monkeygirl

yes I'm sick of that! At first, I thought you were wondering if you were the only one who's sick! In which case, you're not...I have bronchitis...and the antibiotics are worse than the bronchitis! My stomach hurt sooo bad... Anyway, yes let's fix that 20 ppl problem!

As long as there's no strict schedule, I'd love to do so in my free time.

Is it possible that this kid is being submitted to steroids? I find it hard to believe that this can be healthy...but then again I don't know many 10-year-olds who work out. Maybe they would look like this too. The college level math must take up a large portion of his time. It says he plays with his sister, but nothing about other children. And a fifth degree blackbelt? What, did he get his first degree when he was THREE?? This all seems very strange and unnatural to me.

...call me a doofus but what does MMA stand for?

agreed, G95champ, agreed Hey, we're gonna need a Santa Claus smiley

*sigh* Shotochem I understand your intentions, but I was exaggerating. We don't even HAVE 300 lbs. students in our school. However, I can throw 150-200 lb guys, or do techniques on them, and that's the average male agressor. Of course I would run like crazy if I encountered a 300 lb guy; I simply said 300 lbs to place emphasis on the difference in weight. It's supposed to prove that if I can do this technique and make it work, ANYONE can. Clears any and all skepticism right away

Remember, benedictbm, you need to find time EVERY day to practice the mega-kata with FULL intensity!! Believe me this will help!! Also, I tried eliminating all the leaky radiator "tss" noises two weeks ago, and it reaaaaally helped...I wasn't tired at all and I went pretty hard. Just take every class like it's your blackbelt test...will definitely help with the endurance. Hmmm what else... Start telling people to beat you up so you get used to it Hit the knife & gun defense REALLY hard...that is so important. Ask our nice lady instructor if you can spar in the circle at the end of class...she let us do that as it got close to the test. Since there's fewer testers, you'll have more opportunities to spar. ABOVE ALL ELSE: relax. If you freak out when you fight in the circle, all that's gonna do is tighten you up so you can't think or throw anything. Just relax, as if it's in class. It'll probably be a bunch of us new BB's and 2nd degrees that are in the circle, so you'll know us anyway. Being nervous is normal, but you gotta get over it. It's not so bad

Don't forget biting

Pay?? For testing?? If you pay for testing, what would stop a greedy school owner from failing you to get you to pay for another test?

I just read the November 2002 issue of Martial Art magazine, and I am extremely upset. This is the only issue of the magazine I have ever read, but it is still unacceptable. First, the magazine's literary skills are horrible...it's riddled with grammatical and punctuation errors, such as unclosed quotation marks...that's just a lack of proofreading! Throughout the entire magazine, there was the acknowledgement of ONE, (count 'em) ONE female martial artist!!! And even that was truly pathetic. On the very last page of the magazine, they have a "Warriors Highlight" Department. On the top there is a 28-year-old man named Steve Babcock. Steve is an extremely successful blackbelt (don't know what degree) martial artist who owns his own dojo, manages the Paul Mitchell Karate Team, and holds many competition titles (about 13 sparring titles). To top it all off, he's a great guy. Underneath him, there is a 39-year-old woman named Tamara Carousos. She owns a motorcycle and off-road gear company, and is a green belt. MA has helped her with health issues. Her awards? MaxFormation Monthly Winner...sounds business related. Oh, and she has perfectly manicured fingernails, and wears heavy makeup and jewelry for her lovely "action" picture . [edit: I apologize for my not-so-flattering view of Ms. Carousos. I did not intend to berate the woman herself, simply the magazine for putting her up in a comparitive light with Mr. Babcock. In my opinion, Martial Art magazine was saying (whether intentionally or not) that men could be extremely successful and make a career out of martial arts, while women had to be successful elsewhere, and only do MA on the side. This, combined with the lack of women throughout the rest of the magazine, helped me come to my final irate bantering Sorry. ] The only other women are in tiny advertisements, all doing serene-looking tai-chi-ish exercises. It's as if this magazine has conveniently forgotten that blackbelt women exist in the martial arts! Black Belt Magazine is a little better...because they specialize in self-defense, there are a lot of women demonstrating self-defense moves. They also occasionally feature articles by Kathy Long. However, even Black Belt mag didn't have any women competing this month, and the only woman they had "kicking butt" in uniform, was a yellow belt! I don't think I've ever seen a guy in these magazines wearing anything but a blackbelt. To make matters worse, there was an ad for "Bloussant" *ahem* breast formula...on the same page there was something for *cough* male virility *cough* pills, and the Miami diet. While I realize there aren't as many female "movers & shakers" in the martial arts as there are males, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THERE AREN'T ANY FEMALE BLACKBELTS!! I don't expect them to go out of their way to take pictures of women, or to make special provisions, but I tend to wonder what on earth dojos these people go to that don't have women! Yes, Black Belt Magazine has a "Self-Defense for Women" magazine, but what about us female martial artists, not just scared women who want to protect themselves? Maybe I'm missing something, but it seems to me that women martial artists are being extremely misrepresented...as in, not represented at all! Has anyone else noticed this phenomenon? Does anyone have any cases that prove me wrong? I want to get together, maybe get an e-mail petition going, and fire it off to a few martial arts magazines letting them know that women read their magazine and had better see some changes! I don't even want to mention Cynthia Rothrock because she kicks in thongs....ewwwww.

