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Per What Exit's suggestion, I am opening this in Q&A; would a mod please move it to Ask The Expert?
I am a 5th Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo and own a school in Houston, TX. I have some familiarity with other styles due to cross-training. Feel free to ask me anything about martial arts; if I don't know the answer, it will be a learning opportunity for me as I go find it out for you.
The entirety of my martial arts career consists of two years of Judo in school in 5th and 6th grade. It has always been a secret wish of mine to start again at some point (though not necessarily Judo) but nothing ever came of it.
Now I am 29, quite fat and entirely untrained.
I wouldn't be in any hurry and I have no illusions of ever becoming great at it.
Is there hope for me? Do you have any tips or recommendations?
You wouldn't really kick my ass, would you?
Might as well ask, what would be a good place to start for a fat middle-age guy?
What kinds of people come to you for lessons? Is it primarily kids whose parents want them to learn discipline/confidence/self-defense? Is it adults who are looking for a way to keep fit? Is it people looking to use it, maybe people who want to complete in point sparring or mixed martial arts? I mean, I'm sure it's at least a little of everything, but what types do you see the most of?
Can knowing martial arts really help a woman fend off an attacker who is much larger and stronger than her? I have a friend who is a black belt, and her husband (who is much bigger than she is) used to laugh at the idea that she could fight off a guy his size if she had to, and she insisted that she could. Luckily, she's never had to, so I don't know if she's right or not! Is it worthwhile learning martial arts for this purpose?
Has the increasing interest in MMA made you realise the ineffectiveness of having ability in only one discipline, at a competitive level?
On the street, are you confident you could fend off an attack from any one person who hasn't trained as hard as you have?
Is there any sort of quick, easy exercises you can recommend? Occasionally I get the urge to exercise, but it passes within minutes. Something cool and martial-artsey might be able to hold my attention for that long.
I'm another 40-something who would like to take up some kind of martial art to stay in shape. After the recommended check up with a physician, what would you say was the best way to assess my level of fitness?
How much contact training do you do?
Regards,
Shodan
I started when I was 16, had to lay out when I was 19, restarted at age 38. I turn 61 in December. You're never too old.Quote:
Originally posted by Feirefiz
Make sure that you can handle physical exercise. Start slow, work your way up; your instructor will help you greatly if you sit down and work out a game plan with him/her. Don't rush it - you have the rest of your life to do this.
If you'll PM or email me and send me your zip code, I'll see if there is a school in my style near you. I can probably make a introduction to the instructor if there is.
You would be surprised at how many times a day I hear a variation of that from someone who thinks they are cracking an original joke. :LOL:Quote:
Originally posted by Jaglavak
When I first started way back when, it was mostly the testosterone warriors: males, age 17-30. Few women and almost no kids.Quote:
Originally posted by OneCentStamp
These days, the martial arts world is probably about 60-75% under the age of 17. The mix has really changed. I start students at age 6 and if I open up a Tiny Tiger program, I'll take them at 4-5. A lot of parents bring their kids in because they want them to learn discipline, confidence and self-control. We don't get that many kids who want to be Power Rangers or Ninja Turtles any more.
Adult physical fitness is on the upswing and I am picking up more adults looking to get back in shape. Learning to defend oneself is an added bonus.
Yes.Quote:
Originally posted by Sarahfeena
The martial artist will have two big things going. 1) Confidence, which will usually cause most attackers who are profiling for victims to look elsewhere and 2) the element of surprise; when the bad guy jumps on them, they are not going to be expecting the violent response they will get.
One of the young ladies in the school when I first joined was accosted twice. Once was at a bus stop, where she simply raised her voice and started yelling at the guy which made him run off. The other was a serious attempt at abduction. She had a guy bail out of a car and try to drag her in. She broke his wrist and ruptured a testicle.
Any good martial arts school will work with you to get you back in shape.Quote:
Originally posted by What Exit?
Email me your zipcode and I'll see if there's a school in my style near you.
