Madison Greene asked:


Martial arts in Africa? Yes, Africa, not Asia. It may seem unbelievable to some, but did you know that many African martial arts systems are actually over 50,000 years old? And today the applications are just as used and respected on the continent as they were when they first originated.

The Styles of African Martial Arts

There are four basic styles of martial arts that are practiced in Africa. They are:

* Hapkido

* Judo

* Ju-Jitsu

* Tai-Chi

Hapkido is a style of martial art that is characterized primarily by kicking without retraction. Hapkido is composed of three primary skills:

* Circular motion to countering and attacking

* Nonresistance when meeting force

* The water principle.

Hapkido emphasizes body and mind coordination. The techniques used here are applied by combining physics, geometry, psychology and physiology. Kicks are most important to learn and are used as defense against opposing kicks as hand techniques are used to defend opposing hand strikes.

The Second African Martial Art: Judo

Judo, also known as the gentle martial art form, is one of the most well recognized African martial arts. It is not used to promote violence, but rather to be able to overcome the attacker and defend either oneself or another.

Judo is a modern type of combat martial art sport in which the most prominent feature is its competitive element. In a Judo sparring match the basic object is to either throw the opponent to the ground or immobilize the opponent.

Ju-Jitsu: The Third Aftrican Martial Art

Ju-Jitsu is a martial art form that specializes in close encounter techniques including:

* Joint locks

* Chokes

* Throws and grappling

Ju-Jitsu students typically learn traditional Ju-Jitsu primarily by observation and imitation as patterned by the prearranged forms. The movements of Ju-Jitsu tend to emphasize circularity and as well capitalize on an opponent’s momentum and openings.

Ju-Jitsu is known as a controversial martial art sport because there are some very dangerous techniques, such as throwing an opponent from a standing position while having an arm in a joint lock. This can result in the opponent sustaining serious injuries.

Tai-Chi: The Fourth African Martial Art

Finally there is Tai-Chi, which is another incredibly popular style within the African martial arts. Tai-Chi is practiced with the aim of promoting health and longevity, with its primary focus on breathing, meditation, and defending oneself with out the use of violent force.

As you can see, martial arts have been popular in Africa for centuries. African martial arts are great for anyone to learn as a competitive sport to improve their fitness, health, and mental well-being.



Rosa

Muna wa Wanjiru asked:


While there are many ways that people can try to keep in shape they will need various items to help them. For martial arts the items that you will use are ones that have been used for many centuries. To perform all of your martial arts moves with fluid grace you will need to have access to martial arts training supplies. These supplies should be used with the martial arts discipline in mind.

You will find that each martial arts form has different styles and movements. For this reason the martial arts training supplies are geared towards this. The first item that is needed in any type of martial arts is that of the uniform. Next might be various martial arts weapons.

While these are the basic martial arts training supplies you will find that there are variations. These variations are based around the type of martial arts that you are taking part in. Now while getting these supplies is easy you will need to take care of these items so that they last for quite some time.

The many different types of martial arts training supplies are needed to help you learn different forms of martial arts. You will find these supplies in stores which sell martial arts products. You will need to see which of these training supplies are used commonly in your training sessions.

With the help and advice of your instructor you will learn more about the different martial arts training supplies. You should think about getting more experience in using these training products. Having the hands on experience will allow you to decide which of these are more of benefit to your training.

When you feel that you are ready to explore the different martial arts training supplies you might want to ask your instructor to help guide you in the right direction. With their help you will not only know what training supplies to buy but also the best way to set up a training room. By using this advice and getting only the martial arts training supplies that you need you will be ready to commence your at home personal training.

Now at first you might feel that you have no need to have these martial arts training supplies at home. But as time passes you will notice that between your dojo training and the training that you do at home you have more endurance and skill at your chosen martial arts.



Peter

JudoX asked:


For any martial art. If it varies, I’ll just list a few:

Hapkido.
Goju-Ryu.
Togakure Ninpo.
Aikido.

Tom

Muna wa Wanjiru asked:


Many people are fascinated by martial arts. To help people in different parts of the world learn this ancient form of unarmed fighting you will find that each country has many different academies to aid in this process. This means that if you are willing to learn one of the many martial arts in another country like England you will need to see what sort of academies you can find in the UK martial arts field.

Now once you have found the different UK martial arts academies in England you can see what they are offering. You should take note of the level of instruction which is given in these classes. As each person who attends these martial arts classes have varying levels of experience and knowledge it is only sensible to find that the class instructions reflect this to.

With the help of the instructors in the UK martial arts academies you can start your training session in the right way. To get the most out of your training you should make sure that your training progress at a steady rate. By following the training program in a steady manner you will be able to build the endurance levels of your body. This will enable you to perform the different katas which are a signature part of the martial arts.

