Ryan

I think it depends on the way it is done. If everyone from white to black is receiving the same instruction in the same class, thats no good. At my school, we have mixed classes, but it isnt always the same ranks. For instance, on tuesday night, we have two classes (for adults, there are child classes too). One is red and black only, the other is all other ranks. Some classes are all ranks, but every class is geared to cover material that you need to learn or practice, for any rank that will be in the class. Also, you only get better by fighting those that are better than you are. I prefer to fight people who outrank me because I feel I have the most to learn from them. When I fight lower ranks, I dont just pummel them, but instead try to teach them by finding and exploiting their weaknesses. They learn what areas or techniques they should work on. I think it can benifit everyone.

Yeah, I know its a stretch. It does fit within definition of the word, though.

Asians must have light bones.

I have, and like i said, it really depends on the person. I know we hear this so much, but its true. Ive sparred with boxers that just dont know how to deal with kicks. On the other hand, Ive sparred with boxers that I had a LOT of trouble kicking. Also, I think it is safe to assume that most 280 lb guys arent track stars, but then again, neither am I.

Is there a website? I did look very briefly the other day with no luck. Man, Ive become a post whore today.

I searched and came up with nothing in this forum. Since I just made a reply in another thread qualifying boxing as a martial art by using the definition of martial, I figured this would be appropriate. The definition of martial from dictionary.com is this: 1. Of, relating to, or suggestive of war. 2. Relating to or connected with the armed forces or the profession of arms. 3. Characteristic of or befitting a warrior. Therfor, it stands to reason that training with a handgun would be a martial art. So how many of you own or carry a gun? If so, what kind? Do you have a favorite? I do have a concealed carry permit, but I dont carry. Mainly because you cant take guns into places I frequent, and they can be a liability. However, I do love to shoot. I really like Glocks, and it seems you either love em or hate em. I like the compact 9mm models the most, but the full size models are nice too. Another one of my favorite Glocks is the compact .40 cal. Nice knock down power with a little less kick than a .45. I also like the H&K USP 9mm and .40 cal. I dont generally like .45s because my grouping is never very good.

Sounds good. However, I do think it is still important to note that the video is mainly meant as an athletic demonstration rather than self defense. BTW, how would you go about giving directions to Middle-of-Nowhere, Pennsylvania. I think Ive heard of it, or at least passed it on a road trip or something.

I voted yes, but now Im not sure I completely understood. Will I train on Easter Sunday? Heck no, I dont do anything on any sunday (except those between August and January...Go Saints!). I will be training on saturday and monday, though. At least one of the two, anyway.

I hear ya. Agreed.

Yeah, I do too. That would still be fun, though.

Well, I dont think this is really what youre looking for, but you might want to look at https://www.aiminghigh.org. Its a martial arts publication that may at least point you to something useful. I just dont think there is any real data to be had. Subjectivity is inevitable.

I have never made any representation of my opinion about boxing. However since it was brought up, here goes. By the true clinical definition of martial art, boxing would have to be included. Boxing is characteristic or befitting of a warrior. I am not scared of it, and I dont think anyone else is. Now, if the boxer is 6'6 and 280 lbs, I might be scared of HIM, but that would be true no matter how he trained (unless of course his only bicep workout was lifting the beer to his face while on the couch). I digress. Simple is not effective. I think you are right with this assessment, as Im sure a lot of people think that way. I personally think it depends on the particular athlete. One of my current instructors (4th dan TKD) formerly boxed exlusively. He can beat everyone in my school (other than the head instructor) without lifting his feet off the ground. So I agree, it CAN be effective. Yes, boxing is complex.

I have to agree. Good luck finding anything like that which is, in fact, reputable.

I would say studying an art is better than ONLY working with weights, but they really are quite complimentary. I do both, and so do most of my training buddies. Im no body builder by any means. Im only 170 lbs at almost 6'3, but Im much stronger than I look.

I really like all of my instructors. My schools head instructor is 7th Dan (TKD) Master Rick Hoadley. He was one of the founding members of the Unites States Taekwondo Alliance, which later became the International Taekwondo Alliance. Our school has since left the ITA due to differing visions of Mr. Hoadley and the current ITA board. He is a great man and excellent instructor. He is starting to get kind of old, so he isnt capable of demonstrating every technique anymore (or maybe he is, but he usually has a younger intructor demonstrate). Although he will step into the ring from time to time to spar us, and let me tell you, he still has one hell of a sidekick. He has been instructing for so long that he has gotten really good at describing ways to use muscles you didnt previously know existed. You almost learn from him without knowing it. He is very fatherly and genuinely cares about all his students and their abilities. He demands respect without asking for it, and makes the whole room better with his presence. His demeaner is always positive and never makes anyone feel like they are inferior. I dont think I have ever seen him discipline anyone, but he never has a reason to. I feel very fortunate to have him as my instructor.

