From: the_dojang-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com To: the_dojang-digest@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Subject: The_Dojang-Digest V6 #171 Reply-To: the_dojang@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Errors-To: the_dojang-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Precedence: The_Dojang-Digest Fri, 26 March 1999 Vol 06 : Num 171 In this issue: the_dojang: Shortened Matches/Protests the_dojang: Re: Losing the Spirit the_dojang: Re: Losing the spirit. the_dojang: Re: "snot-nosed-punk-hotshots" the_dojang: Re: On the band wagon. the_dojang: board holders the_dojang: What would you say...?/Scott Miller the_dojang: Another Kind of MA - GM the_dojang: 3 Threads in 1 the_dojang: Quok the_dojang: Developing Speed the_dojang: Re: Temper tantrum the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V6 #170 the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V6 #170 the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V6 #170 the_dojang: . ......................................................................... The_Dojang, serving the Internet since June 1994. ~800 members strong! Copyright 1994-99: Ray Terry, California Taekwondo, Martial Arts Resource Replying to this message will NOT unsubscribe you. To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe the_dojang-digest" (no quotes) in the body of an e-mail (top line, left justified) addressed to majordomo@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com To send e-mail to this list use the_dojang@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com See the Korean Martial Arts (KMA) FAQ and online search the last two years worth of digest issues at http://www.MartialArtsResource.com Pil Seung! Ray Terry, PO Box 110841, Campbell, CA 95011 KMA@MartialArtsResource.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jamaica Power" Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 17:11:21 PST Subject: the_dojang: Shortened Matches/Protests In anyone's organization would you be able to file a formal protest at a local, state, or national tournament if the match was shortened and they didn't tell you? Would you be able to protest say in board breaking if you were supposed to have the entire mat to yourself and you were set up to do three different breaks but then they put two others on the mat with you at the same time? Jamaica jamaica_power@hotmail.com Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ From: Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 20:21:58 EST Subject: the_dojang: Re: Losing the Spirit Steve, Every one hits a point like this in their lives. It seems like the passion is gone from everything and you don't know what to do about it. I "listened" to Rick Pitino's book _Success is a Choice_ recently. (I love books on tape, especially when I take them out of the library.) He talks about players hit this point throughout their lives. His method is you have to remotivate yourself...this is a point at which you can turn your life around. I recommend the book for a number of reasons. I also like Harvey Mackay's books, which have a similar tone but are more business oriented with sports metaphors than sports oriented with business correlations. Me, I handle things a little differently. I write...a lot. I keep a journal and scratch out my life. When I hit these points, I make a few lists. The first is all the positives of quitting training. Then all the negatives of quitting. Then I make a list of the positives of sticking with training and finally the negatives of sticking with it. I start reading over the lists and making comparisions. Most of the time I can identify the problem as I look at my lists. You won't regain your focus until you identify what is at the core of this feeling...especially since you mention it crosses a number of platforms. One last suggestion...look at your diet and nutritional needs. I know that every so often, my diet will slip. Because of some physical changes going on right now, I am out of tune with my needs. When I went to see my doc the other day I told him one of the reasons I called was because chocolate was becoming one of the four basic food groups again. We went through a number of things and he recommended some new nutritional strategies for me, including a different combination of vitamin supplements. (Did I mention that my doctor is trained in homeopathic medicine?) Without even thinking, our eating habits may shift slightly causing a number of problems. One of the things that tipped the scales (no pun intended) this time through was my son wanted an Eeyore head from McD's. For medical reasons, he can't eat there and the one place that had Eeyore wouldn't let me purchase the head without a meal. I have never been one to let food go to waste (or is that waist? : ) ) so I ate the stupid meal. I forget what