Month: October 2018

Health Benefits of Martial Arts

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There is an ongoing craze worldwide to put premium on health. People of Tampa are in the front line when it comes to this health consciousness trend. With the increasing number of existing lifestyle diseases, we should really change the way we live.

One way that we can do this is through an active lifestyle. Engaging in sports, recreational activities, and exercise programs such as jogging, aerobics, and going to the gym are some of the things that we can do. But for those who like taking it to the extremes, you can take martial arts training sessions and classes.

Contrary to what our common assumptions are, martial arts is not only about engaging in combat, competitions, tournaments and self-defense. Martial arts like brazilian jiu jitsu, gracie jiu jitsu, karate, judo, muay thai, kickboxing, wrestling, and mixed martial arts or MMA instill values such as focus, respect, discipline, concentration, self-control, teamwork as well as improved coordination, memory, and balance.

Aside from these, martial arts is also known to have lots of health benefits. The British Journal of Sports Medicine shows that adults in the 40s and 50s age group who engages in martial arts training exhibited astonishing levels of physical fitness compared with people from the same age group who do not engage even in the slightest forms of exercise. Results also showed that the participants of the study who practiced martial arts have 12% less body fat, can do twice as much sit ups, have enhanced leg strength and flexibility, and most importantly, showed a stronger immune system.

Here is a list of common martial arts classes and the health benefits that accompany them:

– Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Gracie Jiu Jitsu–physical strength, endurance, flexibility and speed

– Mixed Martial Arts–aerobic and anaerobic cardiovascular endurance, cardio health, muscle endurance and muscle strength

– Karate–cardiovascular and musculoskeletal health, exercise for the heart, mucles, and bones

– Judo–Weight loss, reduced risks of obesity and heart diseases, increased metabolic rate and muscle growth

-Muay Thai–Core strength, balance, flexibility, and functional strength, cardiovascular benefits, blood circulation, combating type 2 diabetes

– Kickboxing–Cardiovascular and aerobic workout

– Wrestling–Faster metabolism, increased caloric expenditure, burns fat, gains lean muscles

These martial arts namely brazilian jiu jitsu, gracie jiu jitsu, karate, judo, muay thai, kickboxing, wrestling, and mixed martial arts or MMA are but a few of the wide array of martial arts type available in Tampa, Florida. One place that offers classes on brazilian jiu jitsu, gracie jiu jitsu, karate, judo, muay thai, kickboxing, wrestling, and mixed martial arts or MMA is Evolution Martial Arts. Evolution Martial Arts is an institution that offers after school pickup programs as well as adult classes. Their after school pickup classes is very student and child friendly. Evolution Martial Arts pick up your child at school, work on homework, then teach them martial arts! Their adult classes are rigorous yet fun, giving working people a stress reliever activity that gives mental and physical benefits.

There you go people of Tampa. Improve your health conditions in a fun, relaxing, and enjoying way!

Evolution Martial Arts
14436 N Dale Mabry Hwy
Tampa, FL 33618
(813) 961-5245
www.graciebarraevolution.com

Martial Arts And How It Can Benefit Your Child

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The children nowadays are prone to various attitude problems. This is why parents enroll their kids in after school pick up programs to hone skills and develop their kids’ personality.

One of the most popular after school pick up programs are martial arts classes. Martial arts are known to help kids handle conflicts inside themselves, as well as conflicts that they may face when they are outside their homes. Various martial arts techniques such as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Mixed Martial Arts, Karate, Judo, Muay Thai, Kickboxing, and Wrestling also teach kids respect for others by first teaching them to respect themselves. It also teaches self-control, self-discipline, teamwork, and a sense of responsibility.

It is notable to stress that one of the most important benefit children get from martial arts training is that they generally become more disciplined from the unique formalities of martial arts classes. This is one difference that this type of lesson offer compared with types of sports. No matter what their social economic backgrounds are, children with problematic attitudes behave well as a result of taking classes a few times per week.

Parents are very happy to see how their seemingly problematic children come out of pick up programs smiling and positively interacting with other kids. Some children even show rising grades after continuous martial arts session.

How do all of these happen? Choosing a martial arts school is of course a very important factor. The environment in which your child will learn new things certainly affect how his outlook in life changes. There are a lot of dojos and school around Tampa and Carrollwood but be wary on making your choices. Choose a school that offers many forms of martial arts techniques. It has a positive effect on the kids if they are made to decide what pick up program to enroll in, whether it is MMA, Karate, Taekwondo, etc.

