Withers M.A.A.

You can't properly teach yourself unless you have much experience. Someone like myself who has been in the Martial Arts for 17 years would be able to pick up a book or video and "somewhat" teach him or herself because we understand the mechanics and theories in techniques. However, we would be MUCH better off learning from an instructor. If you don't have any experience in the Martial Arts then don't waste your time with books and videos. They can be a useful tool along with qualified instruction but take them for what they are. A tool.

You need to be focused and confident. When you walk into that ring you need to control it. When you do your intro don't yell at the judges yet don't be to meek. You want to be strong and firm but you don't want to be yelling at them. As for yelling, I don't recommend it. Making noises will help your form in an open division. just don't get carried away. Yelling is useless in a form and can usually hurt your scores and not help them.

When I first stared competing I lost constantly. It drove me nuts... I went back and changed things around and trained harder and harded until I finally started winning. Since I was a green belt and all the way through brown belt I won 95% of the tornaments I entered. I thought I was great. (started getting cocky) Then I got promoted to blackbelt and I thought I was still going to win. What a reality check. It took me 2 years to finally start winning on the blackbelt level but I never gave up. I just kept training harder and harder until I was one of the top forms competitors in the nation. It was so much work but the results were totally worth it. So just stick with things, train hard, and keep your standards high.

I think if the true Martial Artists, the ones who love the arts, are passing their knowledge down then the arts will survive and grow. However, if the McDojos keep popping up with unqualified instructors teaching for the sole purpose of making a fast dollar then the Martial Arts will become less popular. I belive that since the arts have been around for hundreds of years their will always be interest. No matter what there will always be a need for self defense in one way or another. Pete

Strong Basics... Pretty sad to say esp. since I was a National competitor for many years but Good technique will outwin flasy slop. Stick to what you are good at and use these techniques to highlight your form Pete

Strong Basics... Pretty sad to say esp. since I was a National competitor for many years but Good technique will outwin flasy slop. Stick to what you are good at and use these techniques to highlight your form Pete

It's funny cause I've been debating about getting a tattoo now for about 4 years. I've known what I wanted and everything. Well today my g/f and I go to the tattoo parlor just to LOOK and she bribes me into getting one. hehe It's on my left arm by my shoulder. It is the chinese character for the word Dragon. It symbolizes the year I was born 1976 cause that was the year of the dragon and also symbolizes the counless years I've put into my Martial Arts training. Hopefully I won't regret this. hehe Pete

How do you view the popularity of Matial Arts? Do you think interest is increasing or decreasing and where do you see the arts in 10 years? I've been training now for about 16 years now and think interest is growing. I'm in the process of opening a Dojo in the next few months and want to hear your opinions on where the Martial Arts are going. Thanks, Pete

I hope the info I gave you in my email will help you. If you need any more info just let me know and I'll be more than happy to help. Pete

The twist kick is difficult to learn. It is an odd kick until you learn it properly. I teach this kick with kicking with the ball of the foot. The instep can be used also but to get the full twist the ball is much better. Lets say you are kicking with your right leg. If your left leg is forward then you want to pivot your left leg 90degrees counterclockwise so your toes on your nonkicking legs are facing the left. Bend your left knee. This is the step most people forget. MAKE SURE TO BEND THE LEFT KNEE OR THE KICK WON'T WORK PROPERLY. From there chamber your right leg almost like a front kick EXCEPT from the knee to the ankle it should be at about a 45 degree angle. From this position extend your kicking leg outward and to the side. Bending the left leg (standing leg) more as you kick. Twist your upper body away from the kick. In this case twist your upper body to the left. While extending the kicking leg try pushing your right heel towards the ceiling as th is will help align your body better. Good luck, Pete

I used to compete nationally in forms and musical forms. The form does not have to be completly fast. Get some music that starts slow then explodes into something fast and loud. Start the form slowly then when the music starts do faster techniques. Combine hand and foot combinations. If you have any specific questions about this email me at black96cobra@aol.com and I will help you as much as possible. I have tons of experience in t his field. Pete

Early morning as soon as you wake up is the best time to stretch. When you do it this early you loosen your muscles up for the entire day. Try doing a few sets of leg swings to the front, side, and back. These are your best bet to achieve maximum flexibility for anytime of the day.

