Many Taoists recluses and Buddhists monks dwelled in mountains and forests to observe, listen, and meditate in order to gather deeper understanding and greater knowledge of nature than is possible when living in the milieu of human society.

Often in search of extraordinary longevity and treasures of life, these extraordinary men (and a few women) moved from observation of nature to experimentation and development of the body. The goal of longevity necessitated that the body be prepared by a lifetime of practices. Thus preparation of a strong, healthy body led to the development of these breathing exercises. For thousands of years men have practiced and developed these breath control techniques to improve health, correct problems and heal illnesses of various parts of the vital organs. You can experience the benefits for yourself.

The breathing exercises are grouped into three areas, performing unique (yet integrated) functions. The first concern is immediate triage for the sufferer, with focus on illness prevention, and elimination of sickness. The second level aims at rejuvenation and methods for prolonging a healthful life. The upper level exercises help calm the mind, harmonize the will, cultivate spirit. Each movement is in rhythm with deep breathing technique. Full concentration and daily practice are required.

I studied many of these techniques at the Chi Kung Institute in San Francisco. The instructor was Chiu Lim Chan, age 54 at the time (1975), who looked 35 and had a belly as hard as a stone. He got the teachings on Wu Tang Mountain from a 180 year-old man; that was in 1940.

Tao Ga Chi Kung/Taoist School Energy Work

· Zhan Zhuang (standing meditation)

· Tao Yin/Lead and Guide Energy

· 5 Animals Frolics

· Meridian Chi Kung

· Medical Yin-Yang Chi Kung

· 5 Organs Chi Kung

· 5 Animals, 5 Elements Chi Kung

· 6 Joints Chi Kung

· Two Meridians Chi Kung

· 18 Silk Reeling Chi Kung

Lohan Shou Chi Kung/Buddhist School Energy Work

· Pa Tuan Jin/8 Pieces of Gold Brocade

· Iron Warrior

· Bei Wu Hsing Chi Kung/N. 5 Animals Chi Kung

· Shaolin Zen One Finger Pointing Chi Kung

· Chan Mi Kung

· Shipalohanshou/18 Methods of the Arhat. If you want to purchase Dr. Orem’s training manual in this art, click here:

· Yi Jin Ching/Tendon Washing Classic. If you want to purchase Dr. Orem’s training manual in Yi Jin Ching, click here:

· Shii Shoei Ching/Marrow Washing Classic

· Bodhidharma Jing Kang Ch’uan/Diamond Body Chi-Kung

· Stone Warrior Chi Kung

View this article in its entirety: http://kempochuanfa.com

Sifu Orem is the author of several manuals focused on the practicum and methodology of effective training, including the acclaimed SENG PING TAO: PATH OF THE WARRIOR MONK and ESOTERIC MARTIAL ARTS OF ZEN: TRAINING METHODS FROM THE PATRIARCH. He has also created and produced 50 training videos with such diverse topics as Kempo Ki/Chi Development, Northern Shaolin for the Mature Athlete, T’ai-chi and Pregnancy, a children’s Kung Fu series, plus many northern and southern Shaolin hand and weapon forms. He was a featured writer with the on-line martial arts magazine DRAGON’S LIST (dragonslist.com)in the following issues: November, (1999), January (2000), March (2000).

So you are thinking of starting to train in okinawan karate. There are a lot of choices as far as okinawan karate schools are concerned. Which school do you choose ? What is the best school or system? If you are a parent, what okinawan karate school is best for your children?

Karate began in Okinawa, which is one of the many islands which make up Japan. Okinawa was invaded by the highly organized samurai clans from the larger Japanese islands. The islanders developed okinawan karate to defend themselves. Okinawan karate was kept alive, passed down from master to student through the generations and eventually became integrated into the school system for all of Japan

Original Okinawan karate wass divided into styles which were named after the cities in Okinawa that they were developed in. Shuri-te, Tomari-te and Naha-te are all derived from cities in Okinawa. Okinawan karate is heavily influenced by Chinese kung fu or kempo. Okinawans often traded with mainland china and maintained friendly relations.

Today, there appear to be a enormous number of karate styles. However, all are derived in one way or another from okinawan karate. One okinawan master, Gichin Funakoshi introduced karate to the japanese school system. His shotokan style became one of most popular karate styles in the world. Often students would leave to create their own style. Many honoured their teachers instruction to preserve the art but often, students would have disagreements with their teachers and move out on their own.