happens when I eat that stuff. *brr* Scary how one little burger can knock you for a loop like that. Perhaps you've been busy and doing the convenience food a bit more than usual? Perhaps your body is changing with age and needs a slightly different approach? Perhaps you have a case of spring fever and would rather be using the spam launcher as an anti-water rocket ballistic weapon? Whatever it is, you need to identify the problem before you can solve it. I hope that helps. Hang in there, I'm rooting for you! Karla ------------------------------ From: Date: Fri, 26 Mar 1999 13:29:46 +1200 Subject: the_dojang: Re: Losing the spirit. Steve Alexander wrote: - ------------------------------ Hi guys. Just thought maybe someone out there could give me a pep talk or something. I seem to be losing complete interest in TKD.. Not only that but all my other sports as well, boxing, cycling, running... I can't seem to explain it. I don't know if it's because of the amount of work I have been doing lately or what. When I do make myself go, I love it, it's just becoming harder and harder to make myself do things these days. I have been practicing TKD for 5 years now and don't want to give it up, but, I just don't seem to have "the drive" I used to. Anyone out there got some ideas on how to get the mind back to focussing on my art / sports ?... Bummed out. Steve Alexander - ------------------------------------------------------------ Take a break! No seriously - sometimes you can be overdoing it, and if you are boxing cycling running etc as well there is a good chance you need to tone it back. I went through a phase like this when I was preparing for my 1st dan test. It was still a couple of months out and I suddenly lost all interest. I still turned up 4-6 nights a week, but the enthusiasm was just not there. My instructor recognised this and basically 'banned' me from training for 3 weeks. It worked wonders. By the time my 'probation' was over I was just dying to get back into it. I couldn't pull on the uniform fast enough!! Regards Brett Kraiger, Wellington, New Zealand ------------------------------ From: steve mower Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 22:25:45 -0500 Subject: the_dojang: Re: "snot-nosed-punk-hotshots" > > 2) Embarrassment: No one likes to be kicked in the head, much less a > dozen times or more in a couple of minutes. This is especially > true with *some* older students who are sparring with young, > "snot-nosed-punk-hotshots" who are exceptionally gifted in skill > compared to them. I'm sure you're not a "snot-nosed-punk", > but I've seen many teenagers exploit older students by having > a virtual target practice session (with hard contact or not). > This can be very humiliating and frustrating for the older > student. hehehe..being an "older student, I find myself in this situation on many occasions. I don't agree with calling them "snot-nosed-punk" but, "young hotshots" may be fitting. I'm actually envious of their flexibility, and exceptionally gifted skill. Sometimes I find that the best strategy for sparring these young hotshots, is to keep my rather solid 5'10", two hundred pound frame right up tight to them. No fancy offense, back fist, round kicks, and back kicks, staying close enough to knock them off balance if necessary. Sometimes I feel this may be a "cheap shot" sparring technique against younger skilled fighters, but with the speed and flexibility I'm left with at my age, I feel this is what I've got to do. What do you think, is this fair? ------------------------------ From: Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 23:10:58 EST Subject: the_dojang: Re: On the band wagon. I am posting this about the woman who threw a temper tantrum in class because of repeated kicks in the head. I would, when I fought, have kept kicking her in the head too. Learning how to block the kick and not getting hit in the head is more important than having a person fight you exactly how you want them too. What I mean is this. She was of high enough rank and old enough that she should understand about the sport aspect of martial arts. If we told everyone " I'm not good at blocking that technique, so don't use it." and they don't, are we really getting better? I think we would be fooling ourselves. To do only what we are good at is not only cheating yourself, but it is detrimental to martial arts. I say keep kicking her in the head. She will eventually learn to block it. I learned to block many attacks because I did not want to be hit by them. Jonathan Jozokos 1st gup Red TKD ------------------------------ From: burdickd Date: Fri, 26 Mar 1999 07:13:50 -0500 (EST) Subject: the_dojang: board holders > I got a coupld of 2 inch and 3 inch plastic finger protectors for board > holders. They are simple plastic things that look like: > _ > ) > [_ <-- 2 boards fit here > > They have no markings on them showing who made them and are hard > plastic. They should work good for 2" or 3" breaks protecting the > fingers of the holders. I am trying to find out where I can get > some more of them.... I don't remember where I got these from... These are/were available from Asian World of Martial Arts. I used them for a while, but the boards tend to slip out of them, so they've gotten mothballed. Dakin Burdick ------------------------------ From: "Lasich, Mark D." Date: Fri, 26 Mar 1999 08:21:25 -0500 Subject: the_dojang: What would you say...?