bushido_man96

This is an awesome point. You hit the nail right on the head!

I did notice that. I guess he ran out of money or something. I'm not sure why Van Damme gets grouped into the same category as Seagal. He's never made a good movie ever. Granted Seagal has gone way down in quality in the last 5 - 10 years, but again, his early stuff was great. Oh, I agree, I am not saying he made bad movies by any stretch. I loved Fire Down Below, The Glimmer Man, Hard to Kill, Above the Law, all that good stuff. I even enjoyed VanDammes early stuff. I think that part of the problem is that I hear Segal isn't the nicest guy in the world.

How cheap is it to train Muay Thai overseas? It would be cool if I could afford to stay for a year!

Our organization is the Traditional Taekwondo Association, and our Grandmaster is Chae Sun Yi. He is a ninth degree. When we do a black belt testing, we go to the headquarters on the Friday night before, where we have black belt class. It is kind of like a pretesting; we do all of the forms, all of the one-steps, and a few other basic form requirements that we have to know in order to be allowed to test. He demonstrates a little bit, but for the most part just directs the class. He holds a seminar for black belts every year as well, but I have not gone to one yet. I may go this year in February.

Yes, It is. The Forms are different and there are some slight differences in chambering and some blocking. I noticed some of the technical differences in hand technique and kicking styles, but I had to adjust some things when I went from the ATA to the styel of TKD I do now.

Yeah, him and Van Damme have gone down the same road lately. Incidentally, did you notice that in the opening scene of "Into the Sun" had former NFL running back Eddie George in it? Thought that was interesting.

Is there a source that you could reference me to so that I could look some of this up? It is very interesting to me, and I enjoy studying history.

Ahhhh, I see. Is Thai footwork and boxing footwork similar, or are the boxers a little more mobile?

No it can't - the judges won't let it. In my karate days, I was training under a guy from japan who didn't believe in point sparring. it was hard contact. However, I was also training at another karate school (american) and they entered tournaments. I had point taken away from me for excessive contact on several occasions. In my experiences with point fighting, at the higher ranks, anyhow, the contact got a little intense sometimes. But, every tournament is different.

I understand, but no, the intent is no different. In both situations, I want to end the fight as quickly as possible, as long as we are talking about full contact fighting. if it's point, then yes, the intent is different. Ok, I'll go with the difference in point and sport. But, do you think the intent is different between an MMA fighter and a boxer? Or do they relegate about the same as well? I suppose they should be the same.

This is true, we live in a super-sized society.

So, these are time frames in the development of the art we are talking about here?

I know that Thai boxing does not move the feet quite as much as TKD does, but could the TKD footwork lend to the mobility of a Thai boxer?

For the most part, my medieval combat consists of sword and shield. I am hoping to add quarterstaff to the mix. The only people I have to work with are some SCA affiliates, so there are some limitations. I have some friends who are willing to experiment, however, and I think we will start experimenting shortly with other weapons, and adding grips and such. I know this isn't the proper way to learn, but I have been reading my eyes out on Medieval combat books, to try to learn new things. No instructors in my area, and the nearest seminars are always in Texas or something like that. So, I am doing what I can with what I got.

What you bring up is the difference between training each technique, and training for fighting. When we train each technique on its own it is with the intent that it is all we need to end a fight, but a large portion of training is dedicated to combinations, timing, zanshin, and the other issues that are critical in being able to defend ourselves. In fighting it is extremely difficult to land a perfect punch, we understand that and practice accordingly. ("we" refers to all like minded martial artists) Ok, that clarifies things. I thought that was the direction you all were going, but wanted to make sure. I don't like to assume anything. Thank you.

If this was true, then I would not hear so many negative things about sport TKD. I consider sport TKD and point (touch) karate to be exceptions to the rule. What is the rule? Judo, boxing, BJJ, MMA, capoeira, freestyle/folk wrestling, Greco, Pankration, Muay Thai, kickboxing, san shou, and catch to name a few.Why would sport TKD and point Karate be exceptions? Points gained in sport TKD are gained through body displacement, which means that you have to be able to deliver a fairly strong blow. It is also possible to win by knockout at sport TKD (Olympic). And in "point" sparring, contact can get a little rougher than you would think. There is no reason to seperate these two cows from the rest of the herd.

