DWx

So then there is a difference between the two and someone might be interested in learning both styles?

I think there is a misconception that using weights is going to accidentally turn you into Schwarzenegger. It's not like you do a couple of bicep curls and suddenly pop a bicep like Popeye. To build muscle like that takes a lot of hard work in the gym but also a calorie surplus, i.e. you have to gain bulk if you want to be a bodybuilder. As far as women and strength goes, men on average are always going to be stronger. That's biology for you. Sure there are strong women who can beat weaker men, but overall elite women are going to struggle to compete against elite men. That's why we have separate categories in sport. Do you have a source for that? Seems more like a product of other factors such as lifestyle rather than diet specifically. Otherwise you wouldn't get meat-eating gymnasts or vegan bodybuilders.

It comes down to why people are training. Not everyone trains to learn to fight, sometimes self defence is just a by-product of keeping fit or taking part in a fun activity. Some people like learning traditional styles for the tradition, not to be cage-fighters.

That's Hwang Kee circa 1950s. The style has developed since then. It's like comparing Gichin Funakoshi to today's average blackbelt. If we're talking about whether there is value in holding two blackbelts today, better to look at how the current style teaches and moves and compare what the average student is doing today as that's what they'll be learning and practising. ¨Regardless, you think having ones shoulder higher or lower (for example) when performing kata justifies spending time getting a second black belt? As for Gishin Funakoshis Karate-Do, the reason we can't compare it to todays Shotokan is because his son, Gigo, made fundamental changes to the art. No person after Hwang Kee made fundamental changes to Tang Soo Do, that I know of, Not sure where I said it justifies getting a second blackbelt? My point was that there are more differences between the two than just the hip rotation aspect you mentioned in an earlier post: Chudan uke / kaunde makgi was just one easy example in Bassai which is a kata / form the two styles share.

That's Hwang Kee circa 1950s. The style has developed since then. It's like comparing Gichin Funakoshi to today's average blackbelt. If we're talking about whether there is value in holding two blackbelts today, better to look at how the current style teaches and moves and compare what the average student is doing today as that's what they'll be learning and practising.

The only difference I know of is greater hip rotation in the korean version of mawashi geri, at the cost of speed. This was also carried over to traditional TaeKwonDo, since TSD instructors were recruited to pass on their knowledge to the first generation TKD students Bassai Hyung as done by TSD: Bassai Dai as done by Shotokan: Ignoring the differences in individual skill level, there are definite differences in how the moves are done. for example look at the start position or ready position for these blocks (chudan uke / kaunde makgi). In TSD its a full crossover right around the body with the blocking fist pointing behind at the start of the movement, in Shotokan it is a much shorter movement with the arms crossing lower in and x-shape (it's probably best to slow the videos down to half speed to see) TSD kaunde makgi: Shotokan chudan uke: There are further stylistic differences all the way through.

I wouldn't say they're the same. Shotokan would be more like the parent style as Tang Soo Do does have other influences and further developed on its own in Korea. You'll find the kata in Shotokan and Tang Soo Do have their own unique flavour to them.

To be fair they have been working quite closely over the past few years. Working towards allowing ITF competitors to compete in the Olympics. So I wouldn't say they are hostile. The truth is it will never be one style. The two styles are like siblings, they share a past but are distinct from one another. But it's nice to see cooperation between the two federations.

As time goes on I think you'll see more and more female sensei's. You'll probably always have more men though as fighting always attracts more male participants.

As a follow up to my previous post where I posted about the ITF North Korean Demonstration team performing at the WTF World Championships in South Korea, the two organisations have just announced that they will showcase a joint demonstration at the Seoul Winter Olympics 2018. http://koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20170630000636&ntn=0#cb The two countries are still technically at war so its great to see Taekwondo and Martial Arts helping to break down borders and foster cooperation.

I would say it was more a demonstration piece than test per se. One would assume other criteria was tested over a period of time in classes and other settings.

Belated Happy Birthday JR, I hope you had a nice day

In my eyes, McGregor doesn't really lose out on this one. If he loses, he still gets a massive payout and all of the publicity. If, against all the odds he wins, it'll be one of the greatest stories in combat sports. Has anyone seen the sparring footage McGregor's old training partner Chris van Heerden posted? This is from 2016, Connor (blue gloves) doesn't look all too sharp:

Think your link is missing a bit. Take it this is the video: Interesting stuff. Not really what I'm accustomed to as in my style we don't formally test about 7th dan. Instead it's all based on contribution and development of the style rather than physical ability. Would have thought if you were to have a physical test they would want more of the step sparring and breaking then the bits we saw.

