glingglo

i totally agree with you on how much building hamstring/quad strength can help. i know two people who've had major knee surgery recently, and they both reported that their knees felt a thousand times better once they started strengthening their thigh muscles. lucky for me, there's no swelling or anything to indicate ACL issues. my knee seems to tire on me after I've been putting weight on it for a long time, but it doesn't give out or anything. (i also study middle eastern dance, and i've still be able to do that because your knees stay bent the whole time and all the work takes place in your hips and abdomen. i've noticed that by the end of an hour long class, it's hard to keep my weight on the bad leg, but that's about the only problem i have when i'm dancing.) i think i'm going to stick with my "ignore it unless it doesn't feel better after a week or two" plan.

yeah, i'm really not a fan of doctors for most things because they just tell you the same stuff you already know and you have to shell out lots of cash to hear it. i'll definitely go if it's not better in a couple more weeks. it just really puts a damper on karate, because there's nothing i can do - kata hurts it, kicking hurts it, my self-defense techniques hurt it. i feel incredibly sluggish because i'm not getting any exercise now. and i'm especially bummed because my schedule has been so stressful lately that i haven't been able to make many classes to begin with. =/

i hyperextended my knee about 3 weeks ago and i'm really bummed about it. it was just starting to feel better, but yesterday i fell (while doing something stupid of course) and twisted it a little. now it feels as bad as it did 3 weeks ago! i don't think i did any serious damage - i can walk ok and it doesn't hurt unless i try to straighten it all the way. i'm not sure if i should see a doctor, or if i'd be wasting my money just to hear someone say, "yeah, you strained your knee a little. just baby it for a couple weeks and come back if it's not better in a month." anybody have any thoughts? thanks!

i'm sure there are lots of causes of BO, and not all of them are hygeine-related, but in the case i'm dealing with, it's really just a matter of smelly feet and even smellier gear. i PRAY our head instructor can get the message across to this kid or his mom. personally, i think he has an obligation to do so. i mean, when you have people paying to come to class every week, shouldn't they be entitled to a training environment that doesn't make them want to puke? (well, puking from hard training is ok... heh heh) and as summer approaches and the dojo gets hotter and stuffier... well, something has to be done or else *i* won't make it through class either!

Well, actually most overweight people DO suffer from back problems, knee problems and foot problems. But anyhow, since you asked, have you considered buying an actual weight vest? You can adjust the amount of weight in them, and they fit your body better than just lugging around rocks or sand or whatever. You'd get nice, balanced, evenly distributed weight that's more comfortable to wear when you're running around.

yeah, I thought I had remembered seeing something, but a search on the topic didn't turn anything up... wonder where it went...

OK... what do you do with the kid who smells so offensive that no one wants to work with him? Even worse, his sparring gear could be considered a chemical weapon - it would bring most people to their knees. He's already overweight, socially awkward and uncoordinated. I don't think another general class announcement about personal hygeine and washing your gear is going to help. But would you approach the parents? Or maybe send a letter out to all parents without singling this individual out? I hear a lot of comments about him from other students, and I plan to go to the head of the school about it soon. (Personally, I can barely stand to work with him, and I have a very high level of patience.) But I want to be able to suggest some solutions and not just have a complaint. Any suggestons? I'm sure this isn't an uncommon problem.

well, i went to my doctor and she's sending me to a podiatrist for an xray. she suspects a "fractured 4th metatarsal" - eek! but she said if i did it two months ago, it's already healed by now and she just wants to make sure that it healed properly enough that it won't affect me later in life. cross your fingers for me - i want this new doctor to say, "yep. you broke it. it's ok now. no problems!"

ok. my toe has been a little sore for about 2 months now. it's not my toe really, but the bone that sticks out on the outside of my foot, just below my pinky toe. i remember kind of hurting it during a sparring match, but it wasn't all that painful, and it never got swollen or anything. but i'm concerned that it's still hurting. i thought i might have bruised the bone - i've done that before to my heel and it feels similar - but last night my sister said she thought maybe the bone looked like it was sticking out a little further than it should be. on one hand, i'm scared that i might have broken it and let it heal wrong and now i'll have to have it rebroken or something scary and painful like that. on the other hand, i find it hard to believe that i could have broken a bone in my foot and still walked, run, sparred and worn high heeled shoes out dancing, without pain. (it only hurts when i push directly on the bone) any thoughts? thanks!

you might find that your instructor is happy to be more critical of your technique, as long as you let him know you're comfortable with it. i always ask my instructors to critique me and push me as much as possible because i can take it. i'm into working tiny details and i like my teachers to be picky. and as far as promoting students with less-than-great technique. i'm not supporting the mcdojo/belt factory thing, but: some students take much longer than others to refine their technique, and some (let's face it) will never be great martial artists. that doesn't mean that they haven't earned the right to test and advance. for example - imagine that you're older, out of shape and not very coordinated and you've spent 9 months working on white belt techs that take most students 4-6 months to get. you've got them down pretty well, but not nearly as well as the 18 year old athletic kid next to you. how much longer are you going to stay with it before you get discouraged and bored and quit? students like this need to be able to advance enough that they stick with the program. eventually, their techs WILL get better - but only if they stick with martial arts long enough for that to happen.

