Sam-Il is a dynamic form and is one of my favorite Chang-Hon forms. I like the duality of the form, which starts as an "advanced basic" romp through the first 10-15 techniques, and then adds sequences that are some of the most challenging in that rank's test cycle (for us, that is Yoo-Sin, Sam-Il and Ko-Dang).
The forms opens with a series of single techniques in single stances, though there are a few shift-stance changes, this is nothing new by the time you are third dan testing for fourth. It's not until the 12th move of the form that we see something interesting, and very very unique. The 13th move of Sam-Il is a step forward reverse punch. Though we use reverse techniques moving forward frequently in the Chang-Hon set - in all 24 forms, this is the only step forward reverse punch at least that I can think of.
To this point, the things to focus on are the simple things. Timing, stance definition, technique execution; there's nothing seriously complex going on here, so consider this a warm up for what is to come and hit the "easy" moves out of the park.
After a few more single stance single technique moves we get to a sequence of movements that actually featured in a video game (27 seconds in) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuhL3Jz066E. I'm referring to U-shaped block, into waving kick, into U-shaped block into jump spin knife hand block, This is a tricky sequence, mainly because U-shaped block can be a bit of an awkward technique, and many students don't know the correct hand positions making it look as awkward as it feels. This leads into what we call a waving kick but that Blue Cottage calls a sweeping kick (which is a much better name in my opinion). I find that this technique tends to be thrown all over the place because we simply don't do much sweeping in TKD. Many students show this technique poorly because as a course, we rarely kick low on purpose in our forms and almost never kick low on purpose in sparring.
When I teach a waving kick, I remind my students of the old adage that the higher the knee, the higher the kick, so the first trick to throwing a terrific waving kick is to keep the knee low! I bring my knee around like I was throwing an inside crescent kick, but instead of carrying the knee through my center line, I stop just short of the center line and complete the kick by whipping my lower leg forward, low to the ground (targeting the ankle). In application, this is a closer quarters kick, so you aren't going to have the clearance necessarily to throw the knee through the center line. The idea here is to hit the outside of the front foot and cause your opponents front foot to go out. It can also be used to block a low section kick as well.
Coming off the sequence is a stand up straight front leg side kick. Many people try to fire this side kick too close to landing from the jump spin knife hand block and end up botching their kick. Take your time off that landing, collect your center of gravity and lift the front knee high when executing the side kick. If you rush this sequence, it will show, and it will show poorly.
Kicking too high is another problem here as you will be landing foot to foot and moving the opposite direction. You need body control to land foot to foot and step with the right center of gravity to allow power on the next technique (a nuance that is lost on many people, in many forms).
Following the upper elbow (or front elbow), you step into diagonal stance. Now, getting on my soap box, diagonal stance is a SUBTLE stance. It is one foot being SLIGHTLY forward of the other in what would be an ordinary straddle or horse stance. It's to the point where if I can clearly see that one foot is in front of the other, you did it wrong. I tell my students that a good diagonal stance is one foot being one half a foot's length in front of the other. Very subtle. Do not over step to "accentuate" the diagonal stance, because all you do is look like you are horrible at probably the first stance you ever learned.
Stepping down off of my soap box and continuing we see the diagonal stance elbow transition to the X-block low in a front stance setting up for a big W-shape block moving forward. Your stance is perfectly set to execute a good W block and the key to making this look good is really understanding the execution of this block. Just remember, the arm going forward here is an inward thrown, outer forearm block. The block moving to block behind you is a standard inner forearm block thrown at the same time. If everything stops at the same time, and your chamber was correct, you probably threw a good W block (be sure to twist the wrists, if you don't have to, you probably aren't chambering correctly).
Again we have a front leg side kick, made a little tougher because you should be holding the W while your chamber and kick. Again, lift the knee, kick with body control ( a good kick mid beats a crappy kick high every day).
The next couple of moves (low knife hand block, scoop in cat stance, twin downward pressing blocks, double upset punch) are all about stance definition. You go from long to short stances back to a long front stance with double upset punches. The key here is to hit your stances, which if struggling, usually means your speed is too high. Slow down and show good power in this sequence and you'll be ok.
The down block in a back stance to horizontal punch with the right hand over shoulder should be executed fast, but be careful not drag that speed up into the inward outer forearm block and punch, making it sloppy.
The end of the form completes in single stance, single technique fashion.
This form has some pretty drastic cadence changes, things you will see in the next set in a much more complicated manner. Getting used to this here will go a long way to helping you nail the next set of forms.
Wednesday, June 7, 2017
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Ko-Dang
Ko-Dang is an interesting form. Like the other forms we do for 4th dan (Yoo-Sin and Sam-Il), it features a layer of nuance to technique execution that prepares you for the very complicated nuances of the later forms. As such, you'll find Ko-Dang is easy to learn, but difficult to master. While some would argue that the same could be said about all of the forms, I'd disagree. Some of the even more advanced forms I find do not have the complexity of execution required to master the way Ko-Dang does.
Ko-Dang's opening movements are eclectic. You start with a backwards step to a 45 degree angle and execute a tension palm hand. Two things that can be challenging to do correctly by themselves, and together usually pose a difficult challenge. Then you speed up and execute the next two moves quickly (shift to fighting stance, then inner forearm block / down block simultaneously).
Care needs to be taken here to find the correct cadence. I find that the theme to this form is body control, both subtle body control and gross body control. This is an example of subtle body control because the step backwards and slow tension palm can be difficult to show proper timing on, and then the speed up usually leads to a sloppy execution for the inexperienced. A special note of attention needs to be placed on the 45 degree angle as well. Over step and your shift to the back stance won't travel very far and will look unnecessary, however having too short of an angle will make you look like your straddle stance early is facing front, which would be incorrect.