On rare occasions we spar without any gear at all. Otherwise we have to wear the foot guards. I sometimes wear shin gaurds too, depending on whether or not my shins are particularly beat up that day. Take today for example. I will wear shin guards tonight becuase from instep to knee, my right shin is an interesting purple/green color and lumpy to boot. Once it heals, I wont wear them again unless needed.

Wow! That is an awesome video! For those unable to check Kazaa, I have put it on the internet here. Please right click, then save as.

Ditto. I dont really understand that either.

I have never noticed any racism in my school. I have white, black, and asian instructors, all of whom are respected (some more than others, but based on skill and the quality of their instruction rather than their skin color). Regarding the comment about everyone being racist, I have to say that it depends on your definition of racism. Dictionary.com defines rasicm as this: 1. The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others. 2. Discrimination or prejudice based on race. I can honestly say that I dont think any race is superior to any other, but they are all certainly different. Whether these differences cause certain races to be able to perform an ability better than another, I dont know. What I do know is that most generalizations are somewhat based in fact. Im white and live in an area with larger percentages of minorites than the national average. A large portion of these minorites live in low income housing or some other area of lower value. This is fact, not some stereotype. Because of this, one might assume that these minorities wouldnt tip as well when eating out in restaurants. I always dismissed that theory as an unfair stereotype. Then I started waiting tables. I would challenge anyone in my area to find a waiter or waitress to dispute this theory with fact. Now, understand that this experience has not changed my view of any race as a whole. I still maintain that I dont think any race is superior to any other. Hell, I live with my Chinese girlfriend, whom I love very much. The point Im trying to make, while somewhat off topic, is that generalizations and stereotypes exist because of personal experiences with large percentage representation of groups of people. The groups of people characterized by these traits may be indigenous to a certain area, and therefor do not accurately represent the whole.

I dont think thats it at all. Its not that society thinks teenagers are idiots, but they are certainly less experienced and not fully matured. A whole lot happens between the ages of 15 and 21. You have a much greater understanding of pretty much everything at 21 rather than 15. We arent selfish of our achievements, but it is our responsiblity to mold our youth. We want to lead and teach in the most effective way, one which is best for the child or teenager. At 15, I never would believe that my parents knew better than I what was best for me, but you know what? They did. They werent trying to tear me down to make themselves feel better. Now, having said that, I dont think someone should have to wait until they are 18 to receive a black belt. I know plenty of VERY capable 1st, 2nd, and 3rd dan 18 year olds. However, 3rd dan at 13 is rediculous.

From the looks of it, you found a good school. I would definitely take advantage of that trial period. Heck, a uniform costs more than that anyway. If nothing else, I would get away from your current dojo.

I have been to different tournaments with quite varied rules. In my school, we only point spar if there is a tournament coming up. Usually we just free spar and only break if someone gets hurt or the time is up for that round. In our free sparring, there arent too many rules. Really just no strikes below the belt or to the back. Of course we are expected to use control and not hurt anybody....too much. The last tournament I went to was last saturday. It was an open tournament with all different styles. Rules for that tourney were: 2 minute rounds to 5 points, whatever comes first. No strikes below the belt, to the back, or to the face. Doing so results in a strike. 3 Strikes and youre out. All strikes to the body/head using a punch or kick is 1 point. It was pretty fun because the judges were lenient, and they werent calling taps as points. You really had to hit your opponent. Also, the best part was getting the opportunity to fight kung-fu and karate guys among others. Another tourney that Ive been to recently had very different rules. You didnt even have to make contact to get a point. If they thought you 'could have' made contact you got the point. Strikes to the body were 1 point, kicks to the head were 2, and jump kicks to the head were 3. The worst part was that we couldnt punch to the head. I scored probably 2/3 of my points last week with head punches. I didnt like that one very much. I prefer to free spar because it better prepares you for the street. There is no one to yell 'break' out there.

All of 'em. Seriously, you could find at least one person here from almost every art. I personally study TKD and jujitsu.

I'm 6'3, 175 lbs, so I know what you mean. Im pretty lean and pretty flexible, so high kicks have become a strength of mine. It just seems natural, but I also know when to try. If I think I can kick someone in the head, I can. One of my favorite kicks is a twist kick to the jaw. Though not all that flashy, it is a very easy kick for me to throw, and I can almost always land it (unless fighting someone quite fast). The main thing is knowing when to use the right technique. If it came down to a bar room brawl, I would probably be more inclined to employ a wrist lock or immobilizing blow below the head.

At my school, the going rate is $60 a month. However, if you go train with an immediate family member, the second is half off. Since I train with my brother, its $90/month for the two of us and we just split it $45 a piece. We can go to any adult class that our rank allows, and there are two clases a day (morning/day, and night) for every classification (all ages and ranks) monday through friday. One class for each group is taught on saturday. In addition to these TKD classes, there are also 2 jiujitsu classes a week. So it would be possible to attend 11 classes in a week, but that would be suicide.