Tag Archives: karate technique

Three Martial Arts Elements that are Crucial!

Newsletter 980

Martial Arts Elements for Survival

The Martial Arts elements that are necessary for survival are three.

The first martial art element is strength.
The forms and training will give one lots of strength. The stances are squats and lunges, and you will do hundreds of them during a class. Further, you will have real body resistance in your techniques when doing them with a partner, which will also aid your strength.
Strength, however, is not the most important attribute you should seek in the martial arts.

The second martial arts element is speed.
Speed comes from repeating movements endlessly. This repetitiveness will build a ‘zen’ frame of mind. One learns how to empty the mind sufficient to do the technique, to build more speed.
Obviously, speed is important when one is fighting; one needs to be faster than the other fellow, faster than the incoming punch or kick.
Interestingly, speed can lead to power, but strength does not necessarily lead to speed.
Speed, while an important second attribute, is not the most important element of the martial arts.

The third element is technique.
Technique is knowing how fast, how slow, how close, how far, how strong, how weak, how fast, how slow, and so on.
It is the appreciation of space around the body.
It is understanding what a punch (or kick) is, what it is comprised of, how it is built and delivered.
While some people may have a natural ability when it comes to speed or strength, there is no natural ability when it comes to technique. Learning the techniques of a fighting discipline, such as karate or jujitsu or kung fu takes time. And it takes time to improve them. And even more importantly, for those who are serious about learning a fighting discipline, the study of techniques will easily occupy a lifetime. Or three.

So the three characteristics that one should occupy himself/herself with in the martial arts are speed, power and technique. And of the three, technique is always the most important. Technique is the measure of a person, the measure of an art, and it is this study of space and time that makes the martial arts one of the most enjoyable activities in the universe.

Here’s the obligatory link to improve all three elements of the martial arts…

1d Master Instructor Course

Have a great and technically perfect work out!
Al

A WIN!

Hello Master Al
The Master Instructor Course has taught me to competently teach proper posture and changing positon by being perfectly balanced in natural stances.  To impart energy most effeciently by implementing CBM.
Thank you for teaching me to utilize the proper powers in the correct manner which in turn has caused me to be more confident in all of life.
Sincerely, Lori S

“Art calls for complete mastery of techniques,
developed by reflection within the soul.”
– Bruce Lee

The One Technique that Weakens All Martial Arts

Newsletter 907

The Martial Arts Concept That Will Get You Killed!

Behold the Poser!

I figured out the Poser like this:

I was an instructor in Kenpo.
Thought I was the deadliest SOB walking.
Then I met a kid who showed me some stuff.
Curious, I let him introduce me to his brother.
His brother happened to be a Hell’s Angel.
His brother also happened to know something of Kenpo.

“What would you do for this attack?”
He grabbed my tee shirt with two fists.
I was shocked,
incapable,
in spite of my training I didn’t know what to do.
“Why don’t you try ‘Flapping Wing?’
My eyes were round,
that was one of my techniques.
I taught it regularly.
Surely I could make that work!
So I locked his hands in place,
brought a forearm up to break his elbows.
He lowered his elbows,
which hurt my forearm.
Doggedly,
I brought my forearm around in a circle.
I smashed down on his radial nerves,
which should have paralyzed his arms,
and started to chop him in the throat.

He threw me through a wall.
Yep.
All the way through it.

Then he told me to grab his shirt.
I did so.
And he punched me…through the wall.

Twice,
in thirty seconds,
I went through a wall.

The night then became one of the most fascinating
question and answer period,
and I started to learn about the true art.
And I started to learn about posers.

The actual definition for a Poser technique is:
‘when the attacker has to not do something
so the defender can make the technique work.’

My kenpo consisted of wide circles and slapping hands,
his technique consisted of straight punches and brute force.

Now,
this isn’t to downgrade Kenpo.
There are many arts which make the circling of the arms work,
and well.
And Kenpo,
with a little bit of analysis,
can also be made to work.

Kenpo is not bad,
but there is a wide variance of ability
in the people who teach the art.

On the beginning levels of the martial arts
one learns how to streamline the straight line,
how to make it work.
Matrix Karate.

