Rely. The finger levitation stunt has been a parlor trick used for centuries to prove a variety of things. All it really proves is that four average people can lift one average person. It was described by Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) in his famous Diary as being done by French schoolgirls upon a corpulent pastry chef, and it was an old trick even at that time.

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the average male weights 190 pounds and the average female weights 163 pounds. Let us assume the person being lifted is a 200 pound male. Each of the lifters would only have to lift an average of 50 pounds, an easy weight to lift with two hands, even for a woman. Even though two fingers are used, the weight is not on just the two fingers, it is mostly on the hands. Males tend to be stronger than females, so they can lift more. This is why two females are not put on the same side. If a female on one side could not lift her entire share of the weight, the male could easily lift the extra weight.

The world is full of weird people and strange beliefs. When people cannot achieve in the real world, they tend to invent something at which they can achieve, such as inventing some outlandish theories and then making themselves experts on the subjects. When put to the test by impartial scientists using standard scientific testing procedures, all these people with outlandish theories and claims either refuse to be tested or, if they do test, they fail miserably.

These people always claim there is some conspiracy to suppress them by the government, corporations, or the scientific community. They find conspiracies everywhere.

If something does not conform to standard knowledge, it is probably wrong. Instead of reading about outlandish theories and their equally outlandish explanations, it is better to read about how these theories have been debunked.

When you read too much science fiction, you sometimes get science confused with science fiction. One trick used by frauds is to plant a seed of doubt about the truth, and then to hit hard with so many lies that they begin to sound true and the truth begins to appear false. Frauds are good at what they do; it similar to dealing with a car salesperson. No matter how good you think you are at car dealing, you only do it once every few years, they do it many times a day for years.

Houdini made it his life’s work to dunk false claims. Another person who has made a life’s works of debunking the bunk is James Randi. Check out his site at: http://www.randi.org/

Remember, use reason, logic, and scientific analysis when dealing with extraordinary claims, and always be skeptical.

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Rely. The world of Taekwondo is a convoluted mess, so I can understand your confusion. I do not claim to understand it all myself but here is a quick synopsis.

Korea originally had the ancient martial art of Taekkyon that eventually died out leaving no written record, so no one knows exactly what it entailed (was it an martial art, a folk dance, a sport, or a game?). During the Japanese occupation of Korea during the first half of the 1900s, many young Koreans went to, or were taken to, Japan, where they studied karate. After World War II and the emancipation of Korean from Japanese rule in 1945, some Koreans came back to Korea where they taught the karate they had learned in Japan. Over the years, the karate they taught became influenced by Korean traditions and remnants of what people thought was Taekkyon.

In 1955, the predominate masters met to decide what to call their new art. General Choi suggested the name Taekwondo and the name was adopted. Choi formed the ITF to govern Taekwondo and was its first president. Choi later claimed to have founded Taekwondo, not just name it (some dispute that he even initially proposed the name), which upset the other masters. Choi was born in what became North Korea (the sworn enemy of South Korea) after the Korean War, so he had connections and sympathies with North Korea, which greatly upset the South Koreans to the point that Choi and the ITF were forced out the country in the 1960’s. To this day, South Koreans believe there is a direct connection between the ITF and North Korea.

Since Choi’s death, there has been a struggle amongst various branches of the ITF as to which is the official ITF. When the founder of a large corporation dies, the founder’s choice for a successor is considered as a replacement, but it is the board of directors who decide who the new CEO will be. Sometimes they want to move the corporation in a different direction, so they choose a CEO that agrees with them. Such is what occurred with the ITF. As usual, the ones who favor Choi’s choice of a successor are the ones that will most benefit from that successor. Which organization will prevail is up to the courts and public opinion.

The WTF was formed to take over Taekwondo in South Korea after Choi and the ITF left. The ITF version of Taekwondo used many of the original karate techniques and patterns. The WTF wanted to eliminate karate’s influence and make Taekwondo a uniquely Korean martial art, so they changed the patterns and specialized in kicks, so much so that Taekwondo become known as the “kicking art, ” and changed Taekwondo from a martial art into a martial sport. The WTF was more successful in becoming a governing power in world Taekwondo than was the ITF, which culminated in the WTF gaining control of Taekwondo in the Olympics.

Choi wanted to unify the ITF and the WTF, but, to South Koreans, this would be equivalent to cooperating with the North Koreans, their sworn enemy. In addition, since the WTF already controls Taekwondo in the world, why would it want to relinquish any control to the weaker ITF organization when the WTF would not gain any benefit from the cooperation; only the ITF would benefit.

All these changes have split Taekwondo into two major factions; sport Taekwondo (controlled by WTF affiliated organizations) and traditional Taekwondo (controlled by ITF affiliated organizations). Each faction has its good and bad points. Similar to college affiliation where people tend to support and have close ties to the college they first attended, which type of Taekwondo you support depends mainly on which one you were first affiliated.

