bushido_man96

Well good luck anyway!

I remember his stint with Tennessee; he turned the program around in a hurry, too. He's got Auburn headed in the right direction. And Charles Barkley is stoked about it! So, my Final Four was Duke, Gonzaga, Tennessee, and UNC. So my bracket is toast.

3/28/2019 TKD Testing: 6:30 - 8:30 pm. We had a few lower ranks test, and also had a handful of higher ranks testing. I thought it went well overall. As always, there's some room for improvement, but everyone is making very good strides in their training. 4/1/2019 Strength Training Squats: 45x5x2, 140x5, 140x5, 140x5. Knees were really aching today. Bench: 45x5x2, 100x5, 100x5, 100x5. LTE: 25x10, 25x10, 25x10. BB Curls: 45x10, 45x10, 45x10. DT Club: dropped in on the club for a little bit, to see how things were going. There was a new LEO to one of our small communities, and I assisted in some instruction with him. 4/2/2019 Solo Training Bag work: I did 10 rounds of bag work. First two were on the standing bag, then two on the speed bag, two more on the standing bag, two on the speed bag, two more on the standing bag. 1:30 rounds with 1:30 rest between each. The first two rounds on the standing bag were mostly from punching range, working some kicks in. The second two rounds I worked more from outside kicking range, closing and kicking, then working inside. On the last two, I tried to do more push kicks and side kicks to simulate keeping distance. I finished with a nice stretch.

He sounded just like Bruce Lee!

3/27/2019 Strength Training Deadlifts: 135x5, 135x5, 155x5. Press: 45x5x2, 55x5, 65x5,65x5. Lying Triceps Extensions (LTEs): 25x10, 25x10. TKD Class: 6:30 - 7:30 pm. Basics, stretch, forms (Choong Jang), one-steps (white and green), and testing sparring, with one bout being a three-for-all. Good times were had by all.

I'm looking forward to this. I found season 1 quite enjoyable.

State Tournament update #1: Kenneth's results. I want to preface this with just how proud I am of where Kenneth started the season, and where he ended up the season. We spent quite a bit of time drilling various things, especially working on his bottom game. Day 1, match 1. Kenneth was the short man in his bracket, far and away. He didn't wrestle anyone that was remotely the same size as him. His first opponent, he starts off ok on his feet. They tied up, and he really kept working for an inside tie, but the opponent eventually went to grabbing his head and trying to stuff him. Kenneth's typical reaction to this has been to bend over and twist away from it, which has bad results, and did so here, resulting in getting taken down. Kenneth tried worked his standups and sit-outs, but to no avail. At one point he had rolled away got some separation, but re-engaged right away and got taken back to the ground, and didn't get awarded any escape points. Kenneth got turned at the end of the period and gave up two back points. Kenneth started the second period on bottom, and after getting turned again briefly, he did get a reversal, and did a good job of maintaining position behind the hips and behind the elbows, and kept good pressure down, but could not turn for any points. Period three started neutral, and the opponent kept reaching for Kenneth's head, and eventually got it, doing a bad headlock takedown and pinning Kenneth. So a point of focus has been defending kids attacking the head, but he keeps worrying about the hands and not working for a shot, or he just ties up high, and loses the battle in leverage. Day, match 2. This one starts again with another big kid grabbing and stuffing Kenneth's head to the ground. Got to work on shots. But after that, and getting rode a little bit, Kenneth sat out and got a reversal, and rode out the rest of the period. Down 0-2. Period 2 started in neutral, and Kenneth at least went after him, but came in high trying to tie up. The opponent stuffed his head, but Kenneth just kept going, got behind and was awarded a takedown (2-2). They go out of bounds and get reset, and Kenneth rides him down, and got him turned, but time was out and the period ended with no back points awarded. Period three, Kenneth had choice, and I was thinking to myself, "put him on top, and let him ride this kid out." But coach put him on bottom, which was the right call. It started with Kenneth coming up and the opponent getting a locked hands call, awarding Kenneth a point. They reset, Kenneth still on bottom, and Kenneth gets an escape, then returns the favor by grabbing the opponent's head and throwing him down, getting two for a takedown. He rode him out, turning him at the end, but too late for back points, but winning the match. Kenneth finished day one 1-1, and more importantly, gets to come back to wrestle on Sunday. Day 2, match 1. This match started much the same as the others, with more head grabbing sloppiness. They scrambled a bit, and Kenneth almost secured two, but couldn't get behind when they ended up side by side, and the opponent eventually got the takedown, but Kenneth didn't give up any other points for the period. Kenneth started period two on bottom, and got up for an escape, but then went straight to trying to headlock a taller opponent, both of them standing straight up. That attempt was stopped when the opponent got a bloody nose. After the reset, the opponent jumped on Kenneth's head again, got taken down and to his back, but avoided a pin as the nose bleed started again. They reset with Kenneth on bottom, and avoiding giving up any more points. Period three started with Kenneth on top. Kenneth had trouble keeping the opponent down, and probably could have done better if he had ridden an ankle like he did in the second match. Then he had a brain fart. He locked his hands, and the ref signaled for it, and I guess Kenneth assumed he was stopping the match, and got off the opponent, who then promptly stood up and was awarded an escape. More head grabbing ensued, and Kenneth tried a desperation headlock at the end, but didn't set it up well and got taken down himself. He fought to the end, but didn't have enough to pull this one out. Kenneth finished the tournament 1-2, and I really thought he wrestled very well, aside from the sloppy stand-up head-grabbing bologna, which we'll work on to fix. His bottom game was really solid, and his top game was decent, but can use some polishing. I was really proud that he won a match and was able to make it to day 2, which is an improvement over how he did the previous year. He showed much improvement over the course of the season, and I feel good about where he is in his development.

