Physics behind TKD kicks

The physics behind three TKD kicks: side kick, back kick, and "tornado" kick.

100 Press Ups Challenge

A couple of weeks ago a bunch of friends and I were out for a mate's birthday. We were talking about the gym (as alpha male guys do) and one guy said he could do 100 press ups, and still have energy to do more! Immediately I was sceptical and didn't really believe it. He doesn't have a bad physique but a 100 press ups is a lot! Anyway before we moved on to TGI Friday's for our meal, he dropped down and started doing his “press ups”... as you can probably guess he had very bad form/technique. I can only describe what I saw as him “humping” the floor (to be fair if no-one has shown you the proper form how can you know what to do?). Anyway I stopped him and showed him the proper technique: arm's locked, bum in line with your back, lowering yourself down to a fist's height off the floor, back up to arm's locked (and repeat).

During our meal the conversation carried on... he said that he could do 100 proper press ups before we broke up for Easter (three weeks away). I bet he couldn't, so we agreed that if he did it, I would need to take my top off and do as many press ups as I could in the middle of our University campus during a peak time. If he failed, then he would need to do it.

There is one week to go, and from what I hear he is only managing 30 or so press ups :D

Out of interest can any of you (the readers) do 100 press ups (keeping proper form)? I youTubed it and haven't been too impressed.

Muscle strength VS Flexibility

I believe that training in the gym (lifting weights) helps develop your strength in sparring, for any Martial Art. However, I have always avoided doing leg weights (squats, calf raises and leg press etc) because I do not want to lose flexibility in my kicking.

So firstly, do you think you lose flexibility if you build up the muscles in your legs? And what would you suggest for developing kicking power/leg strength without losing flexibility?

Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!

Sparring Strategy

Great fighters need more than just technique, power and speed. They also need a good dynamic strategy. Strategy ought to be tailored to a specific opponent or situation. It is also good to have a “default strategy” – a strategy you automatically revert to without thinking about it. In my opinion, the best method of this is continuous attacking (some followers of Kung Fu also adopt this approach). When you are hit, automatically hit back nonstop until your opponent is no longer a threat. This will minimize the damage to yourself.

This line of attack relies on the use of combinations of techniques, not just the one hit wonders which often miss. This is one of the reasons why I think TKD (and other martial arts which practice patterns/forms/katas) is better than kickboxing. TKD teaches patterns (a sequence of movements against an imaginary opponent) which can be adapted for use in default continuous sparring.

One advantage of this strategy is that for the majority of the time, you are in the dominant position. If you land your first attack, then your opponent will likely be hurt or stunned, but even if you miss, your opponent is prone to be “on the back foot.” They will be reacting rather than acting, which means you get to dictate the fight.

Obviously, this strategy should be used with caution. You shouldn’t go running in all gung ho. Timing is everything. Pick your moment to attack carefully, as kicking and punching thin air is just a waste of energy.

Riz's Martial Arts Training: The Triangle Hypothesis

Here's a link to a very interesting article about the theory behind developing as a martial artist:

Riz's Martial Arts Training: The Triangle Hypothesis

Tae kwon-do vs Kickboxing Video

This is definitely one of the more entertaining fight that I’ve come across on youtube. True showmanship... I felt that both fighters went out not to simply win, but to win in style and to put on a great show. However, the TKD guy is showing a classic example of over using the spinning/reverse turning-kick. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH0dCP4nDzU&eurl

Fighting the Chinese genes

As you may already know form my previous blog posts, I have been trying to bulk up and “get big”... I was told again today that I'm not as big as my (white English) friend, Ben, who is also on this “getting big” programme. It's annoying! And I blame it on my genes! The Chinese aren't built to be big. We don't play rugby; we stick to table tennis and badminton where our small frames and nimbleness works to our advantage. I'm green with envy off Ben... we have been lifting pretty much the same in the gym, yet he is the one bulking up. I argue the Chinese simply aren't built for this!!

On the other hand, another friend said to me today, “It's not all about size.” And I have to agree with this. I believe I am getting stronger, which will help my Martial Arts, and I won't need to buy a new wardrobe because I've got too big for my clothes (unlike Ben)!!

Reasons why ITF is better than WTF

As I have previously said, there are two main types of Tae kwon-do (TKD) practised in the world: ITF and WTF. The main differences between the two are:


Personally, I don't see why WTF is an Olympic sport. It gives TKD a bad name and when my friends ask what I do, I specifically say not Olympic TKD. They spend most of their time bouncing on the spot, waiting to use a counter-attack knock-out turning kick. It just seems like a lot of pointless noise and not much action. ITF has a greater variation of techniques, and thus is better to watch.

Something not mentioned in the above table is that WTF predominately focuses on kicks, whereas ITF uses hands as well. I would say ITF is a more traditional Martial Art, whereas WTF has developed into a sport due to its Olympic participation.

However, a good point about WTF is its full-contact nature. I wish ITF did more full-contact and according to TKD Times magazine, a merger between the WTF and ITF will happen in the next few years. As a style, TKD has been taking a beating from other martial arts who have been trying to discredit it as a legitimate form of self defence or fighting. I think unification would help strengthen the style and help fight back against this bad publicity. My other future hopes for TKD, is to see a stronger ITF or kickboxing influence in the Olympics and less politics within the two major organisations.