WhiteBelt

Jump rope. I forget where the study is, but there was some evidence (sp?) that swimming will not help you lose weight. It had something to do with the fact that the water kept your body at a certain temperature and so the body didn't want to lose weight if it could help it. Other than that swimming is great for exercise.

I checked out Fairtex's training. Hope it's not like that everywhere... I doubt I can run 16 km twice a day in 30 mins each time. That's 32 km/h average for 30 minutes.

Thai round kick is different than a karate kick. You wouldn't know it if you didn't know what to look for. MT also has develope the clinch more IMHO.

If that's not working you must be eating like a horse a day. You might want to look at your diet if you want to lose weight. Don't go on a diet, just eat healthier and a little less than what your body needs each day.

Good system is relative. What may have been good against a samurai isn't going to be as effective against somebody without a sword & armor. Systems come and go because the environment is changing all the time. Wait till somebody invents "gun fu"... oh wait.

He's just trying to relate / fit in. *Must remember to stay away from White Warlock and his crazy ear schemes*

I am left handed for writing, though I can scribble legibly with my right. I play sports right handed, though my left hand is quicker. You just have to train yourself on both sides. It's not impossible. With kata, it's hardest doing the steps backward but in a straight line while blindfolded with people yelling... but that's another story.

Ok, I'm finally getting back into training after a few months off (don't want to get into that). What I want to do is MT, however, and you can laugh at me for this, my GF is afraid of MT and finds any excuse to keep me out of it. I guess I shouldn't have shown her those UFC matches... Anyway, I will eventually be going to a small local gym taught by a former Thailand fighter (some 80 - 90 pro fights). What should I be doing to get ready for MT? I have been doing karate, and working out, but as I said have been off for a bit. I have access to 2 gyms, a heavy bag, more ropes than I can count, a karate dojo, etc., but lack the time to spend my entire day finding ways to hurt my self.

Want to make your own style? You already are if you're studying MAs. If you can prove that you know what you're doing, and that you can express your ideas then we'll all respect that. Otherwise your style is no different than Joe Blow's Dragon Kung Fu down at the McDojo. It takes time to develope these things, and no amount of marketing will prove otherwise. BTW, you can call it the Joe Blow system if you want (I'm certainly not registering it).

I had to take some time off of training, but here's how my training was a few months ago: 2 - 3 sessions of MA 2 sessions practicing MA alone (heavy bag, kata, technique, whatever) 4 sessions of weight training 1 day for jogging But now I would do less jogging, and add in some skipping every few days. Although the proportions depend on what phase of my training I want to be in.

You't probably get shin splints using ankle weights IF you weren't ready for them. Try ankle weights while you skip rope, again when you're ready.

I'm with Tibby on this. Tried the hundreds of hindu squats and it took forever to get anywhere. Doesn't even compare to doing squats with more than your bodyweight on your shoulders... Hey it takes less time too.

My school has added ground fighting but it is not karate it is a combination of judo and jj. The most grappling I've seen from other karate classes has been iffy combo-strikes, painful submissions, and very few joint locks... ie not very much.

I've tried hitting a heavy bag the shotokan way (that I've been taught, shoulders square + rotate hips) and it just doesn't work at all for me. If I put my shoulders into the punch I have less chance of injury and more power. After that initial experiment I tried to put my shoulders to work in the traditional blocks and found that with the right timing, again, there is increased power. The only problem is that it's harder to readjust when you miss. As for kicks, I find that the MT style roundhouse has the best power output for me. It doesn't throw me off balance as much as putting my shoulders into strikes and blocks, so it's safer as well.

Everybody is a sensei at some point in their life. Whenever you help another student in class you are in effect a sensei. So it all boils down to character (subjective), knowledge (more than the student), a willingness to share their knowledge, and most importantly their skill at teaching others.

About 50 - 75 adults when I first joined, with one 6th dan and his assorted 5th,4th,3rd helpers. Now there are probably 150 students and the class sizes are getting too large... seems like every "class" is getting bigger, from school to MA.

After doing many power squats (focus on adductor) I'm getting better results with the splits. More leg curls and some light streching and I'd be good for the front splits too. So, no, weight training does not shorten muscles (if done properly).

My girlfriend is exactly the same. She can practically crack/pop any joint, and yes when she was going to karate she would intimidate some students with it.

You can do Good Mornings instead of Back Extensions (the Roman chair thing). Just put some weight on your shoulders (barbell/dumbbell), stand up straight, and then bend forward keeping your legs straight. Make sure you bend at the hips not the back. This exercise also works your hamstrings, but not fully like the leg curl does.

Lat. Pull Downs work your upper back. Seated/Bent Rows also work your back. Lat. Raises work the should but you need to start them from in the front, the sides, and behind you to work all the angles. Straight Arm Pull Downs are great at working the shoulder/upper back for stabilizing your arms.

Avoid fully extending when you punch/kick air, but fully extend when you punch a bag/person/wall/stuffed animal/etc.

That looked pretty close to the knee. Maybe he was also 'conditioning' his shin on steel bars and trees... What's next, 'conditioning' your shins by having a bus drive over them repeatedly?

Rocky. No contest. We usually listen to metal, rock, or some form of techno while the teachers get us ready to spar...

I have proof too! After taking a break from classes I just got sick, but I never got sick while attending. See, even more proof that MA is good for you. I always worried that I would get sick AT the dojo. With all the children's classes going on before the adults there HAS to be something waiting to get you sick every day. Not to mention walking around in bare feet, the occasional bloody nose, etc.

Punching bag and focus mitts are the way to go. Makiwara and other people are not.