Sohan

He's sparring at 6? And he's a green belt? Holy smoke, when did you start him, in the womb?? My son is 7 and is quite mature for his age, but I don't think it's appropriate for him to spar yet, though he has all the tools to do so. I just don't think kids that age are mature enough emotionally to understand the implications of striking another person, protective gear or not. I teach karate to children, and I know the kids in our area start wrestling as early as 5, but I think this is different than the harder aspects of striking arts. I started boxing when I was about 9 and that was about right for me. Anyway, as far as your question goes, keep in mind the kid is SIX. Remember back to when you were that age. Most kids at 6 can't blow their noses without help, much less be coordinated and mature enough to understand how to punch and kick and defend properly. Be patient and encouraging, and give the child time, and he'll get it eventually. With respect, Sohan

To be brutally honest with you I thought the standard of technique wasnt the best. Sorry if this offends AnonymousOne, do you have a video of your own ability anywhere for us all to see? I ask because this is not the first time that you have been "brutally honest" about someone's video, and I think it's all very easy sitting back and critiquing from behind the safety of the computer screen. At least these people have had the guts to put something out there. Seriously, I'd love to see a video of your technique etc. so that you can show us what you consider to be good technique/form/movement/transition. I, too, would be most interested in a clip from Anonymous One about his own techniques and style. I am sure that for someone with such a high dan ranking and challenging workout regime as he has described on this forum a video display would be quite impressive to see. Please, do indulge us with a clip or two. With respect, Sohan

There you go. Now, go get 8 hours+ per night, eat pancakes for breakfast for a few days, add a few bagels, some pasta, and more fruit and vegetables to your diet, and take a few days off from training. You should bounce back soon. True "overtraining" takes months or more to achieve and is very time consuming to overcome. You've probably just "overreached" due to carb-depletion and fatigue. Good luck. With respect, Sohan

Just remember that foot odor, like other BO, is caused by bacteria. Bacteria likes to grow in wet, warm, dark places that have a good food supply (dead skin cells are yummy to bacteria). So keep your feet clean and dry, and never wear wet socks or shoes longer than necessary. Use foot powder or spray in your shoes and stuff them with newspapers after they get wet to dry them quickly. If need be, lay them in the sun for an afternoon to kill bacteria as well. Also,if you run daily, try purchasing a second pair of running shoes and alternate them in your running schedule. Lastly, always wash your feet when you get home from MA training and use an antifungal ointment immediately when you begin to notice signs of athletes foot. Hope this helps. With respect, Sohan

Male, 39. About to be, ugh, 40.... With respect, Sohan

A few points: 1. Pursuing a max bench for the sake of a max bench is certainly not the most productive use of a martial artist's time. I agree, if this is indeed what you're saying. However, pursuing greater strength throughout the entire body, which for upper body horizontal shoulder abduction and triceps extension (the same biomechanical movement as a punch) is measured by strength training pros around the world by the 1 rep max bench press, is indeed useful to a martial artist. If not, why would some MMA athletes take steroids to increase their strength? 2. As far as dumbbells go for heavier weights, your statement is opposite of what the pros recommend. Heavy weight dumbbell presses are less stable than heavy barbell presses, which leaves far more room for getting out of "the groove", and thus injury risk is MUCH higher for heavy dumbbells than the equivalent in barbell training. 3. I would like to see some research to back up the statement that bench press is the "least" effective exercise for punching power. How about calf raises? Leg extensions? I would offer that these are far less effective for punching power than the bench press. Perhaps this is your opinion, and I can respect that, but there are young men reading these statements that may be influenced by a statement that isn't backed up by credible research. 4. "The back is most important". OK, what part of the back? The spinal erectors? The latissimus dorsi? The trapezius? I don't agree with this statement. Biomechanics researchers I have read have identified the hips as the first and most important element of the kinetic chain that transfers the power for the punching action. I'm not referring to you, necessarily, but I usually find that the guys who talk about how heavy barbell bench presses are "useless" are typically the guys who aren't very good at it. I have never met a guy who benched 350-400 who complained he couldn't punch very hard. With respect, Sohan

