Martial Art

noreply@blogger.com (Clarence) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 08:57:00 +0000

Karate

noreply@blogger.com (Clarence) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 07:39:00 +0000

One of the simplest yet effective ways to defend your life is the art of karate. Karate is a form of martial arts and involves kicking, punching, and knee and elbow strikes. Karate is an art that helps in boosting your confidence and self esteem. It can help you in defending yourself no matter where ever you are. If you know karate then you don't have to carry self defense products with you as you know all the tactics to take revenge. In case of an attack you can protect yourself without the help of others.
Karate also helps in relieving stress and it is also a good exercise. It keeps your body fit and healthy. Kids should be taught karate at early ages as it helps in building confidence. Moreover the parents will not have to worry much about their kid's safety because karate will help them in protecting themselves. Kids will also feel safe and secure from attackers.
Learning karate is not that tough. You can consult karate experts and get coaching from them. The basic moves of karate include; Long Strike, short strike, single strike, multiple strikes, soft strikes, hard strikes. Karate is related to body movements and strengths. In karate your only weapon is your body and you have to use the learned techniques to protect yourself from attackers.
Will power and self confidence is all what is needed to make karate effective. Moreover proper knowledge is also essential. Always consult experts for taking karate lessons. Improper knowledge can be risky and dangerous as attackers usually have guns and other weapons like knife and cutters. So you should have proper knowledge to defend yourself though karate and disable the weapons of attackers.

Learn more about online self defense tutorials and classes.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aisha_Ahmed

Learn to Defend yourself

noreply@blogger.com (Clarence) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 13:03:00 +0000

There are benefits to having a father who is a martial arts black belt. Basically, you learn to defend yourself.

And, said Woody J. Sims, his three adult daughters can do that. Of course, the daughters may not have been so enlightened a few years ago when introducing prospective dates to their pops.

"I am very much a dad," Sims said, smiling.

The girls -- now 30, 24 and 22 -- may be his only biological offspring, but the owner of Woody Sims' Kajukenbo in downtown Vallejo is a parental figure to others as the newly minted Grandmaster 9th degree black belt.

"People come in for different reasons," Sims said. "Some of the kids don't have coordination they want. Some are getting picked on. Some, like me, liked karate a long time. Over the years, you end up being like a parent to a lot of kids who come in."

Sims has taught kajukenbo -- a martial art combining boxing, judo, jujitsu, kenpo karate and kung fu -- since 1986. He's won world titles, performed on the U.S. karate team, and continues to promote the teachings of the original five who devised the genre in 1947 in Hawaii: Body, spirit, mind.

And, if presented with a possible confrontation, avoid a fight if possible.

"My instructor would tell me: Walk away," Sims said.

That wasn't easy at Hogan Senior High School where the 45-year-old graduated.

"My dad was a shop foreman on Mare Island and we were the only black family in Napa Square at the time," Sims said. "It was a little

different. I got in my share of fights, nothing I'm proud of. Growing up out here, it happens."

Sims learned that words are just words and to avoid fistfights.

"Talk is cheap, but if somebody lays a hand on me, you make sure they can't do it again," Sims said. "That's pretty much the way I've carried myself. Words won't hurt, but when that put that hand on you, then there's a problem."

It wasn't the childhood fights that got Sims interested in the martial arts in his early teen years. It was TV.

"I've always been fascinated with it. Bruce Lee, Kung Fu and all that stuff," Sims said. "So I started Kajukenbo in 1978 and stayed with it ever since."

Times have changed, said Sims early Friday morning, relaxing in his studio at 607 Carolina St.

"Now, kids will shoot you," he said. "That's a big, big difference."

While some of the aura of a possessing a black belt has been tarnished by mixed martial arts, there's still admiration by most, Sims said.

"It depends on who you talk to," he said, pointing out that mixed martial artists, for the most part, "don't have black belts. They're just fighters."

It's not like most black belt owners have it stamped on their forehead, Sims said.

"No one is going to know if you're at the mall or at the movies that you're a black belt unless you go, 'Hey, I'm a black belt.'"

And that, he said, is discouraged.

"You learn to carry yourself with self-confidence, but not cockiness," Sims said. "Don't go looking for fights."

It typically takes an adult four to six years to get a black belt and a child two to four years longer, Sims said.

"With me, you have to earn it," he said. "I don't just give them away."

The best compliment he can get from a student's parents?

"That they're doing good in school. All this has a big part in it, believe it or not," Sims said. "School being first and foremost. If you're good in school and good here, you're more likely to be more productive out there" in the world.

Only recently did Sims become a Grandmaster, promoted by one of kajukenbo's founders, which elevated the local instructor from an 8th to 9th degree black belt.

"That's a serious honor," Sims said. "I don't like to toot my own horn, but I've accomplished a lot. Not a lot of guys can say they've done what I've done."

Confidence

noreply@blogger.com (Clarence) — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 13:18:00 +0000

Reading Vince’s story on Jess Green and his jujitsu class brought back a flood of bad memories ... and ultimately a very good one.

Back in 1987, I started seventh grade at Natomas Junior High School in Sacramento.

My two best buddies from elementary school, Andy and Chris, went to Sacramento Country Day School instead.

Being that I was a pretty smart guy and the course load at Natomas wasn’t exactly “challenging,” I usually had my homework done before I got home.

I had some other issues with bullying, and the final straw for my parents was when I was placed on the wrong bus home from my first football practice and had to walk several miles to get home.

They enrolled me in Country Day after about three weeks, and at first I was thrilled at the thought of re-uniting with Andy and Chris.

My first day at the school, we were playing Frisbee golf in P.E., and as I was looking up in the air and running after the disc, a certain young punk stuck his foot out and tripped me.

I did a Rickey Henderson-quality headfirst slide through the mud, and suffice it to say the other kids noticed.

This particular jerk face — I’m not going to dignify his waste-of-DNA existence by mentioning his name — continued to torment me throughout the year.

Not physically, but mentally, at any and all opportunities to amuse his buddies ... and it got so bad that I eventually began doing my homework at lunch time in the library.

That’s because I was safe in there, and librarian Sheila Hefty was a terrific security guard, unbeknownst to her.

Concurrently, my dad, who happened to be a second-degree black belt in the martial arts, signed my younger brother and me up for his Tae Kwan Do class in Woodland.

I don’t know if I really ever enjoyed the craft itself that much or realized how much I was learning, but it was fun to do something with my dad and my brother.

(Side story about my dad. He once did a demonstration in a tournament where he had two guys standing facing each other about shoulder-length apart, and each of those guys had a guy on his shoulders, like a chicken fight in the pool. The two top guys held a board out flat between them.

My dad — blind-folded — did a jump front kick and broke it. Quite possibly the coolest athletic feat I’ve ever seen. My dad was a bad, bad man. He also wonders why his hips and knees bother him these days.)

A funny thing happened in the process of taking that class.

I went from white belt to yellow belt to green belt that year, which in Tae Kwan Do at the time was halfway to black.

And I learned how to defend myself.

Flash forward to the first day of eighth grade.

It’s a cold, rainy September day, and the kids are in the gym.

It was one of those “free play” days — yes! — where you didn’t have to play a particular sport.

So, I was shooting hoops at one end of the gym, and guess who comes over and steals my ball?

You guessed it ... Mr. Jerk Face!

In seventh grade, I would have simply slinked off and tried to find another ball.

In eighth grade, not so much.

He turns his back on me, and I charge after him. I grab him by the scruff of his shirt, run him the 10 or so feet into the far wall behind the basket, turn him around and lodge an effective arm bar firmly in his throat.

I’m pretty sure he’s not standing on the ground at this point as I scream at him in a very clear, loud voice to leave me the you-know-what alone.

He drops the ball, and clears out after a couple of choruses of ‘OK, OK, whatever, man.’

By this time, Mr. Stainbrook has made it over to defray the ruckus — I’m convinced to this day that he didn’t exactly sprint over to break it up, that’s how much of an idiot this particular kid was — and we go our separate ways.

(Another side story: I will forever be grateful to Mr. Stainbrook for not cutting me from the Cavaliers’ junior high basketball team.

The kids who didn’t make it said it was only because I carpooled with Andy and Chris, who both made it, but I like to think it was because I took my dad’s advice — always be first in line for every drill, and never stop hustling, even when you’re coming back from a water break.

And I didn’t. And I made it. And by the time I graduated from high school at Country Day, I was the team MVP my senior year.

So thanks, Dad, and thanks, Mr. Stainbrook.)

Interestingly enough, I didn’t have any more problems the rest of my eighth-grade year, with Mr. Jerk Face or any other would-be bully.

Not one.

I’m not going to lie and say I became Mr. Popularity, but I know this ... I didn’t have to do homework at lunch time in the library any more, and I even branched out and made a few friends.

I blended into the background, and that was more than good enough for me.

The point of all this is not to brag about how I handled some punk.

Simple Darwinism would have taken care of him at some point.

The tape-it-on-the-fridge portion of this flashback is that I’m a fervent believer in the benefit of the martial arts for young people.

Yes, the ability to defend one’s self is important.

And no, it doesn’t ‘teach you how to fight.’

What it teaches you is that you are just as important as anybody else, and nobody has the right to make you feel bad or to hurt you.

Most importantly, it gives you confidence in yourself, a quality you can draw on and depend on more than 20 years later.

