MizuRyu

We had an instance in our Wing Chun class where a BJJ practitioner walked in and challenged our sifu, Jeff. The guy left with some really nasty rug burns, Jeff wasted him. When it was all over, the guy shook his hand, and we now know him as Andre, he comes every Saturday lol. I personally don't see why it would be an issue to challenge another school, it can be beneficial to both participants in lots of ways.

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Most weight lifters use 'flush sets'... including myself. Flush sets means directly following one excercise, you work the opposing muscle. For instance: when I bench press, I do rows right after. When I curl, I do tricep pulldowns. Traps-lats, abs-erectors, etc. It really helps with uniform growth.

Mine is a sharp explosive "kia"... like the car

I've been bodybuilding for a few years now, and I had the same problem. I turned to nuts and dried fruits, protein bars, protein shakes, hard boiled eggs, half gallons of milk, string cheese, beef jerkey.. etc. Always remember though.. nothing can replace a well balanced protein rich meal.

a stepping front/side kick to the general torso area.. ideally the diaphragm.. of the stomach if you don't want to risk killing them. If it fails to connect for whatever reason, drop down and attack the knees, take him to the ground, and lock the leg.

Does anyone here use intimidation frequently in a fight/sparring? I notice that a strong and loud "KIAAAA!" during an attack can be pretty startling, and use that frequently. A great effective tactic is to strike two to three times, then offsync your kihup with your strike; lunge a little, fake with your left hand, kihup, then a split second later strike with your right without the kihup.

I love forms. To me they constitute the "art" in the martial art. They're a labor of love and perfection... many forms are also very aesthetically pleasing. I've been known to break out a few in the living room lol.

Squat, bench press, press and angled lat pulls are the necessary evils for overall strength. They work the largest group of muslces and tax your body the most, therefor ensuring uniform overall growth. Elbows_and_knees has it: Cores are ESSENTIAL.

Aodhan hit the nail right on the head with the repetition thing. Weight training only increases speed if done with light/medium weight and with high reps, but for the most part speed is 90% mental.

10x3 alone should be enough, no real reason to add another 3 sets of the same exercise later in the regiment unless you want small muscles with a slight increase in speed. don't forget your back and legs. Add squats and rows at the very least, add weight to your situps, and only train 3 days a week. "A tree, in order to have strong branches, must have a strong trunk."

I like helpin people out with this stuff... so here goes... There are 2 types of muscle tissue: Type 1 and Type 2... accordingly. Type 1 is the "bulky" powerful stuff, the stuff you see on distance runners and a majority of weight lifters. Type 2 is 'fast twitch' muscle, which consumes less energy and contracts at a faster speed. I have never heard of a way to increase the number of these fibers, but you CAN train them, so to my knowledge that's mostly related to genetics. No one type of muscle fiber is more effective than the other, they serve different purposes. What you're seeing on the Karateka is nothing more than type 1 fiber with highly developed type 2, due to the constant repetition of the same actions. To train type 2 all you have to do is subject the muscle to rigorous repetition of a medium/easy task. To train type 1 you have to perform slow controlled hard work. When it comes to 'speed' always remember that speed is 10% physical, 90% mental. If you want to get faster, just train a LOT. I train for the same reasons that you do, to stay in good shape for martial arts and become a more effective fighter. So... I figure I'll just give you my schedule (with edits for you since you don't have a readily available gym): All are 8 reps x 3 sets with one minute breaks between sets, the goal is to work to 90% max, which means you could squeeze out one or two reps after you're done, but you don't. Always keep a little in reserve, I've never heard a personal trainer recommend working to failure (realistically). If you don't have a pool readily available you can switch that with your exercise bike. Monday: Dumbbell "bench press" Bent over dumbbell rows Overhead press alternating in front and behind the head Wide grip lat pull ups Preacher curls Weighted crunches (including obliques) Weighted back hyperextensions OR good mornings (be VERY careful with these) Shadow boxing for 3-5 minutes Tuesday: Swim Wednesday: Squats Hamstring curls Calf raises Tibia curls Sprint until you can't anymore Thursday Swim Friday: Dumbbell bench press Clean and press T bar OR decline rows (feet are higher than body) Weighted crunches Hypers or Good mornings Squat Calf Raise Run a mile, walk a mile Saturday: Rest Sunday: Rest Your diet should consist of lean proteins, fruits and veggies. NO fast food, NO pop, NO sugar. limit yourself to one candy bar a week. Skim or 2% milk is a must. Eat 5 to 6 small meals a day consisting of roughly 40 grams of protein a peice. My diet mixes up a lot but I am a food NAZI. A good example: Breakfast: 2 eggs, sausage, a tall glass of milk, orange, and wheat toast with butter Brunch: tuna sandwich and mixed nuts Lunch: 2 meat sandwiches, glass of milk, a fruit. Dinner: Chicken breast salad with cheese, milk. Before bed: cup of cottage cheese This is just a general example however. It is absolutely PARAMOUNT that you stick to a consistant, healthy, protein rich diet devoid of junk food. It'll be hard for a while but you'll soon realize you don't miss it, I haven't eaten a potato chip in 6 months. Train hard, eat well, and keep a positive attitude. Also, music really helps, something that gets you pumped up, at least for me. Good luck

