Lupin1

I've got a PS3, but I don't play many games on it. I mostly use it for Netflix, Hulu and Vudu since I don't have cable.

I got yelled at by the big boss at my weekend job (which I actually like better than my "real" job) last night and I'm a little worried to go in today. One of the things I got yelled at for made total sense and I've been beating myself up for it all night and morning. The worst part was, it was in the area I'm supposed to be the best at and that I want to be in charge of for the entire department next summer and now I'm worried that that's not going to happen. The other thing I got yelled at for was ridiculous and actually turned out not to be true, but my boss still told me I'm not allowed to go near one of my areas without specific permission every time even though I'm still responsible for it. So last night I had to call my supervisor just to get him to say "you have my permission to go up there" just to get some paperwork filled out that I need to do several times a day. It's degrading and unnecessary and it's not fair to me to have to ask permission like a little child just to do my job, it's not fair to my supervisor who has to stop what he's doing to give me that permission several times a day, and it's not fair to the employees in that section who don't have me available to go up there if they need me. It's just making me frustrated and mad and I'm confused because I'm not sure why he's imposing that ridiculous rule on me, but the guy scares the bejeezus out of me and doesn't like people who argue with him, so I'm not going to confront him about it. I'm not sure what I'm going to do...

I only just started learning it, but I'm really liking Chinto (well, I started it over two years ago, but I haven't really been to class much in that time, so I've mostly been working on little pieces on my own). I like the angled stances and spins. It's fun.

I've tried it a few times. I also like the idea of MovNat, which is almost the same thing only more in nature and instead of just efficient paths, it's also about using efficient body movements and moving and exercising our bodies the way they would have evolved to move in the wild. I haven't actually taken a class in it yet (the classes are pretty expensive and I'm still not in the best shape-- I want to be able to do everything in the class before I pay all that money and make the drive to do it), but I've tried a few of the techniques in my backyard and they felt awesome. It's like being a little kid again-- jumping off rocks, rolling in the grass, balancing along the edge of a sidewalk, climbing trees... it's fun stuff.

If you don't already have a webpage, GET ONE. When people are thinking of signing their kids up for this kind of thing nowerdays, the first thing they do is look online. Make sure they can get a very good idea of your program from your website. Write up all the awesome skills the kids will develop and the qualifications of the instructors like DWx said and also make sure you include class times and even pricing (I don't know why schools hide their pricing until the last minute-- I want to know what it'll cost me BEFORE I go in and someone tries to pressure me into joining without telling me the cost). Also-- post lots of pictures-- pictures of your actual school, not stock pictures. Show the space, the equipment (get colorful equipment for little kids if you can), talk about the safety measures like the mats, etc. If you have a waiver from parents that let you post pictures of actual classes online, do that, too. In this day and age people are more likely to go to the place they have more information about. It's all about information. Make as much of it available as you can and then do all the flyers and everything on top of that.

Oh yeah-- growing up my parents would never have been able to afford the expensive schools around here. I really wanted to do Karate and if it weren't for the program at the club, I never would have gotten to. And even now as an adult I don't have the best paying job in the world. I mean, I could afford to go to a "real" school now and I've looked into it so I could train more days a week, but I'd have to make serious sacrifices to afford it, so I probably won't be doing that too soon, but maybe. The club has amazing instructors, though, with lots of experience and very good lineage for the head instructor. With karate clubs, especially, I've noticed "you get what you pay for" doesn't always ring true.

How intimidating are you? I've got a boss who scares the bejezus out of me and he also hates liars. Two of my friends were fired last year for lying to him. But on the few occasions he's cornered me, one time literally and on purpose down a dark alley, and hulked over me (he's literally twice my size) and got that fire in his eyes he gets when he's really, really mad at you, I've found myself bending the truth almost out of self-preservation instinct. And I'm an extremely honest person. Usually I will freely admit when I've messed up or neglected to do something I was supposed to do. But it was almost like I couldn't keep myself from stretching the truth and by the time I realized what I was saying, it was already out of my mouth. People will do weird things when they're scared.

I train at a Boys and Girls Club. They don't advertise the adult program and so the only way people even know it exists is if they're invited by someone in the program, have a child in the kids program (which is advertised by the club), or have been doing it since they were a child in the kids program (like me). When I was little they used to charge a dollar a class for the kids and I don't know if they charged the adults at all. Now it's free for adults and part of the membership fee for the club for kids. We don't charge testing fees or anything since we don't have formal tests-- they just promote you when you show you're ready. The kids buy their gis and belts at cost from the club, but adults have to get our own gis and belts, although they've been letting me borrow used belts the past few times I've been promoted, so right now I've got a faded, well-worn green belt that's starting to fray even though I haven't worn it to a single class yet (got it a year and a half ago-- just haven't been to class since then since I've been living in the desert...). Can't beat free...

