Many website owners underestimate the power of a blog because the stigma associated with the word "blog" makes it sound inferior to something like a "website." Promoting your site is the next essential step and owning a blog is one of the best ways to actively drive traffic to your domain.

A blog can be a 'network' behind your website, offer more information to your readerbase, and also serve as a portfolio for you and other authors of a website.

Although the internet continues to get saturated with thousands of blogs every day, it doesn't mean quality won't go overlooked - especially when you want to create a brand out of your website. Here are five ways blogs can give your website more exposure and even become a great foundational network for your other work.

Create a Brand With Authority for Your Website

It's true - blogs really can be a good way to give your website additional authority by showcasing articles, links, and giving a network of readers a place to experience your website in a refreshing way. Everyone has a blog these days. Some of the most powerful companies in the world run blogs as part of their website's network, such as CNN's blog "Political Ticker."

Even Google keeps a blog at Blogspot, informing visitors about upcoming features, new upgrades to other sections such as Gmail, and more. Google has multiple blogs to inform readers on specific news and suggestions, like the Adsense blog, now one of the best ways to get the latest news for Adsense. That's something a website owner would be interested in if he places ads on his pages.

A blog is only as good as its content. Give people something to read. Understand the type of readers you have. Are they looking for information about a product? Do they want to read about an upcoming video game? Chances are, they didn't visit your blog site to know about some weird dream you had last night. Treat the blog like it's a website. Technically, it is. If you want the blog to promote your website, don't make it a personal online diary unless that's what you want the blog to be. Make sure the things you post are relevant to your niche and brand or you will lose traffic.

Strongly consider putting your website name somewhere in your blog's title. Be creative and remember that the name of your blog can make or break its spot in search engines. Most platforms allow you to change the title any time you want. If you are part of multiple groups or affiliations (or companies), you're not limited. You can place RSS feeds in your sidebars (which should include one from your website), place banners, and in some blogging platforms, you are allowed to place ads. A blog is like a second website but with all the potential to have a symbiotic relationship.

Your website's brand will be much more consolidated when you establish this 'network' with the blogging community. The community, you see, is more like a good portion of the planet's population. Put your website's name out there.

Rank High on Search Engines With Quality Content and Backlinks to Your Website

What you post on your blog can be found on search engines. Blogging platforms are already optimized so your posts can be discovered by readers. Your content will decide the extent to what where it ranks in searches. The traffic blogs receive can be very high, especially if you like to write about reviews, current events, issues in politics, and trendy topics of choice. Once your blog has a handful of quality posts in a certain niche, you'll start to realize how much it acts like an extension to your main website.

Two of the best blogging platforms on the internet are WordPress and Blogger (now owned by Google). The dashboard interface is very simple to use and the number of options you have when writing posts is great. You can place pictures in your pages, embed videos (from sites like YouTube), have corresponding polls, and widgets allow you customize the blog (you can also use different themes).

Wordpress is one of the best blogging platforms on the internet.

WordPress and Blogger rank high in search engines but much of that depends on you and what content your blog has. Images get a lot of hits from Google Image Search and search engines web crawl your posts. On WordPress, you can see your site's statistics, search queries, links that led to your site, and graphical data in the dashboard. It's that simple.

One way to promote a specific article from your website using your blog is to write a post with a link to the article. But do more than just place a link. Write more about the article, reflect, place new pictures or a video - you have the ability to do whatever you want with it. Readers of that post will most likely click on the link if they want to know more (be sure to make each post presentable).

Over time you will gain more traffic on your blog and that traffic leads to your website. Backlinks increase the overall PageRank of the pages, which is critical for search hits. A blog is one of the best way to do this and its posts can be as unique and varied as you want them to be.

Promote your website with the blog but make your blog something worth promoting, too.

Join Blog Directories

Blog directories are one of the top ways to showcase your blog (and thus the brand of your website) to many people. You will get a spot in the directory and you can participate in discussions, share links with other bloggers, and more. Two great directories are Blog Catalog and My Blog Log. Both give you many opportunities to actively promote your website and blog brand.

On Blog Catalog, you can join groups, add other bloggers as friends, add favorite blogs, and have a personal profile (including a photo). It is the ultimate social network for bloggers, like its motto says. There are many directories on the internet that you can join. Another great blog directory where you can gain traffic is Blog Explosion. You can earn credits, get other bloggers to check out your blog when you view theirs (which is a nice system), and search the directory for blogs of many different categories.

Your website's brand will be much stronger if you are part of blog directories.

Write Comments on Other Blogs and Be Part of the Blogging Community

Writing comments (or guest posting) on other peoples' blogs can get more page views and exposure for your website. Say more than a few words and avoid simply pasting a link to your blog or website. You will already be able to post as a user (for example, your WordPress or Blogger blogs will be linked to the profile you're using to write comments). Usually, you have the option to enter your email address and website url if you have one.

By writing comments on other blogs, your words and insight will be seen not only by the bloggers but by everyone who views that page with the comments. Be polite and offer something to the discussion that fits what your website and blog brand is about. This is not shameless self-promotion. This is actively getting your website and yourself where people can read more. Blogging is one of the best ways to be involved with the online world community, which is the scope you need to promote your website.

Take Advantage of the Flexibility of Blogs

Blogs are effective not only to promote and drive traffic to your other pages, but also because you can do almost anything with them. If you are a journalist, you can reference key aspects of your website on your blog. Did you ever want to put something on your website that just didn't fit your site? Maybe it was a personal reflection on something or an article about a topic not relevant to your main work.

I'm a writer on Associated Content and I run a website and my blog acts as a network to consolidate both areas of my work. I can post about articles I wrote (including placing RSS feeds of my other articles) and keep information well organized. Together they work as a network, with emphasis on the brand. The blog isn't just about getting traffic for your website. It is you and your work. Having a blog lets you keep in touch with readers on a more personal level and you can write more about yourself for readers. If you work in sales, it can be a useful way to refer visitors to your products and services.

