Aodhan

That's a good point, mean. When I teach knife defense, I tell my students that if the person with the knife has any clue at all, they WILL get cut in a confrontation, and to only take the person on if they have absolutely no other choice. If the person with the knife has any clue at all of what they're doing, the other person most likely wont survive the confrontation..... I disagree. Unless they are a trained knife fighter, you should be able to disarm them and survive. Note, I'm not saying you'll be unscathed, but you will survive, and in that situation, that's the goal. Survival. Aodhan

Can I borrow your keys? Aodhan

Hate to tell you, but that is poor judging. Say one day in class they absolutely are in the zone and nail a form. Are you forever going to hold them to that standard? Say everyone in the ring falls twice except for your student, who falls once. Are you still going to grade him down because he did it in class without falling? Judging should be done in comparison to how everyone else in their ring does that day. Not how they did last week, or last year, but how they measure up against their opponents that day. If they perform their worst form ever, and it's still better than the opponents they are going against, it should win. Period. Aodhan

Defintely nobody under the age of 10. Marginally, ages 11-15. I say this because there are mental aspects to being a black belt that people that young just aren't ready to assimilate yet. (And yes, there will always be a few exceptions.) Aodhan

The main reason that people purchase a franchise, as opposed to opening their own independant business is the advantages that a franchise situation has re: advertising, etc. McDonalds are all franchises. They pay the franchise fee, operate according to directions from the HQ, they have their advertising paid for, central ordering, etc etc. So, if you want to start a martial arts franchise, you need to figure out what advantage to your franchisee's will be, and go from there. Aodhan

Well, politics suck! that I have some issues with, but it's just politics. I really do not like where the org has been going.........but I'm starting to see changes. And it's good changes. Will I ever be in the ATA again, I don't know. As long as my instructor stays out, I will. When he passes away, I still don't know. Time will tell. MasterH- Yes, they did ease the requirements for 5th degree, you can get quite a bit of velvet by judging at Nationals, doing regional camps, etc etc. If you're on the ATA mailing list, there was a message a while back showing all the changes, if not I can get you a copy. Aodhan

Nope, no statute, but as others have pointed out, you can be held liable for your training if you get into an incident. It's based on the "reasonable and prudent" principle, and affects many people such as cops, medics, MA's, etc. They compare what you did with what a "reasonable and prudent" person with the same training would do. If they deem it excessive, then you're in trouble. The problem is in who gets to define reasonable and prudent. Aodhan

Good point, sir. I unfortunately (and fortunately) have had an experience with a bad judge. He was center judge in my ring at a regional competition this year, which means he judges overall form, presentation, etc. He scored me 9.5, which is the lowest score I've gotten in 2 years on that. His two students scored a 9.8 and 9.9. 1 week later (Yes, ONE week), he was my center judge at nationals, and no other competitors from our region in the ring. My center score? 9.9, for a form that was not appreciably any different (I actually thought my nationals form was not one of my better ones, I wobbled a bit on the two sets of triple round kicks.) Bias for his students first, region second. Aodhan

Yeah, it's good, but the guy is predictable. He gets away with it because he is so fast, though. I also don't agree with giving knockout shots at 10-14 years of age. Too much potential for serious damage. But, that's just me. Aodhan

Any tournament you go to will have its share of bad judges. I know of a judge that scores his own students higher at regional competitions, and then scores his region's students higher at national competitions. sometimes you benefit, sometimes you don't. It all evens out in the end. Aodhan

Maybe because you're on the metric system? :D If you want empirical proof, just look at the powerlifters. I see no powerlifters that look like bodybuilders. Most of the time they look like overweight pudges, but they have massive amounts of strength, and they do very few isolation exercises. And, when the more powerful muscles take on the load, the other muscles are still working, just not as hard. And, when the large muscles start to fail, then the secondary muscles start doing more and more of the work. You can do a google search on strength training, and see how it differs from bodybuilding. Aodhan

I don't think he's attacking him, he is merely pointing out that most people that say things like "I want to do this but first..." never end up doing it. They always set other priorities to be accomplished, rather than just starting the activity they say they want. I'd agree, if you want to learn MA and self defense, just walk in and start. You'll start developing endurance and stamina in a sport specific context. Once you've started, you can worry about adding other exercises. As far as the biking, yes, it is low impact, and great for aerobic endurance and losing weight. However, unless you supplement it with upper body training as well, you will disproportionately work your lower body. Also, make sure you stretch well, as it will eventually shorten the hamstrings. I usually recommend swimming over biking, as it is an entire body type exercise, and also very low impact. Aodhan

