Archive for September, 2009

As adults, there are days we wake up, and don’t especially feel like reporting for work, whatever work that may be. But we make ourselves do it. Why? Because we know that the long term effect of not going to work will outweigh the short term pleasure we may feel of taking the day off. Whether it’s personal, or career related, we know that sometimes commitments are hard. In a country were the average person stays with the same company for only three years, and many family relationships last even less than that, commitment de?nitely needs to make a comeback. Martial arts is about commitment, and it’s a great way to reinstate commitment in our children.

The Kids

When I see children with black belts, I think of how fortunate they are to have such dedicated parents. We’re not just talking about all of the time they’ve spent with their kids on program, but on how they made them go to class on the days that their kids didn’t feel like going. Any instructor will tell you of how often they hear from the parents, that their child is quitting because he or she doesn’t want to do it anymore. Well, lets ask these children if they want to go to school. Of course they don’t! If we let them have their way, they’d get up at twelve noon everyday, eat Fruit Loops, watch cartoons and go outside and play until midnight.

Why? Because they’re kids. They can’t see big pictures, only momentary pleasures. No, it’s not cruel to make them go to martial arts class. How can we teach them about commitment if we don’t show then how to commit ?rst? Surely our children will have to endure hardships throughout their lives, just as we’ve had to. It’s an inevitable part of life. Maybe they don’t want to do martial arts anymore, but someday they will thank you for making them stick with it. What they’re learning about self respect, respect for others, discipline, con?dence and most importantly commitment will help them get through those hard times.

The Bigger Kids

Maybe it’s us big kids who have a problem with this commitment thing. If we can’t honor something as simple as a martial arts goal we set, whether it’s for the kids, or for ourselves, then it’s no wonder we can’t keep our careers or personal lives together. Maybe this is the missing link, learning to stick with things even when we disagree, or when things get tough. I’m not saying that everyone should commit themselves to obtaining a black belt. Thought I highly recommend it, I know that going all the way takes a very determined and dedicated individual.

But I am saying that we need to complete whatever program we agreed to. Whether it’s a green belt or a brown belt, we need to learn how to ?nish what we’ve started. All relationships get tough sometimes, your martial arts relationship is no exception. But like most worthy things in life, martial arts is also worth sticking it out for.

Martial arts students learn that they do not have to be the biggest or the strongest to win a battle. Rather, they need to be the smartest. While martial arts training will develop strong physical skills to protect you from human aggressors, it’s in the mental training that all students will experience an edge against any opponent, human or otherwise.

Most physical harm that occurs to us is NOT the result of actions from other people, but rather from external and internal negative forces.

Negative forces are invisible opponents that attack us, attempting to take control of our lives. These “enemies” can be poor eating habits, insufficient exercise, work related stress, daily pressures, and other unhealthy habits such as smoking. Over time, our bodies can collapse from the assaults of these forces. It is these life- threatening opponents that have killed more people than the greatest wars.

Martial arts teaches us how to balance the physical and mental aspects of our lives so they work as one, to give us self-control. For example, many people who have quit smoking experience immediate weight gain due to increased eating.  Such people replace smoking with overeating, which becomes the detrimental habit in control. In contrast, martial artists learn to turn mental challenges into positive energy, through physical exercise and mental discipline, to increase our control over our own lives.

Self-control can be used by the martial artist to overcome many daily obstacles. In essence, this is mind over matter. Deep breathing and focus exercises that are learned throughout training can be called upon anytime and anywhere. When stress, tension or anything negative attempts an attack, a few moments of learned relaxation techniques can help you relax and focus, helping you to regain your self-control.

The martial arts can be split into two forms of training, the physical and the mental. It is when you eliminate the mental training that you inevitably lose the art of martial arts. It is the art that teaches us to defend ourselves against physical harm from any opponent, visible or not. Our mind holds the key to all our actions. The martial arts can help you harness your mental energy to live a happier, healthier life.

Entering a martial arts tournament is not a compulsory element to any particular style but it can be an exciting addition to the whole training process  and provides a great deal of benefits for the participating student.  Naturally competitive students of the style will often be keen to take part irrespective of technique or experience whilst those students who are a little more reserved may be reluctant to participate until they have witnessed the events themselves. Entering a martial arts tournament for the first time can be a little daunting for the novice but it provides a fantastic learning curve and the opportunity to be able to see some first class demonstrations of the style by experienced students.

For those students who are considering entering a martial arts tournament, it is important to use the time building up the event to increase training practice and increase fitness as well. Even the fittest martial artists find tournaments exhausting so it makes sense to use the time well and this will provide additional confidence if planning to enter.  Assuming that sparring has been an active part of the training process, it makes sense to increase sparring sessions if time permits or discuss with other students how to find time for training outside of the actual club. Providing that care is taken and the right protective equipment used, then additional and external sparring would provide many benefits and still be safe.

Increased focus during the lead-in time to the tournament will pay dividends for the serious contender as although sparring bouts are short (usually a few minutes) it is all about staying alert, concentrating and intuitively picking up signals from the opponent as to which moves will be used against you. Lack of concentration can be costly as most tournaments operate a points system and specific moves that connect on key areas of the body will award the opponent more points. Tournaments are challenging, intense and incredibly demanding on the mind, body and spirit and it is important that training incorporates all three elements to give a fighting chance in each sparring session. Remaining centred, focussed and feeling fit and healthy will enable the student to participate fully relying on technique and not brute force to overcome the opponent. 

