Bruce Lee Statue
The term "martial arts" generally refer to the study of war. But for many people, the martial arts mean more than simply fighting. Martial arts, to them, mean "the art of survival." One way to learn how to survive is to learn how to defend yourself.
But many martial arts were developed back when conventional weapons and hands and fists were used to dominate other people. Today's world is drastically different. If you want to become a world-class survival artist in the modern world, you have to embrace not only martial arts, but knowing how to avoid trouble in the first place and build a secure, balanced life. Here's how you can hone your survival skills outside of the conventional martial arts.
Learn urban and rural survival skills. Sure, you may be a good martial artist, but if you're ever caught in a tough situation in an urban environment, could you survive with your wits alone? Urban survival can include different skills such as blending in with the crowd, learning how to escape a city, and using technology to your advantage. Rural survival skills are also crucial, as you never know when you might get trapped in a survival situation far from the comforts of civilization.
Learn financial survival skills. The economic crisis that the world sunk into last year is a wake-up call: today's financial world doesn't stand on stable ground, and all of the martial arts skills in the world won't help you retain your bank account should a bigger crisis hit. How protected is your financial situation? If you lose your job, will you be out of money in a hurry, or do you have emergency funds saved? Do you have all of your money in cash, or do you diversify with commodities like gold and silver?
Avoiding danger, even while traveling. It's not possible to always avoid danger, but that doesn't mean you should walk into the rough part of town simply because you have a black belt. A wise martial artist knows how to avoid danger in the first place, even if you're in places that you don't know quite as well as your home. Make sure that you generally avoid bad areas, rough situations, and, when overseas, areas where tourists are constantly targeted. Information is valuable, so ask around if you're not sure.
The modern renaissance man won't only know how to defend himself, but how to protect himself and his lifestyle. Being able to block a punch is great, but achieving more balance can help you survive other threats to your livelihood.
Photo Credits: juanma.
This post involves:
... and focuses on:
Posted by Martial Arts Karate Kung Fu on January 26, 2010 in
Martial Arts, Survival Skills
Class
You may know martial arts, but no one ever told you about the "market arts." If you believe that you have something to teach people, and have the means to do it, but simply lack one thing - students - then you're probably the exact kind of person who could use a quick marketing lesson. But what marketing tactics are best for local martial arts classes, and what will actually deliver results? You're about to learn.
Learn how to provide something for nothing. The old saying tells us that there's no such thing as something for nothing, but if you want to spread word-of-mouth about your martial arts class, you'll have to suspend your disbelief. Why? You can't expect someone to up and register to your class simply because you believe it will help them. You have to actively demonstrate that you have real value to share. The best way to do that? Provide a free sample!
A free martial arts demonstration utilizes the same principle as the sample lady at your local grocery store: giving out something for free attract peoples' attention; once you have them reeled in, you want to tell them why they should pay you for more. This is a great way to get your foot in the door and if you're just starting out as a martial arts instructor, it's probably a necessity. Never underestimate the value you can get out of doing work for free!
Develop a full program. If you embrace the principle above but fail to deliver on the content once your students sign up to your class, you'll quickly find yourself in need of more marketing. Instead of waiting around for people to become great students themselves, make your program as good as you can make it. Make it comprehensive, challenging, but also common sense. Then, take this program and give out as much information on it as possible.
This, again, represents the "something-for-nothing" principle listed earlier on: if you can give away as much information as possible, and your information is high-quality, then people will want more, and they'll want personal instruction. Give away everything but the meat itself, and people will be more interested in your class than you might have thought. Then make sure that you class delivers on its promises so that students spread the word.
Photo Credits: Listen Missy!
This post involves:
... and focuses on:
Posted by Martial Arts Karate Kung Fu on January 19, 2010 in
Martial Arts
No escape.
Learning the martial arts doesn't only teach you how to better understand your own body, it helps you to understand both your environment and your situation. A good martial artist is always keen on the situation he's in, and being able to read things like body language and the lay of the land will help you if you ever end up in a pickle. Of course, it's always best to use prevention to avoid a fight, but you will want to be aware of your surroundings in a potential combat situation. Here are a few quick tips.
Find an escape route. Maybe you don't like to think of yourself as the type of person to run, but having an escape route can be necessary to your survival. Especially if you're not in a fair fight to begin with. Survey your surroundings so you know where to make a quick getaway if necessary, especially in potential trouble areas like rowdy bars and alleys. You'll also want to get out of sight as fast as possible, not simply escape, so be sure you know how to do that, as well.
Read peoples' body language. You should be able to read body language to the point where you can start to intuitively feel peoples' inner attitudes and emotions. If you start to perceive a threat from someone else, or know if someone is watching you, it will help you trigger your inner "alert" and let you know that you might need to get ready for a combat situation. Reading body language will also help you better understanding logistics, such as by seeing where your enemy looks - he might tip you off to the presence of a few of his allies.
