KickChick

I'm here...sorry guys! Busy busy weekend! Team #1 Hwarang ...right? (figures you would pick the name of the form I always had the most problems learning!) Team One: taezee, TKD_McGee, winterkarate, KickChick, Iron Arahat and kicker. Let's all PM each other from Team #1 when we start and get together on this!

Taezee...I actually thought about you afterwards and how close you are to there.! We were just talking here in my office (travel agency) about a trip I will be taking in 3 wks and whether I want to leave from JFK or not. Then we heard on radio and CNN on TV. First they reported it as a AA 767. I think I might just take this as a sign ... but I still plan on going to Disney ...

I'm hoping you're a nice peep too!.... well, for a devil woman that is! Welcome to KarateForums and what might your form of 'martial art' be??

You got that right Lori! But hey...chocolate is good for you (some study found this out...but I always knew it was!) Also red wine is too (protects against heart disease!) Cheers!

Being smaller, you have more space to move and are more efficient. Plus their groin is much more exposed. Do what Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee do, go for the opponents legs by attacking their knees/shins and sweeping. A taller/bigger person uses more energy to get up off the ground and their falls are harder. If you are good with pressure points, wresting/throws and wristlocks, then move in, otherwise keep your distance and look for groin opportunities.

I read a very interesting article last night about the healthiest place on earth to live...where there are more than 400 people aged 100 or older in a population of 1.3 million. Here in U.S. there are only 65-130 in a comparable sized sample. The 3 leading killers in our culture - heart disease, stroke and cancer occur with the lowest frequency in all the world. Everyone maintains a healthy weight without dieting and senior citizens average body mass index (BMI) is 21!!!! Women live to be 86 and the main cause of death is just....old age with no real dicernible cause. Where is this place? Okinawa, Japan. Their secrets??? They fill up on unrefined carbs and fiber..they actually eat more food by weight than do North Americans...but stop when they are full..called" hara hachi bu which means eat until you are 8 parts full out of 10. Simply put leave a little room at the end of each meal. Here's why. It takes the stretch receptors in the stomach about 20 min. to tell the brain how full you really are and you will actually feel fuller 20 min. after you put down your fork. If you eat until you are 100 % full, you will go about 20% over capacity at each meal. Interesting huh? And also Okinawans feel exercise is a way of life. Martial arts is taken up at a very early age and continued throughout their lives. Martial arts demands a harmonious blend of mind and body and reduces stress. YES ... that is why I love Martial Arts!!! A study on the Okinawans' habits especially their dietary habits...reveals that what you eat- and how you live and think - has a huge impact on your health, weight, energy, stress level and your life expectancy. They follow their own food pyramid..which our USDA is looking into. If you want more info go to: http://okinawaprogram.com/news/boston_globe.php _________________ Tae Kwon Do Blk Belt 1st deg./Fitness Kickboxing Instructor (KarateForums Sensei) [ This Message was edited by: KickChick on 2001-11-09 09:32 ]

Well Patrick Team No. #1....Now THAT seems to say it all!

No I haven't...actually Sah Bum Nihm disapproves of the re-breakable boards so we don't use them at the school. You just don't approach the break in the same way as using a real piece of wood...its all in the head really for the little ones!

After re-reading these posts and Angus' original post....I think there may be a difference between regular 'fitness-strength' training and 'martial arts' training...(which I have taken a break from for 6 months and now back into it with gusto). I believe waiting too long between strength training sessions may lead to loss in seeing any physical improvement. Whatever progress you may have made may diminish when you have too much recovery.

In answer to your question Slim about calories...increase your calorie intake by 500 to 1000 calories per day to supply the extra calories needed to gain lean weight. But to find your ideal body weight index...those calculators are pretty 'right on'. Check this one out http://www.oxandrin.com/hiv/bmi/bmi.html _________________ Tae Kwon Do Blk Belt 1st deg./Fitness Kickboxing Instructor (KarateForums Sensei) [ This Message was edited by: KickChick on 2001-11-07 11:25 ]

Welcome to KarateForums Kickboxinguy_2001uk! As I can see from your intro you see the bright side of things! ...sunny old England eh?? You'll feel right at home here! _________________ Tae Kwon Do Blk Belt 1st deg./Fitness Kickboxing Instructor (KarateForums Sensei) [ This Message was edited by: KickChick on 2001-11-07 11:07 ]

Yes, its best to do 50/50 (or at least try to). I tend to kick more...like Lori I use my roundhouse quite a bit ... (the best is a hook and come back with a quick round! ) So basically I am trying to get inside more with the jab/punch/hooks.

Yes...very good point SaiFightsMS ! Yes I know KSN Doug ...but basically that's what it all boils down to...that and good technique. My son (age 7) is testing for his blue belt next week and hasn't successfully broken a board yet with a foot technique. I am working with him this week and next hoping that he will be able to. I have him kicking the heavy bag every day and telling him about the 'law of physics'...but do you think that matters to him? I think just wanting to (desire) is enough for him!

