JusticeZero

If you have to ask how long it is going to take to test for a black belt, you aren't ready to have one.

I'd look into finding someone who knows the art to check your work in person. Sometimes there are subtle issues that are seriously dangerous. I'd also contemplate training in whatever you can find a decent teacher of in your area. I'm not a fan of video training for anyone who doesn't already have a solid background in martial arts.

That question confused me too, but in a way that's familiar to me - it's a similar confusion as i'm sure a wrestler/judoka feels when someone says "Well, what if they don't want you to grab them?" I am not ambidextrous, and I do a symmetrical art. You just learn how to do it is all, same as every other skill.

Right. Even if it might have value, it is too risky - and the best sport science I know of indicates that it is NOT particularly valuable.

Make sure it is a very, very reduced rate while you heal up. Things that you ordinarily would never even notice have the potential to add months or more to recovery time, when recovering from a substantial injury.

Yeah, the CMA forum doesn't get as much traffic as it might. A lot of that is because a lot of not-totally-style-specific questions end up in "Karate" because it happened in a Karate class rather than a CMA class. Just as long as the language is understandable to others, others can take a swing at it. I for instance was never quite sure how to answer questions about, for instance, "What do you do for Jibengong?" Karate schools tend to use the english terminology.

How are we defining "overwhelming force"? What are we picturing as being the force?

Glad to hear it. But actually that is the main host, Dave. I'm the co-host Craig. Ah, alright. Couldn't tell with no names attached. Tell Dave I said hello. If you ever have such an agonizingly slow week that you need to hear from an uninspiringly ranked Angoleiro, let me know.

Sounds like a plan. A kickboxing or MT background wouldn't be time wasted even if in time you find a perfect Karate school. Good plan and good luck.

Strength is better and faster. Bulk isn't always strength.

Hi there, I remember you putting that podcast forward on RSF a few days back. There's all sorts here, I wouldn't be worried about being out of place with the karate-only sort. It's nowhere near as style-specific as I deal with at RSF.

Better yet from a psychological stance - if you think you will not do X, you have to think of doing X to negate it. Instead, decide "In the circumstances where I would reach for a cigarette, I will instead reward myself with this different healthy behavior." Aim for 100% on that, but it's okay to not reach it while you are learning how to do it. Important in this is of course that you have to learn what circumstances are tied to you reaching for a cigarette, and what you are getting out of the cigarette exactly. If you smoke while talking to people on a "smoke break" you might just have wanted a justification for the short break to talk to people, for instance.

There is a difference, though, between something being "not prohibited" and being noted as accepted and encouraged. It is not prohibited to walk around outdoors in public in a pink and green polka-dotted hoop skirt with rubber duckies tied to the edges, but it it not a choice of clothing you will see in use.

I should have remembered this, but alas, I was in a hurry.. You should be writing down whenever you have a cigarette, as per instruction above; ALSO, write down whenever you eat something. What time, what you ate, anything else relevant. Don't worry about not eating or smoking when you do this, just record it all. The patterns will become clear as you do it, and then you can figure things out from there, but you want to know what your patterns are. You can note down other plans for the day, too. But as best as you can, keep a log of anything you're doing that you might want to change. It's your log. If you want to write down that you ate a huge plate of cookies and they were soo yummy, go ahead. It's paper (or memory in a phone, or whatever). It won't judge you. =)

Not sure, they used to use whatever was swept off the floor.

That's because usually it isn't about "willpower". Most people run on autopilot most of the day so that they can concentrate on other important things. When your routine is such that "when X happens, grab a cigarette and you'll feel better afterward", "willpower" is bypassed completely. You never really made a decision there, it was all rote procedure. So instead, find out what cues you to get a cigarette, and replace the cigarette with something else that invigorates and refreshes you. In this case, you replace it with just enough exercise to bring up your heart rate, get your blood pumping, and get your muscles moving with that nice lively feeling; it needs to be something that gives you a rewarding feeling at the end. That way, you change the habit so that cigarettes actually are a "decision" again, instead of part of the routine

