Stances; Master Jules vs. STR33T GUY

[Sam]

Hello, just thought I'd throw in my part...

 

Just to revive the comment master Jules made about TKD practitioners always going for fancy kicks to the head...

 

I agreee - been doing tkd for ages now and the amount of people that think a head kick is more effective than a kick to the knee.... we practice all the time to kick high and powerfully and in various silly fancy ways that are ridiculously impractical and most tkdists think this is because we should actually use a 540 triple narabam to the body and head in a real fight.... yeah nice one.

 

Sorry had to get that off my chest little things that get to me about people that dont think about why we train to do certain things and what they could realistically do.

 

i.e.

 

flashTKDman: "Yeah well I'm a 4th dan in 3 forms of TKD and ill destroy you with a 720 vaulting axe kick... just watch"

 

man in the street:"Oh.... thats nice"

 

flashTKDman"right thats it...Ayaaaaaaah!!!!....ow my knee" (*promply collapses in a heap*)

[Ottman]

I agree with you Sam. I can't do any of these multiple aerial spin techniques, and can't say that I've even tried any (save 540 kick, which I tried once and immediatley thought better of it.) They really have no practical use unless your giving demos as one of the korean tigers or something. (not my thing, I think those guys are great atheletes and all, but I hold there fighting skills under suspicion.) BTW, Have you noticed that breaking competition has fallen in quality recently? Don't know if you compete, but I love breaking, and I've noticed that even at the black belt level, the traditional inch thick pine boards are being replaced with some 1/4 inch balsa wood junk alternative specifically so that these crazy aerial techniques with flips and cartwheels and 720's can be preformed and the board still be broken. Strangely enough, the guys using the real boards and real techniques always seem to win anyways. This is why I love the judges in TKD competitions (at least the ones I've been to) they're not buying it. Having officiated, I know that the criteron behind judging board breaking, always gives presidence to the guy who breaks the most wood (or cinder or whatever) no matter how much flare, flips and spins he uses. Difficulty of technique comes next, then maybe flare at a far distant third. Of course, if these high flyers were to start breaking real boards then I'd be in trouble, but I have yet to se that happen.

 

Know I'm off topic here, but it's been on my mind so it's coming out now. In fact, I'll copy this post to a new thread in the Korean MA section and see what my other TKD buddies have to say about it.

 

P.S. Member of the month Master J. Congrats!

[Sam]

i agree as well... well 2 things

 

The main application of mastering all the spinning / vaulting techniques is to improve your in air control - that is a big reason for learing them it helps greatly with your other techniques [if i can pull a sloppy 720 turning kick i cna easily manage a crisp flying side kick at a good height is the idea].

 

With breaking ive started to find the same but wiht some competitions theyve allowed people to place the boards facing the ceiling [not in the main style i train but in cross discipline competitions] now dont get me wrong the axe kick is a great kick but its a bit unfair for breaking i.e. "oh look i can do a vaulting axe kick [for those that dont know its a somersaulted axe kick using our whole weight] therefore i win" it got a bitboring after the 9th person did a vaulting axe kick all the judges were like "great you can do possibly the most impractical technique ever on a board - have a cookie"... and one of them won because even if ur really good with a technique its difficult to generate as much power as someone who has their whole weight behind them.

[Master Jules]

Thanks Ottman !

[SevenStar]

After looking at your OODA diagram, I've found that I actually follow its principles, it's just that the way I was trained, (and the way I continue to train) involves multiple basic stances (not many, just about 4.) Since I have been training this way, since I was twelve, (22 now) I have had the time to master each stance, and it's no longer complicated for me to use multiple stances, or to add new stances, (in the case of my capoeira training specifically.) I hadn't, until now, looked at it from the other side with someone who has always trained with just one stance.

 

stances are transitory. even if you have only one fighting stance, you will still unbeknownst to yourself, use others. A few weeks ago in thai boxing, we were working a technique. the retreating portion resulted in the "retreater" having his weight balanced in something similar to a cat stance before launching his next attack. One of the guys who had trained tma before goes "hey, this is like a cat stance!" and I explained to him that he was correct, and that we use alot of stances in transition, but don't train of have names for them like we did in our TMA days.

 

[SevenStar]

as far as flashy kicks go, look at them as training tools. if you can kick high with power, you can easily kick low. jumping and spinning kicks build explosive power. use that in your front, round, side, etc. kicks.

[Ottman]

I guess you have a point there sam, I've just never seen anyone even attempt a vaulting axe kick in TKD before. Guess I'm just lucky.

[Muaythaiboxer]

the jump spining hook kick seem practicle compaired to that.

 

oh and jules have you ever done any ring fights?

[Master Jules]

I grew up fighting in the local tournaments . Never a "ring", but we still go at it......lol....I fought a lot of full contact as well, but again, no ring.....and then, bouncing for 20 years.....well....thats as "real" as it gets......no ring there either....but no bell, no ref, and no "time outs".......weapons of all kinds......thats how I got the nickname "The Sandman"....

[Kicks]

STR33T GUY wrote

The hands can either be in an open position with palms facing out; or with a closed fist, palms facing in and thumbs touching the temples.

 

Are your thumbs actually touching your temples? I can't imagine fighting like that with my guard so close to my body, especially my face. When I fight my feet and body position matches your description, but I keep my arms and hands out at about 30% reach. I keep my forward arm between me and my opponent and my rear arm up and protecting my inside (chest and facial area).

 

Sometimes I like to practice blocking with just one arm/hand. I'll turn my body 90 degrees to my opponent and just use my forward arm/hand to block every punch and kick thrown at me. When I first started doing this I was surprised how easier and quicker it was with just one hand as opposed to using both arms/hands.