KickChick

You need to keep stretching ....flexibility in doing front splits takes time and consistent training. (You won't get it overnight!)

Whew! .... with only 5 yes answers, I guess I wasn't ever abducted... or was I? .... yeah dumb!

I don't want to digress from original question either but.... Here's a good article for you freestyler. http://www.raynerslanetkd.com/ARTICLES_RoundhouseVturningkick.html I mainly use the "ball of foot" to break wood (see #1 pic in photo album) ... saves you from breaking the gazillions of little bones in top of foot! I agree with Size7Gi ... (and like the way you think ) http://www.karateforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=5261 I also agree with submissionfighter ... it can work both ways for you --- either supplement each of the training & instruction in both disciplines or confuse the heck out of you! You should to discover your weaknesses and train in whatever art or method that makes you a better martial artist.

http://www.chud.com/graphics6/eq/eqbaletough.jpg "Gunkata is a close quarters gun-based martial art. It emphasizes kata, or body positioning and movement exercises. This is important because each kata of Gunkata is designed for maximum efficiency in both lethal force and defense. It is of course impossible to see an oncoming bullet and dodge it, but an advanced Gunkata practitioner, known as a Tetragrammaton Cleric or Grammaton Cleric, can put himself in the least statistically possible place to be hit at each moment of a gun fight. Gunkata is based on a scientific analysis of bullet trajectory and range based on the mathematical possible outcomes of a gunfight." "Gunkata forms can be used soley as a form of meditation and self-centering. In civillian applications, Gunkata can greatly increase your chances of coming out a gun fight alive. Sports such as paintball are a good applictaion for Gunkata techniques without the use of deadly force. Gunkata also teaches how to disarm an armed opponent, and has forms for using a weapon that has run out of ammo." Okay, so " Gunkata" is in fact fictional .... and comes from the mind of the director of a new film called "Equilibirum" http://www.chud.com/news/oct02/oct28equilibrium.php3 Check out the site! http://www.gunkatta.com/ Fictional now .... but what do you think? Is there a future for Gun Kata?

http://www.clutchcity.net/images/mp3/yao_ming_mix56.mp3 ... ~~~~~ came across this catchy tune about new Rocket center Yao Ming. The song was put together by artist Chance McClain, who previously produced songs dedicated to former Rocket Matt Bullard as well as for Moochie Norris http://www.clutchcity.net/images/mp3/moochie_norris_mix.mp3

I'll have to tack another one on. For someone who just hates to use a scale to find out how much I weigh, I just had to (for curiosity sake) to see just how much I have gained in the past weeks since Thanksgiving (end of November). To lose the 7 pouinds I gained ... (not too bad you say?) ... unfortunately it all went into one "certain" place ! Wow... Sai I am impressed! Good for you!

Sounds like what you are doing is the "test" for flexibility that is on Kurz's web site http://stadion.com/catalog&test.html You first must strengthen your abdominals, lower back, hamstrings (back of thighs), and adductors (inner thighs) in order to "work" towards achieving the side split. If you fail to do so you will more than likely injure yourself. You need to develop an exercise & stretching workout and be consistent! Incorporate some weightlifting too into your workout and include these recommended exercises: Adductor flies Adductor pull-downs Front lunge Side lunge Leg curls Reverse sit-ups Sit-ups/crunches Squats After one or two months of muscle strengthening, you are ready for serious stretching to achieve the side split. You may have difficulty in stretching and maybe your legs and or hips are especially tight, so it may be best for you to stretch as often as possible. For example, try doing stretching exercises and splits after jumping rope, jumping jacks, running in place or anytime the muscles are warmed up. Stretching after aerobic activity will be easier and less likely to strain any muscles. Every morning begin with a quick warm-up (3-4 minutes) and dynamic stretches. Do front, side, and back dynamic stretches. It is best to do two sets of 10 to 12 repetitions per leg of each stretch. Make sure to keep knees straight and bottom foot positioned correctly. These stretches should be controlled and "not ballistic." This will take 10 to 15 minutes each morning. If you have time, you can do some relaxed (static)stretching after dynamic stretching. Twice a week, (no more than twice a week) you can do an isometric stretch workout as Freestyler suggested, but I would recommend doing so after a complete warmup when muscles are very warm! Isometric stretching can be extremely painful, so be prepared. The two isometric stretches are the side split and front lunge. Be consistent in your stretching and learn to enjoy doing them! The key to enjoying stretching is concentration on the activity, rather than the goal. Frequency beats intensityand is the key to making a habit out of your training. Good Luck and keep us posted!

You don't get to choose how you're going to die, or when. You can only decide how you're going to live now.