You like women, too? Cool! We have something in common! Seriously, you need to be straight with your instructor and tell him how you feel before he goes on any longer thinking he's got a chance. It's like pulling off the band-aid--he may get his ego bruised now, but it's better than letting the situation fester. You also have an added complication in that you have a subordinate role to him in the dojo. Hard feelings in this case can make for a painful training environment. On another note, watch how you tell him of your orientation. Some guys are so hardheaded that they think you're making it up as an excuse, or they may take it as a challenge to "convert" you. Really, though, your sexual preference is your own darn business, so perhaps it shouldn't even be discussed if you don't want it to. With respect, Sohan

Turn 180 degrees into an extended left cat stance, perform a circle block with the left hand, drape, pull, and front kick left.

Funny. Last night at practice I walked out in the gym to get water from the fountain. A cute young girl playing volleyball was standing nearby at the soda machine and when she noticed I was wearing my gi, she smiled and bowed. Momentarily surprised, I returned the bow and smiled back. She gave me a lingering smile as she bounced back over to her game. It's the uniform. Chicks dig the uniform. With respect, Sohan

Now that's the title to have! With respect, Sohan

I dont do weights like bar bell jockeys. I dont need slow lifting power I need explosive functional strength. Its far better for a fighter to do 100 pushups than bench press 200 lbs slowly. Most people who lift heavy weights cannot do 100 pushups because it takes endurance. I have challenged many people who can bench press 250-300 lbs to do 100 pushups (proper ones) and they cant do it. Bar bell jockeys? Guess that includes Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson, Bruce Lee, Lennox Lewis, Matt Hughes, and Georges St Pierre. I hear they've dabbled in the iron game a bit themselves. FYI, strength training with heavy load free weights is recognized as one of the best ways (along with plometrics) to train fast twitch muscle fibers, which are of upmost importance to martial artists interested in speed of movement. I would rather bench 300 than waste my time doing lots of pushups. I know, because I've done both. Perhaps we should call the National Football League and warn them that their athletes are getting slower because they are wasting their time doing 500 lb bench presses and 700 lb squats. Certainly they should be doing pushups and burpees instead... With respect, Sohan Perhaps I didnt explain what I meant properly. We use the term bar bell jockeys for body builders who are only interested in developing mass and not functional power. Big loads and very low reps. I have used weights for years. Properly designed for fighters. Someone who lifts a heavy load slowly is not doing so by choice. They do it because the load will not permit faster movement. This doesn't mean that the fast twitch fibers are not being recruited, but rather just the opposite. The heavier the load, the more total fibers recruited in the muscle, therefore heavy weight with low reps is quite useful to the martial artist because it more fully trains all the fibers of the muscle, while facilitating positive neuromuscular adaptations as well. You want to get faster, heavy weight training will help get that done. I dropped my 40 by half a second in college by training heavy squats alone, pushing my max to over 600 lbs in competition. And BTW, bodybuilders usually train in the 8-10 rep range, not the big load/very low rep range that you describe. It's powerlifters who lift the big iron for 2-5 reps in training. Don't fool yourself into thinking they're slow. I assure you they are not. With respect, Sohan

Try barbell shrugs to strengthen your traps. Also, you can lie on your stomach on a bench, hold a ten lb plate (or more depending on your strength) wrapped in a towel behind your head, and do neck raises. Do these lying on your back also. About 10 reps of each for 2-3 sets. Rest a minute or two in between. Do this 2-3 times per week, but no more. With respect, Sohan

