Ask Brett, He Knows

Today, I woke up in a most generous mood, anxious to enlighten and spread my wealth of knowledge. So it should not take me too long to write this post, because my generosity is not free (Nike shoes and clothes don't come cheap), and the only thing I know for sure is my name. None the less, I will try to the best of my ability to answer some of the most frequently asked question about health and fitness. So lets dim the lights, and put our hands together, it's time for another episode of "Ask The Trainer."

1. Q: I have multiple health problems which include high blood pressure, diabetes, an over-active thyroid, a heart murmur, arthritis, and frequent kidney stones. What should I do to relieve the symptoms? A: You will need to re-enter the gene pool, die and come back. Only next time try to be a little more discerning about choosing your parents.
2. Q: My butt is so flat. What can I do to curve my posterior? A: Learn to live with a flat ass. But if the baggy pockets of space in the back of your jeans bothers you too much, try sticking a throw-pillow back there.
3. Q: How much water should I drink? A: Sixty percent of the body's composition is water, so I would say a lot. You do the math.
4. Q: Should I hire a trainer to help me reach my goals? A: Of course you should, did you think I was joking in my opening statement about the price of Nike shoes and clothes being so expensive?
5. Q: Brett can I take one of your boxing classes, if I have never boxed before? A: No, I do not have time to field questions that need answering from rookies.
6. Q: Should I eat before I exercise? A: That's like asking me, "can you drive your car without gas?" Eat one to two hours before you start strenuous exercise to give your body time to digest the meal. Partake of a heavy meal any closer to exercising, and the contents of your stomach may not remain a secret for long.
7. Q: What cardio exercise is the best? A: The one that gets you off your lazy ass.
8. Q: How do I lose fat? A: Put your fork down, close your mouth, and slowly back away from the buffet table. Or you might just try eating every other day.
9. Q: Should I take supplements? A: What? You don't like real food? Who the hell drinks two shakes for breakfast and lunch and eats a sensible dinner of lettuce and carrots?
10. Q: How do I lift and firm my bust line? A: Try standing on your head and let gravity pull your breast back the other way.
11. Q: Where do you get your music for class? A: What difference does it make? Judging by the way you move in class, you can't hear the beat anyway.
12. Q: How do I firm my stomach? A: Suck your stomach in and hold your breath.
13. Q: How do I increase my body mass? A: Guys cut your testicles off and become a eunuch. Women try having a few kids.
14. Q: It hurts when I raise my arms above my head, what should I do. A: Don't raise your arms above your head, just point to what you want on the top shelf.
15. Q: What can I do about celluloid dimples? A: Try filling in those dimpled areas with putty, and then paint over it with a color that matches your skin tone.

I'm sorry, we're all out of time. Tune in next week, when I answer the do's and don'ts of gym fashion. Until then, smile it makes people wonder what you're thinking about.

Beware The Ego

Introduction
The ego is the part of ourselves that desires to covet, it is about self-fulfillment and attainment. It clings to worldly possessions, vanity, money, power and praise. The ego declines criticism and welcomes confirmation, whether sincere or not. In this way it turns a blind eye to anything that detracts from it. If unrestricted the ego will lie to get its way, ignoring all logical warnings and truth. It is impatient and impulsive, unconcerned with the process of achieving a result. Yet no matter how much you feed your ego, you cannot satisfy it, anymore then you can grab air out of the sky.

I highly doubt there is anyone who is not concerned with how other people view them in varying degrees. It is human nature to desire and be desired, to have wants feel like needs, to obtain and prosper. For the ego is not all bad, it can be used as a tool to drive determination, pride, perseverance and ambition. These are qualities that most societies hold in high regard. Persons who consistently achieve are often rewarded with a bounty of praise, admiration, power, and financial compensation, and if not all these things, surely some of them. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be your very best. There is everything wrong with only wanting to be your very best as a means to a reward, and it is even more selfish and wrong to want a reward in exchange for nothing. We are often blinded by our egos, allowing external factors to determine our self worth. In this way the ego is no longer a tool of process, it is the process. When what we say and do comes directly from the ego it is at the detriment of ourselves and all those around us.