Well, we were MMA before MMA became popular. Our style has advocated cross-training for a long time. The philosophy is that Taekwondo is like our major in college. The seniors in the organization went out and cross-trained in other disciplines, then came back and developed a curriculum to teach those disciplines within our style, similar to elective course supporting the major. They are not intended to make us experts in the other style, just knowledgeable.Quote:
Originally posted by ivan astikov
Cross-training is great.
Desire, Dedication, Discipline.Quote:
Originally posted by AllWalker
If all you want is basic exercises, then you might try doing a mixture of jumping jacks, situps, pushups, jogging in place and half-squats.
You might also check out Warrior X-Fit. That will definitely bust a sweat. We do the 15 round workout every Saturday morning.
Check the schools in your area. Watch classes, talk with the students, talk with the instructors and choose one that feels right for you. You can also do some physical training in a gym to get back in shape; in fact, I recommend doing that.Quote:
Originally posted by ivan astikov
We are ostensibly a non-contact sparring system. That doesn't mean that contact doesn't happen; it's just not our primary goal.Quote:
Originally posted by Shodan
However, once someone makes Black Belt, we will occasionally do advance sparring sessions where we open up and whack on each other a little.
Thank you for your answer and your encouraging words.Quote:
Originally posted by Clothahump
You did notice that I'm in Germany, didn't you?Quote:
If you'll PM or email me and send me your zip code, I'll see if there is a school in my style near you. I can probably make a introduction to the instructor if there is.
No, I didn't. But we do have schools in Germany.Quote:
Originally posted by Feirefiz
I can also recommend a book by Sang H. Kim called Martial Arts After 40.
Thanks, Clothahump. Do you ever spar as they do in the Olympics, with full power kicks to the head and torso but no head punches?
And why do they call it "finweight"?
Regards,
Shodan
Don't know about finweight, that's a new one.Quote:
Originally posted by Shodan
ATA will teach Olympic style sparring to those Black Belts who want to learn it. I personally don't offer it in my school, but there are seminars on it at the National tournaments. And all of our techniques are full power; they are just controlled so as to not make full contact.
A lot of folks have posted sparring matches up on YouTube. Here's one if you are interested: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1O5MQtJn9M
What style of martial art would you recommend for someone with a slightly-wonky knee? (I tore an MCL a few years back in an ill-fated altercation with a motor vehicle.)
My first recommendation would be to head to a sports medicine specialist and get it fixed. Don't skimp on the rehab. Once you are back up to speed, then pretty much anything that floats your boat, martial arts wise, is up for grabs.Quote:
Originally posted by Orual
I recommend that you get it fixed before starting because any martial art is going to work your legs strongly. Lots of pivoting, etc., and if you don't have a solid foundation, you're going to have problems. I blew my left ACL doing something really dumb about 7 years ago. After surgery and rehab, it was nearly two years before I was back up to full speed, but it was sooooo worth it.
1) Can you trace your black belt lineage back to Jhoon Rhee? I ask because my oldest son, when my kids still lived in Houston, took lessons from April Cunningham, and I wonder if you and she are close on the American TKD "family tree."
2) A lot of the guys and girls on those breaking (bricks, boards, etc.) competitions they show late at night on ESPN2 come from a TKD background. Did you ever try any of that stuff, or train anyone who did?
As flashy as some of those moves in the video linked above look, aren't they really only going to be effective if your opponent is also doing the same moves?
It seems to me if someone tried one of those leg kicks and missed, they could easily be taken to the ground, where their training in stand up striking will count for little.
I started with Jhoon Rhee's organization, but did not earn Black Belt with them. I trained with John Worley and Michael Uselton. When I started over with the ATA in 1987, I went back to White Belt and have my entire testing history available with them. My first instructor was Rod Stone; my second and current instructor is Master Larry Spencer.Quote:
Originally posted by OneCentStamp
We have board breaking requirements for promotion starting in the upper color belt ranks. We do the occasional break-a-thon for charity, but we do not have specific breaking competitions.Quote:
2) A lot of the guys and girls on those breaking (bricks, boards, etc.) competitions they show late at night on ESPN2 come from a TKD background. Did you ever try any of that stuff, or train anyone who did?
