Tag: Martial Arts

Generating More Power From Hip Rotation – Lessons From Martial Arts

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One of the important lessons of Martial Arts training is the ability to use hip rotation as a way to generate power and speed for maximum impact.

Martial artists know that the hips are where the body’s ‘center of gravity’ is located. It lends balance and stability to every move. The lower body is designed for power- the upper body for finesse.

If you can translate this knowledge into a better golf swing, you will be blessed with both power and accuracy.

Here are a few tips to get you started:

Hip rotation holds the key to a powerful swing. Do you want to turn easily from the hip and get more yards out of your swing? It’s not hard when you know the proven secrets of golf pros.

The first thing you need to know about turning, is that you won’t get a flawless turn till you develop stabilization and strength in the lower body.

To get your upper body in sync, make sure you stand straight with your shoulders pulled back, to facilitate that perfect swinging motion from the shoulder- instead of the elbow. Practice turning your shoulders as far back as possible, with your trunk acting as the pivot. If you are right handed, you can see your left shoulder aligned with your chin.

Strong shoulders and well-conditioned abs are a must to maximize torque, while minimizing the distorting forces at the hip- which can lead to imbalances and injury.

Top players initiate their downswing with the powerful muscles of the abs and hips. Once the desired momentum is generated by the lower body, they use their arm muscles to effectively “fine tune” the swing.

Recreational players, on the other hand, use their arm muscles right at the outset. As a result, they are unable to recruit the latent muscle-power in their lower body, while the arm muscles work extra hard both to power and guide the club. No wonder it leads to a shaky, inconsistent swing!

Many players employ faulty swing mechanics, which actually dissipate the energy generated by the lower body, before it can be transmitted to the upper body.

Recreational golfers show a higher tendency for movements that rob swing momentum, such as hip sliding and lateral bending.

The reason can often be traced to reduced range of motion in the hip joints. Often, the process of aging or a sedentary lifestyle can lead you to lose some internal rotation at the hip joint. This condition can be helped with stretches and strengthening exercises that target the hip flexors, hip adductors (inner thigh and groin), hip adductors (outer thighs or hips) and the glutes (buttocks).

Coordinated Body Motion Is Key To The True Martial Arts

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I am going to tell you the straight goods about this thing called Chi. It is easy to understand, but you are going to have to give up any thoughts of mysticism. No matter if you study wudan or Shaolin, you are going to have to accept a more logical way of thinking.

In the first place, this mysterious thing we refer to as chi is a catch basket.Chi is real, chi exists and can be used, but everybody confuses it by calling whatever they don’t understand chi. If somebody snuffs candle at ten feet with a punch, it is the chi, but if somebody makes all the green lights, it is also the chi, so the subject of chi has been thrown around and totally confused.

To make chi one must discipline their body so it acts as a coordinated unit, I call this Coordinated Body Motion. In olden days instructors would tell their students to use the body as one unit, but that doesn’t describe what one is actually doing. One must break the body down, piece by piece, and understand all those pieces, if he is going to use it as a whole unit.

All motion of the body must start at the same instant in time. The fist and the foot move forward together, as one. There must be no push backward to give movement forward, the movement is only forward, and it must be done at the same moment.

All motion of the body must stop at the same instant. The fist and the foot end movement at the same moment. There is no staggering or swaying, the weight simply drives into the ground at the point of impact.

The parts of the body must move according to their weight and length. The hips, being heavier than the foot, must still achieve a smooth arc of motion that begins and ends at the same time as the foot. The fist having a longer arc than an elbow, or a shoulder, must still start and stop at the same time as the elbow or shoulder.

When the body starts and stops at the same time, and all the body parts are properly calibrated for the length of distance they must move and the amount of weight that must be moved, then you will achieve CBM. Coordinated Body Motion is the secret of this thing called Chi. CBM will release Chi.

When you move with CBM your attention will be off the body and on the target, and then intention will flow. It is Intention that is Chi. Intention will fill up the body with energy, and enable you to have those amazing abilities that true martial arts possess. Of course, this is just the first step, a simple little step, and to make your way to the end of the Martial Arts, and to find the True Martial Art, no matter whether you study Aikido or Karate or whatever, you must find the remaining steps of the Martial Arts.

