Dana Hee - Olympic Champion #1


Dana in Mortal Kombat

Since we are on the topic of Olympics here’s a champion for you. Dana Hee, not only is she an Olympic champion in TaeKwonDo she was thefirst woman’s gold medalist in 1988. When TKD was first introduced to the Olympics, in Korea, she and the other 15 fighters brought home 11 metals; after it was over she was able to build quite the carrier.

While you might not know her name, you probably have seen her many times and not even known it. She took her martial arts abilities to the big screen as a stun performer, and was in many major titles. She really is quite an inspirational figure especially for women in martial arts. The former Olympic champion is now a martial arts hall of fame-er.

Some movies she did the stunts in;

Terminator Salvation, Legion, Spider-Man 2, Shallow Hal, Moulin Rouge!, Charlie's Angels, Mortal Kombat: Conquest, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (She played Mileena), Batman & Robin (She did Poison Ivy’s stunts), From Dusk Till Dawn, Mortal Kombat (Kitana) , Batman Forever, Demolition Man, and aside from movies she did stunt work for tv shows like Melrose Place, and Baywatch she also stared as a hostage in the 2001 movie Swordfish with John Travolta. Most recently she did stunts in the Avengers movie that just came out.
(more at IMDB)

She has had quite a successful life and is a great martial artist that I simply highlight today.

Peace.

ITF Tournament Rules JAHYOU MAHDSEOKI



JongSooPark
http://www.jongpark.com/images/photo%20arhive/pdf/Tournament_Rules_ITF_free_sparing.pdf

The vision of the great General Hong-Hi Choi, his last words on the topic were that "free sparring should be breathtaking and must originate from all techniques in Taekwon-Do, especially from the Tuls"

I love that he felt that way, I don't think it was a shocker to most, but kicks, knee strikes, elbows, hand strikes and punches. Wow could you imagination a TKD sport that embraced all the moves in the Tuls? If you think you could, then revisit them all, you will quickly see that it would have to be a blood sport. Im not knocking the idea, he under stood that as well and addressees it in the PDF. Please if you are an ITF, ICTF and even if you are of a completely different camp, read this PDF in it's entirety. It's worth the read and thought.

Bearer of No Resemblance

Aaron Cook
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/sports/Taekwondo-Purists-Say-Olympics-hurting-Martial-Art-points-London-2012-130983268.html

"Some taekwondo purists say the changes have gone too far and argue the Olympic-style fighting bears no resemblance to the martial art's origins in Korea."

Above is a brief article, and I mean brief, about Olympic TKD as reported on NBC. Short and strange read.

Peace.

TaeKwonDo Glamour!

I know that since it was a calculator put together by the Mayo Clinic, I could have used multiple other links to this, but come on! I had to use the one on Glamour Mag. online! Too funny to pass up.
 
THIS LINK TELLS YOU HOW MANY CALORIES YOU BURN IN TKD.


And yes, the default weight is mine, cats out the bag. And 45 min. is about all I train per session, no more 4 hour sessions like when I was 21. 

Peace. 

Punching in TaeKwonDo

 


in this article by Richard Nance, from Guns and Ammo, he analyzes the practicality of punching. First off I agree with his assessment 100%, and so did Bas Rutten, and what’s best about all of it is we are taught these very strikes in the Tuls. One more reason to embrace the Tuls and what they can teach you that the sport can’t.


 Bas Rutten:


I really thought he was going to compare the punch in a street fight to someone pulling a gun out. In which case...

But in the end I must emphasize that TKD teaches, not only great hand strike but, great punches. However if you were to take a 4 month boxing course it would do you good.

Here are some good drills that can accompany punches you should already know from TKD. His Youtube channel also has some other drills that are pretty cool, worth checking out, if you are on Youtube he is worth subscribing to.



Peace.

Poor Sarah Stevenson

http://www.itv.com/news/calendar/2012-05-24/sarah-stevenson-expected-to-be-included-in-olympics/

This girl sounds like she didn't make the cut due to politics. That's TKD for ya'

The Final Drill


The final drill: A continuation onto the Magic Drill


I recall once receiving a phone call the son of a rival school’s owner. It was a late night after all the students from the second class had gone home, and I was putting the checks I had collected in their respectful location. I had spoken to this guy, even befriended him, over the past months and he asked me what I had going on after I locked up.

I could have just gone home but out of shear curiosity I had to see what was brewing. He said that a bunch of TKD guys, young 18-30 year old, competitive, guys were going to meat up at a gym down the interstate. This was very peculiar to me as my school was not real popular amongst some of the people that were going to be there, strange that I would be invited. 

I went, it was about 10 pm and the large chain style Gym was closing and the keys were being handed to a guy I was familiar with. We will just call him Craig. Craig had actually owned a franchise of my Grand Master’s once but defected and went towards a more AAU approved style. He was legendary in my mind, this guy was a top level hybrid TKD fighter and I knew by the end of the night I was going to get to spar with him. 

