monkeygirl

I prefer a guy with short hair. Fabio-long hair is way too long...I don't really like a guy's hair to be longer than chin-length. But then again, appearances aren't REALLY that important to me. I wouldn't disregard someone simply because their hair was too long.

I loved playing Virtua Fighter (yes the original one) at the arcade when I was younger. I would SO beat all the boys who tried to challenge me. I don't like Virtua Fighter 4 though. Controls are too slow. Mortal Kombat is kind of boring. I've always loved the Street Fighter games...very colorful, very fun. Street Fighter Alpha 3 is very cool. The controls flow very nicely. I like Tekken 3...I'm not allowed to play with Eddy Gordo anymore because he's just such a cheap character Marvel vs. Capcom is great...pretty easy and fun. Great to just pick up and play. Gotta love playing with Ryu AND Wolverine Dead or Alive ... what can I say? The guys love it. I've always thought the outfits and the oh-so-famous "bounce" feature were pretty funny So my current favorites to play are: Tekken 3, Dead or Alive (original or sequel both are good), and Marvel Vs. Capcom.

Well, the person who does the sound effects is called the Foley Artist. As far as the music...probably just Music Director.

Well it's good to know that everything went well, aes. Since nothing happened, that means you didn't start anything, either Give yourself a pat on the back for restraining yourself, even when you wanted to do otherwise

2 more days left!! Is everyone getting excited?

I was in the 8th grade when I started teaching. However, who says that they have to teach, just because they're black belts? I know a few adult black belts who are great martial artists, but you would never want them to be instructors. Sure, they have an extensive knowledge of the martial arts, but they haven't the foggiest idea how to spread that knowledge on to someone else. It could be due to poor leadership qualities, or maybe they have a natural teaching inability (kind of the opposite of natural ability). "A Black Belt does not an instructor make."

The fight scenes were awesome, but I got pretty lost in the storyline, like I did in the first Matrix I'm gonna have to see it a second or third time until it makes sense to me

Instead of having a senior belt tie it for you, ask them to show you how to do it. When a kid (under 10) needs help tying their belt, I just do it for them, because most of the time, they won't remember how to do it later. I'll do a quick explanation, but just tie it really quick so they can get back to class (I usually end up tying their belts because it fell off during their class). If a kid over the age of 10 (so I'm including adults ) needs help, though, I will take off my own belt, stand next to them, and show them how to do it, step-by-step. I make them do it themselves and they usually learn better that way. Personally, it took me a month or two to master the art of belt-tying. It takes a little fiddling and pulling in different directions to make the knot nice and flat, and the belt ends nice and even.

I have heard that: if a woman sustains a severe trauma to the *ahem* chest area (i.e. getting punched/kicked) it increases her risk of breast cancer. Is this true? I wear a chest protector anyway, just because getting hit in the wrong spot hurts SO much. So, if that's true, does it also translate into: if a man sustains a severe trauma to the groin area, it increases his risk of testicular cancer? I'm asking because I'd like to keep my students informed as to the importance of wearing protective gear, besides simply softening the pain. Thanks

Jackie Chan has broken his foot and various other bones doing his stunts, and he's a professional...be very careful and use as much protective equipment as possible (i.e. knee & elbow pads hidden under clothing). Good luck!

Welcome to the forums! Try posting at the "Getting Started in the Martial Arts" forum...they can help you over there

Welcome to the forums!

thanks ZR440..... this thread needed some lightheartedness

This thread has gotten far too heated.

Kendo is the weapons art where you wear lots and lots of heavy armor and slash at each other with swords. Kempo and Kenpo are the same thing; a style of karate. I suppose just like anything else, there are sub-styles of them that might make them appear different.

Most of the guys and girls in my dojo wear t-shirts underneath their gi tops. It's not a requirement of the school or anything...I think the guys are just insecure about their chests During the summertime (now), we get to wear dojo t-shirts, so not very many people are wearing gi tops anyway. Get heavyweight gi pants and the bulge won't be so noticeable My instructor said that when he was training, he wore his cup all class long, regardless of what they were doing. Now, this was before all of our fancy sparring gear came into popularity, so sparring for him involved wrapping Ace bandages around his knuckles and going at it! Nowadays, you have so much other gear to put on, you might as well put on your cup while you're at it. But, at the very least: Wear it for sparring!!! There are SO many guys in my class that don't wear it at all, and then get kicked/kneed in the groin...and wonder why it hurts so much. *cough cough* jake *cough cough*

Do you eat meat on this diet? 'Cause you can get that from an animal

Welcome to the forums, Raiden!

