DWx

http://espn.go.com/olympics/story/_/id/9087686/olympic-boxing-drops-head-guards-changes-scoring-system Looks like they're doing it mainly due to safety:

Welcome mal103

Continuous sparring for my style is 2x 2 minute rounds with a 1 minute break. Four corner referees who all score by points and you have to win by majority vote. If the bout is tied after 2 rounds you do 1 minute extra time then if it is still tied after that you go to the golden point round where the first scoring technique wins. 1 point for hand to body or head 1 point for a perfect block (knocks opponent off balance) 1 point for kick to body 2 points for kick to head +1 point if it is aerial (both feet off of the floor) +1 point for every 180 degree rotation So if I managed to pull off an aerial 360 roundhouse to the head, that'd be 5 points. Also have a warning and penalty points system.

Not heard of it myself tbh. How accurate is the Wikipedia article? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teuk_Gong_Moo_Sool It says that Teukgong Moosool is practiced by the South Korean police force? Were you part of an organization? Perhaps they could help you locate another school?

Welcome allenhrogers

I think the Facebook page could be a good idea - it's like 21st century word of mouth advertising. Make sure all your important info is cleanly laid out in the "About" bit. Contact info, location, training times, link to website, affiliation etc. Make it easy for people to find what they need to know. Add a range of photos to it: class photos, tournaments, seminars, possibly even social events. Maybe videos if you have them. In order to promote it you'll have to keep posting about it and get it seen by your friend list. Get as many friends to like and share it as possible even if they themselves aren't interested in Shotokan and eventually you might start connecting with the old club members and reach potential new students. It's the whole 6 degrees of separation idea. Keep it popping up in people's newsfeed by posting about it. If you want to, a club twitter account might something to consider too? And Wastelander's Google Maps idea is really good too. As then it'll start coming up for people searching on the map for "Shotokan Manchester". Could always ask the sports centre about what they can do WRT to advertising. Can you put stuff on a noticeboard? Can you get them to let you put flyers on the front desk? Have they got a mailing list? Have you tried ads in the local paper? Or better yet an article? And if you know any kids who have a paper round, can bribe them with money or sweets to post a flyer with each paper on their round Best of luck with the class!

I have seen it before (but never in person). Seems to me to be a lot of bits there from the other ITF patterns; bits of Yon-Gae and Moon-Moo with a bit of Juche thrown. I'm not overly enamored with it - mainly because it's so long! (Does Anslow's book say how many moves there are?) It definitely looks challenging to learn and perform and would be great for working on your kicks. But having said that, I can't really see a need for it if you already do the Chang Hon set. Most of the moves and combinations seem to be covered in other patterns.

