Applied Kingfu

I'm very realistic about self defense training. I know that the only way to survive a street fight or attempted mugging is to injure your attacker to the point that he is combat-ineffective. That's why I always have to laugh when someone teaches a self defense class and tries to show off with his knowledge of "pressure points." He takes one of his students, presses on a certain spot and the student is writhing in pain. The rest of the class starts cheering and saying "wow" or "aha" and actually believes that the instructor has discovered the holy grail for defeating an attacker. Don't ever try any of that nonsense in a real fight! I once "had" to go to a seminar taught by a German cop.[..]

Charles: I'm interviewing in this article, Norm Bettencourt, expert on close quarters fighting and ground fighting as well. Norm, before we get into our subject for tonight, tell us a little about yourself and your background. Norm: Well, I hold a black belt in karate and I run a scenario-based self defense street fighting school in Vancouver, B.C. And what I teach is people how to fight in real-world situations, such as apartments, back alleys. I also have about 15 years of experience in the security industry working as a bouncer, bodyguard and doing other numerous security gigs. Charles: As we know anybody who has ever observed real street fighting knows that oftentimes it goes to the[..]

For most students studying martial arts and self defense training, there is a critical, life-threatening mistake that they're making. This mistake is so important that, if not corrected, you could find yourself worse off in a self-defense situation than someone who never studied martial arts and self-defense at all. This critical mistake is part of what I call, the Karate-Myth. It, along with a host of other ""false-beliefs"" can not only render all of your hard work, study, and martial arts and self-defense training completely useless... ...It can get you broken, maimed, or killed in a real-world attack from a criminal attacker who isn't going soft and slow like your training partners[..]

Many people think that because they are involved in a certain discipline, that is all they need to do, and due to strict training in that discipline they will, over time, become a "master" at their skill. Although many fighters prefer one discipline, and tout that discipline when they fight, Mixed Martial Arts is just that "mixed." Every fighter that has the desire to become the best at what they do must implement 5 items into their routine to get at the top of their game. These 5 items are: 1. Diet. Every fighter must have a consistent, healthy diet. The food we eat is the fuel that keeps us going throughout the day and through our workouts. Every fighter should be up to speed on what[..]

Tai Chi - you may have heard of it but do really know the meaning behind the term? The term Tai Chi, literally translated as "Supreme Ultimate Force", is a well-known ancient martial arts originated in China. It aims to transform an individual into a state of infinite and absolute potential - a concept that conforms to the age-old Chinese philosophy of Yin and Yang. Moreover, the term Tai Chi also denotes "unity, one, or being able to attain oneness." Although a martial art, it is different from other conventional forms of martial arts. It may have forms or sets consisting of many sequential movements derived from martial arts, but the manner in which these are performed can be likened[..]

Karate-do, in all its various forms, finds its origins in one place - the Ryukyu islands off the coast of Japan. What we know as one of the most widely practiced systems of self defense and discipline in the world is the result of centuries of development. While Karate-do was introduced as a code of ethics to a peacetime America only a few decades ago, it began through the need of Ryukyu natives for better methods of fighting. There are a few theories about the origins of the fighting arts that later became collectively known as Karate-do. However, it is certain that many notable Chinese kung fu practitioners settled in Okinawa, the capital of the Ryukyu kingdom. The origins of the[..]

There are many martial art books that have chapters on kicking. Often, you will get a page or two of pictures and descriptions regarding the basic kicks. How many books have you seen that focus exclusively on one kick? That's right, an entire book focusing on one kick. Back Kick, the first book in the Achieving Kicking Excellence series, by Shawn Kovacich does much more than briefly describe the back kick with a couple accompanying photographs. It is a detailed analysis of every movement of the back kick from beginning to end. Back Kick explains the back kick, variations of the back kick, training and drills for kicking, and applications of the back kick in this comprehensive volume. The[..]

I am a huge fan of Dungeons and Dragons books. I wanted to share one of my favorite characters with others who are interested. I hope it is of some use to you in making your own characters. This character build was made to conform to v3.5 of Dungeons and Dragons books and the Living Greyhawk Campaign. It uses 28 point buy system for attributes, and a special race. I hope you like it. Race: Snow Elf (+2 Dex, -2 Cha) Class: Level 1 Barbarian/Level 5 Wizard/Level 10 Fighter. Abilities: Strength 16 (10 points), Dexterity 16 (6 points), Constitution 14 (6 points), Intelligence 14 (6 points), Wisdom 8 (0 points), Cha 6 (0 points) Feats and Abilities: Level 1(Barbarian 1): Simple Weapon[..]

