DWx

Welcome to KF irishwhistle Wont repeat what JusticeZero and everygrey's great advice but will add: That's actually pretty reasonable. Unless they will charge you an additional testing fee on top, that $60 will include the instructor's time or and external examiner's time to come and conduct the testing. You're not paying for the belt per se but for the belt exam. In my school, colour belt gradings are charged at £30 which is about the same as the $50 and a 3 month grading schedule is normal too. On the whole the fee's structure seems pretty normal for martial arts school as JusticeZero said and the pay in advance system is what most schools use. Even the prices aren't that way out there as I pay around $170 a month for 4 sessions a week. Does depend on your area but I don't think his price seems that high. The equipment on the other hand does seem a bit excessive w.r.t the bag, manual, DVD and bday party(!) but I wish my sparring gear was that cheap! I'd have to pay twice that for a basic kit, won't even tell you how much my competition kit costs. He may also require you to buy from him instead of elsewhere to ensure you get exactly the right type for insurance reasons. You might find that a lot of martial arts school's are hesitant to talk money straight away. They're competing with a lot of other places for students and want to sell you their product before scaring you away with the price. Sometimes overheads on renting a space, equipment, affiliation memberships, insurance and everything else mean they have to charge what they're charging. Martial arts are an expensive hobby and naturally you don't want to spend more than you have to. Shop around and try out different classes, but whilst making sure they are within your budget, be aware that often you might have to pay more for a good instructor and good school. Look at schools you can afford but then also look at the quality of teaching and the feel of the class. Pick an environment that will be good for your daughter and not just the cheapest. Also FWIW, the Little Ninja classes aren't that bad and seem typical of most classes that will take kids that young. We have a similar program (which feeds into the main classes later) and yes it will be light stuff. At that age you can't hope for much more than teaching them basic motor skills and coordination and teach them ideas like respect and discipline - can forget stuff like kata and sparring. One or two blocks, kicks, punches seems about right. Let us know if you've got any more questions.

Well I don't think you should punish people for that anyway. Unless its something along the lines of "do that technique again x many times making sure you get it right each time". But I think "punishment" is the wrong way to describe that then as its more like a teaching point. We use push ups and extra forms or line drills for the kids when they misbehave, which is rare. Never have had to do it to adults, not because I object to treating them like that (I don't), but because no-one really steps out of line because they obviously want to be in the class learning otherwise they wouldn't have bothered turning up. We do sometimes use push-ups or burpees as penalties in paired exercises but I don't see that as punishment, more fitness. For example if they goal of the exercise is to get your partner with a roundhouse, if you catch them, they have to do burpees

Welcome Saie

Think that's a great way to ask the question. I really don't like it when people demand rank as in "when are you going to give me my belt?" as that is disrespectful... However, asking what to do to improve or what you need to do to get to the next rank is fair enough. I ask it. You need to know which areas you're lacking in. Seems to me we always use the belt system to grade students' ability and knowledge but it's taboo to talk about it or ask about how to advance. Likewise with your manager analogy ps1, if you want to pass any other exam, like high school or college exams, driving tests, whatever, you find out what you need to do to pass the exam and find out which bits you need to improve on.

Its really up to you evergrey If you really don't want to grade or don't feel ready, its your choice and decision to make. Going up for testing should be a both a personal decision and a decision by your sensei. If you don't feel ready your heart won't be in it and you probably won't perform your best. Besides, its better to be wicked good 1st kyu than a bad or mediocre 1st dan. My own instructor nagged me for about 1. 5 years to do my last grading but I just didn't feel ready to commit to it so I held off.

Start with negatives, horizontal pulls or can do band-assisted pulls. Then jacknife pulls, vary grips, muscle ups, pulls off a rope or towel etc. then onto single arms of all the same. Paralletes are good for getting deeper pushups for the chest. Or you can move on to different equipment, rings and ropes. I agree that legs are difficult but you can assist yourself with a chair or something for pistol squats and being a Karate-ka, there's always kicks against a resistance band. Again I'm not saying that bodyweight should be used in place of weights, which method you go depends on your goals. And I agree that the fact that you can incrementally increase the weight each workout when using weights and that is a big advantage to that type of workout. Just usually the reason you might want to do a bodyweight workout instead of weighted workout is a) because you can't afford weights or gym membership or b) because you want to develop the associated skills that come with manipulating your body... therefore you should make the exercise harder before adding weight.

Sounds like it'll be a good event I always make sure to take a notebook and write everything down in the breaks. Then I can refer back to it if I forget something.

Rateh's advice is great. Basics are so very important but it can be a bit overwhelming to be corrected on tons of stuff in one class - even if it needs correcting! Beginner or advanced student, its tough to be doing a technique and having to think "I need to do this and this and this...". You might see better improvement if you just focus on say the the hip action for one class until they've done enough reps so that the movement becomes subconscious then work on something else. Also as much as basics are good, sometimes it takes some partner work, sparring or kata to make things click and for a student to have that "oh yeah!" moment of clarity.