So, if you know a young person — or if you are a young person yourself reading this right now — who’s having a tough time, please, please give the martial arts a try.

You will never regret it.

I know I haven’t.

UFC fighter make 7 figure

noreply@blogger.com (Clarence) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 13:02:00 +0000

If fighter pay is any indicator, mixed martial arts hasn't quite hit the big time yet. From Esquire's profile of UFC President Dana White:

White estimates that eighteen of his ultimate fighters earn in the millions per annum. Many others make in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. New guys make fifty to seventy-five, "depending where you are in the pecking order."

Even pro hockey, the least popular of North America's four major team sports, generates far more millionaires than mixed martial arts. Each of the National Hockey League's 30 teams had at least eight players listed with seven-figure salaries.

Of course, each of the Big Four team sports also generates far more than UFC's business. The NHL's yearly revenue tops $3 billion, which dwarfs any estimate of UFC's total sales.

White does share the wealth when he believes a fighter has earned it. Esquire notes that he doubled Mauricio "Shogun" Rua's $250,000 base pay from UFC 104 in October after Rua lost a controversial but hard-fought decision to light-heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida.

Dude In Martial Art Film

noreply@blogger.com (Clarence) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 13:15:00 +0000

Hunka hunka burnin' Hiiii-ya! Now that that is out of our system we bring you good news: All three of these guys will be starring in "Knockout," a spy movie starring Gina Carano, a freaking mixed martial artist.

The film, directed by Steven Soderbergh, centers on Carano as an employee for a "Blackwater-style security contractor who is betrayed by one of her teammates." Topical! Douglas is an American executive, McGregor owns the contracting firm and Fassbender (who was pretty great in "Inglorious Basterds") will be a British spy. In closing: HIIIII-YA! [THR]

•"Our Little Genius," America's favorite smart child-exploiting reality show, has been postponed due to "unspecified reasons." Producer Mark Burnett said in a statement:

"I recently discovered that there was an issue with how some information was relayed to contestants during the pre-production of ‘Our Little Genius.' As a result, I am not comfortable delivering the episodes without re-shooting them. I believe my series must always be beyond reproach, so I have requested that Fox not air these episodes."

So, basically, these kids thought they were going out for an ice cream cone but then got signed up to star in a life-destroying reality TV program? [THR]

•James Cameron now officially holds the top two global Box Office records. "Avatar" has moved up to number two just three weeks after its release. $1.14 billion it has made. Everyone still doesn't think the film can succeed "Titanic," but then again everyone thought "Avatar" was going to be a total flop so we are just not going to listen to everyone and predict "Avatar" will overtake "Titanic" and win 28 Oscars. [Variety]

•And having tackled the destruction of blue people from another planet, James Cameron wants to make a film based on more earth-bound tragedy: Hiroshima. Cameron's optioned Charles Pellegrino's new nonfiction book "The Last Train From Hiroshima: The Survivors Look Back." Another James Cameron film, another prediction: Everyone is going to complain this is "Dancing With Wolves" only with Japanese people and atomic bombs. [Variety]

•Since we have been talking so much about the dude, we are going to go ahead and credit James Cameron with making 3-D so popular that Sony pictures is releasing a 3-D Blu-ray of its "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs." It's the first 3-D film to be released on Blu-ray, and should take advantage of upcoming 3-D-compatible TVs from Sony. Thank you, James Cameron, you are truly the definition of GAME CHANGER.

Gede Arya Heru Wibawa was killed

noreply@blogger.com (Clarence) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 02:48:00 +0000

Former national martial arts athlete I Gede Arya Heru Wibawa was killed during a brawl at a karaoke parlor in Sesetan, Denpasar, late Sunday.

Arya, 40, was slashed with a sickle while trying to break up a fight between patrons at the Mirama Lounge.

He died at around 11 p.m. on his way to the nearby Sanglah General Hospital.

Denpasar Police chief Sr. Comr. Gede Alit Widana said Monday two suspects believed to have
been responsible for his death had turned themselves in to South Denpasar Police shortly after the
incident.

The suspects have been identified as 40-year-old I Wayan Darta and his 21-year-old son, I Made Suastika, residents of Tanjung Bungkak in East Denpasar.

Widana said the incident began when the two suspects arrived at the parlor at around 10 p.m. and ordered 10 bottles of beer. Moments later, Suastika began fighting with another customer.

“The victim tried to break up the fight, but to no avail,” Widana said.

“They continued fighting in front of the parlor.”

In the middle of the brawl, Suastika fell close to where Arya was standing.

“Seeing his son get knocked down, Darta got mad and pulled out a sickle he’d been carrying with him, and slashed Arya right across the abdomen.”

Suastika, carrying a machete, also struck out at Arya, hitting him in the arm and chest until the victim was knocked down.

“The victim died from massive blood loss after arteries below his collarbone were severed,” Widana said.

He pointed out the victim and the two suspects were not mutually acquainted.

“They only happened to be at the same karaoke parlor that night. This was a murder committed in the heat of the moment,” he said.

He added that the suspects could face up to 15 years in prison if found guilty under the Criminal Code.

Arya, a resident of Banjar Kaja in Sesetan, was a gold medalist in the 1996 and 2000 National Games (PON).

His sister, Ni Made Arya Dwi Damayanti, said he worked as a trainer for athletes in the provincial martial arts squad.

Arya also trained several national-level athletes for the 2008 PON in Samarinda, East Kalimantan.

Traditional Chinese Martial Arts Training School

noreply@blogger.com (Clarence) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 01:45:00 +0000

Learn Chinese Kung Fu in China: Traditional Chinese Martial Arts Training School provides information about the differences between modern, display wushu and traditional combat oriented kungfu. We also offers information about Chinese Kung Fu Styles.

Chinese Kung Fu Styles: Please visit Chinese Kung Fu Website to learn more about the history and background of the traditional styles taught at our school.

Traditional Chinese Martial Arts Training: Introduction

The Chinese Traditional Kungfu School is located in Shandong Province, China. It is situated in a beautiful mountain setting on the site of a spacious ex-military base to the east of the coastal city of Yantai. The picturesque Yangma Island is not far away and Yanxia Cave, the birthplace of Chinese Taoism, is nearby. The school has qualifications equivalent to other Chinese universities and specializes in training foreign students.

The School specialises in teaching external and internal Chinese martial arts and we pride ourselves in cultivating a friendly, relaxed and peaceful atmosphere. The external curriculum focuses on traditional Shaolin Kungfu, which is very rarely taught in other schools and is practically unavailable to Westerners in other parts of China, and we also provide expert tuition in the stunning art of Mantis Kungfu (including weapons forms). The internal martial arts offered are Qi Gong, Tai Chi, Xing Yi and Ba Gua. Our masters are proud of the quality of their teaching and are extremely skilled and experienced in their chosen disciplines. We are confident that they will provide you with the best quality teaching available in China today. Each one of our masters has been successfully training students for many years, using both modern and ancient techniques which are little known outside of China. We also provide classes in Taoism, Buddhism, Mandarin, calligraphy, massage and acupuncture on request.

The environment is a first class setting for training in Kungfu and Qi gong with wonderful fresh air, pine trees, fruit trees and beautifully tended gardens. The school has also been honoured by the government as a Provincial Flower Garden. Our students enjoy a comfortable lifestyle which it would be difficult to find at most other schools. We provide three balanced, nutritious meals per day cooked by our skilled on-site chef, free internet facilities, a pool table, table-tennis room, basketball court, a karaoke lounge, a small cinema, clean western style bathrooms and shower room, washing machine for clothes, cheap and easy access to local amenities such as supermarkets, internet cafes, excellent local restaurants (providing Chinese and Western cuisine), street markets, sauna and gym facilities, various beaches, local tourist attractions and stunning mountain walks. All of the students who study at our school are provided with their own spacious room containing a western-style bed, desk, internet access and a wardrobe for clothes. Our school also employs two highly skilled translators to help bridge the language gap and help each student maximise their individual learning potential.

We feel that the superb quality of training coupled with the facilities on offer to our students make us one of the premier martial arts establishments in China. Unlike the majority of other martial arts schools, the masters and students enjoy teaching and learning Kungfu in a western- friendly environment which cannot be underestimated. All of the masters are extremely approachable and are on first name terms with the students. They are available to answer any questions or queries you may have and will endeavour to help or advise as much as they possibly can with any aspect of your training. All of our current long-term students would also be happy to offer advice or answer any questions you may have via e-mail. If you are serious about learning Kungfu in China and wish to become a proficient, skillful martial artist, then The Chinese Traditional Kungfu School is the choice for you.

Learn Shaolin Kung Fu in China: Traditional Chinese Martial Arts Training School NOTICE: On the occasion of the second anniversary of the founding of our school, considering the impact of the financial crisis, we will give a discount of 5% off the original tuition fee to those who attend our school or enroll here between May 1st and November 1st , 2010. For more information contact Traditional Chinese Martial Arts Training School and Chinese Kung Fu website: http://website.iflove.com

From ‘scrawny’ to high impact

noreply@blogger.com (Clarence) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 01:51:00 +0000

Dane Harden has had a major impact on the people around him, and not just those on the receiving end of one of his martial arts moves.

Harden is the founder and president of Western Masters Martial Arts Inc., which has grown to five locations in Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland since its inception in 1979, including the Abingdon, Va., dojo he currently runs.