Instructors also play an important role in molding students. Instructors who care enough to sit and talk beyond the kickboxing or wrestling sessions reach the mind, heart, and soul of their students. Some trainors also include accomplishing schoolwork requirements in their pick up programs. This strengthens the bonding of the martial arts students and make them more active when training for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai.

Indeed, martial arts has so many benefits in the physical, mental, emotional, and social aspect of one’s life. It is not hard to understand why it has become a popular activity for the children, youth, and adults. Just keep in mind though that not all programs will produce all of the benefits mentioned in this article. As we have said, it all depends on the teacher and the school. Martial arts programs that are limited to teaching combat fighting techniques may not result in the desired mental, emotional, and social transformation we hope for. Give yourself enough time when searching for a school. Choose one that will give your kids the most number of benefits at the least possible price.

Evolution Martial Arts
14436 N Dale Mabry Hwy
Tampa, FL 33618
(813) 961-5245
www.graciebarraevolution.com

How To Keep Martial Arts Interesting For Kids

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One of the ways to keep a child interested is by setting up obstacle courses and having races. This drill helps to train the child’s body for martial arts such as coordination, but keeps it fun so that he or she enjoys it. In addition, obstacle courses help to train the child for endurance and speed, both of which are crucial to the sport of martial arts.

Often children find the actual courses hard to pay attention to, so by increasing the energy of the class, it can have a significant impact on the child’s attention. For instance, including some high-energy music can set the tone for the class and keep the child interested. Moreover, keep the class moving, do not spend too much time on one technique or rule, you can always come back to it later. By keeping things moving, you are moving at the pace of a child and keeping their interest.

Make sure you are well prepared for the class you are teaching and keep the content exciting and fresh every week. If you go over the same technique for three weeks in a row, you will surely lose several of the students to boredom. Remember, with children, you can always come back to a technique, the important part is to keep the classes varied and high-energy.

In addition, in each of your classes with children, you should make it fun and have games that may not be exactly related to martial arts, but that will have an effect on their strength, balance, coordination, and stamina. Moreover, games that help with timing and dodging are excellent to not only keep the child’s interest but it also helps to condition their bodies.

You need to engage children in fitness activities, but these can include a combination of activities such as squats, sit-ups, jogging, and dodge ball. All of these together help to keep the child interested while developing them for the more advanced aspects.

Children normally have a shorter attention span and therefore, an activity has to be fun in order to keep their attention. Martial arts can be learned by children of any age, but the classes as well as the techniques learned must be fun, high-energy, and easy for the child to grasp. When these three are kept in mind, the child can advance to greater levels.

Vietnam Art – The Complex Minimalism Of Le Thiet Cuong

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Seeing paintings by Le Thiet Cuong at “Like a Nil” exhibition, many may think that it is very easy to copy his paintings, but that’s just a joke, the way to Le Thiet Cuong’s irreducibility is anything but simple.

In art, people often love complicated techniques and many lose themselves in that maze of complication their whole life. Only some can escape from the maze to define their own language of creativeness and most of them choose simplicity.

This simplicity may be seen as “bounds” in creativeness. It makes an easy way for the public to have access to artworks and the artists have to work hard to make that simplicity or “like a nil” to stir up obsessions or deep feelings in viewers.

Le Thiet Cuong’s paintings are deep of feeling and they don’t repeat themselves. “Lan’s Story” is not new in the arrangement because its motif is about the fate of women in the war but it is new for the feeling it brings to viewers.

Asking Le Thiet Cuong why he didn’t draw a story about someone else, for example a mother or a soldier, he said he drew “Lan’s Story” from his own experience. He has travelled to many areas to understand hidden corners behind the war and stories about women’s fates are the greatest obsession.

That was the reason for Le Thiet Cuong to display “Lan’s Story”, not “Hung’s Story”, a story about a soldier. He said “Hung’s Story” needs a larger space than “Lan’s Story” and he will bring “Hung’s Story” to an exhibition in the near future.

The painter said many people are very interested in “Lan’s Story” but nobody wants to buy these paintings. But he said he didn’t care about the sales of these paintings.

“Exhibitions are for my career, not for business. I’m very happy that many young people have visited my exhibition. I want these people to see my artworks because Vietnamese painting arts lack audiences,” Le Thiet Cuong said.

That’s a sad truth as schools don’t teach children how to appreciate art. That’s why Vietnamese people often neglect museums or traditional arts like ca tru (ceremonial songs), hat xam (blind musician’s songs) or don ca tai tu, etc.

