SuperMinh

I know people who can make almost all of their joints crack... They don't seem to really suffer of that. [ This Message was edited by: SuperMinh on 2002-02-28 09:41 ]

What's going on ?

I thought you had to wrap between the fingers as well... ??

Hi both of you

Hey Jared, welcome. By the way, where are you from again ?

Just kidding... What have you got against french gov anyway ?

I've just started training with ankle weights. I was wondering if there was a risk of injury when doing leg raises as the weight makes you swing your leg further. Isn't there a risk of pulling a muscle or something ? I'd also like to know if any of you have exercise ideas with those ankle weights (apart from kicking with them of course...) SuperMinh

Welcome both of you. Good intro Che... SuperMinh

Where do you live AnonymousOne ?

Yeah Prodigy, i know it sucks... One day... SuperMinh

Angus you're crazy mate, one day you ain't gonna get up and walk back home after people "treat you like a football". Chill man!! No point losing all your teeth for some dudes talking bad and wanting nothing but to kick your ass. We're not policemen or heroes because we're studying martial arts. Hopefully you just lost a tooth but who knows about next time. SuperMinh PS: did he break your tooth in pieces ? I mean you said you had to pull them out afterwards... I didn't know you could break a tooth in more than 2 or 3 pieces

:nod:True spinninggumby, I think exactly the same. . I have respect for the "traditional" people out there trying to prevent their art from becoming a simple "sport" and a way for sponsors to make money. However, like you said, nothing improves without changes. Sport karate will attract more people into the dojos, meaning more practicionners will get involved, more improvements will be made, etc... The result will be a younger karate, better than ever before but still carrying the traditional components. The way i see it, is a bit like cross-training. In traditional martial arts, everyone used to be student of one single art, and masters only used to "master" their own style. And different practitioners defied each other to see which style was better. Then came Bruce Lee and his peers, they started by traditional MA but quickly evolved and learnt all they could from other stuff such as boxing, fencing, etc... Kung fu masters saw Lee as a traitor. Today he's being praised by everyone. And now it's normal for students to cross-train. Take it this way, if you were stuck to the tradition of studying only one art (say karate)and had to face an equally skilled practitioner of, 2 different arts, you'd be in trouble. Olympic Karate is an evolution of karate, in the same way cross-training is an evolution of martial arts. Traditional martial arts have been waiting several decades for changes to happen. I think the time has come. SuperMinh [ This Message was edited by: SuperMinh on 2002-02-04 09:26 ]

Thanks SaiFight !! SuperMinh

I was wondering about the rules of competition karate and talked about that with my friend the other day. Apparently, you're not allowed to make contact to the opponent's face but only to his body. Being a kickboxer, i was thinking about entering karate fighting competitions and i've been told i would just have to get used to the rules and practice a bit under those... The thing is, i don't know if i'll remember to pull all my strikes before contact and i don't know if the judges will appreciate much my boxing footwork and weaving. What do you think ? Is it hard to go from kickboxing to karate? (usually people do that the other way round, i know) SuperMinh

Thanks Yoda . I was a bit worried about what i've just read. At least, there's some chance for us to defend ourselves without being jailed... SuperMinh

Thank you for bringing the conversation back in its original place Zaknafein .

Bon, I've felt like you a year ago... I had been studying kung fu for a while and still enjoyed it a lot. But then i had to go away for my studies and therefore, find a new place to learn martial arts... I joined the first (claimed) kung fu club in my university. After a month, i was still doing front kicks and learning how to make a fist (understand me, i'm not saying it's a bad thing. But i've done that for years before and the instructor knew i could do all the stuff their higher belts were doing). I've asked him many times to let me stick to the higher grades stuff but he wanted none of it. I was very frustrated at that time and decided to quit the club. I finally got to a kickboxing club where i still enjoy practicing every week. Going back to the subject, i think that we tend to forget that there are bull...t clubs and instructors out there. Just because someone is a x-dan black belt doesn't mean he's the best instructor of the world. Some of them are literally trying to impair your development so that you don't get better than them... My advice is, if it's been going like that for years, it probably won't change over the night: quit and find another club. SuperMinh

Joanne, I'm in my 2nd year at Uni. I've done all my school in France before that but it doesn't matter as it's quite similar to here. The big difference is you don't get to choose any GCSE or A levels you want to do. You've got to do them all which gives you something about 12 subjects in your final year of school, which to be honest, did really take the piss. During my last 2 years at school, i almost dropped out cos i was so fed up with all the bullshit i had to learn and which would never be useful for what i wanted to do. I really hated it. Hopefully, i got my degree and rushed the f... out of there to come here in the UK. Since i'm at Uni, i think school's wicked (well, let's say it's alright) and i ain't joking. The thing that changed my mind is that now, i study what i like and find it well interesting. Now, about your friend, i think it's better for her to at least finish school and walk away with couples of A-levels. Being a full time waitress ain't fun at all. Ask her what will happen if she gets bored of that as well. Without any valuable degree, she's screwed. Damn, i'm really talking like a geek, ain't it ? Tell your friend that getting bored of school merely happens to everyone and that it's just a period to cope with. After school, life's just getting better. Hope that helps. SuperMinh

Does any of you have any links to websites relating that ? Or anything about boxing news ? SuperMinh

I know you guys in the US don't really love this sport but around here in Europe it's THE great event of this summer. So, my question is: who do you think is going to win this year's cup ? My bet is on France I think Argentina's got a good chance as well.

:nod:That's true Angus, i've only come across the extreme importance of footwork when i started kickboxing. Before that, while i was into kung fu or karate, i gave little importance to moving around and stuff. I thought i could push opponents back by staying there and not moving around a lot. Now i've learnt... Footwork, when well incorporated to your technique, makes you the best fighter you've ever been. You get almost untouchable... SuperMinh

Couple of years ago, the wushu (kung fu) championships were held in China. There are 2 different kinds of contests in wushu: the tao (forms) and the fighting itself, quite similar to karate's kumite (except no punch to face allowed). Well, the results were: Asian countries dominated the tao competitions (mainly China, Taiwan, etc...) while European countries won the fighting competition in almost every weight category... Leaves me to wonder if that "Asian are better fighters..." is appropriate

I heard something about full contact being created by american karatekas who didn't want to pull their punches and kicks anymore...

I find it very encouraging to see such determination...