Just an update-- I did buy the belt knowing I'd eventually get it anyway. Only problem is, when I bought it I was gaining a lot of weight, so I bought it a size bigger than I needed and then I went and lost 80 pounds, so now it goes down past my knees, so once I actually do get promoted I'm going to have to buy a new belt anyway... So yeah-- not the best idea.

I like the idea of having a different system for adults and kids. Still give the adults belts-- we like the feeling of accomplishment and order that goes with them as well, but I don't think an adult should need 9 belts to stay encouraged. Keep in mind the school I attend is free-- no tuition or class fees and no testing fees. Most of the time they don't even charge for belts because they collect the old belt when you get a new one and reuse them. So there's no profit at all to worry about and they also don't really care if they keep students or not beyond the satisfaction of having a kid stay and watching them grow and learn. For adults, I think it should be white, green, brown, black. At our school where it takes about four years of full time study for an adult to get a black belt, that'd be about a year at white, a year at green and two years at brown. It'd still give the sense of accomplishment and progress and let people know where they stand without having to get a new belt every few months. Adults should be able to keep track of their own progress over the course of a year or two without needing a strip of colored cloth to tell them they're progressing. For kids, on the other hand, I think they need more levels for several reasons. First of all, kids should take about twice as long as an adult to get to black belt as they're still developing power and coordination and take longer to work out fine movements and details and stuff. Secondly, they need more physical signs of progress since they're not as able to self-regulate and notice small improvements in themselves. They need those constant encouragements and signs of success. It's just the way their brains are wired. So for kids, I think 8-9 belts are a good idea. They should get a new belt every 6-9 months or so in the beginning and then as they get older and more mature and more advanced, start spacing the belts out more to closer to a year between belts or maybe even more for the last few. I think timing the spacing so most kids who start at 8-10 will be ready for their black belt towards the end of high school (when they're basically adults when it comes to power and coordination) is a good idea. I also see no problem with tape stripes for smaller accomplishments between belts for kids until the high school level or so. Again-- they need those physical signs of progress because they're not as able as adults to reward themselves and notice their own growth and improvement.

I agree with Dobbersky on having two separate syllabi. There's no reason a blue belt for a child has to be the same as a blue belt for an adult. We don't tell the middle school varsity basketball team they have to play with the same skill as the high school varsity team to be called varsity. It's two separate levels, and that's fine. I do think that if a kid starts around the age they're mentally and physically ready, which I don't see until 8-10, they probably won't be getting their black belt until they're close to being an adult, anyway. I also don't see anything wrong with stripes or other achievement markers for kids to keep them encouraged. I was a 2nd grade teacher for two years and now I work with middle school students-- kids do need those small signs of progress more often than adults do. It's not a matter of feeding ego or anything, it's just that kids can't process on their own as well that they're improving-- they need more encouragement and signs that they're improving. Of course, when I see adults with stripes all up and down their belts, I see no reason for that. I even like the idea of limiting adults to maybe white, green, brown and black and giving the kids the full range of colors to give them more area in which to grow (as long as those colors are given with the purpose of extending the time and not just to let kids get a new belt every month).

I'm not a martial arts instructor, but I am a 2nd grade teacher, and if one of my students was being severely bullied by another student and defended himself, I'd be proud of him. I'd say "you shouldn't have responded with violence" mostly to be politically correct and because that's what's expected of teachers nowerdays, but I'd give him a pat on the back, as well. Then again, I tend to be more from the old-fashioned school of thought that says kids should climb trees and skin their knees and get into scuffles.

I'm with Vegabond. I cut most carbs out of my diet about three weeks ago and I've already lost an inch off my waist and my side rolls are getting smaller (gross, I know, but hey-- THEY'RE GETTING SMALLER!). As Vegabond said, nutrition does still seem more opinion and theory than fact. Anyone looking for an alternative to most popular theories should check out the documentary "Fat Head" that's on Netflix if you have it or free on Hulu if you don't. I'm basing most of my new diet off the science in that movie and it's working quite well for me so far.

