Ironberg

@ CPU We seem to study the same style of Karate. My dojo is called American States Karate located in the tip of MN (basically, a dark cliff on the edge of the earth). Way to go buddy! Just remember that American Karate never limits either hand of foot techniques. In the future as you learn to kick better, you'll also find your hand combos available to be trained as needed.

My parents are extremely reserved about my and the grappling arts. Millions of people across the globe have practiced them safely and successfully, and certain situations of self defense have undeniable need for grappling finesse. Also, they are simply cool. I'm 6'4'' and weight a little over 160lbs, and have very long limbs (not too disporportionate). My parents have let me study TKD and karate for over two and a half years - and I've attained a strong apptitude in them. They are proud of me, and can't imagine me not being able to kick someone's head off. They are even open to me studying arts such as Muay Thai and kickboxing - except that they are wary of the higher level of contact, and there is no kickboxing gym around for a hundred miles (shame ). I would like to study a bit of Juijutsu soon (if I find a club or dojo). My parents think there is way too much wrestling in it, and think that my joints will magically disentigrate before fellow practitioners. To a point, I understand their concern, cuz, they've seen my attain so much in the striking arts and rise to newer levels all the time and would absolutely detest some joint injury sneaking up on me to ruin my future in TKD/Karate. I've never had a problem with my joints before, and my knees have suffered minor injuries but they healed quickly from. What do you think? I've heard it go both ways that a short stalky person can be the most deadly in juijutsu, yet have also heard that a long limbed and extremely flexible person like myself can also hold their own. Sorry for the long post.

No comment!

No, It doesn't seem to work at all.

I know, I know... I wasn't trying to sound serious back there.

The Matrix: Neo fights Agent Smith in the Subway. Iron Monkey: All fights - especially the ones where Wong Fei Hung's dad used the shadow kick to completely beat the crap out of a pack of shaolin monks. Jet Li's Fist of Legend: nuff said... Who Am I (Jacky Chan) - Jacky Chan fights a good puncher (some sort of Chinese boxing). Then he faces a really good kicker (TKD) - all this on top of a skyscrapper. Then he fights both at the same time. Cradle 2 the Grave (Jet Li, DMX): Su Li faces the arms dealer who is a really good kicker. Su Li is forced to use some acrobatic kicks to get past him. This is in no way in any particular order of liking. In Cradel 2 the Grave - you gotta appreciate the strange relaxation that Jet Li has throughout the entire movie. It was almost as if just standing sideways with his right hand casually stuffed in one pocket is the most lethal style of ripping one's ribs out.

Hey! Where's techno/electronica, etc. Techno is so broad that you pretty much narrow it down to genre's instead of artists (trance, house, electronica, symphonic electronica, etc.). I just burned a CD with some serious beats and took it to open gym. Another good day with bloody knuckles, still banging the canvas with red marks.

I have a bit of the same problem. I'm not ugly, rather tall, but too slim. I think that most girls are intimidated by my sheer height. Do gals really like a guy who'se 6'4'' - I don't know. Also, Lately I've noticed a strange fettish with me and international gals at my highschool (lots from Asia, etc.). One that I've fallen for is from Chekoslovakia. She's the second girl in my life that I've asked out, and the second unsuccessful attempt (I'm 18 ). It's not that she doesn't like me, she does, but she's a bit reserved possibly because she knows that she is only going to stay in the US for the remainder of the semester. She also is constantly busy because of her homework, etc. Therefore, I help her study, etc, I'll escourt her to the gym, talk, etc. I know that she's gonna go to England for her Senior year of education, so I'm gonna be left in my desolate isolation again.

According to the movie: "Iron Monkey", a shadow kick is a rapidly striking kick that is similar in essence to a boxer's double, or triple, or quad (etc.) jab. You are basically kicking faster and more rapidly than most people can do so with their fists. How to train for that kind of speed though is the question... hmm (ponders the balance, musclular contractions, and chambering problems).

Sparring never gets old for me (just an eager student giving 2 cents). I'd seriously pay extra cash to get another hour of sparring at every practice. It's kinda like BBall - you get your hommies together and the games get down.

You must be some young instructor to be looking for dojo bunnies. (Then again, you don't look for them, they just show up like spam.)

I've always trained bareknuckle myself. Sometimes I'll beat the heavy bags until my knuckles start getting skin seperations and blood is getting on it. However, this doesn't help the bones much, and you need that too to be properly conditioned if you're aiming to break concrete, etc. What the heavy bag will do, though, is turn your hand skin into a tough hide.

