Rich67

Yes, tendons can be stretched. Contortionists routinely do this when they flex their bodies in all sorts of wierd positions. And yes, you do stretch the tendon also when stretching muscles: ie: the runners stretch not only stretches the gastroc and soleus (calf muscles) but also stretches the achilles tendon if you force the heel to the floor.

LOL.... the guy is a flippin' dufus. Anyone who thinks that pro wrestlers (Goldberg, etc. ad nauseum) are going to DOMINATE the MMA/ UFC needs to have his head examined. Out of touch with reality, all right...

Yeah, you gotta bench if you want mass. Your body weight alone can't stimulate enough resistance to tear down muscle enough to develop size. You need that heavy weight.

Yes, there's only one that I do. Take a dumbbell and either stand or sit at the preacher bench. Hold the dummbell in your hand, palm facing away from you. Put your arm to the side, bending at the elbow at a 90 degree angle (like you're signaling a right turn). Then lower the dumbbell toward the ground by rotating your shoulder. USE LIGHT WEIGHT ON THIS especially if you have rotator cuff problems or calcium spurs. On the preacher bench use the same technique, but rest your elbow on the top of the pad. Then lower the weight till you feel it or until you touch your arm to the lower part of the pad.

Hee hee hee... sounds like the same class I was in, LOL. I started taking San Soo through a mutual friend and we basically worked out in this guy's wherehouse that had a mat and a drinking fountain. Our instructor gave us the skinny on biting, eye gouging, groin strikes, throat strikes, and various breaks. You cannot practice that stuff full-boar. I only took it for a couple years, but I remember in the beginning most moves were slow and deliberate. We learned a lot about striking areas, joint locks, that sort of thing, things you really couldn't practice full speed. I had 10 years of TSD behind me, so I was a little more comfortable with the moves, so I usually picked up the speed in class as did my training partners. It can be pretty rough on the body. I had my lip split open once, had more bruised thighs and shins than I can count, and finally tore my ACL when I was kneed in the thigh. Thus endeth my San soo days. Like Treebranch said, it is effective. The whole mentality behind San Soo is to severly disable your opponent immediately before he has a chance to injure you. You have to get the element of surprise; something you can't teach in a class. It works well in the street, and I can vouch for what Treebranch said- it works well. Back in my "wilder" days, my buddy and I used to go out and try to get into stuff just to see how we could apply what we learned. I lost a few, but I was wiser for the experiences, and applied my corrective measures the next time. I'm now older and wiser, and I still say San Soo is a pretty practical style- probably a better base for self-defense than TSD was for me.

Tang Soo Do isn't as plentiful as TKD is, but there are still some schools out there. The TSD studio I went to was taken over by Chuck Norris right before I tested for my black belt, and became "UFAF" or United Fighting Arts Federation, that was quite a while back, I don't know what it is now. Norris kept the TSD basic style but incorporated some Jiu Jitsu as well, since he was training with the Machados and Gracies around the same time. But like others say, TSD and TKD are esentially the same thing; you cannot go wrong with either one since the style and core beliefs are very similar ( I think the katas are too). Don't close your mind to other styles though, look into Kung Fu, Judo, Jiu Jitsu, Aikido, etc. It never hurts to be well-versed.

Triceps are a much bigger muscle, becuase it is comprised of 3 smaller muscles (hence, tri-cep). Tri's are effective for pushing/punching movements. Biceps are needed for overall balance of the triceps, and assist in squeezing movements (chokes) or pulling movements. Bottom line is, yes, guys work their bi's a lot more becuse they look better and the women love it. But you have to balance them both. You can't get big tri's without also working the bicep to some degree. But don't solely rely on curls with big weights. All you need to do is pullups or chinups in your sets, and those will hit the bi's enough.

Pushups and dips and by far the best pec exercises out there. Wide pushups, narrow arm pushups, knuckle pushups, foot elevated pushups and pushups using weight on your back. Dips using weights work great.

