kbgirl

I'd think you would want to do a lot of leg lifts to work the outside of your glutes as well as work on your splits. No amount of strength is going to get your kick to stay up there if you're not flexible enough to do it.

Yes there is. Unfortunately they are unwieldy, bulky and uncomfortable. Strange, the men's versions are a delight to wear at all times. I even wear mine to work just in case. HAHAHA! Yeah, I have one, and my club promotes them. I will wear it in a tournament or if I go in the ring, but otherwise I hate it. Feels like a diaper or something. I have taken a knee to the pubic bone and bruised it... VERY painful, but I wouldn't think as painful as a guy getting hit below the belt.

Good luck!

I've been given doctors' orders to drink more wine. My good cholesterol is low, and there are apparently only two easy ways to increase it... more exercise, or adding wine. He says I shouldn't exercise any more than I do and that more wine is the way to go for me hehehe...

I like to practice yoga for balance. Try a 90-minute Bikram class... whew!

One trick my instructor showed me, is that it's easier to stay relaxed and have your hands up if you're thinking more about your elbows. When you put your hands to your cheeks with your elbows tucked in, think about keeping the elbows close together but up. The forearm can be nice and relaxed, as can the shoulder from that position. This also leaves you in a great position (thinking of your elbows) for reacting quickly to block body blows as well as hits to the head.

Generally it's like this... Monday: Kickboxing Tuesday: Running or Elliptical Wednesday: Kickboxing Thursday: Running or Elliptical Friday: Power Hike (1 hour) Saturday: Cardio-Kickboxing class I'm thinking of starting a good lifting regimen again. I want to get stronger.

HAHAHA! Yeah, we can get a little rough. That was one of the guys training for the ring fights I was going to go for... I have postponed my fight to some time in the spring, because I didn't feel like I'd be ready with only a month to go. There are ring fights in North Vancouver on November 6th and at least 4 people from my club (2 women, 2 men) will be fighting. They're at the Squamish Nation Rec Centre at 8pm, in case you have nothing else to do with your weekend hehe.

Oh and I'll add that you don't really need to do 100 bench press... you'll get better results for bulk and strength if you lift a weight you can only lift about 6-8 times for 2 sets. You should use a spotter for this, too. I would also recommend adding triceps if you're working your biceps and forearms. You can take a dumbell, hold one end of it and lift it over your head. With your elbows tucked right up side your head (pointing upward) lower the weight down to behind your neck so that your arms are at about 90 degrees, lift back up (keeping your elbows tight to the side of your head).

If all that is new to you, you should see some results in about a month. Unless you're already lean, you won't see too much result in the abdominal area until your body fat percentage is quite low... I've heard around 7 or 8% for men to see abdominal muscles.

We use 16 oz. The kids and some of the teens (who haven't bought new gear yet) use 14 oz. I sure feel it when I take a hit with a 14 vs. a 16. There are guys at my club who have done damage to their hands sparring even with the 16oz gloves on... one connected with a guy's forehead and his knuckes are bruised believe it or not!

In Canada, look for PowerGel (from Power Bar) and Cliff Shots (they make Cliff Bars, too). I have used them for endurance running, but never for MA. If you do an endurance sport for more than about 90 minutes, you use up all your stored glycogen and need readily available glucose to keep you going longer. I agree, that there's not really a need to use them when you're going for shorter periods... you'd probably be better off with a Gatorade for a little glucose, but mostly for added hydration.

Sorry, my fault... I should have looked at your details, and would have known. So, you punch bare-knucked to the body huh? I understand kyokushin to be full contact... do you punch at full power? That must make for interesting tournaments.

In reality, I think it depends on what kind of fighting you're doing. In the ring, I would say it's punches to the head or kicks to the body that are more likely to be the knock-out blows. Trying to get your knockout by kicking to the head is going to require you to be very vulnerable to being swept or knocked down while you're kicking. That said, I would say repeated punches and hooks to the stomach and ribs will get your opponent's guard away from their head and they will probably start backing up, too. With the increased distance from them backing up, you're in a better position to kick them in the head at that point.

