DWx

There are areas for improvement. Kicking upwards from the chamber is a big no in ITF because you lose the ability to put the mass behind the kick and your body must be in a line behind the kicking tool. Have a look at this video for some pointers: He starts by discussing the alignment and why its important.

I think you hit the nail on the head. my hip does not allow a higher chambering. I'm a red belt so if it's not higher now then I think body mechanics has spoken. But does it matter if I have good control over my body nonetheless and power? I think it's still something you can improve on. Stretching will help you get to that position and practice practice practice will help develop the control.

If possible you still want a higher chamber even when kicking lower. Better to come down onto the target than kick upwards. Try breaking with the kick. Ideal technique comes out horizontally but slightly downwards is ok. Upwards and you will struggle to break the boards. I would also say that a higher chamber is better for sparring. A lower chamber and a kick that travels up is easier to jam and come over the top of. Higher chambers are much harder to tackle as it's more difficult to stop the knee.

To update Day 119: was invited to guest instruct at a friend's school. Ran sparring drills no problem for the kids then jumped in with the seniors to train. Pleasantly surprised how my forms and sparring felt considering I've not down anything at all for 4 months. Felt really strong for forms but fitness is really down. Huffing and puffing after only a few. Sparred with some of the adults and felt like my arm took it well.. that is until I took a kick on it and now it's really sore. Was good to see I'm not too rusty though. (Thanks for the website singularity6, can do my day numbers now )

Sounds like a pulled muscle or could be a trapped nerve. Sciatica? Best get it checked out.

I think it depends a lot on who is in the class. People learn differently and I've worked with students who learnt best by showing once and then letting them figure it out. I've also worked with students where it is better to explain every little detail and make sure they understand before being allowed to try. You have to be adaptable. You can't expect everyone to learn in the same way. I encourage anyone I teach to ask questions during the session. If they were thinking it chances are someone else in the room was thinking it too. I'll either take the time to explain myself, or sometimes for a learning opportunity I'll ask a student to explain.

Sounds good. Did you get to watch much of the sparring?

For ITF its not so unconventional but kicking at that speed is detracting from your technique. It is fast but I would sacrifice some of that to hone the technique further. For ITF you need to drive your chamber higher before the leg extends. If the attacking tool is balkal, at the moment it swings in an arc upwards and across. For more power and for a kick that is harder to defend it should travel almost horizontally to the target with the hips lined up behind. As the kick travels across now you will lose power because the mass isn't behind the foot. So this is your chamber and the direction the kick travels: https://photos.app.goo.gl/swh4i8HdNj0JuVb73 Ideally you would chamber higher and tighter so that the kick travels directly towards the camera with the hips in alignment behind. So all of your mass is moving to the target. If you look at your finish position, for a conventional kick you would finish on the green line here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/df0NC1r7365ivAY82 Like this: https://photos.app.goo.gl/uFLnakhfnuZWqxf52 I think at the moment you are over rotational because the chamber is not high enough. And possibly your core isn't resisting the rotation. Hard to say looking at one angle. For an exercise to correct this, stand in a parallel stance next to something like a chair and practice chambering up and then kicking over the chair. Go slow first and then you can work back to that speed. Hope this helps.

JR I get that. I think a lot of it can be a bit of a bit of a gimmick but if you set it up in the right way you can do some clever things. It's really best when it's less about voice control and more about automating tasks to make your life easier. For example, I have my porch light turn on when it detects I've arrived home. As a female living on my own I don't want to be fumbling with my keys in the dark. I could do this with a standard motion sensor but I also don't want it going off when people just walk past the house. It's set up to only identify my key fob or phone before it triggers and when it does trigger it sets my status to "home" and activates or deactivates certain scenarios. I also have things like my stairs and hall lights on motion sensors which also actively control the brightness of the light so if I walk throughout the house in the evening everything lights up, but if I get up in the middle of the night, it lights up with a softer light so I'm not blinded. When I leave the house, the system turns off any lights and wall sockets so I don't have to worry about whether I left my iron on. The main thing for me is security. I have sensors on all the doors which tell me if they are opened and closed and these are paired up with my motion sensors for the lights to detect any unwanted activity when I'm not at home. If something opens or moves when it shouldn't, I get an alarm on my phone asking me to check things out. My next job is to pair this with a camera to auto record when this happens and that I can log into when I do get the alert. I also stay away from home a lot with work so when I'm not there, my lights will all turn on and off randomly to make it look like someone is in the house.

That's quite a good analogy, will have to borrow that one Does it matter that the video doesn't state it is Shotokan rather than Karate? I'm guessing most of the audience for the video wouldn't care too much.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/b39895eb-6ada-4dad-8b6e-16fe18b878ec? 7 fighters made this BBC list of fighters to watch for 2018: Nathaniel Wood UK Tim Barnett UK Kenneth Bergh Norway Alfie Davis UK Molly McCann UK Roberto Soldic Bosnia Israel Adesanya Nigeria / New Zealand Has anyone been following these guys? Anyone else you would include in your list?

