sirgerry asked:


I just love the moves with the Kali Yuga, what is that martial art, Wushu? I’d love to be able to do those moves with the stick!

Thanks

Constance

Paul M. Jerard Jr. asked:


In this continuing series, let’s address more issues and frequently asked questions that concern parents who seek to enroll their child in a martial arts program. The first question in this part is possibly the most important one of all.

How do I find the right martial arts teacher for my kids?

You will know when you have a face-to-face meeting and observe him or her teach a martial arts class. The chemistry between a prospective martial arts teacher and you should be good.

After all, your child is supposed to learn courtesy, respect, self-discipline, goal setting, and many more life skills from his or her martial arts instructor. If the martial arts teacher you are considering displays none of the above-mentioned qualities, please continue to shop around.

It makes no difference if your child is learning Karate, Jujitsu, Aikido, Judo, Tae Kwon Do, or Kung Fu, when the teacher is not a good role model. You don’t need to expose your children to hazards or questionable characters in order for them to learn martial arts. The martial arts school philosophy, and the instructors, should meet your standard – never settle for less.

Are you looking for discipline, academic improvement, life skills, tournament competition, self-defense, or a positive activity? Martial arts studios are not created equally. A life skills school may not meet the needs of a competitive parent or child. A “tournament school” that teaches Sport Karate, Sport Jujitsu, or enters many competitions, may be lacking in life skills and so forth.

This is not meant to take away the value of any aspect in martial arts training, but to make you, as a parent, aware that the emphasis will be different from one type of school to another. Also, the self-defense aspect will be taught differently within each martial arts school. Some martial arts schools teach more of one technique such as: punching, kicking, joint locks, sweeps, and throws.

At our wellness center in North Providence, Rhode Island, we teach all of those aspects, and we also teach self-defense through communication. For example: Wouldn’t it be better to prevent a physical conflict by talking it out? If a child is fully capable of defending himself or herself, why should he or she pursue a physical fight?

As adults, we know that the diplomatic approach to a physical conflict will not always work, but it is worth a try. Our children need to look at social skills, awareness, and courtesy as survival tools. Whether they are walking down a street, or entering the workplace, these skills are extremely important.

Know your goals and your child’s needs. Please make sure your reasons for enrolling your son or daughter in martial arts classes are sound. Martial arts for your child, is his or her personal endeavor. You can share in the feeling of accomplishment by being supportive and watch them grow to be successful. Success is one of the most important gifts we can give to our children.

The ideal martial arts instructor should have knowledge of sports medicine and CPR training. This may be one of the reasons why serious injuries are rare. Make sure that the safety of each child is a priority with the martial arts school you choose.

Some parents may feel I play it too safe within a karate class, but they have not seen a child knocked unconscious, a broken nose, or loss of blood, in my school. When I was a Sport Karate coach, referee, and judge, I saw all of those things in tournaments, and children were all wearing protective equipment.

Therefore, safety precautions are a very important factor, when deciding which martial arts school you should choose for your child.

© Copyright 2005 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications



Jessie

Shane Lee asked:


This article is about the kung fu martial arts and you can find some useful information in it if you are a fan of the kung fu martial arts.

Zhiquan Qing is a notable kung fu master in Hong Kong. “Kung fu martial arts is mainly for helping others, not for fighting.” He said.

Recently, he came to Foshan, Guangdong Province to give free kung fu martial arts courses to the the disabled people. He has opened 2 Wing Chun training centers in Foshan and nearly 100 disabled people have received his free kung fu trainings in them.

“A lot of people like the kung fu martial arts and about 40% of the Hong Kong residents have learned some kung fu martial arts.” Qing said. He was born in 1955 and has the asthma from his childhood. He can only watch his little friends playing, but can not join them when he is a kid. Because of this, he decided to learn the kung fu martial arts. “At first I learned kung fu martial arts in order to fight other people and to protect myself.” he said.

