PrideampPoise

Just to reiterate what others have said, the instructor is what's relevant, not really the art. We've had kids as young as 3 in our classes. But the youngest I've seen get anything out of the class is about 5. Any instructor worth anything should be willing to discuss his philosophy with you, as well as let you observe a class, and usually even let your kids take an introductory class for free. I would take advantage of all of those things. Then you should have an idea about whether its the right school/instructor for your kids.

Ok. With respect to the combination of 2 and 3, I can buy how that would slant things. On #1, I was referring to why I started, not necessarily how I feel today (though it hasn't changed much, if at all). I haven't been training so long that I can't remember why I started. The only thing that has really changed is that my committment and my desire to advance and grow has increased. But, yes, we digress... I've already posted my motivations.

We have a whole set of techniques (15) that involve either blocking and/or catcthing the punch and following up with a single kick to a specific pressure point, at a specific angle and with a specific part of your foot. They are taught fairly early and I'm not sure if later techniques build on them, since I haven't progressed that far yet. I would agree that trying to execute three kicks like that would seem to leave you vulnerable for a long time, especially if there is another potential attacker around. If the first kick is effective, I would think you could follow up with something less risky. If it wasn't effective, I don't think you'd want to remain in that same position, trying to get off a second kick.

That is a lot. You definitely don't want to lift weights every day, especially if you are training the same body parts each time. Twice a week for each body part is usually enough. You can either keep your full body workout and do it two days a week, or you can break it up and do different parts each day. Your muscles don't actually get stronger while you are lifting weights. Working out actually breaks down your muscles. They become stronger when they are allowed to rest and recuperate. They repair themselves and adapt to the work being done, which is why you get stronger. If you lift everyday, you are not giving them that time to recover, and you'll be tearing them down again before they can rebuild. Cardio work is a little different and can be done more often, but 5 miles everyday is probably too much as well. (or at least not the optimal). Think about taking one day a week where you don't workout at all. Also, instead of 5 miles everyday, try alternating distance and sprints each day. For example, on Monday, run 5 miles. On Tues, run a mile or so to warmup, then run some sprints. Maybe 10 x 50 yards. On Wed, go back to the distance run, maybe trying 5.1 miles, or even 5 1/4. On Thu, go back to the sprints. Maybe take Friday off, and go back to it on Sat. The distance running is great for your endurance, but the sprints will also help you develop quickness and power in your legs. Remember you aren't training for a marathon... you want endurance, quickness, AND power. Most importantly, pay attention to how your body responds. If you are finding something is making you sore, don't go back to it until the soreness is gone, even if that means taking 2-3 days off from that activity. Again, working those muscles while they are sore is going to hinder your progress, not help it. If you find you need to take 2 days off a week to stay "fresh", so be it. That just means your workouts are intense.

I drink them, but only diet. I switched about 2 years ago. I do drink a lot of it, so I also get the caffeine free whenever I can.

On the original question, as long as she can hold her own with the adults and older kids, then I think its a great idea. Especially if she is not being challenged by the younger kids. The only way I would see it as a bad idea is if she continually gets pummeled by the older group. If she's not doing well enough to learn things, then it might do nothing but hurt her confidence. If that is the case, then it might make sense to alternate between the two groups. But aside from that, I don't see any problems with it.

That's a strange take. Perhaps that has been his experience, but when I started training again about 1 1/2 years ago, I hadn't been in a real fight for 20 years (and now its 21 1/2 years). No, I didn't join just to learn forms, but I also didn't join to beat up people on the streets. I really do respect the "spiritual" side. I do want to improve my ability to defend myself and my loved ones, but I don't think that's the same as wanting to beat up as many people as I meet. If I walked into his school and he said my words meant I was a terrible liar, I guess I'd just have to respectfully let him know I'd be looking for a different teacher. One who better understood what I was looking for.

Sounds like your talking about reciting words as opposed to actual techniques/forms. If so, I try to break things down and memorize them a piece at a time. Start with one sentence, and repeat it outloud until you can do so with no help. Then add the next one. Reciting it AT LEAST once a day is important as well, and as cathal said, writing them down can help as well. I also find it helps if I recite in different places. For example, not just every night sitting on the couch, but also while driving, or in the backyard, etc. That way you will get comfortable reciting it anywhere, and not just in a certain setting. Same principle with forms... if you always practice in the same place with the same orientation (meaning facing the same direction), you can get thrown off if you have to demonstrate in another setting or facing another direction.

For training, I like: Pirates of the Caribbean Soundtrack AC/DC - Hells Bells, Back in Black, TNT Metallica - Enter Sandman Survivor - Burning Heart Rocky Soundtrack - Going the Distance and Gonna Fly Now Bon Jovi - It's My Life, Just Older, Everyday Top Gun Soundtrack - Danger Zone, Mighty Wings, Playin' with the Boys Lord of the Rings Soundtracks Various other songs with upbeat electric guitar... though not into the speed metal stuff. If its right before a tournament/match/game/testing etc, I prefer to find a quiet spot to warmup and concentrate, ideally with no music or even other noise, if possible. I'll listen to the music while driving over.

Check's in the mail, kchenault.