Heck, my instructor makes US start out as white belts if we leave the school for awhile and then come back. I've left twice-- once for only a few years from the time I was 11 to 13 and I wore a white belt for about six months while I relearned the things I'd forgotten and then I left again from the time I was 14 to 22. That time it only took me about three months get back up to the level I was at (I guess having learned it twice before imprinted it into my muscle memory a little stronger-- the increased coordination and ability to process and dissect the movements that comes with being an adult helped, too). I went to a TKD school for a few weeks and they let me wear my Isshinryu rank, but I didn't really like doing it. I think if I try a new school again, I'll choose to wear a white belt even if they don't make me. It's a whole new set of skills to learn and there's something about working your way up the ranks that makes the new system feel like your own as opposed to how I felt wearing a green belt at my very first TKD class-- like I was different and didn't fit in and represented my old school more than became a part of this new school.

Has anyone on here ever tried the Paleo Diet? Pretty much it's a low carb, high fat diet that concentrates mostly on meats, fruits and veggies and with a little bit of diary. I've been interested in it ever since I watched Fat Head for the first time (now up to about five times) on Netflix (it's also available for free on Hulu). The past week or so I've been eating mostly paleo at home although I've been eating school lunches (they're free and I'm poor). Any experience/opinions?

Thanks for responding Lupin1. Unfortunately years of dealing of this as a kid and the less frequent encounters as an adult taught me that arguing with them really doesn't help. In most instances they don't listen to a word you're saying or, if they are, its fuel for them to carry on. Or the best response I get sometimes is them pretending they don't understand me at all and doing Bruce Lee-esque noises. Which is ridiculous seeing as I don't speak a word of Chinese and have the most midlands-English accent possible. Most the time I can't be bothered to engage them so just roll my eyes and carry on with my business. Although today I did retaliate with a few choice word and got a nice description of how he'd rather have sex with a donkey, pig or tramp "than touch a Jap" (didn't even get the nationality right). Yeah. It's probably just the way I was raised. I got suspended once because some boy punched me the nose (zero tolerance) and my mom wasn't mad I got suspended, she was mad I didn't punch him back. She grew up in innercity Boston and is the kid who if someone talks smack about her or her family, she'll retaliate. If someone made a comment about the donkey, pig or tramp thing to me I'd probably make a very inappropriate quip about him going to see his mother and he could get all three in one...

I've never had an XBox but I've had a PSOne and PS2 and just got myself a PS3 last spring. I use it mostly to play Netflix, Hulu and Vudu on my TV since I don't have cable but I also love the DVD/Bluray player it comes with and I've found a few games on there I absolutely love. I've played through Portal 2 like three times already and I just got Rocksmith this past weekend. I'm not big into the shooting/war games. I tried Black Ops but just couldn't get into it.

This isn't my plan, but I was told by my friend we're going to go to WalMart and first shoot all the zombies in there and then secure the building from the roof. Apparently WalMart is the most well-shocked fort around and it will have all the guns, ammo, food and water we need to wait it out (assuming it can be waited out). I think we'd be better off going up into the Mesas or to the Ciabola National Forest (more food and water out there). We're in the middle of the desert. How many zombies can there be out here?

Tell him to go home to mommy. Or go into a rant in perfect English using lots of big words he doesn't understand about what an idiot he's being and ask him to defend himself if he's so smart. Embarassing him in front of his friends will probably either A) make him lay off or B) provoke him to physically attack you so you can quickly yet gently as possible put him on his back and walk away. Don't ignore him, but engage with him. I doubt he's expecting that.

I see this a lot. "So many of them" equals how many of the ones you know of in your area, though? You admit you've seen one. Have you been to or checked all of the TKD schools in your area? What about Karate schools practicing XMA forms and weapons? Would they fall under that category, as well? Well I have lived in 3 completely different areas the past few years (Virginia, New Hampshire and New Mexico), so I'm sampling from my experiences in three different areas of the country. I'm also going off discussions with other martial artists I've talked to who have lived in even more different areas of the country (Washington, Wisconsin, California, Arizona, Florida). On top of that, I'm looking back at what others have said throughout the rest of this discussion and many people who've posted, all from different areas, seem to have the same feelings about it being a bit of a trend. Obviously no one person could have visited every TKD school in the world, but most have had enough contact with different schools or had discussions about them to get a general idea. That's how humans form concepts and opinions. I haven't eaten every chocolate cake in the world, but I know that most of them are delicious (and I also know there are some that aren't and there are some people who hate chocolate cake period). And I did say twice in my post that I know that my experiences aren't representative of every TKD school, so I'm not entirely sure why you felt the need to tell me that my experiences aren't representative of every TKD school. The topic is trying to determine why many people have negative connotations of TKD schools, not really whether or not those connotations are accurate or justified. I'll agree that they're really not. But I'm also trying to offer an explaination as to why people may be developing them.

