Searching For The Best Shaolin Kung Fu Martial Art Is A Difficult Task!
First, even thought they be interesting, we can usually dismiss such arts as Lohan Quan. The reason for this is because they are a different kind of kung fu. Wushu is actually a martial art that has been largely developed by the communist government of China, and one does not feel like learning something which has politically correct overtones, and from which the self defense techniques have been removed.
So we stay with the old styles of Chinese Gung Fu, the versions that leaked out of China before the great cultural revolution. These were the arts passed down through the generations, given from family member to family member to develop a true martial arts lineage. These are the Kung Fu styles in which the fires of true self defense techniques were flamed fanatically.
Many of these old Gung Fu schools claim they are descended from the Shaolin Temple, but there is actually no real proof of the claims. Still, people accept certain martial arts styles as being the real goods when it comes to these claims. Thus we end up with three martial arts which have good lineage, and are of such high quality of Shaolin technique that they can be looked to as a possible answer to the best kung fu.
There are two distinct Praying Mantis kung fu schools, the north and the south, and these can further be broken down into specific styles. The main feature of Praying Mantis (Tong Long) is the hooking and clawing movements, which enable a fighter to keep an opponent immobilized long enough to flatten him. This is a good answer to our question, but tends to be a bit specialized.
There are also many styles of Ving Tsun Gung Fu, which is the art made famous by Bruce Lee (the Little Dragon), and which features the close in strategy of the Sticky Hands exercise. Sticky Hands (Chi Sau) has one of the best methods for creating ‘closed eye’ intuition. It does have several problems, however, such as immobile stances, workability concentrated in on specific ranges, and that type of thing.
The strongest kung fu, but lacking some of the close in work of the previous arts mentioned, is Hung Gar. Hung Gar is also taught as Choy Li Fut, Fut Ga, and so on, and it is considered the quintessential shaolin martial art in China. For all it’s strength, however, it does have certain stylistic problems, as the techniques don’t always relate to real life situations.
Now, of the three arts, I believe Praying Mantis may be the strongest. However, this is a personal opinion, and one should really study all three and focus on the points which are of most personal benefit. Really, in the final analysis, the best Shaolin Kung fu is going to be that kung fu which has been personalized, and which fits the person studying it the best.
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I Stomped On Eight Deadly Ninjas In A Bar Fight Using Spetsnaz Karate Techniques!
Now the catalogue of this kind of crap is huge. Over the past couple of decades I have seen–take a breath–super secret ninja death commando spetznat cyberneurotic Green Beret government doesn’t want you to know eight barroom killer tricks. And the list is a lot longer, but you know the kind of tripe what I’m talking about.
I’m talking about cheaters who bilk you out of hard earned bucks by promising you the moon, then give you watered down, generic outhouse stuffings and call it the real martial arts. I saw one the other day, Captain Chris, or Major X, or whatever he called himself. He’s still selling the same bullwash and calling it gold, and getting rich off unsuspecting, honest martial arts practitioners.
Now you and I know one simple truth…there is no excuse for hard work. If you want to be able to defend yourself then you have to work out, and work out long and hard. Fortunately there is one other simple truth…working out is fun!
When you work out you build up a sweat, you get rid of poisons in the body, your mind starts to think better, and you get this world beating confidence. A confidence that makes you feel like you’re a giant. A confidence that tells you–yes, you can conquer the world!
Now, the story behind these ‘I beat eight skinhead bikers in a bar in the Ozarks’ is pretty dumb. The author has gotten a hold of a few DVDs, or watched the net, and he realizes that the right hand can block both the a right fist and a left fist, and most attackers use their fists, and if you watch the shoulder you can see when he’s going to move. So he puts together eight tricks where you attack eight different ways, and gives it a phony scientific title.
Look, I’m not pulling your leg, it really is that simple, and it really is that shabby. I mean, why not just go ahead and study the art, find out about another culture, practice an exotic discipline, and really learn something? When you really know the true martial arts you will laugh very hard at those killer commando death techniques, those so called youtube experts with their snippets of bushwah, those super secret CIA agents who learned from Shaolin Monks in a hidden monastery.
