Ask a Martial Arts Instructor

[Quackers]

Can you break any wood or brick with your fist or by kicking it?
Have you ever had to use your powers against evil?

 

[Masada]

Have you ever killed an Englishman?

 

[ParkCungHee]

Would you consider fencing a martial art?

I certainly would.

How good at martial arts do I have to be before I become Asian?

I don't know. Floyd Mayweather doesn't seem that Asian to me.

What's the break down of a typical class taught by you?

That depends on the kind of class. Sometimes, a head instructor gives me a specific lesson plan that needs to be gone over. Say because the class is large and he wants me to help some students while he helps others. If it's one on one, the biggest priority is what the student wants. Is he there for self-defense, fitness, competition or just to 'learn martial arts'.
If I'm given free reign over a group of people I usually try and do something different from what the instructor does. This is because I know they won't learn in otherwise, and they'll usually appreciate the change of pace.
Generally I try to keep the lesson simple and focusing on one thing only for the day, if you can learn one thing a day, you'll advance quickly.

Though how would I go about getting back to speed? I mean I'd have to have a special remedial course just to get back up to speed since its been so log. Plus, Because I am not as active as I used to, I'm afraid that the instructor would just push me and making me sick instead of taking it slow and let my body adapt.

In my experience the best way to get back up to speed is to have someone push you. If you go in with the attitude that if you try to hard you'll make yourself sick, you likely will.
That said, if any instructor is pushing you too hard, at any time it is your right and responsibility to inform him. We're not mind-readers, especially when working as a part of a group, it can be hard to tell when someone is going from a good workout to making themselves sick or injured. Any good instructor won't hold it against you if you speak up or slow down on your own.

Though my question about the dojo has not been answered, how would I know if a dojo does not lock you into a iron clad contract? Since I am comparing between two dojos in my area that are in the same style. One is the one I used to go and another that I've only heard about till recently.

Speak to them before hand about how their payment method works. Ask if they have a month-to-month plan. Most schools will, however it will be more expensive. If a school is entirely unwilling to do that, that should be a warning sign against joining, even if you were willing to commit to the contracts full length.

Do you hate the song "Kung Fu Fighting"?

I actually like it.

Yeah been trying to do the splits for ages. I have trouble kicking shoulder level and above. Someone told me that you can get two heavy guys to more or less "force" the stretch but that sure as hell sounds like a sure way to end up in hospital.

(DISCLAMIER FF is not responsible to Mobboss for any injuries or disabilities that arise should Mobboss decide he would have two heavy guys force flexibility on him)

Forced stretching is a valid method of stretching, and is a very common practice in Tae Kwon Do. However it is a very bad idea to get "too heavy guys" to do it. Forced stretching shouldn't be done by using excessive force or weight. It's better to place force where is necessary for the stretch, to get a better extension. It can certainly help students who have reached a plateau in their flexibility. Sometimes when you can't reach higher it's because you can't get the muscle far enough for a proper stretch anymore (splits are noticeable on this, if you're doing a forward split, it can be very hard to actually move your legs out). However more then any other stretching, you should only, only, only do this with someone who is experienced at this.

What would you do if a redneck pull a 9 mm Beretta pistol within 10 feet of you?

I would put my hands up and do what he said.

Why did you start? Was it for self-defense, exercise or just the art of it?

I played a lot of Tekken 3 in high school, and later was expelled. I needed something to fill my time, and so it seemed like a good idea.

Obviously your perceptions of martial arts might have changed since you started, but I guess what I am really asking is have you gotten out of it what you originally intended, or is it something different now?

I think I got what I wanted out of it (being able to do really cool things) and that's something I still get out of it, but now it is a number of other things. I enjoy being able to teach, I enjoy the level of physical training, and, to be honest, I enjoy being punched in the head at this point.

As a follow up question, do you find certain people have more success given their intentions upon entering a martial arts program?

