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“Flexibility is the Key to Longevity.”
Think about that statement for a moment. Flexibility is the key to longevity.
I first encountered that statement almost over two decades ago while stationed with the US Army at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. The Operations Sergeant of my Military Police unit had it blown up to poster-size and hanging on the wall behind his desk.
As with all new members assigned to the 21st MP Company, I was asked, “Do you understand what that means?” And, like most I’m sure, my response to a senior was, “Yes, sergeant.” My affirmation was not at all related to what I think of that same phrase today.
To a disgruntled young soldier who had better things to do than put up with the “hurry-up and wait” organization that I perceived then, the phrase meant, “put up with all of the changes, and changes to the changes we throw at you and you’ll last much longer.”
Ironically, I came to find that - he was right! Except that it’s not just an ‘Army thing.’ What I have come to realize is that, regardless of whether we’re talking about a fight, a relationship, or just living, life is filled with change. In fact, there is nothing more permanent than change. Isn’t that funny? The only thing that doesn’t change is change-itself. And our own individual ability to adapt to those changes in our life, determine our own level of happiness, satisfaction, and ’survivability.’
Phrases like: “There’s always something,” and, “If it’s not one thing, it’s another,” are right. They are 100% accurate and the sad thing is that - there is absolutely nothing that we can do about it. But, that’s also the good news. We can stop chasing after permanence. We can stop fighting change because it’s a losing battle. Stress, or what most people call stress, which is the tension and anxiety that occurs when things don’t go our way, is what happens when we assume that things will happen just because we want them to. We expect that the world will magically conform to our wishes without any awareness or planning on our part. “It worked yesterday,” is the general belief along with, “if it hasn’t broken yet, it won’t.”
In the scrolls of the Takagi-Yoshin school of martial warriorship that has been past down for the last several hundred years, there is a key for winning in every battle. It’s simple, and I’d like to share this age-old wisdom with you.
Are your ready? Here it is:
“Don’t enter a battle you can’t win.”
That’s it.
Our ability to be adaptable and to have more than one way of doing things is essential to winning the battles of day-to-day life.
That poster means much more to me today than it did to that young man years ago. I can still hear my Sergeant’s voice as he asks…
“…Do you understand what it means?”
And, I can hear my answer to him.
“Yes, Sergeant.”
“It means…put up with all of the changes, and changes to the changes that are thrown at you and you’ll last much longer.”
Take a deep breath…
…relax, and…
…enjoy the ride.
I’ll see you in class.
Jeffrey M. Miller is the founder and master instructor of Warrior Concepts International. He specializes in teaching the ancient ways of self-protection and personal development lessons in a way that is easily understood and put to use by modern Western students and corporate clients. To learn more about ninjutsu and other subjects related to the martial arts, self-defense, personal development & self-improvement, visit his website at http://www.warrior-concepts-online.com To subscribe to his online newsletter, go to http://www.warrior-concepts-online.com/newsletter-subscribe-self-defense.html
What is a martial art?
A martial art can be defined as any skill that can be applied in warfare. The word martial means “military.” So traditionally, a martial art is a military art. The first things that usually come to mind when discussing modern martial arts are leaping, kicking, punching, blocking, inverting elbows, twisting necks, throwing, and weapon fighting. But also horsemanship, javelin throwing, archery, spear fighting, halberd fighting, wrestling, knife fighting, rifle, shotgun and pistol shooting, demolitions, logistics, and battle strategy can all be described as the field of martial arts. Anything that a soldier might do in battle is a martial art. By martial art usually it is meant aikido, arnis, boxing, capoeria, chow gar, choy la fut, hapkido, hsing’i, hun gar, jeet kune do, jow gar, judo, jujitsu, karate, kempo, kick boxing, krav maga, kung fu, pa kua, penjak silat, praying mantis, savate, shaolin, tae kwon do, tai chi, white crane, wing chun, wu shu and more! As you can see the list is quite long and it is actually quite amazing how many martial arts systems there are and how many methods of self defense can be formulated. Often within a martial arts school it is taught that ‘this particular system is the best system and it was created to beat all the others’. Of course every martial artist would have the viewpoint their style is the best because that is the style they have chosen to do, but in reality what they are saying is ‘this is the best style for me as it suits my temperment and I like the teaching environment’.
