Bretty101

I agree with Kickchick. I've always found my muscles easier to stretch when i am totally warmed up and this is the method i use day to day. However... I went to a Bill Wallace seminar last year and have read many of his articles (i really respect this guy). He has some very different and interesting opinions on this. At his seminar he made us stretch right at the start of his class with no warm up (this is his trade mark, as well as the amazing 'super foot') He went onto explain that when you warm up, your muscles 'tighten' (the reflex muscle contraction is increased) as they shorten to prevent injury. In his opinion this meant you increase the resistance to your stretch and were shortening your muscles before you started to stretch them. In his opinion counter productive. He said it was better to warm up with static stretches starting light and increasing until you are at maximum. CONTROVERSIAL! IMHO I've found Bill Wallaces method best for increasing flexibility though it's not a great warm up and you definately need to warm up afterwards if your going to do any other exercises. At the end of the day every ones different and I think the most important part of stretching is getting into a routine. There is no fast track just 'hard work'. Bretty

I always manage to stack on weight when leading upto exams. I just face it it's gonna happen if your spending 10+ hours a day sat at a desk or computer. I don't think you can really diet to increase your brain power, tho plenty of small meals should raise your energy and aviod the tiredness produced by a large meal. I used to do the worst things when i was revising, things like sugary drinks and buckets of coffee to keep my brain going till the early hours. The result was just a disruption of my sleep pattern, i was tired the next day and never really achieved my best. The best advice i can give (though it's always gonna be hard) is to draw up a time table and stick to it, include odd breaks, meal times and importantly 2 hours in the evening to do a little exercise (i found jogging quite convenient) and to relax afterwards so you find it easier to sleep. These 2 hours i've found are really important and a light at the end of a tunnel when your working hard all day. Fortunately i never have to do another exam ever again now i've got my first ever job. Anyway best of luck with the exams, i'm sure you'll be fine! Bretty

Hi all, Just wanted to know if it's possible to condition my Solar Plexus? I can handle getting hit in most places, but if i get caught on the Solar Plexus it hurts so much!!! and doing a million sit ups doesn't seem to help. Do you get used to it? What is your solar plexus? a muscle? Cheers Bretty

If i'm the aggressor i use my lead leg (sniper option). if my opponent is an agressor i use my rear leg to remind them i'm the aggressor. My rear leg (courtesy of our friends in thailand) seems to bring out the nice side of people. Bretty

KT: I'm not much help but i want to know some footwork stuff too. I think it was Bruce lee who said good footwork beats every thing and it's mental fighting someone who can hit you from a hundred different angles coz they got good footwork. The people i know with good footwork have aquired it from years of sparring, sparring and more sparring. I want to know too... Bretty

My first club I trained at had 7 (6 1st dans and 2nd dan instructor) My current club has about 15 1st dans, 5 2nd dans (including me) and 3 4th dans (we got a 6th dan somewhere too). But being a student university club with a student life cycle of 3 years the vast majority of the club have been training exactly a year. and are...yellow/green belt? I love training at a uni club tho as we have 300ish active students all aged 18-25 Loads of people to play with. In my opinion it doesn't make a club good or bad if it's got 1 or 100 BB's but the BB's reflect the club standard/bench mark. And all black belts should be awesome to provide inspiration and motivation for the whole class. Bretty (giving more then his 2 cents worth as usual )

As a Tkd-er I think bioengineering so i can get me some replacement knee and hip joints! Bretty

I used to have trouble with my knees which i'd describe as being 'loose', hence easily strained and hyperextended. I've found cycling and basic weight movements have helped a lot (ie leg extension machine work, squats and deadlifts). The worst thing i ever did for my knees was jogging Why instructors still use jogging as a warm up is beyond me? On a more practical note jumping rope is a great way to strengthen the legs, makes you nice a light on your feet and fits in your training bag nicely. Bretty