Nice Laur! I like to pair my hook kick up with a roundhouse. My fav sparring combo to start of with right from the getgo is a front leg hook to a roundhouse ... gets em' everytime ....when they try to dodge the round you get them with the hook! Working on the spinninghook for a speed board break at the moment and also jump spinning hooks which totally tire me out my first couple or so are dead on and after that I tweeter out. Just have to practice constantly and consistently. Its a matter of driving that elbow of the same side as the kicking leg forcibly around as if to elbow your attacker and to jump up (nice & high) at the same time!

I came out to be either the "Sable" or the "Swan" and had to read each one to determine which was closest to my personality. So it looks like I am a "Swan" .... http://www.animalinyou.com/Swan.htm Pretty on target for me! Famous Swans Princess Diana, Celine Dion (I've been told I look like her), Nuryev, Grace Kelly, Winona Ryder ... THIEF!.

Well, Welcome and thanks for finally joining us! whew ... what a relief!

I think this may possibly make you look better than the instructors and in all actuality may tick em' off or make them proud of you! -- let's see what happens! I like the "idea" of taking the "bull" by the horns ... (so-to-speak!)

A general rule to remember is to work opposing muscle groups equally so that you don't develop asymmetrical muscle development. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ice9b.jpg in order to understand just how not to attain asymetrical development you may want to click on this link http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ice9.htm in order to understand the physiological nature of the pectoral muscles and the "correct" way to train them (since I am not very knowlegeable in this area... and its not even early in the morning ) Jack what you posted does in fact make sense, however the "smaller" pec may not in fact "catch up" if you keep training the way you always do and see no results.

Happy New Year to All of You! Afgani Saale Nao Mubbarak Afrikaans Gelukkige nuwe jaar Albanian Gezuar Vitin e Ri Arabic Antum salimoun Bengali Shuvo Nabo Barsho Bulgarian ×åñòèòà Íîâà Ãîäèíà(pronounced "Chestita Nova Godina") Chinese Chu Shen Tan Corsican Language Pace e Salute Cymraeg (Welsh) Blwyddyn Newydd Dda Czechoslovakia Scastny Novy Rok Denish Godt Nytår Dutch GELUKKIG NIEUWJAAR! Eskimo Kiortame pivdluaritlo Estonians Head uut aastat! Finnish Onnellista Uutta Vuotta French Bonne Annee Gaelic Bliadhna mhath ur German Prosit Neujahr Greek Kenourios Chronos Hawaiian Hauoli Makahiki Hou Hebrew L'Shannah Tovah Hindi Nahi varsh ka shub kamna Hungarian Boldog £j vet k¡v nok! Indonesian Selamat Tahun Baru Iraqi Sanah Jadidah Irish Bliain nua fe mhaise dhuit Italian Felice anno nuovo Kannada Hosa Varushadha Shubhashayagalu Kisii SOMWAKA OMOYIA OMUYA Khmer Sua Sdei tfnam tmei Laotian Sabai dee pee mai Nepal Nawa Barsha ko Shuvakamana Norwegian Godt Nyttår Papua New Guinea Nupela yia i go long yu Philippines Manigong Bagong Taon Polish Szczesliwego Nowego Roku Portuguese Feliz Ano Novo Punjabi Nave sal di mubarak Romanian AN NOU FERICIT Russian S Novim Godom Serbo-Croatian Sretna nova godina Sindhi Nayou Saal Mubbarak Hoje Singhalese Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa Slovak A stastlivy Novy Rok Somali Iyo Sanad Cusub Oo Fiican! Spanish Feliz Ano ~Nuevo Swahili Heri Za Mwaka Mpyaº Swedish GOTT NYTT ÅR! /Gott nytt år! Sudanese Warsa Enggal Tamil Eniya Puthandu Nalvazhthukkal Telegu Noothana samvatsara shubhakankshalu Thai Sawadee Pee Mai Turkish Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun Ukrainian Shchastlyvoho Novoho Roku Urdu Naya Saal Mubbarak Ho Vietnamese Chuc Mung Tan Nien

We already have a thread started on this here ... http://www.karateforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=1473&start=15 ... So I'll close this one up!

Since I wasn't around "the day after Christmas" here.... I have to tell you that I got alot of non-KickChick "items" such as.... Godiva chocolates, Belgian chocolates....alot of CHOCOLATE! no MA-related stuff (which I could have used) but got some $$ to put towards a few things on my wish list .... new weights, some resistance cables.... I know I did mention that I was giving a TKD lesson to each of my three nephews & nieces. The "day after Christmas" lesson went very well and we videotaped. The next day they woke up and wanted to replay the tape and do another lesson! They caught the addiction! I gave them each a white belt afterwards and they were thrilled. They each "tried" to break a standard 1-inch pine board with a side kick but each could not ... but were thrilled and amazed when Aunt Deby did! Their enthusiasm and desire to learn was worth any present I could possibly have received!

