Rich67

What you're asking is virtually impossible to diagnose on a board like this. I can't tell how your talents are matched, what your technique is, etc. My advice would be for you to feint more, jabs,etc. in order to get him to move his hands. Avoid high kicks that he can grab. I had good luck with a jab up high (which brings the opponent's lead hand up to block), then going in fast with a reverse to the midsection (followed by a sweep or knee). If he has a good defense, then play the waiting game with him...wait till he attacks you, then look for openings, strike, move, and attack while he's off balance. Just keep practicing, and don't get discouraged.

Congrats!! Keep on it and listen to your body; if you have some pains take time off and don't push it. Nothing worse than injuring yourself and having to sit on the computer all day long like I was doing!

San Soo deals primarily with basic, simple, large body movements. San Soo practitioners are taught that when the adrenalin in a fight starts pumping, smaller muscle coordination goes out the window. Strike areas are stressed (throat, groin, nose,solar plexus) that cause severe pain and can put your opponent out of the fight fast. They also teach pressure points and muscle separation techniques, but I never thought that stuff was practical. There are some locks (leg and arm) and foot sweeps, but nothing spinning or too fancy. I didn't study katas in San Soo. Just a lot of mat work and sparring (without the throat strikes! ). San Soo has elbows and a lot of in-close work.

Blisters are caused by friction against weak (non calloused) skin. Eventually (longer than 13 weeks), your feet will develop callouses, and the blister problem will go away. If you need quick relief, I'd suggest putting baby powder or gymnasts chalk on your feet as funny as that may sound. It usually repels sweat, and it reduces the friction between your feet and the floor. If you want to help in the development of callouses, keep training the way you are and endure the discomfort. The only problem is how often you train. If you are not giving the blisters time to heal, then you are just chafing raw skin each time you train, and callouses can't build up. Taking a layoff for a period of time while they heal up or using the baby powder approach will help in their development. But the skin has to heal over the raw skin.

If I had to choose one, I'd say striking. Here's why: grappling techniques most certainly require repetition and a partner to practice. You cannot go through the moves with the air, since a partner reacts to the changes of hand position and movement. Kicking and punching, on the other hand, can be practiced without a partner using a heavy or speed bag (as in boxing), but there is also no substitute for sparring. Summary: you can learn some good TECHNIQUES and TACTICS from books, but they won't work or work well unless you practice them against a LIVE target; one that hits and grapples back. So use the books to add depth to your skills, but never use them as a substitute for REAL instruction and training.

Just a suggestion: if you have no idea what to snack on, and instead of eating a crummy meal, buy some milk and bananas, and protein powder. Mix one cup of milk with one scoop of protein powder, and one banana in a blender. That's about 30-40 grams of protein and low in calories. A good quality whey protein is good, and lowfat or non milk. That drink can sub for any snack or meal instead of you going and grabbing ANYTHING just because you're hungry. It's cheap, and relatively low in calories.

I don't think there's anything wrong with them. Books and tapes are SUPPLEMENTAL learning aids to actual hands-on training. You can't watch tapes and read a book and be a master. But I think if you have a solid hands-on training program and you want to learn supplemental techniques through books/videos, go for it. As long as you can apply what you see and train with it just like with the stuff you learn in your dojo, I say it's an excellent training aid.

5'11", 185-195 pounds (depending on what phase of training I'm in, bulking or cutting), and athletically built. Not overly muscular.

Wanna make a cool million? Throw some herbs in a bucket with some protein, get Magnus to promote it, and sell it for $50 a pop. Suckers will buy the stuff like it's hotcakes. Rich2k3, the side effects of steroids are numerous and can be fatal. Liver disease, heart disease, and kidney failure are commonplace in hard users. The other ones, like gynecomastia (bitch */men with breasts), impotency (your balls shrink and your own testosterone production comes to a crawl) and roid rage are usually the ones that'll put you into depression.

I don't think "flawed" is the right word. I know some really good fighters who trained in grappling only, and they have an excellent defense. Punches and kicks are hard to score on those guys, so they draw you in and then take you down. On the other side of the coin, I practiced a lot of avoidance to takedowns, and when I spar with my buddy who has studied under Machado JJ, he has a heckuva time bringing me to the ground or clinching without getting beat. But if he does get me on the ground, I'm pretty much screwed in about 2 minutes. I think you should be well rounded in both ground work and basic stand-up fighting, but it all depends on what techniques you train with. A good stand-up guy can hold his own pretty well against a grappler as long as he is trained to avoid takedowns and standing locks/chokes. But I think grapplers should learn stand-up fighting since the fight can be won either way. A well-rounded grappler will beat a stand-up only guy in a street fight a good percentage of the time, IMO.

