WhiteBelt

I take karate and agree with Lee's assessment. Depending on the school you could add a lot more to the cons, but that applies with all of the arts and the practitioners.

I said black because he was racist. Anyway, the people he mauled were used to fighting on the street and it was 3-on-1. It was to emphasize how an untrained fighter can be so effective, and also end up in prison...

Unless it's below the waist. Those never get much rest with all the walking you have to do in a day.

I'm 23 so there's very little growth going on in my knees. It seems to have subsided though so I'm happy. The thing that bothers me most is how my tendons seem so easily injured. I'm probably just not flexible enough yet, or over training some areas. I know that my hips are extremely tight so that's probably the biggest factor. Well I'm going to a sports clinic on Tuesday to get some advice and checkup on my current injuries. No pain, no gain... Until you learn how to avoid it.

It turns out that I simply pulled one of the tendons/ligaments below the kneecap. It's not serious and I just need to ease back whenever it is feeling hurt. It had nothing to do with my hamstring, though I seem to be having plenty of problems with my ligaments and tendons lately. Martial Girl you should really see a doctor about your problem. If it hurts to touch and doesn't get better it could really be serious. I make it a point to always check out a joint injury.

Chopsticks. Superior numbers win.

My conclusion would be that it's not scientific enough to come to a conclusion. You'd need random practitioners from a comparable rank, if you can even make that comparison. For you to decide something like this you need to keep some variables constant...

Depends on the training of both. Yes, they will tell you in karate, "hit here and he is dead." But, nobody really tries those things out. Well actually the street fighter might have. Just because they are untrained doesn't mean they know nothing. I knew of a guy in high school who never took MA in his life, but got in a lot of street fights. One day three black gang members got into a fight with him, probably because he was a skin head. He broke one guy's leg, the other guys neck, and pummeled the third. Luckily for him they didn't die. The only way a karateka would stand a chance would be to have the experience in fighting that this guy had. A lot of the moves in karate have very specific uses, so your average student is going to have to figure out on the spot which tool to use. On the other hand, the fighter knows what he has and just goes to work.

In my Karate classes the low stances are for training, and art. While we are doing drills we are expected to be very low, where the focus of the training is on memory and foot work. Durring a kata presentation the low stances simply look better. However, when it comes to sparring we are taught to keep a high and mobile stance, which isn't a set stance. As far as why they originally had stances that low, I'm not completely sure. From the different sources that I've read, it could be a combination of terrain, exercise & conditioning, and for power. It has always been said that the stances are only a instant in an attack, so it sounds like they never stayed in a stance. Also, durring their drills they were also smashing things (wood, rocks, etc.) into their legs to condition them...

MK-I and MK-II. I loved those when I was younger. You had to make up combos which weren't preset.

I would never rely on pressure points to win a fight in real life. For example, the points on the neck, jaw, hands, and bicep, are all don't hurt me much. The sensei can try and try but it won't hurt, much. Another example would be the average drunk, who won't feel much pain at all... If my sensei uses me to demonstrate some self defense, I usually end up in a locked position that I don't know how to get out, not a pressure point lock.

Not another topic! ... heh, well I'm experiencing some soreness when I try to extend my right leg. The pain is just below the knee cap, and only comes when I try to fully extend my leg, and sometimes if it is twisted but is less painful. I'm going to be in a clinic tomorrow anyway, so I might get to see doc. I've also checked online but can't identify what this is. I think it goes well with my pulled hamstring, and other misc. injuries. Any ideas?

I find it easier to be shown this than follow a booklet. Sometimes they leave out an important step and you're left confused with an ugly knot. My school isn't really worried with how you belt looks, unless it's a promotion or your bbelt test, which is public for a part of it.

Most students should be able to defend themselves from what in six months? It doesn't say from what... rabbid rabbits?

I was feeling more comfortable with the skip-step forward. Well I think I was from your description. Hmm, better get back to practicing both then.

Hey I need some tips here. I'm practicing a front leg roundhouse, which I am still getting used to, and also trying it while advancing on an opponent. What I need are some tips on the mechanics of it. When I try a stationary front leg roundhouse, either I move my weight to my back leg and then twist, execute, etc., but this seems slow and hence no better than a back leg kick. I also tried moving my read leg to my front leg, which was faster but I don't know, it seems risky. Any tips would be appreciated as I'm stuck in the office for the next two days and won't be able to goto class.

It's not always speed that you need. Speed is great but you need reflexes too. Ultimately you want experience, so you're not relying on your body so much...

If you can get people for assistance then who needs rundo? Heh, if you're as good as those guys well, you probably wouldn't worry about it anyway.

I have no idea because I haven't had a chance to check it out. I just wanted to know what to look for when I get that chance. We do a little ground work at my dojo so that helps, but you guys would know better.

The Vietnamese language uses a lot of accents for each letter and for different combinations of letters. So if that guy's name is spelled the same way it could still be very different. There are even three dialects, for the north, middle, and south.

You know it's a McDojo when you can get fries with your belt, and you get to take a picture with a clown after graduating. But for me, a McDojo is a school that cannot teach you what it is selling, nothing more, nothing less.

If you're facing multiple untrained people: -take out the biggest as fast as you can, the rest will likely run -you need to be very quick to create openings to escape -fight dirty if you have to -keep them from surrounding you Easiest way to learn all that is to train for it in the dojo, and like everything else start small. I've tried it twice and it seems to be effective. Sometimes you don't even need to run or fight, if you can intimidate the toughest of them. If the people you're facing are all trained, ready and willing to fight, then rundo is your only option...

There is a small dojo opening up in my area that claims it will teach a variety of arts: kung fu, kick boxing, free stile, and of course BJJ. Now I have a bad feeling about this place, probably because it's so close to my home and I never trust the people here. Anyway, I was wondering what a BJJ class was like so that I might judge how good this place is. I'm thinking of getting into a grappling art but have no experience in this type of school, though I currently take karate. Any help is appreciated.

Vote: No. I did far too much training just BEFORE easter, and I am feeling the pain.

I live in Canada. We probably have a similar average crime rate, and guns can be bought illegaly (about 3 bus stops west of my home for example). As far as I see it, the whole gun control argument (both ways) is about personal safety. Some people want guns to protect themselves, while some people want to protect themselves from the guns. Neither way is really effective, but they are different solutions to the same problem. Don't worry about the guns, worry about the criminals, and the irresponsible. By the way, I would not have any guns in my home, unless I lived in the area with the highest crime rate and lived in fear constantly. But then I wouldn't be able to raise a family, something I look forward to.