bushido_man96

Yes, Isnt it interesting how Batman is the only one without powers but he still fights crime as good or even better than a "Super"Hero... Definitely. I've always thought that he was one of the "super-er" heroes. Yeah, it is easy when they write it that way. And, in defense of the "super" heroes, they all have some villians with "super" powers. I don't think Batman has many like that.

lol. "Why is this open?" "That darn sales clerk! Say, mind if I give it a go first?" I just wonder what she'll say when she sees that there is already a saved game on it!!!!

Thanks, savedbygrace. Happy Holidays to you as well. Be safe, everyone!

Since I was born on the NES, I would have to stick with my roots, and go with the Wii. I also like Mario, and was also a fan of Metroid. Also, the more and more I see of the interactive motion control, the more I think I like it.

Oh, wow. Well, the number one favorite of mine is CHOCOLATE!!!! Not any fancy chocolate, so those that want to send a package for Christmas, don't send chocolate-covered cherries or any of that stuff. Just good 'ol chocolate bars...Snickers, Hershey's (and with almonds), M&Ms, etc. Otherwise, I love a deep-fat fried turkey. Good stuff. I also like spaghetti, and chicken parmesean.

Here, here!!! Hey, its all good!! Actually, I am feeling better today. It gets a little bit better every day, so it feeling great. Thanks for listening to me whine, everyone!

I have found it challenging to get my kids to do this, but I hold out hope that at some point they'll "get" it. They do it during drills, but they all lose it in kata. With respect, Sohan Try this Sohan: have them do the form at your count, and every time they do a kick, make them hold the re-chamber position, until you give the next count, and then they set it down, and perform the following hand technique (if there is one) with the hand-foot timing. It should help them relate it to the forms better, help them to memorize the movement better.

I like to use the kick re-chamber as a time to set up the follow-up technique, which is usually a hand strike or block. When I rechamber the kick, I immediately chamber my arms for the following hand technique, and I am then able to perform the technique at the moment that my foot hits the ground, in a very controlled, and time, manner. I refer to this as hand-foot timing. Does anyone else call it that?

If you don't have a makiwara, you could substitute knuckle push-ups until you get one.

Have fun with that, NightOwl!

The major thing is that you have to justify just about anything physical that happens in court. Personally, I think I would take my chances. Choking someone out will actually cause them less harm than busting them up. Besides that, it probably won't happen that often, as you will have all kinds of back-up within a matter of seconds.

I have seen this as well. Both are very likely scenarios. In my current system, each belt has a "hi" and a "lo" rank. The lo rank is a belt with a white strip through it; the hi belt is a solid color.

Well, I really can't say it any better. Everyone here has made some very good statements. I will say this: Even as a black belt, I can still learn something everyday from a brand new white belt that is having his first class. The important thing is to never stop learning. There is always something to consider out there, in the realm of the martial arts.

Well, welcome to KF, first of all! To answer your question: In my experience, there are what are called "recommended" and "decided" grades given out for ranks. I have seen this with some systems in their colored-belt ranks. It usually has to do with the scores on the grade card. Let's say the instructors/judges grade on a 90, 80, 70, 60 scale. Those who score in the upper half (90, 80) would receive a decided rank, indicated by the black bar on the belt. Those that receive grades in the lower half (70, 60) would receive the recommended rank, indicated by the lack of a black bar on the belt. What this will affect is class orientation; for example, those with the black bar would most likely line up before him, and be acknowledged as a slightly higher ranking student than those without the black bar. It is possible, that on his next grading, he could work up to the black bar. However, he would have to demostrate some improvement above and beyond that which he performed before. Keep in mind, that this is just my experience, and to get a completely accurate answer, you should direct your question to the head instructor at the school. If this is the case, then you could also ask the instructor what you and your son could work on together in order to achieve a belt with the black bar on it in the future. Let me know for sure what bar represents! I would love to know if I am guessing right! Hopefully, this information helps you out!

I have never heard that one before. News to me.

My guess is that you would wear them for the whole class. Men usually do that with their groin guards.

Obviously you haven't met THIS GUY: Ah, yes, the perfection of choreography!

Welcome to KarateForums! Its good to have you here. As far as cross-training goes, it can be done with great success. Many on this forum have, as you will soon notice. I think aikido would complement your kung fu training well. Personally, I feel that you can cross-train in any two styles, as long as you don't have any problems with the slight variances between similar styles. I would give it a try, and see how it goes. Good luck!

The Chiefs play at Oakland this Saturday night, against the arch-rival Raiders. At 7-7, the Chiefs need to win their last 2 games not only to finish over .500, but also to have any chance at making the playoffs. In other news, running back Larry Johnson came out, saying that the offense "needs fixed," and that he is tired of the "we'll get 'em next week" speach. Although I don't usually condone the action of going to the press about team problems, I do think that Johnson does have a right to be upset, and it shows that he wants to win....now. He is an outspoken individual, and I am not surprised that this has happened. As I set there, listening to him go on, I had to agree with him. Personally, at this point, I feel that the area that needs the most attention is at offensive line. It is obvious that the absence of Willie Roaf, who could block the sun if he wanted to, has been felt. Even with the retirement of Roaf, and the departure of Pro Bowl (and future hall-of-famer) fullback Tony Richardson, Larry Johnson has been able to put up impressive numbers. He is still in the top 5 in the league in rushing yards at this time. However, most of his yardage has come by running between the tackles, following Pro Bowl guards Will Shields and Brian Waters. The player that has suffered the most from the departure of Willie Roaf has been Trent Green, who barley had time to blink last week, let alone set up to throw the ball. On the bright side of Kansas City news, tight end Tony Gonzalez, running back Larry Johnson, and guards Will Shields and Brian Waters were all selected for the Pro Bowl.

Ok, this may sound kind cheap of me, but don't laugh too hard. My wife and I decided to get our daughter a Nintendo DS Lite for Christmas, and it came in today. Well, I have been wanting to try out that New Super Mario Bros. game, so I went out and bought it for her tonight, and I brought it to work with me, to try it out for her. You know, to make sure she would like it? Well, I love the game, and have been playing it for 2 hours straight! It brings back memoris of the old 8-bit Nintendo I was brought up on. I haven't played the PSP, but Sony usually puts out a top-notch item. I do like this DS, though, and I will have to borrow it from my daughter from time to time!

This is a very good point, Mike. I have seen many practitioners do really fast, powerful kicks, but they neglect to re-chamber them, and the results are off-balanced, and often time, incomplete technique. When you not only snap that kick out, but can lock it for a second, and then snap it back, quickly, it just looks really sharp.

You're right, Sohan. The car only runs as good as the fuel you put into it.

In the Southern U.S., everything is a Coke. You'll get a strange look if you order pop in Georgia. With respect, Sohan I probably would! Coke was born in Atlanta, wasn't it?

Yeaa!

If you look at the length of these guys stances id say they are bouncing to compensate for their lack of mobility. That could be true. Many TKD guys bounce, and they tend to keep a narrower stance, relying heavily on footwork.