The changing of the arts
Throughout this history and development of the martial arts and all the combat systems of man our training tools have played a vital part in evolving and perfecting these systems and techniques. All the martial arts have been effected by the role that mechanical devices play whether it be weapons, dojo mats, breaking boards or even the uniforms we wear - all these paraphanialia indentify the martial arts into their systems and style. The main players in shaping our new martial arts would be the traditional wooden dummy, wing chun rings, iron palm ointments and even the system of using forms and karta have developed the martial arts into their current form. Even today modern training tools are common and again the martial arts are under development with new training products such as the Wavemaster, the BOB training dummy, the Focus Master. All with one thing in common, to create a well rounded combat system. Ideally a martial arts solo training tool should be workable for all and based on sound theory and through constant practice develop into sound physical application. The ideology and theory would have to take into account all the history of the combat technology of man and give this competition and street application.
The Martialarm Combat Training Partner
In a martial arts career you can occationally find your self with no school to go to or no one to train with and so out of neccessity the martialarm solo training partner was born. The Martialarm is a Martial Arts training machine used to develop the entry and trapping skills of any martial arts system. It is designed to actually test any techniques so to improve the ability to trap and control your opponents hands and arms. This can be done because the Martialarm moves and reacts like a real opponent. The Martialarm moves and twists up, down, left and right just like a real opponent would - so it can spring forward and it does strike back!. The Martialarm Combat Training Partner was designed and developed on the following theories
Martialarm Theory
#1) Safety - You must maintain 100% safety when entering into the opponents attack range, this means to limit any variables that could occur by covering them. (Methods of entry must be sophisticated yet simple, fast as well as safe!)
#2) Attack - You must have the ability to attack at will, with no concern or hesitation. The attack should incorporate a total control of the opponents weapons. (Attacks must be structured to have within them a 100% defense!)
#3) Adaptability - Techniques, attacks and defenses must flow but not necessarily at a constant pace. Adaptability to choose what’s next is key! Whatever martial arts you choose just be sure you do look at a few before you decide and enqire with the school what martial arts equipment they utilize to get the best from your training.
This article was written by P. Sundbye who has been training in various martialarts for the last 11 years including Wing Chun Kung Fu, Aikido, Tong Long and the Lee Total Control system. For more information and martial arts news visit www.martialarm.com
The two most common martial arts practiced in North America are karate and tae kwon do. Many wonder what the difference between these two martial arts is. This is especially the case for those who are just starting to look around for a martial arts studio. After all, most practitioners in both karate and tae kwon do seem to wear the same type of white gi uniforms with various colored belts.
Modern traditional karate was developed in the islands of Okinawa in Japan after some influences from Chinese martial arts. There are actually different styles of karate but they are all commonly considered as Japanese martial arts today. The colored belt system was developed to show the various ranks of karate practitioners with white depicting novices and black belts (with various degrees) representing instructor levels and higher. There is a whole range of other different colors in between. Modern tae kwon do was developed in Korea after much influence from Japanese karate during the occupation by Japan. Indeed, tae kwon do is sometimes referred to as Korean karate. The Koreans adopted similar white uniforms along with a colored belt ranking system for tae kwon do. Today, there are two main styles of tae kwon do, one under the International Tae Kwon Do Federation and the other under the World Tae Kwon Do Federation. Many tae kwon do schools have added a black lining to their white uniforms for black belt levels. A V-neck top is often seen in schools affiliated with the World Tae Kwon Do Federation. There are also older Korean styles including tang soo do and moo duk kwan. Some of the more Americanized karate and tae kwon do schools also use uniforms with other colors such as red, black and blue in addition to the traditional white.
It can be generalized that in karate, one would use their arms or hands for 60% of the time for strikes or blocks while the use of legs for kicking will be about 40%. This breakdown is seen in the many forms or katas of karate which are set routines which simulate fighting against imaginary opponents using martial arts techniques. The forms from tae kwon do would have the opposite percentage breakdown with 40% hands and 60% legs. In tae kwon do, there is also more emphasis on higher kicks to the head level than in karate. Tae kwon do practitioners also utilize more jumping or flying kicks where one is airborne while executing kicking techniques. The tae kwon do forms or patterns are generally a bit shorter and less complex than the karate forms. Some tae kwon do schools have been known to use the odd karate form in its curriculum as well.
