Daisho

when you're taping, make sure to pay attention as to exactly what wrap is releaving the pain. If you notice the pain relief as you anchor your wrist to your hand, that might mean a tendon in the hand/wrist. But like i always say, when pain involved comes from a joint, go see a doctor.

i had a similar problem to this years ago during my Isshinryu training. If you're hands are high defending your face, you'll rarely get a good throw, and it's very hard to put your body weight behind the strike. When i started actually watching boxing I realized they allow their elbow to slide toward the floor a moment before the punch, and thus throwing from just below shoulder level. Once I threw a few in that manner it felt much more powerful, and effective. I had been so paranoid of keeping my guard high, that I was throwing snapping punches, which while probably nice for point fighting, feel almost useless, and made me feel ineffective when using my punches. Get the mechanic of letting the elbow slide south then pushing from the chest, and shadowbox it a lil.

lol great story I don't agree with posts saying to "spar-it-out" with this other student. MA is about discipline, and sometimes that discipline is to repress the ego, and do what you know to be right. Arguing and fighting are the ego demanding attention. When he says something stupid, keep yourself gathered and focused. I think you definitely have a responsibility to speak with your senior sensei about this situation. Newer ppl to the dojo can wind up following his moronic way, and before you know it half your class is nursing joint injuries from techniques done w/o the participants pulling-back, which leads them to stop comming back. the other half train like morons, and never build the trust needed to learn any of the advanced techniques.

well i personally like the gi, because it allows me to utilize my judo in a standup grappling situation, where i would be severly limited versus someone shirtless. I don't train with anyone who goes sans-gi. honestly as far as realism, and whatnot, i don't know that training one or the other would be better, but i do like the huge increase in the amount of techniques offered just by wearing one.

if my form is really good throughout the lift, it certainly hits the legs well. I actually find most of my power in the lift from driving my feet through the floor. but i do notice it's an easy lift to get lazy, like my legs'll be sore from squats, and so when i'm doing my RDL's i'll do maybe 2 perfect, then windup not bending with the lift and turning the final 3 into modified barbell rows. Since this has been added tomy routine, i've noticed a difference from thighs to upper-back, and right down the middle of the abs.

Geez! I don't even have that many pairs of shoes! 16 years, you pick up a few gis. I have a total of 2.5 Tokaido (One Black Top, gave away the pants, two white uniforms) 2 Trimmed 14 oz Pro Force (one's almost done), 1 14 oz Black Pro Force, 1 12 oz Black Uniform. I've given away: Two 12 oz White Pro Force, 1 Trimmed Century Top I've killed: 3 Pro Force White Uniforms, 2 Pro Force Black Uniforms, all 12 oz. So in 16 years: 15 uniforms. That's why I'm poor. John I was actually lol'ng when I read this. i know exactly what you mean!! i don't mind when a gi slowly shrinks, or threads pull here and there, but on the whole itputs up a good fight. but it drives me crazy when a gi'll last me like 1 month, then the shoulder starts to rip, or one washing causes such a ridiculous shrinkage.

my class meets three times per week, and the cost is $120(US) p/m. although it sounds like alot, the sensei restricts each class to 2 students (he's there 6 days per week, and has three seperate groups of 2 students per). it covers bokken replacement, which usually comes out to a bokken per month with the more advanced class, and maybe 1 bokken every three months for the lower lvl'd classes. and Jo (short staff) replacement, which i seem to go through maybe 2 per year. we also are entitled to a new judogi every 6 months, and as long as the price is reasonable we are able to pick which maker we'd like. he also purchases your bokken/jo carrying case when your first begin. to keep belt testing prices to a minimum, we also have an agreement with the home dojo to go there for testing, instead of footing the bill normally associated with having top instructors come to us. Which only requires us to travel into NYC from NJ.

hey dete, look forward to seeing you in karate, and combat sections

actuallyi'd never heard it called that before, but i did come across sources showing what appears to be the same lift. this is one of my absolute favorites when i'm at the gym. i added this as it is supposedly great for building the right musculature to deal with throwing and falling, and as such would help avoid injury. I actually came across it on a page by one of the former U.S. Olympic Judo team-members, and have found that it's a widely used lift in some of the top college wrestling programs weight routine, and also a central lift in many football programs.

heya hinote. hope you enjoy KF!

hey existence, welcome to KF

hey DC, welcome to KF.

good to have you here mecalder! this site is an invaluable resource for a new practitioner, shoot, i've been studying MA's for 13 years and it's an invaluable resource for me! welcome

hey Yumiko, welcome aboard. Look forward to hearing about your experiences with Shuri-Ryu

hey chris, welcome aboard!

i didn't miss a single episode, and i was generally impressed with the production. i liked that they found some of the top respected trainers, and gave a glimpse into the traditional training methods throughtout the nation for each style, before they would refine what they learned in a more modern setting. Also liked the inclusion of styles like Pancration, and Krav Maga, and the French style for which i cannot remember the name. All in all I thought the show was a great mini documentary on worldwide martial styles.

