From the American Sambo Association's July newsletter, a message from Stephen Koepfer, president of the ASA:

"Summer is in full force which means muggy, sticky and hot training sessions (at
least for us here in NYC!). It is important to remember that your best friend
during humid summer training is WATER. Quite possibly the most important aspect to
your training is keeping yourself hydrated. Without water your body will stiffen
up, lose it's fluidity, function at sub-peak level, and begin to break down like a
car without oil. Sip water continually as you train. I often watch students take
an entire class without water only to gulp an entire bottle (or two) of water once
it is over. This may taste great and feel refreshing, but you are simply giving
yourself a great opportunity to urinate later. Large gulps pass quickly through
your system as waste before much of the water can be absorbed by the areas of your
body that need it. What is essential is that you pace your dehydration throughout
your class. Sip as you go for a more powerful throw!"


Ed. note: Not an endorsement - it's refreshing, but it's still basically sugar water.

And from David Ross, Sanda tournament organizer for the USKBA:

"I was informed that the United Kingdom (UK) branch of the international
Shaolin Kung Fu Federation has the intention of sending a team of fighting monks to
compete in the A division of the 2004 World San Da Championships. This is yet
another international team added to an ever growing list of participants. While
paperwork, visas, etc are still in the process, the current list of those with
intention to compete is over 45 teams from 39 different nations."