Sohan

I wouldn't do too much protein just before bedtime. I have always found it interrupts my sleep and I don't get the quality I need. Actually what makes me sleep like a baby is pasta and rice about two hours before bedtime. And as far as fruit and veggies go, the more the better, all day. With respect, Sohan

Typically 3-5 rounds of 3 minutes duration, with 30 seconds to 1 minute between, depends on available time. I recover pretty well from this. Since I run intervals 3 times per week and do a couple more recovery runs, I really don't need to more than that, but it's a great compliment to my running. I've never been an expert like Buddy Lee, but I do my best. This is the genius of skipping: http://www.buddyleejumpropes.com/ With respect, Sohan

When I train, my MT shorts are simple and black. Nothing fancy. I don't really pay much attention to what anyone else is wearing. With respect, Sohan

Huh. I didn't realize there was a separate art with a similar name. With respect, Sohan

DO NOT do this. they don't even kick poles in thailand. All you need is a heavy bag. the filling settles at the botton - kick the lower portion of the bag, where it is hardest. do not kick poles, do not roll sticks down your shin, etc. Sparring is good also. eventually you become conditioned to it. Also, as has been stated, there is nothing wrong with wearing shin pads. I never saw it while I was training kali. However, it is a chinese three star conditioning drill. We did something similar when I was training in longfist. I have used a wooden rolling pin in the past to condition my shins. When I first started MT, I was too aggressive with the pin, and experienced constant bruising, and when I blocked kicks I got goose eggs constantly. I finally decided to just kick the heavy bag like E & K says, and that has done the trick. Now my shins are tough as baseball bats. Now, this is not to say the rolling pin won't help (it actually can), but you have to start out very lightly and do it consistently for it to work properly. As for me, I would rather spend my limited time kicking the bag. Or a sparring partner.... With respect, Sohan

Good site! With respect, Sohan

Richard, I'm going to respectfully disagree on this. You should never stretch a torn muscle in the days following the injury because you run a high risk of making the tear worse or reinjuring the muscle. You should wait until the muscle no longer is painful, then do limited range of motion exercises that warm the muscle sufficiently, then perform light stretches that only occur over about 50% of range of movement. Gradually he can progress to deeper stretches if he experiences no pain. Immediately in the days after a bad pull/tear, it is better to simply keep the joint immobile and allow nature to repair the tissue. I know this from many past experiences, unfortunately. With respect, Sohan

That's not true. You need complex carbohydrate (starches) throughout the day, or you risk having low blood sugar, which can make you famished as well as deplete the glycogen in your muscles, which makes for lousy workouts. I eat complex carbs (I keep sugars low except for post-workout), protein, and fat in the right proportions in each meal every three hours during the day and then I don't eat within two hours of bedtime (unless I have had a very late workout, whereas I would need a post-workout meal for recovery). Don't cut your carbs if you want to be lean, strong, and fit. With respect, Sohan

Try warm compresses. They will speed up healing and help eliminate the dead blood cells from the tissue. I have found that I heal better in the days after severe bruising with an added dose of Vitamin C as well. With respect, Sohan

Thanks y'all.... It hasn't really hit me yet that I'm 40. I think I'll probably be in denial for at least another decade. With respect, Sohan

Ran this morning for about 4 miles by starting at 6 mph and increasing by .5 mph per 5 minutes until I got to 30 mins, topping out at 8.5 mph. 1 percent grade. Took a nap after client sessions, then got ready to train this afternoon. --General warmup --Shadow boxed 3 x 3 min rounds boxing only, then 3 x 3 mins with elbows and knees (not the KF poster!). Emphasis on footwork and quick combos. 30 sec rest between. --Burpees 3 x 10 reps with ten lb med ball. Focus on quality and explosiveness. --Medicine Ball Overhead Toss/Catch with 50 lb ball. 3 x 10 reps. --Medicine Ball Straight Out Holds (5 count) 3 x 6 reps with 30 lb ball. --Weighted Situps (25 lb plate) 2 x 50 reps. --Russian Twists with 25 lb plate. 3 x 25 reps. --Speed Situps. 2 x 25 as fast as possible with good form. --Walking Lunges 3 sets without straightening legs during. --Forearm Dumbbell Twists. Dumbbell handle with 10 weight at one end. 3 x 10-12 reps. --Ab Wheel. 2 x 10 reps with 20 lb weight vest. From knees first set, from toes last two sets. --Cooldown and Stretching. About 60 mins total. Not too bad for a old guy who just turned 40 yesterday. With respect, Sohan

The elite MMA ranks have indeed passed Ken Shamrock by. At 42, his age and skill level disparity with Tito, not to mention the lack of sheer strength, were glaring. IMO Ken was just looking for some pub and another payday. His silly temper tantrums reeked of WWF to me. With respect, Sohan

I have Okinawa's Complete Karate System by Michael Rosenbaum. Though I personally do not study Isshin-ryu (I study Shobayashi Shorin-ryu by Tatsuo's brother Eizo), the book has an excellent accounting of the history and philosophy of Okinawan martial arts as well as loads of great info on Shimabuku and Isshin-ryu. I highly recommend it. http://www.amazon.com/Okinawas-Complete-Karate-System-Isshin/dp/1886969914/sr=1-4/qid=1160571782/ref=sr_1_4/104-7937335-0047922?ie=UTF8&s=books With respect, Sohan