Those people who try to sell you ‘become a killer quick’ courses are just reaching into your pocket and stealing your money. It’s best if you toss out those comic book notions and find a real martial arts teacher and learn the truth. Look, there is nothing wrong with studying on your own, you just need to seek out the real art and not fall for that super secret spetznatz karate techniques.
If you want the real martial art, I’m putting together 25 books for only $10. This is six entire arts, studied over a forty year period, and which will make you into a true martial artist. This is my answer to the scammers who want to cheat people, so click on over to 25 martial art Books. 1
How To Have The Most Powerful Karate Kick In The World!
Well, you can certainly have one of those kicks! In fact, all of your kicks should be that strong! All you have to do is construct one, little training aid.
Now, before I tell you how to make that training device, I want to offer a warning. You have to make sure that all the segments of your kick are in proper alignment. You have to make sure that the ankle is set at the proper angle, the hips are turned the correct angle, and, most important, that you sink your weight so deep into the earth you could strike oil!
If the ankle is crooked you’re going to hurt the heck out of your ankle when you execute your kicks. Trying punching with a crooked wrist, you’ll feel the instant pain, and this is what will happen with the ankle if you don’t have it in the proper position. Walk on the side of your foot, the ankle is bent, and it won’t be long until it starts shouting bloody murder for you to straighten up and fly right!
If the hip is not turned just the right angle, you won’t have any weight behind your kick. The hips are the cornerstone of the body, they have to be angled right, or the weight of them won’t go into the kick, and the whole body risks being out of order, out of sorts, and out of commission right in the middle of a mugging! You simply must have the hips committed to the attack, or your attack is going to be weak sister, and I know you know exactly what I mean!
Now, I’ve told you the importance of making sure your kick is done right, and it’s time to tell you how to construct a train aid that will change your feet into missile launchers! Get yourself a big wooden crate, the kind with thick boards, the kind that can take being dropped off a freeway overpass and come out laughing. Now, double layer it, nail on some more boards so it is extra thick, and can take double the stomping!
Put a car in the crate, or at least a motor or axle or something that really weighs a lot. Or fill that puppy with boulders and dirt, line it with plastic first, then pile in the debris. Now you’ve got something that weighs more than one of those sissy everlast kicking bags…you’ve got something that weighs even more than one of those home invaders you’re about to make a sissy crybaby out of, you’ve got yourself a real romper stomper, kicking bag.
Now, kick it in the center, and make it move, make it jump, make it dance like a little girl doing the hula. Kick that sucker until it slides across the ground faster than a drag racer getting the green light. Kick it until you’re legs are stronger than telephone poles, and that’s how you end up with powerful kicks that can knock a bully so far into next next week that he needs a calender to know what time it is.
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The Six Best Procedures To Learn Martial Arts
Almost as bad as the screen, and it might even be considered a toss up with these two, is the web. While there can be pearls in that there computer stream, the dreck is overwhelming. Dial into the internet for the purpose of actually trying to learn something (as opposed to just surfing around for fun) and you engage a common brain that doesn’t know any better, pseudo experts, overwhelming amounts of information with no real instruction or even organization of data, what’s neat, advertising that hasn’t and can’t be tested for worth, and etcetera.
The third weakest way to educate oneself would be to try to learn from magazines. Now, this is not to be discounted, magazines do give you an overall viewpoint of what’s going on–and not just in the classical arts–and can give a good education as to what is out there. Good writing and the dedication of the magazine to find out what the reader is really interested in, and the tendency of the worthwhile ads to stick around, makes this a good source of finding out about different martial arts.
Fourth weakest would be martial arts DVDs. Now, I should say weakest, but third strongest, because one can dial into a specific art, delve into that art in detail, and really get some great instruction. Honestly, it’s a toss up between this and the next item on the list, almost a tie, but I settled on the order you see because there are just so many bad DVDs out there–it’s just too easy to string some fighting techniques together, slap a pseudo scientific label on it, and use internet marketing to blast it past common sense.
Second best and of very high value, when it comes to the learning process goes to martial arts books. With books you might not get the visual look, but if you have any instruction in a training hall, books will do the trick. Furthermore, you can get the most detail, in depth theory, the most fully thought out concepts in books–and if you can get a video to go along with it then you really are on to something.
