Sohan

Hollywood Lessons 1. It does not matter if you are heavily outnumbered in a fight involving martial arts: your enemies will wait patiently to attack you one by one, dancing around in a threatening manner until you have knocked out their predecessors. 2. Honest and hard-working policemen are traditionally gunned down three days before their retirement. 3. All beds have special L-shaped sheets that reach the armpit level of a woman, but only the waist level of the man lying beside her. 4. At least one of a pair of identical twins is born evil. 5. Most laptop computers are powerful enough to override the communications system of any invading alien society. 6. All grocery bags contain at least one stick of French bread. 7. Rather than wasting bullets, megalomaniacs prefer to kill their arch enemies using complicated machinery involving fuses, pulley systems, deadly gasses, lasers, and man-eating sharks, which will allow their captives at least a half-hour to escape. 8. You're very likely to survive any battle in any war unless you make the mistake of showing someone a picture of your sweetheart back home. 9. A man will show no pain while taking the most ferocious beating, but will wince when a woman tries to clean his wounds. 10. If a large pane of glass is visible, someone will be thrown through it before long. 11.If staying in a haunted house, women should investigate any strange noises in their most revealing underwear. 12. Even when driving down a perfectly straight road, it is necessary to turn the steering wheel vigorously from left to right every few moments. 13. All bombs are fitted with electronic timing devices with large red readouts so you know exactly when they're going to go off, but luckily you'll always blindly choose to cut the right wire. 14. A detective can only solve a case once he has been suspended from duty. 15. Police departments give their officers personality tests to make sure they are deliberately assigned a partner who is their total opposite.

It's tough when you have to work on hard floors. I worked in a restaurant/bar when I was in college and all the floors were concrete. My job required me to be on my feet constantly and my knees ached every night. I could not imagine doing that kind of job today. If I'm not mistaken, I thought I read you say you were around 50 y.o. If that's the case, would you really lose much by cutting a workout or two or doing some lighter crosstraining instead? Since you are a Nidan, perhaps the reps aren't as important now that you've likely got them burned in pretty well. Respectfully, Sohan

I really admire that you were able to handle yourself the way you did. A lesser person would have succumbed to ego. Nice going. Respectfully, Sohan

What a good post, swdw. Very well put. Respectfully, Sohan

Probably wouldn't work anyways because of the noise. How about training outdoors? You could get a small 40 lb bag for about $40-50 and keep it in your car or carry it outside and hang it from a tree or an overhang. Since your constraints are noise, price, and likely space, this sounds like a good bet. Respectfully, Sohan

depends on the goal - if you are after continued strength and mass, weights are the only way to go. for muscle endurance, no, you don't need to touch a weight. Bodyweight exercises and MA are sufficient. Only way to go? I'm sorry, but that's not an accurate statement. Actually, I swam competitively all through high school and college and managed to develop some good muscle mass and strength without hitting the weights much during the season. I had a 44-45 inch chest and benched 300 with regular swim workouts and pushups. Take a good look at a experienced swimmer's physique sometimes and you'll see what I mean. I'm not referring to a plodding lap swimmer, but rather someone who does interval sets using varying intensities of work. I have competed in powerlifting, bodybuilding, and swimming and have experienced respectable muscle and strength gains with each. Obviously weights are the most efficient solution, but it is a fact that a proper swim workout can certainly build strength and muscle size while developing muscle endurance as well. Respectfully, Sohan

Wavemaster is a stand-alone bag that has a water filled base and an adjustable punch cover. Not too stable for kicking, IMO, but if you have nothing else it will do. Cost is a little over $100. My muay thai teacher despised them. I used them in a kickboxing class that I taught and they were serviceable, but probably not a good long-term solution for a serious martial artist. Respectfully, Sohan

Welcome to the martial arts! There's a sticky note at the top of this section that should answer all of your stretching questions. Good luck with your training! Respectfully, Sohan

