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Posts Tagged ‘aikido’

Karate Kumite…Should You Get Emotional?

Saturday, January 14th, 2012

Karate Kumite and Clint Eastwood, I never thought I'd say those two things in a sentence. In the movie 'The Outlaw Josie Wales,' Clint lectures some sissy pioneers about how to get mad dog mean when you're fighting for survival. There is truth in his statement, but there is, especially if you are involved in classical martial arts training, a lie.

The basic fact of the matter is that you have to grow your basic desire to win. You have to be willing to try harder than you have ever tried before. You have to be willing to fight and not stop fighting.

The falsehood in this assertion is that emotion increases your desire to win. To understand the significance of this in the martial arts we have to define what, exactly, emotion is. The weird thing is that if you look in a dictionary there is not a good definition.

Emotion is not 'mood,' or an 'instinctive state of mind,' and a definition like that tells us less than something. So think on this: when somebody is unable to accept reality he/she creates a mental turmoil that is called emotion. That's a good definition, and I know because I made it up myself, but we have to look deeper if we are really going to understand emotion, it's value, and how to use it.

The Neutronic definition for emotion is: 'Motion inside the head.' You get angry, and in your head you want to create motion (of some sort) towards somebody (hitting them in the head with a hammer). But it is all in your head, and, though that can be tapped into and used, it is also a little less than real.

When you punch somebody, would you put energy into your knee? That would be a waste of energy, right? What you want to strive for, as a martial artist, is to put energy only into the fist.

When you direct energy into body parts other than the one(s) being used you are not being efficient in your motions. This same idea holds true in the subject of emotion. Energy put into emotion is not energy put into the desire to win; to win it is best if we get mad dog cool and determined, not extra angry.

This all said, emotion is not to be disparaged, for emotion is a tool by which we can read others, release our own feelings, experience things like love, and so on. However, emotion in a fight is not necessary, and can even inhibit a person's will to fight. The conclusion here is that when it comes to Karate Kumite, while you must increase your desire to win, you must do so without falling into emotion, or trying to use emotion in any way.

Is there a thug on your block? Want to learn how to defend yourself? Karate Kumite is the best and quickest way to defend yourself in the world. Click to Monster Martial Arts to find out more.

The Martial Art Called Aikido

Friday, January 13th, 2012

The subject of oriental Martial Arts is one of the most memorable presents of Asia to the world. Who will not remember that Bruce Lee was first and principally a martial arts athlete before becoming a film star?

Martial arts pictures are a colossal hit with the ever-rising popularity of Asian cinema like 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' and 'The House of the Flying Daggers'.

The Chinese are the first nation that come to mind if you think of such sports, but the Japanese are equally as sporty with a rich heritage of body contact sports in their past. Modern Japan still gives honour to the martial arts by holding tournaments and advertising their martial arts in foreign countries.

Aikido is one of these. It is fascinating to note the fact that the word comes from three Japanese characters from which is derived the one word. Ai is 'joining', Ki is 'spirit' and Do is 'way'.

From this we can see why Aikido lies beyond just the physical skills of it students, particularly since its first advocate, Ueshiba, focused on the spiritual and philosophical development of his students.

In Aikido, one is not educated in violence rather, one is trained to be in harmony with the opponent so that you are able to defeat him more easily. This might appear strange but it really works.

When approaching an opponent, the objective of the Aikido practitioner is to be one with the adversary so as to be able to tackle him where he is weakest and in so doing, deflect or immobilize him, but never to kill him.

This is where Aikido becomes an art form. Art is something beautiful to look at and something constructive and Aikido is all that. At least one of the contestants concerned in the combat is searching for concord and concord can only be achieved if there is grace in the actions.

The moves may be premeditated, but there is an air of elegance in performing these actions. Not a feminine grace, but a grace that emanates peace. The 'art of peace' is what they call it in Aikido.

It is one of the most affirmative influences of Aikido on its students and to everyone else who chooses to learn about this Japanese martial art.

Some of the moves in Aikido involve the following:

Ikkyo is the first process. Using this technique, you direct an adversary by using one hand to hold his elbow and one to hold near the wrist. This action is supposed to allow you to pin your adversary down to the ground.

Nikyo, the second technique, is when you perform a wrist lock which empowers you to twist the arm of your adversary which will in turn cause nerve pressure.

Sankyo, the third technique, is a technique that creates upward-spiraling tension throughout the arm, elbow and shoulder. There are numerous other techniques but the first three are enough to give you a basic insight.

When studying Aikido, it is crucial to remember that, together with building physical strength, you will have to improve your mind to become able to overpower your antagonist. Just| like in any other art form, it takes a lot of training and discipline to reach the summit of the art of Aikido.

The vital thing to keep in mind is that anyone who wants to get into the art must have the resolve to give honour to the art by performing it in the best manner that they can.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on many topics, but is now concerned with Mixed Martial Arts For Kids. If you would like to know more, please go to our website at Mixed Martial Arts Quotes

Five Ways of Causing Damage with Aikido Techniques

Monday, May 16th, 2011

It is sometimes held that the Aikido Techniques of Morihei Ueshiba are not always usable in real combat. Such a statement merely shows that a person doesn't know the nasty history of this fascinating art. One should take note, however, that this martial art is derived from Aikijujitsu, which art was put together by Japanese warlords thousands years ago.

Before going further, let me say that this article doesn't put forth the use of purely destructive techniques. After all, studying a martial art for the sake of the spirit should provide one with a belief system that will enable one to avoid combat situations. That said, knowing the deadlier techniques will enhance the student's understanding, and should the philosophy proves insufficient to the task...one will have the necessary tools.

Something every Aikido student understands is the importance of break falls, called ukemi, and rolls. Thus, instead of placing an attacker gently on the mat, one could place them ungently. Simply throw your attacker in a manner in which he will be unable to roll, and thus will encounter injury.

Another trick is to throw the attacker into something. When Uke comes at you, simply extend the circle of your defense a little too long, or a little too short, and throw your attacker into a wall, over a chair, into a picture window, over a cliff...you get the idea. Practicing this in a dojo will actually enable you to find more harmony when you execute the throw to the correct proportion.

There are many jointlocks which, if taken too far, will damage your opponent. Any jointlock can become quite dangerous by 'over extending' it. Again, knowing how to do this will enable one to find more harmony in the 'official' technique.

The best way, of course, is to undertake a study of Atemi. Atemi are the strikes that were taken out of Daito Ryu Aki jujitsu, thus helping the transition into Aikido. One can study strikes through the practice of any hard style martial art, even boxing or MMA, and then simply incorporate them into Aikido techniques.

The final method for making your Aikido into a less than solely defensive art is to hold weapons while you practice it. You can practice this by wearing a white tee shirt and holding red markers. This is safe, educational, and a heck of a lot of fun!

In closing, I reiterate that Aikido is best fulfilled when one sticks to the purity of the founder and seeks harmony in the spirit. That said, one should insure that their martial art is sufficient to the task, and not just an empty tiger. Learning how to make your Aikido Techniques more aggressive and damaging to an opponent through the advice of this article is a good start.

If you wish to discover the source of all Aikido Techniques, head over to Matrix Aikido at Monster Martial Arts.