Enlightenment, Zen, And The Martial Arts!

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The martial arts have long been held up as a vehicle for enlightenment. Indeed, this is the goal at the end of the path of The True Art. This article is about why this is so, and to enable the reader to reach the end of that path all the sooner.

Enlightenment is when light shines forth from the individual. With that light the enlightened being views the world differently. His perceptions are heightened, and he has a superior viewpoint.

If enlightenment happened because of the fact of motion, then movement would result in enlightenment. Hockey, ballet, football, all would result in an enlightened individual, but they don’t, so one must ask oneself, what is it about the Martial Arts that they result in enlightenment of the human being?

What is different is that there is combat, and when one understands the essence of combat, one becomes enlightened. What is the essence of combat? One could sum up the subject by saying that when one finally understands he is opposing himself, he becomes enlightened, and a study of the martial arts does eventually result in this.

The universe, you see, is a playing field rich with moving objects. Every object in the universe has a direction to its mass. It is only in the martial arts that one actually engages in the study of the trajectory of flying objects as the one who creates the direction of those flying objects.

A fist flies through space at you, and you go through a range of emotions. Eventually, you give up emotions so that you can better analyze the flight of the fist. Thus, you rise above base reaction and become cause over the motion of the universe.

A person threatens you, he holds a weapon and stalks you, and you must divine the direction before it manifests. You must look at the world as it is, and not through some fantasy, and thus you look at the world you created. Thus, you rise above being the flotsam and jetsam of a universe awash with random motion, and thus you take the reins of your own destiny.

There is no motion in this universe, you see, that you have not created. That star shines for you, because of you, if it wasn’t for you, there would be no purpose for that star to shine. And through the tempering of form, the steeling of will, the martial artist engages in combat, to give up combat and become what he truly is, an enlightened being free to enjoy the universe.

The way from the Correct Route in the Martial Arts

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I was from the army 40 several years ago, stuck with drab duty and limitless amounts of time in which to conjecture. I used to be supposed to head over to yet another place and kill people today. This was not a job I considered of as honorable.

A single night I fell right into a dialog that has a youthful private, and he asked me if I’ve got previously study Lao Tse. I advised him I hadn’t and requested him what it absolutely was. He told me that it had been…The Way In Which.

Now, I had come across the idea Of your Way in the martial arts. I acquired go through of it, talked about it with fellow scholars, and regarded as it in light manner. Oddly, though I acquired been within the martial arts for the couple of several years, I had no strategy that there was a book expressly uneasy with The Way.

Not lengthy soon after that I identified a imitate from the guide and began to examine it. I dwelt upon the passages, translated the historic Chinese language lingo into terms I understood as very best I used to be in a position. I used to be to find which the mere reading in the ebook, which is just not a sizable volume, was a journey in by itself.

There’s no substantial without reduced, there may be no front devoid of back again, translated into by far the most marvelous dichotomy. Oddly, I found that these ideas, excessive and low, front and spine, have been usable in freestyle. Certainly, because the many years passed I used to be to search out that the mere conjecturing of these concepts in imagined, even from the middle of chaotic freestyle, brought order and edge of the sizable dynamics.

My popular passage with the ebook has constantly been, Do nothing at all till very little is still left undone, as it can be positively enlightening. I would business upon the forks of my everyday life for the chance to implement this technique. Finally, the types carried out 10 thousand periods, I started to practical experience bits and factors of reality, and my fine art would in fact engage inside effortless ideas that go in direction of creating up the Correct Artwork.

Not every single time would I have the ability for making the ideas Of your Way operate in my real existence actions, but the contest was Inside Way, and this contest brought me out in the box, undid the typical means of thinking, and enabled me to truly be a seeker in actions, as well as the whims of my youthful drive began to manifest. Emotions grew to become a joy, age became a relaxation, and and nonetheless The Way nudges me hither and yon. My style transmogrifies for the lilt of this traditional rhyme, and yet another entire world beckons unceasingly.

