DWx

That's a hard question to answer without knowing what the tournament is Loads of different rules depending on the organizers. What are you competing in? Kata? What type of kumite? Asking your sensei or seniors is a good idea as they'll have a better idea about the rules for that specific tournament. But also usually on the event website (if they have one) there tends to be somewhere to read or download the rules. Or try the organization website (if it's run by one). If you still can't find them, try contacting the event organizers for a copy.

Welcome Train4Life

Good question. My short answer is yes: instructors should be able to live comfortably if they are good and successful at what they do. I think the problem is the word McDojo is an overused term and it seems a lot of school's get tarred by this brush if they charge a bit more even if the training is brilliant. A lot of people see higher prices and assume the school is just there to make money so they must be a McDojo. Seems to me a lot of students have a sense of entitlement. That they should be able to go to a school and learn martial arts without paying a lot. Truth is Martial Arts are not an essential in life and Joe Bloggs sensei should be able to charge what he likes based on what his service is worth. I suppose the underlying reason I'm answering yes is because of my own instructor. He teaches 6 days a week, ~15 hours a week, and makes a living from Martial Arts. He does live comfortably but not extravagantly and I have no problem with this because the guy is very good at what he does and works hard. Worth every penny I pay to train at the school.

Welcome pdbnb Keep us posted on how your training's going

Glad you're enjoying it Saju jirugi (4 direction punching) and saju makgi (4 direction blocking) are things you really want to nail from now as it'll make life a lot easier in the future To get your feet right, just remember that the foot you move first, whether stepping forward for saju jirugi or stepping back for saju makgi, is the only foot you're moving until you start the other side!!! Your other foot does not and should not do anything other than pivot. So for the first bit when you step forward and punch with the right hand in saju jirugi, you only move your right foot until you come back to parallel and swap to do the left side. Focus on getting your stance the correct length and width and you should be well on your way FYI breaking = breaking boards (+ other things), my favourite bit

Hehe now I'm trying to think of an example to illustrate my point - I'll get back to you on that one . In most cases it's not that you can't do it per se, it's that there are better stances as the body position or weight distribution might be off. BTW, take my posts with a grain of salt because what I say is related to my style, Tae Kwon Do, and may not be 100% correct for your Karate even though the styles are related.

Excellent post. Stances are not fixed positions; they are transition positions. Unlike strikes using your arms, kicks by their very nature force you to break the stance to do them. In that you are not kicking in a kiba dachi, you kicked from a kiba dachi. Whether you return to the same stance or not is a moot point as you are forming a new stance which is separate from the one you kicked from. Of course some stances lend themselves to certain kicks because of foot and hip positioning but theoretically any kick can come from any position. It's a bit different for hand strikes and blocks because you're limited by the positions of your feet but with kicks it's not an issue.

Ok I don't think you have anything to worry about. I don't think I know this Mr Hollingsworth (there is another one in the UK that used to compete a lot and I don't think it's the same guy) however, he is in the same ITF as I am and the association he is in (UKTC) is related somewhat to mine (UKGT). But now we know who the school is, this'll explain some of the costs you've mentioned. Like the majority of ITF groups in the UK, the UKTC is a member of the British Taekwondo Council (BTC) who are in charge of regulating TKD and for providing things like insurance and licensing instructors. All students in an association that is a member will have to pay a yearly fee (can't remember what it is atm but I think it's definitely sub £30). You'll also most likely pay some sort of association membership fee but most schools tend to bundle these two together. So my guess is that comes under the registration fee of £20. (I would have thought this'd be yearly payment and not a one off so maybe you might have to pay again next year?). Just for comparison my school charges us £25 / year for BTC/association membership. If he's giving you a free dobok in with that fee then that is a very good deal as doboks can cost up to the region of £50-60 depending on the brand. The pricing structure isn't all that bad compared with most TKD schools in the UK. I think an average rate is around £5 per class from what I've seen so your £30-40 per month would be in line with that. Besides which I don't know but the association may even set instructors recommended lesson prices. As it is ITF TKD there will most definitely be a focus on patterns as they are one of the five key training elements. Likewise there should be a heavy focus on sparring. Both step-sparring and free sparring. Pads are a BTC requirement however once you get a bit more advanced there should be opportunities for you to do pad-free controlled sparring. Along with patterns and sparring also expect breaking (should be a requirement from green belt and above, if not before) and lots of physical conditioning. What you said about the gradings shouldn't necessarily be cause for concern. Since he has a number of locations and there are other schools in the area, it's probably just an area grading which instructors send students to when they are ready to test. Doesn't mean that all students will be asked or that all will pass it either just that they have these regular dates set up. I wouldn't read too much into the "do what you normally do in class" comment either. Probably just trying to reassure the person that they're not expecting them to go crazy for a kup grading and ask them the jump over a car and smash a house brick with their face.. That's my take on things anyway.

