DWx

Congrats Conrad

Congrats to them

Our tournament rules were recently changed to now allow backfists, knifehands and reverse knifehands as well as punches (we just had punches allowed before). Anyone got any good combinations that involve those techniques?

Its an offence to carry any weapon in a public place but you can readily buy nunchaku from loads of places so I guess they would fall under the law that allows you to transport them between home and training in a closed bag if they are intended for recreational use.

I wouldn't say the amount of belts should immediately flag up the school as not being legit. If they had like 20 belts and expected you to pay lots for each one, then maybe that would suggest something. But having less belts doesn't mean that what they teach isn't authentic and good MA. Give the school a trial and see if you like it then let that dictate whether you sign up or not, not the amount of belts they have.

Mine: http://www.facebook.com/danniwilliams

That's similar to what one of my teachers used to do in high school. If they got to one it meant a group detention. Used to work every time..

Welcome

We rarely have to use punishments in class but if we had to I guess it would be sit-ups or press-ups or some other exercise. The class as a whole does get given exercises to do if my instructor thinks we're not trying hard enough.

Welcome ElShaft

Bit late but.. Congrats armanox

Welcome back

Good stretching ideas. I wouldn't be too hung up on kicking head height though, some people's bodies just can't and won't let them attain that level of flexibility. I second Brian's suggestion of strength training too.

A belated Happy Birthday to Bob and Brian's son

Well Gen. Choi's Encylopedia of Taekwon-Do is actually our "official" textbook for the style. I've not really had much of a look through the 15 vol. set but I have a copy of the condensed version and it contains detailed info on pretty much everything you'd need to know for the style.

Welcome Raul

Welcome George

I don't know if the original video still works but I was against this type of MMA training for young kids because of the methods that were being employed. If I remember correctly, in the video there was this bit where the trainer was asking this little girl if she was angry yet because the other kid messed up her hair and then pretty much asked her what she was going to do about it in the ring. I don't think this is at all appropriate for kids this age because what happens when they're in school and someone messes up their hair? They're going to be programmed to ground and pound the other kid. As a whole I think MMA is fine for kids but only as long as the programme is appropriate for their age, just like any other MA. If the teaching methods and content are age appropriate then I think its great for kids...

Welcome SenseiJ

I passed . In the end I kinda chickened out on the breaking, and just did a multiple board roundhouse break as I'm competing next week and didn't want to risk any injuries. There were some pretty cool breaks from the other candidates though; one of the guys going for his 5th degree did a roundhouse with his instep on what looked like a large chopping board. Must have been at least 2" thick and was some sort of hardwood too.

Welcome nighthawk

Sad to say that TKD takes up most of my free time. Between that and studying at uni I don't have a great deal of time for much else. Having said that, my hobbies tend to cycle round, I never stick at anything for that long but I'll probably come back to it at some point. I do read a lot but its usually only during the summer as once I get started it'll distract me from everything else. As soon as I finish one book I start on the next till I hit saturation point and then wont really read anything for several months. Other than that I guess I suppose music could count as a hobby. I don't play an instrument or anything like that but I listen to loads of music and spend most of my money on downloads. I also like experimenting with my cooking and trying out new stuff. Got into motorsport at one point and used to compete with my dad... also took up clay pigeon shooting.

I'm guilty of this (although we do left under the right). People also think its weird that you shake hands to greet people anyway. Other than buisness/formal settings its just not really done that much anymore whereas in TKD we do it all the time.

Being about as far inland as you can get in England, near no major rivers and in a country where the only extreme weather condition we tend to get is flash flooding, don't really have a need for a disaster plan in the same way you guys do. Though I think its an excellent idea that you guys do have things thought out if the worst should happen. Biggest problem we have is getting stuck out on the roads during winter when it gets icey because its all country lanes and hills around us. My parents are also both diabetics so getting stuck out on the road for hours is not really the best situation for them. We keep stuff like blankets, extra food, and walking shoes in the car when we hit winter. Other major thing that could happen is a power cut (but a serious one hasn't happen since I was a baby). In any case, we have a generator and our stove is also a wood burner anyway and we have a ton of coal and wood around which'll last a couple of months. Because my mum seems to have a compulsion to buy far more than we actually eat each week, I'd wager that we had enough food to last at least a month.

That seems a bit weird to give you only 10mins and not even in a normal class. What did they do in the 10mins? Was it any good? Our school gives 4 free classes (once a week for a month) before you have to sign up. They aren't special one-to-ones, you just join a normal class. BTW, when you visit the other schools, do you let them know you have a background in MA?