Now Qing named this purpose “the superficial heroism”. He started to learn the kung fu martial arts from the age of 10. In 1973, he attended many kung fu competitions, using his Wing Chun kung fu. He won a champion in the 4th South East Asia Kung Fu Martial Arts Championship in 1976. Six years later, he won a champion in the 6th International Kung Fu Martial Arts Championship. He also got a big surprise by learning the kung fu martial arts: his asthma disappeared during the peroid of his kung fu trainings. Maybe this is a gift for his several years of hard kung fu trainings.

For a kung fu fighter, sports injuries are very common. In order to deal with these injuries, Qing started to learn Tuina (Chinese massage for curing the sports injuries) and the theories of the traditional Chinese medicine.

In 1998, Qing came to Foshan, Guangdong Province and made some good friends here. They are all the fans of the kung fu martial arts and they often do the kung fu trainings together. One time, one of this friends told him that he paid more than 5000 rmb for the phone bills, talking to Qing about the kung fu martial arts. Qing was so touched by his words and he started to come to Foshan very frequently. In 2006, he opened 2 Wing Chun Training Centers in Foshan. One is in Nanhaiguichang and the other is in Shundele.

Recommended by this friend, Qing started to give kung fu martial arts courses to the doctors and nurses in the Foshan Chinese Medicine Hospital. In this place, lots of disabled people joined these kung fu martial arts courses. They are also very interested in these courses but they do not have the good opportunities to be taught by a real kung fu master. Qing thought this as a good chance to helping others. In 2007, Qing began to give free “Baduanjin” kung fu courses to the disabled people in the Foshan Chinese Medicine Hospital. These courses are also part of the convalescent plans for these disabled people.

“Some people believe that I am stupid. I can earn 500 rmb for a hour by teaching the kung fu martial arts courses, but all the courses here are free in Foshan. I just think that what I did is helpful for the disabled people. I want them to learn more and practise more kung fu. It will be good for the recovery of these people. I am just doing the correct things I believe.” Qing said.

Date: 05/02/2009

Copyright belongs to ShowKungFu Dot COM .  You can find more information about kung fu martial arts from our web site.

NOTE: Permission is granted by the copyright owner to disseminate this article in whole or in part provided credit is given to the author (with a link to the article’s source URL ShowKungFu Dot COM ) and this NOTE is not removed.



Earl

Martin asked:


I’m trying to find a martial art that best suits someone like me. I done a little bit of different martial arts here and there while I was a younger, but one thing I noticed is that my agility is pretty bad. I’m ok with frontal kicks, but when I do them from a side stance I have a hard time. I’ve always had difficulty lifting and stretching my legs to the side. The way I’ve always been build do to my genetics is as a thick beef-cake kind of guy (I’m strong but not ripped), I’m 5′7″, and I would say my arm or leg reach is that great as for something like kickboxing.
For those who are more experienced with martial arts, is there one out there that’s suited for someone like me? Or since I’m not a thin, lightweight, and agile guy, I should just forget about martial arts altogether?

Troy

sunshine03 asked:


Basic marketing focuses upon the four “P”s: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. For a martial arts school, the important products include the offered classes and the associated items sold through business, such as videos, books, gear, uniforms, and clothing.

Marketing strategies can be divided into two basic categories. Direct marketing, which includes one on one contact with potential customers, may also include paid and unpaid advertisement ventures. Mass marketing is the more familiar form of advertising, such as commercials on television and radio. Martial arts schools have succeeded largely through the use of direct marketing.

For martial arts schools, direct marketing works better than mass marketing for two reasons: First, teaching martial arts is a personal business. You win students and keep students by letting them know you can meet their personal needs. You win and keep students by being the kind of person they want to study with. Second, people typically choose fitness facilities close to their home or work. Mass marketing can rarely target that specifically.

It is also important to understand that marketing has rarely been the focus of traditional martial arts instructors. In the past, martial arts schools were supported by the military or the state; teachers had little reason to worry about financial necessities. However, some business-minded individuals have demonstrated the effectiveness of careful marketing in the accumulation of personal wealth.

