From: the_dojang-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com To: the_dojang-digest@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Subject: The_Dojang-Digest V6 #601 Reply-To: the_dojang@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Errors-To: the_dojang-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Precedence: The_Dojang-Digest Wed, 15 Dec 1999 Vol 06 : Num 601 In this issue: the_dojang: Re: sparring the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V6 #597 the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V6 #598 the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V6 #599 the_dojang: Sparring/ One-Steps the_dojang: Re: TAGB the_dojang: . ========================================================================= The_Dojang, serving the Internet since June 1994. ~725 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 (top line, left justified) of a plain text e-mail 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 four years worth of digest issues at http://www.MartialArtsResource.com Pil Seung! Ray Terry, PO Box 110841, Campbell, CA 95011 KMA@MartialArtsResource.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: David Gordon Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 15:01:26 GMT Subject: the_dojang: Re: sparring > Subject: the_dojang: Re: One Step Sparring > > Take that same one-step. Put on head gear, hand pads...mouth guard optional > ;-) > Now, try it like this: > You and your partner square off in one-step fashion. Neither will Ki-Yup > when ready. Your opponent will attack you WHEN he wants, at full speed, > trying to tag you on the head (face is too dangerous) > You will try to use your favorite one-step against his attack...full > speed...without warning. Try it with any other one-step you like, against > punches, jabs, kicks, etc. Let us know your results. :-) > You are right Ron... This is what I just did during my 2nd Dan test except we didn't use any gear. But a lot of control! (Thanks Rich if you're on here now...). The one-steps still works, but you have to react quickly. and, you have to modify and follow-thru with more while doing this type of drill. - -- David, 2nd Dan TKD ------------------------------ From: "Silke Schulz" Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 08:04:56 -0800 Subject: the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V6 #597 Hi, all! I have some students who are interested in attending some open tournaments here in the Southern California. Does anyone out there know a good source of information about such tournaments, as well as MA seminars? Black Belt magazine always has an extensive list of seminars, but seems to list few tournaments and there seem to be even fewer events-tournaments or seminars- in California. Any info would be appreciated! Silke Schulz ------------------------------ From: "Silke Schulz" Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 08:45:28 -0800 Subject: the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V6 #598 Laura asked: >I think that above all else, personal achievement is the most important >aspect of practicing martial arts and that rank should be based on an >individual's own improvement and not on a comparison of others at that >rank. However, how do you balance a minimum standard of proficiency with >that of excellence? I love this question! For me, it's right up there with the question that asks how to balance integrity of martial arts training with managing a school as a business! I personally train in an organization who I feel IMHO has set their standards a little too low. For example, adult women are only required to break one inch of wood at decided black belt, and men, no matter how large, only two inches regardless of the break. Those are the minimum standards. However, I think we would all agree that the black belts around our waist would mean very little to us or to our students if we didn't actually have to meet a personal challenge in order to earn them. Each student, therefore, needs to be held to an individual standard so that they may have a sense of accomplishment at each rank level. My instructor's tradition, and one which I intend to carry on, is to challenge each individual. As an example: he may allow a woman who is 5'2" with a slight build break only one inch, but if she has jumping ability, he may add a jump kick on top of her minimum requirements. Or if another person has natural power, he may decide to make them do the same required breaks, but with more wood. The hard part is deciding what will challenge an individual, yet not set a standard that is too high. I hope that after two or three years with each individual, I will get to know their talents and struggles well enough to evaluate their personal achievement goals. I like talking to my students, and every so often I have them write down their goals for their TKD training and give them to me. I plan to return these writings to them when they earn their black belts. How do we keep the standards from slipping? For me, it's easy. The minimum standards are set by our association. However, I would imagine that if one is unaffiliated, or if one is with an organization that doesn't set standards at each rank level, then I'll guess that the task would be more difficult. I might be wrong, but I think