Ego-Tripping
When you are blessed with exceptional talent whether it be physical or mental, and your performance stands head and shoulders above all others who share your interest, it is easy to become very impressed with yourself. To boast and brag is to despise others, and consequentially you will be despised. It is the ego that tries to lower the self-esteem of others to raise itself up, and for this reason the pretentious are always hated.

Delusions of Ego
Do not let your ego cloud you from what you know to be the truth, lest you be taken advantage of or fall prey to your own refusal to recognize right from wrong. When I was a young teenager, a group of friends and I were hanging outside the house of two brothers, whom we were all friends with. The two brothers were called by their mother to come in for dinner, and while waiting for them to return we noticed a barbell loaded with an extremely heavy amount of weight sitting in the car-port. We all stood in awe of the person who could lift such a heavy load, in this case it was the oldest of the two brothers. Unfortunately, the ego got the better of one my friends who thought he would impress us by lifting the barbell over his head. Now the rest of us all decided this was a bad idea and tried several times to discourage this rash decision. But his ego ignored what was perfectly good sense, considering he did not even weigh half as much as the load he was attempting to lift. The story pretty much goes south from here. I would tell you not to look, but this is not a video. He preceded to snatch the barbell off the ground and flung it over his head. The momentum from the weight threw his balance off, so that he lost control of the bar and began to fall backwards with the hefty load following right behind him. Out of panic he maintained his grip on the bar which proved to be a big mistake. As the weight bore down on his wrists, they both broke. Next, both his elbows broke. His back then gave out, followed by both his knees, and finally his ankles. There he laid on the ground with his body folded up like an accordion. This little episode took all of three seconds, but it seemed like it happened in slow motion. Never had I seen an ego work so quickly in literally bringing a man down.

Conclusion
It is best to be humble, draw your strength from within. Pursue your goals without care of recognition, let others think and say what they will. Remember you can be both cheered and scorned in the same hour. Deeds well done speak for themselves without having to draw attention to them. A wise man keeps quiet, and people can only wonder. An idiot speaks, and everyone knows how ignorant he is. Act as though you were nobody and you can never be torn down.

Don't Think, Do

I am not one who likes to live life through exhausting amounts of thinking. Quite frankly, it is a waste of time. Life is the here and now. I can only control what is before me, not what was in the past, and not what will be. My actions at the moment are my only concern; when that instance is gone, I move on. In this way my mind is never cluttered with over-analytical evaluations. People often think to the point that they frustrate and confuse themselves. They stumble over ideas and concepts to the point that they can no longer decipher what is real and concrete, and what is not.

Anyone who has taken two or more of my kickboxing/boxing classes knows that no two classes are ever the same. I compose each lesson as it happens, then I start over again next class. I laugh inside every time someone asks me prior to class, "so what will we be doing today?" Then my internal laughter becomes external as I reply, I have no idea, I have not started teaching yet. Some people find it very hard to believe that I create each class off the top of my head, but I do. I am secure and confident in the knowledge that I possess, and I act in accord with the situation at hand without hesitation or doubt. My instinctual style of teaching allows class participants to physically and mentally grow without the constraints of routine, stale, and boring formats.

I also apply minimalist thinking inside the ring. Once the match has begun and the first blow has been thrown, any thinking there was to do should have already been done. Fists of fury do not wait for you to decide what is the best course of action. One has to know and feel what needs to be done. Indecision and hesitation is a disaster waiting to happen when your sparring. If the knowledge that you need is not at the forefront of your mind, and you find yourself reaching back to remember what to do, you will get hurt. Punches and kicks can reach you in a split second. Opportunities to counter appear and disappear quickly. Blocks have to be fast enough to beat strikes to the point of impact. With this said, it is easy to understand why there is no time for over-thinking inside the ring. A good fighter remains in a state of readiness, so that their actions are in the present and not an after-thought that came too late.

Do not conceive to the point that you miss out on doing.

Never Under-Estimate The Power of Practice

Beginning practitioners of the martial arts and boxing often ask me, "how often should I practice?" I in turn answer them with a question, how good do you want to be?