3/26/2019 Strength Training Barbell Rows: 75x10, 75x10, 75x10. Lat Pull-downs: 110x10, 110x10, 110x10. Spent 15 minutes on a bike, too.

I think its important to keep in mind that it was a tournament setting, as well. Some of those that take competition seriously will put themselves in a mindset of being above their competition. After all, we are talking about using physical skills to overcome another person. I see it in Wrestling all the time. What I wonder is if this is an attitude that they only display at tournaments, and can turn it on and off, or if its an all the time thing. Some can turn it off, and some can't.

And a Happy Belated Birthday from me, too! Hope it was a good one!

Just now seeing this. So far, my bracket is holding up well. I've got Duke and UNC in my finals, and all of my Final Four teams are still in it (Duke, UNC, Tennessee, and Gonzaga). The K-State and Iowa State losses have hurt me the most so far, as I had both of those teams getting to Sweet Sixteen.

Great points above, Devin. Our Little Lions program really helps to float the rest of the school, which benefits all the adolescents and adults that train with us in the traditional classes. It can really be a boon to a school.

Hey folks, just dropping in to let you know that the State Tournament update is coming in soon. Suffice it to say that I was very pleased with how both boys performed at State this year!!!...

Back in the gym after a very long layoff. Not to mention spending most of the last month and a half being sick has really slowed me down. 3/25/2019 Strength Training Squats: warm-ups: 45x5x2; work sets: 135x5, 135x5, 135x5. Bench: warm-ups: 45x5x2; work sets: 95x5, 95x5, 95x5. Barbell Curls: 45x10x2.

I'm not sure what that first video was, but I'd guess there were probably some things done wrong, if the "x-ray" that was shown is factual. My guess is it is not. At any rate, "heavy" is kind of a relative term when it comes to weight training (I choose the term "weight training" because training and exercising are two different things). I just recently got back into the gym to lift, so what I consider "heavy" is different than what someone who has been training for 5 years consecutively considers heavy. Like many things, the heavy squat included, the key to avoiding injury lies in proper execution of technique. And if you can't execute a proper squat with light weight, then one should not progress to heavier weight using improper technique. Flexion with rotation under a load is the most dangerous movement for the spine, and if the squat is performed properly (proper Valsalva maneuver along with proper alignment prior to taking the weight off the bar), then this movement is avoided, a proper squat is performed, and gains are achieved.

Have you considered using a hooked grip for deadlifts? Its an option that will allow you to continue to use a double-overhand grip, and should put off the use of straps, as well.

Keep up the good work!

I agree, this is the most difficult part about becoming an instructor. Your time is no longer your own.

I have not, in the sense you are describing here. I'd have to say the closest thing to a "parent" style to TKD would probably be Shotokan, and I have never been to a school or worked with a practitioner. I have, however, had the pleasure to do something like what you've asked about with Sensei8, learning how things we do are similar or different, and our approaches to things. It was very informative and valuable time spent.

Sometimes forms work, sometimes bag work, sometimes focusing on specific techniques and refining movements. Sometimes its high impact, and sometimes its slow and repetitive movement of technique.