/Scott Miller Great question, Mr. Miller....My approach would be to keep thinking to myself, "They MUST be getting something out of training with this person, or else........" With this in mind, I would respond with something like, "Wow, that's great --- what aspects of your (or Little Sally's) training there do you really like?" If they can't answer you, one of two things could be happening 1) they haven't formulated their goals enough to know if they are making progress toward their goal, or 2) Master Quok really doesn't have anything positive to offer them. Either way, this would probably turn the conversation to, "Well, what do you like about your style/school?" At which point you can list all your positive, thereby allowing them to make the comparision in their mind. If what you then say good about your style/school impresses them, they can choose to switch schools, ask more questions, visit, etc. Be realistic, though. I doubt that any school or style could ideal for everyone who walks in the door! Be prepared to indicate some things about your style/school that may not be perfect in your eyes. They may ask! I think this approach would go far further than directly clashing with their belief that they are getting something out of the Quoker Barrel! In the spirit of TKD... Mark.Lasich@alcoa.com I asked for everything so I could enjoy life. Instead, HE gave me life so I could enjoy everything. ------------------------------ From: "Jamaica Power" Date: Fri, 26 Mar 1999 06:22:47 PST Subject: the_dojang: Another Kind of MA - GM Came across this site to share with fellow Gamers on this forum and this site does relate specifically to m.a. GM in this case means ma GameMaster...so FYI http://cdcilley.kr.com/RM_stuff/HouseRules/ma.rmss.html Jamaica jamaica_power@hotmail.com Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ From: "Jamaica Power" Date: Fri, 26 Mar 1999 06:32:40 PST Subject: the_dojang: 3 Threads in 1 One of the most recurring threads is about stretching and stretching to alleviate aches and pains. So with that in mind I was originally going to just ask if anyone on occasion asks a certified yoga instructor to lead their warmups and stretching exercises and then their cool downs; using this also as an educational time to have this person answer specific personal questions about like bursitis, back pain, shoulder rotation, hip flexibility, etc. So then I was going through some of my favorite yoga bookmarks and came across a site which talked about yoga and the special needs child which is a current thread so... FYI if you're interested. http://www.specialyoga.com/ And thank you to those that responded to that thread. I really appreciate all the feedback and detailed information. Jamaica jamaica_power@hotmail.com Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ From: Greg Giddins Date: Fri, 26 Mar 1999 08:11:41 -0700 Subject: the_dojang: Quok >Or would you just change the subject of conversation without any comment about Master Quok, and look for the first opportunity to make a quick getaway?< Well, I'd change the subject, anyway. What I would see as a "Take My Dough" school could be very fufilling to some people. And the virtue of humility should keep me from making any comparisons between my training and theirs. (I say "should", haa haa.) At least in public. (smile) I used to be much more concerned witht the other schools in my area, then I got serious enough about my own training that I just didn't have time to follow all the McDojangs floating around. Fr some reason, the McDojang is very pleasing to some people, even after they take a look at other, more traditional, or "higher quality" (whatever that is) schools. So what I or you or soomeone else would see as a travesty could be a perfect fit for someone else. And even in the McDojangs students can get VERY dedicated to their instructor, and sometimes even to their organization, regardless of "quality of training" or philosophy, or motivation, or whatever. I'm sure you've all read stuff on this forum from the "blindly following my teacher/organization" types. And telling them, even with much tact, that their training is somehow lacking can be very hurtful to them, and very damaging to your relationship (and maybe your head, haa haa). Some times silence is the best response. Greg Giddins