Bon

I think it's heel, I hadn't heard of the other 2 being the hardest, but the elbow is pretty damn hard too aye.

That is a most definite no! A complete waste of money, time and training method(s). That shows your ignorance on the subject of stretching and is the reason I left my last dojo; due to a misinformed instructor when it concerned stretching. A much better investment would be stretching scientifically by Thomas M.Kurtz, only $40 AUD I think. This is the only thing you need to know when it comes to stretching, I'll find the link for you because it's a very good book.. http://www.stadion.com/stretch.html You may want to consider buying it through amazon.com of your book store, if they can order it in for you. Probably the most valuable book my shelf concerned with MA training.

Are you serious - 11m/s ? That's the earth's escape velocity - what rockets have to travel to escape the gravitational pull of the earth..

3 things to remember : Technique! Technique! Technique!

monkeygirl, I tend to disagree with you here.. Apart from my friend, I also know of a person who holds a black belt (been training for over 10 years) and does push ups every day, I'm stronger and can do more than him and I don't even train half as hard as him, nor have I done a significant fraction of the number of pushups he has in my short time in the arts. I'm not saying they do not build at strength at all. My point ---> a very ineffective and hard way of doing so after you build some muscle! I still think it's your technique if you're not getting power.. I trained with a girl who weighed 110lbs, she was tiny! She's also one of the toughest people I've met, I'd put my money on her to drop most guys any day! Damn she could kick.. she could take a lot as well, a lot more than everyone else at the dojo. She used to kick my ass hardcore and that was an incentive for me to train harder! =p I'd always be willing her to kick harder, because she didn't always kick as hard as she could, only when she was cut. Most girls I've seen don't kick as aggresively, or really twist their hips into the kick. This is where most of my power is generated, by twisting as hard and as fast as I can, a harder foot/fist on impact (ie, more tightly clenched) will make the impact more powerful. Personally, I think since you're only 99lbs, you obviously don't build muscle too easily, you're probably one of those people who eats all they want and never gain an ounce of fat. I don't think pushups alone will cut it, I think if you're serious about building muscle you need to be able to devote yourself seriously to weight training program which would mean eating properly, etc. If you're going to do push ups with the intent on adding muscle, get your amino acids, or you will just lose muscle. I think smaller people can generate power in technique, I'm not much bigger than other people, I don't stand out like 'woah, that guy's big or anything', if I wasn't overweight, I'd be average.. But, I know I can hit so much harder than everyone else because of my technique, when I start a strike, I want to get it to the target, beyond the target in fact, as fast as possible and twist into it as much as possible. I didn't realise how much more power could be generated until I felt a 360 roundhouse, which was a poor one, the guy then proceeded to twist his hips a further 90 degrees past the target and it winded me through the bag. Just look at the little muay thai dudes, they generate awesome power through their technique. Bruce Lee is another good example, he might have been small, but he had awesome technique and he was quick, which is what gave him his power.

I don't really think pushups and the like can help after you get past to a certain point. I'd been doing kickboxing for about 10months, which meant I'd been doing pushups for about 10 months, I couldn't do more than 30 & I couldn't increase the number I could do. I have a friend who is obssessed with building muscles and does pushups and other exercises a lot, but is stuck on 30 pushups and hasn't increased his strength that much. I can do 80 pushups now, but that's only because of weight training. I'd get weights, wrap them up in a towel & do pushups with them on my back. I'd do a normal push up as the flat bench press, then I'd put my feet up a couple of stairs for decline, and my hands up a couple of stairs for incline. I've done it 5 times and I've managed to add an extra 10 pushups bringing me up to 80. To sum it up, I think pushups alone are a waist of time for developing power since your body adapts and no longer finds doing a pushup hard. I have to admit they did give me 13 inch biceps by themselves though (no weights were used to aid the developement), but since you've been doing them a long time, I don't think they will be much help and you need to find more challenging methods. Have a look at the point Martial_Artist brings up on this thread, http://www.karateforums.com/forums/viewtopic.php?topic=2909&forum=25&15 I was obssessed with being strong so I could kick hard, punch hard, develop knock out power, etc and researched weight training. At the same time I started eating properly due to my research, and started eating protein after my workouts, which I would push through with every punch and kick, making every punch/kick just as hard as the last and getting all my anti-oxidants in vegies. I noticed a tremendous increase in strength in only a couple of months, my strength went through the roof so to speak. I provided the resistance in my workout and ate properly, at the same time my technique also improved a hell of a lot and now weighing 178 lbs and not 200 lbs isn't so much of a concern to me, because I know strength will never replace technique. I don't know if I expressed my point very well, I hope you understand what I mean though.

