(American martial art supplier) The Most Essential Techniques of Shaolin Kung Fu
June 13th, 2007
The Most Essential Techniques of Shaolin Kung Fu
Different forms can be used in different situations and used to react to the movements of the opponent or attacker. With so many difference stances and forms, many students find that there is a lot to remember mentally, and a lot for the muscles to have to remember as well.
An Interview with Sensei Bruce Miller Author of Secrets Of Power - The Mental Warrior
BM: I realized that the real power of martial arts was not in the physical side of the realm but instead in the ability to both train and understand the mind. But there have been so many feel good books that didn’t give the real facts that I felt it was time to give people who really wanted to know an alternative. This is especially true with Autohypnosis which is a extremely useful mental technique but most people don’t know about because there just isn’t much factual material out there that is in a format that the non PHD psychiatrist or psychologist can easily understand. Furthermore none of it is really explained in a way that is applied to the martial
arts. So I wanted to give martial artists the option of understanding and developing this tool.
The Black Belt: Ultimate Symbol of Competence In The Martial Arts
The credit of starting the culture of the black belt goes to Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo. It was in the 1880s when he began the establishment of the black belt as a symbol of the highest level of competence.
It is said that the martial artists of the earliest times began their training wearing a white belt. Through time, their belts became stained black with the mixture of sweat, dirt and blood. However, this interesting theory is contended with the strict practice of good hygiene amongst martial arts practitioners - traditional dojos were always valued as temples of learning, and no bloodied or soiled uniforms would be tolerated inside. The argument that could somehow explain both theories is that some schools encourage that the belt should not be washed because washing it would mean washing away the knowledge.
In Japanese art forms, the black belt has subdivisions called Dan grades. Higher degrees mean higher ranks. A Dan who is a degree higher will wear a black belt with more stripes than the lower degree. The added insignia depict seniority. Now both the Koreans and the Chinese are adopting the belt system.
In some schools a black belt can be easy to obtain, in others it is quite hard to get. However, in most schools black belt tests are quite rigorous. Black belts tend to be handed out more easily in the West than in the land of its origin: Japan. In Japan black belts are given with time which means that the person getting them has a fair level of experience and skill. A black belt holder is certainly not a master as the westerners tend to think. It merely means that a person has reached a stage where the basic journey is over and a longer road has to be taken.
Other colors commonly used in belt systems are yellow, orange, green and brown. These are awarded to students who have achieved different levels of proficiency. Some martial arts schools also award blue, purple and red belts but these are less common colors. The reason for such a variety is because colors do not universally stand for the same thing - what they signify differs from one martial arts style or the kind of martial arts training there is to another.
For example, certain schools put the red belt high up in the 9th degree of Dan.
Others award it to children who may have qualified technically to the black belt level but cannot be awarded the belt because they are not ready to shoulder the responsibility that comes with it.
About the Author
Callie Armstrong is a writer for http://www.AllergyHero.com. Her insights on dieting, exercise and health can be read at http://www.body4beach.com
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