Take a look at Wolff's law. Your body responds to consistent stress on bones and joints and will strengthen itself accordingly.

Not that my opinion counts much on a Karate question, but (from a TKD perspective) I don't see a problem doing any of those kicks from those stances. Some require you to really make sure you pivot the hips and supporting leg but all of those kicks would be possible.

What are we talking about here TKD-Kickboxing as a style? I'd imagine that it was just the kicks and punches taken from TKD and all the rest of the style left behind. But if all you wanted from your Martial Art was just kicks and punches why not just do kickboxing itself as TKD-kickboxing probably doesn't offer anything better.

It's not the end of the world being smaller. My good friend and training partner is 5'0" whereas I'm 5'10" and she doesn't make it eady when we spar. You just need to learn what you've got! You might not be able to floor the 6 foot 300 lbs guy but you don't have to go down without a fight either. Getting fitter, faster, stronger will only help. If you're serious about your training, maybe look into some extra training time outside of the dojo. Better strikes and better movement will help make those 6' guys take notice. If anything though, learning to move and be faster than the bigger guys is what you need. As a bigger girl, when I fight in open weight matches, I struggle the most with the lighter faster people as they strike then dance around me before I can even hit them back!

Building up muscle first helps. Then using a medicine ball or lighter strikes from a partner is what I do. Learn to tense and breathe out at the moment of impact then gradually build up the intensity. Also learn to roll with the punches too and not to just stand there and take it.

With respect, none of these things scream McDojo to me. Addressing each of these points: An annual or monthly fee is common as it a) guarantes income for the instructor to cover his overheads and b) most likely will cover some sort of insurance fee and an association/organisation membership fee. Besides which, the amounts you mention are in line with most TKD schools in the UK that I know of. WRT self-confidence and self-respect as selling points, what's wrong with that? That is a selling point and a lot of people are attracted to martial arts for these reasons. I don't know many schools that do bday parties but I know plenty that offer a family training environment and have special kids classes. Again it's a selling point and a lot of people get started in MAs because it's something they can do wuth their kids. But that type of environment isn't for everyone so if that's not what you're looking for, maybe a different school would be better. As has already been said, most Korean styles (and schools of Japanese styles like Karate) will focus on forms because that is at the core of the style. Something else like MMA or Muay Thai etc. would be better if that's not what you want from your style. (BTW Since you called them "patterns", is it an ITF school? I can tell you more about the style if you want?) Instructors under 40? Ouch I'm 22 and I assist at my club and am looking to get my own class within the next couple of years. I've also plenty of friends my age that teach at their respective schools. I'd be concerned if the chief instructor was a 15 yr old but you won't find many schools with over 40s only teaching and even if you do, that is in no way an indicator of quality. Scheduled gradings are a common practice in TKD. Doesn't mean that every student in the school would be invited to grade or that everyone who does test will pass. At the end of the day whether they are a McDojo or not comes down to quality. Are they teaching quality Martial Arts or are they just making money?

Welcome Katileena

Not used one personally but they seem alright. Probably better for your son than a full heavy bag as he'd be able to actually see what he was striking instead of trying to visualize it.

This is great advice. Could be a whole load of reasons so best to get your doc to check you out. As a general rule though, stay hydrated, keep your sugar levels up and make sure you breathe and relax.

It does sound like a power trip however why did the yondan step over in the first place? If he/she has been left in charge by your head instructor then they are in charge no matter who turns up. I know you have to respect the hierarchy however if this guy hasn't been training for many years as far as I am concerned he is an inactive godan and should not come in expecting to teach the class. Besides which, how would you explain that to a child's parents or an insurance company if someone got hurt as a result of what he was teaching

Perhaps you might want to see what schools and teachers are available to you first? The great advice so far won't mean much if you haven't got that style available to you.

You'd probably have to contact event organizers to be sure. It'll depend on their regs. In the tournaments I do I know they most likely wouldn't be allowed because they specifically ask for the fingers to be enclosed, but other tournaments will have different rules.

Well the calf is a softer striking area however I don't like using it because I think it's easier for it to get caught. Whereabouts in Wales are you? TKD is very strong in Wales but most of the TKD schools are located in the south along the M4.

I'd take the opportunity to train stuff that you can't train at home due to lack or equipment/space/training partner. If you have mats at the dojo, things like breakfalls and throws with a partner. Or extra pad and bag work and sparring.

This is my vote. Really works the legs, too. I also like the rowing machine. I always hear good things about Tabata drills, too. Give it a google search. Tabata drills are a killer, I've recently started doing more and more of them in my workouts. HIIT bag work is great too.

Well I'm in pounds and not dollars but my school charges based on how many sessions you do per week with discounts for number of lessons and family discounts. I think it roughly works out about £5 ($8?)a session.

Belated Happy Birthday to you both