Micro Post; Quote of the Month

This months quote comes from my nightstand, or to be more precise "The book of five rings". It has nothing to do with "The Lord of the Rings" but everything to do with real life strategy for survival. It was written by legendary swordman and winner of many many life and death duels Miyamoto Mushashi. First time I read the book I was too young and inexperienced but every time I read it these days I learn something profound and new from the book. It will not suprisingly make an appearance in my reccomended reading series as well at some point;-)

The reason I choose this quote is that allthough he is strictly speaking about weapons it is a danger that many Taekwondoin faces in their studies and training. We rely so much upon the longest weapon on our body; the feet that we often neglect closer range weapons such as our arms, knees, elbows and grappling. Relying on one over the others and specialize is in my opinion not the worst thing that can happen. What is a real danger though is neglecting all other aspects so much that you are no longer able to use the other aspects. You often see this with "Taekwondo players" who are masterful kickers but once you get inside that range they no longer function as fighters. 

“You should not have any special fondness for a particular weapon, or anything else, for that matter. Too much is the same as not enough. Without imitating anyone else, you should have as much weaponry as suits you.”

-Miyamoto Mushashi

Recommended Reading Part 5:

Alas we have reached the end of "Taekwondo books" in the series (for the time being at least). I know of several other books on Taekwondo that I have on my whish list but I decided early that the books that I recommend in this series will be books that I own and have read over and over again so I can vouch for them. Books are expensive and it takes time to read them so I will honor my readers by only recommending stuff I 100% know they will enjoy (if they enjoy the blog in general). So what is it this time? Click on the read more buttom and you will see:-)

Variations of Poomsae; Have we lost something?

Previous in my blog I have made the case that the Kukkiwon has changed its standard over the years. These days I believe that the Kukkiwon standard has been largely if not completly the same all this time but the emphasis on standarisation became much larger after 2006. Many masters around the world tweaked the KTA forms based on their own experiences and experimentations along with whatever Kwan lineage they belonged to or hailed from. Some practise and study under insecure imature instructors who demand an almost religous cult like obidience and "loyalty" from their students, insisting that they study with them and them alone and it is not tolerated if they study under different instructors or God forbid different arts.