DWx

Welcome!

We used to play "hide and seek". Maybe an excuse for stealth training? You gotta watch though to see if they're hiding in safe places.

Welcome!

Welcome!

Maybe you could. If you were going to do a degree in it you'd be pretty much doing TKD and only TKD all day everyday for four years solid. That should accelerate your learning time. I mean most people nowadays are dedicated if the do a few hours a day, these people would be doing it from 9-5 with extra assignments and everything. Plus if you were training with a Grandmaster constantly I'd imagine that your fundamentals would be made to be technically correct right from the begining so you wouldn't have to correct yourself at an intermediate stage like most people do now. Also I think the people that my try out for it would have some MA background anyway? You'd have to be pretty dedicated to the MAs to do one constantly for the next 1/2 decade of your life and not gain any other qualifications.

Congrats!

I would agree that you should find out the reasons for the move. Our dojang switched organizations because our instructor was not happy with the level of support we were receiving amoungst other things. I had taken my 1st dan under the old organisation but was recognized at this level under the new one. The was little change in the curriculum and I actually think it was for the best. There must be a reason for your instructor's decision. Hopefully it is the best for his students but as Menjo said:

Congrats!

Hey thanks for mentioning this. Just in case anyone is interested in the other ITFs: - Prof. Chang Ung's ITF Worlds were about a month ago: http://www.taekwondo-itf.si/ - GM Choi Jung Hwa's Worlds are going to be held in Birmingham, UK: http://www.itfworldchampionships.com/

Welcome! ...I would sooo love to visit Okinawa

Welcome!

Started off with us each taking it in turns to conduct a bit of a warm-up. Then all the forms we knew. After that we had to come up individually and were marked on our presentation of 2 forms. Then self-defense, one-step, two-step and a bit of three-step. We then had to spar everyone else at least once followed by 3-onto-1 sparring. Then breaking. We did a written theory test at the pre-grading and had to hand in a mini-thesis the week before.

Congrats! And welcome to the forums.

Its a good idea if you ask your current instructor if he has any contacts, that way you will probably be taught the same sorta things. But like Patrick said, it is only 8 days so I don't think that is going to affect you too greatly. You could always practise alone too. Maybe some forms (if you do them) or some sort of cardio workout on your own should be good enough. Enjoy your vacation!

Welcome!

IMO I don't think that you will ever get a complete list of all martial arts. That list really contains the styles that are more prominent and are known about, for all we know there could be some tribe in the middle of the Amazon that has its own systematic way of fighting yet it is not on that list. Fighting systems will change and evolve, just look at how many styles of karate have appeared yet many of them are linked to one another in some way. There will be more deviations and amalgamations until further styles are created and deserve to be added to that list. (I don't know if anyone else counts it as a martial art but I did notice that Keysi Fighting Method is not listed). By the way, did you count the substyles as a style on their own or did you just include their parent-style?

High school isn't meant to be a social place, its a place for learning yet the majority of my friends are people who I have met through school. Its the same with any training environment. Inevitably you will form some sort of relationship with the people you see each and every week, who cares if those relationships turn into dating? As long as its kept out of the class then personally I see no problem in it at all. The social side of the martial arts should be encouraged, after all, humans are social creatures, so why stop nature? IMO forming relationships in class also encourages students to go away and practice together outside of the dojo context. Personally, I'd be more comfortable training in my back yard with a friend/boyfriend than someone who was really just an acquaintance. Also, if the dojo is seen as a sociable place then more people will want to join and existing students will want to share their study of the MAs with their own friends by bringing them to class. Martial Arts have changed through time and so have training conditions. A lot of people don't want to train under conditions akin to that of severe military training, they actually want to have fun while doing it and they want to meet people. If MAs are to keep up with other recreational activities by brining in new students then they will have to allow for the social side of it too otherwise they start to disappear from mainstream culture. The world is so career orientated now and people have less time for finding relationships, stuff like MA classes are an excuse to bring people together...

Its better to ask questions than to go home not knowing and then practice wrong. It also shows that you are taking an active part in your learning so I say ask away!

Welcome!

Even though my mum drops me off at college, I always make sure she drops me off about 1/2 a mile away so I can get a good walk in before I go. Maybe you could do something similar?

We learn a bit of groundwork where I train in TKD. Most of it is joint locks to immobilize your opponent. I have been taught a few methods to choke but wouldn't wanna do this because I think it'd be to dangerous for me to try. Its nowhere near as detailed as even basic BJJ. We kinda treat it as a last resort if standing up isn't working. Its not really ground fighting but we also do a lot of take-downs on an opponent whilst remaning standing and then locking his/her arm etc. If I was intending to fight a grappler I'd want to stay on my feet. The limitations of my style don't bode well for taking it to the ground. But then again, if I did remain standing for the whole fight, I might have the upper hand against a grappler? IMO though, the art teaches the fighter but the fighter interprets the art.

I have to disagree. I think that colored belts are perfectly capable of understanding and utilising what they have been taught. In our dojang we teach only 1 set example of a 1 step and my instructor only shows what you "could" do for Ho Sin Sul. Even white belts have to create their own for and all grades are fully encouraged to apply form movements and interpretations. I have always thought the colored belts did very well with it.

I gotta agree on this one. I have never seen anyone kiai like Bruce Lee in real life yet all my non-martial arts friends think thats how its done! Oh and I hate any of the 3 Ninjas! The Aiyaaa!!! kiais in that were really bad too.

But who governs the governing body and makes them certifiable?

I would say that to defend yourself against any weapon you would need to have even a basic understanding of how it works and operates. The same applies to firearms. If you don't know how your attacker is going to be using it, you don't know how to stop them from using it. We don't actually learn how to operate firearms in our system but we are taught methods of disarming an attacker (if its possible). Personally though I have learnt to use a handgun and a shotgun and I wish that my MA training would include more of this.