KarateGeorge

Yeah, that pretty much hits the nail on the head. It really can vary from school to school. Where I've studied Wing Chun, we did sparring, but that's not always going to be the case. Your best bet is to visit the school(s) you're interested in and see how they train.

Congrats!

I'm not a CPA, though I work in the financial industry, have worked closely with CPAs and even had an "accountant" job title for several years, so though hopefully someone here can give you a better answer, I'll at least try to answer it as best I can for now. To my knowledge, as long as you have fulfilled all the requirements to sit for the exam, including experience, once you pass the exam, your license is valid through its expiration date. During that time, you are expected to fulfill certain continuing education requirements, but once the license is obtained, it's a valid license, and if you no longer work in an acceptable field, you have a window of time to go back again, so you don't need to worry about it being something that will get revoked immediately if you take another job Also, I thought it was only 2 years experience, not 4, though requirements for the CPA do vary somewhat from state to state, so maybe it is 4 where you're at. Like I said though, even though I've worked closely with CPAs due to my line of work, I'm not one myself, so take my answer for what its worth.

Welcome!

Welcome!

Though it looks interesting, I also think it was a bit overhyped. There's a gap between what it was expected to be and what it actually is. I think it's definitely got promise and could become an amazingly useful gadget, but I think I'll be waiting until the 2nd or 3rd generation models come out before I buy one. It's a good start, but I'd like to see how they refine it and improve it before I consider buying one. First generation models also seem to be a bit buggy too, so I don't feel the need to be an early adopter, I'll let them work out the kinks first.

Yesterday: 4 mile run abs

Next stop...FLORIDA! Where everybody goes when they get older.

There are actually many issues from remaining too tense when sparring. First, as you are already aware, it puts you in a situation where your striking your parter overly hard. Hitting hard is fine when you're doing full-contact fighting, but when doing a more light contact sparring as is typically used in most classes, this can cause issues. Secondly, when you're tense, you telegraph your movements very easily. Tense muscles exagerrate your movements and can help your opponent to remain one step ahead of you as they can see everything coming. Thirdly, staying tense actually slows down your speed. Fighting relaxed and making the tension right at the moment of impact, and then releasing the tension afterwards allows you to strike with significantly greater speed than staying tense through the entire set of motions necessary for the technique being performed. Fourth, staying tense wears you out much, much quicker. If you can stay relaxed throughout the fight, you will conserve much more energy. If you're in a self-defense situation, you never know just how long you'll need to keep going. They may have buddies right around the corner for all you know, are you may have to make an escape at some point and start running. You don't want to be worn out too quickly. Lastly, staying relaxed physically also ties with staying relaxed mentally. If you can remain relaxed, you can really focus more on what you're doing. Being able to flow through your techniques naturally without having to lose focus is vital. Getting tense and worried in a fight can all to easily result in losing focus, which can lead to accidental injuries in class, or possibly worse on the street.

I'd be fairly confident in my abilities if I were to have to fight today. Does that guaranty myself a win. No, I don't think so, as even the greatest fighters can be bested, but I feel confident that my training is very effective in a street application sense. I think I'm definitely better off with my training than without it, and that it does give me an added advantage. My school does a nice blend of tradition with realism, teaching both traditional techniques and then "throwing it to the wind" for when you're in a self-defense situation, since the "rules" don't apply on the street.

I'm not particularly a fan of it, but I can deal with it. I see the full range of seasons where I'm at as well. I wouldn't mind eventually moving further South one of these days towards the Gulf coast, but for now, I can put up with winter weather.

Congrats!

Congrats!

Agreed.

Yeah, being a good martial artist does involve physical capability, but to me that's only one piece of the puzzle. The mental is equally important. A good martial artist is one with a strong spirit. Someone who keeps going, no matter how hard it may get, no matter how tired you are, and no matter how tough the opponent is. Whether its a sparring match or a real life self-defense situation, no matter the odds, even if the odds are against you, you give it your all.

I was wondering the same thing about Renee. Something seems a little strange there. I guess we'll find out more as the season progresses.

I've found reverse crescents and spinning reverse crescents quite handy and have used them many times in sparring. If done properly, a reverse crescent initially comes in looking somewhat like a regular front snap kick, and then part way through the kick the direction changes and instead of coming straight in, you're kicking in an arc. It can be deceptive and fast. The crescent kick from the outside as has been mentioned is usable as a block. Also, I've found myself using it in combinations as a "deceiver" type of kick. For example, I'll do a crescent kick, side kick combo. I'm throwing the crescent kick with the intentions of not really hitting my target, but to get them to block high, because the kick is going to come back again real quick in the form of a side kick to their (hopefully) now open torso.

Yeah, generally at my school we also put white belts with black belts when sparring. For the black belts, its not so much about sparring at that time, they'll get other chances to actually spar, its more about instruction and teaching the newer students how to apply the techniques they've been learning in class into a sparring situation. The white belt is learning to spar...the black belt is gaining to opportunity to teach and hopefully learn through instruction.

Welcome!

Very true! Control does not mean you have to go light. With proper control, one can execute a punch, kick, etc. at full power without hurting their opponent. When attacking, its up to the attacker to use control. But yes, its also up to the defender to defend. Accidents can and will happen, don't beat yourself up too much over them when they do.

Well, the start of Season 8 was quite awesome! Lots of adrenaline pumping action and plenty of new characters, most of whom we can't get attached to, because you just never know who's going to make it to the end of the season.

It's a two-way street on this one. When sparring, it is up to both parties to exercise both caution and control. You put on protective gear to minimize the risk of injury, and when attacking with a technique, the attacker should exert the necessary control to not injure their partner. The one defending from the attack should also be paying attention to what's happening and properly defend themselves. Since sparring is a flowing activity, the role of attacker and defender is constantly changing and sometimes you may be both simultaneously. So each person needs to be continually paying full attention to what's happening and continuing to maintain control of their techniques. That being said, it is a physical activity of fighting, albeit in a controlled setting, but because of the nature of the activity, people can and do get hurt. Just make sure you're exerting the level of control appropriate for the nature of sparring you may be doing (ie, light contact, full contact, etc.)

Personally, I think it comes down to the individual and really has very little to do with their occupation, though certain occupations tend to attract specific kinds of people who may be more likely to bring either honor or shame to their communities. Like in your example, as a general rule, I highly respect police officers. However, there are some police officers that give a bad name to their profession. It's like that in any occupation...there are some people who do their job honorably and there are some who bring dishonor to their jobs. Though, I think a martial arts instructor CAN be an asset to their community, I don't think that it means they necessarily WILL be an asset to their community. Ultimately, it depends how the instructor relates to the community in which he is involved.

Excellent!!!

Though I would likely use minimal kicks in a real fight, for me, the idea of training to kick high, is so that the ability to kick at, say, stomach level is much easier were I to use them in a real life situation. If I can push myself to kick at head height when training, then if I'm that much better prepared to perform a lower kick without it seeming terribly difficult. As for kicking higher, proper foot orientation of the grounded foot, improved balance and stretching are keys to getting higher kicks. So basically stretch, strech, and stretch. Then pay attention to technique/form. For example, if you're doing something such as a roundhouse or side kick, make sure your heel is pointed towards your target (toes pointed away), make sure your hips are turned properly, and lean your torso back. Body mechanics will go a long ways towards getting higher kicks.