well, we have one kid that smells really bad and is incredibly wimpy. he TALKS constantly... if you even make the tiniest, softest bit of contact, he'll go on and on about it. he's incredibly difficult to work with because he won't stop talking, and it's like he doesn't hear you at all when you say, "hey. enough. we need to focus here." he just TALKS - it's clearly a way for him to avoid doing anything that intimidates him. he stalls. i also have trouble with this one guy who just does NOT understand control. when you ask him to tone it down, he nods and agrees to do so, but then he hits just as hard! he makes harder contact than anyone in the dojo, and then i've heard him complain that the higher ranking students are really hard on him when they spar. well, it's because they're trying to teach him a lesson! but it just makes him that much more aggressive. he's a nice guy and has pretty good technique, but he doesn't understand that you don't have to hit someone with ALL of your strength when you spar. and i'm a very small girl, and he's a very large guy - even though my technique is superior, when i do take a hit from him, i go flying across the room because i'm half his weight. he needs to relax...

i sometimes practice yelling when i'm alone in my car so it doesn't feel so unnatural to do in class. but it's hard when you're the only girl in a roomful of guys and they're all like, "ROWR!!!" and you're just a "squeek!"

ever see a new female white belt come in with makeup on? they usually end up with big streaks of mascara running down their cheeks from the sweat, and never wear makeup to class again. the other great thing about karate guys - they don't mind dating a karate girl! i've been with too many guys who are really threatened by the fact that i do karate. not secure in their masculinity i guess. lol.

i have the same thing right now... my toenail has been purple for 3 months and the nail won't fall off. it's not a big deal, but you might want to take measure to ensure that it doesn't come off in class and fly across the dojo and hit someone in the eye. gross, i know. but with mine, i put a band-aid over it so there's nothing sticky on the actual nail, and then i wrap a little tape around my toe. and keep it clean too - you don't want an infection under there.

i love karate guys because if they're still attracted to you after having seen you all sweaty and nasty at the end of class, you know you can relax around them.

my hips and shoulders make the most horrid crunching and grinding sounds sometimes... it's not painful, but i have to admit i'm concerned about the future. so i'm trying to balance the high-impact karate that i do with more low-impact exercise like yoga. it helps me feel more balanced and it seems to have made my shoulders loosen up a little.

what is it that makes you feel this way? are there specific people in your dojo that intimidate you? is it the way you speak english that makes you self-conscious? personally, i turn bright red whenever anyone calls attention to me. i've conditioned myself to ignore it and go on with things, but it's totally involuntary and everyone gets to watch me change colors everytime i have to speak or demonstrate in front of the class (or kia - god i HATE doing that!). i'm just really really shy. but you have to be able to trust the people you train with and realize that they probably feel self-conscious too. try to figure out where your feelings are coming from first - you can't find a solution if you don't know what the problem is.

exercise is the most important thing... once you start a good exercise program, your body will most likely start telling you what to eat. i used to eat nothing but garbage when i first started doing martial arts and i had no interest in "dieting." next thing you know, i didn't WANT what was bad for me. in the meantime, you might want to try making slow, not-so-dramatic changes. you don't want to feel like you're depriving yourself. try cutting out excess sugar by not drinking soda, for example. or, if you have to have it, don't drink a whole can. cut fat where you can - eat leaner meats, use skim milk (i can't stand the stuff straight, but if i get a capuccino, i go with skim). lots of small changes over time will add up to big results. eat most of your food early in the day too - try to eat as little as possible after 7pm. and, if you tend to overeat when you sit down for a meal, have an apple or some other fruit before you sit down. you'll increase your fruits/veggies intake AND keep from eating too much heavy food.

you know, i'm amazed by how many people go for quantity and not quality in their pushups. i can only do about 15 in a row right now, but they're on my knuckles and i get my chin to the floor every time. most people seem to stop at about 90 degrees and don't get the full range of motion - they can do 3 or 4 times as many as me, but i don't think they're getting as much benefit. i once challenged one of those types to do 15 like i do, and he really struggled with it. if i do sloppy ones, i can crank out 60 or so without a problem.

doesn't sound like anything i've heard of... can you describe it? sweeps aren't allowed where i'm competing, btw. thanks...

that's what i've heard... i think it might be simplifying things a bit, but it's a good rule of thumb.

well... i'm not necessarily that short - i'm just shorter than my competition. i'm a girl and i'll be sparring guys for lack of other girls at my rank. so i'm smaller than all of them. but i can kick to the head without a problem, so maybe it will be helpful if i keep my distance and mostly use my legs. another problem i have: it's really hard for me to keep my head from getting hit, because they just come over the top of my guard. any advice there? you've all been so helpful!

anybody have any advice on how to score in a point sparring competition? i'm small and usually when i spar, i take a hit while trying to get inside, and then i let my opponent have it. but in a point match, i won't have that luxury. if any of you have any favorite techniques or combos that you use to create openings so you can score, i'd really appreciate your sharing them. thanks!

neil - go see your doctor! i sweat excessively too and i use a prescription antiperspirant now. it worked immediately and i only have to apply it about once a week now. antiperspirants are not "unhealthy" as some people say. it's not like you're stopping your whole body from cooling itself just by using it on your underarms. it's easy to condemn the stuff when you don't know what it's like to be embarassed about moving your arms more than 2 inches away from your body. and the dry cleaning bills - don't even get me started!

without knowing much about your situation, i'd say to put the brakes on and steer clear of starting anything with this girl. romantic relationships in the dojo can get messy. i'm not completely against dating people you train with, but it takes a high level of maturity to deal with the consequences that can result if things don't work out.