Did my kicks this AM, I'm getting back into Martial Arts, finally!

Nice response, hope to see you over the next few days as I intend to start more martial arts discussions. I hope other people start more, too. Thanks and take care.

That sounds great writersedge, I wanted to start some too, but talking to myself on mylot isn't all that fun...

It's hard to build up a base of friends for some topics. It's taken me over a year to get a base of friends for gathering wild plants. Martial Arts, I really don't have very many people in my friend base and I'm at over a year here. So stick with popular topics and throw in a less popular one. Also word it for people who do it and people who don't do it. Like any topic with Jackie Chan or Bruce Lee will get responses if you ask general as well as specific topics. See how I worded mine? Also if you word it for Martial Arts Movies with Jet Lee and the above 2, you can start to build a base. But lots of Martial Artists don't spend much time on Mylot. Work, family, Martial Arts, time demands make it rough. These are all the tips I can give you. So word it for us MA people and for MA observers or movie goers and try to be unique. Many people have asked the same movie questions. Hope this helps.

Yes, most Martial Artists that really take it seriously are in excellent shape. I used to work out three hours three nights a week when I was in my 20s. We did stretching, warm-ups, were taught a technique, practiced a technique, reviewed what we were taught before, did a cool down, and then stretching again. I was absolutely buff! So were all the people in my class. The young men were so gorgeous. No fat on me at all. But I'm in my 50s now so it will be a long haul.I don't think I'll get back to the 20s.

I did do a ton of dancing in my 30s. I loved that, too.

In my 30s, I started t'ai chi and that is much better when you're older, but I will still practice some of my moves from my previous style.

I've had to defend myself three times from attackers. As the only girl in the family, only person to go to college, and the only non-drinker and non-drug addict in my dorm, I went a lot of places by myself. People do tend to attack a lone female. I had an ex-boyfriend whose Mom got attacked, she hit the guy with her cane and chased him down the street (makes you wonder how much she needed the cane, doesn't it?). My Mom was attacked on her way walking to school once, she just picked the guy up like he was a bail of hay and pitched him into a tree. I met the guy, he told me to tell my Mom he still had headaches. That's how I found out what she had done, she never told me. I finally understood why she wanted me to be so tough. You never know where or when someone will attack. Glad you haven't had similar experiences. My Mom was 16. My brothers were also attacked because they had disabilities and it's amazing how many people think people with disabilities shouldn't live or have no feelings, etc. So we all had to learn how to fight. Like I said, glad you didn't have to.

Just for the record, my first day of Martial Arts, I told my instructor, I said I would like to learn how to not be in a fight. TAke care.

What a great experience it must have been to be in such great shape in your 20s. That must feel really wonderful--physically and emotionally.

My husband and I tried T'ai Chi once at a Gold's Gym when we lived up north. That was about 8 or 9 years ago. We thought it would be relaxing and easy. Boy, were we ever wrong. Now that was an exercise in physical endurance and patience. We never went back again after the first class. But we talked about it and both said that, once a person put in all the work and practice up front, he/she would probably be in great shape.

Sorry to hear about all the attacks you've suffered. That must have been terrifying. I've sure never heard of people who think it's appropriate to attack people because they have disabilities. How awful!

It's fantastic that you are getting into Martial Arts again. Hope you keep it up.

It was so cool being in shape. Once a week I'd be able to do something I couldn't do the week before. I healed superfast, too. I'd get a scratch and in 10 days it was gone instead of 14. Other people had the flu for 10 days, I was over it in 5.

Yes, T'ai chi is way more than people think. When I was doing it all the time, it was so cool. On hyper days, I would calm down by the end. On tired days, I would get energized by the end. It's whatever you need whenever you need it. Third year in, I fell down a flight of icy outdoor stairs and landed in a twisted heap. Thought surely I had broken the foot that my entire body landed on. I had a slight strain to my ankle and that was better in 72 hours. It's amazing!

We have Nazi sympathizers up here and Darwinists. As well as Arian Nation and other idiots. Most people are just good neighbors, but the fractional idiots are something else. So being weak for very long is not in anybody's best interest up here. Besides despite living in the country, we are located between Montreal, Canada and Albany,NY and NYC. So we have some big city fringe groups that try to relocate here including gangs. So we have to be careful.

My Mom was tough and buff. As the saying goes, you could bounce a quarter off her butt until she was 60! She could outwalk me at the Mall. I had to sit down and let her keep going. I was proud of her. She never lost her farmgirl strength and vitality until th 5th time or was it the 6th, last time she had cancer.

True, but if an attacker bear hugs you or traps both your hands or arms, a good kick can be a good save. I had an attacker grab both my wrists when I was distracted and drag me so I should have kicked him before the drag. Good to hear that you have some kicks. I do mostly low kicks because high ones aren't that effective unless it's to the groin! Take care and thanks for responding.

With bearhugs if your arms are pinned, then if it's from the front clasp hands together and smack the groin, that's quite effective in loosening or even getting out totally. If it's behind then throw your head back and or drag heels down the leg. There might be more to these moves, it's been a while since we practised them

I can't remember what to do if it's two wrists but for one if it's right to left, then just use the elbow to lever the hand off. Right to right, use the left hand to scrape the other hand off. I'm not very good at describing these moves.

I really like roundhouse kicks as I'm quite supple from doing yoga and can get a lot of power into them.

For double wrist grab, we were taught to twist our wrists out of them, but since my attacker was from my class ( he was in all the Martial Arts classes on campus, so he knew the moves of all the students already). Also dropping weight, he knew that. In T'ai Chi, I've learned some other twisting moves, Your ideas sound great though!

I knew there was a kick I was forgetting, the round house one. Thanks! Will be awhile before I can do that one. When I was in my 20s, people would put cigarettes on their ears and I would round house, stop, take the cig off the top of the ear and bring my foot back down. Then act innocent like I didn't know where the cig went to. Those were the days when I was really flexible!

Wow that's amazing I'd love to do that with the roundhouse kick. I might practise that.

It's fun, but you've got to be really sneaky!

I think coming up with your own style, as long as you have the basics down, is fine. No pardoning necessary. I think multiples would be interesting for me to practice. There was a famous Martial Artist who was terrific at multiple kicks, just can't think of his name right now. Thanks and take care.