CloudDragon

Anything in particular about the politics manuelito?

Shorin Ryuu, Wow! What a great post! Thanks for your thoughts, I agree with you %100!

One thing I know about kids, if it ain't fun they ain't gonna do it! Geez, I wish life could be like that for everyone! Anyway, your kids might be picking up on the ambiance of the dojang, belts on the wall, flags, mirrors, other people in doboks, things like that which tell them "ok it's time to train!". You might want to set aside a room in your house or spot in your yard as the family dojang. This is where you practice on a set schedule and keep it light and fun. Just remember 2 things, kids have a super short attention span, and they seem to learn alot faster than many adults, so maybe 15 min. 2 or 3 times a week is just fine for them.

Welcome aboard!

Spin, congrats to you and your dedication. As far as learning bad habits and familiarity with the weapons goes, for most people it is better to start with a clean slate, obviously for you this doesn't apply, and that is great! I must disagree with your thoughts that as a general rule it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with a weapon before seeking as you describe 'real' training for one simple reason. Don't spend your time learning things you know you will have to unlearn. Put the nunchaku down and learn something that you have access to competent instruction with. It will be time well spent. As you age and reflect back on your training you will be glad you waited and spent your time productively.

Very true Submission and G95. Let me narrow the focus a little. What are the technical aspects of the almost perfect style?

WOW! $500! Where you at? I'll come over there, teach my stuff and charge $400 for BB exam and quit playing the lotto!

Arrgh, you canned my whole post! That is a great way to look at it. How could I be so blind? Thanks for such a great post.

Welcome aboard!

Hehehe, I saw the black belt in the century catalog. It is similar to the web gear belt I wore in the military! What I can't believe is the $200 + cost of a uniform!

Pacificshore is right, as an "Instructor" I have learned as much as I ever did as a student. Plus as an instructor you must always learn to help your students in their journey.

Great to hear your thoughts, I saw the XMA web site and they don't seem to promote it as a self defense or fighting style. I do see alot of "attitude" in it though, that doesn't seem to mesh with the principles of martial arts.

Unfortunately contracts are becoming a part of many martial arts schools. My advice to you is to make sure that you are comfortable with the instructor and the school first. Then make sure there are provisions in the clause for you to get out of it if you should move or have some serious (i.e. medical) reason to stop training. If both of those conditions are met then you should be O.K.. Just remember, if you train at the school for a month or two and don't feel ready to sign a contract, you probably never will. One last thing a black belt should NEVER be promised in a contract. I am currently in a contract with a school for training to black belt, but the instructor plainly stated that I will be trained until I get my black belt, regardless of test failure or my decision not to test in a cycle, or even if I am denied permission to test. BTW I have already skipped a test cycle when my instructor thought I was ready (I just didn't want to test.) he was fine with it. My instructor has on occasion, failed students, and on several occasions not let students test because they weren't ready. Just follow your common sense and listen to that voice inside that says "something just isn't right" it won't steer you wrong.

What do you think is the perfect style? Is it just one style, or is it a combination of styles? Is it a new type of training not yet known to the public? Is it so simple that a child could learn it, or so complex that it would take lifetimes to master? Just looking for your thoughts. No one is right no one is wrong. Geez, should my next question be "What is the sound of one hand clapping?"

ok, who made it past level 4?

O.K. who knows the real agricultural use for them?

Oh BTW, I have seen a lacewood bo, it kind of looks like a crackle finish in design but the color is a wood grain, it was beautiful and light, unfortunately it was $150.00 US!

There are some great lightweight bo out there for competition, but I would use a plain old red oak or other hardwood bo for regular training, it will help build the muscles you need for great competition forms.

Sit ups are not "in-style" due to excessive strain on the lower back and more work is done by the hip abductors than the abs. Do crunches by keeping your back flat on the floor and knees bent just enough to get your feet flat on the floor for stability. Lift your shoulder blades off the floor, your upper, and some of your mid back will naturally rise when doing this. Your hands can be anywhere, except pulling on your head, you can keep them behind your head, just don't pull your head. You should move more like you are raising your upper torso almost straight up rather than curling up, trust me, its a much better workout than situps.

For steel you might want to go to a paintball airsmith shop that does coloring to paintball guns, I believe it is called anodizing, but not sure. Hey, how cool would a pair of black handled sai with an orange and red flame job coming out just past the forks. Ahhhhh...drool.

You wouldn't believe how many people would quit in your situation. Congrats to you for not quitting. See my sig, now it applies to you too.

I enjoied "The Original Martial Arts Encyclopedia: Tradition-History-Pioneers" by John Cochran and Emil Farkas. Many arts are listed with a chronological history of each and entries on many of their prominent personalities. It also has and extensive section of how the MA were introduced in the U.S..

Baseball caps with "Karate" or "Taekwondo" printed on them, I guess it would be ok for kids, but for adults its just begging for someone to mess with you.

Soda: Diet Pepsi Non carbonated: Propel fitness water (black cherry) Whiskey: Jack Daniels single barrel (when I can find it) Mixed drink: ewww, none, well except for crown and coke Beer: Schulteiss, when I was in Germany, now its a bud light, but only after a day of hiking or other outdoor stuff in the summer.

What is an obi? Why do we bow to the flag? (or instructor, or picture of master "smith") Karate begins and ends with _________. Who is your favorite instructor? (actually had this as an extra credit/ joke question on a black belt exam! BTW there was only one instructor at that school.)