Ben

i saw in an mpeg someone breaking a board with a palm strike from just inches away. it looked *awesome*. very controlled and focused. i found it more impressive than the various other high octane kicks people were doing.

ermm... you can be cut by anything sharp. some swords can even cut you that arent sharp - though that depends on certain factors. heh... speaking of being cut, i cut my tongue about 5 mins ago licking an envelope... i'm sure if an envelope can cut, a sword can hehe

Of course, looking at what Warp Spider said from a different angle, if the guy did run over to him or try and harm him, he would have something to swing at the guy attacking, and by making him move over to him, have a good defensive move. Although if i was in that situation, i'd probably have screamed at the top of my voice while throwing something at the guys face to put him off. disarm, kick to the... *ahem*... and a rising elbow into the teeth. but yes... i would agree that having the intent to set it on fire would be... against everything you should. but hey, its just MO

Bart, From what i can tell you seem to make a habbit of exploiting pitfalls of a target individuals mistakes, and you also exploit opertunities to pick out sayings and turn them against people. so for this reason, i shall explain - to the word - what i meant by "i have her" and also the phrase i used of "The point is you have her". by me saying "i have her", i do not mean i own, control, see of her lower, or anything of the sorts. there is a reason i am with that girl - because she wants to be in a relationship with me more than anyone else (at this point in time). knowing this, there is no need to be concerned about another man simply looking at her. also for the second phrase, "the point is you have her", a similar meaning. only me reassuring someone else. Regards, Ben

yeah, i wasnt clear there and my language wasnt too good. i meant women being scared of men hurting them, and not being able to sucseed against men. there a a fair amount of women who think this that would prefer to go to a female only dojang. that is actually my point... they dont believe or cant focus beyond a certain point to realise they are just as good as men. this comes to a lack of beliefe or focus. because they think they are not good enough, does that mean they should not be allowed a dojang for just women? I know you said nothing about women only classes, that was a counter-comment to what you said about male dojangs. i'd prefer to not run the risk of anything going wrong is all. i believe if something is meant to happen - if i'm meant to be in a relationship with someone in my dojang, then so be it. but if i can help it, i'll steer clear. gaaaah... sorry if i've ruffled feathers. very hard week what with personal issues and all. if it seems like i've taken it out on you here, i didnt mean to. just... a funny time i'm going through atm. and additional reasons for a male only dojang: |men with no confidence with women (in the being near them sense) |men not wanting to hurt women |religion |and also, variations of what this thread is about IE people not agreeing

well, i too am occasionally the jealous type. at one time, i was in a relationship with a 24 year old. i'm 17. my point? at the time i was always getting annoyed and agressive with people that wouldnt take their eyes off her. and one day, i picked the wrong guy to say something to. there wasnt a fight but i ended up realising this: I am seventeen! and i have a twenty four year old babe going home with me *every* night. most people will stare at you *and* her for a fair few different reasons. the point is, most people will be thinking "my god she's damn hot..." but the point is that you have her. this says something about you yourself no? if you're with a beutiful woman who's also clever, she must think you're equally good if not better. to this day, if i'm with my gf (currently single though ) i'll get angry cause people stare. but then i think "they must want my girl... well... i dont care, she's mine!" hehe just flow with it. remember: "Be like Water my friend" (doesnt just apply to fighting )

sorry about this double post - accidental. but i'll may as well make a use of it - is there any way of deleting your own posts?

