SevenStar

I'm not talking about plateuas at all. I'm talking about muscle basics. To make a muscle grow, you need increased resistance. Heavy resistance is the ONLY way you will recruit both your type 1 and 2 fibers. with pushups, for instance, after you can do more than 20 or so, you reach a point where type 2 fibers are no longer recruited. This submaximal growth will not increase muscle size....it then becomes an endurance excercise. Even with this "advanced" form you speak of, how many advanced forms are there? what happens when you can do them all? like I said, you can only add so much weight to these exercises, and doing that now makes them weight bearing exercises... weight training is the way to gain size.

it teaches you footwork, increases shoulder endurance, hand / eye coordination and teaches you to keep your hands up. However, you train shotokan... your footwork differs somewhat from a boxers, as does your guard - it may not be as beneficial to you as a heavy bag would be.

I dunno that they can't be...A buddy of mine trains mt and mt - many people at his school do as well.

to me, straight punches are more natural than acring ones. it will vary from person to person though.

coincidentally, usagi was on the new ninja turtles cartoon this past saturday. Leonardo got transported to usagi's world and had to battle his way out. I think he will be on it next week as well.

that thought alone should motivate you, if you compete... unless you really don't want to compete.

even then, it's limited - how many plates are you gonna be able to balance / strap onto you? The ideal way to make your muscles grow is weight training. calesthenics aren't intended to increase muscle mass.

for my thai shorts, I like thaismai. twins and fairtex are good as well.

as opposed to what - his hands chambered? with the hands up, he's gurarding his head. he will guard his midsection by pivoting, parrying blows with his elbows. There's nothing inherently wrong with his hand positioning, judt different strokes for different folks, that's all.

the boxing guard protects both the face and stomach. The distance of the lead hand depends on the fighter and the situation they are in.

I've heard of it - back in the 90's james mcneil used to advertise it in inside kung fu magazine. you would go to his house for like a week long intensive seminar, or something, then keep doing refreshers... I can't remember how it worked.

depends on the style. some systems utilize a horse stance that requires the toes point directly forward - this can be bad on the knees in a low horse. other styles require they be pointed slightly outward. this is easier on the knees.

an acquantance of mine studies bukti negara, but not pentjak. My shuai chiao teacher trained kuntao.

I disagree, but I digress. the question though, is how likely is a person to actually find this REAL taiji? it's definitely out there, but I'm betting few and far between.

in response to the initial question, it depends on the style. chang style, for example, was developed by a shuai chiao master, and thus is mainly grappling.

there is really no such thing as "tone". "tone" is merely a muscle that is in a constant state of semi tension. Flex your biceps right now. See the bulge? If you could hold that contraction all the time, you would always see it.... that is all tone is - constant tension in a muscle.

weight training doesn't necessarily burn more fat than lifting weights. running will burn mucho calories WHILE you are running. after you stop running, the burning slows back down to normal. With weight training, you are building muscle. muscle requires more energy to maintain than fat, and thus you burn more calories just simply trying to maintain that increased muscle mass. So, even when you aren't training, you are burning at a higher rate than you would be if you had less muscle mass. as for toning, there is really no such thing. I just posted something about this friday. I'm short on time now, but I'll copy and paste it tomorrow.

http://www.trainforstrength.com

that's not really an answer. Actually, what you stated is a reason to use head gear. you got a concussion with it... who knows what may have happened had you gotten hit without it. The simple fact is, things happen. when you are defending alot of strikes to the head, you WILL eventually get hit - just like you did. It's a game of numbers, regardless of how skilled you are. look at competitive fighting - boxing, thai boxing, mma, etc. on a pro level, they take shots to the head constantly - with no head gear. According to what you are saying, these guys should never get hit in the head... doesn't work that way. amateur guys in boxing and thai boxing wear head gear... they also get hit in the head. It's just something that happens. Here's something else to consider - you are wearing no head gear at your dojo - with all of your comrades who know you and don't really want to hurt you anyway. if you went to another dojo, a tournament, etc. you may have a higher chance of being hit, as you are fighting someone who doesn't know or care about you.

1. ringside 2. twins 3. fairtex century is always dead last on my list. The only thing I get from everlast is bags.

yeah, bue he's referring to his thigh, not his shin. For the thigh, you will get used to it over time, but honestly, I think it's more mental than anything. I get kicked in the leg so much now, that it's like I expect it. My mind knows it's coming and I don't think twice about the actual impact anymore.

you're leaning when you punch - remember that when you lean you are putting yourself that much closer to your opponent, making it easier for them to hit you. stay straight and centered when you punch.

okay, that poses a different issue... I've heard that for some reason, excessive running inhibits growth of type I fibers. type II will grow, but you can't achieve maximal growth unless both are growing.

sounds like you just caught a hellafied kick. If you train, only work hands until it goes away - no sense in aggravatign it further. Ideally, you should stay off of it until it heals.

I've heard that also. another thing I heard was that in the south, it is swampy, and they needed the low stances and kicks to maintain balance. the ground is more firm up north, so they were able ti kick high and perform jumping techniques easier.