baronbvp

Anyone on the forums use their martial arts training in actual combat in Iraq, Afghanistan, or elsewhere?

Ectomorph = skinny punk who can't gain weight. See also "hardgainer." From bodybuilding.com: I don't know about the supermodel part...

You go, brother!

Good point, NightOwl! Perhaps there will be dance fighting...

I think USC, LSU, and Boise State would all have beaten OSU last night. The Buckeyes played flat. I think the Rose Bowl was a better game, and the Boise State game was off the hook - one of the best college games ever. Earth to BCS, we need a playoff!

Impressive! Thank you for enlightening me. I believe Wesley Snipes trains in that sport/art as well.

Thank you, kind friend. Dogged and determined I am. In any one place for very long, not so much. If I ever get back to the Northwest, I will rejoin my old dojo or find an even better one. Until then, my eyes are open and I'll train where I can. And keep the Motrin close by.

Good for you, Sohan. Whatever agency or unit you join will be much better for it.

I've been in a few fights back in the day, none over anything worthy. I was lucky enough never to have had been beaten badly, or to have hurt anyone badly. That was quite some time ago. Some things I learned: 1. Adrenaline will shock you and fear is cold and scary. 2. Flailing doesn't work but keeping your body in control, in a good fighting stance, with simple techniques does. 3. Punches to the face hurt a lot more when there are no gloves on. 4. Very few fights are worth having. I've bought a few upset guys a beer and let them be the one whose sense of pride or due respect stays intact, because mine are not threatened by anyone. And there is always someone bigger and meaner than me who cares more about saving face or being the alpha dog than I do. I stay lucid and keep my ego out of it. By the way, cops and girlfriends will much appreciate it if you're the calm, mature, sane one who deescalates a situation.

I think people who excel at circular styles have limber bodies and joints and are natural art in motion. They can often dance well for the same reason. That makes me a linear fighter.

I am an ectomorph, so I lift heavy and do a full-body workout when I lift - for about an hour or 1+15. The next day I do something to keep loose like hike in the forest or go to class. The third day is for rest, and that's the day I am generally sorest if I've lifted too heavy. But by now, I know how to lift to keep the lactic acid out of my muscles and maximize the result, so tightness is a better descriptor than soreness. Lifting weights or training anaerobically is breaking down muscle with micro tears. Don't underestimate the value of rest so your body can heal and grow. Sohan and Bushido are correct. There is a lot of guidance on the web as well, like on https://www.bodybuilding.com.

Me too, Bushido Man. So far, the ones I see who are still going are the ones who want to and are eager to put in the work. Even if you only work out or exercise once or twice a week, and keep your hand in the martial arts game somewhat, it pays huge dividends. I am all about learning, which is why I am taking a three-month KB class followed by a three-month BJJ class, instead of joining a single-style dojo. I will also take ballroom dancing with my wife. Hopefully we can keep the martial out of that art.

Great point, Sohan. I certainly love to challenge myself and continue to learn and grow, but by this point in my life I have proved myself enough to even myself. Even though I will likely never be a black belt, I am comfortable with who I am and what I can do; and with who I am not, and what I cannot do. I think we are saying the same thing in a semantically different way. I can still train fairly hard, even if my six pack hides now in a blanket of warmth. I enjoy working out, walking in the forest with my wife, playing football and soccer with my kids, and being in a good dojo. I love the arts enough that even if I couldn't train, it makes me happy to think about and to help others if I can. It's one reason I like these forums and the voices I respect that reside here. This is fun!

Hey, man, that's not funny! In Seattle, you can buy Starbucks so you have something to drink on the WAY to Starbucks. Cut us off after the third quarter? Don't SCARE me like that! (Actually, we park right by Starbucks so we can get some before and after the Seahawk games. Sometimes we even go to the Starbucks in the base of the Starbucks corporate headquarters right down the street. How sick is that!) I wonder if I can fight without coffee..

Wow! What is your day job, Sohan? Running a dojo? Mountain climber? Thinly-disguised superhero?

Could be. I won't train anywhere the vibe is bad. I've been around too long to put up with an anyone who treats people without respect. Leadership means inspiring people to become better than they are, not beating them into it.

Not if you do it right, but it ends up kinda chewy and rich. Mmmmm! When Seahawks Stadium became Qwest Field, I wished instead that Howard Shultz had purchased it and named it Starbucks Grounds.

Good for you, cnada, you should train after 40! I actually enjoy it more now than I did when I was younger. I gained confidence and knowingness, while losing the need to prove myself to myself. (Well, maybe not every speck of it. )

One thing that has definitely happened to me as I've gotten older is the lowering of my tolerance for mindless pain. I know I'd never get past 30 before I'd say something Patrick won't let me put on this forum, and then I'd stop. Hey, maybe I can pay my eight-year-old to do the other 70... Oh yeah.

I know what you mean. It's not really mine either, but somehow I still like to scrap on it. That's one of the reasons I plan to take BJJ later this year.

And how does he keep students? I thought this kind of teacher's brutality died after WWII.

I think Baltimore is going to eat Peyton Manning for lunch. NE/SD will be a good game, as will NO/PHI.

Hey, wait....

Concur totally, Bushido. Personally, I think the Olympics could eliminate synchronized swimming to make room for MMA.

My pleasure - all free! I credit my good Japanese-Hawaiian-American friend from freshman year at USC, whose martial arts club I was part of. He was a true MMA specialist before the term existed. He even used a bit of judo during football.