DWx

Going well so far. 1. We organised and hosted a 3 day training camp in the middle of Sherwood forest in February for 27 people which in included general fitness and TKD training + army assault course and paintball 2. Done already. Also looking to make the last 2 national events this year. 3. Done. In fact we held the seminar in our town. Was with one of the original TKD pioneers and one of the first people to be promoted to 9th dan by Gen. Choi. 4. Application submitted and thesis is in progress (well sort of ). Awaiting which to hear which master I'll be sent to.

Congrats, he's got a good lead leg

WTF chief advocates rule changes, new uniforms: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/sports/2013/07/136_137979.html Some of World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) President Choue Chung-won's ideas include: - changing from mat to octagon - more points for punches - retiring the dobok Whilst I think change would be good (the sport seems a bit stagnated to me) I don't think all change is good! For example the dobok. It's so integral to TKD and one of the things that separates it from kickboxing, from Karate, from other fighting disciplines, that to move away from it would be to move away from Taekwondo. But I think it would definitely be a good move to score hand techniques higher. After all it is "The way of the foot and fist".

And I'm not talking physical skills. Over here in the UK there's a set of TV ads running at the minute recruiting for the Royal Marines Commandos and in them they say "it's a state of mind". To me that's what being a Martial Artist is. It's the state of mind you have. But is it born from your training or something you already have? What qualities make someone a martial artist and not just a fighter?

It is moral reasons, yes. And it is defending myself. Blocking all the punches I can. You just may see it differently than I do. It's just my belief. You don't think it's right, good for you, you knock that crazy chick out haha. That's fair enough. Although I personally would see taking her out as soon as possible and ending it as the safer option for both of you. Trying to block and dodge her punches and kicks seems like a losing strategy as something will get through and you will get hurt. If you go in and say straight off that you will not hit them simply because they are female puts you on the back-foot immediately. And for the record. I am female so you can bet I'll be trying to take the other crazy chick out.

May I ask why you wouldn't hit a female? Is it on moral reasons? Going into a fight with someone hell bent on hurting you and not wanting to defend yourself doesn't seem right to me. No matter whether they are male or female. There's only so many punches you can try to dodge.

With respect JGarner890 I think you may be underestimating what kind of damage an unarmed women can still do. She might not have a knife but she could still throw a mean hook, take a swipe at your eyes, beat you to a pulp. You really would just stand there and take punishment from a women just because she is female?

Welcome frafra85

I agree Bob. The only people who should be ringside are coaches and press/photographers. Everyone else should be up in the stands. Just makes it hard for everyone to see and makes it a nightmare for the medics to get around.

Congrats and good luck.

Likewise. Most of the females I train with (and myself) will stick to crop top under the gi. TShirts are too hot. When I do wear a Tshirts instead of gi top it's always non cotton moisture wicking type to stay cool. If I were to have both genders wear something under, I'd suggest a rash guard type of thing and not full Tshirts.

Plenty of footage on YouTube from this years nationals: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=kugb+nationals+2013 Can see loads of examples of kumite and kata there. Full competition rules are also on the KUGB website: http://www.kugb.org/kugb-competition-rules.php Looks like they have divisions for ippon kumite, jiyu kumite and kata competition.

Instructors, how do you, in your own classes, cater to different learning preferences? There are 7 learning categories and everyone will fall into 1 or more of these groups: *Visual (spatial):You prefer using pictures, images, and spatial understanding. *Aural (auditory-musical): You prefer using sound and music. *Verbal (linguistic): You prefer using words, both in speech and writing. *Physical (kinesthetic): You prefer using your body, hands and sense of touch. *Logical (mathematical): You prefer using logic, reasoning and systems. *Social (interpersonal): You prefer to learn in groups or with other people. *Solitary (intrapersonal): You prefer to work alone and use self-study. http://www.learning-styles-online.com/overview/ Martial arts are primarily physical endeavors but as teachers are you aware of the above learning styles and do you structure your teaching methods to allow for all types of learners?

very similar I think

If it's a different style altogether then I wouldn't have thought it would have mattered. Although the skills are probably transferrable it doesn't mean the curriculum is. If both belts are in the same style then that would be a little different.

Both are really broad terms. There are a number of different styles of Taekwon Do and even more different styles of Karate and each style will offer you something slightly different. The best thing to do is to work out what you want from a martial art then find out what styles are in your local area and see if the two match up. Then go along to a few classes and see if you like the instructor, if you like how the classes are run, like the other students etc. I'd take a look at some of the other posts in the "Getting Started in the Martial Arts" section as there's loads of good advise there.

Best of luck Bob Maybe when you're finished you can take us through what you had to do?

Welcome ShotokanGage

Welcome shotokan_bulldog

Congrats bassaiguy

From the course they did say that you continuously flow round the cycle as you expand your knowledge and ability. The important point was to try to skip stage 1 and to make sure you constantly re-evaluate and get feedback so that you are in stage 2 or higher.

My first thought is that perhaps because these are predominantly grappling styles, (to the ignorant) they are seen to be a bit gentler and lower risk. Obviously for the majority Tai Chi is a gentle style and because in Aikido and Judo seem to be reacting to violence rather than striking someone as you would in Karate or Boxing. Strange though that they'd allow them to shoot but not learn MA.

To compete in ISKA your best bet is to join a kickboxing group that actively participates in those tournaments. TKD would be a good base, I know a number of ITF TKD guys that have had success on similar circuits but kickboxing would be a better choice IMHO. If you joined a TKD dojang then you'd also be spending time doing the forms and other work not directly related to this type of competition. Also in the majority of cases I think the style of sparring in kickboxing might be more in line with what you want.

I went on a training course with work recently and this concept was brought up. To me it seemed to fit in very well with the learning process we go through as Martial Artists. There are 4 stages to it: 1. Unconscious Incompetence At this point you don't know that you don't know things and you are blissfully unaware that your skills are lacking. 2. Conscious Incompetence You know your ability is limited and there are things that you don't know. You have to go through an uncomfortable period learning these new skills . 3. Conscious Competence You've acquired skills and knowledge and can work on honing them. 4. Unconsciously Competence You've got to the stage that you don't have to think about what you're doing and it's automatic. Better explanation here: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newISS_96.htm To me this echos Bruce Lee: I think as teachers and as students it's something that is a good idea to be aware of. As a student though how do you make sure that you don't get stuck in phase 1 where you are blissfully unaware that there isn't something currently wrong with what you are doing or that there isn't something you could be doing better? What self-feedback mechanisms do you have in your own training?

Great post. My thoughts exactly.