Generating discussion on this forum

[CSta]

I've been quietly enjoying this website for about a year now, and I am unhappy with how quiet this forum has become. I've learned quit a bit here. In fact, everything I know about exercise science, including other authors' works, I learned by reading everything on the Stadion website. The information here has enabled me to transform from a tired, injured, directionless, and uneducated beginner into an energetic, healthy, knowledgeable beginner several months into a rational plan to achieve my goals. I have Mr. Kurz to thank for all of that. Thank you, Mr. Kurz.

I suspect that there are many like me who visit this forum on a regular basis and would love to participate but who do not, for whatever reason. I would like change this trend. I would like to see this forum alive again. I'd like to learn even more than I have so far, and I'd like to share the knowledge and experience I've gained with those who ask for it. I'm going to do 2 things. I'm going to make suggestions for jump starting this forum (below), and I'm going to start posting. I ask that everyone who cares about this forum do the same.

The following are suggestions for the "powers that be" to consider, which I hope will (1) be adopted, and (2) work to increase the exchange of thoughts, ideas, information, and experiences here.

1. There are too many categories of topics in which to create threads. I counted 39 of them. I find the shear number of categories daunting, and I imagine a new person desiring to post finds it daunting as well. Figuring out where to post becomes a chore. My recommendation is to reduce the number of categories and broaden their scope: Here are my suggested categories.

a. Introduce Yourself. Tell us who you are, what your doing, what you'd like to learn, what your goals are, maybe even your physical stats if you so choose. Important to this category is that someone greet the new person and do so with a smile. Welcome to the site! There's plenty of information to help you here. Check out the Articles in the Column link from the main page! Your question about ___ is answered in this or that thread or in this or that article. Enjoy!

b. Publications and Articles. Talk or ask questions about a book, dvd, or one of the many articles you read on this site. Request an article too!

c. Training Logs (yeah, I know there already one, but it's buried at the end). It needs to be more inviting. Post your training logs here! Ask for comments or tell us to shut up!

d. Flexibility and Stretching.

e. Strength (put everything strength related here. Max strength, hypertrophy, muscular endurance, speed, power)

f. Endurance (both anaerobic and aerobic. don't need two separate categories)

g. Nutrition (just one category please)

h. Injuries (same)

i. Videos and pictures (send us pictures of your progress! Send a video showing your workout, or your kick and we'll help!)

j. General discussion (Does your dojang suck too? It is awesome?!! Or did someone cut you off on the way to work today and you need to rant? Do it here. Anything goes)

k. Announcements (for example, New Book!)

Those are my recommended topics. They're pretty easy to understand, don't you think, compared to what exists now? I have three other suggestions, too.

First, I want a kinder, gentler Mr. Kurz. Mr. Kurz, every time you criticize a poster, you lose a customer or a repeat customer, and you might lose more than one, because you lose our respect. And you should know the following rule of marketing, being a business person: People will buy products from people they like; they will tend not to buy products from those they do not like. I expect to be treated kindly and respectfully now matter how ridiculous my question, no matter how obvious the answer. By using sarcasm, you discourage further questions and conversation. What may seem obvious to a person who has made exercise science their field of expertise may seem like a complete mystery to the rest of us. A short cheerful answer takes no more time than any other type of answer. Make us feel welcome and happy to be here. Encourage us to stay; don't tell us to go away.

Along those lines, you may find it helpful to soften your image. How about smiling in your videos? How about a conversational tone? For the splits video, how about wearing regular workout clothes, instead of a black, hit-man like suit. If you want people to participate here, you've got to appear approachable, nice, gentle, helpful, just like in the trailer for the Secrets of Stretching video. You're smiling there.

Second, Mr. Kurz, write more articles, like the one your wrote in your blog. If you find it difficult to come up with topics, ask for requests. You might even consider asking for people to submit articles for your approval and publication. Write anything that's likely to generate discussion. They can even be short, a paragraph, as long as it likely to generate discussion.

Third, Mr. Kurz, please use your blog, not to talk about exercise science, but to tell us what you do from time to time. Post your training log. Tell us about Vermont! Anything. The more people know about you (within reason), the more they will want to participate here.

Mr. Kurz, please consider all of this. I'd really like to see this forum become a hotbed for discussion; you and this website have done so much for me.

Sincerely,

CSta

[elskbrev]

Well, now, that kind of commentary could start a hotbed of discussion.

Wow, I’ve followed Kurz’ work for even longer than you have, and it never once dawned on me that this guy needed a makeover. I generally agreed with those who said he’s a good coach who knows his game and his work sells on its merit, not hype.

Personally, I’m not exactly looking for what is primarily a feel-good training experience at the dojang; I want expert coaching and results. Kurz' criticisms of “fake martial artists” or incompetent, undereducated instructors are often, as you can personally testify, too painfully true. If he is the only expert who comes right out and uses such strong words to say so, that doesn’t particularly bother me. I would rather take raking criticism that I can then use to improve my work from someone who knows how to coach, than soft advice from a master too afraid to hurt my feelings for fear I might not like coming to his classes anymore or stop showing up to pay a fee regularly for the privilege of getting a new belt color.

There is a lot of good information on this forum, and maybe it could be organized differently, but I find it easy enough to navigate as it is. Often topics by their very nature must overlap, but you can search on key words to find these when they post under multiple headings.

I took notes on your recent posts, and appreciate your transparency. (Last time I injured my ham, I didn’t even want to fess up exactly as to what it was specifically that I actually did. Suffice it to say, there is no substitute for good coaching at all levels of fitness.)

Welcome to the forum, keep posting, and best of luck with your training. Sounds like you are making sound progress so far.

Cindy

[CSta]

Whew! Thanks for responding, Cindy. My post was prompted by Mr. Kurz's email regarding his blog. It sounded a little somber. I agree with everything you said. See you around the forum.

[Caleb]

To be honest, I love Mr. Kurz' sarcasm and general cheekiness, I usually just laugh instead of taking offense. In fact, that's the first thing I liked when I started reading his book and watching the videos.

[CSta]

To be honest, I love Mr. Kurz' sarcasm and general cheekiness, I usually just laugh instead of taking offense.

Showing respect and courtesy to your colleagues, clients, subordinates, and superiors is part of being a professional.