(Chinese martial art equipment) Keys Of Hung Gar Kung Fu Mastering
June 1st, 2007
Keys Of Hung Gar Kung Fu Mastering
1. While polishing your technique you should never stick out your chest or stomach either when fighting or practicing. It stiffens your body and makes your movements awkward. As a result, you are losing control over your body. While practicing always make sure to keep your back bent outward and chest incurved. This is the right sign to distinguish between Kung Fu masters and Kung Fu athletes.
2. Despite the fact that the back should be a bit bent outward, you have to maintain the body centrality; by no means should the body be bent too much. Otherwise it will lose the balance, which can result in loss of equilibrium and steadiness, and make the outgoing energy weak. The back and pelvis must be in the same plane.
3. Bending your head down in fight is like blindfolding yourself, since with your head down you cannot fully control all the actions of your enemy. Moreover, it can lead you to losing the balance.
4. During the fight, your waist should be down. If it is not, it makes Qi to go upward and accumulate in the chest. This accumulation of Qi in the chest causes you to lose the steadiness; your movements will immediately become clumsy and awkward. A man with his Qi in lower Dan Tian can be compared to a weeble wobble, since it is virtually impossible to throw him down on the ground. Now, consider moving the load in the lower part of the weeble wobble upward; the slightest push would overturn the weeble wobble.
5. The hand is rounded in elbow and wrist.
6. Practicing, always make sure to perform movements correctly. Otherwise, you would get bad habits, which is rather harmful than advantageous. Mastering new techniques, you should always act without haste; only when you have repeated movements correctly many times, you can consider increasing speed and strength.
7. It is not good performing already learnt techniques with negligence, so-so, since it is hardly of any use. Performing already mastered techniques you need to fully use your consciousness, i.e., using consciousness (Yi) send your energy Qi to the section of the body engaged in this technique. For example, kicking with your heel the moment the heel touches the enemy (target) you need to fully focus on throwing the energy through the heel.
8. Inside yourself, you should work out your mind, spirit, consciousness and Qi until they join together. Only when this happens you will be able to send your Qi anywhere at your wish.
9. The key to mastering is in everyday work at the thing neither master not disciple can do without, namely polishing the basic technique.
Alexander Popov dedicated about 20 years to Shaolin Hung Gar Kung Fu. He is the successor of Hung Gar Kung Fu tradition in the 8th masters? generation. Kung Fu and Qigong articles and ebooks:
<a href="http://www.shaolin-kungfu-qigong.com" title="http://www.shaolin-kungfu-qigong.com" target="_blank">http://www.shaolin-kungfu-qigong.com</a>
Ten Things You Should Know about Martial Arts Summer Camps for Kids
Would you like to see your child gain self-confidence, learn goal setting skills, concentrate, gain self-discipline, and acquire life skills that he or she will have for a lifetime? Of course you do; we all want the best for our children.
A Martial Arts Summer Camp is a complete success enhancement program for your child, which will challenge his or her mind and body. Here are just ten of the many benefits you can expect your child to receive in just one summer.
Concentration: Your child will learn to increase his or her attention span. Focusing is major problem for children; especially for boys, but martial arts are completely filled with concentration drills.
Stress Management: Kids are taught how to constructively deal with stress. Just by getting some physical activity, behavior will improve when children come home. Without recess and physical education, children have a lot of “bottled up” energy.
Self-Discipline: Your child is taught how to set priorities and get ahead. Children have to multi-task, but martial arts training will give them perseverance and the ability to prioritize their daily lives for success.
Respect: Your child will demonstrate courtesy and respect at home. How? Once he or she practices courtesy and respect all day - this habit will be carried home.
Anger Management: We provide a safe outlet for dealing with anger. Kicking and punching bags is very safe, if supervised by a qualified martial arts instructor. This allows kids to “blow off some steam,” without hurting themselves.
Motivation: Your child will be inspired to achieve. Positive energy is rampant, within a martial arts setting, and this inspires children to excel in every aspect of their lives. As you already know, motivation is what turns dreamers into achievers.
Self-Defense: Every child will learn physical and non-physical self defense. As a by-product of attending a martial arts intensive, such as a kid’s summer camp, every child can adequately protect him or herself.
Total Fitness: Children receive a complete workout every day they attend a martial arts summer camp. It is not natural for children to sit in front of a television set all day. It is much healthier for them to run, kick, jump, and yell. This also helps them sleep better, too.
Time Management: Your child will learn many time saving drills that make your life easier. Children need to have structure and order gently reinforced, so that it can be ingrained within their consciousness.
Goal Setting: This is contagious in a Martial Arts atmosphere. When your child earns his or her first colored belt, he or she realizes goals by continually putting forth effort. This skill is also applied to an academic setting for maximum success.
These are ten of the many life skills your child, will gain from a Martial Arts Summer Camp.
? Copyright 2006 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
About the Author
Paul Jerard is director of Yoga teacher training at Aura in RI. He’s a master instructor of martial arts and Yoga. He teaches that along with fitness. He wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students who want to be a teacher.
http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html
Jujitsu: History, Philosophy And Methods
Brief History:
Jujitsu is a 2500 year old unarmed combat discipline that has its roots in ancient Japan. The exact date on the creation of this martial art form is hard to trace but techniques resembling that of Jujitsu had already been incorporated into the training methods of the Samurai, from the 8th to the 6th centuries. Earliest Japanese historical records such as the Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters) and the Nihon Shoki (Chronicles of Japan) also have passages related to unarmed combat systems.