In North America as well as other parts of the world, there are separate traditional competitions for karate and tae kwon do. However, the open martial arts tournaments in North America often have competitors from both karate and tae kwon do competing together. Some of the larger open martial arts competition events will have separate forms divisions for Japanese karate and Korean tae kwon do competitors but the fighting or sparring divisions will usually be combined. Many black belts in tae kwon do end up studying karate as well and the opposite has been true too. Tae kwon do has received more publicity in recent years since its introduction as an Olympic sport. The style and rules used for the Olympic version of tae kwon do fighting comes from the World Tae Kwon Do Federation (WTF). Both karate and tae kwon do are considered as hard style martial arts in North America today (as opposed to soft styles such as the many versions of Chinese kung fu).
Clint Leung is a lifelong martial artist with over 32 years of training experience in kung fu, tae kwon do, karate, kickboxing and martial arts weaponry. He has won Canadian and world championship titles (NASKA, NBL and WSKF). He is also owner of Free Spirit Activewear (www.FreeSpiritActivewear.com) , an online retailer and designer of premium martial arts activewear. Free Spirit Activewear has martial arts info articles.
Custom build your own personal “system”:
Useful areas of training and study to find, train and develop the various “parts” -
To develop STRIKING:
Western BOXING
Savate
Muay Thai (Burmese Boxing)
Jiu Jitsu ATEMI
Old style KEMPO
To develop GRAPPLING:
Catch/Freestyle Wrestling
Greco-Roman Wrestling
JUDO
Sambo (Real SAMBO/SOMBO)
Brazilian Jujutsu
A comprehensive study of the above will provide methods applicable to ANY so-called “ranges” of combat.
They will also provide ALL “techniques” necessary -
Striking, punching, kicking, knees, elbows, headbutts, biting, gouging, ripping, clawing, crushing, joint breaking(from the neck to the ankles), throws, trips, take-downs, strangles, chokeholds, and other assorted “nasties”.
“Mixed Martial Arts”. BULL@#$!(sounds like a f@#$ing breakfast omelet or pancake mix). This is real Kill Or Get Killed UNARMED COMBAT, gaining the ability and knowledge to EXPLOIT any and ALL weaknesses of the enemy and to NEVER EVER be caught by “surprise”.
ADD to this the ability to USE REAL and EFFECTIVE WEAPONS and you have about the MOST comprehensive system possible.
Its not going to look pretty. It never does.
And NEVER forget HARD TOUGH and PRODUCTIVE physical training for speed, power, strength, endurance and TOUGHNESS. Get your self in the best physical condition possible. The better shape you are in, the more damage you can absorb. You will get hit, you will get hurt- how much is up to you.
Last, but not least: Get your MIND right, DO what HAS to be DONE when IT HAS TO BE DONE BEFORE you have to make the decision. Kill or BE KILLED. Screw the BULL*&^%. Leave the poetry writing for later. when it comes down to it, it’s just a matter of who is left.
Carl
PS. Check out the combat jujutsu series www.combatjujutsusecrets.com
Copyright 2003 http://www.thetruthaboutselfdefense.com ©
Carl Cestari began his study of the martial arts with judo at the age of 7 under the direction of Yoshisada Yonezuka. During the past forty plus years Carl has dedicated his life to studying the martial arts, hand to hand combat systems, history and religion. What makes Carl unique is his combination of martial arts, law enforcement, military and real world experience. Carl has been exposed to a multitude of people with a wide variety experience. The following is a list of some of Carl’s ranks and honors.
Shinan (Founder) Tekkenryu jujutsu
Ryokudan (6th degree) Koshinkai Karate under John Burrelle
Godan (5th degree) Jujutsu under Clarke of the World Jujutsu Fedaration (now defunct)
Sandan (3rd degree) Nippon Kempo under Narabu Sada
Nidan (2nd degree) Judo under Masafumi Suzuki
Shodan (1st degree) Judo under Yoshisada Yonezuka
Shodan (1st degree) Shukokai Karate under Kimura, Kadachi and Yonezuka
Shodan (1st degree) Daitoryu Aikijujutsu
Instructors Certificate- Charles Nelson System of Self Defense under Charlie Nelson
http://www.thetruthaboutselfdefense.com
Tiger Woods has been awarded PGA Tour “Player of the Year” for 2005(1), his 7th time in 9 professional seasons. He also made $10,628,023(2) in earnings. This award is based on performance points and tour player votes(1).