“When I led my friends to the History Museum, I saw Vietnamese people went there to take photos, not to look at huge numbers of valuable objects. Paying VND70,000, museum staffs will open glass boxes for you to take photos of objects of thousands of years old. I felt terrible when I saw people carve their names on Champa towers in Nha Trang though these towers are built of terra-cotta. Invaluable vestiges are treated like toys because people don’t understand their value,” the painter said.

For this reason, Vietnamese paintings are not paid attention to by Vietnamese people. Painters like Le Thiet Cuong exist by selling paintings to foreigners. Some of his paintings are now hung up at a big museum in Singapore.

A painting by Le Thiet Cuong, which was displayed at “Like a Nil” exhibition.
“Are your paintings selling well?” Le Thiet Cuong said: “They sold well in the past, not now. I’m living on the past.”

“Are they expensive?” “Very expensive, because each painting is unique, and records the only moment of feeling in my heart,” the painter added.

“But you have your own gallery, why can’t you sell your paintings?” Cuong said his gallery is not for profit since he chooses and display artworks by young painters to help them take the first step in their careers.

“I’ve drawn paintings that I like, with my own style. I want to reach other fields like pottery, sculpting”

Le Thiet Cuong has a project that he plans to finalise in ten years: making a dictionary about Vietnamese craft villages. Three years have passed and he has finished researching art-related craft villages.

Deeply researching craft villages of Vietnam, he realised that hand-made products not only show the talents of Vietnamese craftsmen but also the cream of a society. Woodworks are currently made by machines but hand-made products are the most expensive because they are created by exquisite talents.

Pointing at a tea pot, Le Thiet Cuong said all of the patterns on the pot were drawn by hand, not by soulless machines. But Bat Trang pottery village now has only two craftsmen who can make patterns by hand in the traditional method.

Le Thiet Cuong can talk for hours and hours about such old things. “My friends say I love playing with old things but I understand their values and I love such values,” he said.

His house is an old one, which has been existing for many years, with bamboo-made handrails; most of the furniture is hand-made. All of it is very nice.

He loves rural cuisines. He can stay in his room the whole day to make small things or look at some old photos in his huge collection of photos. It seems that he is very satisfied with his current life and what he is doing.

Talents often have unhappy lives. For me, Le Thiet Cuong is a talent but he loses nothing. His children are very intelligent and his wife is very pretty.

“I have my own sadness. I haven’t had a meal with my whole family for tens of years. I love my mother most but she is now in a harsh situation, where money can’t help. I love her but I’m helpless!” he said.

“Is family the most important thing for a man like you, who is said to be gentlemanlike?” “I consider family as something that I must do. I have to do that job well so I can be assured to do other things,” Cuong said.

We drank tea on a late afternoon in April. Cuong’s family grilled meat for dinner, and the aroma was sublime. Le Thiet Cuong said he feels comfortable on such afternoons.

His gallery at 39A Ly Quoc Su often closes early. And at that time it is Cuong’s house, his happiness and sadness, like a short story he wrote a long time ago “The House on an Old Street”. That house is older than him and it keeps his life.

Martial Arts Power Is The Result Of Creating The Dense Muscle

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Many people think that Real Gung Fu Power is the result of big muscles. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. To fully understand the power we are talking about here we must change our fundamental notion of what a muscle is and does.

The purpose of a muscle is to to retract, and thus to make a limb or body part move in a certain direction, or become tense for some purpose. Thus, when somebody works his biceps so he can have a big gun, he is reducing his punching power. Punching power comes from working the muscles on the other side of the arm, the triceps, which cause the arm to go out, which is where you’ll find a punch.

The point is to figure out which muscle results in what action, and then to isolate and work those specific muscles. Want punches? Then do a slow punch and look at your arm and body.

Figure out which muscles result in the extension of the arm, which muscles support the impact of the arm, and so on. This will enable you to develop specific exercises which will cause you power in the punching muscles…which will give you harder punches.

If you want to really gain some punching power, try doing ‘punch ups.’ These are push ups where you don’t go all the way to the ground, you only go down six inches, then up. This isolates and builds the exact muscles which come in to play in a knock out punch.

Yes, you should develop other muscles and muscle groups, explore other variations of push ups, but concentrate a bit of your work out on punch ups and you will shortly be amazed at your growing ability to knock somebody out. You should explore this idea for places on the body where you might get hit. By this I mean some sort of wrestler’s bridge so you’ll have a thick and stable neck, or some sort of crunches for when you get hit in the stomach, and so on.

