Scott_LIFE180

I'm sorry for not reading all 7 pages of this post but in my opinoin there is a huge difference between sparing a girl and hitting her in the chest (especially when wearing chest protection) and groping/molestation of any sort. I honestly feel little to no sympothy for the girl. If I had to spar with her after an episode like that, I would do as some of my fellow posters have said and target other areas of the body. She may not get the training she really needs to defend against an attacker but I wont give her any more grounds to complain against me. Also this has brought to my attention some things that I should do before sparing with a girl. I think first and foremost I should try to find out if there are any special restrictions for our match and what the dojo/school's rules are for such a match up.

Kez, I am sorry to hear that you were attacked like that. The guy(s) who hit you and attacked you were the ones to truly blame. You cannot take responsibility for their actions. All you can do is take responsibility for your actions. With respect, I question if you would have had the same thing happen had you not been intoxicated as you were. Too much alochol makes us slow, it influences our decision making process and also detracts from our awareness. You may have still gotten assaulted if you were sober, the same exact thing may have happend, but I think that you would have been able to protect yourself had you not been intoxicated. I think that it is wise of you to set aside the alcohol, at least when you are in an area where things might happen. Drink at home with your friends or at a friends home. Don't quit your training. Adapt and overcome. You can do this. With respect, Scott

Please allow me a few lines to set up the true topic of this post. At the school I go to I am part of the leadership team. What that means is that I and my fellow team member are in a psudo-teaching positions. Our knowledge is limited to orange belt techniques and forms, but because our school is a Christian outreach program, not just a pure MA school, and we are both Bible college students the exception is made and we are given a bit higher status and responcibilites than others in our school. (At current we are the highest belt level students at our school, it has only been open for about 6 months) Now, that being said and with me confessing my limited and inferrior knowledge our Instructer (who just got his 2nd degree BB this past week ) told us to start doing our Star Block set, backwards. Now I'm no dummy, and I'm pretty good at seeing how things in Kenpo flow from one move to another, but I will admit that the idea of doing the SBS backwards never occoured to me! It blew my mind. I was talking with our instructer later that week and told him about it. It was like a whole new world of possibilites had opened up and I had just gotten a glimpse into it! Then he told me to think about doing it with one hand going forward and the other hand going backwards and I had to try it right then. (We were sitting in his car at the time) So, now to the true topic of this post. What revelations have you had that just totally blew your mind and opened up a whole new MA world to you?

Yeah I would never make a post just to see my belto on KF change colors... *grins* I did it so that I could senda PM... much more dignified I'm kidding 100%, but I really did make a baseless post to hit 25 haha lol I like the belt system we have here. On another forum I used to frequent they made a game out of it awarding hit poitns and abilities when you posted x number of posts it was goofy but a lot of fun haha

I would, in a way that does not step on the toes of your sensei, speak to the problematic BBs. The way I personally view you are accountable to them, as they are to you, the same goes with everyone of (semi)equal rank. I would expect a yellow belt to hold other yellow belts accountable to the requierments and expectations of their rank, etc etc etc...

Since many of you were very kind and offered up opinions and other knowledge I'm happy to report back that I received a 98% on my demonstration speech! So again, thank you all for your input and knowledge

As a Bible College student (think minister in training) and being involved as I am in a Christian outreach program that utilizes MA, I find that I, every so often, have to defend my MA studies. I enjoyed reading both the main article and the secodary one posted on the third page. I am in agreement with the conclusions, though in my own study some of the supporting scriptures used were not 100% contextually accurate, nor were their historically contextual either, but that is neither here nor there. I would like to say thank you for your time in writing these and ask permission to quote and source if needed.

Fushin, *chuckles* I know exactly how you feel. I'm part of the leadership team at my school and I had to do my first solo Little Tigers class. In my past I've worked with teenagers, Jr High and High School aged kids (in th States) I've never really worked with 4-8 year olds before. The class was horrible in my opinion. We went through the material for the day, which was just refresher, nothing new, but the games we played after were terrible. The kids lost interest in them so fast it wasn't even funny. The last 15 minutes of the class went by so slow hehe... So yeah I'm right there with you in asking for suggestions in dealing with little kids.

PittbullJudoka, would you please (in pm if you want) let me know what your theory on pushups is? I'd really like to hear anything that might help me improve.

Thank you all for your replies, Beast I've not heard that before, but I'll look into it.

I was going to go with Bruce Lee's line, "Boards, don't hit back." But good looking out WNM.