F=ma, we can't defy the laws of physics. The follow through is just a method to make that 'snap' have more impact, since when we hit the target we are still trying to accelerate our kick to a point past the target, thus, giving us a greater force. Also, the faster an object travels, the heavier it becomes as given by e=mc²

I think is completely related to the topic and what we should be talking about rather than breaking someone's knee. I agree completely, I couldn't explain it as well as that though. I haven't been taught a snap kick and a follow through as two different versions like most people seem to have on here. As far as I'm concerned, every one of my hits should have the potential to knock out, or at least drop someone if done properly and the target hit. The jab to me is a knockout punch, I don't see much point in using a technique if it's going to be weak. Using the jab to set your opponent up, or using it as a distraction is a different story and I agree with it since I do it myself too. But, to limit the jab to only that and say it doesn't have knockout power is wrong, I believe. Someone once told me if I'm going to hit someone, open with a jab, it gets them every time. As a naive kid, I decided to try it, I smacked the guy on the jaw, but since my jab was weak & I hadn't done much serious MA training, it didn't really do much. We proceeded to fight & I couldn't hit him once after that 'cause my hands were so damn slow. Now, if I hit that guy with the jab I've got now, I've no doubt he would have been knocked out, if not knocked out, then at the very least stunned and I'd be able to finish him with a cross or set myself up for kick. I love the 'jabs', they are so much more quicker & closer to your opponent and knock out power is possible! I urge everyone to seriously consider them more than just a jab and to develop power with them. _________________ It takes sacrifice to be the best. There are always two choices, two paths to take. One is easy. And its only reward is that it's easy. [ This Message was edited by: Bon on 2002-06-02 00:03 ]

Withers, the more I think about your philosophy, the more 'foolish' I think it seems.. Someone insults you, you walk away, fair enough. Someone pushes you, you insult them, if they're pushing you when you haven't insultled them, then you insult them, what's next ? He's going to walk away ? Not likely, he's probably a macho dude if he's pushing you around and likely to get more macho if you insult him, especially if you insult him in front of his buddies or a group of people. Someone's trying to hurt you & you push them, aren't they just going to want to hurt you more ? I'm taking into account the other person is a decent fighter when I say all this. If it's just some macho try hard, which most of them seem to be, then it's probably not too bad to start a fight

Congratulations bro! =)

I agree with that to an extent, it's justified, I understand your point. I will never push someone, if I'm going to fight, I want the opening blow to count, I don't want to warn someone I'm going to fight. That philosophy is more likely to encourage a fight, rather than avoid it. I take more an eye for an eye philosophy, hit me, I'll laugh at you and walk away. You've hurt me mentally & emotionally, now I'm going to get you back tenfold by laughing in your face and walking away. Unless I sense I'm in serious danger, I won't fight. A knife, I wouldn't hesitate to break their arm & more if I could succcessfully disarm them since they could potentially kill me.

I didn't read all of KickChick's post, it's 2:37am, but maybe plyometric exercises will help.

Ah, the paradox is solved!

You can hit a sationary target ? *silence while I'm in awe at how good you are*

I don't know how you can say x,y,z arts give the best style mixture unless you're talking about yourself personally. One art may not be suited to every person.