Regardless of original okinawan karate style or mixture, it is important that the style has a detailed curriculum, chance for future advancement to ranks above black belt and lots of students and many instructors. You want to be sure if the school is going to be around for a long time if you are going to be devoting years of study.

Some schools are run for profit while others are not. You could say not-for-profit schools are closer to the Original okinawan karate system where karate was passed from father to son, master to student. Of course, If we trained like they did in original Okinawan karate, there would only be 1 or 2 students!

So long as the karate school has the students welfare at heart, operating for a profit is not a bad thing. My own experience has been with not-for–profit schools, and I have had great instructors but there are just as many dedicated teachers in for-profit schools.

True okinawan karate is more about self defence than tournaments and competition but competition is often important to young karate-ka. If you are going to involved in tournaments then be sure the school is affiliated with other karate organizations and provides proper coaching and tournament instruction. Many large governing bodies issue teaching and coaching certification to karate judges and officials. You want to be sure you or your children will competing in a safe and controlled environment and not a slugfest or free for all. So seek out qualified people.

Okinawan karate can improve your health and well being, develop great self confidence and life skills such as persistence and self control. Do your research and find the club that you feel most comfortable with. If you are interested, try out a couple of styles. See if okinawan karate is for you. Most clubs will allow 1 or more free visits to help you make up your mind.

Adrian Dunevein is a karate instructor with Mississauga Parks and Recreation and helps with karate instruction at the South Common and Rivergrove fitness centers in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Check the website at: http://home.cogeco.ca/~adunevein/

I have read a number of books, articles, and novels, and have watched movies and television series that touched on the origins of Tai Chi Chuan (Tai Chi Boxing), and the question, “Who Created Tai Chi Chuan?” made me concern very much!

Although knowing the origins or the source of Tai Chi Chuan is not going to have much effects on your learning and practicing of the art, it is my responsibility to share with the masses of what I have found out. And understanding the origins of something that we loved so much about will make us appreciate the understand it better, if not improving our skills.

The legend was too well-known. And most people will tell and re-tell the stories of a priest named Zhang Sanfeng of the Wudang Sect who found this special martial arts called Tai Chi Chuan. I was fascinated by these legends, and found myself believing them too… until I researched more deeply into its historical backgrounds. Some legends said that he got the inspiration to create Tai Chi Chuan from observing the fight between a snake and a crane, and some said in he learned it from an immortal in a dream.

Dream???

Yes, this theory is found in a recorded scripture.

Based on that written scripture, it was claimed that Zhang Sanfeng were summoned by the Emperor at that time, around the end of Song Dynasty. He was on his way to the palace when he was surrounded by a group of over 100 bandits. Unable to breakthrough, he put a night up in hiding.

That night, he dreamt of meeting King Yuan, previous ruler of China in who appeared as an immortal in his dream. King Yuan taught him a special type of martial art in that dream.

Next day, with this new skill, Zhang Sanfeng defeated the 100 over bandits, single-handedly. From then onwards, Zhang Sanfeng began to teach this mysteriously acquired skill to his disciples and this art is known as Tai Chi Chuan.

Let’s put aside the point about him defeating 100 over bandits single-handedly, which is very difficult to be accepted as a true point. Even the existence of Zhang Sanfeng is very much speculated! Some claimed that he lived in the beginning of Yuan Dynasty; some claimed that he lived during the Jin Invasion of the Southern Song Dynasty; some claimed that he lived in the Song Dynasty; and some even said in Ming Dynasty. This is quite debatable.

On top of that, why King Yuan in his dream???

This is mainly because the relationship between philosophies (some said religion) and martial arts are closely related. Since Daoism is very much rooted in the Chinese culture and it stresses on maintenance life, with the tendency towards achieving immortality, the immortal King Yuan, came into the picture in this legend.

Many Chinese scholars and writers have disagreed with this record!

Even there’s common agreement that Zhang Sanfeng is not the one created Tai Chi Chuan, there are many disagreement regarding the origin of Tai Chi Chuan. There are many schools of thought. Some claimed that it began in Liang State of the Southern Dynasty era - by Han Gongyue and Cheng Lingxi. There are claims that it was created by Xu Xuanpin or Li Daozi in the Tang Dynasty.

Based on more reliable sources and records, Tai Chi Chuan originated from Chen Wangting, the 9th generation of the Chen clan of Chenjiagou in Nanwen District during the late Ming Dynasty.

