Spirit At Choice

Welcome to the forums. I think you'll find lots to discover here.

Nike Fu... I love it. My personal favorite form of self-defense, aside from just staying out of situations where you NEED self-defense.

Best wishes on your chosen path!

I have this affliction too. Just concentrate on yourself. Let your intellect guide you to a place where it can serve you better: school work, learning more about your style, educating others about martial arts, following your religion (if any), being a better person every day. The less you compare yourself to others (and others to yourself) the more energy you free up to be the best person, daughter, martial artist and student that you can possibly be.

Hi there Shadow. I think you will find that, as with anything, we all have our strenghts and weaknesses. She will be a more rounded martial artist if she works on her sparring, but if her point is kata competition, then she has what she wants. But if it ever comes to having to defend herself in a street fight, she may have trouble because she neglected her sparring skills. (See the video posted recently of the black belt who defended himself against a knife attack last December-- Does someone know how to put that link here?) As for you: Welcome most heartily. I am 36 yo female, white belt, mom of three. I don't usually give unsolicited advice, but I just want to tell you that if you focus on yourself in your training, you will go much farther than if you allow yourself to be distracted by the other students' behavior. If you are worried about another student, the best you can do is tell an adult. And, if it feels safe, you can try to be her friend. I hope to read more posts from you!

Stoneheart asked: I can't say that I know for certain. Wing Chun and Tai Chi Chuan are two of the seven styles that influence Cuong Nhu. As a beginner, I've only really been exposed to the katas called First Form, Second Form, Third Form, Fourth Form and Pinan (aka Heian) One. I believe that these are all from Shotokan. I've seen upper ranks do other kata, including weapons kata, but I can't say what influence they are. Maybe well get Greenbelt Girl in here. She is also in Cuong Nhu. I can ask at the dojo too. You can also e-mail someone at a Cuong Nhu dojo or at the Association: https://www.cuongnhu.com.

Reply is posted in Chinese Martial Arts, titled Cuong Nhu.

Shout works on organic stains (blood, grass, sweat, juice), but won't get out dye (kool-aid, ink, etc). The bleach pen is awesome! I color my hair and occassionally get some rub off on the collar of my gi, so I use the bleach pen on that.

Hello Robert. Very nice to meet you. Welcome to the forums!

Glad to have you!

Glad you're here! Welcome.

Welcome aboard!

Welcome to the forums!!!

Check it out: https://www.superiormartialarts.com now has videos for fans. They have Dragon style, and Mu Lan single and double fans. Very cool if a bit pricey...

Never mind. One of us is missing the point.

Fairfax, my gi gets washed after a single use, but my obi can last much longer.

Welcome to the forums! You'll find lots of neat information and people here.

I've been experimenting with different things. Here's what I've determined: 1/4 C bleach will take care of the stink and does not harm my patch and embroidery The bleach pen is perfect for the occasionl schmutzy spot Shout is perfect on the collar and under arms My obi goes in the wash if it has noticable dirt or smell Thanks for all the input. This has been a great topic.

Hart: I hear you! I could barely pull off ten knee push-ups when I started this. But, I would think that after a year and a half you would have built up some strength. I can now (four months later) do 10 toe push-ups with pretty good form, though I can not go very low. I do push ups every day whether I train or not. I try to do lots of knee push-ups with my arms in different positions (fingers touching, shoulder width, wide, on the knuckles) until I really feel the burn. Then I rest, and do it again. My understanding is that muscle builds during the resting process, so it's important to push yourself to the limit and then rest, rest, rest. Calsithenics don't take hardly any time at all. It's easy to get into a routine of rolling out of bed and spending 5 - 10 munites on push-ups, crunches, lateral crunches, etc, before hitting the shower.

Hi there and welcome! You might try to connect with abacus/Qi Breath (another newbie) too. Chi gets plenty of talk time over in Internal Arts. I look forward to many stimulating exchanges there with you. Best of luck in finding the right dojo. Let us know which ones you are considering if you are looking for other opinions. Are you definitely set on studying a specific art? What arts are you most interested in?

I take no offense. I hear some derrogatory remarks about Cuong Nhu. Cuong Nhu is an amalgam of seven different martial arts. It was developed in Viet Nam in the sixties and brought to the US in the seventies. So I've heard that it's not "real" because it's new. And I've heard it's not "pure" because it's an amalgam. And I take no offense. I think remarks like that are made from a position of weakness, ego, and ignorance. If the person seems open to it, I educate them. If they do not seem open to learning I just respect their position and leave it alone.

So you and Bodidharma were in the same driver's ed program, eh?

I'm a gal. I'm 36. I failed my driving exam TWICE! I got my license when I was 20. I'm single, pretty, and love long drives and movies... oh, wait. This isn't karatedating.com....

Hi George! I'm a newbie too, and I am 36. Welcome to the boards. There is a lot of really great information here. See you around!

Here. I found the complete exchange on someone's salute-to-the-eighties site: DANIEL: Mr. Miyajee, this is great... MIYAGI: Miya-GI. DANIEL: Miyagi, Miyagi. Hey, what kind of belt do you have? MIYAGI: Canvas, you like? J.C. Penney, $3.98. Best joke in the whole movie, if you ask me. I also liked where Miyagi says karate is in your head and your heart, not around your waist. That really made me think more deeply about external symbols and actual achievement. Not that external symbols are bad, just that we can't allow them to distract us from what is good and true.