It has been said that, "a technique is not yours until you have practiced it ten thousand times correctly." Repetition is the tool of permanent impression. One of the training goals for any fighter should be to practice the physical skills of their craft with such frequency and attention to proper form that they no longer have to think about how, when, why and where. In other words, the aim is to rise to a level of proficiency that the execution of kicks, blocks, punches, and footwork become so fluent and effortless, one does not have to give any more conscious consideration to them then they would breathing. To develop this level of skill takes a great deal of time, devotion, and hard work. Any competitor wishing to reach the echelon of their sport must be willing to commit their mind, body and soul toward his/her goals every day, and by virtue of the process they will be rewarded. For it is the pursuit of goals that gives meaning to achievement in the ring and life in general.

Did You Forget That You Could Punch

Shadowboxing is an invaluable training method for learning good punching technique_B-FLX


I am constantly amazed by the lack of punches that are thrown in tournament by Tae Kwon Do competitors, and while recently attending the Captain's Cup Challenge tournament I saw very few exceptions to my opinion. No system of martial arts is perfect. Even if theoretically it were, it would still be flawed by the propensity for human error. It is one thing to say, and entirely another thing to do.

But proposing that a fighter does throw a fundamentally sound technique, it is still not without flaw. Essentially, offense is a measured risk that a fighter takes for the opportunity to score. Every time a punch or kick is thrown there is an opening left at the origin of attack. Simply stated, you temporarily abandon part of your defense for offense. Which is why the recoil of a punch or kick needs to be just as fast as the initiation in order to minimize the amount of time you are left open.

Because initiating action leaves fighters susceptible to retaliation during the transition phases of throwing a technique, counterfighting has become a very popular ring style in Tae Kwon Do. For every action there is a recourse of action. Counterfighting has the advantage of allowing you to maintain your defense while giving you a chance to see what the other competitor is going to throw at you. Safe and simple right? It is not an easy style to master at all. In order to employ this strategy you need to have excellent footwork, speed, and be able to block and counter at the same time. It will take lots of sparring practice to get this style of fighting down-pat. Also, do not think that you cannot be hit on a first strike, just because you have your guards up. Unless you grow another pair of eyes, arms and legs, there is no way that you can defend every part of your body at the same time. That is why it is necessary to shift your guards around to immediate areas of need. A crafty fighter can fake you right out of position and nail you where you least expect it.

Sparring is very much like a chess match. Like the great masters of the game you move around the ring (which is your chess board) summoning your kicks and punches like bishops and knights. Each competitor looking for the right combination of moves that will lead to check-mate, game over. Every game of chess starts both sides off with a full arsenal of a variety of pieces, with various strengths and weaknesses. Thereby, each player begins with an equal amount of weapons at their disposal. Somewhere along the line Tae Kwon Do competitors started leaving some of their chess pieces at home. They have chosen to strictly kick and abandon any idea of throwing punches. I'm not sure how this trend began. Especially, when I consider that practitioners of Tae Kwon Do are taught and drilled on the fundamentals of punching. Basic forms are full of punches. So why competitors do not readily attempt to punch when they get on the inside of an opponent escapes me. The more a fighter can expand and diversify his/her skills and applicable uses, the better the chances of competing well and winning increase. I would like to see fighters get back to basics. Stop being so one dimensional, choosing to only fight from the outside with kicks, and then hold and wait for the referee to come break them up on the inside. What do you think you have two hands for? Ball them up into a fist and punch something.

What Died?, Don't Touch It, Now Go Wash Your Hands

I have worked and trained in many different gyms and health clubs for half my life. The setting, the equipment and the members may be different, but there is always one constant, the smell. The second you enter some gyms the stench of bacteria and germs swimming in pools of sweat, and taking refuge in sweaty towels and clothing enters your nostrils and rips through your respiratory system like the smell of road kill on a hot summer's day. If smell is the strongest sense tied to memory, then there are people I have met in gyms that I will never forget. Aromatic assault should be labeled a crime punishable by death, perhaps a pool of boiling bubble bath. I'm sure there has to be a right to fresh-air law on the books that deals with this sort of thing.

If you take an aerobic class that was preceded by one or more classes, you better have a military-issued gas mask with you. Two dozen or more people exercising in an enclosed area does not make for a bed of roses. It smells more like changing time at a child day-care center. Also beware of the puddles of sweat that have been conveniently left on the aerobic floor for you to slip and fall in.

The worst situation is the person who comes to the gym already stinking to high hell. By the time they finish their workout the funk coming from their body is at Def Com 5. Do these people not smell themselves? Why would you leave the house smelling like that? These are the people that smell so bad, you don't even want to stand in the same area they are in. After they vacate the premises you can still sense their looming scent. You see people looking around and sniffing trying to figure out where the smell of dead fish is coming from.