If people need exercise they could just go for a walk or run, join a gym or go hiking. I cant understand anyone taking up martial arts and not being interested in fighting. Thats the whole point of it all. Its a warriors art not a knitting club Why do you feel the need to project your values and goals on others? There are a myriad of reasons for people to participate in martial arts, and they don't all conform to your view of why they should take part. Just because YOU don't understand someone's motivation for participating in an activity they find enjoyable, doesn't make it invalid. In an age where being a couch potato has been raised to an art form, I couldn't care less why someone wants to train in martial arts, as long as they just do it. Attitudes like this are what keep many prospective students from ever joining a dojo. With respect, Sohan

Welcome, Chris! With respect, Sohan

Welcome! With respect, Sohan

Welcome, Chuck! With respect, Sohan

Welcome! With respect, Sohan

Nice job! With respect, Sohan

You shouldn't have lost strength that quickly. Your muscles don't physiologically adapt that dramatically in just one week. There is likely another reason. Perhaps you overdid it on pushups, and overreached with your pushing muscles (as opposed to overtrained, which takes longer). You might also want to consider psychological issues, too, such as coming down emotionally after a vacation. This can affect your workout, but takes a couple days to manifest. Next time, perhaps avoid any bodyweight pushing exercises on vacation, and see what happens when you get back. Change the variables, and see if the result is different. If so, that's your answer. With respect, Sohan

According to NSCA, at your current weight you would need to bench 245 (your weight) to be considered indicated for plyo work. The issue I have is that if you weigh 200, you are supposed to do a 300 bench (1.5 x bdywt), but at 220, you are only supposed to do 220 (1.0 x bdywt). Doesn't seem a valid test of whether plyo is appropriate, to me. With respect, Sohan

You're right on about the squat, but the 1.5 x bdywt is for a 1RM, not multiple reps, so it's really not as challenging as it sounds. And this really depends on the individual. There are some who are quite strong that would still find plyometrics contraindicated based on bodyweight and injury history. However, I personally don't agree with the NSCA on bench press recommendations for upper body plyo: 1 x bdywt for over 220lbs, 1.5 x bdwt for under 220. I would prefer to make another division with 1.25 x bdywt for 170-219lbs. With respect, Sohan

I am not proud of having to fight, but I rest assured knowing that in only one of those cases did I initiate the conflict, and that was really only to make a statement in response to incessant bullying. In every other one I was either forced to act by the situation or responded in what I consider a reasonable manner to the aggressive action. I consider myself fortunate that the local law has always agreed with me on this. With respect, Sohan

In the great scheme of things, when you look back on this, it won't seem that long, though it does now. Be patient, and it will heal. I would recommend to not stretch it for awhile, at least. Since you're not a phys therapy pro, you might unwittingly reinjure the tissue if you overstretch--besides, stretching reduces acute pain sensations in the muscle, so you might do further damage without knowing it as you stretch. Hang in there. With respect, Sohan

First of all, most amateur boxers are kids who often live at home and just go to school. Most karateka who achieve black belt are adults whose lives do not revolve around the dojo, so it takes longer to achieve the same level of fighting proficiency. How many adults do you know who can successfully juggle working 50 hours a week, spending time with family and maintaining their home and other interests, and training martial arts 18+hours a week? Anyway, to correct some faulty math, a boxer training 18 hours a week would actually amass 2808 hours of training in three years. And I noticed that in your karate figure that by granting the Shodans only 4 hours a week of training you are obviously not counting time spent training outside the gym, ie home training, cardio, weights, stretching, etc. I am sure that most who have the dedication needed to reach blackbelt often train on their own at least a few hours a week. In my school it takes a minimum 5-6 years to reach Shodan, and that is at 3 two-hour classes per week, not to mention outside training time which for most is a minimum 3 additional hours of cardiovascular and strength training. My math comes to a minimum of 2340-2808 hours of training to reach Shodan, in our system at least. Seems about the same as your boxer, I believe, though I grant that the boxer is fitter in a shorter period of time. However, IMO if you match up a well-conditioned black belt against a well-conditioned amateur boxer, I would bet my bucks that the black belt would likely win. More tools at his disposal--I should know, I've done both. With respect, Sohan