Terrence Jennings's Olympic Dream

I like Terrence Jennings's style, I also like that it's because of Ninja Turtles that he got into martial arts. I don't know for a fact, but I'd imagine they were a motivating factor for me too. Check out the link below to read the GPB's article on him.

http://www.gpb.org/news/2012/04/24/olympians-arc-from-ninja-turtles-to-london?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GPBNewsFeed+%28GPB+News%29

Best Ninja Turtle fight scene ever, in my opinion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdtM66SxZeI&feature=related

Funny thing about this fight scene is that I feel it's easy to relate too. Their comes a point, some times, when you surpass someone you, either regarded as better than you or, that trained you. It's a hard feeling to handle if you are the humble type. If you are the spit-fire proud type you may never understand this, but when you beat the ones you hold in high esteem it can actually break your esteem in some ways. It's almost humbling in the end and not at all fulfilling. If you ever come across this emotion remember; humility is the correct feeling to have that that junction.

Junior Olympics

Houston is hosting the AAU Junior Olympics this time around, and guess where I am? You probably guessed right. I will try and cover some Junior Olympics stuff here as well, this may be difficult, so we will see what comes of it.

http://www.chron.com/sports/article/Houston-to-host-AAU-Junior-Olympics-in-2012-1790566.php

Tae Kwon Do on the Ground?

Is it real? Is it even possible?

I get really worked up on this topic so much to the point that one day I will have to write a book on it. For starters the theory of power in TKD is that power starts at the ground. So if you are on the ground, then to answer naysayers, yes TKD can be used on the ground. Now that does not mean you have a clue as to how to use it on the ground, but just understanding the laws of physics, TKD principals still stand. (I did not mean to make that into a pun)

Have you ever had your class pair up, one lay down on their back and the other dawn a pad, then ask them to go through the basics? Hand strike, elbow, knee, and kick. My guess is this has never even crossed your mind to do such a thing. So if it has never crossed your mind then how would any TKD practitioner ever think it’s worth using on the ground?

They can be expected to put two and two together, it’s the instructors job to pass on the knowledge they have, and most likely they have never ran drills like this either. So then what happens? Well BJJ begins to be used as a supplement to the TKD system that is being taught at that school. This is flawed. Because it leads the TKD students to believe TaeKwonDo’s purpose is to be on the ground, when it’s not. It’s a striking art that needs to remain focused on the vital points.

Catch or Trap Wrestling is good for getting back up to the feet fast, but what about when you’re in someone else’s guard and they are trying for a fancy arm lock or tricky submission, then you wrap your hands around their throat and squeeze the life out of them? This is not taught in BJJ but, and you can argue with me all day on this if you want, but I believe ITF has a low belt pattern that illustrates this move standing up. Is it fancy, no, but it sure is effective.

The second main point I would always make to people, as a TKD and Korean art apologist, is that your vital points and pressure points are still present to me when you take me to the ground. I have spent years callusing my finger tips to hit you right where it hurts. Please review the chart below to see just how many options I have to use TKD on the ground, just with my fingertips.

Also, and I don’t know if I have ever posted something about this or not, but all strikes are blocks and all blocks are strikes. Once you get that then you will double your arsenal. Goodness, I could rant on about this for ever but I had better stop. Check out this link, I think it’s lame, because its saying, “TKD and ground fighting” not TKD ground fighting. TKD can still hurt the heck out of people on the ground believe me I have done it.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/14585691/taekwondo-ground-fighting

I am not a belt ranked efficienato of Brazilian Jujitsu but in town (4^th largest city in the USA) we have a well renowned BJJ school, and I consistently submitted a blue belt from there once. So to say I am a foreigner to the BJJ system would be a lie. I have surly absorbed quite a bit of it over time, just playing around, but I can tell you from experience that TKD works on the ground. You just have to completely change the way you practice what you know.

You need to focused on the vital points and the hard, bone crushing, techniques that it teaches. And as I have said since the beginning of this blog, those are all found in the forms, ITF and WTF. So learn them, and you will help champion the true essence of TKD.

Don't hurt people, peace.

http://www.allmartialarts.com/KIXCO/History/history/map.htm

Review this link, it was something I found very interesting.

Peace.

Jones has Great Kicks

During an instructor’s class that my Grand Master would hold every Wednesday, filled with all high ranking black belts and other school owners, the Grand Master said something quite prophetic.

We would work on harder combinations, high level patterns and hard sparing drills, but then we would grapple. He was also a black belt in BJJ so that naturally worked its way in on special occasions. After we were done rolling we got to talking about the current state of MMA. Keep in mind this was ten years ago, but he came out and said something that at the time I thought was bold. Now I am paraphrasing but it went something like this;

“MMA has become boring and unrealistic. They start on their feet and then wind up rolling around on the ground until someone taps out.” Now we all realized that there were great strikers at the time, and that the majority of fights do end up on the ground, but what was so unrealistic about it was that they were allowed to just roll around until someone won.

