Tiger1962

There is a difference between a meditative mind, and an open mind...During training, and learning, you don't want a meditative mind (Krishnamurti is a Yoga/spiritual/meditation teacher, so in context:). In Korean, we actually use "Cho Shim" which means "beginner's mind", someone eager to learn, and open to the teachings. IMHO true meditation (and the meditative mind) is MUCH harder to attain, then the simple act of focusing on your training (emptying your mind). Hey, I like that explanation! Thanks for setting me straight on that.

Just out of curiousity, does anyone follow the spiritual / religious beliefs in your everyday life of the style they train under? Personally, I do not, but I was curious if anyone does. (Buddhism, Taoism, etc.) also, i.e. meditating.... Just a simple yes or no is fine; I'm not trying to get too personal here.

It says "video no longer available" Anyway, the tiger form is one of my favorites.

Applying the phrase to let's say: being in class --- it's important to "empty your cup" before you being training, however, it's hard to do if you had a really bad day at work or if there's something going on in your life - say a sick family member - that's hard to "forget about" for 1 or 2 hours. Now, if you are talking about meditating, where you let your thoughts flow freely, I think it's a lot easier to do. But, I would agree though that emptying one's cup is important.

that is EXACTLY how I do it.

GOOD LUCK !! Take deep breaths - try not to be nervous !!!

My spouse and I spar each other from time to time and we try to keep it real. No hard feelings of course, but we do let a few curse words slip when one of us gets the lucky shot. I've been hit harder by some women classmates than by men so I can only say it all depends on the scenario, and situation / class. Some have held back and some have not - I've been on both sides of the coin. Personally, I tend to hold back if I am paired up with a significantly older person or a very young person (male OR female). Perhaps that's wrong or not, but that's what I do. The thing about contact in martial arts is --- yes, I agree having contact prepares you for the real thing, whether you're a woman or a man. If you want to train to be prepared for real life situations, (especially women) then yes, contact is crucial. But, the fact remains that some martial arts styles are philosophical and traditional in that contact is not part of the curriculum. Now, depending how important this is to you, should determine which style martial arts you train under. If contact is part of that m.a. style, then man or woman, you have to be prepared and know that you're going to have contact. If contact is not part of the m.a. style you train under and its REALLY important to you, then cross-training or taking up another style might be your best bet. I would gauge it by what your instructor teaches.

When you walk into your local gym (not your dojo) and accidentally bow before entering the workout floor.

This sounds like it would be really interesting to see ! http://www.martialarts.ntdtv.com/en/

That was an excellent and funny article! I loved it! And I sure as heck had a few partners in my time, like the ones you've decribed ! Thanks for posting that !!

Ok, now I'm anxious to see it !

I'd be careful with the dryer. I shrunk a uniform that way and now the sleeves are way too short.

Some may not agree with me and to each his own, but I am proud of your daughter too !!! Sometimes cocky bullies need to be given a taste of their own medicine. Even if means being disqualified.

That's hysterical !!! Reminds me of that game you played as a kid "Red light, green light, 1-2-3" That was funny!

I don't think I could keep a straight face in class if I shouted the word "pizza" But seriously, whatever works for you and your instructor approves, by all means use it. I find the "kiah" shout really helps me when I am nervous about performing kata or if I am sparring and I score a point...shouting "kiah" releases the nervous energy besides its other uses. When I'm in a tournament competing in forms, I've been told my "kiah's" are louder than normal. I know it's my nervous energy being released.

Plain and simple, to lose fat, one must reduce caloric intake and increase aerobic exercise. There's no magic pill out there and every doctor will tell you the same thing. What I've found to be most effective is eating smaller meals throughout the day rather than 3 huge meals. If you have access to a treadmill or ellyptical trainer, that is ideal because you can start off slowly, use it no matter what the weather is like outside. On the treadmill - once you get used to a beginner's pace you can increase the incline for a more intense workout. Of course, as all the books say, once you get clearance from a doctor to begin an exercise program, then you can find different workouts suited to your ability. With the treadmill for example, you can start off at 15 or 20 minute setting, increase to 30 minutes after you've become used to that and then graduate from walking to running or increase the incline. Start off slow and gradually work your way up. That's the safest way to do it. Good luck !