Are you ACTUALLY talking about PRO "WRESTLING" (I use the term loosely) here?? That is pretty sad. I got news for you, Sano: IT'S NOT REAL, AND IT'S CHOREOGRAPHED! ALL OF IT...INCLUDING MUCH OF THE BACKSTAGE SHENANIGANS.Were you backstage and witnessed this "alleged" off-camera bout? Please. Every one of those 'roided out SHOWMEN know a fair amount of wrestling tactics, yes. And the original "pro wrestlers" of old, certainly knew their game since it started out being a SHOOT- and then someone wanted to draw bigger crowds. Now it is a complete WORK. I am not disputing the fact that those guys would be tough opponents. But I have NO RESPECT for any of those guys. Any bonehead can plunge a syringe loaded with Deca in his * and gain 50-100 pounds of muscle. That's not a sport, it's a joke. I have the utmost respect for the REAL wrestlers-those are guys I wouldn't want to tangle with on the ground.

I trained with heavy weights for about 10 years, and realized that all the heavy benching I did messed up my rotator cuff, and all the heavy squats I did messed up my lower back. I recently switched to light weights and body-only resistance. The best exercises are pushups and pullups for upper body strength. I also do squats and light shoulder work to keep my rotator in good shape, and curls and dips for the arms. Keep it simple. Don't do complex exercises. The ones I mentioned are core exercises, and basically cover all parts of your body efficiently. I also do ab work, but with training and the other exercises, they get a pretty good workout on their own.

This sounds like a bogus post to me; trolling. If you have to post a question like this on a board, then you're better off taking the previous advice of filing charges for battery. Otherwise, grow a pair and put the guy in a rear naked choke like Wolverine suggested and knock him out. He'll think twice about messing with you again.

DUMBBELLS: http://bodyworksfitness.net/images/IGXdumbell01.jpg BARBELLS: http://bodyworksfitness.net/images/TroyFixedBarbells.jpg I hope these links work, otherwise just cut and paste them.

Thanks, cross.

I totally agree with you. There ARE times where it is always better to walk away after weighing your options. You did right, and like I said before, the fact that you're here typing this is a sure sign you played your cards right that day. You're only 16 I see, so you made the right decisions. I just put the color codes there to help you as you get older and to help you understand the escalation of violence. Good luck to ya!

OK OK Like I said, I never studied JKD and it's philosophies. I understand that JKD is a lot like MMA...taking different styles and philosophies and integrating them into things that work. The only thing I know about JKD is from "Tao of Jeet Kune Do", so I'm probably not at liberty to talk about it. I was just a little peeved at Sano for his attitude. Sorry if I ticked you JKD guys off. Honestly...no sarcasm there.

Anytime you get beat down, there is always "afterfight remorse". Did you do all you could, why didn't you do this, blah blah blah. Don't get discouraged. Bottom line is, you are still around to type on the computer and tell us the story. Here's some food for thought, though. The reason you were basically standing around and not fighting back effectively was you were not thinking of an attack on your person. There are color codes for the condition of human awareness: WHITE: totally unaware of what is going on. You're listeneing to music and don't even know what is happening. YELLOW: you are aware of what is going on around you, but it is of no concern, and nothing is directly affecting you. ORANGE: There is trouble near you, and you are aware that you may be affected. RED: You are ready to fight. You take a fighting stance, look for nearby weapons, etc. Things are going wrong, and you know it. Someone is advancing on you, someone is yelling at you, you know there is a fight about to occur involving you! BLACK: total panic. Sensory overload. You scream, run, curl into a fetal position. You cannot fight effectively in condition black. When you saw the muggers, you were in condition orange. You should have been in red. Your body could not shift from cond orange into red because you had chosen to turn your back on a possible threat. While you were getting hit, your mind was going from orange into black, skipping red all together. Your assailant was already in cond red, so he had a good jump on you. In the future, take the mentality that if you are in cond orange, you need to be in red immediately. Better safe than sorry. Don't turn your back on a threat. Strike before he strikes you. It'll take time, but don't get depressed over it. Always be aware of your surroundings.

