Archive for the ‘Martial Arts’ Category

[I:http://www.mmasportsgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/AlCase18.jpg]This is going to be, for some, an upsetting article on tai chi chuan. I’ve never taken instruction in the art of Tai Chi Chuan, you see, but my tai chi is the best. I don’t mean to be self serving, but let us see if you can find fault with me after you have read how I came up with my tai chi.

I began learning tai chi with a book, Modified Tai Chi for Health by Lee Ying Arng. Every night I spent hours memorizing the form, trying to figure out the applications, trying to figure out the meaning. And, tell the truth, it didn’t mean much.

So I went through books by Chen Man Ching, and I read Chen and Yang and Wu and Sun, but they all spoke this gobbledegook that didn’t make sense. So I began doing my Karate, I had near ten years experience in Kang Duk Won karate, and the thing started to resolve. I was using good, old karate power to juice up the form, and it worked, and then I was able to make what was happening into Tai Chi power.

More important, I was throwing out all the mysticism and bushwah philosophy I read in the books and using something called physics. The martial arts, you see, as transmitted with eastern methodology, are taught through the memorization of random strings of data. In physics you look for a reason, and you find a logic, and you look for a concept.

Now, ancient stories claim tai chi was created in a dream by san feng after he watched a fight between a crane and a snake. Or, it was created by an old, retired general in a village who wanted to make up games for the children. Neither of these concepts can be proven, but we can’t just discount them out of hand.

Maybe the general in Chen village was old, couldn’t do the martial arts the way they should be done, careful not to hurt himself, and actually came up with something. And the vision of the snake and the crane, though I espouse physics I would not disclaim the value of visions, which are the dreams and inspiration of the human race. Still, whether rehabilitation of the aged and injured, or big dreams, tai chi does not make sense without the application of physics.

So this is what I want you to do, I want you to get a book on physics. Make it a simple kids book, simple pictures for illustrations, that sort of thing. It would really help if it was aimed at describing a motor.

Now, go over that book, and make lists of the terms are the same as in tai chi chuan. Rooting is grounding, what are these things called leads, where is the generator, and so on. Do that, and when the deep innards of your tai chi chuan start to reposition, do not come complaining to me.

Al Case has studied martial arts 4O years. He began Tai Chi Chuan in 1974, became a writer for the mags in 1981, and originated Matrixing Technolgy, which is the study of physics in the martial arts. You can get a free ebook on Matrixing at Monster Martial Arts.

Today, weapons that fire hot lead across thousands of yards, destroy cities in a single blast of insane fury, or disable a man without harming him at all are the bread of butter of conflicts the world over. But even though they no longer have a place on the battlefield, there is something noble about the melee weapons that once ruled the battlefield.

It is the weapon of duelists, the sword, that has maintained the greatest popularity in the public eye. Every fantasy hero, every cartoon warrior, has a sword. Using a sword against gun-wielding opponents is particularly popular.

Be it gracefully curved katana from Japan, or brutally efficient zweihander’s from Germany, their is no denying that the sword is the single most dominant melee weapon in popular culture. Even in movies filled with firearms, it is never a surprise to see a suitably epic sword duel between the hero and the villain.

Still, lets not focus solely on the sword; there are other equally important weapons, albeit less popular. The spear is a great example. Almost universally regarded as superior to a sword, a spearman is said to be three times as dangerous as a swordsman of equal talent.

It is for this reason that polearms, from lances to pikes to glaives, have almost always served as the primary weapon of armies everywhere. Add in the relative ease of producing a spear, and it is no wonder they were so popular with the armies of days past.

The last of the popular melee weapon types is bludgeoning and bashing weapons. Maces, morningstars, flails, even some bladed weapons such as axes fall into this territory. While these weapons have their own flaws, their simple efficiency means they cannot be ignored.

And when facing a man wrapped head to toe in steel, a bashing weapon often serves better than any sword could hope to! For this reason, maces were often the preferred sidearm of western knights, overshadowing even the sword in certain time periods.

Finally, lets give a bit of recognition to shields. While not strictly speaking a weapon, a shield is almost unmatched for value in a melee fight, even if they aren’t particularly popular in modern movies and culture.

A top class shield wielded by a skilled fighter can serve to defeat almost any attack, and can even be used as an effective bludgeoning weapon. Though using two swords may be more popular in movies and games, I’ll take a shield in real life any day.

Hopefully you’ve learned a little about melee weapons from this. Though they are no longer practical in today’s world, we can’t just forget about the weapons that have defined our history for thousands of years.

