NewEnglands_KyoSa

there are pros and cons to xma just like everything else...is xma a martial art itself? no, its gymnastics with punches in kicks thrown in for theatrical purposes. but for its intent, being theatrical and interesting, it looks great. is it a fighting art, no. but just like you said it is great for a performance, which is its soul purpose. is xma unbelievably cool to watch? yea. do you feel unbelievably inadequate when you cant do a triple back flip? yupp. it get a bad rep because it tries to call itself a martial art thats all. but for its purpose its wonderful to watch and it will get you in AMAZING shape and will help you jumping abilities. and it does not mean that they have no MA background besides XMA, you do have to know how to punch and kick, its not JUST flips and crazy stuff, so yea most of them, if not all, should or do have a background in it. but if you're looking for something to help with your athletics and your jumping, and you wanna look really cool, xma is for you.

there is no grappling. illegal striking points are below the belt, the back, the back of the head, and particularly hard strikes to the head are frowned upon. and you don't only have to use kicks you can use anything you want but typically open-handed strikes are not allowed. if you have anymore questions let me know, i was apart of a comittee that put rules together for a whole tournament.

I'll be facing this in the near future. I'm not looking forward to it. I'm gonna need to stay very disciplined to keep going 3 nights a week. hey we've all been there and done that at one point or another, we know it just makes it all the more worth it when you do get there and get a good workout in! good luck in your travels both of you!

I think we all have future goals or goals of some sort or there'd be nothing to work for. The whole point of the rank doesn't matter thing doesn't mean you want to progress, when I am asked if i want to be promoted, the answer will be yes not because i want another stripe but more rank often sets up bigger better avenues in ones martial arts career. But saying the rank doesn't matter comes from a humility stand point, we even have a whole philosophy that goes with our belt system(animal, meaning, season, element) and do i think that theyre pointless? no i actually think the philosophy of the belts is brilliant and theres so much more to it. so am i throwing out belts all together, no, i just hate what it does to people, and as soon as people reach black, humility and many of the things martial arts are based on is thrown out the window.

i have played wii a few times, and you know what...i hate video games but i love this freaking thing! its a blast, i especially like bowling. and the mii wii's really look like you if you do them well enough, they're hysterical!

i don't think you necesarily need a new uniform, especially if its not starkly different, but i do think its disrespectful to wear your patches there, usually schools don't appreciate that. most of the time i don't even wear my ceremonial belt to places , i just wear a plain bb with no stripes so, i just try not to step on anyones toes and impose 'my way' of doing things. so i'd say yea, knix the patches, but the gi shouldnt be a problem!

honestly, i don't think it should matter it's what you learn that matters. i, personally, hate rank, im actually glad my black belt is fading to white, i hope that process moves quicker before i have to wear a masters belt. if i wouldnt get yelled at, i would honest to God wear a white belt, thats how little i care about rank, and how much i hate it. now seniority on the other hand, that actually becomes important, and is actually very cut-throat...its disgusting. But anyway!thats a different topic. but rank doesnt matter thats all you have to know!

ok well i usually don't take new years resolutions seriously but for some reason or another this year i am, and its probably because i want to accomplish a million different things this year. my first and foremost goal is to get in a fantastic shape(drop 20lbs) by april at which point i will be undergoing ankle surgery because i completely and totally destroyed it in a karate incident. so i want to be in the best shape of my life going into the surgery and i want to cut the usual 12wk recovery down to 10 by rehabbing hard and listening intently and carefully to my doctors(never been a big fan of docs, im kind of stubborn) and come out in good shape and ready to roll with my new ankle. next i want to get back into training again and not just teaching, which has consumed my life. through all this i want to stay in good shape. and within karate, one of the main things i want to do is work on mastering a new staff form i was given and get up to a ten board break with my elbow(at six) for a tournament in october. anyone else?

