spinninggumby

Hi there Glad that you found us. Yea, swords are cool, hehe, even though I don't know much about them. Lookin forward to receiving your input on this forum

When I think 'sport' or when a potentially lethal activity becomes a 'sport', to me it usually means that there are rules or regulations added so that the people involved do not get injured, and advertisers and sponsors are recruited to spread the name of the activity to appeal to a mass audience. However, often times the physical demands of the activity seem to increase, and competitors and/or practitioners are forced to supplement their traditional or regular training with specific conditioning exercises such as aerobics, plyometrics, weight-training, wind sprints, and set aside special time for flexibility or stretching regimens so that they can compete at the elite or higher level(s). So just because it's 'sport' doesn't necessarily make it any harder or easier, just different (albeit not as dangerous or practical).

I would tend to agree with Iron Arahat, but perhaps only because my Shaolin kung fu school was excellent and the ideology and drills always proved effective. Plus the curriculum encompassed everything from grappling to striking to forms to weaponry. However, I do believe that it is the connection between the practitioner and the art that matters the most. It doesn't matter how well Brazilian Jujitsu works for your friend if you yourself cannot adapt or find yourself to really like it or use it to work for your body or tastes. Sure it may sound cliche, but like many people have said, there is no perfect or most effective art. It's all about you and how well you relate or incorporate what you are taught. :smile: Also, you have to take into consideration the fact that just because Wing Chun may prove relatively effective for 'most' people who try it, there are many bad Wing Chun schools as well as good ones, and I won't even go into the whole taekwondo discussion. I would have to admit that there are WAY more crappy money-hungry taekwondo schools out there than there are good ones. Does that mean that taekwondo sucks? You have to look at the options or schools in your area. Muay Thai may have a reputation for being brutal, basic, and practical in real life situations, but if the Muay Thai training camp in your neighborhood is not up to par, it's not gonna do you any good. _________________ Power can accomplish a lot of things. But no amount of power can force another soul to return your love. [ This Message was edited by: spinninggumby on 2002-06-24 20:47 ]

Hey there! My experience also lies in a bit of Shaolin kung fu but mainly taekwondo now. Look forward to engaging in discussion with you.

Wow I dunno what else to say except it looks pretty darn good:) I can't really help with the Korean translation(s) hehe, I can read and write but I don't know the sentence or grammar structure very well yet.

Hello and welcome Looking forward to learning more about hapkido from you!

how about parking 1 mile away and running (2 miles total ) to the gym??

Northern Ogre, LOL. Yea, I'd hate to sound all pro-commercial and McDojo, but if business is what you really need, you want in-your-face advertising, you want to spread your name anywhere and everywhere you can, and to quote one of my friends who runs a successful online business, 'you convince people that they need you even before they realize that they need anyone of your expertise'. Good luck tho, :smile: just my two cents

Hey Shark:) Nice signature. Really makes me think about things, kinda like the whole offensivefighter/defensivefighter/trapfighter thing. hehehe Anyways, welcome and enjoy

Hey Hey Silver Kewl name Welcome

Hey hey Hope you like it here.

Oh, so you're one of those ITF people. Hehehehehehehe just kidding :razz: I study WTF tkd but I would be more than willing to exchange ideas and input with you. People at my school speak of ITF like it's some other totally different art which to me is very untrue and misguided but anyways welcome and hope to hear what you have to say in the near future :smile: _________________ Power can accomplish a lot of things. But no amount of power can force another soul to return your love. [ This Message was edited by: spinninggumby on 2002-06-05 18:01 ]

Yea, and also when you tense up your muscles, it slows you down because your muscles actually need to untense and then become relaxed and then tense again when you move your limbs or body in for a strike. Better to be relaxed already so your muscles don't have to take that extra step at the beginning in order to accommodate your movement(s).

Welcome We seem to be getting a lot of newcomers who are from the Shotokan discipline and that is really cool Always willing to learn more about the Japanese arts since I have always been immersed in Chinese and Korean ones for the most part.

