DWx

Congrats Devin, hard work paid off

Interesting thoughts Kai-M, I enjoyed reading your post.

I completely agree with your points Spartacus. Fact is though most women will still choose to wear them irregardless and there's a good chance they might be wearing them in a situation that required some form of self defense. It's not always easy to get them damn things off either!

http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/shortcuts/2015/dec/14/self-defence-high-heels-avital-zeisler https://youtu.be/8bSNkwLxHUY The article is a bit tongue in cheek but I highly recommend watching the video on this. Let's face it, most women do and will continue to wear heels during the work day or to certain events so some thought should be taken in how to defend yourself when wearing them. Most martial arts training is barefoot and heels present additional challenges compared to trainers or flat shoes. Has anyone (female or instructors maybe) given much thought to this? Has anyone ever discussed such a thing with their wives, girlfriends, daughters etc.? In the video I quite liked the way she broke down the tactics: Tactic 1: take your shoes off if it is safe and you have the ability to do so Tactic 2: running away in heels Tactic 3: defending yourself in heels Tactic 4: using the heel as an improvised weapon I can appreciate this topic is more geared towards our female posters but I think it would still be useful for instructors to think about for their students or even just you gents who have female patners or family members... So with that in mind, what kind of techniques would you teach or promote to your students taking heels into consideration?

Welcome kenpokarate805

Rousey's back on it and Dana White has awarded her a shot at Holm by granting a rematch. http://espn.go.com/espn/feature/story/_/page/espnwrousey/in-exclusive-interview-ronda-rousey-says-not-losing-holly-holm Thoughts? Is it right for Rousey to be back so soon? Should Holm be granted a few more fights before having to face Rousey again?

I am too. It just seems like not much is being posted. Not many new threads being started, especially by regulars. Just wondering if it's a normally slow time of year here. Could always start your own threads Busy time of year for most I think.

It really depends on what you want it to be however generally the more content, the more you will drive traffic to the page. Post often and post things people will want to "Like" and "Share": pictures, videos, posters of your school, posters of events you are attending, coupons (image) entitling people to taster sessions. Images tend to attract the most Likes and Shares so sometimes even though you could write content in a status update, throw it up as an image of text over a background. Also, though I personally would avoid posting anything related to your own personal agenda (politics, religion etc.), you could also share articles related to the martial arts, things like a breakdown of the latest UFC fight or an interesting blog post etc. that your student's might want to read and shows that you have your finger on the pulse. Other great things to do: - tag students or followers in the content you're putting up, this effectively broadcasts the image to their own friends. I wouldn't do this all the time as can be annoying but maybe for certain relevant pictures or status updates - similarly, use hashtags on content you're posting - engage with your followers, post status' asking them their favourite technique or form for instance or caption contests - encourage your students to add their own content: e.g. get them to take a photo of themselves wearing your school shirt or maybe posing with a kick or something when on their travels and have them tag the school on the photo. Turn it into a competition and award the best photo (one with the most likes) free lessons or some merchandise - make it easy for a casual observer to find out info about your school: make sure the class times, contact info, location are all filled in. Facebook actually has some guidelines on this: https://www.facebook.com/business/overview Loads of other great resources out there too: http://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2014/01/30/facebook-advertising-tips

Congrats

This is going to be style and individual tournament specific. Though from my experience, the TKD circuit usually allows people to compete once they've earned yellow belt as that usually represents 6 months of training and students would know the first form.

Congrats to all. Well deserved.

I think that was always going to happen though, especially with the disrespect she shows to her opponents and the whole "I'm unbeatable" speil, it left her wide open for the media to crucify her. The same thing will happen to Connor McGregor next month should Jose Aldo beat him. Their over inflated egos really grate on a lot of people, so when they get beat, people's/media's smugness will come out play. Mo. I agree with you Mazzy. "Pride comes before a fall". In fairness I don't mind Rousey talking herself up and saying how great she is, believing in yourself is part of being a competitor, it's the really personal attacks on her fellow competitors. For someone who is a genuine symbol of women's empowerment, Rousey does herself no favours in the personal remarks she makes about the other fighters. I thought it was refreshing to see Rousey lose, if only to shake the division up a bit. If I'm honest, I'm also in two minds whether we see he return or not. She's got the beginnings of a career in Hollywood and a WWE contract must be tempting too.