You will soon be able to perform the right movements with effortless grace. At this point you should also be experienced enough to prevent yourself from causing yourself any serious injurious or even minor injuries.

While there are academies which will teach maybe one or two types of fighting styles you also have UK martial arts academies which train multiple disciplines. In these academies you will find students of all levels learning their particular form of martial arts. Of course you will need to have plenty of time if you want to learn more than one type of martial arts.

For this reason it is best if you take some time to see which of the martial arts forms you prefer to learn at first. Once you have made your decision you will then be able to check which UK martial arts schools can provide you with excellent quality training. As some forms of martial arts are considered as being more popular than others you might need to consider 2 to 3 different schools to pursue your training.

Once you have found the UK martial arts academy where you will be able to learn the next steps you need to focus on is that of training. Once you have begun this training you will notice the healthy difference that is made to your life.



Lillie

Marshall Buchholz asked:


The sales rep was well meaning, but obviously knew nothing about the martial arts business.

I was placing and order for my first ad in the yellow pages when he asked me what I’m sure he thought was a casual conversation booster. “So what are your plans?” he asked. “Open up a school, hire a couple of teachers, then expand and open up a couple more schools?”

Yeah, right. It’s all just that easy.

Ever wonder what motivates a martial arts instructor to open a school? Money? Recognition? A chance to show off your skills in front of a captive audience four nights a week? Hardly. Every good martial arts instructor—and I mean the good ones—is motivated by something much less tangible and far more valuable than money or fame. I call it the moment of “Surprise Achievement.” It’s that special experience when something you’ve been teaching clicks in a student. It’s when they “get it.”

And you can’t put a price on that.

But, like it or not, the difficulties of trying to build a prosperous martial arts school threaten every school owner’s success. Most instructors know there really isn’t much money to be gained in teaching the arts. Given the costs of maintaining a facility, a web site, creating and printing flyers and brochures, promoting or entering tournaments (including travel expenses), and buying books, DVDs, and magazines to stay up on the latest trends (not to mention sorting the genuine ones from the hoaxes), a good instructor stands to make only nominal financial profit from a martial arts school.

And then there’s the time investment. All of the above eat away at valuable time spent with family, friends, or just about any other hobby you might have thought you were going to stay active with. Or for that matter, the hobbies your own kids might have. Try balancing your teaching schedule with cheering your kids on from the bleachers at their baseball games, hosting birthday parties, taking family vacations, and attending parent-teacher conferences.

Of course, we can’t forget the expectations of your students, either. If you’re claiming to be an “expert” in some area of martial arts, you better plan to spend as much time as possible doing your own grueling workouts. After all, no one would respect a martial arts instructor who can’t demonstrate at least basic techniques with black belt proficiency!

Which can also take a toll on your body. Balanced correctly, a martial arts instructor’s own practices—including the workouts you get while teaching—should leave you in perfect physical and mental harmony with the rest of the universe. Right?

Should, but…

The fact is, instructors face two big realities with regard to their own practice: 1) We age, and 2) Accidents happen. Believe it or not, we’re not perfect!

Those are the downsides in terms of money, time, and health. I’ll just briefly mention one more thing that every martial arts instructor experiences, few know how to really talk about among their peers, and is probably the number one reason people quit the business: Frustration.

Imagine spending hours at your computer creating and printing promotional brochures, doing good, hard workouts to stay in great condition. Now your in the dojo, the lights are on, the doors unlocked, you’ve carefully prepared tonight’s lessons—and no one shows up. For a martial arts instructor, it’s an experience that can quickly drain all your commitment—and fast.

Most students have no idea how many hours the teacher has spent just preparing for classes. Along with teaching, there’s encouraging commitment, motivating hard work, cultivating students’ beliefs in themselves, and nurturing a belief in their own success, often just to see them hop down the road to newest McDojo to learn the latest technique for dropping your opponent with the tap of a finger.

So what are we, crazy? Sometimes I think so! Yet something keeps us leaping out of bed each morning and trying again. It’s that peculiar experience called, “Surprise Achievement.”

It’s that moment when you struggled to help a confused and frustrated student to understand how a technique works. He tries it once, and gets a painful bruise on his arm; he tries it again and again, but it doesn’t seem to have any valid effect on his opponent. Then, just when you thought there were no more ways to explain it, demonstrate it, or get him to commit to the repetition drills, he gets it. You didn’t expect it to happen at that moment. Neither did he. And his face turns to you, the expression of disgust and frustration replaced by the surprise of an unexpected achievement. It’s spontaneous; it can’t be planned, and it’s never easy to get there. But it’s worth it.

In fact, it’s so worth it that I often remind my students that our greatest rewards arise from our greatest difficulties. When you know that they grasp that concept, and they invest their valuable time and energy into what you are teaching, the moments of Surprise-Achievement become more frequent, and your own reward as a teacher, immeasurable.