ggiddins@ossinc.net Man is at his best in helping others: at his worst in bettering others. ------------------------------ From: Scott Apple Date: Fri, 26 Mar 1999 09:11:34 -0600 Subject: the_dojang: Developing Speed Last night at training, while we were lined up for the preliminaries, one of the BB instructors (he teaches the children) was practicing a few kicks. He is not ostentatious, and you rarely see him performing any skills, but last night he was practicing (or warming up) in view of everyone. Anyway, I was amazed to see the speed of his kicks. His technique is incredible, and his speed is even more amazing. As far as I understand, he is Korean, and grew up being taught TKD by his father. He is a few years younger than I am (okay, maybe 10 years younger - I'm a young, fit 35). I have been in TKD for only 9 months and am a green belt. I love TKD, but when I see someone this good, I'm both inspired and set back. I wonder how long it will take me to get to this level. I am working at being that good, so, my question is this: Does anyone have any effective methods for really developing speed in kicks (or all moves, for that matter)? I'm sure that building strength is also part of the deal, but I'm interested in any exercises that will be sure fire for increasing speed in my movements. I welcome any comments you have. Thanks. Scott Apple sapple@boardmember.com ------------------------------ From: Ray Wagner Date: Fri, 26 Mar 1999 09:13:40 -0600 Subject: the_dojang: Re: Temper tantrum Scott wrote: > 1. I don't think Chris will learn much from repeatedly kicking an aggressive > brown belt in the head. I was thinking about this on my drive this morning and something else popped in the ol' noggin. If I'm sparring someone and can easily kick them in the head I usually tell them why I can kick them in the head repeatedly and then switch leads. My left leg is very inept as compared to my right. It's not that I can't do the kicks and all, it just doesn't like to spar (ar at least it feels that way). This way, things are slowed down a bit so the other person can think about what they're doing and I'm working on my bad leg. Ray Wagner ------------------------------ From: "Forrest S. Clark" Date: Fri, 26 Mar 1999 09:18:29 -0600 Subject: the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V6 #170 Thanks to all who expressed their support for my recent post as well as those who chose to disagree with me in the respectful spirit of TKD. That spirit is a part of attracted me to the m.a. and that makes me yearn to get back in when I find a school that embodies the best it can this spirit. =20 Michael Sarles, we may disagree about the tenor of some of the responses, but we certainly agree on the importance of respect and its lack in the situation under discussion. Part of my point, perhaps not made well enough, was that the lack of respect, unfortunately, seemed to be mutual. To risk injury through head kicks to someone in a sparring exercise who is obviously not defending properly against an attack without using the moment to help them learn the proper defense, IMHO, shows a lack of respect for that person (and in this case, her age and perhaps limits of ability). Her lack of respect for Chris was clear and inappropriate. When we fail to inculcate respect in all that we do, we are in danger of losing it in all that we do. I've probably said enough on that. Ray, I don't know if she couldn't or wouldn't do anything about the headkicks. Either way, why risk injuring someone? Even if the lapse was on her part (we don't disagree on that point) why keep bashing her and running the needless risk of injury? Is in-dojang sparring that competitive? Enough on that, we probably won't agree and that's okay too. I'm probably just trying to protect MY head . I do understand, btw, that in a tournament competition one is seeking to "win" and this is a different issue. =20 Ray, you put it well in talking about adjusting to the ability of the other person and "not beating on them," and by helping them correct their technique. That is the kind of teamwork I expect in TKD and was not seeing described in our discussion. BTW, my own situation had to do more with lack of control and the inability to adjust to differing capabilities. Eighteen-year old exhuberant youth in full strength enjoying beating up on the little old guy with low athletic ability. I knew how to keep my arms and hands up to protect my head, but there was no way that would stop a full-force roundhouse from this very strong kid. My best defense was to not be there, but I couldn't run that fast either. Angie, I can appreciate the difficulties you may face. I have an inner-ear disease that can induce vertigo at unexpected moments and you should see me after an exercise of doing repeated spinning kicks in the same direction. Flat on the mat and praying that the