monkeygirl

I thought I heard that Wushu was trying to become a demonstration sport, as well, but I'm not sure. I really don't care for Olympic TKD. I mean, I thought Tae Kwon Do meant "the way of the hand and foot"...so why is kicking the only scoring option? Every local Tae Kwon Do tournament I've ever seen has included punching...what's wrong with those Olympic people?

It's actually good to wear a cup for the entirety of class! You never know what might happen during partner drills, etc. I've been really stressing this to my students lately. A lot of guys tend to think that they can "take the pain", but I tend to think that a major trauma to the groin can increase risks of testicular cancer, as well as put a man at risk for impotency. So wear your protection!!

Y'know, I always strive to make thought-provoking posts...but I didn't think I'd provoke these kinds of thoughts! Don't feel bad, Mr. Abdul Jabar! I just don't have a large knowledge of famous athletes! Even my knowledge of famous martial artists is fairly limited. In fact, I'm pretty sure I'd forget my own name if I didn't have to write it every day. Oh and thanks, Martial_Artist.

How can you practice throws at home? By throwing your friends around..? :confused:

Modern wushu is very flashy, all about katas. I've never heard of sparring in modern wushu. Some arts are completely combat-oriented...mod. wushu is completely artistic!

No actually, the breed itself is prone to heart defects. I saw it on a website when I was finding those images. So

Hey brudda! Welcome to the forums He won't like to admit it, but he's my brother

Welcome to the forums!

Good job! Congrats on your promotion

Well, CDs aren't good just as CDs. They have to be a little chipped up, and then they're as sharp as razors. Plus, you can draw on them with permanent markers if you get bored and make little designs. That way when you throw them at somebody or stick one in a cubicle wall, it's like your calling card...they know you were there.

As one of the shortest people in my class, let me say this: it's very frustrating to spar a taller person. They have those long legs, and any time you try to come in, a simple sidekick will push you back, every time. However, as a black belt, I have to push myself to get over it. I have to find a weakness, find a way for me to take over in the fight. At blue belt, your sparring partners aren't going to be extremely skilled, and they're going to have some ego issues, most likely. So when a yellow belt makes them look like a fool, it may hurt their feelings. Bruce Lee used to train with that, um...basketball guy...can't remember his name. Anyway, Bruce was SO talented, and yet this very tall person provided an enormous challenge for him. With two people of equal skill and speed, power etc., the taller one is going to have a large advantage. Face it: you're never going to be considered the underdog in your dojo...that's a job for us little people. Right now, just keep a good attitude and focus on becoming the best martial artist you can be. If some people yell at you for your size, don't take it personally. They're just expressing their frustrations, I doubt if they harbor any hateful feelings towards you. At the same time, don't get cocky just because you're tall. Eventually some fast little kid may be able to spar circles around you, so keep yourself sharp. Because you're so tall, people will expect you to be strong with little control, so make control your specialty. With time, you should gain people's trust and they may not freak out about your tallness so much. Good luck!

I'm going to move this to the Boxing/Kickboxing/Muay Thai Forum so you can hear this straight from the people who know the most about it.

I think that's why classifying actual styles of karate has become more prominent. If you're an actual karateka, you won't just say "I do karate." You'll mention something like Kenpo, Goju-Ryu, or something else to specify your exact style. It could also have something to do with the fact that MA movies are so darned inaccurate. Like Karate Kid. His style was more like Kung Fu, if I remember correctly.

My family had a Keeshond (pronounced KAY-Zund) for about 7 or 8 years, until he got intestinal cancer and had to be put down about 3 years ago. He was the only dog I've ever had, and boy was he a sweetie. Keeshonds are Dutch barge dogs, so they have a lot of fur to keep them warm...and they love the snow! (It's so cute when they get little snowballs stuck in their fur) They're often called the "Smiling Dutchmen" because they actually smile! When they're happy, they curl up their lip and sneer at you They're also in the top 5 most intelligent dogs, which doesn't surprise me...our Keesie understood English, German and could spell. Oh, that was a mistake...used Google's image search to find pictures of Keeshonds and almost passed out from cuteness. Here's some pics: Newborns: http://www.keeshond.nu/Foton/keesbebisar.jpg Puppies: http://www.dog-tracker.com/image2/keeshpup.jpg Adults: http://www.petsmart.com/aspca/images/dogs/keeshond.jpg If you're looking for a big dog, then a Keeshond probably isn't going to be your breed..Keeshonds aren't very agressive. Don't let all that fur fool you! They're pretty skinny underneath. Unfortunately, Keeshonds have a tendency to have hip dysplasia, heart defects and/or genetic eye diseases. Ours had an enlarged heart. If you get one from Australia, though, I hear they are healthier.

Personally, I roll up sleeves and pantlegs. It gives them a little more weight, which will make for a louder 'pop'. If you don't know how to hem something, you probably shouldn't do it yourself, since it's kinda easy to mess up if you don't know what you're doing. If you can't find anyone else to do it, and your only option is to do it yourself, here's what you do: 1. Put on the pants/top 2. Roll the pantleg/sleeve to the length you want, and pin it in place. 3. Stand up and move around a bit, to make sure this is the length you want (bending over to pin will cause the pants to ride up, which means the pants will end up too long if you don't adjust them). 4. Cut the pantleg/sleeve, leaving 1/2 inch more fabric than you need. For example: say you have 3 feet (36 inches) of fabric on the pants, and you want to cut it back to 2.5 feet (30 inches). This means you would normally remove 6 inches of fabric. Instead, remove 5.5 inches, leaving you with 30.5 inches, so you can have a hem (to keep the fabric from fraying). Remember that you can always cut the fabric shorter if you left it too long, but you can't add onto the fabric if you cut it too short! 5. Put the pants on again, this time folding 1/4 inch of the fabric towards the inside of the pantleg and pinning the whole way around the leg. When that's done, fold over another 1/4 inch of the fabric, and pin the whole way around again, while removing the old pins but keeping the old fold (totaling 1/2 inch of fabric folded). Once again, stand up and make sure that the length is good. This time, you also want to make sure that the legs are even with each other, and that you have a nice, smooth line. If not, adjust it. 6. Using a sewing machine with a canvas needle and on a high fabric tension setting, sew all the way around the pantlegs...trust me, you don't want to sew this by hand. Okay, you should be done! Anyway, that's your basic hem. I really would suggest getting a professional to do it if you don't know how to do it yourself, though. Good luck!

Welcome back! You're getting married? Aww...congratulations!

Just to clear something up here: You said it right there "karate wasnt made for fighting" Actually, he said karate wasn't made for fighting other arts, which is a huge difference. While I can't verify the truth of his statement, I'm pretty sure that's what he meant.

I didn't get this joke either until I looked up the word agnostic in the dictionary.

I'll move this to "Getting Started in the Martial Arts", since this is about choosing a martial art.

Those were pretty cute.

The site is down right now

EEEEeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Welcome to the forums!

Welcome to the forums!

Welcome to the forums! A lighter weight gi is good for a beginner, when you're more concerned about mental training and trying to learn the basics. A heavyweight gi is good for an advanced student who is looking to have good, sharp form. A heavyweight gi will "pop" if you punch/kick with some snap. As far as fighting goes: You want a gi that won't get in your way as you fight. It's pretty trial-and-error to find the gi that best suits you and your style, so good luck! Once again, welcome!