Aodhan

Must be nice. We have 220+ students at our school, and we teach out of two different rooms. Rent is a serious chunk of overhead. Aodhan

I pay $100 a month for unlimited classes, including ongoing instructor classes (Got my black collar as a certified instructor last October). Every two months or so I pay $25 for a midterm. I have my 3rd degree testing coming in September, that will be about $300 I think. So in a year that I don't test for a permanent rank, I pay about $1400 for classes and testings. I take class about 6 hours a week. So, I'm paying about $6 an hour for my classes. That's pretty reasonable, in my book. Aodhan

Depends on how the system is set up. In our system (ATA TKD), you test your normal way to go from red to 1R (1st degree recommended). You then have a midterm two months later and then a final testing two months after that to move to 1D (1st decided). Generally (depending on the school), at the first midterm you must show the first 5 color belt forms plus the appropriate one-step combinations or sparring combinations for that rank. At the permanent testing, you must show the final 4 color belt forms and sparring segments, plus a random selection from the first five again. This is in addition to the regular breaks, forms, weapons, etc. It's not always a testing scam, there are a lot of schools that use the interim provisional period to ensure that a BB candidate has retained the material he learned to get there. Aodhan

Not that I ever heard, and I worked an Air Force ER for 4 years active duty, and 2 years reserves. Aodhan

Odd. I'm 39, and I've been in martial arts since about 1987, and sports in general since I was 5. No arthritis or other ills yet! (Unless you count a schwannoma on my elbow, result of an errant hockey stick ) Aodhan

http://www.kwonusa.com/kwonUSA/shop_land_manuell.asp There you can choose your country. I believe Kwon is European based. They are a little more expensive, but they have VERY high quality. I have a Kwon uniform that is over 10 years old and still looking very very good. Aodhan

Yeah, it's wierd. I can eat MSG just fine, and it gives my dad migraines for days. (Not that he really ever eats oriental food, my dad is one of the most boring eaters on the planet.) Aodhan

Thank you, sir! I've considered it, but I would have no idea about building up a client base, getting the certs, etc. Aodhan

I'll echo the fitday comment. Great website. Also, Orion, don't completely cut out fats. There are vitamins (oddly enough, called fat soluble), that rely on fats to be able to transport into the body. You cut out all fats, and you run the risk of developing vitamin deficiencies. Even when I recommend a diet plan to someone, I never have them go below about 15% of calories from fats. Just make sure they are good fats. Stay away from anything that has "Partially hydrogenated" as part of the description. They'll turn into trans fats in the body which are proving to be really bad. Aodhan

Hrm. It's a bit too far to the right to be a traditional (inguinal) hernia. There are a lot of oblique muscles (The ones responsible for twisting the torso) that anchor in that area, though. Was it a "pinch" sensation, or a "pop" sensation? If it was a pinch, I'd suspect a muscle pull/strain, and ice and rest should do you fine. If it was a "pop" sensation, then it could be more serious. Rest and ice, if it still hurts after a few days, see your doc. Aodhan

Grappling art, yes, although it's not as much of a groundfighting art as jiu jitsu. There is more of a stand up element rather than just immediately trying for a mount/joint lock and tapout. Aodhan

It depends on the practitioner, however, most martial artists prize agility and movement over straight brawn, so I would go with the straight sword (jian?) over the broad sword. (Dao?) Also, the broad sword by its nature will require larger, more powerful movements which will leave you open to counter attacks unless you are very good. Aodhan

Heh. Sohan does it for a living, I'm just a talented amateur. :D Aodhan

I'm with Sohan right down the line, with two exceptions. I avoid aspartame, and saccharine gives me headaches, so I don't use it much. Take a look at your labels. You would be extremely surprised to find out how many packaged foods use high fructose corn syrup. Lot of empty calories. Aodhan

Thanks for the feedback, i'm gonna ice it later after work. I can feel where it hurts, but i don't see any swelling or bruises. Its feeling better than yesterday, so that seems to be a good thing. If you can get ice at work, do so and use it. The sooner you get ice on the injury, the sooner you cut down on any swelling. Where in your abdomen? Ribcage, belt line, crease of the leg? Aodhan P.S. Wrap the ice in something, don't just plop bare ice down on your side.

uhm.... good? Aodhan

It might help a bit to list what kata you DO know. Otherwise you'll get a whole lot of suggestions that you have to reply "I know that one" to. Aodhan

Congratulations on your accomplishment. However, your last sentence seems a little bit off to me. If you have to have a full understanding of your art to test for black, then we would have very very few black belts. A black belt is a BASIC understanding of the art. Once you get a black belt, you are ready to start learning nuances, shadings, subtle differences, etc. There is always more to learn, even if you are head of your art. Aodhan

If you create your own style, then you create your own certificates As far as business licenses, there are a few that you might need. 1- Federal tax license/EIN number. This is used for everything to do with your taxes such as payroll taxes, withholdings, etc. This would be mandatory. 2- State/City tax licenses - These may or may not be necessary in your city/state. If you sell goods (Such as uniforms, gloves, etc) in a store as part of the studio you will need a tax license. If all you do is perform a service (teaching), it will depend on your local municipality rules. Since you are looking so long term, I wouldn't worry too much about the licensing yet. Study your arts (You may find one you'd rather teach than creating your own), and somewhere along the line look at taking some business courses. Either a business major, or minor, in college, or taking business courses from a local community college. Good luck! Aodhan

Heights. Heights make me definitely nervous. Dying in a fire. Cockroaches. (Seriously. I hate them things. Creep me right out) Not being able to help a loved one when they need it. Aodhan

Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Whitesnake, Megadeth, Queensryche, Helloween. Twisted Sister, Quiet Riot, Motley Crue, GnR, some Aerosmith (Although they aren't really metal), and then I sample a lot of songs from a ton of metal bands that I don't like overall, but have a few good songs here and there. Aodhan

If it is a bicycle, look in your library. There should be at least 2 or 3 there. If you can find it, see if that have one of these: "Bicycle Magazines basic maintenance and repair" "Big blue book of bicycle repair" If not the library, a good used bookstore will have some that might be older, but would still give you the basics. Really, there are only two tricky things in bicycle repair: Repacking a hub/headset/crankset, and lacing/truing wheels. Everything else is just a matter of threading, tightening and adjusting. Aodhan

Congratulations, sir!! Well done. Aodhan

Also, if you have an imbalance (Your back is stronger than your abs), then your back will try to compensate. You should be training opposing muscle groups if you aren't. Sohan, I'm thinking that weak or tight hamstrings could also have an effect on the back. Truth? Or a bad dream in the morning? Aodhan

Depends on if you are trying to train the slow or the fast twitch portions of the muscle. 75 in 45 is pretty good. Aodhan