JCavin

That's pretty cool. I've come close to doing a lot of these stuff but always manage to fall. I've always wanted to do this stuff as I'd like to go into martial arts movie stunts one day. But I don't know what combination of conditioning and/or professional training I'm missing. I've been trying to find a gymnastics school that will take me but I haven't been having any luck because I'm over 18. Do you have any tips for someone like me to find what I need? Try to find a parkour or freerunning group in your area. Tricking is more prevalent in the freerunners, though. Check with all the local gymnastic gyms and see if they offer an open gym time and ask if they have any parkour or freerunners that use their space during it.

Chuck Norris and Mr. T

I highly recommend anything by Ross Enamait. He's a beast and his books are outstanding.

Brickshooter, I had to spar(without pads, full contact) against two people on Wednesday night. It was essentially 5 minutes of me applying quick shots, evasive footwork, and then starting over.

If you want endurance do a lot of bodyweight exercises. Pushups, pullups, air squats, situps, quadrupedal movements, etc. If you want strength you'll have to lift heavy stuff. It all depends on your goals. Are you wanting to get big and strong? Are you wanting to stay lean and get the aesthetically pleasing muscles(abs, chest, arms)? Are you wanting to just get generally more fit? There is nothing wrong with either, they just require completely different workout routines and diets. Regardless, I think that everyone should start off by doing pushups, squats, pullups, and situps and stick to it for a few weeks. If you stick to it you'll probably have a better idea of what you want to do. Just my opinion. Take it for what it's worth.

Good post! Although i'm one of the few here that works in law enforcement(corrections), I actually like doing forms. In my opinion, basic kickboxing, parries, footwork, basic locks, and basic takedowns are all you'll probably need to defend yourself. These are all things you can learn well enough to hold your own in just a matter of months, if not less. I tend to see forms as an avenue for people who enjoy human movement and are dedicated to their art. Kata is something you can do until you're like 100, so they're useful there. Not to mention the fact that they are just fun to do sometimes. Now, I don't find them particularly useful for combat, but that doesn't mean they don't have their place in drilling basic stuff like footwork, body placement, intent, breathing, endurance, coordination, etc. Just don't think that you'll do forms every day and be unstoppable.

A little light hearted reply to the above. Is that why you changed styles from Shorin Ryu to Kempo? I'd prefer to practice a style where you're the last man standing after you finish the kata. Not much point in training to lose. I've never seen the finishing kata movement of collapsing in a heap, katas are usually finished with 'zanshin' or a state of awareness. lol, that's actually quite a funny image. I should have done that... Well, my old teacher was very much into the whole "Bushido" thing. We weren't training to lose so much as training without fear of dying. Accepting that you'll die takes away any inhibitions and misgivings you may have and you are free to just "do." It was a very interesting way to train, and I enjoyed it. But, my instructor was only teaching his obscure style of Shorin Ryu because he thought he was the last teacher in that lineage(Okuhara via Chotoku Kyan), but he ended up finding some guys in Finland that were from the same school. So, he no longer felt the obligation to keep it alive. Which was unfortunate for me. As for the Kenpo, I initially got into it because a coworker of mine started teaching for free. And, I enjoyed it enough to keep going. We spend about 45 minutes at the end of each class sparring without pads, which is something i've never done.

I would just like to add that my old Shorin Ryu instructor once told me that we die at the end of every kata. The kata should be practiced like you're fighting multiple people and just trying to do as much damage as possible before you're overwhelmed.

It is if you don't practice at home...

There are a lot of people that think the classes you attend should be used for teaching new material exclusively, leaving you to practice what you learned from the last class on your own. You should find a closer dojo and give them a call. I've never seen a martial arts school that doesn't allow you to either sit and watch a class or participate in one before joining. Not to mention that they may have a better schedule that will allow you to train more frequently with them. Also, man-up and practice at home. If you REALLY want to do it you will. Otherwise, you just like the IDEA of training in martial arts. Ultimately it is up to you to become self-disciplined. Anyone can try hard when someone is screaming at them to push themselves. It takes dedication to improve yourself when no one is looking.

It isn't that it is bad, it just isn't a schedule that will lose much weight for you, if any. Cardio, cardio, cardio at least 3-4 times a week. You should also be doing some type of vigorous exercise for 30 minutes a day.

Jabs are a much more useful punch than a backfist. A backfist has it's place, though. For instance, here are some uses of the jab: - Gauge distance - Cover eyes for your power hand - Slip between hands in guard position Not to mention the fact that there are multiple types of jabs. Stiff jab, flicking jab, setup jab, switch jab. The straight line makes it much faster and harder to see coming as well as making it easier to throw rapidly in succession.

http://www.gifsoup.com/view3/1534067/ninja-kick-o.gif

Nope. He does a running jump off the cage's fence and kicks with the same leg for a knockout. It's pretty awesome.

