Ironberg

Well, thoses guys may be pretty arrogant, but there is a bit of truth to it. Groin pain is something that usually eats away at spirit and comfort, it is not usually a knock out blow. I may not be a volunteer in this case, but if someone hits my groin in the street, and he doesn't do anything else to put me out of commission - that person will go away on an ambulance gerny thinking that me and my adrenalin is hell on earth.

Tekken 4: Hwoarang and Bryan Fury Hwoarang is my definate fav. I can mimick his "Hot Feet" quite well, and almost as fast. I tried it once in sparring - I almost broke the guy's arms with the Hook kick - round kick - side kick ; and then I walloped him in the head with the tornado round kick! YEAH Bryan Fury is merely an inspiration of strength and power. It would be nothing short of cool to be able to punch a guy in the gut, and then carry that person over your head and slamming him on the floor by simply continuing the punch over your head. Virtua Figher 4 (my favorite game): Jacky Bryant and Lei Fei Jacky Bryantis similar to Hwoarang, but has a little bit more punching emphasis. Don't get me started on the combos I've mimicked from this character. Lei Fei has gotta be the coolest character in the game with his Shaolin Kung Fu style (need I say anything more)...

I notice the same thing. Everybody has different body types. It isn't impossible to hold a side kick like that - it just takes certain people more time. Like White_Tiger stated, doing slow, concentrated kicks does help. The only reason for holding a side kick in the air is train your kick. However, a person who can do that is also pretty intimidating. A person who can hold a side kick at head level for a minute can also throw lots of kicks (low or high) really fast in a self defense situation (that doesn't mean that holding the kick in the air is their technique for self defense).

One use for combos involves creating openings in your opponent so that your next move(s) will get past his guard. Situations like this: High back Fist (causing your opponent to lift his guard high) Immediate Side-Kick to ribs or abdomen (below his guard) (from a guard that is reverse from his) Skip into a jumping mid-section front kick; then follow up in the air with a high round-kick that could theorietically make contact if his guard is too busy going down for the front kick. If both were blocked, you've closed distance short enough to throw a nasty boxing combo.

The bowflex is a great piece of equipment, but it's price tag makes me not reccommend it. True, it doesn't allow one to bulk up like they are lifting iron, but it is capable of making the perseverent user much stronger. I have noticed changes in my kicking power, and my arms (though they are still not very big), and especially my upper body. The bowflex is not a waste of time if done properly for the individual.

As a matter of fact I have. A couple of Jacky Bryant's double kicks have been pulled off. I once pulled off Lei Fei's Tornado-kick-to-spin-hook combination.

Builds character... I vote yes.

Sounds like some better hygene is needed...

I didn't know that about Hung Gar. All I know is that it is a southern style, and it was developed by the legendary Wong Fei Hung. Please excuse my ignorance on that subject. I don't study kung fu but I attempt to keep tabs on it, cuz I find it interesting...

Any PS2 owners here know this game. I personally think it is the best fighting game in the genre. It never seems to get old, I've owned it for over six months. The martial arts styles are vivid and inspiring. Elements of the fighting are cheesy, but to me VF4 gets the lowest "cheesiness" score compared to just about every other game including Tekken. By cheesy, I mean stuff like floating combos (where you can juggle your opponent in the air with varied strikes), and brutish takedowns that you couldn't possibly imagine an ultra skinny female to pull off on 300 pound muscle men, or non-realistic elements like fireballs of mythical styles (that VF4 doesn't exhibit at all). I'm not complementing the game on it's realism, but it's unforgettable martial art's themed gameplay. And yes, they don't make us any better martial artists, they simply inspire us; they make us dream.

LOL... Are KIAPs replaced by little sneezes in the kata?

Hmm, I say Dragon, cuz dragons are much more larger and mythical. Tigers don't have the protective scale that dragons do, which is pretty much an armor. And Dragons have tails that are much more powerful than a tiger's wussy fur-coated rope. C'mon! If you want to compare kung-fu styles you must think much brighter than this. Think along the lines of Northern vs. Southern (ie, Shaolin Animal SyleS vs. Hung Gar or Wing Chun)...

I agree...

I say heavy bag just because I think it's a great thing to have when you're having a really bad day.

Now, I'm not one of the people here dissing weights, I think they are good if you use them properly for MA. In other words, use weights to get strong and fast (more reps for some body types), not bulk-up or loose weight, etc. I, however, am a big believer in calisthenics. Often, I'll take a vacation from weights to focus primarily on calisthenics. Two mornings ago, I did 20 frog hops in 3 sets. Frog hops are where you get in a REALLY deep horse-riding stance, jump up as high as you can while turning and landing facing the opposite direction and repeat. If you are not sore after this, do some dipping jumps for a bit until you feel cramps going up-stairs. Not only does this seem to be improving my jumping height, but it also seems to successfully make my legs sore (a very hard thing for me to do these days). I think I've discovered the pushups for the thighs!

