Alan Armstrong

There is a huge amount of information about martial arts on the internet. Actually there is probably far too much information (spoilt for choice) to be able to sift through it all. I personally like watching the kickboxing from the 70's and 80's the most. Especially: Don the dragon Wilson, Benny the jet Urquidez and Bill superfoot Wallace. Interesting also to see how martial art styles differ and also there similarities. The internet has brought many types of martial arts from across the globe into the convenience of the living room. Internet does show the extremities of martial arts good and bad. One bad thing, is how with MMA fights that the referees don't stop the bouts quick enough, seeing someone being beaten up when that person has tapped out or has been knocked out doesn't look very much like sportsmanship to me. With the mount of money being made from the MMA sport there should be two referees instead of one. Good thing about the internet is that it does showcase talented people, that is inspiring for the younger martial artists. Also that there is a alot of exercise routines to learn from, be it from a gymnastics, dance, yoga points of view; including martial arts. The internet has been a great eye opener for martial arts so far, will be interesting to see how deep it will be able to go.

If someone tries to teach me something that I have already learned, many years before that person was born; my natural reaction will most likely be a smile:)

This could be a good example of the differences between Karate and Kung Fu. Makawara Tai Chi would be a contradiction. The harmony of Yin/Yang. For example, the balance of strings tightened correctly and the instrument can be played beautifully. Human beings can be considered instruments. We all wear out eventually; what's the rush? Understanding the theory of antioxidants in foods and putting it to good use, is a healthy conscience choice; so as to slow down the aging process deliberately. Personally my knees have been very bad, due to my efforts of abusing them for my own fun and amusement. Now with many years of due care and attention, my knees are far better than can expected for my age. Knees are one of the weakest links in the human body; preserving them is a smart investment for anyone.

Do you remember competing in your very first martial art tournament? Not something that can be forgotten very easily. How did you do; win, loose or draw? How did you feel; before, during and after? Did you have an adrenaline rush or a panic attack, or something else; perhaps an out of body experience? How long were you training before competing? Was it unrealistically too soon for you to compete or was it just about the right amount of time?

Elite sparring skills for instance needs to be learned. Once learned it needs to become integrated in to muscle memory; for instantaneous efficiency.1.) To have an exceptional understanding of human symmetry is essential; yours and the opponent's. 2.) The twisting motion of left and right hook punches is a good model of symmetry in motion. 3.) A simple understanding of the letter n representing the legs, standing in the vertical position and also n representing arms on the horizontal plane such as from the birds eye view are important to understand, the set combinations between your lower and upper n and the opponent's is essential knowledge for effective efficient fighting techniques. 4.) Techniques used with the arms have very similar motions with the legs. Chinese terminology for techniques often just change the name of the movements from arm to foot or elbow with knee; or visa versa. 5.) Natural movement and the direction of energy involved is often overlooked, having a sense of yours and the opponents will enhance your intercepting and countering techniques. 6.) We are all built in a similar way with two hands and two feet, therefore I know when I am being kicked they are standing only on one leg and their balance is only half as strong as mine. 7.) Know that every martial art move has a counter move; therefore counter the opponent at every turn and attack the opponent in a multitude of ways that they haven't learned how to counter. 8.) The most overlooked and underrated none technique ever devised, since the beginning of any style of martial art was ever invented by man, woman or child, is to move yourself out of harms way and in to a position of advantage over the opponent. 9.) There are similarities between dancing with a partner and a sparring partner; one is leading and one is following. There is a synchronicity involved between two fluttering butterflies or a dog chasing a rabbit. 10.) The best way to defend against a predator is to attack. The last thing a predator expects is to be attacked, as their experiences are usually, taking their time and having the upper hand. The 6th sense of a martial artist is to combine the 5 we already have. Or add fearlessness to you senses and just call it your 6th virtue.

Elitists in the past were known as those that had plenty of wealth and power over others, they considered themselves (with their attitude towards others) to be the best due to their financial circumstance. Others consider themselves superior due to genetics "elite" the primary cause for WWII For athletes martial artist or which ever sport they are in, I'm sure most don't concern themselves about being elite and are more concerned about doing their personal best.

