Great Sparring Techniques

This is one for all my Spanish speakers out there! I came a cross this video a while ago and I loved it. These are some really good TKD moves to start training on. Check 'em out. I am working on some instructional material that hopefully will come out this year, they are sport related. So this stuff has been on my mind lately.

TKD No Longer an Olympic Sport?

Do you think of boxing as a martial art? I don’t know that I do. Now don’t miss-understand me here, I have studied boxing, I love boxing. My question here though is just, do you think of boxing as a martial art?

I see it more as a vessel. And no matter where you learned your punching skills, if you were to follow the rules, you can try your skills in the ring. Kickboxing is the same way and MMA too. I really ask this question because of the idea that TKD is potentially going about it the wrong way. 

Here in the USA , in order to get into the Olympics you have to play along with the AAU. The AAU only plays along with WTF stylists so karate and ITF, ATA and any other fighters have no chance. Well unless they conform. I don’t like conforming. With the question of TKD in the Olympics, or if it even should be, I would almost like to see it go.

ATHLETE ELIGIBILITY
All athletes must comply with the provisions of the Olympic Charter currently in force and only those athletes who have complied with the Olympic Charter may participate in the Olympic Games.
1. An athlete must be a Kukkiwon Dan certificate holder, and must be at least 15 years of age during the year of the 2012 Olympic Games.
2. All athletes who have not qualified through any of qualification tournaments must meet at least any of following requirements in order to compete at the London 2012 Olympic Games:
a. Medal winners (1st or 2nd or 3rd places) at any of the competitions enlisted on the WTF event calendar on between May 2010 and April 2012.
b. The athletes ranked within 20th place at least once in the WTF World Ranking on between May 2010 and April 2012
c. The athletes who advanced to round of 16 or higher at either WTF World Taekwondo Championships ( 2011) or World Taekwondo Qualification Tournament
d. The athletes who advanced to quarter-finals or higher at either Continental Taekwondo Championships held on between May 2010 and April 2012 or Continental Taekwondo Qualification Tournament
e. Winner of national taekwondo championships held on between May 2010 and April 2012

Sure it’s trying to make a dramatic last stance but think about it like this; I turn on the on demand channel on my Comcast. They have a sports section and in that sports section they have an Olympics trial section, but guess what sport is not on that list? All I want to do, as an American, is watch the TKD Olympic trials, except…oh yeah the AAU is still controlling it. So it’s not on there and I really think this is stupid. 

The truth is Olympic Boxing and TKD should go, and Olympic Kickboxing, with K-1 style rules, should surface. Just as boxing is just a vessel for punching skills kickboxing is just a vessel for the way of the hands and the feet. I would embrace knees and elbows too, as the hands and feet are merely extensions of the elbow and the knees. 

This is only, of course, if the Olympics want these kinds of contests to remain relevant. This may just be my opinion but the vision I have is so much bigger. I imagine a world competition where the kicking art leagues and boxing leagues come together and fight for the true world champion, and this is not a new idea.

ISAK, when it was the PKA thought this same thing, I wish they would have vied for the Olympics spot. 

TKD has pleanty of room in Olympic Kickboxing, Machida was TKD and Semmy Schilt is totally Karate. I think TKD camps and seeing TKD fighters grow would help the popularity of TKD as a whole.

These guys get it; www.kickboxingwales.com/#

Read the history of ISKA, there are other options.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Sport_Karate_Association

And quite frankly this was TKD’s hay-day.

Explore the videos on the side bar of YouTube here. They are great displays of what TKD really is, whereas the WTF style and the AAU are not. They are merely a vessel for one; I feel that is fear based.

Time to grow past the fear and embrace the indomitable sprit.

Peace.

And Captain America is...

And Captain America is....Veteran trainer Frank Couzo, from Best of the Best.

 http://www2.journalnow.com/sports/2012/jun/25/1/areq-taekwondo-instructor-named-captain-of-us-olym-ar-2383314/

Just kidding! it is Woo Sup Kim out of Winston-Salem. 

He hails from South Korea and was on the Korean Tigers Demonstration Team. They have some pretty cool stuff, if you don't know them, check them out. I searched for picture of Woo Sup Kim, other than the one on the article, but came up short. I’m sure there out there, if you find one post it, he is bound to have beautiful flying kicks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYoHwc5Ks0M&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL045406CE93DC780A

peace.

But what there's more!

