tommarker

Just remember the most important rule of the forward roll breakfall... TUCK YOUR HEAD!

Does he get a ham, too? Maybe a plaque

the bat: needs to be well supported. any give and it will absorb the kick.. that will hurt. hit the thinner part of the bat

Page looks good so far! Blue and Gold... I would have expected Penn State colors instead of Michigan tho..

Awesome.. You've already made it farther than most people. I encourage you to keep it up!

My test was designed to be both physically and spiritually exhausting. After I had reached that point, I truly believe that is when the REAL test started. Anyone can go out fresh and execute perfect technique. However, when you're on your last leg, gasping for breath, your legs trembling and you feel exhausted... your TRUE technique and your true nature comes out.

- 1.5 shoulder width. - Feet straight ahead - knees bent and turned outward. - Hips NOT rolled forward, but butt not sticking out either. - Weight supported on outside edges of feet. - Head straight up as if held by string. Practice horsey stance by holding the super fun "embracing the tree" posture.

I'd need a bigger picture. Beka, why do inanimate objects scare you?

Keep in mind that if someone really really wants to fight you... all the time that you're trying to figure out what's going on and say "i don't want to fight" they are merely pumping themselves up internally, getting themselves psyched to fight. Once they have started this process, it is going to be very difficult to talk them back down, if not impossible. In fact, saying "I don't want to fight you" may only encourage them. Now, in their eyes, you are just a punk. Keep in mind, there is a difference between saying "I don't wanna fight" while you are sweating, trembling and your glass is shaking, versus "I'm not in the mood to fight" while remaining perfectly calm. one says "not only do i not want fight, I can't fight and you will beat me." the other says "I don't want to fight, and you don't want me to, either." What's the phrase? "Smile, be polite, and have a plan to kill everyone you meet..."

Chen, I would only do that which you KNOW you can do. Your breaks sound impressive enough for regula folks who won't see the difference between a 1 board break and a 2 board break

It has been highly reccommended to me on more than one occasion by several different masters that I should read: "All Men Are Brothers" as translated by Pearl S. Buck (not the Autobiography of Ghandi.) If you can find it, there are hardback editions from the 1930s with BEAUTIFUL illustrations.

After losing Spain, I divert all my attention to england ENGLAND! http://www.footballbadgers.com/

I use Opera (but keep IE around for crappy sites that demand IE) and am thinking of switching to the new version of firefox...

A lot of it is mental as well... When you start feeling the shake, try counting backwards from 20 in your head. Seriously. Tell yourself "yes, I know this hurts, and I think my legs are going to buckle, but if I can make it just 20...19...18 more seconds, I'll be happy." The people in class who focus on how much it hurts as opposed to something else (I try to tighten my stomach and make sure my head is held nice and high) are the ones who bow out.

I don't think any aspect of that clip was intended to be practical

you're still worried about getting hit. stop worrying, and bum rush the dude.

Two nunchaku? That's for amateurs... check out this guy using three pair http://www.beemartialarts.com/instructor.htm

Sounds like a blast. I try to take any opportunity possible to train with our Grandmaster. As of late, the focus has been Ki Gong, but he is still always glad to give advice on the external aspects of the art as well.

The most successful shorter sparrers I've known all share one similar trait: an unrelenting forward drive. The long legged fighter likes the long range game, and he'd love nothing more for you to dance around the perimeter of his kicks all day. Imagine the surprise he gets when he spars someone who just comes at him like a frieght train... with 3-5 techniques, attempting to drive him backwards. Once they are going backwards, it's all downhill for most fighters, and they end up in a sad little cowering position while you rain down reverse punches and backfists Overcome your fear of taking that first kick, knowing full well that you may lose the battle, but win the war. Even in a point sparring situation, this can work to your advantage. If you come in charging hard, you've moved the advantage to you. Now the guy thinks he's sparring a crazy short guy, and like many people will either: 1. become extremely conservative and hesitant 2. try to play your game (short range.) 1 is great, since you have beaten them psychologically. 2 is also nifty as you are moving the fight from their advantage to YOURS. I love forcing people to fight short range with me, because that is what I train the hardest. When they try to switch, it's like trying to keep up with a professional tap dancer on your first day of class This strategy takes an absolutely FEARLESS attitude. You cannot think "i might get hurt!" Yes, you might take a lump or two, but you WILL win.

knubercyke, it really depends on the style, organization, and school... i'm sure both sides could present excellent reasons for doing it either way.

I think they are trying very hard to appeal to the "crazy Russian" stereotype. I think you'd be disappointed in the long run, and could probably find equally hard trainers in Brazil. Most of the South Americans I've trained with in the past have been pretty tough.

I practice Tang Soo Do, which is an older cousin of TKD. Our Grandmaster was once speaking of the differences between black belts of today and of yesteryear... The main difference, as he saw it, were that today's black belts are more technically proficient, and know a LOT more (quantity) than a black belt from the 50s or 60s. They also tend to look better. Older black belts only had 4-5 techniques in their "toolbox" so to speak, and honed them until they worked. These guys also tended to be soldiers, in excellent physical health, and honestly, looking for a way to beat the crap out of someone while staying alive and safe in the process. This honing, along with the proper attitude (wartime, and here in the US, a lot of tough kids practiced the martial arts) could go a long way in a fight. You'll notice that at no point did he say that one was better, though I think I know the answer... There are people out there who use high kicks with a high rate of success... but I think that has a whole lot more to do with how they train, and their attitude towards FIGHTING versus sparring.

portugal 1 spain 0 pfft...

SISSY, SISSY!!!! SKIRT WEARING SISSY!!!! I'm being a bit tongue-in-cheek. Really Just remember, the way all of us fight is fairly sissy-like compared to the way a violent felon receives his training...

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