GeoGiant

Hello, Hello. Welcome!

The stadiums share a parking lot. When they came up with the concept for Camden Yards in the late 80's the idea was to build a stadium for the Orioles and then plan for a future football stadium. The way the designers implemented the old rail yard building into the stadium is incredible. The designers built the scoreboard to match the Baltimore skyline so the view from the seats after dark is amazing. I would recommend a visit to Oriole Park to any baseball fan.

Oriole Park and M&T Stadium are great places to see a game! My wife and I were Os season tic holders for a few years in the 90's. After Ripken retired, wow, attendance really dropped off. Currently my bother and I are number 2689 in line for Ravens season tics. I hope the Os can come through this year but we haven't seen a decent season since 1997...

Good for you. It sounds exciting and I think you will get more out of the experience than you think. Most people don’t learn to interact with a variety of different people & backgrounds. Without exposure to cultural differences it is easy for people to become focused on one set of ideas and over time those ideas can become their only way of looking at things. Ok, I gotta slow down because I’m reaching for my soap box… With reference to your training, keep doing it! Make it a point to commit x amount of time, x times a week to training in your art. Create a training log to note your progress. Keep practicing your kicks, punches, floor drills, etc. Even something as little as throwing 20 kicks with each leg before bed is something.

same here. Mixing it up presents a variety of challenges aside from weight & height differences. First & foremost having a good partner is the most important thing to me. When I say a good partner, I mean someone who when I’m on offense allows me to work through the technique without flinching or fighting against me. … & when I’m on defense doesn’t block with wet noodle arms or drive me through the floor with their technique. Sometimes I line up with a black belt or [insert any color] belt & they want to pontificate about what would work better AFTER we are given instruction. Or I line up with black belt or [insert any color] belt and they drive me through wall with a kick or punch… look, don’t get me wrong I think contact should be required but if I’m leaving myself 100% vulnerable so you can practice a one-step defense I don’t expect to have the wind knocked out me when you drive me to the floor by my throat. If that happens during sparring, shame on me. I think a good partner provides a strong punch or kick that must be blocked. If the punch or kick is not blocked then light contact should be made. The amount of contact made should be a product of rank and persons level of experience with the technique being practiced. [i’m not the best at being a good attacker to a person I’m not familiar with. If I don’t focus I allow my punches to be directed by my anticipation of the block.] Also a good attacker has to okay with being taken down and this isn’t always the case. If someone is trying to break the fall before it happens it makes the entire movement awkward. Assuming I had a good partner to work with that was evenly matched by weight and height, I think I’d end up with a false sense of learning & understanding a technique. I’m a tall guy so in the real world I want to know how my block or attack is going to work on someone before I initiate contact. The perceived down-side to learning with multiple partners is that it seems like it takes foreverrrrrrrrrrrr to get comfortable with a technique however you definitely feel like you own the technique when you finally get it.

We mix it up. We line up & rotate so I'm facing old / young, heavy / light, inexperienced / experienced.

I finally saw the trailer! I must admit that I will see it…. at home on pay-per-view. I loved the original when I was a kid and this version seemed to be a nice mix of an old story told to a new audience. As some others have stated I will view this movie more as the Kung-Fu Kid…. loosely based on the Karate Kid. On a side note – I recently watched the original again. Only this time I’m watching as a person that is training in Karate… my new found knowledge really takes away from the plot.

I agree with Sokusen. If I want to learn “something” technical, I want to be taught from someone who has mastered “it”. A jack-of-all trades type person is great for a handyman, not a MA instructor.

"Sweep the leg!" .... ok, I know but someone had to say it.

When schools are ran with a business focus, the instruction suffers.

We spar light to moderate in my school & sometimes heavy depending on the participants. We have a policy that the sparing partners set the tone. There are 3 women at my school. 2 of the 3 women are there for fitness and they attack & defend according to the level of contact they desire. I don't mind sparing either of these women. If I feel I've gone too hard I immediately recoil and apologize. What I found is that I tend to go at a speed that is less than what they desire and they are constantly tell me to turn it up. I don’t intend to go too light but that is the way it happens. The third woman in my class will knock your head off if you don’t bring it. Trust me, after a one minute round with her, you bring it!

Does the gym have a suggested or required time(s) that one needs to be there? Is there a formal class?

I'm an Orioles fan.... sigh.... we will be under 500 & 20 games behind first place by the all star break... uggggh .

Doh, i missed the doc . Was it any good?

No, I would not categorize what you described as a free trial lesson. I would have been more than irritated if I showed up anticipating a lesson and got a sales pitch.

As a person that likes to workout barefoot, i think these... shoes? ...heavy weight socks?... look interesting although I think I'd do a double-take if you walked by me in those .

My school offers a beginners package - three 1/2-hour one-on-one lessons with our Sensi, one regular class, & a Gi for $35. The 1/2 sessions are really helpful because you get a change to work through the basics with direct oversight.

Thanks for the advice everyone. The only reason I started changing my punching focus is because I want to try board breaking. I don't know if this description helps but I'd like to try the break while standing in a front stance, left foot forward / right foot back, using my chambered right hand to do the break, punch ending with my knuckles parallel with the floor. Any board breakers here? Assuming yes, do you punch through the board using the 2 knuckle approach or do you just punch with the only focus being where you want to strike the board?

Sorry to hear you took a shot like that. Injuries are horrible to deal with. Hopefully you heal quick. Your continued dedication to training is more than impressive.

Acoms Razor. It stinks getting older

My training has only been a few months as opposed to years so my opinion may not be what your looking for but... I think your belt should be completely based on your level of competence. For that reason I don't think there is a problem with you testing higher. I don't see the point in holding someone back for the sake maintaining a time standard. To me it'd be no different than if you were testing at a 10th grade reading level when you were in the 8th grade. Would it make sense to leave you with the 8th graders or move to the 10th graders so you may continue to learn? The focus should be learning, practice & strive for perfect.

I have thought about private instruction but after reading your post I think I may already receive adequate attention because we generally have small classes. Believe it or not I've found some good instructional videos on youtube that helped me understanding kicking motion better.

Hello, Hello! Dog & cat owner here - 2 German Shepherds - 1, 6 yr male & 1, 4 yr female. They are bro & sis, same mom. The dogs have never had a fight. We found the cat one night while cleaning up after a snow storm. She can't stand the dogs!

Buller? Buller? Buller?

Thanks Jeffrey! I think what freaked me out was the tongue-lashing I got from the judges. After speaking with my instructor & several BBs in my class I feel a lot better about what happened. Needless to say I'm taking a lot of good natured ribbing from most in my class