Actually ad, I have read somewhere that you can do "unilateral" exercises to "correct" what they call asymmetrical development of the pec muscle. Exercising the offending muscle and ignoring the "good side" is the most common approach and seems pretty obvious. But really that is not the best procedure to follow. Try exercising your good side as you do normally but exercise the offending side with a totally different form of stress. For example, if you're used to doing sets of ten reps, continue that form of stress on your good side, but do explosive sets of 5 or 6 reps on the opposite "bad" side. Also, try to do reps with slow, continuous tension movements to the bad side. They say theoretically, that as the muscle cells respond to this new form of stress, you just may generate some new growth there. It may be that your muscle has already adapted to the level and type of stress you have been applying, and is in nethat there is a need of a new level and type of stimulation for that particular area. You can also try electro stimulation to the lagging muscle. Your indvidual muscle cells each have their own level at which they're stimulated to contract. This "lagging" muscle may just need to be jump started. With a lagging muscle, it's important to get the maximum stimulation in order to force the unreached muscle fibers to contract. Sometimes this particular procedure will get that muscle to grow to the proportions of the opposite side. You can also try deep fiber massage. This frees the individual fibers that comprise the muscle which sometimes stick together and so the muscle will assume its normal shape and size. A little more serious in nature is when damage has occurred in the spine and has impinged or damaged anerve which services the offending muscle. You can go to a neurologist or chiropractor to find out whether your mismatched pecs stem from nerve damage or whether it may be nothing more than having an adjustment performed by a chiropractor. Highly unlikely at your age but many bodybuilders do have this option checked out. And also as XjourneyX posted .... it may just be genetics. True about women's "pecs". It's natural to have one side slightly bigger than the other. It really isn't a problem except if you are competing as a bodybuilder. But if your dominant side is so noticeable that you can see it in the mirror then its a problem that can be corrected by modifying your workouts.

well, finally... Welcome Spike2184! .. glad that KF was helpful to you and good luck to you in bjj. Keep us posted!!

Welcome to KarateForums Zlatan! ... looking forward to your input!

Welcome to KarateForums Synaesthesia! yes, a good post! .. looking forward to more!

Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our service men and women for our being able to celebrate these festivities in comfort and peace. Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe. .... stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us. A Veterans Christmas TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, HE LIVED ALL ALONE, IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF PLASTER AND STONE. I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE, AND TO SEE JUST WHO IN THIS HOME DID LIVE. I LOOKED ALL ABOUT, A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE, NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS, NOT EVEN A TREE. NO STOCKING BY MANTLE, JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND, ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES OF FAR DISTANT LANDS. WITH MEDALS AND BADGES, AWARDS OF ALL KINDS, A SOBER THOUGHT CAME THROUGH MY MIND. FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT, IT WAS DARK AND DREARY, I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER, ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY. THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING, SILENT, ALONE, CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME. THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE, THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER, NOT HOW I PICTURED A UNITED STATES SOLDIER. WAS THIS THE HERO OF WHOM I'D JUST READ? CURLED UP ON A PONCHO, THE FLOOR FOR A BED? I REALIZED THE FAMILIES THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT, OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT. SOON ROUND THE WORLD, THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY, AND GROWN-UPS WOULD CELEBRATE A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY. THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR, BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS, LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE. I COULDN'T HELP WONDER HOW MANY LAY ALONE, ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME. THE VERY THOUGHT BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE, I DROPPED TO MY KNEES AND STARTED TO CRY. THE SOLDIER AWAKENED AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE, "SANTA DON'T CRY, THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE; I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM, I DON'T ASK FOR MORE, MY LIFE IS MY GOD, MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS." THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP, I COULDN'T CONTROL IT, I CONTINUED TO WEEP. I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS, SO SILENT AND STILL AND WE BOTH SHIVERED FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL. I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT, THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR SO WILLING TO FIGHT. THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER, WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE, WHISPERED, "CARRY ON SANTA, IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE." ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH, AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT. "MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT."