Some arts go black belt, then first dan, then second... The difference between a black belt and a 1st dan being a single stripe on your belt. Tho, i think in most martial arts black belt is first dan. I suppose it's just another grade to charge people for. Bretty

Doesn't master mean fat old and past it? I think the term master should suggest you have mastered all there is to your martial art. Everything! and more importantly yourself, ie not be over weight, why do so many masters (mainly karate ) fat stomachs?. I can become a 4th dan over the next 3 years if i like and brand myself a master. But i don't think i'll ever master Taekwondo there is way to much to still learn and so much i want from it. I will never be worthy of this title and will never grade for my 4th dan. On the other hand I have recieved a masters degree in Engineering and i wouldn't say i was anywhere near being a master of that! Bretty MEng

I am currently doing more weight training then any thing else. My strength has improved immessurably. Only side effect i have noticed is i'm slightly more rigid, which i put down to doing back work and deadlifts. however i know with practice and some twisting work this will come back to normal and the good side is my posture is great and i now have no back trouble. I've also noticed a loss of flexibility in my shoulders (ie when trying to scratch my own back there are some places i can't reach) I have found however the benefits by far outway the disadvantages and i can jump higher and still kick well. Bretty

I've had trouble with shin splints. I've heard people saw it's cracks in the bone but i think otherwise. There is a muscle on the front of your shin which is responsible for tilting your feet so youer toes come towards you. (opposite to standing on tip toes) I find the pain is cause by straining this muscle if i run on my heels (ie too upright) try running slinghtly leant forwards and more on the balls of your feet, and try doing some strenthening work and full stretching warm up of your ankles. ie toe circles etc. Bretty

...I'm not being funny. I've been doing TKD for a long time and i think it's taking it's toll on my body. I want to be able to do TKD for a few more years yet so just want to look after my joints. I know i'll miss them when they're gone! Cheers Bretty

Uh oh sounds like Bretty's asking silly questions. The reason i asked this is one of the instructors at my club makes use do hip flexor stretchs as part of the warm up routine. Exercises like standing in a long front to back stance with your both feet facing forward like a lunge and stretching your hips (near the first belt loops would be on your jeans) I don't know if i like doing this, yes as Kickchick said I think it's important to strengthen your hip flexors but i've found stretching them makes my hips crack and pop more and loosens the joint making it more prone (sp?) to injury. I know also people say not to static stretch before some exercises (not to static stretch before dynamic stretching, i think thats on that stadion.com website) as this can effect your muscles reflex and again lead to injury. Just wandered if anyone else has any trouble? (or is it just me? ) because as far as i can see there is absolutely no need to stretch you hip flexors anyway? so why put unnecessary stress on your hips? So why do you need a flexible hip flexor? Bretty

Does any one here do regular hip flexor stretches? Do you thing they are important? Do you want a flexible hip flexor? does stretching this muscle reduce or increase your chances of injury? Bretty

My favourite sit up exercise which i feel throughout my entire mid section is as follows. Lay back on floor with one leg (left) bent at 90 degrees with foot flat on floor and other leg out straight but heel 6inches off the floor. sit up so your right elbow touches you left knee, lay back then sit up and reach so your left hand touches your right foot. thats one rep do say 10 reps then change sides. This i find not only crunches my upper abs but also works my lower abs as i sit right up to touch my foot. I also get a bit of a twist, try it it works for me (tho probable isn't good for you back, but hey thats sit ups for you) I like to alternate deadlifts with sit ups so i get a nice balance and support for my spine. I also never do sit-ups to failure or cramp as i've found this makes my stomach really bulky and stick out, not only restricting my kicks but looking worse when all i really want is tone. instead i do large numbers of small rep sets every day. Bretty

