Archive for January, 2010

20
Jan

There are two paths to take when one studies the martial arts. These directions are art and sport. One of these methods leads straight to decay, the other leads, ultimately, to enlightenment.

If one does the martial arts as a sport, he engages in contest, and that actually defines the difference between sport and art. If one practices the martial arts as art, he is attempting to conquer himself. Subdue the self, or subdue another, the difference is easy to see.

If one is attempting to subdue another, he is holding the world responsible for his problems, fighting the world, not taking his own responsibility. Wether the accumulation of wealth, or just trying to beat somebody into a bloody pulp, the student is not using the art the way it was designed, as a mirror for the soul. It is the soul, the individual, the spirit, the I AM that is the point of the martial arts, not the smacking down of somebody else.

When one is doing the art as sport, he is making a strong body, and then risking that body to destruction. When one is doing the art as art, he is obsessed with finding out the truth about himself. He is engaged in defining what impulse is behind the muscle and quiver of fighting.

This all said, the True Martial Way can be defined by the degree of motion within the art. A young man indulges in the large motion of Karate and Shaolin and that type of art. As the student ages, he practices tai chi, slowing his motion down, looking at it, trying to take responsibility for his every action.

Eventually, man becomes tired, still, and begins to think about what it all means. At this point he has become motionless, a person who watches the movement of the universe, and this is where he finds the truth. In motionlessness, he sees the truth of who is behind all motion.

When one does Yoga one is making the body strong, but not through the game of combat. This does create a weakness, as the universe is motion, and we should duplicate that motion if one is truly going to see through to the source of that motion. That one weakness aside, yoga does open up and explore who one really is.

Putting the body in an asana, breathing, watching, we slowly become aware of who is doing the watching, who is creating the asana. We find the I AM that is behind all the motion of the universe, and thus we become who we were meant to be, spiritual, souls, individuals unique and creative and filled with passion. We could wait, and grow old through lack of a method, or we could pursue violence through the martial arts until we run out of violence, or, we could just accelerate the process with yoga, through posture and slow breathing, and find out who we really are.

Al Case has studied the martial arts for over forty+ years. He has written for the magazines,, including his own column, Case Histories. He is the developer of Matrixing Technology and Neutronics. You can get a free ebook at his website, Monster Martial Arts.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/martial-arts-articles/the-puzzle-of-using-yoga-to-master-the-true-martial-art-1757049.html

Category : Martial Arts - General | Blog
18
Jan

As a mixed martial arts purist I am pleased to see that a member of the Gracie family is making a return to the UFC. Rolles Gracie Jr. is a second degree black belt in BJJ and will face Mostapha Al-turk in his UFC debut.

Al-turk has nowhere near the grappling skills Gracie has. Gracie is a 2nd degree black belt and hails from the most famous grappling family in the world. Al-turk was the ADCC European Champion in 2005 but it is highly unlikely he can tap out a Gracie. Once the fights goes to the ground it will be over quite quick. Gracie has been a part of the ADCC and has faced the best of the best in grappling. In the 2007 Absolute division Gracie lost to eventual winner Marcelo Garcia but won a silver medal in the heavyweight division against Fabricio Werdum.

Many believe Al-turk will be the dominate striker in this battle but ot of his 11 MMA wins Al-turk has six by KO and two by submission with punches. Does Al-turk have what it takes to KO Gracie? Yes. Will he? No. The reason being is that Gracie is a better grappling that Al-turk which will force him to keep his distance from Gracie for the duration. He is more of a dirty boxer and inside fighter but the awareness of Gracie’s grappling ability will keep Al-turk on the outside which is not his striking.

Gracie has worked on his game outside of grappling. He currently trains at Jackson’s Submission Fighting and Greg Jackson, who will formulate a good game plan for this fight. Al-turk does not come from a good camp and will not be as strategically prepared for this fight as Gracie.

In most cases a fight between a striker and grappler results in a win by the grappler. Though Al-turk can strike, he does not have the ability nor skill to overwhelm or hurt Gracie. Gracie is 6 foot 4 and 242 pounds and if he wants to take someone to the ground, he will.

The UFC betting lines have not been released as of yet but mostly likely Gracie will be the online betting favourite. His advantage is only due to his family name and the lines will be greater than they should be. Nevertheless, place your money on Rolles regardless of the odds.

