bigscottius

Hehe, but wouldn't they think of that?! I hope not... since that is my plan.

nice game

That is awesome.. But you could use it to your advantage. Once people realize you have tattoos, get them covered up by bigger ones that look nothing like the old ones, and it will throw people off:)

loved Thundarr http://youtube.com/watch?v=1kIIc4tvtF0 Never saw that until now. Interesting. I think He-Man was better. I heard a funny story about the origin of He-Man. THey started making action figures of Conan, but once the movie came out, they realized it was too violent to market towards children, so they made him "He-Man" instead, off the body figure of big Arnie. They changed his hair and the accessories that he came with i think.

What tattoos do you have, if any? I guess I'll start... i have a skull on my left arm i have a circular design on my right shoulder i have germanic runes on my right arm Okay... i plan to get another one this weekend Let's hear what tattoos you guys have...

There were a bunch of samoans on my college team. Good ball players and a tough bunch of kids. I was friends with them, so they were on my side:)

7:30 - but considering i'm a 300 lb guy, that isn't too bad heh. Plus, in football, we do short bursts, not long distance:)

Lol, i started learning my first Shotokan kata, and I feel for you having to be tested on all those Kata, you must really be good. I can't imagine, just trying to remember every move through all of them, and then keep it up while being tested. I say your doing pretty good just getting through all of them:) Did you pass? Big Scott

I kinda wondered the same thing. I assumed we were talking about a Ph.D. in some unrelated feild of study. But Bearich is correct. If he says it's in some type of martial study, it's simply not true. Yeah i wasn't very clear on that. I meant, he has the time to persue an Academic field to a PHD, and get like 6 different ways of martial arts all the way to 9th degree black belt, seems like he had to have lived 500 years or something lol.

I don't understand, but out of all the schools i researched in my area, all the instructors were this and that in whatever hall of fame. The one school I decided on boasted nothing like that. What is up with the hall of fames? And are there any left that are real and prestigous? I mean, I came across one place (i will not mention specific names) that said the "Grand Master (and PHD) instructor" was a 9th degree blackbelt in 6 different styles, ranging from Kung Fu to Kenpo and Tae Kwan Do!!! He has been inducted into over 20 halls of fame! What? Lol, how is that even possible, especially after going for your PHD? What are some "halls of fame" that you guys know are reputable? Ones to watch out for? Just wondering.

Greco-Roman takedowns are really good. One of our grapplers/fighters is named Chris Canale. He was an all-American in Greco-Roman and actually represented the US in some overseas events. I can't come close to stopping him from taking me down in no-gi. I just make sure to fall in an advantageous position and beat him from there. However, we have the gi on, he has trouble getting into the clinch. It gives me alot more time to work. I still can't take him down from there, but I think a good Judoka would be able to do so. I work with him on his ground and he works with me on takedowns. I hope to start implimenting them at NAGA-Ohio in December. Yeah, I won the state level championship 2 times (for highschool age) in greco-roman. It is a really great way to learn how to throw, and it has dozens of throws that you can learn. I mean, they work well. For those of you that don't know, greco-roman is a no leg stand up. No shots or leg takedowns. I want to train Judo eventually because it really reminds me of my wrestling days. Also, I was a heavyweight, so I didn't implement a whole lot of shots into scholastic (i had a mean double leg, and a good fireman's carry), but I hated doing single leg take downs. Anyway I'm rambling....

they would actually be tougher on the martial artist saying that he's trained like a police officer That is prejudice, they can't (or shouldn't) be able to prosecute you outside the bounds of the laws for anyone. For example, they can mitigate or aggrivate based on how bad you beat them, but not based on what your background is. If there is a case that they are doing that because of your blackbelt, not because of how bad you beat them, then the ACLU should (i said should) step in and protect your rights. It should be no different for you than anyone else.