The next segment of the form sees you perform some one legged stances, side kicks to the 180 degree behind you with a landing and a block opposite of the kick on the opposite 180 degree center line (if you know the form you'll get this). This is clearly where gross body control is going to be key. You need to come up to the one leg stance and find stillness with your double down blocks. You need to execute the backwards side kick, with good body control, because the landing has you executing a single knife hand block in front of you.
Students will botch this time and time again, they will bleed the one leg stance and the kick together, they will then improperly rechamber the side kick or lose balance and execute what I call a "magic block" (a block that is not actually thrown but just appears where it is supposed to be.) Yes the concept of fighting an imaginary opponent is important, but not at the cost of turning your form into slop, and the bottom line is that if you rush this segment, you will likely not execute with the proper amount of power required for what is essentially basic technique performed with complexity. Take your time, execute one move at a time, with stillness of technique the focus point and you'll make this look good. Also, for the love of god, don't try to kick higher than you can kick here. You are already on one leg, so you have no momentum to help you rise the kick. Just throw good, side kicks mid, to low if you have to, so you have the proper body control and it will look good, even without world championship 20 year old flexibility.
Next we have two downward elbow blocks. It is important to remember that all techniques in TKD are supposed to have a reaction force hand. You'd be surprised (or maybe you wouldn't) how many people just use one hand and keep the other glued to the hip on this.
The form gets a bit easier for now. There's a series of pressing blocks, a series of downward forearm blocks and a series of cat stance scooping blocks. These are all individual techniques and the only real challenge is stance length when you step backwards as this could affect your ending position.
From here you come into another sequence of multiple hand movements and stance shifts. Starting with a front kick from a cat stance and landing in a front stance with twin inside knife hand strikes, you then chamber for single knife hand high block, then shift to back stance for knife hand block low section finishing with a shift to downward punch returning to a front stance.
Again, it is important to note that although these sections are to be done quickly, speed should not trump stance definition, timing, and stillness of technique. Also, the downward punch is a source of much confusion. The way I learned it, your torso should lean forward slightly and the punch goes straight down. Some people will bend all the way over, where their torso is parallel to the ground. I find this ridiculous, for many reasons, but your school or style may have a plausible reason for that so do check in with your instructor on that.
The next move is (I believe) a middle knuckle upset punch. I never remember if it is middle knuckle or not. I perform it so, but it might just be upset punch. I know I could have looked that up, and stated it as fact, but I opted with an authentic write up, instead of a curated one.
As stated by many of the posters in The Study of Tae Kwon Do, the last two kicks are meant to be blocks. I think of them as a cross between an outside crescent kick (at the start of the technique, through the pinnacle of the knee raise, then I quickly turn it into what we call a hook kick, where the hooking motion is on a 45 degree angle with the ground. With my hips, it is probably the most difficult technique for me to execute, so I rarely try to throw them correctly. If I am practicing the form, I just throw them as standard outside crescent kicks.
Finally sword hand strike is very different from knife hand strike. It has a different delivery path (where a knife hand strike snaps at the end, a sword hand turns while in execution). A sword hand is for gouging the eyes, and should finish in reference to your body where a block ends. Many students over extend their sword hands out to a 45 degree angle (from their center line) for dramatic effect. This is wrong. It should end where a block would end, just outside the front foot.
That's it when it comes to Ko-Dang. If you are a CTF student and reading this, the terminology might be a little off, but the execution should be expected to be the same. If you are not CTF, the terminology might be as alien as the execution methods I discuss. I have a video of my Ko-Dang from my 4th dan test that I am not terribly disappointed in (there were clearly things I could have done better). I'd be happy to post it for you if you'd like.
Ko-Dang's opening movements are eclectic. You start with a backwards step to a 45 degree angle and execute a tension palm hand. Two things that can be challenging to do correctly by themselves, and together usually pose a difficult challenge. Then you speed up and execute the next two moves quickly (shift to fighting stance, then inner forearm block / down block simultaneously).
Care needs to be taken here to find the correct cadence. I find that the theme to this form is body control, both subtle body control and gross body control. This is an example of subtle body control because the step backwards and slow tension palm can be difficult to show proper timing on, and then the speed up usually leads to a sloppy execution for the inexperienced. A special note of attention needs to be placed on the 45 degree angle as well. Over step and your shift to the back stance won't travel very far and will look unnecessary, however having too short of an angle will make you look like your straddle stance early is facing front, which would be incorrect.
The next segment of the form sees you perform some one legged stances, side kicks to the 180 degree behind you with a landing and a block opposite of the kick on the opposite 180 degree center line (if you know the form you'll get this). This is clearly where gross body control is going to be key. You need to come up to the one leg stance and find stillness with your double down blocks. You need to execute the backwards side kick, with good body control, because the landing has you executing a single knife hand block in front of you.
Students will botch this time and time again, they will bleed the one leg stance and the kick together, they will then improperly rechamber the side kick or lose balance and execute what I call a "magic block" (a block that is not actually thrown but just appears where it is supposed to be.) Yes the concept of fighting an imaginary opponent is important, but not at the cost of turning your form into slop, and the bottom line is that if you rush this segment, you will likely not execute with the proper amount of power required for what is essentially basic technique performed with complexity. Take your time, execute one move at a time, with stillness of technique the focus point and you'll make this look good. Also, for the love of god, don't try to kick higher than you can kick here. You are already on one leg, so you have no momentum to help you rise the kick. Just throw good, side kicks mid, to low if you have to, so you have the proper body control and it will look good, even without world championship 20 year old flexibility.
Next we have two downward elbow blocks. It is important to remember that all techniques in TKD are supposed to have a reaction force hand. You'd be surprised (or maybe you wouldn't) how many people just use one hand and keep the other glued to the hip on this.
The form gets a bit easier for now. There's a series of pressing blocks, a series of downward forearm blocks and a series of cat stance scooping blocks. These are all individual techniques and the only real challenge is stance length when you step backwards as this could affect your ending position.