This is the last I have heard about how he is doing. It was hard to see him like this. I am really curious as to how he is doing at the present, as this account is from 2001, I believe. http://veritas.swiftsite.com/sensei.html With respect, Sohan

The great thing about this film is it's realism. It's not a bunch of fantasy martial arts garbage, with people flying over trees or walking up walls. It's quite authentic and has some very realistic fight scenes, but it also has a great story about persistance and humility and overcoming adversity. I just bought the DVD on Amazon. We're going to show it at a dojo movie night this weekend. With respect, Sohan

Doesn't sound like too much, though you will always be the best judge of this. If you can do each of these workouts on a consistent basis feeling strong and enthusiastic, then you'll be fine. However, it's always a good idea to first determine for yourself what your specific training goals are, and then see whether the workouts you are doing are most appropriate to help you meet those goals. With respect, Sohan

Maybe so, and you'll note that I don't say they are completely and utterly without value. But having learn to crawl (ie. one-step) why do high grades continue to practice these drills. Should they not instead focus on walking and running, rather than revisiting crawling on a regular basis? The effect of this sort of training can be seen in many people's bunkai - stilted and artificial, just like they doing formal one-step sparring. Mike FWIW, I have always found spending some time on basics provides me with a fresh perspective on my advanced material, and it always helps in my performance of it. But certainly at a higher grade one should be spending a greater percentage of time putting these basics together into a complete package of strategic skills. With respect, Sohan

Everybody has to start somewhere! With respect, Sohan

Doesn't look like enough research has been done to warrant spending money on that product right now. Make it a priority to find a natural way to manage your stress and get more sleep, and you will strengthen your mind much more effectively. There really isn't a shortcut. Meditate, listen to soothing music, and cut out as many things as you can that cause you unneeded stress. But don't experiment with your body on an unproven pill. As far as your diet goes, again, no shortcuts. You need to eat lots of fruit and veggies, moderate your carb intake with minimal sugar, and get enough consistent protein if you want to keep lean for wrestling. Drink lots of water throughout the day and supplement with a multivitamin if necessary. With respect, Sohan

I agree completely. My experience as well. With respect, Sohan

Great flick. I enjoyed this MUCH better than Ong Bak. It is a truly entertaining film based on the true story of French Muay Thai fighter Dida Diafat, who ascended from thug to Thai Boxing champ. It has an engaging plot, action-packed scenes from a training camp, and a surprisingly realistic view of daily life in stunningly beautiful Thailand. I was shocked to see that my wife actually liked the film (even the fight scenes!) and she doesn't usually care for MA films. I really recommend this movie to anyone interested in Thai boxing. It should be out on DVD by now at most local vid stores. With respect, Sohan

I agree to a point. Depends on one's background in martial arts as well as their athleticism. To become a black-belt level BJJ practitioner one certainly needs to get a good instructor at a good school and be prepared to train hard and long for quite a while. However, I learned most of the required blue belt techniques on my own through books and video and my beloved bjj.org (RIP), and when I finally started formal BJJ training, my instructor didn't believe I had never taken BJJ before. After a short time training, I regularly tap out blue belts and I have had much better than expected success against purple belts as well. Of course, no one can learn grappling without a partner to train with. I would usually just grab anyone I could from my karate class and grapple, preferably with the former wrestlers we have. However, someone who has little prior MA experience will likely not have the kinesthetic awareness to avoid developing bad habits, so this probably won't work for them. With respect, Sohan

Orion, I don't know how old you are, but when you are 40 and above, the same training unfortunately doesn't yield the same results bodyfatwise as it did a decade or two earlier. And this from a guy who at 19 could eat 10 McDonald's cheeseburgers after a workout and not gain an ounce (true!) Seems now if I even get a whiff of that shake, the fat cells have a party. With respect, Sohan

Karate is hard work, but it is a lot of fun and can be very rewarding. Best wishes in your training! With respect, Sohan

Fighting is not an aerobic activity, it is primarily anaerobic. The principle of specificity in sports training says that conditioning activities that most closely resemble the actual sport are most effective at improving performance. If you want to defend yourself in a fight, which requires speed, power, balance, and high intensity (anaerobic) stamina, then you need to train the energy systems that will be called upon in that situation. I've never had a fight where my heart rate range stayed between 65 and 75% of capacity the entire time, so it is a waste of time to train in that range, except for building a base as a prelude to higher intensity training. I have done both. I have run marathons (Boston 2003 and 2004), and I have also done extensive sprint and power training. When I ran marathons my kicks and punches were weak and less effective. I had tons of general endurance, but I gassed when I had to grapple, punch, or kick with repeated intensity. With power training, I punch hard, kick hard, and can call upon much more useful and sustaining power than I could before. That is how the modern boxer trains, and that is why martial artists can learn from them. With respect, Sohan