If you still want to learn more about ancient weapons, you should to read my article about Roman Swords and other weapons of the legionnaires.

Everyone should know how to take care of themselves in potentially threatening situations. The future is uncertain and, while there is no need to conjure up horrible scenarios, it is a good idea to prepare yourself for the worst. The possibility of being robbed, mugged or abducted always exists and you would be wise to develop a plan of action for yourself should that situation ever arise.

Ensuring your personal security involves several small steps. Don’t wait to become a victim – research self-defense courses, or invest in pepper spray, a personal alarm or even a stun gun.

One of the most important things to remember when it comes to protecting yourself is that confidence is a huge factor. Criminals specifically seek out victims who appear to be weak or timid in some way. These people get targeted because they appear to be easily overcome and subdued. Reduce your chances of falling victim by appearing confident!

But how does one gain that confidence? The key to confidence is educating yourself and having a plan. If you are prepared, you will not have fear nagging at you when you walk into a dark parking lot. If you are prepared, you can walk across comfortable in knowing that you can protect yourself.

How do you come up with a good plan of action for your personal security? One of the best resources is the internet, where you will find many sites with information on self-defense and tips on protecting yourself and fending off would-be attackers. Doing a simple search will bring up several sites with good information on personal security.

Here are some ideas to get you off to a good start -

- Carry a personal alarm with you. Personal alarms are very effective at communicating distress in the event that your mouth is covered, your voice gives out or you are unable to scream. They are also quite small which makes it convenient to carry them on your keychain or in your purse.

- Invest in pepper spray or a stun gun. Make sure you know whether or not these items are legal to carry in your area.

- Enroll in a self-defense course. These classes will teach you what to avoid, how to protect yourself in various situation and even defense moves and techniques to help you escape from threatening situations.

The old saying “You can never be too careful” certainly holds true. And it is never more relevant than when considering your own personal security. Don’t let another day pass without taking proactive steps to better protect yourself from danger. You will acquire more confidence as you go about your daily and nightly activities. And that very confidence may be just the thing to deter potential criminals and help to keep you safe!

Take charge of your own personal security. Don’t wait till it’s over to organize your personal security training.

Rashad Evans was fighting for respect. He earned it and then some with a devastating 2nd round TKO of Chuck Liddell in the main event of UFC 88: Breakthrough.

If Evans needed any more validation of how little respect he was getting, he could have taken a look at the UFCs text message prediction poll of the main event which favored The Iceman by a whopping 81% to 19% margin. Or he could have listened to the UFC announcers, who had all but penciled Liddell in for a return to light heavyweight title contention after his inevitable victory. Instead of complain, Evans let his fists do the talking and with a perfectly placed overhand right will likely never have to worry about a lack of respect again.

From the opening horn, Evans showed no fear of Liddells once legendary power. Instead, he danced and moved (which was dumbly criticized as showboating by the UFC announce team), using his slick footwork and speed to dart in and out of range of Liddells punches. In the process, he was able to use his superior handspeed to get off first. His punches werent exactly highlight reel power shots at this point, but were nonetheless effective as evidenced by a cut opened under Liddells eye.

The end was to come in the 2nd round. Liddell backed Evans up near the cage wall and went to throw an uppercut. Simultaneously, Evans responded with an overhand right that landed quicker, harder and more accurately. The perfectly placed punch knocked Liddell out cold and referee Herb Dean jumped in to cover him up and wave off the fight without taking a second look.

Rashad Evans raised his record to 17-0-1 with the TKO victory. Liddell, meanwhile, saw his record drop to 21-6″with three of those six losses coming in his last 4 fights.

Liddells loss notwithstanding, it was a good night for UFC veterans as Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson won their fights in impressive fashion. Franklin looked particularly sharp in dismantling tough Matt Hamill, eventually prevailing by 3rd round TKO. Hamill had trouble getting inside for the takedown he needed to compete in the bout, and every time he closed the distance he was met with a barrage of Franklin punches and kicks. Franklin employed leg kicks early on, which obviously hurt Hamills ability to shoot for takedowns and ended the bout with a perfectly placed body kick that had Hamill doubled up and tapping out even as Mario Yamasaki covered the prone fighter.

This was the UFCs first trip to Atlanta and despite a good attendance the crowd itself was somewhat disappointing. In a marked contrast to the knowledgeable and enthusiastic fans at the Target Center in Minneapolis for UFC 87″arguably the best MMA crowd ever at a US venue”the live crowd at Phillips Arena often acted as if they were at a taping of Georgia Championship Wrestling. Every foreign fighter was booed mercilessly”including South Korean Kim. Perhaps the audience didnt realize that South Korea has been a US ally since its establishment after WW II.