Yes, the UFC/MMA competitions do have RANDOM drug tests. Random means if someone in charge of UFC feels someone has made significant gains recently that look like steroids are involved, they will test those individuals. Not everyone who competes is tested. It's not like they have the money or resources to test everyone who wants to fight. The same goes for WSM. Check out this article as an example: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/northamptonshire/3022524.stm WSM doesn't have any steroid testing; again it is purely random and at the behest of some of the "big wigs" if the need arises (which hardly ever happens). These guys also know how to cycle in order to avoid positive tests, or use drugs that are not yet banned/ tested for by the general testing community. Some guys, like Magnus Ver Magnusson and Kazmaier have juiced. No doubt. Look at some of Magnus' earlier pictures; he was small and barely muscular. Just a few years later, he was the size of a grizzly. And he owes it all to "supplements"....bull. Guys like Anthony Clark, are actually true strongmen. Anthony doesn't have telltale signs of roid use, although that doesn't say he hasn't touched the stuff ever. But he's a lot more believable than the other guys. Don't get roped in by all those "Muscular Development" mags and pro bodybuilder speeches. Be the best you can be without DRUGS. You'll be a lot happier, and your liver will thank you for it.

What kind of techniques/ training do you use to help mentally prepae you for a fight/possible street encounter? I was curious to see if some of you "imagine" getting into fights or sparring to help prepare yourself for the real thing; the unexpected (or am I the only sicko out here that does that). Do you train a certain way that you have found helps you deal with the adrenaline dump of a real situation? I sparred a lot and had a few street fights, and I find myself mentally visualizing negative encounters with different sized people, what I'd do in a situation if a guy did this, etc... I find that helps me deal better with a real situation when it comes up because I have mentally rehearsed many situations in my head.

A good portion of WSM and pro bodybuilders ARE ON STEROIDS. Please, guys...come on. Some of these guys would love for you to believe they're "natural", and they'll lie thru their teeth to make you fall for that. When I say good portion, I would venture to say 70% or higher...conservatively! Trust me on this, I know how to identify steroid/growth hormone abusers pretty well...I have been a bodybuilder and I have even tried some steriods a long time ago. Steroid abusers are identified by these factors: 1) Excessive acne on the face and on the primarily the back. 2) Gynecomastia (swollen nipple area/ breast tissue development) 3) Distended belly due to excessive water retention/abdominal overdevelopment 4) Excessively large trapezius development in proportion to body (this is not always a primary factor) 5) Abnormal facial/maxillary bone development, particulary the jawbone and forehead (indicitave of GH abuse). If you look at the guys who participate in WSM competitions, about 70% of the guys have these "symptoms". Pro bodybuilders like Dorian Yates, Paul DeMayo, etc. have significant abdominal protrusions. A large portion of these guys are steriod users. I give more credit to the WSM guys, because some of them are truly largely built strong Europeans. I know you'd like to believe it is possible to get a physique like Yates' by eating right and lifting 5 hours a day, but that is what causes a lot of frustration amongst bodybuilders (I was there once), since all that hard work never gives you the physique you see in the mags. YOU CANT OBTAIN THOSE MONSTER PHYSIQUES WITHOUT ROIDS. Heck, even the UFC/MMA guys are juicing (Tim Sylvia, and who knows who else). If you want to see examples of what is realistic for bodybuilders, look at the Men's Health or MuscleMedia magazines. Those guys have physiques that are realistically obtainable by non-genetically gifted guys.[/i]

I'm not sure....I think it has something to do with weapons or bo/escrima/staff fighting??

That is true Wolverine. I'm just saying it's a heckufa lot easier to bulk up on 'roids and it doesn't require as much thought and diet watching as natural bodybuilding does. Granted, you still need to eat protein, etc. It's just real easy for the juicers to pack on the mass even without a doctor monitoring them. While what you say may be true for the pro wrestlers and pro bodybuilders, the average joe schmo who takes roids simply eats and works out, and he'll build the muscle like it's going out of style. You're right, muscle is built during rest.

Welcome to the board! Here's my suggestion to you, although it's hard to get a good program together without knowing what you are really capable of or what your level of conditioning is. You want a six pack, and your arms are skinny. First, you need to gain some muscle mass. To do this, join a gym. Start eating more than you do now, mainly proteins and complex carbohydrates (chicken, steak and fish, and brown rice and veggies). Drink milk 3x a day (lowfat or non). Lift heavy weights in the gym with proper form so you don't get injured. After you "bulk up" for a few months, start doing aerobics training to get cut, so you can see your abs, while cutting back on the calories and carbs. It's impossible to build a complete training regimen on a forum like this. You need to join the gym first, then learn some exercises. Take it slow, muscle building is a long process.

