Mr. Mike

ditto, and it most certainly will pay off. oh yeah, WELCOME!

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=martial+arts+schools%2C+london enjoy

welcome. It's refreshing to see styles other than the usual mainstream styles...I think you'll like it here.

G'day and welcome to you.

Good to have you here. Say, could you give me a brief description of bac mei?

I just tested last night. I have had walking pneumonia for a week now. I'm just finishing watching the video of my test for the 4th time, and you can't tell I'm sick. it hurt like heck though.

The one with the ladder worked...kinda funny. I just couldn't get the sword one to work...oh well. Thanks for the heads up.

I guess I sound more like an ogre than anything. I have a very deep grunt that is mostly scary to the younger kids. I was training a new student and after a movement he looked at me and asked "did you call me a wuss?" He was joking, but that is kinda what it sounded like. Sometimes a loud WAAAASSSAAAAAHHHHH!!! Or IIIISSSSSSSAAAAAA!!! But I'm also known for making funny Bruce Lee style whining noises...almst little yelps and whoops.

G'day ma'am.

Good to have you here. Say, how do you come about your name...the Chevy part is self explanatory, but why cowgirl? Just curious, that's all.

Go give it a shot and see what it has to offer. You may like it, and you may just think that blxing has more to offer, given your goals.

Dude!!! Iron Monkey ROCKED!!!

ok, somebody fill me in, since it isn't working for me.

and if you mean the Dim Mak like in "break the middle brick" then yes, I have seen it...Van Damme did it in a movie once.

no. Neither will most other fats. This has been a myth for ages. Your pores secrete oils all day long regardless of oil consumption. The only way to combat this is a dedicated regimen of cleansing and moisturizing. I also enjoy daily hlepings of ground flax. It has really helped restore lost energy after cutting most fats from my diet. There are a myriad of benefits to be found in Flax. Look it up...it willb weowrth your while. AS a not to the original post, the supplements will not always help you to lost extra weight, rather they help to control factors of weight loss such as increased energy(whether real or stimulant induced), appetite supressants, etc. If you wanted to save some money, you could dimply modify your diet and work harder.

at first, I thought you meant the 4th Kenpo confederation. This is at the beginning of august. We'll be down there then and make a decent showing. I hope to meet all of my Kenpo brothers in arms there.

Excellent post. I try to instill this value in my children. Especially my daughter who bores easily, and constantly tries to conveniently forget items necessary for tasks such as homework, karate, etc. I tell her, "you are beautiful, able bodied, highly talented physically, very intelligent, and good mannered." THen I ask her: When you posess these traits, why do you find it so easy to try and slack?" We saw a boy her age riding a bike away fromt he local grocery mart with a bag of groceries in his hand...what made this remarkable is that he only had one hand. If he could do it, why couldn't she even attempt to learn to ride her bicycle without giving up constantly? There are less abled people everywhere doing more than the able bodied people. Why? Because somebody told them they couldn't do it, and they couldn't accept that. We could all learn a lesson from this.

jab in my bow stance and reverse with heel up.

sorry, don't buy it.

I think Arnold would be up in that top brass too. He was the presidential fitness advisor, movie star, bodybuilding champion, and Governor of CA. Not bad for an immigrant son of a police officer . Oh yeah, he's also a household word, and one of the Kennedys .

