David DiBella's Blog

Spot reduction myth....

info@TMAFitness.com — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 12:18:00 GMT

Contrary to what the infomercials suggest there is no such thing as spot reduction. Fat is lost throughout the body in a pattern dependent upon genetics, sex (hormones), and age. Overall body fat must be reduced to lose fat in any particular area. Although fat is lost or gained throughout the body it seems the first area to get fat, or the last area to become lean, is the midsection (in men and some women, especially after menopause) and hips and thighs (in women and few men). Sit-ups, crunches, leg-hip raises, etc. will only exercise the muscles under the fat.

The rules have changed...

info@TMAFitness.com — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 14:20:00 GMT

Someone had dumped bags and boxes of their "trash" at my business. As standard operating procedue, I typically get their name and address off of a piece of mail that is in the trash and give them a friendly call letting them know they have about 12 hours to come and retrieve their "trash." However, what I found on this particular day was extremely disturbing.

Talk yourself into things....

info@TMAFitness.com — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 15:12:00 GMT

Several weeks ago I had some boards left over from a demonstration. We do not normally break boards in class but I gave a few of the students an opportunity to break the remaining boards. I purposely chose those students who I knew were intimated by board breaking. Breaking is mostly mental. Several of the students approached the break by saying "I can't do this" and "I am worried about hurting my foot". Without exception those who were "talking themselves out of success" before they attempted to break failed. Those students who were positive broke their boards without a problem.

Often we times we set ourselves up for failure by focusing on the negatives. Stay positive and approach challenges by talking yourself "into" being successful.

Perseverance is key....

info@TMAFitness.com — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:59:00 GMT

A popular debate amongst martial artist is which style is the best. This is a debate that I stay out of, as there are so many variables such as for what situation, quality of instruction, skill level, etc. Rather, I believe that most styles have merit and if a student has the discipline and perseverance to train long-term and become proficient in the "basics" than he/she will be better served then by chasing the latest and greatest short-term fad. If you distill it all done,most styles have the same "basic" techniques - kicks, blocks and strikes. If you become proficient in the basics, you will be well on your way to becoming a proficient martial artist.

Anything but a journey of one....

info@TMAFitness.com — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 12:29:00 GMT

It is not uncommon for people to tell me that they or their child is not into "group activities" and are interested in the martial arts because it is an "indiividual" activity. Is this really true of the marital arts? Absolutely not. Yes, it is true that a martial artist is responsible for execution of technique. But one must ask the question, "How far will a martial artist go without the support and interaction of fellow martial artists?". Not far, that is for sure.

Being a martial artist is a way of life. The journey is one often filled with sacrifice, adversity and hard work. There are any number of obstacles that stand in they way of becoming a proficient martial artist. Being successful in the martial arts requires a network of support, from family, friends, fellow students and your instructor.

No matter what obstacle you face, it's most likely that someone you're training with has faced and overcame the same obstacle. It's always good to leverage the exprience of others. Having said this, the next time you step onto the training floor go out of your way to build relationships with your fellow students, as doing so will make you a better martial artist!

Young People Doing the Extraordinary

info@TMAFitness.com — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 04:22:00 GMT

About a week ago I took two of my young students to do a martial arts demonstration at a local elementary school. Both of the students are 10 years old and have been training for 4 years. They train primarily with adults and work at an intensity level well beyond their years.

For one of the students, it was his first demonstration. He was nervous to put it mildly; the people, the pressure, doing a board break and all the worries of making a mistake in a gym full of people. This young man put all that aside and made his break on the first attempt. Although the demonstration appeared to be for a gym full of school children, it was just as much of a learning experience for this young student. He was faced with the pressure of an unkown, overcame his nerves and performed well. Life-based reality traning at its best.

The other student, a young girl, is no stranger to demonstrations. As always, she did an exceptional job. The gym floor was polished and slick. She did a flying side kick for her break and upon landing, her foot slipped and she fell flat on the floor. The loud noise brought the gym to a silence. However, she jumped up and was fine. Later that week, I watched the video of the break. As she landed on her back from about 3 feet in the air, she executed a perfect break fall. Her natural reaction to break her fall was instinct, made possible by years of hard training. However, the most amazing part of her performance was not apparent. After the demonstration, her parents came up to me and told me that she would not be in class the next day because she was sick with the stomach flu! Most children would have used the illness as a reason to not do the demonstration. This young girl never once told me she was sick. Rather, she mentally put the fact that she was not feeling well aside and delivered.