Know your blind spots. When you're driving on the highway, you know where your blind spot is. But if you enter a new area, you don't really know, so you'll want to check. It's good to know the situation, but if you have a few blind spots, that means you face the unknown. As a general rule, it's usually a good idea to try and have as few blind spots as possible. If you do have them, be aware of where they are so that you can check them in a hurry if need be.
Reading a combat situation means that you should be shrewd. Know when the odds are stacked against you, read the logistics, and keep your emotions out of play. The better you understand the situation, the better chance of survival you'll have.
Photo Credits: SarahCartwright
This post involves:
... and focuses on:
Posted by Martial Arts Karate Kung Fu on January 12, 2010 in
Attack, Combat, Defend, Martial Arts
Muay Thai
The martial arts have been developing for thousands of years, so it makes sense that in today's culture, you can find so many disciplines and sub-disciplines within the "martial arts" realm. But what kind of martial arts define what is going on today, and what are people interested in learning? Some of the answers may surprise you. Here are some of today's most popular martial arts, and the countries of their origin.
Muay Thai. Famously associated with Thailand - heck, it is called "Thai" land - Muay Thai is a type of fighting style that you'll hear a lot about if you tune into today's mixed martial arts events. It is similar to kickboxing in its style and makes an emphasis that just about any limb or part of the body can be used as a weapon against your opponent.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu. If you haven't heard of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, then it's probably fair to say that you don't pay much attention to mixed martial arts. Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a vital component to many fighters' style, including fighters like B.J. Penn and Wanderlei Silva. Country of origin? Brazil, of course, where it continues to thrive.
Tae Kwon Do. Loosely translated as "the way of the fist and foot" or the art of punching and kicking, Tae Kwon Do is traditionally associated with South Korea, coming to more popularity after the end of World War II. In the United States, you'll be able to find a variety of Tae Kwon Do classes, even if there might not be any Karate classes to sign up to!
Karate. Speaking of Karate - originating in Okinowa - one of the world's most famous martial arts emphasizes fighting without weapons. If you find yourself in a self-defense situation with no weapons, then your body and the world around you have to become your weapons. That's the philosophy behind Karate, which is a style of martial arts practically synonymous with the phrase "martial arts" in the first place.
Judo. Also originating in Japan, Judo is a type of fighting that emphasizes using an opponent's strength and weight against him. You'll find this kind of strategy also emphasized in the always-popular jiu-jitsu. Judo also emphasizes submissions and locks as part of someone's weapons against opponents who may be more powerful than yourself.
Photo Credits: loura
This post involves:
... and focuses on:
Posted by Martial Arts Karate Kung Fu on January 5, 2010 in
Jiujitsu, Judo, Kickboxing, Martial Arts, Muay Thai, Tae Kwon Do, karate
Martial Arts
We've come to associate the phrase "martial arts" with a certain type of fighting - usually the styles that originated in the Far East. But when it comes to this unique field of study, we might not know as much as we think we know. The popularity of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) today has brought more martial arts to Western culture, but there's always room to learn more! Here are five facts about martial arts that you probably didn't know.
1. The term "martial arts" simply refers to all types of combat. Getting the word from Mars, the Roman god of war, the world "martial" generally refers to all things conflict. So the "martial arts" generally translates as "the conflict arts," or the art of combat. If someone asked you to name a martial art, you might tell them Kung Fu or Karate - but the martial arts aren't limited to the styles of the Far East. Fencing is as much a martial art as ninjitsu, for example.
2. Martial arts with codes of conduct generally are linked to the Far East. Philosophies in the Far East, including Daoism and Confucianism, have an influence on how we view traditional martial arts - as having a code of discipline or set of moral principles. This is not a requirement of a martial art, however.
3. Much of the martial arts developed through trade. Though you don't often associate trading with martial arts, many styles did develop partially due to the influence of expanding trade. For instance, many martial arts of China and India were developed in the areas near the Silk Road.
4. Today's revival of interest in martial arts is largely due to Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee, a film star and martial artist in the 1960s and 1970s, had a lot to do with the recent rise in interest in the martial arts. He is also sometimes credited with bringing about the idea of "mixed martial arts," or martial arts that borrow from different disciplines in order to create a more ideal discipline.
5. Martial arts are constantly evolving. Though some disciplines stay true to their heritage, today's modes of combat change with technology. With advanced robotics and satellite linking, navigation and manual tasks can often be lead to robots rather than people.
Photo Credits: MorroBayChuck
This post involves:
... and focuses on:
Posted by Martial Arts Karate Kung Fu on December 29, 2009 in
Martial Arts
Kung fu.
