KickChick

.... and how might you suggest we do this? I mean we can't even get a handful of people to join chat (when we had it!) What can we entice this crew with??

shhh.... we promise not to spread the word shotochem! Good suggestion .... we have a child-friendly dojo. It is a family owned school (you will notice that when you see the school web site). We have a separate enclosed viewing/waiting area with a tv/vcr set up for the kids where they can also play and still see parents from behind window. I really do hope it works out for you. Good Luck and let us know how everything turns out with your arrangements.

So Dee, what you're asking for is an intense, strength "building" workout and what exercises to do in order to achieve strength without the use of equipment besides a pair of dumbbells. (I suggest 10 lb'ers --3 & 5 lbs. is too light IMO).... also try resistance tubing. They're considered a "piece of equipment" but they're cheap and they travel nicely! What are your workout goals? You need to devise a plan of action. You say strength. Is that all? What is your time schedule like? Do you want a routine you can do everyday, every other?? Do you want to lose/gain or maintain your weight? Do you want something sport specific in order to help with your conditioning in martial arts? See Dee what works for all of us may not work personally for you and your own body-type. Do you want upper/lower body workout? Do you want to build muscle or functional strength? ....I stretch everyday for gains in flexibility and also to prepare for my workouts. .. .Running every morning for 1 1/2 - 2 miles will jump start your metabolism for the day, increase leg strength and aerobic/cardio endurance, and burn excess fat. ...I personally like to concentrate on my core stabilizers/muscle group... so I do a little pilates, yoga and various ab/crunches. ... I dislike push ups (so I try to work on doing those). See what you dislike doing the most mean you need to concentrate on doing more or find better ways of slipping them into your workouts. I find push ups an excellant upper body strength exercise. Tell us what you are looking to achieve, and try to be as specific as you can.

Hi and glad you have returned to KarateForums. ... glad you like our "new look"

Just remember that everyone has been there .... and knows very well how nervous someone can get performing in front of an audience plus the instructors. It's easy to say this but, you need to block out the external and concentrate on just you! Take a deep breath .... look straight ahead and do your very best. (Closing your eyes may not be such good advice during test BlueDragon!) Your instructor does take into consideration your "nervousness" at first test and may have you repeat kata or techniques if you screw up. Good Luck to you

more info here .... http://www.craigproductions.com/RichardS.htm Obviously, he has been brought up around martial arts and fitness. He knows of nothing else. Normal childhood? I don't think that is accessible to him. I can't see how 1.5% bodyfat can be healthy for a growing child or making $$ off of him too!

You cannot apply your Krav Maga training into your TKD training during class while sparring. I see that you are crosstraining and that is fine if you plan to supplement your TKD skills with some Krav Maga combat style training. You can aplly your knowledge of both styles "together" on the street but you need to keep them separate in the training hall. Whatever style of TKD you may be currently training in, you are not allowed to purposely injure your opponent (especially to the face) during sparring drills. I too am surprised that you haven't been banned. Maybe you should give TKD a second thought.

Muscle building is also an advantage of heavy bag work. Due to the impact resistance of the bag, the muscles that are required to perform a given technique given a full workout. Due to the continuous, full power type of training that is provided by a heavybag workout, the cardio-vascular system gets a thorough workout. As muaythaiposer commented.... I prefer cardio kickboxing beause it is specific to my martial art training. But don't reject running because you feel it's boring and not fun! Besides cardio, running also strengthens the legs. Stronger legs will translate into stronger, more powerful kicks as well as stronger stances. Bruce Lee knew the benefits of running, often referring to it as the "king of exercises" Running alone can be boring for some people. It is important to maintain a positive mental attitude while running. You should feel your body and endurance getting stronger everyday and don't focus on the effort involved. While running think positive thoughts. Running is used by many people as a form of meditation. The feeling of well being that comes after a 20 minute run can become an excellent way to rejuvenate your mind and body. Running is really the ideal supplemental training because its easy, requiring no special equipment, location and from start to finish-- can take only about 45 minutes out of your day for cardio benefits. It will not only benefit your martial art training but also your complete physical and mental well being too. Running really is the "king of exercises".