There are probably hundreds of Taekwondo organizations in the world, most small in size. Students happily train with these organizations for their entire lives. Some instructors do not belong to any organization and yet they teach good Taekwondo, produce quality black belts, and their students are very satisfied.

Organizations are not necessary for good Taekwondo. Organizations may say they exist to benefit the art and the students, but at some point, they all exist only to benefit themselves. When this happens, disgruntled black belts split off from the organizations and form their own organizations. Then, at some point, these organizations become power hungry, causing black belts to split off and form their own organizations. Etc. Etc.

As a student of Taekwondo, you should find a school in an organization that you like and fits your goals, or even a school you like that does not belong to an organization, and devote your time and effort toward training in Taekwondo with the school and supporting the school, and not worry about the power struggles between organizations. Let the power hunger, egotists worry about their organizations; just be happy and enjoy Taekwondo.

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Rely. Most claims of ki giving people superhuman abilities are based upon anecdotal evidence. Usually these claims come from the far past, which makes it impossible to scientifically test the validity of the claims. Belief in extraordinary martial art powers is similar to religious beliefs. Zealots say that if people believe in their religion, they do not require proof, and that no amount of proof will convince them that their beliefs are false.

Have you noticed how much strangers on the street look so similar to your long lost girlfriend? You may not be consciously looking for her, but you keep seeing women who remind you of her. Likewise, people who believe in conspiracies seem to see conspiracies everywhere; people who believe in Bigfoot see evidence of its existence everywhere; and people who believe in ki see it everywhere they look and, if they actively look for it, they find it everywhere.

Belief is a powerful force! If a person believes he or she is not in pain, the person will not perceive pain. The pain is still there, its just that the person refuses to accept its existence. If you believe in acupuncture, it will work, no matter where the needles are placed. People who believe in other types of no traditional medicine gain the same benefits, such as people who believe that crystals placed on their body in certain locations will relieve pain, or people who believe that pressure applied to certain pressure points or the wearing a copper bracket will relieve pain. Many people who “believe” they are sick, do in fact become ill, while many people who “believe” they are healed are actually healed. The human brain is a powerful force, even when it does not attribute its power to itself. Charlatans, and people with good intentions, have used this belief system to defraud people since humans have existed. Just because you truly believe in something, does not make it true; it may still be a fraud. Skeptics know how to harness this belief system and gain its benefits without having to attribute the benefits to supernatural forces.

Many people are able to do fantastic feats, some of which are real, some or which are illusions, and some of which are manufactured. In recent news, people were attributing Floyd Landis’ fantastic comeback in the Tour de France to his inner fortitude. However, now it seems that the comeback was due to his use of manufactured testosterone. Wonder how many of the famous martial art feats of the past were illusions or due to drugs or herbs, and not to ki.

If someone believes in ki, you will not be able to convince him or her otherwise, no matter how much proof you offer that disproves its existence. Likewise, if you do not believe in ki, you will not be able to enjoy the benefits that come from belief in its existence. However, if you believe in the human mind’s control over the body, you may reap the benefits of the concept of ki without believing in it.

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Rely. Some organizations, schools, or instructors use Korean terminology, some use their home language, and some use a mixture of both. As explained in TKDTutor, using Korean terminology is a way to let Taekwondo practitioners of any language easily communicate amongst themselves. However, this is also sometimes confusing because there is not complete uniformity in the meaning of the Korean terminology used. 

Just as there is not uniformity in the Korean terminology used, there is also not uniformity in the home language terminology. For example, in English, a round kick, a roundhouse kick, and a turning kick are all the same kick.

In a reverse round kick, the torso turns backward as the rear leg chambers high as if setting up for a spin side or spin hook kick and then, after a 180 degree rotation, the leg (which is now the front leg) fires a roundhouse kick. However, a reverse turning kick is not always considered a reverse roundhouse kick; to some, a reverse turning kick is what my organization calls a spin hook kick.

The wheel kick is what my organization calls a heel kick.

In a heel kick, the kicking knee is straight as the leg pulls the heel through the target, and the knee stays straight until ready to place the foot back on the floor. The heel and knee do not stop horizontal movement until ready to drop the foot to the floor.

In a hook kick, the kicking knee and lower leg snap the heel through the target. The knee stops its horizontal movement as it pass the line between your hip and the target and bends backward so the heel arcs around and appears to be kicking you in the butt.

The heel kick is slower, easier to block, and more difficult to control once it is in motion, but it hits harder since the knee is straight, which transfer all force to the heel. The hook kick is quicker, more difficult to block, and easier to control once it is in motion, but it hits with less force since the bent knee prevents the transfer of all force to the heel.

