KarateKen

Don't look now (or do look, idc) but it is January 6 and the Winnipeg Jets have the best record in the NHL.

Have a happy new year.

It's not a bad idea for a gag gift but this was not even that, it was intended to be legit. I'd say at least 80 percent of the gifts I have gotten were either bad or I just did not have any use for. I'm not a big consumer and don't even really want anything, it has been that way for years, so a lot of the stuff either gets returned, regifted (that's right I said it) or donated (this is especially true for clothing and books.)

Same to you, thanks.

Even though someone might have good intentions, there are times when a Christmas gift is either lazy, bad, or even offensive. We have all had these, I assume, and I think it is funny to hear about it. If you have any experiences as a child or adult receiving rotten or bizarre gifts, please share. When I was 21 and back home from college a family friend gave me a wind-up toy penguin as a gift. Years later the same guy gave our family a framed photo of himself. When I was about 10 my dad's bother gave me a used gym bag and when we opened the bag we saw it had mold in it. Another year he gave me a book, not remembering that he gave me the exact same book a year earlier. From another relative once I got a check that bounced. I could keep going but I want to hear yours.

I'm a Lions fan. They are having their best season in decades (they have not had a record this good this late since 1991) but I still find they are too inconsistent. I like coach Cambell's aggressive approach but sometimes it gets too aggressive, like the fake punt against the Packers on Thanksgiving. It's great when it works but it is a mess when it doesn't. I do think they hang on and win the division. If they do it will be the first time since 1993. Thirty years without a division title has to be the longest current streak in the NFL, though I have not done the research. This is a franchise that has one total playoff win in the entire Super Bowl era (1991 season) and has not won a road playoff game since they won the NFL Championship in 1957! The worm has turned for the Lions but they might be one more year away from making a deep playoff run.

Yes, I first started TKD in the 1980s because of the karate kid movie. I only took it for a year, but I really liked it. I was later inspired by the Steven Seagall and Jean Claude Van Damme movies (and are still inspired by them, even though the type of karate I do now is much different than their movies). Interesting. I was inspired by the Karate Kid series as well as some Van Damme movies. Though I had been training for a year or two before I ever saw any of those films watching them did inspire me to push myself and put in more training.

I will have to think about it, I don't really consider New Year goal until Jan 1, so rain check on this one!

Personally I get quickly offput when others are not considerate of boundaries and personal space. Either seeking inappropriate types of relationships, oversharing, or being all touchy feeling with someone they just met. Unfortunately, many times these people are either drunk and/or high, or are mentally ill and do not react well when boundaries are being set. I am a reserved person anyway, so when someone I just met two minutes ago is talking to me like we have been friends for years it kind of creeps me out. Same with people who get too physically close.

For me, it was at 1st dan. You felt you were overcharged when testing for 1st dan?

In this case, we are talking about two professional athletes and competitors with differing specializations. I don't think Lebron James has the advantage in this situation, due to the level of specialization in training (I don't know that Lebron James has done any kind of MA training, but many professional athletes have in the past). Now, put James in the lower rungs of MMA competition, and we have a more interesting discussion. Fair enough. Former NFL player Greg Hardy took to the MMA world after leaving football. He beat some low level fighters in the UFC I think, but once he had to face top ranked competitors he was defeated quickly and easily.

The Fraiser Christmas episode that ran the other day was pretty good. I think I will watch that one again, reminded me of the old show.

Yep, about 16 head coaches get fired every two years, so half the people who were head coach of a team when this season started will be fired by the end of next year. It seems the firings are happening earlier and earlier, teams used to wait until the season was over but we have already seen several coaches fired this year. Three that I can think of off the top of my head. Raiders, Panthers, and now Chargers.

Penguins fans were chanting "We Want Fleury" tonight since it is likely Fleury will retire after the season and this was his final chance to play in Pittsburg. However, the fans did not get their wish as Fleury sat on the bench the entire game. Penguins won it 4-3.

LA Chargers head coach Brandon Staley has been fired after the embarrassing game on Thursday against the Raiders. Chargers were behind 42-0 at halftime and lost 63-21.

Ovi now has gone 11 games in a row without a goal, the longest streak of his career. He is currently on pace to put in 16 goal this year. If he suddenly got back to his old pace, he would then put in 39, only three short of last season. I'd think something in the middle, maybe 20-28 goals, is more likely. Maybe he can break out of the slump this weekend as the Capitals have two games.

So we talked about Tyson but this week UFC fighter Colby Covington was calling out LeBron James and challenged him to a fight because of his refusal to stand for the national anthem. Political opinions aside, would the 5'11" 170-pound Covington be taking on more than he can handle? Colby is a former UFC interim champion who is fighting for the title belt this weekend, he also was a college wrestling champion and has a BB in BJJ with I think about 16 years of training. Clearly James would have a big advantage in size, weight, and strength, but with a lifetime of training would an elite competitor who is much smaller come out on top? I would think so. To me it is a little like when Jaylen Ramsey said he is such a great athlete that with six months of practice he could play in the NHL even though he has never played hockey or even skated before. Well, no he couldn't. How can someone with six months of practice compete against top level professionals who have been training their entire lives?

Sure. I'd like to present KarateKen with a trophy recognizing his outstanding contributions to KarateForums.com, which I know are recognized by members near and far. Thank you, Ken! 🏆 Congrats, KarateKen!! It is an honor just to be nominated.

St. Louis fired head coach Craig Berube shortly after the Blues 6-4 loss to Detroit on Tuesday night. Berube coached St. Louis to their 2019 Stanley Cup win, a year where the team came out of nowhere to make a title run. The current record for the Blues this year is 13-14-1, sixth place in the division.

Was anyone here inspirited to train martial arts because of the movies? Or a TV show?

Yeah, I am good with that. Generally I prefer people in public to be as far away as possible, especially if they are sick and/or carrying knives.

Those all seem like fair testing prices for sure. I was paying 40 dollars to test when I did TKD 20 years ago and I've heard that some testing fees at schools are up to 500 dollars to test for black belt.

I read the contract only pays 2 million a year for the first 9 years then in the 10th year he makes the rest of it, which I guess is 682 million. I'd be surprised if that was accurate.

For me it's good old chocolate chip.

Sure. I'd like to present KarateKen with a trophy recognizing his outstanding contributions to KarateForums.com, which I know are recognized by members near and far. Thank you, Ken! 🏆