I'm not sure how to put this into a single word, but I've always been attracted to the honor, discipline, respect and traditional aspects of martial arts. That's my primary motivation, though I also like it for other reasons, such as: Self Defense Exercise Learning to do things I wouldn't have though I could do.

We use only the Korean names for our forms and techniques. We also use Korean for our bowing in and out of class, and for words like "ready", "stop", "begin". (I'm not sure how to spell them in Korean, which is why I put them in English) For our kicking and striking, our instructors use the Korean name, then the English name. We count in Korean, at least up to 10. Newer students sometimes have to count off pushups, situps, etc, and they will use English until they learn the Korean numbers. There is no set point when you are expected to know them, nor have I ever seen an instructor get on any student for not using Korean numbers. I just started by learning the numbers in order. So at one point, I was counting to 5 in Korean, then 6-10 in English. I just kept doing it that way until I was comfortable with the Korean numbers. In I think my first test, we were asked individually to demonstrate our favorite kick, after saying the name in Korean. Our instructor started with the higher belts, however, so all the white belts had to do was be able to repeat what somebody else said and then do the kick. We haven't been asked to do that again, however.

You go at slow speeds initially to identify the right spots to strike/kick/grab/lock/etc. If you are practicing seriously, you practice with more speed as you become more proficient, and you can begin to get a sense of the timing. I don't think that's the end of it, but again, its a stepping stone.

Oh, and I agree that 1-step compliant drills are beneficial as a stepping stone, but not as the end-all of training.

There's actually a thread over on "Strategies and Tactics" about somebody who claims to have seen an altercation where a similar tactic was used. The guy continued the hook kick down, trapping the guy's arm and then broke the arm. Sounds like the guy doing the technique was significantly larger than the other guy, and we know nothing about the amount of training/experience the smaller guy had, if any. It also took place as the two were leaving a club, so I'm sure there was some alcohol involved.

Please forgive my ignorance, but what is a "standard gidan berai block"? I practice Kuk Sool Won, which is Korean, and I'm not familiar with that terminology. The grab and kick is actually one of a set of techniques we practice, but I'm curious about the block, and we don't practice the grabbing of the arm with the leg, at least not at my level (red belt).

I'm 36 myself and got back to the arts about a year and a half ago. I never went 10 years with NO excercise, but I did go years with no regular, consistent excercise. As others have said, you'll be fine. Though, make sure you talk to your doctor regarding your neck, and what types of things you should avoid, if any. Beyond that, probably the only difference you'll notice is that it'll take you a bit longer to recover from tough workouts. You'll get sore a little more often, and it will take a little longer to go away, but its nothing that can't be managed. My suggestion would be to start slowly, much more slowly than you would have 10-15 years ago. Start working out at levels you can easily sustain right now, and add intensity slowly, but STEADILY. This will reduce any initial soreness, and also reduce the possibility you will suffer an injury that could set you back. Also, you'll probably find that warming up before stretching or straining is more of a necessity than it was when you were younger. As with most things, consistency will be the key, not how quickly you start pushing yourself.

I really don't care to compare the intensity of the pain... if you end up crumpled on the floor, then it hurts. I have seen a guy lose his lunch after a gonadal shot. For guys, it all seems to be in the angle and specific place that is hit. You can sometimes get a pretty hard shot in that area that doesn't hurt all that much. Another time, a glancing shot can turn your stomach.

For BB promotions, we form an aisle. The BB to be promoted walks down that aisle of students and we hand the BB roses, which symbolize how everyone has helped him/her reach BB. After all of our promotions, which are quarterly, we have a pot luck. We also have a Christmas pot luck where we do a gift exchange, and the kids play games.

Congrats!

Yes, the five laws... our BB's have been preaching this to us. Actually, they always do, but its just been a little more recently. Thanks for the camera idea. Even if I don't make it on the stand, I'm sure there will be some photo ops.

What it boils down to is fewer reps with more weight. That will do a better job of building pure strength, which means size. To decrease the chance of injury, make the first set a warm-up set, which should be a weight you can handle fairly easilty for the 10-12 reps. Up the weight and lower the reps on the second set. Then on the third, use a weight you can only do about 3-5 reps with. Once you can do 6 reps, up the weight on the next workout. (that's why you need to keep a log of what you lift)

I always wash it between classes. In fact, our instructor has specifically requested that everyone do this because apparently some were emitting a rather unpleasant aroma... (our uniforms are black, so you usually can't tell from looking at them if they are washed... its all a matter of smell)

Thanks for the advice! SBN actually picked the techniques for me... He asked me which ones I was planning to do and I started rattling off a couple (can't remember which) and he stopped me and said "These look good". I've heard that the sparring is very dependent on the judge. Some judges do what you say. They see a "tag" and call a point. Others look for at least halfway decent contact. But I'm going to take the approach you suggested... I'm going to just be aggressive and do what I know and if I get "out-tagged" so be it. I haven't been going to our sparring class as much as I'd like to, but I went last week and held my own with our brown belts, so I'm feeling pretty good about it. I'm pretty confident with my GGH, so I'm just working on refining it... getting the speed right, lower stance, etc. Techniques are going pretty good also, though I definitely need to polish those up too. Thanks again, and I'll definitely try to pick up some advice if I can.

Just poking around the net, there's several places that say he has been studying martial arts for years. One site said he is a 5th degree BB in Capoeira.