i wear shirts from tournaments sparingly, their more like trophy shirts. but my organization has jackets and t-shirts, both of which i have and wear, not everdya but just when it matches

hey a little late, but better late than never! welcome back to tsd, im truly in love with it and im sure you'll be thrilled with your training. TANG SOO!

yea this is a common drill and we use it from time to time. depending on the instructor it's either 'the circel of death'(usually for adults) or 'the circle of life'(usually for kids). first we usually start with just grabs then we'll do hand strikes, then kicks. its fun and tough, i like it.

i use to use them and i think they are great if you want quick high kicks, or even low powerful ones. when i used them i used them two to three times a week at first and then progressed to three or fourth, and i did about 10-20 reps of each kick. alot of it is determining your own endurance level and soreness level. i think they are a great training aid. good luck!

thats fantastic. congrats! i take chinese kempo myself, i think you will enjoy am.kempo.

as a high kicker myself and a practitioner of a high kicking style i have to say reps will do it. as well as kicking with weighted vests(start at about 30-35lbs) and ankle weights(start with 3-5lbs). i'd also suggest rip cords and simply stretching everyday, it truly does help. and lastly, doing kicks, holding onto a wall, very very slowly. good luck! and welcome to MAs!they're a blast, i promise!

well i use to lift quite a bit. not so much anymore but i use to curl 45, bench 200, squat 300 and leg press between 340-350. and for a chick, i don't think that's too bad. i should get back to it, im more of a cardio gal now.

when we did this for my students(it was their first tournament too, and some of them were BBs!) i set it up just like a tournament with judging, points, rules, and timing. i set it up just like that, and i time came closer to the tournament, i made them do it in front of a WHOLE class to simulate the crowd and overall hysteria of a real tournament.

Ah, that's kind of cool. Like bunkai almost, right?yes, just like bunkai except its not the whole form, its just a piece.

Hi Zanshin, pyung ahn one steps are derived from our five Pyung Ahn Forms(or hyungs). they are actually pieces of the form put together in the form of one steps that simulate a piece of the fight thats going on in the form. the attacker and defender are both active, this means, the attacker does not just throw a face punch. and we have nine of them(18 parts). so yes i supposed you could call it pre arranged sparring but, it comes from those five forms.

well we eliminate that right off the bat by this: you go to the bathroom, we make you write the paper, you explain why. so if there is a problem, maybe we'll lighten up. but most of the time you know when somebody has to go, and when they just want to go walk circles around the nautilus center in the gym.

yes, thats done at my studio sometimes. usually its done when a person is lying on the floor with their legs together three to four inches off the ground with their hands under their butt or lower back. that in itself it an ab exercise, the stepping on stomachs is to make sure youre stretching properly and if you are you should be able to withstand substantial weight on your abdomen. so theres that, and its also just kind of one of those old school things that have stuck!

you know, back when i trained in staff forms, i'd use thicker ones in class so i knew i could handle and manuever with the weight and then i used lighter ones to compete. so i'd say its all preference and what the instructor wants.

well i usually have a knife in my car, i only carry things literally ON me when im in sketchy places that i KNOW i should have worries about.

my test was about two-two and a half hours. first came line drills, then about twenty open handed and weapon forms. then came self defense, then self defesne against a knife, then regular one steps, then came pyung ahn one steps, then fighting, then stamina drills, the board breaking, the terminology/history/philosophy grading. it was BRUTAL!

blind fold them for basic drills with their own belts. works like a charm and they love it for whatever reason!

well as far as this goes, my studio and i personally have done this many ways. one way that i particularly like, is letting anyone go whenever they want(obviously formally asking first) but we attatch a punishment to it because we say that everyone should go before class. so after asking them why they did not go before class you say yes but they either have to write a paper about why they had to distrupt the class, their learning time, the instructor or they have to do X-amount of push ups upon returning. and as for the abusive kids, i just say no, cuz i know they're just strolling out to get a break and go to the bubbler. so yes we discourage potty breaks and essentially, if you go before class like you are told, you will have no problem holding it for one hour. this usually eliminates all problems.