Don't confuse sparring in a tournament with self defense. One is the sport aspect and the other is the practical application. In sparring class, we'll go headhunting. When we are working self-defense, I teach to never kick higher than the belt. It's much better to use our legs to take their legs out; that way, they can't chase you when you run away.:LOL:Quote:
Originally posted by ivan astikov
(Thanks for answering all these questions, by the way. This thread alone is going to double your post count!)
Since earning your black belt, on how many occasions have you had to use your skills on someone who meant you real harm?
My pleasure. I'll talk martial arts all day long.Quote:
Originally posted by OneCentStamp
On one hand, I could say I've used them every day. The confidence that I have learned from my training has probably deterred people from assaulting me; I like to refer to that as winning a fight that I didn't even know that I had. As Sun Tzu puts it in The Art of War:Quote:
Since earning your black belt, on how many occasions have you had to use your skills on someone who meant you real harm?
That's all nice and philosophical and all that, but I know you are asking how many fights I've been in, and the answer to that is that I had several when I was a cop and my training helped me subdue my opponent without getting hurt (too badly, at least). Since I joined the ATA in 1987, I've been in only one altercation and I actually subdued my opponent faster and easier because I'd had training in pressure point control tactics that I hadn't had before.Quote:
Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles
is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists
in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.
I'd have thought that after leaving the police force, you'd still have had several public occasions where your skills might be called upon. Do you think there was any luck involved in that, or do you just make sure not to get in those scenarios; say by avoiding public transport and bars where you don't know the clientele?
Do you still feel any onus to look out for weaker members of the public, and did you support the actions of the Guardian Angels, or object to them?
I feel that we should all look out for one another. A functioning society is teamwork in my opinion. I'm not a member of the Angels but I understand where they are coming from and I support the concept. I am a member of my neighborhood watch program for that reason.Quote:
Originally posted by ivan astikov
Why Tae Kwon Do? You've devoted roughly half your life to this pursuit, to the point that it's a source of income for you, and something you identify yourself with strongly. So why this martial art in particular? Even in the 1970s and 80s, there were others around: kempo, judo, Western boxing, about a hundred flavors of kung fu, just to name a few...why TKD?
When I first started back in 1966, I joined the University of Texas Karate Club. Everything was called karate back then because that was the name that the public was familiar with. When I found out I was learning Taekwondo, it didn't matter to me all that much.Quote:
Originally posted by OneCentStamp
When I started back in martial arts in 1987, I was on the island of Kwajalein in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. I ran into a guy that was running a small club there on the island. It was Taekwondo, I was familiar with it and remembered it as being fun, so I decided to start over again. I like the ATA's teaching philosophy and forms and I've stayed with it.
I've done some cross-training in aikido and Tai Chi, but Taekwondo was my first love, so to speak, and I've never really wanted to put the effort into mastering another martial art. I'm still trying to master this one. :lol: (that was a pun. I'm planning to test for 6th Degree next June; when I make it, I'll be a Master candidate.)
This is something I've always wanted to ask a black belt: what's the difference, once you get to that point? When you're talking about 2nd, 3rd, 4th degree black belts, is there much more learning between ranks, or is it pretty incremental by that point? Is the advancement physical; i.e., do you learn new techniques, or is the advancement more internal and philosophical? Is the difference between a 2nd and a 5th degree black belt in TKD something you would be able to spot by watching them? Would a relative neophyte like me be able to spot it?Quote:
Originally posted by Clothahump
Have you seen The Foot Fist Way :)? If so, were you amused in general and did you think it an "accurate parody", if you get my meaning?
The Foot Fist Way is one of the funniest films I saw this year.
