bushido_man96

Of these two points.... I have no doubt. But, point number one, Is being a better fighter your ultimate goal, or is living a better life. Getting into a fight as an adult is a slim chance at best, and if you have gotten into a fight as an adult, you were probably partialy at fault..... I know I was. The ultimate goal of karate is to help you seek perfection of character. Perfection of character is, I feel, a direct result of the Funakoshi's transitioning the art of Karate to be taught in the public schools of Japan. I honestly don't believe that it held that much weight in its inception. Perfection of character does not equate, in my mind, to challenging opponents of rival schools, and creating a fighthing style used to train troops for war (which is how the martial arts came about). Character can be perfected by doing many different activities; karate is just one of them. Oragami could be another; painting could be another; other athletic training, such as football, soccer, and MMA, could be others as well.

I didn't hear about that. Good for him. I am not a big Shamrock, fan, but the more competition that is around, the better it is for the art. However, the last match that I saw him fight in in UFC (don't remember who he fought, though), he lost, and looked pretty bad. He is getting older, too. However, if he can make a comeback, that would be great.

The same can be said of Traditional martial arts as well. One instructor of shotokan went to jail not too long ago. He was a pharmacist that was selling pharmaceuticals out the back door without a perscription. My point is that it's not a MMA vs. Traditional thing...it's a good person vs. bad person or good instructor vs. bad instructor thing. I agree. The reason that MMA gets such a negative appeal is because it is in the spotlight all of the time. If any MMA guy gets into trouble, the world is going to hear about it, because of its popularity as a sport. But if the local TMA school owner gets into trouble, it isn't heard about to the masses....because they have no spotlight. It may make local news, but in the end, it doesn't get near the publicity. I know of a TMA instructor that got into big trouble in my area, involing his line of work, and he ended up leaving the area completely.

I didn't realize that those fighters were cutting like wrestlers. That is not a good deal at all. Perhaps there is something they could do to regulate that. As for the fighter you mention that wanted to win with punching; I think this is a great thing. It shows that some of these fighters want to be seen as well-rounded fighters, and not the fighter who prefers grappling to punching, or vise-versa. However, he should maybe have trained his punching skills, say, over the next 6 months to a year, before deciding to try to fight like that. Although being well-rounded is good, knowing and using your strengths is even better. Nice idea, bad timing.

Ah. I understand. Good point.

Hey, hey! Congrats!!

I really don't think that this is the case. Every one is different, and every martial artist is not on the same journey. That said, I don't feel that it is necessarily the fault of the instructor. There are so many factors to consider, like time available to train, student's learning curve, instructor's teaching styles, and student-to-teacher ration, just to name a few things. I have had students that start at the same time, and then branch off from each other, moving at different speeds. It just happens at times. Students and instructors will hit peaks and valleys at different times in their training.

How can you really judge your performance based on just a few classes? Perhaps if you really wanted to put the time into it, you might do really well. You may think about trying it again, if it truly interests you. Just a thought.

A Game of Thrones; Catelyn We meet Catelyn Stark, Eddard's wife. She if of House Tully of Riverrun. She comes from a warmer place, much like spring, as opposed to the winter that Winterfell and much of the North is. Catelyn remarks more on the family Stark, their old ways, and the Northerners in general. Key events/notes: Ned is in the godswood, cleaning his blade, Ice (forged of Valryian steel, with magic as well), and reflecting on the man he beheaded. Ned states that the man was half-mad, and full of fear, echoing what Jon had mentioned previously. He states that he may have to eventually ride with an army beyond the wall to fight the wildling King-Beyond-the-Wall, Mance Rayder. Catelyn alludes to the others, which Ned scoffs at, but then mentions the fact that Dire wolfs weren't supposed to exist anymore, either. Catelyn makes a note about how Ned doesn't believe in signs, thinking of the Dire Wolf and the pups, and how it died. She brings word that a man named Jon Arryn of the Eyrie is dead. Jon Arryn was like a father to Eddard, and also becames his brother-in-law, through Catelyn's sister, Lysa. Also mentioned in the news is that the King, Robert Baratheon, is coming with his house and court to visit Eddard and his house. This makes Ned extremely happy. Ned and Robert grew up together under Jon Arryn, who protected them from the previous king, the Mad King Aerys II Targaryen, who wanted them beheaded. In mentioning Robert's wife and family (two brothers, last name Lannisters, of Casterly Rock), he tends to be irritated at their coming. He trusts them not, for some reason.

I think that it is great that you have started Karate at this stage. As long as you work hard, and give it your all, you have a good chance to enjoy a long Karate journey. As for how good you can get, that really depends on a lot of different factors, like health, genetics, etc. Either way, you have made a step in the right direction just by getting started. Training one-to-one with a person of so much higher rank than you is going to be tough for quite some time. That is what is nice about training with those of your own skill level; it is easier to chart your progress along with other progressing at the same rate, while working with those that are already ahead of you. I would recommend getting some kind of class work in from time to time, if you can. The change will help you immensely, and it will allow you to see how much you have really improved. Welcome to the Forums, and good luck in your journey!

Nice! I think I would get grouchy, too.

These kinds of strategic battles are what make the fighting arts fun to do. Naturally, we all want to fight our fight, play our game. However, we don't always have that option, and we have to adapt our game to come through; something about best-laid plans... At any rate, use this to help you with a part of your game that you don't like, don't do well, or don't care for, because you never know when you will have to use it.

