The Plight of Industrialized Man
December 30, 2007
Living in the Pacific Northwest is a challenge for any body: the poor excuse for weather west of the Cascades is one of the worst on earth for human health. Luckily our Ch’uan Fa Club meets in central Oregon several times a week, rarely missing an opportunity to train outdoors .
I’m not speaking here of a prepared arena of asphalt or even grass. I mean we use/find/even search out poor footing surfaces, including ice, deep snow, pebbles, desert sand, and forest floor.
Admittedly, it’s a challenge to get new students to be involved with a teacher who trains his school outside regularly in the woods and desert, and even on mountain tops. (I never have more than 10 guys-seldom any women-who are tough enough to dare to be different.)
But it’s my experience that once the cultivated, civilized martial artist gets exposed long enough to the exhilarating benefits of fresh air, wildlife and trees, his deeper roots take hold. Most of my students now find it difficult-even unpleasant-to go back to the enclosed, stuffy conditions of “normal” training halls. It’s not that tough to understand why, as most of us came from peasant stock a very few generations ago, putting our reliance on modern life-style within the realm of the absurdly tenuous-not to mention degenerative.
The Rebels Guide to Cultivating Vitality
December 22, 2007
Many Taoists recluses and Buddhists monks dwelled in mountains and forests to observe, listen, and meditate in order to gather deeper understanding and greater knowledge of nature than is possible when living in the milieu of human society.
Often in search of extraordinary longevity and treasures of life, these extraordinary men (and a few women) moved from observation of nature to experimentation and development of the body. The goal of longevity necessitated that the body be prepared by a lifetime of practices. Thus preparation of a strong, healthy body led to the development of these breathing exercises. For thousands of years men have practiced and developed these breath control techniques to improve health, correct problems and heal illnesses of various parts of the vital organs. You can experience the benefits for yourself.
The breathing exercises are grouped into three areas, performing unique (yet integrated) functions. The first concern is immediate triage for the sufferer, with focus on illness prevention, and elimination of sickness. The second level aims at rejuvenation and methods for prolonging a healthful life. The upper level exercises help calm the mind, harmonize the will, cultivate spirit. Each movement is in rhythm with deep breathing technique. Full concentration and daily practice are required.
Martial Training as a Timeless Portal
December 14, 2007
Thanks to several centuries of enlightened teachings by extraordinary men in the martial disciplines, we don’t have to be restricted to lives of getting and spending, waiting in quiet desperation for the pain to cease.
Most of us in the Arts focus on the tasks in front of our noses (the correct hand forms/kicks/body alignments), forgetting our option to consciously evolve along the way to physical perfection.
Words are easy, but we can avoid just blowing mouth-wind here by listing some timeless guides for self-growth, followed by training suggestions:
* The physical and cerebral functions die, while the spirit continues to grow. This is a no-brainer, but it’s amazing how many clubs are satisfied with learning only to kick butt. What’s left when full contact is a thing of your matured past, with only knee pains to jolt a dim memory? Lots of ways to answer that one-and it’s better to cultivate chi and meditation practices now.
* Assume you know nothing-then the Superior Man will appear. The most formidable opponent is your own ego. In training, first learn to listen and watch carefully, then proceed with selfless attention and caution. Your higher functions will then operate without impediments.
Things to Know About Learning Tai Chi Chuan (Tai Chi Boxing)
December 7, 2007
For Easterners, particularly Chinese, this MAY not be an issue. Tai Chi Chuan is deeply rooted as part of the Chinese culture. It is known to almost everyone what Tai Chi Chuan is all about. Note there: I said "?MAY not be an issue", meaning that there are exceptions, particularly to Chinese who are not born and grown up in China.
For Westerners, surprisingly ? I found many sites dedicated to Tai Chi Chuan, and some of this information is from Westerners. However, deep in my instinct, there are still many who want to know more about learning Tai Chi Chuan.
Moreover, many literatures and scriptures about Tai Chi Chuan are still mainly written in Chinese, and much translation is needed to make it more accessible to the West. I’m doing such translation work.
Yes, I’m a Chinese, trained in both Chinese and English languages since young. And, I would really love to share my passion in Tai Chi Chuan with whoever interested about the subject.
In my 23 years of learning and research in Tai Chi Chuan, martial arts, meditation and healing, I found some questions are very much of interest for a keen learner, or even beginner.
How To Defend Against A Knife - Dont Use The Stuff Taught In The Dojo!
November 29, 2007
Defences against Knife attacks, Firstly if at all possible get yourself and anyone else out of the potential danger area…..RUN AWAY.
Yes you heard right, run away. This is not a cowards way out, this is sensible. After all your potential assailant could be on drugs or just plain crazy. Nobody needs a dead hero.
However if you can’t get away or you are cornered, try to talk your way out of the situation, tell the guy what he wants to hear or give him what he wants, if it’s a mugging, but only if you think this will pacify him…
Let me explain. If it is apparent that your assailant is going to stab you whether you give him all your money or not then you must do something about the situation before this happens, either way you may get stabbed. Thats why this is a last resort and only attempted if YOU are certain he is going to attack you no matter what.
It’s a judgement call that only you can make and if you ever do end up in that situation it won’t be easy.
So, you’re in that nightmare situation. How do you tackle him ?
Expect the Unexpected Grass Hopper
November 21, 2007
The Myth perpetuated by Self Defense Oriented Martial Arts
I just received the following Email. I felt it needed to be shared because I feel a lot of people feel the same way?