actually, i'm a bit torn between switching over to a H.I.I.T. method, to increase the durability/utility of the muscles i've been hitting. a 3 day split of more compund movements (romanian deadlifts, clean and jerk presses, weighted walking squats) to take my latest gains, and use them to increase my range of motion, strength and explosiveness or a 3 day split of super-set training. Maybe mixing each set between a push and pull of the same targeted muscle group to increase power. the last one was the way i was originally leaning, but since I'm kinda stuck on a bit of a plateau, it may just get caught in that stagnation as well. I guess the question is, after a pretty steady routine of maximum overload training, should i next focus on utility and durability of the muscles? strength and explosiveness? or raw power and endurance?

As far as compound muscle go: Romanian deadlift Clean and Jerk press Squats Chin ups Seated rows For iso lifts: military press dumbbell flys lat pull downs overhead tricep extensions decline bench benchpress leg curls

i appreciate the advice JWL & Bushido (surprisingly enough, i never thought to look at the differences in fabric blends). As for the have more than 1 gi..... I have a closet in my attic that holds easily over 20 of my old gi's. I usually buy 2 or 3 at a time, which is costing me a damn fortune!

i had misread your follow up post.

my weightlifting goals directly correllate to my MA. No "cutting", although i watch my calories carefully as i typically feel my performance best at about 190-195 lbs. Last summer i did the whole 181lbs with a "six-pack", but now my goals in the gym are to strengthen my body for my MA practice, to protect against injury, and to make my techniques more overwhelming. yea, typically when i leave the gym i go into the GNC next-door(where i managed for 7 years), and pickup a Kashi Go Lean bar (unless I actually have time for a proper lunch). I stay pretty tight on my carbs, as I need to make sure to get enough protein to resist the catabolic effects of working out, yet i need to maintain a decent caloric level. In the OP i said i had increased my calroies pretty considerably to allow for more carbs post MA. I've cycled creatine on and off for years. When i was at GNC i'd go for the Cell-Tech, which the loading period alone would set me back $60+. I even added an ATP booster with the creatine, and never noticed any difference in my strength/power. I know alot of people swear by the stuff, but i used it through an entire bulking phase and didn't see any noticable difference from any other bulking phase. Anyways, i'm trying to move away from supplements in general, and moretoward getting my nutrients from whole food sources. I stay with the GNC multi, and i buy ginseng (whole root) from the Chinese corner-store, who's owner actually taught me how to make the tea. The L-Glut before bed is the only thing I have a hardtime letting go of.

I get some solid cardio in during my week. Our dojo is VERY focused on fitness, and we use the first 20 minutes to do nothing but run, run/roll, fast paced tai sabaki, to get our bodies well warm, and our heart rates up. from there our training is mostly focused on randori, so we spend 10 minutes learning a technique, then the next hour in a constant multi attacker randori, with very little downtime. as for the gym, i usually only do a 15 minute warmup run on a treadmill, to loosen up my muscles before lifting. I don't know my exact stats as far as bf%, but i'm 5'11" 205lbs, and that 205 is ALOT of muscle, as i've been weight training outside of MA for 4 years now. My problem isn't conditioning at all, it's more so finding a balance between my different training methods, and walking the fine line of over-training. The more cardio i add the more calories i need. The more calories i need the more meals i have to eat. The more meals I have to eat, the harder it is to find the time to fully digest, and then go train.

By secondnature, i assume you mean something similar to the buddha-mind, where without thinking your mastery of the martial skills, and clear thought allows you to utilize your training in an instinctual manner. This is a passage from a fav book of mine: "Knowing all this, I shouldn't be surprised when a newcomer to our school asks, 'How long will it take me to master aikido?' Still, the question leaves me speechless. I have practiced aikido for more than twelve years, during six of which I have also taught, and I feel considerably further from "mastering" the art than I did after my first six months. Perhaps I should simply respond as Master Deshimaru did when he was asked a similar question: "How many years do I have to practice zazen?" "Until you die." -----The Zen Way to the Martial Art

demmit!! so i was behind on washing/drying my gi this week, so the day of training, i threw it in the WM before i left for work, cold/cold, woolite, no fab softener (i saw the comment about the no woolite or fab soft, but i checked out a seamstress website that recommends that combo for keeping fabric relaxed, and preventing contraction with cottons). anyways i didnt have the time for a hang dry, so i threw it in the dryer on extra low heat. it shrunk almost 2 inches in width. this is driving me crazy, as i'm pretty anal regarding my gi fit. Has to pass my wrist by a 1/4" when my arms are at my sides, and my pants i like to just brush the top of my foot. anyone know if any companies put out a pre-treated gi that reduces the shrinkage, and would allow me to dry on a med heat?? any place worldwide would be appreciaited, as i'm used to ordering my gi's from overseas anyways. thnx in advance!