Alan Armstrong

Koans could also improve "mindfulness skills" Such as not crashing in to trees that can appear from nowhere. As martial artists having keen senses of perception is important; agreed? Quick responses to situations that are potentially life threatening are very much in the scope of martial art training; agreed? Having quick mental reflexes balanced with quick physical responses can improve a martial artist considerably; agreed? Koans can improve your wits and can help you to be more alert; agreed? Circumstances can be paradoxical at times, know both sides of the story at the same time, then you will be the one holding the key to the locked door. Be intelligent in situations using psychology. If someone is bothering you, that they say that they know you and you want that person to go away. Telling them to go away, just doesn't work, but if you say "Yes, I remember you know, you owe me money. How quick will they leave you alone? Resorting to fighting skills in many situations can be avoided, hoeing you koan skills are more practical in the art of battling with many everyday situations. We can unconsciously make enemies, this is a careless way of being; to be thoughtful is the intelligent way to keep the peace.

JR 137 has some sound ideas. Could also give them all a certificate with different martial art distinctions, for each one of the students. Something encouraging that each student can identify with; such as: Black Belt in the making. Martial art merit of skills awarded to John Smith for his outstanding sparring abilities. MA " " " to Jane Jones for her kicking and punching skills. MA " " " to Jack Jones for his dedication and perseverance with 100% attendance record. MA " " " to Mollie Smith for her rapid improvements in the area of agility and flexibility. MA " " " to Jimmy Johnson for most positive attitude and role model attributes. MA " " " to Hillary Hendrix for her outstanding dojo etiquette skills. Just a few examples, each student to have an outstanding positive attribute that is martial art related. Of course have your contact details on the certificate.

Chloe Bruce is well worth watching her kicking skills.

If archery is a martial art, then that makes Robin Hood a martial artist.

Paradoxes exist all around us. While trying to explain our known universe we also need to ignore it. It seems that the more paradoxical it is the more closer we are to the truth. In our MA world "The pacifist fighting Shaolin Monks" Why do many learn martial arts from people that don't fight? Car insurance agencys hear the same excuse over and over again, by drivers that crash their cars. "I was driving along, then suddenly out of nowhere I hit a tree" (The sound of one hand clapping is the sound of silence) If I was asked to take a vow of silence, I would say "OK I'll start tomorrow" If you were the only person on the planet, would you still practice martial arts?

Emin has a large following now. With a none Chinese flavoring found in places around the world. Very combative based solely on scientific body mechanics and efficiency. William also practices Chinese medicine therefore internal medicine and his Wing Chun is in-grained in Chinese culture, tradition and history. Emin's version of Wing Tsun is not a Chinese martial art system. It is an efficient Terkish/German form follows function combative style of fighting; devoid of art. Emin's Wing Tsun is an anti martial art combative style. An ultra effective combative fighting style. The World is big enough for many versions of Wing Chun and there are many more version to be discovered. Both Emin and William have very valid points of view. Expanding Wing Chun with controversy and diversity. Politics always has a way of showing up, military coup's included such as the Emin vs William fight; a type of civil war.

If a tree fell in a vacuum or in outer space it wouldn't make a sound. Perhaps the concept of sound is beyond the scope of trees. Perhaps if a tree is a giant redwood the concept of falling is not an option. As we all travel on different paths on this road called life, in death we all reach the same destination. Therefore, those we think we are leaving behind will catch up with us sooner or later.

Fear like all other emotions need to be recognized and accepted. This doesn't mean to give in to fear, just to know how to deal with it. In martial arts fear needs to be controlled, as it can freeze or immobilize a person. Can cause tunnel vision and stiffen joints and muscles. With practice a person can use one's own fear and turn it into an advantage. By practicing your adrenaline rush will open a door inside releasing the energy to deal with the moment. Calm, relaxed yet focused ready fuelled with adrenaline is a powerful combination. If the opponent can sense this in you, then you have won 50% of the fight already. Depending on the circumstances the opponent my decide to just walk away.

Everything is relative, with or without arms, just pointing out that kicking legs have far more potential than we give them credit for. Controlled leg kicking compared with leg throwing are very different. I'm sure Cynthia Rothrock would agree on that one.

There are some very realistic looking videos of "Street Fighting Russian Aikido Style" Aikido has most definitely gripped the street wise martial art genre in Russia; their action movie industry will make sure of that.

NEWS FLASH: Vladimir Putin wants all Russians to be tough like Steven Seagal. A statement like this from the President of Russia will undoubtedly increase the popularity of Aikido in that country. Out with (BJJ) Brazillian Jujitsu and in with (RSA) Russian Systema Aikido. Perhaps not, as Brazilians out numbers Russians by 66 million. The population of Brasil is 209 million. The population of Russia is 143 million. What if Putin named Royce Gracie instead of Steven Seagal?