From my perspective of gloves, they are an assumption that this the weapon that will be taking/knocking out the opponent, from the boxing days. Thugs in the past that would beat others up for their load shark bosses would always be wearing gloves, to protect their hands and not for the health and safety of their victims. Knees and elbows are just as damaging to the opponent and prone to damage from oneself; then why aren't these areas padded?

Wear what you are training for. If you are in a sport type martial art then wear what you do when sparring; just stands to reason. I wear light Velcro strap gloves when working out, outdoors (similar to what bicyclists use) as doing knuckle pushups on gravel cement and using metal handrails in exercise routines is less damaging to hands. Grappling gloves are convenient for light resistance training against a partner. Never use boxing gloves as they are intended for (sport) boxing and the time to wrap the hands and wrists don't seem justifiable or realistic for our mo; Wing Chun.

Agree whole heartedly with you tallgeese. My workouts can start off very easy and steadily and grow in intensity.I keep in mind the story of crossing from one cliff to another, by firing an arrow with a cotton thread attached, that is tied to a string, that is tied to a rope, that is attached to a thin steel cable and so on... I do what I can to improve my circulation, as they saying goes "Flowing water never becomes stale" As we become older recovery time from workouts become slower and pre-warm-ups before workouts should by choice take longer, to prevent self induced accidents.

Chinese have a nickname for knees, they call them "Tofu" More than forty years ago for me, trail bike riding was alot of fun, without protective clothing. Busted Knees is the price one has to pay. Evel Knievel (Robert Craig) was the bravest and coolest guy on the planet for me, with his motorcycle stunts. As he broke most of the bones in his body, some more than twice. Another past time that wasn't good for prolonging healthy knees for me was "Break Dancing" stunts. Practicing Muay Thai kicking techniques on stationary objects has put me out of action for months at a time. Despite having some squeaky Tofu knees, I condition the muscles around them, by wearing ankle weights. also when (deep) stretching, I will wear heavy duty skateboard knee protection. Pleas note: (Doctors don't (usually) recommend wearing ankle weights as they can be damaging to knees) Self prescribed; I take daily: Omega 3 fish oil tablets 1000mg Glucosamine Sulphate tables 750mg Odorless Garlic Extract 2mg

Yes martial arts existed before the invention of the internet. Has this had a positive or negative effect on martial arts. Martial art secrets were passed down from one generation to the next, preserving the art and giving the practioner an upper hand over the opponent; has this tradition been lost? Have we destroyed something or enhanced martial arts with our generation of technical wonders? Was martial arts better in the past or is it better than ever in the now?

Thank you for your kind words sensei8What is on my mind could be off topic, or in some strange way very relevant. Back in the last century in the 90's a TV show named LEXX was aired. A sci-fi fantacy with quirky sexual overtones that are ironically witty. A Geman co Canadian production, nothing has been as creative as Lexx. The four main characters are: Zeph a female love slave, (that is in love with Ki) Stanley Twiddle a class four security guard, that becomes the captain of the Lexx (A living talking giant bug spaceship that can blow up planets on demand) a robot head named 790 (that is in love with Zeph and Ki an assassin that is dead but is dead/alive due to a substance called proto-blood, that keeps him animated alive. When ki is low on proto-blood he stays in a type of glass coffin to preserve him self. Ki is the last of his kind (The Brunange) as he and all from his planet were destroyed by the Divine Shadow. Ki was used by the Divine Shadow as an assassin. Ki regained his memory and ended up as a member of the crew on "The Lexx" Fortunately the entire show (four years worth) is available to be viewed on YouTube. I have watched the entire series from start till finish. Surprisingly I have found the show to be therapeutic as Ki has an entirely different outlook on life from his dead/living animated body, his attituded is pedantic and estoic from a dead living person perspective. He does however have odd behavior at times, depending on the circumstances or planet and or outside influences. Ki is a virtuous character, that has done many bad things in his past due to the influence and control from the Divine Shadow. What I like about Ki's character is that he is always cool, calm and under control when the going gets tough and he reasons out difficult circumstance logically unlike most people that would panic or become hysterical. Ki is a hero but never in a pretentious way, helping his crewmates without any concern for his own wellbeing. Ki looks like a futuristic ninja without the sword instead he has a gizmo attached to his wrist that he can shoot out a type of gripping device that is attached to a cable, that doubles as a device to shoot to kill and to grip objects to pull him self up or towards. Even though Ki's character is difficult to kill by adversaries, his own medical/physiological condition is his greatest enemy or threat, this is something I can relate to wholeheartedly.