There were two years Tiger didn’t win the award, 1998 and 2004(1). His earnings those years were $1,841,117 and $5,365,472(2), respectively. Definitely respectable, but fewer points and dollars than other years.
Do you know why?
Well, he was getting back to basics! (He was changing his golf swing, believe it or not.) For a player of his caliber to stop and reevaluate his core technique is extraordinary to me. What I mean is, he’s been a real money machine. And he had the presence of mind and control of emotion to step off the ride and take care of business. To continue to take care of the basics.
He caught a lot of flack for making a change. People who I presume didn’t understand what he was doing wrote a lot about it.
I haven’t played golf in five years, don’t give a rip about the game. So what’s my point?
“Good, solid basics are the key to learning and teaching advanced technique and concepts.”
A pre-black-belt karate-ka is developing their foundation, their “golf swing.” To be successful in the long run the advanced student has to continually take care of those basics.
Grab a cup of coffee and sit by the fire. Or go for a walk by yourself. Think of specific ideas from your training history, truly open your mind to the truth. How about others’ techniques from your class? Recognize and think about good, solid basics. You know it when you see it.
Here it is again:
“Good, solid basics are the key to learning and teaching advanced technique and concepts.”
I’m suggesting you really think about this for yourself. And also for your students if you’re an instructor.
Beginners and veterans, make a real commitment to your future basics training. It will make the difference in how deeply your karate experience develops.
(1) http://www.hickoksports.com/history/pgapoy.shtml#vote
(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_Woods#Professional_Career
Copyright © 2005, Bryan D. Hix, http://www.PracticeKarate.com. All rights reserved. You may reproduce this article by including this copyright and, if reproducing it electronically, including the above live link to the ‘Practice Karate’ website.
Comment on this article here.
Bryan’s Contact Page
The benefits of Martial Arts has always appealed its practitioners. The disciplined training of the mind and body give a sense of well being but some aspects of Martial Arts training do present a problem.
Most forms of martial art will eventually lead to contact training at some level, whether is is light contact, semi-contact or full contact. Whilst training it is important to wear the right equipment. But what is the right equipment and what protection will it afford you?
During this article I hope to point you in the right direction towards choosing the protective sparring gear that is right for you.
Head gear
This is probably the most important piece of protective equipment you can purchase. Head injuries are serious and can even be fatal.
When choosing head gear for martial arts sparring there are certain features you should look out for.
These questions can be asked of most martial arts equipment.
Head gear should be comfortable to wear (not too loose and not too tight), light for ease of movement and padded well around the crown and base of the head as these areas are most likely to be damaged and are most vunerable.
Body Armour
Body armour is used primarily in Taekwondo and Karate sparring. Its function is to protect the trunk of the body especially the ribs, kidneys and liver from damage.
Gloves
There are varying styles of martial arts glove on the market. Each style has a particular function to perform. Boxing gloves come in standard sizes 10, 12 and 16 ounces. the heavier gloves are for sparring training the lighter gloves are for competitions. Bear in mind, boxing gloves are designed for use with hand wraps.
Martial arts sparring gloves are usuall open handed, allowing for strikes with fists or open hands and finger thrusts. They are lighter for quicker strikes. Mixed martial arts use a specific glove that is designed for grappling and is very flexible.
Shin and foot guards
shin and foot guards offer as much protection for the attacker as they do for the defender. Often they are made from foam and poly-urethane (P.U.), are easy to clean and light.
The most iimportant thing to remember is the cheapest is not always the best. You must feel comfortable in you equipment and be confident it will protect you. Shop around. Many places will be able to tell you what the equipment is designed for and what you can expect from it.
a good site to begin with is
Pad-Up.com
there is a wealth of information here and questions can be answered quite quickly.
Good luck in your discipline!
You’d almost have to be living on another planet to not realize that swords of any kind are becoming very popular among collectors and even investors. Ninja swords and other styles of Chinese weapons are particularly in demand right now.
There are a few key aspects that you should know about before you dish out your money, especially if you plan to buy over the internet. Unfortunately there are many websites claiming to that certain swords are battle ready or can be used for cutting exercises in the dojo and in many situations that is just not true.
Sometimes you might see a website that features a ninja sword and the name of the weapon will be very similar to one of higher quality and will even look exactly like a better well known sword. So the unsuspecting buyer thinks he’s getting this unbelievable that no one else has found on a certain sword. Unfortunately he/she learns the hard way that it’s not what he thought.
