PrideampPoise

I've been practicing for almost 1 1/2 years, and will be testing for brown stripe at the end of the month. I'm enjoying it and looking forward to continuing for many years.

Our classes are 1 hour. We start with 15-20 minutes of warm-up and stretching. That includes possibly some time of running, static stretches, pushup and situps. After that, it varies. We usually spend 10-20 minutes on forms, but not in every class... probably 90% of the classes. Sometimes we only work on our last form, sometimes we start at KCH and work through them all. We vary how we do the forms as well. Sometimes for speed, sometimes for power, and sometimes emphasizing low stance. For air kicking, we ususally do it in place, anywhere from 2-10 reps of each kick with each leg. Sometimes we partner up and go back and forth with two kicks at a time. Other times we all line up and do combination kicking across the room. We do one of these things in about 75% of our classes. We do some target kicking using the pads or bags about 40% of the classes, I'd guess. Hand striking we practice in about half the classes. Like air kicking, the volume varies. This includes striking from horse stance, as well as from fighting/defensive stance. Its all air striking. We work on techniques in about 80-90% of our classes, usually for 10-20 minutes. One thing I don't think we do enough of is practice them all the way through with falling. We do 5-15 minutes of cardio/calisthenics in about 20-30% of the classes. Crunches, pushups, hopping, "duck" walking, jumping rope, etc. About once a week or so we'll spend 10-15 minute on falling. That covers the vast majority of the classes. We have a separate class for sparring, once a week for 1 hour. Its only striking/kicking. No grappling, locking or throwing. Except for when we are approaching a tournament, the focus isn't on the point-stop method. Just light sparring in 30 second to 3 minute bursts, including against multiple attackers.

First off, please, continue to wear the tight dresses! I think the other replies are pretty much right on. Losing fat, regardless of where its located, is a matter of burning more calories than you take in. Building/strengthening muscles through weight training or ab work will not directly have much of an impact on fat loss. (They are great for building strength) You need to either increase your aerobic workout, lower your calorie intake, or do a combination of both. Especially when it comes to diet, make small changes and see if you make progress. Don't expect the fat to disappear in a week, but if you go a month and don't see any difference, adjust a little more. Once you do the above and drop some of the fat, you'll be able to better see the benefits from your ab work.

Pro wrestlers are stuntmen who perform live shows.

We only do board breaking on testing day. Yellow belt and blue stripe do one board with a high spin kick. Blue belt and red stripe (me) do two boards with a palm strike. Red belt do one board with a high spin kick, and one with a low spin kick. Brown belts and black-brown belts do one board with 4 different jumping kicks, front, spin, back and side. There are additional requirements to reach black belt, but I'm not sure of what those are. So I broke 2 with a palm strike in my last test, and will be doing the same in my next test (for red belt) on Saturday. We don't try to "max out" on breaking. Neither do hand held targets, heavy bags, speed bags, or for that matter, air. They still can all have a place in training, no?

I'm taking this to mean near perfectly fit. Low body fat, excellent cardiovascular shape, adequate strength... To me, the answer is absolutely not. I believe fitness is one factor in how well one is able to practice and progress, but its just one. Of course you have to at least be at some minimal level of fitness, but beyond that, its a question of maximizing your potential. Improving your physical fitness (cardio, strength flexibility, etc) will help you improve.

A few that I haven't seen... The Burning Heart - Survivor from Rocky IV A lot of AC/DC stuff. I saw Thunderstruck mentioned, but there's also Hells Bells and TNT. Lunatic Fringe... can't remember who does it. It was used in Vision Quest. There's also some instrumentals from movies. Somebody mentioned the theme from Rocky (Gonna Fly Now), but there's also Going the Distance. That was played during the fight with Apollo Creed. The music from Rudy is good too. Some of the Lord of the Rings music works. It all depends on what gets you going.

It doesn't sound like you're getting anything like arthritis, and as far as I know, exercising won't cause it. High impact activities, like running, can cause problems, but even then, the benefits usually outweigh the risks, especially if its done smartly. First, if the pain is anything but minor, check with a doctor. That said, for your crunches, make sure you are trying to lift your torso straight up, rather than curling your back. Also, don't release all the way down between crunches, but instead maintain the tension through the entire set. Leg lifts can be tricky. Any time you are arching your back and straining it you are asking for trouble. You can try using your hands to support you back, or doing the leg raises with your knees slightly bent. Or, when doing your crunches, bend your knees and as you raise your torso up, try to bring your knees to your chest. When you release, don't let your thighs go past perpendicular. This will increase the work on your lower abs, without forcing you to arch your back. Also, think about adding a back strengthening exericse. Working the abs but not the back can create an imbalance that can cause back problems. Not sure what to suggest about the arms... where exactly is the pain? Elbow, shoulder, bicep, etc...