Think I was bout 11 years old in a Judo club. I was having a bout with a local bully about three years older than me. Well I beautifully done a hip throw on him, as thrilled as a kid could be. He on the other hand was not impressed and started beating me up with his fists. I remember very clearly saying to him (I was still exited at throwing him) "wait! wait! I can see stars!" (A strange sensation just like in the cartoons) He said "You will see more than stars in a minute" and continued to beat me up.

Must agree, classes were more hard core in the past. Example: I have only had a busted nose twice, just happened to be from the same person, a fellow student from Thailand; from the kick boxing days in the mid 1970's twenty years later all types of protection gear was available.Back in the day, foam filled shoes and gloves, mouth gaurd and a groin cup was it; with full contact karate and kickboxing.

I'm training with heart health issues. Exercises for me is a must, to stay alive. I've been on my death bed four times, due to having had four heart attacks. Having been so weak to move, slowly coming back to life over the years. With a heart that has endured so much, changes a person's perspective about many things; especially one's health. I am more aware now than ever before about how to live sensibly, no choice in the matter, if I want to stay out of hospital beds and away from operating tables. My last heart attack was six years ago and the one before that was seven years before that. I started cardiac rehabilitation six years ago for one year and from then on I have become stronger and wiser as a martial artist. I believe my earlier years as a martial artist has helped me with my fight to stay alive. The martial art saying "Endure the unendurable" helped me survive some terrible times while fighting for my life against heart disease. I have had to mourn my own death four times, each time with a type of re-birth I'm back. Being so close to death so many times is obviously not advisable but it does make a person feel more appreciative being alive. A good question would be "How has four heart attacks changed you?" My answer would be: Patience and perseverance are my best friends now; never give up! Enjoy and do what makes you happy as long as it doesn't interfere or hinder other peoples happiness. Share what you know and appreciate others talents; realize they worked hard at what they do. Than living a life of accumulation it is also just as important to discard things that are not important. Unnecessary stress and worry is as good place as any to start. My biggest fights are not other people but my own lifestyle habits. (A donut is a few minutes of happiness, that is worn around the waist for the rest of my life) The most important thing that you really need to do is breath! Thank you for reading my rant. Share your health issues it is therapeutic, words have power, to hurt but importantly words can heal.

Do you remember your very first martial art class? Share your experience on how it was back then compared to now. Or share how you felt being a newbie surrounded by experienced martial artists. Were you like a fish in water in the Dojo or were you like a rabbit caught in the headlights of a car?

Fast vs slow when fighting. Accuracy and timing is always present and important but I cannot help notice that speed can become overlooked by many martial artists, as techniques, kicks and punches become lost and miss (terribly) while trying to hit fast and those that get knocked out from not moving quick enough. My personal take on this subject is to move at the right time in the right moment. Sometimes moving slowly can throw off the opponent's rhyme. Bruce Lee would actually stop moving for an instant before striking the opponent very fast. What are your preferences?