How has marketing changed the role of martial arts in society? Historical evidence demonstrates that martial arts were primarily practiced in Asia for self-defense purposes. However, the modern world views martial arts differently. Individuals typically practice martial arts for one of three reasons. First, they engage in martial arts for personal enjoyment. Second, martial arts practice is an excellent form of exercise that can contribute to a healthful lifestyle. Third, many individuals decide to engage in martial arts for competitive reasons. The rise of interest in martial arts has coincided with a greater visibility of athletic competitions. Each of these three factors has contributed to national interest in martial arts

Advocates of education argue against too much marketing. Public relations, publicity, and word of mouth are all important to the success of an educational establishment. After all, a school’s reputation should precede its advertising budget. An active, targeted and ongoing publicity campaign is essential to the survival of a professional martial arts school. A successful publicity campaign can reduce the need for a formal marketing budget.

The growth of the Internet has also had a direct effect of the marketing of martial arts. A martial arts instructor can use the Internet in a variety of ways.



Claude

Endless_Nameless asked:


I don’t care about it being “fancy”, I don’t care about meditation, or character development, I just want to be better able to defend myself.

Right now I was thinking of looking into Defendo(Bill Underwood’s martial art that spun off of Combato, not the newer, unrelated one) or Emerson Combat Systems. If anyone more familiar with martial arts has any suggestions, they would be greatly appreciated.

I am looking for something with emphasis on unarmed self-defense with the goal of knocking an aggressor(or aggressors) unconscious, gun and knife disarms, and improvised weapons.

Kevin

Phil Burney asked:


The term “Martial Arts Supplies” encompasses a host of things that a martial artist may need to become a full-fledged martial artist. It may mean uniforms for the various martial arts that exist, sparring and training gear, weapons, and exercise equipment, among others. So long as it is used so you become more proficient at martial arts, that thing qualifies to be part of the Martial Arts Supplies category.

But how do you look for a reliable Martial Arts Supplies retailer? One way is to simply encode the search phrase “Martial Arts Supplies” into your search box and wait for names of ecommerce sites to crop up. You can also get your Martial Arts Supplies from your martial arts school, which may either have a contractor who provides such Martial Arts Supplies that their students need, or which may sell the Martial Arts Supplies as part of their martial arts business.

A third way to secure the right type of Martial Arts Supplies is to contact martial arts federations and ask them where they get their Martial Arts Supplies.

When you are getting Martial Arts Supplies like uniforms, you first have to specify what martial arts you are pursuing to the supplier. You also have to indicate at what stage in the martial arts field you are already in. This means that uniforms are generally classified as Student Uniforms, Lightweight Uniforms, Middleweight, and Heavyweight Uniforms (though some uniforms under a certain martial arts may subdivide their uniforms further into other sub-categories.)

Intimate Martial Arts Supplies like mouth/teeth protectors, and helmets, should never be shared among friends for hygienic reasons. It is okay for you to share your uniform with others provided it is washed before being returned to you. Another reason you should never share with others is that you might never get back your expensive Martial Arts Supplies anymore and have to scrounge around for enough cash to buy more of the same supplies afterwards.

Martial Arts Supplies like weapons are another type of personal stuff that you should never share with others – but this time, for reasons of safety. Since Martial Arts Supplies like a pair of nunchucks, or samurai swords, were made to be as real as possible, sharing them out is really a bad idea. You never know what kind of trouble other people might get into using your weapons. Treat such Martial Arts Supplies as dangerous weapons and keep them in safe secure storage. It is especially important to keep your weapons out of reach of children and teenagers.

Martial Arts Supplies like books and instructional CD-ROMs are another story though – these are the types of Martial Arts Supplies that you ought to share out with others, especially those from the same martial arts club that you belong to. It is always fun and instructional to share opinions and tips with your co-martial artists. In fact, that is part of the pleasure you will get from the field of martial arts actually. So whether you pursue martial arts purely as a weekend warrior, or with the intent of becoming an instructor yourself someday, sharing your knowledge about martial arts and Martial Arts Supplies will always benefit you too in the final analysis.



Edwin

•-:¦:-•*Jess Star*•-:¦:-• asked:


I am a woman in my mid 20’s. I am in great physical condition. I want to learn a martial art for self defense and for exercise. What should I take?

Florence

Troy Macraft asked:


China, the world’s largest country by population, is widely regarded as the home of martial arts and is the birthplace of numerous diverse styles.