When people think of martial arts, they often think about the iconic disciplines associated with it. These include the always-famous karate and, of course, kung fu. Kung fu is actually a term that refers to Chinese martial arts - the translation comes across as something like "human achievement," which actually suggests kung fu is viewed as a sort of universal skill of sorts.
If you're a kung fu student and want to prepare your body for what's going to be coming to you, you need the right exercising habits. After all, you wouldn't do squats to prepare for a ping pong tournament, would you? Here are some very important ways to train for your kung fu pursuits.
Kung fu is about action, but remember that action requires rest. Before you go off and exercise four hours a day, every day, remember that your body needs recuperative time in order to adjust to the new demands you place on it. When you work a muscle, you place demands on that muscle and your body is forced to adjust during a rest period by adding more strength to your muscle. Kung fu will constantly remind you that action is important, but remember that conscious action and conscious relaxation - relaxation aimed at improving yourself, not relaxation as a crutch - will help your body become strong and powerful.
Keep your breathing in tune with your mind and your body. Breathing has a powerful place in kung fu, so it will be important for you to exercise in conjunction with how your mind and body feel. If you can focus all of them onto the task at hand, your discipline will improve and your exercising will be more effective. Concentrate on breathing well; ask your instructor if you want some tips.
Understand that strength is something that is maintained, not built. Sure, you build muscles, but if you want to embrace the full discipline of a kung fu student, you'll need to remember that strength is maintained by constant action, not by building something in one day and expecting it to last a lifetime. This means your exercising will need to be a regular habit, as will your striving to improve yourself.
If you stop going to the gym, your muscles weaken from less frequent use. Your life is often like this in other areas as well, so remember this powerful lesson.
Photo Credits: mK B.
This post involves:
... and focuses on:
Posted by Martial Arts Karate Kung Fu on December 22, 2009 in
Martial Arts, karate
Confidence or Cockiness?
In the world of martial arts, as with many other pursuits that involve a skill, people want to know the "tricks" right away. They want to know how to punch, how to block, and how to put their fist through a plate of wood. This is similar to an investor who's just starting out and simply wants to know how to "pick the right stocks." Life isn't so simple. With any pursuit or discipline, there are certain fundamentals to be achieved that fuel the "tricks" or techniques and make them work in the first place. In martial arts, one of those fundamentals is learning how to be confident and not cocky.
In Bruce Lee's "Jeet Kune Do," he strove to create a type of martial art that would incorporate the others, not striving to be flashy at all, but instead simply be the most effective as possible against an opponent. In Lee's own philosophy, he told people that they should strive to be like water, in that water is flexible, ever-flowing, but can also be focused to make a formidable force.
Understanding confidence from this perspective is important. The urge to dominate other people is not what defines martial arts - if that were the case, then you've come to the wrong place. Instead, true confidence comes from discovering the power within yourself to create a true system of self-defense that simply works.
What is that system? True self-defense would mean never fighting; living a life of peace. And many martial arts stress that the warrior is meant to be at peace, and that war is what happens when people fail to achieve it.
Can you tell the difference between confidence and cockiness in this context? A confident martial artist will have no need to show off their fighting skills; a cocky martial artist, who is not confident but instead feels the need to prove something, is actually less effective because of his or her arrogance.
Embrace the functional ideas of Jeet Kune Do; strive for what works, not what impresses other people. If you're in martial arts to become cocky, you're in the wrong discipline. If, however, you want to learn martial arts in order to gain confidence, then you're on the right path. Find a martial art that aligns with your values of true self-confidence, not something that feeds your ego's need to dominate other people. You'll learn that self-confidence was the true path all along.
Photo Credits: Igor Bespamyatnov
This post involves:
... and focuses on:
Posted by Martial Arts Karate Kung Fu on December 15, 2009 in
Attitude, Martial Arts
Bullying.
There's a general principle that seems to stand the test of time, and it goes like this: prevention is better than repair. Many of the disciplines within martial arts take on this attitude - in order to cultivate a true method of self-defense, the wise person lives a peaceful life of confidence and calmness. But that doesn't mean all of your friends always will. So if you want to fix a potential fight before it breaks out, you've come to the right place.
What starts a fight in the first place? If you're of a certain age, then alcohol can be one of the leading contributors - two men fighting over a girl, for example, is a frequent theme around the world's bars and pubs. Understanding that alcohol can lead to these situations will hopefully encourage you to drink moderately, even when out with friends; losing control is exactly what the martial arts ask you not to do.
When you feel a fight coming on - and it's usually detectable simply by feeling the tension in the room, or observing the startled, frozen reactions of "bystanders" who are simply witness to it - it's time to be the calming presence. It's tempting to use your confidence gained through your mastery of martial arts in order to assert yourself over two people who are about to fight, but this can often just add fuel to the fire. There's already too much testosterone in the air, and the wise martial artist knows that more testosterone is not the answer.
