CQC

Thanks guys, I think I'll try to check out a class for myself and see how it goes. As for self-defense, I wouldn't think it would be overly practical unless you carried a straight walking stick with you or something. Still, I'm interested in weapons and a more traditional style of martial arts with all these MMA gyms coming out. I like to mix it up! Thanks again.

Has anyone taken any Kendo classes? I'm very interested and I'd like to know other people's thoughts/experiences on/with it.

elbows_and_knees, thanks a lot, everything you said makes a lot of sense. As for size, I'm 6'1" and about 190. I'd like to maintain or gain some muscle weight (maybe 5-10lbs) so I'm just watching my diet and doing strength training only, at the moment. Hopefully I can manage to get into an actual boxing gym/club within the next few months though, but it would be very nice to get into actual technique and have a solid routine. What you said will definitely help improve my conditioning until that time, so thanks a lot. It's kind of nice to know what to expect training wise too. Well, from a physical point of view, not necessarily technique. Thanks again guys.

That was actually very helpful, and while I'm not training for competition I do have a target weight that I'd like to maintain. Also about the bulking, this is another reason why I'd like to do more bag work and cardio rather than weight training. I think I'll cut the weights down to roughly 3-4 times a week and set my focus on the other things I'd like to achieve. As for the wind sprints, etc., that was also very helpful. I'm not interested in endurance all that much (especially since I find jogging to be boring), but explosiveness seems to appeal to me more. On the topic of explosiveness, would it be better to do explosive punching on the bag as opposed to slower and moderate punching? Assuming that I'd like explosive power, that is. This is really helping me put a program together, so thanks a lot guys.

Thank you for the tips, they will be very helpful. As for a boxing physique, I agree, my question is fairly broad and I should have been much more clear on what exactly I was getting at. I really just want to be cut and strong, which I'm working on at the moment, and the results have been good so far. Self defense is just a nice bonus. How long do you usually hit the heavy bag for? I realize I'll have to work up to prolonged periods of time, and I have a rough time going on it for awhile. Does anyone have any bag training tips for a rounded out bag workout? For example, fast strikes switching to slow strikes and combinations followed by faster strikes. I find myself hitting very hard for a combination, lighter the next, then hard again. I also switch up the speeds so I can stay on it longer. If I could I'd hit up a boxing club for technique, but alas that's impossible at the moment. I would guess that bag work is very important, followed by typical cardio (skipping, running) and then followed by weight training. This is how I prioritize things now, but it would be nice to get some feedback on it.

I'm looking to transform myself into a very lean and built looking machine, something similar to a boxing physique. I have a heavy bag here at the house and I really enjoy training, as I took boxing in the past (though nothing more than the basics). So to you boxers, do you guys do weight training as well? Not to increase speed, but to gain mass and stay cut. Would my best bet to simply get a heavier glove and hit the bag more as opposed to more weight training (if any)? Should I be running more or doing more bag work? Currently I run roughly 30 minutes a day, every day, and weight train for about 40 minutes 4-5 times a week. Currently the heavy bag is not a large part of my routine. Any tips or feedback would be great! Thanks in advance!

I doubt it man, I lived in NB for a few years and the only place I noted was in Moncton. It's cool to see a fellow Martitimer here though.

These are great tips, thanks guys.

Awesome, thanks a lot guys. It's good to know that physical excellence and spiritual enlightenment go hand in hand.

I know that emotions and emotional energies can affect us in our physical bodies, but how can our physical bodies affect us emotionally? Usually the cause of our physical "illnesses" are caused by some form of emotional energy, but is that always the case? I've altered my workout and I actually seem quite a bit happier due to that. Does physical fitness help us (positive energy) emotionally as well?

Post it anyway, I'm sure people could care less if it's "lame".

Karate25, Patrick Buckley and Ron Stuart out of Oakville.

http://www.myspace.com/jack_snipe

It's all hypothetical, of course. It's an opinion as to which someone would prefer. I think I made a mistake when I said "mastery" of an art. What I meant was a very proficient understanding, including experience and useage of a single art, as opposed to moderate understanding, experience and useage of more than one art. I edited the first post to reflect this.

Hey guys, here's a question that goes out to everyone of all styles. Would you rather have a very proficient understanding, including experience and useage of a single art (this could be either stand up fighting or grappling), as opposed to moderate understanding, experience and useage of more than one art? As for the former, you would work very defensively against your "opposing" skill, your main focus and plan of attack being your single art. The scenarios would be a street confrontation and a MMA fight.