Bitseach

In doing any exercise you should be aiming for a slight burning sensation, NOT pain at any time! All the stuff you used to hear about, "No pain, no gain" is unscientific rubbish and has caused many injuries (and is starting to cause lawsuits too!). As people have said, the muscles hurt because they have been slightly damaged by the extra loading you have put them through. This is okay - in fact it is the basis of training as body condition will not improve without extra loading, but it should not be to the point where it takes more than a day or two for the ache to go away. You are right in alternating resistance and CV workouts - however when you do your MA training have the muscles had time to recover from your gym work? Stretching certainly helps. At the beginning of a session stretch lightly but only after the muscles are warmed by about 5min aerobic exercise. After your workout, whether it be aerobic or CV it is really important to do 10-15min developmental stretching (again, never to the point of pain!) doing all the muscle groups, but especially those you have used a lot in whatever you've been doing (e.g if you have been MA kicking remember to stretch the hip flexors well as they will tighten up and may affect your posture, leading to lower-back probs.) General stretching tips - use the PNF method (worth looking up - or see the Horse Stance thread in another section) and stretching after a warm/hot bath really improves flexibility quickly. Cheers, Bitseach (level 2 YMCA fitness instructor in my spare time!) Shotokan 3rd kyu Judo 7th kyu London

It CAN be a sign of health and fitness but can occasionally be a sign of a rhythmic problem with the heart - a form of bradycardia (just translates as "slow heartbeat") often caused by inappropriate electical activity in the heart muscle. E.g when Dubya Shrub recently realised he can't do two things at once - eat pretzels and watch telly at the same time - and choked and fainted it was thought to be due to his slow heartbeat. He says it's because he runs 3 miles each day, but he is thought to have bradycardia, which can often lead to fainting (syncope). His dad had it too. Bradycardia is not always due to athletic conditioning!

Here in the UK some of us have the misfortune of having ITV Digital TV service (they've just gone bust!) so History channel is out - WaaaaAAAaaah!

that's fantastic - AND SO TRUE! Unfortunately my mind/body unity is completely destroyed by still finding farting very funny and having then to suppress a fit of the giggles (things are NEVER so funny as when you aren't allowed to laugh). Which could bring us nicely round to giggle incontinence (which thankfully I don't suffer!)(not yet anyway). I knew somebody who had a bad tummy during a judo competition and was in a hold they couldn't get out of in groundwork. With all that squirming and struggling there was a bit of "follow-through" and by mutual agreement the fight was over pretty soon after that!

LOL @ phanta

Spinninggumby - here in the UK we cannot legally carry weapons at all in the street: no guns, knives or anything so we are in effect rather in the same position as the Okinawans of old!!

Hmm, martialartist - we clearly have very different senses of humour, that much is true! Being called "bigotted", "full of prejudice", the "waste of bandwidth" comment and now "holier than thou" is hardly anyone's definition of "chummy"! As you state, it's a martial arts *discussion* forum, so I asked a question to get some debate on the subject of sharp swords. I've had some moronic answers and some sharp ones - ronryu makes a good point [puns intended!]! However, like it or not, a lot of total nut-cases are attracted to the martial arts and in my experience of a few of them, they are usually the ones that are most interested in pointy weapons or "samurai" swords! These are very often the same people who lie about their prowess in the MAs (and keep stuck-together copies of mags such as "Combat", "Survival" and "Guns and Ammo"!!) and have an unhealthy interest in the Columbine boys. If one has a real katana because one is at the top of one's art, accomplished with the bokken and highly disciplined, then it would be a good training aid and the ultimate test of skill. However, how many people just want one because these swords are really quite sexy, or to pose about with in front of the mirror? [ This Message was edited by: Bitseach on 2002-05-07 11:10 ]

Yoda - you're a great one for the relevant news articles! LOL. Where'd you get them?

how do you slide forward without putting the other foot down?

Half a tick - didn't he shove her first, THEN she slapped him, then he punched her? OR did I read it wrong? We have a duty towards weaker people than we, whether that be beansprout boys or (most) girls. The fact is that most women are weaker than most men, however and that the imbalance in strength has been used over the course of history to subjugate women (remember the "rule of thumb"!!) and is the basis of most domestic violence (as most is still male on female). For that reason it is vitally important that it is still seen as inappropriate and deeply offensive to punch a woman. Before some idiot starts on about equality, it is not equal to hit people weaker than you!