From here you come into another sequence of multiple hand movements and stance shifts. Starting with a front kick from a cat stance and landing in a front stance with twin inside knife hand strikes, you then chamber for single knife hand high block, then shift to back stance for knife hand block low section finishing with a shift to downward punch returning to a front stance.
Again, it is important to note that although these sections are to be done quickly, speed should not trump stance definition, timing, and stillness of technique. Also, the downward punch is a source of much confusion. The way I learned it, your torso should lean forward slightly and the punch goes straight down. Some people will bend all the way over, where their torso is parallel to the ground. I find this ridiculous, for many reasons, but your school or style may have a plausible reason for that so do check in with your instructor on that.
The next move is (I believe) a middle knuckle upset punch. I never remember if it is middle knuckle or not. I perform it so, but it might just be upset punch. I know I could have looked that up, and stated it as fact, but I opted with an authentic write up, instead of a curated one.
As stated by many of the posters in The Study of Tae Kwon Do, the last two kicks are meant to be blocks. I think of them as a cross between an outside crescent kick (at the start of the technique, through the pinnacle of the knee raise, then I quickly turn it into what we call a hook kick, where the hooking motion is on a 45 degree angle with the ground. With my hips, it is probably the most difficult technique for me to execute, so I rarely try to throw them correctly. If I am practicing the form, I just throw them as standard outside crescent kicks.
Finally sword hand strike is very different from knife hand strike. It has a different delivery path (where a knife hand strike snaps at the end, a sword hand turns while in execution). A sword hand is for gouging the eyes, and should finish in reference to your body where a block ends. Many students over extend their sword hands out to a 45 degree angle (from their center line) for dramatic effect. This is wrong. It should end where a block would end, just outside the front foot.
That's it when it comes to Ko-Dang. If you are a CTF student and reading this, the terminology might be a little off, but the execution should be expected to be the same. If you are not CTF, the terminology might be as alien as the execution methods I discuss. I have a video of my Ko-Dang from my 4th dan test that I am not terribly disappointed in (there were clearly things I could have done better). I'd be happy to post it for you if you'd like.
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
On Tournament Forms Training
I recently took on some tournament training responsibilities. Although only a minor player in training people for forms competition, I ran a class last night and wanted to put my ideas on paper for people to read after the fact as the class was short and the concepts were large.
I'm going to make an assumption here, and one that is not always true. That assumption is that you train for a tournament and you enter to win. This assumption is not always true and I recognize that. Tournaments can be used to stress test your forms, or could be a way to overcome performance obstacles. In this post though, I'm going to assume the person reading is someone who wants to train hard, and has a goal to place.
I am also assuming you are competing in traditional tournaments, not necessarily in open or sports karate tournaments. Those competitions have rules, but they also have norms that require training well beyond the things I'm focusing on in this post. It is not that these ideas won't help in open or sports karate, but you'll need to do more to succeed at those venues.
Form Selection
First and foremost, you always pick a form that you look good doing. If you compete in the AAU, like we do, you pick a form in your group that you look good doing. If you don't look good doing any form, you should pick a form that you can eventually look good doing. Using myself as an example, with my hips, I'll never look good doing Moon-Moo. As much as I'd like to be able to put my leg out over my head and hold it there, and move it around slow - it's not going to happen, so that is not a form I would ever consider doing in competition. My strength is in upper body techniques so I would pick a form that features a dynamic range of upper body movements.
Your highest form might seem like a great candidate but you should be careful. Your highest form is the form you have done the least amount of times. While that shouldn't necessarily disqualify it from selection, the time you have to train and the time between when you pick the form and when the tournament is, should factor in. Ask yourself if there is enough time to get not only a strong handle on the form, but also to make the refinements that are necessary to win on a form that is relatively new. Finally be true to yourself, what you want isn't as important as what you can realistically accomplish.
The form you pick should also be appropriate for your level. A red belt isn't going to score very high if they trot out Chon-Ji.
Once you have selected a form that you look good doing that is appropriate for your skill level, it is time to begin.
Physical Training Method
I want your training to take on a layered approach. On the macro level, practice the entire form slow or smooth. Concentrate on solidifying the memorization of the movements in general, and focus on where every technique should start and finish. Don't apply a great deal of power at this stage. Focus on the fundamentals. Good timing, and good stance definition are born at this level of training.
After three of four reps of smoothness, begin to work on the micro level of the form. This is by far and away, the most boring aspect to training for a tournament, but also, is the single most effective way to get very precise with execution.
If good foundations of stances and timing are born in the macro level; power, intensity, execution, timing and stances will all come to their own at this micro level. I've heard it called by many names over the years: segments, chunking, parts; it is all the same thing though. Take 4-5 movements of your form, and work on them over and over again. Do not move on, until that segment is perfect, and then do not just pick the next 4-5 moves, but encorporate the previous two or three moves, so your transition in segments is natural.
You may not have to stay on the same segment for too long, or you may find yourself staying on a segment for a very long time. Either way, this method strengthens you in two ways. When you work a full form, you only have one chance to work on the movements you are weakest on once. You do that portion of the form, and you move on. By focusing on a segment that you are weaker at, you get more reps in a row and more chances to fix any issues while they are fresh. You can focus on the issue, clearly identify it, and eliminate it. Segmenting also helps you solidify your strengths or make your strengths even stronger, for the same reason. Simply stated working on a section over and over, outside of the full form gives you more chances to do that segment right.
A major difficulty when doing segment training is walking away from the training too fast. Nothing can feel as tedious as doing the same four moves over and over, and if you aren't that good at the movements, it can test your endurance to frustration as well. In time though, with the dedication and perseverance of a martial artist, this training will often yield great results. I found that all of my forms got better when I focused hard on specific segments. It makes sense, that is the whole purpose of forms in the first place.
