sperki

I don't mean to be contrary, but people are about 60% water, by weight. But yeah, water is great for us. I might not steer folks away from the tap, really I think it's better than a lot of bottled water (at least somebody is testing it!) but most water in developed countries is good for you. When it comes to meat - I'm with TG -it's just so darn good!

Free time! Between work, school, chores around the house, and the rest of daily living, it's hard to devote the time to training each week that I would like.

Those are some pretty awesome stories; they just go to show how much we can achieve when we apply ourselves.

And hope genetics granted you plenty of fast twitch muscle fiber! You'll be able to get faster either way (assuming you're not past some genetically determined age). Good luck!

Great post Joe. It's always interesting to see various ways kata can be interpreted. And I think the concept of "crash and seize" has a very real translation to real world self-defense.

I'm with white owl on this one, but hopefully that advise came from somebody more qualified than me And really if it works...it works and it's worth continuing.

Jesse, 4 pounds in 3 classes is pretty amazing. Other folks here have hinted at this, but I think it's worth saying directly. The scale is one (rather limited) measurement of fitness; which I assume is the true goal behind the weight loss question. With that in mind you're best approach is to weigh yourself once per week, at the same time from week to wee. Say every Monday morning after urinating but before you're consumed anything. Otherwise it's a very unreliable measurement; my weight can fluctuate 5 pounds within 24 hours. But it sounds like you're off to a great start! The secret is to enjoy it; if you don't there's almost no chance you'll stick with it.

I'm going to vote with...maybe. There are a lot of additional factors: does survive mean being alive after the encounter, what is the attackers intent (take my wallet, kill me, shave me head...) are there bystanders, etc. If somebody is trying to kill another individual in hand to hand combat a person's will is certainly important. And although I've never been in that situation, my understanding from reading about other encounters (including run ins with animals like mountain lion) is that the defendant finds "hidden reserves" or something similar that allowed them to fight like a banshee and escape alive. Of course these accounts are always written by people still alive; maybe the ones that didn't make it didn't have the will. Interesting question.

Wow, so even at the ER they didn't really know what to do with you? I guess the good news is that you're healing. If you're not already using some, I'd recommend Ibprofien. Good luck!

Based on the last few posts, would you folks consider Tai Chi a martial art? I've only taken one class, and that was by following a video my employer provided, but it had only the loosest possible connections to self-defense, and pretty much no (at least at that introductory level) connection to killing. In fact I would argue the opposite extreme. It seemed like Tai Chi was based on / in Buddism and was focused on getting connected to the universe and preserving all life.

Bushido Man, I think that self-defense is a by-product of most martial arts. And it's a good reason for many people to sign up. I'm just not convinced it has to be the reason. As for "practical," well I might argue that on an art by art case I do think that the confidence that ma's tend to instill in people is as much of a deterrent as anything else.

Jesse, Welcome to karate and welcome to KarateForums. To lend myself some credibility here I was a personal trainer for several years during college and continue to work as a cycling and running coach. Every body is going to respond at different rates depending on a host of factors from previous lifestyle to genetics. Depending on your current fitness, start off slow. It's easy to jump in, guns blazing, and get really, really sore, decide exercise kinda sucks, and go back to the Play Station 3 and potato chips. You'll probably be sore to start; you'll be working a lot of muscles that you haven't used much before. But you don't want to overdo it; make sure it's a level of exertion you can stick with and gradually build upon. Running and other cardiovascular exercises are great, but I would add some form of strength training. Increasing your lean muscle mass will raise your resting metabolism. I'm not a registered dietitian so take this with a grain of salt (although it is based on research). Eat small, regular meals; not eating actually slows down your metabolism (your body thinks it's starving) drink lots of water and don't worry about protein too much (unless your vegetarian). You're better off eating real foods as opposed to meal-replacement bars or bizarre powder drinks. You'll absorb more of the nutrients if it's real food - your digestive system has spent a long time evolving to be able to extract multiple nutrients together. And Jesse, I don't know what time you get up, but 4:00 am is WAY earlier than I made it out of bed as a 15 year old (that's still true). Keep in mind that your body actually recovers from workouts while you're sleeping, so make sure you get plenty of if. Sorry if that was a bit long winded, fitness is a topic I'm pretty passionate about. Good luck and stick with it!

Minx, welcome to the forum and welcome back to karate. The beauty of getting older is that you can appreciate the intricacies of better form. And you still get all the other health benefits!

HOLY COW! I feel like a bonehead - I didn't look at the picture enough to recognize that it didn't actually work; I thought it was a regular kindle with a wood case instead of plastic. Thanks for clarifying Patrick and I'll go back to my hole now. And man, that's some expensive fire starter. I'll stick with my paperback!

Howdy and good luck with your upcoming test.

Self-defense is WAY down the list of reasons to take up karate, at least for me. As I mentioned in some other post the chance of me being in a street fight is pretty minimal, and if it ever occurred I'd be more likely to rely on techniques I learned in the Marines than in karate. Additionally, sd was low on my list of reasons for studying karate because I felt (and still feel) that the fighting I learned in the military was as practical and functional as any out there. With that in mind I took up karate because 1. we perform certain athletic movements / exercises in the dojo that you don't really simulate in the gym, 2. I'm interested in eastern culture, 3. the mental benefits of narrowing my focus to one thing with no distractions is a rare treat. As for sparring - that's part of ma for me, and I like it, it's sort of a culmination of reasons 1 and 3 above. But to decide that it's required and you can't do ma without sparring seems a bit holier than thou to me. And noob, the tai chi suggestion is brilliant.

I've never studied BJJ, but the Brazilian in the name would lead me to believe that it is a western ma. I don't think I had really considered its eastern roots before. After looking at the wikipedia link you could make a strong argument that BJJ is an eastern art with a dash of new technique added. But really what ma doesn't change a little from generation to generation? Maybe somebody that is more familiar with BJJ and judo or jujutsu can say how different or similar they are.

I suppose that even the term "martial" art could be up for debate. My understanding it that, technically, most of us practice fighting arts, unless it has or maybe had some direct military use. But a lot of what we call martial arts were fighting methods the lower classes (not the military) developed for self-protection. With that in mind I would say that wresting is certainly a martial art (you better know how to keep fighting after your spear breaks!) but Nightowl has be confused about what traditional is! I would have said yep, traditional martial art until I read that post.

Howdy and don't worry about asking ridiculous questions; the folks on here are really good at answering them. I ask them semi-regularly.

I'm not sure that I get it; isn't most of what we (at least I) read a "Flammable Wireless Reading Device" - called a book?

Wow, NinTai, that's a very convincing clip; I think BB of C can safely rule out the stainless steel! Assuming everybody knows what they're doing I'd go with the 1040 carbon. Good luck with the film - it sounds cool.

I agree that an organization can't take away your knowledge and practical experience, but if you are affiliated with an organization you also represent it. So if you are engaging in behavior that negatively portrays the organization I think they are within their rights to strip your titles / membership.

I have read a couple of Dave Lowery's books recently. They have some interesting essays on why we do things the way we do. But I'm with you bushido man - you gotta love the library!

Kuma, do you find that flexing your foot helps your shin splints? For me it was a foot extension that helped, but I need a partner to really make it work well. I'll sit on the ground with my legs out in front of me and have somebody pull my feet away from me, towards the ground. It hurts so good.

I'm sure there's a market for pre-worn belts; look how popular it is to buy jeans that are already ripped, or a baseball cap that's fraying on the bill. And it seems like those companies charge more for deteriorating product! I don't get it, but I purchase items with the idea that I'll be the one to wear them out, not somebody else.