Fat karate masters

[Killer Miller]

A quick story years ago I forgot about that pertains to this topic.

Years ago, when I was a mechanic, there was this cocky, 5'11", 248 lb kid that worked in parts. He caught me in the wrong mood one morning and was always saying stuff like "you think you know karate... you think you're so tough... karate isn't practical..." etc. One morning he came up to me when I just got our of my car and started making karate grunts and rotten knife hands and fake kiais saying Hah, hah. What's your karate going to do against that. With his hands up in knife hads towards me, I lightly nailed him in the solarplexus. He then walked like a penguin going eak... eak... gasping for air. I told him to exhale from his lower diaphragm or it was just goign to get worse. Hi squeaked out, "I can't." I told him if he didn't exhale I was going to nail him in the stomache and make him exhale. Of course he didn't want that and immediately exhaled! Then he was OK.

Time went on (which nobody ever messed with me after that...) and we actually became friends. He always talked about wanting to take Karate. I told him to come on down to the dojo. He always said he would, but never showed up. One day, he wanted me to install an axle truss on his 4x4 and wanted to know how much I would charge him. I told him, "If you sign up at the dojo for One Month, and show up for the entire Month, then I would install the axle truss for Free.

Now, to make a long story even longer, he actually showed up and signed up at the dojo. I installed his axle truss for him. He actually trained for the full month.

After that, he stuck with JKA for many years, achieved his black belt, lost a lot of weight (from 240 lbs to the 178 lbs range), met lots of really great people, learned how to party, became a ladies man (so-to-speak), and best of all he bacame an alternate on the US team. He was a new person and was very grateful of his new life.

Years later, he thanked me for turning around his life and remembered the day I nailed him in the solarplexus and forced him to start training in return for installing his axle truss on his truck. My methods are a bit old school, a bit rough and direct at times, but I always mean well with the method to my madness.

What does this have to do with this post, this was one of those Buddha Bellies that totally turned their lives around...

- Killer -

[Yasutsune Makoto]

rock on killer miller!

[bushido_man96]

That's a cool story, Killer Miller. I like the catch you used to try to get him into class. Very nice touch.

Kind of along the same lines, we have several guys in my area who used to be in martial arts. Well, now they lift weights at the gym that my instructor owns. He talks to them often, and when martial arts are brought up, they talk about how they used to do it, and would like to do it again. So, the instructor tells them to come down and do it, sign up, and all that, then they start talking about how they can't because they don't have time and junk like that. I want to tell them "Hey, I am married, have two kids, and work full time on the night shift, and I still have time to get to class."

Excuses, excuses.

[Brandon Fisher]

What a great story Killer.

[Jiffy]

I agree that it's in their best interest to stay fit, but having said that, I think you'd be surprised at the abilities of some of them.

[jaymac]

Isn't it really more important that this once fit black belt who is now an overweight master beable to continue to teach his style to his students? Is he now not deserving of his rank because he has a larger belly? Has he lost the mentality to teach? Probably not. Maybe he can no longer beat his highest ranking black belt who is still full of lean muscle, but I bet he would give any would be attacker on the street quite a shock.

That is what MA is supposed to be about - defending yourself, not defending yourself against your own black belts ( or other black belt students for that matter).

[shotochem]

Way to go Mill.

The one thing the young guys forget is that in 10-20 yrs they will be older just like us.

I find that now after training for years, I need more than MA training to keep the weight down. I really don't think it is metabolism.

It may be that your body just gets used to what its doing and does it more efficiently with less energy to get the same net result.

I dropped 50+ lbs from when I started MA. Over the last couple of years I still train the same amount (3-4 classes a week), I eat much healthier, and really haven't found a good reason why I put on aboult 15lbs.

I just don't get it big arms and chest, gig legs not flabby anywhere ....

except....... in the gut. sit ups, crunches, leg lifts, squats?????

They do nothing. Go figure?

[Brandon Fisher]

I am personally devoloping a a little bit a of a gut but its solid. I don't do the amount of crunches I used to but once I get the dojo open its going to be part of my daily routine. I know that I am not 15 or 16 anymore and my students show me that one occasion but I think keeping yourself fit is essential to a healthy lifestyle and good martial arts training. Those that devolop health problems as they get older may get heavier as a result that does not mean they can't teach. Its the ones who are do big they can't hardly walk or get up out of chair that I wonder why they are still trying to teach. Thats a heart attack waiting to happen. You have to look at the person and why they are bigger not just their big and they can't teach MA.

[TigerDude]

Crunches, etc. don't get rid of a gut. They just develop the muscles underneath. Only diet & exercise that burns calories will do it.

And yes, it gets markedly harder as we get older.

[Sohan]

I was hoping research would eventually surface that would support my long held theory that my favorite pint of cold stout or ale was actually immaterial in creating abdominal triglyceride augmentation, but it has yet to occur.

And yet I wait, hopefully....

With respect,

Sohan