Mental Training Method
I find training your mind is just as important as the physical side of your training. My mental training starts with a silent promise I make to myself (or to my instructor). That promise is that I am going to eliminate at least one mistake or shortcoming every time I practice. So, if I have 5-10 real issues in a form, every session I want that number to go down by one. Dedication to this progression of improvement will yield fast results. Once deficiencies are eliminated, you start to pick strengths that you can do even better - applying the same formula to them. Every session, one strength becomes even stronger. It is an easy to understand concept, but can be very difficult to execute.
Another level of mental training is visualization. This comes in two forms for me. First, visualize the tournament itself. As you are preparing to start a form rep, visualize what the floor would look like (not the actual floor mind you, but the tournament "floor"). See the chaos that is X number of rings all going while you are about to compete. If you are a black belt, and the tournament you are preparing for stops for black belt competition, visualize that (sometimes) crushing silence that fills the floor. Savor it in your practice, and make it your friend, so that when you face it for real, it is not the "butterflies in stomach" inducing event that it so often is.
Finally, as you practice your form, visualize how you'd want to execute the form, as you are executing the form! By the time you step to ready on an actual tournament floor, you should know your form so well that you actually can visualize something other than the movement you are actually on. Go one step beyond and see the movement you want to do - not the movement you have to do.
I took 2nd place in a tournament once and all I did was the mental side of preparation I listed above. I cannot stress enough the importance of proper attitude and mental training. It is hard because TKD doesn't routinely lend itself to this type of training. Too often, it is more concerned with the physical how and not the mental how.
On Technique
Of course, all of this is great if your technique execution is already pretty good. If it isn't quite where you want it to be, fear not - segmenting is still the answer. While segmenting is great for refining already good technique, it is an even better way to go from mediocrity to proficiency. It is easy in forms to get lost in the "big picture". Segmenting is a way to take the pressure of the form off your back and allow you to really focus on the individual movements. With good instruction around you it's a highly effective way to bring your basic execution up to par.
If segmenting proves ineffective, just segment some more. You may have to work just two moves, or even just one. Refining it, and then building up. I've been working the reverse crescent kicks from Tong-il, and had to actually break it down to the individual movements. It is ok, sometimes it is a necessary step.
Putting it All Together
Once you have segmented and the form looks the way you want it to in pieces, you start putting it together. You still don't want to go all out though. A very good instructor once told me that you want to spend most of your practice times around 80% full execution. As you approach the tournament you ramp it up until you are practicing for a short period of time at 100%. Right before the tournament you drop it back down even lower, to let your muscles time to heal up which is where strength is developed. This keeps you fresh and ready to achieve maximum performance on the day of your competition. If you are frequently sore after class, this is a highly effective way to be at your best the day of the tournament.
Final Thoughts
I can't take credit for these methods and I certainly didn't invent them. Everything you read here is a combination of things other other martial artists in our school shared with me over time. Although the number of forms competitions I have competed in barely reaches double digits, I placed in every single one of them, and took home my fair share of first place trophies. The people who shared their art with me, well, their lists speak for themselves. Some of the instructors I have borrowed these ideas from have gone years without taking less than 1st place in tournaments. Some went on to compete in world championship level events and others are legends of our school. The bottom line: these methods are highly effective. I look back fondly on my short time as a forms competitor and I have these lessons and the people who shared them with me to thank for that. Train hard, train smart and you will achieve your tournament goals.
I'm going to make an assumption here, and one that is not always true. That assumption is that you train for a tournament and you enter to win. This assumption is not always true and I recognize that. Tournaments can be used to stress test your forms, or could be a way to overcome performance obstacles. In this post though, I'm going to assume the person reading is someone who wants to train hard, and has a goal to place.
I am also assuming you are competing in traditional tournaments, not necessarily in open or sports karate tournaments. Those competitions have rules, but they also have norms that require training well beyond the things I'm focusing on in this post. It is not that these ideas won't help in open or sports karate, but you'll need to do more to succeed at those venues.
Form Selection
First and foremost, you always pick a form that you look good doing. If you compete in the AAU, like we do, you pick a form in your group that you look good doing. If you don't look good doing any form, you should pick a form that you can eventually look good doing. Using myself as an example, with my hips, I'll never look good doing Moon-Moo. As much as I'd like to be able to put my leg out over my head and hold it there, and move it around slow - it's not going to happen, so that is not a form I would ever consider doing in competition. My strength is in upper body techniques so I would pick a form that features a dynamic range of upper body movements.
Your highest form might seem like a great candidate but you should be careful. Your highest form is the form you have done the least amount of times. While that shouldn't necessarily disqualify it from selection, the time you have to train and the time between when you pick the form and when the tournament is, should factor in. Ask yourself if there is enough time to get not only a strong handle on the form, but also to make the refinements that are necessary to win on a form that is relatively new. Finally be true to yourself, what you want isn't as important as what you can realistically accomplish.
The form you pick should also be appropriate for your level. A red belt isn't going to score very high if they trot out Chon-Ji.
Once you have selected a form that you look good doing that is appropriate for your skill level, it is time to begin.
Physical Training Method
I want your training to take on a layered approach. On the macro level, practice the entire form slow or smooth. Concentrate on solidifying the memorization of the movements in general, and focus on where every technique should start and finish. Don't apply a great deal of power at this stage. Focus on the fundamentals. Good timing, and good stance definition are born at this level of training.
After three of four reps of smoothness, begin to work on the micro level of the form. This is by far and away, the most boring aspect to training for a tournament, but also, is the single most effective way to get very precise with execution.
If good foundations of stances and timing are born in the macro level; power, intensity, execution, timing and stances will all come to their own at this micro level. I've heard it called by many names over the years: segments, chunking, parts; it is all the same thing though. Take 4-5 movements of your form, and work on them over and over again. Do not move on, until that segment is perfect, and then do not just pick the next 4-5 moves, but encorporate the previous two or three moves, so your transition in segments is natural.