That’s not like a real fight at all. If you are on the ground in most situations that I have been in there are always outside, outside of the two fighting, elements involved. (I.e. friends, weapons, or cops…etc.) Trap wrestling would be more beneficial I suppose, as to BJJ. But anyways back to him, “An average martial artist can start training under a decent BJJ instructor for half a year and get to be ok, a year later they can be pretty good, after two years someone that has dedicated them self to the sport of BJJ can become really proficient. However, that’s not the case with strikers. A good striker, that is not of natural ability, can take years and years of studying.”

This made since to me, but he continued, “Right now BJJ is the new thing and none of the martial artists were expecting it. They did not know how to defend against it but over time they well all, quickly, learn either how to defend against it or how to do it. Then years later we are going to see strikers make a comeback.”

Now this might not have been that prophetic in the grand scheme of prophecy, but this is exactly what has happened. UFC 145 proves that. Not only is Rashad a great striker, but he was fighting another great striker for the title. And Jones defended that title with strikes.

Here is a good piece that MSN did on Jones;

http://msn.foxsports.com/ufc/story/jon-bones-jones-succeeds-in-ufc-as-the-strong-silent-type-042312

Strikers are the future and will be for a long time, ground game is important, but don’t get caught up in the belief that TKD sucks and BJJ is the best. That has been going around for almost a decade now, and quite frankly I get sick of hearing it. The argument is weak. You can’t compare the strikes in TKD Olympic style or basic school sparing, that were derived from imitating the image of an ancient Korean tradition, to the striking taught in the forms and in actual combative situations. They are two completely different things. I do believe that TKD can pull it’s self out of the false impression it gives people but that you simply can’t translate most had strikes, from TKD’s deadly force maneuvers, into the ring of sport. Rather it is the sport of TKD or the sport of MMA. Some sport moves can be transitioned but most strikes in TKD combative theory are not real sportsman-like.

Keep kicking.

Peace.

Wolf Eyes

One time I heard a cop say it did not matter who was the better fighter, it mattered who had the best cardio. From his perspective it was all about attrition, whoever could last the longest would win the fight. His method; to hold the assailant until they tired then still having gas in his tank would win the fight, with his opponent burnt out.

On another occasion I heard an assassin, or at least that’s what I took him to be, explain about 100 easy ways to kill a man with little to no effort, yet he spoke as though he smoked a pack a day since he was 12.

Whichever one was right is not at question, obviously they were both right, but what exactly are they right about. I could not possibly guess who would win in a fight, as not only would they never be in a fight, but what they were right about has nothing to do with their approach. Or perhaps it has everything to do with their approach. They both had what has been coined “The Eye of the Tiger” (I prefer the wolf)

Taekwondo teaches this as a tenant, # 5. Courtesy, Integrity, perseverance, self-control and you guessed it, indomitable sprit. The look in the eye that says I know I should be but I’m not, afraid that is. Both of these men possessed an idea, something that made them think they could win any battle. Rather or not that always worked for them, it got them back out there to do their jobs. I think about this more and more as the Olympics near. I remember when I started sparing with top level people, I was scared.

Your opponent can always since that fear, and it will always make you acceptable to loss. Even though it’s the last tenant we stated in our student oath I believe it is the first one you should learn. Some people are borne with it, but others are not so lucky, if you have to fight for it there are many ways to defeat this fear.

I would say it’s an anxiety; however anxiety is based off of irrational fears. Sparing is a little different though, the fear is for a really good reason, for starters you could get kicked in the face. When I was young I was afraid of heights, so I started climbing trees. Once I learned the trick to get high up in the tree I learned that trick was not to look down. Even though I was at a new height I still had not faced the underlining fear, the height itself. So then I started looking down. I would climb really high, lay out across a branch that looked sturdy and just stare down at the ground until the willies would leave me.

To this day I must admit I get the willies at times when I look down from heights but just because the fear is still their does not mean I have not overcome the fear. It’s not anxiety, I really could fall, the danger still persists I am just now more capable of facing that fear.

TaeKwonDo sparing is a lot like that. You might have all the moves in the books but if you are afraid of the sparing then you will never be anything more than a good photo opp. You have to face that fear if you want to progress your skills. The only way I got over the fear of sparing good level guys was to get out there and do it. If you are not on the way to the Olympics, or Junior Olympics this year, or perhaps don’t think you could ever have what it takes then this next year look inside yourself and decide if you have examined that fifth tenant. If you have and you’re not interested that’s understandable, but if you have decided you want to go further then go for it. Spend this next year training to overcome your fear of getting kicked, getting punched and sometimes even getting hurt. Because it’s like what a 4^th dan told me once, “It’s not if you get hurt, it’s when.”

