Tiger1962

Welcome !

Providing that the owner/landlord/property manager allow and/or don't come right behind you taking them down. This won't work in most Wal-Marts because if Wal-Mart Management find out, they'll just take them down and if you're still on property passing them out/placing on windshields then Managment will ask you to leave private property. I once passed out flyers at a 5 story parking lot to only have security take them down and toss them in the trash right behind me. Great ideas but I just caution so that you're not wasting money and time and getting in trouble with whomever. I should have added my disclaimer: "all providing you have permission from the management"

Yikes! Sorry to hear about your injury! I'm no doctor, but speaking from past situations, I would ice it as soon as possible & take a couple of over the counter anti-inflammatories for the pain. Even though you are saying you CAN move it - you also say you can't bend it ALL the way, so I would play it safe and see an orthopedic doctor to have it x-rayed to rule out any fractures - hairline or otherwise. Orthopedic doctors specialize in injuries of the bones so I think you would get better results with them. Good luck !!

I don't think you would be out of line to ask - in fact, asking indicates that you show interest and are being proactive. Just ask in an appropriate manner is what I would advise. You know the old saying - it's not what you say but how you say it? I would not anticipate a problem if you followed good judgment and respect.

What an honor - congratulations to your instructor!

Sounds like it was an exciting and interesting event !!!

Absolutely, I figured the leg lock wasn't going anywhere drastic so I should fight it. I've hyper extended my arm from an arm bar, so I definitely know some battles that can be won or lost. Yikes! Yes, I've also done armbars - you definitely want to respect a person's pain tolerance during that !!

Exactly. When I was a lower ranking practitioner and began to learn, say wrist grips, for example, we would go through them slowly as we learned them and then at a regular pace when we felt more comfortable. As I moved up the ranks and learned more advanced ones, the same thing. I recall a student who used to attend my school that I was very often partnered with. He was tall, and of a stocky built and his grip on my wrist during practice sessions always left my wrist sore and tingling. Every time I would tap out, he would always give it that extra "twitch" before releasing his grip INSTEAD of releasing immediately when I would TAP either myself OR him. Our instructor would often have to remind him "TAP MEANS STOP". Gradually this "day after practice soreness" became worse and I had to see a doctor because of it. So, you see, this is just an example of "mere pain" graduating into an "injury". I have practiced with a lot of different students and while there was minor pain or discomfort, it was not necessary for me or my partner to "lean on it" to understand the technique or apply it on my partner. Of course there are people who have what I call "iron wrists" - my husband being one of them. He doesn't feel pain that easily performing this particular technique and has a strong resistance to an opponent applying pressure. I do believe that bone type plays a part in this.

A friend of mine has a large dog and 2 cats and they all get along great. I've seen them in her house playing chase and it was hysterical. I never thought cats and dogs could get along so well. She tells me that sometimes at night, they all cuddle together when they sleep. LOL

Be patient - you will get there. I waited longer than that myself. Have you heard the old saying "good things come to those who wait" ? It really is true. By the time you finally do get it, it will be all the more special to you. :)

Ok, I probably did not explain myself as clear as I should have. I totally understand what you are both saying, but let me give a couple of specific examples to be clearer.... Let's say you're practicing wrist locks (and I use this as an example only because it's most easiest to explain or identify with) and in practically every class you practice this technique with a partner who uses a "death grip" on your hand/wrist. Let's say your partner is bigger than you, larger hands, stronger grip, etc. twice your size even; you allow him to grip your wrist in this extreme manner in every class and you ALWAYS hold out until you're grimacing in pain before you decide to tap. Well, now at this point, it's just pain. But, continuing to delay tapping out every time you do this technique until you experience extreme pain eventually goes from being just pain to being an injury. Example #2 - you are instructing a kids class and they are practicing wrist locks. Well, you know how sometimes kids joke around and bend back each others wrist to show off or joke with their partner? Well, let's say you've got your eye on the other side of the class and one of the two kids goofing off during this technique ends up breaking his partners wrist.... This is what I'm trying to say...that constantly delaying release goes from being pain to being an injury and one that can be permanent. In the kids situation, they need to be taught that this is serious and delaying the tap can lead to seriously hurting their partner. In situation one, I don't believe you have to constantly put yourself at the stress point to understand a technique or become accustomed to pain. A few times okay. Speaking from personal experience, I've only gone through this just a few times and developed a wrist injury, that's how I know. Experiencing a certain amount of pain is okay but again, I don't think you really need to risk injuring yourself to train because like I said before - constantly experiencing pain in class might up your tolerance for it but it will also up your chances of the pain moving to the injury category. I don't need to grimace in pain every time I do this technique with my partner in class. I understand it, I know what the pain will feel like. I *get* the technique. Also, there are people who have trained for 20 plus years and never got an injury. I think that's fantastic. But then there are those who have trained less than that and have a number of injuries and not because of improper technique. Everyone's body is just built differently inside.