I agree with Whitebelt... Given your schedule, Tuesday and Saturday would be best. That'll give you at least 2 nights sleep to recover before BJJ, and recovery is necessary to build strength. If that's not practical, and you have to weight train on the same day, I'd say after BJJ, if you are up to it. The BJJ would warm up your muscles nicely. As long as you can maintain your form and energy during your weight training, you'll be able to train safely. You could have problems really getting the most out of your weight training, depending on how strenuous your BJJ workouts are, but I still think that's better than the alternative of weight training before BJJ. Since MA training requires more reactive movements, its not as easy to protect a body part that might be overworked from the weight training earlier in the day, and might lead to a greater chance of injury.

Sorry, didn't see your last post... Adding some resistance is good, but try to use the right weight for that muscle group. As for seeing fat, the weight training isn't going to help much with that. It is true that muscle uses more calories than fat, but you will also be hungrier. If you want to lose fat, you have to make sure you aren't eating more calories than you burn. So while its good your doing some strength training, understand that if you want to lose that fat you'll need to either burn more calories or take in fewer. Since it sounds like you are working out more than enough, you should probably look at making a few changes to your diet. Cut out a snack, eat a slightly smaller dinner, pass on the fries, things like that. From your description, it does sound like you have lost a lot of fat already, so you may just need to keep doing what you are doing and be patient. But if you've hit a plateau, and can't seem to lose that last bit, look to your diet.

Its sounds to me that the reason you don't get sore is that you are essentially training for muscle endurance as opposed to muscle strength. That's what you get with high reps and low resistance. Remember that for body weight exercises, like pushups, your weight loss has actually made them easier, regardless of any changes in strength. That's not to say you haven't gained any strength, because I'm sure you have. Its just the main benefit you are getting is endurance. Given that you are 14, and your body is still growing, that's probably the right thing to do anyway. But still, it sounds like you can at least afford to experiment with higher resistance and fewer reps, which will do more on the strength side. (Maybe even make you sore now and again...) Like for situps... do you have an incline bench available to you? One or two days a week, try bench pressing instead of pushups. Do a warmup set or two with lighter weight, than use enough weight so that you can only do 15 reps or so. The next workout, try 16 reps. When you can get to 20 reps, add some weight and go back to 15 reps. Same with your squats... use weights to increase your resistance so that you can't do more than 15-20 reps or so. (When you really get focused on strength, you can lower the reps even further, but you should probably hold off on that for a few more years.) It also wouldn't hurt to add a shoulder excecise and back exercise to your weight training routine. Biceps aren't really as important (unless your going for looks), but if you do work biceps, look at a tricep exercise as well, to maintain balance. The back excercise is important for balance as well. Some people who work their abs but not their backs develop back problems from the lack of balance. Whenever you add an exercise, maintain proper form, and start with weights/reps you can easily handle, then gradually increase. Heavier weights don't in and of themselves cause back problems, as long as you can maintain proper form and balance. Always allow at least a day between strength training the same body parts. If you do experience soreness, DO NOT do another strength workout for those muscles until the soreness is gone. You gain strength not when you are working out, but when your body repairs itself between workouts. When you workout while you are sore, you hinder that repair process, and actually do more harm than good.

Fortunately, I can't speak from too much experience, but I think that depends a lot on the exact placement and power of the strike. A lot like any other target area I guess, except that it just doesn't take as much to reach the "breaking" (OUCH!) point.

How couragous of you to post anyway...

Logan's right... most of us don't feel that threatened walking around our own house, so Melody's response to her brother seems a bit much. Unless she thought she was home alone or something. The same response while walking to your car alone when leaving the mall after dark would be much more appropriate. That's not to slam Melody... just to point out how part of being aware is knowing when to be at DEFCON 1 and when to take it down a notch or two.

Stop talking about me.

Its really like any other situation that causes that adrenal response. Whether its coming up to the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, giving a speech, proposing to your fiance, or finding yourself in a street fight. The consequences, of course are different, but the body's reaction, i.e. fear, is the same. Learning to control it and even use it to your advantage will usually yield better results. And the best way to help with that is practice, so that confidence can be built. By the way, there's nothing wrong with admitting fear. After all, without fear, there can be no courage.

Turned 36 earlier this month.

