Inspirational Individual and Story

[bushido_man96]

I heard about this individual on a radio show I was listening to, and thought it had a place here. Her name is Jessica Cox, and she is a 1st degree black belt in the ATA. She is also a licensed pilot. She was a tap dancer in her youth. And, she was born without arms. She travels and gives motivational talks.

Here I her Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Cox

I thought it was a great story of perseverance and determination.

[sensei8]

Thank you, Brian, for sharing this moving story, and this incredible woman!! Those of us who don't have a disability can learn quite a lot from Jessica, therefore, we've no excuses for not trying. The MA can be difficult; it's suppose to be difficult. What's hard today, with sincere practice, becomes easier.

Her story motivates me!!

[bushido_man96]

I thought so, too, Bob. When my kids grumble and get down, and make excuses, I'd want to show them a picture of this woman. Then ask them what is their excuse?

[Alan Armstrong]

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.

[bushido_man96]

That sounds like an interesting concept, Alan. Can you elaborate a bit further on it?

[Alan Armstrong]

That sounds like an interesting concept, Alan. Can you elaborate a bit further on it?

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.

[bushido_man96]

I see what you are getting at there. However, there is a difference in training without using your arms, and training without having arms. Even if I choose to do a lot of kicking, my arms will come into play for balance purposes. Not having arms at all would totally change the way things work.

[Alan Armstrong]

I see what you are getting at there. However, there is a difference in training without using your arms, and training without having arms. Even if I choose to do a lot of kicking, my arms will come into play for balance purposes. Not having arms at all would totally change the way things work.

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.

[bushido_man96]

Rothrock was a stud kicker. So was Bill Wallace. Both had great control. Control is a key factor in being a great kicker.

[Alan Armstrong]

Rothrock was a stud kicker. So was Bill Wallace. Both had great control. Control is a key factor in being a great kicker.

Chloe Bruce is well worth watching her kicking skills.