With this, there are some believed that Tai Chi Chuan was created by the 1st generation of the Chen clan - Chen Bo who was an expert in martial arts, and Chen Bo was influenced by Zhang Sanfeng’s concept. However, there are no clear records to prove this theory.

It was argued that Tai Chi Chuan had been passed down from generation to generation in the Chen family. Only until the time of Chen Wangting (approx. 1600-1680 AD), the art was systemized during his old age.

He researched on the Huangting Jin which provided him with guidance on breathing techniques, combining ideas found in The Book of 12 Fist Motions by Qi Jiguang, and the ideas of yin and yang. And he injected these ideas into his family’s Tai Chi Chuan to systemize it into 5 sets of Tai Chi Chuan forms and 1 set of Cannon Fist.

He had also arranged Tai Chi Sabre, Tai Chi Spear and various sets of weapons yielding forms. In the same time, he created Tai Chi Push Hand and Tai Chi Sticking Spear. This was an incredible work which allowed Chen Style Tai Chi Chuan to further develop into a complete martial art system. It was even more complete than its original Tai Chi exercise.

This can be said to be the origin of Chen Style Tai Chi Chuan, which also means that, the origin of all forms of Tai Chi Chuan!

Through generations, Tai Chi Chuan had been passed on and been modified. This resulted in various styles and sects. For example, through the teaching and guidance from Chen Changxin, Yang Luchan, nicknamed “The Invincible Yang”, created the Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan. Then, when Yang Luchan passed his skills to Wu Quanyou, Wu created the Wu Style Tai Chi Chuan. Chen Qingping who learned from Chen Youben created the Zhao Style Tai Chi Chuan. Wu Yuxiang who learned from Yang Luchan and Chen Qingping created Wu (different Chinese character from the earlier Wu) Style Tai Chi Chuan.

Following that, Li Yishe created Li Style; from Li, Hao Weizhen created Hao Style; and from Hao, Sun Lutang created the Sun Style. There are possibly more than what I can list!

Sorry if I sound rude, but I need to put those researched information to public so that we can appreciate the art better when we understand its historical development and the core principles behind Tai Chi Chuan.

I don’t mean doubt the existence of Zhang Sanfeng. I started learning meditation at the age of 10 and in the scriptures that I based my meditation on, Zhang Sanfeng’s name had been mentioned many, many times. His techniques and ideology influenced my initial meditation practices. I actually respect this great master of the past and had once believe in the legend, though historical evidents of his existence were not very clear!

What I want to share here is solid sources of historical records that can be proven to be reliable, until present dates. Researches have still been carried out, though many agreed that Chen Wangting should get the credit in putting Tai Chi Chuan into a systematic sets of martial and healing arts, which in another word, Chen Wangting is known to have created the Tai Chi Chuan system we had at the present days! Who knows if any further researches may uncover other records or sources that may prove whatever current theories otherwise!

May the Energy of Tai Chi be with you!

Written by,
C. Guan Soo
http://www.TaichiForYourHealth.com

*************** Note ***************
You may distribute or publish this article freely provide you do not make any changes or alteration on the article content, or remove my name and website from the article. Thank you!

C. Guan Soo is a Tai Chi Practitioner who has 23 years of experience in meditation, martial arts, Tai Chi Chuan, healing arts, eastern philosophies and Buddhism. He has a website at: http://www.TaichiForYourHealth.com to discuss how Tai Chi Chuan can help to improve you health, physically and mentally.

In the 12th Century the Shogunate was formed. The head of this regime was the Shogun, the supreme ruler. Under him where his regional ‘daimyo’ or ‘dukes’. Under each ‘daimyo’ served the Japanese samurai. When a samurai stepped out of line, became too unruly or displeased his ‘daimyo’, the samurai would often have to go through a procedure known as yubizume. This procedure is a very barbaric punishment in which the first joint of the little finger on the sword hand would be amputated.

Not only would this be a very painful punishment, but it served a much cleverer purpose. When holding a samurai sword the finger which has the strongest grip is the little finger. Each finger right up to the index has a weaker gripping strength. You can test this yourself. Make a tight fist with what would of been your sword hand, and take a slim object of equal circumference throughout such as a pencil or pen. Now, without causing you harm, take the non-sharp/drawing end and starting with the index finger end of the hand, while retaining a fist, slowly work the pencil/pen into the grip.