Yes I do. As I've said, "self-defense" usually isn't a very good reason to study martial arts. Not only because there's better things for that, but because you're likely to quickly get bored when you realize you don't get mugged that often. People who join for "fitness" I suppose are successful in that goal, but they rarely stick with it, or get very good. They usually end up filtering out and into some other work out routine eventually, and that's fine, but the best students tend to be the ones who are in it either for it's own sake, or for competition.

 

[ParkCungHee]

Can you break any wood or brick with your fist or by kicking it?

Yes. Breaking wood is quite easy. Most students will do it for the first time within 3 months.
The hardest object I've ever broken however was a cement block, which I broke as part of my black belt test, and a few times since then.
Like one of the small ones at the top

However, my usual breaking routine usually involves speed breaking. Which is where, rather then being supported on both sides and needing just penetration to break the board, the board is supported on only one side. You have to hit it fast, so that one end of the board ends up knocked back while the other stays in place.
Like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lUhMTyIkTM

Have you ever had to use your powers against evil?

My drinking buddies are all women. They buy me drinks, and I chase off guys that won't take a hint. They've never actually started something though.

Have you ever killed an Englishman?

Not as far as anyone knows, Orangeman.

 

[ParkCungHee]

Whats a good set of stretches/exercises to help an older student be more limber/flexible.

Now, the most important thing with an older student, or any one else who's at risk for injuries from stretching is variety. Variety is important as part of any flexibility program, but it's especially so when you can't have intensity. So the stretches I'm going to recommend are just starters. Really you're going to want to do lots of different stretches. You can find more online and such, but I think as you get into them, you'll realize different ways for them yourself.

The principle behind this is very much like weight training. As you get older and you can't do as much weight at once, excercising muscles in a variety of ways is important because it prevents strain.

I'm going to list some examples.

The first is the Hurdle stretch. Which I'm fairly certain you've seen before. You sit on the floor. Place one leg forward, and bend the other one into it.
It looks like this:

This is a good stretch, but you may find that variations on it such as moving your body out to the side (straight out between your legs so that they're each at a 45 degree angle), you'll still stretch out the quadrecept and your groin at the same time. Be careful of your lower back when you do this though.
Another variation on this theme is with the rear leg tucked behind you rather then in front of you, like this:

This is more intensive, so if you're going to do this stretch, straighten out first, and it's fine if you can't move forward at all.
The important thing is to use all of these so that you don't strain yourself by doing any one of them too far or too long (that's bad too!)

Another good stretch for the groin that's very good is the Butterfly stretch. This ones good because it's very hard to apply too much force on it, but you can still get a powerful stretch out of it. You sit down, and tuck your feet together in front of you, like this.

If you can do this without feeling the stretch, try lowering your knees a little, if necessary, by resting your hands or elbows on them.

To stretch out your calfs I'm going to give you two relatively different stretches.
The first is a wall lean stretch. You face the wall, place your legs apart and push your hips forward towards the wall, like so.

This is fairly simple, straightforward, and another good one that I've never heard of someone getting injured doing.
Rather then a variant, I'm going to couple this with an entirely different stretch for the same muscle. This is one that I can't find online, probably because I don't have a proper name for it. In my experience they're called short stretches (and contrasted with Long Stretches which are more intensive). You place you feet about shoulder width apart, then place on foot forward. Lets say the left. Now raise you foot on the left, so your heel touches the ground. Bend your right knee as neccesary.
As I said, I couldn't find a reference, so I made some.

As with all stretching, be careful when doing it without supervision! If something feels wrong it is wrong.

That covers the legs, hopefully by tonight I'll be finished with my write up on the upper body.

 

[Kyriakos]

Do you find that most people start learning martial arts solely for self-defense or having the secret end to physically hurt someone?

 

[ParkCungHee]

Do you find that most people start learning martial arts solely for self-defense or having the secret end to physically hurt someone?

Occasionally you get the odd student looking to hurt someone. These usually fall under the "wish someone would" variety. They wish someone would do something so they could defend themselves. Usually these people have been picked on in some way. I've never had a student or seen a student that seemed like he was actually dangerous.

 

[CELTICEMPIRE]

which style of martial arts do you prefer to practice or teach. I currently practice Tae Kwon Do.