He began his martial arts training at the age of 10, at a small gym in his hometown of Frostburg, Md.

“I grew up with four older brothers who beat the heck out of me, and my father decided I needed the training,” Harden said. “All of my brothers and sisters had sports they were into, but I was floundering – I was scrawny, and I couldn’t wrestle or play baseball … I just couldn’t do anything.”

So Harden’s father, a World War II veteran and a coal miner, signed his youngest son up for martial arts training. Over the next 40 years, Harden continued his training and began collecting accolades, including winning major tournaments and national championships.

Harden now holds a sixth-degree black belt in traditional Tae Kwon Do, and has achieved black belt rankings in Aikido and Isshin Ryu karate. Recently, he was inducted into the Karate World Hall of Fame for his lifetime achievements in martial arts. He also has been featured in numerous martial arts journals.

“When I first met Dane, I had trained with some of the giants of karate in New York and Philadelphia, so when I met this guy from a little town in Maryland who was so quiet and unassuming, I thought, this is going to be easy,” said Pete Marghella, a retired U.S. Navy commander and now president of Disaster Planning Resources in Stafford, Va.

“I walked into the dojo as cocky as could be, and the first kick he did was a nearly vertical side kick at about 70 miles per hour,” Marghella said. “That was 30 years ago, and I have been his student and friend ever since.”

Harden founded Western Masters Martial Arts in his hometown of Frostburg, and had opened four additional schools before leaving to attend physician’s assistant school through a Johns Hopkins University affiliate program in Baltimore, Md. After completing his degree, Harden took a direct commission in the U.S. Army as a combat engineer. Then, in 1997, he attended flight surgeon school at Fort Rucker in Alabama, and served his remaining military duty as a flight surgeon, during eight deployments in Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, primarily doing trauma evacuations.

Harden remains a member of the National Guard and is still called into duty. In 2005, shortly after Hurricane Katrina hit, he was reclining poolside at Abingdon’s Glenrochie Country Club when his wife informed him that “some general was on the phone saying they were picking him up at Tri-Cities Airport in an hour.”

“They didn’t have enough qualified flight surgeons to do hoist missions,” Harden said. “So next thing I knew, they were slinging me out of a helicopter and I was pulling people off rooftops for a couple of weeks.”

Through all of his deployments, Harden kept up with his martial arts training. He also was recruited to teach combatives and self-defense to the troops while overseas.

After returning from his latest deployment to Bosnia, Harden made his home in Abingdon with his wife, Sherry, and their 9-year-old son, Joshua.

Harden currently works as a physician’s assistant at the VA hospital’s Bristol branch, where he said he is glad to be helping U.S. soldiers.

Though he continued his martial arts training throughout his 22 years in the military, he had fallen out of active participation in his schools, which are now run by black belts he has trained. But several years ago, he started teaching martial arts classes at Emory & Henry College in Emory, Va., and at the Abingdon Senior Center. The program quickly outgrew its facilities, so in 2006, Harden and his wife bought the building on Lee Highway and started his newest dojo. His wife and son both train with him at the school, which is growing quickly and now boasts 80 students.

“Master Harden is a very good instructor,” said Barbara Overbay, a student and colleague of Harden’s who also teaches classes at the school. “He is very patient, but he is tough and a stickler for details, which is very important for something like this.”

One aspect of Harden’s teaching that all of his students and colleagues comment on is his emphasis on the philosophy behind martial arts. While Harden admits that many schools will advance students more quickly through the belt ranks, he adamantly insists on the importance of developing the mental and spiritual aspects of the training. Perhaps because of his own personal experiences in the military, he relates martial arts to being a soldier.

“I think that’s where the spiritual aspect really comes into play,” Harden noted. “We see the common problem of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in our soldiers returning from Iraq, and martial arts really address that, with meditation and breathing exercises and body purification.”

“Dane is truly a hero, from all of his military service and everything he’s done,” Overbay said.

Harden is still active in the military, now a lieutenant colonel with the 278 Armored Cavalry Regiment, which is currently deployed to Iraq. Though Harden was not called to serve with this deployment, the American flag that usually hangs on the wall in his dojo is being carried in Iraq by Platoon Sgt. Brian Wilson, a student of Harden’s.

“I have carried that flag on missions for more than 10 years – it was in my aid bag in a sandwich bag when I served in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as at Hurricane Katrina,” Harden said. “Now our flag is being carried back into harm’s way, one more time.

“Before every class at the dojo, when we bow-in, we look to the empty wall and we say a prayer for my boys, my medics and our soldiers,” Harden said. “I’m just proud to be one of them.”

Martial Arts

noreply@blogger.com (Clarence) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 01:50:00 +0000

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Varma Kalai

noreply@blogger.com (Clarence) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 01:41:00 +0000

A weekend outing recently turned out to be a journey into the past. At a workshop on varma kalai - a martial arts hitherto obscure and hidden in the shadows of time - instructor Kumar C S K, 24, dealt with its nuances beginning with "if you use varma kalai in self-defence to hurt someone, you need to heal that person soon after."

The event was organised by Independent Shootfighters Inc at Indian Heritage Academy, Koramangala, from December 12-13. Pic: Sindhu Kashyap.

The event was organised by Independent Shootfighters Inc at Indian Heritage Academy, Koramangala, from December 12-13.

Coimbatore-based Kumar has been practising varma kalai for six years although his dedication to various forms of martial arts like karate, muay thai, and thekkan kalari began when he was just 11.

What is varma kalai

Said to have originated in Tamil Nadu, it is believed that varma kalai came down from Lord Shiva to Goddess Parvati to Lord Murugan, and finally to sage Agastya. It refers to the action causing loss or blockage of vital energy known as ‘prana', ‘chi', or ‘qi'. The actual points or nerve junctions are called ‘varmam'. The systematic study, art, or method of performing the actions through martial arts/self-defense is varmam or varma kalai. The master of this art is aasaan - meaning "guru" in Tamil.

Martial arts & healing

Like any martial arts, varma kalari or kalai is meant for self-defence. It teaches one to attack with or without weapons. Though the target is the vital pressure points in the human body, the emphasis is on stopping the attacker without actually damaging him permanently. Each pressure point has a subsequent healing point. Once you attack a pressure point, it is ideal that you heal the individual. Each point has a contrasting ‘adangal' or a cure point; the same points also have healing applications. For example, if one point causes leg injury, it can heal arthritis when massaged correctly with the right amount of pressure. It is said to be the Shiva Shakti principle or the Yin and Yang principle.

varna kalai

Like any martial arts, varma kalari or kalai is meant for self-defence. Pic: Sindhu Kashyap.

"Martial arts and healing go hand in hand. All ancient martial sciences emphasised this. Healing systems like siddha vaidyam, ayurveda, and accupressure work with the same goal in mind. Martial arts may be a little difficult to understand in the beginning. But the essence is they bring upon a connection between the body, mind, and soul - towards making a better individual," says Kumar.

Some of the varmam points can cause unconsciousness, organ failure, even death, or delayed death in extreme cases. Healing techniques must be exercises immediately after the strike or within a few hours. This art works even on multiple attackers as the pressure-point strikes are very quick and subtle.

"I was very fortunate to have selfless teachers who taught me with genuine concern. Besides, I also have a large network of friends trained in different forms of martial arts and we share whatever we know with one another," adds Kumar.

This has helped Kumar dabble with Eskrima (a Pilipino art of stick fighting), Pentak Silat (an Indonesian martial art), and various Kung Fu styles.

A buried ancient treasure

Apart from revealing the secrets of this art, the workshop left the audience spellbound.

"The workshop was very fascinating. I never realised that ancient Indian martial arts spawned other martial arts. There is so much of cultural treasure buried deep inside these ancient arts. We must keep them alive," says Vivek, software engineer, Padmanabhangar, who attended the workshop.

"Indian martial arts are the basis of the modern martial arts. For instance, Tai Chi is said to be based on "Shiva thandava" according to some manuscripts. It is necessary that something is done to preserve them. This workshop was a small step towards achieving that goal," says Ashwin Mohan, head-coach of Independent Shootfighters Inc.

Team Wright’s Martial Arts

noreply@blogger.com (Clarence) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 05:23:00 +0000

The U.S. National Martial Arts Team “Alliance” based out of Centerville, Ind., has ranked Team Wright number one in the state out of alliance members.

There are so many old and new champions between 2005 and 2009 on a monthly basis that Team Wright can only bring “Best of their Best” to the World International Freedom Games in Trelawney, Jamaica held in January 2010.

Top rated athletes/champions who qualified include the Wrights, O’Brien, Shaws, Jacksons, Wilsons, Friends and the Doria family to name a few. All Students who qualified compete against open styles like Kung-Fu, Taekwondo, Karate-Do, Ju-Jutsu and martial arts competition in open and invitational championships and karate tournaments across the globe.

NJ Team Wright’s UWA Martial Arts athletes are heading back for the gold because over four years ago, 2005, Grand Master Dr. Wright Sr., Austin Wright Jr. and Priscilla Wright won the most gold medals for 1st places for the US National Team under Dr. Jim Thomas, head coach.

Despite the fierce competition that all martial arts bring, Team Wright continues to evolve and keep authentic traditions alive with mixed martial arts as the new exciting cutting edge. U.S. National Team member will compete in musical forms, sparring, weapons, self-defense, continuous sparring, forms and breaking.

