KarateGeorge

Welcome to the forums, Alctaraz!

Ha!!! I hear ya! Though winning is great, I really don't care if I win the race. I don't even expect to win. I just want to go in to it and finish it. It's about knowing I did it more than anything else. At the end of the race, I want to be able to look back and say "I finished" more than anything else about it...the challenge is against myself. I'm not concerned with how I do in relation to the other runners in the race.

Welcome!

I live in a metropolitan area, so I'm sure I can find a store that has those. I'll have to look for some. Thanks!

I train for several reasons. First, because I find it enjoyable and interesting to learn martial arts. Second, I've built some good friendships with those that I train with, and they've become a "family' of sorts to me, so it gives me an opportunity to spend time with good friends with like interests. Thirdly, having a college degree, a white-collar job, and living in a low-crime, suburban area, statistically speaking, the likelihood of needing to defend myself or friends or family against a serious attack is on the low end of the scale, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't be prepared for the possibility. Even if I were to be a victim of this type of assault, would I need a black belt level of skill to defend myself? Maybe, maybe not, but one thing I do know is that the way to keep my skills sharp is to continue to train, and by continuing to train, it also means I hopefully continue to improve.

Congrats!

Thanks! Since I'm not "in it to win it" I'll probably hang out more towards the back. I average an 8:00 minute to 8:30 minute mile when doing long runs. Not a bad clip and I could probably start improving my speed if I trained for it before the big day, but as of now its certainly not fast enough to worry about fighting my way to the front of the pack. I think my biggest challenge is going to be pushing my distance out further. I generally start to feel like I'm hitting a wall around the 8 mile mark and it starts to get hard to go any further. Maybe bringing an energy bar with me or something along those lines will help me to get through those last few miles.

Yesterday - 7 mile run

Done

Well, its not really martial arts, but its still fitness related. A friend of mine is going to do a half-marathon this coming fall, and I think I'm going to join him in doing it. I've never done one before, and it seems like it'd be cool to do and though I don't expect to win it, I think completing one would be really awesome. A half marathon is 13.1 miles, so its a pretty long run. My longest run as of now is 9.5 miles, so I've still got some work to do to push myself out to 13.1 miles, but I've got a pretty good head start on myself with being able to do that distance, I think. Anybody else here ever done a marathon, half-marathon, etc.? Got any training tips?

That's awesome!!! Well done.

Yes, it's very complex.

Also, make sure you're not dragging your feet when stepping.

...on a few occasions at home, when walking past a wall or some kind of solid object, I've found myself doing a quick turn and throwing a punch at it, because I knew my distance and that my reach actually stopped about an inch away.

I was intrigued by that as well. Its supposedly a miniature breed, so they're already smaller, but 6 pounds was really small even for the miniature breed.

...when you can't watch a movie without pointing out any inaccuracies or unrealistic moves in a fight scene.

Possibly the world's smallest horse: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126306156 source NPR. -Its so cute!!!

Last night, my hands were full and I needed to flip a light switch, so I ended up performing a front snap kick like move and used my foot to flip the switch. I just started laughing after a moment as it made me think of this as a humorous topic. So, how about it? I'll start. You know you're a martial artist when.... You turn flip light switches with kicks.

Congrats!

I do a 60/40 on the front stance as well. Otherwise, it sounds about the same as what I learned.

I'll echo the other thoughts as well. Though their students may be disappointed and wish them to stay, if its time for them to move on, that's a decision the instructor needs to make on their own without others making them feel guilty. The decision is most likely a hard enough decision for them as it is that they don't need others making it more difficult on them.

Thanks for posting this. I had the opportunity to be exposed to Chi Sao training during the year and a half or so that I had the opportunity to train at a Wing Chun school. When I first started learning it, I wasn't sure how well it would work as a training technique, but it didn't take long for me to realize the benefits it provides. You hit the nail right on the head!

Welcome!

Have to get round to reading this. Someone bought me the uncut version but I haven't had a chance to read it yet. Yeah, the Stand is a great book. I read it a few years ago as my first Stephen King novel. I have since started reading the Dark Tower series. The next book in the series for me is Song of Susannah. I've got so many books I want to read right now though that it might be a few more months before I actually get to it. As far as favorite book, though, I'd have to say Lord of the Rings tops the list for me.

Ha! That's hilarious.