Now, the other thing you should be concentrating on is endurance. By this I mean you shouldn’t be growing a large, bulky muscle, for that weighs more, runs out of juice sooner, and is more awkward to move around. Instead, you should be growing dense muscles, muscles that are leaner and not fatter.

To do this you should cut the size of the weight you are working with (or just go to body calisthenics, which is my choice) and focus on how long you can do the exercise. Try for hundreds of repetitions of deep squats that take 3-4 seconds to complete (build the number slowly to avoid injury), or build up the number of pulls ups you can do into the hundreds. I’ll write more on this idea later, but for now, this should give you a good notion on how to change your work out so that you have maximum body endurance, the potential for lightening quick moves, and all the other things that go along with creating true Gung Fu Power.

Jump Training for Martial Arts

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Are you a Martial arts practitioner looking to add some form of workout to heighten your training? Plyometric (jump training) will supply an extreme cardiovascular workout that incorporates power and agility while working the entire body. All you need to do is add a 20 minute plyometric routine three times per week to improve strength and quickness.

Jump training incorporates the way the muscles work with elasticity and uses it to produce strength for the athlete. When your muscles get stretched to capacity they automatically contract. When the athlete forces this movement, the muscle reacts by creating a faster contraction, loading the power, and giving the individual the added benefits of the stretch.

Plyometric training with a rope is the perfect way to incorporate the use of the legs and get an amazing workout. The right way to perform this exercise is to barely jump of the floor and land on the toes softly. This movement will be done repetitively and various jump movements can be done to change it up. Begin slowly and aim to go for 5 minutes 3-4 times a week until you can work the time to the goal you have set.

Doing a push up with a clap will focus all the resistance on the top part of the body. Begin in the push up position, bend your arms and bring your chest to the ground and forcefully push yourself up to make your hands leave the floor. Brace yourself on the way down with your hands and return to the starting position.

Slamming a ball is an exciting way to get a plyometric workout. There are many variations that require you to slam the ball to the ground, against a wall, or toss it up in the air. The key to this particular movement is maintaining good form and continues motion to get the greatest benefits.

If jump training is not trained properly, this form of exercise can cause injury because of the amount of stress put on the muscles and tendons. You must be at the proper level of fitness to start a plyometric training regimen. This will not be an issue for most martial arts practitioners because of the physical routines performed in their type of discipline.

How do you reach a level of fitness to start jump training? A workout designed to build strength and cardio endurance is the proper program to follow. Stick with basic body weight exercises and use free-weights such as a barbell or dumbbells that will require you to use coordination in order to balance the weight as you lift and lower it. Sprint training is the best and stay away from long distance run: they are counterproductive to the type of conditioning needed for plyometric.

Guidelines to follow when performing Jump training:

Stay in control and keep good form. You want to execute the moves quickly as possible, but don’t flail your body around.

Wear proper footwear and don’t do jump training barefoot in order to prevent permanent damage to your feet.

Protect your joints by landing softly with knees slightly bent.

Incorporate upper body plyometric training into the circuit to work the whole body.

If your are looking to increase explosive power and strength, then adding plyometric training is the best exercises for you. Perform plyometric training two to three times a week and watch as you become quicker and explosive with movements during your regular martial arts training.

Finding Bruce Lee’s Martial Art Jeet Kune Do In India Without Being Ripped Off

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Jeet Kune Do is the famous art of Bruce Lee, and many think that he showcased the art in his films such as Enter The Dragon which he in fact did not. In his many films Lee used more of his Tae Kwon Do kicking that he found suited films as they were flashy, yet impractical for the street defense system that he devised.

You will see many of these high flashy kicks in India from “instructors” claiming to teach the real Jeet Kune Do. Some of these little known instructors notably Ritesh Reddy,Deepak Rao and Seema Rao are all from jkdindia.com which is a not authorized by the Bruce Lee Foundation in any way, nor does the Foundation condone their activities and use of Bruce Lee images and logos. Just so you know jkdmumbai.tripod.com is the same group.
So now you know of what to look out for, how do you find the legitimate teachers located throughout India. This task has become harder in the past few years as more and more un authorized teachers and schools have popped up throughout India.

One good thing is that the Government of India is cracking down on all the false claims and fake schools.
For a school to teach Jeet Kune Do in India legally it has to be organized and or associated with a legitimate Jeet Kune Do group in the United States authorized to teach and recognized as legitimate such as the largest JKD group the World Jeet Kune Do Federation. The World Jeet Kune Do Federation website http://jeetkunedo.org lists instructors who are certified to teach real JKD and has a listing at the bottom of those to watch out for, a couple are from India.