Most people who take weight training seriously use a 2 day split routine and have one day a week off. They get used to weight training, so their body rebuilds a lot quicker than someone just starting, plus they fuel their body with a lot of protein which I'm guessing most of us have trouble getting adequate protein for weight training due to money, etc.

If I was training under 2 instructors and one of them didn't like it, I'd leave. Most of the guys at my dojo, which I do BJJ at have trained in other styles formally and a couple train in other arts formally, while a lot of them train informally in other arts.

I was going to simply repeat what everyone else said and say send a get well card, bla bla bla .. but, that's banging your head on the wall one too many times Instead, you really did him a favour. I don't think he will ever forget to break again. Better to break your wrist training than break it in a street fight, don't you think ?

You'll be back before long, trolling is addictive! =)

Congratulations! How'd you go in your final exams ? I can't wait to get out of high school, but I just got my extention math test back today which I got 50% in. I find it so frustrating when I get 96% in one subject and then JUST pass another one. I might start studying, or maybe I'll just keep training and avoiding the books altogether =p

KickChick, you know I only say what has worked for me.. I am a carbohydrate addict, so if I eat carbs I feel like going to sleep immediately after eating them. I've found ketones work better for my brain since I'm not tired and CAN actually think long and hard without any brain fatigue as opposed to when I'm tired and feel like sleeping. I also find it odd you felt lethargic on a low carb diet. The first 3 days I was lethargic, but on the fourth day when ketosis kicked in I had a LOT more energy. Every body is different, I guess .. _________________ It takes sacrifice to be the best. There are always two choices, two paths to take. One is easy. And its only reward is that it's easy. [ This Message was edited by: Bon on 2002-05-30 00:21 ]

lol, we don't seem to agree on much do we ? Well, you already know I disagree. Most dojos practice take downs a fair bit, so anyone doing BJJ should be able to take someone down fairly easy. At my dojo there are guys who practice take downs and vale tudo weekly, as well as training where they start on their knees. Makes sense since there grappling time when they start on their knees would be useless unless they can get someone down.

KickChick, exactly.. I was given the oppurtunity to grade in BJJ after only a few weeks training, but I knew I couldn't perform what was required, so I said I'd wait.. I figure there's less time between gradings going for that purple belt after blue belt! (have to wait longer between gradings for purple belt) Sinbad, can't say I agree with you, but I don't really feel like debating at this moment. I also don't care what belt other people wear because I've seen so many people that don't deserve their rank. Using the belt as a source of motivation is wrong, it's not what the MA are about. If someone's a true martial artist at heart, they're not going to quit the dojo just because they didn't get that damn belt!

I strongly disagree.. Just because relative to others it takes them longer to do something doesn't mean they should get promoted for trying & the fact they haven't given up yet. They will give up if we don't give them this belt, so we better give it to them! They end up getting their black belt when they may reaally be no better than a 4th/5th level. When I had my first grading and got yellow belt, orange tip when I wanted my orange belt, I was dissapointed, yes. But, that only made me train so much harder, a lot harder than I would have if I had gotten my orange belt. Only, and when ONLY can you do what is required of you should you be promoted. We can't make a special case for Jonny because he's got a x, y, z which others don't normally have. Yes, their attitude is important. The 'right' attitude would not be so concerned with the belt, but their own personal achievement and have intrisnic motivation! They would want to accomplish something for themself, not to get a pretty belt to show off to others or say I'm a such and such in whatever. I don't know about you, but I don't train for that pretty belt that goes around my waist. Inside you, the belt means nothing if you haven't earnt it, and if you don't know how much you do have to learn and what 'reality' (reality is whatever we define it as) is for you, then I really do not know what to say. Off this board, apart from people at my dojo, very rarely do I talk about my MA. That's because most people fail to see why I train and love feeling sore afterwards. I used to talk about MA when I started because I wanted people to know what they were missing out on and join with the arts with me! Now, what other people say means nothing. My family & friends may not understand, but it doesn't worry me. The only person I train for is myself, to make me a better person

Bitseach, you're just a little girl! : )