Tiger1962

I would add that I have been concentrating more on my upper body muscles lately since it tends to be weaker than my lower half.

I can't really pin-point one particular kata but I particularly enjoy the ones that have mostly fast-paced moves in them with a just few slow ones throw in to catch your breath......mostly the ones that resemble animal forms as in Shaolin Kung Fu forms.

A really good instructor makes a world of a difference.

thanks - i will definitely do my homework !

Interesting ! I miss seeing Nicholson in the film though. I wish they could bring him back - he's an amazing actor.

BINGO ! YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD - and - EXCELLENT ADVICE YOU GAVE !! The other thing is "confidence". Let's face it, if you are training to defend yourself against an attack, you need to have confidence in yourself and show it (besides having the necessary skills and strength). If someone off the street approaches you and you show the slightest bit of fear or apprehension, I believe that they will "feast" on that. Case in point: I don't consider myself to be super strong physically or the best fighter there is, however, one thing I have is confidence. I've had a few altercations in my time and each time I thought I'd probably get my butt whipped (if it got to that point) because of the difference in physicalities, however I didn't convey that in my physical actions. I knew that even if it escalated to a physical fight, I wasn't going to back down without every ounce of determination in me fighting back ---the other person was going to get hurt too. What I mean is I wasn't going to lie there and get kicked and punched. I'm not saying this mental preparation is 110% foolproof and sure sometimes attackers just love a challenge. But I am willing to predict that more than half the time, if you "push back" they will back down thinking you are "crazy enough" to even stand up to them. Sometimes a pair of *THAT* is all you need. I know, I won't be a victim anymore - (as in my pre-M.A. training days) and if I am defeated in a street fight, I'm taking the other person with me.

Oh I am like that too. I like to work out with a partner; I hate training alone. At the gym, its a different story, give me earplugs and music and I'm good for a few hours on any of the machines.

I guess the most logical response is at home if you have the space and the equipment you need. But for me, personally, I can't practice at home - too many distractions and interruptions. I'd have to leave and go to my gym to find space to practice.

I agree, best to train everything because since I started many years ago I've used muscles I didn't even know I had.

Forgive my ignorance but I know nothing on Pa Qua and I'm trying to find out more specific information on this particular style. Are there throws or flips in this style? Contact sparring? Any weapon training involved ?

In certain martial arts styles (i.e. traditional ones), they do make a point of saying or frown upon learning other martial arts styles. I say, if you really want to and you can handle learning two different styles at once, do so and keep it to yourself. No need to advertise it at your current dojo. And if you didn't sign any paper that states you "swore you wouldn't train at any other martial arts school," unless I'm missing something, I don't think there's anything they can do. I just wouldn't let them know about it though. As far as the differences of opinion in teaching goes, if it's really grating your nerves, you just might need to have a talk with each one separately, or together, just so everyone is on the same page and you're not being pulled in 2 different directions.

I think that's a great thing you're gonna do! I wish my school would do that. Don't worry too much about the ladies being too agressive. You don't worry about the guys being too much so, do you?

I find that no one really understands a martial artist except another martial artist. Quite simply, some people play golf, some watch baseball; some like tennis; we practice martial arts.

I'm sure there are instructors on both sides of the fence, those who mind and those who do not. There are students who get bored easily doing the same repetitive drills all the time and learn at a faster rate than other students. As someone else mentioned, as long as the student knows that they will not get preferential treatment (meaning a faster promotion), personally I see nothing wrong with it. That being said, for me, personally, I like to be sure I have my kata/form/hyung down "pat" before moving on to a new one or advance to a more complicated move. Also, some instructors teach something in groups or "sets". So, my answer is, as an instructor, I would not mind; as a student, I would not mind; but for me, personally, I wait until I am truly somewhat proficient in one move before moving to the next. When you are in a situation where there are 2 owners of a school teaching, it can get political and touchy. At that TKD school you studied at, which one was your primary instructor? If that was me, and as much as it would have annoyed me, I probably would have appeased the stricter one when he was teaching and then enjoyed the freedom when the more lenient one taught. But if they are both in class, that could have gotten tricky.

I already stated my opinions but I also agree with you here. And when parents put their tots into karate classes, they need to impress upon these kids that getting a black belt is not the "end-all". I have seen little kids who cry because they aren't getting a black belt after their first or second testing. Of course they are crying because that is all they are interested in ! Parents need to explain to them and sometimes repeatedly, the true value of taking karate lessons and not because of a receiving a black belt. Because let's face it, I'm sure there are plenty of masters out there who have the black belt and high rank but can't produce what it stands for.

I have mixed opinions on this subject. I do agree that if you have some light controlled contact during training it prepares you for a real life situation where it is "no holds barred". However, let's create an imaginary situation where you have a student - young or old who has been training for years with contact. They have a laundry list of injuries due to sports, training in martial arts or whatnot, depending on their extra-curricular activities. If that person trained with contact ALL THE TIME and received injuries in their training, then I believe they would not be successful in defending themselves in a real life situation because of the various weak points in their body. Quick example: you're sparring in class and because of back problems, you can not tolerate sweeps. That is, unless you want to be in traction and out of work for months. So, as far as contact in class goes, I say: IF the person agrees to it and perhaps LIGHT contact or not as frequent... Forgive me if I am repeating myself here but how effective is a person in their 30s 40, or 50s who has been allowing contact for years and years in their training and let's say has: back problems, knee problems, ankle problems from all the injuries sustained from the throws or contacts or wrestling or takedowns over the years? All the rough stuff DOES take a toll on your body after years. TRUST me, I know firsthand ! LOL....At the same time, how effective is someone who NEVER has contact? Another side to it is, depending on the style you are studying, maybe contact is not part of the curriculum. If you are studying a traditional or more "artsy" (for lack of a better word) form of martial arts, then perhaps you are not interested or being trained in a contact-type m.a. Just 3 different views to consider here.

Yes, it would certainly be traumatizing to murder in self defense, but if the alternative is the victim dying, (and if I was the victim), I'd rather sign up for therapy sessions to get over it rather than succumb and only "hope" that the attacker lets me live after the rape attack.

IMO I think it should be mandatory if one aspires to be a martial arts instructor.

It's an expensive hobby but you can create some pretty amazing sceneries in there. But yeah, you do need time to maintain it.

With the increased usage of slang and especially now with text messaging, I believe this is going to become even more widespread. (I hope that was proper English usage) - OMG OMG - LOL - LOL)

I have not seen it yet but its on my list of DVDs to rent.

Congratulations! Take your time and enjoy it. You know, when I first joined my school, I was skeptical and not sure if this was right for me. I had a lot of ambivalence. At the beginning of each week I'd say to myself, "after this week is over, I'm gonna quit". Well, here I am almost 10 years later....LOL Yep, the only thing I regretted was not starting earlier in life.

Welcome!

The reason why I tend to disagree with this is because I've seen judges who score higher for their own students or relatives and think that no one else notices. So, there is always the possibility that no matter how good you are in a tourney, if you've got a biased judge, "you ain't going nowhere".

I thought Shamrock was rather smug about the whole incident and I figured he was lying when he said he didn't know about the rules. (yeah, right Frank) Meanwhile the Gracie guy looked like he got hit by a ton of bricks. Man, he was definitely zonked by that shot to the head.