Actually, it is. If you are in the guard, and your opponent applies this choke, he usually leans back and pulls to gain the leverage to really squeeze the choke, essentially stretching your neck. By doing a modified push-up, you are causing his upper body to lift off the ground to stay with you, and therefore he loses leverage to properly apply the full choke. While you do this, you can tuck your chin in, and turn your head in to the choke. That'll take off the pressure. It's worth a try before you tap.

Gi's usually run real large, and the length of the pants are definitely always in need of tailoring. It's a matter or preference, I always liked mine to hang about an inch or so above my heel. Some guys like em real short; like "flood" pants- I think that looks a little funny.

Rich 2k3....first off, most physicians don't know squat about bodybuilding, since they are overweight or out of shape themselves. They can only advise you how to avoid some injuries or whether or not you're healthy enough to start a program. Secondly, watch the advice you get from "experienced bodybuilders", unless you know they are STEROID FREE. Some bodybuilders have a tendency to use illegal assistance, if you know what I mean. And those that do, can do ANY exercise they want, work out for as long as they want and as many days as they want, and still gain muscle and lose weight!! Totally unrealistic. Us natural guys have to watch what we do and eat 24/7. If you really want to know how to tailor a program to get what you want, then ask a personal trainer at a reputable gym.

I think so. I'm not too up on my physiology 101, but it aids in the flexion and extension of the foot at the ankle.

Get your hands on the ground astride your opponent and push up. (He'll have to raise off the ground to stay with you).That takes the pressure off, and then put one hand between the guy's shoulder blades (so he can't get good leverage to finish the choke) and the other on the wrist applying the choke. Keeping your hands there, push all your weight (HARD) toward the side where your arm goes around his back (the opposite side of the arm applying the choke). Once he's down and you feel the pressure lightening more, pull on his wrist applying the choke, and bring the other arm (that was on his back) around in front of his neck and force your forearm into his throat. Slide your head back and out of the choke while applying continual force to the neck. Hope you can understand that...

I'd have to disagree with the people who say that TKD or TSD or other styles involving kicking are safer for the fingers and hands than other styles. You have gotta block those kicks (at least I did), and sometimes it is done with a knifehand or open block. I can't tell you how many times I jammed my fingers arainst someones foot or shin while sparring. I also broke a finger once while sparring blocking a spinning kick. I'm not getting on you or anything, but if you are going to take any contact activity, you better be prepared for an injury of some sort. Including but not limited to your hands! I respect your love for the piano (I played a long time ago too) but you need to decide which is more of a desire for you. If you play professionally and NEED your fingers to earn your living, then look into yoga or pilates classes.... if you play recreationally, and don't depend on your fingers 100%, then GO FOR IT. Or, you can always take martial arts, and just go easy on it and not give 100%...tell them you can't spar all out, or you can't risk your hands....but if that's the case, then I say WHY BOTHER????

CALISTHENICS are general overall body exercises that promote muscular health and aerobic efficiency. Pushups, jumping jacks, situps, and mountain climbers are calisthenics, as long as they are done in succession and at a brisk pace.

SIGH..... O.K.: here's the deal. MUSCLE TONE has NOTHING to do with low body fat or muscle visibility. Your muscles are in a constant state of partial contraction, which keeps them firm, healthy and ready for action at all times. This is called muscle tone! If you are in good shape, hold your arm to your side and look at how your arms hang. Is there a slight bend at the elbow? That's TONE. People with little to no tone have arms that hang with very little degree bend. NEXT: Being "CUT" or "RIPPED" has about 90% to do with bodyfat percentage. The rest is genetics or raw muscularity. You can be a skinny little twerp and still be cut if you have 4% bodyfat- IF you have some muscularity. The term is primarily used for muscular people who have muscular definition showing. Usually anyone under 10% bodyfat with good muscularity is CUT. Thuggish is correct in his opinion. LASTLY: If you want to build muscle, you have to LIFT HEAVY, DO LOW REPS AT HIGH INTENSITY, AND CONSUME A LOT OF DIETARY PROTEIN. Heavy lifting means 90%-100% of your max by 5-1 reps. You will not build muscle if you do not rest enough or consume protein; your body will become catabolic and you will be overtraining, getting sick and weaker. You can become "cut" (reduce bodyfat) both WITH AEROBICS or with ANAEROBICS (weight training). YES YOU CAN!!! As long as you are BURNING more calories than you are taking in per day, YOU WILL LOSE BODYFAT. But if you are on a negative caloric scale while doing weight training, you will not build new muscle; you will lose fat AS WELL AS muscle mass. You CANNOT gain muscularity while on a negative caloric scale. That's why people have a BULKING and CUTTING phase in their regimen. For 6 months or more you can consume excess calories in the form of protein rich foods to BULK while doing weight training and light aerobics. Then you CUT by reducing the calories, taking protein supplements, and stepping up the aerobics for a few months. IN A NUTSHELL!!!