As Radok and Ironberg suggested, try an incorporate some weight training into your workout. Start off with some simple free weights exercises. Just checking up with you monkeygirl to see how the gain is going ... seems like I am having no problem gaining weight (and I don't need to .... its the holiday!). I know a little bit more about maintaining weight and losing weight (which I will then have to do after the holiday). I have been reading lots of articles and came up with some more tips to gain that weight with minimal fat increase.... the healthy way. Eat 6 roughly equal meals a day, (as I suggested) Get 30g protein per meal. Use whey protein, tuna, chicken, milk, or other moderate quality sources. Drink 1-2 gallons of water a day. Eat roughly 20 times your bodyweight (in lbs) of calories per day. If you are moderately lean to begin with, don't be afraid of putting on a little bit of fat. Attempting to limit the amount of fat that you put on will almost certainly guarantee a slower rate of muscle increase. Fat can generally be dieted off at a later stage easily. Would you believe a cheap weight-gainer is chocolate milk. It has about 180 Cal per serving, with enough fat content to dampen the resulting blood-glucose peak from the high sugar content. If you're going to purchase a weight-gainer, don't buy one of these Mega Mass 4000, etc. products. These are usually caseinates / egg white protein with considerable dextrose or maltodextrin added. You would be better off buying a Met-RX ripoff (240Cal, 37g protein, 24g carbohydrate), and mixing it with skim milk. Have a "quality" meal at least every 3 hours. Eat your breakfast (high in protein) as soon as you wake up. This gets your metabolism started as early as possible and helps get your body out of the early-morning catabolic state. For any of you that may be taking creatine monohydrate, then eat your breakfast 30-45 minutes after your dose for max absorption. Immediately after your workout, get a good 30 gram quick carb snack. This will help to start the replenishment of your glycogen stores. Within 2 hours of the completion of your workout, eat a full high protein, high carb meal. This is the most important meal for protein. The day after your workouts, a time for recovery, is another period when increased protein is suggested. Get 8-9 hours of sleep a night. To make getting to sleep easier, eat a small carb meal before bedtime, and avoid significant protein. The carbsnack will help release l-tryptophan, a sleep inducer.

The most important part of building muscle is eating the right food. So here is a good example of the type of a grocery shopping list tha t you should have. Proteins Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast Tuna (water packed) Fish (salmon, seabass, halibut) Shrimp Extra Lean Ground Beef or Ground Round (92-96%) Protein Powder Egg Whites or Eggs Ribeye Steaks or Roast Top Round Steaks or Roast (aka Stew Meat, London Broil, Stir Fry) Top Sirloin (aka Sirloin Top Butt) Beef Tenderloin (aka Filet, Filet Mignon) Top Loin (NY Strip Steak) Flank Steak (Sir Fry, Fajita) Eye of Round (Cube Meat, Stew Meat, Bottom Round , 96% LeandGround Round) Ground turkey, Turkey Breast Slices or cutlets (fresh meat, not deli cuts) Complex Carbs Oatmeal (Old Fashioned or Quick Oats) Sweet Potatoes (Yams) Beans (pinto, black, kidney) Oat Bran Cereal Brown Rice Farina (Cream of Wheat) Multigrain Hot Cereal Pasta Rice (white, jasmine, basmati, Arborio, wild) Potatoes (red, baking, new) Fibrous Carbs Green Leafy Lettuce (Green Leaf, Red, Leaf, Romaine) Broccoli Asparagus String Beans Spinach Bell Peppers Brussels Sprouts Cauliflower Celery Other Produce & Fruits Cucumber Green or Red Pepper Onions Garlic Tomatoes Zucchini Fruit (if acceptable on diet): bananas,apples, grapefruit, peaches,strawberries, blueberries, raspberries Lemons or Limes Healthy Fats Natural Style Peanut Butter Olive Oil or Safflower Oil Nuts (peanuts, almonds Flaxseed Oil Dairy & Eggs Low-fat cottage cheese Eggs Low or Non-Fat Milk Beverages Bottled Water Diet Soda Crystal Light Condiments & Misc. Fat Free Mayonnaise Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce Reduced Sodium Teriyaki Sauce Balsamic Vinegar Salsa Chili powder Mrs. Dash Steak Sauce Sugar Free Maple Syrup Chili Paste Mustard Extracts (vanilla, almond, etc Low Sodium beef or chicken broth Plain or reduced sodium tomatoes sauce, puree, paste)

If your goal is to lose fat and gain muscle definition as well as improve muscular endurance, then you would need to follow a low weight / high rep training program. But if you want to increase your body mass plus increase power .... then heavy weights and lower reps are required. Remember as mentioned elsewhere here in this forum, muscle weighs more than body fat so in all probability you just may gain "weight" while you weight train. As Kenpo123 posted, visited those two sites. I have also mentioned those here to guys your age (and my son also). There have been many misconceptions regading weight training in the teen years and for martal arts aas well. Martial artists often avoid weights because they fear they will loose speed and flexibility due to their increased muscle size. Unless you're predisposed genetically you won't achieve those body builder proportions as Kenpo123 also posted . What you will achieve through lifting is increased strength and endurance, as well as increased speed and flexibility.

I like to "change" my workouts now and then ('specially now with a New Year coming up) ... I do weight train but time consuming for me so when saw this site I thought hmmm.... Has anyone ever worn a weighted vest to train in? All this talk about weight training and training in the martial arts.... hey with this you can actually do both at same time. Very expensive vests though! http://www.weightvest.com/martialarts.html