Meguro

Hey Superfoot. If you ever get to cross train in Kyokushin, try some set-ups using low round houses and knee kicks (not to be confused with kicks to the knee).

yes and no mean fighter. A lot of point sparring won't help you train to take the hits in a knockdown or full contact tournament. However, cross training benefits all fighters. The advantage still goes to the guy fighting under his rules and having the other guy adapt or not.

Kyokushin tournament fighters train to fight under kyokushin tournament rules. In a mixed martial arts envronment, some will be at a disadvnatage if they stick to kyokushin rules and the bad habits they might have acquired. Muay Thai boxers fighting under kyokushin rules would have no advantage over kyokushin karateka. Less"traditional" styles of Kyokushin lead to K-1. Kyokushin is pure knockdown rules.

Kurtz, that's the man. He's got some interesting ideas on stretching.

Keep your guard up and your head down. We'll chat some more when you get back.

I've read similar things regarding the ineffectiveness of stretching (static)to prevent injury. Personally, it's part of my routine and I'd do the stretches anyway. What has been effective is dynamic stretching. According to some proponents of dynamic stretching, 15 minutes of dynamic stretching 2x/day should give you the flexibility to do head-height kicks with no warm-up. I don't have the links handy but you can read more on this stuff if you google dynamic stretching.

I would run into the nearest 7-11, grab the baseball bat or shotgun hidden behind the counter and then hide in the restroom while the cashier calls the cops.

That's a bummer. Same thing happened to my brother in law: knee surgery=no more karate. He still keeps active but had to give up anything that might reinjure his knee. Good luck with your surgery.

I do the same thing except with water bottles instead of magazine. I can fit about 8 liters of water in the back pack and am good for 4 sets of 20 reps of dips. Haven't tried the backpack with push-ups since doing them with feet on a chair is hard enough.

Even in Japan, Karate mags are losing shelf space to activities such as golf, surfing, auto's etc. On the increase are mags devoted to mma and prowrestling. Seems to be a classic case of supply and demand.

Musa- If you like Xiang Xi Xi and swords this movie is for you. Huge production value, great cinematography, great plot. Must see. Ong Bak- Fight scenes are the best out there. So-so plot. Sequel is out I hear. Fist of Legend- Jet Li's best. Everything since has been overproduced. Blade ll- Wesley Snipes and the Blade series is underrated. Snipes is an actor with surprising MA ability. Certainly more entertaining than the likes of Segal, Speakman, Norris et al. Blade ll is an interesting blend of horror and ma genres. Go rent it and see. CTHD- A movie for art house snobs. Puts most action addicts to sleep but for excellent story telling & cinematography. House of Flying Daggers/Lovers- Another Xiang Xi Xi vehicle. Lavish sets and costumes. Not so special fight choreography. Eye candy. Gladiator-C'mon guys get with it. Roman dudes were all about watching the fights. Add to your collection. Last Samurai- Wanted to hate it, but actually loved it. A very restrained Tom Cruise. A keeper. Highlander- The original. What a concept. The sequels and series, drivel. Big Trouble in Little China- A cult classic. A young Kurt Russel before Goldie Hawn and Kim Cattral before Sex and the City. Ronin-Not really martial arts, but if Deniro were going to do martial arts this is it. Apes the ethos so you gotta give it a thumbs up.

Nope, not exclusively Brazilian. Whatever scores a knockdown will be adopted by everyone in the Kyokushin community.

I hate snap-kicking air. Ugh. Won't do it. The problem I had with my knee was soreness just beneath the knee cap. I found that using a strap (Cho-pat) just under the knee cap eliminated the discomfort when running. Also, as I said lots of squats. These days instead of running I use a Concept ll rowing machine, which gives you a really intense work out and is easy on your joints. An added benefit is that it works your abs, lats, upper and lower back, bi-triceps, quads and hams. What's not to like.

I try to incorporate training into my everyday routine instead of allocating a specific amount of time. For example when I sit down to read or watch TV, instead of sitting on the sofa I'll get into a stretching position on the floor. In the case of a commercial break, I'm apt to knock off some push-ups or sit-ups. Unless you've got a lot of free space, save the kicking and punching for the dojo.

Guy:" Hey Doc, it hurts when I do this." Dr.: "Don't do that anymore." You were prpbably injected with cortisone, which reduces the swelling in the affected area. The problem is the underlying cause for the swelling is untreated-perhaps it was a strain, tear, poor mechanics whatever. Cortizone treats only the symptom. Some other approach is necessary to treat the cause of the pain or injury. I think you have to examine what types of activity you're subjecting your knee to. Are you snapping, twisting, running on pavement? When I visited a Dr. for knee pain associated with running, he suggested I build up the muscle around my knee by doing various squat-type exercises. Worked like a charm. The pain hasn't returned in years, 'course I don't run nearly as much either.

Does it involve serving the other guy large quantities of beer?

eh. I figure it's overuse, too many reps. You're right, when I bench or do dips I don't feel pain, but then again I'm not doing nearly as many reps. Plus, I'm not getting any younger.

Till someone comes along and says, you should try it on two fingers, that's a killer! I should also mention that doing all these push-ups is a real pain (in my elbows and shoulders).

When I got to 100, I started doing them on my knuckles. When that got easy, I raised my feet up on a chair, which cut the number right in half.

Sets of 100. Still, that's a lotta push-ups.

When the actor Robert Downey Jr. was locked up on drug charges, he had nothing to do in prison but push-ups. I read he got up to 1000 a day. I guess you could spend jail time doing lots worse than push-ups.

Cheese? Did someone say cheese? Did anybody mention "Big Trouble in Little China?" C'mon, Kurt Russel and Kim Cattral. The Last Dragon is my number 2 pick for MA flicks with extra cheese.

I think the recommended training depends on what type of fast punch your trying to achieve: the knock-out kind or the point scoring, snap the dogi kind. In both cases, lots of repetition will get the muscle memory, nerve pathway thing going. Plyometrics, which include the hand clap pushups, will add more than just speed and sound-effects to your punch. Personally, I like punching the heavy bag. It builds strength, speed, muscle endurance. What's not to like?

I watch fights of all kinds. As I write this there's some Muay Thai competition between Japanese and Thai kick boxers on the tube. Before the mods pulled the threads, Superfoot had some excellent links to Kyokushin vids. Boxing is pretty good too. There's also a lot of mma available, if that's your thing. As for exercises, please ask you doctor. I can't think of any good exercises where your core isn't involved, unless you're thinking of squeezing a stress-ball in your hands. Hope the surgery goes well and your recovery is quick.

He was fighting me southpaw. I took out his lead leg with a kick to his inner thigh. To follow up on Kyospirit's reply, in competition, to score wih a sweep you've got to follow-up with a strike (but you're not allowed to hit a downed opponent) hence the gesture.