| Here is the bold truth- many martial art schools | | | | nearly every competitor is international |
| are mediocre and a few are outright lousy. Worst | | | | experience. They are used to coping with an |
| of all, you need to call all the martial art schools in | | | | incredible amount of stress, either from oversees |
| your area, then setup appointments to visit them, | | | | travel or from fighting in an environment where |
| and then try and decipher which program is | | | | the foreigners are chanting for you to be |
| legitimate. | | | | slaughtered. The foreigners really enjoy beating |
| In addition to that, you have to make sure the | | | | the Americans. This is precisely why I studied |
| hours of training are conducive to your schedule, | | | | sport psychology books prior to Nationals. |
| the drive time to the martial art school is doable, | | | | My first fight was against a gentleman from |
| and... most importantly- the crowd in the school | | | | Mississippi. He was the state champion. It wasn't |
| are not a bunch of combative thugs with | | | | my best match since it was my first match and I |
| something to prove. | | | | was trying to relax and fight simultaneously. |
| Finding a good school to train in can be a real | | | | Nonetheless, I still won the match. In fact, I nearly |
| chore and it's no wonder people say, "I've always | | | | knocked him out. The tough kid continued to fight |
| wanted to learn martial arts..." The truth is, many | | | | and I knew I could win by knockout, but chose to |
| people have put off learning martial arts for | | | | pace myself, since I knew my toughest match |
| years, sometimes their whole lives because of | | | | has yet to come. |
| the reasons listed above. | | | | The second fight was against another state |
| Or, maybe you're not interested in the pressure | | | | champion, but I have since forgotten the state. A |
| of learning at the rate of everyone else or you | | | | much tougher battle, and more active one to say |
| can careless about promotion tests. Some of our | | | | the least. Unfortunately, I hyper extended both |
| current students have now switched their training | | | | ankles during this match by unloading a barrage of |
| to online so they can learn at their own pace, in | | | | kicks. I still won the match... by a fairly large |
| their own home, when they want. Now that is | | | | margin. The newer rules of Taekwondo sparring |
| freedom! | | | | (first to a margin of 7, wins) would've ended the |
| There is one question I receive quite often- "Can | | | | match half way through the first round and |
| you really learn martial arts online?" I'll tell you this, | | | | would've saved my ankles. |
| that question often comes from non-martial | | | | At this point, I'm convinced, and you should be |
| artists. Our current students know it's entirely | | | | too, that proper independent training is effective. |
| possible to learn online. Let's analyze it: | | | | As I was preparing to fight Michael Tang, we |
| Online Training Pros | | | | were notified that our match will resume after |
| Learn at your own pace | | | | lunch. Thank god! Both of my ankles needed to be |
| Save gas money by not driving back and forth to | | | | iced and re-wrapped. In addition to that, I was in |
| a martial art school | | | | the wrong frame of mind. All I could think about |
| Not be surrounded by combative thugs with | | | | was the fact that he was a US Team member. |
| something to prove | | | | I finished icing my ankles and went to have a light |
| Learn from a top rate organization with a proven | | | | lunch. Something very profound occurred to me |
| track record in martial arts | | | | that seemed so basic. If I am going to stand any |
| Earn a worldwide recognized Black Belt by enrolling | | | | chance of getting on the US Team, I need to |
| in our Warrior level training program | | | | knock off the number one person. |
| Receive your curriculum material anywhere in the | | | | I couldn't poison my thoughts with the fact that |
| world | | | | others were lucky enough to not have to fight |
| Learn a top rate martial arts program at a | | | | Michael until the next round (the medal round) or |
| fraction of the cost of enrolling in a brick and | | | | the one after that. Despite my ankles throbbing, I |
| mortar school | | | | couldn't wait to get back to the arena and to step |
| Your area may not have a high quality martial | | | | in the ring to have my shot at Michael. I was |
| arts school with competent instructors | | | | hungry... hungry for victory. |
| Online Training Myths | | | | When I got back to the arena, I had my ankles |
| Myth #1 You won't know that you're making a | | | | re-taped and I was feeling great. All I could think |
| mistake because there is no live instructor to | | | | about was the referee raising my hand at the |
| correct you. | | | | end of the match. We entered the ring. Michaels |
| Truth- You'll be assigned an instructor in our | | | | teammates were chanting U.S.A, U.S.A off to the |
| Warrior program where you'll have unlimited email | | | | side. The referee brought us to the center of the |