On later levels one learns circles and how to make them work.
Blinding Steel (Monkey Boxing),
for instance,
creates speed.

But,
I recommend that one learn the beginning levels
so that one learns how to generate power properly.
That power can then be used on later levels,
later levels which do not have those types of power building drills.

So,
a Poser can be a person who is a fake personality,
acts like he is something when he isn’t.
But,
in the martial arts a Poser refers to a technique
that takes too long,
doesn’t fit in with concepts of power,
looks fancy,
is often out of place
(could work if learned later on when certain principles of power have been learned)
And so on.

And,
the news…
Matrix Karate is the ONLY course that gives you techniques in the right order,
and that knowledge will help you discover the Posers in your own art,
and fix your own art.

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/matrix-karate/

Your art isn’t bad.
Heck,
it might be pretty good,
but once you know how to fix it it will become better than great.
My guarantee.

Onkey Donkey,
Not too late to give the gift that keeps on giving
(one of my matrix courses)

And,
HanaKwanMass to all,
and get ready for the Martial Artist’s
‘Night Before Xmas.’
I read it (via newsletter) every Xmas.
People groan and throw up their hands,
but I think it is art.
So there.

Have a great work out!
Al

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/matrix-karate/

Finding the Secrets of the Martial Arts

Newsletter 808

Arresting a Thug Using Martial Arts

Good afternoon!
Man,
is it good!
Go on,
work out,
you’ll find out!

Hey,
I received an interesting win.
Here you go…

martial arts law

Click on Cover for The Secret of the One Year Black Belt!

Last night I arrested a thug at work.  I lost count of how many times I have done this over 25 years, but get this…  We use Aiki-jitsu (the late Bob Koga brought this to us and other law enforcement) as our tactics base.  Very watered down it works OK at best.  Last night I used a straight arm bar take down.  Usually a distraction technique, shuffle pivot hands on and gravity is how the magic starts.  Unfortunately some of these thugs learn through misadventures how to counter what we do.  To make a long story shorter.  I found myself doing a Buddha palm from a natural indexed stance and moved to the side.  My end position happened very fluid and I found his wrist and elbow on the transition of arm positions (during BP), reverse it with a modified arm bar take down stepping back and it was something else.  Not sure what the percentage of luck was but I think all my hours practicing clicked.  Pretty awesome! My partner was in awe! ~ KB
Thank you KB!
I love a good win!

Here’s an interesting little tidbit.
In Karate,
or other martial arts,
I sometimes talk about the space between the techniques.
I talk about this space as being crucial.
This win highlights why.

Put your hands together
in front of your face
as if praying.
Now circle one hand around
until it scoops
and is basically palm up pointing at the elbow
of the still praying hand.
That is the Buddha Palm position.
Now,
as you go back and forth,
circling the hands so that first one hand is praying,
then the other,
you find the ‘hidden’ technique.
But it’s not hidden,
it is one of those ‘spaces’
that you will find simply by doing the form.

Interestingly
there are A LOT of these ‘hidden’ techniques
in classical Karate.
You just pick two moves
and go forward and back
forward and back,
until you see what the motion is trying to do.

Unfortunately,
a lot of these ‘secrets’ are garbage.
They are just motion
nothing to be found in them.
But,
there are also the little gems
that you will find here and there.

Unfortunately,
most people only do the forms one way.
Straight forward,
they never look at the other side,
or going backward from move to move,
and look at what the motions really have in them.

And,
it is really fun to go through these
with a partner,
and look for ‘secrets.’

But,
no partner?
Just do the form forward and back,
forward and back,
move by move,
and you will find them.
Or,
as in the win that started this newsletter off,
they will,
if you throw yourself into the practice,
pop up when you need them.

It’s true.
And this is one of those things I refer to
when I say that
the art will do you.

Thanks again,
KB,

And for everybody,
start looking,
there aren’t any secrets,
there are just people
who don’t look at the forms,
who don’t throw themselves into the art,
until the art does them.

Here’s the link
for the ‘easiest to find’ secrets

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/matrix-karate/

Have a great work out!

Al

Like this newsletter?
go to:
https://alcase.wordpress.com
Remember,
Google doesn’t like newsletters,
so this is the best way to ensure you get them.