I love my ankle weights but I'm wearing them out and split them, then the filling falls out. They are too expensive to just throw them away, therefore I have been patching them up with glue and rubber patches. So far so good but as time passes they still leak out their fillings. With all the repair work on them they are looking very bad; embarrassingly so. Meditation on my ankle weights dilemma payed off. A bought some thick black socks put a little split in the toe end for the ankle weight strap to fit through and presto; new looking ankle weights that also (bonus) feel more comfortable. Perhaps small things please small minds but I am very happy with my ankle weight covers. The glue I now use to repair the leaks with is a flexible rubber type. Perhaps if an entrepreneur reads this thread that is in the sports equipment industry, might want to look into designing ankle weight covers/protectors in cool designs and colours.

Yesterday I had a "Elite" martial artist (World MMA Champion) watching my class (Wing Chun) as he was in the next floor space twenty feet away, getting ready, prior to his workout. Must admit I did turn up the heat in the class due to his presence. I didn't feel at all inadequate as I believe what I'm doing 100% Actually it might have crossed his mind that what I was teaching is MMA. He looked very impressed on the techniques that we were practicing. Similar to a Muay Thai neck control setup for knee strikes or throws. The difference the way I teach this technique, is that I use a little Tai Chi Chuan (Chi Magic) relaxed but always in balance, sinking my postures using the natural gravitational pull of the Earth, wearing out the opponent very quickly, as he is using muscle and strenuous effort which is very tiring (for the opponent) and for me my concentration is focused on being dead weight similar to sleeping; hanging on to a tree branch. (I train myself to be good at... OK rather exceptional at this technique due to my exercise routines) Perhaps we are all elite in some way or another, depending on the moment and situation!

Hi there JR 137 Great question that you have put before us. I believe I know the answer to your question but explaining it in to words is very difficult; but I will give it a go anyhow. 1.) Every time you move put yourself in a position of advantage and simultaneously put your opponent in a disadvantageous position. This is somewhat like applying for a position in a company, you don't need to start at the bottom and work your way up, you could apply for a management position instead of sweeping the warehouse. 2.) Positioning yourself against the opponent so that you have a variety of opportunities to strike with your weapons be it with your fists, feet, elbows or knees. Whatever weapon is closer and or convenient to strike the opponent with, use it. 3.) Many MA styles understanding the centre line theory and how to get off and on line when needed. This aspect is an art in itself; if you don't know or understand this theory, your chances of winning a fight against someone that does, will diminish considerably. This is strategy at it's finest, using flanking techniques and cutting angles; used extensively in Wing Chun. Boxers; the pros know about the T theory; this deals with foot positioning. Aikidoist use on and off line techniques to set up opponents for leverage in throwing techniques. 4.) Use physics to your advantage such as the power of leverage and the natural forces of nature and combine what you have learned with your body mechanics. As martial artists we have many strategies at our disposal. Read about Sun Tzu and Myomoto Musashi; also learn to become a student of the forces of nature such as Water Fire Wood Earth Metal. I-Ching the book of changes is also worth becoming familiar with. 5.) Wayne Gretzky mentioned earlier. He was asked what is your secret go being a great hockey player, his answer was "Because I know the rules better than anyone else" Also Mohammed Ali was mentioned earlier. He was asked, how many sit ups do you do in a day, his answer "I don't know, I only start counting them when it starts to hurt, because those are the ones that count" People learn how to shine from the inside out and work very hard at developing it, such ad Gretzky and Ali, while others just wearing shiny clothes and wearing bling miss the point completely.

There is a relativity issue to ballistic stretching, what some people call ballistic stretching just doesn't look like it is to me. Perhaps a term such as "Extreme Ballistic Stretching" might better describe the idea more clearly. Also a term such as "Relaxed Static Stretching" also might be a better way to describe the idea. It is great for me hear your views on stretching. Yes it should be based on what a person wants to accomplish, exactly right on! My personal goal for my own flexibility is to stay limber and supple for all my life, weather I do martial arts or not. I do find the topic of flexibility to be underrated by the general population, something I am not willing to do. There are many theories and methods of how to stretch and a variety of health benefits by practicing it. Warrior postures, stretching by reaching and lunging is another interesting method to increase ROM Movements using circular motions while reaching and stretching is also less stressful on the body while improving ROM Stretching with the use of relaxation and gravity is also a useful way to improve ROM Just an observation; have found that martial art and dance classes practice their stretching routines without taking into account age differences or abilities; as everyone should fit their curriculum mould.

