Dazed and Confused

Monopoly, Risk and Chess, although no one will play chess with me anymore because I'm a very bad loser (clumsy attempts to knock over the board as soon as I lose my queen!)

Texas Hold 'Em and Nine Card Brag, just because they're so sociable. Nothing like sitting with your mates, splitting a crate of beer, playing cards and losing your student loan on a pair of sixes!

I like General MA as it tends to generate interesting debate, but health and fitness is where I've learned the most.

Sorry to bump my own thread, but on a different thread Sohan has encapsulated one of the issues I was driving at. Oddly this is from a discussion about economics, but it neatly articulates what I have been trying to say as only Sohan can!

I used to be a strict adherent of Adam Smith and Milton Friedman until I became interested in environmental policy and ecology (I'm studying for a BSc Environmental Management). The environmental impact of irresponsible capitalist enterprise has made me far more sceptical about the benefits of totally free markets.

Absolutely right. I was training hard for RAF selection a couple of years ago (eventually thwarted by a sudden resurgence of asthma ), running five miles every other day and doing 100 push ups and 200 sit ups on the none-running days all of which got me very fit but not particularly muscular. It was only when I stopped drinking for the last month before selection that suddenly a 6 pack emerged. I was so gutted to be rejected at the medical that staying off the beer permanantly wasn't an option, so that six pack is buried once more...

Birmingham, England

I just wanted to open a thread where I can post my observations about the different gyms/dojos/clubs I'm visiting this week, so the wiser and more experienced among you can help me make my assessments. Last night I was at a Thai Boxing club in Stafford, and I have never seen anything like it. The training room was underneath a gym, paint peeling off the walls and stank of sweat and DeepHeat. There was a rough boxing ring and a concrete pillar covered in thin padding and duct tape which the students took turns to beat the hell out of at the start of the session. The session was two hours long, almost entirely consisting of focus pad work with twenty minutes of light contact sparring at the end. The students ranged from tiny children (5-8 years old) up to terrifyingly intimidating Area and National Champs. The style was brutal, unbelievably powerful and direct. There was loud dance music being played throughout and the instructor was very friendly. All in all I was impressed but had a few reservations- there seemed to be no beginners over the age of 10 and the instruction was very "hands off", so I would worry about drowning at the beginning if you see what I mean. Also the style was so brutal I would be quite concerned about being hurt!! I would greatly appreciate any observations you may have! Cheers, D+C

When I started TKD I was 14, I think. There's been a considerable hiatus but in the context of children in MA, I have to 'fess up!

I'm Spiderman, 90% Spiderman to be precise!

You are Magneto Magneto 78% Apocalypse 75% Dr. Doom 66% Lex Luthor 63% Poison Ivy 56% Mr. Freeze 53% Dark Phoenix 45% Juggernaut 40% Venom 39% Green Goblin 32% The Joker 28% Catwoman 26% Two-Face 24% Kingpin 23% Riddler 21% Mystique 16%

Referring to what is almost certainly now my gym- 1) £37.50 a month (about $72) 2) BJJ and Muay Thai 3) Available for five two hour sessions a week, of which I think I'll make about three per week 4) no perks

My last concert was the Pogues at the NIA a couple of weeks ago, which was practically a riot. I also saw Bon Jovi (again ) earlier in the year. Best concert I ever saw though was the Rolling Stones Forty Licks Tour at Twickenham- utterly awesome

Of the four PCs I use three are Dell and one is Fujitsu Siemens.

Despite silly Nescafe adverts telling us otherwise I think you lucky American folk get much better coffee than we do. The freshly brewed stuff is (in my experience) a real rarity outside of restaurants over here. I love a good cup of coffee when I can get my hands on it!

Strength and power gains, I'm not interested in bulk or anything like that. I just want to support my weight training regime.

Perhaps tradition is more what I meant rather than spirituality. I know it's superficial but I do find the idea of learning an art with ancient lineage very appealing. Having said that Muay Thai has an enviable heritage. Anyway, thank you very much for your contributions. I have the opportunity to make my own mind up now the New Year is here and the gyms and dojos are open again! Tomorrow I shall be attending a Lau Gar club, then next week I am going to a BJJ session at the local MMA gym, followed with a thai boxing session at the same gym later in the week if all goes well. I'll let you know how it all goes.

Congratulations, and might I say richly deserved- your Ninjutsu information was invaluable to me.

I was just wondering what you all would do in the situation that I found myself in last night (New Year's eve). My 16 year old sister and her boyfriend, who is all of 5'6" and skinny as a rake, were being pushed around by two 17 year old yobs who were 6' tall and built like tanks. Every time I went outside (I was working in the pub) the lads would scarper, so I never actually saw what was going on, but my sister was in tears and her boyfriend clearly shaken. I eventually ran into the two of them and told them to back off, but I was roundly ignored. My every impulse was to give one or both of them a smack, but them being 17 and having not seen anything I didn't. They only eventually backed off when my stepdad basically hauled one of them against a wall and told him where to go. So now I regret not taking a similar course of action myself. What would you have done? It's such a legally and morally dubious area, so I would be very interested in your opinions.

That looks like a great event, and tickets seem reasonable too. Have those who have been before found it a worthwhile experience?

I enjoy rough shooting, so a cocker spaniel is pretty much indispensible!

Cheers for all that NightOwl, quite a varied bunch there. Some of it did very, very little to inspire confidence, and as you said even the more impressive displays were done at extremely slow speed... I'm not convinced! Oh well, I can go along and see next week! I advise everyone watch that Night Owl posted, I've never seen silly string and flour used to such devastating effect.

1) To save enough for travelling round the US in the summer 2) To be training in a dedicated and commited fashion in the martial art(s) of my choice by the end of February

I love my car! Which is terrible because I like to think of myself as an environmentalist, but I go everywhere in my little Micra. To be fair she's only got a 999cc engine, so how much harm can she possibly be doing?! I do enjoy taking trains when I can, but I only use them for journeys when I'm not under time pressure. Being stuck on an immobile train in the middle of nowhere when late due to leaves on the line is the most stress inducing experience I know of!!

When I first found this site I am sure I remember reading a great topic about the current trend towards styles such as those listed above, and the possibility that practioners choosing these styles may be missing out on some of the more spiritual aspects of martial arts in a rush for instant fighting proficiency. On the off chance that I dreamt this (I can't find it anywhere), and in preparation for next month when I intend to take classes in ninjustsu, BJJ, muay thai, kickboxing, grappling and lau gar to see which is right for me, I was wondering what people's opinions were on this matter? (Or simply redirect me to the old thread, if you can find it!)