At this time the Bruce Lee Foundation does not have an instructor list like the World Jeet Kune Do but apparently plans to in the future. The World Jeet Kune Do Federation according to sources is the only JKD group to have a formal agreement with the Bruce Lee Foundation.

Another good site to check out is http://jeetkunedoindia.com/ as they are recognized by the Unites States Associations.
One clear sign of an instructor who knows less than nothing is one who goes around talking trash about other teachers. Run far away when you encounter this trait. The philosophy behind these “bad behavior” tactics is to draw attention away from the instructors abilities by changing the focus to someone else. A good instructor does not need to say anything. High quality training and skills speak for themselves. Real JKD teachers don’t drag others down in an attempt to make themselves look competent or important. Still your best bet when checking out a school outside the United States, is to go to a United States based website as this is where all Jeet Kune Do began.

Enjoy your search for authentic Jeet Kune Do in India. Its supposed to be a fun and rewarding experience, just try to stay clear of all the politics and bickering and you will do just fine. If there are no instructors in your area there are some good Jeet Kune Do DVD’s out there you can train with as well.
Be like water my friend… I couldn’t resist.

Martial Arts Belts – How Does The System Work

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With most types of martial arts, the color of the belt that you have will signify your rank within your style of martial arts. The belts that are used with martial arts signify your rank within that style, although they have no universal means or ranking within the martial arts world. More or less, they tell others how much you know about your specific martial art.

The use of belt colors in martial arts is an old practice, dating back hundreds of years. Belts and their use in martial arts all started by a man known as Jigoro Kano, who created the style known as Kodokan Judo. Kano started out by using only white and black belts to signify rank within his style of martial arts. His reason for using belts, was to specify which students could compete in different activities. For example, those with white belts couldnt compete in the same activities as those with black belts.

Shortly after Kano introduced his idea of using belts, other belt colors were introduced to the world of martial arts. Over the years, it became a great way of telling what experience a student had in his style – just by the look of his belt. Other styles began to use this system as well over the years, including Karate, Taekwondo, and several others.

The only problem with using belts to signify ranking, is the fact that one school may have different requirements from another school. Even though they both may teach the same style of martial arts, their ranking system and requirements to get a certain ranking may be totally different. This can cause confusion in ranks, especially if a black belt from one school isnt as versed in the style as a black belt from another school. Even though most schools stick to the same criteria, there are schools that choose to incorporate their own unique style as well.

Although most martial arts styles use belts to signify rank, there are some martial arts out there such as Shootfighting that dont use belts at all. The styles that choose not to use belts dont go by rankings either, as they are more or less for self defense purposes. Pitfighting is another style that doesnt use belts either. These styles are great to learn for protecting yourself – although they differ from the traditional sense of martial arts.

All things aside, belts are an innovation to martial arts. They give students something to aim for, and a reason to keep practicing. Most students that study martial arts aim for getting the black belt, which is the most prestige belt in martial arts. A black belt takes years of practice to obtain, as the student will move through many lower ranked belts before getting the opportunity to try and earn the black belt.

Martial arts swords

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Just relative to each martial art has various style of weapon that is typically dramatically verified at a dojo or at seminars. The weapons are going to be no matter that exacts soldierly art has used it for within the past to either guard oneself or to travel into battle through.It ought to be noted that almost all martial arts weapons are prohibited to hold or utilize on the road in most components of the country and that I am positive this conjointly applies to the remainder of the elegant world thus to talk. This suggests that each one you are coaching with a stick or weapons are going to be curbed to the dojo, coaching hall or probably your home.

Demonstrate the weapon in different additional public places could get you in prison and even have your weapon impound. the opposite different is that a police detective can treat you as a doable threat and poisonous force is also by mistake applied which implies you may probably be sprayed with sprinkle, shot or maybe each.A one with a weapon that is in public is treated terribly critically by law enforcement and that they will not take possibilities when addressing an unknown scenario. >

That the 1st rule is; use your martial arts stick solely within the dojo, coaching hall or your dwelling.This rule might not apply to stay weapons like a hanbo, job or boo that simply indicate the various lengths of the picket sticks. Use sense when moving any style of martial arts mace to and on or after the dojo or coaching hall as a result of what appears innocent to you will look entirely completely different to somebody else.

You should use caution when addressing conduct weapons in any respect times. An easy resolution to carrying picket weapons is to urge a carry box to use when carrying them slight in public. These shipping cases are comparatively cheap and might solve several problems sooner than they arise.