World Of Swords

Karate chop him, screamed the girl, and I had to chuckle. This was a flick where neither the actor, the writer, the director knew the martial arts. See, people used to think that a karate chop to the neck would kill people in their tracks.

When I first began studying Chinese Kenpo Karate I was told that a spear hand to the solar plexus or the neck was the deadliest martial arts attack on earth. Just stick those stiff fingers in the soft areas and watch 'em die. This was better than a karate chop, but only by a little.

Then I heard about the Dim Muk, or what is commonly called The Death Touch. You touch a person on a special spot somewhere on their body and they drop dead. Of course, it would take twenty years to master the Chi Power, learn all the pressure points and times they were vulnerable, and by that time I'd be ancient and too slow to do such a thing.

One evening a student was walking past my Karate instructor holding a square of thin particle board. He suddenly grinned and held the board up to my instructor. Break this, he put forth in a mocking challenge.

My instructor's name was Bob Babich, and he was a short, thin fellow. Given the target, he dropped his weight, twisted his hips, and snapped a single finger out. A single finger, and when he withdrew it, there was a nice, neat, little hole in the particle board.

Many people think I am telling tales when I repeat this story, but the fact is that the single finger trick could be done by no less than fifty people on the Island of Taiwan back in the fifties. Many of the kung Fu masters from across China had gone to that little country to escape communism, and they were able to do things. Unfortunately, there were not enough students, the gene pool was not as large as China, after all, and the single finger trick has pretty well disappeared.

Interestingly, one of the fellows who nibbled at the single finger trick was Bruce Lee. He could stick a finger in a soda (beer) can and leave a hole, and this was back in the day when cans were made of real metal and not this cheap aluminum stuff. This was good, and one wonders whether he would have mastered the single finger trick if he had lived longer.

At any rate, when students ask me what the deadliest karate trick is I tell them about the single finger. It is not a story, it is the result of real and dedicated training in the martial arts, and that includes karate, kung fu, or any other legitimate martial art that has stood the test of time. And, as for the karate chop, that is a good karate technique, but it is only the first step.

Before you learn the one finger trick you have to learn The Secrets of The Punch. Mouse to Monster Martial Arts for that.

The Bubishi Martial Arts Manual, the one having to do with White Crane and Monk's fist Boxing kung fu, was compiled sometime over the last few hundred years in Fuzhou Province. Fuzhou province (Fukien) is where Shaolin Kung Fu was practiced, and which kung fu became the inspiration for Naha-te, which martial art became Karate. There is no doubt that it is one of the most influential martial arts manuals in recorded history, and indisputably the bible of All Karate.

The Bubishi is actually a lengthy work of art, jam packed with poems, anatomical drawings, and so on. In writing this article I decided to concentrate on the eight phrases which were pivotal to the inspiration of such arts as Goju Ryu Karate and Uechi Ryu Karate. The meaning of these phrases, which are named Kempo Hakku (Eight Rules of the Fist), can be found by examining them through the Science of Matrixing

The beginning phrase is, 'the mind exists as one with heaven and earth.' This is a realization that the universe is dichotomous, that there is the realm of the spirit and there is the realm of material universe. This means that the universe is nothing more than a machine built between the two terminals of spirit and matter.

The next phrase is, 'the circulatory rhythm of the body is like the cycle of the sun and the moon.' A smaller example of the universe, the body is a minor universe. This means that, the same as the larger universe, the smaller universe of the body is a machine.

The next phrase is, 'the method of inhaling and exhaling is simultaneously hard and soft.' Breath out when the body grows larger, breath in when it grows smaller. Always keep the belly slightly tight and ready.

The next phrase is, 'act relative to time and change.' This means that when the universe changes, you must change with it. One will find that the universe actually mirrors the intentions of the person, and gives one feedback on the deepest levels as to his personality and worth.

The fifth line is, 'techniques will occur in the absence of conscious thought.' This is an advice to practice your techniques until they become intuitive. On a deeper level, through the practice of the martial arts (Karate) a person will, in the end, find themselves incapable of hiding in their mind.

The next phrase is, 'the feet must advance and retreat, part and meet.' This looks like a principle of fighting strategy. But if one learns how to control distance they can control the combat, and ultimately they will be able to harmonize with an opponent.

The next phrase is, 'the eyes miss not even the slightest change.' One should use the martial arts as a tool to grow their awareness. The superior human being does not let his awareness so much as blink.

The last phrase is, 'the ears listen in all directions.' One must travel beyond the need for physical senses. Find out who you are, for the spiritual being is far beyond the physical.

The Bubishi is truly a Bible of Karate. To understand this work of art, one should take the Master Instructor Course. Head to Monster Martial Arts for this Martial Arts DVD course.

Karate is the most widely studied martial art in the world. It is one of the most efficient, invigorating practices, and it'll make you strong and fast and able to kick...fanny. In this article I will tell you how to learn Karate online free, and I mean absolutely free.

First, you are going to need a place to work out. Usually this is a garage or patio, or just someplace where you can push the furniture, hang a punching bag, and move around freely. As silly as this might sound, I would recommend hanging a sign...it claims the property as yours and establishes your dojo.

Go to a carpet store and dig through their trash bin for some rug samples. You can dig a hole in the ground and brace a two by four with rocks, and you can put the rug samples on this for punching and kicking. You can tack the samples on the studs in a house, but be careful you don't end up cracking windows or 'warping' the house.

Sweep the area clean, and if you can pull a whole rug out of the dumpster you've got a mat. If possible, hook up a TV with internet connection. Your space is ready, and now it's time to learn.

Go to the internet and search for 'Learn Karate Online Free.' You will find a few sites that are offering introductory courses. Take advantage of those intros, print them out if possible, and head out to your dojo and begin learning your basics.

Having learned the basic moves, and they are pretty much the same for most Karate schools, you want to go to youtube and do a search for the following Karate forms. Heian one, Heian two, and on through Heian five. These are the basic forms of the major karate schools (they are also called pinan one, pinan two, etc), and you will find many people have posted videos of them.

You should watch the applications of the kata closely, which are sometimes called bunkai, and practice them diligently. Find a partner, start slowly, and practice these form techniques until your speed picks up naturally. You can also do an internet search for things like Heian two bunkai, Pinan two techniques, Kata applications, and so on.

Once you have learned these five basic forms, you can research Karate further and decide what kind of advanced forms you wish to learn. Bear in mind that this method will take a long time, but it is worthwhile pursuing, if only to find an internet dojo that sells Karate courses on the internet. When you learn Karate Online Free you are in for a blast, and a learning experience like none you have ever imagined...and I wish you the very best of luck on your journey.

You can get a Real Karate Black Belt fast. Mouse on over over to Learn Karate Online and find out how!