the students required to go to the regular classes as opposed to just going to the competition and sparring classes?

Wow, that would be brutal. I am not very familiar with Kung Fu, so could you explain this Gan sau movement to me? I don't quite get the gist of it from the pictures.

It would seem to me that even if all they try to do is box, they still won't have much in the way of footwork. And if they try to move around, then you just have to wait for their pants to slip down a little more, tripping them up.