Team Wright will be seeking donations from friends, family and corporate sponsors to help pay for kids to compete internationally who will be representing New Jersey in the International World Freedom Games. Presently, EVERLAST the company is sponsoring Sensei Shannon Friend. Shannon Friend recently won the State, Regional’s and Nationals in 2009.

Record fitness event

noreply@blogger.com (Clarence) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 04:29:00 +0000

an Marcos personal health trainer Heath Herrera was selected to locally host what is hoped to be the world’s largest international charity fitness boot camp workout.

The record-breaking session is slated for Jan. 9, from 10-11 a.m. at Diaz Martial Arts, 170 South LBJ Drive.

Initiated by Milwaukee-based personal Trainer and Workout Worldwide founder B.J. Gaddour, the event seeks to set the Guinness world record for the “largest international simultaneous fitness boot camp workout.” All net proceeds from the event will go to the American Heart Association, with international participants giving to their local heart associations.

“We’ve hand-picked the top fitness boot camp owners across the globe to provide attendees with a free two-week trial to their camps for a basic $20 donation,” Gaddour said.

For $20, each participant will receive a two-week trial to a local fitness boot camp, along with a home fitness program featuring interval workout music mp3 soundtracks and smartphone and Video iPod compatible follow-along rapid weight loss workout videos.

Workout Worldwide is a global fitness project focused on reversing the trends of obesity, premature death and skyrocketing health care costs that are associated with poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle. The organization hopes to do this through educating the public about nutrition and “change the world one workout at a time” with international charity boot camp events.

HH Fitness, in addition to running boot camp fitness programs, has a full complement of services which include strength and cardiovascular training, performance improvement, nutrition, weight management, fat analysis, flexibility and injury rehabilitation. Classes are conducted at Diaz Martial Arts and Central Texas Medical Center.

For more information on the record breaking workout or to register for the event hosted by Herrera in San Marcos, visit www.workouworldwide.org. More information on Herrera’s boot camp training and other services can be obtained at www.hhfitness.com.

What to do before join martial art

noreply@blogger.com (Clarence) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:18:00 +0000

To "empty your cup" means that, before you go into any seminar, martial art school, etc., you must empty your cup of knowledge and be open minded to whatever is to be taught. If you think you know everything there is to know, or even if you are comfortable with what you do know, you will never progress. Your arrogance and ignorance will hinder both your growth and that of anybody you choose to teach (if you're an instructor).

I personally have learned the importance of emptying my cup through Sensei Eckman's school. I have always been open to new things, especially because of how young I am and the more I learn the more I realize how little I truly know, but the martial artists under whom I am now training have more reason to gloat, boast, and NOT empty their cups than any other martial artists I have previously met, and yet they are more humble than any of them.

I have been much better about emptying my cup with martial arts than with fitness. I am very stubborn when it comes to what works and what doesn't in the world of fitness. A lot of it comes from my experience as a powerlifter and personal trainer. However, when it comes to personal trainers, fitness enthusiasts, bodybuilders, powerlifters, and wannabes you'll find one thing in common: EVERYONE IS AN AUTHORITY. It's quite laughable, really.

The problem is that I'm not immune to it. I am biased when it comes to several things in fitness. For example, weight machines. I loathe, hate, and despise them except under three conditions: most women, the elderly, and the injured. Weight machines ARE better for your joints, but they give your muscles a false sense of reality. They take out the balancing aspect, which is extremely important, that free weights offer. Why do you lift weights? To get stronger and get better able to live life and lift things with greater ease, from opening your car door to pushing it out of the mud when it's stuck. Life IS NOT good on the joints, therefore all of these exercise machines that promote "joint support" just baby your joints and ill prepare them for the real world.

I don't want to hijack the original point of the article (too much) by ranting about what works and what doesn't in fitness. However, I do want to point out that, even though that is something about which I feel very strongly, I should not close my mind to it. I have found exceptions. The elliptical machine, for example, is a good machine that I recommend to even athletes. I haven't found many exceptions, but the point is that I had to empty a large and biased cup in order to learn that the elliptical IS a good exercise machine. If I didn't empty my cup I most certainly wouldn't have learned.

I had a good experience yesterday. I usually hate commercial gyms and get annoyed easily by the kind of people that go to them. Here are a few reasons I hate commercial gyms:

1. The "Don't drop the weights" signs.

2. The outrageously large amount of skinny men who say things like "I don't wanna get big, I just want to get toned. Big muscles are gross." Yeah, right. If they had to choose between a David Letterman body and a Ronnie Coleman body, inwardly they really would choose the latter. Every guy really does want to be big and buff, whether or not they are willing to admit it. I don't like being around their complex and listening to their insecurities.

3. Superficial and plastic people.

4. Overly nice, touchy-feely, snot nosed, and overly friendly people who are clearly not there to build up their physiques but rather to become someone #1 they're not and #2 they really shouldn't want to be.

5. "No chalk" signs. So stupid.

I could go on and on and on.

Yesterday, I HAD to go to a commercial gym because I am currently out of town and away from my private gym. That's one thing I hate about traveling...I have to workout in a commercial gym. Well, I guess I don't HAVE to, I could just do nothing. Perhaps doing nothing would make me a happier person because I wouldn't be complaining so much. Thank the heavens you are not my wife ;-)

You probably know more about me than you perhaps wanted to, and I most likely have come across as rather unpleasant, but I'm here to say that I had a good experience at a commercial gym!

Well, it started off just like always. All those 5 things were very, VERY manifest. But then, out of nowhere, a forty year old dude with tattoos all over was stacking some more weights on the incline bench. I noticed earlier his trouble with what he had on the bar, and that he had no spotter, so, against my code of gym etiquette, I went to the other side and helped him lift the bar to a higher level on the bench pillars.

He politely thanked me and asked if I could spot him. I did. It was clear that nobody else was interested in spotting, lifting, or talking to this guy because superficially he didn't fit in. Oh by the way, the city I'm visiting is not the nicest when it comes to accepting, tolerating, and befriending someone that looks different. Sad, but true.

Anyway, after he lifted the weights I asked if I could have a turn. I ended up lifting with him the rest of the time. Between sets I learned that he was in the joint the past six years and just got his parole a few weeks ago. He lives in a halfway house and is struggling to adapt. It seems like he liked prison more than the outside world. I don't blame him. I think I'd rather live in prison than in this town.

He was about as strong as me, about as big as me, and about as knowledgeable as me. I chose not to give him my resume. In fact, I found myself asking him questions. I did exactly what he did. I asked him why he was doing what he was doing. In our conversation I learned that he lifted with some big boys in the joint. He learned some really effective things from them, things that you'd think I would've already known. Earth to Patrick! So I emptied my cup and I learned probably more yesterday about effective lifting and new ways to use free weights than in the last 5 years.

If I had only humbled myself, opened my mind, and emptied my cup more often then perhaps I would have learned so much more by now. Well, I have learned my lesson. I am so sore today! I haven't been sore in a long time. I'll be lifting weights a little differently from now on...Thanks Kevin!!!!!!

How to choose the right Martial Art School

noreply@blogger.com (Clarence) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 13:06:00 +0000

1. Location

The key to learning any martial art is practice. To make this easy for you, look for a school near your home, work or school. The easier it is for you to get there, the more time you’ll spend practicing and the better you’ll get. Eliminate those “Well, it’s kind of a long ways away, so I’ll just watch TV tonight” excuses.

Note to husbands: Watch out for schools located in malls as they give you wife an excuse to shop while your kids are in class! (The location of a school says nothing about how “good” it is…give every school a fair evaluation while you’re checking them out.)

2. Instructor

You want to be sure that you get along well with your instructor, especially if you’re going to commit to a school for a period of time. Keep in mind that a martial arts instructor is just like any teacher or coach that you have had, their job is to teach you the art and help you improve. Pay special attention to their personality, philosophy, energy, motivation and how they treat other students. If you’re having a difficult time making a decision, go with your gut feeling…this is a decision that has to be right for you. Remember, selecting an instructor is not a life-long decision so don’t take too long to make a decision. Get started, learn about the arts and change instructors later on if you feel it’s in your best interest.

3. Style

You want to be sure the schools you’re looking at offer styles that will help you accomplish your goals. If your goal is meditation, you probably don’t belong in a jujitsu school. But don’t get too picky either. Just because you always wanted to be like Bruce Lee doesn’t mean you have to practice Wushu. Many martial artists train in different arts through their career and end up creating a style that is a combination of all their styles.

Again, this isn’t a permanent decision so it’s better to just get started with a school nearby that has an instructor you like.

4. Costs

Look for schools that offers 1-2 introductory classes for free. These benefit both you and the school by ensuring you’re a good fit before making you commit to anything.

If you’re going to invest in a “martial arts education”, make sure it’s within your budget. You don’t want you or your kids to get started and become excited about martial arts, just to have to quit due to finances.

Some schools require contracts (or “tuitional agreements” as they are often called) while others don’t. Don’t be afraid of tuitional agreements, often times these schools are extremely interested in seeing you or your child succeed, which is why they want you to make a longer-term commitment after a free class or two. There are also excellent instructors who don’t want to see money interfere with a martial arts education, so they opt to not require contracts and charge on a per-class basis.

Both contract and no-contract schools are good options, just be sure to give location and instructors more weight than payment structure when making a decision to commit to a school.

