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<<------------------   The_Dojang mailing list   ------------------>>

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Pil Seung!

Today's Topics:

   1. RE:  flying side kick (Timothy Walker)
   2. from another group: sports TKD (Jye nigma)
   3. RE: progression of technique (J R Hilland)
   4. Re: from another group: sports TKD (Ray)
   5. Poor Judging Hurts Taekwondo (Ray)

--__--__--

Message: 1
From: Timothy Walker <timdnml@comcast.net>
To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net
Date: Sun, 24 Aug 2008 19:33:07 -0400
Subject: [The_Dojang] RE:  flying side kick
Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net

<<Someone was running away from you, yet you were able to kick them in
the midsection?  Meaning their stomach?  How'd you manage that...???>>

Purple spandex.  And indomitable spirit.

T-Bone

--__--__--

Message: 2
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2008 04:58:35 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jye nigma <kingjye@yahoo.com>
To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net
Subject: [The_Dojang] from another group: sports TKD
Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net

Are the goals of Olympic Taekwondo consistant with generally accepted
precepts of the martial arts ?  Unfortunately, I think not.

We are taught that training in the martial arts hones and strengthens
our mental, physical, spiritual development.  The original Five
Tenets of Tae Kwon Do speak to Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance,
Self Control, and Indomitable Spirit. 

But in the recent pursuit of glory on the world's biggest stage, what
have we seen ?  First came the contraversy concerning former champion
Nia Adballah's loss in the US Olympic Trials. Now comes accusations
of unfair judging at the Olympics against Steve Lopez from the US
Taekwondo Team. And since the WTF asked it's member nations to pledge
not to protest any judging issues at the Olympics, is it possible
that the WTF will take sanctions against US Taekwondo ?

I also recall in the 2004 Olympics that a competitor failed to bow to
his opponent after a match.  If you showed such a base lack of
respect in almost any dojang, the instructor would probably throw you
out of her/his school. Yet, I don't recall any punishment meted out
to the athlete in question. In fairness, I could be wrong on this
point.

Traditional martial arts teach the development of the individual to
the limit of her/his potential.  This development by definition can
only be accomplished when the individual frees herself/himself of
such limitations as false pride, ego, and selfish motivations.  As
said by masters of old, the goal is not to conquer others, but to
conquer the self.  Sports on the other hand emphasize winning and
losing.  Sports often appeal to individual, group, corporate, or
nationalistic motivations.  Too often the simple joy of competition
is replaced by a "win at all costs" mentality.  The disappoint of
defeat instead of being a tool to motivate improvement becomes a
point of bitter recriminations. 

In short, in my view the goals of sport are in direct opposition to
those of the martial arts.  To me Olympic Taekwondo as a sport lacks
the character and spiritual foundations of the martial arts.

--__--__--

Message: 3
From: "J R Hilland" <hapkido@far.midco.net>
To: <the_dojang@martialartsresource.net>
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2008 13:14:45 -0500
Subject: [The_Dojang] RE: progression of technique
Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net

Fred: You left out the kungfu and XMA fads. Maybe a few short-lived others I
can't remember...

To answer your question, I have never changed the way I teach hapkido
because of a fad and I don't know any traditional hapkidoin who has or had
any need to. I wish to repost, in part, something Michael Rowe posted back
on 4/21/2004 titled Mastery vs. Effectiveness.

"Mastery - Being able to do a technique in almost any situation from almost
any scenario, without thought or delay in almost any position.
Being able to flow into any other technique as situations change, while at
the same time maintaining a smooth and balanced physical, mental and
emotional composure."

"Effectiveness - Being able to get a technique to work when needed though
not in the most perfect of manners, maybe with a bit of panic, and not
always pretty. But effective enough to work."

"Mastery takes a life time especially in Hapkido. Nobody I know of has done
it, including Choi Young Sool or Ji Han Jae (by their own admissions even).
Effectiveness can be accomplished by many in anywhere from a 6 months to a
year."

If we take the time to learn our art thoroughly, we still won't ever
accomplish that goal...

Jere R. Hilland, Fargo, ND
www.HapkidoSelfDefense.com
29th International Hapkido Seminar, Jackson, MS
September 12-14, 2008
http://www.hapkido.com/Seminars/2008_Fall_Seminar.htm
http://www.hapkido.com/Seminars/application.htm

<<<When teaching students their techniques, in what order, if any, do you
use? For example, a lot of schools teach the front snap kick and the jumping
front snap kick in the first or second week. As with most industries, the
martial arts have "fad periods", where certain aspects of the martial arts
are popular. In my martial arts lifetime I have seen the Bruce Lee period,
the kickboxing period (PKA), the ninjustsu period, the Olympic Tae Kwon Do
period, and the mma period. My question is: have you made your Korean
martial art conform to the mma period? Thank you, Fred>>>

--__--__--

Message: 4
From: Ray <thedojang@sbcglobal.net>
To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net
Subject: Re: [The_Dojang] from another group: sports TKD
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:35:34 -0700
Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net

I'd take it up a level.  Prior to the creation of TKD's Tenets was the  
Olympic Charter.

"Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a  
balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport  
with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life  
based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of good  
example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles."

Olympic Charter, Fundamental principles, paragraph 2


Sounds a bit like the tenets...

Those that compete will always be rather, umm, competitive, and that  
can bring out the some of the worst traits in a person (win at all  
cost).

wrt sanctions against USA Taekwondo, yes, perhaps there will be some.   
As we've seen over the years, esp going back to the corrupt days of  
the USTU, the NGB of USA has been sanctioned before.

Ray

--__--__--

Message: 5
From: Ray <thedojang@sbcglobal.net>
To: The_Dojang <the_dojang@martialartsresource.net>
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2008 13:07:18 -0700
Subject: [The_Dojang] Poor Judging Hurts Taekwondo
Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net

Poor Judging Hurts Taekwondo
By Kim Tong-hyung
The Korea Times
08-24-2008

South Korea's taekwondo officials would rather talk about the four  
gold medals hauled by the country's athletes or former heavyweight  
champion Moon Dae-sung being elected as an International Olympic  
Committee (IOC) member.

However, the defining story for taekwondo in the Beijing Games seems  
to be the controversy touched off by poor judging that left many  
competitors raging in injustice.

Korean athletes in Beijing have reconfirmed the country's tight grip  
over the high-kicking traditional sport, regarded as the world's most  
popular martial art by number of practitioners. Cha Dong-min's gold in  
the men's over 80-kilogram class Saturday completing Korea's sweep,  
with all four of its competitors earning golds.

However, the most dramatic moment was provided by fellow heavyweight  
Angel Matos, a former Olympic champion from Cuba, who saved his  
hardest blow of the night for the referee.

Matos was winning 3-2 in the second round of his bronze medal match  
against Arman Chilmanov of Kazakhstan before he got injured and sat on  
the mat for medical attention, which should be limited to 60 seconds  
under competition rules.

However, he was disqualified moments later by Swedish referee Chakir  
Chelbat for taking too much time. An outraged Matos argued the call  
before kicking Chelbat in the face. His coach Leudis Gonzales also  
joined in with a punch before the two were escorted out.

It took just half an hour for the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) to  
announce that the two Cubans would be banned for life, one of the only  
decisions the sport's governing body has made with quickness and  
confidence in some time.

``It was something that absolutely never should have happened," said  
Yang Jin-suk, the WTF secretary general.

The violent meltdown by one of the sport's high-profile athletes may  
have dealt irrevocable damage to the public image of taekwondo, which  
always struggled to avoid controversy in major international events.

However, as disturbing as Matos' outburst was, WTF authorities had to  
be more embarrassed about the cheers erupting from the stands in  
reaction to the bizarre happenings.

The home crowd repeatedly chanted "Cuba" as Matos and his coached  
attacked the referee, and applauded as the two were escorted out.

The Chinese spectators were apparently angered by an earlier decision  
by the WTF to overrule a quarterfinal win by Chen Zong, the local  
favorite who had been gunning for her third straight Olympic gold in  
the women's over 67-kilogram category. The ruling put Sarah Stevenson  
in the semifinals instead.

Chen was first declared a 1-0 winner over Stevenson in their  
quarterfinal match, but the British fighter argued that the judges did  
not awarded her points for a late sweeping blow to Chen's head, which  
would have made the score 2-1 in her favor.

About 30 minutes later, the WTF announced that the appeal had  
succeeded and declared Stevenson as the winner.

This caused an uproar among the home crowd, which had been awaiting  
Chen to deliver an unprecedented third straight taekwondo gold in  
front of its eyes.

Stevenson, who had been looking for a shot at the gold, couldn't have  
been completely happy either. Showered with boos, she lost 4-1 to  
Mexico's Maria Espinoza in a semifinal bout she was clearly unprepared  
for and had to settle for a bronze with a win over Egypt's Noha Abd  
Rabo instead.

Stevenson isn't the only British fighter who is leaving Beijing  
claimed to have been "robbed." Aaron Cook, a 17-year-old fighter in  
the men 80-kilogram class, was fuming after a 4-1 loss to China's Zhu  
Guo in the bronze medal match, claiming that he wasn't awarded the  
points for at least two head kicks.

Canada's Ivett Gonda, Sweden's Hanna Zajc and Levent Tuncat of Germany  
were also among the long list of athletes who protested referees and  
judges after their losses in these Games.

Although it looks apparent that the sport of taekwondo is becoming  
increasingly spoiled by bad decisions and inconsistencies in scoring,  
Yang insists the WTF is headed toward the right direction, claiming  
the Stevenson case as a proof that taekwondo is committed to "fairness."


--__--__--

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