You may not have to stay on the same segment for too long, or you may find yourself staying on a segment for a very long time. Either way, this method strengthens you in two ways. When you work a full form, you only have one chance to work on the movements you are weakest on once. You do that portion of the form, and you move on. By focusing on a segment that you are weaker at, you get more reps in a row and more chances to fix any issues while they are fresh. You can focus on the issue, clearly identify it, and eliminate it. Segmenting also helps you solidify your strengths or make your strengths even stronger, for the same reason. Simply stated working on a section over and over, outside of the full form gives you more chances to do that segment right.
A major difficulty when doing segment training is walking away from the training too fast. Nothing can feel as tedious as doing the same four moves over and over, and if you aren't that good at the movements, it can test your endurance to frustration as well. In time though, with the dedication and perseverance of a martial artist, this training will often yield great results. I found that all of my forms got better when I focused hard on specific segments. It makes sense, that is the whole purpose of forms in the first place.
Mental Training Method
I find training your mind is just as important as the physical side of your training. My mental training starts with a silent promise I make to myself (or to my instructor). That promise is that I am going to eliminate at least one mistake or shortcoming every time I practice. So, if I have 5-10 real issues in a form, every session I want that number to go down by one. Dedication to this progression of improvement will yield fast results. Once deficiencies are eliminated, you start to pick strengths that you can do even better - applying the same formula to them. Every session, one strength becomes even stronger. It is an easy to understand concept, but can be very difficult to execute.
Another level of mental training is visualization. This comes in two forms for me. First, visualize the tournament itself. As you are preparing to start a form rep, visualize what the floor would look like (not the actual floor mind you, but the tournament "floor"). See the chaos that is X number of rings all going while you are about to compete. If you are a black belt, and the tournament you are preparing for stops for black belt competition, visualize that (sometimes) crushing silence that fills the floor. Savor it in your practice, and make it your friend, so that when you face it for real, it is not the "butterflies in stomach" inducing event that it so often is.
Finally, as you practice your form, visualize how you'd want to execute the form, as you are executing the form! By the time you step to ready on an actual tournament floor, you should know your form so well that you actually can visualize something other than the movement you are actually on. Go one step beyond and see the movement you want to do - not the movement you have to do.
I took 2nd place in a tournament once and all I did was the mental side of preparation I listed above. I cannot stress enough the importance of proper attitude and mental training. It is hard because TKD doesn't routinely lend itself to this type of training. Too often, it is more concerned with the physical how and not the mental how.
On Technique
Of course, all of this is great if your technique execution is already pretty good. If it isn't quite where you want it to be, fear not - segmenting is still the answer. While segmenting is great for refining already good technique, it is an even better way to go from mediocrity to proficiency. It is easy in forms to get lost in the "big picture". Segmenting is a way to take the pressure of the form off your back and allow you to really focus on the individual movements. With good instruction around you it's a highly effective way to bring your basic execution up to par.
If segmenting proves ineffective, just segment some more. You may have to work just two moves, or even just one. Refining it, and then building up. I've been working the reverse crescent kicks from Tong-il, and had to actually break it down to the individual movements. It is ok, sometimes it is a necessary step.
Putting it All Together
Once you have segmented and the form looks the way you want it to in pieces, you start putting it together. You still don't want to go all out though. A very good instructor once told me that you want to spend most of your practice times around 80% full execution. As you approach the tournament you ramp it up until you are practicing for a short period of time at 100%. Right before the tournament you drop it back down even lower, to let your muscles time to heal up which is where strength is developed. This keeps you fresh and ready to achieve maximum performance on the day of your competition. If you are frequently sore after class, this is a highly effective way to be at your best the day of the tournament.
Final Thoughts
I can't take credit for these methods and I certainly didn't invent them. Everything you read here is a combination of things other other martial artists in our school shared with me over time. Although the number of forms competitions I have competed in barely reaches double digits, I placed in every single one of them, and took home my fair share of first place trophies. The people who shared their art with me, well, their lists speak for themselves. Some of the instructors I have borrowed these ideas from have gone years without taking less than 1st place in tournaments. Some went on to compete in world championship level events and others are legends of our school. The bottom line: these methods are highly effective. I look back fondly on my short time as a forms competitor and I have these lessons and the people who shared them with me to thank for that. Train hard, train smart and you will achieve your tournament goals.
Monday, October 10, 2016
Aaaand We're Back
So two weeks ago was my wedding anniversary, and I thought it in bad form to leave my wife with both kids while I went to train and she didn't. The week after that I was feeling a little under the weather and the baby was having some issues, so I bailed again.
I was worried coming back after two weeks off. After all I had only been on for two weeks - so I was worried that I'd have a total regression. I'm happy to say that I did not have a total regression, I actually felt like I didn't miss a beat.
We did a mix of everything tonight, which was great - a little bit of technique, some sparring, some bag work, some prearranged and some forms. It was a great all around work out.
There's not a lot to report now and I didn't have any kind of epiphany besides being happy to finally be feeling like I can get through an hour class without passing out or throwing up. Baby steps I guess, but three classes is all it took. Granted, though I wasn't training hard or frequently - I was training the whole time. I always find time to do some forms during the week. Still, if I can go from completely out of active TKD shape, to feeling like "it's going to be ok" in just three classes (over 5 weeks) - I'm sure you guys can do the same. Those of you that stepped away, and are on the fence about coming back. Take the plunge. It's only hard for the first couple of weeks. If you are worried about not remembering things, come to Tuesday class and I'll work with you until you feel good enough to go on Mon-Wed.
This will likely be my last weekly post - unless something pops in my head to write about. I'm not back yet, not mentally and certainly not physically, but I'm getting there. That's a fantastic feeling and I'll take it.
I was worried coming back after two weeks off. After all I had only been on for two weeks - so I was worried that I'd have a total regression. I'm happy to say that I did not have a total regression, I actually felt like I didn't miss a beat.
We did a mix of everything tonight, which was great - a little bit of technique, some sparring, some bag work, some prearranged and some forms. It was a great all around work out.