That's interesting... see, I would rather get them to move their defense upward so that I can take them out with a spinning back kick

never plant and be still if you can help it- you make yourself a sitting duck. cover as you step back or to the side, jab out when you can. by sitting there, you are at my mecry, basically. you may not get the opening you are looking for. Or, you may get so hurt that when you do get it you can't capitalize. Ideally, you want to sidestep, not go backward. However, if you go backward, attack with it. As you step back, throw a jab. If you lean back, throw out a teep. I absolutely agree that you don't want to just plant and stay still. I just mean, with my feet planted, I'm in a better position to block, duck, weave etc. and counter. If I'm moving and getting hit at the same time, I find it's much harder to throw much other than a few punches that are really not going to be very powerful because they won't incorporate the power from my legs. Also, I'm unfamiliar with the term 'teep'... what is that? Thanks.

Well, if someone's throwing techniques in your direction, and you can move backwards or (better yet) to the sides to avoid them, that would be your best bet. However, if you're getting hit while you're moving, you're not in a position to block or attack and you're vulnerable to being swept. If you're not certain you can avoid being hit entirely, I think it's a good idea to plant yourself, block and take a few hits and then counter when you see the openings... then move.

You should try and get in cardio exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes 5-6 days a week ideally. Plus, start drinking water. It will help to keep your body fuller feeling, it will help flush foods through you. In addition, try eating the highest fiber foods you can find. If you're having sandwiches at lunch, make sure they're balanced with high fiber bread (over 3g/slice) and that there's not too much meat and that the meat is lean. Don't add fatty dressings to them... instead try adding more tomato or something more 'wet' for texture. I lost over 50 lbs not too long ago and I did it by following Weight Watchers. I'm in Canada, but you can get info online and actually WW UK has a men's program and men's message boards for support. You might want to check that out too. I agree with Rich, though... Breakfast and Lunch should make up most of your caloric intake for the day.

Don't worry... you have years of training ahead of you to learn to spar effectively. A few things to note: Movement... stay on your toes so you can move quickly. You want to be able to get out of the way of most of the hits coming your way. Movement side-to-side vs. back & forth is also important - mix it up. Distance... get in, throw your combo, and get out... Watch and notice... watch for the openings. Have some good combos ready, but watch what your opponent is doing his/her feet, body movements, hand placement. If you see the opening, hit it with the most appropriate technique... this one takes time to get the hang of. And keep your hands up and elbows tucked in to your sides... you're probably not taking punches towards the face yet, but it's good to make it a habit. Enjoy it!

Sorry... I HAVE to state the obvious. If you're in your teens, you really should not be drinking at all. In fact, I think being in MA should give you a good excuse not to give in to the peer pressure of drinking alcohol in social situations. Just tell them it's because you're training and taking care of your body. You've got a good out there...

HAHAHA! When I saw the thread name I thought "OMG, YES! Creep" but saw it was you... okay... hmmm... My guess is that men feel they should know how to fight from day one. Women have NEVER (mostly) felt pressure to fight, learn how to fight, consider fighting... okay you probably get my point. Women may be more likely to think about the skills they're being taught, because without them, they have nothing. Men may be more likely to feel like fighting is just something they're supposed to know how to do and go with their instincts a little more. 7 months of training is not long at all. In my school, we only start combination sparring at about 6-9 months (exchanging, say, a 3-hit combination back & forth) with more 'normal' sparring starting after the 9 month mark (very light). Anyway, just MHO. Interesting question tho.

Check out this link for strength training for women... I find it very informative. http://www.stumptuous.com/

Feel free to hold a stretch as long as you'd like to, as long as you're able to breath clearly in a comfortable manner. If you cannot breath smoothly, you're stretching too hard. Take yoga, for instance... many postures are deliberately held for a period of 60 seconds and taking 6 deep inhales & exhales throughout that time is advocated.

Yes, we use sweeps, but I practice kickboxing vs. TMA's. I wish I actually used them more! I get swept sometimes, but am not at the point where I have incorporated them into my sparring much... I'm still working on blocking and moving so as not to continually show up at work with black eyes and a bruised nose. But that's me.

Ice them, massage them and take some ibuprofen. Try and go easy on them for the next couple of days - you want to go into your tournament feeling relatively fresh.