Fast forward 1 week and the phone rings. It was a parent calling who had seen the demonstration. She said that she was amazed watching the level of discipline with which these two young students demonstrated the martial arts and wanted the same for her two children. The call ended with her telling me that it was so nice to see young people doing extraordinary things.

Young people doing extraordinary things, that's what the martial arts is about......

The Danger of Falling Into a Routine

info@TMAFitness.com — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 01:43:00 GMT

it is very easy to get comfortable with your workout routine. Whether you're a weightlifter, kickboxer or martial artist, it is always important to not get into a groove where everything becomes routine and "comfortable". One must constanly push to go faster, kick harder and to do things you couldn't do the day before. It is common to see martial artists who can throw very good kicks that are chest high. They settle on that heigth and never try to kick higher, faster or from a different angle. The same goes for those into strength training. When a set of reps gets comfortable, add some weight and try to go up.

The new year is well under way so it's the perfect time to set some new goals. Yesterday's workout routine is just that, yesterday's.

Framing Your Training in Reality

info@TMAFitness.com — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 16:11:00 GMT

Many times as martial artists we practice techniques over and over again in the hopes of achieving maximum speed, power and focus. However, it is imperative that we keep in mind that a vast majority of the time the most picture-perfect technique is not going to win the confrontation. When the stakes are high and and you are being attacked, speed is of the essence. As students, we must understand the importance of linear movements. Wrapping up and powering technques with an extreme waist twist will add a lot of power to your technique. However, all of the power in the world will do you no good if you are struck in the process of generating the power and are unable to deliver the technique. The fastest way to get from point A to point B is a straight line. Keep this in mind the next time you deliver a technique that has to land as quickly as possible.

Giving Back

info@TMAFitness.com — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 16:09:00 GMT

It's easy to view our training, whether it be martial arts or physical fitness, as an individual endeavor. Sometimes we lose sight of the fact that we have all had individuals in our lives who have provided inspiration and guidance needed to help us achieve our goals. It is important that we too provide leadership to others. Leadership can be in the form of hard work and dedication that provides an example to others. Also, leadership can be in the form of mentoring. We can take others under our wings or lend a helping hand and share our knowledge.

We never really fully understand something until we teach it. I remember when I started teaching Tae Kwon Do. Students would ask questions regarding technique. Even though I spent years training and the techniques in question were ingrained in my memory and could be performed without thinking, I often had difficulty articulating how it was done. Students would ask, "How do I get from position A to position B?". I would have to run through it in mind and break down what had become second nature. Teaching forced me to revisit all the details and view my training from others' perspectives. Teaching is the natural progression of one's training.

I have been extremely fortunate to have had a great teacher, Master Yong Taek Chung, and view teaching others as the only way to thank him for what he has given me.

The Importance of Milestones

info@TMAFitness.com — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 16:04:00 GMT

Often times we desire to achieve a goal that at first seems too difficult to achieve. Not much time passes that a student doesn't express interest in obtaining a black belt or reaching a fitness goal, whether it be losing that last 5 pounds or increasing endurance. Almost without exception the same sentiments are echoed: "I could never get in the shape I want to be in, it's been so long since I last worked out.", "Training is difficult now, I can't even imagine getting a black belt." and the list goes on.

The underlying problem is constant. It is human nature to focus on the end game. Time and energy needs to be directed towards breaking the lofty goal into smaller, more easily obtainable goals or milestones. Milestones serve several purposes. First of all, milestones are easier to achieve than the end goal. Milestones provide a sense of accomplishment and motivation to keep us working towards the larger goal. Second, milestones provide much needed "checkpoints" which allow us to determine if we are on track to achieve exactly what we set out to accomplish. We are all guilty of setting long term goals without a means to track our progress towards achieving those goals. Milestones solve this problem.

Imagine going up to a child who was starting grade school and explaining to him that after he finsihed the first grade he would study and go to school until graduating from high school with no interim grades. That's twelve years with interim milestones. The same holds true for martial arts. A black belt would be harder for most to achieve without interim belts. Belts provide smaller achievements which add up to the desired outcome, the black belt.

We must never lose sight of the fact that we can achieve most things with proper planning and hard work.