Ironberg

Think again, a sidekick primarily requires two important muscles: glutius maximus, and the center of the outter thigh abductors (there is a bit of quadricept action going on as well, but lesser noticed the higher you kick). A heavy squat works just about all the thigh muscles TO A LIMITED DEGREE OF MOTION. It's kinda like the martial arts freak who thinks that riding his bike everywhere is gonna help him. The peddling will not give him anything more than a bit more endurance because it doesn't do two things: train technique, and give any more motion required to do a simple shin kick. The exercise I described could become more effective if done still more slowely with ankle weights on (the only problem with that idea is an extreme balance difference that one wouldn't be use to). Just make sure you are plenty flexible or it won't work to your expectation. I've noticed that getting very flexible and weight training at the same time is exceedingly difficult. Yes, I got the last name wrong (not Cruz, but something with a K in it).

There were a few times in the winter months that I would do some TKD kicking with my heavy boots on. That was gambling with my joints so I stopped after I thought about it. It wasn't too bad - momentum kept the feet pretty fast despite the extra weight.

I'd just go with insticts brought on by intense training. If the knee is begging to get a good roundhouse, I'll kick it. If the head is begging for a knee in the nose and I'm grabbing their lappels - Their face will become hollow. If I'm feeling like his guard would allow a cross to shoot right through their gut and break their spine - well I'm gonna need to pull my arm out of their body by the time I'm done. Of course, I'm not sounding serious right now, but I think you see the point that I'm making in conjunction to granmasterchen.

Hmm... I found a gym but it is actually further out than 100 miles (ironically). Judging from Betty101's comments. It is unwise to think that one could teach himself MuayThai. Looks like I'm stuck in the mud, but it isn't the end of the world yet.

A pair of good running shoes did me fine, but hey, I'm a cheapskate.

I was in a strange mood while doing kata one day. There was this one spinning move in it. I did the move while yelling "WOOH". It was only taken with a few laughs - after all, I was the most intense practitioner there.

This probably doesn't count because it is a Hyung, not a kata. My belt's "Chung Moon" was probably the most difficult for me to learn because of the unorthadox steps and spins.

Cool. I've never been to any dance clubs before, so I've primarily listened to techno while working out or leisurly listening.

I'll admit it, it's probably unhealthy, but I like to beat the heavy bags bareknuckle. Sometimes when I'm in a real bad mood and am full of adrenaline I beat my fists until the skin begins to open up, and I'm showering drops of blood on the canvas and my gi. Sometimes I'll even get blisters on my feet, but that's a different story. One day, I did this until I got a somewhat uncomfortable feeling between the bones of my smaller fingers and on my pinkie. This stopped after I stopped. For future reference, do you recommend the thin gloves that allow the knuckles to breath. Are these gloves expensive. I like to call them "street fighting" gloves cuz they look like they only protect the puncher - and also allow easy grappling. Part of the reason for this madness is to toughen the skin of my knuckles and slightly densify the bones. The best way to describe these gloves are grappling gloves with knuckle holes in them - only thinner.

I recommend a kicking art such as TKD. Look for a viable school and remember: One of the many things koreans had in mind was their hand integrity when they invented TKD because they are good at art and pottery. You could even mix up some Muay Thai in the mix to incorperate some nasty elbow strikes. About the concern of blocking kicks and other strikes, learn to use your shins and forarms for protecting your torso, etc. If timed properly, palm blocks have worked especially well for me, but then again, I do lots of pushups. Remember that the best defense is an offensive counter.

Anyone heard of the guy in Australia who killed a guy in the parking lot with a spin kick in the head. He's in court and I never was able to find the news on the outcome. One question - let's say that if one was to defend themself and they didn't know how serious the strikes were in their combo and ended up breaking a few ribs, the jawbone, and some bad bruises in couple seconds of instrictive combos. Is the defender done for because he didn't realize the lethality of his strikes until the opponent was unconscience? Could he explain in court that his training always included safety measures, and therefore - kept him from being able to understand the true strength of his art. Questions like this are of concern to me, because without the benifit of some measure of self defense this defeats one the the primary reasons for martial arts. It looks like politics has defeated it.

Noticing the absence of this in the "Music" thread I thought I should post this. I personally am a sucker for various forms of techno (Jean Micheal Jarre, Trance[]control, various styles of trance, and sometimes house). The music just kinda pumps you with catchy beats and can even make good workout music if you let it. By the way, if there are any trance-heads on the boards I highly suggest you check out trance[]control. If you sign onto their website you can get their cool music free. Their stationed in Germany, meaning that you should probably have either cabel internet, or a lot of time with the modem to download their stuff.