Keep trying. Only quitting leads to failure. Which style of karate? Respectfully, Sohan

This guy had a pretty good side kick: http://www.templewingchun.com/BruceLee.jpg Try https://www.fightauthority.com if you are looking for good clips to download. Good luck! Respectfully, Sohan

Here's a pretty decent link to explain. I simply googled it: http://www.reiki.org/FAQ/WhatIsReiki.html Sorry to hear your dojo had a bad experience. I have heard good things about reiki from my sensei, though I've not tried it. Respectfully, Sohan

IMAF--International Martial Arts Federation SMAA--Shudokan Martial Arts Association Respectfully, Sohan

This thread has been fascinating. I'm a relative newbie to Hung Gar and have learned so much from reading this. Keep up the great info! Respectfully, Sohan

He indeed was. Hong Kong, 1958 Crown Colony Cha-Cha Champion. From Page 29 of Bruce Lee--Fighting Spirit, Bruce Thomas, author. Respectfully, Sohan

I have owned hanging bags and wavemasters. The hanging bag is obviously superior, but I suppose the wavemaster is better than nothing if there is no place to hang a bag, particularly for beginners. I can only use the heavyweight model because I knock over the red bag too easily. Even the heavyweight model is completely worthless with Thai round kicks and sidekicks. But until I can convince my wife to move from our condo or strap on some Thai pads, I do what I can outside of the dojo. Respectfully, Sohan

It seems to work for me. It lubricates the joint and aids in maintaining cartilege formulation. I've been taking it for two years with no ill effects noticeable, though I do not take any regular medication. Not sure if it will help in your case, though. A practicing martial artist with sore knees is usually overtraining, inflexible, or training on a very hard surface, etc. Rest and ice may be your best bet if this is a relatively recent occurrance. Respectfully, Sohan

BBB, The only danger in this philosophy is that many martial artists discard techniques believing that they are ineffective when the reality is that they simply don't understand or haven't been properly taught the coorrect utilization of the technique. We all know that Bruce Lee popularized this way of thinking with JKD, but he always maintained the importance of mastering a system and its techniques as much as possible before discarding what one considered useless. Many martial artists, even many black belts, simply don't understand their art enough to do this competently. Please understand, I am no way making any judgement on your school, blackbeltblonde. I, of course, don't know you nor your school. This is only a general observation. Respectfully, Sohan

I used to have an instructor that said, "If you have time to go lift weights, you have time to train martial arts." He never lifted a weight in his life and had definition that Bruce Lee would admire. Mortals like myself, however, need a little bit of iron in our exercise diets. I like the idea of swimming. I swam Masters last year and really enjoyed the cardio and flexibility gains I achieved. Respectfully, Sohan

Forgive me if someone has already said this: The best way to end a fight is to not begin. Respectfully, Sohan

I certainly don't advocate violence, but I remember what it was like to deal with this in school. Sounds like you tried to be the good guy and he forced the issue. Just stay humble about it. The worst thing to do after winning a fight is to gloat, because karma has a funny way of evening things out... Respectfully, Sohan

I wanted to second the BJJ program. Very effective by my understanding. Respectfully, Sohan

Fax press releases about kids events, anniversaries, black belt tests, etc, to local news outlets, newspapers, and magazines. You should get a few free submissions or even a live broadcast opportunity. Works well for us. Respectfully, Sohan

Read this: http://www.fightauthority.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=126 Respectfully, Sohan

It's important to be diplomatic and respectful when dealing with the kid's instructor. What concerns me is your comment about preferring teaching the adults rather than the children. Personally I would rather have an instructor who wants to be and is enthusiastic about teaching my child as opposed to someone who feels they have no choice and is teaching by default. Perhaps you are not the right person to lead the class. Respectfully, Sohan

"VisionQuest". I saw it when I was a senior in high school and it really struck a chord with me with regards to coming-of-age. Not an Oscar winner, but I still enjoy it today. Respectfully, Sohan