mazzybear

I use the polar flow, well I've recently started using it again after months of it lying doing nothing. I think it could be good fun to have some sort of challenge going on. So hopefully it generates some interest. I've PMd you my email address. Mo.

Thanks for the advice Hammer, I'll try it out and see how I get on. I like music to work out to but, I think I'll do the running without, at least until I sort the breathing out. Think a pair of gloves are in order too, could barely clench a fist for a while my hands were so cold. Mo.

So after almost a year of telling myself that I need to get out and do some running, I've finally bitten the bullet and got out. This is the year I will test for 1st Dan, so I need to get into tip top shape. I've started going for a run before class on Tuesdays with a guy who will be testing for 3rd Dan. One thing I've never been is a runner, so my first run last week I really struggled to keep my breathing under control especially when running into the oncoming wind. We done 2 miles which took 20min (the other guy could've done it a lot faster but he went with my pace) and I felt like I could've coughed up a lung at the end, my legs were so heavy I couldn't do the sprint finish. This weeks run was a LOT better, it took 17min AND I managed the sprint finish, so in my book a huge improvement in just one week. But I still struggled to keep my breathing under control. We're going to do this route for another few weeks yet then change to one which is around 4 miles with a big hill at the end, in the meantime, I'm going to get out on my own at the weekends and on a Wednesday maybe to continue with trying to improve speed and time. To do that though, I need to improve my breathing, so, to any runners on here, Can you give me any tips on controlling my breathing? Any techniques or patterns you focus on to keep your lungs from exploding? Any tips whatsoever will be greatly appreciated. Mo.

I think also, you should bear in mind, not every Martial Artist can do the box splits, it's by no means a necessity. (I think Jean Claude Van Damme has a lot to answer for on that front ) I can't do them but, I can comfortably kick Jodan level. But not so long ago, I was in the same boat as you. I started Karate again 3 years ago after a 26 year absence, my front kick and side kick came back easy but, my round kick..... That took some work to get up to scratch!!! Even now, with my left leg, I need to do a full hip rotation, for some reason I can't flick it out on my left side but, again, I can get Jodan level comfortably and with power. Work on hip opening stretches and the like, all the while, practice, practice, practice that round kick. It will, in time, come itself. Like JR 137 said, start off low until you get the technique, and the height will creep up naturally. Good luck with it and welcome to KF Mo.

All the very best to your daughter and her fight!! Like you say the outlook is positive, so that's a great point to focus on to and kick forward. So positive wishes and thought to your daughter and the rest of your family. Mo.

I would buy my own island and invite the best martial artists from around the world to compete. But unbeknownst to them I'd be running my criminal empire under their very feet, my fingers would be in all sorts of pies, drug production, prostitution and have random old men locked up for having the nerve to be homeless. I would hire a boat load of incompetent guards to protect me from pesky men hired by intelligence agencies to plot my downfall........... Hang on a minute..... Something feels very familiar about all this!!! Seriously though, I would love to travel to Japan and train there for some time. I've also thought I'd speak to my instructor to see if he would like a purpose built Dojo, while we have all the equipment we need, the hall is a bit small and gets overcrowded sometimes and, a lot of time can be wasted getting punch bags or mats up and down. So a hall split into 3 sections for bag work, floor work and a matted area for throws and the like would be ideal. He's been in there 45 years though, so he might not actually want a new place. Mo.

As always it's each to their own, everyone is free to do as they please but, in my personal opinion I think it's also necessary to show that respect to your opponent. I always make a point of shaking my opponents hand after a match, win or lose, I feel it's just common courtesy. Even if I feel things should've went more my way, I smile and say well done. I wouldn't embarrass myself or my instructor by being petulant enough to turn my back and walk away. I competed in an all styles Kata competition last year, I was on the floor second, I watched my opponent do her thing and then took to the floor myself, when I was finished, I bowed to the referee and left the floor but, as I was leaving I noticed my opponent had her back turned and apparently had so my entire Kata. I have to say, this infuriated me, she (in my opinion) showed nothing but disrespect with that action and I took maximum offence at it. Overreaction? I don't know, perhaps, someone else my not read much into it but, I sure took offence at it. It's something I hadn't seen up until then but, I'm seeing more and more of it now and it really bothers me. Massively more so than someone not shaking my hand would. Mo. Ps She won the round but, I still shook her hand

What a lovely story!! Sounds like an inspirational young man. I think we as adults can learn a lot from kids such as him, we're often told "you've got to play the hand you're dealt in life" and this young man is showing exactly how it's done. Complete respect. Mo.

