I have a chance to be involved with the recruitment people for the American Kyuki-do Federation. I have been chosen to interview with the leaders of the federation to discuss a possible position to be a head instructor! I am not sure where the school would be, but if I make it through the interview process and the intense training classes I could have my own dojo and classes to run! This is a slim chance but I am excited to have this opportunity none the less. :-D is all I can really say on that.
I recently had an advancement test. I will have one more of these before my black belt test in November. This test also fell on my 30th birthday. I have been doing martial arts for a little over 20 years, on and off, and I cannot think of a better way to spend part of my birthday then to spend it doing what I love. As far as the test is concerned, I feel that I did very well. I think I did better on this one than I have done on any martial arts test ever! It was not just me either. The whole class did better than they were expecting as well! We worked hard individually, but we worked so well together (ending forms together, one steps, Judo, Hapkido) I feel I would not have done as well if we all had not given 110% that day.
I have been working my kata (Hyung) as a fellow tumblr-er suggested and I have fixed a lot of the mi or issues in my technique and I still have a long way to go, but I noticed a vast improvement! Thank you.
A martial arts peer of mine was trying to give me crap about the style of Hapkido I study. He was saying that, basically, since I don’t study one of the more popular styles of Hapkido taught by an ancient Korean man it isn’t real Hapkido. To be fair he is very young and relatively new to martial arts, 4 years. Keep in mind that I study Hapkido at the same school where we both study Kyuki-do.
In response to his disrespectful chiding, I said something like this:
Mr. “his last name”, all because this style of Hapkido does not have a direct lineage to one of the more popular and well known styles of Hapkido doesn’t make it less of a viable form of self defense. The physical elements of the art are represented: throws, locks, kicks, self defense strikes and the internal elements like the water, circle movement and breath control. If you take apart what Hapkido is I am sure you will not find some one person who is the end all be all of everything. It is not our job, as martial artists, to judge. It is our job to learn and to discover, that is why we are called students and not martial arts know all the things.
I then told him to do some research in what Hapkido is an where it came from along with the other martial arts that make up Kyuki-do.
Knowledge is power!
Today we had a two hour class in stick fighting and it took me most of that time to feel comfortable with the basics. I hope the instructor comes back regularly, I had a lot of fun and highly recommend it.
My path to black belt
I will be right on the three year mark when I get my black belt in my current style Kyuki-do. Three years. I have learned so much, not only about martial arts but about myself. The people I have met and the experiences I have had could not be traded for all the tea in China. My test is in November and as the days fly by I feel more and more confidant in my abilities. I CAN do this.
I have been doing martial arts for a long time. Only kicky punchy, harder styles. This is the first time I have tried any of the softer styles and I have to say that I am not terrible at the techniques I have learned. I cannot wait to end this journey and shuck off the title of yokupja and begin the next journey, the one of the yodanja, and continue being a student of the martial arts.
Today was a good day. I got to the dojo an hour early and worked on my forms, and I feel like I resolved some of my previous issues with two forms in particular. During class we worked on some of my ground work and judo throws. Today was a good day.
I have exceeded my goal in our tabada training. 20 seconds of as hard as you can push ups, 10 seconds rest, 20 seconds of sprints, 10 seconds rest…repeat 4 times. I did 31 on the first set of push ups, then 25, 23 and 21 on the final set. This is up from 29, 23, 20 and 20 yesterday. I also got an hour for forms work in and I am still working with a fellow tumblrs advice and it is helping. Slowly but surely.
My Ultimate Black Belt Test: Supplementing Martial Arts Training
Hello lovely Tumblr folks!
Being back in the gym consistently recently has gotten me thinking about the ways we, as martial artists, supplement our training - whether it’s with cardio, weight lifting, yoga, etc. I’m actually in the process of writing an article on the subject, specifically about…
I like to do tobada training. It is a 4 min workout. 20 sec of as hard as you can cardio, 10 sec rest, 20 sec of as hard as you can other exercise, 10 sec of rest. Wash rinse repeat 4 times and you will be warmed up and ready for a good workout. I switch up the exercises every time I do it. Sprints and push ups, sit ups and mountain climbers…it can be any pairing.
My Ultimate Black Belt Test: RE: A deep quandary
I have, as of late, become increasingly nervous and anxious while in class. I am testing for my black belt in November and I felt like I was prepared for it. Recently I have been making a lot of dumb mistakes in my forms and it is bugging the hell out of me. The…
Thank you so much. I will do as you suggest. I do not have a great deal of outside time to practice, but I think I need to start making progress and not excuses. I will find the time to add in the additional, slower paced, training exercises. I will use the time I am covering classes to go through the lower rank forms with the other students, then on my time work my higher rank forms and step ins for Judo and my falling techniques. Getting into these habits now will help me build onto my strengths and build up the techniques I am not as strong at.
A few of our big requirements require a partner ( Hapkido, and the myriad of one steps and two steps), but I am very confident in those requirements and I will work on those when the opportunity offers itself.
Thank you again for your help. I would not mind giving you my contact info, but I am not sure how to do it on tumblr, I am very new to this site. Should I just post it for you?
Source: martialartsmusings
A dream of mine is to own my own dojo. I sometimes feel like being a homosexual will hinder my chances of being successful. Living in the south makes me afraid of the hate and the fear makes me feel weak. I think that if I can overcome the fear I might be able to open my dojo wherever I want without my mind getting in the way.
I sometimes feel like I have something to prove when I am in class. I feel like, since I am the only gay male, that I have to be better and to try harder and to learn my terminology better than everyone else. I feel like I have to prove to them, and to myself, that a homosexual male can not only do well but be a leader and role model. I want to teach what I know and pass on my knowledge and my views on martial arts to as many people as possible.
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