Achilles' Heels

satans.barber

satans.barber

Master Black Belt
Joined
Mar 30, 2002
Messages
1,037
Reaction score
6
Location
Leeds, England
I'm intrigued to know what everyone's 'achilles heel' is, the thing that really lets their kenpo down more than anything else. I don't just mean like 'my sparring is weak' or 'my techniques are weak', more specific than that.

I'm sure most people must have a niggling thing that they wish they could sort out!

I'll start the ball rolling with breathing. I can't breathe properly when I do a techniqe, and often I hold my breath throughout the whole thing which is ridiculous. I'm better if I make a lot of loud noises as I'm doing it (so it's OK in sparring when it's noisy!) but this isn't always appropriate in a quiet hall!

Ian.
 
My left hand, I have busted several bones in it at different times. I tend to baby it and not go all out with it at times when in reality it is probably just as strong as my right. I always seem to picture it as injured for soem reason and catch myself doing it.
 
Flexibility is a big problem for me, particularly hamstring flexibility. My front kicks are slow and look terrible (even when the target is the groin / stomach), and I'm afraid I'm likely to injure the muscle in class, or worse, when it counts.
 
I also have a lot of trouble breathing properly, and also have a tendency to hold my breath when concentrating on something, like kata (I blame on my synchonized swimming days :D).

I've been working on proper breathing, but sometimes when I think about it too much, it just messes it up even more than to begin with! Hehehe.
 
well besides having a cage in my lower spine holding things together which does not make for good spinning kicks.. *I Renounce them I say~!
I think mine is not liking anyone especially Seig to watch me.. pretty bad huh.. when I'm sparring I'm just fine.. anyone can watch and I have no inhibitions.. but in tecs or forms.. blah.. it's not a good thing to be on exhibit..
I gotta get over it I know.. somehow some day I shall :)
 
about a year and a half ago i dislocated and fractured my right shoulder all in one fell swoop while skiing. my shoulder atrophied bigtime, and hasn't been the same since. i have faith though that i'll be able to get it pretty much completly rehabbed (since it will never be the same again), and i won't have to constantly worry about it getting ripped out of the socket. needless to say, i can do much freestyle grappling, but kenpo and kickboxing is cool as long as i watch it.
 
Originally posted by Goldendragon7

:rofl:

:asian:
Click to expand...


Ditto!!

Mine is having trouble with moving from one technique to another, I believe it's called grafting. Blending one technique with another. I get caught up in doing the first technique "by the book" and stumbling into the next.

Must practice harder!!!

:asian:
 
I think I was just informed of another Achilles Heel last night.. while fighting StickDummy.. He kept whispering.. "Relax.. relax...
so therefore I must be doing something other than 'relaxing while sparring.. I had just fought 6 others and when I got to Pete.. I must of been hyped up and far from relaxed.. so guess I better work on that.. He's got me to at least keep my elbows in .. *g*..
 
There are so many to choose from!! :shrug:

My main Achilles' Heel, is my peripheral vision. I am blind in my left eye, which hinders my view to the left. I'm a sucker for a left hook. You'd think I'd learn to DUCK, but I don't. (keeps the little tweetie birds busy, always flying around my head) :(

dot
:asian:
 
I think mine is not liking anyone especially Seig to watch me
Click to expand...

Oh, that's another one for me! Doing kata and anything during class is okay, but practicing on my own I get terribly self conscious! I have a corner house, so the backyard is open to spectators. I won't go out to practice until after dark. Pity, too, there isn't much room inside my house, and many breakable things (I learned that the bo is an *outside* weapon, and to be wary of ceiling fans when practing with the nunchaku ¬_¬).

It's even worse when people I know well want to watch me. My parents want so badly to watch my next test, but I think I'd freak out if they were there!

Hopefully if I get attacked on the street, I won't be too self-conscious to defend myself ^_^
 
Too many injuries over too many years ... starting to feel them as an everyday part of life. Restricts my own training time, especially when I try to put out 110% while teaching. I also miss being able to do jump-spin hook kicks and some of the low stance Hung-Gar I used to practice. I give thanks for Kenpo where I am centered but standing as vs crouching.

-Michael
UKS-Texas
 
I would list my Achille's Heel/ Heels on here for all to read, but one never knows whom may be reading this, plotting, strategizing, looking for an edge to use against me. So I will just say, I HAVE NONE.

All in fun,
Gary Catherman, Kenpoist.
 
Originally posted by Wertle



Oh, that's another one for me! Doing kata and anything during class is okay, but practicing on my own I get terribly self conscious! I have a corner house, so the backyard is open to spectators. I won't go out to practice until after dark. Pity, too, there isn't much room inside my house, and many breakable things
Click to expand...

Sounds familiar. I live in a upstairs apartment cluttered with eagle and wolf knik knaks so I can't spar or do forms at home. When I want to do my kenpo workouts, I go to the park at nights or early in the morning to do them.

As for my Achille's heels, I have a few of them.

1, I have a weight problem which renders me a little slower then I would like to be.

2, I don't like forms so I dont do them as much as I should. I know of their importance but I can't seem to focus on them

3, Being not much a kicker, I tend to rely on my hands too much
 
Lack of training partners, lack of motovation to train on my own. Recently went to a local school to see if I could work out with them, I let them know I didn't want to learn thier system just work out with them occasionally since I already am studying Kenpo....promptly left when the instructor told me it would cost $150 for the uniform and patches....so much for sharing of systems.

Rob :(
 
I get jokingly called "Post" by some of the advanced Black ranks when we spar......I need to relax a bit more when sparring. I *feel* like I do okay, and I *feel* pretty relaxed, but I could do much, much better.

I could also do a little more with my left, but hey.....I'm working on it...;)

Peace--
 
Somewhere, Yoda is saying "Think Not! Do!". I start thinking too much and lose the spontineity. Of course, my other Achilles Heel is my left achilles tendon. I've heard that's common among martial artists because we're on the balls of our feet so much. I need to stretch it more. Heck, I need to stretch everything more.

R
 
I start thinking too much and lose the spontineity.
Click to expand...

Yet another one I can relate to! Hehe. I think too much in normal, every day life, and it was a real problem when i first started Kempo. I must say, it's something I've definately improved on, but I certainly have a long way to go
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Benefits of associations?

Previous Thread

Great kenpo site!!

Next Thread

Latest Discussions

Back
Top