The best method for learning the the combat discipline, no doubt about it, is to take a martial arts class at a good training hall, one where they teach not just the blood and guts, but the heart and soul. You’ll find friendships that last a lifetime, styles of combat that stuck around for thousands of years, and some pretty darned good times. Add to that that you can ask a question about anything you want right on the spot, and the worth of this method is undeniable.
People study according to their opportunity and means, thus, none of the methods I have mentioned can be totally discounted. And, the smart student will do a mix and match and educate himself so that there are no weaknesses in his arts. In the end, every man is self made, and learning Martial Arts is the best method for making oneself.
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How To Fix The Back Stance (Kokutsu Dachi) In Shotokan Karate
A good karate stance should be a perfect blend between mobility and solidity. Mobiity is when one can launch their body quickly in one direction. Solidity is when one can grip the ground with their feet and become virtually immoveable.
In the Shotokan kokutsu dachi stance, however, the mix between mobile and solid has been unbalanced. If you study the legs you will see that they are angling more than 90 degrees apart. This means the stance is more solid than mobile.
If the rear foot is pointing away from the target the major muscles are pointing away from the target. The foot being in the wrong position means that there is not going to be enough traction for the push. The leg being pointed away from the target means that the major thrusting muscles of the leg can’t be properly employed.
in addition, the hips won’t be properly angled, and when one pushes with the leg there will be an ‘energy leak,’ in the structure. That is to say that the hips will not want to support the energy of the push. This can be severe enough to weaken the back, and even (in extreme cases) lead to damage to the lower spine.
To fix this stance all one needs to do is turn the rear foot towards the target to about 45 degrees or less. This will angle the foot for better traction, and set up the major muscles for the push when one launches the body towards the target. Of course, this is going to alter the basic nature of the stance.
Thus, when you turn the foot correctly, you are going to have to figure out the proper angle of the hips, and set the weight more on the rear leg. Doing this will prepare the body for maximum push, but shotokan instructors will resist this alignment of the body for a simple reason: it lacks the feel of shotokan power. But this merely proves that the system has been corrupted for the feeling and sake of power, and not for the balance between sinking the weight and launching the body.
To get past this, Shotokan masters have arranged the style to rely on overly aggressive front stances. What they have done is okay, but only in specific situations, and the proof is in the fact that the back stance is more for rooting than for shooting. Thus, you have a choice, do what you are told in Shotokan Karate, or other classical martial arts systems, or evaluate the physics I have presented here and change your stance in accordance with these physics.
The difference between art and slop in wado ryu karate is in the physics. If you want to learn The Correct Physics of wado ryu karate drop by Monster Martial Arts. 0
Why Mixed Martial Art Fighters Are Pursuing Sport And Not Art
Now, the main reason such contests as offered by Strike Force and the venerable Ultimate Fighting Championships aren’t art is because of a lack of control. When Joe Beatemup is mounting Billy Mouthpiece and the announcer is praising his control, take his words with a grain of salt. The contest, you see is real, and the fact of control is shaky at best.
Real control means that you are controlling the other fighter so well they don’t even know what you are doing. There is no contest for control (a superior position), but rather an actual artistic application wherein Mr. Victim feels like he is in a whirlwind, and Mr. Incharge is definitely and surely taking the other fellow for a ride. True control is control without any shade of doubt, or even any contest.
This is like the difference between a housepainter and a Van Gogh. Yes, the house painter deals with paint, and he may even get a calm and peaceful and artistic feeling about what he is doing. But he is not controlling the brush in any manner comparable to Van Gogh.
Now, let’s not take anything away from the MMA fighters. To say there is no art in the execution of their contest is silly. But, and this is a big but, it does lead to the big and most important difference between the Mixed Martial Arts Masters and those who practice the True Art. The difference is that in the true art there is going to be no contest.
In the true art an opponent is considered to be a training aid. The contest is not to beat up one’s fellow man, you see, it is to get rid of the desire to fight (and therefore have enemies). And that brings to mind the old but oh so accurate saw, ‘To know yourself is to know your enemy.’
If you are engaged in beating people up…you are not seeking peace within your own soul. And, one can hope that, eventually, the young turks of the gladiatorial ring will one day renounce their brutality and search for the true art. They will seek to understand their drive to contest with others, and realize that the truth is within themselves.