I may get flamed to high heaven for this, but here goes: (Big intake of air)... Get that Power 90 or Slim in 6 workout program from BEACHBODY.com. I normally never use those "infomercial" pieces of Cr**, but my wife ordered the Power 90 program and I just started using it because she wasn't. I was never seriously obese, but I weighed in at 195 pounds when I started it, and looked a little flabby around the waist. In about 2 1/2 months I was down to 185, and my 34 waist pants are falling off me now. Watch what you eat, reduce your calories, and do that program, and it'll do the trick. I wouldn't worry about the excess skin you have looking unsightly if you lose the weight. Unless you're 300+ and have been that way for years, you may have some loose skin. But skin is remarkably elastic; it'll probably shrink right along with you. Good luck bro!

Resistance exercise is good, but these things don't look like they're worth the effort. Training with bands to help kick power is not a real viable alternative from weightlifting and heavy bag/ stationary bag workouts. If you use bands, the form of your kicks may not be appropriate due to the odd pulling manner of bands. Stick with the iron. If you want to build kicking strength, do this: Squats: 3 sets of 15-20 reps with a barbell Jumps (hold barbell on shouldlers, squat and Jump up) 3 sets of 20 (light weight) Wall squats ( sit against a wall with your thighs parallel to the floor..hold for as long as you can) Leg extensions: 3 sets of 15-20 reps Leg presses on machine: 3 sets of 15 If you don't have access to that equipment, then grab some 20, 30, 40 pound dumbbells and squat at home holding them at your sides. The squat is the best exercise for leg strength. Also do "jumps" with the dumbbells. Hold them and jump vertically. That builds explosive strength.

They're esentially the same thing. I think the wrestling/jiu jitsu rash guards have more spandex or elastic in them to make them slightly more flexible than the watersport variety. But I don't think it'll make much of a difference.

Thanks, KBB. I'll grab a Clearwater phone book Monday.

This "macho" attitude always cracks me up. In a REAL fight, let's be honest here, you DON'T WANT to get hit! Would you like to be hit, square in the nose or jaw, by someone who is an experienced boxer? If you think that's enjoyable, and you are such a real "man" that you can suck it up, then be my guest. JKD's "dance of death" (as you refer to it) is a method used to confuse and keep your opponent guessing, and help you avoid direct strikes, which can definitely put a damper on your ability to finish a fight. Bottom line is, you WILL get hit in a street fight. But just walking into a punch to prove you're a man is just friggin' stupid. Winning the fight is the sole objective. Not going to the hospital with a busted jaw. Now don't get me wrong, I never studied JKD and don't really care to, since I don't believe it is an extremely effective method of study. But it has it's place in tournaments (or point fighting) where the fights are bound by rules.

Physio said you'd be OK....hmmmm..the way you described your injury, the sound and pain, sounds like you either tore your ACL in the knee or tore the meniscus in your knee. If your knee feels ocassionally weak, or gives out, or it swelled up a lot after it happened, then you better get a second opinion. I say this because the exact thing happened to me, and that's what I was diagnosed with. If you tear the ACL, your knee no longer has any front/back stability, and it'll give out on you whenever you do strenuous excercise. Also, it leads to arthritis as you get older.

It was awesome. Unfortunately, I was injured while I was just getting into it (2 years). I then moved from California and haven't got into it here in Florida. It's definitely a very practical art for the street. It taught me to turn the tables in a fight and become the aggressor, even if I was caught off guard. That in and of itself is something a lot of styles don't preach; they want you to go on the defensive and counter attack. Hyperextended elbows... ohh man that makes me cringe.

You got that right. My Tang Soo Do school was full contact and light face contact. We sparred both with hand and foot pads and without. You gotta learn how to take a punch. I don't care how good you think you are, you're gonna get hit in a real fight. A lot of schools try to justify the no-contact sparring, but most are lame excuses. I only got injured twice while full contact sparring: a split lip that required stitches, and a torn ACL when a buddy kicked my thigh (this was a complete accident, and was not an intentional strike). The split lip I was back in the studio the next day. The ACL put me out of the loop for 8 months. But either way, I say any sparring w/o contact is a waste of time. Just run through some katas for the same effect.

I was just curious, aside from the obligatory bumps, bruises and stitches, has anyone received a bad injury (meaning took you out of the loop for a few months) from martial arts training? I tore my ACL and MCL once, and that pretty much took me out of commision for months. That was during my Kung Fu San Soo days. What style were you involved in, and what injury did you receive?