If you would like to learn more about Martial Arts or are interested in finding a martial arts school in your area, go to http://www.experiencemartialarts.com.

Martial Art Improve my life

noreply@blogger.com (Clarence) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 13:02:00 +0000

What started out as a way to improve her physical well-being has given Sandra Brida inner confidence and strength.

Even a couple of potential muggers could spot it.

About 20 years ago, Brida nearly lost her life.

She was relaxing at the end of the day when suddenly her heart rate raced to 286 beats a minute.

“I thought I was dying,” Sandra said.

She was taken to the hospital, where doctors could not determine the reason her heart beat was so irregular.

“One of the nurses told me the only way to find out what was wrong with me was with an autopsy,” she said. “I was petrified.”

The endocrinologist prescribed medication for Sandra and she returned home only to feel lethargic.

“I was just falling asleep and gaining weight,” she said.

Six weeks later, she had another attack and ended up in the hospital again.

After the second attack, Sandra knew she had to do something to help herself become more healthy.

“I was reading Prevention magazine and read that martial arts is good for stress and getting in shape,” she said.

So in 1985, she entered a karate school in Washington Township and her love of martial arts began.

“I told Master Chom San Kim I wanted to join and he was very apprehensive because of my age,” Sandra said. “So he said he would give me a six-month trial.”

Those six months have turned into more than 20 years and a 6th degree black belt.

“I’m very proud of her,” said her daughter, Daniele. “And, more than anything, I realize how important it is to her and how much she has dedicated her life to it.”

Sandra is proud of herself and glad to be healthier because of her participation in karate.

“If I hadn’t taken martial arts, I probably wouldn’t be alive,” she said. “I feel blessed. It’s an accomplishment.”

Daniele never thought of her mom as an athletic person. She said she always thought of her as sort of awkward.

But then one day Daniele drove her mother to a karate lesson and decided to look in on the class.

“She was doing push ups,” she said. “I was amazed.”

Sandra earned her latest black belt on Dec. 5.

“It takes a long time,” she said. “You really have a lot to learn.”

Before Sandra could even test for the black belt, she had to pass a circuit test.

“It’s an endurance test,” she said. “I passed it with a B-plus.”

Sandra gave Daniele a one-month membership to the karate school for her 40th birthday.

Daniele attended a class her mother was teaching herself.

“When I went to her first class, I saw the respect the students had for her,” Daniele said. “She’s done an amazing thing.”

Daniele and Sandra both realize that in addition to helping them stay in shape, martial arts is a confidence booster.

“It’s very empowering,” Daniele said.

Not long after Sandra started taking karate lessons, she got out of a car near a Glassboro bar, leaving the door open and her purse on the seat.

“When she turned back around, there was a man at the passenger side door and a man in front of her car,” Daniele said. “At first she panicked, but then she walked up to the man in front of the car and said ‘so are you going to get in, too, or what?’”

One man said to the other, “She don’t look right,” and they left her alone, Daniele explained.

“She said karate gave her the confidence to not let the intruders intimidate her,” she said. “She always said she wasn’t going to be the old lady getting beat up for her purse.”

Sandra said she doesn’t plan to quit anytime soon.

“I don’t know if I’ll test again in seven years, but I’m definitely sticking with it,” Sandra said. “I’m proud of it.”

The Vladimir Putin

noreply@blogger.com (Clarence) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 04:11:00 +0000

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is no doubt an athletic man. You probably did not know, however, that he is an avid practitioner of Judo. This past weekend, he visited his old school in St. Petersburg and practiced with some of the students and members of the national team. During this visit, he wore the traditional Judo uniform with his black belt and got his hands dirty with Judo exercises. This is one politician you probably do not want to mess with.

Strikeforce entered the mixed martial arts game.

noreply@blogger.com (Clarence) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 01:56:00 +0000

I wrote in the April 2009 issue of FIGHT! Magazine that Strikeforce is a “dark horse ready to prove itself as a thoroughbred,” and as 2009 comes to a close the San Jose-based promotion looks like it’s ready to run.

Having promoted combat sports since 1985, Strikeforce founder and CEO Scott Coker entered the mixed martial arts game in March 2006 by breaking a North American paid attendance record (17,465; since broken by the Ultimate Fighting Championship in Canada) and scoring the first million-dollar gate outside of the UFC.

Unlike other upstart promotions that flamed out within 24 months of their respective launches, Strikeforce then continued modestly. It remained profitable because of its strategic partnership with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment, the company that operates the National Hockey Leagues’s San Jose Sharks as well as the Sharks’ home, the HP Pavilion, its commitment to women’s MMA, and its patient approach to growth and expansion. But it will grow exponentially because of three relationships it built in 2009.

Much like the UFC considers Las Vegas it’s hometown, Strikeforce has a rear naked choke on northern California. The promotion sells out its home arena using fighters from San Jose, San Francisco, Sacramento, and Stockton, fighters who sell tickets in the Bay Area but couldn’t carry a pay per view. Strikeforce’s relationship with the SVS&E allows it to produce three or four home run shows each year and use San Jose as a launching pad to travel to new cities such as Tacoma, Denver, Kansas City, Chicago, and Miami.

If EliteXC did one thing right, it’s the promotion of Gina Carano. Among the many things Strikeforce has done right is the decision to pick up the torch of women’s MMA. None of the ladies share Carano’s name recognition, but they nearly all bring it when the bell rings, and crowds pop when the women start swinging. You’re not going to get women’s MMA from Zuffa anytime soon, which allows Strikeforce to own that slice of the market.

Until recently, Strikeforce featured only a handful of fighters in each division and it’s best prospects (Cain Velasquez, Nate Diaz, and Clay Guida) jumped ship to the UFC. But the promotion is slowly stocking its roster through the Strikeforce Challengers feeder shows and in the future, the talent they discover will be kept in-house (see: Luke Rockhold).

By carving out a corner of the market for his product, nurturing it cautiously and distinguishing himself from the competition, Coker has laid the foundation for success. But its the three major deals he made in 2009 that will push Strikeforce from regional dominance to mainstream prominence.

Strikeforce’s partnership with Dream was a groundbreaking move that will create the bridge between American and Japanese mixed martial arts that hardcore fans hoped would exist after Zuffa purchased Pride. Non-exclusive deals allow fighters to stay busy and build followings in North America and Asia, beefing up Strikeforce’s bullpen of available fighters and hopefully offering a lifeline to the flagging Japanese MMA scene.

The promotion’s relationship with Showtime/CBS is by no means groundbreaking but it is significant in the fact that for the first time a properly managed MMA promotion not owned by Zuffa is airing live fights on premium cable and broadcast airwaves. It’s difficult to predict the long-term impact of the deal on mixed martial arts, but it’s safe to say that it’s a good thing for both fighters and fans.

Last but certainly not least is Strikeforce’s partnership with Electronic Arts. The video game giant was hesitant to get in bed with the UFC to develop an MMA game but revealed its plans to release EA MMA after THQ experienced a breakout hit with “UFC Undisputed 2009.” EA has tremendous resources but needed noteworthy names besides Randy Couture and Fedor Emelianenko to make the game work. Enter Strikeforce and its roster of fighters. It’s rumored that EA will announce a partnership with a Japanese promotion as well, which could mean that the game will feature just about any noteworthy fighter not currently under contract with the UFC or WEC. Again, it’s hard to predict what impact this will have, but this association will do nothing but raise Strikeforce’s profile.

Coker is a promoter but not a self-promoter, a buttoned-down counterpart to Dana White. The fact that the two promoters have expressed genuine respect for each other could mean that MMA is entering an era of mutually beneficial competition. After, this dark horse is starting to catch the bettors’ attention.

Closing Shots

Scott Smith cemented his place as mixed martial art’s best comeback kid when he stopped former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Cung Le by technical knockout with 95 ticks remaining a fight he was losing handily. A fight with Tim Kennedy should be in order. Le’s likely back to Hollywood, but a fight with Frank Shamrock would be a welcome sequel.

Gilbert Melendez officially has a clean slate. In a “Fight of the Year”-worthy bout, Melendez recaptured the Strikeforce Lightweight Championship from Josh Thomson, avenging his 2008 loss. Besting Thomson in a 25-minute war leaves Melendez, 18-2, with a clean slate as he avenged his first career loss, Misuhiro Ishida, earlier this year. A fight with Shinya Aoki is ideal to determine the best lightweight in the world not named B.J. Penn, while Thomson would create fireworks against a returning KJ Noons.

Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza demonstrated his submission brilliance over 2000 Olympic Greco-Roman Wrestling Silver Medalist Matt Lindland with an arm-triangle choke in round one. The Brazilian would have a war with Bellator’s Hector Lombard. Meanwhile, “The Law” should face off with another recent hard-luck middleweight in Jason “Mayhem” Miller, if only for Miller’s ability to make any fight attractive.

Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal overcame a 43-pound weight difference to knockout Mike Whitehead for the first time in Whitehead’s career after making his typical grand entrance. A fight with Antwain Britt coud challenge Lawal’s still-developing skills and Whitehead should see if he has better luck against Mike Kyle.

Penn defeat Sanchez

noreply@blogger.com (Clarence) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 02:02:00 +0000

Lightweight champion BJ Penn turned Diego Sanchez's title dream into a nightmare.