More problematic was the crowds utter lack of respect for the fighters postfight. Poor Dong Hyun Kim was booed during his postfight interview–not quite the respect that a 4th degree judo black belt whod just won a very tough fight deserves. Kims treatment by the fans cant be written off as a reaction to a close split decision victory; Rashad Evans was booed after his victory over Liddell, and short of decapitating The Iceman there was no way his win could have been more decisive.

Ross Everett is a staff handicapper for Sports-1 and an authority on NFL football betting. He’s a published expert sports handicapping theory, as well as stock market investing. He contributes to a number of online media outlets providing insight on how to bet on NFL football, MMA and boxing.

Most folk who begin a study of the martial arts are shocked by the wide array of martial arts supplies which both professionals and beginners use regularly. There are lots of different types of gear that will be purchased as well as breaking boards, uniforms, dojo mats, weapons, plus protecting gear.

Just regarding each student of the martial arts will need a uniform. Nearly all uniforms, even known as a gi, are white in color but you are able additionally discover them in other colors. Commonly each martial art discipline will have its own variation on the uniform style. All martial arts uniforms must be sturdy, lightweight, and designed for ease of movement.

Several martial arts students will be trained on the proper use of martial arts weapons. Each style of martial art will have its own sort of weapons that are used. You’ll have to speak together with your instructor to determine which weapons you’ll be using within your study. The yumi, or Japanese bow, is that a very traditional sort of martial arts weapon.

The majority of karate studios can additionally use dojo mats. Here mats are designed to give additional cushion to the surface on that you may be working. This can facilitate reduce your risk of serious injury from a fall. There are many other sorts of dojo mats out there together with grappling, standard, and take down.

Breaking boards are used for many other types of martial arts displays. They are often broken with the feet or hands. The nearly all commonly used kinds of breaking boards are made from wood.

There are numerous other sorts of martial arts equipment available. They are available in a wide array of sizes and materials. A few are designed to be utilized by a particular discipline whereas others may be found in just about any discipline. When buying martial arts provides make sure to purchase those which are designed for the sort of martial art you’re studying.

Obtain all types of wonderful martial arts supplies, and martial arts gifts here. You will not want to miss out on these low-cost prices.

There is this thing called The Way, or The Perfect Art, or The True Art. Oddly, though it is a concept that everybody has a knowledge of, there has never been a real definition for it. Until this article was written.

After all, if there is a definition for The True Art, it will make it that much easier to attain. It is always much easier to find something if you know where it is, or, in this case, what it is. Thus, I offer this article as a definition, and hope that it will speed up your progress to The True Art.

One of the first definitive things I ever hard concerning attaining The True Art was that it can?t be heard. I found this interesting, because while it provided proper instruction in the case of developing an Aikido shoulder roll, it didn?t necessarily hold true in the case of spirit shout, or Kiai. However, I eventually realized that placing the foot firmly without causing excessive sound provided for a purer transmission of energy from and to the ground, and thus was somewhat true, and I was on The Way.

Another definition I came across during my studies was that The True Art cannot be felt. For years I struggled with this concept, working my way through such ideas as Economy of Motion, the most gained for the least effort. Finally I realized that the concept of Do nothing until nothing is left undone, which was written in the Tao, was an attainable.

A tough concept for me to come to grips with was that The True Art could not be seen. This was summed up by one person I met through the oblique statement that energy is invisible. But, with enough practice, you do start to move in a different time frame than non-martial artists, the practice of the martial arts does establish a different universe that does coincide, yet be superior to, the universe in which we all live.

Finally, there is my personal method for encouraging people on this subject of defining The Path of The True Art. I advise students that The True Art is like a wobbling wheel, the less wobble, the more True it is. Thus, through the marriage of physics and our bodies, real time physics can be applied to the measurement and analysis of our motions.

Now, thus far, we have a definition that can?t be heard, felt or seen, but can, after a fashion, be measured. Combine that with the definition of God (that which cannot be named), or the definition of chi (it is everything and everywhere, but it cannot be seen), and we have something that is real in the abstract, and which can be measured. And, thus, we have a definition of The True Art.

In the end, having measured ourselves and sought perfection, we achieve The True Art. The question is how long is it going to take? The measuring methods of ancient cultures often take on the form of mysticism, and so tend to obfuscate as much as enlighten. However, through the religion of physics we can forge our own path, and this path can, indeed, be a speedy path.