YES! Look at that book by Ian Abernethy - it's quite an eye-opener. I came to karate after judo so I was quite pleased to see some of the grappling moves. He also emphasises the fact that if you are brought down you're in serious poo-poo as it can all go horribly wrong! A good book. Then you'd need to practise with a willing uke and some big thick mats!

Ah, the so-called PNF stretching method - essentially where one contracts the muscle for a short period (10s would do) before stretching it. It stands for proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitating (!) or the contraction-relaxation-stretching method. It's all to do with the tendon organs sending over-riding inhibitory signals to the muscles during the relaxation that follows the contraction. When the stretch is then gently re-applied it can generally be applied slightly more than previously. I hadn't thought of kiba-dachi in that way but it seem consistant. [ This Message was edited by: Bitseach on 2002-05-03 10:23 ]

LOL - I don't know about Ohio, but in London you would need something good against taxi drivers rather than other cyclists! Seriously though, I know that horse stance ain't really about horses, but it just got me thinking that way. What sort of bike kata would you do? Mai-geri would be impractical but side kekome and keage might work, mawashi and reverse mawashi would annoy a cabbie's windscreens. PErhaps a few side age-ukes with a bear claw strike to follow....ooh, now how would I put it all together..... LOL

I'd go for judo, esp if one gi is blue - then it is much clearer to see whose limbs belong to whom! (but watching it I find myself straining, strangling and resisting with the judoka - watching boxing is just as bad!!)

...and the day you DO get a grunt, nod or a "not bad" you will smile as you have never smiled before!

It's the best site I've seen for twirling and swirling! The odd grip would give good practise in the basic twirls until one was used to the action, then it would be good to ease back to the traditional grip. (don't suppose many of the flips would work then!?)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As far as modern society, your response is more bigotted and full of prejudice(ie there are no sane, legal reason, and the allusion to hillbilly mentality behind ownership) than older more barbaric mentalities of elder years. I could be wrong, laws are quite different where you are from. Where I live the laws allow me ownership of such an item without labelling me a psycho. If the purpose of studying martial arts is self-defense of self and loved ones why on earth would you ever want to own a weapon that would never work if you needed it to? Er, yeah, I forget, sane and legal stuff stopped me frum doin' 'dat. If you wanted to learn about guns or protect yourself with one, would you buy a rubber toy? A cap gun perhaps? In that respect I can think of very few sane reasons to defend onself with a plastic gun. Better to arm yourself to the teeth expecting war at the door and have nothing happen than to live in a stupor of thought and wonder why you weren't better prepared. And finally(I could go on, but I have bored myself with your response) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal insults, and insulting my country's laws add little to a reasonable debate. In fact I am somewhat surprise that my question seems to have touched SUCH a nerve with you. It is not prejudicial to enquire as to why anyone would want a lethal sword in their possession, and - in my opinion at least - it is reasonable to ask people to question their motives as to why they really want such a weapon. Each person must examine themselves. It is clear that we study the martial arts for different reasons - I study them to avoid conflict, and do not wish to use deadly force on anyone. Ever. I am trained so that I COULD if it were absolutely necessary, but I would not choose that path if it is at all avoidable.

No, I think arts that emphasise deadly moves as part of their appeal encourage the egos of weak people who want to feel more powerful by having these "elite" or "secret" fighting methods at their fingertips. It encourages the worst sort of martial artist - someone who wants to use them to control others, or to make themselves threatening or dangerous. Deadly methods should only be taught to those who may have to use them in deadly combat - the military. To all others they should only be taught as in a warning not to hit someone too hard in a certain point, else you might kill them. We should teach minimal force, not lethal force, if we wish our MAs to edify society, not to become another problem in it.

