monkeygirl

LOL these are all pretty good. I like that one commercial for NFL Blitz or whatever football game it was: "kickimus maximus buttimus"

The hip flexor stretch that we do is a horse stance stretch: feet as wide apart as a good center stance/back balance, bend at knees and waist, put elbows on knees and press outwards. Basically trying to make a straight line instead of having your butt sticking out Then some left and right stretches from the horse stance: Shift weight to where you're in an entirely long front balance to the left. Left knee bent, right leg straight. Knee should not go past toes, back up straight. Weight should be on right hip, pressing it towards the left leg. Repeat on other side. Pretty good stretch when done correctly.

Oh and another thing: Some of the best martial artists I know, lost at their first tournaments. I think losing actually makes you better because it fuels you to train harder.

OMG .... GoldDragon!!!!! You understand the secret to eternal happiness. You said "Dead Duck (LOL)"!!! You need to go to http://www.angelfire.com/darkside/dead_duckies/ to learn more OK about the actual post now: Just relax, try not to be nervous. Nerves will make you tense and you won't be able to think clearly. I remember my first tournament. I was a yellow belt, and extremely lucky. I came home with a 1st place in forms. I was the only girl in my division, so I automatically got 1st in sparring. They asked me if I would like to spar the boys and I said yes I'd try. I lost immediately. I don't count it towards my record though since it wasn't my division <---cheater No matter how the tournament goes, don't let it negatively affect your training. Just because you might have lost doesn't mean you should quit; just becauce you won doesn't mean you're the best and don't need to train. Always work harder! And always make sure you're respectful to the judges and don't get angry; otherwise you could give yourself a bad reputation.

Well...common sense for upper-to-black belts can be different from that of a white belt, y'know KickChick? Especially when we teach. I like Bretty101's idea of the camera angles...pretty interesting. So, if ankle weights are bad, what about those resistance bands connected by your ankles...still bad? I ask because I heard there was a kind developed for MA. I think the lady was just using them when she walked, etc.

Cool! Nice to "meet" you

Welcome! Maybe we can hear from KnockDown themself soon...

amen!

Thanks for the congrats Oh, like tall people are so wonderful to spar...I can't hit you because all you have to do is reach out and put your hand on my forehead! Besides, tall ppl freak me out. Like I've said before: I don't like trying to carry on a serious conversation while looking up your nostrils! BTW you never got back to me about my kung-fu fan tape...I realize you've moved and everything, but do you still plan on doing it? Let me know if you need the address again, or anything else.

There's also the problem with mass popularity. Anyone remember last year when a bunch of stock market shows came out? The market was good then. After that, the market began to fall. People and advertisers tend to pounce on things WHILE they're hot, instead of as they're growing. By the time ads reach the community, popularity is already large. Instead of helping it grow more, mass media popularity marks the peak of general popularity and favor. From there it has only one place to go: down. MA wasn't done growing in popularity and making itself better-liked. It could have done so much better. But ad executives killed the growth spurt and now we may see its downfall. I sincerely hope I'm wrong.

My blackbelt means a lot to me. So much to me that on Saturday morning when they told me I had passed, I started to cry. I felt like such a dork! Besides the usual (honor, courage, accomplishment), I have defied the group of people who never thought I could make it, who tried to get me to quit, even seriously injure me. Hear me roar!!! I actually have my blackbelt oath right here in front of me, it says it pretty well: I accept with honor and privelige, the Black Belt in the martial arts, and do hereby swear to uphold the standards of, honesty, integrity, courtesy, high moral code and indomitable spirit. I sincerely pledge, to honor my instructor and school with loyalty and support, and to value and carry-on the martial arts tradition with respect and dignity. I further pledge, with humility and gratitude, to continue my mental, physical and spiritual growth to the highest level to lead by example, and to share what I have learned from others. Cool, huh? The banquet was so awesome...even though one of our newly-appointed 2nd degrees bashed his head on the wall and went to the hospital. Which just figures! Makes it through the test with just a little soreness, but during the BANQUET he bloodies his head! He's OK now, though, I saw him yesterday morning. We watched a videotape of the whole banquet with him, so he got to enjoy it too. (and cringed through the part where he hit his head....*shudder*) There was a slideshow of each candidates lives' from baby pictures to present, and little jokes the whole way through. I'm a little sore though...the occasional headache from Mr. Bill on Saturday *ouch* he hit me the hardest out of anyone. LOL some guy who has a crush on me was in the waiting room, and he was gonna come out and like...defend me or something. What could he do? Still, it was sweet.

Just from what little I know about capoeira, I don't think there are weapons. Wouldn't that kind of defeat the purpose? I thought it was supposed to be a "hidden art", disguised as dancing. So if they had swords it would kinda be obvious. Unless you're talking about using a long stick and beating it on the ground in rhythm...somewhat like...bonking them on the head? I dunno.