I always wash my Gi on it's own. I think it's safer that way. Although I did manage to get a red dye stain on my Gi top once. I had taken part in a competition and put a red belt on my top which was soaked with sweat when packing my kit bag to go home. A scrub with some vanish and a long steep in detergent along with a couple of washes in the machine managed to remove it though. Now my competition belts are stored in a separate compartment in my bag. Mo.

Sorry to hear that, wishing you a speedy recovery. Mo.

Not sure it qualifies as a Christmas movie as such but, it's always on the TV at Christmas, so I'll include it. Oliver! with Oliver Reed as Bill Sykes. I have it on the telly when doing the holiday cleaning, I feel I'm never truly in the Christmas spirit until I've watched this. But if we're talking proper Christmas movies then it's Scroodged with Bill Murray or Home Alone for me! Mo.

I couldn't agree more.

Well this year will arguably my biggest in Karate so far. So, here goes!! 1. Obtain another 6 competition stamps to gain the 20 required for sitting 1st Dan and hopefully get placed at some of these competition. 2. Knuckle down and train hard inside and outside the Dojo. 3. Stay injury free. 4. Work the Dan grade syllabus as hard as I can and, sit (and fingers crossed.... pass) 1st Dan come October. It's going to be hard work this year but, I'm relishing the challenge. Mo.

Well I had a mixed year I think, a couple of niggling injuries towards the end of the year but, on the whole not bad. 1. I passed both grading just missing out on a commended for 1st Kyu. But was a good grade so not to gutted on that front. 2. Entered around 10 competitions and got 2 places, was disappointed but, when looking back, I moved up a section which is tougher and more competitive, so still pleased to come away with what I did. 3. Done! 4. Started working towards 1st Dan in September(ish) and it's coming along nicely. Now on to next year!!! Mo.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all and their families. Mo.

I think that's why I was so taken aback, I've never really thought of myself as a role model. I just turn up to train, if I can point someone in the right direction, I'll do that no problem. I chat and have a laugh with the kids too, I just never thought I could be a role model. Feels good though. Mo.

Thanks for your kind words Sensei8. I think the best thing about the kids, is they remain unaffected by a lot of the politics in MAs these days. They don't care about it, they just want to learn, to train and to have fun while doing it and that's what makes them so great. My instructor told me recently, that when he first started the club he didn't want to teach kids, this was over 45 years ago, when the majority of clubs were full of adult males. But he soon came to the realisation, that kids were essential to any club if they wanted to be open for any length of time. Jump forward to today and 99% of the black belts in the club started as kids and he's got the longest running karate school in the town. Last night just cemented my desire to work harder for my Shodan and beyond and maybe one day put something back in for the next lot of kids coming up. Mo.

At competition level, for the smaller kids who aren't confident enough to spar, there is a "kick master" event, where the two kids have a Bully Bob dummy each and they just go nuts and beat up on it, the kid with the most varied moves wins. I really enjoy watching that, some of their techniques are jaw dropping for their size. Mo.

Tonight, before class, we had an awards ceremony of sorts. It was for student of the year, all students from juniors/cadets/adults all go into the one pot and our instructor picks the top 3 with the winner receiving a very large bunch of flowers. I came second to a kid, who to be honest, I'm in awe of. She is 10 but has the potential to go far. She sits and listens and absorbs anything, anyone tells her. She's came up from the junior class and now trains in the cadet/adult classes, her transition has been seamless and everything she does, she makes it look easy, effortless, just naturally talented. Anyway, to the point, she came up to me after class with the flowers in hand and said she wanted me to have them, that I deserved them too. Talk about blown away...... Of course I told her to keep the flowers, that she deserved anything that comes her way after the year she's had (winning first place as a cadet at the national Kata competition, a commended pass in her first cadet/adult grading to name just a few) and that I was honoured to be runner up to her. I actually had a lump in my throat at such a gesture from a kid. I spoke to her Dad afterward and he told me she'd done it off her own back and that she looks up to me and wants to be just like me when she's bigger. To me, that gesture beats winning a student of the year, hands down. I've not been able to wipe the smile off my face all night at work. Like I said, kids........ They never fail to surprise!! Mo.

