crazylegs

I'm glad I live in Florida. We are no longer required to flee. We are legally justified in almost any circumstance as long as there is someone acting agrressively towards us. I think this how the law should be. I feel that I should have the right to stand my ground. I mean, really, if someone threatens you or pushes you or commits any hostile act, why should anyone care if he gets his butt kicked? Any why should anyone be punished for kicking it? Why give the aggressor rights? I believe in personal accountability and if some bully gets his butt handed to him he's getting what he deserves imo.

Yes, power begins in the feet and works it's way up. Legs, hips, shoulders.. Don't confuse "Strength" with "Power". You want "power" in a punch. How "strong" you are has very little to with anything. Work on teqnuiqe..

Great advice guys. Thanks! I am definitley just trying to get my legs back under me and get my cario up. After 3 consecutive days of kickboxing it's taking my body 2 or 3 days to recover so I don't want to push too hard right out of the gate. My flexibility is one of my main goals right now. For someone who used to drop into the splits at anytime it's very frustrating to be where I'm at now. I hope I can get things back to where they were, but at my age and considering how long I've been idle, I just don't don't know what to consider to be reasonable goals for myself. Time will tell I guess....

Thank You All. Looks like a great site!

I've already made some posts before I saw this forum. My name is Rick and I live in Deland FL. I hold a black belt on American Freestyle and I am also ranked in Tang Soo Do, Tae Kwon Do, Isshinryu and Ninjutsu. I have just started kickboxing after 20 years out of Martial Arts. I just turned 40 so maybe I'm having a mid-life crisis. In any case, I'm glad to be back. Look forward to getting to know you guys and girls. Thanks

I have a lower impact version of strecthing for the splits that may help. If you have a wall available at you home with enough space then try this - Lay on your back putting your butt against the wall with you legs up in the air against the wall. Then simply let gravity take your legs as far out as they can go. You may want to use your hands on the outside of you legs for extra support. You are basically in an upside down split position, but with a lot less pressure on you knees. I do these and when I am at the peak of my stretch I contract my muscles pushing my knee against the wall for about 5-10 seconds and then relaxing as I exhale. I find that I make more progress when I do this. I also hold my stretches for long periods of time as long as they are not painful. Hope this made any sense...

Lastbelt, how long have you been training? What rank are you? My advice is totally opposite of everyone elses if you are relatively new. I say don't spar yet if you're not comfortable. Work on technique and hone your skills and reflexes. When you begin to feel comfortable and more confident then start sparring with light to moderate contact and work your way up from there. Best of Luck

I think you have to consider the question in regards to a particular style. If you want to grapple then size and strength is the clear choice. If you want to do Tornado kicks then you probably want to be a little leaner and quicker.

Yes, and yes. Keep track of your baseline performance, and refer to it occasionally as you progress. Oh....and welcome. Thank you for the reply. Any opinion on how many times a week I should train? Right now I'm doing 3 days of kickboxing and 1 day at the gym. I'm stretching everyday. Thanks

Hi everyone. I am a former black belt in American Freestyle, but am just starting back in kickboxing after 20 years of inactivity. I am 40 years old. I am surprised frankly at what I can still do yet on the other hand I am horribly out of shape and after training I am extremely stiff and pretty sore. I am hoping that some of you may have advice for me as far as my training regiment, stretching and cardio ect. Maybe some of you have taken long periods off or are around my age or older. Any advice is greatly appreciated. - Rick