Red J

Try this link: http://www.urbin.net/EWW/MA/KEMPO/kempo.html It has two Kempo trees and a pretty good FAQ. There are several references to Emperado and Kajukenbo.

I just want to know if they were more excited about the marital aids or the martial arts... ...cute story.

Yes.

At a party in college I got into a situation where some guy wanted to fight. I said to him, now you are probably a good fighter, and I'm not too bad either, what do you think is going to happen if we fight? We agreed that we would probably just beat the snot out of each other, ruin our clothes, get the party shut down by the cops, and we would have to go home. Then I said, how about if we go back inside, chill out, and have a good time instead. He said that's a great idea. Well...it worked for me. Thankfully, I was never put into that situation again.

When I was 16, some punk got ticked at me for some reason. We had a couple of words and I thought it was over. When I left school that day he suckered me in the head in the student parking lot. He was actually hiding behind a fence waiting. He tried to box me and I knew that would be his strength. I was a little daized but I remember a friend of mine taught me a few moves and I used the only one that I knew I could do. I snapped a left front kick right into his floating ribs on his right side. He ran away. I heard that he was sore for quite some time. That summer I started Karate, and I have never had a problem since then. In my adult life, 20 years have gone by, I can tell you that 99% of people do not fight to settle their differences. I try to avoid that other 1%. I also try not to put myself in situations were I might be in danger. I use common sense and awareness. Unfortunately, you never know when you might be in a situation where you have to protect yourself so knowing MA could make the difference. Remember that the only time you ever win a fight is when you get out of a situation without fighting.

Welcome!

My advice, give it a shot. The best martial art is the one that works for you. If you don't care for it try something else. The way to learn is get out there and train...Let us know what you do. Just remember nothing comes quick! To be successful in any MA takes commitment.

KickChick is right on target with the Cliff bar. They do vary from flavor to flavor and you need to look at the ingredients. When I said that I like them it was more because they are the only ones that I can stomach. Some are just so bad... ...The best way that I liked the powder was to put it in the blender with orange juice, banana, and ice. I know, some brands of orange juice have a lot of sugar, but I had to have something to make the stuff tolerable...

Seth, congratulations! It sounds like you are getting the fever! Keep us posted on your progress.

My opinion about contracts is that they should be good for everyone involved. If you sign, you should get a discount or benefit over going month to month. If you are an instructor, you get a guaranteed income stream over the term of the contract. If a dojo must have contracts then maybe they can have a thirty or sixty day trial period for those that are new and provisions for moving and other hardships. Different terms could be offered for different monthly payments. I would be wary of anyplace that required a year commitment from the beginning with no other options.

The way I look at diets is that I can't follow them to a "T". I always find some item that I hate or that is impractical to prepare. I try to find substitute items or take supplements to fill in the gaps. Since you are lifting you probably need to get some extra protein. You might need to find a good protein bar (I like the Cliff bar) or shake supplement to bring with you.

Patrick, its nice to see that you're from WPB. I think I'm the only native left...J/K there are at least a half dozen... BTW this is a great forum.

Welcome Kempo-Jedi, we may have to start a Kempo thread soon!

In my Shoalin training I like the leopard form the best. It focuses on agility, speed, and multiple strikes.

Good luck and let us know how you do.

Like many, I have a renewed sense of family, friends, country, and freedom. I am not sweating the small stuff as much. I am grateful to be living in a free society and I am thankful for those who protect our freedoms. I visited Ground Zero and felt the sadness. I also felt the values and spirit of a great nation that came together. Out of the tragedy has come a new spirit and appreciation for the values that make our country great.

I like your forum name. Welcome.

Cute!

That is a dream world only seen on TV. Most of us work very hard and squeeze the time out of our schedules and commitments to train. Unfortunately, I have not found that tree in my backyard that grows money on it either.

Welcome Ken.

Check out the Centerline thread. http://www.karateforums.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3907

Welcome. I look forward to your participation. Good luck in college.

Congratulations! Now the question is...Is it a coincidence or just the cosmic force of the forum at work? Hmmm....

I used to have a push-up bar that had handles on it that gave full range of motion (you could dip past your hands for a full stretch). You could put the handles in close to work on your triceps or put them out wider to give you that "fly" feeling. Dumbells with a bench is a good combination as you can get that full stretch too. If your dumbells are really light you may want to warm-up your muscles by doing push-ups first and follow those up with the dumbell exercises which really isolate your chest muscles, or you can pre-exhaust your pecs by doing the flies first and then doing your other exercises. I would recommend training no more than three days a week to allow for proper recovery time.

Hello and welcome.