KickChick

Yes that is a good choice, so is hammerfist (outside or downward) Do you also do elbow strikes? (outside of forearm.... hitting with "meatty" part of arm just below elbow) I say, work with your instructor... he/she knows what you are capable of doing and can offer you tips just by looking at how you are setting up your technique. The key to a successful break is all in the technique and body mechanics. "See" the boards break and most of all YELL/kiap as you strike! Good luck and congrats on the promotion!!

For you, should be absolutely no problem. If you haven't done multiple board breaking I suggest starting off with a step behind side kick (just a good all round power kick which drives your body weight into the kick) ... also consider a jump front kick. Let's just say I have personally done many 3-board breaks working on doubling that amount. I needed to do 4 separate 3 board breaks for my fiirst black belt test (2 w/punch and 2 w/kick... a total of 12 boards) Ken, if you need further tips pm me!

Honestly, it does sound like you're not up for the fight. I would suggest that you do have a talk with your Sensei ... (... why is it that everyone seems to be unable to confront their instructors ) You need to do what is best for you .... and if it is to sit this one out for the moment than that is what you may need to do. But get your life in order and continue to train in hopes of winning the next time around!

When I started this thread a while back ... it was my goal to get some info out on some good sites or articles for "newbies". Again, lots of threads about "what martial art should I take, and which one for self defense, and which one for this and that??? I came across this guy's site Sean Roberts "Da Martial Arts Page"... he is still working on it (and possibly some of you can help him out) but there is a link on the right side of his page "The Art for You"..... check it out! http://www.enteract.com/~sroberts/ Any other sites or articles that you may have bookmarked???