Great message Heidi. Well said.

For our dojang mostly it involves striking each other i.e. taking increasing intensity strikes to ribs and stomach and forearm to forearm striking. And then things like the makiwara, jars for grip and bowls filled with sand and gravel for striking. We also regularly break boards and other breaking materials as well. You are right that there seems to be a bit of crossover with Karate's tools. The Encyclopedia of Taekwon-Do (a 15 volume set of books written by the Founder of ITF TKD) includes instructions on the above stuff plus a few other things like wooden parallettes. Then there are a few weirder ones like the "forging pendulum" and "makgi dae" blocking apparatus. I don't think Karate has equivalents of these (but then again I don't really know anyone who actually uses these in TKD either): https://goo.gl/photos/XdZyJ2h8mzbgd3vX8 There's also a few other more modern tools included such as stretching machine and things to actually measure power.

We do it in TKD. Not to the same extent as we once did but it's still a part of our training at our dojang. I do wonder though how much effect the old methods had physiologically or whether the main effect is psychological? I am aware of Wolff's Law and Davis' Law regarding soft and hard tissue remodelling according to the stress its under, but nowadays it just seems a bit unnecessary for the common martial artist to abuse their bodies like that.

I completely agree. I didn't think Rousey was unbeatable but wasn't sure that Holm was the one to do it but she certainly gave her a lesson in boxing 101. It was like watching a bull and matador. Rousey's striking was just not up to par and she needs to spend some serious time on it if she ever entertains the idea of a rematch. It's sad in a way given all she's done for women's MMA, but I am pleased she was beaten. I've not been a fan of her trash talking and refusing to touch gloves or shake hands is a real pet peeve of mine.

Rousey didn't only lose, she was given a lesson in striking and was then KO'd in the 2nd round.

It's an interesting scenario for sure but then again it's also a unique one in the sense that it's not often a school will effectively get taken over by a different style. IMHO it is a tactic to get the students to stay. It's a statement from the new instructor saying he recognises their hard work so far. And the styles are not a million miles apart as say BJJ and Tang Soo Do are. In general I am against retaining rank when switching styles however this normally happens when students seek out different schools by themselves. These students have collectively had their acccess to normal training removed so in a way I think it's a nice gesture of goodwill of the new instructor to let them hold their rank until they catch up with the curriculum.

Thought this way a great breakdown of the Rousey - Holm fight. http://fightland.vice.com/blog/how-holly-holm-killed-queen-ronda-rousey Holm's footwork and movement was really on point for the whole match.

I don't have enough patience to do most "traditional" cardio. Running or jogging does nothing for me mentally and it's hard to keep going when my heart's not in it. I enjoy swimming and cycling more but again feel you need longer sessions to really reap the benefits. I tend to go down the HIIT route. Tabatas and sets of push ups, sit ups, dips, burpees etc. Or skipping. Or hill / shuttle sprints.

Welcome to the forums Saveloy. Bit bizarre that your instructor can't source.. Though I couldn't see any from the usual MA supply stores in the UK, even ebay didn't have any. Your best bet might be to import from the States http://www.awma.com/displayproducts/uniforms-belts/tang-soo-do.html

Welcome harpingdon

That's true to an extent but it can just be you're really not gelling with the instructor and teaching methods. In my own training I know I've been to some really boring Tkd classes where is been so bad I've wanted to walk out, and yet I can go to a different instructor and school, cover the same content and feel really enthusiastic throughout the whole session. Not everyone can teach well and not every teacher is suitable for every student.

Congrats What kata will you be learning next?

Bit of both. My right side is definitely stronger and I used to use it almost exclusively RH forward but forced myself to spar left hand forward for a bit. Now I can change and do a bit of both depending on the situation but my left side is usually still a set up for the right.