Thruhiker

Martial Arts is a journey. The color of the belt shouldn't mean much to a martial artist other than allowing one to get a visual of rank or honor for the members of the Dojo. One needs to look at themselves and ask why they are studying MA? Is it for the belt? Is it for self-defense? Is it for fitness reasons? Is it to be a better person? A Martial Artist needs to know what makes them arrive at the Dojo for every class. I have seen tournaments where a 2nd Dan was put against a brown belt and the brown belt wiped the floor with the 2nd Dan. The 2nd Dan was devastated. You could see their self-esteem escaping as the sails deflated. One must realize that there are many Dojo's out there with lots of different requirements for earning rank. Some instructors do not believe in giving anyone under the age of 16 a black belt and others think that a 10yr old can handle the responsibilities of black belt status. My suggestion is if you like your school continue along and concentrate on your training. Get the most out of your training and give 110% during your class time. Go home exhausted. Enjoy your journey.......

I'd have to say that "Living the Martial Way" by Forrest Morgan was a great book.

I have heard of an instructor being sued but I don't know the specifics other than it really messed up his financial situation and he lost his house.

First off I like what Yoda said "A six pack is made in the kitchen, not in the gym." There is so much truth to that statement. One must watch what they put in their mouth if they want a six pack. Especially for a guy, because the fat rests in the belly and love handles. If a six pack is desired then you really have to commit yourself to a regiment of training. I would recommend getting on an Aerobic workout that lasts for 30-60 minutes a day where you are truly sweating the entire time. Then do that workout for 6 days a week with one day off. During that time eating right and NO fast food!!! Anything you prepare from scratch is much better than any processed food you throw into the microwave or oven to heat up. Fruits and veggies for snacks is better than a snickers bar and ice cream. (Read the nutritional information on the food you eat) As for a workout on the abs: (Remember to keep your abs tight during the entire workout) Reverse crunches -- feet in the air, crossed at the ankles, and bring the knees to the chest. Shoulders off the ground if you can. KEY--only use your stomach muscles not the hips to bring the knees to the chest. Remember to keep your abs tight Bicycle-- search internet for description Crunch -- relax head in your hands, do not strain your neck and look at the ceiling, bring your chest toward your knees (feet planted on floor) hold at top for a half second. tight pulses -- stay in that crunch position at the top where your abs are tight and hurting. Allow your upper body to relax a couple inches towards the floor and bring it up to the top (squeeze tightly). Alternating obliques -- same as crunch except you point your right elbow towards your left knee as you crunch and your left elbow towards your right knee. (Remember to exhale as you move toward your knees) Leg lift extend -- Bring right leg straight out (parallel to floor, maybe 8" off the floor), bend knee towards chest and do a crunch at the same time. Exhale as you crunch. Leg lift obliques -- same as leg lift extend except you put your right elbow on the left knee as it comes in towards the chest. Leg lifts -- bring both legs straight out 2" off the ground and lift to 12-18" off the ground and hold for a couple seconds. Use only your stomach muscles. Hope this is helpful

Out of curiosity what was the fee to attend?

I wash my uniform after every class. It's nice to have a spare incase life gets hectic.

Way to go :cheers Big head syndrome? Just remember your journey and what other senior ranks did for you as you progressed in rank.

Congratulations to the wives of JaseP and TanSooGuy. One doesn't see that kind of dedication very often and its a great honor to have that caliber of people on this website. By the way congratulations on to JaseP and TanSooGuy for your present rank. Happy Easter!!

Thanks for sharing We can't forget the 1500+ solders we have lost since 3/19/03 when we started the war. We also need to praise those that are still over there doing a Great job and deserve our respect. Salute!! Don't forget to pray for our soldiers and their families!!

I too am an avid hunter. I like to hunt white tail deer and my weapon of choice is a bow an arrow. That doesn't mean I'll miss gun season. During that time of season I like to use my Browning 7mm. I hunt for the meat and the rack isn't a bad trophy either. Turkey season is just around the corner and should be a good season. I've always wanted to go coyote hunting but just haven't found the time yet. Happy Hunting

http://www.big-boys.com/articles/thearmymen.html

How bad do you want to work out? KSD Doug has some wonderful ideas with looking at where you spend your time. Another spin on Doug's idea is to look at where you spend your money. Doug mentioned the following "Time Management is more than just keeping track of what your appointments are. It's also tracking what ALL your time each day is spent on. It's finding the gaps you wouldn't normally see, because you're going a million miles an hour. It's finding inefficiencies in your schedule you wouldn't normally look for " Lets take that exact idea and see where ALL you money is being spent. Track your spending habits for a couple weeks by saving EVERY receipt. Sit down with those receipts and see how much is spent at the convenience store, fast food, movies, bar, etc. Rent/Mortgage Car Food Gas Electric School Kids Insurance Martial Arts Cable Phone Credit Cards Bar Etc What can you do to cut your overhead to work less hours? Is the cable t.v. or internet that important? Do you have a land line and a cell phone? Are they both necessary?. Can you buy a cheaper vehicle and sell the more expensive one? Can you find cheaper insurance? Can you pack a lunch instead of going out to eat. Which may also help with eating healthy to give you more energy. Is there anything around the house you can sell on ebay to make a couple extra bucks? Apply that money onto your bills to cut them back. Get on a budget and tell your money where to go. Make sure you leave a little fudge factor or cushion of spending cash. With out that item most budgets will fail. These are a few suggestions that might help you out. Final solution. Win the Lotto