This post was originally published as an article in a dedicated KarateForums.com Articles section, which is no longer online. After the section was closed, this article was most to the most appropriate forum in our community. In ITF Taekwon-Do, Gen. Choi set out 9 training secrets which students should bear in mind in order to practice good Taekwon-Do. I never had the opportunity to train with the general myself but am told by my instructor and others who did have the fortune to train with him, that at each seminar he would ask students what the training secrets were because he believed them to be so important. If students train with these principles in mind, they will develop good Taekwon-Do through understanding the techniques and being able to utilize them effectively. The 9 Training Secrets: 1. To study the theory of power thoroughly. In order to generate powerful techniques, it is necessary to first know how power is generated. Every Taekwon-Do student learns a basic scientific rational of how power is generated, including Newton's laws of motion, and it is essential to have at least a basic grasp on what these fundamental laws are and what they mean in order to produce a powerful technique. In particular it is Newton's 2nd law which gives us the equation "force = mass x acceleration" and all martial artists should be familiar with it as it tells us that to generate force you have to have both mass and acceleration. So for good technique, and good Taekwon-Do, you have to accelerate your strike as fast as possible whilst being able to drive as much mass as you can behind it. Utilizing your mass effectively comes through good technique. With that in mind, given that with proper technique the amount of mass is constant, it is speed which becomes the dependant variable. For more force, you need more speed. Thus training speed is not only important for being faster than your opponent, it is also necessary to produce a powerful strike. Taekwon-Do also considers a number of other components to be part of the theory of power. Although I'm not going to mention them all here, one certainly worth talking about is the concept of reaction force. Derived from Newton's 3rd law, reaction force tells us how two bodies exert force on one another. Since, when one body acts on another (such as a fist hitting a target), the force that is exerted has an equal and opposite reaction, any force you send into a target will be returned through your fist and up your arm. You have to condition yourself well to be able to withstand the force of the strike and ensure that you can take as much as you are dealing out. Reaction force also applies to your opponent too. If your opponent steps into your fist as you punch them, their own force is returned, plus the force of your punch. By understanding these principles your Taekwon-Do will only be stronger. This really is the most important secret to bear in mind because the other eight are really just ways of employing principles of mechanics to ensure that each and every blow is as powerful as possible. 2. To understand the purpose and method of each movement clearly. Without understanding what the movement is, or how to do the movement, you've wasted your time even attempting it. To really learn a technique you need to know what it is used for and how you go about executing it. The method of the movement really goes back to fundamental techniques and the first secret; have you understood the principles of the style and do you know how to generate power? If you've been taught correctly, the method of doing the technique should be the easy bit: You just have to practice it until the method becomes ingrained. The purpose part is harder. Do you understand the application of the movement? When would you use it and where? Once you understand both of those components, then you have fully learnt the technique. 3. To bring the action of eyes, hands, feet and breath into one single coordinated action. Coordination plays a large part in any physical endeavor. In Taekwon-Do (and all other martial arts), you have to be able to coordinate your arms and legs so that you can make your body do as you intended. For example, to kick where you wanted to and to block in the right place. This secret also refers to how we actually do the techniques in Taekwon-Do. Everything - the stance, the attack/defense and the breath must start and finish together. From the moment you start moving to the moment where you make contact, everything must be coordinated and under control. 4. To choose the appropriate attacking tool for each vital spot. For effective Taekwon-Do you need to be able to pick the right tool for the right job. Knowledge of applications and about which tools go with targets is essential. Attacking someone's abdomen with a finger is clearly not going to work well but for an eye gouge it would be perfect. Learn this through studying the forms and through sparring and application work. In reality, this is just an extension of the second secret because if you understand both the method and purpose of each movement you learn, then it will be easy to select the appropriate tool for the target you want to attack. 5. To become familiar with the correct angle and distance for attack and defense. Being able to execute the techniques and knowing the applications is only part of it, knowing the correct angle and distance for each is necessary otherwise the technique will be wasted. To develop this you need to do drill work and spar! A good Taekwon-Do fighter will not waste a single technique when attacking and will know exactly what and how he needs to block. Familiarity with ranges and angles will also mean that you know which of your opponents attacks will reach and which won't so it will mean it may not be necessary for you to block every single incoming attack. Knowing that an opponent couldn't possibly reach with a side kick from where he is or that from that range she can only realistically use close range attacks will only booster your defense. 6. Keep both the arms and legs bent slightly while movement is in motion. What this secret means is that whilst moving between stances and between each movement, the arms and legs, and indeed your whole body, should be relaxed. To accelerate each technique you need to be relaxed otherwise you will just work against yourself. Tense on impact but otherwise relax your whole body so those muscles that extend your kicking leg aren't fighting those that pull it in the opposite direction. By relaxing you also conserve strength as one of the fastest ways to fatigue yourself is to constantly be tense. 7. All movements must begin with a backward motion with very few exceptions. However, once the movement is in motion it should not be stopped before reaching the target. Not many of us can successfully deliver a one inch punch. In fact, with many close range attacks it is hard to develop power. Again this relates back to the first secret and having an understanding of mechanics. Power is generated through both mass and acceleration and acceleration is the rate of change of velocity (or speed) over time. With techniques like the one inch punch there isn't enough distance to accelerate sufficiently before making impact. A backwards motion isn't necessarily a big movement, in most cases you only have to pull back slightly before throwing the technique but it is necessary. Backwards motion also serves to wind up the hips so that a hip twist can be utilized. Once in motion, the technique cannot be stopped until it makes impact and the second part of this secret refers to this. If it is stopped and then started again, the first part of the movement was wasted as the acceleration and force will be lost and will not contribute to the strike and you now have even less distance to accelerate unless you pull back again. 8. To create a sine wave during the movement by utilizing the knee spring properly. This one is hard to explain without having already explained what sine wave is. Basically, in Taekwon-Do we want to use a knee spring to aid in shifting in and between stances and to help facilitate hip snap. Too much knee spring is bad, as is too little knee spring. It also has to be used in the right way and timed correctly with the strike or block. 9. To exhale briefly at the moment of each blow excepting a connecting motion. Breathing is an integral part of the techniques in Taekwon-Do. Not only does proper breathing ensure that your body gets enough oxygen and that you don't fatigue prematurely, it also helps to develop a more powerful technique. On impact (whether block or attack), the student should sharply exhale and tense their core. A sort of kiai but with no sound. This primarily ensures two things. Firstly, by tensing the core and by expelling all the air, the body can brace itself for impact. The tensed core muscles are better prepared to absorb shock and through expelling the air from the lungs you protect against having "the wind knocked out" of you. Secondly, by tensing and gripping the core muscles you lock your torso at the end of the hip snap motion and transfer the rotation into linear motion and into your punch. It is worth noting that the "connecting motion" is one of the five types of motion in Taekwon-Do, the others being: normal, fast, slow and continuous motion. Again, without fully explaining sine wave, it is difficult to explain the types of motion. Essentially though, connecting motion is where one movement leads directly into the next and only one sine wave and one breath occurs for the sequence hence it being the only exception to this secret. Connecting motion is usually done on a block-attack combination such as the hooking block-punch combination in pattern Yul Gok. These "secrets" aren't really all that secret at all. Every student will be aware of them and in many schools it is a grading requirement to be able to recite them and explain what they mean. However learning them and demonstrating them through each and every technique is the secret to good Taekwon-Do!