Before I had my chance to spar with him I had to join the rotation, starting off was one of the back belts from the, at that time, current Olympic Champion’s school. I actually hurt him, his ribs, he wanted to spar without a check protector on and I jabbed him with a side kick, all heal. Then it was this head hunter from the rival school, he trained under my instructors before he left and became a WTF fighter, he was really fast but I would say we both had our strengths and weaknesses. Next in rotation was a guy, not sure what school he was a part of but, I knew his name. He was really well known in the TKD tournament scene, he was good and pretty much mopped the floor with me. I knew how to fight WTF guys but for some reason he knew that I knew that and he knew what to do. And so forth the night progressed until I spared my friend. I like to think I won but his kicks hurt, I might have gotten more points off but the tree trunk like legs he possessed took it out of me, and I guarantee I hurt more the next day than he did. 

Finally I was there, Craig, now I got to go up against someone I have heard about for years. I was tired but so was he; I thought for sure I would get something off on him. Nope. I could not even touch him. He was so incredibly calm, smooth and relaxed that every move I threw he had an answer for. He did not hurt me; he kicked me swiftly and gently and seemed to be coaching me. “You’re too stiff, loosen up”, he kept saying. The same thing everyone better than me always said. The buzzer rang and this time instead of rotating we were done. He only had the keys until 11:30pm now we had to leave. 

This was one of the single handed best sparing experiences I had ever had. I, in one night, got to spar with 6 or 7 guys that all came from different schools, and were all good. Wow, this was a great underground group. The group continued and I met with them more in the future, but it was not long until chasing Olympic style left me. I move more to kick boxing, and learning boxing, but I think back today to what I learned from sparing Craig.

I learned that Craig was able to be loose and relaxed in every situation because he had been in every situation I put him in long before I threw those kicks that night. In fact he had been in those situations many times. Those were not new moves for him so he naturally had an answer for them.
So how do you take that formula and transpose it to a lesson? Well it’s quite simple. You take your students and pair them up. One side attacks and one side defend. Start by giving them a kick, front kick then begin. Side A will throw the front kick and try to hit the side B student in the stomach as many time as possible with in 1 Minuit. Then they switch, the defending side has to learn how to block it. Not by being taught, hopefully you have already instilled the blocks and counter attacks in them, but by being in the situation over and over again. 

You repeat this formula with every kick in the book, side kick, back kick, and hook kicks, revers turning kicks, round houses and punches. Once they are used to seeing these moves come at them hundreds of time, over and over, they will eventually become relaxed when the move is used on them in a tournament. This will help them to maintain the “in the zone” factor. The point where things start to move slower in action, more thought can be processed in the moment. 

Next you have them throw predisposed combinations using the same formula, again and again, until no one in their own school can get over on anyone else. 

This is the final drill. When a student wants to go into TKD tournament mode, this is the best formula for them to be loose and relaxed. The only pit fall is eventually you will have put yourself into a position that you will need outsiders to come in. they are going to have to learn what other kids are throwing out there. If you are not coordinating sparing sessions with other schools in your community then you are doing your students, and TKD, a disservice. The community must be strong if you want the final drill to pay off. 

To conclude, the magic drill is something that everyone at one time or another looks for. They are the simple tricks that make scoring a point easy, moves that trick people 90% of the time. I searched long and hard for these moves and found many, some that were great and some that were not, but once you learn the magic drills you have to move to the final drill. This is a strategy that will not only help your students become comfortable in every sparing situation but will also change the way you, as an instructor, view the Tuls. I will have to touch that on another post as I feel long winded here. 

And a note: don’t stop practicing sidekicks, diagonal kicks or round houses are like riding a bike, but sidekicks have a shelf life. 

Peace. 
Mr. Mustache 

North Korea Practices ITF TaeKwonDo



In an earlier commentary of mine, earlier on my blog, I made reference to a comment a Grand Master, and Pioneer made as to who has better TKD. North Koreans or South Koreans, to which he controversially answered the North does.
Why is that so surprising? Who would typically have better… whatever; the kid who is forced to do his homework or the kid that gets to choose, the athlete that has mandatory practice or the one that can come and go as they please. Simply put they have better TKD, in my opinion because they have no choice. Besides, what kind of TKD is being inquired? Because if it’s sport then they probably don’t, but if it’s fighting style then I don’t think they are given the option to have weak TKD. 
So with that all aside I find it interesting to find, and I have known this for a long time, that the North Koreans are practicing ITF.
ITF, the dreaded front foot fighter, the fighter that keeps their hands in a boxing stance, the fighter that knows every kick in the book and can execute them we perfect timing. (That is defiantly subject to the fighter) Make no mistake although you may read this in a sarcastic tone I tell you the truth… a master ITF trained fighter, well versed in timing and execution, would annihilate the best the world has to offer in WTF.
It’s more than a sport to them, it’s more than drills to them, its timing, it’s perfection of technique, It’s knowing your opponent. Unfortunately the world is scarce on true Masters of ITF. All Hybrid fighters that ever become anything in the sport of TKD know WTF style, but how many WTF stylistics know ITF?
My point exactly. If you think you do then you’re the exception, and I know exceptions are out there, just as not every ITF fighter is awesome. All I conclude with is this; North Korea trains ITF because it’s real. It’s not wrapped up in Confucianism, but instead it’s about combat. I love the Poomsae but compared to the Tuls, they are nowhere near as aggressive.
I love TKD and respect both sides, so don’t read this the wrong way.