Sorry [CT]pizzaboy (...and SubmissionFighter) I just now read this post... You might want to refer to what I posted in "Flexibility Determination"...re: high kicking stretches. I agree also as to what SaiFightsMS posted. I'm always stretching as I watch TV....try this though!!! Put a big BIG bowl of say...popcorn between your legs and keeping your hands tucked under each leg (fingers ponting away from leg) under ankle bone. Using just your hips and abs tight...stretch forward and munch away!! ... Actually you can use anything really...ice cream tends to be a bit messy...but fun to watch!! As each forward motion becomes easier...move the bowl forward and increase the stretch. I have people in class that think the point of the V-stretch is to get your forehead to the ground in front of you. NO...think of having a string attached to your navel and that string is attached to the floor directly in front of you....and someone is tugging at that string from down below....with each tug stretch it forward to bring that navel/hips to the floor.! _________________ Tae Kwon Do Blk Belt 1st deg./Fitness Kickboxing Instructor (KarateForums Sensei) < [ This Message was edited by: KickChick on 2001-11-07 08:00 ]

Thank you SaiFightsMS ... I have learned so much over the course of my training but most of all since we started the fitness kickboxing at our school. I've learned much of what I know from certification and from researching on my own. I don't want anyone to injure themselves in my class and so I feel it is my responsibility to learn as much as I can. Might I also add that now...(at least in my area) It is starting to get colder! We are finding an increase in muscles strains due to the fact that it takes a much longer time to warm up!

Most injuries in any sport or martial arts are due to the participants failure to warmup properly. As with any exercise, the appropriate warm of for whatever activity you are going to be doing, is that same activity in a slower and more controlled manner. Keep in mind that the warm up should be some sort of cardiovascular movement that will gradually elevate your heart rate, while increasing your body's core temperature. For instance, a kickboxer would shadow kickbox starting with low kicks and short, slow punches...in tae kwon do one would do a series of rising kicks gradually increasing height and speed. Another misconception is that one should stretch before he/she warms up. I don't know if any of you know about the "spaghetti theory" but here is is: Let’s say you pull a box of spaghetti out of the cabinet and pull out a few strands. What would happen if you immediately tried to bend the pasta? It would break. So what would happen if you put that same pasta in a pot of warm water for five minutes and tried to bend it? It would give a bit, but if you tried to bend it all the way ... it would still break. So what if we left that same pasta in the pot to boil for ten minutes and then tried to bend it? It would be all over the place right? Totally flexible. Well, that is exactly the way your body works. If you attempt to stretch out before an appropriate warm up, you are very likely to pull or tear something. Once you do warm-up however, keep in mind that the preliminary stretching is for injury prevention only. It is not a time to try and gain flexibility. Just like the spaghetti, if you go too far ... you may break! Once you have completed your workout (boiled), then you will want to stretch for the purposes of gaining added flexibility. In my kickboxing class that we teach at the school we do exactly as stated above...gradually working up the heart rate...with kicks & punches, lunges, working up to rapid jabs/hooks, switch & jump kicks. I just recently returned to TKD training. After my first class I was so unbelieveably sore I couldn't walk down the stairs! Both interior muscles of my legs were so strained. Its not like I'm outta shape! I train both at home and during week but unlike the kickboxing class I teach and attend regularly ...in TKD we fail to warm-up prior to stretching and go right into static stretching and then do rising kicks and go up and down floor with non-stop techniques. _________________ Tae Kwon Do Blk Belt 1st deg./Fitness Kickboxing Instructor (KarateForums Sensei) [ This Message was edited by: KickChick on 2001-11-06 08:22 ]

Welcome to KarateForums KSN Doug...and to another Korean stylist! Make yourself at home here...enjoy & happy posting to you!

Might as well jump on the bandwagon Patrick. Sounds fun but rather time consuming ... but....what kind of challenges are we talking about here?? If it were physical....I'm there...but, how do we do a challenge on a forum????

I'd like to add to my previous post. High kicking also involves the placement of the pelvis (hip flexion. Which you can also try working on. To see just how good your hip flexors are ...try this.Stand in a deep lunge. If your thighs are in one line, your hip joints and ligaments are in perfect alignment and if you cannot perform a full front split it may be because of tightness in the hamstrings and calf muscles. The range of motion in your hip joints is what gives you the height in your kicks. Early in my training I was told to put my leg up onto a back of folding chair making sure that my hips and raised leg were all in one line. (yes they were)....and now was told to do the same with the other. OK...so what did I just do? Half side splits with each leg. Both of my hip joints have the mobility needed for a full side split. The muscles of each leg are in fact long enough for a side split...so I should work on my hip flexion to achieve that full split thus helping my kicking height!

ah...I see how you're ranks are conducted. In our school when one earns their green belt they advance to more difficult techniques...hook kicks, jump spin hook & rounds...etc.hence, we regard our green belts as more advanced students than gold & white. Actually we find they really take that advanced status quite seriously to tackle what lies ahead. Nothing like incentive ...hey Jack ..you're advancing in my eyes!

Well you're more than half way there! For the dynamic flexibility used in high kicks (which is separate from static flexibility), you will just have to practice quick/fast/stretches/kicks that involve a quick burst of power (such as high kicks/drop splits/etc.) at least 6-7 times a week for 15 minutes at a minimum. Just practice your kicks after martial arts practice or your exercise work outs when your muscles are already warm.

Way to Go Jack....you are now an advanced belt in TKD! Sorry to hear about kitty...

I wasn't aware that you can purchase the series....I'm a member of Columbia House so I'll check it out! Hey GoldDragon...is it on tv? If so when?? I know you're in CT so I'll be able to check it out then! Hey...I just got BillyJack on dvd at Walmart the other day!!!

Don't ask me why he had this item with him ... but a friend of mine took out an attacker with a cue ball in the pocket of a wind breaker. It made a formidable flailing weapon! Now wouldn't it be something if he had the pool stick in the other hand.....