There's not a lot to report now and I didn't have any kind of epiphany besides being happy to finally be feeling like I can get through an hour class without passing out or throwing up. Baby steps I guess, but three classes is all it took. Granted, though I wasn't training hard or frequently - I was training the whole time. I always find time to do some forms during the week. Still, if I can go from completely out of active TKD shape, to feeling like "it's going to be ok" in just three classes (over 5 weeks) - I'm sure you guys can do the same. Those of you that stepped away, and are on the fence about coming back. Take the plunge. It's only hard for the first couple of weeks. If you are worried about not remembering things, come to Tuesday class and I'll work with you until you feel good enough to go on Mon-Wed.
This will likely be my last weekly post - unless something pops in my head to write about. I'm not back yet, not mentally and certainly not physically, but I'm getting there. That's a fantastic feeling and I'll take it.
Monday, September 19, 2016
Monday 9/19 - The Second Step
No one ever talks about the sometimes even more difficult second step on a journey of one thousand miles.
Tonight, this wasn't the case for me. I'm honestly shocked at how not difficult class was for me tonight. We started with a high energy warm up; a mix of calisthenics, shadow boxing, shoulder tag, more calisthenics and then knee tag, before a light stretch. I looked at it like running, and tried not to "sprint" through it. When I was in my 20s, I could go into this sort of training full bore, and still have a lot of energy left at the end of the class. My second night back is not the place to try for this gain. In fact, it has crossed my mind that I may never be in that shape again. Certainly not on the training schedule that I am currently working off of. Maybe that's not a bad thing - I don't know. I'll worry about that later in my training, when the test gets closer.
We parlayed from warmup into line drills. Today I made sure to chamber high - as that was the major takeaway from last week, when I was told I was chambering everything too low. I was tired and dragging last week though - this week I came into class having driven more at work than walked, and actually eating my former pregame hockey meal of spaghetti with some light sauce before class. I felt good coming in.
Then we hit forms, and oh boy, was it an awesome way to get back to forms work. We started with forms by count. Holy crap, I never expected that - what a great tune up! I could have literally stayed there and worked all 24 though I recognize that would have taken hours. In the end, we did about 4 forms this way, and then went into the more traditional small group forms practice to work our highest.
I killed my highest form. I felt really strong, even keeping my balance on the first one legged stance kick in Tong-Il. We train on some really "sinky" mats, so one legged stances are hard to pull off with 100% success. My next time out on the floor it was So-San. At this point there isn't much time left in class, and it wasn't until about 65 moves into that form that I started to feel like I might puke. That's progress!
We finished class doing some prearranged but more in a teaching capacity. The first dan I was working with wanted to work 2-steps, so I showed him how to effectively catch a round kick (because you certainly don't use a circular block to do so).
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I feel really good about this decision to return to class. I felt stronger, by an order of magnitude. I'm still no where near where I want or think I can be, and I'm a little alarmed at how horrible my hips felt by the end. My kicks simply didn't want to come up near the end - so much so that I totally lost my concentration thinking about it through Yon-Gae, and blew the ending. Still, I'm playing the long game this time. I'm 38, and very much so not in martial arts strength. I think it helped me that my hockey games were one time a week, and that's the schedule I'm starting back with in TKD. My body is somewhat used to a major stress, and then having my Tuesday night class to really stretch out and loosen up again. I'm excited, and I'm falling back in love with training again.
Tonight, this wasn't the case for me. I'm honestly shocked at how not difficult class was for me tonight. We started with a high energy warm up; a mix of calisthenics, shadow boxing, shoulder tag, more calisthenics and then knee tag, before a light stretch. I looked at it like running, and tried not to "sprint" through it. When I was in my 20s, I could go into this sort of training full bore, and still have a lot of energy left at the end of the class. My second night back is not the place to try for this gain. In fact, it has crossed my mind that I may never be in that shape again. Certainly not on the training schedule that I am currently working off of. Maybe that's not a bad thing - I don't know. I'll worry about that later in my training, when the test gets closer.
We parlayed from warmup into line drills. Today I made sure to chamber high - as that was the major takeaway from last week, when I was told I was chambering everything too low. I was tired and dragging last week though - this week I came into class having driven more at work than walked, and actually eating my former pregame hockey meal of spaghetti with some light sauce before class. I felt good coming in.
Then we hit forms, and oh boy, was it an awesome way to get back to forms work. We started with forms by count. Holy crap, I never expected that - what a great tune up! I could have literally stayed there and worked all 24 though I recognize that would have taken hours. In the end, we did about 4 forms this way, and then went into the more traditional small group forms practice to work our highest.
I killed my highest form. I felt really strong, even keeping my balance on the first one legged stance kick in Tong-Il. We train on some really "sinky" mats, so one legged stances are hard to pull off with 100% success. My next time out on the floor it was So-San. At this point there isn't much time left in class, and it wasn't until about 65 moves into that form that I started to feel like I might puke. That's progress!
We finished class doing some prearranged but more in a teaching capacity. The first dan I was working with wanted to work 2-steps, so I showed him how to effectively catch a round kick (because you certainly don't use a circular block to do so).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I feel really good about this decision to return to class. I felt stronger, by an order of magnitude. I'm still no where near where I want or think I can be, and I'm a little alarmed at how horrible my hips felt by the end. My kicks simply didn't want to come up near the end - so much so that I totally lost my concentration thinking about it through Yon-Gae, and blew the ending. Still, I'm playing the long game this time. I'm 38, and very much so not in martial arts strength. I think it helped me that my hockey games were one time a week, and that's the schedule I'm starting back with in TKD. My body is somewhat used to a major stress, and then having my Tuesday night class to really stretch out and loosen up again. I'm excited, and I'm falling back in love with training again.