Then all of their mighty potential will be turned to beneficial ends. Then their sport will make the transformation into art, and the circus will become an event of significance. The real joy for this writer, you see, is when one of the Mixed Martial Arts fighters has an artistic moment, and the true art does shine forth.
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The Large Flaw In O Sensei Aikido
To understand what I mean by this oxymoronic viewpoint one has to understand where Morihei Ueshiba Aikido came from. Morihei Ueshiba studied many arts, and all must have contributed to his knowledge. The predominate art behind aikido training, however, is Daito Ryu Aiki Ju Jitsu.
This form of jujitsu was founded a thousand years ago by a fellow named Yoshimitsu. There are different versions concerning the birth of this art. One version holds that the samurai who survived great battles were asked what techniques worked for them, and the other version has Yoshimitsu dissecting cadavers to understand jointlocks and such.
While there is probably truth in both versions, the truth is obscured by history. One thing is sure, the art became very technique heavy. The list of recorded techniques is somewhere between 3200 and 3500, depending upon which branch of the school one is pursuing.
At any rate, it can be said that the Aikido of Morihei Ueshiba is not the entire art of Daito Ryu Ju Jitsu. The founder of aikido concentrated only on the movements which were aiki in nature, which were concerned with harmonious movements which flowed with the attack. Thus, one could reasonably make the case that Aikido is half of the total art of Daito Ryu.
To be honest, some techniques should be thrown away. After all, of what worth is a trick developed for a specific type of armor, or weapon, or tactic from a thousand years ago. The need for some ancient techniques will never be seen on a today’s battlefields.
On the other hand, basic, bare boned techniques (atemi) which would end a fight with a single blow are neglected and rarely mentioned. Thus, unless one is persistent enough to find and study Diato Ryu, or accumulate teachings in arts which relate to these specific types of strikes, one will never experience the whole teachings behind Aikido. Thus, because of the absence of many non-flowing techniques, one will never understand the resulting slant given to the martial arts, and Aikido can be considered lacking as a martial art.
I say these things not to offend, but to educate. If you are satisfied with O Sensei Aikido, so be it and more power to you. If you wish to explore further, and find the things that are not being taught in your Aikido Dojo, however, you will find the journey much richer.
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American Kenpo Karate Is A Wonderful Art…but There Is Something Wrong With It
It grew much too quickly. In the east senseis didn’t instruct until they had a minimum of a decade of experience, had studied under a variety of masters and had learned a variety of martial arts styles. We were creating senseis every 3 years, which is how long it took to bring a student to black belt back then.
Of course, there is also the problem of which kenpo is the true kenpo? Ed Parker, you see, developed five different kenpos. If you learned an earlier version, is it now considered…less than kenpo?
And, this bring us to the fact that there are versions of the versions. There are teachers who have developed combat kenpo and tournament kenpo and MMA kenpo, and so on. It seems there are as many versions of kenpo as there are people studying it.
I first became aware of this problem, too many variations, while putting together Monkey Boxing, which, in one sense, is my version of kenpo, or at least as close as I can come to a kenpo. I had studied the version of a version of it way back when, then I picked up Larry Tatum Kenpo, and I had some of the kenpo connection material, then I came across rather massive instruction manuals on Olympic kenpo, and I believe I had two other versions of the art.
As I went through the endless techniques I saw how the changes were sometimes small, and sometimes large, but always unique to the person making the changes. Now, to be sure, every art should be an expression of the individual, and kenpo does seem suited to this. Still, it would be nice to have a specific set of concepts, and maybe a list of techniques that would standardize the kenpo field before individual martial arts masters expanded it with their own variations.
In the end, I boiled the techniques of five complete arts, with a couple or three partial arts, down to forty techniques. I am sure there will be some who shake their heads at this. After all, how can one summate over 500 techniques, and all the evolutions thereof, with but 40 techniques?
Well, I offer no excuse, I merely advise the reader to set himself or herself the task of collecting sufficient versions that you might have a complete viewpoint of the art. Then, start organizing the overwhelming glut of knowledge. It will be a hard task, a number nine headache, but you might end up a true master of American Kenpo Karate.