You will see the further into the grip the pencil goes, the more resistance there is. You now can see how important the little finger and ring finger would be for gripping samurai swords. To make matters worse, if the samurai further disgraced himself he would be required to take the next joint of his little finger off, and this could even extend onto the other fingers. But what was the use in handicapping the samurai in such a way? Well, not only did it serve as a constant and shameful reminder, but made the samurai more vulnerable than he had been before, therefore more reliant upon his immediate superior, his ‘daimyo’ for protection.

This brutal practice of yubizume is still used today by the Yakuza / Japanese organised crime families as a means of punishing their unruly members.

Article by Nick Johnson of Japanese Samurai Swords Dot Net http://www.japanese-samurai-swords.net

The first samurai swords we’re actually straight bladed, single edged weapons imported from Korea and China known as chokuto, which were later replaced with the curved blade variety at the end of the 8th Century. The name of the curved blade swords which replaced them was Tachi. The reason for this transformation was samurai found that a curved sword could be drawn from the scabbard more swiftly and provided a far more effective cutting angle.

The point of a samurai sword is called a Kissaki. This is the hardest part of the sword to polish and forge and to hand create a quality one would require an extremely skilful artisan. The value of a sword is determined largely by the quality of the point.

Samurai would use wooden swords (Bokken) for practice for safety reasons as well as for preserving their real swords from unnecessary damage.

The samurai would give names to their swords as they believe in the sword lived their warrior spirit.

There are three main types of samurai sword. 1: Katana: The longest type of sword, over 24inches, generally used for outdoor combat. 2: Wakizashi: Around a third shorter than the Katana at between 12 and 24 inches, this was worn in indoor establishments by samurai for its obvious better manouverability indoors. 3: Tanto: A small knife used in much the same manner as a Wakizashi.

As part of the samurai sword making process a sword tester took the new blade and cut through the bodies of corpses or condemned criminals. They started by cutting through the small bones of the body and moved up to the large bones. Test results were often recorded on the nakago (the metal piece attaching the sword blade to the handle).

Shogun is the name of the most powerful samurai, and they would wear two samurai swords. A Katana and a Wakizashi. They had a license to dismember anybody who offended them.

Early samurai would fight on horseback, and they’re weaponry in addition to samurai swords was bows and arrows.

Article by Nick Johnson of Japanese samurai swords Dot Net http://www.japanese-samurai-swords.net

The first prototype for Japanese samurai armor came about in the form of the yoroi during the Gempei War of 1181-1185. The weight of the yoroi was around 60lb. The upper-body armor of the samurai was known as the ‘Do’. This comprised of the ‘Sode’, the suspended shoulder and upper-arm protection plates. The Sode had hoops by which silk cord was tied and then fixed to the back of the armor in an ‘agemaki’ / decorative knotted tassel. Guards were also placed over the shoulder cords, and a leather plate placed across the bow cords to prevent them from been cut or becoming ensnared during a skirmish.

A samurai’s protective helmet, or Kabuto typically consisted of from eight to a dozen plates all fixed together with cone shaped bolts. Much like in the military of other cultures, a samurai’s helmet would display the samurai’s rank and his group or clan, and often be very elaborate and decorative looking. As many samurai had long hair, their ponytails would protrude through the tehen, a gap left in the centre of the helmets crown.

Shikoro is the name of the thick five-plated protector of the back of the head, neck and the cheekbone which was fastened to the bowl of the helmet. The top four plates of the Shikoro would be upturned to create the fukigaeshi. The idea of the fukigaeshi was to prevent the vertical slicing of the shikoro’s horizontal fastening chords. A visor is also on the front of helmet and is known as the mabisashi. This would not only help to keep the sunlight out of the samurai’s eyes, but its protrusion would also act as a degree of protection for the face from the extended and downward strike of the enemy’s sword.

As part of the samurai attire, mainly for those of higher importance an eboshi, a silk cap-like headgear would be worn under the helmet. As the samurai during this early time of the Gempei War fought much on horseback and utilized bows and arrows, the right arm of the standard samurai soldier had no restricting protection to allow for the drawing back of the bow. A light protective sleeve was worn on the left arm.

Not all fighters during the Gempei War were of the samurai class, and therefore were equipped differently and wore a different style of lighter armor called the ‘Do Maru’. A body Wrap style of armor resting on the shoulders and fastening under the right armpit was far less restricting than the yoroi. It was based on this freer design of armor that development would be made for the samurai’s armor of the future.

