Ben

definatly more welcoming that a lot of other boards i've been to. thanks

I definatly remember Bruce Lee looking at an unfamiliar opponant while bowing... although for some reason i'm now thinking about that scene in "Enter The Dragon" where he slaps the student around the head for not looking at him

dont be worried about people flaming you - its your past and you payed your price and learnt your lesson. lifes all a learning experiance and you learnt a lot there by the sounds of it. takes quite a big man to admit to that kind of thing

i would definatly agree there, but i think i understand what he's trying to say. that if it was a real situation, and for some reason the two fighters were bowing and they allowed strikes as soon as bowing takes places, you must remember that the opponant is still the opponant and so you should be cautious. tho also its a good habbit to get into and that the instructer can see that you are using your brains

i have chosen TKD over a lot of other arts, because i aim to become fitter, and to have the ability to defend myself. i think TKD is an amazing art with a lot of strengths, but of course, everything has a weakness. i feel that if you do want to become great at self defense, or prepare yourself for any street attacks, kicks wont do. you cant just kick. you also need some punches, and maybe some me grappling. but has this seemingly "unbalanced" martial art made me not want to do it? not in the slightest. TKD *does* include elbows, knee's, and punches. just because you dont see it on tv or in sparring, doesnt mean they dont. and why dont you see it? because its not what the art is about. they teach it to make you slightly more rounded. have you ever had the thought "why dont they come up with just one MA that covers every single detail?" they probably have. they probably tried. and from what i understand, if they have tried this, they have failed for a reason. if you do karate, where are your weakpoints? if you think they are a problem, strengthen them through personal means. if it means taking up another art, then do it. and i feel its the same with TKD. to be rounded, you are a freestyler - no doubt about it. if not, why are the freestylers freestylers? i guess the main point here is that in my opinion, karate is good for in close, and TKD is close for long range. again, its *personal preferance* after all... if you were 5'2" would you do jiu-jitsu or TKD? i'll let you think on that one...

i was just wondering if some of you guys are on training diets, what they are, and which type of diets to avoid cause they generally dont work. i've looked back a good few pages for diet info/talk but havnt found any at all. thanks

my friend does drunken boxing, and he said he'd mix some styles up for that... throw himself to the floor, and use his legs to sweep him and put on a hold... of course, i dont know how fast he can safely fall to the floor. logical method?

i would have to be magneto. so... i'm un-original, not very imaginative, and all that stuff... but considering 99% of the people of earth are entirely "average" messing up their machines would be so much fun

Not really anything specific, but it must be people dissing Kata's and Forms when they know nothing about them. if they know about them, and say "i think its crap, but thats only me" its fine. when people go out of their way to make a point of not only saying "its all rubbish", but saying you're silly for doing it - it makes me want to sufficate them with a large head of lettice

Its suprising people havent done that yet. The amount of programs about things like skydiving, and sumo wrestling... i'm sure more people are interested in martial arts than sumo wrestling - no offense to sumo's. and not just karate either, ty hehe

It all depends on what stage you are at now. The best thing to do is get yourself really lean and into great shape. Then build on that. Having a lead house on weak foundations will never be all it can, whereas a lead house on solid foundations will be what you want it to be. if you do it the wrong way around, you'll be stronger, but you will never be as fast, or as "technically sound" as someone who took the above approach (i cant explain things very well, but i hope you get what i mean!)

hmmm... i well may be forced to try that one out and see how my body likes it! sounds like an all around workout for those people with little time, good one

Heyyyyy Ben... Hehe just kidding Damn thanks for the welcome

i dont know too much, cause i myself havnt started lessons yet, but i'll just put a bit of positive/logical thought into it. because of your size, and also the fact that you've said you dont really like the idea of throwing, that rules out judo, and other such similar arts. you;re a small person so you should be quick on your feet, able to move fast, but wont be too strong initially. read through this site, and find definitions of each art name you find its what i did to see if what art i wanted to do - and it was taekwondo. hopefully someone more experianced can answer you, but knowing someone has read your post and tried should atleast tide you over till someone can put a decent point of view on your situation

wow, thanks a lot! where abouts in the UK do you live btw?

I'm into everything, but right now its mainly goth/industrial and EBM. bands like VNV nation, apoptygma berzerk, etc though of course i still enjoy listening to bands like fear factory, machine head, tool, disturbed. i like lots of types of music though - but thats probably cause i'm really into guitar

MY names Ben, I'm 17 years old and live in the UK. My hobbies are socialising, playing guitar, TKD, computing, tennis, cycling and a few other things too. hmm... after re-reading that i feel like i've just applied to a dating agency ^_^ but still... hi!

As far as i understand, doing weights wont harm your flexability. but as with all things it depends on the amount you do it. i mean... take eating fatty foods for example. if done occasionally it wont harm you, infact in some ways its good for you - but in excess it may well end killing you. you sacrifice your health and end up having a heart attack or something similar. in this case, the same applies with weights. doing a reasonable amount will help with your power. but if you do it too much, and neglect other factors like your stamina, flexibility, and technique, you'll be unbalanced and wont be so effective. treat it as an aid, not an essential

thanks guys anyone get anything else they might think will help i'd apreciate it!

i would agree that if you think you could, then try it. if your only concern is making him "look bad", for the use of a better phrase, i wouldnt worry. if you do succeed then you can take it up a level, and progress further. if you cant, then you still not to work on it some more. maybe its an approach he sometimes takes - testing to see how much you are thinking and feeling about the situation. it could be anything - but no one has the answers for you. do what comes naturally

i've been wanting to do a martial art for a long time now, and i'm hoping to start doing TKD soon. if anyone knows any good websites i could have a look at, or just knows of a decent dojang in the nottingham/mansfield area (England) i'd really apreciate it. for the physical side, is there any particular exsersizes/weight training i could do to help me along? i know you get these questions all the time, so thanks to anyone who reply's in advance