What are you digging in to?

[StudentCarl]

We all share an interest in taekwondo, but our experiences and levels of expertise vary so much. Digging into new skills and getting some level of competence with them is fun, and with our art a neverending process.

What has your interest and focus right now? What are you practicing, refining, or tweaking? Why that?

Carl

 

[dancingalone]

It's heresy I know, but I am playing right now with rotating on my heels instead of the balls of my feet. I am flat-footed, so maintaining proper ball of the foot alignment and tension with the floor has always been a recurring challenge for me. I'm trying to work out if there are any dramatic implications to the sense of structure given to me by training in the other way (among other physical concepts).

 

[StudentCarl]

Right now I'm into the back kick. It's interesting how infrequently I see it used, much less used well, in sparring in practices and tournaments. When I study rear-leg round kick, I'm noticing the amount of hip turn involved and how that power transfers...and the role of posture in preserving that power by keeping the body on an axis.

With back kick the amount of hip turn is similar, maybe even less. My round kick is so much faster than my back kick that I'm working on a tight, quick hip-centered motion with good posture. As that's coming together, my back kick is starting to get quicker and more precise. Ultimately I want to be able to mix it interchangeably when sparring, like I do better right now with my fast kick and round kick. I want to transfer the power and speed from hip to heel.

As much as everything for sparring is coming back to posture, balance and footwork, I'm starting to focus in on what I'm doing with my hips and how. When it's right, it's fast and powerful...feels really good. And the look when you tag someone with a good back kick: PRICELESS. (That's the "OH $%&%, don't do that again" look.)

I'm doing the back kick in combos with other kicks and playing a little with double and triple back kicks. I'd love to get good enough to get some good points with it in tournaments. Having a dangerous back kick would make me more unpredictable, opening more windows for other kicks.

Carl

 

[KELLYG]

Forms Forms and more Forms. I'm working on being up to speed on the new "not so new" international WTF standards when it comes to forms. I am trying to, also, make them look more fluid and pretty.

 

[CrimsonPhoenix]

I'm really focusing on polishing my forms and improving my timing, snap, and intensity. I've also been working on getting more comfortable with the 8 self defense techniques I've been working on -- and also my freestyle self defense, because I have a bad habit of stopping and not knowing what to do next after my initial reaction.

My focus has changed a bit this week because I was told by my instructors that I should start coming to class expecting to be tested for my 2nd kyu brown belt any day. So now I'm frantically looking at everything I may be asked to do for my test.

 

[Manny]

For several months I've been focus on self defense, I am studying how to defend myself in diferent scenarios and I would like to practice more takedowns.

For me, the best form of self defense is to block,parry,grab or wahtever a punch, a kick, or a grab,then do a counter and finish with a take down or proyection to the floor.

Manny

 

[AndrewKFM]

I'm studying a book called The Book of Five Rings: The Classical Text on Samurai Sword Strategy (I think that's the title)

A bit of it is strictly sword related, but for the most part is battle concepts that are exceptional.

Renewal for example: When in a fight that is making no progress, clear and renew your mind and continue fighting as though you have just begun, and this is your first time facing the opponent.

It's just a book of principles.

 

[Earl Weiss]

It's heresy I know, but I am playing right now with rotating on my heels instead of the balls of my feet. I am flat-footed, so maintaining proper ball of the foot alignment and tension with the floor has always been a recurring challenge for me. I'm trying to work out if there are any dramatic implications to the sense of structure given to me by training in the other way (among other physical concepts).

IMNSHO pivoting on the heels will result in more torque on the joints Ankle, Knee and hip , than pivoting on the ball of the foot.

The key to a ball of the foot pivot is to raise the heel an inch or so while coordinating the pivot. I find some people lack the calf strength and or flexibility to raise up while on one foot. I prescribe two foot heel raises until they can do one using the hand on the wall wall to assist balance.

Coordinating the raise with the pivot creates an "Unweighting " effect like skiing so that at the point of pivot the weight has been raised and there is momentarily less weight on the foot making the pivot easier and with less torque. Yu cannot do this with a heel pivot. Further, you can later try to coordinate the imapact and heel lowering to add more mass and a little more extension on impact.

See this article for pivot information and refinememnts for the heel drop, although it is geared to the back kick the same principles apply:
http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&p...vbWFpbnxudGtkYWNhZHxneDo1MTc3NThmMTU4MDliZTEx

 

[dortiz]

The ball of foot pivot certainly has advantage for flexibility and helping prevent injury. At the same time I believe the heel technique comes from the concept of using the grounded leg as a source of power pushing up from the ground and through the kick. In this case I feel that the heel planted does create a stronger force.
Like the different fist positions I am now starting think the answer is yes.

 

[dancingalone]

As with anything, there's a time and place for it. I've heard some of the thoughts you gentlemen have explained and it makes sense to me intellectually. That said, there are certainly exponents of the heel method out there (primarily the Chinese systems as far as I know). I hope to learn the difference for myself physically in this exploration.

 

[igillman]

I started a new job back in December which means I do not have time for formal TKD classes any more. However, a couple of times a week I spend half an hour at home doing the following...

Forms - Ki Bon Pom (white belt form) through to Taeguk Oh-Jang in order.

Kicks - 10 kicks with each leg using the back foot plus 10 kicks with each leg using the front foot.
Front Kick, snapping up.
Front kick snapping forward (push kick)
Side Kick
Roundhouse
Hook Kick

Kicks - Alternating left/right leg, 20 total
Back Kick
Jump Front Kick

Punches, left/right 10 total
High
Medium
Low
High/Medium/Low combination

Blocks - 10 total, left/right
High
Inner-Outer
Outer-Inner
Low

Repeat punches and block section.

Then I do Wing Chun open hand block 10 times, left/right (a very useful block to know) followed by 10 wing chun centre punches. Then I do centre punches really quickly while counting to 10 slowly.

After all that I have about 5 minutes before the next section. During this 5 minutes I practice kick or punch (or combined) combinations. Basically anything I want to try out.

For the final 5 minutes I do Taeguk Oh-Jang down to Ki Bon Pom in that order.

Once we move closer to my job I will be able to get back to classes again hopefully.

 

[igillman]

So you could say I am digging in to the basics, the kicks and punches. Nothing fancy just good solid stuff. I have noticed that my speed and accuracy is improving.

 

[ralphmcpherson]

Sparring for me at the moment. I am tall and reasonably skinny so heavier opponents use their weight advantage to basically move in quickly and smother me (mainly in a sea of quick punches) to nullify my long legs and kicking. I am working on strategies at the moment to allow me to stay on the front foot and use my longer legs to my advantage before they get too far inside my guard.