It could also be falling to the ground and acting like Jim Carey in "Me Myself and Irene". There's a 90% chance (if he's not on PPC) that the thug will simply throw his hands in the air and walk away.

I don't know how many of you pick up the MA magazine Black Belt, but I have one serious complaint against it. It is these incredible bogus (obviously scams), and I mean B-O-G-U-S, adds about some ruthless fighting style that can cause infants to destroy Mike Tyson. They claim to send you these videos that can transform you overnight. I've seen crap from street-fighting-ryu (<- in my own words), to cage-fighting stuff. Let me provide a couple of quotes to clear the air: "Your single best "one-answer" move in any confrontation - if you never learn anything else from Chris, this move will assure you survive almost any one-on-one fight you get into... even with trained fighters! (and it's so simple you don't even have to practice it very much!)" (Nov. 2002 pg. 46) The article shows no photos and doesn't talk about it. "There really is a simple fighting system (Tom Proctor's) for average guys... And NO ONE Can beat it! ... The Key to Tom's fighting art is its simplicity. There is no intense training, no long months of practice required. The few skills you learn (quickly) EASILY adapt to any situation, against any kind of fighter." (April 2003 pg. 42) The list would go on forever on claims of invincibility. Their are even claims of it happening overnight. I can't believe that the magazine editors actually allow this BS - do they think we are that stupid. I like BB Magazine, but not this. Any thoughts or opinions on the subject? Anyone actually bought any of these videos just out of humorous curiosity?

Goodness, where do I begin. I remember one day for warm-ups we did (to a heavy bag) 100 alternating round kicks, 100 alternating front kicks, and 100 alternating hook punches, and 100 jumping round kicks. Then we did 20 elevated pushups. Then we did kata the rest of the time. Yes, I almost wrang-out my gi. Other times I remember drills like jumping front kick + drop and do 2 clapping pushups, and then jump front kick with the other leg, and do the clappers again, and so on. May not seem like much, by after about 16 repititions you start feeling rather fatigued.

Most of me agrees with pcam16. Actually, over 95% does, because I use to run alot and even attempted Trak/Field (didn't complete the season though). Although I've never really stopped jogging, Most of my training time is spent on the heavy bag or performing drills and kata. Nothing seems to prepare me better than long hours of sparring. Running only helps endurance, while kicking and punching the heavy bag stuff gives endurance + concentration, limberness, a pinch of power, speed, and last but not least: better technique. Just my 2 cents.

Believe me, there is probably quite a few people on this board in the same position you are in; myself included. I think that not having a MT, or kickboxing, or BJJ gym is sad, but I'm not surprised with how many lazy, beer guzzling, fat-ass people I see in this miserable little town. Well, I feel better now.

I study American Karate (70% TKD, 30% lots-of-other-stuff). This art gives one the ability to choose what one thinks is effective from countless ranges of striking. Being a lankey 6'4'', I especially enjoy the kicks. I love the way the kicking arts make me sweat!

The only reason I'd use ankle weights to improve kicking is for static kicks. To explain, say I've got ten pound weights on, I'll extend the leg not very quickly into a front, side kick or whatever. I'll hold it at it's height for a period of time. This would be great for being able to develope height, and control in your kicking techniques. One of the coolest things to do is shoot a high sidekick in the air and hold it for a period of time. This advice is similar to Bretty 101's. Otherwise, forget ankle weights, hit the weights: squat, leg extensions and hamstring curls, adbuctors, etc. Then stretch alot, and then kick the heavy bag for a while at high intensity. I personally don't hit the weights as often as i'd like but streatching and hitting the heavy bag is probably the best thing for you.

What I usually do is tappering. I will start with something like 60 wait a minute and then do 40 or sixty, and go down every minute. I personally think that pushups intended to make punching stronger is different for every person. Every once in a while I'll do fixed sets of fifty, or so. Sometimes in the morning I'll do sixty pushups and then do 40 knuckle pushups. Knuckle pushups are important to gauge how well your fist will remain stable when you wallop something. However, one thing to be noted is that pushups are an AREOBIC workout. Keep that in mind because after a while it may only make your punches faster or tire you out less when training on a heavy bag.

Let's hope everybody at this forum has played Tekken at somepoint in their life . Anyway, I heard somewhere that Capeoria is being mixed with alot of TKD, and a bunch of other stuff to make some cheesy thing called "Extreme Martial Arts" primarily to add a dimension to extreme sports. Very acrobatic and high flying, and stresses dynamic movement. Yep, definately a show off. Bruce Lee probably said it best when he said that fighting in its most basic form is ugly.

Well, I've never been in a real fight myself (which I'm mostly proud of) but just for the fun of it... I think Bruce Lee in one of his popular books said something about always imagining youself in a situation and defending yourself. He also mentioned the imaginary brawl being something practical. In otherwards friends, your imaginary persona probably shouldn't be doing flip-kicks and Capoeria moves. In theory this MIGHT be of some use to the question being posed.