Well, focusing on certain parts tends to not work out, because your body hates growing a specific area... it can, but it doesn't do it effectively. This being said, you have to train the entire body for BEST results. Always stick to cores (squats, bench press, press, lat pulls, etc), but if you want to put emphasis on certain parts add things such as: Weighted crunches quickly followed by back hyperextensions, also weighted Bench press, incline and decline quickly followed by T bar or bent over rows. Preacher/concentration curls quickly followed with overhead tricep extension. The reason you follow the exercises with another exercise on the opposite side is to encourage uniform growth, which benefits both fields. Try and keep the reps at 5-10 and the sets at 3, NEVER working to failure... you always want to keep a little left in the tank. Work 3 days a week with a one day rest period between: MWF type stuff. If you want a little boost, you can try supplements. I personally follow every workout with a 40 gram whey protein shake, and take 70 grams of casein before bed. Be sure to eat right though... lots of lean proteins, veggies and fruit. Nothing beats a good chicken breast salad : ) My 2 cents.

knee > crotch. If you're the kinda person who likes to fight 'clean' (super oxymoronic), then I suppose a solid snap punch to the upper lip would mop up the situation nicely.

Deflection, in my opinion, is the most efficient way to deal with someone w/ longer reach than you. I often spar a friend of mine who is very proficient in a kicking style and much taller than me (I'm 5' 10" he's 6' 5"). When I see a kick come in, I move it to the side and take a big fast step in, then rely on Wing Chun to take care of the rest. Your best bet from stepping in on them is to take them down or upset their stance, and ALWAYS stick, never give them the option to step back and mount another attack. When I get in I usually step on their feet or cross legs with them to keep them from using their footwork to move back, then their long arms become their liability.

The only trick to gaining speed is to practice the technique over and over and over and over lol. I have some of the fastest hands in our school just because all I did for months was punch. I'd punch whenever I could, watching TV, in the shower, wherever. It's called myelination, or your brain's ability to relay messages at high speeds. The more myelinated that action is, the faster it is performed. Combined with plyometric training and a lot of dedication, it's a formula for devastating power.

As my sifu Jeff Kohlman always says: "To prevent grevious harm to yourself or another"

nothing quite like a well executed yup chagi (side kick) to the diaphragm lol. My close 2nd is the Wing Chun push kick to the knee or hip, it launches people!

When I first started Tang Soo Do I was lucky if I could pull off 15, but he made us do them EVERY day. I didn't even really think about it or realize it... but after 6 months I was doing 50 and still going. It takes practice and a certain mindset to do it. As Soma has said to us many times: "your mind always quits before your body does"

I get in this stance that my wing chun teacher showed me, where the left arm holds the right elbow and the right hand is stroking the chin. You look open and tentative while in it, and it leaves many options for defense against a strike.

been in 7, lost 3.. and horribly I might add. Losing isn't a bad thing at all in my opinion... as long as you sustain no long term injuries. It teaches you what works and what doesn't in a more clear fashion lol.

I took 2 weeks worth of classes (4) and I have to say it's some of the most painful training I've ever experienced. He makes it look easy, but I'm supposed to splay my fingers and ram them into buckets of kidney beans until he tells me to stop, which is right around the time all the skin detaches from the back of the nail. The form is beautiful and really long, also really hard. I don't think this is pure snake however, it looks to be a conglomeration of snake and mantis or something like that. He's been teaching his sons a mix of those 2 plus Tai Chi since they were tiny kids... so he might be too used to that. It seems to be very combat effective, unlike most of the arts I've taken it uses a lot of feints and weird motions to throw you off... you never quite know where the attack is coming from and when it comes it's very quick and usually to some pretty sensitive areas. It flows nicely too... if anything else it's very aesthetically pleasing.

The core... lower back, abs, upper legs... for the most part..

It's a very rare form of kung fu called Shaolin Xin Yi Ba. "street confrontation" depends on about 700 things. like: Where? Do they have a gun, a knife, brass knuckles? Are they bigger, smaller? Do they have martial arts experience? Boxer? Wrestler? Is there an element of reasonable force? Intent to kill, maim, injure? Basically, it depends wholly on the situation. Nearly every martial art is good for a street confrontation, it just depends on a whole lot of factors.

My personal fascination/love for the art is the biggest factor, along with knowing that you're taking part in a piece of history.