What was the most difficult aspect of your M.A. training?

For me it was learning to empty my cup to adjust from a circular style and shorter stances of Kenpo to the Linear deep stances of Shotokan Karate. That was the hardest learning not go be circular and to fight linear and not to use open palms or soft blocks and techniques.

Now I can do it but that was the hardest transition for me.

(Hey Jason) I know what you mean, I can use both now fluently too but boy what a change it was after years of one way to relearn a whole new way to walk, breather and move. so opposite in many ways yet the same too, I am glad I learned both as I am sure you did, makes us more open I think)

The hardest part of my Judo training is succesfully nailing down a perfect technique in live practice, not when the other guy is just standing there waiting for me to carry out the move on him.

Nailing down a good technique in live practice has got to be the most challenging in all martial arts that I have practiced, Tae kwon do, Judo, BJJ, and Kung fu.

Mine is the opposite of Wolf's-- going from the linear techniques of Shotokan to the more circular ones in Northern Shaolin Kung-Fu. Luckily my muscles started cooperating with me after only a few lessons.

Now I have an easier time doing the kung fu techniques, but I can still easily perform the linear techniques of Shotokan.

Oh and the forms training in kung-fu is alot harder than I expected. The beginning forms seem to be as difficult as Shotokan's intermidiate/advanced katas!

For me the hardest part was finally graduating and joining the real world. But the hardest part of the actual program was accounting. After that, the next hardest part was writing the thesis. Defending the thesis in front of peers and professors was nerve wracking but it only lasted a couple of hours. It turns out that when you spend a year working so hard on one topic, you really get to know it!

OH got it! Was a great question from my view though.

The mental discipline was the hardest for me, having the will to continue despite fear or exhaustion was the hardest. Once I got over that, the endurance part became easy. Before, I was used to quick spurts of energy and to try to end it as quickly as I can, that as in boxing, when it came to lasting the whole 12 rounds, I was spent and couldn't even raise an arm up to defend myself. Once I got the idea of pacing myself and learning how to relax while under stress, it became easier to hurdle physical obstacles.

I think it was probably getting used to taking a hit. I'm not talking about a controlled half speed strike. I mean full speed, full power, hardcore strikes. Way back when I started training we didn't use things like pads or gloves. Protection, was you blocking the strike.

the most difficult aspect of my ma training was the training itself. it just wasnt up to my standards. i used to train in tkd and the training was such a breeze, it was so easy and that just aint me. i love training but i have to train hard otherwise i dont feel 100%. and there wasnt anyone really good to spar with, it was kind of pathetic. i ended up quitting (no tournaments sux), thank god for that

The sparring, because it was never my favorite thing to do, i rather do the fans, the sword, and the nun-chucks It's cool what you can do with fans, like the ones Kitana uses in Mortal Kombat

Showing up for class when it was the absolute last thing I wanted to do that day. Those were the days I learned the most.

Getting in condition! I was in such bad condition in upper body strength but I really appreciate all the push ups and abd crunches now!