I'm not sure they do, though. Some do if they are less competition focused. A lot of schools I know follow this format of sparring for gradings. For what it's worth, under the same rules that enforce "2 punches", you can use back fist, ridge hand and knife hand in tournaments. Back fist gets used a lot at international level. How am I supposed to use a knife hand with gloves? Only punches are allowed. I have never seen a back fist thrown, ever. Have a look at the rules as published by the ITF. Backfist knifehand and ridgehand are permitted as long as they are under control and not wild swinging. Backfist is used all the time. Always with the lead hand and often to initiate a movement. Here's some examples if you wanted to incorporate it in your sparring

The bold bit might be exactly why he's asked you to take a step back and work fundamentals. In the long run a good solid foundation will more beneficial to you despite previous training. In addition to the hands, its the footwork which is important as well. In TKD it's very different because you'd also be concerned about using kicks.

I have no idea what day I'm on now, I think today is Day 105... Anyway to update, the holidays were fairly uneventful. Continued to stretch out and try to use my arm as much as possible. Given permission to go back to the gym but no arm weights until after Christmas. Did another squad training session coaching. Could really feel it when trying to demonstrate punching but was worse when trying to hold the focus mitts and resist against the punches, even when working with the kids. Day 103 (Tues): Physio again. More stretching but I'm locking out at about 5 degrees off straight. Physio thinks it won't go much straighter and has given me permission to start weights but machines only, no free weights or dumbells. Wants me to work up to plank and then pushups but first wall push ups. Went gym after work and struggled with even the lightest weights which is depressing . Day 104 (Weds): 1st time seeing the surgeon himself. Happy with progress so far but insisting that I will get my arm straight and should really push it over the next few weeks. Said he's considering asking me to see his physio instead of the NHS physio I've been assigned. NHS physio's main priority is to get me back to health and able to work and do day to day stuff, but they don't have any specific expertise for sports rehabilitation. Surgeon also wants me to hit the weights hard but again no free weights for the time being.

I'm not sure they do, though. Some do if they are less competition focused. A lot of schools I know follow this format of sparring for gradings. For what it's worth, under the same rules that enforce "2 punches", you can use back fist, ridge hand and knife hand in tournaments. Back fist gets used a lot at international level.

I'm not actively seeking to steal my instructor's students but I've been thinking about this myself this year. I don't like the direction the club is going, have some very different ideas about how to teach and run things and, I think it's the next step in my training and learning. I don't intend to take students and definitely have no intention of issuing my instructor an ultimatum, but I half suspect a lot of the higher grade students would follow me.

Could it be that you are winning against the beginner students due to your TKD background? Knowing how to move will get you so far and will help you beat people with limited previous sparring experience. But as far as boxing basics go I can't imagine your TKD school taught you strict boxing movement.

I think it depends and both can be beneficial. Point-fighting makes you very fast and maybe best reflects ikken hitssatsu. But a real fight might mean a bit of back and forth and having to use more than one attack to take your opponent down. (also re. ITF Taekwon-Do, depends on which ITF. Only one group implements the 2-punch rule for competition. Should really train continuous sparring with strikes and punches anyway if you're true to the style and don't train just for comps).

Congratulations to all winners and nominees

Happy Birthday Brian. Hope you had a nice day.

I'd agree with this. We always talk about martial arts giving people confidence and I think it can inspire people to be more courageous too. Challenge themselves and overcome fears. But let's not confuse courage and bravery with recklessness. Yes courage and bravery can mean you're willing to put yourself in positions others won't, but it shouldn't be needlessly reckless. I totally agree about thanking teachers and others. I always feel doctors nurses and other health workers deserve way more credit then they get. Especially those on the front line like paramedics or in the ER or ICU.

Kind of related: when I was at university and training at the TKD club there, the instructor would get us to practice our staring face in front of the mirrors. I always felt like a right fool trying to stare myself out.

As has been said already, context is important. Sport vs self-defence being the main consideration. That is a good point. Personally I hope the instructor is contextualizing these techniques for younger students and setting boundaries for when these types of tactics can be used. Most playground scuffles don't warrant the use of eye gouges or fish hooks.

Starting your own club, Danielle, is a great idea because you've got everything required in making it a great success!! Your Student Body will be very fortunate in having you as their instructor!! I hope so... though it probably won't go over well at my current club or with my instructor True. However, I believe that they'd both support you across the board because you represent them. Albeit, If your current club and/or your instructor create difficulties for you then neither of them are worthy of you, therefore, there are more fish in the sea than the for you to affiliate with. Why do you believe that it probably won't go over well with your current club or with your instructor?? After all, neither of them own you!! I believe that the club is just a chip off any Governing Body, and in that, if the club shuns you, the Governing Body should still support you opening your own club. Sure, it's always important to have their support, I respect that, but you have to follow your dreams, and not theirs. I ran into some difficulties when I first wanted to open my first Kyuodan Dojo from my Dai-Soke, but, it was my decision, and not theirs to make. If that meant that I'd be shunned with no direct relationships with the SKKA and/or Dai-Soke, then so be it. There are worse things to have happen. Like being their slaved robot. When Dai-Soke saw and realized that I was going to open my dojo without his blessing, and that it was my right to do so, he quickly jumped aboard in full support. No matter what anyone says, you have to follow your own path, and not the path of others...no matter what!! I won't go into too much detail on a public forum but I'd be looking to change associations and affiliations. It boils down to not agreeing with the direction the club is going or how things are being taught. We're also at the point now where we don't always agree technically and I've been looking elsewhere for technical guidance. Also though I wouldn't intentionally go after them, I think a number of students would leave with me.

Starting your own club, Danielle, is a great idea because you've got everything required in making it a great success!! Your Student Body will be very fortunate in having you as their instructor!! I hope so... though it probably won't go over well at my current club or with my instructor