World Of Swords

Classical Martial Arts versus MMA, this is an intriguing question. On one hand, we have the classical practitioner, as in taekwondo or Kenpo and that sort of art. On the other hand we have the people who praise the UFC and regimens such as one would see on the Ultimate Fighter.

Now, obviously, we are going to have a difference of opinion, the main thing is can we come up with some facts, or at least opinions so well grounded, that there is a clear winner? I believe we can.

First, one must consider sport v art. In a sport one fights another human being. In an art, one is attempting to resolve conflict with oneself.

Second, there is always the consideration of control. In a classical art one is attempting to control not only ones opponent, but ones own spirit. In MMA one is all too often just attempting to knock somebody into next week.

Thus far, the edge seems to be headed in the classical direction. In attempting to control ones own self there is a high ground, after all. This is not to say, however, that the MMA school of thought does not have considerable attributes and qualities.

The main consideration, UFC stylists would argue, is whether an art works in the dark alley, and in this they would appear to posssess an edge. After all, the face smashing, body twisting, leg breaks that one perceives in the octagon is definitely useful for self defence. This writer, however, is not completely convinced of the argument.

In the ring rules are present. No fingers to the eyes, strikes to the coconuts, small joint twisting, punching the back of the skull, and so on. These are the techniques that a classical practitioner might veer towards in a street encounter.

Thus, in the final tally, while experience with violence, such as one might find in the MMA ring, has a definite edge, this writer is still going to stick with the classical. After all, in traditional martial arts one learns how to fight without getting mugged, and there are lessons to be learned outside of violence, and which can actually de-escalate conflicts. Choose which you wish, be true to your choice, both classical martial arts and MMA have much to offer.

Have an opinion? Mouse over over to Monster Martial Arts and get more facts, see if your opinion is really right. Pick up a free book explaining Matrix Martial Arts while you're there.

I would love to see The Gloved One fight. His moves are so suave and slick, his sense of timing is exquisite. Heck, Steven Seagal Lawman is gonna have to be on his best to even think about beating down the zipper man!

First Stevie is ranked large, as in tents for shirts and the ugliest jackets known to a homeless man. This weight will give him an advantage, should he ever connect. But can he connect when the other fighter has the quickest mitts known to man?

And Stevie may have practiced Aikido since he was knee high to an oversized chihuahua, but let's hope he remembers some of his karate tricks. Michael, you see, has those slip and slide, velvet coated slobberknickers. Those hands slick and glide, duck and dodge, and can fool even the smartest artist.

Now, Michael may have gotten the first few jabs in, but Steven does have a few tricks up his voluminous sleeves. He's got...Louisiana Firepower! He's got access to shotguns, handguns, and redneck nightclubs!

Uh, the hitting kind of nightclubs, not the jive and wail kind of nightclubs. Though, to mention it, Stevie does pick a mean guitar, and maybe he could swing that guitar like an ax! Surely a big old electric guitar bashed up against the side of Michael's cranium wouldcause some kind of trauma!

Anyway, I know there are going to be a few people that aren't going to go along with my conclusions, but I want you to consider the Beat It video. In that video Michael leaps into the fray and disarms two seasoned streetfighters armed with wicked looking knives! Now that has got to take some kind of tough!

And, if that isn't tough enough, you can see other movies where Michael outruns machine guns, bashes the hopes of armies of baddies, and all while singing a tune! Sure, Steven can moan a bit, but...I've never seen him sing in the middle of one of his movie slugfests! Heck, all Stevie can do, in the middle of the brawl, is grunt, look grim, and give a snappy one liner when everybody is laying down!

Okay, I think I've made my point, and only the biggest fool isn't going to agree with me that The King of Pop would lay waste to the King of Aikido. Unless the Aikido Bad Ass can draw and shoot faster than than a politician's mouth! Now if only Michael would come back to life so we could really see this ultimate martial arts fight!

This has been fun, but if you want some serious martial arts, then head to Monster Martial Arts and pick up a free book on Matrix Martial Arts.

Let's be honest, in my telling you The Real Secret of the Dim Mak Poison Hand Death Touch, there's going to some people who like what I say, and there's going to be people who don't like what I say. Well, delusions die hard, but the truth is always better. The truth, when it comes to using the poison hand to kill people, is not all it is knocked up to be.

In the first place, this art exists, but it is extremely difficult to find a teacher, and, to be accepted as a student is incredibly difficult. You have to actually know a few kung fu styles, you have to have an introduction from a Kung Fu Master. And that is no guarantee that you will be accepted.

In the second place, one must question the worth of studying such a rare and esoteric art. It will take years to understand the teachings and to be able to actually use them in a fight. Quite honestly, the time spent learning the poison hand death touch you could spend learning other arts.

And, what is going to have more worth? The ability to touch somebody with your fingers and have him go off and die three days later at seven thirty eight if the moon is full? Or to get so good at other arts that nobody could get close enough to you to even try such a technique as the poison hand?

To learn the Dim Mak one will be studying medicine, but not the type of medicine that most doctors study. You will not learn to alleviate illness, but rather to cause the body to go into disharmony and croak. This means that you will have the double study of learning the right way of helping people, and the wrong way of destroying people.

You will also have to learn certain things about the time of using the death touch. You could strike (touch) somebody with a finger, but if it is the wrong time of the day, your touch is wasted. This means you are going to have to learn all sorts of things about the time cycle of the internal organs of the body, and how this translates to the trigger points on the outside of the body.

Look, I'm about done here, and you're free to do what you want, but let me tell you one little tale of a real death touch. Certain ninpo arts teach how to wear ring needles (and other types of gimcracks). They coat the needle with a deadly poison, then cover the needle with wax.

They can poison anybody and cause death, but they are safe to themselves and their friends. Now this is a real art that I am telling you, but one that doesn't take decades to learn and use. And that is about all I have to say on the subject of the real secret of the kung fu dim mak death touch.

Al Case began practicing the martial arts in 1967, and became a writer for the magazines in 1982. If you want some really cooltechniques, visit his website, Monster Martial Arts.