1kickKO

You do karate right? Well go a little " 'jitsu" on him next time when he tries to blast you, just take his punch and give him a good hip throw..tehehe...that should do it...and once on the ground say "you know, if ya didn't hit me that hard, you wouldn't be laying there right now".

No worries, I believe in only what I've seen...I don't believe in "ghosts" but I do believe in "spirits" and "angels"...and I have no idea what to think about UFO'S but from what I've experienced it's pretty real to me..guess it's just one of those things that has to happen to ya.

No problemo, it's not much of a "mystical art" moreso than a reailty art. It focuses on all weak parts of the body (scientifically tested) to where the right nerves are, to the places that can cause blood flow to stop, etc...It's called the death touch because it is just that, they focus on only points that will disable their opponent quickly..in dim mak the point isn't to stand their fighting like a champ, it's just to hit, hurt, and haul it...haha

That's pretty cool, I only know 1 nunchuku kata, I'm a big sai user myself, but I also know some bo katas as well.

Ya have to start somewhere You'll get the hang of it..did you do any weapons?

Weird stuff man...weird stuff.

thanks for the suggestions..I think I might try a doctor to see what's up.

No it's normally just when my toes bend and I tense up my foot too much...possibly I have some extra tight tendons? I might have to see a doctor about it...hmm..

Thanks for the compliment! IsshinRyu is a great style of karate, it's a break off of the 4 main Styles of karate originally created in Okinawa. It focuses on fast hard punches and kicks, they have empty hand forms, and they also teach weapons. Pretty practical in itself and is a wonderful system, so if you would like good tradition this would be great to choose. Shotokan is also pretty good, but is generally more focused on "sport" karate...They practice very deep stances, and their movements are not very circular but straight and to the point. A good system, and it also has deep roots and a great history behind it..but practicality levels aren't quite up there. My suggestion if you choose one of these or any others you like, is to look around for a bit, call up and ask for a free lesson and if they offer them, this will give you a chance to see what their atmosphere, dojo, and instructors are like. Or if you don't feel like participating you could always go watch first, but call and make sure they allow it..and ask as many questions as you can think of. They are there and that's their job and if they get irritated then it's not very professional of them.

Oh I love competing, I do karate and jujitsu and I go to as many tournies as I can!

My pesonal favorite is just a regular armbar between the legs(juji gatame) because this is my strongest move, I've got powerful legs so when somebody gets on top of me, if I can't buck 'em, you know I'm goin' for that arm.

Well another one about "letting loose"...a friend of mine who is new, is trying to make a good impression to our dojo and to our instructor...and so anyways he alks past sensei ont he mat and let's a BIG one loose, he just looks at sensei, he laughs, and says "I think I squished a frog under the mat or something".

In Muay Thai your success is normally measured by how dedicated you are, how much time you put in the gym, and how hard you work..and if you compete, it's determined then as well...but some people like karate more than the "harder" types of martial arts...Maybe you should look into cities around you that are close that have more options than in your city. Have you looked for what all is available yet? Practical...hmm..some practical arts would include hapkido, jujitsu (although you already do that), karate (many different styles and run-offs, but if you find a style let me know and I could possibly tell you what they focus on)...so basically what you are looking for is something traditional, with more organized way of instruction, ranking, and teaching...but also practical. ANy martial art (not including XMA) is basically practical, you'll just have to search around for something nearby if nothing is in your city that would suit you.

Ahh I see, do you compete with TKD?

One key question...Are you having fun doing what you're doing now?

Another tip I learned from a friend of mine who does aikido, he always did this to me and it aggravated me, he wasn't supposesd to do it with karate but it was his natural "aikidoness" kicking in..haha...next time he comes in for a punch, just lean forward and put your elbow into him, he'll think twice about it.

I do all of the above, but it doesn't seem to help..it's always in my left foot too..it's liek when my middle and next to middle toes bend down it pulls a muscle then ym whole foot and bottom leg shuts down.

A tip: When ya face somebody like that, hit them in the nuts and just say "Oops, I lost control of my feet"...it works...trust me...

lol, I think ya misunderstood what I meant, I didn't mean he was asking who he thought was ready, he asks who is going to be going to the belt test, as in it is up to the student sot keep track of their progress and know when it's time for them to be able to test. Whenever it's time, he has them come out, and the rest of the class do their drills..and he has the people who's turn it is to test run through katas, basics, fighting, etc...then he watches them as they do all this, and he'll always tell them how we did..he doesn't always pull us aside, normally when the whole class is busy though he will because he doesn't want to disrupt class, however when we do katas, sometime's we'll have people line up around the mat to simulate a tournament to get over a public fear, and when they finish he'll just tell them point blank what was wrong. But back to the topic, that's a pretty neat way ya test.

So what made you decide to quit shotokan and take up TKD? Was it just because you moved? Was it the school?

That's a pretty neat way of testing..I always like to hear different ways people like to do things and their philosophies on this..oh I forgot to mention attendance...thanks for bringing that up..in order to go to a belt test your receive "points" for each class you attend, so as you know your stuff..and I think you and my sensei are qutie actually alike, because he also has "similar" way of doing things, if he sees mistakes being made he will always take them off to the side and tell them, and he asks who is ready for the belt test during classes before so, and he watches them. If he thinks they're ready, he tells them, if not, then he'll tell them so but he'll still give them the optino of testing;) Thanks for the read.

I agree, it doesn't sound too good...How old are ya exactly?

It seems as though everytime I grapple, my legs get wrapped up and I struggle with them and when my toes bend (it's always on my left foot/leg) they cramp up and my toes feel broken:o (as I'm sure you know how bad cramps hurt) and that's not very good while I'm in the middle of a match or even practicing, 'cuz I'll get taken everytime. Many people have told me to eat bananas for the potassium..but just curious..what does the potassium do? Anything else I might be able to do? I don't really know any stretches for this, as it's normally if my toes bend...

Muay Thai and BJJ is a great combination, Muay Thai working on your strength and an extremely good thing to have on the street (or in war)...and BJJ if you are ever one on one, you can learn the simplest takedowns to put a stop to a confrontation immediately. Karate is also great for helping with balance, timing, and the mental aspect of it all...would it be possible if you coudl crosstrain in all three? Or is that too much?

Here my dojo charges $25.00 for the test, and $5.00 for the belt. The very first belt test is $50.00 (this is for club membership and includes getting to travel with the team and many other things)...all money is always put towards the dojo and training equipment.