SevenStar

the same way you would drill at full speed... most of my fights, however, have been one on one. ITC is correct in what he stated. The problem is that it can be hard simulating things like adrenaline rush in the friendly environs of the school. that's one of the reasons I think every MA should climb into a ring at least once.

Not if you do not think. kunta, what he's saying is that stances are transitory. You don't fight in a horse stance - you fight in all of them. Your foot work transitions you in and out of them as you move, strike, throw, etc.

the green dragon guys, right? I've heard that they were odd, but the training they did was really hardcore. I know some people currently who try their stone warrior program and are having good results with it.

yeah, getting the kids into it is great. I've got a six year old, and he's been watching me compete and train since he was two. At one tournament, I got thrown, and as I was going through the air, I hear him yell "yay daddy!" - lol, he didn't know any better. Now, he knows that he wants to train judo and thai boxing. he can't start judo until he's 8, but I am teaching him muay thai. I bought him some boxing shorts and hand wraps, and we train at least 3 days a week, after my training is done.

it depends... tell us more about it - how badly is it bruised? severe bruises and inflammatiion are actually worsened by heat, and should be iced and elevated. If it persists any longer than a few days, I'd get it checked out.

I used to fight southpaw, so I'm confy switching. However, I really don't switch much anymore. we preactice on both sides, as it's good to be ambidextrous. But we spend most of our time in the stance we will be fighting out of.

handwarps are for more than wrist support. especially for people who may already have a hand injury - it pads bonespurs, so that you can still strike, even if you have them. The help to keep the fist as a whole in proper alignment and help to reduce sprains. you sweat into them as opposed to the glove, which lessens odor, as the wraps are washable. they have more benefits also. IMO, any one doing full contact on a regular basis should use them.

cool. I haven't had any probs out of it so far, but I recently started splitting my routine up because I added more exercises. the program revolves around a few compound ecxercises that work pretty much every muscle in the body to some extent. since you are doing low sets as well as low reps, the body doesn't get so fatigued that you need to rest as much as you would with a mass building program.

even marathoners don't run like that daily. There are some guys in my gym who recently ran a half marathon, and a guy who marathons somewhere. They only do long distance runs like three days a week. the other days, they do shorter, faster paced runs and light weight lifting.

that's not necessary. being ripped is dependent upon having low body fat only. if you have low body fat, you will see your muscles - bruce lee was a good example. Now, naturally, the bigger they are, the more profound the definition will be, but the only requirement for displaying muscle is low body fat. That said, any type of weight training regimen will add to this definition. 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. for overall leg strength development, I wouldn't recommend leg press or leg extension - they are isolation exercises. You will get more benefit doing deadlifts and squats.

you can train abs daily, however there is really no need to train to failure...

aerobic: http://www.ringside.com/store/prodinfo.asp?number=ZASWB&variation=&aitem=16&mitem=33 professional: http://www.ringside.com/store/prodinfo.asp?number=ZPSWB&variation=&aitem=17&mitem=33

if you wear them on your legs, do aerobics style stuff - leg lifts, for example, not kicks. Also, practice your foot work while wearing them. Boxers do this. As far as weights on the hands, I dunno...this is another thing that's been done in the boxing world for ages. they wear them while shadow boxing - shadow boxing is not full power punching, so I assume there is much less risk of hyper extension or joint injury. If you are really concerned about injury with weights, then you can take surgical tubing or exercise cables, wrap them around you and grab one end in each hand. use the resistance to punch. ringside boxing sells the basic cables and also a more advanced version. I'll post a link. Also, you may want to look into getting a weighted vest. you can also practice footwork and movement with these.

face shields are for point sparring. For full contact, the only required padding is headgear, gloves and a mouthguard. Some people opt for shin guards and a but they aren't required. We don't use chest protectors either - they are a TKD convention.

go to ringside.com - they have quality equipment. You can try twins as well. their gear is top notch.

Ideally, yes, but when you spar full contact on a regular basis, you WILL get hit. it's inevitable. I used to have the same "wear no protection" philosophy, until I ate a right cross right in the mouth. The tooth died, and I have to have the tooth cut out, root calaned and had a crown put on it. It's porcelain, so you can't look at me and tell that it's not real, but I know, and it's my constant reminder that mouthguards should be used.

I'd recommend the wipss low pro. shock doctor makes some good ones as well. What level of contact are you doing? if you are doing light contact, I wouldn't really worry about it - I never wore one in my point sparring days, and don't wear them currently in bjj, although many others do. However, I ALWAYS wear them in muay thai. with the high level of contact, it's necessary. A good mouth guard not only protects the teeth but helps prevent knockouts.

with a properly periodized cycle, I bet you could.

power lifters don't train that way. A body builder wouldn't, as you won't build much size. look into "power to the people", a book by pavel tsatsouline. neuromuscular training is to put on strength without alot of added size.

Not necessarily. When you are training for power - HEAVY, maximal weights, with few reps and sets - for example, 2 sets or bench press...285 x 5 reps - you aren't training the muscles so much as you are training the neuromuscular system. you are training your neuromuscular system to contract harder. Naturally, the harder the contraction, the higher the power output. training like this can de done daily, as you aren't stressing the muscles to the same end that you are with higher sets and reps - there is much less recovery time needed.

you can lift everyday. you can even lift for the same parts every day. It's all in how you do it. If you are training for mass or endurance, than no, you don't want to do it everyday. If you are training for power, then yes, lifting daily is fine. that said, what are your goals? It will be much easier to tell what may or may not be too much if we know what exactly you are hoping to accomplish with your workout regimen.

I did that a while back as well. resumed a few years ago after I realized that it was okay as long as I consumed it in moderation.

I agree with tjs. I'd gravitate to judo, but try them both out and see what YOU like.

in regards to taiji, there are two main things that the mainstream sees: 1. watered down versions that are so prevalent today 2. the length of time it takes to become proficient using taiji in combat

in response to the original topic 1. I love to compete 2. I love martial arts those two things are the basis for my motivation. It all stems from there.