Aodhan

Heh, reminds me of an almost fight I had. I made the mistake of wearing a tourney T-shirt out on the town with my (then) girlfriend. Some drunk wanted to take issue with it, and did the whole drop into a MA stance (Not bad, actually), and give with a loud bruce lee type "KIIAAAIOOOHWEAAAWWOOOOOWA!" I stood there smiling at him with my arms crossed, and when he finished his posturing, I just said "Anytime you're ready, let me know". Somehow he got the message and just walked away. Well, reeled away, anyway. In sparring I generally don't even hear my opponent's kiaps, I'm too focused on his movement. Aodhan

I used to look like the guy that starred in the tv show "Greatest American Hero". I think he was also in the movie "House". Anymore I don't know if there is anyone that I look like. Aodhan

LOL! Heh, that might make a difference. Aodhan

Do a google search, there are some pretty good recipes out on the net. Aodhan

mule kick, back kick, jump away front kick are all options. Is it point sparring, i.e. first contact scores? If not, as he comes in, raise one hand and bring your forearm down (HARD) across both his arms. Once they're tied up, his upper body is open for a punch or crescent/axe type kick. Most of the time, people that press the attack like that aren't too used to having it come back at them. If it's early in a match, I might even give up the point to just come in and hammer back. One or two really good strikes on his arms will make him rethink that whole wade right in approach. I do this also against people that like to stick one leg up and start hopping at you. (We don't allow sweeps/takedowns in our tournament sparring). I'll come in and hammer a block into their kneecap or thigh as hard as I can. Aodhan

Wow, there is a lot of misinformation out there. Sex will NOT "suck the blood out of your thighs". Sex is NOT going to drain you of adrenaline. Adrenaline is a hormone released in response to a stimulus. Most of the time it is the "fight or flight" type thing, but it can be in response to any stressful type stimulation. Adrenaline does a lot of things. It temporarily shuts down all digestion, it increases the production of glucose from stores, lots of effects that basically prepare you for a fight. You can train to get "pumped up" for an event. This is done by having a ritual that you do every time you compete. That way your body goes through the same routine, and you start getting that excited edge. My personal routine: Night before, iron my dobok, pack my bag. Morning of, get up and have an egg sandwich with bacon. At the tournament, I go through my same warmup, and then when my ring is called, another miniwarmup. I also listen to heavy metal, usually Iron Maiden or Queensryche. That keys my brain into the fact that I'm about to compete, and I start getting that surge. That will help you out. Think of yourself as one of Pavlov's dogs, it works on people too. Aodhan

I have no experience with kyokushin, so I can't advise on that. However, given current trends, any style that fits into the K1 type fights will give you some TV exposure, but the biggest trend right now is the UFC/PRIDE/TUF type of MMA/Grappling. If your only intention is to get on TV and try to make a lot of money, that would be your best bet, but in the 5-10 years it takes you to get to that level, fads may shift. I'd go with whatever you enjoy the most, you're more likely to enjoy it longer and keep training. External motivators (TV, Money) don't last. Aodhan

Shootfighting, BJJ, JJ, some judo, any studio that bills itself as MMA will have groundfighting. Some of the more traditional arts (Hapkido comes to mind) also has groundfighting components. Try a bunch, see what you like, add it to your current training. Aodhan

Where did you get the 120 lbs? I didn't see height or weight in his post. Ryo, moderate it a bit. NOBODY can do something all out, all the time. All you do is burn out quickly (As you have seen). I was the same way for a long, long time. As far as motivation, pick something you still really enjoy doing in the dojang. Go there for that, and the rest will happen with opportunity. Just remember to moderate it, or it will be another thing "You did for a while". Aodhan

We'd need more info, such as the types of workouts, what you currently eat, training habits, age. The simple answer to gain 5-10 lbs is to eat more calories than you expend. But, unless you do it in the right way, you'll just gain a bit of chub. And, if you are still growing, you may not be able to pack on any "meat" so to speak. Aodhan I'm 16, I train with weights, 5'10'' 133lbs, I eat chicken, pasta, salad, pork, egg, fruit etc stuff like that. Don't worry about it too much at 16. I wouldn't train too heavy, you may still be growing. When you stop growing, your metabolism will turn to other things, such as growing muscle, and you will naturally gain weight. Patience, grasshopper. Aodhan

