Rich_2k3

Weight and flexability are very different, infact most sumo's are very strong underneath all that fat.

Well i've never heard of that sorry, u'll have a difficult time finding one of those, i dont think their common. Try https://www.yell.co.uk it might have a few clubs on there.

Whats silat? Another thing Manchester, Dublin and wales their all very far apart, why do u want clubs for all of them?

Who said anything about Grapplers beating up strikers? This is about being a well rounded fighter and learning both grappling and striking, so u are a more efficient martial artist, and the fact that if u dont practice both u have a large blind spot in ur style, now I dont care how unlikely it is that u will have to use a throwing technique or a grappling technique, all that matters is that if the situation arises then u can handdle ur self efficiently, for all u know 2morrow u could be assualted and killed becuase ur attacker did somthing that ur art does not cover properly (and plz dont say that ur art covers everything because u'd be lying to ur self). As history has shown us, arrogence and being unprepared has always been mankinds weakness.

Guys, guys listen this is how it go's; A good example of an internal technique is utilizing pressure points on the body. External are fast hard techniques that brake bones and cut and bruise the body, Internal are a little more subtle. They require alot less power, they probe sensitive pressure points of the body, like the neck, groin, temples, solar plexus etc. and cause extream pain and maybe death through causing internal damage, for example a reverse punch to the face will probably brake ur nose or give u a black eye, causing "external" damage, an internal however might be a quick jab to the kidney that would cause extream pain and somtimes horrific damage within, sometimes making no mark from the outside. For example Wing Chun is balanced more towards internal, while Kickboxing on the other hand is completely external. Never under estimate either "Internal" or "External", both are very effective and together there deadly . p.s The spiritual side of martial arts is also covered under the internal style.

Have u tried putting the weights on ur wrists while skipping, that'll give ur muscle's a good workout, infact I think i'll try it .

8'6'' and 650 pounds of pure ripped muscle, i've got hands like tennis raquets for gods sake! No not really, but it would be nice... or would it?

cool.

Is it Semi or Full contact? either way for a tournement theres no subsitute for sparring, in fact if u dont practice sparring regularly and gain some good experienece ur'll get nailed instantly in the tourny. Talk to ur sensei and ask to do a bit of sparring and the end of each lesson.

Ok, well I would take aefibird's advice and join a local club, start at the bottom again, u should progress quickly as it'll all start to come back again. This way u can practice the techniques u are required to learn for ur belt and get ur basics back up to scratch. If u dont want to start at the bottom again with ur old style u could maybe try out another very different style, maybe a traditional karate style like Shotokan or Kyokushin(very good style) or maybe a Kung fu art like Wing Chun or Lau Gar, u could even try a grappling art if u want.

I'll give it a try, thx.

U have a very good point there WC-strayder and in my style of Karate self defence is a big issue and there are loads of different knife defences. However, its not just about learning the best ways to defend ur self, its also about improving ur physique and fitness level to cope with a self defence situation and for a healthy life. Its also about the competition side of it and enjoying ur style. And this "magic" that u say is the mental side of it, now it doesnt have to be spiritual or anything, its about mental discepline, being able to take pain, being able to call out (kiai!) and rip ur fist threw ur opponent , and finally being able to push ur self beyond ur limits when ur training or working-out or whatever, so ur chances in a street fight are greatly increased. Remember theres lots of reasons why ppl do martial arts and self defence is one of them (and the most important) but to ensure ur survival in a street fight agaisnt a knife or maybe someone alot bigger than ur average joe u need to be the best in every way, now ask ur self one thing, is there really anything wrong with a bit of perfection.

Wow, i've never heard of this guy or any of the lawsuits filed agaisnt him, I suppose it was big news over there at one point, I probably wasnt into martial arts when it happend so I wouldnt have taken any interest. He should be banned in the practice of any martial art style, if he's gonna bring the sport (can i call it that) into disripute .

I use 12oz for sparring but 16oz is good for tournements.

Hey look I'm now a Blue belt!

Go on the FAQ icon ant the top of web site and scroll down to where it has the list of belts, it tells u how many posts u need to do to grade-up.

I hate squat thrusts and we always have to include them in our warm up at Karate. I hate them, they make my stomach feel horrible, they dont seem to affect any of muscles and u look like an idot when u do them, whats the point in Squat thrusts!?

Southern and northern styles, soft and hard, external and internal; these are the main things that seperate each style, and of course theres also the animal stances which vary from style to style (some dont have them of course).

Are u sure u were a black belt because even though u havent trained for 7 years u should be able to remember all ur basic techniqes and the roundhouse kick which u've got down as advanced is a basic attack, even though u may not have trained for a while being a black belt means u have put years of hard work in and are an expert in ur art, if ur a BB u should always be a competent fighter no matter how many years and never forget ur basic attacks.

Christ ur joking, so I bet that stuff he was doin wasnt good for their students health

Just sort of growl or shout in ur breath, u dont need to kiai.

"Combat Ki", Has anyone heard of this martial art, I saw it on a documentry on Discovery not long ago, I think theres just one big dojo, so there arent many that do it. Well they were doing really painful things for example: They blind fold you, this creates fear cuz u dont know when its gonna hit, anyway the sensei stands there and suddenly full contact reverse punches you in the neck, as hard as he can, but the ppl can take it, they said that they do things that would normally kill the average person. I watched them doing body condition and they were kicking in the groin, stading flat agasint a wall and them being punched in the heart at full contact, these were just normal men and women, they werent big or muscular, its apparently a mental thing cuz it focus greatly on the "Ki" aspect of Karate, it was crazy! did anyone watch it? or knows what it is?

Exactly, ur choice is be flexible and supple that is ESSENTIAL for ANY martial artist, or keep ur kicks low and slow and never improve, take ur pick...

Strong forearms are essential for a good block.

Snap punch, reverse punch, snap punch, back fist, roundhouse kick(mid section) and then step through with a side kick(Head), thats of the top of my head, but I dont really do set combos I just make it up as a go along, using an arsenal of techniques as a go.