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Martial Arts
Aikido
My first martial art. Aikido is difficult to describe in brief. The idea is to combine your opponent's motion with your own in order to bring resolution to the conflict without hurting anyone. To the untrained eye, Aikido looks like one guy attacking another, and the would-be victim throwing him on his head, or grappling him to the ground. It's a purely defensive art, but very effective, just the same.Tae Kwon Do
It translates literally as "the way of the foot and fist". TKD is a combative martial art/sport that comes from Korea, and is famous for incorporating high, spinning kicks with more traditional punches.Forms
Forms is an American term. I also use "poomse" or "kata" to describe these. They are a series of choreographed exercises intended to cement the moves of the art into the mind and body. They require great concentration and a good memory, as well as the physical ability to perform them with grace and appropriate force. this site has animated characters performing the same forms I'm learning.Palgwe Chun Pub
These are the eight strategies of war as taught by Master Kim. They are the first thing his students learn, and a constant basis for their training. Many TKD schools don't teach them at all. You can see some of them on Ron Southwick's MSU TKD site.Sparring
This means two Tae Kwon Do students facing off, bowing to each other, and attempting to use their skills with control to defeat their opponent, usually on a points system. Contact ranges from no-contact to full-contact. Don't worry, when I do this I generally wear pads and a helmet.
Hogu
The term for the thick chest pad we wear to spar in. In physical reality pads don't matter, they are a psychological barrier, but an effective one. Here is what it looks like.
Handbells
CCR
Capital City Ringers. Sometimes I forget that they aren't CCCR anymore, because that was the name of the group when I left four years ago.AGEHR
The American Guild of English Handbell Ringers, to which we belong.A Handbell
The handbells my choir uses are made of bronze (you can get aluminum ones) and range from C3 to C8, which is 5 octaves. Our bells are made by Malmark which I believe make the best-sounding, easiest to maintain bells anywhere. Each bell has a single clapper, and plays exactly true to pitch. They are delicate instrument, to a degree. We place them on padded tables, so they don't come "out of round" and lose their tone quality. We also wear gloves when handling them, so our bodies don't corrode the bells. To replace our set of bells would cost about $26,000 or so.Ringing
You ring a handbell by holding it in your hand and swinging it forward in a narrow "U" shape, so the clapper hits the front of the bell casting. It will reverberate until you "damp" it, usually against your chest. Clappers are spring-loaded, so they don't lie against the casting or back-ring.Other types of ringing
We keep our sound from being boring by using many techniques to make the bells sound different. We strike them on the table (martellato), play them with our thumbs resting on the casting for a staccato sound, create echo effects by applying light pressure to the rims while they reverberate, and strike the bells with mallets of different textures.Four In Hand
Playing two bells in each hand, for a total of four, get it? You can ring them all simultaneously, or one at a time. This works because clappers only swing in one direction, and you learn which way to move your wrist to move the clapper of the note you want.Six in hand
Playing three bells in each hand. It's harder, but the same principle. You point the clappers in three different directions.Shellying
Piling bells one atop the other with the clappers going in the same direction. This means both bells will ring at the same time.C7, C8 Etc.
The letter is a note on the scale. The number refers to which octave on the piano you are talking about. Middle C (Between the treble and bass clefs, with one ledger line through it) is C5. My favorite bells are F5 & G5. My position this semester is B6, B7, C7, and C8. Of course I also play the sharps and flats of those when indicated, and change positions frequently.Who Am I?
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Grokking