Before this Japanese martial art developed into what we know as Jujitsu today, there were many other Japanese combat techniques such as Kogusoku, yawara, kumiuchi, and hakuda etc, also collectively known as Sengoku Jujutsu. Traditions finally gave rise to the modern Nihon Jujutsu we know today, which is classified under Edo Jujutsu ? the true unarmed Japanese combat system.
Jujitsu gained prominence during the reign of Tokugawa in the 1600s but was soon alienated when Emperor Melse regained power. However, towards the mid-20th century, the ban on Jujitsu in Japan was lifted, following the Meiji restoration, and the combat art form began to be widely practiced.
The Philosophy:
Jujitsu revolves around three basic states of mind ? Zanshin, Mushin and Fudoshin. The proper combination of these elements gave the power, preparation and potential to the practitioner to excel in the Jujitsu art.
1. Zanshin ? ?remaining spirit? ? connotes the readiness for anything at any given time.
2. Mushin ? ?no mind? ? Its spontaneity permits instantaneous action without conscious thought.
3. Fudoshin - “immovable mind” ?during times of confrontation.
Basic Methods:
Jujitsu is a circular, hard and soft, external combat style. The basic techniques of attacks includes throws, locks, hitting and striking, thrusting and punching, pinning and immobilizing, strangling and joint-locking, with strong emphasis on throws, locks, and defensive techniques. In-fighting and close work are also focused upon.
Even though Jujitsu is basically an unarmed fighting system, small weapons like the Jitte (truncheon), Tanto (knife), or Kakushi Buki (hidden weapons), which include the Ryofundo Kusari (weighted chain) or the Bankokuchoki (a type of knuckle-duster) may also be used in combat.
Competition Systems:
Conventional Jujitsu can be dangerous, or maybe even fatal if its fundamental techniques were to be applied. So, in order to make the art a safer sport for the competitive arena, systems and rules have to be introduced. That is why most of the competition methods have incorporated ?Half-contact?, which prohibits serious attempts to knock out an opponent.
1. The Fighting System: This is the most popular method, divided into three phases. The first is for striking only, the second for striking, grappling and throwing, and the third includes ground-fighting such as chokeholds.
2. The Practical System: According to this rule, two defenders are surrounded by four attackers from four corners. Highest points go to the best defender judged upon effectiveness, oversight and control of the situation.
3. The Duo System: In this system, contestants are randomly chosen and awarded points for effective defences. The attacks are divided into four groups of five attacks each.
4. Combat Jujitsu: The most recent system developed in the United States. Victory in the competition is based on submission. The combat round between the two opponents lasts for not more than two minutes.
<a href="http://martialarts-hq.com/">Martial Arts HQ</a> offers articles, tips and tricks about different martial arts.
Kung Fu: History And Basic Principles
The Term:
Historically, the term ?Kung Fu? is not really featured in any ancient texts. It was first coined by a Frenchman named Jean Joseph Marie Amiot, a missionary who lived in the 18th Century, in reference to Chinese martial arts. Kung Fu is also called Gongfu, Wushu, or Kuoshu, and originally denotes expertise in any skill, and not exclusive to martial arts.
Brief History:
The practice, philosophy, and concept of Kung Fu can be traced back to ancient Chinese texts such as Zhuang Zi, Dao De Jing, and Sun Zi Bing Fa (Art of War written by Sun Zi), all written between 1111-255 BC. These texts contain passages related to the practice, propagation, and principles of Chinese martial arts, or Kung Fu as it is known today.
One theory regarding the first written history of Kung Fu suggests that the Yellow Emperor, who reigned from 2698 BC, wrote the first treatise on Chinese martial arts. Others give credit to Taoist monks for introducing an art form that resemble modern Tai Chi around 500 BC. Then in 39-92 AD, Pan Ku included “Six Chapters of Hand Fighting” in his discourse on the history of the Han dynasty (Han Shu). As the popularity of martial arts progressed, a physician named Hua T?uo also wrote his own treatise entitled, ?Five Animals Play” in 220 AD.
Kung Fu had become a common word in the West beginning in the late 1960s, popularized by martial arts movies and TV series. The Western world today has also seen an immense upsurge in the creation and production of martial arts movies starring great actors/masters such as Jackie Chan and Jet Li.
Basic Principles:
The concept of Kung Fu revolves around three basic principles ? Motivation, Self-discipline and Time.
According to experts, the real motivation behind learning Kung Fu is inspiration and not force, which should come from an inner craving to learn and develop the mind and body. Motivation here is the fundamental driving force. There is no external or worldly gain for the learner, and the only reward is that of knowledge, skill, strength and wisdom.
In Kung Fu, discipline is complementary to motivation. Discipline puts motivation into deed and action. A learner has to make an effort into what he has been motivated for, and self-discipline helps him get started and guides him to achieve that goal. Therefore, without discipline, motivation is just a dormant state of mind.
Time is the path to perfection in martial arts. Once motivation and self-discipline have set in, a learner has to spend a considerable amount of time putting mind and body into practice. A truly inspired learner does not have the privilege to waste time, stay idle or indulge in fruitless activities. Everything done by him/her should reflect real motivation and self-discipline.
Variants and Styles:
With the passage of time, numerous variants and styles have come up in martial arts, or Kung Fu. Some of the more popular ones include Karate, Escrima, Wing Chun, Jujitsu, Judo, Tae Kwon Do, Shaolin, White Crane, T’ai Chi Ch’uan, and Bagua Zhang.
<a href="http://martialarts-hq.com/">Martial Arts HQ</a> offers articles, tips and tricks about different martial arts.
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