I think at the end of every gym membership contract should be a disclaimer in bold print that reads air quality not included.

It's Up, Up, Up and Away I Go

Howard University Tae Kwon Do Dojang
Washington, DC
B-FLX/Jump Reverse Turning Kick

When executed well there is no other kick in Tae Kwon Do that delivers as much dramatic lethal force as the reverse turning kick, also known as a spinning wheel kick. The appearance of this technique is so impressive that even if the kick misses its intended target, spectators still, "ooooh" and "ahhh" in amazement. To reap the full rewards of this kick requires core strength, flexibility, balance, sound fundamental execution, and practice, practice, practice. Did I mention the part about practice? The reason I emphasize practice is because learning how to harness the power of the reverse turning kick with precision and accuracy can be a humbling exercise in futility. It is a task that rivals breaking in a wild bronco. To be honest, I was a red belt before I truly felt like I had conscious control over how to bio-mechanically execute this technique, when to use it, and where it would land. There is a basic blueprint for throwing this kick but my observation and experience has taught me that no two martial artists will throw this kick alike. Each practictioner will test and tweak the execution of this technique in his/her own unique way. Some martial artists such as myself will have several different ways to throw the reverse turning kick depending on the situation. I personally like to add a jump to this kick to rise above an opponent's mid-section kick (particularly roundhouses). a move which adds an additional degree of difficulty.

Despite the fact that the kicking leg in a reverse turning kick is straight when it approaches the target, pivotal turning speed is created from a bent knee position. Traditional execution for the reverse turning kick begins by: (1) pivoting the front foot away from the opponent while slightly bending the front knee for balance (2) lifting the back kicking leg in a bent knee position while abducting away from the base leg (the idea is to get your inner thigh to face toward the floor, such as it does when performing a side kick) (3) bringing the kicking leg around 180 degrees in a wide arcing approach toward the intended target (usually this kick is aimed at the head) (4) straightening out the leg at about the half-way point to the target.

When performing this kick one needs to be loose and agile like a whip, tightening only at the point of impact. Stiff robotic movement will not provide the necessary torque and momentum needed for speedy delivery. As your waist starts to turn lean your upper-body back away from your opponent for counter balance as the kicking leg is extending. Leaning back off the kick is how you guide the upward arcing motion of the kicking leg. It will take lots of practice to find the perfect counter balance point. Generally, you will need to lean back further to reach the head of taller opponents and less to reach the head of shorter opponents. So practitioners need to practice throwing their reverse turning kick at targets of various heights.

Focus mitts and kicking paddles should be your targets of choice when practising this spinning kick. These hand held targets allow your kicking foot to follow through the initial strike thereby allowing the flow of momentum to bring your upper-body completely around and back to a recovered state of readiness. Using heavy bags to practice with disrupts momentum on impact, and therefore I discourage the idea of its use for practicing this kick.

I highly suggest that you do not use this kick as an initial first strike but rather employ it as a counter measure. Even though your back is turned during the initiation of this kick for just a split second, a well schooled advisary can take full advantage of this opportunity to strike. In addition, due to the high degree of balance needed to throw the reverse turning kick, fighters often lose their balance in the rotational spin because they miscue counter balancing their body and their kick, thus throwing off their center of gravity. There is no doubt about the amount of damage that can be inflicted by the heel of a foot that comes around like it has been shot out of a cannon and connected to an opponent's chin or face. But if the reverse turning kick is poorly thrown or timed the rebuttal can be devastating. So before you get the notion to throw spinning wheel kicks during a tournament you need to have the fundamentals down-pat, including practicing your footwork (i.e. stepping forward and backward, push-step sliding, and angular movements), as well as timing, and situational use. Remember with great rewards, comes great risk.