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Rely. Everyone is insecure in some way, instructors included. Some are afraid that if students visit other schools, they may find that they (the current instructors) do not know what they are doing, they may fear the students may think the other instructors are better than they are, they may fear the students will like the other martial arts better than Taekwondo, or they may fear the students may change schools.

Masters who think their students would never want to visit another school must have slaves for students. It they have free thinking, inquisitive students, then the students will get curious at some point and want to check out other styles. Masters who fear this have too much insecurity. Just as parents raise their children to leave home and make it in the world, instructors should be happy when their students leave home and keep growing in the martial arts. No matter have knowledgeable the instructor, at some point, he or she will have taught a student all he or she knows. At this point, the instructor should encourage the student to further his or her knowledge in other arts. It may not be best for the business, but it is best for the student.

Training in two dissimilar arts, such as Taekwondo and Judo, is usually not a problem. The two arts use different techniques. However, training in two similar arts, such as Taekwondo and karate may be a problem. They both use stances, punching, and kicking techniques, but the manner of performing the techniques may be very different. A Formula 1 race car driver may also race a fuel dragster and be a champion at both, since the driving techniques used in each are different. However, while a Formula 1 race car driver may learn to race a NASCAR stock car, the driver cannot race both and ever expect to win at either. The driving techniques are very similar in each, but the intricacies that make one a good driver in each are very different.

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Rely. I think all styles of karate use hands for more defensive and offensive techniques than does either traditional or sport Taekwondo. For this reason, I think karate is more suited to self-defense situations than is Taekwondo, however, unless specialized techniques and training are included in their curriculums, neither karate nor Taekwondo is very effective in true self-defense situations or in warfare.

Check out the topic Apples and Oranges for an explanation of competition, fighting, self-defense, and warfare.

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Rely. Rings (other than simple wedding bands), necklaces, bracelets, watches, earrings, piercing, etc. could possibility cause injury to the wearer or to another person, but simple wedding bands are no more unsafe than sharp fingernails or students who have not washed their hands after using the restroom. Some instructors are a little carried away with their rules, but they own the schools so it is their prerogative.

Some people are offended at everything; however, they only tend to express their indignation to “good” people who they know will not harm them. They never seem to be offended by “bad” people who they think may kick their butt if they complain. I once had a student (for only two days) who worked as a nurse supervisor who refused to call instructors and other students sir or ma’am, even through they used the term ma’am when referring to her.

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Rely. I do not know the exact difference in the force required to break boards with or without spacers, but it is many time easier to break with spacers, that is why people use them. You know how easy it is to break one board; children do it, old Senators do it, and television talk show hosts do it. With spacers, you are breaking one board at a time; each board is no harder to break than the one before it. If you break the first board, you will break every subsequent board as long as you sustain that same amount of force. Therefore, if you could maintain the amount of force required to break one board over the distance of a yard, you could break about 36 boards with spacers. Humans are not able to sustain that amount of force over that great a distance; so they hit the first board with as much force as possible and try to maintain the force until it dwindles to the point it will no longer break a board. To break boards with spacers, your hand or foot must move though all the boards with a sustained, relatively low level of force. In the world of martial art training, self-defense, professional fighting, or street fighting this type of force is useless.

Without spacers, you are basically breaking one board equal to the thickness of all the boards; although it is still easier to break many boards than it is to break one board of the same thickness, due to ability of the many boards to flex and slide against each other. To break boards without spacers, your hand or foot only has to move a relatively short distance through the boards; the flexing will travel all the way through the boards no matter the thickness. To break a single board that is several inches thick, one must strike the board with enough force to flex it a few inches, and then the strike can stop; the flexing force will move thought board and finish the break. The amount of force initially required is very great, but it only needs to be sustained for a few inches. When you reach the limit of the amount of force you may generate, or the amount of force exceeds that which the hand or foot can withstand upon impact, the break will fail. In the world of martial art training, self-defense, professional fighting, or street fighting this is the type of force you want to use; a short, instantaneous, powerful punch that transfers force throughout the target. A long, sustained weak punch does little damage and usually only pushes the target.

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Rely. Babies breathe naturally using their diaphragms. As they age, at some point they start breathing unnaturally using their chest muscles. After years of breathing in this inefficient manner, it is difficult to train students to breathe properly. When learning to punch and kick properly, Taekwondo students experience the same problem; they have done punched and kicked incorrectly for so long it is difficult for them to learn the natural, proper way.

When students first learn to punch, they use their arm muscles and lean or reach with their shoulders; therefore, their power comes from whatever energy they are able to generate with their arm and shoulder muscles, and the mass of their arm. To generate maximum power in a punch or kick, one should sequentially apply power to the technique using all the muscle from the soles of the base foot or feet to the point of impact, and, at moment of impact, apply as much mass as possible to the point of impact. Learning to apply muscle power sequentially is usually not much of a problem for students, but learning to apply mass, using hip snap, tends to take longer to master.