Now that I have your attention with my well crafted subject line... Honestly though, I am doing a demonstration speech for my public speaking class and I would like to do it on breaking. What I would really appriciate from the good people, and the bad people, here on KF is your honest opinion as to the purpose of breaking in MA. So if a few of you would be willing, that would be really awesome. To give you a little more info the speech will have three parts to the main body, the first talking about the history of breaking, the second the purpose of breaking and the third the techniques of breaking followed by a quick demonstration. It has a 7-9 minute time limit so I don't need a whole heap of information, but the more the better.

I just did my strength test after week four... 39 isn't great but it is a good mid range result. I think I'll stick with the first tier though even though the chart says I should be doing tier 2.

Okay, thank you all

Funny how you should ask this now I was just searching for ideas for improving balance. I'm wondering how to improve balance in general.

I tell you the truth the hundred pushup challenge is serious. I am really enjoying it and also enjoying how much my arms have changed in just a few short weeks. I did a total of 80 pushups today between 5 sets. I hurt, but I feel good. I love that paradox.

I couldn't do that, that makes way to much sense! haha Seriously though, thank you all for the warm welcomes. Sorry, I get excited about things somtimes and that results in a one track mind.

Hope I don't get into trouble for this, but this is just a shameless post to get to 25 so I can PM someone.

Well... yep, I'm a goofball... I just noticed the introductions part of the forum, silly me. So to introduce myself, I'm Scott. I am a student at Ozark Christian College in Joplin Mo. The school that I am a part of is LIFE 180 Martial Arts. It is a MA outreach program aimed at bringing all sorts of people to Christ through martial arts. True it is sort of a paradox in its own right. I am a member of the Leadership team who is also a student. I've not taken formal martial arts lessons since I was a child. I took Judo while I was living in Yaxley England ('87-90). However I also spent five years in the United States Marine Corps. Obviously that is where the majority of my hand to hand training came from. Tim, the head instructor at LIFE 180, and I got togther when he was looking for some help not only teaching the MA at his school but also the Biblical aspect of the school. It is a great arangement, he gets the formal training and Bible knowledge of myself and another OCC student, Sara, and Sara and I get taught MA. My goal is to be competent enough with MA to take LIFE 180 back to Albuquerque (where I'm from) and set up a school there in conjuction with my home church. Well thats a blurb about me and what I do, see you on the forum.

Ohh absolutly, it begins in the home. I totally agree. The MA school is not where it should begin.

I will admit that I did not read the etire post, it isn't my usual style but I felt I needed to say this real quick. As a US Marine and in light of the training I received in boot camp, I would respectfully disagree and say that it is the role of a teacher, be they a Drill Instructor or a MA Instructor, to not only teach their primary subject but to also give instruction on internal personal development. In boot camp it was called Marine Corps Vaules. In the school that I learn and work in, as a Christian outreach program, these developments are two fold, the first and most prominent is our Bible study, the second and less prominent is the life skills that we teach. We teach life skills by focusing on one particular attribute a month. Last month it was Team Work, this month it is Discipline and little hip pocket classes are given on these attributes. Granted we are working with children almost all the time so these values need to be instilled in the children while they are young, as it is hard to do that when they are adults already. However the Corps does try and in general does a good job of it. Don't get me wrong, we Jarheads can be the antithisis of value if we let ourselves. So, no we are not perfect, but this isn't about perfection it is about trying. So, however you look at it, it is my view that an instructor has the responcibility to teach not only their subject matter but also to teach good life values.

Sit ups will give you strong abs, not make a gut (like in my case) vanish. I wouldn't do more than 1400 a week, thats 200 a day. Remember you can only push your muscles so far then they are just not going to improve anymore and you're actually doing harm. The extra weight didn't get there over night, and getting rid of it wont go quickly either. Expect to spend a few months trying things out, then adapting then trying things out again.

Could the issue be technique? If you lift your knee to about waiste level first then kick out shouldn't that get your front kick to about waiste level if not a few inches lower?

I work out every day. It is something different every day with the except of my abs and my time on the eliptical. I will give interval training a try and spend a week or so chaing how fast I am going instead of cruising at the same RPM for 30 minutes

I enjoy the eliptical (it is one of those that has the arms for working the upper body too) because it is low impact, good for both joints and breathing, plus I can cruise along at about 70 RPM at a mid range setting for about half an hour. I'm working up a great sweat and my quads are really burning by the time I get done. I think it is mainly diet, I probably eat too much in the way of carbs. Though I do eat pretty healthy. I have my grease day where I'll eat whatever I want, but other than that I stick to healthy well balanced meals.