I agree with your post except for running and cardio. I have personally lost weight and got in shape without any running at all. It's all come from karate, conditioning workouts and healthy eating. To me theres far more interesting things you can do in a workout which will give you the cardio benefits of running with the added strength, endurance and speed which comes with conditioning. An example might be a circuit workout where i do 10 burpies, 10 pullups and 20 pushups have a rest and repeat, do that 5 or 6 times and i save time and get real bang for my buck. Or you can do things such as sledge hammer workouts, kettlebell workouts, bag work or jump rope which is one of the best tools for agility and fitness IMO. Try working out about 4 times a week maybe 3 hard contioning workouts and a day when you walk for recovery. Eat healthy don't get sucked in by any fad diets, drink heaps of water and mix your workouts up so you don't get bored. I never do the same workout twice in a row so it lets my body adapt to different challenges and keeps me interested. One thing I will say before I leave you, is if you want to get into conditioning and resistance exercises have a relatively even balnce between pulling and pushing back/chest shoulders exercises. You don't want inbalances. Keeping a journal is a good way to achieve this. Also if you want to be a martial artist i recommend ignoring the physique drivin bodybuilding based workouts which let you attain size at the loss of functionality. Anyway train more and think less and you'll be right. Peace. I agree with you. Running was simply something I suggested since she/he already does it. I didn't want to completely confuse her/him with suggesting a HIIT workout. Which is why I said "Cardio is where you'll burn the most fat."

According to your schedule you're only working out 2 days a week... If you want to lose weight you have to work out more. Cardio is where you will lose the most fat. That means you should be running at LEAST 3-4 days a week, not to mention vigorous exercise for 30 minutes every day. Try some progressive workouts too. For instance, get a pedometer and add .1 of a mile every time you run. It really becomes a task of ensuring you're expending more calories than you're taking in. What do you usually drink? Soda, milk, wine, etc.? Attempt to eat vegetables, fruit, and protein with every meal. Have you ever had a salad for breakfast? Try it. It's great. (Stay away from ranch dressing)

Here's one for the Taekwondo guys. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veM7_8wdNSw

7/9 4am-630am 1000 strikes IP bag 2oo strikes forearm 200 strikes makiwara 100 strikes wallbag 5minutes of shin rolls(using bamboo chopstick bundle) Short Form 1 x 10 Technique 1 x10 Technique 3 x 10 Overhead Press with 50lb river stone x 35 Pullups x 20

After years of muay thai, I dunno if i'll ever be as comfortable with my right side forward. I think the best i'll be able to manage is a symmetrical stance.

I fear and respect my teacher. Why? Because I signed up for that when I started his class. He likes to spar very hard(like Kyokushin) with no pads. His appendages apparently feel no pain and he kicks like a mule. But, I think that sparring should always give you that nervous fluttering in your stomach. If it doesn't, you aren't doing it right. It needs to emulate actual fighting. I respect him because he's a coworker of mine and he's an all-around cool guy. But, once we're in the dojo, he's the teacher and i'm the student.

I would just like to say that regardless of what punishment you recieve for it, good job. You attempted to walk away, he threatened you, then grabbed you. So you dealt with the threat. Respect. Btw, this is just my personal opinion. I do have a no-nonsense approach to these types of things. Probably because I work in law enforcement. Others may say you should avoid fighting and that you were wrong. For them I give you a quote from Gandhi: "I do believe that, where there is only a choice between cowardice and violence, I would advise violence... "

All valid points. Thanks Harlan.

I'm not a beginner in martial arts, far from it actually. I can tell when someone is full of crap from the way they teach. But, since i'm on a fairly tight budget, i'm just wondering if it would be considered rude to some people to ask them directly about their credentials via a phone call so as to save me a trip and potentially money in gas. If it IS considered rude, it is no problem. I was just looking for some opinions before I talked to him.

...to find out a Sensei's credentials? Here's the thing. I've been searching for years for another traditional karate school since my former teacher stopped teaching. Today, I found out that there were 2 within driving distance of me(about 30-45 minutes away). One is Goju Ryu and the other is Matsubayashi Shorin Ryu. So what is the proper way to find out if they are legitimately teaching their respective styles? Is it okay to ask them who their teachers were or is this considered rude? I just don't want to drive all the way up there to find out that i'm learning from someone who doesn't have the goods.

7/8 4:00am 1000 strikes IP Bag 200 strikes makiwara 100 strikes forearm 200 strikes wallbag 60 pushups 100 squat jumps