So true!

Someone told me that Bill Wallace recieved a knee injury from a grappling incident in training. Is this true, or some urban rumor - cuz he did have a knee injury that caused him to compensate by overtraining the other leg (making him the champion that he was). My parents have heard of this and sometimes use it to gain some leverage in their argument.

Hail fellow karate freak. I've been a MA nut for as long as I can remember. I was first introduced to it as a five year old and was quite passionate about it then. Then we moved sixteen times around the globe until we settled down here and I discovered American Karate (at early 16). I've grown to love it, and am quite athletic thanks to it. However, sparring partners is a problem, as I can't get people to challenge me enough. Fortunately, there's another kid who's 19 who feels almost the same way I do. He lives a ways, but whenever we do get the chance to spar - it's a great challenge for the both of us.

Are there military/law enforcement camps around you that would teach civilians how to knife fight?

If you're in a full contact art like Muay Thai - I highly suggest swimming as a means of giving your joints a benificial exersize that will save them for the fights.

Kickboxing is best described as full-contact karate with emphasis on boxing stance, and footwork. Muay Thai is a traditional art of Thailand which has techniques that are banned in most American Kickboxing leagues (knees, and elbows mostly). Muay Thai is famous for it's roundhouse kick which can be thrown like a jab at the lead thigh, or sent to the ribs in a way where the whole hip is rotated into it.

You're confusing raw strength with "full motion strength", which includes dynamic flexibility (a thing talked about by Thomas Cruz). It's about torque (torque = mass X lever-arm). Doing 400 lbs squats is good, but it is also necessary to work on strength that includes a very large degree of motion. Take people who can hold a head-level sidekick for over a minute (myself included). I've never squated 400 lbs, but I have better technique and form than anyone I've met who does all that weight lifting. Does that mean I'm a better fighter than you are - hell no - I just took a different apporach. The best way to descibe this kind of strengh is to get a heavy bo staff and lift it with two fingers by one of the edges. Now take those same two fingers and lift it closer to the center of the staff. Easier, huh! Applying this to kicking means stressing sets of muscle groups that effectively make dynamic strength and flexibility possible. Take the person who can do 400lbs squats and ask him to hold the sidekick out until fatigued - then do multiple fast sidekicks at the same level and repeat. The squats will help with power while the exercise I just described will help with range of motion, flexibility, and speed.

This quote somehow seems to contradict this one: If you're not picking up on his techniques, then you are falling asleep too easily when you watch movies. Some of his techniques I like to play in slo-mo to catch their essence. His filmers have to ask him repeatedly to slow down because he is so darn fast.

Traditional Arts will die as long as lazy people continue to practice them. My style is a blend of the traditional and the modern. We think that sparring and bagwork is just as important as kata. If you aren't sweating your * off while doing sets of kata - then you are doing it wrong.

Well, since no one wanted to inspire me, I rented the game to see for myself. It's impressive, but the analogue controls are a bit ackward, and attacking is a bit too straightforward and can get repetitive. The gun battles can get fun (as long as you aren't frustrated). I'm use to button mashing combos in other fighting games, so I found the fact that just moving one of the analogue switches in the direction of an opponent kinda silly at first, but it can be fun.

I already thought of that (I have the same problem, except that I have it worse because no one challenges me anymore). However, I can't find a kickboxing club within a hundred miles (People in my part of the state are simply wimps). Maybe this chap can't find one either. Still, I'd recommend that he make the best of his situation - train hard, train often, and look for good tournaments.

Jet Li hands down. He's calmer and more collected than Bruce Lee and still kicks major *. I pointed this out in another post, but Jet Li's style of fighting in "Cradle 2 the Grave" was unique. It represented everything that is "fluid" and reactive in martial arts. He kept his right hand in his pocket throughout the entire fight scenes throughout the first half of the movie. Everything about Jet Li's character was to conserve energy and not overexert. I'll grant you that the "Fight Club" scene with the UFC fighters was a bit cheesy, but was a nice attempt. Jet Li doesn't scream like a crow, he doesn't go around villiages bare-chested like a barbarian, and his acrobatics are stunning.

Howdy! I study American Karate in a small town as well. Maybe we've met.