Rich_2k3

Please explain the difference between fast, slow and super-fast muscle fibers, and also how to exercise them specifically. I've read abit about them but i'm puzzled, there's lots of contradicting infomation.

Heres a quote on what they are trying to achieve: "In the recent years, karate has enjoyed a rapid growth in popularity, thanks to the current WKF Kumite and Kata Rules which made karate competition fair, fun, exciting and, above all, safe. Although drastic changes in these rules have been proposed by some, we must be very careful when attempting to modify the rules that have brought karate such success, including IOC recognition. Temptations are always there to make the sport more spectacular, appealing and exciting; this, however, would result in fundamentally altering the nature of the sport and losing sight of its original purposes, thus causing the sport to decline due to a smaller number of participants, and the audience to lose respect for the sport. There are many sports that have successfully avoided such a trap: golf, tennis and fencing (European), among others, enjoy their popularity without having had to modify their rules to be more appealing to the mass audience. They accomplished this by educating the public about their sports, rules and traditions, and by inviting the public to join. Karate must remain a participation sport and therefore, the rules must first consider the safety of the athletes: not only of those who compete in the World Championships or the Olympic Games, but also of athletes of all ages and skill levels in local, regional and national competitions, and even of those who do not compete at all. I oppose any attempt to make gladiators out of karate athletes, sacrificing their safety. Professional wrestling and kick boxing may be fun to watch but they do not belong in the Olympics. Promoting karate the right way will take many years of work. We need to provide better training for the referees and judges so that the competition will be fair. We must improve the rules to make it even safer so that more people (including younger children) can participate. And we must educate the general public through a better public relations effort. The stories about the history, tradition, honor, dignity and indomitable spirit of the sport and its athletes must be told so that everyone can understand and share the virtues that karate provides and the traditional wisdom it represents. Traditional karate is like classical music or ballet. The music of Mozart, Beethoven or Bach may be arranged to some degree, depending on the individual musician’s interpretation of the music. However, if it changes the basic nature of the music, it is no longer “classical.” It is tradition that provides the depth in art. Such tradition must remain and stay alive in the sport of karate. Karate must also maintain its own identity as an independent sport. Changing the rules to render karate more similar to tae kwon do, judo or boxing would have a negative effect on karate for many years to come, and will eventually kill it."

I dont think it will be olympic karate as such, but styles that have joined the soon to be created World Karate Union. They say its traditional karate, and they say they will try to keep karate as a honourable and respected martial art, but we'll have to see. I cant imagine it being too different than what we get at the moment in the World Karate Tournements, I mean its the same organisation(WKF) mixed with an organisation that is a supporter of traditional karate(ITKF), thats not a bad mix...

I hear ya!

http://www.dragon-tsunami.org/Dtimes/Pages/articledt16.htm Please read this it should shine some light on the subject. It actually describes how the olympics will try to keep karate's honour and tradition and how karate will change, maybe in a good way. I also found this if anyone wants to support karate in the olympics: http://www.aakf.org/docs/petition.html Its basically a "merger of the ITKF and the WKF into the World Karate Union and wish you to recognize traditional karate with its competition events as an official, fully-recognized sport in the Olympics." I dont know if i'm gonna support it though... what do u guys reakon, after reading the first link?

Guys, although it's probably a bad idea, I think its still gonna happen. About 6 months ago when I first saw that karate may be joining the olympics I had a look on the WKF website, I saw a graph that had about 8 sports on it, there were things like ten-pin bowling, water skiing etc and also karate. It was a graph displaying the condtenders for the next sport to be added to the olympics, and karate was winning by a considerable margin. I think its out of our control, karate will most probably be joining the olympics soon.

I see your points, I mean TKD joined the olympics not long ago and that it was turned it into a sport/martial art. Although Judo's been in it for a while and has gone from strength to strength. I dont know, i'll have to think about it...

http://www.geocities.com/sadenoo2/conditioning.html Visit this link and read the entire page. It includes how to body condition properly to become a better martial artist, how to do situps properly (without damaging lower back) and various exercise techniques. Theres some gr8 info on muscle fibres and how you become stronger. It also includes a weekly workout routine. Tell us what u think. p.s check out the rest of site too.

http://portal.enfoque5.com/karateolimpico/ingles/index.php Visit this link, and help support karate as the next olympic sport.

soz, only read post b4 mine.

I wish I knew grappling it looks gr8 fun...

yep, you make alot more money with 50 kids than you do with 10 adults, its a really pitty martial arts has come to this, and the sad thing is; it aint getting any better....

Its no different than doing snowboarding, skatboarding, surfing etc. its just a few tricks for some good fun and excellent body conditioning, i'd love to be able to do it.

Unarmed combat in the western world has always been unarmed combat and a totally combative form of close quarters fighting and nothing more, there has never been any spiritual side because that is western culture, I think our goals in the western world have always been about money and power. Soldiers have always been taught basic unarmed combat, but usually with a sword or baonett, when guns took over the armed forces, swords became obsolete. The baonett was still used by soldiers (on their weapons) but when guns became more and more efficient they then became obsolete. The furthest back I can think in terms of boxing was in the British armed forces, it was used not as self defence or even sport but simply to teach soldiers aggression in combat and also a method of fitness, nowadays boxing is a popular sport in the British army and is encouraged throughout, I dont know if it has a place in other nations armed forces, but it most likely does. However boxing was never a form of self-defence and thats the only truely western fight sport and its not actually a martial art anyway. Things like kickboxing or american kenpo karate are just modified versions of eastern martial arts which in this case is karate. Unarmed combat is taught throughout the armed forces around the world nowadays but is simply called unarmed combat or self defence etc. I suppose the methods employed in them all stem from eastern martial arts. I know that the SAS have their own form of unarmed combat which is one of the most efficent ways of defending yourself and has been passed on to special forces around the world, the thing is the original SAS close-quarter fighting instructers were all experienced martial artists in karate, kung fu or whatever, they adapted them into their own art of selfdefence but again it still stems back from eastern martial arts.

Girls and martial arts are a good mix...

unknown's right, theres loads of jobs out there that would suit u better and pay alot better too. What about working for your local gym or sports centre.

delta, you always seem to know the best thing to say, i've seen countless ppl say "Yeah, good post delta" or "good advice", i'm telling ya, u should be a physiologist

Yeah, I hate kicking with my back leg in right stance (left leg). When doing drills I throw some great kicks with my right and then my sensei says change stance and than walks past me doing spinning hook kicks on my left, he gives me some advice and i'm like "but my right's really good!".

That's a classic film, I know the martial arts in it aren't the best, but dont u find urself standing up at the end screaming "YOU CAN DO IT DANIEL SAN!!"......or maybe thats just me....

Surely bruce has got to be higher up than that, he did invent JKD after all.

The idea of my muscles being full of water just puts me off...

I agree, the problem with these ppl is that if they were ever in a fight and had not been taught properly or addequetly then they may get seriously hurt, this also has repocussions on us real martial artist because ppl think that martial arts are useless, and that those ppl are the evidence, again Mcdojo's are at the core of it... Martial arts are an amazing thing and an amazing human achievement, think about it, we are still being taught fighting methods that have been passed down master to master for centuries, I think they deserve some respect dont you...

Yeah, it looks quite authentic, with all the forced spelling errors, but the "kicck" just gave it away, next time try to be more subtle martial boy .

Do you hold the opponents arm in your lower thighs near your knees or in your upper thighs, i've seen a picture on the BJJ.org site but I dont know where the arm is positioned within the thighs? also where do you apply pressure on the arm to submit/break?

Yeah, knives can be turned agaisnt you.