Gentle East Taekwondo

Captain's Cup

XIV

Challenge
February 12, 2005

Tournament Director

Master John L. Holloway

www.gentleeast.com

Location

University Of The District Of Columbia

Vaness Campus: Physical Education Bldg # 47

4200 Connecticut Ave NW # 47

Washington DC

Events

**Forms (Creative & Traditional)**

**Breaking**

**Sparring**

Schedule Of Events

• 8:00 - Late Registration ($70.00 1 Event/$10.00 additional cost per event
• 9:30 - Referees Meeting
• 10:00 - 12:30 Forms & Breaking Competition
• 12:30 - 12:45 Opening Ceremonies
• 1:00 - 6:00 Sparring Competition

Spectator Admission

General Admission..............$10.00

Coach's Pass........................$10.00

Students.................................$5.00

Children ages 6 & under..........free

Message To: Linus, Joanne, & G-Unit

From: Brett_FLX

I have tried very diligently to teach you all the necessary skills you will need to successfully compete well not only in this upcoming tournament, but in life in general. I have no doubt that the rapidly approaching occasion will see you each rise to the challenge of your competitors and capture their respect. So win or lose, you will be able to hold your head high knowing you gave your very best.

In the face of adversity and fear, be decisive and self-assured of your training, physical skills, spiritual grounding, and mental clarity.

Quote To Compete By:

In the words of the ancients: "Destiny is decisions made within the space of seven breaths. It is a matter of being determined and having the spirit to break right through to the otherside."

She Has Her Own Collector's Card: How Cool Is That?

Lisa Foster

May 2002 - IFBA Jr. Featherweight Champion

Height: 5' 7"

Born: April 15, 1968: Washington, DC

Manager: Christopher Cruise

Trainer: Hamm Johnson

Meet Lisa "Too Fierce" Foster Washington DC 's own real-life Million Dollar Baby - polished and accomplished as a boxer, business woman, boxing-certified coach, referee, judge, and the mother of two. She lost her pro debut in 1997, but rebounded five years later to headline an internationally televised card on FoxSportsNet. With all eyes on her, she captured the IFBA Jr. Featherweight Title with a 9th round KO of Kathy Williams and rose to the top of the women's professional boxing ranks.

Lisa and I met by pure coincidence two years ago, while I was outside with a client training with the punch mitts. Lisa happened to stroll by in full business atire looking more like a marketing director for a Fortune Five Hundred company than a boxer. She took notice of what I was doing and asked me whether I trained boxers, and if so what gym I trained out of. I gave her my details, and she said she would come check me out. Now these types of casual meetings happen all the time but most of them don't lead to any further discussion or contact. So at the time I didn't take Lisa too seriously and continued on with my day.

A few days later a colleague of mine told me she had a friend who was a professional woman boxer, and she was interested in training with me to work on her conditioning and get some sparring time in before her next fight. I agreed to meet with her and when I did, low and behold it was Lisa. A woman of her word.

The first day we sparred, I knew she was the real-deal. I made the brutal mistake of easing up on my defense, and she made me pay dearly. She dipped under a jab I left out way too long, and came up with an upper-cut that snapped my head back further then it was anatomically designed to go. About fifteen minutes after we finished the session I couldn't move my head to the right or backward without feeling excuriating pain running from my neck to my shoulder. Inflamation pressing on a nerve in my neck caused tingling sensations and numbness in my right forearm and thumb for the next four months. Talk about leaving a lasting impression! The pain would wake me up out of my sleep. Everything I did hurt: sleeping hurt, looking up to my car's rear view mirror hurt, moving my right arm hurt, holding my head up hurt!

Painfully enough, I trained with Lisa for the next couple of weeks. I never told her how much pain I was in, not because of pride. Rather, I wanted to give her every advantage she needed without worrying about holding back during our sparring sessions. After all I didn't want my pain to be for nought; she had to win. So that's how Lisa and I met, and why I will never forget her.

Million Dollar Baby

Last week I was constantly harrassed, strong-armed and quite frankly ordered by my clients, boxing class and girlfriend to go see, "Million Dollar Baby." So on Sunday evening I laced up the Timberland boots, and the Asian-Malaysian Munchkin (girlfriend) and I went stomping through the snow and ice on the mean crime-infested streets of Silver Sprung to make a 10:15 p.m. show. That's not true, Silver Sprung is almost disturbingly ordinary and suburban but for the domestic argument she and I had on the way to the cinema about whose fault it was we were running late (it was clearly her's.) Rest assured there will be no rap songs warning about the dangers of going to Whole Foods, Starbucks, Pottery Barn, or Border's in our neighborhood. It was, however, really as cold as a witch's titty outside.