Every dedicated martial arts instructor knows there is a lot more to teaching than giving a couple of quick demonstrations, explanations, then just sitting back and watching students work their way to a black belt while you count the money.

Every martial artist who decides to go into teaching has had a taste of some kind of success. Maybe it was experienced in tournament competition, and you want to share that feeling with others. Or maybe it was just the atmosphere of the dojo, or the fascination with the techniques and strategies you’ve learned. But none of those experiences will sustain a good teacher for very long. Believe me, for every moment of success, there are ten moments of frustration that threaten to overwhelm you.

So forget the sales reps. They mean well, but what do they know? And forget the critics who think you’re just in it to feed your ego. Forget all the frustration. In the end, all that matters is what you and your students think. And that light in his eyes, that sudden beaming smile, that certain, “Aha!”

…more than makes it all worth while.

Here’s another interesting self-defense article: Which martial arts pressure points are the most effective for dominating your opponent?



Glenda

KB95 asked:


I’m looking for a kind of martial art that I can learn. I like it focus on dodging and then gently attack your opponent.
If there are this kind of martial art please tell me.
Also is it possible to learn it at home or somewhere lese?

Cynthia

.:ace:. asked:


I’ve learned Judo, Muay Thai, and Brazillian Jiujitsu. But the most effective martial art I’ve learned was FMA. That was because in FMA ” Morality comes before and after a fight, but never during.” Traditional MMA (like the ones you see on tv ,Judo, Muay Thai, and Brazillian Jiujitsu) is good to learn but it will limit you if you always play by the rules. I compete in MMA and I can only use the certain styles they allow. So in a MMA fight i dont use all of my fighting potential. In a street fight, the truth is that i would do whatever i could to take out my opponent as quickly and efficiantly as i can.

PS: Sorry for some of the misspellings.

Scott

bjarrett_99 asked:


I’d like the strength, speed, skill part of a martial art, but I’ve got the regular aches of a 50 yr old. Any suggestion on what would be best? Maybe it depends more on the instructor.

Tonya

imahazmat asked:


If I ever need to defend myself, which martial art would be most useful?

Amber

Adrian Adams asked:


Martial Arts is the combination of physical techniques and mental discipline. It is used for self defense, body strengthening, relaxation, and even competition. Women often take martial arts classes to learn moves that will help them in the event of an attack. The moves of Martial Arts are designed for even a small woman to use them effectively.

The arms and legs are used in Martial sports moves. Practicing them will help you get fit and strengthen your body. Doing these moves will also help relax your mind. There are many different types of martial arts including karate and tae kwon do. Karate involves various kicks and punches. The goal of karate is to defend rather than to hurt the other person. Tae kwon do is the most commonly used type of martial art. The moves are very graceful and requires exceptional coordination.

The level of skill varies greatly in martial arts, from beginners to experts. Competitions are very popular. In addition to karate and tae kwon do, kickboxing competitions are very popular as well.

Martial arts is a great sport for children of all ages to participate in. They will get fit, learn about self discipline, and have some basic skills for defending themselves. It can help with behavior issues too including a short attention span, following directions, and communication style.

There are many variations of the martial arts. It is important to identify the types of techniques and trainings that will be used in a class before you sign up. The instructor can help you determine if it is right for you. There are also martial arts videos you can purchase to use at home. This is a great way to pick up skills in the privacy of your home. It is also great for those with a hectic schedule.

Many types of Martial Arts have a colored belt system. Judo was the first type of Martial Arts to adopt this practice. The color of the belt indicates the level of skill the student has. Students have to pass skill tests to move on to learning techniques and moves of the next color. Beginners start with a white belt. In the old days, the white belt was dyed the new color as a rite of passage and honor in Martial Arts. Today the belt is simply replaced with the new color of the skill level. After white, the colors are yellow, orange, green, blue, brown, and black.

While the goal of each student in Martial Arts is self improvement, the belt in some forms of it offers the student a way to display their efforts to the other students. It is also designed to help students engage in fair sparing activities. To respect the culture of Martial Arts, it is important that you wear the belt properly.

Never let a white belt get dingy or dirty. The belt needs to be tied firmly above the hip bones. Make sure it is loose enough to move during your activities but tight enough to stay in place. The ends of the belt hanging on both sides need to be even. This can take time to learn so practice finding the amount of material needed to tie it. Some people place a small market on the inside of the belt to find the location easily. The belt should never be allowed to cross itself in the back. Never let your belt touch the floor.

Having the proper respect for the Martial Arts includes honoring the belt color system. Never wear a belt for a level of skill you have not accomplished. This is considered to be dishonorable. Your instructor will help you learn to tie your belts properly. Enjoy learning about Martial Arts, improving your skills, and proving you are worthy of a higher ranking belt.



Lonnie