people would tend to question the standards of a single individual or a single school more than they would question those of an entire organization. However, I also believe that if an individual deals fairly with one's students, that such questions would diminish. This isn't a complete answer, I know. I'm not sure there is one. I'm as fascinated with the answers you'll get to your question, Laura, as you must be, though! Silke Schulz ------------------------------ From: "Chuck Sears" Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 12:01:17 -0600 Subject: the_dojang: Re: The_Dojang-Digest V6 #599 > > From: Ray Terry > Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1999 14:54:14 -0800 (PST) > Subject: the_dojang: going back to college > > > I agree up to a point. If you are trying to master a weapon, I agree > > wholeheartedly. But if you > > are not, then training with it an hour or so a week is quite acceptable. > > > > snip > > > > I guess the best way to describe it is to compare it to college. TKD is our > > major; the other martial arts, such > > as sticks, groundfighting, etc. are electives which give us a much more > > rounded, versatile education. > > Ok. But in those single course college electives did you really learn much, > or did you just learn that there is a lot more out there to learn? > Maybe yours were better than mine... :) Actually, yes to both. I learned a lot. And I learned that there was a lot more to learn. As an example: I'll never be a physicist, but the elective course that I took in physics enables me to understand a lot about the topic. It also pointed out rather quickly that I am not the reincarnation of Albert Einstein. > > In my case, I wanted to learn more about sticks and knives so I studied > Eskrima for seven years. Yet I am FAR from a master of Eskrima weapons, > but I am better prepared to face a blade than I was seven years ago, and > my Eskrima practice will continue. And I think that my Eskrima study has > made me better at TKD and HKD as I've seen new problem sets that made me > examine how I might solve them using TKD/HKD. And that was my point, as well. I am by no means a master of Eskrima, but I am much better able to defend myself while armed with a stick or when unarmed against someone with a stick. And you are exactly right about how the weapon training ties back into our foundation of TKD (or whatever our primary martial art is) and makes us better at it. ------------------------------ From: "tink" Date: Wed, 15 Dec 1999 00:03:40 -0000 Subject: the_dojang: Sparring/ One-Steps Thank you for the responses to my insert on sparring and fighting. I must be going to the wrong tournaments. Hand techniques to the head are never allowed at the tourneys I attend, WTF and ITF alike...I gotta find better tourneys, I guess, or get use to warnings and subtraction points for hand techniques to the head. I really to get warned every tourney...at least twice per bout. I do enjoy the open style tourneys that have a mixture of all styles of martial arts, though I have never been to an AFAIK tourney...sounds like fun and a real learning experience. Thanks for the info. Ron... I have to agree with your method of one-step training...I have used the same method myself on occasion. It is true that not all one-steps are practical. As a matter of fact, some of them are down right awkward. I look at one-steps, as taught in class, as being used for focus, timing, and reaction. Many of them apply to street self-defense, but a student may never know if they actually work unless you try it for real with the pads and random attack as you suggested. Continuing to perform one-steps, whether realistic or not, is still a very effective tool to improve one's timing and focus while learning some techniques that may come in handy on the street. I always tell my students that if your opponent completes the punch prior to initiating the defense, the defense is useless because the opponent just knocked the defender out. Therefore, I stress practicing to the point of being able to stop or divert the attack at mid-punch. The One and Only... Tink ------------------------------ From: Piotr Bernat Date: Wed, 15 Dec 1999 08:00:22 +0200 Subject: the_dojang: Re: TAGB Simon wrote: > I'd just like to chip in with the sparring rules we use in the TAGB, which is > affiliated to the ITF. Hi Simon, I always thought that the TAGB does ITF style, but is not affiliated to the International Taekwon-Do Federation in Vienna, Austria, headed by Gen. Choi. Their international body seems to be Taekwon-Do International, of which Dave Oliver (TAGB Chairman) is also a president... ;) BTW, I`ve got some good friends in the TAGB. Send my best greetings to Joseph Schembri and Dave Shepard when you meet them - I hope to see them during this year`s Open World Championships. Regards - -- Piotr Bernat dantaekwondo@lublin.home.pl http://www.taekwondo.prv.pl ------------------------------ From: Ray Terry Date: Wed, 15 Dec 1999 07:42:47 -0800 (PST) Subject: the_dojang: . ------------------------------ End of The_Dojang-Digest V6 #601 ******************************** It's a great day for Taekwondo! 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 an 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. 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