For a continuation of and a more in depth look at samurai armor, visit our website at http://www.japanese-samurai-swords.net

Preface

There are many different ways to understand Aikido philosophy and perceive, utilize, and benefit from energy. What I offer here is one of many ways. Indeed when I do other kinds of activities I perceive of and work with energy in quite a different manner. What follows is my experience of energy while performing Aikido over the course of more than twenty years. Certainly there are likely to be many other Aikido practitioners that would explain their experiences and beliefs in a manner that is somewhat different than mine. I offer you here, one experience, my experience, and thus all that I say is part of my belief system, and not at all necessarily THE truth.

Aikido

Aikido is a Japanese martial art, and it does not have an attack form. We do not kick, punch, or in any other manner, attempt to hurt our opponent.

The meaning of Aikido:

"Ai" To gather or harmonize.

"Ki" Universal life force/energy.
This is the energy that we share with nature and all living beings.

"Do" An artful path of discovery.

"Aikido" An artful path of discovering how to gather and harmonize the energy of the universe.

When we sense and move with the energy that is manifesting throughout the universe we find that we have a greater ability to live a life that is healthy and fulfilling.

"Ki"

In Aikido we believe that all human beings utilize and share a common energy source (ki) that helps to run and maintain our environment as well as our individual human systems. We believe that since we all share a common energy source, that in some important way we are all truly members of the same family, and truly sharing our lives with all of nature. We do not have an attack form in Aikido, because attacking an opponent would be like attacking a family member that you love. Attacking an opponent would also be like attempting to damage the flow of Universal energy in the world, and such acts are likely to have many far reaching consequences.

In the Japanese language words that use the concept of "ki" are common.
"Gen-ki" means "root energy" or one’s "personal health."
"Ten-ki" relates to "heavenly energy" or "the weather."
"Hon-ki" relates to "original energy" or "the truth."
"Yuu-ki" relates to "brave energy" or "courage."
"Ki o tsukete" means "attach your energy to what you are doing, or "be careful."

The origin of ki?

Where does ki originate from? In Aikido the answer is poetic in nature rather than scientific. It is suggested that ki was "born" at the same instant as the rest of the universe, and that we are all born from the ki of the universe. Ki is considered to be an energy that we all have equal access to. It is an energy that courses through our system if we do not restrict it. In Aikido we believe that excess tension physically and emotionally, fear, hate, greed, and anger, all cut us off from the universal source of ki. Our daily practice involves working at maintaining a balanced state physically and emotionally, and indeed, practicing ways to cultivate physical and emotional balance is much of what the study of Aikido is about. In Aikido physical and emotional balance are meant to be two sides of the very same coin. Physical balance helps to engender emotional balance and health, and vice versa as well. Often in my professional work with individuals I find myself first addressing the clients physical balance when they come wanting to resolve emotional issues, and I do the reverse as well. I often first address or explore how emotional imbalance might lead to the physical difficulties they are experiencing.

"Ki signature" mind, spirit-Energy manifests as spirit, spirit manifests as mind

Energy manifests within each individual as spirit, spirit manifests in each individual as mind. In some way that is a mystery to all of mankind, the freely available energy of the universe is transformed by each person into one’s own unique "ki signature", spirit, mind. No two people have the same exact "ki signature", just as no two people have the same exact written signature. No two people have the same exact spirit, no two people have the same exact mind. The unique way that we each take in, utilize, and expend energy, can be considered to be our "ki signature", mind, or spirit. Each person starts with the same source of energy, and manifests this energy in a way that will never exactly be duplicated by any other human being.

Thought, body structure,and movement, shape the flow of ki, into spirit/mind

Think of the freely flowing water of a powerful river that comes upon a series of fairly large rocks spread out across the river bed and extend up beyond the water’s surface. These rocks affect the flow of the river but they do not change the nature of the water itself. Ki flows through the river bed of our brain and body. Our thoughts, body structure and movements, are like the rocks in the river bed. These are the main elements that shape ki into individual mind, or spirit The flow of ki is uniquely transformed by each human being, but the nature of the ki itself, is not altered in the process. Just as the pattern of rocks spread out along the river bed is never exactly duplicated in any other place on earth, the pattern of our thoughts, body structure, and movement is also never exactly duplicated. All mind is similar, but no two minds are exactly alike.

A heartfelt understanding of the nature of our spirit will help us to create a healthy alignment of our thoughts, body structure, movements, and actions. When every aspect of our self is fully aligned we have a much greater ability to think, feel, and act in accordance with what is best for us in any given moment. We are better able to adapt and change in a manner that is supports the well being of our entire self and our surroundings.