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Monday - 9/13/16 Welcome Home
Nostalgia was thick as I pulled up. Fall is finally in the air a bit, and since I started training, way back in 93 in the winter, I always associate cool air and training. I'm a 5th dan and I've been training for so long, but I still get a bit of an adrenaline rush when I pull into the parking lot. "Who's going to be in tonight, who will teach, what will we do" the questions flood my mind and overload it. It's an awesome feeling.
I was really early - I prefer to always be really early, I secretly imagine I train under Coach Couzo, and his first rule was "Do not be late, don't ever be late" - so I'm sitting quietly in the parking lot. As is often the case, my mind wonders back to my mid teens, when my two cousins would have been with me, and we'd be getting dropped off at the school after high school for two of us. Those were such good times, and times when the aforementioned questions would have had greatly different potential answers. The thing is, I know who will be in class, for the most part, and I know who is teaching.
I get dressed, and get out on the floor, awkwardly holding both my uniform bag and my sparring equipment bag, and not really knowing where to stand because there is a kids class going on, and there are parent trying to watch their kids and I don't want to block sight lines. I follow some of the regulars to a portion on the side of the room. The instructor of the kids class, a man that trains regularly in the class I teach is discussing proper respect for martial arts elders and they stop and bow to the masters on the side (as there are now 4-5 of us). He's a fantastic teacher, and though I once held his job, and had young eyes hanging on my every word, I wonder how he does it, because those days seem like an eternity ago and I honestly don't remember.
Class ends, and I look across the room as the kids leave, and I see someone I never thought I'd ever see again. There in front of me is my first ever student when I ran my own TKD program in our school's ill fated 2nd location. He was my first black belt. This random night that I decided to start my journey back to good TKD shape has yielded a treasure.
We didn't always see eye to eye, he and I, but I was proud of his TKD at the end. He left to go explore what other arts could do for him - and I respect that. I'm happy to see him, and though I don't really like to show much emotion at class, I hug him, because he was my first student and even though we didn't see eye to eye, he was loyal and got his first dan under me - one of three people that I got to tie the entire belt on, though I had help from my favorite training partner towards the later part of my three black belts' training.
So class starts, another one of my Tuesday regulars (and my scuba diving partner) is running warmup. It's novel, and I'm impressed with his command of class, not that I expect anything less from a former military man, but still, I know he doesn't teach often, and I'm impressed. He'll have some things to learn about running an effective warmup, inexperience mistakes, but good exercises. I'm loose when class proper starts.
Holy crap this is so hard. I spend the first part of class wondering if my groin will go out on me first or if I'll have to run off the floor and vomit first. Of course I'm wondering what the hell I am doing out here. There are older and younger people around me, but I feel so out of place. I'm my own worst critic, and I absolutely hate what I see in the mirror. I can't kick high any more. I've lost it, I used to kick so good, and so high, now I'm focusing on my technique, and focusing on kicking without leaning. My core is relatively strong thanks to PT for a back injury, but everything else is way out of TKD shape. It's hard. I remind myself that I don't teach TKD for a living any more. I sit behind a desk for 8 hours a day, and then I come home and do dad things. - In my late teens and early 20s, I lived at home, had few bills and to pay and spent about 28-30 hours in a TKD school. When I didn't have cleaning to do, or lesson plans to write, I was training. I can't hold myself to those standards. I have to reinvent myself for 38 years old, and I tighten my resolve.
Still, it's very hard, and I get through class without getting hurt, or vomiting - which is always a win in my book. This was the metric that I carried in my last 4 ice hockey seasons in the first couple of games when I wasn't quite in shape yet. No reason to change the metric.
The one place where I can shine, forms practice, doesn't go how I hoped. We practiced low forms only tonight, and though I have neglected almost all of my training, my high forms are strong, and there is muscle memory there, so I have more endurance for them.
I walked in the door pretty bummed. I'm going to need a lot of work, and I'm never going to be where I was in my 20s. I've had a minor hip surgery for crying out loud, and recently gave up playing hockey because my hips just can't take it. This is ok, this is what getting older (and having not so awesome genes) gets you. My wife talks me down from a not so high mental cliff, reminding me when I childishly say "God, I looked so bad, I can't imagine what other people thought"that good students (like the ones we train with) are concerned about themselves not their classmates. She's right, and it does me a world of good to hear it.
--------------------------
As I proofread (probably poorly because I am whooped) this post, I realize that it doesn't paint a pretty picture. I'm whiny and soft. I've been away too long but even though it was difficult, I didn't give up. I put one proverbial foot in front of the other and moved forward. I don't have much to show for it, but it is how all great things start - very small. In the words of Pai Mei from Kill Bill - "THIS IS THE BEGINNING". And so it is. This is my take away, it starts by starting, that's the secret to getting back in there. It's going, it's pushing through the pain, and thinking rationally that things changed. Then you can really start.
I was really early - I prefer to always be really early, I secretly imagine I train under Coach Couzo, and his first rule was "Do not be late, don't ever be late" - so I'm sitting quietly in the parking lot. As is often the case, my mind wonders back to my mid teens, when my two cousins would have been with me, and we'd be getting dropped off at the school after high school for two of us. Those were such good times, and times when the aforementioned questions would have had greatly different potential answers. The thing is, I know who will be in class, for the most part, and I know who is teaching.
I get dressed, and get out on the floor, awkwardly holding both my uniform bag and my sparring equipment bag, and not really knowing where to stand because there is a kids class going on, and there are parent trying to watch their kids and I don't want to block sight lines. I follow some of the regulars to a portion on the side of the room. The instructor of the kids class, a man that trains regularly in the class I teach is discussing proper respect for martial arts elders and they stop and bow to the masters on the side (as there are now 4-5 of us). He's a fantastic teacher, and though I once held his job, and had young eyes hanging on my every word, I wonder how he does it, because those days seem like an eternity ago and I honestly don't remember.
Class ends, and I look across the room as the kids leave, and I see someone I never thought I'd ever see again. There in front of me is my first ever student when I ran my own TKD program in our school's ill fated 2nd location. He was my first black belt. This random night that I decided to start my journey back to good TKD shape has yielded a treasure.