Cool man, glad to hear it was a success

I totally agree with you on the obsession part. My hips are just now getting back to feeling normal. As for the rest, I completely empathize with you. I was the little fat kid sitting shyly in the back of the class. I was never any good at sports, even though my dad tried to get me involved...I was always so self conscious. I knew I didn't look as good as the other kids, like that really mattered right? But it did to a young me. I was called 'fat hog', I was bullied, I had a group of kids taking my lunch money, etc. Basically every single story you see on TV about the poor little fat kid was me. I ate junk because it made me feel better. I was a social recluse. We didn't have internet when I was that age, but if I did, I would have clung to it like a life jacket. I buried myself in books, and role playing games, and other fantasy type activites...anything that allowed me to not be me. I hated myself. In junior high school, 7th and 8th grade, I was 5'9" and 265lbs. All I could think about was getting a girlfriend. All my friends had them, but I didn't. I was the fatty fatty boombalatty that couldn't get a girl if my life depended upon it. I spend the majority of my childhood in a vague depression. Then, something snapped in me and I was tired of being the fat loser, at least that's how I saw myself. The summer between 10th and 11th grade, I crash dieted. I only ate one can of tuna and two slices of bread a day. I lost 100lbs that summer. Imagine the Ego Boost I got when I went to the 1st day of 11th grade and two girls wanted to know what I was doing that weekend. Man, I was flying high. I kept my diet in check and stayed around 180lbs at 6'1" for a few more years. Then I got married and let it all slide again. Then I lost it again, then again, due to stress of financial problems, custody hearings, my failing business, and other family issues, I ballooned up to 365lbs. I also landed myself in the hospital for irregular heart beat(the doctor said I had the symptoms of a cocaine abuser), stomache problems, GERDs disease, and other emotional problems. So, I destressed as much as possible, and began, for the second time, training in the martial arts, only this time, much more seriously. I really only wanted to get my kids involved and figured I would lead by example, a lesson I learned in the military. I figured that they wouldn't want to do it if they didn't see me doing it. So, I began training very hard for the next couple of months. My brother said I would never stick with it, that I couldn't commit to anything other than a supersized No. 5. Well, that was last April. I'm now weighing in at 272lbs and still dropping...my goal is 225 by New Years Day and I WILL acccomplish it...nothing will stand in my way of my fitness goals or my MA goals. I am using the Body for Life plan. So far, it has worked for me, since I figure I've lost 90 lbs in a year. They say that you lose water weight mostly, but all 90lbs, and 12 inches from the waist? Not a chance. I'm also the Program and Enrollment Director at the Academy where I train. I have fulltime custody of my children and am much happier than I was. I will say that the first hurdle you have to make it over is yourself. I was my own worst enemy, and you are yours. Depression is the biggest, nastiest bad guy out there, and of you don't start taking steps to cure it now, you will battle it all of your life. I'm, surprised that nobody has mentioned that before this post. I'm not trying to be a downer here, but you have to look at the facts. You are introverted, lost interest quickly, and find reasons to not train/socially interact with others. You have to get around this. The only one who can help you is you. When I read your first post, I thought "oh man, that is SO me." I imagine it could be thousands of people out there too. You have to work at it, and adopt the attitude of "I WILL NOT FAIL!" I'm not saying this can be done overnight. It took me 28 years to do it. I also took a year and change to lose all of that weight, so don't be surprised if you don't see too much of a difference in one month. But you MUST NOT GIVE UP! This has to be a lifetime thing if you wish to be successful. One thing that helps me is the saying "Rome wasn't built in a day." That means that most good things take time to do. One day at a time, one positive feeling at a time. I wish nothing but the best for you, and hope you can get through this. BTW, don't worry about the girlfriend issue. She's out there...you'll find her. It might take decades, but it's well worth the wait. Remember, Life isn't about taking one breath at a time; it's about the moments that take away your breath. NOW GET OUT THERE AND GET TO IT!!! GET THAT BLACK BELT, AND LET NOTHING STAND IN YOUR WAY!!!

Bingo! If I had to pick, I would use a keyslinger. This is a keychain on the end of a two foot long 'sling' of leather, or what I use, which is nylon shock cord. Loop the cord through your keychain and practice different offensive techniques first on cardboard, then on harder surfaces when you get better. I can take decent sized chunks out of a four by four post in my backyard. Perfectly legal...just a string, right? Highly painful, could be lethal. Good luck. Remember, anything can be a weapon when used properly. Just be sure not to violate your self defense laws.

we have open sparring class twice a week. Open to all students regardless of rank. If a white belt spars a black belt, so be it. We also have the rule that low belt sets the pace. We higher belts should have the control to not pummel the low belts. It hasn't happened yet because we have a good team, but if a high belt gets too rough, they will be told not to repeat it.

Man, I can feel the soreness already and smell the Tiger Balm already! sheesh...that's almost torture