Aodhan

It's really hard at that age. I agree that it was a horrible thing to do, but he may not associate the yelling and the pushup with his actions yet. (Kind of like rubbing a dogs nose in his mistake on the floor, he doesn't get it.) I would have had the agressor go sit out, and tended to the wounded boy. I would have then talked with the agressor and his parents, and explain why I was suspending/dismissing him from the school. I would also talk with the parents of the wounded child and followed up with his recovery. Although I haven't had this happen, I might just burst out and yell at a student as well if that happened. Aodhan

http://www.ataonline.com/schools/locations.asp These are all ATA Taekwondo schools, looks like quite a few are in the area. ATA teaches point and continuous sparring, basic joint locks/groundfighting (Depending on school), weapons. If you aren't sure if TKD fits you, then you might also look at aikido and jiujitsu/judo. I'm fairly sure there are a bunch, just might be a little bit of a drive from you. Aodhan

http://www.plymouthpine.com/store/page1.html Or, if your local lumber yard carries #1 white pine in 1"x12"x ? inches, just get that. Make sure that there are VERY few knots, and that it is older/dried (Doesn't smell like pine tar), cut them into 1 foot lengths. Aodhan

Well, he is one of the seniors in my style. In more ways than one. What's that sir? MORE pushups? Aodhan

Might not be advisable depending on what he is lifting. Part of what causes back injuries in so many workplaces is having to lift heavy weights extended out from the body because of package size. It might help the legs in a proper lift, but other than that not a lot of benefit and a lot of increased risk. Aodhan

there is no such thing as specific fat burning, your body likes to burn fat as a whole. If you wanna trim down, run/bike/swim like a madman!!! Additionally, fat comes off in the reverse order it went on. So if your waist was the first to plump up, it will be the last one to go back down. Aodhan

For the uninitiated, #1 side kick in the ATA is done with the lead leg, no steps involved. Just pick it up and kick. And I think even just SEEING your feet would ruin some days, sir! Yes, sir, I know. Aodhan

Ha? One more year to get your second degree and your are currently working towards your third. What kind of operation are you working out at? So are you at the start of your fourth as well? Heh. No, 1 more year AFTER I had earned my first degree to get my second. It's then 2 years after THAT to get to third degree (At a minimum). Then 3 years minimum to 4th, and then 4 years more to fifth plus other obligations. I tested for 2nd degree decided in September of 2004, and I should test for third in September 2006. Aodhan

Choreograph. Aodhan

Well put, Glock. It is harder for women to get down to the same bodyfat percentages as fit men, simply because they have more fat tissue (Chest, etc). It is possible (My school owner is at about 11% currently), just a little harder. All the exercises that men do should be doable by women as well. One thing, if you start missing periods as you get more trained, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Highly trained, low bodyfat women athletes often miss periods. I would check in with an OB the first time just in case, though. Aodhan

Uhm...no, it won't. Especially for a guy. For males it asks for weight and waist size. It doesn't account for height or any other critical factors. (Not to mention the fact that it doesn't even bring up any results at all.) So, I could put in my information (182 lbs, 33 inch waist), and it has no idea if I am 6'3", or 4'1", both of which will produce wildly different bodyfat percentages. The best, publicly accessible way is to get a water weighing. You can usually find a place that does it for $25-40 or so. Next best would be a multi-location skin caliper test, done by someone that has been trained. You can look on the web for BMI (Body Mass Index) calculations, but if you are heavily muscled, it will tell you that you are overweight as well. You can also get scales for $50-75 that do electrical impedance, but these have a high variance (+/- up to 10%) depending on hydration, skin dryness, and other factors. The one I use consistently tells me I'm 19 or 20% bodyfat, and the skin caliper gives me 12-14%. If you don't mind spending the money, I'd get an electrical impedence scale, weigh yourself and get the BF% and then immediately do the underwater weighing. That at least will tell you about how the scale measures you. Aodhan

It's sometimes called a "tornado" kick as well. Basically, its a jump spin 360 kick where you land on your kicking leg. This gives you an extra 1/2 spin (or 180), thus equaling 540 degrees in the spin. Aodhan

