G95champ

Im a history teacher LOL....

We have never had to do breaks for a test. We will play arround with breaks from time to time but we usually use the rebrakable boards. Sort of hard to speed break them. LOL. I don't have any advice except do the move you do best.

Welcome Ann. Glad to see you got your own screen name now. LOL. Let me know how the Shotokan is going.

Welcome

Inside front sweep. and front snamp kick. Quick and shoes, clothes, ground, weather, and how loose you are should not play a huge factor in the sucesso of them.

This is a good time to tell the story of Achilles with this post. Achillies was a great Greek warrior according to Homer. Homer was a blind poet who wronte many epics of anchient Greeks. Anyhow according to Greek myth Achilles was dipped into magic water by the gods. Every part of his body that touched the water could not be hurt. However he was held and dunked in the water by his heel. Thus the only way Achillies could die is to be stabbed or hurt in the heel. Homer writes about the legand of Hellan of Troy. Hellan was the most beautiful girl in the land. She was capatured by the evil Trojans. The Greeks built up an army to go save Hellan. One of the warriors was Achillies. After years of fighting to take the city of Troy the Greeks decided to challenge the Trojans to a one on on fight. The fight would be between Achillies and the Trojans best warrior Hector. Hector and Achillies fought for days. Niether could hurt the other. Until Hector struck Achillies in the back of the foot. Achilles feel in pain and died. The Greeks greatest warrior had been killed but a strike to his heel. Thus today when someone says that is your achillies heel they mean that is your one weakness. The tendon is the name give to that tendon in the back of your heel. Named after the great Greek warrior Achillies. For those who want to know if the Greeks won. Yeah they did. Another Greek warrior named Odyessous built a wooden horse and acted like they were going home. Odyessous and his men hid in the wooden horse. The Trojans opend the gates to the walled city of Troy that the Greeks had been trying to capature for 10 years and pulled the great horse inside. That night the Trojans had a huge party for winning the war. Most got really drunk. In the middle of the night Odyessous and his men climbed out of the horse and killed the drunk Trojans in their sleep and saved Hellan. There is much more to the story. Check out the Illiad and Odyssey by Homer. Great reading. A nice mix of history and myth. Both are 2 of the greatest books written.

No question that took at least 5 years off Dan's career IMO. Never had the same zip but he still had more than most.

What about other animals you hear about. Monkey? Cobra? or is that a type of snake or the same? White Cran? differant type of Crane or same? Eagle? I really don't know much about Kung Fu so any info is helpful.

Intresting. Each animal stands for a differnat strength correct. Such as the Dragon is wisdom Tiger power? Snake stealth ? Cran balance ? Mantis Speed? Thats just a guess LOL. What about the elements? What do they stand for and how do they interact with the animals?

To practice weapons for SD is one thing. I mean we all need to have some basic knowledge with a BO, Jo, knife, rope, commone everyday items. Why because for that reason. So we can use them when we see them. Other weapons we work with, Folding chairs, trash cans, car keys, comb, broom, mop, shovel, garden hose, your belt, even your hat and jacket. We practice classic weapons like sword, numchuck, Sai, etc because of the history and tradition. Its very unlikly you will see those in real life but it brings you closer to your art. At the same time they are a lot of fun. Almost everyone as a child would sword fight with sticks or something. Then you got the whole tournament thing which I do not want to get into. So weapons are a big part of MA. Even an art like Shotokan that does not teach weapons it teaches how to work aginst then. If yo know how to do that then you got a decent understanding of how to use them as well.

Pick away my friend pick away. Welcome

I know next to nothing about Kung Fu. I do know a lot of it is based on animals. Tiger, Monkey, Cobra, etc. What were the first ones?

Well my second cuz was in playboy back in the 80's Jullie McCullagh. SHe recently won the weakest link. She has been in a few small films and TV showes. Most famous being Growin Pains. My brother is a OL at WVU so maybe one day he will hit it big.