The misnomers of "mind-body" and "mind and body"

A definition of "mind" that I often use it in my work, is the following:
"Mind is a dynamic, self-organizing, creative system, capable of overcoming physical and temporal constraints. Mind uses and manufactures energy in order to support the self and one’s surroundings, trade information, and adapt to change."

When considering this definition of mind, we can say that mind manifests equally in the body and in the brain in the skull. Because of this I believe that the terms "mind-body" or "mind and body" as used in the Western world, are somewhat missing the mark and tend to lead to a certain degree of misunderstanding. If you ask a Japanese person to point to their mind, usually they will point to the area of their heart, or they will point to their lower abdomen. If you ask the average Westerner to point to their mind they will point to their head. This is why I think the terms "mind-body" and "mind and body" were developed in the Western world. I believe that the average Western person thinks of the term "mind" in relation to "thinking" or "thought". Oriental philosophy considers "mind" to be immanent in both the body and the brain. In Aikido we say that we practice in order to calm the mind, by coordinating our thoughts, the actions of our body, and our breath. Or we say that we practice in order to further empower and actualize our mind by coordinating our thoughts, physical actions, breath, and spirit.

When looking to calm our mind we give our primary attention to calming our breath and our heart beat, which will tend to lead towards a relaxing of our musculature and a slowing down or cessation of our internal dialogue. If we calm our body we will tend to calm our cognitive thought processes. Calming the mind can also be accomplished by giving primary attention to the speed, rhythm, and tone of voice of our internal dialogue. If we calm our cognitive thought processes we will tend to calm the body. When we calm both our cognitive thought processes and our body, then we calm our mind. Cognitive mind and somatic mind are part of a recursive feedback loop. You can’t affect one without affecting the other.

Charlie Badenhop is the originator of Seishindo, an Aikido instructor, NLP trainer, and Ericksonian Hypnotherapist. Benefit from his thought-provoking ideas and a new self-help Practice every two weeks, by subscribing to his complimentary newsletter on the website Seishindo: Accessing Your Body Wisdom. On the website, you can also find out more about Aikido Philosophy and the importance of understanding the internal language of your body.

Capturing the spirit of old Japan and recognised by its deadly curvature, the samurai sword is widely recognised throughout the world as the most deadly of all Japanese weaponry. Although gaining modern fame and notoriety in modern epic cinema in such films as The Last Samurai and the Kill Bill series by Quentin Tarantino, samurai swords have long being an iconic symbol of Japan and its history.

The most famous samurai sword, the Katana, is curved and bladed only on one side – if you have seen Kill Bill, you will know exactly what I’m talking about. The Katana was developed in the 10th century to enable Japanese calvery to carry out surprise attacks on their enemy and was worn hung from the belt with the cutting edge faced upwards.

The craft of forging katana samurai swords peaked during 1190 – 1337 – many of the swords from this era we’re assigned national treasures. Thousands of swords are still circulated and collected from more recent times; the most popular ‘collection’ era’s being WW1 and WW2. eBay is a great place to find both old and new samurai swords, but beware of what you’re buying – a lot of swords sold today are machine replicas and only fit for display purposes.

There were however many types of samurai swords and the other often mentioned includes shorter swords, one being the wakizashi (shoto) and the tanto knife. Only the samurai were allowed to carry these as a pair.

Article by Nick Johnson

For more history and information on samurai swords please visit http://www.japanese-samurai-swords.net

The Myth perpetuated by Self Defense Oriented Martial Arts

I just received the following Email. I felt it needed to be shared because I feel a lot of people feel the same way…

“Hello Damian,

I ran across your website searching for what was out there for self defense information and have found myself researching your and Mr. Cestari’s methods ever since. I’ve trained in Martial Arts since 1984 and have studied primarily Tae Kwon Do but also have trained in Hapkido and Judo. I received my black belt in Tae Kwon Do at the age of 15 and at that time thought I was more or less Superman capable of defending myself against anyone. 2 years later at a party my skills were put to the test by the "tough guy" in town who wanted to see how good I was. It probably comes as no shock to you that skill had nothing to do with it. He approached me from behind threw me to the ground and had me in a pretty secure choke when the other people that were there pulled us apart and took us our separate ways. I wasn’t hurt and it wasn’t a life or death situation but what bothered me was that not only were my 5 years of training useless in that situation, they never even entered my mind…I froze. After that I dropped out of the martial arts for a while thinking either they didn’t work or I wasn’t mentally strong enough to execute them in a realistic situation. Later I started to research other martial arts with a different perspective especially when it came to self defense and in every case I found students that were basically being lied to and given a false sense of confidence that they would be able to defend themselves using these various tricks and techniques for situations that aren’t likely to happen anyway. As you referred to on your website I can break out of a wrist grab no matter who the attacker is, but in my entire life I’ve never had anyone grab my wrist with the intent of harming me.

