PrideampPoise

I was looking on the official KSW site and saw only two KSW schools listed for the LA area, Palmdale and Valencia. Does anybody know of any others, or is that really it? I'm in the early stages of considering a move to the LA area from the SF Bay Area, so naturally one of the things I wanted to know was where I could continue my KSW training. If Palmdale and Valencia are it, that would be a problem as Valencia would be the closest to where I would likely be living, and that would still be 70+ miles away. Not good given LA traffic. The move probably isn't going to happen, but I thought I'd look anyway, and was surprised to see only the two schools, given that there are quite a few here in Northern Cal. Thanks...

1- The Karate Kid was successful because it told an appealing story that people wanted to see. It was about being an outsider and an underdog, and overcoming the odds. When told well, its a story people love to see. The martial arts were really just a backdrop. 2- Michigan TKD is right about the way the film portrayed martial arts vs. how it was portrayed in most other films available to American audiences. Its in that way that the film appeals to some martial artists. It can inspire someone to learn more about martial ARTS as opposed to just learning how to fight.

In order to answer the question properly, we'll need to see some pictures of your sister's unclothed gluteus. Different angles, in both the flexed and relaxed position. Only way to determine what exercises/machines would be appropriate.

Ok, I'll be one of the few "overweights" to speak up I'm 5'5", and currently weigh 198 lbs. I went from 247 about a year ago, down to about 197, then gained 7 or 8 pounds over the holidays, and have started losing again. I've got a fairly muscular build, but still am carrying at least 30 extra pounds. I only started training in martial arts again about 6 months ago (KSW), and so far, my weight hasn't really slowed my progress in learning techniques, forms, etc. I've got decent "natural athletic ability", so I could probably get away with carrying the extra weight for awhile. However, it definitely affects my endurence and quickness. I can feel the difference as a I lose weight and improve my conditioning, and I can only imagine what the difference will be as I continue to get in better shape while continuing my training.

While ripper does say this a couple of times, most of the posts clearly refer to anyone even calling someone else a master. Its not until later in the thread that the idea of someone insisting on being called a master is brought up. So if the ONLY problem is with someone insisting on the title, I agree, but that isn't how most of the posts read. But I do want to clarify the difference between a title being bestowed, and insisting it be used to address that person. In some martial arts, the title of "master" is granted once a certain dan is reached. To me, that's fine. But that's not the same as the person insisting on being addressed specifically as master. In my mind, someone who has to insist on being addressed a certain way is having trouble otherwise earning the respect of others. I've yet to come across someone who insisted on a certain title, but if I did, it would be a red flag to me that maybe this person isn't what I'm looking for in a teacher.

The lazy partner. If you don't want to be there, stay home.

Well, since I posted the question, I should post the answer, now that I've found part of it... The below has some of the results for the American team: http://www.tienshanpai.org/usckf/news/2003-1st%20World%20Kuoshu%20Results.shtml

I don't really know anything about this particular school/style, but if I could just play devil's advocate for a minute... I do think 30 minute classes could be appropriate for kids 4-6. At our school they are 45. They tried 60 minutes, but I understand they found it works better at the shorter length for kids of that age. 30 doesn't seem too short. But yes, it does seem to short for older kids and adults. Couldn't that be a good sign? If they have lots of stripes, maybe it means they test them on a regular basis, but instead of promoting them to new belts with each test, they give stripes to show progress? That way they aren't acting as a belt factory? I don't know... you saw the place so you are in a much better position to judge, and are probably right. Those were just a few things that came to mind. I definitely agree that McDojo's are not the way to go for anyone who is serious about truly learning their art.

The whole point of statutory rape is that it does not really matter if the girls consider it a negative experience. I'm sure that the circumstances could mitigate the severity of the crime in the eyes of a jury, but it is a crime nonetheless. And in this case, we are talking about authority figures. Children look up to them just as they do to other adults like school teachers. There is no excuse for adults in these positions to allow these things to happen, let alone institgate them. (Assuming of course that it happened... innocent until proven guilty you know). This isn't a case of a 19 year old boy/man and a 17 year old girl. That's still illegal of course, but certainly more understandable circumstances.

I haven't done a survey or anything, but TKD seems to be the most popular to me. But if you lump all styles of Karate into one category, it could be more popular. Same with Kung Fu. The suggestions for making your TKD training more beneficial are great, but if you do decide to take up another style, Kuk Sool Won might be a good choice. The kicking is very similar to TKD, but it also includes joint manipulation, more varied hand strikes, pressure points, weapons, grappling, falling, and even some acrobatics.

BLH28, that is unfortunate. I do see you are in NorCal, and there are other legit schools up here. I started at a school in San Lorenzo in September, and just tested for yellow belt last Saturday. (I think I passed, but we wern't actually told... I'll be back in class tonight, so I should find out then. We have a promotion ceremony in a week and a half... anyway...) If SLZ happens to be a good location for you, let me know if you have any questions. Its not free of course, but I believe you can try out a class or two for free if you are undecided. I think most schools will do that. I'm only scratching the surface of what KSW entails, but I really like the variety.

There's a difference, though, between ignoring it and keeping it in context. Assuming the data posted about Kennesaw is correct, and that the law is truly the reason for it, then one could definitely make a case that doing something similar in other areas could have a similar impact. But if we're talking about expanding the geographical area significantly, other factors have to be considered that aren't addressed in a smaller scale example. The most basic being, do criminals actually stop committing crimes, or do they move to other areas? Also, if the option of moving to another area were removed, would they then stop committing crimes, or would they simply commit them differently? Also, there could be very valid reasons why the program worked in Kennesaw, but might not work everywhere. I'm not saying the data should be ignored, only that it has to be kept in context.

