singularity6

Welcome to the forum! Ultimately, the only two things should be suggested/followed here on this forum when it comes to medical advice: 1) Follow a healthy/balanced diet and exercise regularly 2) Any other supplements should be taken only under the supervision of a licensed medical professional

If you go for the larger size, you'll have more room in the chest/shoulders... and the extra length that doesn't get taken care of through natural shrinking can get altered by a tailor.

Happy birthday, man!

At my school, we have a deal: Sign your kids up and you can train for free. Now, my school's not in this to make money, so that works for us. Perhaps having a family package discount could draw a few in? Some other ideas: 1) Advertise at some local colleges 2) Offer self-defense training seminars for women 3) Offer discounts to local law enforcement/military folks

I got really good at blocking with my face!

Welcome to the forum, Brendan! I think it's awesome you want to get back into martial arts. My advice to you is that you go visit martial art schools to see what they're about. Have a conversation with the instructors about what your expectations are, and see if they line up. There are some myths about aikido being soft, but from my experience, being thrown on a mat is being thrown on a mat, regardless of the style.

I've practiced in a clearing in the woods off of a hiking trail more than once, and I drove to a beach at the end of a peninsula off of Lake Michigan a few times, too.

We spar without any gear whatsoever, but we have to pull our strikes, locks and holds. Points don't exist at all for us (unless we've chosen to train for a tournament.)

If it's still long after a month or so of use, maybe just take it to a tailor.

I truly agree, to me the art is the personal expression beyond merely learning to perform a technique. To learn a new kata or kihon is to me - comparing it to music - to practice a new scale. This practice turns into art once I feel confident enough to start writing new songs using the new scale or confident enough to improvise - eventually even with my eyes closed - using that new scale. When the physical expression of internalised technical knowledge is so refined - or "pure" - that it has the ability to effect another human being on a deeper, emotional level, that is when form has become art to me. I understand the thoughts behind expression in Martial Arts, and I think it truly is the basis of "art," and when most practitioners talk about their "expression" of the art, the most common form of expression tends to be the use of forms or katas. I would add, however, to look even deeper than that, into the expression one can find in something like sparring, or rolling, or bag work, or breaking, or any of the myriad facets of training. There is so much to explore. I believe I touched on those ideas!

This is actually how I do my cardio at home!

Thanks! Does running in intervals help? Probably!

When I was in high school, I had to take a "health and swim" class... 2 months health, 2 months swimming. The football coach was teaching it... He was fat, dumb, and laughed like Butthead from Beavis and Butthead.

I would say I hear most folks suggest running to build stamina. It's true - you can quickly build stamina if you choose to run. I hate to run, however. Being on a treadmill or elliptical is even worse. Weather permitting, you could hike, snowshoe, ski or bike. If you're near a gym with a pool, I'd really suggest swimming. It's a full body workout, and really easy on the joints.

Welcome!

I currently have a Meijin Tropical, Meijin Champion and a Meijin Dojo. These have replaced my Century uniforms (which I didn't care for.) The Tropical is by far my favorite uniform. The fabric feels wonderful, and I love the weight. It's heavy enough to feel legit, and lightweight enough to be comfortable during the hotter summer days. Mine did shrink, however. I'd say that the top and sleeves are a good inch or more shorter. The pants used to be down past my ankles, and now they stop just above. I think mine is 2 years old, now.

Interesting reads! Thank you for sharing.

The "martial" part is usually agreed upon by most. The "art" part is where I find the most interesting parts. To me, art is expression. One can perform a form and precisely hit each motion, but precision isn't all it takes to make a form look good. It's the rhythm at which they're performed, as well as the varying intensity. We all learn the basic and advanced techniques in class. It's what we do with it after that makes it art. In the end, we all have our own voice, so to speak. The art part can also be carried over into the application of the "martial" part. As an example, consider sparring. We all have our own go-to techniques and counters. Those who have a larger sense of "creativity" out in the ring end up being more fun to watch. Then there are those who are extremely efficient - those are the ones we may not want to face in the ring!

Congrats!

Same here.

Legally speaking, I think things like criminal history and what not come into play. If the male has a history of aggression, then sure. If it's the female that has the history, then the results could be different.

Here's an interesting and possibly related article I ran across: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/01/well/family/why-sports-parents-sometimes-behave-so-badly.html?action=click&module=Discovery&pgtype=Homepage

Welcome to the forum!

My wife and I had a Halloween party to go to a couple weekends ago. The theme was "The Apocalypse." Not having any ideas until the day of, I reached deep down and came up with this idea for matching costumes: Black shirt Black sweat pants Black and white Nike running shoes. For those who may not recall (most people needed an explaination...) this was roughly what the Heaven's Gate cult members wore that infamous day back in 1997. I did not have time to make a "Heaven's Gate Away Team" patch that all the members who died were wearing, so I told folks that we were part of the home team. We won the "Best Couple" award.

He gets the point across very well and gives common sense facts to support his argument. Very well said and I think he proves his point very well. He's using anecdotal facts, though. More scientific studies need to be done to confirm his hypothesis.