theswarm

i'm addicted to cracking my back whenever it gets a bit stiff I stretch it out and snap and i'm like AAARRR and then it feels so good i used to crack my fingers out of the joints when i was a kid - now i have the most flexible fingers out of anyone i know - someone tried to pull my finger back as a finger lock and I didn't feel a thing

that happened to a friend of mine who missed his girlfriend

i think it's more of a case of making something of yourself, for example an older less flexible person won't be able to do high kicks as well as a person my age but they shouldn't really be penalized for physical disability should they?

I've been vegetarian for 5 years and vegan for 2 years i started martial arts as a vegan so i have nothing to compare it to - all I know is I handle myself fine. You just gotta make sure you eat right, which is what you should be doing as a meat eater anyway if you care about your diet so much. there was a good article on https://www.vegweb.com a while ago about weight training and being vegan (the dude who wrote it is so muscly) I loosely follow that diet plan, but not really...I used to eat 6 meals a day and all that, and have plenty of protein and I was more bulky, but I don't really care about bulk anymore I just like being strong and toned.

just make your own get a strong piece of wood and wrap it in rope !

warp spider is the craziest person ever

haha dishonourable the words honor and self defence...it makes me laugh someone approaches you with a knife as you are unarmed, excuse me sir you are dishonouring your family by using that knife put it down right away I'm only about 6'0 - I'm just used to using Mae Geris to stop a quickly advancing opponent. Kicking to the head I would never do in a real fight (or at least I hope i'll never do it) and I'd rather just go for the knees and thighs and groin but I find if i have to think about what i'm doing they usually end up being ineffective and slow.

the deadliest israeli art is the one where they pull out the machine gun and mow down kids who are throwing rocks at them it's the single best one answer response to someone attacking you

I like your tips Shorinryu sensei - i've heard the one about keeping the weaker one between you but not the fight in the corner thing. That's awesome. I'm skeptical of 'dont kick above the waiste ever' since I used it in a situation - i didn't kick above the solar plexus but I kicked right at the solar plexus, the ribs, and the knee I didn't consciously think about doing it i just did it. I didn't think 'i won't kick above the waiste' I just wanted this person who was attacking me to get out of my face. I do understand the way it opens you up to groin attacks but when someone is charging you - besides stepping out of the way a nice front kick stops them dead.

he was actually trying out for the Olympics high jump team but someone photoshopped the hi jump bar and mat out of the photo and put a scenic backdrop. Shame on you!

Sparring with less experienced people teaches you how to take a punch when you don't guard yourself properly and take a nice one straight to your jaw I usually encourage people to attack my body at a good amount of force, i'm not too big on being hit in the face full force but i've copped it from a few people and nowadays i barely flinch unless it's someone really big and strong

i always find it amusing when people drop their hand in some mortal kombat esque pose - I like to point out (using my fist) that these poses might look nice but my punches look nicer in the huge gaps these poses create.

I dunno if it's just because I'm older or something but when I got into a different course (i'd previously dropped out of a uni course) I've just gone all out, I work so hard now and i don't just find other things to do instead. Physically I feel so much stronger, and so much fitter, and that in turn makes me feel so much happier. Mentally - I'm so much more confident....except in one case when I started cross training: I feel so unco in my second art but i know i won't be unco forever. Self Defence wise - I've managed to not get into situations of danger several times, I haven't been in a real altercation for a while now - although my friends who I wish didn't know i did martial arts always seem to try and kick me from behind, sometimes i catch it in the corner of my eye and then take them down - other times they hit me without me even realizing it then i say 'what the fuck was that?' and at that point I say well I do martial arts i'm not a jedi

I've had this nasty flu type thing for the past week, it's made all of my joints and muscles hurt and feel shrunk (like I stand up and i feel my muscles working hard to do asimple exercise like stand up) - my question is how much rest period should I have from martial arts? I've still been training - the first time i trained while sick i could barely do it properly and it hurt to even stand up. Just curious should I wait till i'm all better, or should I train as normal (i've heard exercise helps)

either try using kazaa OR there is a martial arts site with vids but i'm not sure if i should be writing links to them on this board?

i've seen some UFC videos with some shotokan karateka versus some groundfighters and they got their asses handed to them

well there's the bridge i suggest going to a gymnastics class they're pretty cheap and you get alot of stuff if i had more free time i soo would. but the bridge is simple lie on your back and put your hands backwards in line with your head then push up until your standing on your toes and your hands so your body is like a big bridge that is like an upside down U from there you can practice doing walkovers once you get comfortable and find the right positioning. A walkover is done by kicking one leg over your head and following with the other. practice handstands next to a wall, and make sure you don't look down but look at the opposite wall headstands make a triangle on the ground, it goes hand hand then head at the top of the triangle. most of the other stuff i'd really suggest either going to gym or capoeira to learn it's too hard to explain without pictures

currently do Karate and Capoeira in order: Kobudo/Kobujutsu Okinawan Gojuryu Wing Chun (not sure whether I'd go under Barry Pang or William Cheung here) Kali Brazillian Jiu Jutsu Hapkido Ninjutsu Aikido non martial art: Gymnastics Acrobatics Breakdancing

I believe it's all about context, i'm bowing to my founder because he created it and i'm using it, my sensei because he's teaching it, and i bow to everyone because i respect they are there to learn. I'm an athiest who believes in no gods, no masters, no idols and it doesn't in anyway infringe in my beliefs

make sure when you practice controlled punches you do so with a non full extension in the elbow so that if you wanted you could you could go from a tap to a fist through the person

people refer to them as soft techniques? I always thought the 'soft' in goju was to do with the relax before the snap (maybe i'm totally off track)

it depends on the instructors i think I've had some great instructors and some instructors who haven't really done alot for me. I've also had some instructors that were far better dealing with newcomers than higher grades, and visa versa

build your muscles some more the stronger the muscles in one's arm the easier it is to control the muscles and like the others said practice next to something try a brick wall - you get punished if you hit it too hard

why would you want to eliminate carbs in martial arts? your body needs to synthesise ATP's from carbohydrates when you run out!

i'm not a grappler but I used a wrist lock on someone who grabbed my shirt in a pub - they said 'ok ok ok ' and then i let them go.