Look for Gracie to Submit Al-turk with First Round Rear Naked Choke

For full breakdown and handicap analysis of this fight for to fighting-mma.com

Sleung is one of the world’s best mixed martial arts expert and is an expert UFC and MMA handicapping. Get all the latest MMA and UFC betting advice. If you want the latest handicapping advice and sports betting inside information on how to bet and handicap mixed martial arts for to the best MMA site in the world at www.fighting-mma.com

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/martial-arts-articles/a-gracie-makes-his-way-back-to-the-ufc-1714714.html

Category : Martial Arts - General | Blog
17
Jan

The ninja cult originated and is based on the romance linked with the lives of spies and assassins in historical Japan. Legend says that in the 4th century a prince, Yamato Takeru disguised as a beautiful maiden assassinated two chieftains of the Kumaso tribe. In the 14th century there is reference to a highly skilled ninja or shinobi who was credited to have destroyed a castle by fire. From the 15th century onwards spies were officially trained and the word shinobi defined a secretive group of spies. The strategy was taken up by the Chinese military also.

In the 15th century ninjas were hired for purposes of raiding. They were terrorists and arsonists par excellence. In contrast the samurai of Japan fought open duels. But during troubled times of Sengoku period there was great demand for ninjas and less importance was given to respectability. The ninjas became spies, experts in ambush attacks and spreading agitations. There were families of ninjas who formed big guilds each having its own territory. Within them there was ranking with the jonin being the upper man, the chunin being the middle man and the assistants being jonin. The lowest was the lower man or genin. The latter were recruited from the lower ranks and sent out to the forefront of trouble.

Following the siege of Osaka in 1614 the ninjas again came to be employed. Miura Yoemon was a ninja employed by warlord Tokugawa. He hired more ninjas from the Iga clans and sent ten of them to Osaka Castle. It is worth to mention here that the ninja’s who came from clans. In the pre-modern ancient Iga Province lived the Iga and Koga clans.  In this region the villagers were mainly engaged in being trained to be ninjas.  After one such decisive victory the Iga ninjas became guards for the inner territory of Edo Castle near modern Tokyo. The ninjas of the Koga clan got appointments in the police force and helped in guarding the exterior gates of the castle.  In that time Japan was originally known as Ozakajo. Osaka played an important role in the unification of the country in the 16th century.

The ninjas took a pivotal role during the peasant rebellion known as Shimabara Rebellion in the 17th century. The peasants were largely Christians. The Koja ninjas were employed by a shogun – a person of military rank.

In the first years of the 18th century shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune set up an intelligence agency, Oniwabanshu, comprising of the ninjas. It secured information for reasons of national security. The group comprised of onmitsu ninjas who sniffed out all the activities of daimyos and government servants.

The daimyos was powerful warlords in medieval times who ruled over the major parts of the country from their huge inherited landed property. In the late 16th century Oda Nobunaga, aggressively conquered nearly a third of the other daimyos and after invading Iga province exterminated the organized ninja clans. The survivors fled and were scattered. In some places they were made most welcome for obvious reasons. Many took shelter in the Kii Mountains.

The ninja’s who was specialized in unorthodox methods of warfare. With the help of ninjas the war lords in medieval Japan exterminated enemies and established their supremacy.

Troy is the Head of Online Content at The MMA Zone and always actively seeking new knowledge in the realm of the ancient martial arts and its historical aspects. He has reviewed many Ninja Weapons which is associated with Japanese history.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/martial-arts-articles/ninja-cult-associated-with-japanese-history-1730396.html

Category : Martial Arts - General | Blog
17
Jan

In martial arts, specifically Taekwondo is considered by many to be an ideal workout as it combines most elements sought after in a balanced fitness program. Many people understand that there are various styles of martial arts but they do not realize that within a style like Tae kwon do there are also various styles.

Tang Soo Do: Tang soo do is an extremely popular martial art that evolved from the kicking arts of taekyon and subak. It is similar to tae kwon do and maintains its heritage as a traditional way of promoting the values of self-control, respect, and discipline in the pursuit of self-improvement. Important characteristics that underpin the art include humanity, wisdom, etiquette, and trust.

Tang soo do is particularly popular in the US, where it is sometimes advertised under the name of karate or Korean karate. Chuck Norris is probably its most well-known practitioner in the West. He is the six-time undefeated world professional middleweight karate champion and one-time martial teacher of Steve McQueen, Priscilla Presley, and Donny Osmond.