Penn (15-5-1) celebrated his 31st birthday by keeping his Ultimate Fighting Championship belt with a fifth-round technical knockout of Sanchez in the main event of UFC 107 on Saturday in Memphis. Referee Herb Dean halted the bout on the advice of the cageside doctor after Penn opened a deep cut on Sanchez's forehead, above the left eye.

The champion was well on his way to victory before the stoppage.

Sanchez (21-3) promised to charge to the middle of the cage with his trademark striking eruptions, but Penn nearly ended things less than seconds into the fight with a right hook that turned Sanchez's head and sent him to the mat. Sanchez survived a flurry of blows on the ground and got back to his feet, but the sequence set the tone for the rest of the fight.

Whenever Sanchez tried to close the distance, the champion tagged him with shots to the head. Penn often beat Sanchez to the punch and frequently connected with counters as his opponent charged ahead to throw strikes.

"That is actually something I planned for," Penn said. "His right uppercut is pretty much his weapon, so I wanted to bait him a little, see what angle it's coming from, and try to make him pay off of it."

Penn did all the stalking in the last 10 minutes. In the final round, the champion mixed kicks with his hooks and jabs, including one final right kick to the head that opened the fight-ending cut.

AS IT HAPPENED: UFC 107 play-by-play

The challenger spent much of the bout trying for single-leg takedowns, but he was never able to put the champion on his back. Penn -- who has always been difficult to wrestle to the mat in MMA fights with other lightweights -- used the wrestling attempts to pound away at Sanchez.

"It's a blessing actually when a guy grabs my leg, because I know that's my chance to hit him," Penn said. "As soon as he grabs my leg, I can keep hitting him. I didn't know what game plan he was going to use, but I was glad every time he grabbed my leg."

By the end of the third round, Sanchez's customary scowl had morphed into a shell-shocked look as his corner urged him to continue trying for takedowns.

Saturday marked Penn's third victory since winning the lightweight belt in January 2008. The champion is undefeated in his 11 fights at lightweight, going back to 2002. Sanchez suffered his first loss since dropping to lightweight earlier this year.

In the co-main event, heavyweight ex-champion Frank Mir (13-4) rendered Cheick Kongo (14-6-1) unconscious with a guillotine choke in the first round.

The final sequence started when Mir knocked down Kongo with an overhand left. As Kongo tried to scramble up, Mir found his neck and quickly applied the choke from half guard. Kongo never tapped before going out.

Mir bounced back from his loss to heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar in July. Kongo has now lost two in a row for the first time in his professional MMA career.

Other results from UFC 107:

* Jon Fitch def. Mike Pierce via unanimous decision
* Kenny Florian def. Clay Guida via 2nd-round rear-naked choke
* Stefan Struve def. Paul Buentello via majority decision
* Alan Belcher def. Wilson Gouveia via 1st-round technical knockout
* Matt Wiman def. Shane Nelson via unanimous decision
* Johny Hendricks def. Ricardo Funch via unanimous decision
* Rousimar Palhares def. Lucio Linhares via 2nd-round heel hook
* DaMarques Johnson def. Edgar Garcia via 1st-round triangle choke
* T.J. Grant def. Kevin Burns via 1st-round TKO

UFC officials awarded $65,000 bonuses. Belcher and Gouveia took home Fight of the Night. Submission of the Night went to Johnson, who locked on the triangle choke after being rocked hard by Garcia on the feet and surviving a Peruvian necktie attempt. Grant received Knockout of the Night.

UFC 2010 calender

noreply@blogger.com (Clarence) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 01:42:00 +0000

Local mixed martial arts fans can get out their 2010 calendars and circle Aug. 28. That’s the date the UFC is scheduled to hold a pay-per-view event at TD Garden.

UFC president Dana White told the Herald yesterday that his organization has reserved the date, but an official announcement won’t be made until the day draws closer.

White has big plans for the UFC’s first Boston show.

“Believe me when I tell you, I’m gonna bring it back this summer,” White told the Herald. “I’m going to put on a show that’s going to blow the (expletive) roof off that place.”

White was anxiously awaiting the passing of legislation to regulate MMA in Massachusetts. That news came last month, when Gov. Deval Patrick signed the bill into law, paving the way for the UFC to come to the Bay State.

White has deep ties to the area, having lived in South Boston in his 20s before moving to Las Vegas to launch the UFC into the world’s premier MMA organization.

“You know how much this means to me and how long I’ve wanted to come there and how much I love the city of Boston,” White said. “People like (the Herald) and a lot of the radio stations and personal friends and some bar owners in Boston have been really good to me since Day 1.”

With the event eight months away, it’s too early to project specific matchups. The only guarantee is that the numerous local UFC fighters will hound White for the opportunity to fight at the Garden.

Brock Lesnar was one name rumored to be targeted for the card. But the heavyweight champion is still dealing with diverticulitis, a serious intestinal disease that has kept him out of action for months.

“That’s total (expletive),” White said of rumors that Lesnar is being considered to headline the Boston card. “I’m not targeting him for any fight right now. I don’t even know what the hell is going to happen to him. Right now, fighting is the least of his worries. This guy wants to live a normal, quality life. He’s not even thinking about fighting right now.”

With the plans in place to hold a show at the Garden, White’s desire to have an event at Fenway Park [map] has been temporarily shelved. But White said he still wants to have a show at the ballpark, with the summer of 2011 the most likely date.

Latest News onTaylor Lautner

noreply@blogger.com (Clarence) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 05:38:00 +0000

Twilight' star Taylor Lautner is to showcase his martial arts skills in a new action thriller called 'Cancun'.

The Hollywood Reporter says that the film tells the story of a college misfit (Lautner) who travels with a girl to the Mexican resort.

She and her friends are taken hostage by a drug cartel and he must save them.
Advertisement

Lautner's father Dan is in talks to produce the film.

Jack McVicker the next championship in martial arts

noreply@blogger.com (Clarence) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 04:18:00 +0000

TERRE HAUTE — Jack McVicker’s been a very bad boy this year. And he can decorate a Christmas tree with medals to prove it.

“This year’s been an awesome year for me,” the 37-year-old world champion International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation competitor and local instructor said Wednesday afternoon.

Inside McVicker’s Martial Arts Academy at 125 S. Seventh St., a doctor sparred with a factory worker on thick red mats. McVicker demonstrated a few of the take-down moves that helped him secure the championship in his weight class at the 2009 IBJJF World No-Gi Championship in Long Beach, Calif., on Nov. 8, as well as the open class gold medal there.

In July, he won a gold medal at the Masters and Seniors tournament in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In March, he earned the championship in his weight class and the “Absolute Division” at the Pan American Tournament in Los Angeles.

The list of this year’s championships continues, including successful defenses of titles in fights ranging from those in weight classes to those in the open division.

“I like fighting the big guys,” the 5-foot-11, 165-pounder grinned. “You have to use a lot of strategy. It makes it challenging.”

A Chrisman (Ill.) High School graduate and Indiana State University alumnus, McVicker has been practicing martial arts for 25 years, focusing about 16 of those on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. A grappling system designed to force opponents into submission, the art has become popularized in mixed martial arts contests in recent years.

Jiu-Jitsu contests are hosted under “Gi” or “No-Gi” rules, meaning with or without the robe-like uniform. No-Gi contestants just wear shorts, he explained.

Jiu-Jitsu focuses on grappling holds, chokes and joint locks. Striking is barred, whereas in mixed martial arts contests it’s allowed. McVicker is affiliated with the Gracie organization of Brazil, which played a defining role in establishing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Music was jamming from a stereo in the background as a couple of students worked out. James Jackson, a TRW employee in his seventh year with McVicker, said he likes practicing Jeet Kune Do. The art, originally devised by martial arts legend Bruce Lee, is more of a stand-up fighting system.

“I like doing the striking,” he said. “For myself, I started late in life. I was 37 years old, but it was something I had always wanted to do. And I got the best teacher,” he added, noting that his first few training sessions had him exhausted and guzzling water.

“Yeah, I remember that day,” McVicker laughed. While Jackson said he’s not interested in heavy competition, other McVicker students are bringing back medals from Jiu-Jitsu and MMA tournaments. McVicker noted that one student won two MMA tournaments in Japan this year and is slated for participation in an upcoming NBC television series.

In 2002, McVicker began incorporating wrestling workouts into his own with the help of former Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology coach Greg Archer. Those moves, in addition to his traditional martial arts training, make him tough with a take-down, particularly the double-leg, he said.

Meanwhile, Nate Grow, a physician from Jasper, lent his visibly heavier body for a demonstration as McVicker shot across the mat, scooped up his legs and threw him onto his back. Grow has been making the 110-mile drive from Jasper to McVicker’s for six years. “It’s the best school in the world,” he said.

McVicker also operates an academy in Champaign, Ill., and said he hopes to host local Jiu-Jitsu tournaments in the Wabash Valley this year to help his students prepare for international meets. And while several of his students have made the move to MMA, McVicker said that switch isn’t for him as the necessary preparation would interfere with teaching classes, his full-time business.

“I’m just going to see how far we can keep it going,” he said, demurring the traditional titles of master or sensei. “I’m a competitor,” he said.