my mum occasionally calls me thomas. i mean... i guess i wouldnt mind anyone else calling me another name on accident, but she's my mum! maybe i have a long lost brother or something

hmm... well it does clunk every other time i kick, and *always* on a high front kick, so i'm going to get around to making an appointment i think. its not accompanied by pain, its just a general put-off when kicking. thanks

i understand that kchenault. i'll try and explain what i meant... in older days, people wouldnt say anything about such acts. in my oppinion he was wrong to hit him, but at the same point i can understand where he's coming from, and i feel like no one needs to say anything about legal action, or use "law" terms. from what i understand it was a one off "shouldnt have happened" incidents. i dont come across overly well for the most part, and i apologise. i'm just going through a stage where i see everyone is making assult claims and trying to sue etc... just gets me slightly annoyed i guess. after re-reading some things, i understand that i just took things the wrong way, so its my fault. only while stretching, and not from a more perverted point of view before you might get an idea. i use stretching as a more relaxing part of the session. i'm not exactly in shape at the moment and so as soon as we start stretches i just like to relax my mind a little and slowly kick my brain into gear for the next part of the session. this is where it can occasionally (but not often) wonder off somewhere for a brief moment or two. and also, going back to your point, many women go to womens only clubs because they think they'll never be able to compete against men. if this is the only reason, which from what i gather it is (along with other related topics) does that mean they dont have the right to have a womens only club? and that they should take part with men? and to be honest, if i meet someone i like outside the dojang, i would go over and talk to them. the reason i do not allow myself to get into friendships with the women of the group is because if anything sexual happened, i know that i would not see training the same way i do now. i would be less focused on training and more interested on her. some people might think thats weak - i've even been told that. but hey... isnt the point of martial arts to try and stop something from happening if you can? [Edit: i'm very defensive here, but i feel i still hold some valid points. my natural reaction is to be very defensive and its something i'm trying to work on. apologies if i offend.]

wow certainly admire that mindset That new style looks awesome. something to definatly look out for. i too would suggest BJJ from everything i have heard and read. not that i need to say this to you, but: keep an open mind and have a go

we have a blackbelt in our class at TKD, that does blindingly fast kicks to the upper body. so fast infact, that if you've seen it, the only thing you can do is just cover up and hope. infact, its more of a trust in his ability to hit the chest pad! i think he could get away with it because he just doesnt look the type that can kick to head height easily. i think mid-section and low kicks would be awesome in a fight. and as for the high kicks?... depends. i do WTF (wishes for a local ITF dojang for his bday ) and i like the fact my instructor tells us "if you're in a street fight, use low and mid-section kicks and try and run" instead of babble about him winning this medal, and that medal summary: IMO, its a *real fight* they are trying to hurt you, they are trying to take advantage, and most of all they just dont care. they are willing to go to any level to steal from you, or just hurt you. anything goes. low kicks and midsection kicks, mainly nice swift side kicks. [chances for a ball shot should always be looked for].

muay thai... i've seen it in action, and oh my god!!! i personally dont want to get knocked in the head with elbows ETC just for the training... but if you can find a kickboxing/thai boxing place around you, i'd strongly suggest trying it. even if you dont like it, its an option that you can tick off the list. although BJJ, as a lot of people have said, also seems to be extremely "street-defence" for the lack of a decent term. like about 60 people have said already, go to loads of clubs, see how you feel about each one. just dont join a class cause theres a load of hot chicks

when i was talking to someone that is a general friend of a friend, i said i was going to take up TKD... he said "you puff, you dont want to sit there like a balet girl and do whimpy kicks. you want to do something like karate so you learn to punch... how many times in a fight do you see people kick?!" which i replied " i can punch alright actually" and he kept pushing me and pushing me, and saying "go on! just hit me! bet i dont even go to the floor" and just wouldnt stop nagging. i'd just turned 16 at the time, so i didnt have much self control. turned around and got him clean in the jaw. after doing this i told him my brother had been teaching me to box for 4 years lol... he never did speak to me again

it is *really* annoying when that happens. at my college there are about 3 of us into martial arts, and we were just practising kicks the other day... it was lunch and we were just toying around. one of my tutors/teachers/coaches (which ever you call them) shouting "ben! stop it, now" and we turned around... turned out another two people were looking at this guy when he shouted the name ben... ... turned out he was facing the opposite way shouting to yet *another* ben! the worlds gone mad on a lighter note, do either of you two even like the name ben?

