Synaesthesia

I like to go through forms (katas, routines..) with some weights, five to fifteen pounts, generally eight. Doing it without weights after feels totally effortless. Quite a fun illusion.

Spear. I feel confident I could take out vastly superior martial artists if I had a spear. It's fast, it can change distance, it's quickly lethal and very, very hard to block.

I don't mind telling people, it makes good conversation fodder. I make no secret of the fact that I'm not good at it.

Check out the local schools and see which you like better. The local Muay Thai gym might not be as tough as the local kickboxing gym for all I know. The school I attend teaches both kickboxing and Muay Thai because not a whole lot of athletes like to risk elbows and knees to the head. Thus those who want to get ring experience need to compete by kickboxing rules. All the athletes condition themselves very hard be they looking to do muay thai or kickboxing. Don't think that Muay Thai's tougher reputation is always reflective of particular schools.

What about tai bo?

A lot of old people could take out most young-uns, but there's a reason we talk about the 'prime' of a fighter's career.

Having recently aquired a pair of boxing gloves, and being without any sort of ring or combat experience, I am curious to learn about the various ways in which a boxing glove affects styles of fighting. On the face of it, they would lead to a greater emphasis on power and less attacking pressure points. How this could actually bear on a fight is quite beyond me. I was wondering if anyone has any commentary on how much (and what sort) of difference a 16 oz boxing glove makes.

I started Muay Thai close to a month ago and I've noticed a dramatic improvement in my physical condition. If you're trying to whip yourself into decent shape it can happen very fast with muay thai's emphasis on power and endurance. In fact, I suspect the first few months see some of the most dramatic improvement if you are willing to push yourself hard. It's not hard to look something like a muay thai fighter within a couple of months, but being able to take one on in a fight is a different matter all together.

TJS, "so If I trained as hard as I could in Tae Bo I would be just as good as if i had but that same effort in Boxing or Muay Thai. " Clearly that was what he meant.

King of Fighters, That's interesting, I'd never heard about it. I should give that a shot.

TJS, "then you are going to get beat down no matter what your stlye." What if my style is to always drive a bradley fighting vheicle?

I joined Mike Miles gym here in Calgary and I have been most impressed. The instructors are encouraging, helpful and friendly, the students are respectful and it looks like there are some very talented and determined athletes around. I am very happy I decided to invest the money in joining, because this looks like not only a great place to learn, but a means to motivate myself by being exposed to high standards of martial arts. The only problem I've had so far is a bit of strain on the tendon on the inside of my left leg. I suppose it is related to practicing kicks when my legs are strong enough to snap out quickly, but when I lack both the conditioning to take the tendon punishment and the neuromuscular coordination to optimize the movement. Does anyone have suggestions (other than simply resting) for dealing with strained tendons?

I think it's important to point out that this is NOT the question at issue. Millions of americans regularly spark up and cannabis is illegal. The only difference is that when Cannabis is illegal we rip apart families, fund violent criminal thugs and make it impossible for young people to find models of responsible use. I vote to legalize marijuana. The infuriating injustice and savagery with which the drug war is being pursued is vastly out of proportion to the danger posed by tolerating marijuana use. Again, it's not a question of eliminating it because it's use ebbs and flows without much regard to it's legal status, it's a question of how savage we will be in punishing people who use a relatively safe drug. Those of you who want to continue it's prohibition recall that the road to hell is paved in good intentions. There are costs to every policy one can adopt towards drugs, and it is morally irresponsible to fail to consider the costs of doing something so simple as continuing with out present policy. How much good are we really doing by putting people in jail for having marijuana in their pockets? Why is their choice of drug justification for jailing them/taking their children/slapping them with a criminal record? Would ruining someone's career be worse or better than their use of marijuana taking down their IQ by a couple of points on the odd weekend?

Just how good was Bruce Lee? No, that's not what I mean to ask. How do we know that Bruce Lee was that good?

What?? . You mean I'll have to work on my technique all my life and never get to be able to use it until I'm dead? I want my money back!

Since the benefits of teachers are being pointed out by others, I would like to encourage you to train whether or not you have an instructor. I have absolutely no doubt that somebody can train themselves to vastly improve their self-defense. Of course it would be far easier and probably more effective to have an instructor. However, if you have a punching bag you can develop powerful hits and endurance. If you read MA books you can find excellent exercises and learn information about common bad habits to avoid. (Of course an instructor has the added benefit of pointing out bad habits YOU have. Those, after all, are some of the hardest to spot!) If you run and learn situational awareness you can have the speed and timing necessary escape nasty situations in which confident fighters would die.

It's pretty clear that putting on those gloves really hampers the effectiveness of punching as a means of inflicting damage. (That's not to say you won't see fights were people get punched out devastantingly.) Still, size and speed are still a huge advantage. You see weight classes in most Muai Thai (but not all).

I have been told that broken fists often result from punching the jaw with the finger bones perpendicular to the jawbone. In other words, clumsy technique is more likely to be a culprit than simply the use of the fist against a relatively hard target.

Could you describe what the following pushups are? Push ups: Diamond, Tiger Bend, Hindu Doing pushups from the handstand is one I like, it's good for the shoulder strength. Running up stairs is awsome. I started it by walking up the stairs at my school's library two steps at a time. Eventually I just started sprinting. Running 34 floors with five or six heavy textbooks is a sure way to get your blood moving! I actually find it a lot easier on my knees than jogging. Problems with that has prompted me to start lower rep, higher intensity leg routines. One of the really nice things about it is running down again. Doing it two or three stairs at a time gives me much better balance and confidence on my feet. Just don't fall, I hear brain trauma can be bad for the old neuromuscular coordination...

Is that site the Mcdojo art you studied?

Just a quick question. What materials do you all suggest for shin conditioning? Do you use the heavy bag? Sand bag? Small sand bag? Relatively light, repeated hits with a partner?

Kfcharlie, I encourage you to get your magical friends to contact Mr. Randi about setting up a test. Be forewarned, however, they will actually have to perform these feats rather than boasting about it!

"Nope, you couldn't transmit the mass of the earth because the earth is relatively stationary, relative to both yourself and your opponent. The absolute maximum mass that you could put into any technique would be your own bodyweight, and for that you'd need to be freefalling through vacuum to land on them." Not true unless you are punching someone while standing on perfectly smooth ice! The friction between your feet and the ground would allow you to put more force into your punch than would otherwise be possible at a given velocity. (Since legs, torso and shoulders also play a role in generating the force.)

That's a terrible idea. I don't mean to be harsh, but a good chunk of people who are going to pull knives on you are not going to give a hoot about jail. If they are likely to stab you with a knife, you can be damned sure that it will ONLY enrage them. DO NOT DO THAT. Second, there are no assurances in knife fights, lest of all for a person who's unarmed. I don't care if you are an ultra grandmaster, it only takes one casual thrust of a knife to inflict a lethal wound. A knife is an overwhelming advantage, and it's effectiveness is multiplied innumerably by letting the knife wielder strike first.

Look, if anyone can actually demonstrate Ki (as opposed to biomechanics, or other purely physical manifestations of energy) they get a million dollars. https://www.randi.org Lots of people CLAIM to be able to levitate/knock down opponents with superpowers, but nobody can actually come out and do it when experienced skeptics ensure that they can't cheat. Odd, isn't it?