In the end you have to remember that it takes money to own a domain and keep it online with a Web Hosting Service. But blogs are completely free. You will be surprised what people are able to do with a simple 'weblog.' Some people monetize their blogs with ads as well as their website and generate a lot of additional revenue.

Citing sources online is much easier than you think because it only takes a few times of practice to perfect it. The internet is a huge place with many informative articles but none of those are credible if they don't have expert based knowledge or research conducted by trusted organizations. If you write about new studies in medicine or discoveries in physics, citing sources is not just important.

It is required.

Why Citing Sources is Important and How it Increases Your Internet Search Traffic

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques are required for your articles to achieve a high spot in search engines such as Google. Specifically, Google PageRank is an attribute given to every page to determine its overall importance on the internet.

One way to significantly increase your Google PageRank is to have relevant links in your article to the topics you are addressing. When researching online, it is best to mention websites that primarily use the .edu, .org, and .gov url extensions because non-profit educational sources usually rank the highest. High quality links used in the right places is more useful than you can imagine and is a proven method of increasing the popularity of your PageRank.

Avoiding Plagiarism and Maintaining Credibility

Plagiarism is one of the worst problems in online freelance writing and it will never be resolved. Many people decide to copy and paste excerpts of articles that other people have written, disguising them as their own ideas. This always backfires because almost all professional freelance writing websites heavily scan submissions to find out if there has been excessively copied material from other sources.

Unintentional plagiarism is not so rare either. Freelance writers who are not aware that certain claims must be cited break the law without even realizing it. For example, if you write a news article about the newly announced release date of a popular music band, you have to be able to back it up with evidence - preferably a link to the press release. If you want to show how marijuana can alleviate symptoms of glaucoma and cancer, you must provide a link to the study or the website containing all the necessary sources.

How to Cite Sources Online - The Differences and the Advantages

Don't worry, citing sources in articles online is much different from doing research for school term papers and magazines. The primary method of linking is the universal resource locator (URL) and all it takes is a single click for a reader to find an original study or find a news item.

Libraries are a good place to get both your online research done and reffering to sources of text directly.

Electronic online research varies from how research was done before the internet became prominent. APA and MLA formats of citing are reliable but in freelancing online, linking and using the right context within the reference to the respective link is given priority. Sites such as Associated Content only require you to provide links within the text and optional "Further Reading" sections. You are also allowed to cite library and non-internet sources by listing all cited sources at the bottom of your article; which can be done in MLA or APA format.

Simply picking a random word like "health" in your article and providing it with a URL hyperlink to the study is not useful. It is more relevant to have a keyword phrase such as "marijuana health study" as the full link instead because it is more specific to the topic you want to address. You should also consider how to introduce new citations and references to online research in your article. When referring to names of novels, plays, TV shows, song names, and movie titles, it is recommended to italicize the text.

Try addressing the organization that conducted the study instead of randomly linking it in the text. For example, write "In a new study conducted by the American Dental Association (link 'new study')" instead of writing "new study" without any proper context. Having a high quality organization name in your article improves your Google PageRank, gives you more credibility, and will get you more internet traffic and page views.

Why It is Important to Do Online Research and How to Do it Correctly

Ironically, the very links you provide must be credible themselves. The internet is not a trustworthy place and the information you find about some subjects or topics might be completely false. That is one of the reasons why expert opinions and authoritative organizations must be chosen carefully.

One of the most reliable places to do online research is the free online encyclopedia, Wikipedia (not the actual information in general, but the educational sources found in the links cited at the bottom of article pages). While there have been instances where the information on certain articles are inaccurate, not cited, or even intentionally false, it is rare. Overall, there is a lot of information on the site that can point you in the right direction. At the bottom of every Wikipedia page, the sources are cited and listed conveniently, with number tags pertaining to the section of text where it is mentioned. Many freelance writers use Wikipedia to do most of their research - but it should never be the only place to search for credible sources. You can even copy and paste the works cited section from Wikipedia onto your own article or link to the entire page if your topic is broad enough. And if there is a lack of credible sources or citations, the site editors will usually let readers know at the top of the page.

Be Serious and Professional About Citing Sources Online

Failing to cite sources when you need to is plagiarism and can get you in trouble with copyright law. If you are a freelance writer, it will get you banned if you continuously do it. For those that write a blog or maintain a website, having a professional feel drives more traffic, allows your site to be passed along by through backlinks, and with time, you will have readers citing your articles themselves. To learn more, read about these top five ways you can use a blog to promote and drive traffic to your website.

Citing sources is required to adhere to journalistic ethics and to make the most money possible through online freelance writing. Never forget to realize where certain ideas come from because sometimes understanding that allows you to better come up with your own.

_____________________

A Simple Strategy for Having Endless Topic Ideas

It’s a difficult world for an online freelance writer these days. The internet has exploded into the homes of over a billion people on Earth. To rise through the ranks and become a distinguished writer, you have to be able to stay on top of your game. The writer’s block is the most feared contraption of nature but with a few simple tips, you can beat it. Here is a simple secret of freelance writing that will ensure you literally unlimited ideas and topics to write about.

Preparation - Are You Ready To Commit?

This isn’t just a job. This is a passion and lifestyle for some. If you plan on making money in the process, you have to be able to think of topics to write every day. Some of the most successful freelance writers in the world can publish an article daily. It’s not rocket science - it’s easier to be able to keep the writer’s block at bay and create strong content consistently than you think. It all lies in making the most of your time.

Integrate “topics” into your life. See everything as a searchable phrase. It sounds kind of far-fetched but the truth is that many writers thinking about how to gain more view counts or write chapters for their brand new novels know exactly what this strategy is.

You might be hanging out with your friends and have a brainstorm raging in your head; spontaneously or controlled, it doesn’t matter. You could be in school, work, or even dreaming, and countless ideas of topics could be shining in your head like light bulbs. It's not that you've gone crazy - it’s just a trait that all writers share.

Thinking of a topic can sometimes take longer than actually writing about it. This is not a coincidence. It’s life’s way of forcing you to take on a challenge. Here’s my secret that isn’t really a secret but a strategy many writers do not use.

