Mr. Mike

well, for one thing you have rules in the ring. You can't just smash a knee, or gouge the eyes while hammer fisting the groin...in essence, what the schoolkids like to call dirty fighting. Remeber, most of teh MMA events have rules like no kicking from the ground while you're on your back, no elbos to the back, no strikes to the back of the head, be careful of the joints, no fishhooking, no gouging, etc. All these things help to ensure victory, but ren't exactly like sportsmanchip.

http://scs.student.virginia.edu/~myosim/ http://scs.student.virginia.edu/~shotokan/ http://scs.student.virginia.edu/~uechi/ http://scs.student.virginia.edu/~uvatkd/ those are at the University in your town. http://www.aikido-of-charlottesville.org/ 7 Tigers Tae Kwondo 2335 Seminole Ln Charlottesville, VA zip code Phone: (434) 296-9933 The 3 Emperors Charlottesville, VA 22903 (540) 433-8402 http://www.innerstairway.com/ Hope that helps some.

youth is king, but you can't argue with experience...I really can't say...all I know is it's going to be one HECK of a match! I won't miss this one!

I enjoy the series as well. The soap opera aspect keeps me coming back again and again.

welcome, and as for pointers, my mouse has a cool little arrow that trails slightly.

hamburgers and churches aren't MA schools. BK and MickeyD's have substantially different tastes and have been established for a combined 100 years. If that were the case, then by all means, go for it! Religion, same thing. Most often, people go searching for a church that caters to their existing doctrine. You won't find the same guidelines for karate school clientele. If the deal is too good to pass up, then go for it. I'm not saying to run for the hills, but by all means, do your homework so you don't end up with a huge headache. If the demographic supports it, and you can offer a bulletproof business plan, then by all means shoot for the moon, and if you miss, you're still out in the stars somewhere. Do you have a solid client base established, or are you relying on walk-ins? Is this in or around a neighborhood or schools? Can you honestly offer a premium service at a superior value? Concentrate as much on the negatives as the positives.

you're very welcome.

STill, it seems like a poor choice to open directly across the street from an existing school. If your demographic can fuel it, I say go ahead, but think of the downsides also. What if the existing school decides that he is going to start befroe and after school care? Well, he is already established, plus it sounds like there is variety there, as opposed to mainly Karate that you offer. The other school tries to appeal to everyone, and that is their target audience. If you open across the street and offer Karate(what type btw?) and the guy across the street had a plethora of programs to offer, the variety is what most parents will go for...and face it, the parents are to ones keeping your light bill paid, so we have to think from their perspective. Don't think in terms of the established martial artist looking for a new routine...think in terms of the uninformed looking for something extra to add to their son or daughter's weekly schedule. While your after school care program may be a benefit, again, what if the other guy does it too? Also, you mentioned that it would be to pay the bills so you could run the school you really want to run, well, what kind of school is that exactly? And what will be the perception from the outsider? If you have advertising that boldly offers the care program, that is what they are going to think you offer. Then you may have a difficult time being taken seriously from the average acomplished MAist. I see nothing wrong with teaching kids if you are into it for the financial side. Heck, even if you aren't, you should have an established youth curriculum. The benefits to the children far outweigh the naysayers opinions. Think of the confidence building, life skills, bully busting, self discipline, etc. Sure, the rare exception will gain these things from softball or soccer, but we also offer them so much more. Don't worry about what people say as it pertains to teaching kids. If that's what you want to do, do it. If nobody taught kids, I would be very upset for my own children. They have reaped so many benefits from their training that they just couldn't get anywhere else. I would say to keep looking.

ok, spiders...hate 'em. and snakes. oh, and night terrors...I haven't had one in a few months, but they scare the ever-lovin' crap outta me. Funny, laying there completely afraid of nothing at all but my own mind's creation...or so I think, right?

It is actually called the Universal Pattern. If you google it like "universal pattern, kenpo" you will come up with a myriad of explanation. http://www.familymartialartscenter.com/insights/ani-univ.gif I have put quite a bit of time into the study of the pattern. Extremely sophisticated, and slightly elusive at first, once you get the idea behind it, it truly helps your understanding of the system, and its techniques. After grasping the universal pattern concept, I had a whole new light shined upon my practical application of the techniques. One of those so-called 'light bulb moments' The pattern also helped me to understand other concepts such as the zone dimensional theory, circles of protection, and more still. Ed Parker created the Universal pattern as a representation of the angles and paths of action employed in Kenpo Karate. It is used to illustrate Kenpo concepts and principles. The pattern is a one-dimensional geometric symbol, but to be viewed properly, one should imagine it as a three-dimensional structure. This structure has a number of planes and the Kenpo practitioners should imagine themselves standing within it. The straight and circular lines should be familiar to the Kenpo practitioner and one should be able to recognise the figure eight pattern, the heart shape, diamonds, circles, triangles, etc. It aids with understanding the interrelationship between linear and circular movement and the paths that they follow. This is an essential aid in understanding Kenpo forms and techniques. hope that helps. are you IKCA?

where and when is this seminar?

please don't let me be misunderstood.