An elaboration.People are very adaptable. Nature helps us live in many types of places all over the globe. People indigenous to living in hot high altitude places, their noses will be flared and smaller to allow more oxygen to reach the lungs quicker. Those that live in cold environments, their noses are bigger as oxygen isn't a problem but cold air is, so having a large nose warms the air before reaching the lungs. What does this have to do with martial arts, you may ask. We all have physical attributes that have helped us survive. The plain's Indian in North America are usually very tall, due to the vast distances for walking. As in Sardina the people there are small well suited for living in rocky terrain. In China, Northern martial art styles are more for high kicking and long range punching, suitable for tall people, whereas Southern styles are more for close combat with low kicks, better suited for smaller people. So to continue, nature can help us to survive. Nature can help us store food into fat and keep us warm at the same time. Lean people don't do well in very cold environments, as they do in hot places. Going against nature has it's consequences. Training your legs for martial arts as if you have no arms. Nature and survival go hand in hand. If you realize it or not, you are a part of nature. Professional soccer players can earn millions from their chosen sport. They do this only with the use of their feet. Nature gives the soccer player extraordinary abilities with their feet because this is natures way to help the soccer player survive. Nature is not a soccer fan but if a person wants to make a career at it, the human survival mechanism will go in to motion. If martial artists spent as much time on their kicking skills as professional soccer players do on their kicking skills, how improved would they become. Start training your martial art kicking practice as if you need to survive with this skill. Belive it and will happen, progress is in your hands, in this instance "in your feet" Martial artists can do many things (theoretically) with their feet as they can with their hands. A jab and a front kick. Back fist and hook kick and so on. Martial artists are not usually working at full potential, the reason for this is because of not connecting their inner nature with the outer nature that we are all apart of. If your hands were tied up and you needed to get away, what would you do? Of course you can run away! How about if you are locked in a room, without a key and you needed to get out in a hurry? Of course you can kick the door in. Legs and feet have more uses than we can imagine, all geared or connecting us with surviving and nature. There is a fire on the ground, first thought is to stomp it out. Your hands are full and you need to turn the light switch on to the on position. Most likely put the things down, then flick the switch using your index finger. For people that have no arms their feet is the logical choice for flicking the light switch on. From doing the laundry to writing or driving a car, can all be done soly with the use of the feet instead of using hands. Nature wants you to survive you need to meet her half way. How many tasks in a day do you use your hands? I guess plenty. How many tasks in a day do you use your feet? I guess not many! Just for starters, sit down on the floor, then get up again without the use of your hands. Then turn the light switch on by standing on one foot and flicking the switch on with the other foot. Just theses few exercises should lead you to bigger and greater things regarding using your feet instead of hands. Picking things up such as clothes, and putting them in the washing machine would be a challenging game. Picking up clothes pegs off the floor while standing on one foot and dropping it in to a bag, is a challenging game. The better you get at it the higher you place the bag the next time. Doing flexibility stretching in-between peg in bag games should encourage you to stretch further. Remember nature will help you to adapt to new circumstance because nature is all about survival. Instead of just thinking on your feet try thinking with your feet sometimes. When you want to try out your new super fast feet, just for a treat, work out to the music of "Mortal Combat" that should get them motivated in the right direction.

Yes, there's a sound when a tree falls...anywhere because it's impossible for the felled tree to not make any type of sound when it comes in contact with the ground or whatever it might be. But does the tree become self aware that there's no one there to hear that it's fallen? What if the tree is only 1" tall when it falls, would it still make a sound if it fell?Perhaps the tree died before it fell, therefore was unaware of others to hear that it had fallen.

Wing Chun and JKD are very different. Anyone is able to practice Wing Chun as it is a martial art style for the young and old, male or female, athletic and the none athletic body types. JKD takes a huge amount of conditioning time. This alone would be a deterrent for many would be martial artists. Secondly the teacher's interpretations of what JKD would be, will always be inconsistent with the next JKD instructor. Let me try to explain, there was only one Elvis, when he died there were many Elvis impersonators. Same as with Bruce Lee, to do JKD makes a person a type of impersonator. We can all pretend to sound like Elvis but can impersonators teach us to be as good as Elvis? JKD is really a way to become an MMA style fighter, if it works for you, then do it. Problem is for learning JKD, a person is going to need alot of experience in many martial art styles, or the person teaching it will need many disciplines under his/her belt. JKD is not a complete physical martial art style, more a way to express oneself and adapt to the moment, using the right tool for any given situation. Wing Chun forms are unlike all others because they are not choreographed movements. JKD takes it one step further again by dispensing with forms. The problem I see, is that those that teach JKD need to be proficiente at Wing Chun and how many can say or consider that they are?

