This is so true. I myself am a Deputy Black Belt (one level below 1st Dan) and it was until I achieved this rank that I had come to realize what was going on. I had always had my doubts about the training in the back of my mind as I was advancing but the experiences that ive had and the research that ive done did not come together until just a year ago.mmeloon wrote: Take heart in the fact that by stepping back and focusing on basics, you are advancing to a new level in your development as a martial artist. In the first few years of training in your art, there is an understandable tendency to focus on how much flashy stuff you can do and make it to black belt level as fast as possible. Once you get to the black belt level, that's usually the point at which people start to settle down a bit and realize that they need to get back to basics.
-Mark
Now I also have begun to wonder if this is the unwritten style of training older students any martial art. When you train young students, before they turn into teenagers, it is much easier because they have so much energy which transfers into greater athletic ability and flexibility and are more receptive and do whatever there teacher tells them. As they grow older they have already have grown to respect there teachers and follow what they say and through the years of training have the athletic ability and flexibility that makes a great martial artist.
Training teenagers and adults seem to be a little harder because they do not have as much energy, they are clouded with more distractions like school, work, life and they tend to be more stubborn about things and act like they know it all. So is it more fitting to just let them do what they want to do and see if they can come up with this realization on there own. It's like my father who would let me drive his 1972 skylark in big empty parking lots to let me get the fever out. I was so restless to take that car and race it everywhere I went so he would take me someplace safe and let me get it over with. Now after a while, I no longer have that urge anymore and focus more on safety.
So is it that people like me and Moe who started training so late in our lives that we are doomed to be ignorant to the truth until we are ready to accept it? It's something that I will keep looking into because I definitely want to someday teach a school of my own. Right now I train my fellow students and sometimes teach a high school tkd club twice a week during the school year.
I've definitely gone off topic here so I would at least like to give Moe one last bit of advice if he is still around. The next time you are in a full split again and want to get a little lower, lower your upper body so that its about parallel to the floor and do some very slow pushups. It should take you about two seconds to complete one rep. This is not bouncing. This is more about shifting your bodyweight from your hips to your shoulders and back again. Again do this very slowly and you might be surprised at what happens. try about fifty pushups in this position.
I'm glad I finally convinced you to work on strengthening your body so you can achieve your goal of having your these splits without a warmup. Just try to remember that you right now can only come close to your splits after you stretch for a period of time so to totally relax your body and muscles. It's obvious we cannot keep this level of relaxation throughout the day because the muscles tighten back up after you stretch sometimes within minutes after the stretch. It will take many things including strength training to control the your muscles so they can relax at will. Just keep at it, you will not be disappointed.
have fun,
Jrlefty