An ideal planet, the place the realization that The way is merely the unceasing time just before me has settled upon me. A world the place people obsessed with political intrigue plus the almighty dollar fall sick through the wayside and envy me my youth and good wellness. A world the place human beings exist, outside the realm of transgressions and judgment, this is The Way that We have observed.

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Martial Arts Flexibility – Doing The Splits Is Easy With PNF Stretching

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Are flexibility exercises a real pain for you? Until I discovered something called PNF Stretching, they used to be for me, too!

It means, “Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation.” Fancy words that, in essence, mean you make dramatic gains in how limber you are when you combine relaxed, passive stretches with isometrics.

Yes, dramatic gains. Believe me–I know from experience!

My martial arts students think I’m pretty flexible, but the truth is, I was never a naturally flexible athlete. If anyone has ever struggled with flexibility, it’s me! In fact, when I started practicing Martial Arts in my early twenties I was so out-of-shape I didn’t know my hamstrings from a ham sandwich!

And let me tell you, I had a tough time learning how to get loose enough just to lob a regular round kick to my own head height.

Maybe this has been you’re experience, too: I would arrive an hour before my scheduled class time, sit on the floor off to one side of the room, doing stretch after stretch after stretch until I could finally do the high kicking my belt rank required.

And the next time I came back to class, I had to do it all over again…

And again…and again…

Why Passive Static Stretching Doesn’t Work

And a curious thing-after all that stretching, instead of feeling ready to get out there and do a good workout, I always felt a bit sleepy.

The reason is obvious to me now. What I didn’t know was that all that passive exercise stretching was helping me to slow down, not warm up!

Why? Because in passive exercise stretching, lengthening of the muscles is accomplished by relaxing them, with a little bit of help from applying your body’s weight to the point where you feel the “burn.”

All that relaxation along with deep breathing during the stretch is great for winding down after a workout-or for that matter, as a cure for insomnia.

Believe me, I know how frustrating it can be to try to achieve Martial Arts flexibility that carries over into your “off hours.” And when it comes to Personal Safety, that’s where you really need it the most.

There’s Got To Be A Better Way

It was also frustrating to see other, more flexible people toss their kicks around like their legs and hips were made of rubber. I started thinking, There’s got to be a better way to get flexible!

And there is. After researching many articles and books, and videos, I discovered that Stretching isn’t just Stretching. In fact, there are several kinds of flexibility techniques:
Passive
Active
Static
Dynamic
Ballistic
Resistance PNF

Passive stretching is okay after a workout, but doesn’t do much to prepare you for high kicks. In fact, what I eventually learned was that most of the improvements to my kicking range came through sparring and heavy bag work.

That’s right-although you can help prevent injuries and cramps by passive stretching before a workout, it does very little to improve your high kicking ability.

Facts Related To Martial Arts For Kids

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Martial Arts for Kids have become a necessity these days. With the increasing number of crimes against the kids it has become the need of the hour to train the kids with some sort of martial art. The training schools for these art forms are easily accessible in cities like Florida, New Jersey and New York City.
These art forms have a great historical significance and have been used since ages. Even spiritual development is focused through these art forms. People from all over the world are now taking a keen interest in these art forms. Big cities need it immediately due to high crime rates as compared to the smaller cities.

History:

It is very important for a person to know the historical background of the art forms before he or she allows the child to learn these arts. There has been evidence that shows the existence of these arts in the first millennium BC. Now in todays world, India and China are the two countries that have these martial arts. Martial Arts for Kids has the equal significance as the martial arts for grownups as these arts are better to be learned at younger ages so that a person practices them a lot.

Appropriate age:

The best thing about these arts is that there is no age limit, as it is never too late to safeguard ones own interests. The schools for Martial Arts for Kids are open for kids belonging to all the age groups. This allows a parent to get his or her parent trained at any age. Even for the grown ups there are various such training centers. The list of all the schools in Florida, New Jersey and New York City can be seen on the internet.