Isn't this what Gichin Funakoshi went through in his training? Endless drills, little praise but much correction, etc? As a teacher myself (though not of MAs!) I don't think it's a good teaching method, but there is at least a good deal of precedent! I think your Senseis are just trying to make you better - as someone else said, if they are only picking up on small things then they must think you're pretty good already, but they criticise because they want to make you BETTER. The sword has to pass through many fires before it is tough enough. I've had Senseis who always seem to pick on the better people in the class - it has always been to drive them onto striving for perfection. The people who are not so good and who make no effort do not always seem worth the criticism. I'd take it as a complement! [ This Message was edited by: Bitseach on 2002-05-03 09:56 ]

I agree with Taikudo-ka and the others who have pointed out that there are many European martial arts. How is boxing NOT a martial art?! German traditional martial arts included sword-duelling - in the late 19th and early 20th centuries it was so popular in fact that it was considered attractive to have one or two small duelling scars on the face, especially in the aristocracy (the "Samurai" of the time?!). England - archery, esp the longbow, required great skill, again duelling by sword or pistol was popular, going back further the quarterstaff (seeing any similarities with the Japanese "bo"?), the double-handed sword, jousting, drills for pike and lance - the list is endless. It is bizarre to me to think that the Western martial arts are so scorned in favour of the Eastern, especially when they share so many! Perhaps it is just that the Eastern arts were practised more recently as they kept their feudal society for longer than the West? Perhaps it just seems more exotic to Westerners because it is foreign, especially when you add in some of the pseuo-religious aspects? It was further intriguing because Japan at least was a closed, isolationist semi-medieval society until very recently. The West's medieval history was longer ago; we've had renaissances and revolutions since then and it is not so current in the collective memory. American traditional martial arts would have to include at least those used by your indigenous peoples - scouting skills, horsemanship, archery, etc.

Van Damme - don't throw away your chances of future success by giving this guy the kicking he so richly deserves. If you get caught and end up being expelled or banned from sitting your exams, that's your whole future down the toilet. Besides, you lose power. At the moment you're quite het up about this. I don't blame you, but whilst you feel this way it is the worst time for you to confront him. Stand by the river long enough you will witness the bodies of your enemies float past! If the conflict between Ms T and Michael is about him being unable to accept that the relationship is over and he is hassling her, then he is on the way to becoming a junior stalker. The best thing for Ms T to do is to give him no time at all, and no conversation. Assuming that she doesn't want to continue the relationship then she must not get drawn into conversation with him - that is the goal of any stalker. What these people learn is that anything that provokes a reaction is in itself like a relationship. It might be a bad, horrid, disfunctional relationship, but to Michael it is probably all the relationship he will have with her, and that seems to be enough for him at the moment. If he continues to hassle her and on the 11th time, she responds, then he learns that it takes 11 hassles to get a response. Meanwhile the best thing you and the others can do is to be good friends to Miss T, and don't even think about making a move on her while this is all happening! One day, Michael may have to be taught that hitting people weaker than he is not a good life plan, but you throwing your future away is not the way to achieve this. By NOT hitting him, you are not doing nothing (action is easier but not always the wisest plan), but at the same time let him know that he cannot get away with bullying or harassment, especially of women or those weaker than he. Also remember that, as a martial artist you will get caned by the courts if you are caught doing damage to this bloke. If you have to intervene in anything physically, restrain only, and get a decent teacher to sort it out. And you better make sure you have witnesses that you've warned the guy first!

Yeah, muay thai versus kung fu? No new ground covered in the answers!

shotokan karate - stances are tough on the knees, no weapons, no emphasis on ground work

Thanks, all, for your comments. Our dojo used to be very respectful but it went very weird when the Sensei and some of the students started having relationships with each other. I don't know what sort of relationship this odd Black Belt and the Sensei were having, but it was very unhealthy for the club! [ This Message was edited by: Bitseach on 2002-05-07 10:48 ]

Doing some of the tekki katas I was thinking about whether they could actually be done from horseback, and wondered had anyone invented a bicycle version? What would you put in a "road rage" kata? You'd have to do a lot of side kicks and moves on one leg, but say if you had the right leg down as if at the nadir of the pedalling cycle, the other leg would be in the zenith position (and thus raised nicely for kicking moves!!) and you'd have to keep one hand on the imaginary handlebars whilst using the other. Ypu could even put in a swinging weapns bit if you grabbed the imaginary bicycle pump or D-lock! Anyone got any good ideas in this flight of fancy?!!