Your Mind is a Huge Word Document - That’s Why Man Invented Notepad

Okay, here comes an analogy to the human brain. What happens in your brain as a writer is like what you type in a word document on a computer. Everything is fine until you realize you can’t save anything. Well, nothing at will. You either remember or you don’t.

Open a Notepad file, Word Document, or any other text program and save it on your desktop (or personal folder of choice). It’s best to use a Notepad file because it opens quick and can be found easily on your computer. Make sure you keep it marked in the Quick Launch menu.

Title this document: “Topic Ideas” or something along those lines.

Now pay attention. Every time you ever think of an idea that you know you can write about, open this file and write it down. Don’t write paragraphs and lengthy passages. Just type the name of the title (which can be 3-10 words) as a bullet point, save it (Cntrl+S), and exit the file.

Over time you will make a habit of this and realize you are thinking of future topics at a rate faster than you are writing them. Practice makes perfect and eventually the topics you think of are almost always noted down. All it takes is a few clicks to open the file, write down your brilliant idea(s), and keep them saved for later.

I’ve been able to maintain a steady stream of articles without much difficulty because I keep a Notepad file handy at all times. In a single month, I have enough ideas for topics already that will last me a year.

But the ultimate reason why this strategy will permanently stop writer’s block for topic ideas is that it is a constant process. You are always typing in potentially high quality article ideas every day and the list will remain dauntingly long - but this is a good thing.

I never have to worry about thinking of another topic idea again and I’ve only used this strategy for a few weeks. Check on the list every week and remove bullet points of articles you finished and delete ideas that can no longer be used. Use it as a checklist, calendar, and even a place to keep important links.

You can’t make the most of this technique overnight but with continuous practice a few times a week, you can hone your skills to the point of permanently defeating writer’s block. Rack up those page views, earn money using the simplest techniques, and remember that you must rise beyond the call of duty to become a well-prepared freelance writer.

Over time you will learn to implement your own ideas for your digital brainstorming text file and be able to come home from work and know exactly what you’re going to write about.

UPDATE: It's been another month and a half and my own notepad file has more than doubled in the number of article ideas. I also added links that directed me to the main sources of certain educational topics. Although it is recommended only to use single line sentences for each topic idea (for the sake of simplicity), you can expand on this and write additional sentences or paragraphs if you think you won't be able to remember it all later.

Another month and a half later, I used my Notepad file to keep track of important links and write more information about specific topic ideas.

The number of things you can do with this technique is limitless. Do what best helps your ability to write high quality articles on a daily basis. The Notepad file is only a medium and there are many ways to use it.

Dim Mak: A series of attacks on pressure points that when used in conjunction are said to incapacitate an assailant or result in immediate or imminent death.

Any fan of martial arts film and literature is familiar with the phrase Dim Mak (a.k.a  the Death Touch), but how credible are the claims?  Is there really such thing as "the touch of death"?  As a practitioner of medicine and the martial arts this question has often crossed my mind.  In this article I hope to help unravel this mystery.

Origins:

The roots of Dim Mak and acupuncture can be found under the same tree.  Acupuncture is based around the belief that the human body is covered with pressure points that lie along lines called meridian lines.  Various meridian lines correspond to the flow of "chi" (energy) and to the courses of underlying arteries and nerves.  The pretense behind acupuncture is that "chi" collects during different times of the day, at different pressure points.

These points in turn represent different organs or body parts.  The acupuncturist attempts to coalesce "chi" with the intent to relieve an organic ailment.  The Dim Mak practitioner at the opposite end of the spectrum attempts to cause an increased collection and stagnation of chi by blocking its outflow. This causes damage to the organs that the pressure points control.

Perhaps there maybe more to the legends than the manipulation of mystical energy flowing through our bodies. Is there an actual biomedical explanation for the devastating results of Dim Mak strikes?  In fact, the actual translation of Dim Mak is not "Touch of Death", but somewhat closer to "press arteries".  The Japanese style of Kyoshu Jitsu, often purported to be a death touch form,  means "vital point art". The Wing Chun form of Bil Jee has also worn the mantle of the death touch form while its translation mean : Bil - "dart in" and Jee - "point at".

The Claims vs. The Facts:

Dim Mak involves striking pressure points that correspond to vital organs which results in damage to vital organs and death.  This damage in turn is further heightened when striking said points at certain times of the day that correspond to the targeted organ or organs. Finally the legends cite that a Dim Mak practitioner has the ability to cause instantaneous death or delayed death.

Let us consider the above diagram of the Dim Mak pressure points that correspond to the liver and spleen as well as the below diagrams of the same points as they correspond to the vascular and nerves that  lie along the same lines.

If Dim Mak does cause death then the next logical question is - what is the cause?

The causation of death can be considered under three headings :

Direct Mechanical Trauma

Neurological Effects

Psychological Components

Direct Mechanical Trauma:

The effect of direct destructive force to an organ like the liver or spleen can be assumed.  A strike to the surface of the body that covers an underlying organ can cause rupture of that organ resulting in a massive hemorrhage, shock, and organ failure.

However what about the strikes to points on the leg?  Surely the leg is nowhere near the liver or spleen.  The meridian lines on the leg "coincidentally" correspond to the course of the long saphenous vein. While this vessel is not directly associated with the liver it is important to note that all venous drainage from the lower limb must pass through the "portal vein system".   This portal vein system travels into the substance of the liver and while not carrying oxygen does carry nutrients to supply the liver as well as toxins for the liver to breakdown.  A clot could easily form in the saphenous vein (secondary to a well placed strike), travel up, enter the portal vein system and in turn enter the liver. Once in the liver this clot could cause blockage and congestion, later resulting in ischemia (loss of blood supply), which would result in end stage liver failure days or weeks later.

