Aodhan

Levator scapulae and splenius will also produce pain in that region. Also, the erector spinae are palpable, unless you have large development of the trapezius and/or SCM. Aodhan

1 rep max? Been so long since I've done a 1 rep max, I don't know. I use the 3 rep max which is a better indicator of strength, and last time I did it was somewhere in the 255-265 lb. range. That was when I was in a bulk training phase, I'm sure it's somewhat less than that now. Aodhan

Yes I know. I'd still like to see someone try and kick me off a horse, though, of any height. I'm not the greatest rider in the world, but I bet that it would be nigh-on impossible for anyone to unseat me with a flying kick. With today's saddles, sure. However, most of the modern saddles and the stirrups were not around at that time. Plus, add on the fact that you are wearing a lot of armor which was very very top heavy, and it might not be that hard. Now, just from jumping next to the horse, probably not. Coming off of a height, very possible. Aodhan

Psst. Hey, AoG. http://tinyurl.com Aodhan

Yes, I know. I spent 4 years plus an internship getting a degree in exercise kinesiology. What a pain in the tookus, but it does come in handy now that I teach. Aodhan

I see your point and it does make sense. I understand that it does not exactly fall under the word "martial." I am also not a fan of flashy kicks and stunts. They can promote good physical health and stamina but that's it. Flips, cartwheels, things of that nature I agree. However, to do the 540 kicks, 720 kicks, etc. you HAVE to be able to do the basic underlying kicks, and do them WELL. 540 - First you have to be able to do a good crescent kick. Then a good butterfly (Sometimes called tornado) kick. THEN you can progress to a 540. As long as we're taking out all the XMA stuff, lets take out butterfly kicks (Jump spin outer crescent is what we call a butterfly). Are you ever going to use it in a fight? We have XMA in our school, and at first, I was not really for it either. However, after attempting to learn to do some of the basic stuff (Still working on a 540), I've had to go back and really sharpen my basic kicking skill to even do the BASICS contained in the XMA system. Sure, there is a lot of stuff that isn't "traditional", but it promotes excellent basic technique. There are exceptions to every rule, but as a generality, you will NEVER be able to do a good "flash" kick if you can't do the underlying technique well. Aodhan

Who cares if they are or not? Unless they are going around grabbing butts or something like that, they are just like any other student. I have had homosexual friends (One was a fraternity brother), and 99% of them are just like every other person out there. There are very few "effeminite" or "hysterical" homosexuals such as the stereotypes on TV portray. Aodhan

Ma'am, I believe. Aodhan

I've never done an internal art, so I can't comment on that part, but it's very difficult to learn ANY martial art from a video. There is no place to get feedback and someone saying "That's not right", or "Try it this way". Figure out how far you are willing to travel, make a list of the arts available inside that range, and go visit the schools and take classes to see which one you like the most. Aodhan

Thank you, thank you No applause or tips are necessary. Aodhan Well, you did have a 50-50 shot. Respectfully, Sohan No, there are more muscles than those two. My main objection was what the chiropractor told him. If you knock cervical bones "out of alignment", you're going to have a lot more symptoms than a sore spot at the base of your skull. (Especially if it's the atlas, or first cervical bone as he described it). Aodhan (But yes, it was close to a 50/50 shot. Sshhh. Don't tap on the glass)

I've seen a tapestry in a museum that showed that, but the people doing the kicking were jumping off of low hills next to the trail. Aodhan

And, it's been beaten to death in several threads already. However, it all goes back to the basic question: What makes a black belt? Forms? I could teach a receptive student all the forms needed inside of 6 months. Sparring? I can teach someone a competent level of sparring in 3-6 months. "Street" fighting? Again, 3-6 months to achieve a level of self defense that would be sufficient against 90% of attackers. Weapons? Why would you need them? Unless you are in the habit of carrying an escrima stick around you pretty much won't have them in a fight. Ok, so lets look at hours. How many hours to get to a black belt level? That's going to be different for everyone. You give me a natural athlete, with 1.5 hours a day, 5 days a week I could get him to a competent black belt level in 8-12 months. Also, you need to look at how much someone trains. Take someone that comes in for classes 4 times a week at 1.5 hrs per class, and practices another 10 at home. 16 hours per week x 52 weeks x 2 years is 1664 hours. Is that enough? Should it be more? Less? It all comes down to the individual, how much they train, and how athletically inclined they are. Some are more than ready after 2 years, some won't be ready for 10. Black belt is a state of mind as much as it is a physical capability, and any time frame is purely arbitrary. It's up to the instructor to make the determination and promote according to who is ready. Aodhan

WTF TKD is not "all about the Olympics". It is the recognized sparring style USED in the Olympics, but there are many many tournaments where people of ALL ages compete. Just because WTF is the recognized "Olympic" style, doesn't mean it's a bad or invalid art. And, if you want to see another example of TKD tournaments being available to any age, go to any ATA tournament. You'll see people in their 60's competing and having a great time. Aodhan

The "old" ways? TKD as a recognized art is 50 years old. There aren't any "old" ways. And, if you remove TKD from the Olympics, you remove one of the primary reasons for the popularity of TKD. There is a difference between sport TKD and "regular" TKD. Most schools teach both styles of fighting, as well as self defense and other "street" techniques. Aodhan

A lot. Our oldest first degree is 57, started when SHE was 54. Aodhan

Bruises happen. At 44, you run the risk of breaking a bone if you strike badly, but with a single pine board it would have to be a really bad strike. With the plastic rebreakable boards its more likely to happen. However, you are probably more at risk from landing badly in a jump or something than you are during breaking. If you bruise really easily, you might ask your doctor if there are vitamin supplements that will help with blood vessel elasticity. Aodhan

Yep. I love that. I think it is slightly misquoted, but it's close enough. Aodhan

Thanks Sohan, this plan seems easy and effective... One question though. What should my starting weight be? (I guess i'll start at 25% of my max and build up by 25% for each set.) And as well as doing your workout plan, should I still include the bike riding, rowing? Or do you think that's too much? Thanks again, Toby. No, starting at 25% of your max won't do much good at all. You need to figure out your max (either one rep or 3 rep will do), and start at about 70% and go to about 85% by the third set. Start a little higher if you want to work bulk a little more. 25% of max you could do reps for 10 minutes before you got tired Aodhan

Thank you, thank you No applause or tips are necessary. Seriously, glad to hear it wasn't something more serious. Take it slow and don't overstress it, last thing you want is to reinjure it. Aodhan

Fear is the little death. I will face my fear. I will let it pass over me, through me and past me. When it is gone, I will look behind me, and only I will remain. Aodhan

Good luck on both, Aefi. Aodhan

Thanks. I'll hopefully have someone there to video it, we'll see how it comes out. Aodhan

Anything that elevates the shoulders towards the ears. Aodhan

Just enter the traditional kata divisions. They don't have the XMA flash that everyone seems to find so odious. I find it interesting that nobody ever said "boo" to the open divisions previously. It's only since Mike Chat brought out the XMA name that people started screaming. The open forms with the flash kicks, etc. has been like that for 15 or more years. I remember going to a Diamond Nationals, and watching a kid do multiple side kicks above his head across the ring. Speed, height, not much power. Same difference. Aodhan

Definitely swimming. Also, if you know the stroke or have a good coach available to you, developing the frog kick (used in the breaststroke) can strengthen the knees, inner legs and ankles tremendously. Just be careful with doing full range of motion kicks until you get the technique correct. Aodhan