Finally saw it on DVD... Fantastic movie! John Woo? no. I'm a little torn on the issue of Algren living. I expected him to die in the film, but after thinking about it, I think there are legitimate reasons for him not dying. Yes, he was like the Samurai in that he was willing to die for what he believed in. But, it was clear that while he believed in the code of the Samurai, he didn't necessarily believe in the idea that shame must equal death. Therefore, he was not actually a Samurai. Katsumoto seemed to recognize this, by telling Algren "You have regained your honor... now let me die with mine." (paraphrased from memory) It was not his destiny to die in that battle, even though he was willing to. His destiny was to bring the message back to the Emporer, and find his own peace, which he did. Remember when he asks Katsumoto what he wants from him, and Katsumoto replies "What do you want for yourself?" (paraphrased again). That seems to be a recurring theme... Algren may travel the Samurai path, but that does not mean he shares their destiny. Hard for me to articulate, but hopefully that makes sense.

First, when you eat isn't really all that important, in and of itself. 1000 calories taken in is a 1000 calories taken in, regardless of when it happens. Likewise, if you burn 2500 per day, that's 2500, period. The only real caveat is that large, infrequent meals can mess up your metabolism, causing high and low energy periods. So it is still best to eat smaller more frequent meals. There's two ways of going about weight loss, imho. One way is to develop a comprehensive program of diet and exercise, and dive right in. The second is to start with smaller, less extreme changes. The first way is probably optimal, but you are also less likely to stick with it. I've lost about 60 pounds over the last 17 months using the 2nd way. I started with things like cutting out french fries, switching to diet soda, and doing just a little exercise. The key is making those small changes permanent, and building on them. So, if it were me, instead of trying to put together a comprehensive nutrition plan right from the start, I'd try to incorporate some smaller changes into your current plan. You can even eat the same foods, just cut back on your portions. As long as you cut back on your calories, while maintaining or increasing your exercise, you'll lose weight. Then, you can slowly start substituting a serving of vegetables or a piece of fruit for one of your normal less healthy choices, and build from there. Imho, this will be more likely to lead to a permanent change.

I hadn't heard of that before, but found this: http://www.olohe.com/

I practiced TKD in college ('86-'87), getting to green belt. It was mostly a "sport" type of TKD. I now study KSW, have reached blue belt, and I love it!

I was 5' 5", 247 lbs at one time... The advice already given is good, though it would help to know exactly what you are doing for your training. Try to stick with low impact actvities, especially if you are already feeling sore that day. Weight training when you are already sore is pretty pointless. Also, go with lower weight/higher reps, at least until your joints can handle the pressure.

I've read in several places that even Gatorade has too high a sugar content to really be absorbed with optimal efficiency. Plus, you aren't getting much, if anything, in the way of necessary vitamins and minerals. I drink it, but after I cut it in half with water. After a good workout, I try to actually eat something with some protein, as well as carbs.

The way I look at it is that the more practice you do with anything, the better you will get at it. So, all else being equal, someone who fights a lot is going to be more skilled at it than someone who doesn't. Also, all else being equal, someone who at least practices something closer to true fighting is going to be more skilled at fighting than someone who practices something not so close to real fighting. I can't see anyway to really refute that, regardless of the subject. The thing is, though, all else is never equal. That's why somebody who has never been in a fight before, or never picked up a tennis raquet, or whatever, can go out and defeat an opponent who has practiced a lot. So, sure, if you want to be the best you can be at something, you should practice it a lot, and that would include fighting. But you can't make blanket statements that those who don't practice it, or who don't even do full-contact, can't be darn good fighters, when the time comes. The only caveat with fighting is that you do run a greater risk of getting injured if you fight a lot, and ALL ELSE BEING EQUAL, it will wear on your body. Just like football, running, etc wear on the bodies of participants in those activities. And if you are seriously injured, then find yourself in a situation where you have to fight, you have added a disadvantage for yourself to the equation. But as others have indicated, what path you take also depends on what you are looking to get out of your training. If fighting is you primary goal, you need to take a serious look at full contact sparring. If improving your fighting ability is merely one of your goals, then your method of practice might be different. Most folks can significantly improve their fighting ability without full contact practice, provided they understand that the rules they practice with are only for practice.

Thank you for the suggestions. If it does come about, I'll definitely try those. And of course I'll talk to my current instructor as well. tufrthanu, you make a good point. I'm not really worried about it now, I just like to gather info in advance. I'm also a bit curious as well, just in case I end up talking with somebody from LA about KSW. Thanks...