Welcome

Welcome Todd

I don't think either myself or JusticeZero are arguing that bodyweight is better than or should be used in preference to free weights... OP said he wanted to do bodyweight training and wanted to know whether a vest or ankle/wrist weights were better. So to answer that question, my response was neither. Save your money Tschirnhaus and work on harder bodyweight exercises. You get stronger by increasing the resistance but your body doesn't care whether that resistance comes from adding more steel to a bar or changing the leverage so you have to push/pull harder. If your're going down the bodyweight training route you might as well train to develop the more skilled movements instead of just adding weight, otherwise you might as well just hit the gym. What Ueshirokarate is talking about is progressive overload. He is not saying body weight exercises are bad, following his post's it sounds like he likes them! What he is saying is the body only provides a finite amount of resistance, no matter how you 'adjust' things, and there will come a time when you will need to add more resistance. I think you underestimate how much resistance you can apply using bodyweight alone. You'll probably be looking like Arnie then when one-arm pull-ups, one-arm handstand pushups are no longer providing enough resistance.

You use weights for body-weight exercises when you have reached a point in training where body-weight alone no longer cuts it. IMHO, going from 100-200 push-ups is not as good at doing 100 push-ups with an additional 25-50lbs in a vest. A backpack is certainly an alternative, but it would be impractical to use one with a TRX like device or certain type of body-weight exercises. I would much rather wear a weight vest when doing burpees and the like too. Every training modality has its ideal applications, but no training modalities are ideal for all applications. That is why it is important to first define your specific goals and then develop a program to reach them. If all you want to do is get stronger and bigger, nothing will out-do traditional free-weights. You're right we have to look at OP's goals. He said he wanted the vest for running so that's why I agreed with JusticeZero about the backpack being better not to mention cheaper. He also said he wanted to do bodyweight training so that's why I said check out those books. Instead of using a weighted vest for body weight exercises, s/he should look to increase the difficulty of the exercise instead of just adding weight. IMHO there isn't a point when bodyweight alone stops cutting it. Body weight can go a long way and if it seems like an exercise is easy, you should increase the difficulty of the exercise you are doing because that exercise is no longer as useful to you. If you can do 100 push ups easy, then you start doing things such as elevating your legs or work towards to one handed pushups, then through to hand-stand push-ups. No need for high reps unless you want endurance. Bodyweight exercises are great for martial artists because they also demand control, balance etc. If you want to be a bodybuilder you'll probably end up using weights but you can get definitely get big using bodyweight only, check out people like , that's only using bodyweight.

Welcome Tschirnhaus

I don't think you need either tbh (although that does depend on what exercises you intend to do). Justice's backpack idea is better than the weighted vest. If you load it up with containers of water you'll also be able to increase the weight as you get stronger. You don't really need weights for bodyweight exercises either as you can use gravity to make things more difficult, like elevating yourself. Check out "Convict Conditioning", "You are your own gym" or similar books for some really good bodyweight workouts.

Instead of technique advice, here's some general tips and lesser known tactics: - Know the rules. Sounds simple enough but make sure you know exactly what you can and can't do and what scores what. Then train to those rules. Makes the whole bout a lot easier. - Similarly, turn up with a clean ironed gi and the right gear. Nothing worse than running around 5 mins before your sparring starts trying to find the correct set of gloves because there's something wrong with yours. First impressions also mean a lot and the refs will take to you better if you turn up smart, on time and with the right equipment. - Listen to your coach (if you have one). Do everything they say when they say it. They can see the action much better than you can and can give you practical advice. Tune everybody else's voices out and focus in on them. If you don't have a coach or can't have somebody ringside, get a more experienced classmate to shout advice instead. They need to be telling you to move off if you're near the edge of the mat, when you have 30 then 10 seconds left, what the score is. - Do you know if you get penalised for stepping out of the ring? The competitions I compete in operate using a 3 warnings = -1 point rule. So if I step out of the ring 3 times (or do something else wrong) I get a point taken away. Think of that as 2 free passes to stop the bout without incurring any penalties. If you're on the edge of the mat and they're scoring tons of points because you're really struggling to get away, step out the ring. The bout stops, ref resets you (either in the centre or a little way away from the edge). As soon as the ref says go you've a chance to move back to the centre and away from the edge. Similarly if its the last 10 seconds and you know for sure you are up on points, step out of the ring. The bout stops and you've wasted a couple of seconds times. Likewise if you need a breather because you're knackered, step out the ring then take your time getting back to the ready position. Of course you have to be very concious of how many warnings you've incurred over the fight but you can have 2 free warnings before you're affected. If you do hit 3 warnings, then you've got another 2 free warnings before you make 6 warnings and -2 points. - Related to warnings, always bow to the ref to acknowledge one. Technically it shouldn't matter but if you're very respectful and accept his decisions (even if you don't agree with them) they're more likely to side with you. - Visual points score. The ref and/or corner refs need to see the point to score it. So clean techniques not scrappy. Be also aware that if your opponent punches you in the head as you roundhouse them in the gut, the punch will probably get the point because it was the clearer to see. - Be aware that some people will fly at you as soon as the ref says go to get that first point. Develop some method of countering this. A fast lead leg side kick or front kick is good. Practice by having someone come at you with a pad. - Taken a bad hit? Even if it didn't hurt take a minute to compose yourself if the ref will allow it. You've got nothing to prove so don't just suck it up and run straight back in the ring. Especially if your eyes are watering. I know you said its light contact, but if you get caught on the nose and your eyes start to blur, you're not doing yourself any favours by going back on not being able to see anything. - Fighting multiple rounds? Use the first round to feel them out. As long as you come out of the first round either up on points or drawing, you're ok. You need to be testing their responses to what you're doing. So every time I throw a roundhouse are they defending in a certain way? Are there any patterns? Do they telegraph their side kick by stepping in? Do they only punch with their lead arm? Then in the second round you use this knowledge to pick your points and score. - If they're rushing you with punches sometimes hugging them is a good idea Seriously. Go forwards and clinch. If you're not allowed to clinch, the ref will just break you up and will reset you usually out of punching range. If you can, clinch, let them grab you, then as the ref tells you to stop and separate, let go and hands up. Even if you were the one to grab first, the ref might not have been able to tell but because your arms are up, they tend to then blame the other person for grabbing and give them a warning. Some of these depend on the rules you're fighting under but I hope this helps. Good Luck!

