Archive for June, 2009

Clubs and Students Showing Their Skills

Last weekend the NMAA clubs from around Melbourne, had their mid year combined grading and training exhibition.

It was a great day with over 200 people attending and seeing and experiencing the fantastic work and dedication put in by all the students.
They were especially treated to 2 students who obtained their 1st Degree Black Belt from our club up in Woori Yallock..who excelled under the watchful eyes of the crowd. Well Done and CONGRATULATIUONS.

It wasn’t all serious and there was a lot of laughing, giggling, pride and confidence in all the students; as well as the parents watching on.

These days have become a very popular event and are well supported by the clubs, students, family and friends. I would like to thank you all for your continuing support and look forward to seeing you all at the end of year session.

Don’t forget to go and look at the photo’s of the day, just click on the link on the home page and you might see yourself in action.

Once again congratulations to all.

Master Paul Mracek

Can form training really turn the economy around? And how does it improve your fighting skills? All good martial arts have some sort of form training. Form training allows a practitioner to exercise and study particular movements and techniques without any interference from the outside (an opponent or sparring partner). It also serves as meditation and relaxation from the daily challenges and craziness we encounter. If form training is done right, it greatly enhances one’s fighting ability. In a fight or a sparring match, neither fighter has the time nor the mental focus on the proper execution of specific techniques and movements. All you can do is “do your Best”. But if that “Best” is not good enough you will learn this painful lesson quickly. In traditional martial arts, the first thing a student learns are the forms. This has two reasons:

• As a beginner, you have to learn how to step, how to punch and how to execute specific techniques
• As an advanced practitioner or even as a Master of the art, you will find tremendous joy, enlightenment and help in practising your forms.

In fact, what does every Master do in order to stay on top of his game? They practise their forms. And that for hours… The beginner often finds this training boring and sometimes even unnecessary. That is quite understandable – hence the term “beginner”. A beginner is there to learn something that he doesn’t know yet. So, everything is new. And many times, a beginner cann’t (fore)see the importance of a particular exercise. That is where a beginner puts faith into the training and trusts the teacher that he will help the beginner along his path.

This faith and trust is another extremely important lesson to learn – it is a spiritual lesson that will serve the practitioner in many difficult situations for years to come. We are currently in a deep recession and many people are freaking out. Their are afraid of what will happen next. And these are people who are well educated and have high paying jobs. A very good friend of mine said it best to describe the current situation: “It is a test of character!”

Please let me describe this on a very basic model. I also want to say that I am not a stock broker or financial guru of any kind. Over the past twenty years we have experienced a boom and more and more people tried themselves in different investment categories. One of the first rules you may have heard was: “Buy Low and Sell High!”

That is a great rule and when you follow it you have a very good chance of being extremely successful, wouldn’t you agree? So, where is the difficult part? Why doesn’t everyone do it? And more importantly, what if everyone would be doing it?

So far that is the theory. In reality, we know that not everyone is doing it that way. The difference between successful people and not successful people is “Leadership.” Successful people are doing things that most people don’t do. What exactly does that mean? It does not mean that they eat at expensive restaurants and buy expensive clothes and gifts. That is not what it means. This kind of leadership almost equals rebellion. It is almost like as if they are looking around to see what most people are doing and then they do exaclty the opposite. For example: Do you remember a few months ago when the financial industry crashed and everyone was scared of buying anything? Warren Buffett went out and bought Goldman Sachs. What a great sign of leadership. And now ask yourself: Why didn’t you do it? Is it because you don’t have that kind of money? Or did you hesitate because of the negative influences around you? Your lack of faith and spiritual strength? What has to be there first? Money or Determination to a goal?

Well, maybe money was the reason. But Buffett aquired his wealth from doing the same thing on a much smaller scale, many times over. And with great discipline. If you don’t have that kind of money you can start on a much smaller scale. But you have to get started… And eventually, you will be successful in your own way. And you will lead the way, a new way. Today’s most successful and richest people started with a dream. It was their own dream of something that didn’t exist yet. And they made it happen despite all the obstacles. “Following Your Dreams” is used a lot nowadays but not many people seem to understand it. Follow your own dream and you can create your world and you can help other people create their world.

And that brings me back to form training in martial arts. The form training is a great exercise for your mind and your spirit. It teaches you “Mind Over Matter!” When your body tells you: ‘i don’t want to do this anymore.’ you keep going. When your inner voice wants to test your mind and tells you: ‘This is boring. I don’t see any immediate results.’, you keep going. When life throws you into a difficult situation you keep going. When you loose your job you keep going. When life knocks you down you keep getting up. That is what form training teaches you. That is the lesson a Master learns and appreciates from his form training. And that is why you should do the same. It is the difference between a Master and a beginner, between success and failure.

It is extremely difficult to stick to your convictions and be determined to accomplish your goals when everyone else around you tells you “not to do it”, “you cannot do it”, “it is too risky” and so on. Just because other people are afraid of doing it does not mean it is wrong… as long as you believe in yourself.

Always remember that there is only room for one person on top of the mountain. But there are many mountains to climb. Pick one that nobody has climbed before and get started. If somebody already climbed your mountain before you then you will not be the first. You will always be behind someone. Find an empty mountain and do your best. Form training and martial arts training will help you along your way to the top.

For More tips and information, go to http://www.FreeSelfDefenseAdvice.com

All the Best,

Ingo Weigel is the author of “SELF-DEFENSE FOR MODERN TIMES”, the first book on Revat, an innovative fitness and self-defense program for professional adults living in an urban environment.