The claim in Chinese medicine that the liver corresponds to 1am to 3am may hold water.  Today we know that the Liver performs its major detoxification functions during this time of day.  It is safe to say that this would be the optimum time to cause damage to this organ since it is working its hardest during those hours.  To the same token while the chances of a clot entering the spleen are unlikely due to its unique vascular supply; direct trauma to the spleen would also be most destructive during its respective Chinese medical time (9am-11am ).   It is during those hours that the spleen is performing its many hormonal and immunological functions.

Neurological Effects:

Sacral Plexus

Lumbar Plexus

Celiac plexus a.k.a Solar Plexus - Conceptor Vessel 14 (Lethal Pressure Point)

When the meridian lines are superimposed on surface marking charts of the human body a pattern emerges.  The meridian lines correspond to various nerves: subcostal, iliohypogastric, saphenous, genitofemoral, obturator, and femoral nerves to name a few.  These nerves are components of three distinct nervous plexuses: Lumbar, Sacral, and the famous Celiac a.k.a "Solar" plexus.

While damage do these plexuses and their branches can result in loss of motor supply to vital structures (ex. the diaphragm which is involved in respiration), damage that results in the sensation of intense and constant pain can be just as dangerous even if more insidious.  When the body senses pain, it assumes that an injury has occurred.  In response to pain, chemical mediators of inflammation are released and migrate to the site of pain.  If the site has been damage these chemicals are beneficial; stopping bleeding and destroying any pathogens.  Unfortunately even in the absence of organic damage, if the body perceives pain the same mediators are  released. Without any damage to alleviate these normally, beneficial chemicals attack the normal tissues, in effect causing damage.

If a Dim Mak practitioner can damage a nerve to the extent that a victim perceives chronic pain, the victim's own inflammatory mediators left unchecked will cause: irreparable organ damage, end in organ failure, and he will ultimately die.

Psychological Components:

The psychosomatic implications of Dim Mak cannot be ignored.  The mind controls the body - this we already know.  If for example, an individual believes wholeheartedly that he has been the victim of the death touch,  the mind may bring that belief into reality, killing the body even if the physical effects are not sufficient to do so.  Doctors say that once a critically ill patient has given up the will to live they expire rapidly. It is on this same principal that placebo medications work.  The patient, thinking some miracle drug has been administered, regains strength while the practitioner sits back and allows the mind to "heal" the body.

It is plausible that certain nefarious individuals might manipulate this principle for the delivery of death instead of the preservation of life.  In fact recent studies have shown that emotions are so strong that eliciting a negative emotional response does in fact create measurable physical damage at the cellular level.  This may be an explanation for why men (who are taught from a young age to hold in emotions) are prone to many more health problems than women; or why depressed people tend to have general ill health.  Strong emotions illicit real physiological changes. With this in mind, the hype surrounding the "touch of death" may be as devastating as the physical blow itself.

In Conclusion:

So what can we believe?  It's evident that there is some degree of science behind the lethality of Dim Mak but can we truly rule out that it isn't something more ephemeral?  The answer is simple: no, of course we can't.  Just like many of nature's mysteries, scientists will always find an explanation to tell the world but some theories  cannot be proven indefinitely.  The only thing that can be said for certain is that regardless of  whether the power of "The Death Touch" lies within the realm of the supernatural or under the banner of science; it will continue to baffle martial artists for many years to come.  Dim Mak will be one of the most highly sought after and closely guarded secrets of the fighting world, or remain one of the most controversial.

Dim Mak? :

References:

Kasper , Dennis L. , Eugene Braunwald , Stephen Hauser , Dan Longo , J. Larry Jameson , Anthony S. Fauci , Joseph Loscalzo. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine  17th Edition United States , 2008

Warning: The information below is purely for educational purposes and under no circumstances should be attempted by a novice.  Improper technique or hand care can result in permanent damage to bones, soft tissue and nerves.  The following should only be attempted by a skilled martial artist and at that under strict surveillance.  This is simply what worked for me; it may not work for everyone.  Stop the exercises all together if you notice any sharp pains, weakness, numbness, or restriction of movement.  You have been warned.

Now with all that gobbledygook out of the way......

What You Will Need:

• One 15 - 20 lb burlap or cloth sac
• One roll of duct tape
• 15 - 20 lbs of sand
• 3 foot by 2 foot slab of stone (preferably granite)
• One towel
• One container of  muscle and joint cream: Tiger Balm, Flex All, and  Bengay. Thai Liniment or White Crane ointment are good... the best is Dit Dat Jow Iron Palm liniment.

The Exercise :

1. Fill the bag with sand and duct tape it shut.

2. Place the stone slab on a surface parallel to an imaginary line drawn between your belly button and the upper part of your pelvis.  One can use a sturdy table or if available, the top of a wall or a counter top.  This part is very important.

3. Place your bag of sand on the slab of stone and cover it with the towel.

4. Now massage you hands with the ointment... stretch the small muscles and joints.  Continue this process until your hands are relatively numb, stretched, and relaxed.

5. Now stand in front of the bag of sand and raise your right hand up to shoulder height in front of  you.  Now this next part is extremely important. Drop, NOT slam down but drop your hand onto the bag palm down as if you were slapping the bag.  I repeat, do not hit the bag but drop your hand onto it with a palm strike.  Actually hitting the bag may cause an injury.  Repeat this 30 times dropping your right hand.

6. Switch hands and repeat the process with your left hand.

7. Stop and massage your hands; apply ointment and stretch and massage the fingers and palms.

8. Remove the bag of sand and place the towel on top of the slab, covering it.

9. Repeat the palm drops as stated in step 5 for 30 drops... now onto the surface of the slab.

10. Switch hands and repeat the process with your left hand.

11. Stop and massage your hands; apply ointment, stretch, and massage your fingers and palms.  Rest your hands because you are done for the day.

Repeat this process everyday for 30 days and you should see a dramatic increase in your breaking capability.

Variations:

This process can be applied to any striking surface: knife hand, ridge hand, heel palm, ox jaw, and knuckles, as long as care is taken to drop the hand and not hit the bag. Of course careful hand care is important before and after the exercises.