Modern Chinese martial arts can trace their origins to a number of sources, including ancient military skills, the Buddhist martial arts that evolved out of the Shaolin temple, the Daoist martial arts that originate from the Wudang temple in Hubei province, and a number of other techniques used by bandits, militia, secret societies, invaders, and marauding pirates throughout China’s turbulent history.

According to legend, the Indian monk Bodhidharma (known as “Da Mo” in China) traveled from southern India to China in the 6th century CE carrying sutras (collections of dialogs and discourses). He then settled in the Shaolin temple in Song Shan, and introduced martial exercises and Zen Buddhism to China. However, there is evidence to suggest that the practice of martial arts in the country dates back to well before that time.

A longer history

Although Bodhidharma may well have been one of the first to record martial-art techniques-he also introduced techniques such as meditation to existing fighting systems-experts believe that Chinese martial arts gradually developed from ancient hunting skills and from one tribe’s need to defend itself from another. These fighting forms developed slowly over the years: punches and kicks were incorporated and, in time, so was the use of weapons.

The first evidence of martial-art practice in China comes in 2698 BCE during the reign of the Yellow Emperor, Huangdi, who developed the practice of jiao di (”horn-butting”) among his soldiers. In the 5th century BCE – some 1,000 years before Bodhidharma’s arrival in Song Shan – Confucius mentions martial arts in his texts; Daoist literature from the 4th century BCE contains principles applicable to martial arts; and there is evidence to suggest that physical exercises similar to taijiquan have been practiced in the region since at least 500 BCE. In contrast, the earliest textual evidence of Shaolin martial arts comes in 728 CE.

Putting soldiers to the test

The development of martial arts in China is indelibly linked to the military. The first military martial-arts tests were established in 702 CE. These challenged a soldier’s physical strength, horsemanship, and skills with a lance, spear, and bow and arrow. Such a premium was placed on them that regular soldiers were categorized according to their ability and courage in hand-to-hand combat and weapons skills, particularly their swordsmanship.

Various military generals have added their expertise to China’s martial-arts mix. Even Genghis Khan, the Mongol warrior whose armies had conquered much of South Asia- including all of China-by the 13th century, believed that bkyukl bokh was the best way to keep his troops ready for battle. Two styles of the art are still practiced today, one in Mongolia, the other in Inner Mongolia.

Boom in popularity

It was not until the Republican Period (1912-1949), a time when China was recovering from the fall of the Qing dynasty, the invasion by Japan, and the Chinese Civil War, that martial arts became more accessible to the general public. In a wave of national pride, the Chinese government classified all martial arts under the banner “guosho,” meaning “national art.” Martial artists were encouraged to teach, numerous training manuals were published, examinations in martial arts were created, and demonstration teams started to travel the world- the first martial-art demonstration in front of an international audience took place at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin.



Louise

Ted Hanulak asked:


People often argue over which martial art is the most effective martial art. Generally that goes along with whatever is most popular in pop culture at that time. There was a time that people thought Kung-Fu as the best martial art because of Bruce Lee or Karate because of Chuck Norris or now Jujutsu because of the UFC. The secret is not which martial art is best, the secret lies in how the student trains in that martial art, which ever martial art.

 

You must train realistically in order for the martial art to have any street self defense value. This means forget about stopping a strike an inch before its target. It is about striking through the target. Many martial arts training have attacks that are unrealistic. The striking distances are off, the attacks are lame at best. When you are first learning a technique you of course will practice the technique in slow motion in order to get the mechanics down. Once this occurs, the attacks must be taken to the next level. The attack must be full force. Yes, this means that if the defender makes a mistake, he will get hit hard and possibly hurt. This is the best way to practice. You get a legitimate feel for being attacked for real. If you are worried about getting hurt in training then you shouldn’t be studying a martial art for self defense.

 

Now insert which ever martial art you like. There are advantages to ground fighting, kicking, throwing, etc. This is where the uniqueness of each martial art comes in. But the attacks will be the same. The attacks should be like street attacks. We should not tailor the attacks to compliment each martial art style. That is a mistake. Remember, it is not the martial art itself that is best but how the martial artist trains in that system.



Joe