A Game of Thrones; Bran We meet the Starks of Winterfell (their banner bears a Dire Wolf). We learn that they do things differently than the other peoples of the kingdom. They still have "the blood of the first men" in their veins, and their ways are the old ways. Seeing the story through Bran's eyes, who is 7, the men of the family are out to see their father, Lord Eddard Stark (aka Ned), behead a Man of the Night's Watch for deserting. Incidentally, the man being beheaded bears semblence to Gared, from the prologue. Eddard has 3 sons with him, Bran, and also Robb Stark, and his illegitimate son, Jon Snow, who appear to be the same age (14). Robb, the trueborn son, bears semblence to his mother (of house Tully), and Jon bears more semblence of Eddard; tall, quiet, solemn, dark hair and skin. Bran also mentions that his grey eyes are sharp, and he rarely misses anything. Robb, is shorter, but more muscled, with auburn hair, and fair. However, they show love for each other. We learn a little bit about the naming system used for children born out of wedlock, like Jon. Key events/notes: We learn some of the honor and integrity of Eddard, and House Stark in general. On their return to Winterfell (their stronghold), Robb and Jon discover a dead dire wolf that has borne pups. Eddard has 6 children, counting Jon. They find only five pups. Jon excludes himself, and basically tells Eddard that the pups were meant for his children. In looking for what killed the wolf, Eddard finds an antler broken off in its throat. For some reason, everyone is quieted by this. They gather the pups, and head back. Jon hears something, and rides back; he returns with a 6th pup, which is an albino, and is the only pup with its eyes open. Enough for all 6 Stark children. Upon reading this section again, this event foreshadows so much in the story, especially about some of the demeanors and attributes of some of these characters. Anything to add, A-train??

I have seen the like happen before, too. The problem I have is that I have to wear big uniforms, like size 7, but have to get them sized down to fit my arms and legs. What will happen from time to time is I will get a hand (theirs or mine) caught within my gigantic sleeve cuffs. It takes a second to get untagled at times!

Hey all! I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy 4th of July! Enjoy the fireworks, the BBQs, and the family and friends!

On the 5th of July, my family and I will be leaving for Denver, to meet my parents. On the 6th, my mom is going to have surgery to remove the tumor. The docs said it can take up to 5 hours, and they are going to start at around 7 or 8 in the morning. After the surgery, she will be kept in ICU for a few days. I will let everyone know how it goes. Thanks for all the support.

Really, you can stretch at anytime, as long as you do it right. You can stretch cold, but you just have to be careful, and realize that you won't get as far as you do when warmed up. If it were me, I would warm-up, lift, cardio, then do a really good stretch afterwards. Your body will be warm, and the stretch will help to act as a cool down session as well. However, if you wanted to stretch, lift, stretch, cardio, stretch, you could do that as well. I am not sure how much difference it would make, but you could try it.

I agree. I loved the realistic setting at first, and then the gradual onpooring of the more fantastic. There is really a good balance. How many Kettlebacks are there? Or is it Kettleblack?

Now, if someone has a six-pack hidden underneath a good-sized belly, then that may really suck!

You should stretch until you feel minor discomfort, and then hold the stretch. Holding for 1 minute per rep should be plenty. If you hold it for a long time, that may be why you get so sore. Stretching before lifting is ok, but I would recommend a good warm-up before lifting, then lift and stay warm, and then have a good stretch afterwards. That is just me, though.

There is some very nice kata there. Thanks for sharing!

I think if you stay relaxed and continue to use your technique when rolling with these guys, you will begin to see the rewards. However, don't think that it is a bad thing to use your strength when you have to. After all, there are reasons for being strong, and that is one of them. Use your strength when you have to, and your technique when you can. It will provide a nice balance.

I have issues like this all the time in my training. Recognizing these things is the first step in improving. Now, you have some obvious goals that you can set and work towards. Don't let the frustration get to you too much. Just continue to work at it as hard as you can. One day, it will just happen, and then you will notice that the hard work is paying off. By the way, I don't think instructors ever get tired of teaching someone that is willing to learn, and works as hard as they can at it. I would just put that out of your mind completely. Keep at it, and you will get there. P.S.: Reread your signature! It has some great advise in it!

7-2-07 Chest/triceps Cable crossovers: 50x10, 50x10, 50x10 Physio ball dumbbell bench: 30x10, 30x10, 30x10 Push-up and row: 30 lbs.x6, two sets Legs Swiss ball curl: 2x10 Front leg front kick chambers: 3x10, each leg Front leg front kicks: 3x10, each leg Abs Roman Chair crunches: 3x15x22 lb. Side raises: 2x20x30 lbs, 10x30 lbs. Trunk twists: 3x20x45 lbs. Forearms Wrist curls: 10x20, 15x20, 20x20 lbs. Finger curls: 2x10x25 lbs. Worked out from 3:30 - 4:00. Worked on a two stick drill and some forms. Taught Orientation from 5:30 - 6:00, and got warmed up doing basics in the process. Traditional Class from 6:00 - 7:00. Class felt pretty good tonight. In sparring, I abandoned the punching to try to work on footwork, especially with moving to the side of straight-line front kick and side kick attacks. I still need more work on this. Then, we did a 3-for-all with a 4th dan and a 1st dan. I elected to go back to punching for this one. I was tired, and wore out, but it was fun! On the following day, I noticed that my left thumb is a little sore, like I jammed it in the process of punching someone!

Hard to say. Everyone is different. However, having muscle is proven to protect the body better than fat is.