world will stop the tilt-a-whirl long enough for me to get off and live . As for flexibility, I will never reach the heights of some of the younger folks (I'm glad they discovered this art early enough to take advantage of this; I didn't), but TKD has made amazing differences. However even when I can kick at above my head height (every bit of 5' 5-1/2" -- I'll claim every bit I can), there are some heads I'll never kick and, indeed, have a hard time keeping my kicks legal on the lower side. It's good to hear you have persevered through the arthritis. Wonderful! BTW, I know my age is not excuse. My first instructor was nearly 65 (and he didn't start TKD until age 45) and he could kick a roundhouse 6" over my head (being nearly 6' tall didn't hurt but he had developed the flexibility too). Three cheers for Mr. Robert Ellis of Des Moines, IA, for providing a middle-aged guy with a great role model for what TKD is all about! And, Kerry, thanks for your kind words. I haven't really left TKD, just taken a short leave of absence and that is a different thing. And ChrisM, thank you for giving us an opening for this discussion. I'm in your debt for that. We may disagree but I am pleased to respect your obvious skill and interest. =20 (And Forrest bows to ChrisM. and to all the dojang and goes to sit on the side of the mat to continue to learn from all that are here.) Forrest S. Clark, Sun Prairie, WI, USA - "A Circuit Rider on the Internet"= =20 http://www.inxpress.net/~fsclark/=A0=A0= =A0 mailto:fsclark@inxpress.net Conflict Resolution Services and Mediation Ministries http://www.mediationministries.com/=A0 mailto:forrest@mediationministries.c om=20 ------------------------------ From: Ray Wagner Date: Fri, 26 Mar 1999 09:52:16 -0600 Subject: the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V6 #170 Kerry Atchinson wrote: > Brett and Forrest, thank you both for responding with reason and maturity. > I've been amazed at some of the responses I've been reading to the original > from ChrisM. Have that many people out there lost their concept of respect? Depends on your definition of respect. If that upper belt had said something along the lines of "Please don't kick me in the head again. It's obvious I'm not blocking and I need to work on it." then that would command respect. Someone getting in your face and saying "If you do that again I'm going to punch you in the face." does not. If someone wants respect they must act respectably. I respect my elders. I respect people of higher rank. As a novel approach I respect lower ranks too. I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. But if they give me a reason to not respect them then it takes a long time to build that back. I guess I respect *people*, more than ranks or ages. I would rather have people respect me because of who I am and what I do than because I have a black piece of cloth hanging around my waist. Ray Wagner ------------------------------ From: Ray Wagner Date: Fri, 26 Mar 1999 10:04:11 -0600 Subject: the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V6 #170 Michael Sarles said: > Not telling you what to do here... Oh, please do! I'll take help wherever I can get it. :) > but how much of a weapon do you make your > lead leg? In general, it's my biggest weapon. I probably use it ~50% of the time with the other %50 divided between hands and back leg. > * With maybe 10-20% of my weight on my lead leg - it made my lead leg > attacks very quick. I've tried that too, but it cut down on my overall mobility. I think you're probably right though...I probably do need to shift my weight back some so I can use the shutdown sidekick (call it what you will...pickup side, front leg side, #1 side, etc) to stuff the hand-oriented person before they can get into their range. > Just a thought...not that I really know anything at all... I wouldn't say that at all!! Thanks for pointing out something I should have seen. Ray Wagner ------------------------------ From: Date: Fri, 26 Mar 1999 09:07:00 -0800 (PST) Subject: the_dojang: . ------------------------------ End of The_Dojang-Digest V6 #171 ******************************** Support the USTU by joining today! US Taekwondo Union, 1 Olympic Plaza, Ste 405, Colorado Spgs, CO 80909 719-578-4632 FAX 719-578-4642 ustutkd1@aol.com http://www.ustu.com --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe from this digest, the_dojang-digest, send the command: unsubscribe the_dojang-digest -or- unsubscribe the_dojang-digest your.old@address in the BODY of email (top line, left justified) addressed to majordomo@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com. Old digest issues are available via ftp://ftp.martialartsresource.com, in pub/the_dojang/digests. All digest files have the suffix '.txt' Copyright 1994-99: Ray Terry, Martial Arts Resource, California Taekwondo Standard disclaimers apply.