DWx

Welcome to the forums bhikkubodhi wagnerk's got some good advice. Just out of interest what does your instructor do re. CRB checks, insurance etc. (if you know that is). At least for TKD in the UK its just so much easier to just join an association and they do all of that for you, license you and cover your backs if anything does happen.

Backwards isn't so bad but if you're going to go backwards, make sure you're doing something useful like a well placed side kick to stop them. And if you are going to go backwards you need to learn to move back quick enough to create the range so you can get an attack out. Can practice by getting a heavy bag and swinging it. Dodge/shift out of the way then throw a counter or practice letting the bag swing towards you and then stopping it dead with a kick or something. Or if going backwards is something you want to avoid, do this drill: start about a stance length away from a wall and have someone attack you (or use lines on the ground if you don't have a suitable wall). You have to move off0centre because the wall wont let you go backwards. Assuming the person is bigger than you (?) with a longer reach, do not fight on the end of their range. Know how far they can reach with their longest techniques and fight on the inside of that range or way out of it if you have to. Fighting on the inside limits their choices and they are effectively reduced to using their hands as they can't kick. Get ideas from watching videos on YouTube. If you know any good fighters from your style or just search for competitions in your style you can see what other's do. You'll have to wade through some rubbish but hopefully it'll give you some ideas

Always been on Windows. Had no problems with it and high school and university used to use it too so it was just easier to stick with Windows because then all my files and documents would transfer over easily. Have been considering getting a Chromebook though.. anyone use ChromeOS?

I think that's what Kuma is saying. Before you start your work out, do all the shuffling and drawing of cards and write all the techniques down then get to work. Redraw them all next time you work out so you can have a different set to work with.

Can't agree more!!!!!!! Traditional squats are just excellent for you. Machines like the leg-press, hack squat machine, leg-curls, etc all put more stress on the knee joint than a good old fashioned barbell squat. By the way, I have heard stories about some schools and the sheer number of kicks one does in a class, I think it is crazy. I suppose if you are doing Tae Kwon Do you need to do a lot of kicking. However, I believe some instructors just think more is better, which it is not. There is a law of diminishing returns to any exercise technique. We do kick a lot, but the focus isn't terribly high. The only time we really do more than enough kicking is on heavy bag kicking days, where we do stations, and the kick count gets up past 500 easily. Those days get tiring, but they are few and far between. Well in contrast to this, we do a lot of reps. Especially doing pyramid drills of kicks (10 left leg, 10 right leg, 9 left, 9 right and so on). Or just doing kicks in line work over and over again. I guess for a similar reasoning to JusticeZero's - stripping back the kick so that you take away power and speed and everything else and just work on form. Also for endurance. Totally agree about the squats too. But only if you're doing them correctly. Bad squats are more of a hindrance than help

Not as slick as a dedicated app would be, but how about a random number generator? Get a list of techniques and number them, generate 6 numbers, and then do those 6 techniques? There's got to be an app for that surely? btw, are you on an iPhone or Android or something as that might limit the apps available to you.

^haha yep seem to have the same problem, I like food too much

How long did it take you guys to go back to normal? I thought it was ok but seem to have redone it again

Kids its fine I think but I don't understand how adults can walk around in public with their's on. I'd just feel incredibly self-conscious drawing attention to myself not to mention paranoid about getting it stained. I will wear the bottoms only if I'm driving straight to and from training but always wear a top instead. Plus I like having that differentiation between training time and non-training time. Putting on my dobok top helps me make the switch and focus me on what I'm doing in class rather than what I did during the day.

Welcome

Welcome

Great article I think people (not on here) do sometimes forget that self-defense is less about techniques and more about awareness and not being an idiot.

Cool topic Shizentai My answers: 1. Yes, trained in Tai Chi. University club also used to do open mat sessions once a month so sort of trained with Karate (Shotokan?), Jui-jitsu (type?), Capoeira amongst others. 2. Not sure if this properly counts as trained as I didn't go to a local school or anything, just spent the time training with the group I travelled with, but have competed in Slovenia, Russia, Italy, Estonia and will be going to Bulgaria in a couple of weeks. 3. Yes 4. Yes, involved lots and lots of sprinting, squats, burpees etc. Was ok after a taking a breather tho 5. Yes, tend to twitch as I kick and punch 6. Not during training, competition yes 7. No 8. No 9. Yes 10. No 11. No

Do you have any papers to back this? The way I've been told throughout my training is to eat low GI foods which release the sugar steady before training and then the higher GI foods for a quick boost during and after training. Your body is built to give you energy but only when you provide it with fuel. Likewise a car is built to turn energy into motion, but only when you add gas I always come home from training hungry, no matter what I ate before and end up wandering round the house eating everything in sight!