Try wearing a headband or bandana.

For kicking- Get a kicking paddle and have someone hold it. These are prob. the best training tool for speed kicking. Have someone stand with th e paddle by their hip and then quickly move it up and as soon as you see them move the paddle you throw your roundhouse kick and try to kick it.

The lowdown on Villaris is that many people see them as a McDojo. In some cases that may be true but in others it isn't. What happened with Villaris is that he was to open a dojo with Professor Nick Cerio. They planned everything together and when Nick Cerio was away Villari went ahead with the chain under his own name. This caused some problems. Villari opened many schools in a very short time frame and some of those schools were run by inexperienced instructors. This gave the school a bed reputation. During this period many Fred Villari blackbelts switched over to Nick Cerio under United Studios. Not all the Villari schools are bad as I'd say the majority of them are quite decent. It all depends on the instructor and the way he or she teaches. I started with Villaris many years ago. I switched from 4 different Villari schools and had good and bad experiences. My impressions of the system is that it isn't bad but isn't great!!! I finally got frustrated at the politics within the schools that I switched to Tae Kwon Do and then to Rocky DiRicos Kenpo which is a Nick Cerios based Kenpo. Good luck, Pete

The way I took it was being in shape will increase your sexual performance.

The Kusuragama is the original name for the kama. When you add a rope to the end of the kama it is referred to as a flying kama. If you are using the flying kama I suggest you buy a pair that was designed for that. First Impressions sells these kamas and they are very lightweight and come with the cord already. Pete

This happens to all of us. It is normal. It happened to me a few years ago. I actually took a little over a year off. I kept thinking about going back but put it off. Finally I went back one day and was totally hooked again. Take a little time off. Maybe even the rest of the summer then go back and you should be fine. Pete

First you need to decide what you want to learn. Do you want to do a lot of kicking, or hand techniques, do you want to grapple, weapons. Make a list of what you would want to learn in a Martial Art. Then you need to research which styles teach what you want to learn. Then you need to find an instructor who is qualified to teach what you want to learn. Make sure to judge an instructor by his or her students not his or her own ability. Pete

dafabe guns are not evil. It is an inanimate object that does nothing on its own therefore can not be good or evil. THe person holding the weapon determines its usage. I apply my martial arts training with my firearms training. Many of the principals are the same.

How is Tekken 3 for PS2? I'm debating about buying it. Is it worth getting? Pete

A fist is the best weapon because you will always be armed with it. However, being realistic a firearm is your best bet.

Well it was a long wait and difficult process but I feel confident in the hoops I had to jump through. This will weed out most of the people who shouldn't own a firearm. Even if you pass all the requirements and the officer doing the interview doesn't like the way you look he reserves the right to deny your request and only issue a licence for target practice only. Some towns in MA don't even issue licences to carry at all such as Lowell. Even the police are only issued on duty only. This city however, has the highest crime rate in the state. Go figure!!!

Here in MA. I had to take a safety course before I could even apply for my liscence to carry. I was tested at the course and when I passed I was issued a certificate. I then had to take that cert. to the police station in order to get an application. After completing the application I had to interview with the chief of police and explain why I wanted a L.T.C. and answer a few questions about scenarios. I was then finger printed. After that they do an FBI background check to see if I've had any criminal or mental problems in my past. They even dig into your childhood record and if you have any charges you will be denied. I had to wait almost 2 months to get the approval and then go back to the police station to sign for my liscence. Over all it took almost 4 months to get my permit between taking the course, setting an apt. with the police dept., waiting for my response etc. It is VERY difficult to obtain a L.T.C. in MA. There are also other laws in place in this state as to what firearms I can and can't buy. Major hoops to jump through and you people want even more.

Mankr we're not talking about illegal guns here. We are talking about guns w hich are liscenced and legally obtained by law abiding citizens