Don't kick any higher than you can shoot your leg out and hold it for a very long time without any aid or warmup. This means that you have to by dynamically flexible, and have good muscles. If you have to warm up before you start throwing head kicks, or you have the slightest discomfot doing them - don't think you can pull them off in a real fight.

My style is American Karate. It is a big fat mix of Karate, Tae Kwon Do (most dominate), and american kickboxing. I'm vaguely considering buying a few muay thai videos since the nearest MT gym is approximately six hours drive north (shame). My interest in MT has sparked from my improved hand combinations, and an arsenal of elbow, and knee strikes that I've been attempting to teach myself. What are the biggest differences between the two arts (TKD and MT)? Has anyone else made a transition from one to the other. I'm not trying to create a new combined style or anything like that, but trying to broaden my horizons despite living in the middle of nowhere. I have viable instruction in the art I'm currently studying, but I also understand that nothing beats a good MT coach.

Is this PS2 game any good?

You KNOW you're a MA freak when: You are not in the best of moods at all. You're at open gym, and you're working on the heavy bag. It's not the best bag - it's big; it hangs from steel chains and it swings easy, but it gets the job done. After causing your knuckles to bleed again you realize that this isn't a typical open gym when you send a strong and high side kick into the bag that mysteriously caused the bag to move upwards, fall, and break off the chain that connected it to a steal girder from which it hung. You breifly look at fallen mass lying on the ground and begin working on the other bag. This happened to me today! I do feel a bit better - mood wise.

Lately I've been working on my hand speed. It pays to be good with both the feet and the hands, no matter how tall you are or how good you think you can kick the guy away: 1. Backfist-cross-hook- bodyblow (the bodyblow is primarily if the guy is either back up against something or you are stepping into all the punches) 2. Jab, elbow, elbow, spin-backfist. (unfortuately, I can't use the elbows in sparring - grrr ) 3. hook, bodyblow, hook, bodyblow - repeat if opponent still standing.

6'4''. That's why I study TKD - the way of the Giant FOOT and the hand. @ Sidekick True. Being tall doesn't mean you're granted a girl - you primarily need to have a noticeably amount of meat on your bones (I'm too tall to weigh a measily 160 pounds - dagnabit!!)

Yes move! I don't like sparring people who don't know how to circle - it just gets too easy and predictable after a while.

In the striking arts especially, power has a great deal of mental energy tied to it. Your mindset effects your punching/kicking power. Think about a punch and imagine a bodybuilder throwing one. Even if he is throwing his hips into it he looks ackward and somehow slow. Now, imagine an average practicioner who is starting to put more mental focus into his strikes. The average joe has to spend alot of time with this, but technique is mostly about cutting away the unessentials and intensifying the movements of the body that dynamically strike. You first realize that the cross travels in a straight line to get the most power. Then you realize that the twisting of the fist adds a bit more. Then you realize that the hips put the qeight of your body behind the strike. Then you realize force = mass times acceleration, so you focus on acceleration to compensate for low mass. After time, your fast punches will be more powerful than the bodybuilder simple out of sheer technique and speed. You see, mass accompanied by little speed is useless when you compare something small getting alot of speed - and striking with only the first square inch of knuckles helps with that philosophy. Make sure you can do a good number of pushups, and do lift weights if you have a chance (as long as it doesn't slow you down). Focus on lifting more than twelve or so reps. This is secondary to technique, but is essential to many serious martial artists.

(I'm back, well, sorta) Tae Kwon Do has strongly influenced my martial art (American Karate). How I love it... let me count the ways: 1. Confidence. 2. gained 20 lbs (a scronny teen like me needs it). 3. flexibility (can do the full splits in all three directions) 4. Competitive spirit. 5. Stamina. 6. Coordination. 7. Friends. 8. Strong Kicking technique. 9. A good base of hand techniques (partially from the karate mix). 10. Basic + amplified interest in elbow, knee, and headbutting techniques for streetsmart short range counters (more karate influence).

In a kickboxing ring, who do you think would be the last one standing? Of course, I heard somewhere that the Savate people learn to fight with their shoes on, so if the Savate fighter won't take his shoes off then the TKD guy won't either. Let's also assume, if this is the case, that the TKD guy can still handle himself with his shoes on as well.

thanks guys. @ Neil - cool, I'll check it out as soon as I can get a computer at home to work (I'm writing from a school computer).

Roundkick - spin hook kick Roundkick - spin side kick Axkick - front kick Double round-kick - tornado roundkick Hook kick - round kick - side kick - tornado roundkick ("hot feet") fake punch - machine-gun roundkick (3 or more blows) Among varios other combos that work real good for people who can kick really fast.