We didn't always see eye to eye, he and I, but I was proud of his TKD at the end. He left to go explore what other arts could do for him - and I respect that. I'm happy to see him, and though I don't really like to show much emotion at class, I hug him, because he was my first student and even though we didn't see eye to eye, he was loyal and got his first dan under me - one of three people that I got to tie the entire belt on, though I had help from my favorite training partner towards the later part of my three black belts' training.
So class starts, another one of my Tuesday regulars (and my scuba diving partner) is running warmup. It's novel, and I'm impressed with his command of class, not that I expect anything less from a former military man, but still, I know he doesn't teach often, and I'm impressed. He'll have some things to learn about running an effective warmup, inexperience mistakes, but good exercises. I'm loose when class proper starts.
Holy crap this is so hard. I spend the first part of class wondering if my groin will go out on me first or if I'll have to run off the floor and vomit first. Of course I'm wondering what the hell I am doing out here. There are older and younger people around me, but I feel so out of place. I'm my own worst critic, and I absolutely hate what I see in the mirror. I can't kick high any more. I've lost it, I used to kick so good, and so high, now I'm focusing on my technique, and focusing on kicking without leaning. My core is relatively strong thanks to PT for a back injury, but everything else is way out of TKD shape. It's hard. I remind myself that I don't teach TKD for a living any more. I sit behind a desk for 8 hours a day, and then I come home and do dad things. - In my late teens and early 20s, I lived at home, had few bills and to pay and spent about 28-30 hours in a TKD school. When I didn't have cleaning to do, or lesson plans to write, I was training. I can't hold myself to those standards. I have to reinvent myself for 38 years old, and I tighten my resolve.
Still, it's very hard, and I get through class without getting hurt, or vomiting - which is always a win in my book. This was the metric that I carried in my last 4 ice hockey seasons in the first couple of games when I wasn't quite in shape yet. No reason to change the metric.
The one place where I can shine, forms practice, doesn't go how I hoped. We practiced low forms only tonight, and though I have neglected almost all of my training, my high forms are strong, and there is muscle memory there, so I have more endurance for them.
I walked in the door pretty bummed. I'm going to need a lot of work, and I'm never going to be where I was in my 20s. I've had a minor hip surgery for crying out loud, and recently gave up playing hockey because my hips just can't take it. This is ok, this is what getting older (and having not so awesome genes) gets you. My wife talks me down from a not so high mental cliff, reminding me when I childishly say "God, I looked so bad, I can't imagine what other people thought"that good students (like the ones we train with) are concerned about themselves not their classmates. She's right, and it does me a world of good to hear it.
--------------------------
As I proofread (probably poorly because I am whooped) this post, I realize that it doesn't paint a pretty picture. I'm whiny and soft. I've been away too long but even though it was difficult, I didn't give up. I put one proverbial foot in front of the other and moved forward. I don't have much to show for it, but it is how all great things start - very small. In the words of Pai Mei from Kill Bill - "THIS IS THE BEGINNING". And so it is. This is my take away, it starts by starting, that's the secret to getting back in there. It's going, it's pushing through the pain, and thinking rationally that things changed. Then you can really start.
Let's Change Gears - an Update
Oh hi! So I'm going to change gears a bit on the site, and the next few posts might not be very interesting for some. I'm training for my 6th dan test - which is tentatively scheduled for the Spring of 17. I say tentatively because I go on vacation in April, when the test is likely to be, and as I fly, and the people I travel with must pick their time off months in advance, I'm stuck and if the test gets scheduled while I'm on vacation - well, it's another 6 month wait. I'm not worried or bothered by this, as it is something that just is. I could just as easily get hurt or have some other reason sideline me, no sense worrying about things you can't control.
So I thought, perhaps instead of hard core analysis which I am pretty burned out about (obviously, since it's been a long time since my last post) and because my "serious" writing is focusing on the book I am currently writing; I thought I'd make the next few blog posts and actual blog of a specific topic in particular, and one I hope many of my readers will take to heart, because many of my readers, don't train anymore.
I'm going to write about my experiences training after not training hard for a very long period of time. My hope is that my insight might just convince some people to come back to the art, because there are some very good people out there that I know loved it, but life happened, and the thought of going back can be intimidating to say the least.
So I'm going to be bloggy for a while. I'll talk about my emotions and stuff, and try to just flex a different style of writing and relating, that will hopefully not explode on the launch pad. I haven't written consistently like this since my like 2nd attempt at college (I finally beat the college level on my 3rd try in my 30s - don't recommend it, unless you know you are in your 30s and want a degree, at which time I highly recommend it, but I digress...)
So - as I plan on training every Monday night in our adult class from 7:10 to 8:10 or as long as you want to stay after, I figured I'd write about what it is like to come back, my observations and insights.
So I thought, perhaps instead of hard core analysis which I am pretty burned out about (obviously, since it's been a long time since my last post) and because my "serious" writing is focusing on the book I am currently writing; I thought I'd make the next few blog posts and actual blog of a specific topic in particular, and one I hope many of my readers will take to heart, because many of my readers, don't train anymore.
I'm going to write about my experiences training after not training hard for a very long period of time. My hope is that my insight might just convince some people to come back to the art, because there are some very good people out there that I know loved it, but life happened, and the thought of going back can be intimidating to say the least.
So I'm going to be bloggy for a while. I'll talk about my emotions and stuff, and try to just flex a different style of writing and relating, that will hopefully not explode on the launch pad. I haven't written consistently like this since my like 2nd attempt at college (I finally beat the college level on my 3rd try in my 30s - don't recommend it, unless you know you are in your 30s and want a degree, at which time I highly recommend it, but I digress...)
So - as I plan on training every Monday night in our adult class from 7:10 to 8:10 or as long as you want to stay after, I figured I'd write about what it is like to come back, my observations and insights.
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