John G

We do much the same as Mr. Withers as far as presentation and timing; we also invite current club blackbelts and the parents or spouse/partner of the new blackbelt holder out to the Chinese restaurant.

I'd go for the lead lined suit and the thermonuclear hand grenade... darn the collateral damage. Collateral damage what a great name for a movie.

monkeygirl, I wouldn't worry too much about the hidden attackers in the mountains if I were you, I think you can handle those guys. I'd be more concerned about the concealed snake pits and those darn drop bears If I were you. You think your nervous now... wait till half an hour before the grading The only consolation is that 10 seconds after you grading you will have a smile so wide that your cheekbones will ache for hours after. Of course, thats after they have taken down off the ceiling from the natural high you'll get 5 seconds after your grading. You will do fine; keep us informed as to your progress leading up to your grading. Best of luck.. _________________ John G Jarrett 1st Degree ITF Taekwon-Do (Au-1-881) [ This Message was edited by: John G on 2002-06-15 01:13 ]

I was right down the back in a class of about 40 students the first class I attended, thinking to myself what on earth am I doing here. At 38 years of age and 20kg heavier than I am today, everything was difficult and awkward, the warm ups just about killed me, and my eyes nearly popped out my head just watching people stretch (ouch!! that's got to hurt). I remember being awe inspired watching the students go through their patterns (tuls/forms/katas) whilst pathetically trying to learn the first fundamental exercise 'Saju Jirugi' from an ever so patient instructor. These days I'm one of those down the front and have a lot of time for the 35+ year old students remembering how awkward and dumb I felt on my first day. (I still hate stretching) _________________ John G Jarrett 1st Degree ITF Taekwon-Do (Au-1-881) [ This Message was edited by: John G on 2002-06-14 03:26 ]

I would prefer to loose a bit of skin from my knuckles, than develop arthritis and ruin my two finger speed typing skills. KickChick do you have board and tile breaking requirements at your next grading?

Good advice SaiFightsMS, There’s nothing worse than messing up a grading and aggravating an injury that could take you out for weeks if not months. It’s simply not worth it. Best of luck on the day Lau gar _________________ John G Jarrett 1st Degree ITF Taekwon-Do [ This Message was edited by: John G on 2002-06-11 07:31 ]

Should kids have black belts, I guess it depends on what your definition of being a black belt is or more to the point what your instructor’s view of what a black belt is. I have two instructors with differing views, one a master (seventh degree black belt), believes it’s about personal achievement and discovery. The other instructor (second degree black belt) believes it’s about respect, technique and knowledge. I feel it’s all about the journey and not the destination, if a ten year old has a black belt. It tells me that they have spent a great deal of their life in achieving that milestone. Ok their skills and maturity may be underdeveloped, but what a great start to life they have, to be amongst people who show courtesy and respect to one another. People willing to help develop those skill levels and wonderful role models to help develop that maturity level. I leave who becomes a black belt and the reasons why, up to my instructors.

Throw the mother in-law between you and the attacker, then run..

Welcome aboard Ryan :wave:

Welcome aboard.. :wave:

Welcome, I look forward picking your brains and others who study your martial art, as ITF Taekwon-do derived a lot of its fundamental moves from Shotokan Karate.

Fellow martial artists, Thank you for your responses, I’m looking forward to obtaining and contributing to the wealth of knowledge and experiences shared amongst members in this forum.

Hello, My name is John Jarrett and I live in a small town 60km east of Perth, Western Australia. I started martial arts when I was 38 and have caught the bug, what started of as a bit of exercise has turned into a passion (obsession). I train five days a week and think about martial arts all the time. I am currently a first degree black belt (Grading for second degree in November) in ITF Taekwon-do and have been studying Wing Chun for the past 8 months. It’s wonderful to find a site that caters for such a diverse number of martial art disciplines. I look forward to reading posts from fellow martial artists around the world and will contribute what limited martial arts knowledge I have, to this site. Kind Regards, John G Jarrett [ This Message was edited by: John G on 2002-06-03 07:05 ]

Just a few questions, Who are the Grand Masters of Wing Chun? What’s the difference between modified Wing Chun and traditional Wing Chun?

I find Wing Chun complements TKD is so many ways, as pointed out, TKD is brilliant for long and medium range attacks whereas Wing Chung is great for “in your face” type attacks. Concepts such as occupying the centre and contact reflex are awesome when coupled with TKD techniques. I think my TKD master must have studied some form of Chinese martial art before, as I now see a lot of Wing Chun fundamentals applied throughout his teachings. May I suggest that you achieve black belt in your TKD studies before studying Wing Chun, as some Wing Chun concepts go against some TKD concepts which may lead to confusion in your TKD studies. Regards, John G Jarrett. 1st degree ITF TKD Western Australia [ This Message was edited by: John G on 2002-06-03 01:34 ]