Later the bag can be filled with coarser material: small stones, ball bearings, marbles, steel shot.

Use those at your discretion.

In Conclusion:

I hope that this training technique yields the same results for you that it did for me.  Coupled with finger push ups, dowel push ups, ring and bar exercises, finger weight training, and grip pull ups, this exercise should greatly increase your hand strength and breaking capability. Those interested in learning authentic Iron Palm should be able to hunt down many training tools.  The training offered by Master Brian Gray has been very rewarding for many (www.briangray.com).  Breaking is a great confidence builder for a martial artist.  Proper breaking techniques coupled with correct striking mechanics can be equated to a martial artist walking around with hands that are always loaded with lead but light and quick as a breeze.

Here is a Little Inspiration:

And a Bit More Info:

Ahhh , there it is -->

The protagonist in question closes his eyes, takes a deep breath and smashes through the brick wall with a single punch.   HYYYYAHHHHH!!!!

Myth? Movie magic?  Well the brick wall analogy may be a bit much. However, being able to unlock your Inner Warrior may not be all crapola.  In fact, for thousands of years average people have been moved to surpass obstacles purely by force of will alone.  How does the body accomplish seemingly super human feats?  The answer is simple: the body is a mere pseudopod that the mind extends to exert its will and interact with the world around us.  Granted the mind is bound by the laws of nature and the conditioning of the machinery that it has to work with (the body) but one would be surprised at how little of our actual potential is being implemented on a daily basis.

Take for example the little old lady that sees her grandchild trapped under the wheel of a pickup truck.  Now granny isn't an Olympic power lifter... but the mind reacts; dumping adrenaline into the body telling Granny where her center of gravity is, where to exert force; and just like that the little old lady lifted the truck.  How is this possible?

Because the body is just an extension of the mind.  The old lady wanted to free her grandchild. Her emotions manifested in that moment she saw the danger. In essence if you want it bad enough and tell your mind you want it... the mind runs with the idea and the body follows.  Adrenaline and other chemicals in the body only last a while. The mind has the power to maximize physiological potential. All it takes is a crisis.

And just like that --->

For years people have been talking about "Chi". It is the amorphous force that runs through the bodies of martial artists and gives them inner peace and strength. Volumes have already been written about the extraordinary feats accomplished by having ones Chi centered and focused. I have come to realize the ability to find your Chi and focusing it can be accomplished through the application of several easy to follow steps. Through this series of articles I will be discussing the exercises necessary to finding your inner strength and unlocking that "warrior within".

Lesson 1 - Visualization

Being able to visualize is key to releasing  your potential. You have all this energy inside  and none of  it is being channeled. Its running wild and unchecked.  Pretty cool to think of all that energy just waiting to be harnessed. The problem is that very few individuals ever do.  This is mainly because they don't know where to start.  Its easy to see how this task can be daunting.   The key to changing this is visualization.  Being able to visualize will greatly benefit your daily living and is essential for the practice of martial arts.

First and foremost is understanding that seeing really is believing. If our mind sees it then it exists.  Second is to realize that your mind is in fact yours.  If you tell your mind to believe something , then it will... plain and simple.  For example, simple brick  breaks but lets leave the matter of physics and punching technique for later.  Why is it that some people break a brick easily enough and some folks cannot? Even though their technique may be for all intents and purposes the same. When you ask these same people to concentrate and visualize their arm full of power and to visualize their fist passing 7 inches past the brick, they are able to complete the break with ease.  Often times a master will say feel your "Chi" flow into your hand. Martial artists over the years have said: "I can feel the "Chi" flowing into my leg/arm/abdomen, I can feel this heat and energy". What is "Chi"? So many people over the years swear up and down that Chi exists.  We now know that every living things gives off a magnetic field, could this be "Chi"? We may never know but for now we can harness this mysterious energy through the practice of meditation and the mind.

Chi and its application can be implemented via simple visualization skills.  Imagining that there is this untapped power flowing inside of your body and that you have the ability to channel it into a limb at will. This is true for people that utilize Chi because they believe it is real. They have visualized the act and have an increased focus on the objective.

Next, I'll discuss a simple exercise that will help you find your Chi. Practice this next time you meditate. If you are a martial artist and you do not meditate, this may be a good time to start.  You will see a drastic improvement in your performance in general.  Even if you are not a martial artist, these exercises will help you stay focused, so there's no harm in giving it a try.

Step 1.  Find a quiet place that make you feel at peace and calm. Lie down on your back hands at your sides.  Have the thumb and forefinger just touching.  Good, now we're ready.

Step 2. Take deep breaths.  In through you nose and out through your mouth. Deep deep breaths.  Imagine that with each breath you become more and more relaxed and that all the tension is flowing out of you. The increased oxygen supply to your lungs in rhythm is good for the system.

Step 3. Count down from 100 in your mind and with each breath you are becoming more and more relaxed. Concentrate on only the numbers and do not let your mind wander.  All you have to do is think of counting down. Relax all the muscles in the body as if you were asleep but keep your focus on your center.

Step 4.  When you reach zero, picture that an imaginary pen or wand is touching each part of your body starting from your toes up.  As that part of your body is touched, it becomes completely relaxed.

Step 5. After you have done this to all of your body, you should be fully relaxed; remember to keep taking deep controlled breaths.

Step 6. Now in your mind imagine that you are standing in a field and in your hand are a bunch of balloons.  Start with all the balloons being the same shape and color. Now let the balloons go one by one.  Watch each balloon float into the sky. Don't stop watching a balloon until its completely out of sight.  Do this for each balloon.

Step 7. After all the balloons are gone, lie down in the field.  Feel the grass underneath you and slowly count down from 100 again and feel yourself becoming more awake with each breath.  You feel the heaviness leave your body with each breath.

Step 8.  When you reach zero, open your eyes and take a deep breath.  You've just finished your first visualization exercise.