Two new additions to my library: Taekwon-Do: Origins of the Art: Bok Man Kim's Historic Photospective (1955-2015) by Kim Bok Man For those who are not familiar with him, Kim Bok Man was one of the early pioneers of Taekwon-Do and helped spearhead the art in South East Asia. He was a master sergeant in the Korean army and lead the first ITF demo team in 1967. GM Kim was there from the beginning and was instrumental in the early days of the style, including helping to develop the majority of the Chang Hon forms. GM Kim's book is a photo album of sorts with 250 pages of photographs from 1955 through to 2015. There isn't a great deal of text but if you are already familiar with the history of Taekwon-Do or just interested in seeing behind the scenes it's a great book. Martial Arts Instructors's Desk Reference by Sang H Kim Dr Sang H Kim is a Taekwondo instructor who has written a number of martial arts books, including Ultimate Flexibility and Teaching Martial Arts. "Desk Reference" is a pretty good way to describe this book. It's not going to be something you sit down and read from cover to cover. But it will be a book that you keep on your shelf stuffed full of bookmarks and post-it notes. This book contains chapters covering practical advice such as drills, exercises and methods for training forms, and also chapters on successful marketing strategies and public relations. Overall a great book for both new instructors and old.

The 2017 World Taekwondo's World Championships in Muju, South Korea, has kicked off with a demonstration by the WTF demonstration team, and in a historic first, the ITF North Korean demonstration team. The WTF demonstration begins at 55 seconds in, and the ITF demo at 1.30 This is a historic moment with dignitaries from the ITF in attendance. The ITF demo team also performed alongside the WTF team at the last world championships in Chelyabinsk, Russia, in 2015 but this is the first time the North Korean team has performed in South Korea. The hope is that the WTF team will visit the ITF World Championships which will be held in September in Pyongyang, North Korea. I think its even more important to foster these relationships given current tensions in the region and this is summed up well by Master Vitale (ITF) http://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1050572/north-korean-led-demonstration-team-to-appear-at-wtf-world-championships-in-muju Are there any matches or fighters you are looking forward to this championship? Live coverage is available from World Taekwondo's YouTube pages:

Congrats

After months of going back and forth, it's official, Floyd Mayweather will fight Connor McGregor on August 26th in Vegas. https://sports.yahoo.com/floyd-mayweather-conor-mcgregor-fight-finalized-aug-26-205101486.html The fight will be a boxing match at 154 lbs. Mayweather is currently 49-0 wins in his professional boxing career with McGregor 21-3 in his professional MMA career. Fight predictions? Surely McGregor can't win this one?

To a point yes but there is some benefit it training things strictly or by rote, especially for the beginner / intermediate. All stances are unnatural but you're trying to make them a natural position through muscle memory. To borrow a Japanese term: Shu Ha Ri

This is weird as I was talking about this the other day with a friend! Don't have my own dojang, and my instructor doesn't use one in his, but I would definitely install one in mine. Not only for teaching points throughout class, but I am a fan of using it to outline the lesson objectives and for reviewing the lesson at the end.

Funny how things differ... Kokutsu dachi is equivalent to Niunja sogi in Chang Hon (ITF) TKD. We must turn our feet about 15 degrees to gain some torque in the legs and grip the floor. Kiba dachi = Annun sogi and for this feet must be parallel

They'd only be the CI if, for some reason(s), I wasn't on the floor anymore. But, if I'm on the floor, then no one else is the CI. So instead of a democracy (technocracy?) you'd rather have a dictatorship?

This is one of the reasons I suggest everyone competes in contact competition at least once. Nothing like being hit with what felt like a sledgehammer and having to get yourself together to carry on.

I think it's just like anything, the more knowledge we have the better we can be. That's why athletes today are much faster and stronger than their counterparts from 50 years ago. Sports medicine concerns things like injury prevention through strength & conditioning and optimal training methods, and then also injury treatment and rehabilitation. It's all about marginal gains and learning ways to prevent injuries from happening and how recover from them better and faster.

YouTube has this feature built in If you click on the gear icon in the bottom right, you can select playback speed. I find it useful for watching sparring videos.