Starting from a kneeling position is very important when you first learn this roll. That way you can take it nice and slow, until you feel comfortable enough to stand up. I love the method found on Century Video Library's "Kicknastics" series, vol. 1. (or sumthin like that): Begin with left leg forward, if you want to roll over your left shoulder. With your hands making a diamond, make a "wheel" with your arms, left shoulder forward. Tip your head to the right and tuck your chin into your chest. Kick off with your right foot (helps if the bottoms of your toes are touching the floor) and roll over your left shoulder. REMEMBER: You're trying to draw a diagonal line from your left shoulder, down across your back, and to your right hip. To do over your right shoulder, just reverse all the directions.

Welcome to the forums! Interesting name, though...mind sharing?

Oh my I have you all badly beaten... Because my school is online, I'm online a minimum of about 25 hours a week! Plus any personal stuff I do outside of school makes it about 30+! Not sure but I think SaiFightMS might have me beaten...

I can understand this perspective...however, a "child" can teach a lot about self-defense in the idea that "This technique DOES work...watch 98 lbs. little me throw this 300 lbs. guy". Once they have figured out how to execute the technique, people can often be skeptical as to whether or not it will really work. When I teach self-defense, I teach it not only from a small person's perspective, but from a woman's perspective. If things need to be adjusted to fit some people's flexibility or other difficulties, we find ways. If they can go about it in an intelligent way, "children" can be some of the best teachers for self-defense, especially because we're the ones who will get "picked on" in the dojo. (Bigger people come up and toss us, etc...all in good fun ) My main problem with some of the posts in here is that people are assuming that "children" (or younger instructors) act in one way or another. I'm just saying: sometimes the ADULT instructors are more childish than the children themselves! Just like not every adult blackbelt is suited to teaching, not every child/teenager should be ruled out of teaching. Perhaps you all just have some bad experiences with some really rotten kids

Well, let's see....my education....I'm a sophomore in high school I agree that a degree in a related field would be helpful, but not absolutely necessary. I know a lot of people who are smarter than some college graduates in their field, but simply did not have the money or time to go to college. There's still no substitute for real-life experience and common sense . I think if you can find a balance between real-life experience and college education, then that would be perfect...more power to you!

Unfortunately my German's not as good as it used to be, so I can't make heads or tails of that website!

Ah my fellow small person! When I first started Tae Kwon Do I was rather small, too...still am. However, if you've just started kickboxing, I don't suggest you overload yourself with a weight training on top of it. Kickboxing itself is pretty intensive, and to put this much strain on your body all at once can be harmful. You've already said that your weightlifting experience was too much for you to go back the next day. Now, this could be because you pushed yourself too hard, trying to bench 200 lbs. (I can only bench...50) on your first day, instead of taking it slow. Now, weightlifting, if done correctly to build strength and size, should not make you incredibly sore the next day. However, it will probably make you tired. Since you've just started this kickboxing program, the program by itself is probably going to help you gain size and strength. If you add weightlifting, you could be overloading youself...kinda like taking 10 AP courses in your freshman year; if you can do it, great! But if not, you're gonna suffer the consequences. If you're really dead-set on weightlifting, make sure you get with a trainer who understands your situation and can help you take things slow. If not, what I would really suggest is that you leave the weightlifting alone for now, and allow the kickboxing to build your strength. When you feel that you just haven't been getting anything out of it, physically (and this should be considered over about a month), then you can try weightlifting. I, like you, have class three nights a week. I lift on the two off-days. However, I've been training in MA for nearly 3 years, and only just started lifting this summer. I got as much body-building as I could out of the MA. Because I had done this, it wasn't too much strain on my body. But if I had tried this two years earlier, I would've passed out. Another advantage of waiting is that you will know exactly what exercises to do to help you punch, etc...when I first started with a leg extension exercise, I was like "hey...this'll do wonders for my snap kicks!" Until then, remember that there are some drills and exercises you can do without weights. These are body-weight exercises such as push-ups, squats, crunches...all that good stuff. They're not going to be as good or as effective as weight training, but they will help a little, and that's all you may want for now.