There's no real "set" way to determine. A few can be obvious, such as deltoids. If you walk around hunch shouldered (Shoulders pulled forward), then your rear deltoids/lats are probably weaker than your chest/front delts. Otherwise it's pretty much a "look" thing. If you are slowing down, then it sounds like you are doing massive training of your slow twitch, and not much on the fast twitch fibers. Bulk training is kind of opposite of what you need for MA. You can still bulk a little bit, but you need to hit more of a middle ground. As elbows said, hard to tell without seeing your regimen. Aodhan

Actually, 25-30% is pretty much average for a woman, since you carry a lot more fatty tissue (chest, etc) than men do. 10-15% is great for an athletic woman. If you start getting too much below 10%, you can expect to have such things as amenorrhea (lack of a period). This is normal for highly trained female athletes, but for general public, 10-15% is great for women. Aodhan

Tempe, Arizona. It's not my school, I just teach part time. Aodhan

We'd need more info, such as the types of workouts, what you currently eat, training habits, age. The simple answer to gain 5-10 lbs is to eat more calories than you expend. But, unless you do it in the right way, you'll just gain a bit of chub. And, if you are still growing, you may not be able to pack on any "meat" so to speak. Aodhan

I think that this definition is misleading. The medieval Europeans had martial systems as well. The western world has a serious misconception that advanced fighting systems came only from the far east. This is not true. I have been studying western martial history for some time now. In looking in some of the old manuals, one can see many similarities between judo or jujutsu and the "wrestling tricks" that masters-at-arms taught there soldiers. Exactly. Look at jousting. In it's "martial" form, it was a way to run down and impale opponents. Then they blunted the lances and turned it into a "sport". Same skillset, different application, no less martial. Every Lord had their own men at arms, and they would often get together to do boxing, wrestling, sword contests, etc. Martial skills, applied in a sport setting. Aodhan

Just a thought, 100% cotton heavyweight uniforms are a bear to keep unwrinkled. I can pull mine (100% heavyweight cotton shureido) straight from the dryer to the ironing board, iron it completely, and still have wrinkles in it just from putting it on. I've had great luck with 12 oz 50/50 Generic uniforms from Century. Wear really well, and much more inexpensive than a Shureido. Aodhan

I don't use gloves, but I also use a wavemaster, not a canvas bag. If I used a canvas bag, I'd wear some sort of protection so as not to tear up the skin, but it would have as little padding as is feasible. Aodhan

Holland is correct, sweat by itself does not smell bad. It's the breakdown of the sweat and the introduction of the bacteria to do so that creates the odor. I've had my current black belt for two years. I always wash it once when I first get it to make it a little softer to wear, but after that it doesn't see a machine. I also sweat buckets. Literally. I can lose 5-6 lbs of water weight in an hour (I weigh 180 at 5'11", so it's not like I'm anywhere near fat). I wear a 100% Shureido (14 oz cotton canvas, very heavy), and I will sweat through that, and through both layers (double wrap) of my belt. I wash my dobok after every workout, but I just leave my belt out to dry in the open air (Usually loosely folded on top of my dresser), and it has yet to smell. If it did, I would wash it out of respect for others in my class, but until/unless that happens, it won't see the inside of a machine. I was told early on that you shouldn't wash the belt, don't remember if a reason was given or not, but I guess that early directive still influences me. Aodhan

My worst injury at a tournament was one of my first in the ATA. I noticed that my opponent would low X block every time I brought my foot up in a front kick type prep. So, I went to do a jump round kick, prepping it like a front kick. He X blocked, and up comes the round kick for a sure 3 points (Jump kick to head is 3 points in ATA sparring). However, he sees the round kick, and starts bringing his hands up to block it. Unfortunately, he caught my lower foot, and ended up just turning me upside down in the air, and I came down on my head and shoulder. Thankfully, no serious injury (Other than being a bit loopier than normal for a minute or two), I finished the match (Still can't remember if I won or lost), and spent the next week icing my shoulder and going "Wow. Now THAT is a bruise!" Aodhan

I really want to go to a couple open events and compete using Jung Yul or Chung San (ATA 2nd and 3rd degree forms), just to see how they would stack up. I'm not sure about how the judges would look at it though because of the length differences. Jung Yul is 82 moves, and takes about 2 minutes to finish. How does that compare to bassai dai, or some of the other styles' advanced kata? Aodhan