hmm... i dont think i can add anything on to that. all i can say is i've seen the grading for a red belt, my friend sent me an mpeg. all i can say is i'm taking my training up a few levels especially more endurance - a lot more running and cycling. i have a whole new respect towards any blackbelt

i never saw him in a "real fight"... i think almost no one has. A) most people wouldnt of had the guts to do it and B) he'd probably run off or get out of it somehow because he was a good MAist, not just a good fighter. as for the 300lb to cieling... it wouldnt suprise me. i saw a bio where he kicked a 200lb bag to the cieling with aparent ease. so hey... he could probably do it well, i think i should say "probably have done it"... if he could do it now, that would add a whole new meaning to "turning in his(her) grave"

i'm going to sound very sexist and ignorant here, but i feel it has to be said. The world over, there have been women only clubs. for this, that, and whatever - and i'm getting sick of it. its ok to have women only classes, children only classes, but not male only classes. if there was a male only class, i think some men would concentrate better and feel more determined to push their abilities - cause many men dont want to hurt women in the slightest. from a person point of view, i would be all for a men only club. i sometimes get distracted while stretching because we have a stunning blonde woman who is a model in our class. it takes a decent amount of concentration to ignore this - and i can see many men in the room dont have this level of focus. i know some of you may say "they should have better concentration" but come on... you see a stunning woman at a nightclub do you just ignore her? I would be all for taking the wife and kids with me, to show them exactly how it is in the dojo/dojang. hope you're still ok and your wife hasnt quite locked you in the house yet! just my 2$ oh - btw, about the "assault". you cant teach old methods in a new age and expect the law today not to conflict sometimes pain is the best way to focus.

actually, my names keith, but i've always wanted to be called ben... ermmm kidding Black Dragon: there are about 3 Bens in my TKD class... errmm... must be a ben=TKD thing huh? Phoenix: gaah! i used to live in the somerset area, and everyone i used to meet on forums lived up north... now i'm up north everyone is down south! bah

Rick E: hey... look at bruce lee and a lot of really good martial artists. some are old and podgy, some are old and thin. some are middle aged, some are young. some large, some time. bruce lee probably the best example here. making yourself huge is a bad thing - you become too heavy for your bones, in effect. i dont see anything wrong with what you're doing at the moment at all

i've recently gone from not doing much all day to a strict shedule of training and i've noticed that *everything* cracks. my wrists, elbows, shoulders (theres a huge *CLUNK* everytime i do a push up on my right shoulder) knee's and ankles. there's also a huge clunk when i do certain motions with my hips (again the one on the right). Should i be overly concerned, or do some of you have the same thing? or is it just smoothing the joints out or something? i'm actually quite worried :\ Thanks for any replys Ben

:lol: i work at mcdonalds, and i've started doing TKD. for some reason i'm using my legs for loads of things, and when i was in kitchen i kept forgetting about health and safety, and everytime i kicked something random up in the air, i instantly thought "health and safety" and had to wash it. everyone is starting to wonder whats wrong with me

i know not much about it, but i have seen a few video clips and WOW. from what i've seen, it would not be an effective martial art, but again i cant comment there. those guys are primed, and i also saw that girl they are the ideal for a "good" martial artist body wise. cant fault them there.

i dont spin bo, but i'm pretty handy with firestaffs, both long and short. for general spinning techniques, its very hard to find complex ones. learn all the ones at homeofpoi - that chick is great with a staff, and build speed on them. again a poor technique will not work. make up your own style routines, link things together. just experiment. mmmm... firestaffing after TKD tonight me thinks

hmm... punching elbows *is* good in theory... me and a friend were practising it a while back just to see if it would work, then last week we were just sorta sparring. i thought i'd block a gentle elbow near the face with a punch... my thumb twisted around and broke. so i'm steering clear of this method for a while