ArmorOfGod

Has anyone seen Howl's Moving Castle? I just finished it last night and am in love. AoG

Actually, I agree with the instructor. When you step in his class, you have to go by his rules. If you don't like it, find another school. Now, for a personal opinion: years back when I was competing, there were a few schools where their students wore bandanas while competing. I find it disprespectful to wear a hat or bandana during forms. I don't mind it during sparring, but it still makes everyone who wears them look like thugs and punks. Just my personal opinion. Don't take it too personally. AoG

http://www.centuryfitness.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10051&storeId=10051&categoryId=13614&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=13756&crumb=13501-13753 Click there for kids games videos. Look especially for Kimber Hill's & Scott Templeton's videos. AoG

http://www.achieve-fitness.com/martialarts/martial_arts_philadelphia.htm That is one of several I found by going to google.com and typing in "muay thai pennsylvania philadelphia." Have you looking in your phone book and called around? Also, some of the bigger schools may have muay thai classes, but not list them. Finally, post this question over at the "Muay Thai" category of this site. AoG

Try putting the info for your classes in the classified section of the newspaper under the sporting goods section. That is far cheaper than running an ad and it is read by people interested in sports. Also, you could do the same thing in those weekly trader papers that they have at the gas stations. AoG

What part of the world do you live in? What country, what state/province, etc? AoG

"Sensei Says" - This would be Simon Says using basics, forms, or sparring techniques as the movements. When kids do the moves without the Sensei Says term being said, they have to sit down. The last child standing wins. Use Fun Noodles (those foam tube pool toys) as blocking and striking bats. Also, the kids can jump over them when they are swung at their feet. Imitation of animals - Make the kids walk and move like certain animals: dogs, cats, monkeys, etc. Take an old belt and cut it into 12 inch lengths. Tuck the pieces into the backs of their belts/pants and make them "spar" to grab their opponent's belt piece. This is sort of like flag football. Green, Yellow, and Red Ninja: Make the kids do a set or form and yell out "Green Ninja" for them to go super fast, "Yellow Ninja" to go super slow, and "Red Ninja" to freeze in place. Also, Century sells several videos that show kids games and drills. You may want to look those up. AoG

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12122112/ Sad. Now the baby car set makers are having to make the seats bigger because our US kids won't fit in them. I am seeing this everyone here in the United States. Several of my kids' classmates are so large that they look liked stuffed turkeys. I read an article that said that serving sizes of food has increased about 5 times since the 1950's in the US. That means that for each meal, we are eating 5 times the amount our grandparents used to. Food for though...... AoG

Check out Chloe Bruce's site: http://www.chloebruce.moonfruit.com/ Then click on "Videos." There are several videos that have her show the scorpian kick. AoG

Why just do a backfist and roundkick when you know other kicks? Take what you just listed and pick 3 randomly (you can use repeats). For example: front, roundhouse, side or side, wheel, side (slternate each time) or backfist, wheel, side (alternate or don't alternate kick-your choice) or backfist, side, round Write down every move you know on pieces of paper, put them in a hat, and pick out three. Line the three moves up and you have a new technique! Try that and keep the techniques you like. Also, if you like a particular move, put it onto two or three sheets of paper before you mix them up. AoG

I think Tommy Franks is in his late 20's. I don't know that he's a 6th Dan. But he bought his 1st school franchise at 17. He has a school near me. I know some folks who have trained with him. He was older than 17 when he starred in Power Rangers. He is in his 30's now and is a 6th dan. Here is the website for his school: http://www.risingsunkarate.com/ AoG

I have two: standard side kick - I have practiced it so much that I can generate alot of power with it. and front "flop kick" - This is basically a crescent kick from the front leg in a fighting stance aimed toward the midsection or face. It is an ugly kick, but I can always get points with it. No one else from our group of schools uses it, or has really seen it, so it consistantly pays off. AoG

http://www.ezprezzo.com/crazypics/lego-arena.html How many of those little Lego men are in the arena as fans? Wow. AoG

