monkeygirl

It sounds like a legend to me. I'm no physicist, but I'd say that in order for something to be "so fast it doesn't cast a shadow" it would have to move faster than the speed of light, which is quite simply: humanly impossible.

I'll repost the rules: 1 joke per post, don't post two in a row. And of course, keep it clean

Go to your local natural science museum and go to the earthquake section. Sometimes they have these nifty little cement blocks for you to kick and test your strength Plus it's always fun to go to science museums

Yeah...I'll probably see Matrix: Revolutions simply out of principle...however, I was very disappointed with Matrix: Reloaded. I almost fell asleep in it, and I never fall asleep in movie theatres. Of course, a lot of people believe that Matrix2 was sort of a bridge-movie that had to do a lot of explanation, and that Matrix3 will be much, much better. I'm hoping it is.

It seems like many of the new movies coming out are not of the caliber they used to be. It's been a long time since I've seen a preview that actually made me think "Hey, that looks like a GOOD movie". Yes, I'm going to see "School of Rock" on Saturday with my friends, but that's just because I'm a diehard Jack Black fan and it's my friend's birthday...I have no delusions of this movie's grandeur. Are there any quality movies coming out? I'm not just talking about a so-so movie-of-the-week film. I mean a good, thought-provoking, stir-your-emotions film...such as the first Matrix, Minority Report, or Pearl Harbor. Am I the only one of this opinion? Discuss

true.... But in my defense, I hadn't actually seen any previews for it...just read about it. I had no clue how corny it was going to be My family as a whole hates Tarentino films, so we're boycotting this one as well.

Thanks for the input everyone! I was also concerned by my lack of back exercises. At my old gym, there was a little elevated pad that you rest your hips on (face-down) and then you let your upper body hang below while holding a dumbbell, then use your back to lift up. I really liked that exercise, but my school's gym doesn't seem to have anything like that. They also don't have the back rotator machine that I used at my old gym. Yes, I'm pretty short...5'2". I just don't really like freeweights. They're okay for bicep curls, etc...but I hate doing squats, lunges, and steps with them.

I only really know of a few but I'm sure other members who do Muay Thai and such can help you out even more. For forearms: Use the outside (pinky-finger side) of your left forearm to gently strike the inside (thumb side) of your right forearm. Keep striking like this, making sure to hit different parts of your right forearm each time. Also, use every area on your left forearm from your wrist to your elbow. Basically, just hit your forearms all over. Gently increase the power until your arms get a little numb. Switch sides and repeat. Shins: (this is a scary one) Find a wall corner that sticks out into the room...a doorway/hallway could work. Ever so gently, tap your shin on this corner. Increase the power if you can, but don't overdo it. Just like the forearm drill, you want to strike with different areas of your shin, ranging from the bottom of your knee to the top of your ankle. Stay away from the joints, you don't want to screw those up...just concentrate on the shin bone. Does anyone else know of some good drills for forearm/shin strengthening?

I thought it was a joke when I first heard about it. There is absolutely no way I will pay to see that movie. I doubt I'd watch it even if it came on TV. I mean, c'mon...Uma Thurman in an action role?? Gimme a break. Heyyyy...some Kit-Kats may actually be pretty nice right about now.

Actually, the physical act of writing something down helps link your brain to muscle-memory. I'm not exactly sure how it works, but it's some kind of psychological thing. Anyway, writing stuff down can really help! I used to have a student that had a very hard time remembering his katas. So, he started bringing a legal pad to classes. After going through the kata a few times with him, I would do it step-by-step while he wrote it down in his own words. It's very, very important that the student write it down in his/her own words, for two reasons. 1: so they can understand what it means later 2: when you create something, you're more likely to remember it than something someone else created. Important things to include in writing: technique name, hand/foot placement, which leg is forward/back, which direction to turn (and maybe even the degree of the turn), when to kiai, and anything else you may find helpful. Writing double-spaced will leave room for corrections (or even memory tricks) later. The "written kata" can take up quite a few pages, sometimes...but it definitely helped that student memorize his kata. The techniques and performance doesn't have to be perfect...once memorized, the kata can be improved.

Ask your sensei if you can wear forearm/shin pads during class. You'll probably want to do some forearm/shin conditioning drills on your own, though...the pads will just keep you from getting bruised too much in the meantime. It takes a lot of work and self-discipline, but conditioned forearms/shins are an excellent asset to your training. After all...if you're out on the street, you can't exactly ask your attacker to hit you a little lighter.

Welcome to the forums!

Ewwww....

Just coincidence, I guess.

Remember, in America this means move RIGHT... I know it seems kind of obvious, but I just got this image of a car swerving left on an American road...

Photo of the year?

Nah, I just forget everything I learn in Pre-Calc

Yeah, I can't stand it when parents ask you to discipline their child. A word to all you parents out there: NEVER EVER DO THAT!! It puts the instructor in a very, very difficult place. Oftentimes, the instructor will know EXACTLY what they WANT to do to discipline the child, what tactics they would use if it were completely up to them. But the fact of the matter is this: it isn't up to the instructor. Perhaps in the time of monks and monasteries, martial arts could be used to instill discipline (and a lot of that had to do with the fact that many of the monks started training since they were very young children), but in today's sue-happy world, it just won't happen. Sometimes you have to scare a kid to get him to listen. I'm not suggesting anything abusive, but most bratty kids have a difficulty with respecting authority, so you have to let them know who's boss. You would also have to be very, very harsh, in extreme cases (yes, I have seen an extreme case or two, and no...I don't mean my brother and I ); this harshness could even bring the kid to tears. I don't care how bratty the kid is, I've never seen a parent that is willing to see their child cry from another person's hands/dealings for the sake of discipline. So, the parents may SAY they want you to discipline their child...but they probably won't agree with your tactics. You may wonder: "Why would you have to be so harsh on the kids? Isn't there a better way to discipline children than through tough love?" Yes, there is...but if a parent is asking YOU to discipline THEIR child, the kid is too far gone for nicey-nice discipline. The worst part is that it's truly the parents' fault. Excluding emotional trauma and mental handicaps, a child can only be bratty because his parents allowed him to be.

My brother showed that to me a while ago...hilarious, clever, and brilliantly performed!! I've also seen some other performances in that style, but the ping-pong matrix takes the cake.

I'll dance to it at school dances because it has a good beat...but other than that, I absolutely hate rap. The only reason I can put up with rap at dances is the fact that dancing and talking to someone takes your mind off the music and lyrics.

I would tend to think that while you're busy trying to put one guy in a triangle choke, one of his buddies is stomping on your head. The good thing about standup fighting is that you can bounce from attacker to attacker with relative ease. With groundfighting, you're pretty much stuck with fighting one attacker...unless you manage to stay on top of the attacker, in which case you could hop off. I still think that would be pretty slow, though.

Old carpets in the woods? That sounds really creepy.

I was thinking the same thing...definitely a conflict of interests going on there. Other than having some interesting drills from time-to-time, I have never been very impressed with Black Belt mag. And what was the context of their investigation? The people using the tapes...had they studied a different MA before? The people studying at a dojo...were they new to the martial arts? I don't want to accuse BB mag of anything, but people very often manipulate statistics to suit their purposes. I believe that some videotapes and books can be helpful in addition to training at the dojo, but I don't think you can really start from scratch with them. A videotape can't tell you if you're doing it right. You can't spar a videotape, either.

If I wasn't sick, I'd time myself and tell you

Remember guys, you need to give a REASON for your opinion, not just saying "hands" or "feet" and leaving it at that. If the majority of the posts on this thread become like that, I'll have to close the thread since it breaks the Comparative Styles Guidelines.