I have always been involved in volunteer work, and I'm too young to join the military. However, a week or two after 9/11, I helped gather supplies at a local Wal-Mart to be sent to ground zero. I haven't done much volunteer work lately, mainly because my parents aren't Jaycees anymore (maybe some of you have heard of the organization) and I don't have as much access to the projects. I miss the involvement, though. I do my part by continuing to teach MA. I help people learn how to defend themselves against a possible individual confrontation with terrorism. By doing this I also show terrorists our strength as a people to be able to carry on with life. Anyway, that's my corniness

Popularity and interest in the martial arts is definitely growing. It's getting to where every time I watch TV I see a commercial with SOME form of martial arts in it. Even carpet commercials. There was an article in YM magazine about girls in martial arts...so that's a big step. Hopefully, we'll see more frequency of martial arts competitions on ESPN, etc. Definitely like to see some more females in starring roles in MA films...maybe I'll be one? in my dreams

Wow...I've never heard of 4-section nunchaku. I've heard of a 3-section staff, tho. I suppose there are an infinite number of sections, the question is simply application, and as you said, recognition as an MA weapon. *still boggling over 4-sections*

Just make sure that if you're in a situation where you need to defend yourself, you go only as far as you need to. If you kill the person or disable them for life when the situation was not LIFE THREATENING, you might be able to go to jail. I'm not sure, but it's good to be safe. Especially since you're a martial artist, they have some bias against you. However, since you're a woman (...right? forgive me if I'm wrong), they will take it a bit easier.

The great thing about my style of TKD is that my instructor doesn't stop at TKD. He adds in new stuff he learns from conferences and stuff, brings it in to the upper belt self-defense training. We do ground fighting, knife & gun defense, and defense from various grabs in a standing position.

Welcome to the boards! Hopefully you'll find a school you like.

Welcome to the forums! Too bad I don't understand a word you guys are saying

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOo Ok sorry :D :D I just passed !!!!! I am now officially a 1st degree black belt!! I don't get the physical belt until tonight at the banquet/ceremony, but it's embroidered and has my name and nickname ("the Whammy") on it. I have to give an acceptance speech thingy and sign an oath of commitment if my hands work Wooo!!!! I'm so happy! Thanks everyone for your support and words of encouragement!

My only warning if you do end up opening your own school instead of franchising: Beware the blackbelt community. It sounds wrong, but if you disrespect your instructor and open a school without his blessing, than he and all of the other schools he may be associated with, will not support you. They will probably not speak very highly of you. The attitude of other schools can greatly affect yours. Just keep that in mind!

If you have no specific tie to this school and another school won't restrict you, go right ahead. Just make sure when you make the leap that it isn't to something worse.

Well, that was only Phase 2. Phase 2 was deciding whether or not I would make it to the final leg of the test. I ran my 3 miles in 25 minutes. May seem like a long time for you guys, but it's good for me I had the fastest takeaway in one-on-one knife defense, which was what I was worried about the most. I actually got blood, though...the marker scraped my skin! When I was holding it! My self-defense looked pretty good, too. I actually threw a guy and got some "wow"s. My sparring was OK. A 5th degree pinned me against the wall, though and blocked me every time I tried to get out. He was so close I couldn't even bring my leg UP to kick him away. But other than that it went pretty good. Final outcome: I PASSED TO PHASE 3!!!!!!!!!! I still can't believe I did it! The last part will be very hard, and I'll do my best, but I'm not nervous about it at all. I'm over the big hurdle of my test. I'm so happy!! yayayayyayayblahalbjaljbiajie[ioajoe[jf woooooooo!!!!!!! OK gotta calm down.....phew! <---- grinning like a fool Thanks for all your support! I think I'll be less moody now (hopefully!)

Everyone else has made good points so I won't touch on that part of it. However, if you feel you are much more strict than the other instructors, maybe even strict to a fault, then you need to observe your instructor. What is his/her policy for passing/failing students? You may have your own opinions, but remember that you need to be consisten with your instructors' goals and standards, not just your own.

Nobody in our school is allowed to make contact until they are a green belt. This is pretty much giving them time to get used to sparring gear, movement, throwing techniques, blocking, etc. before they actually hit people. Then it is light contact to the body only, punches & kicks, nothing to the head. At blue belt they begin to make head contact (nothing to the face PERIOD), punches & kicks. The belts past that are periods of growth and increasing power slightly. As far as head contact driving students away...in May, I got kicked FULL FORCE in my EYE!! I was in the emergency room, and had to wear an eyepatch for a few weeks (double vision). I have an orbital blowout fracture now, that may never fully heal. I still have some double vision. I can never be hit in my eye again. But I still came back!! Of course, I was a 2nd degree brown belt at the time, so I had pretty much made my mind up that I wasn't quitting. I wear a facecage on my helmet now (and am the only student who does) so that I don't...y'know, DIE or go BLIND if I get hit again, which is what could happen. Now, mine was a very rare case. Most people in my school will never get seriously hurt in sparring. They are more likely to land wrong from a flying sidekick and twist their ankle. So head contact is ok as long as they're experienced (and even then, the experienced ones need to be kept in check).