If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one there to hear it does it make a sound? koans are a way to broaden a person's awareness.

The way I was taught about the use of a Koan, regarding martial arts was similar to the student's cup being full without any room for the master's cup of knowledge. A Koan was a tool that the master used to break down the student's narrow mindedness and confuse the student. Once the student's inflexible preconceptions were dissolved new ways of understanding could be learned. I have never witnessed Koans being used in martial art schools; perhaps it has become a lost art.

The fight between two top Wing Chun / Wing Tzun practitioners, William Cheung vs Emin Boztepe. This was a momentous event, that rocked the Wing Chun World forever! Was this a positive or negative thing, as this was not a scheduled fight? The fight can be seen on YouTube.

What is the sound of one hand clapping?

Kalaripayattu could be the mother of your martial art style no matter if it is Chinese, Japanese or Korean. There could be some aspects of this style that your style's founder may have neglected to add. Would consider that the martial art styles of today are fragmented from earlier civilizations, yes we have improved but we could have regressed also.

Sumos are the ultimate warriors! Unless someone can convince me otherwise.

Good story! Unfortunately never had a teacher like you. Fortunately I had become a teacher like you. Well done, two thumbs up!

Well, it's not very difficult to guess what Bruce Lee would say about this video. "Banana trees don't hit back" Obviously this human banana killing machine has had some suppressed feelings that needed to be acted out. Perhaps this was his father's prize winning banana tree and to eat just one more banana was more than he could endure. Or a few minutes earlier his girlfriend dumped him for a banana farmer. In many far off regions of the world "Banana anger management classes" are very popular. In other places, kicking palm trees were also used but the apparent migraine headaches rate from falling coconuts was too high, so they all switched to the "go completely bananas method" Bananaphobia is a real medical condition that needs professional treatment. Or alternative medicine suggests joining a Muay Thai kick boxing club.

Chinese self-defence is underestimated and Japanese self-defense is over estimated. This is why many self-defense classes are in the karate styles. Marketing self-defence classes in Kung Fu just doesn't work. Change the word "Kung Fu" for "karate" and the marketing effectiveness works instantly. Had a Karate Sensei that was really a Kung Fu Sifu. Red necks don't want ballet sensitivity training they want hanging raw meat, rocky style. Karate vs Karate has a way of cancelling each other out. Same as Samurai vs Samurai. All styles do this. This is the nature of martial arts. Then do a bout in karate and in a split second throw in a touch of Kung Fu; Surprise!

I am inspired by martial artists that are missing their arms. Have trained people as if they have no arms in the past, with amazing results. I took one of my students to a TKD club that I was a member of. She spared with the students there. She was only 12 years old at the time. With her no arms training (she has arms of course) was embarrassingly good. She was kicking over the other kids heads. One parent started mocking his son for letting a little girl embarrass him so badly. They at the TKD club had no idea what hit them or how to deal with a person that has perfect kicking control. No arms martial art training needs to be investigated further, I was just playing around with the idea, can just imagine if the concept caught on.

Chinese martial arts and masters can differ very much from Japanese masters. This is because of the benevolence factor of Chinese Confucianism. Could also throw in the communist political mind set in to the mix. Whereas Japanese culture compartmentalize and organize to perfection. Competions are better to have a draw outcome, than a winner and loser situation, due to the shame of losing can cause great suffering. I believe a master must have just a few qualities no matter the culture, they all choose the difficult path and never the easy chair. Must possess a profound understanding of rivalry. Must possess a profound understanding of human nature. Must possess a profound understanding of right from wrong. Must possess a profound understanding of mother nature and Yin/Yang principles in our known universe. Must posses a great sense of humor, in this way there will always be an alternative perspective of the truth. Must posses a great sense of understanding to the true value of things. Must practice a martial art occasionally to keep up appearances. Must posses a title of master or be called a master by others, then to find the same master inside, only to find oneself scratching one's head and wondering, Yes! I'm just scratching the surface of a giant redwood martial art tree; going to have to practice harder for the next 10 years or so... 10 years later, Joins a martial art forum on the internet, only to find out that the giant redwood martial art tree has grown alot taller than it was. Seriously, don't take the title of master too seriously! It's just a way for other to label something that they themselves don't know or alternatively you are a master and didn't know it till now! "Congratulations"