That's a good point, mean. When I teach knife defense, I tell my students that if the person with the knife has any clue at all, they WILL get cut in a confrontation, and to only take the person on if they have absolutely no other choice. If you have to get into a confrontation against a knife, I teach turning the palms in to the body (To protect the arteries), get in close as possible and use knees and elbows to vital points (Throat, face, groin) . Immobilizing/disarming the knife is great if you can manage it, but I emphasize getting in close and causing as much damage as possible in the shortest amount of time. Aodhan

Yeah, tell me about it. I'm nursing a fractured rib, currently. Don't EVER crack a rib. God forbid I sneeze. Aodhan

Where in the hamstring is the pain? If it is smack dab in the middle of the back of the thigh, then it is more likely muscular in origin rather then tendon. Tendons connect muscle to bone, so you would feel it more towards the knee or the butt if it is the tendon. Tendonitis is not permanent, but it can become a nagging, long term injury if you don't rest. Rest it, ice and heat are the best treatments, you can google "Tendonitis" and get dozens of treatment regimens. Also, if it is tendonitis or a muscle pull, I'd advise against stretching for a week or so, especially "cold". You don't want to put more stress on a muscle/tendon that is already injured. Also, with a "stinging" type of pain, it is possible that it is a pinched nerve from your lower back. I'd have a good sports doc take a look and recommend treatment for you. Aodhan

Well, you had me interested until you said the Canadiens. (Avalanche rule!) And to the OP, yeah, you're a little nuts, but it's that way with any serious athlete. I'd really hate to have to ask my fiancee to choose between me and Irish Dance (She's been to Worlds twice, and has been doing it 12 years). aodhan

there are some missing link in this picture, maybe somebody get a chance and improve it. Since you know there are missing links, why don't you help him out and point them out? Knowledge dies unless it is shared. Aodhan

Well, that's part of being able to relax. "Fear is the little death. I will face my fear, I will let it pass over me, through me and around me. When it is gone, only I will remain." Aodhan

Yep. Studies have proved over and over again, that losing weight with drugs or wierd diets without attendant lifestyle changes results (A majority of the time) in the person gaining the lost weight back + interest. So, in a few months, when she plumps back up again, let your buddy know about it. Aodhan

For overall general strength, movements that incorporate more muscles, the better, so gross movements such as squats, deadlifts, presses, etc. have more strength gains in general, although this is another hotly debated topic. Also, you are confused on your terms. Isometric means without movement, such as if you pushed against a brick wall. Isotonic is the type of exercise that you are referring to, with movement against resistance. Aodhan

Yeah, that's kind of the same situation I'm in. My current instructor wants me to start teaching more and possibly be chief instructor at one of their schools, but I don't have the time. I'm working on a proposal where I can work from home (Computer programming) that would allow me more time. Hopefully it will fly. Good luck with yours as well! Aodhan

If I do the tournament, it will just be weapons and forms. I may just judge, haven't decided yet. I'm up enough in points that missing one tournament this early in the season won't kill me, but I hate not competing. We'll see how it feels after the move. Aodhan

I usually use the lines between the mats. Line one leg up along the line, crotch at the corner, and see how far away from 90 I can get my other leg. On bad days about 2 inches. On good days, I can get to about 150 degrees. Ice's drill is good, I use that one as well. Hurdlers stretches, frog stretches, almost anything that helps stretch the hamstrings and pelvic girdle will help with the splits. Aodhan

Set aside a certain amount of time each day to do whatever you like. Read a book, play a computer game, see a movie, take a walk, play golf, whatever. As long as it is a time where your brain doesn't have to think about everything going on, and can decompress/unwind. Some like meditation, but when I'm really stressed, I find that after about 5 minutes of meditation, I start thinking about my problems/situations again. My personal favorite is golf, but not everyone enjoys going to the range and whacking a small white ball over and over. Anything that lets your mind relax and let go for a bit will help. Sometimes even as simple as going to the dojangh and whacking heck out of a sparring bag (or a white belt is a good substitute....JOKE!!! :D) can help. Aodhan

If you haven't eaten high protein meals or drank Lucozade (Sports drink?) before, then I wouldn't suggest changing your meal routine the week/day of the test. You don't know how your body will react. Some people get constipated with a high protein meal, and your body can do funny stuff when you introduce new foods. I had a cross country race that got delayed, so I had 2 or 3 lollipops (Tootsie pops IIRC), and 1/2 way through the race I got the worst stomach cramps I've ever had. Experiment with foods and drink during classes, etc, but don't change it the week/day of the test. Aodhan