The History of Martial Art

noreply@blogger.com (Clarence) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 06:05:00 +0000

Martial arts or fighting arts are systems of codified practices and traditions of training for combat. Martial arts all have a very similar objective: defend oneself or others from physical threat. In addition, some martial arts are linked to beliefs such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism or Shinto while others follow a particular code of honor. Many arts are also practiced competitively, most commonly as combat sports, but may also take the form of dance.

The term martial arts refers to the art of warfare (from Mars, the god of war). It comes from a 15th-century European term for fighting arts now known as historical European martial arts. A practitioner of martial arts is referred to as a martial artist.

In popular culture, the term martial arts often specifically refers to Asian fighting styles, especially the combat systems that originated in East Asia. However, the term actually refers to any codified combat system, regardless of origin. Europe is home to many extensive systems of martial arts, both living traditions (e.g. Jogo do Pau and other stick and sword fencing and Savate, a French kicking style developed by sailors and street fighters) and older systems of historical European martial arts that have existed through the present, many of which are now being reconstructed. In the Americas, Native Americans have traditions of open-handed martial arts including wrestling, and Hawaiians have historically practiced arts featuring small- and large-joint manipulation. A mix of origins is found in the athletic movements of Capoeira, which African slaves developed in Brazil based on skills they had brought from Africa.

While each style has unique facets that make it different from other martial arts, a common characteristic is the systematization of fighting techniques. Methods of training vary and may include sparring (simulated combat) or formal sets or routines of techniques known as forms or kata. Forms are especially common in the Asian and Asian-derived martial arts

Variation and scope

Some arts have a very specific focus while others, such as Mixed martial arts, are more syncretic.Martial arts vary widely, and may focus on a specific area or combination of areas, but they can be broadly grouped into focusing on strikes, grappling, or weapons training. Below is a list of examples that make extensive use of one these areas; it is not an exhaustive list of all arts covering the area, nor are these necessarily the only areas covered by the art but are the focus or best known part as examples of the area

Many martial arts, especially those from Asia, also teach side disciplines which pertain to medicinal practices. This is particularly prevalent in traditional Chinese martial arts which may teach bone-setting, qigong, acupuncture, acupressure (tui na), and other aspects of traditional Chinese medicine

History

Main article: History of martial arts

Further information: Martial arts timeline
Pictorial records of both wrestling and armed combat date to the Bronze Age ancient Near East, such as the 20th century BC mural in the tomb of Amenemhet at Beni Hassan, or the 26th century BC "Standard of Ur".

Ancient depiction of Shaolin monks practicing the art of self defense. Africa
African knives may be classified by shape—typically into the 'f' group and the 'circular' group—and have often been incorrectly described as throwing knives.[There are also wrestling and grappling techniques found in West Africa. "Stick fighting" formed an important part of Zulu culture in South Africa, and is a significant part of Obnu Bilate, a fighting form practiced in southern Botswana and Northern South Africa. Stick fighting was also described in Ancient Egyptians tombs, it is still practiced in upper Egypt (Tahtib) and a modern association was formed in the 1970s. Rough and Tumble (RAT) is a modern African martial art, also incorporating elements of Zulu and Sotho stickfighting.

Americas

Native peoples of North America and South America had their own martial training which began in childhood. Some First Nations men, and more rarely some women, were called warriors only after they had proven themselves in battle. Most groups selected individuals for training in the use of bows, knives, blowguns, spears, and war clubs in early adolescence. War clubs were the preferred martial weapon because Native American warriors could raise their social status by killing enemies in single combat face to face.[citation needed] Warriors honed their weapons skills and stalking techniques through lifelong training.

Capoeira, with great roots in Africa, is an African-Brazilian martial art originating in Brazil that involves a high degree of flexibility and endurance. It consists of kicks, elbow strikes, hand strikes, head butts, cartwheels and sweeps. Jeet Kune Do is a martial arts system developed by martial artist and actor Bruce Lee. Its roots lie in Wing Chun, western boxing and fencing with a philosophy of a casting off what is useless and using no way as way. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is an adaptation of pre-World War II Judo developed by the brothers Carlos and Hélio Gracie, it was restructured into a sport with a large focus on groundwork. This system has become a popular martial art and proved to be effective in mixed martial arts competitions such as the UFC and PRIDE.

As of 2003, over 1.5 million US citizens practice martial arts.[citation needed]

Asia

Early history

Main article: Asian martial arts (origins)

The foundation of the Asian martial arts is likely a blend of early Chinese and Indian martial arts. Extensive trade occurred between these nations beginning around 600 BC, with diplomats, merchants, and monks traveling the Silk Road. During the Warring States period of Chinese history (480-221 BC) extensive development in martial philosophy and strategy emerged, as described by Sun Tzu in The Art of War (c. 350 BC).

An early legend in martial arts tells the tale of a South Indian Pallava prince turned monk named Bodhidharma (also called Daruma), believed to have lived around 550 A.D. The martial virtues of discipline, humility, restraint and respect are attributed to this philosophy. Daruma is also regarded as the founder of Zen Buddhism in China. Thus the values of ethical conduct and self discipline have been intertwined with martial practice since the earliest times. Also in China Buddhabhadra (called Batuo in Mandarin), an Indian dhyana master becomes the first abbot of the Shaolin temple. The Shaolin Monastery was built by the Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty in A.D. 477.

The teaching of martial arts in Asia has historically followed the cultural traditions of teacher-disciple apprenticeship. Students are trained in a strictly hierarchical system by a master instructor: Sifu in Cantonese or Shifu in Mandarin; Sensei in Japanese; Sabeom-nim in Korean; Guru in Sanskrit, Hindi, Telugu and Malay; Kruu in Khmer; Guro in Tagalog; Kalari Gurukkal or Kalari Asaan in Malayalam; Asaan in Tamil; Achan or Khru in Thai; and Saya in Myanmar. All these terms can be translated as master, teacher or mentor.

Recent history

Further information: Modern history of East Asian martial arts

Kalaripayat, martial art of Kerala, India that witnessed a revival in the 20th centuryEurope's colonization of Asian countries also brought about a decline in local martial arts, especially with the introduction of firearms. This can clearly be seen in India after the full establishment of British Raj in the 19th century. More European modes of organizing police, armies and governmental institutions, and the increasing use of firearms, eroded the need for traditional combat training associated with caste-specific duties. and in 1804 the British Colonial government banned kalaripayat in response to a series of revolts. Kalaripayat and other traditional arts experienced a resurgence in the 1920s in Tellicherry and spread throughout South India. Similar phenomena occurred in Southeast Asian colonies such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines. Other Indian martial arts, like Thang-Ta also witnessed a resurgence in the 1950s.

The Western interest in Asian martial arts dates back to the late 19th century, due to the increase in trade between the United States with China and Japan. Relatively few Westerners actually practiced the arts, considering it to be mere performance. Edward William Barton-Wright, a railway engineer who had studied Jujutsu while working in Japan between 1894–97, was the first man known to have taught Asian martial arts in Europe. He also founded an eclectic martial arts style named Bartitsu which combined jujutsu, judo, boxing, savate and stick fighting.

As Western influence grew in Asia a greater number of military personnel spent time in China, Japan, and South Korea. Exposure to martial arts during the Korean war was also significant. The later 1970s and 1980s witnessed an increased media interest in the martial arts, after martial artist and Hollywood actor, Bruce Lee, in the late 1960s and early 1970s before his untimely death. Thanks in part to Asian and Hollywood martial arts movies. Jackie Chan and Jet Li are prominent movie figures who have been responsible for promoting Chinese martial arts in recent years.

Europe

Main article: Historical European martial arts

Boxing was practiced in the ancient MediterraneanMartial arts existed in classical European civilization, most notably in Greece where sports were integral to the way of life. Boxing (pygme, pyx), Wrestling (pale) and Pankration (from pan, meaning "all", and kratos, meaning "power" or "strength") were represented in the Ancient Olympic Games. The Romans produced Gladiatorial combat as a public spectacle.

A number of historical fencing forms and manuals have survived, and many groups are working to reconstruct older European martial arts. The process of reconstruction combines intensive study of detailed combat treatises produced from 1400–1900 A.D. and practical training or "pressure testing" of various techniques and tactics. This includes such styles as sword and shield, two-handed swordfighting, halberd fighting, jousting and other types of melee weapons combat. This reconstruction effort and modern outgrowth of the historical methods is generally referred to as Western martial arts. Many Medieval martial arts manuals have survived, the most famous being Johannes Lichtenauer's Fechtbuch (Fencing book) of the 14th century. Today Lichtenauer's tome forms the basis of the German school of swordsmanship.

In Europe, the martial arts declined with the rise of firearms. As a consequence, martial arts with historical roots in Europe do not exist today to the same extent as in Asia, since the traditional martial arts either died out or developed into sports. Swordsmanship developed into fencing. Boxing as well as forms of wrestling have endured. European martial arts have mostly adapted to changing technology so that while some traditional arts still exist, military personnel are trained in skills like bayonet combat and marksmanship. Some European weapon systems have also survived as folk sports and as self-defense methods. These include stick-fighting systems such as Quarterstaff of England, bataireacht of Ireland, Jogo do Pau of Portugal and the Juego del Palo (Palo Canario) style(s) of the Canary Islands.

Other martial arts evolved into sports that no longer recognized as combative. One example is the pommel horse event in men's gymnastics, an exercise which itself is derived from the sport of Equestrian vaulting. Cavalryriders needed to be able to change positions on their horses quickly, rescue fallen allies, fight effectively on horseback and dismount at a gallop. Training these skills on a stationery barrel evolved into sport of gymnastics' pommel horse exercise. More ancient origins exist for the shot put and the javelin throw, both weapons utilized extensively by the Romans.