Han Kum Do: Han kum do (HKD) is a sword system in which the basic cutting techniques mimic the Korean script known as “hangul”. It follows the fundamental principles of multiple strikes on multiple opponents. Developed by Myung Jae Nam, the art came to popular attention during the third international HKD Games in 1997.

Hangul, known as the most scientific alphabet in existence, is very easy to learn and has 24 characters (10 vowels and 14 consonants). Making the sword cuts on the letters of the alphabet is an ingenious training aid that helps students to memorize the various cuts and enables them to perform the required movements instinctively in very little time.

Won Hwa Do: Won hwa Do is a hybrid art that relies on 360-degree rotations to generate power, supporting the key philosophy that in nature there are no straight lines or angles of attack. Long-term practice, however, damages the joints and ligaments. Weapons such as the short stick, knife, and sword are routinely taught, with attacks and defends born from “bi son” the rhythm used during traditional prayer and dance. The circular attacking motions of the art belong to the same tradition as those used for massaging injuries.

Hankido: Hankido is a hybrid martial art that incorporates aspects of aikido, with kicking and striking techniques, acrobatic flips, and kicks reminiscent of tae kwon do. Students develop “ki” Korean for “qi” to learn 12 basic self-defense moves and 24 breathing techniques. They also spin and dance to develop coordination, rhythm, timing, and softness. The art’s philosophy centers on the principles of “circle,” “flow,” and “heart,” and each has a specific exercise. “Jeon hwan bup” (the circle exercise) teaches circular moves for defense, leverage, and throwing. “Young nyu bup” (the flow exercise) encourages students to see moves as a continual interaction between themselves and their opponents, promoting an attitude of fearless, relaxed action. “Shim hwa bup” (the rowing exercise) encourages the heart to develop a fighting spirit.

Troy has got an expertise in Taekwondo Technique and forms and provides Taekwondo Information, education and Taekwondo Uniform with its gear. If you liked this article you may also like to read about Seven Elements of Tae Kwon Do Revealed.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/martial-arts-articles/4-key-styles-of-taekwondo-1730416.html

Category : Martial Arts - General | Blog
15
Jan

It is easy to ascertain that Matrix Martial Arts raises intelligence. It is a proven fact that when one matrixes his art, be it Kenpo or aikido or that rare form of wudan hsing i, the art becomes better, and the person becomes more intuitive, and his intelligence goes up. What is not so easy to see is why this happens.

Intelligence is measured in todays institutions of learning through various tests. What these tests do, however, is tell you the size of yourmmory. What these tests do is evaluate if your memory is working.

Thus, current testing is checking the state of memory, and it has nothing to do with the factors of true intelligence. Current testing does nothing more than verify that the memorization methods of modern schools is working. To come to grips with what this really means we must define what true intelligence is.

True intelligence is the speed at which your mind works. There are other factors, but this is the one that is most important. This doesn’t evaluate how big or good your memory is, but how fast you can interchange with the environment.

In the martial arts the student is taught by having him or her memorize random strings of data. Or memorize strings of random data, however you want it. The hope is that if you get a big enough memory then you can pull a trick out of the hat, and hopefully it is the right trick for whatever it is you are doing.

When you matrix the martial arts you put the data in logical order, no more random data, or random strings of data. Thus, you use less memory, and the data is filed properly for quick and accurate extraction. Thus, you are not distracted by incorrect data, the missing data and the gaps and holes and wrong arrangements of data and so on, and intuition can kick in.

The real meaning of Intuition is that the data being extracted for use is being extracted at near instantaneous speed. Furthermore, and here is the real blessing of the matter, the data is never wrong. Thus, the true speed of the martial arts, when intuition kicks in, is in effect, and the result is that the students intelligence is going to go up.

Now, it doesn’t matter what form of wudan you are partial to, or what system of karate you study, all that matters is that you take the time to rearrange the data by applying matrix martial arts to it. When you use matrixing as your mode for learning, you see, it is nothing more than putting the book on the bookshelf. The trick here is that we are putting all the books on all the bookshelves throughout the entire library, in the right order, at the same time, and that is certainly measurable a

Al Case has learned martial arts for 4O+ years. He began writing for the martial arts magazines in 1982. He is the founder of Matrixing technology, which you can find out about by getting his absolutely free ebook at Monster Martial Arts.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/martial-arts-articles/the-truth-about-matrix-martial-arts-and-measuring-stupidity-1715159.html

Category : Martial Arts - General | Blog