Bretty101

From another point of veiw... I regularly do sit ups. I have fairly large abs but a stack of fat. While playing with my friends i realised if i'm tense i can take full power punches to the stomach without having the wind knocked outta me. It still hurts but not as bad as it would if i'd done no sit ups. So i'm glad i've got strong abs and have done quite a bit of conditioning. I've got a slight six-pack but i'm not that fit. And it still hurts if i get hit on the ribs or solar plexus. I'd rather have strong abs and take shots to the body so and can keep my guard up to cover my face and maintain my good looks Bretty

No goals really just plodding along doing the same stuff. More then happy with everything the way it is at the moment. Quite frankly I'm great! Just kidding. Always specify a timescale when setting yourself goals, coz you can go on forever saying i'm gonna do this and that. Unless you set a target it won't happen. Sounds like the motivational courses i keep getting sent on from work. Bretty

My worst injury ever was a dislocated shoulder and a broken collar bone. Really not very funny. Most painfull MA injury, torn intercoastals(??) (muscles between ribs) and damaged kidney. Peeing blood for 2 weeks!! Worst MA injury broken leg, Broke both fibula and tibula sparring. Bretty

Hi all, I've been doing some research. Since my purchase of a legstretcher which claims (threatens) to go beyond 180 degrees. i thought i'll give it a go and was looking to see how far you can go. Well anyway i found this website and thought i'd share it with you!!! http://www.cl-kids.com/free-section.php?p=training Have a click through. Bretty

So all you people are sat infront of a computer and none of you have a Martial arts screensaver or wallpaper?! Bretty

I don't think that... I'm not talking about TKD in 'general' as everyone else seems to. I'm talking about tournaments, WTF has a unique tourament style which would be lost if you allowed punching, it would be like all the other styles. I do TKD and think without punches it is a load of rubbish. You must be equally competant with both your hands and feet. Anyone who thinks otherwise or thinks TKD is just kicks is kidding themselves. Bretty

I'm sure there are many different ways of conditioning your fingers for striking, I'd guess your Kung fu practitioners would be the best people to ask. Driving your hands into bowls of sand, ball bearings and such excercises. I've heard stories of Kung fu practitioners being able to rip flesh off people with clawing strikes and and strike through peoples abdominal walls. It's not really for me thou' I value the use of my hands and would not want the lack of mobility or arthritis. I thought the TKD fingertip strikes were primarily used for attacking the weaknesses in a samaris armour, like the eye slots and arm (pit) joints. Bretty

It wouldn't be TKD if you allowed punches to the head. You'd get Shotokan Fighters joining in who can't kick and just throw reverse punches. This rumours been going around for ages. It won't happen WTF TKD would just turn into freestyle. I can't say it bothers me anyway cos I'm ITF and punch to the head anyway. Bretty

I've found the thing which has increased my punching power the most is building muscle in my shoulders/arms and forearms. Big heavy weights. Bretty

Erm... well if your sparring WTF style punching to the head is against the rules. If you break predetermined rules you are fighting dirty. Why not change the rules. 16oz gloves!!! your hands must be huge! Bretty

Does anyone know where i can download any Martial arts screensavers and/or wall paper for my computer. (I'm not really after movie star ones more people doing martial arts) I sit in front of this computer 8 hours a day everyday and seeing some martial arts would cheer me up. Help! Cheers. Bretty

Any club worth going to will let you have your first couple of lessons for free with no obligation to join. Just give it a go. You'll either love it or you'll hate it. You'll find TKD more relaxed then traditional karate with a huge emphasis on kicking. It's worth mentioning there a 2 styles of Taekwondo (both originate from the same thing)- ITF - slightly closer to karate, light and sporty with emphasis on semi contact/points fighting. (some say more traditional) WTF - Full contact olympic sport huge emphasis on knock out head kicks. I'd recommmend ITF coz i'm biased Bretty (Leeds, uk)

Has anyone seen Mark Weir fight? He is one of the UK's best TKD fighters. I think he got the fastest knockout in the UFC. He threw a hook kick followed by a jab and knocked the guy clean out. Bretty

A shame Tyson was just a shadow of the man he once was! My favourite is Prince Naseem Hamed. I know he's not an orthodox 'boxer' but Boxings about entertainment and he is an amazingly skilled entertainer. Bretty

