From: the_dojang-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com To: the_dojang-digest@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Subject: The_Dojang-Digest V8 #670 Reply-To: the_dojang@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Errors-To: the_dojang-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Precedence: The_Dojang-Digest Fri, 7 Dec 2001 Vol 08 : Num 670 In this issue: the_dojang: Re: Is Weight an Issue? / Stretching cold the_dojang: Re: Sparring in Hapkido the_dojang: Re: Weight the_dojang: Re: Shin and Calf Pain the_dojang: USTU membership the_dojang: . ========================================================================= The_Dojang, serving the Internet since June 1994. ~900 members strong! Copyright 1994-2001: Ray Terry and Martial Arts Resource The premier internet discussion forum devoted to the Korean Martial Arts. 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 the online search engine for back issues of The_Dojang at http://MartialArtsResource.com Pil Seung! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Elizabeth (Libby) Wiebel" Date: Thu, 6 Dec 2001 15:56:10 -0500 (EST) Subject: the_dojang: Re: Is Weight an Issue? / Stretching cold - -> Dizzy wrote, - -> - -> << the class. They try to make us stretch "cold". If you try to stretch cold, - -> it hurts more. But if you get the "blood flowing" first, it's easier to - -> stretch. We should be able to "warm up" the muscles first (like jumping - -> jacks or light jog around the dojang or something).>>> As far as strethching "cold" goes... I believe... and have experienced from my cross training... that it's NECESSARY to be warmed up in order for stretching to be effective. But... I've also heard... and know... that stretching can help prevent strain and injury.... So... here's where my comments/questions come in. The MA classes that I've attended where the class begins w/ a run and some other cardio and then moves into stretching seem to be the most effective. BUT... I've been in more than one MA class where by the time we've taken the time to warm up... and then stretch... there's not much time left to get to any MA techniques. Oh, the problem with short, sandwiched 45-minutes classes. I try and avoid the "short" ones and attend the dojang's longer and more intense workouts instead... even if it means I can go less frequently. I get more out of it. If I _DO_ go to a class where the time is so scrunched that either the warmup or the stretching or the techniquest part of the class seems to have been a bit skimpy, I try to make up for it on my own. How do others account for this? Instructors? How do you get a good balance in your classes? Students? Does anyone else find this to be the case... and how do you deal with it? And on to topic #2.... - -> > Is it necessary to have a body like the late Bruce Lee? Can a - -> > person be large and still master the skill without any - -> > problems? This is a tough question. I have seen people who would be deemed by most to be "overweight" demonstrate very impressive skills, techniques, and speed. But, like Ray said... if they are this good at their current weight, I sometimes wonder what they would be like a few pounds lighter. Now... there is the issue of what, exactly, is "overweight." This is so skewed in society... I think that sometimes we are led to believe that what is actually a healthy weight is overweight... and what is actually an unhealthy weight (underweight) is normal/perfect/desirable. Thus, the rise of eating disorders, disordered eating, etc, among teenagers and young adults (both male and female). This is seen in athletics... especially in sports where weight is an issue. We stereotypically think of dancers, ice skaters, gymnasts, etc. However... isn't competition TKD concerned w/ weight classes as well? In one school I attended, I was told that unless I were to lose 20 lbs., I would be cut from the sparring team... the instructor wanted me to compete in a lower weight class. I was not, by most people's standards, overweight at that time (nor am I now)... and I certainly was not 20 lbs overweight. But... the pressure was there. Eventually, I ended up voluntarily quitting the sparring team... and within a few months, leaving the school... for one where I would be accepted at the *healthy* weight I was at. Now... I know a lot of people begin a MA training program with the goal of losing weight. That's teriffic... and I've seen a lot of adults who were not previously active or athletic really take to the martial arts... something that they may not have been exposed to as children... and something that they can begin and do reasonably well at no matter what their starting condition is. Many of the adults who I've known who began a MA program for the sole reason of losing weight/getting "fit" got, for lack of a better word, addicted... and began to love MA for all of the other benefits that we all here know! So... yes, I believe weight is an issue... and can be a driving factor in a person's training. However, just as with any other activity, I believe that there is a need to be sensitive to a person's bodily makeup... their "other" activity schedule... their health history... and not be to hasty to recommend that a person simply drop weight... especially if the goal is for competition purposes. This, I believe, is asking for trouble. Finished with my ramble... :) Take care, all -- Libby - -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Libby Wiebel | ewiebel@cs.wm.edu | http://www.cs.wm.edu/~ewiebel ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ there is a hope that's been expressed in you the hope of seven generations maybe more and this is the faith that they invest in you it's that you'll do one better than was done before inside you know, inside you understand inside you know what's yours to finally set right and i suggest, and i suggest to you and i suggest this is the best part of your life ~ susan werner ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------ From: "David N. Beck" Date: Thu, 6 Dec 2001 15:00:20 -0600 (CST) Subject: the_dojang: Re: Sparring in Hapkido I would say that this is something VERY dependent on the instructor, but that in the 'typical' HKD dojang the instructor also has TKD experience and any sparring is done using TKD rules. IMO, it is simply not safe to spar competitively with joint locks in the equation-- someone will always be trying to out-tough the other guy -- which means injuries. People can do full-contact sparring in USTU TKD safely because of limiting the target areas, limiting the allowed attacks, and wearing protective gear. People can do full-speed full power throws in judo safely by limiting the types of throws. But with a full speed full power joint lock the opponent either cooperates or the joint is broken. A Hapkidoist can do TKD type sparring using HKD striking/kicking skills, and judo type sparring using HKD throwing skills -- and many do. But a better way to develop realistic self-defense skills involving the joint locks are via drills and Aikido type randori. What I mean by that is the defender does not know what kind of attack is coming or when, the attacker throws a realistic attack, and the attacker continues attacking until either controlled or disabled. This also works better with the defensive mindset of Hapkido. Sparring rules are always geared to the more aggressive person - he who attacks more usually has a greater number of successful attacks. But Hapkido is not about hitting someone else more times than he hits you; it's about stopping them from hitting you at all. So the ideal is to merge with the opponent's attack defusing its power and taking control of the person immediately, whether via joint lock, disabling throw, or disabling strike. I don't know the details of how the Hapkido Games does sparring or of the sparring Master West does (I do know he came up with a set of rules a *long* time back). Amongst friends who aren't jerks it can work. But in an open type of competition I would expect a lot of injuries. David N. Beck, WATT Lead Engineer Internet: David.Beck@alcatel.com Phone: 972-519-3103 Address: MS SDVS-2, 1000 Coit Road, Plano, Texas 75075 ** Opinions expressed are not those of Alcatel USA ** ------------------------------ From: "S. H. WEE" Date: Fri, 7 Dec 2001 09:51:08 +0800 Subject: the_dojang: Re: Weight Forget about Bruce Lee, just take a look at Samo Hung. He was a student of GM Jin-Pal Kim & Doju Jee-Han Jae. Regards, S. H. Wee > Is it necessary to have a body like the late Bruce Lee? Can a person be large > and still master the skill without any problems? ------------------------------ From: "Andrew Gassiot" Date: Fri, 7 Dec 2001 09:05:49 -0600 Subject: the_dojang: Re: Shin and Calf Pain A couple if things you might want to check. One, did you block with your shins and get a pretty good bruise? It's rare but you can actually get a bone infection. One of the men in the dojang blocked my wife's kick with his shin and they both got a bruise, no big deal. But his started to get worse, blue with a red circle, and heat. The Doc put him on antibiotics and it cleared up. Two, if it's just good ole' shin splints try this. Stand on a two by four with your heels and your toes on the ground. Lift your toes as high as you can and lower them back to the floor, repeat about 25 times. To 3 or 4 sets of these and you should feel a pretty good burn in your dorsiflexors. A PT explained it like this. If you overuse your calves the may develop, or get tight, and put more strain on your tib/fib. Since you usually don't any specific excersizes on the dorsiflexors they just don't grow as fast to react. The extra pressure, or pull, from the calf can tweak the bone a little bit and cause a good deal of pain. You may want to stand near something to hold on to for balance. DREW "Actually it's a buck and a quarter, quarter staff." ------------------------------ From: Ray Terry Date: Fri, 07 Dec 2001 9:51:18 PST Subject: the_dojang: USTU membership The mailing address for US Taekwondo Union (USTU) membership applications has changed. Send all USTU individual membership applications to: US Taekwondo Union Attn: Membership Dept Dept 5039 Denver, CO 80263-5039 Ray Terry raymail@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com ------------------------------ From: Ray Terry Date: Fri, 07 Dec 2001 10:34:43 PST Subject: the_dojang: . ------------------------------ End of The_Dojang-Digest V8 #670 ******************************** It's a great day for Taekwondo! Support the USTU by joining today. US Taekwondo Union, 1 Olympic Plaza, Ste 104C, Colorado Spgs, CO 80909 719-578-4632 FAX 719-578-4642 ustutkd1@aol.com http://www.ustu.org To unsubscribe from the_dojang-digest send the command: unsubscribe the_dojang-digest -or- unsubscribe the_dojang-digest your.old@address in the BODY (top line, left justified) of a "plain text" e-mail addressed to majordomo@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com. Old digest issues are available via ftp://ftp.martialartsresource.com. Copyright 1994-2001: Ray Terry and Martial Arts Resource Standard disclaimers apply. Remember 9-11!