Go to http://revatfitness.com/team.html to read the full bio.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/martial-arts-articles/can-form-training-turn-the-economy-around-991928.html

Mixed martial arts is a type of fighting that has become very ordinary over the years. This kind of fighting is a combination of several various kinds that many people have started to train in for weight loss and combat competitions. The majority of people who are preparing in the mixed martial arts fighting form will don training gloves. These gloves are produced to protect the hands – but likewise protect the people that you are sparring with.

The reason they are given so much padding is because you don’t need to risk you or your fighting partner to become injured for any reason. This is particularly tough when you have a competition coming up. Any small wound is enough to kick you out of the game.

Yet, once you are in the competition and fighting for the title championship then it is time for those gloves to go away. At least in a metaphorical way. The rules say that you need to put on some type of gloves because both fighters still need some measure of protection. This allows you to trade up from training gloves to the quick strike gloves.

These type of MMA gloves still have a moderate measure of padding that is set along the surface of the fingers and hand. The fingers are still free from the glove granting the fighter the flexibility and exemption they need so they are able to take their opponent to the mat and set them in a choke hold.

The padding aids to keep the fighter’s hands protected as do the hand wraps underneath. These wraps are bought individually and offer fighter’s that additional layer of protection that their hands call for. With both the hand wraps and the quick strike gloves the fighter’s will be able to strike at each other and throw punches without holding anything back.

Quick Strike MMA Gloves are great to use when you are fighting the Mixed Martial Arts style of fighting.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/martial-arts-articles/quick-strike-mixed-martial-arts-gloves-for-power-hitters-990354.html

A Wrist Grab is a common attack from someone who wishes to restrain you in some way. It may be from a friend trying to take you somewhere, someone official eg school teacher or someone trying to abduct you.

As always, you need to adjust the amount of force you use to match the situation at hand. If it is a friend, chances are you will just go with them. An official grabbing you may warrant a non-violent escape but is someone is trying to abduct you, full force may be needed.

What follows describes non-violent ways to escape various wrist grabs. Remember to use the Instant Reaction Theory which can be found at www.freeselfdefencetips.com/instant_reactions_explained.htm

General wrist grab escape

Most wrist grabs can be reversed by simple twisting up and over your opponents wrist, providing his grip isn’t too strong. As a general rule, force your thumb toward the opening of his hand and then use a downward strike eg hammerfist on his forearm mound.

If he seizes one of your wrists with two hands

• Reach through his arms and grasp you own hand.  With a turn of the body bring your elbow perpendicularly over your fist, the one that was grabbed.  With the weight of your body, force your hand down through his fingers. 

If he grabs your right wrist with his left hand

• Step in and push your right elbow to his left elbow while your wrist rotates within his grasp and pry it out. Follow up with a left palm heel

If he grabs both your wrists, one with each hand

• Bring your hands together in an upside down ‘prayer hand’ type formation at stomach height.

• With an upward and forward movement drive you hands into an upright prayer formation and force your wrists up and out of his grasp, keeping your hands rigid.

• Follow through with double palm heels as you push forward. 

• Do all of this as one  movement and very quickly

If he grabs your right wrist with his right hand

• Step in with your left foot then rotate your arm as if you where brushing your hair and turn your body into the outside of his arm

• Palm Heel his right elbow with your right as you pry your left arm out of his grip

This was written by Jeevan Lim-Nunez
Owner and course creator of First Action Self Defence and Survival Courses
www.firstaction.com.au

More free Self Defence related articles, tips or techniques can be found at www.freeselfdefencetips.com

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/martial-arts-articles/how-to-escape-from-common-wrist-grabs-987872.html

The Lines of Balance.

When a lot of Martial Arts and Self-Defence coaches teach this, they usually refer to your  ‘centre of gravity’.   I personally prefer to break it down by using the ‘Lines of Balance’.  There are two Lines of Balance:

1. The horizontal line
2. The vertical line.

As we know, a standing human only has a ‘Two Point Base’, (his or her two feet).  This means that while standing, we lack three dimensional stability, so to speak, which if exploited in a sense is ‘flawed’.  This is where the ‘Lines of Balance’ come in. 

The first Line is the Horizontal Line.  This line runs between the two feet of our opponent.  Simply visualise a line from one foot to the other, joining them together.  If the feet move, then the line moves.  Standing in front or behind the horizontal line and applying pressure, for example a push, you will easily knock someone off balance regardless of their size.  The only way for your opponent to regain their balance is to adjust their base by moving their feet, in which case the line moves, so you move.

The second Line of Balance is the Vertical Line.  This line runs from head to toe.  Looking side on at another person, the line will run from their head through their shoulders, hips, knees ending at the ankles.  If any of the upper points move backwards past the ankles, the toes will rise off the floor and the stable base is lost.  Again, the ‘Two Point Base’ (the feet), must be adjusted in order for your opponent to regain stability. 

 Note:  An attacker off balance is 9 times out of 10 not attacking, (unless in a clinch), because we need a solid base to generate power for strikes.  The Lines of Balance is not the only way, but I feel an effective way of looking at an oncoming opponent and it could easily be a simple tip to build from.

 <a target=”_blank” href=”http://eproducts.moneyonaplate.com/?p=17&a=25″>Self Defence For Woman</a>

Please post your comments regarding this article and the E-book attached. Feedback is very important to me as opinion counts for everything. This is a subject I feel very passionate about, and after dedicating a large part of my life to it, hope to share the positivity passed on to me. Thanks.
Jester.
A former Ju-Jitsu instructor with over ten years experience. Trained for several years in MMA and competed in UK submission league.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/martial-arts-articles/the-lines-of-balance-984750.html