IMHO, requiring, or encouraging, everyone to arm themselves would be good for some, but would do little in the overall scheme of things. Yes, criminals look for the easy targets. But if they think someone is armed, it doesn't stop them from committing a crime, they merely shift to another target. I seriously doubt that the would-be criminals in the town mentioned earlier turned over new leaves and became model citizens. They merely chose victims somewhere else. Also, expecting that everyone will pass such laws and arm themselves isn't a realistic expectation. Further, those who are deterred by the fear that their victim is armed are not likely to stop committing crimes, but instead will find other ways to reduce their own risk while committing crimes. Truly violent criminals would probably shift to a "shoot first" mentality, since they would have to perceive everyone as a threat. Also, I live in a fairly congested suburban area, and I've seen a lot of people do a lot of stupid things in response to the issues caused by traffic jams, accidents, and a variety of other percieved affronts. I'm glad that its unlikely most of them had a gun at their immediate disposal.

Everybody has to make their own decisions, of course, but this is a perfectly reasonable approach, provided you aren't paranoid, and use some kind of reasonable judgement. It doesn't mean that if you think somebody is going to punch you, you kill them. And unless Mr. Love is typing to us from prison, I don't think that's what he does. But if somebody squares off against you and is getting into a fighting position, I don't think you have to wait for them to actually throw a blow before you can assume they will.

That pretty much covers it. If someone says they are going to shoot you, and you think they might mean it, do what's necessary to prevent it. If you are attacked and have to skip the escalation points to prevent harm, you skip them. Of course if this happens to you a lot, I'd consider a change of scenery, but that's just me. Other than threats, words from others don't cause you any harm (unless you choose to let them), so there is no force necessary to protect you and others from harm. Just remove yourself from the situation. I know, easier said than done, but its what we should strive for.

Does anyone know of a website or other source that has the results of the World Kuoshu Championships that were held in Brazil last weekend? Thanks...

Yes it matters. Yes its only one factor of many that matter.

From what I've read, as well as my personal experience, stretching after you lift helps a lot with flexibility.

Hmmm, I've never had exactly what you describe, but I have had various "strange" aches or pains pop up in joints or muscles. So far, they've all gone away when I either temporarily stopped the activity, or just protected the area for awhile. For example, I also did something to my elbow about a month ago. It wasn't what you described exactly, but when I fully extended it, there was a sharp pain. I continued all of my training, but was careful not to completely extend that joint for a week or so, and now its fine. A tearing sensation doesn't sound good, though. If you don't want to see the doctor yet, I'd suggest refraining from anything that causes the pain/sensation for a couple of weeks. If it gets better, great. If not, then its off to the doc. As a sidenote, it sounds like it could be either the weights or the shadowboxing thats causing the problem. If you are fully extending your arm when punching, you could be over-extending and that could be causing the problem. Try only extending to 90-95%... With weights, ALWAYS start out light when you haven't been training for awhile. Take at least a month or so to build to weights that are really pushing you. Given that you are already hurt, again, don't do anything that causes the pain and see if it gets better. Good luck!

I'm an overweight person myself, though I have been gradually losing. I'm 5'5" and have gone from 247 to 196 in the last 9 months or so. I started training in KSW about 2 months ago. (Trained in TKD about 15 years ago, when I was around 180) With respect to the original question, I think its pretty simple. Its possible for an overweight person to still perform all of the required elements, and if they do, they get the rank. I think the weight is one factor that makes acheiving better skill more difficult, but so are other factors like age, past injuries, and natural ability. If one trains hard enough, they can overcome those obstacles, within reason of course. Personally, I have two goals, one is to continue improving my overall condition, and the other is to progress in my KSW training. I think progressing in each helps me with the other, but on the other hand, progressing in one does not automatically help me progress in the other. Hope that makes sense...

Our classes are an hour, MWF. At this point, I'm only able to attend Wednesdays and Fridays, but on Fridays, I'm able to get their early enough to attend 2 classes.

I attend a 6:00pm and/or 7:00pm class. The 6:00 class usually has about 10-15 students, mix of teens and adults. The 7:00 class has 4-8 students, mostly adults. In the whole school, there's probably about 60-70 students, and I'd guess about half, or maybe 60% are children or early teens. Our head instructore is a 4th dan, and he ususally leads each class, except for the warm-up. We have several 1st dans who sometimes teach the class.

I definitely agree with this: (though honestly, I was trying to focus on Carrie-Anne so Keanu's bum didn't bother me too much.) I don't really agree that sequels ruin the originals though. When the sequels really stink, like with Ghostbusters 2, or Caddyshack 2, they can just be ignored. The original is still just as strong. I thought Reloaded did a pretty good job, though. Yes, there was an obvious intent to get more action into the movie, like with many sequels. But they still tried to deal with the themes, like "choice". No, as a standalone I wouldn't say its as good as the first, but still a pretty good effort, and better than most sequels.

At the do-jang, one class on Wednesdays, and two on Fridays. At home, I practice KSW almost every day, for anywhere from 20-90 minutes. Most days, I also do some other aerobics, and I weight train about twice a week (30-40 minutes each session).

Hey, if you find something that works, stick with it I guess... Personally, I ignore them, as does my wife. Some disrespect needs to be dealt with, but I don't think this type is worth the trouble. Its not like you'll actually make them "see the light" or anything. Its just what some guys do. As somebody else also said, I try not to take my wife to places where a lot of gangsta wannabes hang out. After all, I will never be able to control others around me, so I feel its my responsibility to take that into consideration when deciding what types of places we should go. Isn't jealousy one of those seven deadlies?