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/matrix-karate/

http://www.amazon.com/Matrixing-Tong-Bei-Internal-Gung/dp/1507869290/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423678613&sr=8-1&keywords=tong+bei

Karate Breaking Technique Applied to a Man’s Skull!

How to Break a Skull with Good Karate Technique!

Karate Breaking Techniques were the rage back in 1967. This was because Karate, and other martial ars like Kung Fu and Taekwondo were new to the land. Nobody knew anything back then, and darn, if you could break a board…why, you could break a man’s skull!

There are some interesting things about a skull, and let me preface this article on karate breaking methods with a rather fascinating datum.

karate breaking technique

It takes Great Karate technique to break a skull!

While a skull is hard and rigid, it is easy to break. To prove this take an egg out of your refrigerator, hold it in your palm, and…without using the fingers!…squeeze.

As hard as you squeeze, that egg is going to laugh at you.

Now, use your fingers, and clean up the gooey mess. If you squeeze a skull it ain’t gonna break. If you poke it soft enough, it will. How soft? Fifteen pounds of pressure per square inch is enough to break a skull.

There are a lot of variables, of course. The skull bone differs in thickness. Hair cushions. And so on. Which puts the real force required somewhere between 16 and 196 pounds. Hit a fellow in the side of the skull, right behind and above the eyes, and the bone is thin, and it might take only 15 pounds of pressure to break that puppy. But thee are some places where the bone is thick and the pressure could take 200 pounds easy.

But, that said, a karate strike, properly done, will range from 300 to 400 pounds of pressure. That should be more than enough to crack up a skull.

So what stops a skull from being cracked when a karate punch is applied to it?

First, a skull in motion is harder to break than a skull in place.

A karate punch will frequently glance off a head moving frantically out of the way. In other words, you have to have the intended target hold still so that a perfect karate strike can be focused exactly if you wish to increase your breaking chances.

Second, speaking of moving out of the way, if a surface is pliable it will resist breaking much more than a surface that is rigid. This is to say that a skull being karate kicked will move back, thus dissipating force; which is to say that if you want to do your karate breaking techniques on a human style head, it would be nice if that skull would lay down on a concrete surface with no give.

And, speaking of karate breaking techniques, we come to the juice of this martial arts article. If you want to break a cranium, you need to practice your martial arts breaking techniques on similar objects first.

Start with Karate board breaking.

To build your break a board technique, start with one board. Number two pine, an inch thick, 12 by 12.

Once successful, go to two boards, three boards, and so on.

And, do not put pencils between the boards. Putting pencils at the edges creates space in the material being broken, and while a bunch of boards makes it look like karate breaking is awesome, the truth is that you can only break five or six boards with no spacers, but you can break up to 20 boards with spacers.

So be honest. Don’t go for the yell of the crowd at a karate breaking demonstration…go for the inner satisfaction of being able to break only a piddling five or six boards with no spacers. This presents the question of whether you wish to impress impressionable young minds, or build your inner strength of character.

And, speaking of honest board breaking techniques, don’t go leaving your boards out in the sun for a few days prior to your breaking exhibition. Dried boards break easier than regular boards. Like kindling, as a matter of fact.

But, on the same token, don’t let your boards get wet before you break them. Your iron hand kung fu technique will turn into mushy hospital visitation rights.

And, that is about all there is to breaking boards, and, if you insist, upon karate breaking human skulls.

But…if you wish to do karate breaks on skulls, let me offer the obligatory caution: detached retinas, brain hemorrhage, fractured bones, and permanent neurological disorders. All of which translates to slurred and halting speech, let alone cauliflower ears and big, old puffy noses and…over 6 deaths a year in the boxing ring.

So practice your karate breaking technique, and do it for real, as if you really had to break a skull, but settle for perfection of character by resisting the urge to violence.

Here is an hilarious anecdote about a fellow who knocked himself out with karate breaking techniques. If you want to actually learn Karate well enough to break skulls, click on Matrix Karate at Monster Martial Arts.

Here’s a great article on Karate Breaking Techniques. If you want to start work on really advanced Karate, here’s a book on how to Build Chi Power.