Its important to practice in levels of resistance. The first component of practice is drill. Drill the technique so that one knows it is being done the right way. Concentrate on specific cues in order to see the technique to completion. Once drilling has accomplished what it is designed to do, which is learning the technique, its important to add levels of resistance along the way. When drilling in the wrestling room, being a good partner and when drilling with around 50% resistance helps the other partner see the application in progress, and iron out any small issues the practitioner is having in execution. Wrestling live is where each partner attempts to complete the moves in real working order, reacting to the reactions of the partner along the way. This is when the practitioners start to learn how to chain movements together in order to make things happen, or see when things change and a new technique or tactic is needed. This can all be applied in the Martial Arts school, as well.

We typically don't start anyone under the age of 6, but each case is different, and I think each child should be evaluated based on how well they pick up and are able to participate in the class. Some six year olds aren't up to the challenge, and some four year olds are. As a baseline, starting around age six works out pretty well for us.

This is not the case. Training with very heavy weights can be quite beneficial to the entire body, especially exercises like the squat and the dead lift. As with any exercise, performing it correctly is the key to not causing injury. This starts with the proper training in how to do the lifts correctly. Once a lift is correctly learned, then its time to start loading the bar and adding weight. Its also important to keep track of weight training using a training log, which should be set up in such a way that an open log book should show between a week-and-a-half to two weeks worth of training notes. By keeping track of the programming (which is also very important), the lifter can see what how much weight/reps they did in the previous workout, and this guides them in selecting the proper weight for the current workout. In order to get stronger, heavier weights have to be lifted. Proper tracking and programming help the lifter approach these weights in the proper manner.

I think I've got a whole book dedicated to Sanchin. It seems to be quite the kata.

3/9/2019: District 4 Championships. I'll start with Kendall. He initially had three others in his group, which was going to basically turn into a 4-man round robin to determine seed for state. One of the wrestlers dropped out for some reason or other, so it came down to three. Kendall won his first match in the first period, pinning after throwing with a headlock. I'd rather not see the headlock, but he made it work, so on to match two. Match two was between the other two kids in the bracket, with the other one being one of his opponents from the middle school season, that likes to headlock. We watched them wrestle, and I feel it was very valuable to watch the match. The match was won by headlock, which was set up with an underhook. After watching, we talked about ways of dealing with the underhook, and we had worked on some things against that early that morning when warming up (wrist control and such tactics). In the end, Kendall decided he was just going to take a shot right off the mark to prevent the underhook attempt. So match three, he did just that, and did take the opponent down, but got rolled through, and ended up having to fight from the bottom. The bigger opponent was able to ride Kendall out from there and pin him. But the takedown almost worked, we just have to figure out how to avoid getting rolled through. He finished 1-1, and took 2nd place, which puts him at a 2 seed for the state tournament. Kenneth had four in his bracket, so it was a round robin for seeding, as well. Two of the opponents he wrestled to and lost to this year, and the third he had not wrestled yet. It turns out he's the shortest kid in the group, with all others being at least a head taller than him. His first match was against a familiar opponent that I knew he could wrestle with, and he did just that. When he got taken down, he fought off the bottom, and at one point nearly had the kid caught on his back, but couldn't hold it. He lost the match in the end, but did not get pinned (very important), score ending 9-4. I missed his second match, because the meet was being held in split gyms and separate buildings, and his second match happened during Kendall's third match. But I was met by the opponent's dad on the way back in, and he congratulated me, because Kenneth had won. Kenneth had not beaten this opponent yet either, and his dad said his kid tried to run a cement mixer, but Kenneth defended it and caught him for a pin in the second period. His third match was against the best kid in the group, who was much bigger and more solid than the others in the group, and he pinned Kenneth in the first period. So now, the magic of round-robin scoring: Kid A won all three of his matches, so got first. Kid B, Kenneth, went 1-2, pinning one, getting pinned in the last one, and losing by points in the first one. Kid C, who Kenneth beat, beat the kid Kenneth lost to first off, but didn't pin him, and lost to the Kid A, finishing 1-2. Kid D, who lost to Kid C, but beat Kenneth, but couldn't pin him, lost to Kid A by getting pinned, also finishing 1-2. So the way it all shook out in the end was that Kenneth ended up 2nd place, I think by virtue of not getting pinned in his first match. It was crazy, but I was so happy for him and proud. So both boys, having and up and down day, get 2nd place, and for the first time they both qualified for state in the same year.