I can "understand" your situation also KarateMom About 10 years agao I was given the from my husband to join the family classes with my son (then 7). My son dropped out a year later and my daughter took his place and the both of us were going on diiferent days(family classes cancelled). I took 2 years off when I found out I was pregnant in '94 went back in '96 as a green belt. I could never have trained without the support my husband gave me. He knew it was beneficial for me ... mentally & physically. When I started to teach a cardio class together with training 2 nights a week ... it started to "irk" him. My older children also had alot of extracurricular activities and then there was homework help etc. etc. So I decided to just teach my class and put off my training (I was already black belt) for almost a year. He never said to do so but I knew we were all stressing out because of my absence.... and instead of my training being "positive" it was "taking away" from our home life at the time. When things settled down (and they do!) I went back to training and also am managing to teach the cardio class on top of that as before. My husband also takes the cardio classes at the school (great stress reliever) and is sometimes in my class. Examine your own personal situation with him. Your children are still very young .... it is difficult to devote yourself entirely to training right now. I train in school and out and you don't want to neglect the time you need to spend with your children, you'll regret it. But if you are doing 2 classes a week only at school then that should be something you can work around no problem. Do the positives outweigh the negatives? What other outlet could you possibly have "outside the home" that would create such positive personal goals? .... going out drinking & dancing, shopping, ceramics, ....bowling? I think not. . For some women the main reason they begin martial arts could be one of many. Some want more self confidence, others want the exercise that martial arts can give them. There are some that start martial arts for the socialization. You need to convey your reason to your husband and let him know that he too is a very important part in you achieving this "goal" for yourself. My husband is so very proud of me and my accomplishments, but I make it a point to tell him that I couldn't do it without him (... and now with the help of my older two children). This is one of the many reasons why there aren't as many "MWC"females in martial arts.... it is sad but true. Some find they need to be superwoman and that just isn't the case. ..... you just need a super man! Listen, email me if you need any more supportive advice ...

Without the heavy bag you get no resistance but just a cardio workout (kicks & punches to air). Sorry if I sounded confusing to you.

OK .... well, I am not sure what style of TKD you will be taking but usually you don't start sparring until your second belt (in ITF it's white then gold). Sport(WTF) sparring is entirely different than ITF. Now as far as the first class .... you may find it somewhat more "mental" than "physical" at first. Where to "set" your hands whether it be right or left, which foot to step in with, the left otr the right?... palms up on knife hand block or palms down.... high punch too high, low block not aligned properly .... You are going to think at first that there is so much to remember.... but give it a chance and don't worry if you find it difficult at first .... it takes a few classes to get your groove on!!! Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just from what you have said, I now know why we "mix" up our sparring (ITF) on occasions. Sometimes, no hand techniques allowed, sometimes just hand techniques.... sometimes light contact, them full contact ..... and just recently (in black belt classes) no gear and no contact .... but that is even more difficult than full contact with full gear on, go figure The fact is, you do get used to sparring a certain way .... and you should never(esp. when certain tournies have different sparring rules).... You'll get the rhythm back eventually .... it is definitely an adjustment going from ITF to WTF (why oh why would you do that )... (wish you luck!)

ah but don't you worry Jade_Lotus ... we all go off on tangents and we digress from the "original" question posted. But that is not to say that all that was posted is not "good stuff". Sometimes we just gotta get back on track .... just doin' my job!

As most of you know I teach a cardio kickbox class and I'm not being partial but I find that to be the most fun plus beneficial to my overall performance in TKD. Our classes are fun by just having a great bunch of people to work out with and some good loud pumping tunes. If you can find something like this class in your area .... try it out! I have some routines with fun combos you can do on your own at home with music and a heavy bag with gloves or without (but then youre not getting the resistance training together with the cardio benefits). I have emailed them to a few people here! Many sports like as chh mentioned are fun and offer cardio benefits ... raquet ball, inline skating, cardio, skiing, snowboarding, biking, tennis, basketball etc. etc. The threadmill watching tv or with tunes makes it less boring.

I think some of my posts in H&F constitute as "small" articles . But I would love to write on the health & fitness aspect of the martial arts ... in fact I have been working on several topics.

Well as Thai_Kick posted there may be different circumstances such as drugs/alcohol that may make defensive action more difficult. Although many of the "simple moves" everyone has suggested are effective .... remember what the RedLynx was asking So I would think kicks and knees should be ruled out. One must be taught wrist/joint locks, perform them proficiently in order for them to be effective don't you think?

Yes he did ZR440 .... he had 2nd row center and said it was truly an awesome performance. He was quite impressed with Dream Theater and Kings X who also joined them. He almost caught a guitar pick from Satriani but a girl behind him dove much faster between the seats I heard an interview with Satriani before the concert on a local radio station and he sounds like a very likeable and intelligent guy .... a true musician!

Your fitness routine (calisthenics/body weight exercises and/or weight training) depends on your body weight: What you personally weigh makes the choice for you. The exercise which is easiest for you to get started with is the exact opposite of what you need to do! If you're underweight, you have no problem doing calisthenics. But they'll tend to burn calories rather than add muscle. By the same token, if you're very far overweight, body weight exercises become almost impossible! Weight training is a whole lot easier. If you're underweight, start with calisthenics if you need to, then move to weight training and build up to bodyweight exercises. If you're overweight, start with weight training if you need to (in addition to cardio), add calesthenics, and move on to bodyweight exercises. To maintain your body weight, combine cardio and calisthenics for cardiovascular fitness and use bodyweight exercises for muscle tone. Body weight exercises-BWE (exercises that use the full body weight for resistance) and calisthenics (exercises which move the body aerobically without a lot of resistance). Pushups, pullups, squats and dips are all body weight exercises. Arm rotations, toe touches, leg lifts and crunches are calisthenics. So calisthenics to build muscle tone, and weight training to increase muscle density and then on to BWE.

