Mr. Kolb, IV Dan from Rock Springs was Black Belt Instructor for January. He taught a great class, working mostly on kicking and self-defense.

Class started out with work on kicking in waves, or lines, down the floor to allow working out without worry of conflict with students in the next row. Stress was on Foot Position, Balance, and Pupose of the technique at delivery.

Bag work: Stress was on turning the shoulders towards the target to project your body mass into the target. Worked on back leg: side kick, turning kick, hook kick, front leg: vertical kick w/footsword, reverse turning kick. Flying side kicks, also doubles and triples. Stress was on 'bounce' or quick retract after first kick with most of the power on the last kick. You cannot put full power in the fist kick and still execute multiple kicks. Each kick however should have the power to break one board (rib).

Self-defense throws: Mr. Kolb noted that in real life, many fights will end up on the ground. There are no rules, no illegal moves, and the more we train 'kindly' with a Ho Sin Sul partner the more ingrained becomes the habit of avoiding injuring the 'opponent', or avoiding illegal targets and techniques.
Whether you are throwing or being thrown, be thinking, be aware, and make it a point to land on top of your opponent, driving your mass into his body to do the most possible damage. Find a way (twist yourself) to get your hips higher than your opponent's hips and you can effectively win, landing on your attacker's rib cage with all your weight plus the speed of the fall. Have your legs extended and off the ground, land relaxed and drive yourself into the opponent.
From upright, step on the opponent's foot to stop his movement and twist faster than he can recover. Remember on the street there are no rules - you must find a way to win.

In closing remarks, Mr. Kolb noted that often students will take in and emulate technique only as the finished product (the posed position at the end of the tecnique). It's important to make sure they understand that Taekwon-Do is about HOW each technique is delivered...
* Once the motion starts it does not stop.
* It accelerates smoothly to maximum speet at the moment of impact.
* Turn the hips in the direction of the technique.

Wyoming Black Belt Class, January 6, 2008

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