First, I would like to remind everyone that even though this is a debate, it should still be kept respectful. Everyone's opinion should be read carefully and considerately. Not that you'd do anything else, right? Tournament sparring (at least TKD point sparring....the only kind I'm familiar with) is in art in itself. In TKD point sparring, the purpose is not to hurt your opponent. It's all about speed, control and strategy. In black belt competition, the fighting is a little rougher, but it's still not NHB-type fighting. I can't speak for kickboxing, bjj or any other style's competitive fighting. I only know my own. I also think you should never elbow anyone in the face or knee them in the groin as hard as you can, unless you're in a self-defense situation. However, in competition, both people are willing to fight. Nobody is being forced to fight against their will (in most cases...sometimes schools do require students to compete)...everyone knows what they're getting into, and it usually doesn't involve being elbowed in the face. As far as the "bloodthirsty mob", at our tournaments there's a lot of yelling and screaming...but that's because there's people in the crowd who care about each of the fighters; family, friends, fellow students, instructors. They're shouting "Come on! You can do it!" "Don't forget combinations!". Never "Knock his brains out!" I'd like to say your friend's experience was an aberration, but it probably isn't, which is unfortunate. Tournament fighting can be exciting. It can also be a good training tool. When you lose, you wonder "where did I go wrong?" and train harder. Fighting the adrenaline stress helps to prepare you for the adrenaline of a self-defense situation. IMHO, when done respectfully and without the intent to severely damage your opponent, there's nothing wrong with tournament sparring.

The Game Threads forum is for threads that are games themselves. If you wish to discuss video games, that would go under General Chat. I'll move this one there

My dad uses the Atkins diet a lot...so I know a bit about it. Veggies like cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, asparagus, squash...they're all pretty good. Peas, corn, and carrots are too high in carbs for Atkins-ing. You can eat pretty much any meat you want, just be careful with the seasonings. If you really want a sandwich with lunch meat, my dad found a cool alternative to bread: use large leafs of lettuce and make a wrap. You can even spread mayonnaise on the lettuce, with a little effort. This could be a good alternative for your lunchtime salad!! A good alternative for traditional flour-fried chicken: crush pork rhinds to a fine powder in a food-processor. Make the chicken moist with water or egg, then dip in the rhinds and fry in a skillet. There's a couple different flavors of pork rhinds, so you can mix it up a bit. Potatoes are strictly off-limits because they're so high in carbs...for those that are jonesin' for a spuds fix, try mashing up cauliflower...it's an awesome substitute for mashed potatoes. Adding melted cheese gives it a little more flavor. Fruit is a no-no. If you want some fruityness, try sugar-free fruit-flavored popsicles. Kemps brand is good if you can find it. Splenda is by far THE BEST sugar replacement. You can bake with it, and 1 cup of splenda = 1 cup of granulated sugar. It doesn't taste exactly like sugar, but it's still good. Diet Rite cola sweetens with Splenda, unlike Diet Pepsi and Diet Coke. If you're going to be on a low-carb diet, make sure you're taking vitamin supplements (weird stuff like fish oil, too) to make up for the ones you're missing by avoiding fruit, etc. For the best info on this, buy the late Dr. Atkins' book. You can find it in most bookstores. Also check out the webiste: http://www.atkinscenter.com. You should be able to find everything you need about proper nutrition, carb limits and stages of the diet (as you progress through the diet, you get to eat more carbs per day, not just the 20 carb limit of the induction period). There are a lot of good low-carb cookbooks out there besides Dr. Atkins' (I didn't really like his recipes, they were a little too gourmet for my taste) The Low-Carb Cookbook by Fran McCullough is one my family uses a lot...we've liked every recipe we ever tried. Good, down-to-earth recipes, as well as some gourmet foods. The diet is pretty easy to understand. After all, I know this much about it, and I've never even been on it!! Even if you're not doing the Atkins diet per se, a lot of the information I've given should still be fairly useful.

Hmmmm sounds like Dr. Phil! Like everyone's been saying: people change. Whether it's for better or for worse, after 20 or so years (I assume that's what reunion you're on), most of your class is probably pretty different. Think about how much you've changed as a person...imagine how much they could've changed. Besides, you want to set a good example for your kid(s) Even if the bullies try to pick a fight with you, try to avoid it if at all possible...don't stoop to their level. If they're being jerks, but nothing phsyical is happening, I would thank them. It sounds strange, but I would thank them for motivating you to become the dedicated martial artist you are today. The stereotypical people who are popular in high school are really at a disadvantage. Oftentimes they are too concerned with social status to pay attention to their education. When high school's over, they're just another hamburger flipper at McDonald's. The people that they bullied and stepped on all through high school are the ones who become motivated like aes. They become something they might never have been, if it weren't for those bullies angering and motivating them. True, some high school geeks will always be geeks; some jocks will go to Harvard. By making a generalization, I don't mean to exclude or ignore those people. I'm just concentrating on stereotypical Molly-Ringwald-movie characters for the time being.

Thanks, Laurie

You must realize here again genetics comes into play, however, this only applys to some women. You generalize women as if every one is the exact same.... I, for one, wouldn't want to risk osteoperosis and who knows what else, just to get a six-pack. But, that's just me.

IMO, that's a good system, Tigerclaw Kudos to your instructor!