bigfish423

very true..thanks wolverine guy

yeah, thats probably a good point, about being exposed to many different sports already. cricket is a sport actually that i know nothing about..watched it a few times and thought it was a game that i couldnt understand by just flicking to espn lol

oh nice nice..I was hoping people would have some different sports on their list that I could ask them about. Some other sports that are big in other countries. I mean don't get me wrong, theres not much better than a good Sunday football game in the fall

I used to do the football, baseball, golf thing during highschool. Then switched to the rowing team in college. Now almost my last year in college and im sportless lol. So I've picked up golf again, and beginning to study martial arts (and falling in love with it in the process). So anyone play any sports?

thank you for your opinions, they are encouraging. which I feel is good for me, because I like this place! I would think, at least in my own opinion that as far as technique, an instructor watching your every move in the beginning will keep you out of any bad habits early in the process of learning the art. thanks again

well, its not necissarily a diet, it just helps you cut out the foods that will leave that little extra on top of your midsection. If you have no fat on your midsection, there are exercises in that book, and a whole more that will come in handy, but im sure its in that magazine also. I used some things in there, certain exercise techniques for the mid section, and stopped eating a few things i used to, thats when the two under my top started to show, after a few months. either way, good luck. if you come to a standstill, go to a bookstore and skim through it, maybe it could help.

The book is actually from the editor from Men's Health magazine. Its almost 300 pages long, and the majority of the book has some really good techniques to lose some waist fat (and other fat on your body too)..mostly by doing just what the title says..giving you an "abs" "diet". They do a great job of giving good practical advice in the kitchen or even on the run. Its not some quick fad like a carb diet (no offense, im sure it works for some people)..or some liquid diet (again, no offense to anyone on that either)..but this diet is just plain and simple, good foods to eat and bad foods to eat. Heres a link from amazon, the magazine that you're talking about is actually excerpts and pieces of the book. Kind of a shorter approach, than reading the whole book. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1579549985/102-2283813-5818535?v=glance Granted I didnt read the book , I did actually spend a good hour or two at borders. And it is a good book, I was going to buy it but at the time it was fresh in my mind..i had finals, so I never started reading it in it's entirety. Again, its a healthy approach to "getting abs" or I guess just toning up the mid-section.

alot of people just dont have a 6pack. technically under the body fat, there should be a 6pack. but as you can see, alot of peoples 6packs differ, along with some people that just dont have muscles defined in such a way. not to sound discouraging, but I had that same problem, and i worked them like crazy, and even became obsessive over finally getting a 6pack...i ate perfect, did plenty of cardio, and lifted weights..but i still couldnt get much. my upper abs would show, but at best all i had was a 4pack. my advice, try your hardest, but dont get discouraged if it doesnt pop up. worse case sinario is that your mid section will be in fantastic shape!

is the magazine the same as the book? I hear it is a really good read, and if you actually enter and win..i think you win a 2006 ford mustang, or something along those lines. but im sure none of our abs are in that bad of shape if the magazine is a shorter, less expensive abbreviated version of the book, ill definately pick that up. I was going to read the book a few months ago, but it conflicted with my finals, and i havent thought about picking it up since.

Found a great place which I'm closest to joining. There are only 5 or so adults and a whole bunch of kids 15 and under. A few of the adults are local police officers, and the rest are red belts and green belts (TKD). The instructor said, if the class were to not have anyone my size that particular day, he or the other instructor would be my partner. To be honest I really like this place, location, price, his credentials, even the instructors personality..he seems like a really really nice guy, with only good intentions. Definately not trying to pressure me into anything, there are no contracts unless preferred (cheaper if you sign up for 6months/year), and told me I could go down there all week if I wanted to test it out, he said he's very flexible. But in the short run/long run..will the students there pose a problem, perhaps slow down the learning process for me if I have to always have the instructor as a partner? I would think that would be the best case sinario, but someone on this forum said that could be a problem in my other post. Thanks!

First off, thanks for everyone who has replied..it has been a big help. As for it possibly being a McDojo..I'm not sure. I don't think I know enough to really judge it, I just know the basics I guess. Whether it is or not, there is another place a bit cheaper than that one, which I'm checking out tonight. It's 60 dollars a month, and you can go as much as you want. Maybe you can help me on this other ones credentials. The head instructor has -3rd Degree Black Belt ITA -2nd Degree Black Belt ITF -2nd Degree Black Belt WTF -1st Degree Black Belt in Traditional Hapkido Seems legit, its nearly half as expensive, same distance from my house as the other one, and you can go to as many classes that you wish. Should I go for this other one? Again I'm checking it out tonight.

ok so I checked out a few places, I like this one in particular the most. It's TKD and the people are nice there. I have my first private class with one of the instructors on wednesday. Then I can sit in a beginner class on thursday or friday. It's 120 dollars a month, so about 30 dollars a week. He said in the beginning I can only go twice a week. This would work out to about 15 dollars a class. Which seems alot to me. He said its only twice a week in the beginning because at the beginners level there are injurys or people get burnt out from going too often. He said as time goes on you can come more. Does this sound right? Is that alot even in the beginning? Let me know..thanks!

Can anyone give me some info on this style? First off, I'm 6'1, 190 lbs, 23 years old. Good shape, upperbody is fairly strong. I'm not too flexible, but hope that will come with the training I'm new to martial arts, and have been looking for a style to get into. I've been looking at TKD, and I'm liking it. But there is a dojo near my house that teaches Northern Style Shaolin kung fu. I couldn't find too much on that style, anyone know about it that could post some links maybe, or just give a brief summary of the style itself, or even give your experiences with that style in particular. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

hey thanks for all the replys so far Well to reply to the last post, I'm just shy of 6'1, 190lbs, upper body is strong, legs are not so strong. Used to do the whole football thing in school. But also have played golf and was on the college rowing team for a while. Which I found out quickly during rowing practice how little flexibility I really have (which was not a good thing). Pretty good shape, but still looking to become more physically fit from training perhaps. There is a Tae Kwon Do school about 5 miles from me that sounds pretty good, it has unlimited classes for like 90 dollars a month, which doesnt sounds too bad. I would do something like 4 classes a week, so like $6 a class? I like everything they stand for, and the instructor seems to really know his stuff, as per his credentials via their website. I'm going to check them out on Saturday. There is also about 3 miles from me Northern style Shaolin kung fu. Anyone know anything about this style? What its strengths/weaknesses? So far from what I'm reading about TKD I'm liking it. So that one is a bit more appealing so far. Of course I wouldn't make my decision until I actually go there and check it out myself. So what is Northern style Shaolin kung fu about? I couldn't find anything on this site in reference to that style. Thanks for all the help so far

I'm not sure what style I should go into. I'm 23 years old, have about a year left of college (so that takes up the bulk of my time), work part time. But either way none of that should really conflict with any type of training schedule. I want to practice a style that is comprised of a few key elements (in my eyes): self defense, fitness and mental balance. Currently I study alot of Eastern philosophy, and enjoy reading about Eastern religion. I would like to also immerse myself in the martial arts culture. I was looking at Tiger Schullman's dojo, and signed up on this board to get some advice, but after doing a search, a few threads came up basically stating that their cost and ethic is somewhat "McDojo" like ? Does anyone else have any suggestions? Or is Tiger Schullmans not so bad? I live in the Long Island NY area. Any suggestions, recommendations, or general guidance would be greatly appreciated. There are so many dojos in my immediate area, I'm not sure what to look for in them, or even what style to start looking into. Thanks a bunch in advance!