Oh yeah, another thing, he isn't afraid to hit me, or have me hit him. Not like knock out hard, but putting force behind it. That surprises me and makes me extremely happy. I need physical training. It is my style with like football and wrestling and boxing. I think he sees me as a big football player that doesn't mind playing rough sometimes... and i don't mind:)

I participated in my first Shotokan class. I really enjoyed it. My sensei taught me a basic straight punch, a snap kick, thrust kick, and a "down block". I was really fascinated by the down block, because he showed me how it wasn't just a "block", but a grapple, two different strikes, and another strike that leaves your opponent open. Said just looking at it strictly as a downblock wasn't really good, it is in the motion that can set you up or do other things, and he broke it down and had me practice applying it. He hasn't taught me kata yet, said I need to get some basics down first. It was really good, and i am so happy.

Hmm... this worries me alot. I'm going into shotokan!!!! I think katas are useful, like shadowboxing, but they are only a very small part of the equation to make a complete fighter (or karate practitioner). So, now I'm worried because I keep thinking I'll only do Katas and not actually do anything practical. But then again, this is the only good school in my area that i've found!!! I DON'T WANT TO BE DOOMED TO A LIFE TIME OF KATAS I don't mind them, but I want to practice other stuff too.

amazon.com strangely has some... I would just google everlast products or go to the everlast site. They have some good quality leather ones for around 100 dollars. They are about 100 lbs. They have cheaper vinyl ones that aren't too bad either.

I just felt like throwing htis out there, because there is only 10 minutes left this halloween. I guess general would be a good thread for this... heh. Big Scott

Heh, sounds like your brother and I have very similiar philosophy on MA. Yeah, that really did appeal to me, especially the power strikes. Only thing is I really want to improve my kicking game (it is 0), and from what I've seen so far, shotokon kicks will fit me nicely. Shotokon I think will be a nice fit, especially because I actually found a really good guy to teach me.

That is a good idea, but i've checked out every place within 50 miles, and there are no kung fu schools:( Specific styles are hard to find here, and good schools are even harder. Thanks for the input though, i really appreciate it.

What? 30 and 33, that is way too old. I believe it is law that you may not start practicing martial arts over the age of 22. Lol, seriously, i'm going to go with every other post in this thread, your fine.

Looks pretty good, one bit of advice that my trainer always told me is that when you box, even just shadow boxing or bag work or whatever, you want to extend your jabs and crosses because it gets you use to your range. He always stressed that, especially in on the heavy bag, moving in and out to get in appropriate range for the movement of the punches.

LIke my football coach always said, "A good team works on what they are good at, a great team keeps up what they are good at, but works on what they are the weakest at." Always use your strength, but you should work just as hard on your weakness, whether it is technique or speed or whatever - it is a philosophy for everything. Just cuz your working on your weakness doesn't mean your reject your strength - but don't do the opposite either. Just my 2.5 cents

Hello, I am very new to Karate too. Going to a competition after three lessons, that sounds like your already experiencing some really good and fun stuff. Welcome to the forums!

OKAY OKAY NEW UPDATE I went to the shotokan class tonight. It seems to fit so good. I'm going to another one friday. The guy who is running it showed some katas and some forms, explained them. I can say, for a 50 something year old guy, he was crisp, and really knew what he was doing. It seemed so second nature, and he understood all of it, and broke down each movement. Anyway, I was very impressed. We talked about teaching methodologies, and philosophy about martial arts in general. We really agreed on almost everything. The dojo itself is his garage (a huge seperate building) that is renovated. Let me tell you, it no longer resembles any garage. He put some serious work into it. It is a very very nice place, a lot nicer than the commercial ones i've looked, and as big as most of them. Long ago, he told me he had a commercial dojo, but got tired of babysitting and working with people that aren't committed. He now works with a tigher group of people that are truly dedicated to what they are doing. No contracts, he said he use to have 3 month and 6 month, but said they are just a headache for both him and the student. All the testing is through the AAKF, and he is certified and active within that organization. Anyway, i feel like i've finally found a place...

Welcome to the forums. I am a new member too, and this is a great place. Everyone here is real nice and helpful. It is truly a wealth of information from all the good people.