I have heard from some people that stretch machines, although they work, are not worth the money because supposedly there is nothing they can do that you can't normally do on a hard flat gym floor. Also, some people may misuse these machines and force-stretch themselves which ends up in damaged ligaments or muscles. Some people also say that it takes the weight off your legs from the torso so isometric stretching or PNF stretching on these machines is not possible or effective. Either way tho, I don't think it should hurt if the people who use it are just using it for relaxed stretching and don't overdo it (i.e. know when to quit, are patient, etc.). :smile: My old kung fu kwoon had a stretching machine and when I first started out I was that usual enthusiastic beginner so I force-stretched my way all the way out into the splits and I had trouble walking and I was in pain for about a week. Needless to say, it did more harm than good. _________________ Power can accomplish a lot of things. But no amount of power can force another soul to return your love. [ This Message was edited by: spinninggumby on 2002-06-03 22:47 ]

I'm WTF tkd so there are always tournaments varying in scope and importance now and then. I am not a particularly enthusiastic competitor, I like to concentrate more on technique and demonstrations, but I will do it if my instructor really wishes me to or to represent my instructor so that he gets seen in a good light. Although my skill will never be directly related to anyone's teaching, you cannot deny the incredible amount of influence channeled from a master to a devoted student. :smile: In kung fu there are hardly any competitions unless you enter a free-style type contest or you enter a modern wushu forms competition. At least usually I have trouble finding ones which are just kung fu-oriented.

He's gifted with extra cerebral cortex

Coolio Phantasmatic, haha. I am one of those people that actually started to like Star Wars a bit better after the new mainstream-oriented ones came out (Episode I and II). *dodges flying fruit and other projectiles heaved by disgruntled purists*. Darth Maul is still my favorite character from all five movies. And I'm supposed to believe that the Darth Vader portrayed onscreen from Eps. 4,5, and 6 would be able to lay a hand on my wushu-trained Sith Homie even though Vader starts gasping for breath after walking five feet?

I'm still here :bawling: Time to bring out that warrior spirit into the completion of my projects and papers

I do believe in the value of being part of community and joining together as groups to accomplish goals and dreams and all that good stuff, but personally I just feel that martial arts and even competition and all that should be done to test yourself and your character, commitment, skill, etc. and not for your affiliation or status or standing as part of a larger organization. Remember, the school and the people inside it may be friendly and the teachers may instruct you, but for the most part, you are also paying to stay there (despite certain exceptions). Obviously people need SOME way to stay in business but kinda get my point, hehehe. _________________ Power can accomplish a lot of things. But no amount of power can force another soul to return your love. [ This Message was edited by: spinninggumby on 2002-06-03 13:50 ]

Hello John! Welcome to the forums Nice to hear that you have had experience in ITF tkd as well as Wing Chun, and I would be interested to hear your thoughts/input and perspective(s) regarding both. I train at a WTF tkd school and I also experiment with a lot of modern wushu after previously training at a traditional kung fu school. I am looking forward to hearing what you have to say Have fun! Gumby

If my trivia doesn't fail me, I remember reading that Jennifer Love Hewitt is 5'2" and 99 lbs. So if you are a girl, I definitely wouldn't say that you are fat and if you are a guy, you might need to gain some weight

I would assume that anybody who hates the U.S. would also hate the U.S. airforce.

This might kind of be a long shot but try finding a credible school in your area that teaches Shaolin kung fu or a related Chinese martial art. Many types or disciplines of Chinese art incorporate everything from grappling and weapons to strikes and forms. The emphasis is usually based on practical application and health and well-being rather than demonstration or aesthetic purposes (except for modern wushu). Some styles such as Wing Chun, however, may be effective but not as broad or encompassing. You won't find yourself limited although generally kung fu takes more practice and training to become efficient when compared to other arts like say Muay Thai. Nevertheless, there is much rich culture and deepness in the multiple facets of Shaolin kung fu and other related practices :smile: The many recommendations and advice posted in reply to this thread is also pretty good so far, hehehe

I think Muay Thai is an art which allows the practitioner to progress a lot faster than other styles due to its brutal simplicity and practical principles. However, the progress and accomplishment only comes with tons of blood, sweat, and tears (i.e. determination, commitment, hard work, willingness to accept pain and toil, etc.