Modern history

Wrestling, Javelin, Fencing (1896 Summer Olympics), Archery (1900), Boxing (1904), and more recently Judo (1964) and Tae Kwon Do (2000) are the martial arts that are featured as events in the modern Summer Olympic Games.

Martial arts also developed among military and police forces to be used as arrest and self-defense methods including: Kapap and Krav Maga developed in Israeli Defense Forces; San Shou in Chinese; Systema: developed for the Russian armed forces and Rough and Tumble (RAT): originally developed for the South African special forces (Reconnaissance Commandos) (now taught in a civilian capacity). Tactical arts for use in close quarter combat warfare, i.e. Military Martial arts e.g. UAC (British), LINE (USA). Other combative systems having their origins in the modern military include Soviet Bojewoje (Combat) Sambo. Pars Tactical Defence (Turkei security personally self-defense system)

Inter-art competitions came to the fore again in 1993 with the first Ultimate Fighting Championship this has since evolved into the modern sport of mixed martial arts.

On the modern battlefield

Main article: Hand to hand combat

U.S. Army Combatives instructor Matt Larsen demonstrates a chokeholdSome traditional martial concepts have seen new use within modern military training. Perhaps the most recent example of this is point shooting which relies on muscle memory to more effectively utilize a firearm in a variety of awkward situations, much the way an iaidoka would master movements with their sword.

During the World War II era William E. Fairbairn, a Shanghai policeman and a leading Western expert on Asian fighting techniques, was recruited by the Special Operations Executive (SOE) to teach Jujutsu to U.K., U.S. and Canadian Special Forces. The book Kill or Get Killed, written by Colonel Rex Applegate, became a classic military treatise on hand-to-hand combat. This fighting method was called Defendu.

Traditional hand-to-hand, knife, and spear techniques continue to see use in the composite systems developed for today's wars. Examples of this include the US Army's Combatives system developed by Matt Larsen, the Israeli army trains its soldiers in kapap and Krav Maga, the US Marine Corps's Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP), and Chinese San Shou.

Unarmed dagger defenses identical to that found in the manual of Fiore dei Liberi and the Codex Wallerstein were integrated into the U.S. Army's training manuals in 1942[15] and continue to influence today's systems along with other traditional systems such as Eskrima.

The rifle-mounted bayonet, which has its origin in the spear, has seen use by the United States Army, the United States Marine Corps, and the British Army as recently as the Iraq War.

Testing and competition

A Karateka executing a flying side kickTesting or evaluation is important to martial art practitioners of many disciplines who wish to determine their progression or own level of skill in specific contexts. Students within individual martial art systems often undergo periodic testing and grading by their own teacher in order to advance to a higher level of recognized achievement, such as a different belt color or title. The type of testing used varies from system to system but may include forms or sparring.

Steven Ho executing a Jump Spin Hook KickVarious forms and sparring are commonly used in martial art exhibitions and tournaments. Some competitions pit practitioners of different disciplines against each other using a common set of rules, these are referred to as mixed martial arts competitions. Rules for sparring vary between art and organization but can generally be divided into light-contact, medium-contact, and full-contact variants, reflecting the amount of force that should be used on an opponent.

Light- and medium-contact

These types of sparring restrict the amount of force that may be used to hit an opponent, in the case of light sparring this is usual to 'touch' contact, e.g. a punch should be 'pulled' as soon as or before contact is made. In medium-contact (sometimes referred to as semi-contact) the punch would not be 'pulled' but not hit with full force. As the amount of force used is restricted, the aim of these types of sparring is not to knock out an opponent; a point system is used in competitions.

A referee acts to monitor for fouls and to control the match, while judges mark down scores, as in boxing. Particular targets may be prohibited (such as the face or groin), certain techniques may be forbidden, and fighters may be required to wear protective equipment on their head, hands, chest, groin, shins or feet. In grappling arts aikido uses a similar method of compliant training that is equivalent to light or medium contact.

In some styles (such as fencing and some styles of Taekwondo sparring), competitors score points based on the landing of a single technique or strike as judged by the referee, whereupon the referee will briefly stop the match, award a point, then restart the match. Alternatively, sparring may continue with the point noted by the judges. Some critics of point sparring feel that this method of training teaches habits that result in lower combat effectiveness. Lighter-contact sparring may be used exclusively, for children or in other situations when heavy contact would be inappropriate (such as beginners), medium-contact sparring is often used as training for full-contact.

Full-contact

"Full-contact" sparring or fighting is considered by some to be requisite in learning realistic unarmed combat. Full-contact sparring is different from light and medium-contact sparring in several ways, including the use of strikes that are not pulled but are thrown with full force, as the name implies. In full-contact sparring, the aim of a competitive match is either to knock the opponent out or to force the opponent to submit. Full-contact sparring may include a wider variety of permitted attacks and contact zones on the body.

Where scoring takes place it may be a subsidiary measure, only used if no clear winner has been established by other means; in some competitions, such as the UFC 1, there was no scoring, though most now use some form of judging as a backup. Due to these factors, full-contact matches tend to be more aggressive in character, but rule sets may still mandate the use of protective gloves and forbid certain techniques or actions during a match, such striking the back of the head.

Nearly all mixed martial arts leagues such as UFC, Pancrase, Shooto use a form of full-contact rules, as do professional boxing organizations and K-1. Kyokushin karate requires advanced practitioners to engage in bare-knuckled, full-contact sparring while wearing only a karate gi and groin protector but does not allow punches to the face, only kicks and knees. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo matches do not allow striking, but are full-contact in the sense that full force is applied in the application during grappling and submission techniques.

Sparring debates

Some practitioners believe that sports matches with rules are not a good measure of hand-to-hand combat ability and training for these restrictions may inhibit effectiveness in real life self defense situations. These practitioners may prefer not to participate in most types of rule-based martial art competition (even one such as vale tudo where there are minimal rules), electing instead to study fighting techniques with little or no regard to competitive rules or, even perhaps, ethical concerns and the law (the techniques practiced may aim to kill or cripple the opponent). Others maintain that, given proper precautions such as a referee and a ring doctor, sparring, in particular full-contact matches with basic rules, serves as a useful gauge of an individual's overall fighting ability, and that failing to test techniques against a resisting opponent is more likely to impede ability in self defense situations.

Several martial arts, such as Judo, are Olympic sportsMartial arts have crossover into sports when forms of sparring become competitive, becoming a sport in its own right that is dissociated from the original combative origin, such as with western fencing. The Summer Olympic Games includes judo, taekwondo, western archery, boxing, javelin, wrestling and fencing as events, while Chinese wushu recently failed in its bid to be included, but is still actively performed in tournaments across the world. Practitioners in some arts such as kickboxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu often train for sport matches, whereas those in other arts such as Aikido and Wing Chun generally spurn such competitions. Some schools believe that competition breeds better and more efficient practitioners, and gives a sense of good sportsmanship. Others believe that the rules under which competition takes place have diminished the combat effectiveness of martial arts or encourage a kind of practice which focuses on winning trophies rather than a focus such as cultivating a particular moral character.

The question of "which is the best martial art" has led to new forms of competition; the original Ultimate Fighting Championship in the U.S. was fought under very few rules allowing all martial arts styles to enter and not be limited by the rule set. This has now become a separate combat sport known as mixed martial arts (MMA). Similar competitions such as Pancrase, DREAM, and Shooto have also taken place in Japan.

Some martial artists compete in non-sparring competitions such as breaking or choreographed routines of techniques such as poomse, kata or aka, or modern variations of the martial arts which include dance-influenced competitions such as tricking. Martial traditions have been influenced by governments to become more sport-like for political purposes; the central impetus for the attempt by the People's Republic of China in transforming Chinese martial arts into the committee-regulated sport of Wushu was suppressing what they saw as the potentially subversive aspects of martial training, especially under the traditional system of family lineages.

Dance

Main article: war dance

As mentioned above, some martial arts in various cultures can be performed in dance-like settings for various reasons, such as for evoking ferocity in preparation for battle or showing off skill in a more stylized manner. Many such martial arts incorporate music, especially strong percussive rhythms.

Examples of such war dances include:

Capoeira is a martial art traditionally performed with a dance-like flavor and to live musical accompaniment, as seen depicted here.

A'rda - In Kuwait.

Tahtib in Upper Egypt

Buza - From Russia.

Panther Dance - Burmese Bando with swords (dha)

Gymnopaidiai - ancient Sparta

European Sword dance or Weapon dance of various kinds

Haka - New Zealand

Sabre Dance - depicted in Khachaturian's ballet Gayane

Maasai moran (warrior age-set) dances

Aduk-Aduk - Brunei

Ayyalah - Qatar

Khattak Dance - Afghanistan and Pakistan

Brazil's Capoeira, as well as some similar Afro-Caribbean arts

Dannsa Biodag - Scotland and Scottish sword dances

Hula & Lua - from the traditions of indigenous Hawaiian

Combat Hopak - From Ukraine

Yolah - From Oman/UAE

Tamunangue- based on a traditional fighting style of El Juego del Garrote from Venezuela, influenced by the European fencing during the Spanish colonization of the Americas