The Future of Martial Arts... One Man’s view

Hello Friends,

More of a good ramble, than a post you’ll learn a great deal from. But a good ramble can do wonders sometimes... Especially if you are already on the same wavelength.

It's All Good

Rationale

We are in the age of reason, of rationalisation... We have traditional martial arts clinging onto history and purism. 

On the other hand, we have modern martial arts throwing everything into the melting pot.

It is not a case of which is better, it’s a case of different purposes.

Our needs as a race have changed drastically from what it was and so have our martial arts needs.

Experience

I love the traditional elements of martial arts... But my first 4 years of Martial arts were taught to me by my friend Simon... Before eventually joining the club he belonged to.

So, how interesting it was to see first-hand how we interpret things differently. My friend Simon had been a member for several years before I met him and I found that some of his teachings were identical to that of the club, some similar, but with his own twist on things.

But then there were a number of things I’d learnt from Simon over the years which were what he felt, based on his years of training were the better ways to do things.

In my experience since, I have found this tendency to be consistently the case. And that is human nature... We are creators, we will continue to create and adapt to suit our needs.

I said in my last post which you can find here... The traditional art is hard and repetitive. But I believe it will give you a foundation like no other.

A foundation you can then build upon whatever martial art-form you want, knowing it is built on solid ground and will stay up... 

Solid foundation

Individuality

Good character or good manipulation skills... Which is better? It depends on the situation.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion...

Popularity, mainstream or confined, secret, mysterious.

We are all individuals but even in its purest form, martial arts endured individuality for hundreds of years and so with the secret out in the open... Martial Arts is big and bold enough to outlast and endure all forms of modern life’s evolution of its art.

The essence or the heart of the art will still remain.

The future

Just because we have worked tirelessly to adapt this art doesn’t mean we won’t be back at some time in the future trying to restore it to its original condition and call it classic.

So I think the future for Martial Arts is a bright one... One where it will sustain its hold on our fascination of it and maybe even a greater hold in future as we adapt it to suit our needs completely.

 

Yes, that will mean more people taking part in martial arts, over a longer period of time...

Bringing us ever closer to my adopted take on it... “Martial Arts... The way of life” by so many authors, including Douglas L. Wong.

Please leave a comment or ask me a question in the box below.

Thank you for taking the time

How to Build a Killer Technique in Martial Arts

You’ve got techniques, combinations, punches and kick’s... In how to build a killer technique in martial arts. We are going to look at a great way to improve these by incorporating them into a, one time or memorised kata.

Not the same kata as the one that makes up your syllabus for grading. But a kata developed by you for the sole purpose of integrating your killer technique

 

Practice

Flow

What does incorporating it into a kata do? It strengthens the feasibility of using that skill when needed. Because you have built it into a continuous motion action, Rather than just practicing it in isolation... Practice in isolation is necessary, but can leave you asking ‘when’ is a good time to use it?

This can sometimes lead to indecision during sparring.

How?

Say you stumble across a unique way to get a roundhouse kick to the midsection of your opponent. Then, yes. Practice it in isolation several times till it becomes natural. But then build it into a continuous flow of combinations, punches, kicks and stances...

This allows you to own the technique as you have learned to use it subconsciously without a pause, reducing the chance of your opponent reading it.

You can take it to a higher level by adding an imaginary opponent into this self-made kata. Then, practice, practice, practice.

Get real

Next is to try it out on a sparring partner. You can let them know what you are up to. Although it can make it harder as they try to predict it and the sparring becomes manufactured.

Alternatively, keep quiet about it and see how it unfolds. You may find it’s perfect. If it needs more work, adjust as required till you get it just right.

Once you have it working just right, you need to make it more difficult for you to execute it by asking your partner to watch out for it... When you can get it past them even though they know it is coming. Your killer technique is taking shape.

Think location

Once you have your killer technique working. It’s time to ramp up the fire under making it really invincible, through practice and also by thinking location!

Your location, your opponent’s location, location of the technique. What do I mean?  I mean; are you standing, in a stance, or spinning when executing the technique? Is your sparring partner advancing, retreating, moving to the left or right?

Is the technique aimed at the mid section upper body or does it not matter? Knowing these variations of location will not only help smoothen out the technique because doing these checks is like removing the bends in the road.

It actually helps you find ways to make the technique invincible, as it becomes near impossible to read and super effective at the same time... You have just built a killer technique.

Stealth

Killer tech

 

We have looked at how to take one of your current techniques and build a killer technique in martial arts. 

Just by applying some of the ideas here, you can turn your everyday technique into something quite unique and special.

But once you have been doing martial arts for a while you will more than likely stumble on a technique you haven’t been taught... Look out for these, as they serve as the best candidate to turn into a killer technique that is 100% yours.

Thank you for taking the time. Please leave a comment or ask any questions below.

Conditioning for Martial Arts

Today, we are looking at conditioning for martial arts. The what, why and how...

What?

It is improving the muscles, tendons, bones and organs to a high degree of performance, resistance, resilience to help accomplish the aim of the mind and body being a weapon in martial arts.

Why?

To train the body to withstand the effects of being hit and improve performance in the sport...

Strengthening, hardening, increasing the resistance and flexibility of the entire body, to enable it to meet and deal with the dynamism of martial arts.

Reps

 

How?

Simply by training regularly...

But isolate the areas that need conditioning and work. 

The types of exercises that condition the body are all the exercises you would do as a matter of course anyway. Only for conditioning, you do more. Focus on an area till you literally transform the muscle through what I call blitzing.

As an example, to condition the quadriceps – you can do squats. 

Squats with weights, step ups to a low height, step ups to a medium height. Then box jumps, then increase the intensity by adding weights into the mix... Where you do the step ups with ankle weights or dumbbells.

The other aspect of conditioning is in preparation for impact.

So, you’ve built your muscles for explosive power – for endurance - for speed.

Squats to condition those legs

Now... You need to look out for what happens when you get hit, and worse than that – when hit repeatedly in the same area.

How will my muscles/body deal with that?

This is where what I like to call the ‘impact conditioning’ comes in.

Put simply, give your body a taste of what it’s in for, by starting slowly and building intensity as you go... So,  for your legs, you can start with a light stick (bamboo is good) wrapped in foam and hit your legs gently all over.

As you become immune to this, take the foam off. When you get accustomed to the strikes with the naked bamboo. You can transition to something harder.

The other way you can do this is to have one of your training partners or fellow martial artist kick you repeatedly and build up the intensity in speed, power and also vary the target area to encompass the whole leg...

This is conditioning and can be done for the whole body, step by step.

Now, depending on your level and where you want to take your martial arts... There are some martial artists who have never done impact conditioning... why?

Because just by taking part in martial arts. Your entire body becomes conditioned to take a degree of punishment anyway.

Impact conditioning is taking it a few steps further or for more intense competition use.

That wraps up our look at conditioning for martial arts

Please comment or ask any questions in the box below.

Thank you for your time.

Building your Martial Arts Skills. Kicking

Hello Friend's

Today we are looking at building our Martial Arts skills in kicking.

It is an essential skill and like all skills requires practice to get it instinctive.

Here is a fully instructional video with lots of examples and approaches for improving your kicking... Including covering the ground between you and your opponent, in order to execute the kick.

 


     

While this video is mainly about kicking. It highlights the level of preparation and practice required to be able to deliver your kick’s at will.


Thank you for taking the time, I hope you have enjoyed this post. If so please share it on facebook.


Video by: GKR Karate International