Tomcat

"What I see that there is no protection, no mats , no nothing. Just the GI." What you also don't see is the control skillful practitioners have. I think that most schools afe cautious of untrained students getting hurt or even of lawsuits so they really limit the sparring. Now even with the best of control, some punches and kicks will slip by. Ouch!

What is the worst martial arts movie you have seen. Feel free to name a couple, but try to make it in the last 10 years. I would say my worst was "The Quest" with JKVD. Did anyone like "Hero" (also titled Ying xiong) with Jet Li? I really like Jet Li, but most of my friends hated the movie.

I would have to dig through my closet, but I have two books I picked up in Korea. If you could get some books that were written for Korean practitioners BY Korean practitioners it might give a different perspetive on the art. Of course you would probably be limited to the technique pictures because of the language barrier, but I'm sure you could see what techniques are emphasized.

You are only too old when you are dead. And this goes for learning ANYTHING, not just TKD.

"My Instructor is fairly new at this teaching thing. He is a 1st degree black but was thrown into teaching because of lack of avalible leadership." A 1st Dan teaching!!!! Call him a student. He has no right teaching. What nonsense is this! If you have 20 years experience in another style then you must be going crazy at having to suffer from learning from a beginner. Anyone who is not a CERTIFIED instructor has no right to be called an instructor. Now I empathize in that this 1st Dan has been thrown into teaching, but he should just called Mr. _____ and he should be referring to you the same way.

I think that mostly due to pride, most everynoe will think that their style/school is the best. While it is good to feel proud of your style, it is a shame to knock other styles. Personally it doesn't bug me if other knock TKD or any other particular style becasue it just shows that they are if fact ignorant. Going a few rounds with a TKD master should change their mind.

I wonder if they could learn any technical tips from the fencing electronic scoring devices. Scoring points in a TKD match and a fencing match are two whole different ballgames, I realize.

Is TKD any good? Yes. But, then again, I would probably answer yes to any art you would have asked about. Just visist a few schools, sit and watch a typical class, then decide what you like. I chose Hapkido over TKD but then later on practiced TKD because it interested me. And I chose Hapkido because I couldn't fin a good Kumdo school anywhere nearby. Simply put, practice what YOU would enjoy.

Is TKD effective on the street? Yes. Is any martial art style effective on the street? Yes. Basically, they are forms of fighting. It just depends on how good you are. If you just started last month, do NOT go around bragging that you practice ______ martial art. My IsshinRyu master taught me not to hurt an opponent, but that if someone pulls a knofe, gun, broken beer bottle or other weapon on you, then go ahead and hurt them becasue they are definately not worried about hurting you bad. He also went on to say show no mercy if they attack you with a weapon.

I practice sporadicaly at a local MMA gym. The master there teaches staff, chucks, and sickle to the colored belts, then sword to the black belts. Problem is he only had about 3 months traing from a sword instructor who didn't speak English. So please do yourself a favor and discreetly ask your instructor where he learned his weapons training and be wary if he says 'self-taught'.

What I would like some suggestions on is how to spar "tall" against tall people. Simply practice more. Don't worry about how to fight any certain type, size or style. Your body will naturally react and compensate against different opponents without your brain trying to think things through. If I spar against an opponent with 20 years more experience than me, I fully expect to not only lose but not even land a punch. And that's ok because not every can be a Jet Li or Bruce Lee. All the other replys had VERY good advice about sparring against an opponent close to your own skill. But my advice would be to not worry about it and just practice hard to become faster and more skillful.

I very much agree with you in moderation of all things. Nowadays when I practice it is to get back into shape. I find working out in the class far more interesting mentally than running on a treadmill at a regular gym. I have an uncle who has yet to learn moderation (or perhaps he is just going through a mid-life crisis, but it would be rude to speculate). For the past 3 years he has been waking up at 4am to jog, lift weights, etc. he runs in the Chicago Marathon every year now. I just don't understand WHY he is so fanatical about exercising now. I think it's great that he has found something positive to do especially with the added health benefits! I think it's great whenever someone finds a positve activity they enjoy. But the bragging I can't stand. Just like you said when people can grag that "I'm a black belt!", my uncle brags about working out 3 hours a day. My response to him was "When was the last time you picked up a book?" Very few people know that I love martial arts. Maybe it is just because I really hate braggarts that I would hate to become one. In my opinion, the people who brag about being so great at martial arts, just aren't. Those who ARE really good, just simply practice because they enjoy it and don't care what others think.

Kill Jill, you haven't seen ANY female players? I have seen a handful female Taekkyon practicioners, but I would say that is normal ecause I think that only around 5% of all practioners are female. I am surprised that you have seen none. I am also surprised that you would state that any Korean kid wouldn't know Taekkyon. I would imagine a great amount do. Of course everyone in Korea knows TaeKwonDo, but a TON of people also know and are proud of Taekkyon. I would like to know what everyone's opinion on Taekkyon are as a serious martial art. To me it is people trying to revive the good old days, something such as accordion-playing.

Kill Jill, you haven't seen ANY female players? I have seen a handful female Taekkyon practicioners, but I would say that is normal ecause I think that only around 5% of all practioners are female. I am surprised that you have seen none. I am also surprised that you would state that any Korean kid wouldn't know Taekkyon. I would imagine a great amount do. Of course everyone in Korea knows TaeKwonDo, but a TON of people also know and are proud of Taekkyon. I would like to know what everyone's opinion on Taekkyon are as a serious martial art. To me it is people trying to revive the good old days, something such as accordion-playing.

I quit practicing martial arts one month after receiving my 2nd Dan. However I never lost interest so I guess one could say I never actually quit. Occasionally I work out a a local MMA gym and also with a Tang Soo Do Master I am friends with. Now to me if an activity does not bring in money, then it is a hobby. So every so often when someone tells me what a shame it is that I don't actively practice, I always ask then why they think it is important that my art be the most important thing in my life. What did I do when I quit? Well I got married a month later (that was planned, though) and went to graduate school. Now I spend my evenings with my two children instead of the gym. God I love the martial arts; but to be realistic, it is no way near the most important thing in my life. I still hape to achieve 4th Dan or greater one day, but not at the expense of sacrificing work or family time. I agree with Sohan in that at 1st Dan is when you have learned the basics, and now it is time to REALLY learn your art. But I have seen before that achieving 1st Dan is also the "Kiss of Death" for a lot of students in that they lose interest at that point. Does anyone else notice this with Cho Dans?