 

[Luckymoose]

Would you feel ashamed if I, a person who has no martial arts training, beat you up? Because honestly, Americanized McMartial Arts are hardly frightening to me.

 

[ParkCungHee]

Would you feel ashamed if I, a person who has no martial arts training, beat you up?

No, because if you did, you're clearly quite proficient at fighting, so there would be no shame in losing.

Because honestly, Americanized McMartial Arts are hardly frightening to me.

Okay? I'm wondering what's so bad about something being Americanized though?

 

[CaptainF]

What is the single martial arts form you would recommend to a beginner in order to maximize self-defense capability?

What are your thoughts on BJJ?

 

[ParkCungHee]

What is the single martial arts form you would recommend to a beginner in order to maximize self-defense capability?

Probably something like Krav Maga which is focused on such situations.

What are your thoughts on BJJ?

It's easily the most important development in Martial Arts in the last 50 years. It completely rewrote what we understood about fighting. Martial Arts taught submissions before BJJ. They didn't invent the Armbar or the Triangle choke. But they were usually taught as an afterthought.
For example, how I was taught an armbar was to throw a punch, do a hiptoss and then...just put him in an Armbar.
No one really practiced them against a resisting opponent, and nobody realized how hard it would be to get a submission. This is because we overestimated the effectiveness of punches and throws.
The only style that really had you fight for submission was Judo, be the effectiveness of that was lost because Judo also allows for pins, so they only defend against submissions from behind.
It completely rewrote how we saw fights happening, with the ground game now seen as the longest part of the fight usually.
At a more personal level, it's my second favorite martial art to practice, and I've found it overlaps and gels nicely with Taekwondo.

 

[Alassius]

How much can you do with very little commitment? I'm interested, but I can probably spend no more than one night every two weeks, as I'm learning other stuff like dancing and piano. Not looking for self-defense or beating up commies Just to have some fun and maybe burn some fat. I'm 29 years old with a BMI of 22.4.

 

[ParkCungHee]

Are you willing to put in some of your own time? Just a few minutes a day?

 

[Alassius]

For stretching? It depends on how much motivation I can muster, which is at best questionable...

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Can you give me an overview of the psychological side of martial arts? How does one attain the necessary mindset for anticipating and reacting to an opponent's moves quickly and efficiently?

 

[ParkCungHee]

For stretching? It depends on how much motivation I can muster, which is at best questionable...

For refreshing. Martial Arts is about muscle memory. If you do it for an hour once every two weeks, you're going to struggle, because the first twenty minutes or so will be spent trying to remember what happened last time.
However, if you can spend a few minutes a day to just keep yourself refreshed, somewhere between 5 and 15, you'll move forward. This doesn't even have to be in a physical sense. For example, if you are taught forms, go through the form in your head at least once a day. If you're not taught forms, visualize the motions you were taught. Of course it's better to go through the motions physically.
This way you'll actually know your material better when you get back to class, rather then needing a review. That will make a load of difference how you progress.
Physical fitness isn't really necessary to advance, and it's certainly no guarantee. You can build up fitness quickly, building up skill sets is what takes time.

 

[Traitorfish]

What's a good martial art to get into for somebody who really hasn't done any sort of sporting activity that isn't just wandering around a hill for the last six years? I could really do with taking up some sort of active exercise, and I think something with a bit of structure to it may help me stick to it.

 

[aelf]

Martial Arts is about muscle memory.

Is that what it's called?

What's a good martial art to get into for somebody who really hasn't done any sort of sporting activity that isn't just wandering around a hill for the last six years? I could really do with taking up some sort of active exercise, and I think something with a bit of structure to it may help me stick to it.

Fencing!

Actually, since fencing is considered a martial art and I have several years' experience doing it (and a trainer certificate) I could also answer questions in this thread. I've been out of it for more than 2 years, though.

 

[cybrxkhan]

From your experience, do Asian and non-Asian martial artists seem to have different attitudes and/or approaches when it comes to (Asian) martial arts?