Concert last night was a .... Had 6th row center! This band opened.. http://www.allmightysenators.com very different stuff .... the drummer was up front standing while performing and lead singing. Mix of soul/funk & rock. Did a cool song called "Kung Foo Masters"

~~~~ almost had me hopping the next plane to Romania grrrr! listen .... when you've been a part of a this forum as long as I have, you learn (or at least give it a fighting effort) to let it that "stuff"go in one ear and out the other!! as of late I haven't been very successful at that ... we all have our limits!!! There is no martial art style that is superior to any other. If there were everyone would be doing it and the variety of styles that are out there would be non-existent. From reading discussions in the various forums here, you come to the conclusion that every style has its own inherent strengths and weaknesses.

Heavy bag drills for both the feet and hands are effective. Use wraps and gloves to develop proper wrist strength and alignment. and then you can go on to bare hands to toughen the hands... this should be gradual as serious wrist sprains can result by going too quickly before proper strength and alignment are achieved. "Hitting the floor" or floor striking develops proper alignment as well as showing you just how painful a strike to a hard surface, such as bone, can be. In a kneeling position, gently strike the floor with a hand strike with just enough force to make it feel uncomfortable, but not hard enough to damage the hands. You can then work on the feet by curling the toes back and kicking the floor or even a wall (make sure you don't put your foot through it!) with the ball of the foot. This will toughen and condition the muscles and tendons of your foot and will help you to effectively pull back on those toes to kick with the ball of the foot. Heavy bag drills without foot gear will also toughen and condition the feet.

Check out discussion here also: http://www.karateforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=4948

Check out some tips and a site listed here for dumbbell exercises http://www.karateforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=5329

.... me too!

... and I think she wears Century gi's too! Stands to reason that when you are not wearing your gi, you have fewer techniques to use. For example, you won't have as many chokes or throws, since you won't have the gi to grip. You should also be faster and less encumbered although you can't grip your lapel to defeat an armbar attempt.

I agree with Red J.....it's not so much the style of martial arts in itself, but how much you train and how well that martial art fits you. Training in the martial arts puts you in a physical situation that challenges your body and mind. It helps you to maintain an air of calmness and deliberateness in the middle of caos. A real self-defense situation is very different from martial art training. There is an old army saying "Five minutes of real combat is worth months of basic training" .... , nothing can prepare you completely for a real self-defense situation but martial art training will prepare you compared to someone who has had no training at all. Whether you decide to train in judo, karate, aikido, tae kwon do muay thai etc..... , you need to train long enough so that your reflexes and your response is quickand simple. If you plan on taking a martial art purely as a means of self-defense, then you should focus on the basics so that you can react quickly without hesitation.

True, the largest muscle groups should be worked first. If the smaller ones are worked first they drain the energy that is needed to move the large muscle groups. When the smaller muscles are exhausted it is more difficult to maintain proper form. Using free weights rather than macjhines are best for building overall power. They not only do they work the main muscle groups, but also the stabilizer muscles that assist the major areas providing greater overall body control and coordination. Also it is easier to design a workout with free weights that will benefit the specific movements found in martial arts training. Your martial art techniques (when done correctly) gain their power by using body mechanics that involves transferring this power through the hips. The abdominal muscles are a major player in this power transfer. As a beginner I would also concentrate on hip training along with your ab work. I constantly hear instructors say that beginners need to "put more hips" into their techniques. This hip area is made up of various muscle groups including the abs, the obliques, the glutes, etc.... I'm sure if you search through this forum you will find various ab and hip exercises. Remember too that arm & leg strength is also important. You can incoroporate dumbbell exercises and heavy bag training to develop strength which will in turn develop that power in your technique.

FYI ... Gae-Bek (and Choong-Moo) but then again I've seen it spelled differently but never as K-Beck

Good Luck Kirves ... and thanks for the link. I found the site very informative, and wanted to learn more!! I tried to check on whether there were any HOI JEON MOO SOOL schools locally here... but no. Here is one in the states..... http://www.michiganmartialarts.com/hjms.html ... and I ran across these sites which you might like also! http://www.geocities.com/fahad_hjms/hjmsoman.html http://hoijeonmoosool.free.fr/profile.htm

A group of students were asked to list what they thought were the present Seven Wonders of the World. Though there was some disagreement, the following got the most votes: 1..... Egypt's Great Pyramids 2..... Taj Mahal 3..... Grand Canyon 4..... Panama Canal 5..... Empire State Building 6..... St. Peter's Basilica 7......China's Great Wall While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one quiet student hadn't turned in her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind, because there were so many." The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help." The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the SevenWonders of the World are: 1.....to see 2.....to taste 3.....to touch 4.....to hear She hesitated a little, and then added, 5.....to feel 6.....to laugh, or Smile 7.....and most of all..... to love The room was so full of silence you could have heard a pin drop. Those things we overlook as simple and "ordinary" are truly wondrous. A gentle reminder for this coming year that the most precious things in life cannot be bought, or built. Live Well and Be At Peace With Yourself!

I read e v e r y t h i n g here!! Force of habit I guess! http://64.207.13.28/mysmilies/otn/confused/ne_nau.gif

It's been awhile since I've been to a concert! (well, Avril Lavigne with my daughter a couple weeks ago) but going to see Chrissie Hynde and The Pretenders in a small show arena this Monday. Got excellent seats!!! Oh ZR440 ... did happen to locate G3 in concert on DVD and got it for my husband for Xmas. WOW !!!!!!

Yikes I don't find that funny at all. Yeah, I'm curious as to how yo broke your arm with a low block?? Did you hyperextend or what??

Hey Kensai that "bulldog" game sounds like just the game for monkeygirls student! As far as sparring ... is he good at that?? Maybe you can play this sparring game .... have him be one of the noble samurai warriors!!! The class is divided into 2 teams. One team is a band of ninja assassins who plan to attack the imperial palace and steal the sacred sword of the emperor. The other team is a group of noble samurai warriors whose job it is to guard the imperial palace. For this game it is best to actually have an item that is to be used as the treasure. This lends an air of realism to the game. The object of the game is for one group to fight their way through the other group. In this case, the ninja to fight their way past the samurai guards .... in this case this "big" student and his fellow samurai. This is done by one point sparring matches. When a student gets scored upon he is disabled. The successful fighter moves on to fight the next opponent. A successful fighter may fight a few times before losing and being replaced by a fellow team member.

I would suggest before you go ordering equipment on your own, make sure that your school does not require you to have a certain "type" of say, chest protector or head gear. There are several different types available. Also your school may order through a distributor, and in that case their cost is relatively cheaper ... (they also may buy in quantity which also lowers the price) Always consult the instrutor of the school beforehand ... or you may just have to package it all back up and return it!

I thought of this thread when I saw this!!! http://www.budogirls.com/cartoons/funny/comic102.gif Hey enigma.... how did you do????

(y'know I never did answer this post! ) Work No Sleep Being Mom & Wife (that means lots of hugs & kisses ) Cleaning/Cooking/Laundry Checking homework KarateForums Daily training (stretching, lifting, cardio/running, bagwork) No Sleep Photography Reading Teaching "Hanging out with friends" (partygirl ) Mixing my own CD's ... finally sleeping

... yeah that would go so well with my "lift the mug of beer exercise" ... anyway, yeah it is pretty impressive to watch! Oh well, I'll keep looking... thanks a bunch Ken!!

http://www.karateforums.com/viewtopic.php?p=70317#70317 ... so as to make it "fair" W.T.F. rules (new competition rules went into effect as of July, 1st - 2002) http://www.wtf.org/r&r/wtf_rule.htm