Anyway, I was determined to end the daily annoying question of, "did you go see Million Dollar Baby yet?" For some reason people I know have this automatic assumption that if some sports related movie comes out, especially if it involves boxing or martial arts, I should be the first in line to go view it.

For those who have not seen the movie yet, I will not give away the so-called twisted ending. I will just convey my general opinons and thoughts. On that note, it sucked, just kidding. It was good, not great, just good. It certainly does not rank among the greatest boxing movies of all time, and it is definitely not worthy of an Academy award. But if you are a fan of boxing or just human drama, in general, you will like this movie. So I will give it two thumbs up. If you do not already know what the movie is about, basically it reflects the story of a down-trodden white trailer park girl who finds her way into the boxing gym with aspirations of becoming a world boxing champion. Hilary Swank plays the role of the female boxer, Maggie Fitzgerald, and Clint Eastwood who directs and also stars plays the role of her trainer, Frankie Dunn. Morgan Freeman, whose character I love, plays a has-been fighter named, Eddie Scrap-Iron Dupris, now relegated to mopping floors and cleaning out spit buckets; sad, but true. You might be surprised at how many ex-fighters end up this way - in jail, or lying across the floor of a crack-house. Which reminds me, thank you mother for providing me with a college education. I love you mom. That concludes this public announcement, now back to the movie. There are some other characters that appear in the movie, but the only one I think worth mentioning is Danger Barch played by Jay Baruchel. This guy is a piece of work. He is a mentally disabled wanna-be fighter with two brain cells, one negative and the other positive with both fighting each other. But Danger is funny with the heart of a lion; how can you not like those personable qualities?

The most interesting things I think you will find out about boxing in this movie are the social dynamics and character of a boxing gym, the often shady business dealings between fighters, promoters and trainers, and the emotional core and substance of the people involved in the sport.

There, I said it, or in this case typed it, my thoughts in a nutshell.

What's In A Name?

Ever wonder how people get their nicknames? Some like Peg-Leg have obvious reasons. But there are always names like D.J. Fuzzy Nipple that escape our reasoning. Titles and nicknames are rarely ones you get to choose yourself. More often they are bestowed upon you by people who prefer to call you something other than your name. It is almost handed to you like a piece of bubble gum, and it just sticks. Nicknames that are born from embarrassing moments you would rather forget about are the worst. I imagine the name Stinky-Dink as an accompaniment to some horrific story involving bathroom tissue sticking out the backside of someone's pants or skirt, and an over-flowing toilet. Not a pleasant thought. Some names describe a person's mental state like Psycho-Girl, Crazy Boy, and M.C. Murder. Although some people think this is cute, I just call it being lazy. You know when you double-up a one syllable name to create Ray-Ray, Tom-Tom, Ce-Ce, and Lu-Lu. How original is that? Put some thought into it, damn it! Then there are the nauseas romantic referrals that include Honey Bunny, Pooh Bear, Sweet Cheeks, Baby Girl and Hot Stuff. Did you ever notice people like to put nicknames together that include two words that rhyme; why is that? Men like to give themselves names that indicate their sexual potency like Ever-Ready, The Razor, The Truth, LL Cool Jay (Ladies Love Cool Jay.) Do not laugh ladies, you do the same thing by calling yourselves 2Sweet, Hot 2 Death, Miz Luvly, and 2Much 4 U. Which brings me to another point. Do not call yourself Dark & Lovely, if you look Black & Ugly. It is just not right to mislead people.

Anyway, enough of that, somewhere in my 60 Minutes Andy Rooney-like tirade I lost track of my point. The reason I started this little tit-bit was because some of the other trainers at work have taken to calling me Coach. Now, I guess I should be flattered by this distinction that I have been labeled with, but I am not. Well, maybe just a little. Traditionally "Coach" is a title you get after years of experience that earns you respect in a particular sport. It is also a sign that you're unable to compete in your sport, and it would be best for you to watch from the sideline. Since I'm still competing, I don't think I'm quite ready for the title of Coach. I may have learned a lot through my training, but I still feel like I have a ways to go. Still, I appreciate the gesture, and I believe it is accompanied by genuine respect. Someday when I am a hundred years old, I may feel ready to answer to the name of Coach. To be a fighter you have to stay hungry, sometimes passion and desire are the only edge you have.