To Ballistic or Static stretch always seems to be a topic of controversy between the experts. I also have mixed opinions on this subject. Those that are professionals, that have been stretching for many years and while doing so will most likely do ballistic stretching when they are at their peak of the warm up, is fine. For those that didn't do stretching at a young age and are far from being a professional athlete, in my opinion shouldn't do ballistic stretching, as muscles can tear and ligaments can be on damaged. This, I believe is where the controversy is, ballistic stretching for professionals is OK. Whereas novice athletes shouldn't ballistic stretch but instead static methods are safer and less damaging to the body. We are after all in the instant gratification age, where patience wears thin for many people, so they give up. What professional athletes have over the novice athlete is that the pros started off at an early age whereas the novices are the late bloomers. Novice athletes copying the pros will intimately damage themselves, if not careful. Professional athletes have professional coaches continually giving accurate advice whereas the novices doesn't have this luxury. As martial artist we need accurate information to become as good as we want to be. Just because something is possible for one person, that this constitutes that it is possible for all is just not true. Usually these professional martial artists are from a martial art family background more times than not. Whereas starting off young in martial arts is an obvious advantage, if there is not a big enough priority from the family chances of become professional is slim. Therefore ballistic stretching on a regular basis is fine for those that have grown up doing it; for the rest, take it easy. My tip is to stretch intelligently. How you may ask? Not only to stretch both sides; this is just plain common sense, but perhaps something that is not so apparent is to stretch opposite muscle groups. Why you may ask? Reason is nature sometimes works in reverse. Have you ever felt more stiffness from stretching? The reason is the tugging on muscles tells your brain to tense up, creating stiffness. So the trick is to trick yourself by stretching the opposite muscles creating them to become tense, this way the muscles you really want to stretch are becoming more relaxed. Which exercises you may ask? You do it in the Dojo when sitting on your calves. You are relaxing your hamstrings and tensioning your quads in the process. You can try out how well it works by seeing how much your forward toe touching improves, with this little experiment. Many Japanese people sit this way for their entire life, perhaps this is a good way for you also, to improve your flexibility progressively in a none aggressive way. Confucius said "If I teach you about one side of the table, then you must apply this lesson to the other three sides" Meaning " Stretch more vigorously the opposite muscles you want to stretch and this will help to relax the other muscles alot more intelligently.

This is fantastic news. CONGRATULATIONS

The video in question has been KO for public viewing. Perhaps it was far too controversial!

My background since I can ever remember was boxing, due to my father being a boxer and it was what people did back then. Then I dabbled in Judo. In the late 1970' I took up Shotokan. To cut a long story short "Traditional Karate" blocking was taught along side Kick boxing. No one used "Traditional" blocking techniques while kick boxing, would only use them while doing katas. Seemed like a contradiction to learn traditional karate blocking and not to use it when sparring. My Shotokan Sansei had a Gung Fu background also, so what is the deal to teach traditional Shotokan to students and when he was sparring with his students he was doing Gung Fu techniques. I switched to TKD and found out there, that once again they had there issues as well. JKD has always been lurking about in the background since the 1970's. Was introduced to Wing Chun in the early 1980's and Tai Chi. In the late 1990's Aikido was interesting; especially the Samurai. Switched back to TKD, I was heavily contaminated by other styles by then and was, to sum it up politely, not welcome. Eventually floated around and dabbled MA with a Wing Chun expert. His teacher's teacher was Ip Man. What I learned from him "My Sifu" was incredibly profound, he taught me the essence of Wing Chun. So as of today, more than 30 years later, after being introduced to Wing Chun, I am still learning the many intricacies this style has to offer. In Wing Chun we use our body to jam the opponent or use the term wedge instead of using the term block. There is a division in Wing Chun, some practice/use it in a hard way such as strength against strength and others use it in a soft way; (such as myself) with touch sensitivity and speed.