So what do you do? You stay calm and try to shake the attention of the two fighters away from each other. If you have other people around, you enlist their help to separate the two fighters away before they can start hitting. It's important to stay calm and relaxed so that you don't add any more tension to a rope that's about to be cut - figuratively speaking, of course.
As mentioned already, prevention is the best way to avoid fighting anyone. Fights are generally a bad idea, as you never know when a stranger has friends waiting in the corner, or a weapon located on their person. Avoid them at all costs, and do it through a clear presence of mind, using other people to your advantage, and not adding any fuel to the fire. This should help you in the future.
Photo Credits: Chesi - Fotos CC
This post involves:
... and focuses on:
Posted by Martial Arts Karate Kung Fu on December 8, 2009 in
Attack, Defend, Martial Arts, Sparring
Karate in Action.
Many of us have heard of martial arts films. We've seen them, we've heard of fighting styles like karate, kung fu, and tae kwon do. However, if we were ever asked to differentiate between the styles, how many of us in the west would really know how? We throw out the term "karate" as if it applies to any traditional Eastern fighting style, but karate is actually a style distinct from other styles. It also includes its own sub-set styles. So what really makes karate...karate?
Striking
First, karate is primarily a striking art, though not exclusively, like Tae Kwon Do. "Striking" generally refers to quick thrusts like kicks and punches that are aimed at disabling or quickly stopping an attacker. Other martial arts styles like jujutsu are in direct contrast to karate, as they emphasize using ground techniques and wrestling strategies in order to counter an oppontent.
Karate generally functions by teaching its students to defend themselves from strikes using blocks, and then to counter-attack with strikes that will disable the opponent. Karate can include other types of strategies like locks and throws. If you see two martial artists fighting each other through punches and blocks, there is a chance that you're watching karate.
You'll that weapons in karate can be employed, but they are often related to farm tools, as the original practioners of karate were banned from using weapons, and instead training using the tools they had at their disposal.
Goals and Philosophy
Like other martial arts, karate generally has a goal of promoting self-discipline and the ability to defend yourself from an attacker. Karate's method of doing so generally relies on blocks and strikes, rather than directly using an opponent's weight against them, as you often see in jujutsu. Karate is generally a "standing up" form of combat, as opposed to "on the ground" fighting. Mixed martial arts can incorporate both of these types of fighting styles, so karate could be included in the mixed martial arts.
Should you study karate?
The only one who can really tell if karate is for you is you. If you're an aspiring martial arts student who wants to learn a style of fighting that includes standing-up kicks and punches, karate is probably for you. But there are other styles out there, including jujutsu, Tae Kwon Do, wrestling, and grappling. If you're really interest in martial arts, it's best to go with whichever discipline you'll enjoy the most, as this is the discipline you're likely to stick with over the long haul.
Photo Credits: Szift
This post involves:
... and focuses on:
Posted by Martial Arts Karate Kung Fu on December 1, 2009 in
Martial Arts, karate
Ultimate Fighter
You've heard it said before. "If you want to learn to speak German, there's no better place to be on the Earth than Germany." Why do so many people say this? Because it's true! If you want to get fully immersed in a new skill, it's often simple smarts that tell you that you should go to the source. So why wouldn't you apply this same principle in order to fix your martial arts woes? If you really want to be great, you've got to seek greatness. It won't find you. Here are some of the best countries to visit.
Brazil. Brazilian jiu-jitsu has quickly become one of the most popular forms of martial arts on the planet, and if you're serious about mixed martial arts, then you need to be in Brazil, at least at some point in your life. The name of the country is in the fighting style! You can't miss by going to Brazil in order to shore up what UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) fans would call your "ground game." This isn't the prettiest style of fighting - at least not for an audience - but it can help you gain advantage over an opponent who has you on the ground.
Japan. There is perhaps no place more famous for martial arts than Japan, the birthplace of Karate, which more accurately was generated in Okinowa. Although Karate itself has expanded to find homes all over the world, including in Canada and the United States, Japan is its birthplace, and sometimes there's no replacing that sense of history than by traveling to where it call began. You won't find any shortage of martial arts in Japan, and if you're a serious martial artist, you'll probably find yourself traveling there at some point, whether you originally planned on it or not.
The United States. The United States is, quite simply, where martial artists come to make it. Cities like Las Vegas provide arenas for some of the world's most popular martial arts events. If you want to make it as an Ultimate Fighter, you're going to have to go to Las Vegas at some point. If you want to find the best teachers around the world, many of them are in the United States, where the demand for martial arts training is high.
Photo Credits: Kaloozer
This post involves:
... and focuses on:
Posted by Martial Arts Karate Kung Fu on November 26, 2009 in
Jiujitsu, Martial Arts, karate
Stumble
Reddit
Digg
Del.icio.us
Propeller