International Middle Weight Karate Champion (1971) Was first interested in karate after leaving the University of Louisville as a freshman and moving to Lexington; began studying martial arts under karate instructor Parker Sheldon Became a professional tennis player in 1975, rising to No. 2 in California in the senior men's doubles rankings and reaching the state's top ten in senior men's singles. Also in 2002 appeared as himself in Undercover Brother...no newer news than that.

I've used the water core bags, and the sand filled bags, and everything in between. I have no real preference, except that I don't like a canvas covering. I tend not to use bag gloves, so I would like to keep my knuckles covered with the skin they came with. Otherwise, if you have a foot injurey, I would suggest a lighter bag. You should use a bag that will give when you kick into it, and not just sit there, letting your foot take all the punishment.

a bit late here, but I feel I have something important to add: https://www.dictionary.com states 'dishonor' as: dishonor n 1: a state of shame or disgrace; "he was resigned to a life of dishonor" [syn: dishonour] [ant: honor] 2: lacking honor or integrity [syn: dishonour] [ant: honor] v 1: bring shame or dishonor upon; "he dishonored his family by committing a serious crime" [syn: disgrace, dishonour, attaint, shame] [ant: honor] 2: force (someone) to have sex against their will; "The woman was raped on her way home at night" [syn: rape, ravish, violate, assault, dishonour, outrage] 3: refuse to accept; "dishonor checks and drafts" [syn: dishonour] [ant: honor] Funny that we in america have such a skewed sense of what honor really is. The guy didn't dishonor your snesei. He simply shot off his mouth to make himself feel better about his shortcomings. I would have thought "hey good for you, can we move along and jsut teach the lesson please?" some people are like that. It makes humble people that much more virtuous.

when I read the questions, I was expecting something different. My take is this: If you may die regardless of what you do, use force. If a gun is pulled, usually the perp is a coward and only wants you to be scared enough to give him what he wants...DO IT. If you try for a disarm, you may fail and get killed. Same with a knife. If you think you are going to be killed by a raving psychotic, then better to try not to die by fighting back. If the perp just wants an easy payday, give him one. I thought the thread was going to be about seeing a crime against another, or stopping harassment or the like. If you see that happening, then of course, you must act. If not, think about your inaction as you lie dying in your bed X number of years from now.

nice...I fell for it too.

you will react like you train. Very interesting story though. One of our most basic tenets at my school is "Train as if it were real!" one day, it may just be.

Very well put.

not really...just take it slow and steady. I have to same probelm, so I almost never hit the floor

so if I live in a low population area, or an economically depressed area, I may never reach a higher dan ranking according to this?

you are right. We also strive for improvement and enlargement of the student body at our school, and we have our goals. I understand business perhaps better than the next guy, but that isn't where my quarrel is. I take issue with placing a price tag on a ranking. My instructor will be going for his 5th degree in June of '06. The number of students in our school will have no determining factor in his requirements for 5th dan. He will be tested on his knowledge of the system, plain and simple. Business is one thing, performance is another. I have my quotas to make as an enrollment director, but my rank will NEVER be held from me if I don't perform adequately. I know what the ATA is doing, and why they are doing it, I just don't agree with it...furthermore, I don't think anybody should get caught up in the race for titles... master, chief master, etc. Who cares? Warriorship is what it is; business is what it is; the two can be mixed successfully, but don't confuse yourself on where the lines are. I'm not more of a warrior because I signed 7 more students this week. I'm more of a warrior because of the time spent in perfection of my art, and of myself. I certainly wouldn't want my potential clients to know that I need X number of them to sign so I can get to my 5th degree. Scam, no. Just poor business ethics.

very cute the heel kick that I speak of is sometimes called a mule kick. It is done to the rear and uses a linear thrusting motion. The heel kick that was mentioned previously and that we see in TKD is what we call a hook kick.

I'm the student manager and program director at a MA academy...that has to be the best job in the world. I pass on my passion and get paid for it.

after what I just read in this thread, I will NEVER go to an ATA school. How in the world can they base a dan ranking on how many students attend the person's school? And what is the bbig deal with all the titles? Why in the world would anyone want to be addressed as Master, or Chief Master? Sounds like a huge money pyramid scheme to me. McDojo anyone? In Martial Arts World(or Professional, I can;t remember which...is is the one woth red griffin studios on the cover) there is an article about the ATA getting to the 1 million mark...why is that so important? Great, now you have 1mil people pushed through the system so you can have a number to brag about. Sorry, McDojo written all over this organization. There's nothing wrong with making money from your passion, in fact, MA is my paycheck too, but when it comes to some of the policies and tactics of the ATA, forget about it. It makes me wonder about the quality of the curriculum...not to mention the instructors. end of report.