Isn't it amazing how you can find MA in almost anything, if you're looking for it?

Those are pretty good...especially the one about the seals It's sad, but hey that's nature...

I really suggest not throwing back leg kicks at all. It squares your body with your target and takes much longer to throw than a front leg kick. However, it does deliver more power, and if you must, you must. If I were throwing a back leg roundhouse, I would keep my guard in tight, like a boxer's (one hand by each ear), and then shift to accomodate my new front leg. Different guards work for different people. It all depends on whether they're a kicker or a puncher, and how they throw these techniques. Try out several different methods, with an experienced fighter. You'll learn soon enough which method is best for you

Ow ow ow ow owwwwwwwwwwww...... KarateMom, I seriously suggest you look into the beauty of chest protectors. It makes fighting fair! That way you don't get disabled when you take a shot, and your partner doesn't feel obliged to punch you only in the gut, and not the chest. If someone is kind enough to do this, it seriously limits what they can do. Unfortunately, not everyone is this kind and considerate. The chest protector I have is from Century, and it's specifically designed for women, with its shape. However, it tends to slide down to your hips. I suggest looking for a chest protector that straps over your shoulders, to help keep it up. A traditional Taekwondo chest is bulky but good. Also kinda funny because it gives a big circular target! As far as the other students not wanting to spar you...that is very hurtful. However, you've achieved something very difficult: intimidation over your entire class! If none of the females of your rank will spar you, GUESS WHAT! You get to spar harder people! Challenges are good

Wristlocks, if done correctly, can be very effective. However, I agree with SubmissionFighter and Bon...they can be very difficult to master to the point of effectiveness. Elbow and palm strikes are very easy and effective. Pressure points can be done with very little effort or strength, but they, too are difficult to learn. The best training you can get for pressure points is a CDT (Compliance-Direction-Takedown) course, but I hear it can be very expensive. I skimmed their website but couldn't find any pricing information. They offer a training video set for $39.95 + S&H. However, if you're interested in an actual course, you might be better off calling one of the phone numbers listed on the site. http://www.cdt-training.com CDT specializes in being "non-deadly force training", so you can disable an opponent, and leave nearly no marks on your agressors' body. This is especially important with today's growing concerns of being sued for defending yourself. Hope that helps!

yeah, we got a group picture in class with all of the people who tested for BB, it's supposed to go in the local newspaper. I haven't seen it yet but they took it AFTER class so I suppose it's pretty nasty. That's the only one I have. I'm a brace-face now!! I got braces on Thursday (yes, at age 15)...I swear my parents did it on purpose. They say I can't date 'til I'm 16 but I'll have a mouth full of metal!!! Oh well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right? I got orange and black band thingies for halloween. Meanwhile, benedictbm is wondering what's so bad about braces...he just got his off!

Alright first I'll list all the gaming systems in my house (my brother and I have been playing video games since...well since I was 3 on an NES) NES, SNES, Gameboy Color, PlayStation (it's in my room! yay), PS2, and my brother's PC--he has Diablo and some other games for it. My fave games include: The entire Final Fantasy series (I'm currently going old school and playing #5---wish I had #10), the Spyro games, and the original Tomba! for PSX. I get into RPG's and platform gaming. When I feel the racing itch I reach for Gran Turismo 3, the only Tomb Raider I like is #2 (probably because it was the first PSX game we had), and my fave fighters are Street Fighter Alpha 3, Tekken 3 (because of Eddy ) and Dead or Alive 1 & 2. Yes, even though I'm a girl, I like Dead or Alive...it handles nicely and #2 allows you to knock your opponent through a window! Really not much of a fan of Virtua Fighter 4 however. Kind of boring, I think. I got up to 3rd Kyu with Pai...and what did I earn?? A bunch of jewelry??? Gimme a break. When I was a bit younger I was awesome at fighting games. I used to take on challengers at the arcade and whoop them so bad! They thought they were in for an easy win but little did they know... Ahh the Virtua Fighter days. *thinks back* I haven't ever played Resident Evil but I don't think I'd like it. *shudders* Video games have been a very significant part of my life, and that's not as sad as it sounds!

congrats on the blackbelt, Mike! You've definitely earned it, just from what I've seen. Look forward to more of your posts!