I did my first day of P90 today. It doesn't look intense when you're sitting on your couch previewing it, but for someone who's out of shape, it was a struggle. I did the Cardio/Abs section today, which is basically 35 minutes of cardio (including "Power Yoga", which was interesting and probably the most challenging part) followed by "Abs 100" which is 10 ab exercises that you do 10 reps each for (hence the 100). I had to pause it once or twice to get a drink and suck some air (I'm not use to exercising and doing it at high altitude is even worse), but I got through it. My body feels a litle jelly-like right now. I'm going to work some kata later (nothing damanding as I'm guessing I'll still feel a little like jelly by then) and probably just work on remembering the sequences and techniques today. Tomorrow's the circuit training/strength part. I'm a little nervous, but also happy. I've always been much better at strength training than cardio.

Of course I know that this doesn't represent ALL TKD schools, but most of the McDojos I've seen are TKD. We've got one around here I went to for a few weeks and one night we learned this weird almost dance of monkey-punches (as my Isshinryu instructor calls those slow, powerless, "stick it out there" punches a lot of people throw in partner work) and weird side blocks where you bend your wrist and hook it around the other person's "punch" and when I commented that that wouldn't be very effective the instructor said "but doesn't it look cool?". That was my last night at that school. I also thought it was interesting that their bo form involved throwing the bo on the ground and cartwheeling over it and spining it behind your back, but didn't include any actual strikes or blocks or anything (not that I've learned bo in my own style yet, but I've watched the black belts practice their form many times). Again, though, I know this is in no way representative of all TKD schools. There are just so many of them that ones like this are very common and so this is what a lot of people think of when they think TKD.

I'm pretty much in the middle of nowhere. I'm about 30 minutes outside of Gallup, NM, which has two schools-- one I've tried and really didn't like and the other one that just kind of scares me (it's big into MMA). I know there are a LOT of schools in Albuquerque, but that's a two hour drive and I only get out there once a month or so and it's usually just to go shopping.

I realize this thread is a little old, but it's still on the 1st page, so still fair game in my eyes. I'm an ENTP, so I'm technically an extrovert, although just barely (I usually get just a few percencentage points to the extroverted side). That said, most ENTPs tend to not like to talk all that much in many situations. I can get that way if I'm teaching something I find boring or if I'm teaching someone with a personality much bigger than mine (I've never taught Martial Arts, but I'm a teacher by profession and also train several people a day on amusement park ride operation at my summer job). I think it's very important to note that there's a difference between shy and quiet. Shy people are afraid. Quiet people just don't feel like talking. Someone who's shy is going to have a very hard time being a confidence-inspiring presence as an instructor, but the "strong silent type" can be very effective if they play their cards right.

Hey guys. Long time no post (on my end, of course). So the main reason I haven't been posting is, of course, I haven't had all that much to post about it. I'm in my 2nd year of living in the desert a very long way from the nearest martial arts class (nearest good one, anyway. I did attempt the semi-local [45 minutes away] mcdojo last year, but quit after a few weeks). I was home for the summer and I went to one class at the beginning of the summer but between my instructor having surgery and me working 50+ hours a week, I didn't get any more than that in. So now I'm back out here in the desert and realizing how bad sitting around on the couch on the computer watching Netflix all day is affecting me. So I'm trying my best to get in shape (I was going to say "back in shape", but my shape has always really been kind of spherical...). I ordered myself the Power 90 workout system (the easier predecessor of P90X, which I've heard amazing things about but which I'm in no way ready for) and I've commited myself to practicing my kata and kihon for half an hour a day now which I'm going to build up to an hour a day in a few weeks. So I'm hoping that between the P90 in the morning and the karate practice in the evenings, if I can sustain both, I'll hopefully be in the best shape of my life by Christmas, which, sadly, isn't saying much. And of course, I'm going to keep working at it from there. So now I'm just waiting for my Power 90 to come in the mail and in the meantime I've been waking up an hour early in the mornings to stretch and just get my body used to waking up early and moving and to loosen up so by the time I get my package I won't be so stiff I can't do anything or I hurt myself. So yeah. That's where I'm at right now. Hopefully since I'll be training more (albeit on my own), I'll also be posting more. Has anyone tried the P90 system who has some advice for me? Or just general advice? Anything would be appreciated, really.