psychomom

There are several types of drills you can do on your bike. Make sure that you start with a warmup in your ride, 10 maybe 15 minutes. If you have some good hills in your area you can try several different things. You can try to ride up as fast as you can switching gears as you go. You can then do it again and ride without switching gears. And then you can do it again and staying out of your seat. Give a few minutes riding between to catch your breath. If you have no hills, or want to try something different pick a time, like 2 minutes and go all out. Then recover 5-10 minutes and try again. Do this several times during a ride. Just be sure to stretch you hamstrings well. All the time because riding will shorten them if you are not dilligent. Blessings Psychomom

I have been cycling for a couple of years, and last year I talked my 62 year old dad into training for a 50 mile ride with some boys from my son's scout troop. He has diabetes, and needed to take insulin 4 times a day. The doctor said exercise would help him. The first time we went out he was shaking after 4 miles, but he went out and bought a bike and helmet the next day. We trained together a couple of times a week, but he started riding at home on the other days. He never thought he could do 50, but having that goal, and a couple of months to work up to it proved he could. He was an inspiration to these teen boys that could barely keep up with him. Well after that he was hooked. He bought a fancy bike that has the clip pedals. He competed in the Senior olympics in our area and won a bronze medal. And this spring he did a century ride for charity. His heart is stronger, and he only needs insulin once day, and he has lost 20 pounds. His doctor is estatic, and uses him to inspire other patients. Here are some tips for your dad. 1. Make sure the doctor knows what he is doing. 2. Get him a heart rate monitor (you can find a decent one for $50-$100, look for one that alarms if you go too high, and has an average heartrate) and help him find out his maximum zone. This has several advantages. One, if he is going too hard, he can slow down or stop. Two, he can see improvements over time. My dad thinks it is cool how much quicker his heart rate recovers from doing the hills than it used to. 3. Make sure he is taking precautions like taking a cell phone, id card, couple dollars, and repair kit for fixing flats and stuff. Also he needs to stay well hydrated and prepared for the weather. 4. Make sure he knows to stretch. Especially his hamstrings because they will get tight, and keeping them flexible will help him avoid injury. All in all it is a great exercise for everyone. My dad is having the time of his life. He is training to take the gold at the senior olympics this year, and another century after that. Don't worry about the pedals. It only takes a couple of falls before your remember to clip out before stopping I think it is great that your dad is moving. Encourage him because it is better to move than grow old and never move out of the recliner. Blessings Psychomom

One combination that is taught in our class is a outside/in crescent kick to close the gap, and then a yoko geri (side kick). I modified this because my crescent kick is not very good, and so instead I throw a backfist with my lead hand and let that bring me into postition and create an opening for my sidekick. psychmom

My thoughts are that you should be careful that you can trust the adult/older teen that she is sparring with. The word is control. The adult should be able to adjust their technique to challenge her, not to beat the crap out of someone smaller. They should use it to practice control, and blocks, and movement. Especially be careful with older kids, they sometimes don't realize how hard they are going. Make sure there is constant supervision so if things get out of hand it can be stopped. psychomom

I have become familiar with kata beyond my belt when we go over all the kata in class to prepare everyone for testing. Our school is small and as lower belts we get to see that kata to come. I try to focus my learning on the kata that I need. I ask questions, practice fine points and learn only the one to come. Being familiar with the next kata to me is just gravy. When it comes time to really learn it, I will know some of the basic steps, and then I can learn it well from there. I think you need to be careful trying to learn from a video on the internet, because even if it is the same kata, they could do it a different way that your sensei wants. Psychomom

Thanks for the suggestions. No revenge involved, I know that it will take time to learn which is why I asked my questions. Sparring him was good for me, I learned places that I need to improve on. I am learning to understand my body's strengths and weaknesses and learning how to use the basic techniques in different situations but being a beginner sometimes it is hard to know where to start. I appreciate the suggestions, and cant wait to try the circular motion, or evading. Are there any good drills I can do at home to improve these things. I have a heavy bag, and some handheld kick pads, and a willing husband. Thanks, psychomom

I am a 36 year old female and have been studing world oyama style for almost a year. I generally spar with people my own height, but last time I tested I sparred with a young man who was a foot bigger than I am. His arms and legs are way longer than mine are so by the time I was trying to move , he hit me, and I couldn't get close. Kind of like someone holding your forehead with their arm straight out and you are punching and cant reach them. That said, I have several questions 1. Any drills or moves that I could practice that will help me get in on a biggie. (I tend to stand my ground and take a hit and then retaliate) I am working on moving more, but I want to be efficient, and not pick up a bad habit I will need to break later. 2. Kicks, punches or any other technique (or modification) that is effective on biggies 3. Any mental or strategies that work well. This is my first post, and I appreciate any feedback. psychomom