If you buy a ninja sword that’s not worthy to be used for anything but hanging on the wall and you take it to the dojo serious injury could result. The main trait of a quality ninja sword that you need to look for is to be sure that the blade is forged high carbon steel and preferably differentially tempered.
Differentially tempered means that the back of the blade is not as hard as the edge of the blade. At first some people think that this is not a positive aspect for a high quality ninja sword. Differentially tempering is necessary so that it gives some flexibility to the sword. Differentially tempering makes the ninja sword virtually unbreakable. Hopefully this article has helped you to know the traits to look for when purchasing your next ninja sword.
John Gottshall is the owner of Japanese Swords 4 Samurai. If you are in search of a
quality ninja sword
you just might find the one you’re looking for at the Japanese Swords 4 Samurai website
www.japaneseswords4samurai.com/
Decorating your 21st century interior in a Japanese manner has become very popular. The Japanese artifacts, like the samurai swords, are proof of great taste not only because of their eye catching colors and shapes but because they hold a lot of meaning. They represent moral values like patience, discipline, honor, loyalty and determination. The modern world has forgot some very important codes, but their symbols still exist as a reminder in the Japanese works of art that distinguish some homes or offices.
The samurai swords, for example, are very used objects of decoration. People who appreciate martial arts or the Japanese life style often hang them on walls. Owning samurai swords means you appreciate Japanese history and the virtues that this object stood for in an antique society. For those of you with the good idea of buying samurai swords here are some hints about these beautiful and meaningful objects and their philosophy. Knowing how they are made and their value will make them more treasured decorating objects.
The value of the samurai swords comes not only from their handcrafting, but also from the fact that they are a symbol of the worrier. The samurai swords define power, duty, responsibility, self-defense and ethics. The samurai swords were weapons used by a class of people who cherished their freedom above all and defended it with great skill. The samurai swords were used in hand to hand combat which was a very demanding perhaps the most, form of combat. Having to fight with a sharp weapon required skill of body and mind, abilities, reflexes and technique. Only through a lot of practice, exercise and patience one could become able to handle the samurai swords in order to protect the code of honor.
The Samurai (knights-retainers) were also called Bushi (warriors) and their most treasured weapons were the samurai swords. They considered the swords a part of themselves and sometimes believed the swords were the soul of their worriership. They gave their samurai swords names and awarded them medals. Some samurai worriers even died trying to retrieve their treasured samurai swords for their Shogun (the most powerful samurai worrier for a period). Bushido means Way of the Warrior and the heart of the Bushido philosophy, which lead their beliefs and conduct, is freedom from fear. This meant they had no fear of dying. They were able to use their peace of mind to give themselves power to serve their master faithfully to the death. Therefore, duty and loyalty were a great part of their philosophy. Their way of life ranked them at the top of the social hierarchy in Japan for hundreds of years until 19th century.
Artisans of ancient time put a lot of thought in the creation of samurai swords. They had to create weapons that were not too heavy to handle, nor too rigid to brake off. They discovered sharp samurai swords, used against an armor, broke and that samurai swords made of soft steel were flexible and light. So, they considered the most appropriate weight for samurai swords would have been around 2-3 pounds. However, to create such samurai swords would have meant a lot work.
There were many methods used to handcraft samurai swords. Some used the repeated and tiring process of heating and folding of steel. The blades had to be polished afterwards carefully and the smiths engraved their signature on their work of art. The samurai swords were proof of great handcrafting skills, which meant that the person who created them possessed some unique virtues. Like for any art object, to create samurai swords meant to put soul in your creation, to invest patience and will together with intelligence to obtain the best results possible. A lot of artists worked on their detailed ornaments of the hilt, on their handle bindings and sheaths and the results were samurai swords worth being worn by worriers.
These virtues have been forgotten as the modern society no longer cares, respects or praises the military man as much as in the past. The samurai were (and still are) highly appreciated figures of history. The samurai swords were priceless and were identified with the worrier class. Made from the heat and pounding of skilled smiths, the samurai swords brought honor and the spirit of the true worrier to those who carried them. Because of this, many modern people buy samurai swords as a reminder of that time and those values. Samurai swords decorate today’s homes, as symbols, for those who know what true beauty means virtue and honor.
If you are looking for samurai swords you can click the link.