Step 9. Practice.  Do this visualization exercise as often as you can.  Later make the balloons different colors, add numbers, and make the balloons different shapes and sizes.  You may be wondering what this has to do with harnessing  your inner power, or how the hell is this going to make you a powerful warrior, but trust me... practice this exercise for now.  In Lesson 2 we'll talk about how this will directly apply to your strikes and blocks.

Being able to visualise is the first step to releasing the warrior within and harnessing your "Chi" or whatever you want to call it. Meditation will center you,  improving your strikes, allowing you to withstand devastating blows, and heightening  your senses... You will be more in tune to active threats around you and your self-awareness will reach new levels.  For now, practice until Lesson 2.  Do not be frustrated just be patient we'll have you smashing down brick walls in no time.

If you were to ask everyone in the world what they would wish for the most, losing weight would be high on the list next to the meaning of life and getting rich. But even with the high demand, the most difficult part is staying motivated about weight loss and maintaining a high quality of life. It's common to hear those ridiculous percentages of people that failed to keep their New Year's resolutions alive by the second day of the year. The problem with weight loss, especially in a country like the United States, is that there are too many distractions, comforts, and burger advertisements being shown everywhere you go.

The most popular food isn't necessarily the best.

The key to staying motivated to go the extra mile is having a high self-efficacy. It is a relatively strange term for something that simply means "believing in your ability to achieve a goal." But it is considered one of the greatest determinants of a person's choices by researchers in the field of psychology today. In order to break down the wall that tries to keep us from going to the next level, we have to see the bigger picture of losing weight, the long-term benefits to our health, and the quality of life.

STOP THINKING - JUST DO IT

When a person is in a spot where he has to choose between comfort and taking on a challenging feat, a lot of stressful things run through his mind. If you believe you cannot accomplish a goal a single time, it makes it that much harder to stay focused. To control your body you must first master your mind. Never let your habitual cravings and inactivity force you into giving up before you even begin.

When you feel the painful burning sensation in your legs as you run a mile, the lactic acid is telling your body to stop. But the longer you keep going, the quicker you're going to be able to fight this same feeling in the future. Every time you maintain mind over body and exert control over your pain, the benefits are astounding to the point where you don't even need to convince yourself to stick to a strict diet or exercise regime anymore. Maintaining a rigorous schedule needs time investment and cannot be done overnight. After a workout your body needs time to recover and that includes getting the right nutrients from food. Patience pays off in the end because you will be more mentally strong to repeat that mile, because you know you did it once before.

LOSING WEIGHT IS ABOUT YOUR HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE

Losing weight went from being a topic of staying healthy to just about looking good. However, it is now known that even though someone might look physically fit or attractive, it does not mean he or she is healthy in the strictest sense. Good health requires proper vitamins and minerals; not just a healthy intake of calories per day. You can be packing 3,000 calories of French fries and ice cream in 24 hours but you won't be getting the essential building blocks. And any calories you don't burn off through exercise is just converted to more fat for the long-term.

Remember, the quality of your life is worth staying something to stay motivated about weight loss.

A century ago, the leading causes of death in society were due to accidents, old age, and disease. However, as medical research reached exponential levels and technology improved, the average human life expectancy has reached an all-time high of 66.12 years for the world, which is nearly double the human life expectancy in the early 1900's. Such an achievement does not come without a catch.

A deadly catch.

QUALITY OVER QUANTITY

Even though we live longer now than ever, more diseases have emerged in trends, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and other illnesses that are a direct consequence of our lifestyle. Cancer and other rare illnesses come about because technically we do live longer, and we will encounter all types of pathogens. Cancer usually occurs later in life, which humans centuries ago didn't get to as often as us.

What you do now in exercise and healthy eating habits is going to pay off in the future. Think of it as a bank. The more money you put in now, the much better results you're going to get when you most need it when you're old and your health is of the greatest value to you. But if you invest in that health 'bank' too late, it is much harder to maintain good health at older ages. Stop looking at numbers and life expectancies. The quality of life is what really matters. When you have to make a choice in giving up or staying strong with the plan you have made, remember that you will not only look good; you will gain a higher self-esteem and enjoy every year of your life as if each was lived to its potential.

That's the benefit to staying motivated about weight loss. Believe in your ability to achieve a goal and you will finally accomplish your New Years resolutions.

Taekwondo

This is currently the most practiced martial art in the world, the national sport of South Korea. Taekwondo is the bread and butter of striking. It is essential in building speed and strength through conditioning, and exceptional in increasing flexibility. It is not hard to learn, but very tough to master enough to make it practical in a real life fight. The basis of Taekwondo is kicking, and more specifically, high kicking.

Taekwondo on the level of competitive sparring rewards those who can get the headshots. They usually count as KOs.

High kicking is never recommended (above the midsection of the opponent) in a street fight. Only the most experienced and conditioned fighters can pull off these kinds of kicks to make it effective - and it's rare enough for the simple word of advice: just don't attempt it. Taekwondo teaches a lot of kicking to the chest and midsection though, which you can get away with. The midsection is a good place to kick because a broken rib can end the fight by itself.

A favorite of this art is the roundhouse kick. It is extremely powerful compared to a punch. Your legs exert more than twice the force of your arms, and when combined with speed, footwork, pivoting, and hip motion, this kick can easily damage break ribs, damage internal organs, and knock the lights out of people. When aimed at the head (extremely rare because the higher the target, the tougher), it can cause concussions and even death.

The secret to delivering the perfect roundhouse kick is not simply the strength of the leg muscles. It is the torque generated through the pivoting of the back foot, twisting of the hips and shoulders, and a whipcrack snap of the shin upon contact - all this must happen at the same time. It must be a harmony of collaboration, a result of different powers. The legs are only extensions of the body, and no muscle can work alone.

The time it takes to perfect the roundhouse kick can be minimal, it's all about technique. Without technique, speed and strength do not reign supreme.