GOOD LUCK FRAN !!!! :)

I'm not going to lie; I don't like pain, never did, never will. I don't mind feeling sore after a good workout but that's different than limping out of class with bruises and sprains. But, I don't believe in taking a hero's approach to it either. That being said, since I've been training all these years, I feel I do handle it differently and probably better, than I did before I was ever a martial artist. I can probably handle more than I could when I wasn't training. I know a lot of people say, "well, you should feel pain so you can deal with it if you're ever attacked." To a certain extent, that is true, HOWEVER after all the injuries I've racked up from training, I want to be able to walk out the door and go home at night & be able to return to train. What good or how effective am I if I am hurt so bad I can not even defend myself?? Does developing nerve damage or carpal tunnel from repeated wrist locks where your partner hesitates to release make one better from dealing with the pain? No, it means that injury will probably affect your job or life. Same thing if you smashed up your knee or ankle or having your arm or leg hyperextended from your partner in class, or having a torn rotator cuff. These are not "prizes" or "medals" in pain management. I see them as affecting my job and my life. Like everyone else, I have a job, responsibilities, bills, mortgage, etc. to pay. If me or even my spouse for that matter, get seriously hurt in class, there's no one to support us or pay our bills. So I take pain very seriously. If I'm doing wrist locks with a partner, I tap when I feel pain and if my partner doesn't release immediately, you can bet she or he's going to hear it from me or else I am going to react accordingly. I've got chronic pain now that I have to deal with now that sometimes alters what I can or can not do - - all injuries I've gotten in class. So that's why if I'm partnered with someone who has a macho outlook on pain, I make sure I set the record straight from the get-go. This is the reason that instructors need to keep a close eye on kids especially, but also adults doing wrist locks or head locks or anything that involves tapping out or the similar. Someone can get seriously hurt - and permanently.

I think it also depends on the community where you live. If the neighborhood where your studio leans towards being a lower income area, you can't very well charge a high fee. So I would take the geographics into consideration. Also, like the others said, do you have to split this fee with a headquarters or other source?

I don't know monkey style but I sure as heck wouldn't mind learning it someday.

LMAO !!

I was never a Star Trek fan but I know those who are must be THRILLED to pieces. Plus it's been a while since the last one, hasn't it?

Well, if the "high powers that be" told me I passed, yet my instructor said otherwise, I'd certainly like an explanation of that because that would be two conflicting opinions and another long, arduous process to be repeated.

My husband has said he'd like to build one, but finding the time to do that is an issue and of course, its so nice to just have one there - bam! - and already made. The wood kind is so nice too. It's so great that you built one and got a lot of use out of it. Even more awesome that it was under $50.00 - FANTASTIC !!! :)

I agree. That's the main thing I like about my instructor in that there is NO huge ego there. As long as things are said and presented in a respected manner, all ideas and suggestions are welcome. They may not necessarily be used, however but they are welcome to be spoken or offered in the form of a suggestion.

Here's another one: after having a debate over an issue with either someone at work, a friend, or family member, they say to you: "oh, you're not going to beat me up, are you?"

You're not alone. I have a hard time with "practicing at home" too. I don't have that luxury because my schedule just doesn't permit it, so I have to make the most of what I learn and do IN class.

On several occasions, my instructor has even ASKED us students to submit ideas or suggestions on things we would like to learn (or do) in class that we might not cover in a regular class or things we feel that need more practice in; and any other comments we'd like to bring up. My instructor is flexible & open-minded in that way. So, I would suggest talking to yours after class and bring the matter up. The worst that can happen is he says no.

I had a feeling this was the case. Anyway, all is well, then. She sounds like she's going to be a great student to have.

Really ??? 'Cause they must have recently changed it. When we subscribed to it over the summer, we turned on that channel everytime we turned on the TV and there it was, the same few movies, every day all day repeated. Maybe I'll check back into it.