Well I don't blame others. One if he hit me by mistake thats cool. I've been busted up a lot by friends. Two if I missed a block or was looking off thats my fault. Three if I know he has bad control or is out to try and get me or has a rep of making hard face contact. Im not going to give him the chance to hit me. Either by not sparring him or giving him a taste of his own medicine to teach him a lesson.

Yeah you can beat arms all day and make ti tough. Or you can invest a few bucks in some pads. My personal favorite is to work differant blocks. Yeah I know you got to do what your Sensei tells ya to do. However you may have weak bones. Lack of meant and muscle could also be part of the problem. However if it hurts Im not saying don't do it but at the same time. Don't kill yourslef when they are other blocks that serve the same purpose.

I was a Fr in HS and I was looking for something to help me develope good footwork for football. One of my best friends was about ready to make his brown belt. He got me into class and I was hooked.

Yeah this is good post. It should get a lot of hits. I hold a black belt in a second are that is mostly TSD and Hipkido.

G - my nickname 95champ - the year we won the football state chapionship.

Excuse me while I puke..... Thank you..... I bet his mommy and daddy are so happy..... Makes me sick.

Welcome

We don't use it in class either. I do it when doing bag work at home or lifting weights.

Thank You Sai Matrial Arts thanks to people like Funakoshi, Lee, and Norris have taken on a more public role. More people are introduced to it. All of us agree that those 3 men have done more for MA than anyone. However because of what they done has caused the guidelines to lower. Funakoshi changed kata and stuff to make it more simple for school childern. Lee developed his own art with no tradition, most people who do that now are made fun of for cheaping the art. Norris came to natioal fame in sport karate and movies. Not what it was developed for. Yeah MA today has its problems but we are much better off than we were before IMO.....

Big drop off in membership is athe big one LOL..... I don't know that there is signs. I mean several things could happen just like that and close the school down. Such as rent going up. Several kids dropping out for other sports, or leaving for college. Sensei loosing his or her job and can't do as many classes thus students don't come. I don't think there is a step by step process that dojo's will go though.

Anytime something becomes bigger you loose what it used to be. Maybe the worst thing about America is we long for the past. The good ole days. Things were always better then. However the American Dream is to have it better than what your mom and dad did. God I love America. Anyhow I do agree the dojo much like anything else has became less strict and more social. Is that a bad thing? Most of us say yes but it has is good points as well. Really my biggest problem with the relax state of karate is the unworthy black belts running around. I think they hurt us (martial arts) more than anything. As far as being more social well people don't fight as they once did. I mean karate is more a hobbies or form of exercise for most now. I don't know that that is a bad thing. Look at were the world was in 1900 and where it is today. No Cars, No Planes, Not much electric, no mass production of food or clothes. Times are much easier now. Thus the demand for a hard line dojo is not here. Yeah we still may get mugged when going out but in general we are much safer. Best EX I can think of is your local High School. No sports team was ever as great as the one who won the championship first. Regardless how many you won since. No girl was ever as good looking as the Homecoming queen your FR year. No group of Sr's was ever as close as you and your friends. Kids today are smaller, and dumber than they were in the past. People don't change the times do. Its simple economic theory if there is a demand we will increase the supply. People got to many things to do now. Video Games, Mini Mails, CPU and the Internet, Cars which make girls more accusable, etc. Thus for dojo's to survive they can not have the HARD LINE attitude they once did. Because people will not stay. I'm not saying that is a good thing but that is how it is... You have my word I'm doing my best to keep those guidelines KickChick posted in existence. Because being a History teacher I love the past but I do understand the past makes the future. I teach for love of teaching not money and rank is earned not given from me. That how I was taught and its my job to keep that alive. At least to my students.

No 1. You are not loose. Yeah we can still kick that high but its not like we can durring class. 2. Type of clothes. Its hard to kick in blue jeans and certin types of shoes. 3. Ground. If its wet, muddy, on gravel, on a hill, etc. Makes kicking a lot harder than in a dojo. 4. Protection and missing. Everyone expects head shots and there hands stay up. Thus its easy to block head kicks. At the same time the head can move pretty quick and it is eaisy to dodge. The legs and knees are much less defened espically by a non MA. I am NOT and never will be a fan of high kicking for SD.....