I feel that if all you are trying to do is pick up a few moves from a couple different styles to supplement your existing training, then that's fine. I agree with your statement: being able to defend oneself is the ultimate goal and managing your time doing that is key. However for those who own and operate a school and are trying to be the "one stop shopping" martial arts school, then I think they are doing the city the school exists in a big disservice by misrepresenting themselves just to bring in more $$$$ to their dojo. Sometimes a person will say they're experienced in various styles just to recruit as many students as possible to their school. That's a bad move AND false advertising.

I was planning on renting this and wondered if anyone else who saw it thought it was good or not.

Kind of late for me to post this but congratulations ! That's great news!

In ancient times (China, for example) that might have very well been the case. Now, in modern times, we pay a tuition to learn something. Even if a martial arts school or club is family-like in its environment, it's still a business and realistically speaking, as one moves up the ranks from white belt to black belt and the levels beyond, there is a natural curiousity for some to learn and explore other m.a. styles. You can look at it this way: you raise your children and eventually they will grow up and move away from home or go on to create their own families. Hopefully they will remember their roots and continue to *visit* the family, but, people grow up and move on or if they don't fully move on & do remain *in the family*, an instructor can't wrong them for at least having a desire to supplement their knowledge with fresh ideas and learnings of other styles. If one didn't explore new ideas and ways to use their skills, then they would have a very narrow view of things. It's kind of like only knowing your own heritage or nationality & not learning about other cultures as well. I see nothing wrong with that nor do I view it as being disloyal.

I think it all depends. Not all applications of karate are effective against street self defense. You could raise your arm to block a strike and if your side isn't covered, you could get kicked or punched in the ribs. ---And if it is protected, then you are basically standing there blocking strikes repeatedly without countering an attack to disable your opponent so you can escape. IMO a block is most effective when you immediately (FAST) follow up with a strike to injure/disable your opponent so he can't strike again.

Sorry, I tried to edit my original reply but was unable to do so. You’re not the only one who has experienced this or seen this happen. This so-called "law" applies also to the style I train under. I don't agree with it either for the same reasons you don't. The fact is, as you stated: no martial arts instructor knows it all. This is also why I never "knock" any other martial arts style. I think they are ALL good and they all have something different to offer. No one style is the “end all” or perfect. If someone wants to concentrate on only one style, there’s nothing wrong with that, however if they also want to learn more than one, that’s fine too. I don't think there should be school laws that dictate what you can or cannot do outside the dojo.I say if you are going to train in different style, then do so, quietly and without blabbing it to your fellow students and teacher. Keep each martial arts knowledge separate from where you originally train. This is all out of respect for your instructor. It can be done, if it’s done properly and without losing respect for the instructor. Some people just don't go about it the right way.If I had the extra time and cash to learn a different style, I would just do so without the knowledge of my instructor. After all, the flip side is I didn't sign a contract agreeing to stay "faithful" to one style. I would train a couple days in one and a couple days in another. Incidentally, there are instructors out there who don't want their students training in a different style, yet, they either do so themselves or allow some of their other students to do so --- perhaps students they might have a friendship with or relationship with outside the school. This is one reason why this “so-called law” is bunk to me. If there are going to be rules, then those rules should apply to all students, teachers, instructors, & assistant instructors & instructors-in-training. In my opinion, not doing so creates animosity amongst the other students when they learn of this.I also don't think that someone taking a handful of classes in a martial arts style other than their primary one would make them qualified enough to call themselves knowledgeable in it. But, again, there are martial artists out there who do this and portray themselves as such to the more naive students and/or lower rank levels. For example: an instructor who wants to incorporate a few lessons of another style into their classes as a way to keep them from exploring other styles. That’s not always such a great idea either. First of all, does that instructor have the genuine knowledge to teach those lessons? Secondly, what about the students enrolled in the school to learn, let’s say, Tai Chi or Karate, and now have a half hour of grappling or flips thrown in as well. They didn’t sign up to learn grappling or throws. They signed up to learn Tai Chi or Karate. Not all students welcome those ” freebies” that are thrown in. It’s like someone pretending to be a doctor for an hour and not having any doctor training except for a few classes. This is why students should not be limited to cross-training. Let them get knowledge of other styles at other schools providing they are respectful about it. What you do outside the dojo is your business.I just think that an instructor would garner more respect & admiration from their students if they would just say, "look, if you want to learn a different style at the same time as you are training here, fine, just don't be practicing other things in our school than what you learn here, don't be promoting the other style to your fellow students, don’t share our stuff with the other school, etc., make sure your requirements are met for testing and everything will be hunky-dory." I would also behave the same way in the other school as well. This shows respect for the instructor and their style of teaching and also makes you a respectful student. Everyone ends up happy.