Muay Thai

Muay Thai is one of the more dangerous styles. It hails from Southeast Asia, from various countries, including Thailand. Think of this as Taekwondo minus high kicks, aggressive boxing, and the ability to use knees and elbows all combined. It is also a striking art and is the epitome of the 'hard martial art,' which employs the use of techniques through physical power. Roundhouses are also integral here but make use of the shin more, in contrast to the face of the foot in Taekwondo. This is a perspective of Muay Thai's low kicking style, where as Taekwondo kicks are aimed higher; hence, using the face of the foot for more reach.

The push kick and roundhouse kick can easily damage ribs, ending a fight on the street fast without 'additional' damage. Elbows, if you want to end it quicker.

In a nutshell: Shin roundhouse kicks are powerful, but require heavier conditioning. Old masters are known to train their students by having them kick tree trunks repeatedly. The bones of the shin gain calcium deposits, weakening the nerves and increasing bone density. This toughens the body as a whole.

If you want to be a good street fighter, take some lessons in this. The knees and elbows are the bread and butter of this art, and extremely important in in-fighting, which is what most street fights are. It is quick, brutal, and ruthless. You have to realize that in street fights, it's not a boxing ring. You don't circle your opponent, looking for openings and staying at striking distance. You have to make your openings.

When he lunges for you, push kick to shatter his kneecap, close the distance, double jab to open the combo, right hook the side of his head, blinding roundhouse to the ribs, and finish with an elbow strike to the jaw to knock his head into the hard concrete.

That's Muay Thai.

Boxing

Learn this. No matter what type of fighter you are, learn boxing. Your arms may be weaker than your legs but they are much, much faster. Boxing teaches people how to punch, which the vast majority of people can't do properly. This art (yes, this is an art style) is the bread and butter of street fighting in general.

Muhammad Ali, former heavyweight champion of the world.

In street fights, you will rarely use your legs, if ever. In adapting to frantic and speedy situations, humans rely on punching the most. Some of the best moves in combat take root in boxing: the Jabs, Hooks, and Uppercuts. Jabs close the distance and open up the combos. Hooks are the power punches. Uppercuts are those integral shots that can overcome the opponent when he's cornered and tries to defend his face. Uppercuts are not easy to block.

Boxing is underestimated because it doesn't sound like a mysterious, mystical, and stereotypically uber martial art. And it's typically not Eastern, which is why people don't take it seriously. But it's undeniably the most fundamental style out there.

Kendo, Silat, Kali

If you happen to own a stick or cane at all times, then these styles are right for you.

Kendo is a very life practical martial arts style.

Wrestling, Jujutsu, Judo

Ground fighting is more important than striking. This includes grappling, joint locks, throws, and submission techniques. Most street fights are up close and personal, ending up on the ground. The best fighter knows how to hold his own on the ground. Size is preferred but doesn't mean anything compared to speed, agility, and knowing how to use the opponent's weight against himself. These arts are closely related and are much tougher in conditioning than the previous three striking arts listed.

The takedown puts your opponent in a more submissive position.

They also teach you more specifically, how to break bones, joints, and even more specifically, how to kill. They are dangerous. Watch an Olympic wrestling match. Hell, watch a high school wrestling match. The fighters you see there, despite no fancy martial arts experience or belt rank attached to their name, are some of the most formidable fighters in the world. On the ground, they would tear the average person apart.

There are 'less' fatal joint locking and grappling arts like Aikido (Steven Seagall is a 7th-dan black belt in this art) and Hapkido, which reign from Japan and South Korea, respectively.

Why does ground fighting usually trump striking?

The average human, without any specialized training, is still very dangerous as a striker. The punches can be sloppy, the elbows can be inaccurate, but it doesn't take many hits to the head to do knock someone out.

Look at it this way. The average human has a moderate knowledge on how to fight on two feet. But the average human knows little on what to do when he's in a submissive position on the ground.

Now if you take the average striker against an average ground fighter in a fight upon two feet, the striker will have the upper hand but the ground fighter will know enough to hold his own. Specialized skill can only compensate a bit, real fights are unpredictable. The striker does not have the finishing advantage.

Now if you take the average striker against the average ground fighter in a fight on the ground, the striker will get pulverized. The knowledge on how to handle oneself on the ground isn't as 'common' or 'mainstream' as punching and kicking - that's the truth. The ground fighter has a huge upper hand.

And you know how often real fights go to the ground. That's why you need the best of both worlds.

The Judgement - Which Style Is the Best?

Some of the best styles to learn how to fight are the most overlooked. To be a good fighter, you have to be able to strike and dominate the ground. Weakness in one makes you weak as an adaptive fighter.

However, most often than not, in a fight between a striker and a grappler/ground fighter, the ground fighter has the advantage. Once the fight goes to the ground, it's over. All it takes is closing the distance.

In Olympic non-full contact sparring and demonstrations in which the guy being demonstrated on just stands there, nothing is informative. If you want to learn how to fight, watch MMA fights, like in UFC or Pride Fighting. Boxing is also informative if you want to understand footwork.

Learn how to dominate both battlefields and you win the battle. Do not attempt the moves at home and sign up at your neighborhood dojo or dojang.

The style does not make the fighter. It is simply a medium, a means to an end. The style is an instrument and the fighter must make it a weapon.

For the original World of Warcraft game and its first expansion, The Burning Crusade, the location of the screenshots folder is found in the C:\ ---->  Program Files folder > World of Warcraft folder.

The problem is that in some computers, most notably computers with Windows Vista, the folder where the screenshots are located are virtual, which means they can't be seen on Windows Explorer. You have to type in a search for it using the Start Menu, the button at the bottom left of the keyboard with the Microsoft symbol.

Here is the location of the screenshot folder

C:\Users\\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files\World of Warcraft\Screenshots

The ‘User’ folder is the main name your system is based on (ex. John, Mary, etc.). If you own the computer, it's probably your name. If you use a laptop or desktop computer with Windows Vista, then the quickest way to find this folder is using the search for "AppData" and following the directions to the actual screenshots folder for WoW and BC. Then you can create a shortcut of that folder and place it on your desktop or any folder you want. The whole process is explained in here. But the bottom line is finding it quickly, with a few clicks.

