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

Originally posted 2010-01-05 03:39:09. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Class

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!

Originally posted 2010-01-19 03:33:33. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

David and Goliath

Gaining leverage over your opponent means that you are able to use something small and make it incredibly important. Has anyone - perhaps a teasing older brother - ever held your hands in such an uncomfortable position that you weren't able to fight back at all? This is the concept of leverage, of which the root word is "lever." By changing one small element of a combat situation, you are able to change the entire momentum.

Common leverage points usually deal with weak areas on the human body, such as joints. When you're able to disable an opponent's joints, they won't be able to bend. The joint is a small area that enables a whole lot of movement, which is why it's important to focus on joints in a combat situation; you want to keep yours free and inhibit the bending of your opponents' joints.

But leverage doesn't only have to apply to the levers in the physical human body. Leverage can also refer to using one aspect of a fight to your advantage: in jujutsu, you learn how to use an opponent's weight to your advantage, and against your opponent. By utilizing momentum and gravity, you can utilize this idea of "leverage" to defeat someone who is larger than you.

Oftentimes, getting leverage over an opponent is a simple matter of quickly discerning their advantages and working to inhibit them. If you're fighting a smaller, quicker fighter, then you'll want to get that fighter in a situation where their quickness doesn't count - such as wrestling on the ground, where your strength can overpower them.

In the Battle of Thermopylae, 300 Spartans and other warriors famously used leverage (in this case, the terrain) in order to repel a massive army. What can you accomplish in your martial arts sparring - or even your life - if you understand leverage? A lot.

Photo Credits: maha-online

Originally posted 2009-11-17 03:02:50. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Bruce Lee Statue

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.

Tae Kwon Do.

Tae Kwon Do has strong roots in Korea, where it is believed that it first had its beginnings some two thousand years ago. The essential premise of Tae Kwon Do - built on striking quickly with both the fists and the feet - is that attacks and defenses come very quickly, which is why people have the fight-or-flight instinct. Tae Kwon Do seeks to optimize a fighter's ability to respond to these situations by teaching them the art of punching, kicking, and blocking.

While many martial arts do not totally resemble many preconceptions that many of us in the West would have, Tae Kwon Do is a martial art that looks similar to other striking arts like Karate or Kung Fu. With the emphasis on the limps and not necessarily on body weight and positioning like in jiu jitsu, Tae Kwon Do is considered in the West to be one of the most popular styles of fighting around.

Because Tae Kwon Do's roots go back so far, many people believe that it is the oldest and most ancient martial art in existence. Although other forms of fighting, especially in Western cultures like ancient Sparta, are still remembered today, Tae Kwon Do is one of the oldest martial arts that is still in practice.

Today's smaller globe and the modern popularity of martial arts have given Tae Kwon Do a resurgence in popularity, where world champions are often more recognized and acknowledged for their accomplishments. Although Tae Kwon Do is not as popular as the mixed martial arts (MMA), including jiu jitsu, it remains one of the most widely-used styles of fighting across the world.

If you're interested in learning more about the history of martial arts and about other disciplines, make sure to enter in a Web search on karate or kung fu. These disciplines more closely resemble Tae Kwon Do than western disciplines like wrestling.

Photo Credits: cheetah100

Originally posted 2009-07-29 05:04:07. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

No escape.

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

Martial Arts

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

Kung fu.

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.

Confidence or Cockiness?

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

Bullying.

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