Peace.

The Lopez Family at it Again



 London Telegraph is all over this, not the Lopez thing

They are at it again! So as the hype begins so does the training intensify. In Olympic TKD only the strongest survive and the question in Houston is Will the Lopez siblings be the strongest? Stephen Lopez has had quite the reputation in this city for many years, despite my opinion, and it looks like the local news finds it quite sensational.
Only time will tell who “trained” the hardest, but would much rather see some new guy step onto the mat that wipes the world clean of the same old thing. Although I enjoy watching the Olympic TKD fights, some fresh face from some country we barley know about winning, would be much more beneficial for that country than the Lopez siblings taking gold. I think I am about to start ranting on things I should avoid ranting about. That’s not the purpose of this blog, sorry.
Good for them, they have worked hard in training and are extremely talented, and thank God the rules comply with the inefficient style they know.
Peace.

Jhoon Rhee

I was in an old style, inner city, book store this weekend, you know the kind where walking room only allows for waddling down isles, when I came across a Jhoon Rhee collection. I don't think the shop keeper thought it was a collection but i bought them all. He was confused on how I went from searching for Plato books to the martial arts section, but what a good find. I like these kinds of books. They are all we have left of the original teachings, unless you are lucky to grow up in a school that influences them. you can learn a lot from Grand Masters like Jhoon Rhee, if you don't know much about him do look him up.

Something to Dwell On

Hide your shadow, hide in shadows, shadows hide shadows.

That's TKD

Peace

Work Hard Play Hard

Great article on the military competing in TKD. They make it look intense!

http://www.army.mil/article/78403/Combined_Forces_Command_hosts_Tae_Kwon_Do_competition_in_Korea/

Peace.

TKD Forms Discusion


Me at a tournament long ago, flying side kick, took 2nd. 



Boy oh boy, this is my topic. Today I came across some people who have had a really polite, yet disagreeable, topic on the net and I find that refreshing. They were opinionated but not in a rude way. I love talking about the forms. I know some WTF forms but I have never been coached on the applications of the moves, however I had great coaching on the ITF forms.
My instructors broke down every move, as they felt it applied, and did a pretty through job. I have a largely analytical mind, so I broke the ITF forms down even further than I have ever been taught. If you look at the belt meanings and back ground the forms become important because they  teach you history of Korea, from a Korean perspective. I feel it’s really important to get out of your way of thinking, from time to time, and listen to other perspectives. Very refreshing.


I implore you to read through the above link and hear them out. Again, they only speak from their perspectives, being what they know, and although I may disagree I respected what they said. You have to take criticism like theirs constructively and ask yourself a question; are the forms to teach you TKD as a martial art, or as a martial sport? From my perspective it looks like that has been the discussion all along in TKD, is it real or is it “sport real”. I enjoy the sport, but if you know me then you know I side with the martial art philosophies.
Sport strategies I believe can be taught in drills and by sparing, but the forms are what are going to preserve the martial art; therefore I am for keep the integrity of the ITF forms and maintaining their martial teachings. The sport has grown over the last three decades into something bigger than what most could have seen coming, but sports change. This one already has, so if you continuously change the forms then you lose the true teachers of the founders.
Although I am athletic, I don’t fancy myself an athlete, but instead a martial artist. I hope that rings true with you as you read my writings, and even if you are heavy into the sport I would hope you could come to see the difference in perspectives. (If you don’t already)
So I know a lot about ITF forms, some about WTF forms, but ATA forms I don’t really know. They seemed to have started their own thing; I have never really looked into it. But here are their forms.


They seem to have evolved from ITF, obviously because of some of the patterns, but when I have seen ATA guys perform them at tournaments they seem like they are done for show. I would like to learn more about the approach in teaching ATA perspective. I will leave off with that.

Peace.

Vietnam makes it in!

Looks like Vietnam has qualified two people, good for them, as the story goes they have come so close in the past.


Vietnam has qualified two athletes












Men's −58 kg (130 lbs)





(150 lbs)







Le Huynh Chau:

chu Hoang Dieu Linh
could not find videos on her. 

Good job.

Peace.