–Mike, 2nd Dan Tae Kwon Do”

Unfortunately, Mike’s story is far too common. Anyone who has spent time in the vast majority of martial arts schools will see the instructor demonstrate and technique and then hear them claim, with 100% conviction, that this will work against anyone, any time. The majority of the time it’s not the instructor’s fault. It’s a common misconception that was taught by his instructor.

The following are a list of generally dangerous misconception perpetuated by Martial Artists and Self Defense Experts:

1. You should be able to do any technique, against anybody, all of the time.

2. You should be prepared to fight with in the blink of an eye.

3. You should a specific response for each and every situation

a. That specific response should be deployed without hesitation.

4. The criminal or street thug is uneducated and untrained and does not stand a chance against someone who is trained.

5. You should remain calm.

6. Combative sport contest is what a street fight will be like.

7. The technique should look smooth and pretty.

Anyone who teaches these ideas should have their heads examined. First of all, these are impossible goals that have been perpetuated by the mystique of martial arts. All martial artists like the idea of being able to act like this and more importantly, like the idea of YOU thinking that one day YOU will be able to be like that. But, like Mike you may receive a rude awakening. I am sure there are “stories” of people acting in this way. But I will site the Gichin Funakoshi passage from his book Karate-Do. When he had to defend his life against a real attacker, what did do? Reverse punch? High block? No he grabbed the guy by his balls and squeezed until the guy passed out. Does this make him any less of a great man or martial artist? On the contrary, I think it shows his insight into the realities of a street fight- end it as fast and by whatever means necessary.

Don’t set your self up for a fall. Understand the reality that the guy teaching has either never had a street fight in his adult life or learned from someone who never had any real world experience. Even then, I know guys who have experienced a street fight but have no idea or insight as to what they did or how they survived it. The problem is when you start to IMAGINE what MIGHT happen. Listen, your best bet is to understand general reactions. If you poke his eye, it will close. You will have no idea what this guy is thinking or feeling, nor will you care.

Below is a list of responses to the myths perpetrated by my fellow martial artists.

1. Not everything thing works for everybody. That’s why you study a variety of techniques and strategies. You want to find something that fits you. You will naturally gravitate to what “feels” good. That doesn’t mean try something a few times and dismiss it. It will mean that if presented with 5 techniques, some will come easier than others. Plus you will not be able to do the same things to a 250 pound person that you can do with a 110 pound person.

2. There is no way you will be at a 100% complete state of readiness. You wouldn’t be able to function. Imagine being good to go every second of the day. The stress alone would kill you.

3. We talked about situation-specific self defense on the www.thetruthaboutselfdefense.com. It’s ludicrous and it doesn’t work. However, you should train for different positions. This is a must, but getting bogged down in details is a gross waste of time.

4. Criminals put “food on the table” by taking advantage of people like you. Psychos are predators that select easy marks. Both need to succeed. Do not underestimate their animal instinct. Also, don’t confuse intelligence and cunning.

5. You will be emotionally juiced. If you’re not you are either real crazy or real stupid.

6. The point of sport or contest is to win. The point of a street fight is not to lose or survive.

Also, when you enter a contest you know the when, where, how and sometimes who. And as rough as it is, you know the guy is not trying to kill you (I know sometimes it feels like that) but your life is not in danger. There are time limits, safety equipment and referees. That’s why the Japanese have the two words bujutsu and budo. Bujutsu is the literal technique or method. Budo is the way of or symbolic of the actual method. I am going to stop there, I could write another article on that alone.

Does this mean that people who compete are push-overs? No. I’m one of them. What it does mean is that you should plan for what will happen and what you’re expectations should be.

7. Personally, I’ve never seen a real fight look “good”, even when the guys knew what they were doing. A street fight is brutal and ugly.

So why study martial arts? Training in martial arts is important and extremely beneficial. Elements of what you practice can be applied to a real fight. You will find you will only need a handful of techniques that suit you. Depending on the techniques or method will effect you time in study.