Okay, I have a bit of a funny story. I ran a thread similar to this a while back, mostly due to envy of frayed belts. I have two black belt. One is my original (and has grayish edges from wear) and an embroidered black belt. Also, I have an extra one that I ordered for a back up, but never wore. I was talking to a black belt friend of mine about belts that look like this: http://www.kwonusa.com/kwonUSA/shop_artikeldetails.asp?kid=475%2C513&agnr=1107 We were wondering how to make them look like that. So, I took my extra belt and went on a mission. Razors and keys don't work. They shred, but don't wear down. I tied it to the back bumper of my truck (no joke) and drove around the block a few times. It did not change a bit. So, I did the ultimate: sand paper. Yes, fine grit sand paper. It works and it works fast. I now have a belt that is worn down to gray and white patches all over it. It looks beyond cool, but I could never wear it out of guilt. My theory is that anyone who has a belt that is worn down (like that above picture I linked to) sanded it down with a belt sander. There is no way that a worn belt would be worn on the back or sides. It will wear down on the front and ends, but what are you rubbing your butt on that would wear the back down equal to a sanding machine? AoG

http://www.karate-kid.co.uk/sponsorship-details.asp It is a United Kingdom site, so I don't know if this is available here in the US, but it may be worth checking out. AoG

Call him, set up a time to work out and spar him. I would recommend that you bring some of your friends as witnesses. If he turns out to be legit, you just gained a new friend; if he refuses to work out, then he is a lier. Yes, he should be able to name what family/style of kung-fu he comes from. Ask for his certificates (if he has claimed to be a teacher), but offer to show yours as well. Also, kung fu styles do not offer "black belts." A few have a sash system, but most do not wear belts. They use a rank system represented by certificates. AoG

http://youtube.com/watch?v=1uI9wE9K8ts Rock on! AoG

lol No, I had twins, so we named one after Superman (Clark) and one after Wolverine (Logan). We almost named Logan after Green Lantern (Kyle), but backed out because we didn't want our twins to both have the "K" sound as the first sound of their name. And most of my family is incredibly Southern sounding, so it would have been "Ky-yul" and that would have driven me crazy. AoG

http://ask.yahoo.com/20060320.html

A black belt is......a piece of cloth; the knowledge that I have gained is what counts, not the belt itself. AoG

I just recently fell in love with her. Here is a clip of her on the Tonight Show: http://www.prefixmag.com/video/N/Neko-Case/Hold-On-Hold-On-Tonight-Show-with-Jay-Leno/27 and here are a few LEGAL downloads of some of her new songs: http://music.download.com/nekocase/3600-8573_32-100047139.html?tag=MDL_listing_song_artist She sings a mix of alt-country and punk. I am a big fan of Leonard Cohen, Beck, and Beth Orton, so Neko Case is right along those lines. Love it! AoG

Nightmare Before Christmas (greatest movie ever made) Moulon Rouge Spired Away by Miyazaki Those are probably my 3 favorite movies and the dvd's have great extras on them. AoG

Ah, here is my topic..... My sons are named after superheroes, and I am a big comic book geek. If I could be a super hero, I would so be a Green Lantern. Sigh............ AoG

http://fantasyherald.com/quiz/dand/index.php I took the quiz and came up as a Neutral Good Elf Cleric. I have never played d&d, but the quiz is cool. What is everyone here? AoG

I was thinking about this topic a few days ago. Years back, I read an article about a person who was training so hard that he was constantly in pain. He was being held together by Ace bandages and asprin. His point was that he was training so hard that he was in too much pain to defend himself, which was part of the reason he was training. I was exactly like that when I was preparing for my black belt back in 1996. I was training so hard that on weekdays, I could not lift my leg above knee level for the first half of the day. I read that article and realized that I could not defend myself because I was so stiff due to over exercising and stretching. Defenitely cut back on your training. Go out and hang out with some friends at a coffee house. Family and friends are FAR more important than training. Your training will always be there for you, but your friends and family will move away, grow up, or even pass away. Spend balanced time with them and continue to train in the martial arts. AoG