• Search for "appdata" on the search bar and open the folder when it appears in the results at the top. The folder will be slightly transparent (because it is a virtual folder). This will open a new window with some folders.
  
• Now double-click the "Local" folder.
• Enter the "Virtual Store" folder; scroll down because it is most likely at the end of the list.
  
• Open "Program Files"
• Open "World of Warcraft"; it should be at the bottom.
• Open the "Screenshots" folder.
• Right click on the "Screenshots" folder and click on "Create Shortcut." Click and drag that new shortcut folder to the desktop or your My Documents folder. So instead of going through this whole process each time, all you have to do is click on the shortcut folder on your desktop and it will take you straight to the screenshots folder.

But wait...

Screenshots Folder Location for World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King

On Wrath of the Lich King, the latest expansion of World of Warcraft, the folder is in another location. When you take screenshots on the WotLK client, all the newly taken shots go to the Public -> Games -> World of Warcraft -> Screenshots folder.

On Windows Vista, the "Public" folder can be found with the Start Menu search bar or you can just go to the "User" folder from the Start button menu (located at the top right when it pops up) to find the Public folder manually.

That's all there is to it. You can create a shortcut of this folder anywhere you want on your computer for quick access. If you can take a screenshot with a single click of a button, finding the folder should be easier to do.

Some people dream of being on TV, breaking cement blocks with single knife hand strikes like the world’s greatest martial artists. There are many professional martial arts competitions where the strongest fighters break boards and concrete using different techniques. The average person wonders how they can make it look so easy. People that aren’t overly large or muscled can still shatter bricks and wood.

The secret to such ability is not in strength. Strength matters to a degree but it is the pure manipulation of strength that determines whether or not you will break that block or the block will hurt something fierce. The secret behind breaking boards is in technique - speed, impulse, and kinetic energy.

Bruce Lee was very good at using physics to manipulate how much power he can exert on boards, and of course, people. The one-inch punch is a legendary example of mind over matter.

What is Impulse?

You see, when we say something exerts a force - for example, Jackie Chan executing a spinning kick on his opponent, or when a bullet is fired into a wall, there is one factor everybody forgets to remember.

Time.

If you were in a speeding car, unable to brake, but were given a choice of hitting a haystack or a brick wall, you don’t have to be genius to pick the haystack.

Random picture but it reminds me of an episode from South Park.

If you had to jump off a cliff to avoid an explosion, would you rather jump off the side leading to jagged rocks or the opposite side leading to a lake down below?

It’s obvious; we don’t even have to think about it. Impulse is the product of force and time.

Impulse = Force x Time

The haystack would increase the time of impact, lessening the force over a longer duration. The water does the same to save us from a devastating fall. Even airbags in cars increase impact times to save your life in a highway collision. In martial arts, the gloves are used to decrease the force dealt by punches that are too dangerous to be done bare-knuckled.

Remember, impulse is always the same in all events. It doesn’t matter what you choose to hit - the impulse is the same. However, the times and forces are different. If the time is long, the force will be mild. If the time is very short, the force is powerful. And when things bounce off an object after hitting them, it is even more deadly in force magnitude. When weightlifters accidentally let the bench-press bars slip onto their chests and the bars bounce off, it’s a good lesson in teaching people the importance of having a spotter.

You have to be precise when you strike a stack of wooden boards with a knife-hand. Your strength doesn’t nearly matter as much as how you hit the board. Your movement must be fluid and accurate, with no loose movement during the strike. When the blade of your hand makes contact, you have to follow through with as much power and speed as you can.

Increase the force of impact over a short amount of time and you will deliver devastating damage.

Withdraw the knife-hand quickly after following through, ‘bounce’ your hand back off the breaking board like a whip-crack. This is not a weak blow; your strike must be powerful and quick but the entire movement must be done in without sacrificing technique.

This is easier said than done. It takes much practice to be able to do it right each time and should not be done at home. In this video below, a karate expert practitioner takes on a pimp in the middle of the street. Watch how he times the blow and his stance before and after.

Game Sports Realm's Online Lesson to Breaking Boards in Martial Arts

There’s a simple way to explain the secret to breaking boards and cement blocks. Or any life activity in general:

• Decrease the time of impact (to increase the force of impact).
• Follow through with each strike like the way a baseball coach stresses following through with the baseball bat on a swing.
• The impact must be quick and powerful. Keep your striking arm rigid and if you are experienced enough, ‘bounce’ back off the impact to maximize the destruction. Kinetic energy is the key factor here. Every time you double strength, kinetic energy is doubled. But every time you double speed, kinetic energy is quadrupled; Kinetic Energy = ½ Mass x (Velocity)^2.
• Use the twisting torque of your shoulders, waist, and core of your body to amplify the rotational force of the strike. The more you use your entire body in a short duration of time in the martial arts technique; you are capturing the laws of physics in real life.

Impulse = TIME x force (Boxing Gloves)

Impulse = time x FORCE (Bare-knuckles)

Size no longer matters. It is all about using the right technique and making the most of the accuracy and control of the strike. You can break boards and blocks easily if you master the process of using force in motion. This is something you can learn in a high school textbook.

The much discussed and featured technique of Bruce Lee before his untimely death was the one-inch punch. He was able demonstrate how the punch can blast people off their feet.

Another example is in, Kill Bill Volume 2; a scene in which the main character had to escape from a coffin using very little space. She had to break out of the spot with only one technique - which she learned from the old Chinese master. Although the movie is fiction and it is damn near impossible to break through a coffin while under thousands of pounds of dirt, the principle of impulse force still applies. If you ever wanted to see a martial arts master making the most of impulse and physics, the one-inch punch’s very small duration of time and extremely large impact force is a definitive example. Turn on the television and tune into board-breaking competitions to see it being used.

You can do it, too. All it takes are three simple steps: Quickness, technique, and following through.

Strength is not the deciding factor. It is truly mind over the body, which is something science has known for long time.

References:

Newton, Isaac. The Principia: Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy. U. of California Press, (1999). 974 pp.