I was reading the "Who likes forms" thread, and saw the responses from DoktorVet and the boxer stating that they didn't like forms, and a couple of the stylists that stated they didn't like them to start but love them now. I wonder how much of our love for forms and or the styles we choose comes from our instructors and the style we choose, and the age we are (With that goes media exposure. There is SO much more media exposure to ANYthing than there was even 15 years ago) For example, I'm 39 years old, and started training in MA when I was 22. MMA wasn't around in the form it is now, so there were the traditional choices (Karate, TKD, judo, boxing, aikido, etc). Now we have MMA, and I have noticed that a lot of MMA'ers are younger (15-24), and have a large disdain (in general, not trying to start a flame war) for striking arts that don't include groundwork. MMA also gets much more exposure in TV and media than traditional MA does, simply because of the action factor. (TMA does not make for great TV, just look at the US Open highlights that ESPN shows every year). So, since I can't figure out how to do a poll with multiple options (One for age and one for style), I'd like to see a discussion on what influenced you to start in MA, kept you in MA, or pushed you to a certain art? My impetus to start was the movie Octagon (Chuck Norris). I thought the dude with the sai was just the...well, he rocked. I wasn't able to start MA until college, and I got into karate first, then gravitated to TKD, since I had better legs and kicks than strikes at the time. Where does everyone else stand? (Besides on their feet). Aodhan

Hrm. I love kata and kumite both. When I was younger, I gravitated more towards the sparring side, and as I've gotten older I like the forms more. (Still love the sparring, though!) I had a thought, but I think I will do a poll in another thread. There is a comparison that I'd like to see. Aodhan

Also, on Saturdays or Sundays, I prepare meals that can be reheated all week. One of my favorites: Take a pork or beef roast, and stick it in a slow cooker. Cover it with the sauce of your choice (Enchilada, barbeque, whatever). Let it cook in the slow cooker for 10-15 hours. It should be soft enough after that that you can stir it, and it will almost dissolve into small "strings". You can keep it in the fridge, and when you need a quick snack, just dump some on a tortilla with a little sour cream, lettuce and cheese, roll burrito style (tuck an end), and voila! Instant on the go meal. If you don't choose a really sugary, high fructose corn syrup type BBQ sauce, it's also pretty healthy. Cooking Light also has a REALLY good baked mac and cheese recipe this month that is healthy as well. Aodhan

You may need more or less than 2000 calories per day. Do a google search for BMR calculator, then use that to figure your basal metabolic rate (BMR). That is the minimum # of calories you need to maintain weight if you do nothing but breathe all day. Then figure out how many calories you burn for daily activity, including work, working out, play, etc. Add that, and that is the total # of calories you need per day to maintain weight. Then subtract/add 400-500 a day depending on your goals. Also, you won't always feel like you are starving. Your stomach adapts to the food you shove into it, and your brain will learn not to expect hordes of calories at each meal. About your "situps", it sounds like you are describing squats, actually. A sit up is designed to work your abdominals. Lay on your back with your legs bent, feet flat on the floor. "Curl" your shoulders up and towards your stomach, or try to push your chest straight up towards the ceiling until your shoulders come off the floor. This will work your upper abdominals. Do the same with your legs to work your lowers. When you "sit" down and then stand back up, you are using quads and hamstrings, and glutes. If you find you are overbalancing and falling back, then your weight is too far behind your heels. When starting, you can place a 2x4 (board) under your heels to help with this problem. If you are bending at the waist, then you are mostly working hip flexors, and very little abdominal. The more you "curl" into a ball, the more you work the abs, since their primary function is torso flexion. One last note- If you train abs, train lower back. If you train biceps, train triceps. If you train chest, train lats, etc. Always work the opposing muscle group to keep in balance, otherwise you increase chances of injury from unbalanced muscle groups. Aodhan

The Quest was pretty much a very sad movie. Hero was an excellent movie if you are into symbolism and layered meanings. It was VERY chinese in that aspect. There are many actions that mean different things depending on the context. Hero had a lot of those (The calligraphy school was a great example), I didn't understand a lot of them, but what I did understand I enjoyed. Aodhan