Don't feel bad, you're not the only one who has experienced this or seen this happen. This "law" also applies to the style I train under. I don't agree with it either for the same reasons you don't. The fact is, as you stated, no one person knows it all. This is also why I never "knock" any other martial arts style. I think they are ALL good and they all have something different to offer. No one style is the end all or perfect. If someone only wants to concentrate on only one, that's perfectly fine, but I don't think there should be school-laws that dictate what you can or can not do. I say if you are going to train in different style, then do so, quietly and without blabbing it to your fellow students and teacher. Keep each martial arts knowledge separate from where you originally train. This is all out of respect for your instructor. It can be done, if its done right and without losing respect for the instructor. Some people just don't do it the politicially correct way though. If I had the extra time and cash to learn a different style, I would just do so without the knowledge of my instructor. After all, I didn't sign a contract agreeing to stay "faithful" to one style. I would train a couple days in one and a couple in another. Incidentally, there are instructors out there who don't want their students training in a different style, yet, they either do so themselves or allow some of their very senior ranking students to do so. This is why this so-called law is bunk to me. If there is going to be a "law" - it should be univerisal and not apply only to "special cases" - because that only creates animosity, in my opinion. By the same token, I also don't think that taking a handful of classes or a speed course in a different martial arts style than my own would make me qualified enough to call myself knowledgeable in it. But, there are martial artists out there who do and portray themselves as such to the more naive students. I think an instructor would garner more respect & admiration from their students if they would just say, "look, if you want to learn a different style at the same time as you are training here, fine, just don't be practicing other things in our school than what you learn here, don't be promoting the other style to your fellow students, while training here and everything will be hunky dory." I would also behave the same way in the other school as well. This shows respect for the instructor and their style of teaching and also makes you a respectful student.

Please settle a dispute I have with a friend: LOL If you have any chronic injuries or weakness in any of your limbs, do you find it better to wrap it or not when you train? I have heard conflicting suggestions from both doctors and various instructors & friends who train. Some say wrapping it (let's say it was an ankle or a knee, as an example) gives it stability and helps prevent it from turning. Others say that wrapping it compresses it and will make it numb thereby increasing the odds of injuring it again. So, to wrap or not to wrap? That is the question !

I might have answered this before in another thread so if I am repeating, my apologies... I find it difficult to train alone and at home due to interruptions and distractions and the fact that I like to train with a partner. However, on rare times that I might be motivated to go it alone, I have a basement full of training equipment that I will dust off and use. I use the punching bag, punching targets, speed bag. Lately I have been trying to improve my upper body strength because it's a bit weaker. I also have been playing around with a pair of training nunchaku's to try and get the feel of it. I definitely recommend starting off using practice nunchaku's - they won't smash you up like the real ones. At least until you get the hang of it.