Welcome Robert

Welcome Ein_Mädchen

I have my favourite training partners and these tend to be people who are the same skill level/experience level as me. Because we are on a par we can work the drills on the right level and have discussion about the technique. From a teaching point of view sometimes it's good to go with someone more experienced as they can help you out but then I always feel like I'm holding them back from going at a higher intensity or doing the more advanced version of the drill. Likewise if you get partnered with someone less experienced, it's great to be able to teach them but you can end up missing out on your own training. But yes, I agree switching around gives you the chance to train with people of all skill levels.

I've tried to watch Rugby before a few times but I don't understand everything that's going on during the game. It's not the NFL and it's not suppose to be, but I'm just NFL spoiled. My fault!! Heh now you know how we feel when you guys talk about football! I have no idea what's going on there. I once read an interesting article stating that there was a general trend in America of liking team sports such as baseball and NFL where it's mainly turn-by-turn play whereas Europeans/Brits tend to go for team sports that are more based on continuous play. Pretty disappointed in the Wales - England result but tbh England seem to be struggling lately anyway. Reckon we'll see a lot of Welsh players in the Lions squad.

We all have a unique collection of experiences that no-one else has. The things we've done in our Martial Arts training and the things we've done through life aren't the same set of experiences anyone else will have. Personally, I'd say everyone is experienced to some extent. You might not have been around as long as some and haven't experienced some things but then you've also done things other people might not have. The important thing, IMO, is that you keep experiencing new things and learning.

Congrats

I wouldn't worry too much. Wait to see how it goes on Tuesday. He may just not have the belt and will have to go buy it. My instructor often presents belts in the next class you were in and not on testing day.

IMHO, I prefer to just drink water in normal training and then have one of these sugary sports drinks for a quick boost on long training days. It's a 10 year old review but this study says: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10739268 However this study suggests that you re-hydrate better on Gatorade than you do on just water or just fruit juice-water: http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/17693686/reload=0;jsessionid=rrjekDh6ZAboAomd89b1.2 This study also suggests you can maintain better when you re-hydrate with a sports drink: http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/H07-18 So maybe Gatorade/Powerade are better than water for re-hydration?

Happy Birthday!

Congrats skullsplitter It's such a confidence booster to have someone coaching you from the side of the mat.

I saw this story a couple of days ago apart from the picture someone had posted was her with one of her previous opponents. I was just skimming articles and one first glance I could have sworn, without knowing anything about Fox apart from the fact she was transgender, that her opponent was Fox based on size and muscle. Take a look at the photo she posted on her Facebook and tell me that she has a size/muscle advantage. Photo 1 Photo 2

I prefer the saying: "Give a man fire and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life"... oh wait that's a bit different! In all seriousness, I agree, and I think one of the biggest things is teaching people how to learn. Teach them the techniques but also teach them how to think and develop their technique.

Congrats andym

Great article

It is a concern if your style does any kicking (like mine does). The first thing is not to be in a position where you can be grabbed, i.e. work on retrieving the leg quickly. That is also good practice if you want to double or triple up on the kicks. What I'd do, if my front kick were grabbed, is to send my weight forward and try to clinch. Then I could regain a certain amount of control but also be able to throw some strikes of my own. I suppose if you were comfortable doing so, you could try to take both of you to the ground and then go from there. As a last resort you can try to kick off of the standing leg and/or attempt a takedown using the legs. Not recommended as it's difficult to pull off and can leave you very vulnerable.

I was hoping for an England grand-slam but they didn't exactly dominate Italy today...

IMHO that's probably what you'd see, like what happened with Taekwondo.