I think that was always going to happen though, especially with the disrespect she shows to her opponents and the whole "I'm unbeatable" speil, it left her wide open for the media to crucify her. The same thing will happen to Connor McGregor next month should Jose Aldo beat him. Their over inflated egos really grate on a lot of people, so when they get beat, people's/media's smugness will come out play. Mo.

Congratulations to all winners and nominees!!! And thank you for voting for me as a joint winner, I'm truly honoured!! Mo.

I've said for years now, although few can rival her ground game, Rousey has no stand up game, the minute she comes up against a halfway decent stand up fighter who can control the distance she would be beaten, well Holm didn't just beat her, she destroyed her!! And to top it off, she also pretty much nulified Rousey's takedown attempts. It's a moment I've been waiting on for such a long time, her lack of respect for her opponents, her trash talking and just all round lack of humility has always really irritated me. I don't see her fairing any better in a rematch either tbh. I'd also still love to see her fight Cyborg too but, sadly, I think that's never going to happen now Holm has beaten her. Mo.

It's all about fueling your body properly. How much activity/exercise you do ultimately determines what you should be eating. Calorie defecit/crash diets are NEVER the way to go. For example the average mans recommended calorie intake for the day is 2,500Kcal. If someone was to do the deficit by means of losing weight say for example 2,00Kcal the body naturally burns through 1,000Kcal without any type of execise routine, add in 1 karate class which can easily burn 1,000Kcal in a session, that's 2,000 right off the bat leaving nothing with which to fuel the body, so in this instance you actually have to UP your calorie intake to 3,000 possibly 3,500Kcal. It's also about knowing what to eat and when, getting your macros right (protein/carb/fat ratio) learning about good and bad fats and carbs etc. The upshot of it is, it's not a diet it's a lifestyle change. If you do it right, then theres no reason to deny yourself a treat when you want one. My daily meals looks someting like this: NON WORKOUT DAYS (Wednesday used as example) 05:30- protein shake 09:30- wholegrain toast (1 slice) with scrambled egg, a boiled egg and a peice of fruit. 12:30- Grilled chicken with green veg and a fat free yoghurt (check the sugar content also) 15:30- Peice of fruit 18:00- Grilled fish, sweet potato and green veg. If i feel peckish in between I'll have a handful of almonds or rice cakes and peanut butter. WORKOUT DAYS (Sunday used as example) 09:30- 1 avocado halved and baked with 2 eggs 10:00- workout in the garage (usually 50mins 500Kcal burned) 11:00- protein shake 12:00- Chicken salad and a fat free yoghurt 14:00- handful of almonds and a peice of fruit 16:30- wholegrain pasta with fresh tuna steak 17:30- karate class (90mins 1,000Kcals burned) 19:30- protein pancakes and peanut butter with a protein shake. I'm not saying I stick to this religiously but, if I can do it at least 95% of the time then I can have a pizza or a donut if I want one at the weekend or if i can't be bothered cooking one night. See a sports nutritionist and ask for a specific plan tailored for your needs, they'll have a million meal plans you can use. Also be sure to stay well hydrated, water or green tea with your meal or snack. Mo.

Good luck everyone and thanks for the nominations! I'm honoured!! Mo.

I would have to say cockyness/arrogance basically folk who THINK they know it all. We have this kid, around 13, a 3rd Kyu. He's always telling folk that they're doing things wrong and they should be doing it this way, or that way. Which would be fine if he wasn't talking utter nonsense and could do the thingst that he was telling other people to do himself. When the shoe is on the other foot and he is picked up on something, the dummy is well and truly spat and the huff begins. Our instructor has told him on more than one occasion to wind his neck in, that he DOESN'T know it all. Senior Dan grades have told him, I once told him to lay off another kid whose back he'd been on the entire class, but still he continues. It drives me up the wall. I know we all (no matter our grade) can learn something new or a different way of doing things from lower grades, a fresh air of eyes if you like but this kid is dangerous IMO. We have a great bunch of kids at the club but, man, this kid.............. So yeah, cockyness/arrogance is my biggest pet peeve