World Of Swords

Now it could be Kung Fu Lessons, or Karate Instruction, or Kenpo online, or any number of beasts, but it is all the same. It could be the backs of comic books or late night infomercials, but you know what I mean. You can have the power to destroy eight skinhead neo-nazis with a single secret technique that has never been seen before!

Now, the weird thing is, some of these things you see on the web actually have worth. Some of them are the product of dedicated martial arts senseis. The sad truth, however, it is still a 'buyer beware' game out there.

The plot line for these productions is pretty predictable. First build some empathy with the crowd. Since everybody grew up and encountered bullies, telling the crowd that you used to be picked on by the bullies is a pretty safe bet.

Now, you've put the idea of being picked on in the rube's head, the second step is to help him solve this problem. You've got to convince him that if he studies your style or gimmick he will be capable of fighting back. This magic formula, if you think about it, is at the heart of every kung fu movie, from Gorden Lui to the Karate Kid, ever made.

Now, except for the final step, actually taking the bucks, you've basically got it figured out. It is all that quick and easy. Convince him he has a problem, give him the solution, take his dollars. Or, if you want to define it in other terms, suspend his reality, give him a fantasy, take his hard earned moola.

Now, let's be honest, some products should be sold, and some should be avoided like smelly, day old garbage, and the way to figure out the difference is easy. If the pitch follows a certain format, you might want to avoid it. A guy who follows an exact scriptline has done his research as to what works, and he is trying to build his bankroll on your back.

The better alternative is the guy who doesn't follow a script, but who actually talks to you. It is not a selling format, but a voice that has substance and belief. It is a guy who believes in what he is practicing, and is selling out of compassion and love for what he does.

This is not to say that there isn't sometimes some good stuff in some of the Snake Oil Kung Fu Lessons, or Karate Instruction, or Kenpo Online, or whatever. Be it prison fighting or ghetto blasting, or secret spetznatz techniques taught in secret by an ancient voodoo witch doctor...there could very well be some juicy stuff, or even a new way of understanding things. Sometimes, you know, Snake Oil delivers the goods!

You won't find Snake Oil Kung Fu Lessons at the Monster. Mouse to Monster Martial Arts and learn the real science behind the Martial Arts.

It is commonly held that Gichin Funakoshi is the father of modern Karate. Well, he could be considered such, except that something odd happened a century ago, that puts forth a slightly different idea. We've got to give him credit for sharing karate, but was his karate the true art?

I know what I write here is not going to be what a lot of people want to hear, there will be a few people who are going to argue and oppose me. However, the history that I am about to relay did occur, it is the real story. That said, please know that I do respect Gichin Funakoshi, one cannot underestimate his importance.

In turn of the century, last century, Japan, people, same as people all over, loved the human cockfight. It wasn't uncommon for people to gather to watch gladiatorial contests between different arts and artists. Certain of these gladiators even offered open challenges to the audience, step up if you think you can beat me.

One night a Russian strongman threw down the gauntlet to the Japanese audience. One can imagine the outraged audience, and the surprise when a frumpy, old Okinawan stepped up to the ring and prepared to fight. The year was'21, and Karate was about to become famous.

Motobu Chōki was 52 years old when he stepped into the ring that night. He had studied with virtually every Okinawan Karate master in Okinawa, and he had, when he was young and impetuous, honed his art in the violent red light districts of his island home. This history, and a daily regimen of makiwara, and perhaps the hint of royal blood and pride in his veins, served him in good stead.

One punch later, a punch almost too fast to be seen, Motobu climbed out of the ring, the Russian strongman lay sprawled and snoozing the fist snooze. Reporters went wild, wrote their stories, and submitted them to the editors. Editors went wild, and, since they didn't have any photos of Motobu, but they did have a picture of a guy doing karate, they popped in the wrong picture.

So Gichin Funakoshi, a mild school teacher from Okinawa, got credit for the violent knock out and ultimate karate prowess of Motobu Choki. And Motobu, though he did teach karate and have an effect, because he wasn't fluent in the japanese language, and because the media did such a bang up job of reporting, got no credit. And Funakoshi is credited with spreading Karate to the world, yet, it wouldn't have happened without Motobu's one punch one kill competence and attitude.

Now, you have to ask yourself who has the true art, a school teacher who benefited from the wrong picture, or a rough cob who walked the walk. Yes, Funakoshi's karate is excellent, and generations of karateka have contributed to the art. However, there is still that one incident, provided by a man who could do the one punch one kill technique, which presents a different argument for who had the True Art.

Al Case has analyzed traditional Karate for 4O+ years. He has written hundreds of articles for the magazines, and had his own column in Inside Karate. He is the originator of Matrixing Technology, and you can argue with him, pr perhsp pick up a free ebook, at Monster Martial Arts

One of the neatest things in all of TV history was when David Carradine in the old Kung Fu TV series walked on the rice paper. Rice paper is extremely thin, and the bare moisture on the bottom of the foot, along with the weight of a persons body, is enough to tear the stuff. The legend of the matter, of course, is that there is this thing called Light Kung Fu, where one could actually make the body lighter, maybe even levitate it.

Now, myself and all the guys in the neighborhood would watch David Carradine, Kwai Chang Caine as he was known on TV, and wish we had a kung fu master to teach us how to walk on rice paper. Why, there was no end to the things we could do if we only knew Light Kung Fu! The neighborhood bullies would be nothing if we had that awesome power!

So, a little thought about what Kawi Chang Caine was doing, a little western ingenuity, and we came up with a solution. Unroll a roll of toilet paper on a linoleum floor. Now, with a dropper, put a small drop of water in the middle of each square. Now, walk the walk.

We thought that rice paper would be like wet toilet paper, you see. So we tried out our kung fu steps, and...the thin stuff was ripped apart. Hmmmmm.

We cleaned the floor and unrolled the paper again, placing the foot and not turning it at all. Squoosh, squoosh, squoosh! Darn stuff just ripped into a mess.

So we tried putting a long row of chairs next to the unrolled toilet tissue, and tried supporting ourselves with our arms as we walked the walk. Squish, rip, and darn! This rice paper stuff was tougher than we thought.

Now, in the end, we never did manage to walk the light kung fu walk, and not tear the filmy tissue into wet and messy blobs. And, to be truthful, I don't think it is possible to do, toilet paper is supposed to fall apart in water, and rice paper, well, who knows what the heck rice paper is even for? But something amazing happened because of our interest in being able to do what the old masters did, even if the masters were only actors plying their craft on the old television tube.

We worked out long hours. In between trying out our light kung fu, we practicing kicking and blocking, we did our forms again and again. In essence, though we never walked the light kung fu walk, we became masters through another route, through dedication and long hard work and by pursuing dreams!

Al Case has analyzed martial arts for 4O years. A writer for the magazines since'81, he is the founder of matrixing technology and neutronics. You can walk on rice paper with him, or, least get a free ebook, at Monster Martial Arts.