The benefits of studying the martial arts:

1. Self improvement. To improve your self it begins from the exterior. You can see this illustrated in many martial arts. Kano (the founder of Judo) believed the purpose of judo was to make better people. For example, if you quit smoking or you don’t drink heavily before a work out, this a sign of self improvement and a benefit of training.

2. Physical fitness.

3. Self confidence

4. Self Awareness.

5. Understanding pain and sacrifice.

Anyone who would subject themselves to real martial arts training understands what these points mean. The more you put in, the more you get out. It’s that simple.

The bottom line: put it all in perspective and use your common sense. It’s funny to see well educated people follow some idiot around because he preys on their lack of self confidence. It’s also sad to see that the majority of the martial arts are a con-game.

Lastly, don’t believe anyone who has all the answers and nothing is guaranteed. It’s a fight, its life.

Regards,

Damian
www.thetruthaboutselfdefense.com

Damian Ross is the owner of Zenshin and instructor of Tekkenryu jujutsu and Kodokan Judo. He started competing in the combative sport of wrestling in 1975 at the age of 7 and began his study of Asian martial arts with Moo Duk Kwan Tae Kwon Do at the age of 16 in 1984. In 1989, Shinan Cestari gave a seminar at Sensei Ross’s dojo. Sensei Ross has trained under Shinan Cestari’s direction ever since. In addition to Tekkenryu Jujutsu, Judo and Tae Kwon Do, Sensei Ross has also studied Bando. Sensei Ross continues his study of Judo under the direction of 8th degree black belt Yoshisada Yonezuka and Tekkenryu Jujutsu under it’s founder, Carl Cestari.

Below are is a list of some of his title ranks:

Yodan (fourth degree black belt) Tekkenryu Jujutsu under Carl Cestari
Shodan (First degree black belt) Kodokan Judo under Yoshisada Yonezuka
Varsity Wrestling Lehigh University under Thad Turner
2nd Degree Black Belt Tae Kwon Do
http://www.thetruthaboutselfdefense.com

A samurai’s sword is his most sacred and prized possession. Not only did the samurai rely on his sword to defend him, but spiritually the sword held greater significance as the samurai actually believed his soul inhabited the sword. Therefore it comes as no surprise that the same discipline and respect in which the samurai wielded his sword, went into the actual making of the sword itself.

Swords weren’t simply ‘cast’ in a mould and then sharpened. A Japanese samurai sword was made by an intricate process of heating the steel, hammering it flat, then folding it, then hammering it flat again, and folding. This process of repeated hammering and folding would be done up to as much as 30 times, or until the maker was satisfied it had been done properly.

There are quite a few reasons for this labour-intense procedure. Firstly, any air pockets which might develop during the heating of the steel would be eliminated. Having an air pocket in a seemingly solid blade would be a weak point, and any weak point would be seen as neglect and any dedicated artisan would produce the highest quality blades as if his own life depended upon the very blade he was forging. Secondly, in the repeated folding and hammering, what might be described as ‘layers’ were produced. Take a book and roll it up it parallel with the spine, these internal layers would look something like this, almost like the rings of a cross section of a tree trunk. This added much strength to the blade.

Also the natural strengthening carbon elements within the steel, as well as the steels impurities would be spread throughout the whole of the sword, therefore strengthening it in its entirety. When the blade came to be cooled it wasn’t simply quenched in water, another process had to be done first. When steel is been cooled, if it cools from a high temperature right down to cold in a short amount of time, the metal becomes very hard and brittle. Conversely, if steel is cooled slowly from a lower temperature right down to cold, the steel takes on more supple, even softer properties. Because a samurai sword was used primarily as a slicing weapon the blades were subjected to a lot of shock upon impact on the enemy, therefore the blade couldn’t be made of the more brittle steel throughout else it would shatter like glass. But the sword had to retain its sharp edge, so it couldn’t be made of softly forged steel throughout else it would simply blunt. So a balance was struck using a very clever procedure.

What the Japanese samurai sword makers discovered was by painting on a clay formula onto the blade before quenching, thin amounts onto the cutting edge and thicker amounts onto the back, the steel could be made to take on two completely separate properties, thereby giving the blade the hard cutting edge it required, and the more supple back. Because of the different speeds in which the two halves of the steel cooled this also formed the beginning of the curve from which the sword makers would work to create the famous curved blade.

Article by Nick Johnson, visit his website for more on samurai swords http://www.japanese-samurai-swords.net