The audible snap of a technique comes from acceleration of the fabric of the uniform at the end of the sleeve or pant leg. No person can accelerate his or her arm or leg fast enough forward to achieve this snapping sound. To achieve a snapping sound, one must retract the technique as quickly as it was extended, just as when a person snaps a whip or a towel. The snap itself is useless; it only provides feedback to the user that the required quickness has been achieved. To make a snapping technique useful, mass must be applied behind the technique. When a snapping towel hits you on the chest, it stings; when a snapping punch hits you on the chest, it breaks ribs.

To apply mass to a technique without leaning or reaching, which causes instability, we must snap body mass into the technique using the hips. To illustrate this motion, stand in front of a target pad or bag and hit it with hook punches. Now, from your guard position, raise your elbows upward to the sides so the fists are in front of the face with the forearms parallel to the floor. With the arms locked and upper body locked in this position, hit the target with hook punches without using the arms or shoulders; only use a rotating snapping motion of the hips. With a little practice, you will find you can strike just as quickly and powerfully this way as you did using your arms. Now, if you combine the hip snap with the motion of the arm and shoulder muscles, you can strike with maximum power.

To illustrate the hip snap (or in this case the hip roll) with a kick, extend the leg in a side kick position and hold the heel against the target. This is the point of impact for beginning students. With the leg still extended, roll the kicking hip over and downward, snapping the body mass into the kick. With what seemed to be a fully extended kick, you will achieve even more extension and more striking force.

Most people do not use their hips. They have to be taught to lift using the legs (and hips) rather than using their backs. When they take a step, the hip and leg move at the same time, which means their mass moves with and at the same speed as the foot, which means they fall if the foot slips, and they have no power in the step. When stepping, if the hip trails (lags) the foot, the mass is not committed, so, if the foot slips, you may still maintain your stability. This way of moving is used in Judo. If you commit your mass into a step and the opponent sweeps the foot, you fall. If the hip and mass lag the foot, if the foot is swept, nothing happens. Since people have not used their hips properly for years, it takes awhile to unlearn the improper way and learn the proper way to move their hips.

To learn hip snap, do not think about cocking (moving the hip backward) before executing a technique (this takes time and telegraphs the attack). Instead, let the hip lag the punch or kick, and then let it snap forward to catch up with the attack at moment of impact.

To use the hips properly in a punch or kick, the hips must move freely and smoothly in the eight directions (North, NE, East, SE, South, SW, West, and NW), they must rotate smoothly on the vertical axis, and they must swing freely around the vertical axis. This means the lower abdomen, hips, and upper thighs must be relaxed and move easily. For some, this free movement is natural; for others, it is awkward, but, as with everything else, it may be learned with practice.

Dancers use their hips. Dancers who have stiff hips look like klutzes. If you are not a dancer, turn on some music that makes you want to move and dance (probably out of sight of others), concentrating on hip movements. All types of stretching are useful. All types of abdominal exercises are useful. Find a yoga book or web site and practice the poses that concentrate on the hips. Learn to relax the entire body when sparring. Most students stand relatively motionless, with clinched fists, and concentrating on the opponent. Learn to move freely with every muscle loose in flowing motions, unclench the fists, and, instead of concentrating on the opponent, learn to be aware of the opponent while flowing with the movements of the situation. Do not be a tree standing firm in the forest against the wind, be a leaf that moves with the motion of the forest as it moves with the wind. If you watch true martial artists (actual rank may or may not reflect this), they are relaxed and fight effortlessly. A new driver grips the steering wheel and looks tense and nervous, while an experienced driver drives relaxed, with little thought or effort. With experience, martial artists perform in the same manner.

When sparring or training in class, do not worry about scoring or looking good, instead, concentrate on performing perfect techniques with hip snap and focus. You may look silly at first, but as you learn to move to move properly, your techniques and power will dramatically improve and you will look better than the rest of your fellow students. Do not spend much time practicing what you can do, instead, spend most of your time learning and practicing what you cannot do. If you do right leg kicks much quicker and stronger than left leg kicks, do not practice right leg kicks, practice left leg kicks.

Practice long and hard in performing techniques properly, without concern for how you look to others, and, even though to yourself you will seem to be just doing what you always do, you will find that others begin to refer to you as the best martial artist in the class.

Stay relaxed, perform techniques perfectly with proper stances and posture, use hips snap and focus for power, and practice long and hard, and you will become a true martial artist.

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Rely.

The combination of reinforcement that I have been doing some of the right things, and the directions to do more if not all - I can't thank you enough. And I know my students will thank you because your help will go a long way to giving them the instructor they deserve. And my own instructor will thank you, because the help you've already given me, yet alone the help as I use your site more, brings me closer to honoring him properly.

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