Most tournaments rules are semi-contact and the judges will be looking for clean technique and not an out and out brawl, so increase training on those techniques that would be used i.e. basic kicks and punches with some confidence. Remember that complex moves or exciting but difficult kicks need not be used just for effect, those are best left to demonstrations and not in the ring. Focus on technique only and increasing confidence as those techniques become second nature.

Because energy levels can be depleted very quickly during these tournaments, a healthy and nutritious diet in the weeks prior to the event would be beneficial and also learning a relaxation technique such as meditation can be useful as it can still the mind, ease the nerves and keep energy levels constant. Being overwhelmed with nerves is the main cause of low energy levels and so a regular meditative practice session leading up to and during the tournament would be beneficial.

To achieve the best success within a martial arts tournament, follow the steps above and rise to the challenge.

The arena of material, floss, needles, and scissors is a rather slow-paced world, a world that hasn’t experience lots of change throughout the years, and a world that few folks have actually been living in these days. Gone are the times when the mother of the home would sit down and make whatever she required without the aid of a corner store or a sewing machine. [**] most people can still appreciate the beauty and intricateness of home-made crafts. Unfortunately, the majority don’t have the wherewithal to actually create these things all alone. That was till some genius or group of geniuses invented embroidery digitizing. It is now feasible for everybody to have the older style knick-knacks they have always dreamed of having. It needs no special skills or sacrifice of time for the beneficiary-all it needs is a good imagination and a small spending budget.

first off, what is embroidery digitizing? To put it in simple terms, embroidery digitizing is when you take an image and transfer it into a computerized pattern. That pattern is then inserted into a special sewing machine that really stitches the embroidery without the aid of anyone else. The machine is mostly capable of doing many different kinds of stitches ; some have their own floss changers while others need some human assistance. While digitized embroidery sounds like a straightforward process, it actually isn’t. One of the reasons for this has to do with the look of the embroidery digitizing.

Each image converted into a pattern must be changed and perfected by an embroidery professional. Simply pushing the’convert’ button isn’t enough to form a good design, or one that will be visually pleasing. It can take years for a person to get really good at doing this, but it is satisfying work. However [*COMMA] some images transfer over easier than others. The faster, basic images will need very little modifying when they are transferred ; [**] most folk have a liking for the complex, complicated, stunningly lovely designs. These photographs are the ones that need the work of a seasoned professional. Some images simply aren’t transferable, and some will look terribly different to the original however. If an image is too hard to transfer over and tweak, designers may decide to make a totally new design from nothing based primarily on the image provided. Most pictures are conducive to digitized embroidery, but this technology isn’t perfect yet.

digitized embroidery is surprisingly cheap, especially for something that can be so superbly valuable. For those who are interested by making an investment in their own embroidered art, they must understand that it is the complexity of the design, not the amount of stitches, that determines the cost of the piece. Many are stunned to discover that enormous pieces occasionally cost less than tiny pieces. All of those old school stitchers out there understand a pattern with big shapes and big blocks of colours take far less time and effort to finish than the patterns full of minute details and a huge variety of colours. When it comes to embroidery of any type, time is money.

Embroidery digitizing is one of the most helpful inventions for those who enjoy crafts and artwork of any sort. It allows individuals from any background with any skill-level to have something in their home that they and others will always treasure. Embroidered art is a very particular type of art, something the embroidery digitizing is making increasingly more popular , and now more people than ever can partake of making this type of art more popular and beloved.
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UFC 103 was an interesting card. On one hand it had some fairly good action, with lots of stoppages and not one boring fight. On the other hand there wasn’t really any wars, such as say Couture vs Nogueira at UFC 102. None the less it was a fairly good card!

In the main even Belfort vs Franklin Belfort’s hand speed and power was just too much for Rich. Belfort won by tko in the first round. Impressive win for Vitor and can set him up with a fight against Anderson Silva. Although he may need to win one more fight in the UFC first. Then again, from UFC’s point of view, there are a few fights for Anderson at 185, but he already beat Hendo and Nate who knocked out two possible contenders in Bisping and Maya respectively. As such a fight with an exciting fighter in Vitor would make more sense than a rematch, at least to a casual fan.

Cro Cop lost to Dos Santos by verbal submission in round 3 (Dos Santos landed a punch to the eye and Mirko motioned for the referee to stop the fight.) It would appear that Mirko’s prime is in the past and he’s not going to ever get a title shot. It’s not even so much that he’s past it physically, it just seems he’s mentally isn’t there. Afraid to engage, and let his hands lose. being 35 and a bit slower than he’s used to probably doesn’t help either.

Paul Daley (who replaced Squick) tko’ed Martin Kampmann, although it can be argued that the stoppage was early. Daley had him dazed and was landing some good punches, but Kampmann wasn’t really out of it.

Koscheck tko’d Frank Trigg in the first. And Tyson Griffing beat Hermes Franca by tko in round 2. In preliminary fights Efrain Escudero tko’ed Cole Miller in the first and a veteran Vladimir Matyushenko won a unanimous decision (30-27) against Igor Pokrajac.

All in all it was a good event with a lot of TKOs, though it did lack a back and force fight. It’s also kind of sad to witness what appears to be an end to an amazing career in Cro Cop. But such is a life, not everyone can be randy Couture – fighting great fighters and 46 years old.

Get the latest information on upcoming fight and in depth looks at the fights at http://watchlivestream1.blogspot.com/ Where you can also Watch UFC Live