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I am looking at purchasing a Paul Chen Chinese Broadsword that I would like to be both aesthetically pleasing as well as functional for training. I have found a couple of sites that sell his wares, but can't tell the difference in quality. This is the cheapest one I have found...

I was just reading Black Belt and got a little tickled about the irony between the articles and the advertisements. What tickled me is the articles that talk about the 'real deal' MA, and not to train like a paper tiger, and make sure you get live instruction, etc... Then in between each of...

Any day that I learn something new.

After giving thought to what defines a martial artist. Skill? Well, not all MA have skill. Mind? Not all MA are wise or smart or can even concentrate. Spirit? I know plenty of MA that are superficial, depressed, and even mean. But they are all Martial Artists. The closest I can come to a...

My worst experience is with closing schools. 1) Mother took me out of a TKD school after 2 months at age 12 because the place had no heat. It was about 50 degrees in there... 2) Taking American Karate at age 14 and the school closed after about 10 months. 3) Took Isshinryu at age 16 and...

I think the point has been made, but the low stances that we train in CMA are to build the strength in our legs for both indurance and stability. I have used some low stances in the past to change heights on an attacker, but rarely stay that low because it wastes energy and I am less mobile.

Personally I am one of those people that do not like an audience when I am training forms so I tend to keep that at home and at the kwoon, but for physical conditioning I'm all about the gym.

Looked like good Okinawan weapons. In my Isshinryu days I would love them, but I'm looking for a quality broadsword, tai-chi sword, staff (a little easier), and spear. Any suggestions?

I've seen a lot of these sites before. I would be interested in sites that offered QUALITY weapons and gear. I'm talking about specialists, not necessarily the secret Japanese sword maker who makes one sword every 7 years, but I'm also not talking about Mr. Wu's Super Best Quality Weapons and...

I would love to know where to get some quality weapons. Staff, broadsword, tai-chi sword, arnis stick, etc... FYI - I train my staff forms with a steel rod at home. It takes a minute to adjust to the light weight of a solid wood staff, but I can use it forever. Give me a rattan staff and...

"Don't hate the player, hate the game."

I've been thinking about getting one of their uber-canes. How does it hold up? I don't want to be afraid to scratch it!

This is sooo true. Currently my kwoon starts with light stretching and goes into 150 jumping jacks, 50 push-ups, and 60 sit-ups, THEN begins the class. I know we do this because "its the way it's always been done." First, light exercise is the best way to increase body heat, respiration, and...

I'm 3 months and holding with the non-smoking deal. Let me tell you that after about 2 months I felt energy that I haven't had in years! So KEEP IT UP! It's a MENTAL battle!

I broke my ankle last night playing basketball. I landed on someones foot and my ankle just buckled. Although I managed a nice front break fall to keep the rest of me in tact it looks like I won't be back into full practice for at least a month. Any suggestions on keeping in shape in the mean...

Wow. Thanks for posting that! I love working a speed bag and have done some of what that guy was doing, but not nearly as smoothly. We have a bag in our kwoon and I have one at home that I need to set back up. The music stuff was off the hook.

School policies over fighting cheese me off to no end. But we have a saying in my kwoon, "It's better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6." Basically, think of your safety first. Think of school policy second.

Left rear pocket. Just habit. Haven't had it stolen yet...

Lol... where to begin. One fight in high school was because I threw my car keys at a friend, they bounced off the ground and landed in another guys truck. He was mad that I might have scratched his truck. This was settled with light pushing and posturing. This was my early days of martial...

Welcome aboard...

I checked a few others that came up on the google, but they all made the separation of man and woman so it fit my purpose. When did the church start making laws? On a practical side it comes down to whether or not we should allow gays to have the same tax breaks and other benefits that a...

I think you are misunderstanding it then. Marriage is the union of a man and a woman. The most common legal definition being: "A contract made in due form of law, by which a free man and a free woman reciprocally engage to live with each other during their joint lives, in the union which...

Yup. Its the job that keeps my training down. I would love to work out every day, but I travel a lot and its just not possible. Although I have been getting better at working out on the road.

2 classes a week minimum. They are 2 hours classes. And typically 1 day a home.

Talking as a conservative here, I could care less what a person does in the privacy of their own bedroom. However, I have a real problem giving gays SPECIAL rights to marriage. Homosexuals are a well funded SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP just like the NRA, PETA, and any other group that CHOOSES to act...

Sorry for the sentimentality, but I wanted to drop a note to remind everyone that we still have thousands of brothers and sisters in harms way around the world. Next time you see someone in uniform, take a moment to thank them for their service. It means a lot for them to know their work is...

I'm a former sleep walker from my youth. Most notoriously I would get out of bed and find a comfortable place to relieve myself. You know, the closet, the laundry basket, just to the right of the toilet, etc... Today I tend to talk and flail a bit in my sleep, but like you my wife just...

No country music? David Allen Coe will get me stirred up for some bag work!

Definately an early american karate classic.

Think of it like this. I am afraid of flying, although I get on a plane almost every week. But instead of letting the fear control me, I face it with optimism and education. A lot of people are afraid of confrontation. MA helps to redirect that fear through scanario based training and...