Excellent question.Quote:
Originally posted by OneCentStamp
The physical training never stops, obviously, and there are new techniques to learn, and new ways to use old techniques. The changes are more internal, I think. For example, there is a change in the way we learn new material. From White Belt up to Second Degree or so, your instructor is an instructor. Around that time, the relationship changes and your instructor becomes more of a mentor. Instead of teaching you a new form, the instructor will show it to you, but in reality, you'll mostly teach it to yourself. The instructor will then help you polish the rough spots.
Yes, there is still a noticeable difference between a Second Degree and a Fifth Degree. For one thing, in our style, that's a minimum of 9 years more experience and training. The physical techniques will be just a little smoother, there will be an economy of motion, etc., and I believe it would be noticeable to someone who was not actively training.
I think that overall, it's the internalization of the life skills that makes the biggest difference. Black Belts who trained in a traditional style are, for the most part, some of the politest people you will ever meet. They set goals and achieve them and are oriented toward success.
I have not seen it. People whose opinions I value and trust saw it and their reaction overall was that it was a piece of crap.Quote:
Originally posted by Tamerlane
How long can you hold your breath? I'm serious.
I take it karate has a vastly different merit system then?Quote:
Originally posted by Clothahump
5 yr old girl achieves karate blackbelt
At her present rate, how long should that take?Quote:
She is a black belt first dan, or grade, and there are 10 grades in total. She is already a mini master but if she makes it to second dan she can start teaching -- just like her father.
Humour is a funny old thing. It's like how people tend to laugh less when they realise they are the butt of the joke.Quote:
Originally posted by Clothahump
51 seconds.Quote:
Originally posted by beebs
Why? I'm curious.
I'm not familiar with her style and what the requirements are, so I can't answer from that point of view. In the ATA, there is a minimum time in rank and it's one year for every degree. So a First Degree has to wait one year to test, a Second Degree two years, etc.Quote:
Originally posted by ivan astikov
However, I am kind of sensitive to the issue of kids getting Black Belts right after they get out of diapers. Children hit their first big growth spurt at around age 6, and it's a mental spurt rather than physical. There is a huge increase in vocabulary and the beginnings of rational thinking: step A leads to step B leads to step C, etc. I don't think children that young appreciate what it really means to be a Black Belt.
It's more than just punching, kicking and rote memorization. There are life skills as well: courtesy, respect, loyalty, perseverance, honor, integrity, self-control, etc., and a 5 year old just doesn't grasp the concepts. They might be able to parrot back a canned response, but ask them for an example to demonstrate the concept and you'll get a deer-in-the-headlights look. A ten year old, however, could do it.
That is why I, as an instructor, will not give rank to kids in the Tiny Tigers program (6 and under). The classes are taught differently because the kids learn differently when younger. They learn through play and peer interaction. They are still learning how to use their bodies: left vs. right, front vs. back, etc. So kids in my Tiger program stay at White Belt until I think they are ready to move into the regular classes, which will not be until they are at least age 6 and in the first grade in school. That will put them testing for First Degree at around age 9 or 10, and I am much more comfortable with that.
Some styles won't give a full Black Belt to anyone under age 18 or so. They'll give a Jr. Black Belt and upon reaching the designated age, they will test for their full Black Belt. And that's fine. Each style has its own curriculum and requirements.
They said it had some funny spots, but overall it was a poorly done movie, not worth spending the time or money on. Like I said, I respected their opinions. I might get it on video some day and watch it, because others (such as you) have said it was funny. I can't make that decision until I see it for myself.Quote:
Originally posted by ivan astikov
I'd agree; it wasn't worth going to the cinema to see, but it is worth a rental or a purchase from a bargain bin.Quote:
Originally posted by Clothahump
Can you tell me what the TKD fighter in the clip here was doing wrong? Was he merely up against a technically better fighter, or is Muay Thai a style that TKD cannot deal with very effectively?