Remember spar at your own discretion.

Peace.

Revival of the Kwan System

http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2012/04/20/20/0301000000AEN20120420004000315F.HTML

Please review the above material that I came across on ladytkd.com

Now one to my peace.

Revival of the Kwan System:


Screen capture from 12 Angry Men, also the image that comes to my mind as I think about this.

When a seed becomes a small tree and that tree takes root, the roots begin to grow. The root system spreads, underground, and although a healthy tree needs a deep root system to be big, strong and healthy, it also needs the spreading of the roots to grow with in unison. If you have read the history of TKD and how the kwans came together then you know they never exactly worked in perfect harmony. Please read “A Killing Art” by Alex Gillis, linked under the must! Section. This may give you some insight on how the actual idea of TKD was formed; it was formed with some very distinct, much pinpointed, tasks in mind.

The spreading of TKD’s popularity launched it from just a hand full of schools, run by different people who most had conflicting styles, into a nation’s national martial art. It was destined to be like a tree that you see leaning rooted in turmoil. A big strong tree; one that is so big and so strong that although it may never fall, every time it grows it struggles more and more. If the roots are pulling in different directions then what is the tree really, except ironic poetry? Perhaps that is what makes the tree so special, or perhaps that is what will wind up tearing the tree into three or four different trees. This has happened in the past and can always happen again.

Going from a revived ancient tradition, to a military art, then back into a quasi-revival of an ancient tradition, then finally launched into the Olympic spot light! Come on now! That is a crazy road for a martial art to travel, much less a crazy road for the martial artists wrapped up in it. You add the years spent in Confucianism, politics, and gang related activities then it has been martial arts cauldron for High Anxiety.

There were originally 9 – 12 different Kwan’s (or what might be considered a Kwan) depending on your source and they attempted to unify them under one name. What’s in a name? Well getting national recognition is what’s in it. Because then you can change the world. My remarks may come across facetiously but it’s this very drama that I love about the art. The depth of TKD’s history is amazing to learn and good luck learning it all.

My question here is this; is it time to resort back to the Kwan system? The old way of doing things, where each school is different, but with similar patterns and goals, I know it never will. But think about how interested in Olympic TKD the world would be if only they knew the back story.

I believe I’m just ranting now. Peace!

Afghansistan's Olympic Attempt

Nesar Ahmad Bahawi will be trying to win the gold. He looks really good but is being met with the same adversity, by the Olympic committee and the Afghan Government, that his country is met with by ours. He is for sure an under dog and will be interesting to follow.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17261607
(bbc)

Meet the Aussies

Australia taekwondo team a perfect match: Reuters

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/10/olympics-taekwondo-australia-idUSL3E8FA2W020120410

Carmen Marton:

Safwan Khalil:

Keiji Oxaki- What a BA

Lbs. VS. Kg.

I know imperial standards not the metric system. Here is a conversion link if you need to understand the weight classes better.

http://www.manuelsweb.com/kg_lbs.htm

Olympic TKD 2012 Starting Point

The Olympics are right around the corner, are you paying attention? The school I grew up in did not participate in Olympic style contests much. There were 14 or so schools in the organization, and some of them would Olympic style spar but for the most part all our sport guys were either ITF’ers or Hybrids. Some of them were quite amazing; I know I sparred with the current gold medalist’s guys a couple of times. We always had someone going to nationals but our focus was ITF I suppose.

(Terrence Jennings reacts after defeating Mark Lopez in their U.S. Olympic Team Trials taekwondo match on March 10.) Borrowed from the great article below.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/london-2012-olympics-terrence-jennings-of-alexandria-va-earns-spot-on-us-taekwondo-team/2012/04/02/gIQAQfb6qS_story.html

(Cont.)
I don’t really like the style of Olympic sparing but I very much understand and admire certain skill the participants have. The speed, agility, timing and the ferocity of the moves they utilize are quite impressive. All of those things are good and what they do can be really impressive but too much of it wears me out. It does not champion the true essence of Taekwondo.

However, with that being said, I am going to try to follow the TKD Olympics this year. I will try and put up links to make it easy to understand. Keep in mind, my lack of enthusiasm about the Lopez is in no way a reflection of my love for my country. But I also would like to understand more about the competitors worldwide. I only know so many countries so I will search out the teams I can think of and post their videos, if they have any, but I will also keep my eye out for a list of country participants.

Starting Point: The Schedule

http://www.london2012.com/games/sport-competition-schedules/olympic-sport-competition-schedule.php?sport=Taekwondo&venue=&date=&Search.x=41&Search.y=14

TruthIn Taekwondo

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