You make some very good points here. But I think that the difference is in fact in what situation arises. You won't necessarily punch the same in competition as you do in combat. Therefore, it is not the same punch. I do believe at some point you can train all three, depending on the mindset that you have at the time, and what you are focusing on. that's not true, but I'm glad you mentioned it. From a sport perspective, nothing changes. My right cross in the ring is the same as it is on the street. My hidaka jime in the street is the same as in shiai. A sport style does not have to alter anything. I think this is part of the reason why a sport style can produce an effective fighter faster than most traditional styles. from a traditional perspective, you learn eye gouges, groin strikes, pressure points, clawing, ripping, small joint manipulation, weapons, etc. There is no competition venue that let's you use all of these things, and even within the confines of your own school, you really can't practice all of these things at full speed and power. Consequently, you DO have to change some traditional techniques if you want to spar or compete with them. This can cause confusion in the street. Looking back in the day, look at the tournaments where kano and his judoka competed against jujutsu guys. The judoka owned them. Why? because they were able to randori full speed and power with their techniques. The jujutsu guys were for the most part unable to do this due to the nature of their techniques. Good point, elbows_and_knees. However, don't you feel that the intent with which you punch is different on the street than in the ring? What I mean is this: When you are sport fighting, you have a different mindset, or maybe feeling, about things than you do when you get into a self-defense situation. Maybe I am overthinking this, but do you understand where I am coming from? I do agree with the point that you make about the inability to practice eye gouges, clawing, etc. at full speed. This is somewhat detrimental, when you compare it with the ability to spar with various rule sets at higher speeds.

If this was true, then I would not hear so many negative things about sport TKD.

You make some very good points here. But I think that the difference is in fact in what situation arises. You won't necessarily punch the same in competition as you do in combat. Therefore, it is not the same punch. I do believe at some point you can train all three, depending on the mindset that you have at the time, and what you are focusing on.

It makes sense, but it's counterproductive to what you are trying to do with the weightlifting. When you lift, you stress the muscles, and create microtears in the fibers. The repair and growth from this repair is what causes muscle hypertrophy (growth). Now, instead of letting your body start to recover/repair, you're stressing it even further. It's best to split cardio and weights if at all possible. Aodhan I am trying to start doing my workouts 4 days a week (lifting), and finish each session with about 15 minutes on the elliptical. Is this a bad idea as well?

Now, would the TSD that goes around today be more like the ITF or "traditional" styles of TKD that are out there, and less like the WTF style of TKD? I have a book on TSD, and it seems more like a traditional type of TKD, kind of like what I do.

Maybe I am reading your "one punch" application incorrectly, but I feel that it is very important to apply combinations of at least 2 or 3 moves in self defense in order to be sure that the opponent is down and stays down. I do agree that one should train the technique of each part of the combination as though it would drop them, but not be convinced that it will.

Thanks, younwhadoug.

I'm assuming he's talking about the more advanced kicks such as the 540, 720, side semi, etc. Most of the "traditional" aero kicks such as the butterfly are taught in the regular classes for advanced colored belts. Aodhan What is the side semi?

Do mirror footwork. Make two lines, like you are going to have them spar, but you have them step back with the same leg, so they are in a closed stance. You make one side the "leader." Now, they start bouncing in place, and the when the leader switches his stance, the other copies. If the leader takes a step forward, the follower takes a step back, and they both end up closed again. Get them really moving, and it is a lot of fun. This is great for beginners and advanced students. For beginner students, have them all face you, say right leg back, and you step right leg back. Now, you be the leader, and they all follow you. Switch you feet, do double switches, shuffle step forward or back, do a single step forward or back, sidesteps, etc. You can really get them moving, and it makes the calf muscles feel great!