Tangential to ivan's question, and something I've wondered about: do you enjoy, and do you have much opportunity to, spar with people outside of your discipline?
I'm not the expert here, but it appears the TKD guy wasn't used to low kicks.Quote:
Originally posted by ivan astikov
I couldn't tell what the rules were supposed to be, but the referee appeared to warn the Muay Thai fighter at least twice for grabbing the leg and throwing the TKD fighter. I believe this was for a leg grab takedown, but I can't be sure.
The major advantage of most boxers or kickboxers is that they are used to contact.
Regards,
Shodan
IMNSHO, there is no such thing as a bad martial arts style. There are, however, bad martial artists. The TKD guy was not rechambering his kicks. In addition, he had bad focus and missed on at least three techniques that he should have scored on, as well as relying on single techniques instead of combinations. In no uncertain terms, he was beaten by someone who was better in his chosen martial art than the TKD guy was in his.Quote:
Originally posted by ivan astikov
Not recently. It's always nice to spar someone who thinks differently, and learn new tricks and techniques from them.Quote:
Originally posted by OneCentStamp
Do you treat martial arts for sport and self-defense as different disciplines then, Clothahump? I'd have thought the ability to do forms or katas as being more necessary for impressing a judge than defending an attack on the street.
My teaching style is very traditional. We do tournament sparring, we do forms, etc., but everything is taught on a foundation of self-defense. When I teach students a new one-step, for example, I'm teaching it in a manner that emphasizes focus/balance/power/timing/control/etc., but at the same time, I will also show them how the one-step has a practical application in terms of self-defense.Quote:
Originally posted by ivan astikov
Forms are a good way to practice technique and attributes. They are also a good way to practice self-defense techniques as well. When I teach forms, I'll take segments of the form and show the practical application just like I do the one-steps. Yeah, there are some show-off segments; for example, I would never teach the use of a butterfly kick as a self-defense move. But I'll sure teach it in the forms, because learning to do a butterfly kick helps with focus/balance/power/timing/control/etc. and helps develop the student's self-confidence. And that confidence is a primary ingredient in self-defense.
No question this time, I just wanted to let you know that I enjoyed your article.
Thank you!Quote:
Originally posted by Feirefiz
Yes, I enjoyed it, too. Thank you for providing this for us, Clothahump!
For those have may have missed it or come upon this thread later: A Hero's Journey: The making of a Taekwondo Black Belt.
I particularly enjoyed this metaphor:
Quote:
As an instructor, the Black Belt student is somewhat like a candle, which consumes itself to illuminate the darkness; every once in a while, the Black Belt needs to refocus on their own training so that they do not burn out and lose sight of their own goals.
I know this thread has been cold a little while, so I hope you are still willing to answer some questions.
You've suggested people to go to classes, see what they offer and ask people how they feel about the class they are in. A wise suggestion. MY question is, what would you warn against attempting? Obviously anything outside of your physical ability is probably the first place to start, but also you said most instructors will work with you. Why wouldn't they? Money and the pleasure of helping others is motivation for anyone.
I've been interested in martial arts my whole life but costs and unfamiliarity with the various (and boy is there various) martial arts kept me from it. But as I've become more in control of my own destiny, I've pondered Aikido and Krav Maga. Having cross trained in Aikido, your opinion on that interests me. Don't know your stance on Krav Maga.
Thanks in advance
First, my apologies for the delay in responding - RL got in the way.Quote:
Originally posted by Silence
As you said, know what your physical limitations are going in. IMNSHO, the instructor should be willing to work with you, but I have heard of some instructors who will not train people who have physical limitations. Whether that is from some fear of potential future litigation or other reasons, I simply couldn't tell you.
If you've been sedentary for a while, I'd start slow and work up. One of the best things is to immediately develop the mindset that you *don't* have to test and promote at the rate others do. Testing is a combination of "I, the instructor, think you're ready" and "I, the student, think I'm ready".