"Hello Damian,
I ran across your website searching for what was out there for self defense information and have found myself researching your and Mr. Cestari’s methods ever since. I’ve trained in Martial Arts since 1984 and have studied primarily Tae Kwon Do but also have trained in Hapkido and Judo. I received my black belt in Tae Kwon Do at the age of 15 and at that time thought I was more or less Superman capable of defending myself against anyone. 2 years later at a party my skills were put to the test by the “tough guy” in town who wanted to see how good I was. It probably comes as no shock to you that skill had nothing to do with it. He approached me from behind threw me to the ground and had me in a pretty secure choke when the other people that were there pulled us apart and took us our separate ways. I wasn’t hurt and it wasn’t a life or death situation but what bothered me was that not only were my 5 years of training useless in that situation, they never even entered my mind…I froze. After that I dropped out of the martial arts for a while thinking either they didn’t work or I wasn’t mentally strong enough to execute them in a realistic situation. Later I started to research other martial arts with a different perspective especially when it came to self defense and in every case I found students that were basically being lied to and given a false sense of confidence that they would be able to defend themselves using these various tricks and techniques for situations that aren’t likely to happen anyway. As you referred to on your website I can break out of a wrist grab no matter who the attacker is, but in my entire life I’ve never had anyone grab my wrist with the intent of harming me.
Generating More Power from Hip Rotation - Lessons from Martial Arts
November 13, 2007
One of the important lessons of Martial Arts training is the ability to use hip rotation as a way to generate power and speed for maximum impact.
Martial artists know that the hips are where the body’s ‘center of gravity’ is located. It lends balance and stability to every move. The lower body is designed for power- the upper body for finesse.
If you can translate this knowledge into a better golf swing, you will be blessed with both power and accuracy.
Here are a few tips to get you started:
Hip rotation holds the key to a powerful swing. Do you want to turn easily from the hip and get more yards out of your swing? It’s not hard when you know the proven secrets of golf pros.
The first thing you need to know about turning, is that you won’t get a flawless turn till you develop stabilization and strength in the lower body.
To get your upper body in sync, make sure you stand straight with your shoulders pulled back, to facilitate that perfect swinging motion from the shoulder- instead of the elbow. Practice turning your shoulders as far back as possible, with your trunk acting as the pivot. If you are right handed, you can see your left shoulder aligned with your chin.
Applying Law of Gravity to Judo
November 4, 2007
In judo it is important to throw your opponent by making use of his loss of balance, the law at work here is the law of gravity. We know that Sir Isaac Newton discovered the law of gravitation by seeing an apple fall from a tree. All bodies in the universe attract one another. For instance, the earth attracts the bodies near and around it. In turn they also pull the earth.
Since the power of attraction, according to Newton, is proportional to the mass of the body that attracts, the larger the mass of the body, the larger its attraction. All bodies near the earth fall to the earth because it has an immense mass. An airplane or a bird starts to fall to the ground as soon as its power of flight is exhausted. The force of attraction between the earth and a two-pound weight is twice that between the earth and a one-pound weight.
The attraction between the earth and a body is called gravity. When gravity is represented by weight units, it is called weight. Now let us consider the application of the law of gravity to judo. The heavier the opponent, the more difficult it is for you to move him horizontally. It is even more difficult for you to move him vertically. On the other hand, a larger gravity acts on him to make him fall.
Safety Awareness & Self Defense: Circle of Safety
October 28, 2007
Safety Awareness & Self Defense is the responsibility of each individual. Knowing your surroundings and being aware of potential dangers is your first step towards self-defense. Avoiding and distancing yourself from circumstances that could be trouble are your responsibility.
The Circle of Safety is an imaginary boundary extending from your body outward to approximately 7 to 10 feet. By being aware what is approaching your Circle of Safety you can potentially avoid a dangerous situation. If you were alone and a stranger enters your circle of safety, you should attempt to distance yourself from that stranger. In order for the stranger to grab you, they must be able to touch you. If you maintain a circle of safety of the 7 to 10 feet than the stranger will not be in reach to grab or touch you.
If possible avoid walking alone.
Always attempt to be in a group, or at least in public areas where there are many other people.
Avoid walking at night where there are no streetlights.
Be aware of potential hiding places for dangerous strangers, behind bushes, in alleys, behind large trash dumpsters.
Learning the Modern Dynamics of Judo
October 19, 2007
You may have the erroneous idea that force is not necessary in judo, especially when you see a sixty-year-old instructor throwing many young- and strong men seemingly without effort. Dynamics, however, denies this illusion. A body begins to move only when an external force works on it, as will be explained later. A human body is a physical entity. Therefore, if you want to break your opponent’s posture and make him fall down or hold him down on the mat;, you must apply the proper force to him.
Newton’s “three laws of motion” can be considered the foundation of modern dynamics. As a human body is a physical solid, its motion must be studied under these laws. Therefore a complete understanding of these law.-; may- well be the first step toward learning- the dynamics of judo.
First law of motion
What is force? A conception of it can be derived from the first law of motion. Newton states that a body at rest remains eternally at rest, and a body in motion remains eternally in uniform motion unless acted upon by an external force. When we push a book that rests upon a desk or stop a ball in motion with our hands, we receive resistance from these objects. This resistance is called inertia. Therefore, to give motion to a body at rest or to stop a body in motion, we must overcome the inertia of that body. We may define force as an action to overcome the inertia of a body.
