Withers M.A.A.

We all need to remember at the beginning of our training things were VERY confusing. Knowing the differences between a front ball kick and instep kick were enough to confuse anyone at first. Couple that with knowing what a kata is or punch tech. etc.

I still strongly believe a firearm is the best weapon.

The TKD sidekick is designed so your body is lined up in a stright line to maximize the power

Very true about blocks being strikes also. Nothing like blocking a kick while at the same time striking your opponents leg with the block. Makes him think twice about trying to kick you again.

I don't wear the stripes on my belt. I'm a blackbelt and to me that is all that matters. I could really care less if I'm a 2nd or 6th degree. What I've learned is really all that matters.

Wado you are so right about the NRA. When I took my safety course years ago I too was amazed at the programs they offer. In most ways they do the right thing. Sometimes they stand to strong but at least they are trying to keep the firearms in our hands.

It is actually the same exact kick. You are using the instep of your foot and it is just directed at different body parts. Pete

I agree totally. Plus, you should get a tattoo that you can conceal should you need to. Many people get them on their hands and neck which is all fine and dandy but if you go for a job interview with many companys they will prejudge you and that could hurt your chances of getting that specific job.

These are some very valid points but the problem here in the U.S. anyways is that people want to set short term goals that they can fairly easily attain. That is the beauty of the belt system. If promotions didn't come for 4 years I think a lot of students would be more likely to drop out in the first place.

Again, it is my pleasure. I am always willing to help out a fellow Martial Artist esp. those who show dedication. Give her our best and let her know she inspires us all.

Another side note to make is that you should never judge a style or school by what others remark about it weather good or bad. It is important to make your own decisions. And remember what makes a good school or chain is the instructor at that particular location. Just because there is a handful of schools in a chain where the instructors are just average shouldn't dictate the entire chain.

As a karate and TKD stylist I can elaborate a bit. The TKD sidekick is MUCH more powerful than a karate sidekick. In TKD you roll your hip over and lean backwards a bit. This extends your body and your leg about an extra 2 feet in distance. Also, by rolling your hips over it generates a lot more power. When done properly your kicking heel should make a straight line from your heel to your kicking side hip to the standing legs hip to your shoulders etc. This locks your body and makes an extremely powerful kick. In a karate sidekick you simply chamber your leg and throw it out. Nothing is mentioned about turning your body. This kick gets its power from the kicking leg only. I would much rather prefer to have my entire body involved. Pete ps. TKD is primarily a kicking style and has the most effective kicking methods around. Therefore the kicking techniques used in TKD have had much more attention to detail.

As a TKD stylist we love when people move when we throw a kick. That is what we want. We throw a kick to get a response and follow it up as they move. Usually our first kick is just a diversion so you move in that 45 degree angle so we set you up and hit you with the next kick.

Many people think of Martial Arts like college. Once you get your degree or in this case blackbelt you are done.

I agree with having to be licenced to own a firearm. Here in Massachussetts you need to attend a certified safety course before being able to even apply for your license. I agree with this because gun safety is VERY important. Gun control doesn't work because they dont' enforce the laws. If you get caught with an illegal firearm the law says you spend 1 year in jail. Well when you get caught why aren't you in jail? If they enforced the laws they make there would be less problems.

I have a bunch of brand new black karate gis at my house. I wonder how much it would cost to have one shipped to Romania? HMmmmm If it isn't too much to ship I would be glad to ship one to her. It prob. costs an arm and a leg though. Anyone know how much it would cost to ship to Romania??? If it is under $25 I would gladly send her one.

BBuilder I don't really have a preference to which style I like better. I prefer the kicking techniques obviously from TKD but basically everything else I prefer Kenpo. My style of Kenpo varies a bit from the Kempo at FRed Villaris. My style is Japanese in origin as yours is Chinese. Similiar yet very different. I don't understand where people rate an instructor by rank. Being trained by a 1st degree or 9th degree sometimes doesn't make any difference. My last instructor actually was only a 1st degree. I was actually a higher rank than he was. Granted it was in a different style but still doesn't really matter. I'm only a 2nd degree BB but have been training for 17 years. I've been offered to test many times but feel there is no need. I'm a blackbelt and to me that is all that matters. The belt I wear does not dictate the knowledge I have. As for bashing Fred Villaris i'm not here to say the schools are bad. Believe me I trained there for many years when I first started out. I just outgrew the schools and felt they were holding me back. I was training in TKD at the same time and wasn't allowed to practice any of my TKD kicks at the school because I was told they were "blackbelt" kicks. Funny how I was a white belt in TKD at the time and was learning "blackbelt" kicks. I leared a bit with Fred Villaris but moved on and don't have any regrets with training there or leaving. Pete

as for Jump kicks not being useful in fighting I disagree to some extent. I use a lot of aerial kicks in fighting. However, these kicks are delivered with my body low to the ground. I would't jump 3 feet in the air, spin, and then throw a crazy kick during fighting. However, a jump spinning back kick is used VERY frequently. I usually get in fairly close to my opponent then as I start to back up set him up to throw a kick or punch and while moving back I jump backwards away from him and stuff him with a jump spin back kick. Works all the time. I also do a lot of shuffle kicks which would be considered a jump kick even though you're only about 1" off the ground. They are great to advance onto your opponent.

I've seen my share of them over the years. They religiously train at the school for years then get their blackbelt and within a few months take a few days off a week until they never come back.

I'm 26 but in 2 weeks I'll be the old age of 27. I look like I'm still 19 though.

That was a great site. Very informative. Keep them coming... Pete

Buy a black gi. Problem solved... LOL

As a TKD stylist you don't need to be able to kick high to be effective. I use to kick only to the head when I was younger. I would score sometimes. Then one day I threw a kick to the body and I was hooked. It was so much easier to score and to fold people over. Now I occassionally kick to the head. You should try doing a lot of hip swinging movements to loosen up your hips. This will help your flexibility and help you to turn your hips in order to throw a good round kick.

Talk to your instructor and tell him or her what happened. Let him do the resolution. If this nutjob did this to you chances are he'll do it to someone else. A quick word from your instructor would prob. stop it before it gets worse.

There are tons of things you can do to keep in shape over vacation. You can do squats and squat kicks. Try resistance kicking by putting your hand on a wall or chair raising your leg for a round or side kick and SLOWLY extending your leg out to form the kick and back to chamber. Do this numerous times and you'll def. feel it.