Well for one, you aren't holding the class back. For two, all the amazing people you see were once in the exact same position you were in. For three, smoking is a habit that you recognize is not helping you. For the next few days, every time you want a cigarette, jot down what you are feeling and experiencing at that moment. See if any patterns emerge. After seeing the patterns, replace them with short exercise breaks; take your cigarette break, but instead of grabbing the cigarette, do a few exercises that get your heart rate up a bit and get you to breathing slightly harder, stretch a bit, and smile. And believe in it; if you have a stressful thing happen, it's easy to slide back into old habits, but you're better than that. Four, work exercise into your daily routine. I know the snow is pretty hideous right now, but after breakup you can explore a bit, see if there are places you can walk or bicycle to instead of driving from home. I worked as a substitute teacher for two years in Anchorage using only bicycles and buses. You can get around better than you think. Before you jump into the car ask yourself "Do I really need to drive there?" The answer will sometimes be no. When in a parking lot, grab the first available spot - yes, the one far from the door. You do neither your car nor your body any favors driving in circles looking for the perfect spot by the door. Five, WATER. Drink a big glass of it right before class, right before meals, and keep well hydrated. The first sign of dehydration is that your stamina falls off drastically, and most people walk around dehydrated all the time. For weight, here's the easy starter. Go to your cupboard. Take a look at your plates. They're nice big normal plates, probably. Now throw them all out and get 8" plates instead. If I put a certain amount of food on an American "dinner plate" and show it to someone, they wonder "Is that all? I'm going to need seconds." If I transfer it onto a small plate, they go "Holy cow, you expect me to eat all that?"

Regional trick - scuff your feet in the dust right before training. It absorbs the oils and sweat and thus prevents your skin from adhering to the floor. There's also martial arts shoes.. mind, our tradition always trains in street shoes.

right.. for 'healing ligaments' i'd eat Jello and glucosamine to make sure there's no shortage of building materials on hand, and take it easy. This is one place where I particularly don't envy the Western stylists and the more external Asian stylists. If I get sidelined for a month, I can hobble into class, practice playing a music instrument and singing, not throw a single kick, and feel like I really accomplished something when I limp out of class again. However, you can still spend the time studying anatomy, history, and the like; your teacher might have ideas on things you can learn while you're letting your body heal.

Not that particular issue, no.. Doctors are trigger-happy on "you must quit", but you definitely need a break to heal at the least.

What MP said. Also, you look like you are dropping your guard in midkick. And does your style normally switch feet on the round kick? I'm coming out of a different style, so I don't mind the spinning, but i'd be careful with jumping. Then again, we aren't teaching your class either, so train what your instructor asks you to train. Coming along well.

He gave opinions twice: How do you define 'advice' and 'opinion', so we can make sure to make our advice and opinions recognizable?

You're completely dropping and opening your guard in the middle, might want to work on that. try to use the handwork in the guard to transition through guarded positions, instead of abandoning and re-establishing it. I don't know how the mechanics are exactly on your style, but your spine seemed a bit stiff too. Not sure if that's even on your instructor's radar though. Does your style normally switch sides at the end of the spin kick? It's not a bad thing to do, but it forces you to be and think symmetrically in practice; arts that use that stance generally don't. Your base foot was pointed forward on the roundhouse, indicating the hips were too closed. Common issue, but you'll want to turn the base foot further, probably until the heel is facing the target for how you use them, to preserve your joints if nothing else.

Shadowspawn, I disagree thoroughly with your assessment. Lesser levels of force are important all the time. A while back, my cousin had some sort of stroke. While recovering, he was sitting at home while being attended to by his parents, and my mother was visiting. In the middle of the conversation, he quietly told his daughter to leave the room, then once she did, stood up and attacked his mother. She was knocked down, and after a couple seconds he stopped in confusion and asked why she was on the floor, with no memory of the incident. I once got caught in between an abusive girl and her victim of choice. I would have liked the option of locking her in a handcuffing position and waiting for police had the rather lame escape ploy not worked. I don't think I could have justified maiming her in this situation. Situations where you need to enact an arrest are quite a bit more common than situations where you need to kill. I appreciate that you are trying to train for a model scenario, but you should look at a variety of scenarios, and a lot of them call for a lot less force than you are using.

Right. You already know where they're going to go - forward into you. So go sideways and new angles opens up. I suppose I can't argue too much with the theory that if you back up, it lets them build up a head of steam of energy for you to hit them with, but you still have to be aware of the environment to do that.