bushido_man96

Good luck!

Anytime.

Maybe a bit rash, but, hindsight is always 20/20. I agree with the comment that people grow tired of putting up with crimes happening to them. He accomplished his safety, I think, when he chased the guy off. By following, he put himself at real risk of getting killed. Now, if you try to run the guy off, and he stays to fight, then that's different; fight for your stuff-you have the right to. I guess if it were me, and my stuff was being burglarized regularly, I might take after him, too (but after running 100 feet, I'm sure I'd get tired and just go home ). Who knows? We all can say "I'd this" or "I'd that." But, once it happens, our state of mind can change, and we can do something totally out of character for ourself.

I hear ya man, I've been there. Hell, sometimes I think I am still there. But, just keep plugging away! Train smart, and listen to your body.

Good advise from sensei8. This would be a tough decision to make. Try taking some different approaches to learning, and see if it changes things for him. Also, try providing some resources of the previous material that he can review or keep on hand to jog his memory. That is one option. On a side note, Albert Einstein was once quoted as saying, "don't memorize anything that you can look up." I look up forms all the time. Just a thought.

I know we discussed this in a different setting, but wanted to chime in here, too. First off, the instructor did not handle the situation very professionally. If he did not want you to help out since you had missed time (perhaps because he wanted to make sure you still remembered everything), then he should have spoke to you directly about it, and not to the students the way he did. I'm not sure if I relayed my opinion this way in my previous message, but this is how I would have handled it. I completely understand being hit and miss as a student. I have been that hit and miss student all summer long, and still am. As a 3rd dan, I'm expected to teach classes as part of my rank/testing requirements. I have no real desire to test any time soon, so I don't worry about it. I have three kids, one of which is a daughter in high school, and she runs cross country. So, I have been busy with going to these meets, doing other school functions, and generally filling my duties as husband and parent (which trump any MA duties anyone may assume I have). I'm sorry to hear about all this happening to you. Perhaps you will be able to find something better out of the whole deal. Who knows?

I'm sure that everyone who owns a heavy bag doesn't use gloves, but I would recommend them highly. I would also recommend that you wear shoes while kicking the bag as well. Some MAist will disagree with me on wearing shoes while kicking the bag, but my reasoning is the same as wearing gloves. When you train, you want to be able to punch & kick the bag hard for the length of your workout & do it again tomorrow as well. You need to protect your hands, wrists, feet & ankles from damage. Shoes & gloves reduce the risk of injury & let you train another day. All my best to you. Good advise.

None that come straight to mind. What you are doing is probably ok, just tone it down some, fewer sets, less reps, etc. Let your body get back into it a bit easier, and then build.

Well, not better yet. I still get into coughing fits. Work has been terrible for me. Still on the meds, trying to fight it.

Try easing back into your workouts. Down time is not good, especially if you are too hurt or sore to train. Give your body time to build up.

In the past, when I do the low double knife hand blocks, I make both hands/arms parallel. Hope that helps some.

Hwang Kee had an awesome twist kick! I'd say they are likely the same technique, with different names. But, stranger things have happened. Bruce Lee called what most of deem the round kick a hook kick.

If you get warm, stretch every day. I think that if you don't have that time, then stretching every other day should show results, as well.

I agree, and have seen in the past that many parents view black belt as the finish line in children MAs. This is disappointing, but many parents feel this way. If you think your kids won't be interested, then dragging them along won't be good for anyone involved. So discuss with them, too, and see what they want and feel like doing. As for a curriculum, most schools should have something that is laid out, or some idea of what they look for in advancing from one step to the next. Sit and talk with the instructor about this. If the instructor is unwilling to discuss this with you, then I'd call that a red flag, and maybe start seeking other places. Best of luck!

Very interesting stuff. Thanks for sharing it!

I agee ps1, I don't buy it either. Perhaps this is the case. But, you can look down the road (since we are talking about a journey) of each, and see which gets you to where you want to be faster, i.e., being able to defend yourself effectively, or what have you. Now, that isn't to say that "I want my Martial Arts in a Happy Meal bag, ready to go right now, so I can have it and be done with it." That's not what I am saying. When it comes to discussions like this, the proponents of the "lifelong journey" often make cases of getting somewhere fast, and then not having a foundation to build on, or they think they've found it all, and have nothing left to search out. That just isn't the case. The case is that when training is efficient and focused, then by arriving at one place in the journey sooner, allows one to continue down other avenues sooner. I don't like to put it all into a time frame, but the fact that time matters is a point that really can't be argued. There are only so many hours in a day, and we can only do so much, and eventually, our time runs out. So, time is a factor, unfortunately. I have no problems with anyone who wants to delve into cultural ideals and historic bases of different MA disciplines. But I do think that the fact of the matter is that there are some disciplines that have changed and updated their training routines and regimines that do make their learning curve smaller, and therefore, may be a more efficient training method.

If you want to speak the language, then I would suggest perhaps the Rosetta Stone program. I've heard they are really good. As for writing it, you would need to find someone familiar with the language, or a resource that can familiarize you with it. Not sure what to tell you there, other than trying a Google search.

Those are some good thoughts. Perhaps teaching kids a use-of-force continuum should be something to consider. Scratch that....use-of-force continuum would be good to teach ALL Martial Arts students. All too often I hear the arguement of "being tried by 12 as opposed to carried by 6." There is some good insight from that statement, but, it doesn't mean that we as Martial Artists should throw reason to the wind, and just go with the standard "he started it, so I finished it" clause.

Weight training isn't likely your problem. Just not doing MAs is more likely the problem, and lack of stretching. I'd keep with the lifting, add a stretching routine, and then find a school to get into. Best of luck to you!

Wait until you can punch the bag without hurting the bruise on the knuckles before getting back to it. It may not sound good, but that's why this kind of training isn't highly advisable. Now, you have down time that won't help you improve. You can punch the air, though. In the future, control how much you punch the bag, or use wraps or gloves. Training equipment like that was invented to make training better and longer.

You seem to be all alone here, Alex! I've been sick, so I hope to get back into training soon.

Yes it is. There is so much out there, and anyone can put anything out there, without any kind of credence.

Journey, yes. One can meander about, or one can have a map and a goal. Yes, to each their own, for sure. But, not all things are equal.

I believe you can do both - you just need to train hard and have a very good sensei. Sojobo I don't agree that both can be done. There are better ways to accomplish some things than others. Its like driving a Model T to get from point a to b in comparison to driving a Cadillac of today. They can both get you there, but the Cadillac is much more efficient.

I doubt it, but we'll see.