The tenth book of Shawn Kovacich's Achieving Kicking Excellence series features detailed instruction on the side kick and ten of its main variations. Bringing this initial series to a conclusion, these ten books are without a doubt the most detailed written work on kicking available. When completed, Kovacich's next volumes on applications and defending against kicks will make a kicking library like no other. However, I am getting ahead of myself, and must focus only on "Side Kick" right now and wait till Kovacich's future kicking series are complete before discussing those. This volume is similar with the first nine in its format and contents. Like the previous texts, this book contains[..]

What to expect when beginning Karate? Karate, one of the more popular martial art, is practiced by hundreds of thousands of people through out the world, making it one of the easiest martial art to find a school for. Karate schools are located in just about every major city worldwide. Karate is practiced in what is called a "Dojo," the Japanese term for training area. But can be practiced basically anywhere. Many excellent Karate practitioners trained in garages, basements, and backyards converted into Dojos. As a new student begins to study Karate many frustrations will develop if the proper attitude is not applied. Not every student is going to walk into a Karate school and grasp[..]

Concern for your own safety or the safety of your family should be a priority. With crime rates escalating to new highs, and with more low-income families moving into your neighborhood that once catered to the middle or upper class, one must be on guard in defense of himself or family members. If you plan to carry defense pepper spray on your belt underneath a shirt or jacket, position the spray upside down. If you role play with this, you will find that it is much easier to draw the weapon in a downward position off the belt as opposed to upward. Furthermore, position the spray in the holster such that when it is drawn and ready for action, it is properly oriented in your hand in[..]

Here's a different way of looking at the whole what is the deadliest style of martial art debate. Who cares!? Seriously. I don't buy into the whole debate and here's why. If you did a poll of thousands of martial artists you might get a list like this Brazilian Jiu-jutsu and ground fighting Krav Maga and reality based self defense systems Boxing, Muay Thai and cage fighting Ninjutsu, Kung Fu, Aikido and other Eastern based martial arts Modern Hybrid Fighting Styles blending multiple arts Traditional arts like Karate and Tae Kwon Do In fact you can find forum posts all over the net from people asking "What is the deadliest style of martial art?" Or "What is the best style when learning[..]

One of the first lessons that a new student to the art of Ninjutsu must learn involves learning the positions of safety, known as kamae (kah-mah-eh). These "postures," while they appear to be identical to the stances used by many of the more conventional martial arts, are actually quite different - both in function and in the way they are created.   In the conventional martial art that I practiced before discovering ninjutsu, stances were approached from the perspective of being something you had to learn to move on to the really cool stuff. They were set, unchanging "forms" that were taken up with the body and from which the punches, kicks, and other techniques originated.   Even in[..]

With regards to the diet, sorry but its a slow and mind blowing process where you eat tasteless foods half the time and try to resist the tasteful ones. With regards to the exercises, there aren't many you have to do. Just five or six will do. 20 reps each, 3 sets per exercise and your well on your way. But one way in which the muscle will be developed more quickly and so will surrounding muscles of the abdominals is by training whilst lying on a heavy punch bag. Nearly every gym in the world has them so finding one shouldn't be a problem. The idea is, when you perform your exercises lying on the bag, because its round, you will have to balance yourself to quite an extent so as it does[..]

My Sensei, Richard Behrens, said "Learning is fun, training is boring." This is very true. Many people enter into the martial arts hoping to learn a few techniques that will turn them into "Jet Li" over night. They learn very quickly that is not the case. Martial arts takes years to learn properly. You cannot learn from a video or DVD, you must study under a teacher and train with other people. You must learn a technique and then do that technique over and over again. You must learn through painful trial and error. There is an old saying, "you must perform a technique 10,000 times to learn it". That is a lot practice. Most people will "burnout" long before they achieve any kind of[..]

"What could this article possibly be about?!" you are thinking to yourself right now, "my kids can't possibly teach me anything about my career! Life maybe, but certainly not about my work!" Don't be so sure-in fact-I think you will be floored by the time you are done reading this! For years I have studied martial arts in a Minneapolis suburb kickboxing and karate gym. We have two different programs-one for the adults and one for the kids; and each program has different levels. The kids have a traditional 'belt' ranking system, and the adults have a 'level' system-Level One is the most basic and Level Four would be the highest. Additionally-the kids are broken down into different[..]

Settings goals represents one of the key components to find success in your life! This is what guides you and tells you that you are on the right track. But before you write your goals down, you need to know where you want to go! You need to determine your end result to find success. That means you need to know what you want to achieve before you even start doing it. You need to be clear about what you want to achieve. Basically, you need to establish your destination before you can set out on the road. When you plan a route on a map you always have a starting point and a destination. It works the same way in your life: Your destination should be the goal that you want to accomplish in[..]

