10. Blocks should always be executed in such a way that will cause damage to the offending limb… however, just because your body does not take the hit, do not expect the block not to hurt. We did a bit of tae kwon do sparring today in class… the kinds of things I used to do at my old dojo, though this was just for the form of it – no contact, no pads, nothing but the movements. Well, despite all that, I still tend to block, and possibly a little proactively, and one good block just about rendered my left hand inoperable a few hours later. Still, despite all of the bumps, bruises, and missing skin, martial arts continue to be interesting, challenging, engaging, and one doozy of a workout. That, and I might just be a teeny tiny masochist inside…
Didn’t know you did TKD previously.
I studied the Chung Do Kwan form of TKD and achieved a 4th degree brown belt prior to moving out to the west coast. I was never able to find anyone of that form out here, so now, many years later I’ve just started taking classes from an 8th degree World Taekwondo Federation Grandmaster.
I’ve bartered my webmastering for his teaching.
Biggest problem now is how to get my fat, out of shape arse back in gear.
Honestly, I have no idea what subgroup of TKD I learned… My master was a student of Jhoon Rhee, so I guess it would be whatever his particular form is called. Never much went into the technical aspects, and, honestly, I have no idea what our current master’s “lineage” is.
I sympathize on the whole “getting in gear” problem, though… and I have nary an excuse.
I didn’t really know much about differences when I started, but I did know that the chung do kwan was more street fighting than the more prevalent tournament style Tae Kwon Do.
My current teacher is Olympic style TKD, and it is so much different than I was used to… He is making me rethink many years of training, and I’m enjoying the process. To me, his lineage isn’t nearly as important as his ability to teach. I’ve met amazing martial artists who couldn’t even teach you to make a fist!
I respect the guy because he is willing to tell me “WHY”, which is not something that most people really want to spend the time doing. But, I know myself and given my prior experience, if I don’t know why to change what I’m doing, I won’t commit to it fully and will just end up being sloppy.
I was reading the link in one of your other posts about the guy who ended up using his weapon in a road-rage incident, and I was thinking “what would I have done?” Given that Kalifornistan isn’t a CC state for the lay person, my only option would have been my martial arts training, and that of course led me to wonder if it would have been enough. Realistically, ANY training that allows you to simply NOT freeze at those moments makes all the difference in 90%+ of any physical confrontation, but what about the times when it doesn’t?
It was a sobering moment for me.
I agree… my old master taught predominantly tae kwon do and hapkido, but more towards a show and sparring purpose. This new teacher leands more towards self-defense and application on the street, explaining that for class purposes, we should only do a certain thing so much on our partner, since it could cause more serious damage were we to hold it. Kind of strange to hear, but it does empower one a bit once one gets the hang of it. Throw in a little judo at this new school, and I am learning potentially a lot more than I did at the last place.
The real trick is, as you say, learning how to not freeze in situations where it matters. Thankfully, most martial arts covers that, but the real trick is is learning it to the point where you do not have to remember it.