Ow.

[jsbowden]

I think I hurt myself last night. Actually, no, I know I hurt myself last night. My left shoulder is all achy and stiff.

Damnit, I wanted to attend class tonight. I've only got a couple minor things to work on for my basics and combos, and I'm ready to test for Red belt next month, but I need to get to class for that.

My sparring is great, and forms are not a problem for me, but the blue belt combos are turning out to be a real bitch. I either can't see what I'm supposed to be striking, or I have to twist my head and torso around too far which totally fucks up my balance. Damn you, left eye! It'll be less of a problem as my flexibility increases, and I can get my head around further without forcing my body around (thusly, allowing me to actually see my target), but right now it sucks.

I'd really like two working eyes. Anyone know when I can order a replacement? That's technology that I can't wait to see. I've never had actual 3d vision (this has caused minor injuries as well, since I'll misjudge target distance by about an inch or so, and kick with toes instead of instep: OUCH!), and I'm sure it'd be a cool new experience.

This is so backwards for me; sparring is usually my weak area since I don't really enjoy it, and basics/combinations and forms come to me fairly readily.

Fooey.

Comments

[larabeaton.livejournal.com]

A lot of spinning techniques at the next level? Try delivering your kick a bit later. Instead of starting the kick when you're 90 degrees from desire impact point, start it when you're 45 degrees from impact point.

that's made the biggest difference for me, anyway.

[jsbowden.livejournal.com]

We're not supposed to start a kick until our knee is in proper position. The problem is that in proper position with my left leg, my nose blocks my right eye from seeing, and if I kick early, bad things happen to my hip joints (and I'm sure based on what you wrote above, you know exactly what I'm talking about). Turning my head those extra few inches throws everything off. Not being able to see my target is really annoying for balance reasons. I've tried focusing off to one side, but that usually means looking where there are other students in motion, and I still need a nice stationary focus point to keep myself balanced properly.

My instructor said not to worry about it, since eventually I should be able to do it with my eyes closed and still maintain posture and balance, which is great once you already know it. He wasn't being glib or blowing me off, he's just trying to encourage me to just live with it for now, since eventually it will no longer matter. It just means I'm going to have to take more than the normal amount of time learning it initially.

It doesn't matter in sparring, since I can just keep mostly to the right or limit myself to mostly hand techniques when I'm left foot forward, but for basics and combinations in testing format, there is no faking it.

[larabeaton.livejournal.com]

You do spinning kicks with your left leg when you're left foot forward? Or are these step spinning kicks you're talking about?

[jsbowden.livejournal.com]

A front leg round kick on the left requires the same chamber position as a back leg round that started right leg forward. It doesn't matter which leg is forward at the outset, it matters that I need to be on my right leg, get my left knee up and pointed at my target, and not have my torso contorted all out of position. Once I have more flexibility, I'll be able to keep my torso almost totally vertical while still kicking head high, but right now I still lean somewhat even for lower than head hieght, which is normal and expected at my skill level. By our Black Belt test, the lean should be minimal (some lean will always be required, physics is funny like that).

Linear kicks aren't as bad, since the leg is chambered with the knee in front of the abdomen and my torso is in a much more natural (for me) position (and wouldn't you know it, my side kicks are much cleaner than my round kicks, and my hook kicks start off great and end badly, seeing as how they start like a side, and end in a round kick chamber).

Something to remember is we're talking about testing format here. In sparring drills and matches, we're much looser on exact chamber and rechamber and knee position is encouraged to be less than perfect to allow for throwing different kick types with minimal repositioning first.

Spinning kicks for us are used in forms and combos (a lot of reverse side and reverse hook kicks), but in actual sparring, they are discouraged along with back leg kicks because they are slow and leave you vulnerable. In step sparring drills (think of a metronome counting to 6, 4, or 2. One partner must attack on 1, 2, and 3, the other on 4, 5 and 6; or on 1 and 2 the other on 3 and 4, or on 1, the other on 2, you strictly defend when it's not your count), we're never supposed to lead with a reverse or back leg technique. You do it in an actual sparring match, and with rare exception you're going to get hit or kicked by your opponent half way through the technique if they are even close to your level of skill. An under belt of any rank against a Black belt doesn't stand a chance starting an offense with a reverse or back leg technique.

We're also very much concerned with leg position after a technique in TKD since multiple kicks are highly emphasized. Most other arts dop the leg after a kick; we bring it back to a starting position and kick again if there is an opening (or actually, kick in a different place on the body since the first kick should have created and opening). This is where combos at higher belt levels are becoming problematic for me since we're constantly switching legs and which foot is forward as we progress through each combination. I move through an offensive reverse hook kick with the right leg to a back leg round kick with the left leg, and I'm all off balance all the sudden trying to keep my target area in sight. Once that happens, the combo pretty much just falls apart for me. I'm just going to have to get it down good enough in the studio that I can do repititions at home and not worry that I'm doing it all wrong. Once I get there, I can clean it up no problem, but getting there means getting to class in the first place.

[larabeaton.livejournal.com]

You know, it never occurred to me that monocular vision would be a problem for anything except spinning kicks. I guess you would have a problem with all of the sideways kicks (round, side, hook) on your left leg.

The use of the front leg to kick in sparring was something that my old school used to teach quite well. It's less emphasized in my new school, which may be one reason why I do so well in sparring here.

We do tons of spinning kicks in my new school, mostly spinning hook kicks, and spinning back kicks (with their jump variations). While it is slower than just throwing a front leg front kick, it's also fairly unexpected by your opponent, and they have no way of knowing what technique you're going to throw, because the spinning hook kick, spinning back kick, spinning side kick, spinning crescent kick, and even the spinning back or side fist all start the same way. They're hard to defend against except by just not being there when the person gets all the way around.

Spinning techniques are far more powerful when they connect, too. Plus they just look really flash.

With the exception of one teacher at our school, we don't do much in the way of multiple kicks in the air. And even he doesn't recommend it for sparring, as the longer your leg is in the air, the higher the chance you're going to be on the receiving end of a sweep.

(Again, my old school used to do tons of aerial kicks, really bizarre combinations, too, like front kick followed by side kick, or axe kick followed by hook kick. I could never see the point of those, except possibly for improving balance, they're completely useless in a fight.)