If you're going to open a martial arts school, please beware that you will have to deal with troublemakers. You know what I'm talking about. You've seen the martial arts movie where a karate teacher is busy teaching class for example, and all of a sudden, a bunch of clowns from a rival school show up and want to fight. If you think this scene only happens in the movies, you are sorely mistaken. It is not uncommon to have challengers come into a martial art school looking for a fight. As the proprietor of a martial arts school, I have seen troublemakers come in many forms, some subtle, some not so subtle. If you plan on running a martial art club, you really need to understand how this[..]

div id="body"> Dear Forward-Thinking Acupuncturist, A long time ago, after becoming an Apprentice to my martial art teacher, SiFu Dwight Woods, I almost decided to teach martial art for a living. I've always looked for a way to help people (even in the "darker" days of my life) and martial art at the time was one of the only ways I saw that I could truly impact someone's life. I couldn't do it working a nine-to-five at some big corporate building acting like some kind of robot and I couldn't do it begging on the street for money. I figured if I opened up a martial art school I could teach people not just martial art but the principles and life lessons martial art comes with... and at the[..]

Mixed Martial Arts is performed by the dare devils. It not only requires strength but also require tough mind. For such tough souls, one needs to provide them with rough and tough clothing to perform the sport. UFC is a brand you can vouch for. It is not only known for its quality, it also is sweat resistant and keeps the sportsman relaxed and tension free. UFC offers various products that include UFC Gloves, UFC Shirts, UFC T Shirts and other MMA gears and clothing. The UFC or Ultimate Fighting Championship began as a tournament to find the best fighters in the world, and was based on the Brazilian vale judo fighting style. The UFC is recognized to be the largest promotion worldwide.[..]

Learning mixed martial arts is probably the best form of fight training you can get involved in. It doesn't just cover one aspect of fighting and training, but rather includes all aspects. So where can you go for mma classes? Here's you best options: 1. Jujitsu plus Muay Thai. By taking classes in both the ground game (jujitsu) and stand up (muay thai) you essentially have yourself an excellent arsenal of mma classes. These tend to be the best elements of both worlds. Jujitsu is known as one of the best forms of grappling to learn, while muay thai covers both striking and kicking. 2. MMA School. Mixed martial arts schools didn't really use to exist. They have now begun popping up more[..]

If you have decided that you want to be able to defend yourself and your loved ones you have made a very good decision. In today's world where crime rates are constantly rising it is important to be able to defend yourself and quickly get out of a potentially life threatening situation. Self defense isn't about becoming a thug that uses every opportunity possible to start a fight so he can test his newest techniques and see if they work, even though people like this exists it is definitely not the mindset of the average martial artist. Self defense is all about preventing violent situations before even happening. You can do this by taking preventive measures like avoiding certain areas[..]

Copyright (c) 2008 Harper DTP Co. Developed from rehabilitation techniques; Pilates is a safe, sensible exercise system. By emphasizing proper breathing, it gets your mind and body in tune with one another. The originator, Joseph Pilates, was the son of a prize winning gymnast in Germany; were Joseph was born. A sickly child, Joseph began his life's journey to fitness and health at an early age. By the time he was 14 he was modeling for anatomy charts. In 1912 Joe went to England where he worked as a self defense instructor for Scotland Yard. At the beginning of WWI he was interned with other German nationals. During his internment, Joe refined his idea and trained other internees. In[..]

Many of us think that street fighting is only relevant to thugs and gang members. We picture bloody back-alley brawls, prison riots, and barbaric underground prizefights. The REALITY is that anyone can be a target of violence on the street or any other public place. Unfortunately, many of us are faced with violence even in our own homes. You don't have to be a victim when confronted with violence. Learning a few practical street fighting techniques can make all the difference for you and those you care about. It can mean the difference between walking away unharmed and becoming a victim. Many people are convinced that they are unable to defend themselves because they are: - too small -[..]

Like most martial arts karate also has its weapons that are used in time of combat or during Olympic sporting events. These karate weapons help you become more flexible as well as move more gracefully as you perform the art of karate. Many of these karate weapons in the olden days where of sword like because karate was often mixed up with some Chinese martial arts as well as the Samurai whose main weapon was the samurai sword, however since the swords became outlawed other substitute weaponry came into play. The karate weapon was transformed into wooden form of weaponry because many of the people that studied and used the art were farmer and all they had were farm tools. Some of these[..]

Interesting how a fighting technique using the nunchaku weapon, the octagonal oak sticks connected by a short chain or string, which were immortalized by Bruce Lee in his famous martial arts film, "Enter the Dragon," and mathematics---particularly parametric equations---could be so nicely entwined. It is as though mathematics has no favoritism when popping its head up in all kinds of seemingly unrelated fields. Read on and you will see how the nunchaku and math are so related. In a previous article titled, "Why Study Math? - Parametric Equations," I talked about how these nifty equations can describe some exotic curves which, using only the variables x and y, could not be so easily[..]