I've seen Krav. It's a hodge-podge martial art, where elements were taken from several disciplines and merged into one cohesive concept. It's very strongly oriented toward purely self-defense and does not seem to stress the life skills that I associate with a traditional martial art. I'm certainly not knocking it, it's just a different viewpoint and philosophy.Quote:
I've been interested in martial arts my whole life but costs and unfamiliarity with the various (and boy is there various) martial arts kept me from it. But as I've become more in control of my own destiny, I've pondered Aikido and Krav Maga. Having cross trained in Aikido, your opinion on that interests me. Don't know your stance on Krav Maga.
Aikido is nice. I've done a little cross-training on the joint manipulation aspects, but I haven't gotten deep into it. It's an interesting discipline.
If you are in reasonably good shape, I'd say go for either one if that is where your interests lie. Otherwise, you might consider Taekwondo or Karate to get in shape, then cross-train into Krav or Aikido.
Have you ever encountered bullying by students, and if so, how did you respond? Also, has there ever been people turn up who you have refused to teach or stopped teaching because you felt they might be thinking of abusing their skills?
Quote:
Originally posted by Silence
Can a non-Clothahump post something here?Quote:
Originally posted by Clothahump
I've just started (I mean literally: my first class was last night) aikido classes. I'm not the least-fit person in the world, but I'm not super-fit either. I'm overweight and, though I do at least half an hour of physical activity each day, it's been a while since I've done anything like this. My knees are a bit stiff and I've got an ankle full of metal from breaking it a few years back which makes it fairly stiff as well. So I was a little nervous going into class last night.
It is physical - I worked up a decent sweat during class - but the instructor and senior student worked with me, and I got through class fine, even coping well with being thrown as uke (the attacker/throwee: the defender/thrower is called nage). That was part of what we worked on - how to fall as uke and, as nage, how to 'help' your uke fall.
I chose aikido for its emphasis on not doing any unnecessary harm. So many of the martial arts schools I've seen around here seem to advertise on a 'learn how to beat the tar out of your opponent', which I don't really want to learn: aikido focuses on immobilising your opponent without doing any unnecessary harm. I'm interested in the mental and physical training; self-defence is icing on the cake, not my primary purpose.
I'm a little stiff today, but some yoga stretches this morning and the next set I'm planning on doing this evening will help out with that, and I'm looking forward to my next lesson.
Not sure whether you mean are my students bullied, or do they do the bullying, so I'll answer both ways.Quote:
Originally posted by ivan astikov
Do they bully? Not that I know of. I've been an instructor since 1991, and I have never had a parent tell me of their kid bullying or received a complaint about one of my students bullying.
Are they bullied? Not very much and not for long. We teach them how to handle bullying. The worst case was a young man who was somewhat small for his age (we'll call him Johnny, not his real name) who was picked on by a bigger kid on a regular basis. Johnny exercised admirable self-control and did not respond with violence, but attempted to defuse the situation in a variety of ways. The other kid was too stupid to get the message and the daycare center where it was happening was too incompetent to do anything about it. I told Johnny that the next time the kid hit him that he had my permission to knock the other kid on his butt. An incident happened the next day, and Johnny put the other kid in a wristlock and down on his knees crying in pain, and told him that the next time anything happened, there would be blood and a hospital visit involved. The kid never came near Johnny again.
Not really. I get my usual share of people who think in chop-socky movie terms and think that they are going to be Bruce Lee in 5 lessons. They usually wash out before the end of the basic program because they find there is actual work involved and they are not going to be able to kick ass in two weeks. Fortunately, they don't show up all that often. :smile:Quote:
Also, has there ever been people turn up who you have refused to teach or stopped teaching because you felt they might be thinking of abusing their skills?
Good for you!Quote:
Originally posted by rotheche
I'm glad you found a style that you think will work for you. Good luck in your training. Take it slow and sure, especially with that ankle; remember that you have the rest of your life to do this!