You know you can sort your Facebook contacts into groups and restrict who can see what. Then you don't offend anybody by refusing their request and you can still network with them via Facebook. I mean I don't want my parents seeing what I get up to on a Saturday night, likewise some of the kids from training who add me, I don't want them seeing most of what I post, but there are times when I might want to share something with them. And instead of changing your name, you can also set it so that people can't find you to send you a request or see your content without being friends first. But tbh I always go with the policy that if I don't want something about me being known, I don't put it on Facebook (or similar sites) at all anyway. You can lock down your security settings as much as you want but once you put something on the web, you've got limited control over who shares stuff.

Welcome

ITF TKD so we have the tree right across the back and the ITF logo on the left breast. You can have the school's logo on the right breast (and we do) and/or on the shoulder. "ITF" written down the leg at knee level or "Taekwon-Do" in Korean. Can also have your country's flag on the shoulder or a sponsor logo. Underneath the tree on the back, above where the belt sits, you can have your country's name too if you're a competitor. Black edging around the bottom for blackbelts and if you're a 4th dan and above and have international instructor certification, you can wear the stripes down the arms and legs. If you're an instructor, master or grandmaster, you have the shoulder stripe patches, kinda similar to service stripes which denote which level you are. I don't mind patches tbh, as long as they are carefully chosen and have a meaning to them, rather than emblazing a tiger across your back because it looks cool.

Good luck TheKarateAngler

Congrats

Think that is the general consensus, make ITF that much stronger compared to WTF if Oyama was part of it. (btw we do leg kick just not in sport competition)

No its only for poomse/forms competitors. The kyorugi/sparring competitors are still required to wear the standard v-neck dobok. Also I don't know but I think its only a requirement for competitors on a international level who tend to specialise in only sparring or only forms. Otherwise it'd be pretty annoying to keep changing dobok at a competition. Yeah I agree about the collar. Would have looked better if they at least made it go down to where the belt sits. The colours as far as I can make out are black collar for adult black belts, red and black to match the junior (poom) black belts and colour belts just have an all white dobok.

I do ITF Taekwon-Do. Board breaks I tend to do off the lead leg standing side on. But even then I don't pull back the knee further than the centre line. If its coming off the back leg as in bring the leg through and knee up, I barely pull back once the knee is lifted. As the leg is already travelling forward, I rotate it in the air and continue going forward. Otherwise I think its wasting that forward momentum to pull it back on itself.

http://www.wtkmedia.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=4 WTF are changing their doboks for the next World poomse champs. Look pretty nice actually. They've moved away from the v-neck pull-over style to a wrap-over, similar to Karate gi. Also gone for white tops but coloured trousers. Can be found here under "Products": http://jcalicu.com/ thoughts?

Personally I feel the biggest issue is simple carbs and excess level of fat in food. There are theories that artificial sweeteners can create weight gain and I am sure there may be other chemical compounds that could potentially cause weight gain. But at the end of the day, it is most important to make sure you are running at a caloric deficit when trying to lose weight and a caloric surplus when you are trying to put it on. I challenge anyone to go 500 calories below their maintenance number for a month and not lose weight. This should bring you down 4lbs. Now think of how long it is going to take to lose that beer gut. ^this. Its a balancing act. Reduce calories or increase energy output (through exercise) and the scales tip resulting in weight loss. Heh I just didn't know whether you were someone who believed in stuff like vitamin B giving you brain cancer or something.