Precaution:

There is also a word of caution for the parents who want their kids to be a part of training centers which provide Martial Arts for Kids. Due to the immense popularity of these art forms there has been a parallel fraud structure being prepared all over the western countries. As people in the west are not very much aware of the art form therefore people take undue advantage of this. In order to be safe from this a person needs to take care of the point that he or she does a complete research work on the training school before the child is admitted to the school. This would ensure that the child goes in the right hands to learn the right thing.

Fee structure:

As far as the fee structure of these schools providing Martial Arts for Kids is concerned, a person can have his or her child learn the martial arts at a very low cost. This ensures that a majority of people opt for these arts so that more number of kids assures safety for themselves. The fee may vary from school to school depending on the type of mentor or facilities provided at the school. In cities like New Jersey, Florida and New York the schools charge an amount that is not at all a drain on the savings of an individual.

Martial Arts worldwide Krav Maga

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Krav Maga is as like as Many martial arts focus on one vary of fighting and a number of the extra various martial arts may incorporate ranges of fighting. The last word goal of any martial artwork is to instil each the abilities and the arrogance in its students in order for them to have the ability to defend themselves in a real life situation. No other martial art does this as successfully as the Israeli system of defensive techniques knows as Krav Maga. Krav Maga which is a martial artwork that comes with all ranges of combating was created in Israel within the yr 1948 by a person named Imi Lichtenfeld.

Through the time interval that Krav Maga was created, the Israelis were nonetheless under British rule and had to find a solution to defend themselves, without bearing arms. In its infancy this martial artwork was one of the brutal hand at hand fight techniques because it was created to train the army for World Conflict II in addition to coaching the Israeli civilians for anti-terrorism defense. In 1964 Imi Lichtenfeld retired as a soldier and started to adapt the martial art for regular day by day use for civilians. The association of Krav Maga was created in 1975 by Imi Lichtenfeld and his most completed students.ts.

The benefit Krav Maga has over different martial arts is that not solely is it extremely adaptable, it’s also continually evolving. No matter actual world scenarios that may occur, Krav Maga finds life like defenses for them. Most martial arts (especially traditional ones) tend to show inflexible curriculums that aren’t up for dialogue or change while Krav Maga encourages its students to search out artistic ways to make use of the methods and even incorporates new classes realized from actual life encounters. Krav Maga just isn’t a sport! It’s a complete fighting system that was created for road attacks. There aren’t any rules and college students are taught to make use of something in their arsenal to be able to defend themselves. This would come with strain factors and weak areas such because the eyes, temples, throat, again of the neck and groin. This martial artwork focuses on coaching its college students in a repetitious method as they hope to instil the instincts wanted to survive a road attack. Cardiovascular and callisthenic coaching is integrated into every training session, as being bodily fit is a necessity. The main focus of this art is to counter arduous and fast. The sooner you can attack your opponent the better your probabilities of shocking them. Most martial arts have each specialised weapons protection and training whereas Krav Maga teaches its college students to make use of on a regular basis unusual objects as weapons. The purpose is how typically does an individual get attacked within the streets and have a set of nun chucks or a workers to defend themselves with?

When a martial artwork teaches you to both throw and defend against punches and kicks, teaches you joint locks and floor protection, in addition to takedowns and weapons coaching, it’s arduous for anyone to make use of some other words then “complete system” to explain it. The world we’re living in is getting progressively more harmful and most of the conventional martial arts, while nice for train and pleasure, aren’t used to such excessive conditions. Krav Maga must be the martial artwork of alternative for anyone searching for a highly effective system to defend themselves.

Krav Maga

Martial Art Belt Ranks – Where Did They Come From And What Do They Mean

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Martial Art Belt Ranks

Where did they come from and what do they mean?

There are many theories why present day martial art schools use belts and sashes as a ranking system and where the concept of using belts came from. We will discuss two philosophies, one that is widely accepted by many practitioners and another that can be considered as a legend, or story that was passed down by your grandfather. Please keep in mind that the belt ranking system has only been around about 120 years. Throughout this article, keep in mind that not all Martial Arts are the same, your school may have a completely different ranking system than discussed here.