Well, listen monkeygirl, it is getting better with each passing year (and I've been in the martial arts now for 11 years).... in terms of percentages, the number of women training is still low, anywhere from 5-8% in some schools up to 15 or 20% in others. There are classes exclusively for women, even schools entirely devoted to women studying martial arts, it is still predominately male-oriented. We women also must guard against becoming so de-sensitized to their emotional side that we risk losing our femininity. We've all seen it in the movies - Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2, the female character Perez in Aliens. and others in the role of a female in a man's world have become more macho than the great majority of women. Some fear this defeminization so much that they hesitate to get involved in the martial arts. So that is why you will see "beautiful" female martial artsists (and what is so wrong with that??) We all seem to be fairly adept at de-sexing our demeanor on the mat and capturing our feminine side again when we're off the mat. The participation of women in the martial arts is and has been increasing over the years. In a few styles, the number of women to men is almost equal, but generally women are still a minority in the martial arts and with that you are going to find some onesidedness in the media. Join one of the many female martial artist organizations that are out there! National Women's Martial Arts Federation http://nwmaf.org/index.shtml Kiai: A Mailing List for Women Martial Artists http://apocalypse.org/pub/kiai/

Well, my home computer is online 24/7 whether I am behind the computer or not .... (thanks to cable!) and at work I am online from the moment I go in until I leave. ( I sometime minimize KF so you may see me on here alot ... but really I'm working!!! ) Since being on staff here for I believe a year now, I have spent a bit more time online posting and working behind the scenes here Yes I have my fav sites (they are all posted on my web site! I too used to have AOL ... now I just connect directly but do have AIM and Yahoo messenger. Suggest you all who have these instant messengers add KF members who have what you have to your "friends/buddy" list ....

sounds good Patrick! (and since this is a ma school based question, I am going to move from Weapons to here).... I'm kinda "handy" too I've been told .... so here are some links I came up with. The Yellow pages in your phone book may be your best bet cos' as you said many schools do not have a site on the web. First of all, check right here in this forum http://www.karateforums.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4305 Check on these http://www.martialartscity.com/cgi-bin/classifieds/classifieds.cgi?session_key=&search_and_display_db_button=on&query=subcategory&category=Martial+Arts+School+Directory&subcategory=Illinois&results_format=headlines and try here: http://www.martialinfo.com/search/default.asp http://bigbreak.8k.com/corkboard/ http://www.masites.com/schools.cfm http://www.filipinolinks.com/sports/martial.html and Good Luck in your search in finding a Eskrima school in your area!

.... I was trying to put that very same explanation into words koreantiger81 ... but whatever I typed sounded confusing!! Good job on explaining that tip! By positioning that right arm into an arch ahead of your lead foot it also acts (for me) as an arrow in which to align your body properly in order to roll straight on forward. Now I am not knowledgeable on the term of this "roll" but when we were performing this forward roll we also had to slam one leg down on mat forcibly while slapping the opposite hand on mat at the same time. Now that took a while for me to get!!

Many of you already know that I successfully tested for my 2nd dan 2 weeks ago. I thought I would end this thread I started months ago on a very positive note for all of you that may find a hurdle in the way of your training. Learning those 2 new forms in a matter of weeks and performing all three that were required for 2nd dan without error, was a personal accomplishment and I am glad that I decided to go ahead and test with the new requirement. BTW .... I managed to break at first strike on both speed breaks .... Besides the pics I posted ... more pics on the school web site http://www.aitkd.com/2/gallery2.htm

KarateMom.... I am going to move your post over to this area. Actually, many ma styles incorporate "forward rolls in their practice. I know that one of my new bb forms has a forward roll in it. When we added some Aikido to our classes, I found them difficult at first. My difficulty was staying on the mat. For the life of me I couldn't roll in a straight line! Practice .... and more practice. This link may help ya out! http://www.bodymindandmodem.com/KiEx/FrontRoll.html Good luck on the upcoming belt test!!!

How could you have competed with only having practiced 3 times???? ....I've sparred in school so many times during the course of my training ... but haven't competed ... (not that I didn't try!) Yes ... those are all the common mistakes I have seen, and although we may spar often ... we all fall prone to having those "off" days where we don't "feel" like sparring and find ourselves doing many of the things that have been listed here.