| support. In addition to that, you'll have the ability | | | | ring... CHUNG (blue)! HONG (red)! Michael extended |
| to upload your own training videos for your | | | | his hand under the referees ready signal and said |
| instructor to critique you. | | | | "good luck." |
| Myth #2 You need to work with other people to | | | | There's a different attitude with fighters beyond |
| improve your skills? | | | | the 3 matches. An attitude of respect rather than |
| Truth- Hmmm... I love that one, because it seems | | | | ego. Every fighter knows that if you are in your |
| so true and makes sense... to some degree. Let | | | | 3rd match of a single elimination championship, |
| me tell you about my training for the US National | | | | your ability is to be respected. |
| Taekwondo Championships in 1999. | | | | I opened the match with a huge cut kick. A kick |
| I trained independently because there was nobody | | | | that I developed on purpose, especially for Michael. |
| in Idaho that was my caliber. By caliber, I mean | | | | I was never able to find a video of Michael, but |
| elite level of sparring and being a heavy weight. | | | | did hear someone say, one time, somewhere, |
| Sure, I had students that were pretty darn good | | | | that Michael is an intelligent fighter and likes to |
| and fast, but still, none of my caliber. I would be | | | | study your movements then counter attacks |
| liar to say I didn't practice sparring with people, | | | | accordingly. The cut kick is a powerful kick. I |
| because I did. In fact, I spent a couple days at | | | | relate it to a battering ram. It's not a pretty kick, |
| the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs | | | | but it sure does get someone stumbling |
| training under our US Team. | | | | backward. |
| The point is, I didn't have the opportunity to train | | | | I didn't waste anytime after the referee started |
| with people of my caliber, so I developed a | | | | us before I unloaded my cut kick. I sent Michael |
| system of training for myself- a system for | | | | back several feet from this kick. It was the first |
| speed & strength development, timing, and | | | | point of the match, and... the overwhelming |
| technique building. I also studied videos, countless | | | | adrenaline response I received from this fact |
| videos. I studied the best fighters in the world. I | | | | merely paralyzed me. I couldn't attack anymore. |
| read books on sport psychology, and speed | | | | I faked, I switched, I moved around, I did |
| training. | | | | everything but attack. I allowed Michael to study |
| So how did I do at Nationals. Well, I took the Gold | | | | every mechanical element of my movements. |
| Medal in poomse (forms), out of nearly 20 | | | | When I finally attacked, it was as if Michael had |
| competitors. It's not what I was there to achieve, | | | | been waiting ever so patiently for my technique, |
| but I entered the competition mainly to see if my | | | | and counter attacked perfectly. He scored 2 |
| independent training would payoff- to see if I | | | | points instantly, and now I'm down 1. |
| could dominate the competition with explosive | | | | Michael now has all the cards in his favor. He has |
| speed, exactness in technique, power, and | | | | no pressure to attack, so he sits back and studies |
| flexibility. I did. | | | | my movements even more. My only chance is to |
| For sparring... that's the true test. Would my solo | | | | score 2 consecutive points (not likely, at this |
| training allow me dominate everyone all the way | | | | stage) or hit him once in the head. Michael |
| to the medal rounds? The medal round was my | | | | scrambled from the assault I laid on him, but I |
| goal. My sole purpose was to land the opportunity | | | | was unable to get the 2 point head shot needed |
| to tryout for the US Team, and making it to the | | | | to win the match. |
| medal round was the mission. | | | | I didn't win the National Championship in fighting, |
| I knew in my heart, nothing could stop me. With | | | | but I can say that I gave our US Team member |
| 20+ competitors, I knew very few could have | | | | a run for his money. In fact, I ran into him a year |
| trained as hard as I had. I was looking at the | | | | later at the US Open and he approached me to |
| brackets in the warm up area of the Convention | | | | let me know that he still remembers that cut kick. |
| Center in Detroit, Michigan. Reading his name | | | | His words were, "Your cut kick felt like a canon!" |
| nearly took my breathe away- Michael Tang. | | | | As a member, you can watch this fight including |
| Michael Tang was a US Team member at the | | | | all my fights that year that brought me to this |
| time. I wasn't concerned about that. What I was | | | | dual with Michael Tang. Although, I didn't win the |
| concerned about was that I was fighting him one | | | | National Championship, I learned quite a bit about |
| fight before the medal round. | | | | the effectiveness of a well thought out system |
| The one thing US Team members have over | | | | for training in martial arts. |