Good post AnonymousCoward!!! (?) Thats very informative. I have seen some very silly big sinewaves and think it's ridiculous. No wonder TKD gets such a bad name. I totally agree with you about dropping into a stance. Whats all the slow up and down motion and 'accelerating' techniques about? Give that man a brick to break! Cheers! Bretty

He certainly likes to pick out the big guys and he's not afraid to hit 'em. He was throwing some heavy body shots at me to show how it brings your elbows/arms down then the moment you move waiting for the next hit he wacks you in the head, he does this with his hands and feet!!!! When i say he picks on people i mean in the most respectfull and nicest way. He appears to be a genuine nice bloke! If you get the chance to attend one of his seminars i recommend it! His books are a good read too! Bretty

I have got so much respect for that guy! He did a seminar at our club last year. His whole philosophy of stretching and sparring is spot on. His theories on stretching first thing when your cold is a bit controversial but I totally agree with it and it works for me. He is amazingly fast, i was lucky enough to be the big senior grade who he kept picking on to demonstrate stuff on. He is awesome and lets not forget the guy retired from fighting over 20years ago!!!! Excellent!! Bretty

Sorry should have searched first just found this (google 'stretching beyond 180')... ...By being able to stretch 15 degrees higher than you plan to use, it is possible to use the kick when not warmed up and on the street. If a person can do 180 degree splits, they can easily kick to the head without worry. (The author speaks from experience, due to the actual use of kicks in his law enforcement days.) It is possible to go beyond 180 in your training splits, the norm for a person with normal bone and muscle structure is around 195 degrees. When a person can lay their stomach on the floor, with their legs in a perfectly straight line, with their hips solidly against the floor, that is the actual range of their stretch... on this website http://kempo.4mg.com/articles/kickway.htm Written by a doctor so it must be true I'm gonna try and do it! Wish me luck. Bretty

Is it possible to stretch your box splits beyond 180? Have you ever seen anyone do it? (and yes i know it's unnecessary and no I don't know why anyone would want to do it either.) Bretty

If we're starting to talk about the bounce sparring... It's one of the quickest ways to move, The only reason it's frowned upon is because it lacks the of a solid stance. I 'bounce' quite a bit, though i focus more on moving forwards, backwards, left and right rather then up and down as you'd imagine (now thats silly!). My weight distribution can go 50/50, 10/90/ 70/30 or what ever i like in any direction. Only fighters on street fighter go 20/80 80/20, 20/80! I don't bounce too high as i like to keep my feet as close as i can to the floor at all times to quickly change direction or stance. The bounce uses a lot of energy and lacks power, but then i'm a points fighter!! Bretty

Sorry Looneyas, When you said thigh stretch i thought you were stretching your quads. but you mean a hamstring/gluteus stretch right? I assumed when in your seated position stretching you were leaning backwards (as Whitebelt said)not forwards. I'm a dumbass! To do the side splits you need flexible hip adductors. If your knees hurt when doing your leg stretches i know exactly what you mean. my knees are in a terrible state. The only thing i have found to help is to have me knees slightly bent when i stretch. Failing that a very intense warm up, warms the joint and make it feel a bit better. Just take it easy for a while. Bretty

My style Taekwondo. The best thing about TKD are it's practical techniques. Only joking. It's flash, I love it!!!!! Bretty

For a self defence system to work it must be simple. so i can understand claims of becoming an overnight fighter. I've seen people who have trained for over 10years resort to some interesting techniques when it comes to a fight. REAL fighting is simple, knees, elbows, headbutts, knee kicks, biting not a flash system which takes years to learn. Paul Vunak has made some IMO really good videos for self defence. I must agree i do hate some of the adverts though. Bretty

Why do you need to stretch your thigh? Can you not do a similar stretch to the one you are doing but standing (rather then kneeling ) Stand on one leg and pull your other foot up to you gluteus. It will have the same effect. I personally hate these exercises. I think they are really unnecessary, recent reports suggest stretching may not actually help prevent injury and stretching the thigh puts a massive amount of stress on your knees. Can you warm the muscle up with some deep stance work? And kneeling is another really bad thing for your kneels. Bretty

When moving forwards. when should your lead leg move first and when should your rear leg move first. It normally comes naturally when i'm fighting but I find it tricky when doing footwork drills. Is moving your rear leg first wrong? Are they just 2 different methods? which do you use? A really technical answer would be appreciated as i've been giving this some thought and am really confused. This applies when moving in all directions left, right, forwards and backwards Thanks for the help! I'm not a beginner to the martial arts but I'm new to boxing drills and footwork. Help! Bretty