One of the most common arguments comes from the founder of modern day Judo, Dr. Jigoro Kano. An educator and sports enthusiast, Dr. Kano used a black belt to represent his dan (highest-ranking) students in his school, the Kodokan. However, he later realized his kyu (lower ranking) students needed an outward tangible object to acknowledge their accomplishments and encourage their efforts. So he implemented the different colors to signify the progress that his kyu made over time.

Eventually, other Japanese martial art styles such as Karate, Aikido, Kendo, etc. incorporated the Judo belt ranking system when Gichin Funakoshi, an Okinawan karate master and considered as the Father of Modern Karate demonstrated his martial art style, Shotokan, at the Kodokan.

The other theory, known as the belt getting dirty can be considered as a martial arts folklore. When new students started their training they were given the rank of white belt, signifying a birth or beginning. Students were not allowed to wash their belts, therefore the belt would get dirty the more they practiced. In time the belt would become black, signifying the amount of time the student spent practicing and typically their level of skill.

As a new student in a martial art, you will most likely be given a white belt at the beginning of your training and will progress through a color system on your way toward a black belt. However, contrary to popular belief, the black belt does not signify the end of your training, but rather the beginning. In most arts, once you earn your black belt you are no longer considered a kyu, you are now a dan.

Dan have their own ranking system known as degrees. You are a first degree black belt when you first attain it, over time you can test for your 2nd degree black belt (or 2nd dan) and so on. Most martial arts consider a 10th degree black belt to be the highest level of mastery.

As you train in a martial art, don’t get discouraged if you are stuck on a certain belt for a long period of time. It usually takes many years to progress through the belts and this is actually one of the lessons that participating in Martial Arts will teach you. Progressing through the belts requires a great deal of time, dedication, self-confidence, patience and self-discipline. The skills you learn in your martial arts training will apply to almost every aspect of your life and will help you succeed in areas where you never thought Martial Arts would help.

If you would like to learn more about Martial Arts or are interested in finding a school in your area, go to http://www.experiencemartialarts.com.

The Roundhouse Kick In Martial Arts

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The roundhouse kick is executed in a multitude of ways across the many different Martial Arts styles. This article is concerned with adding power to this kick when executing it from the back leg of a basic fighting position.

In basic terms the roundhouse kick travels from the back leg position outside the body line to the objective taking a circular route. This direction is true for the roundhouse in all variations of the kick at least to some degree. It can be thrown at the head, body or legs. Snapping and Whipping versions of the roundhouse kick In Karate and TKD the roundhouse kick often tends to be more ‘snappy’ with just the foot taking a round route rather than the thigh, shin and foot doing so, as in Kickboxing or Muay Thai Boxing. In the Karate and TKD variant of the roundhouse kick, the standing foot continues pointing forward until the knee of the kicking leg travels right to the front when it turns sharply with the hip turning to. The kicking leg rotates and the lower leg snaps forward into the target. This is the fast roundhouse kick.

In Muay Thai, the standing foot turns out right at the beginning of the kick. This opens the waist and lets the hip come forward pulling the leg with it. The leg follows and the standing foot turns again on impact to transmit more momentum into the target. This is notably more effective than the other version.

The opening of the waist stretches and loads the musculature adding power to the thrown hip, which gathers momentum which is transmitted to the leg and finally the target. The kick has a whipping motion and is very powerful. In contrast the Karate version is quick and has much reduced production before execution, i.e. . Unfortunately, it develops far less power.

These varied performances have developed as a result of the competitions of the various Martial Arts. Karate and TKD competitions are all about point scoring for clean kicks dispensed to the opponent; speed is the key factor in realizing points and winning. For Kickboxing and Muay Thai, speed is still very important but to win you have to hurt or knockout the challenger, this is not achieved through a snap kick. It is essential to develop power and to deliver it to the target, thrusting the hip as described achieves this. Conclusion To get more force into the roundhouse kick it is necessary to open the midriff, as per the Kickboxing variation of the kick. This kick has greater credibility in a self defense situation, undoubtedly compared to the snap version. If you want to polish a more effective roundhouse kick you need to tinker with it and adopt the Muay Thai version!

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.