After posting this news, I was informed by an anonymous comment that this was not an appointment to position. Instead he apparently purchased this spot on the team, either way I'm not too invested in this story and don't by any means wish to discredit Woo Sup Kim, as I don't know him, and find it hard to locate any picture of him doing cool flying kicks. I suppose it's more of an Honorary title/ fundraiser. Below is a quote from the article I sourced.

"Woo Sup Kim, the owner of Tiger Kim's World Class Tae Kwon Do, based in Winston-Salem, said in a news release today that he has been named captain of the U.S. Olympics Taekwondo team."

here is a PDF link that the Anonymous commnter posted.

www2.teamusa.org/~/media/USA_Taekwondo/Documents/Board%20of%20Directors/Board%20Reports/2012%20June%2022%20Board%20Report.pdf

Informal, yet I saw no direct reference to Woo Sup Kim, maybe that was the point.



For anyone that wants to clarify what they believe might be a dis-truth on this blog, I thank you for reading and partaking, and actually adding to the conversation.

Now with all that being said, when I speak of the "truth" in TKD I am not referencing the many forms of politicism in TKD as a modern sport. I have a general interest in the sport, as I sparred ITF, and WTF styles for years. I like to keep up with what is gong on, if I come a cross an article I find interesting I will post it. To set the record straight though, the "Truth" is the Patterns, the Tuls, the Pawlge of Taeguks, Hyungs or what ever you want to call them. I lean towards the belief that forms must be broken down and understood on the highest level atainable for each practioner. The art is in the forms and I speak of implamenting the moves from the forms into the structor of class work.
That is my main focus in TKD.

Thanks to all my readers.

peace. 

Sweet Video From TKD Park

ITF Vs WTF On a Much Larger Scale

The Game changer: Then back to the way it was.

TKD Sanctuary

Below is an article from the Korean Times, which tests the waters of this soon to be global discussion. As of now it seems that mostly the discussion is in Korea but TKD Times also has been reporting on this for a long time. Basically the North, which runs the ITF, decided they wanted to put together the best architectural display of what they believe TKD is. I, being from an ITF background, will probably want to side with most of their reported perspectives, but will more than likely support my own national heritage (USA) over their end all decisions.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2012/05/120_109420.html

What I mean is that the North seems to be like a road paved with good intentions, yet always manages to create a road that’s paved to Hell. Kim, Jung ll spoke sincerely about uniting the TKDs but that never happened. We must understand that there will always be more than meets the eyes to this type of discussion. The North and the South have been at odds since before I was borne, and may still be till the day I die, but if I were to predict the future I would say that; yes it will be only though the North’s initial move that the countries will re-unite, but that it would only come on the South’s terms. There are too many national interests and global interests involved in SK as of now and I don’t see that changing. Why would they want to change a working economy?

The North as we all know motioned toward the socialism route, which again is based on good intentions, but was overcome by corruption and now is a full scale communist state. The South however moved toward the global platform and embraced the capitalism structure. Long story short, the South is doing much better.

But big ups to the TKD Times for sticking to it’s motto. They reached out to the North’s effort to unify the TKDs, and have embraced this move as a hopeful change in the right direction. 

http://www.taekwondotimes.com/news/news_detail.php?gal_seq_i=517

Above is the TKD Times Magazine’s article on the North Korean Taekwondo Sanctuary.

So then the South Koreans, the WTF, came out with their plans to open the TKD Park. They later renamed it the Taekwondo Won, or Institute, and seemingly have one upped the North. 

http://www.wtkmedia.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=164

The sheer beauty and imagination alone is light years beyond anything the North will be able to complete, but that just tells me the efforts are in vain. Neither side is trying to unite the TKDs, instead they are still competing with each other as to who is TKD. 

http://freshome.com/2009/07/15/the-taekwondo-park-world-headquarters-in-muju-korea/

I would have to say that South Korea wins this battle. I judge this based on the idea of what they are building being more impressive, but will the North play their cards right? If they do, and open the ITF sanctuary up to the world, and to competitions, then over all they will have the opportunity to expand on what is the ITF Empire. However if they don’t and they go all recluse then nothing will be gained. Nothing except South Korea hosting the Olympics in the future and if they did that a structure like this would make TKD the Olympics main stage. 

Essentially both sides have much to gain for their federations assuming all hands are played right. Time will tell and no matter what happens one thing is for sure, I would love to see them both.

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.

http://www.fightingarts.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=328347&page=10

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.

http://www.segalsata.com/additional.php?id=33

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.

http://www.plenglish.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=503200&Itemid=1

Vietnam has qualified two athletes

Le Huynh Chau	Men's −58 kg (130 lbs)
Chu Hoang Dieu Linh	Women's -67 kg (150 lbs)

Le Huynh Chau:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWUaEmze0ik

chu Hoang Dieu Linh

could not find videos on her. 