For fast kicks i do several things. for height and to limit resistance of my kicks i stretch regularly. I do recommend doing your kicks at 1/2 and 1/4 speed with ankle weights on as this strengthens just the right muscles (never snap out your kicks or over extend even without ankle weights) To improve your reflexes try this. Stand in a large space infront of TV (why is all my training done in front of tv?) every time the camera angle changes do your chosen technique (ie roundhouse) this will speed up your reflexs. All bag and pad work is good to. I'm also a big believer in the 500 kicks a night way of training, now when i spar before i've even though "hmmm, now would be a good time to throw a round kick" I've already thrown it. Practice, practice, practice look after your knees (pivot on your standing leg foot don't put a torsion through your knee and don't lock out your kicks!!) Bretty

hmm sounds like he's more interested in bringing women and children ($$$$'s) into his club then serious martial artists. (*Edit but then that doesn't make sense if he teaches people for free? maybe your master is just too nice?) Shame, we train with kicks to the head but then we are nice friendly lead leg kicking itf people. Bretty

try striking more with your shin, at the transition where your shin meets your instep. It sound like your getting a slap where the large area of your instep (top of your foot) is striking the bag. Also if you use your shin you should get a much more powerful and solid strike though it will feel odd at first. (or buy some foot pads) Bretty

sounds good, i'd maybe add some press ups too for chest/triceps I try and do the 6 small meals a day thing by putting together a sandwich box with 6 sandwiches and pieces of fruit. I start the day with a big breakfast, and aim to eat a sandwich or peice of fruit every 2 hours finishing with a medium sized dinner.

I'd recomment shoulder presses and flyers. I like to do a lot of flyers as the presses seem to build the front of my shoulders and make me look hunched forward. By doing flyers i also get more width. At home the shoulders are easy to train with fairly light dumbells. I also do handstand pressups and play with the cables and 'rowing' weight machines in the gym. I've also recently started using the cables to do funny exercises for my rotator cuff. Bretty

With stretching getting into a routine is half the battle. The more frequently you stretch the quicker your muscle will 'warm up' (relax). I've got my muscle relaxation time down to a couple of seconds. as I stretch down my muscles contract to stop me going further. I have learnt by concentrating to stop this reaction. This comes with practice and now after a few months of not stretching I can still do the full splits from cold in about 30 seconds. The trick is not to think 'pain' but to relax and think about something else, don't push against it or bounce or use effort just relax and let your body weight pull stretch you. I used to stretch every day and had my own set routine of just static stretches. IMO static stretches are the safest and easiest stretches. This is because you can static stretch on your own and relax in front of the TV. Stretching is all about relaxing!!!!! Coming back to the TV. if you've got a favourite TV program thats on for 30minutes every day. set aside this time to sit, stretch and relax infront of the TV. There you go 30 minutes of easy stretching every day. Look after your knees! Bretty

Eh? She takes a measure with left leg then steps back and kicks with her right?!? Bought tears to my eyes! Bretty

I normally stagger the first 20 minutes with alternate stretching and exercises to gradually warm the muscles and increase the heart rate. I try and MAINTAIN this heart rate for 30-40 minutes then gradually lower the intensity warming students down with lighter exercises and further stretching. I've put maintain in capital cos i think this is most important. I hate it when an instructor gets every one nice and warmed up then makes then stand around while he explains something. The intensity goes, people get bored and cold muscles increase the risks of injury. Warm up, maintain and warm down. ZakariRu- I really like Bill Wallace and value everything he writes, he knows his stuff and i can relate and agree with all of it. His style definately works for me (except i've got 2 legs)

Hi all, What do you people think about dynamic tension exercises? (doing slow motion tense moves using opposing muscles to resist the motion) I get the impression that these sort of exercises are very popular in fung fu. My cousin (who does TKD and Hung gar) claims that a Hung gar Martial artist can generate 10times the power of a TKD-er. due to their training using dynamic tension compared to TKD's full speed drills. This isn't Hung Gar Vs TKD or having a dig at tkd (i do TKD). I'm just interested in if any of you use or value dynamic tension exercises? Bretty