sperki

I like video games and this sounds like fun to me. What annoys me about kinect is that I keep hearing a Microsoft spokesperson talk about the exercise it will provide. I've never played it, but I'm calling baloney on that! It might be virtual exercise, but real exercise (the kind that improves physical fitness, not avatars) happens in real life, not in virtual reality. Like I said, I like playing video games, but I don't do it for a work out. It's my way to chill out. And I don't think I'm that weird

Isshinryu5toforever makes a good point about starting too young. Especially with heavy weight training there are studies that indicate you may limit growth of long bones. I'm not sure if hitting a heave bag, especially in moderation, would have the same affect. You should probably check with your pediatrician of family practice doctor before going hog wild.

I'd just like to point out that 5'10" is NOT short! I like to think that anything above 5'6" is average (for a male). For some reason everyone I know seems to disagree with me.

Lupin, If you've, "been coached to get out of there as soon as class ends," do you even feel comfortable there in the first place? It certainly sounds a bit discriminatory to me.

Howdy! That was a thorough introductory post; I like it!

I wouldn't rule out strength training - and it sounds like you're going to start that anyway. I would think that striking a heavy bag would be a good way to increase power. Of course it is hard to to that at home for most folks. You might do some push-ups, or even push-ups with a clap to work on your explosive power.

I've used them during some crossfit style workouts. They are a good way to do some dynamic exercises. The stuff we do is pretty basic stuff that tallgeese mentioned (although I have no idea what a TGU is?)

Did you get a better feel at one school or the other? As in would you fit in better at one place, or does one approach to teaching fit your lifestyle more? All other things being equal I would vote for karate (because that's what I study:) or convenience of location (because I'm a treehugger:)

If you need to strengthen your quads and calves specifically that's easy, like JohnASE said: do a wall sit while you brush your teeth, so toe extensions while you shower do squat during commercials while you watch TV, take the stairs instead of the elevator if it's less than 6, or 10, or whatever floors, go for a jog, that'll work your quads and your calves. Good luck!

I think Benoitt makes a great point about the marriage of experience and technique; if you don't know any techniques you're probably in trouble, even if you get mugged regularly. Although I would think that even in that case you would gain some technique for dealing the the situation through experience.

I find myself de-escalating conflicts between other people; I'm not usually the one in the fight. From that position is it much easier to step in and tell folks to "relax, we're just having fun here." In the couple of instances that come to mind, it is always a sporting event that gets out of hand; the trick is reminding people that we play in a recreational league (soccer). It might make the rest of the match a little more physical, but let's face it, soccer players don't really want to fight anyway As for clothing, most of the folks I practice with change at the dojo. It's a small joint and there are only about 10 of us in class. We have a couple of screens with curtains that you pull closed while you're in there, and everybody knows that you don't go in with the curtain closed. On occasion somebody will arrive or leave without changing, but it's definitely unusual.

KarateGeorge, I like the comment about character. It got me thinking a bit deeper about the situation. There are a lot of "ifs" to be contemplated...are there multiple attackers? How far away is additional help? What condition am I in at that point? Weapons? If I run, where is the safe zone? The list goes on, but it's interesting to play out various scenarios in my head.

That question requires a bit more thought for me...I'm going with the techniques of bringing somebody down; if I can't get to that point in the first place I'm in trouble. And like Jeffrey said - from there I can run.

Maybe I'm missing something that's obvious, but isn't the reason we do anything recreational for the experience?

Howdy!

Howdy - and any country that makes beer as good as Belgium is a giant in my mind

Howdy and good luck finding a dojo!

First of all, I'm quite impressed with the paper. I haven't read the whole thing, but I started as a skeptic (after reading enough poorly written posts and emails I've become jaded about peoples ability to write) but I actually want to make time to read the rest of your paper! As far as writing a paper for advancement: I think doing a little research and writing about it is a great way to learn. I have not had to write anything for my sensei, but I have read several books about the philosophies behind Karate-do. So if your interested in martial arts for the "art" and history it makes a lot of sense. If you study MA's just to get in the MMA ring then you might have a different perspective.

I wouldn't want to play puzzle games with her! (Unless she was on my team:)

I know there are a handful of Marines on here: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

In high school I thought math was a waste of time and didn't do very well at it. After college I realized math is awesome - it describes the universe - and I wanted to learn more. I taught myself math that I would've struggled with in school. It's amazing what you can do when you really want to. I don't mean to cross any boundaries, but the power of the mind is awesome. His students have decided that when they're attacked by this guy they're going down...so they do. People that speak in tongues believe in god and that s/he will speak through them...so god does. I think both groups of folks are a bit crazy, but that doesn't stop them from swallowing the act hook, line, and sinker. Of course it doesn't work on people that haven't been (indoctrinated / brainwashed / trained / pick your term) by this guy.

Howdy!

Howdy!

Howdy!

That's a lot of posting, thanks for hosting a great site. I'm curious, how's that stack up compared to the number of posts you've made on the other sites you administer?