There must have been only a dozen people attending the Florida showing of Jet Li's latest and reportedly last martial arts film, "Fearless." But numbers lie, because you can't judge how "boffo" this film is from its box office numbers. This is gem, I'm sure you'll agree, when you see it. In this movie, Li's character is descended from a father who could have been the martial arts champ of his province, if he hadn't shown mercy and followed through with a punch he had already expertly launched at his adversary's heart. Li swore that he would redeem the family honor and win the title that eluded Papa. As he journeys toward greatness, Li learns many things about love, life, revenge, and[..]

The Internet is sometimes criticized (usually by parents who think their kids need to be outdoors more often) as leading people to be sitting in front of their computers all day growing bulbous, lethargic and (depending on who you talk to) stupid. I think that the opposite can often be true. My friends and I have recently been inspired to new creative ventures through the time spent online. I have long been a fan of movies, martial arts movies in particular. It has been said that they’re kind of like the modern musical with finely choreographed dances (although in this case the ‘dance’ is a fight) showing fantastic physical ability, timing, and grace. Recently I have found[..]

Comparing martial arts films of the 1970s to the action blockbusters of 2009/10 Red Cliff, Ip Man and True Legend are already iconic of the early 21st century "martial arts films"-although many can argue they are more action spectacle than true "kung fu" films. The 1970s, on the other hand, didn't rely on eye-candy effects and were defined more by the true grit of its martial arts actors: Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, the Five Venoms, Tomisaburo Wakayama, Jimmy Wong, and other real fighters trained in genuine kung fu, karate and other arts. Martial Arts Becomes Mainstream But Evolves Into Spectacle Cult classics such as Enter the Dragon helped change Hollywood. Its growing popularity forced[..]

The first time I saw a martial arts film in a local cinema, I told myself that I wanted to be a great fighter like Bruce Lee. In my mind, I was already a hero just waiting for an opportunity to show off my fighting skills. In my obsession I enrolled in a local karate school to learn how to punch, kick and generally dispatch off another person with ease. What I experienced in the school was totally different from what I imagined it to be. In the first place, I learned that there is no heroism involved in fighting. Only fools fight among themselves. Furthermore they get broken hands and bruises all over the body for nothing. Learning karate is an arduous task. It is one that requires[..]

It doesn't take very much too accurately describe Darrin DeWitt Henson. Darrin can be summed-up in three words, "Down to Earth". After interviewing Darrin Henson for a brief ten minutes, I immediately came to the undeniable conclusion that growing up with his four brothers in the Bronx, New York had a lot to do with his broad level of knowledge, intelligence and skills in producing, acting, directing and even choreographing dance moves. His father was said to be a professional horse trainer while his mother was a stay-at-home mom homemaker. His first love was dancing and this became evident when Darrin was five. His brothers would frequently find him practicing dance moves in the[..]

For the first century or so of their existence, movies were something that people would "go to," as the only technology for viewing them was a 35mm projector in a commercial movie theater. People considered it a real treat when, with the advent of television, such shows as "Saturday Night at the Movies" would broadcast an edited, commercial-filled film. Nowadays, people go to the theaters only for the newest releases, and bring the movies home the rest of the time. Some people don't go to theaters at all, as there is a brisk trade in pirated films on the Internet, featuring studio "screener" DVDs, digital copies of same and low-quality camcorder movies of the film being shown in a[..]

The first movies were nothing more than silent, short reels of film, usually depicting ordinary people performing everyday tasks. It was not long, however, before filmmakers began experimenting with elements of plot and characterization, and soon, themed movies were being made. While many genres and sub genres exist, there are a few basic, or main movie genres that most films fall into. These include, but are not limited to, action, adventure, comedy, crime or gangster films, epics or historical films, dramas, horror, musicals, science fiction, war films, and westerns. Westerns are considered to be the defining American film genre, and were among some of the first popular types of[..]

Ninja Assassin is an upcoming martial arts film directed by James McTeigue and starring Rain. The film was produced by Joel Silver and the Wachowski brothers, and filming took place in Berlin, Germany. The film is scheduled to be released on November 25, 2009. Raizo (Rain) is one of the world's deadliest assassins, having been kidnapped as a child and raised by the Ozunu Clan, believed by the world to be a myth. When Raizo's friend is executed by the clan, Raizo flees into hiding. He later reemerges, seeking revenge. Meanwhile, Mika Coretti (Naomie Harris) is a Europol agent who investigates money linked to political murders and finds that it is linked to the Ozunu Clan. She defies her[..]