Good job.

Peace.

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

Flying Knee Strike from Class Setting to Street Fight.

Flying knee strike:

Have you ever actually seen a flying knee strike in person? Not many have. I have twice, once in a street fight and once at a local MMA event. They are spectacular in fact I would venture to say majestic when performed correctly.

The one I saw in the street fight was from a running start, 15 yards or so but the MMA one was only a few steps. Both were equally as effective but very different in technique.

Knee strikes are all over TKD patterns, rather you are ITF or WTF style so how often do you work on them? I like to work on them a lot because they kill three birds with one stone.

One, you get an amazingly dynamic cardiovascular work out and great for kids that tournament spar. Two, they are not easy to perfect so if you ever wanted to use one you need to get the muscle memory going. Three, they are extremely fun and the students look forward to them.

They can either wrap up class or start class it's up to you but after 20 on each side you will probably be pretty worn out. Keep that in mind.

Break down:

Assuming you want to strike with your left leg, you have a couple of options. Say you are going from a running start then you can either jump with you opposite leg (right leg) and fly straight into your target with your left knee. That option sometimes includes a short skip step where the body weight pauses to center on both legs the a bounce ensues. This should be avoided in practice, but for some it's difficult to avoid. If they can't avoid it then that's fine they just need to practice making it good. But essentially that's the same as a standing still jump knee strike it just has some collected momentum.

Secondly you can jump off of the leg you wish to strike with. This motion looks more like a jump front snap kick. The jumping leg propels the opposite leg up and in mid air you switch the knee strike over to the leg that left the ground last. This one is more powerful and can be taught in a number of ways.

On a move like this you need to hone in on mussel memory training. For class purposes you can simply have them skip back and forth in lines, having them craft the skips into flying knees. This again is fun and the students get a great work out while they play. Another way is to use Muay Thai arm pads and hold them about shoulder level, the students can form a line and practice the jumping knee from standing front facing. Lastly, another good one is walking in lunges. This will, if consistently done, build their jumping and kneeing muscles, ie the Gluteus Minimus and the quadriceps. There are many more ideas floating around, these are just a few, but feel free to make up your own.



Work on this with your class more and see how they like it, don't make it a treat type of thing, make it a part of the monthly training plan. If it's a treat they wont get all the benefits and neither will you, because it will make them stronger, faster and increase their vertical but moreover it will keep the classes energy level up.

Mr.Mustache

Are WTF and Olympic Style Kicks Useful In Real Life?

Try throwing a fancy kick with that guy coming at you!

First things first wtf and all its flashy kicks are pretty much useless in the street. WTF is a sport and that’s where it belongs. While its origins are from a military art it has done a great job of dialing it down to pretty much something about as useful as baseball on the street. If you enjoy the sport there is nothing wrong with that but you must have an understanding that the moves and fighting style used in the wtf ring should stay there.
One of wtfs biggest flaws the lack of punches or really anything besides kicks, if you watch wtf fighters in tournaments or even in the dojang you hardly ever see them throw a punch. In the street that’s pretty much all you’re going to see and maybe some grabbing, but how are you supposed to fight against something when you never practice it or even how to defend it. How you practice something is how you’re going to perform, if you always practice throwing fancy kicks then that’s probably what you’re going to use in the street. I’ve actually had a wtf fighter tell me that in street he’d use the multiple diagonal kick move I forget what it’s called, it’s when you go from foot to foot alternating kicking leg, you see it in tournaments a lot and while it might be good for scoring points you would most likely get destroyed using it in the street. All it would take is a good punch to the face, a slam to the ground, or even a kick to the groin, which are all illegal moves in the ring.
It is very necessary to distinguish to fighting in the ring and fighting in the street. It is also necessary to train for both if you are a ring fighter, if not your knowledge of fighting elsewhere will be very limited giving you significantly less chance of surviving an altercation. The true way of martial arts is training for survival in a life or death situation, to do whatever it takes to come out on top. Wtf sport training teaches you to score points by a specific set of rules, with pads for protection, and referees to watch over the competitors, all things absent in the street.
So if you’re a wtf fighter, you enjoy what you do, plan on only sticking to your sport training, and not worry about training for the streets; that’s fine more power to you. All sorts of people train in all kinds of sports everyday that they enjoy and even live for, but that does not mean that that training will be of any use in a street fight or a survival situation. Have fun enjoy your training but never forget what your training for and know the difference between street and ring.


BatDad