The Gauntlet of Links

Vacation week in Maine has been hectic to say the least. When you work at a ski mountain, the action is non-stop all week. Every morning I was fitting rental skis to guest. In the after noon I would take the guest on the ziplines. Finally at night, I sold tickets. 12 hour days all week.

Today is my day of rest so I caught up on all my favorite blogs and I am going to share the best with you.

Kuwait Karate Journal wants you to know how fit you really are. Take the US Army fitness test twice a year to gauge your fitness.

Over at ExploringKarate, Steve will take you through his planned workout with a free standing bag. He says, "You can feel and see when a technique connects well and work to improve it."

At the Knockdown Fighter board, join the discussion of you most favorite and least favorite techniques. My most favorite (today) is inside leg kick, my most hated, spinning hook kick. I just can't seem to get it.

Want a new workout gadget but don't want to spend the cash? How about a new TRX suspension trainer? the guys at Homemade Gym Stuff will show you how.

My favorite topic, food. So how does a fighter gain weight and build muscle? Mark Sisson will tell you how without all the white carbs that does your body no good.

REVIEW ~ Zengu ~Wholesale Gear For Dojo Owners

There is a new site for dojo and gym owners called Zengu. It is the collaboration of three popular online stores  KarateDepot, BoxingDepot and MMAOpinion. I have to say, that as a web designer, I really like this site. It is easy to navigate, the color scheme is simple and easy on the eyes.

Sometimes when searching for a wholesale resource for our dojo, we must supply proof that you are a business BEFORE you can even look around and see prices. Not with Zengu. Zengu allows you to see everything up front. There are no surprises, and no having to jump through hoops just to see if you want to shop with them. Shop all you want, place items in your cart, fool around with shipping option and when you are satisfied, fax in your proof of business.

Agility Ladder D.I.Y. Under $10 Under 1 Hour

Agility Ladder D.I.Y.
While coming up with a new exercise to introduce to the kickboxing class I was going to teach, I found some agility drills that used a flat ladder. So I went looking for a ladder at my nearest mall and found two at Dick's Sporting Goods. GoFit was $49.99 and the Champion, $64.99.  I was applaulled at the price. Some canvas straps and flat plastic for $65?! Crazy.

So I headed to the nearest craft store and picked up a large piece of plastic canvas (7 Count 13-5/8"X21-5/8" - Clear) for $1.19 and 10 yards of 1 inch webbing for $8.30 ($.83/yard). All you need for equipment is a regular pair of siccors and a small pair of siccors (I used manicure siccors)