I'm not sure if it's all psychological or not, but it sure feels like it hits back a lot harder if you don't break the board. I've had that happen to me when I was trying to break concrete the first few times. You learn fast that it's best not to be intimidated by it. The more scared you are, the more it's gonna hurt LOLNot just psychological but mechanics again, specifically, impulse or the change of momentum. When you break a board you'll experience a slight deceleration as your fist comes into contact with the surface. If you don't break, that deceleration takes your speed down to zero and the force you feel is greatly increased. Let's see if I still remember high school mechanics (with a bit of help from Wikipedia) Impulse is Force x time = mass x change in velocity so Force = (mass x change in velocity) / time Say the fist is ~ 0.5 kg, you're punching at 10 ms^-1 and the contact time with the board is 0.01 s. If you break the board you you're decelerating to 9.5 ms^-1, if you don't break, you'll go down to 0 ms^-1. Breaking the board: Force = (0.5 kg x 0.5 ms^-1) / 0.01 s Force = 25 N Not breaking: Force = (0.5 kg x 10 ms^-1) / 0.01 s Force = 500 N Ouch. So there you go, the force you feel if you fail to break the board is 20 times more than if you'd broken. And that isn't even using proper numbers. kinda reminds me of a time with my dad. This guy thinks he's never ever wrong and when he is he will never apologise or admit defeat. So me and my sister make it our personal mission to one-up him wherever possible. Had just gotten a brand new plastic rebreakable board delivered. This thing is hard. I personally reckon it must be equivalent to around 3 or 4 wooden boards and a lot less forgiving if you get it wrong. So my dad comes up wanting to have a look and starts going on about all this TKD lark being easy and its all a matter of the right leverage etc. I tell him "go on then, prove it, if I can break it so can you". Get him and my sister to brace it and I break it. Then its his turn. Smacks it as hard as he can with a punch and just stops dead on the board. Look on his face was priceless. Asked him if he was ok and he just mutters something and goes off into the garage to do manly things. Found out later via my mum he'd been sitting there with a bag of peas on his hand and kept hiding it down the side of the chair when I came downstairs

Welcome to the forums trevalan2000 Have you checked out what styles are being taught in your local area? Since you've said you'd like grappling and full contact striking, I'd agree with MasterPain that something MMA focused might suit you. Or maybe a knockdown Karate style with some grappling thrown in as well. I wouldn't be overly concerned about your build when looking what style to start, be more mindful of the instructor and how the class feels and what they do. Things can be adapted to suit you.

Hi guys, since we've already got a thread going on this, I'm going to close this one and redirect you over there: http://www.karateforums.com/what-style-should-i-decide-to-practice-vt42868.html

As with most things, ask your instructor. Very much depends on the style and school. But yeah it is commonplace in a lot of styles to have your name embroidered on your gi.

Agree its underrated. Just gotta get over that initial "my butt looks way too big on camera" then its a very very useful tool. Especially if you're lucky enough to own a good quality camera with a high frame rate. Then you can slow it right down and look at each little bit in detail. I mean people can say to you that you had an opening for something or that your opponent is telegraphing their roundhouse but seeing it for yourself is 100% better.

Welcome vantheman

Happy Birthday

Hopefully you'll get it soon then Stuff like this happens even if the seller had the best intentions

Best advice. Also if you have any video footage from your previous fights, watch them over and over again to see when and how he throws his ridgehand. He'll have some tells that you can learn which'll hopefully mean you can see it coming sooner when you next fight him. Stuff like how he positions his body everytime or does he shift his weight in a particular way? etc.

I have to agree with Justice. Gen. Choi's name used to be on all ITF TKD dan certificates but after his death this then changed to whoever was president and now their signature is the one validating the dan.

Congrats