A Case, the greatest martial art writer of all time (almost 2,000,000 words in print), is at Monster Martial art. You can look at his 40 technique variation of American Kenpo Karate there. Make sure you pick up his free book on Matrixing. 1
The Secret Trick Inside Shaolin Kung Fu Fighting Systems
Stand in a natural stance, feet shoulder width and extend the arms straight out in front of the body. Bend the arms slightly and make circles with the arms in front of your body in a clockwise manner. The circles should be about three feet wide, and should overlap each other by about a foot.
As you make these circles you will see a series of blocks. At one point your right arm will do a high block and your left arm will do a low block. As you continue the clockwise circle of the limbs your right arm will go through an inverted low block (back of the wrist protecting the groin) and your left arm will go through a palm block (protecting the face).
Anybody who comes at you will run into one of these blocks, or enter into the swirling motion of your arms. You can angle the blocking motion and cause all types of manipulations simply by adjusting foot movement. Take a step, pivot the hips, turn, all will alter the angle of the circles, and you will find other types of blocks.
If you maintain distance and focus the circles you can execute hard and bruising blocks. If you step into a person and circle the attacking arm it will turn into a lever and a joint manipulation or a throw, as you might find in Gracie Jujitsu. Tighten it up and charge at a person and you will end up doing the basic Bruce Lee blasting technique.
As I said, this circling of the arms is native in any martial style, and most students will play with it at some time in their careers. Unfortunately, most people don’t explore it to the degree that they understand the basic conceptual nature of what they are doing. Yet, a few decades into the art, a serious student will invariably realize the fundamental utility of the arm circles.
I discovered this move in the art of Pan Gai Noon. The wa-uke circling block is a variation of this basic motion. It wasn’t long before I saw it in the various kung fu fighting systems, and then the karate fighting systems. I was quick to make it the heart of my own Shaolin Butterfly system.
In summation, let me point out that this arm motion opens the door to endless fighting techniques. If you alter the direction of the circles, or change the direction of one of the circles, you will find virtually every martial arts technique imaginable. Go ahead, look at your martial arts patterns and kata, and you will find that this little trick is at the heart of every martial system, and not just Shaolin Kung Fu Systems.
If you want to study Shaolin Gung Fu online, Monster Martial Arts specializes in Gung Fu video courses. 2
How To Take A Knife Away From A Slasher In A Knife Fight
The first strategy that comes to mind is to wrap some sort of shield around your arm. This will protect the wrist and hand and give you at least some sort of protection. The problem with this fighting technique is that the time it takes to find something to wrap, or to remove your shirt and wind it around your arm, is time in which you are going to get cut to small pieces.
So wrapping something around your arm, while it has its uses, isn’t really the most workable strategy when if comes to knife self defenses. It is pretty much stop gap. You will probably still get cut, and it segments your self defense moves into predictable movements: the wrapped arm is going to be used for blocking, and probably only for blocking.
Interestingly, there is a fighting principles that does work for this type of combat scene, and it will help you figure out knife fighting techniques. It is easy to do this one without getting hurt if you use a training knife. You can also pick up a red magic marker and wear white tee shirts if you really want to go to town.
The concept is not to focus your eyes on the weapon, but to look at the shoulder of the arm holding the weapon. This is hard to do, because taking your eyes away from the weapon is difficult to do. There will also be those persons who hold that to take your eye off the weapon is a rather silly self defense strategy when it comes to handling a knife fighter.
The truth of the matter, however, is that you are not fighting an inanimate piece of steel, you are fighting a human being. That said, the best place to look would be the eyes, for ‘The eyes are the windows to a man’s soul. Thus, to look at the eyes would enable the fighter who has a clue to see the thought behind the action.
In the specific situation of a slasher, however, you should focus on the shoulder for a specific reason. As the hand moves, so does the shoulder move, and the shoulder is slower and bigger and easier to watch. Thus, by watching the shoulder you can actually predict the change of direction and motion of the slasher.
Now, the best strategy, to be sure, is to avoid the knife fight, or just bring a gun. But, times being what they are, muggers being what they are, this strategy should help you survive. And that’s how you survive a slasher in a knife fight.
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