DWx

Great drill we use (even for tournament practice): Stand with your back about a stance away from a wall and have your partner come at you straight on. You can't go back and have to move off to the side to counter. 10 pushups if they get you Best if you have a whole line of people ready to go one after another and you have to deal with them all. Similar drill can be used where you're in a corner. If you don't have a wall you can also use markings on the ground that you're not allowed to step over.

Macho aren't bad either. We use theirs.

Welcome Frank

That'd be cool. I'm sure you don't look that bad.. Is there nothing on Youtube or elsewhere from people from your school? I should probably get a copy of mine too.

In the (done by Gen. Choi) it is done slower in Joong Gun and its slower in these old videos also made by Gen. Choi.Just wondering why it doesn't say slow in the book. Obviously its not just that this technique is always slow as its definitely not done this way in Choi Yong or kibon practice. Why do you say the applications are nonsense Tony? Its no different from attempting to use an upward block or downward block except that you're doing both at the same time. TBH I personally wouldn't use it to check a kick because of the risk of getting my fingers hit rather than the palm but having said that I can appreciate why it could work. We keep the hands moving the whole time, finishing them when the stance finishes. When done fast it feels more like a striking action then pressing.

I have a copy of the 5th edition of the condensed Encyclopaedia of TKD by Gen Choi. In my copy of the book, in the list of techniques for Joong Gun, movements 27 and 29 (pressing block in low stance) aren't actually listed as being performed in slow motion. Usually it says something like "Perform [movements] 1 and 2 in fast motion" or "Perform in a slow motion" written after the instructions for the technique but for these techniques in Joong Gun there isn't any direction. It does say slow motion here: http://www.comdo.com/patterns07.html and as far as I know its always been done in slow motion. Is this just a misprint in my copy/version? or did it used to be performed in normal motion a while back?

Have just come across this, thought some of you might like: http://www.youtube.com/movies/action_adventure Some awesome films on there including old Bruce Lee films (The Big Boss), Brandon Lee (Laser Mission) and Jackie Chan (Wheels on Meals & Fantasy Mission Force) + plenty of other cheesy low budget Kung fu movies. Going to watch them all now.

Surely you must have met and trained with some interesting people through Shindokan. Or have some funny stories to tell about your students or your own training. Memoirs are probably a big thing to just start writing so start with some smaller articles?

That's pretty cool They did a similar thing at a tournament I went to last year and had 100s of kids doing a demo. What really impressed me was when, for whatever reason, the lines got a bit out of place and these kids were supposed to be doing partner work. This one kid (about 7 or 8 years) was on his own but still carried on doing the wrist grab/release actions by himself so he wouldn't look out of place.

Hi Tom Yay another ITF stylist

Congrats! Hope your foot heals up soon.

Do you have a video? Be interesting to see that differences. Been looking through YouTube at different versions and there are hundreds of them. I actually like this one. Suits me better than the other patterns I have to learn for this belt (Sam-Il and Choi Yong). Choi Yong is horrible because of all the legs and Sam-Il is a little too simple for my liking. Only problem with Yoo Sin is how long it is, although I actually think two of the ones we learn for 2nd dan (Juche and Choong Jang) feel longer.

I like John's answer Thing with the Earth is that because its so huge the curvature isn't noticed that much by little things like us

I don't think you've offended anyone shotokan-ste . I think Capt Jakk was just pointing out that a lot of Korean Maists will deny that their style came from Japan and will insist that it has its roots going back millennia. If you want to know more about the true origins of Korean MA, I highly recommend A Killing Art by Alex Gillis. It is geared slightly more to Taekwon-Do than Tang Soo Do but it is very well researched.

I agree on the acclimatising and extra cardio work. Been away before on TKD related things and we stayed in a ski resort in the Alps. The thinner air really drains you and we were all getting out of breath after doing hardly anything. Good luck for your test!

I used to love all the Hong Kong Phoey reruns when I was a kid (and I'm not that old!). Welcome

Usually get all ours (pine boards) from B&Q, tell them what size you want and they'll cut it. Or sometimes if ordering a lot you can go to a local timber merchants. Think Homebase also sell timber too. Have you tried all the DIY stores? You can buy pre-cut pine boards from a number of MA supplies companies but its so much cheaper from a DIY store. You won't have to pay shipping and I think they inflate the prices anyway. http://www.black-eagle.co.uk/woodenbreakingboards-p-132.html http://www.playwell.co.uk/pine-breaking-boards-p-2022.html?zenid=2c9d599125a4538097b6481067b6da93

Sort of. Still working on it. My trainings been kinda patchy what with being away at uni and I've tried to work on all 3 of the different forms for this belt equally (only graded last October). I think it was shortly after this topic that my instructor tried to teach the whole class this for my benefit and he pretty much reiterated what's already been said. Once exercise I did find useful was to hold onto a heavy bag and try to kick the bottom properly with my foot. Could hold my body weight off the grounded leg using the bag and then gradually hold it less as the kick got better.

Welcome jones

tufrthanu's advice was good. I've used them quite a bit, mainly Addidas ones although I have had others. Much better for you than soccer shoes because like tufrthanu said they protect the floor and are softer if you're going to kick someone in them. Because they're designed specifically for MA they are usually made so they have things like raised areas at the ball of the foot for turning and can flex more than a standard shoe. I currently have a pair of Addidas "TKD 2000"s and some "AdiLux". The 2000s are great for forms, soft sole, low grip. The AdiLux are better for outdoor stuff because I think they grip too well for indoors (nearly twisted my knee several times) but they can withstand harder impact. You will tear your shoes up if you use them on bags and pads and even though they usually have a softer sole they'll still hurt if you connect with them (but less than a normal shoe). I do find them really comfortable so have a pair for normal everyday use.

Congrats Panda

In Mr Suska's defence, that series of videos is from a seminar where he taught all of the patterns from start to finish. He doesn't do them quite like that if you look at any other footage of him. Everything is slowed down and exaggerated, but because of that they are the easiest vids I have seen to learn the sequence or point out a move. To see how he really does it, search for any of his competition videos, either from the Euros or the Worlds, you'll see that its less pronounced. IMO it shouldn't be done like that. I personally barely come out of the stance, just enough to facilitate the hip movement. Bit of a late reply here: I'm not sure what's in the full encyclopaedia, I only have the condensed version but on page 314 of edition. 4 there is an alternate application of an opponent going to stamp on your foot from the side so you raise your leg out the way by doing the kick them stamp back down on them. Having said that though, in this version of the book the only full facing static images still show the kick in front of the centre line rather than the grounded knee. I've also always been told to do it this way as well. Lots of things frustrate me too but the great thing is things are being refined all the time. At least in the ITF I am in things are getting changed slightly all the time back to more practical methods all the time. I think part of the problem was that it was supposed to be so radically different from Karate that I think sometimes things were just changed for the sake of being different without solid science or experience behind them.

Cheers for the info isshinryu.

Is that not just the school owner/chief of the style, with "kwan" meaning school and I assume "jang" refers to being the leader of the school? Was Googling some of this and found a school that uses "Cho gi nim" for student instructor. Could that be an alternate spelling/altered form?

Handy having you around isshinryu5toforever thanks for all the info. We use: Boo sabum nim for assistant instructor / 1st-3rd dan Sabum nim for instructor / 4th-6th dan Sahyun nim for master / 7th-8th dan Saseongn im for grandmaster / 9th dan Do you know what the English translations are for each? Ive always wondered why we use "sa bum" rather than "kyo sa"...