Welcome

I found a new feature that yahoo has created in their web search that would assist you in this matter. If you go to https://www.yahoo.com and then click on the video tab you can search the web for any topic and it will search out all video formats from mpg, avi, etc. Enjoy!!

Hi my name is Thruhiker. You might wonder what thruhiker means. Well the terms is defined as someone who has hiked the Appalachian Trail from GA to ME (2160+ miles). Well I personally haven't done this feat just yet however it's a goal that will be accomplished in the future. My school of choice is Tae Kwon Do. Why did I choose TKD? Well quite frankly it was virtually free and we study the traditionl methods of TKD. I got involved because one day my work had sent out a newsletter stating they were starting a beginner class in our health facility. I signed up and was accepted into the class. I have been studying for about two years now. I must say that I am a lifer. The Martial Way is a part of me now and there is no turning back. Thank you for reading Thruhiker

Hello White Warlock, Belated Welcome, I know you mentioned that some have called you a jack of all trades and a master of none because you lack a piece of cloth around your waist. I feel your pain that some are considered unworthy because they don't have a certificate to validate their job skills. Unfortunately that is where our society is going. Society wants the piece of paper to validate you history. They want the black belt and the certificates showing your knowledge. As if on the job training isn't enough. Today it seems just a few jobs are worthy of on the job training such as a plumber or an electrician. Todays society wants proof of your claims. There are too many scams these days on TV, internet, door to door, relief funds (911 & tsunami), dojo's (self proclaimed instructors), etc....... Just search the internet and look at some of the videos of kata from different schools. There are some scary black belts doing stuff that make a white belt look good. Enough rambling.....as always it's a pleasure . Thruhiker

Sorry that I haven't responded. I have been deer hunting the last month and a half. Thanks for all the replies I see I sturred the pot a little.

Unfortunately it sounds like your school is more concerned about the bottom line that the quality of the students. Maybe those students that are performing at the white belt level could care less if they are training or not and their performance shows. So the owner may have decided to pull them along and take the $$ while he/she can. If it were me I would be looking for a different school. One that will work with you on a more personal level and promote you when you are ready rather than a time schedule. Best wishes

I will do aerobics, weight train, or practice my martial art every day. Except the weekend (family time)

Audio Adrenalin -- I'm alive Audio Adrenalin -- You still Amaze Me Third Day -- Til the Day I Die Third Day -- Come On Back to Me Third Day -- Rockstar Third Day -- I Got a Feeling Good Stuff...gets you pumped up as well as your spirit.

All MA were created to train warriors how to Kill. But today guns have been created and MA has taken a back seat to some degree. Now MA is taught more for self-defense than anything else. Why might I say that? Have you ever seen a MA schools market their school as a "Learn to Kill school" ? No, they market their school as self-defense schools. In this case the young man needs to defend himself. If the young man doesn't learn to stand up for himself now then when? Besides if the young man does defend himself word will get around and people won't pick on him anymore (one hopes). Bad part is the next bully might be at your door step looking to take you down. Because they want to be the BIG DOG on the block. I'm speaking from experience. If you do decide to defend yourself (other person starts the fight) then by all means finish it. Watch your control BECAUSE you really can severly hurt/kill someone with your training. I hope this is helpful. I'm really not an advocate for fighting but that is what young men do. There will always be the next fight. People are like animals. Lets look at lions, deer, rams, elk, and the list goes on. These animals fight to see who the dominate one is so that they can be the head of the heard. The two males will fight until one gives up and sometimes that isn't until one is cut, broken, and bruised. All to become King!! There is always a dominate one or leader. This happens at every playground in America.

IMO it doesn't matter if you can run one mile or 100 miles. The average fight will only take seconds before it's finished. Beside if it doesn't your adrenaline will kick in. It's always nice to have some muscle behind your martial arts. I'd like to see you hold your leg up for a full minute while I fight you. I know the drill is there to help develop your balance.

I am interested in knowing the differences b/w TSD & TKD. Such as TKD has 22 basic moves. (At least in our class) I would image the forms/katas are different. But for the most part are the two styles similar? Thanks for your response in advance.

We are tree hugger people on this site. It's a shame you have abused a tree in such a way. Must break bricks instead