Rich_2k3

Well if u mean bare knuckle and cage fighting, thats illegal, what kind of stuff u thinking about including?

Maybe, but dont u think the comment "There is nothing asian about martial arts" is little abit wrong!?

Karate is an excellent all round choice. Good self defence capabilities, a good workout and some styles train with weapons when u reach the higher grades (like mine). If ur after some good no nonsense self defence then i'd suggest Krav maga or Jeet kune do (created by Bruce Lee), both excellant martial arts that are purely developed for self defence, Krav maga is actually taught to many law enforement agencies around the world because of its practicalities, Krav maga was originally created by the Israli army. If ur after sport, then TKD is good, although its all about impractical flashy kicks and point sparring and wont really help u to defend ur self on the street (my opinion). Boxing, Kickboxing and Thai boxing all have very good sporting aspects and are excellent for fitness (probably the best), however u will never use weapons in them and some ppl may question there practicalities for self defence. Jujitsu and judo are both very good if u want to learn about grappling and ground fighting, judo has a prominent sporting aspect especially in the UK. Kung fu is very diverse system of martial arts with many different styles. Look out for Jeet Kune Do and Wing chun, both are very practical styles of kung fu. Wing chun kung fu uses weapons in its style, most famously the wing chun butterfly knifes but also the dragon pole. If you want a soft style choose aikido, which uses various weapons such as the Tento, Jo and Bokken. Personally I would go for Kyokushin karate, which I intend to study eventually. Its the most powerful form of karate. Here is a quote from the website I have linked below: "Kyokushin is a Karate style that is famous for its knock-down system of fighting. The style is characterized by its tenous training, conditioning and full contact sparring. Kyokushin Karate was developed by Sosei Masutatsu Oyama who in 1964 gave the style the name "Kyojushin", which translates to "The Ultimate Truth". Oyama held a 4th Dan in Judo, and also studied Goju Ryu Karate, Shotokan Karate (reaching 4th Dan at the age of 20) and some Korean martial arts which he developed into his own style called Kyokushin-kai (Kyokushin Karate). Oyama was an extremely strong man who popularised his art by inviting challengers to fight him and through stunts, such as killing bulls with his bare hands. Black belt gradings in Kyokushinkai are well known for their large number of kumite (sparring fights), sometimes as many as a 100." Its excellent for fitness and body conditioning, great for self defence and has many sporting aspects. Hope this helps, Good look in ur searches! P.s, check this link out. Its a comprehensive database listing 40 different martial arts with pictures, discriptions and links to governing bodies: http://www.martial-arts-info.com/

Correct

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This is a quote from one of the threads in the weapons section, their all talkin about guns and stuff and who's got the biggest, I cant actually believe their even using this site! I didnt want to leave a message on their thread cuz I cant be bothered to argue. Why are some ppl so ignorent and why do they say things like that?

I hate the way they stand there with there arms by their sides! whats that all about! Havent they heard of guards! its so unpractical its embarrasing. Also, look at their stances, they stand sideways on to their opponents! and dont even get me started on the lack of punches! I'm guessing this is just olympic sport karate, traditional TKD isnt like that is it?

Its probably just a cheap belt, but theres no point spending a fortune on a coloured belt cuz they dont stay with u that long, wait till u get ur black and then invest abit of money in a good belt, like a delux satin belt or somthing.

Good link.

We start off doing semi-contact. As we progress through the belts we learn free-fighting and full-contact sparring. We spar semi-contact at the end of every lesson, but for the ppl who've learnt free-fighting or full-contact; they can choose to do them instead.

Hi Flying Tiger, welcome to Karate Forums. Sorry I dont use speed bags...

I wouldnt be suprised.

Personally I think the MT roundhouse kick far suppasses the Karate kick. I actually practice karate though, and we use the chanbered kick only for point sparring, for full contact we use the MT version. This may upset ppl but the MT kick is better, and that is why it is the one used in K1 and all forms of pro kick boxing. There is more momentum in the MT kick therefore more power, also the karate version telegraphs more.

The majority of the power developed in a punch actually comes from the hips and torso. Remember to put ur hole body into ur punch. For example the reverse punch: Throw the fist out and at the same time twist ur waist into it and pivot on your back foot. Twist to the point that ur waist is actually facing 90 degrees to ur left (assuming ur punching with right fist) and ur back foot is fully pivoted. Also remember to call the punch to gain that extra bit of agression and power. Finally aim through ur target, imagine that u are actually hitting behind the bag/pad/face or whatever. You must remember that 60% of the power is actually developed by ur hips and torso, develop this and u will hit hard.

Buy a gun.

Personally i cant stand sparkling Water.

I'm sorry coco but i'd dont believe that. U said u've only got a year of experience, but u still kicked the * out of 3 guys at once. I've been in a few fights and i've seen a few, and we all know that it aint that easy, its fast, unpredictable and bloody. I mean let me get this straight, the guy u hit in the face was taken out straight away and didnt even hit back, he simply stood there and watched u kick the other guy in the thigh, who just stood there and watched u kick the other guy into a bin. All were one hitters. I think it was the front kick into a garbage can that did it, soz but ur gonna have to do better than that

90 minute sessions! wow thats intense. Go ahead...

"The mission of the International Traditioanl Karate Federation is to promote traditional karate-do through international athletic competition and the training and education of young athletes and to serve as an international governing body of traditional karate. To this end, traditional karate must obtain the approval and official recognition as an olympic sport by the International Olympic Committee. This approval will be given only if the ITKF and the World Karate Federation (WKF) merge into one organization" This is a quote from the WFK website, it is followed by a form in which to fill in that gives support to the merger of the WKF and the ITKF. The ITKF believe strongly in keeping karate traditional and not turning into a "TKD style" martial art. This is the organisation that will hopfully protect karate. They've set down a few ground rules with WKF b4 they will agree to merge, but it seems likely that will happen soon.

U train and train, learning to fight, but when u've got a gun pointed at you ur powerless to do anything...

Thats true, part of being a good fighter is understanding ur opponent. If someone confronts u, lets say in a bar and looks like any second he's gonna launch at u, the best thing is to attack b4 he has the chance to. The best time would be when he is in the middle of a sentance, hit him hard, fast and with agression and confidence and dont stop until u think ur safe to do so. However, if u think the guy looks dodgy, like may have a knife or somthing, then ur gonna have to sweet talk him out of it or simply get out of there, but somtimes this isnt the option.

I wouldn't not touch the Atkins with a barge pole...

I always find that Slipknot is quite soothing.....joke

Good point. What u want to include in workout is: Press-ups Leg squats Squat thrusts Sit-ups (make sure u do them right, can damage lower back if not) Tricep dips Skipping (if u dont want to jog outside) Stretching (dynamic stretching is best) Shadow boxing Your martial arts syllabus and anything else u think would help! remember every single time u workout out do it properly and with full effort or dont do it at all because u will be simply wasting ur time...push urself beyond ur limits everytime and u will see results. Good balanced diet, check link: http://www.homehealth-uk.com/medical/healthybalanceddiet.htm Finally, buy this book, its the best book on the market for training for martial arts at home and on your own. Will help you carve a great workout that will benefit not just fitness but your martial arts skill as a whole and will be a good complement to ur current training: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1880336596/qid=1093437063/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/104-2835471-6293523?v=glance&s=books (if ur from US) http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1880336596/qid=1093437219/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_10_1/026-4187570-2576440 (if ur from UK)

I hope not...