If you count from when I first started, a little over 7 years. If you count just in the style I earned it in, 17 months. I did come into my current style (ATA) as a blue belt, so if I had to go from scratch in the ATA, it would have been about 29 months. 1 more year to get my second degree, and I am in the middle of my 2 year stretch to get to 3rd. (These are all minimum times and are not guaranteed). Aodhan

How much time do you have? This will dictate what you can accomplish. My best best for a short time period would be pushups, crunches, side crunches, "good mornings" and a light stretching routine AFTER you have done the exercises. Start at a good level where you aren't just exhausting yourself, and build up slowly. Aodhan

Yeah, there was a guy in my old gym that ripped both pecs and dislocated a shoulder by having his friends hand him two way heavy dumbbells, tried to do a chest fly on the bench and refused to let go of them. When they hit the floor, they took his arms with them. Aodhan

If you eat a well balanced diet, which includes several different veggies and fruits daily, then you should be all right. My diet isn't the best, so I take a multivitamin daily. A few things to remember - If your body doesn't need the vitamins, it will just get rid of them. If you have a good diet, then a vitamin will just give you expensive urine. If you miss a few things, then a vitamin will help. It is possible to get too much of a vitamin, but you have to take some pretty impressive amounts. Oh, and these no-fat diets, and things like that? Don't do it. Vitamins are basically two types, water soluble and fat soluble. If you have no fats in your diet, then the fat soluble vitamins cannot get transported into the body. Aodhan

I'll give you my standard answer Go to all the dojo's/dojangh's in your area. See what the prices are versus what they have to offer. Take the free classes. See what you like the best, and go with that. The more styles you try, the more likely you are to find something that appeals to you, and the more likely you are to stay with it. Aodhan

Same here. Our style uses padded weapons, and we generally get slammed for "unrealistic training", but none of our students are missing limbs/parts, and can all still walk well. Aodhan

It's not just martial arts schools. The majority of small businesses fail in the first year, and many more fail in the first five years. We notice the MA ones because we are interested in them. So many owners are great instructors, and terrible businessmen. They don't know how to attract students, they don't do demographic studies, negotiate leases for advantage, choose bad locations, etc. That's another reason that I love being in the ATA, is they have an incredible business support system, and require you to take their business intro before you can get a school license. Aodhan

pushups with elbows close in rather than out to the side, dips, triceps pressdowns (Done on a machine) If you have access to dumbbells and a bench: Kickbacks - Put one hand and one knee on the bench, grab a dumbbell (DB) in the other hand. Keep your upper arm parallel to the floor, and extend the db back and up Pressups - Take a DB in one hand, raise your hand like you were asking a question, palm facing in. Lower the DB to touch the back of your shoulder, press it back up. Cross press - Lay on your back on the bench, a DB in your hand with your hand and arm straight up. Lower the db so it touches the front of the opposite shoulder, extend it back out. Pretty much anything that causes your lower arm to go from bent to straight will work the triceps, so get creative if you want! Aodhan

You are referring to muscular endurance, not muscular strength. These are two different things. Endurance will not increase your strength. Here is a test. Find someone who can do 100 pushups and see how much he can bench press. Find someone who conducts proper strength training and see what he can bench. Compare the results. endurance and strength are not mutually exclusive. Well put. I would add that they are not automatically inclusive of each other either. Aodhan

I think it not only denotes a high level of proficiency in the art, but also takes into account how active you are in your organization and how much you give back to the organization. That means participation at regional and national events, helping promote and refine the art, etc. Any chimpanzee can master the moves (And they've taught kata to chimps, so that's not intended to be a slam), but to truly be a master involves a much more rounded approach than simple physical mastery. Aodhan

For show or effectiveness? Effectiveness - Reverse kick Show - Jump 360 spin hook kick. Aodhan

Came late and didn't read everything, but I don't think he dishonored your sensei. He merely stated that he beat him in a sparring match. There's a lot of people that are better than me that I've caught on an off day and beat. If he puts down your sensei and talks smack, then I'd let him know that I thought he was being extremely rude and disrespectful (Loudly, so his current students could hear) and then leave the training area. Mostly I'd just brush it off as someone running their mouth, and never go back. Aodhan

Go cross country skiing. Roast marshmallows. Eat Smores. Have a snowball fight with your friends. Make snow angels. Missing training every once in a while is actually healthy. Aodhan