Author Archives: freema6

Secrets of the Horse Stance; Secrets of Real Karate Power

A Horse Stance is a funny thing. You see it in forms, but you don’t see it in the ring. You train for hours in it, yet you don’t use it in freestyle. You love it, but you don’t know why, and yet people say it is the secret of real karate power.
A horse stance is also called Mabu (Chinese) and Kiba Dachi (Japanese). Check out the video, then I’ll tall you the real secret behind true karate power.

It is sometimes called the ‘horse riding stance,’ and there are many legends behind it.
Some say it is used to train in close combat while riding an actual horse.
Some say it is used to fight sideways in rice paddies.
Neither theory, while romantic, is true.
The true use of the horse stance is simply to grow a ‘rooting’ power. In Matrix Martial Arts we call this ‘grounding.’
The fact of the matter is that a machine must be bolted down, the body is a machine, and the stance is used to bolt the body to the earth. This enables it to have, grow, and use power.
When you do the horse stance you should have the feet parallel, and the hips should be tucked. You should be able to sit in the horse stance for long periods of time. You should feel a glow of energy happening in the belly as a result of horse stance training.
Now, you may not use the actual and official horse stance in your freestyle, or in the ring, but the power you have built you will use. In fact, the use of this power is what makes a real martial artist.
People who use muscles, and don’t know how to use the power of the tan tien, are not really doing the martial arts. It may be fighting, but it is not the art.
But, when you learn how to use that power in the spot an inch or two below the navel, then you are tapping into the real martial art. You learn to explode, to sustain, to grind, to use geometric figures in your art. Guaranteed: you learn the secrets of the Horse Stance, and the you will be tapping into the Secrets of Real Karate Power. There’s more information on the True Power of Karate at Learn Karate Online. Take a Free lesson while you’re there.

Free Karate Lessons Are A Fantastic Way To Learn Martial Arts!

My official beginning in the study of the martial arts was back in the late sixties. I walked into an Ed Parker Chinese Kenpo Dojo, signed a contract, and began to learn Martial Arts. The truth, however, is that I had been getting free Karate Lessons for a long time before I walked into that school. Check out the video, then I’ll tell you about it.

They weren’t much, as far as martial arts lessons went, but they did the trick. They kept my attention, and they kept me happy. After all, they were the best type of physical and mental conditioning, they were a good way to learn I could handle the bullies, and they were fun.

The first thing that caught my interest was knuckle conditioning. We used to knock our knuckles on walls and fences and boxes and anything that got in our way. That resulted in a lifelong interest in good conditioning, different types of punches, and a desire to have the hardest punch I could have.

The second thing I learned was simple arm bars. This was good, as simple things always work the best. To this day I take the most complex of fighting techniques and look for the simplest method of making them work.

The third thing I gleaned had to do with learning how the different parts of the body worked. I examined feet, hands, arms, legs, how the joints worked, the back, everything I could. I even read medical books trying to understand how the body worked.

Fourth, I engaged in a rudimentary sort of grappling. This was good because I took away from that experience the lesson that grappling wasn’t handy for fighting. You grapple, and you are tied up, and somebody else runs up and kicks the back of your head, and there might be weapons involved, and…no thanks.

The main thing I discovered from reading books, working with friends, and just having fun pretending we were big and tough, was that sweat worked. The hours we spent lifting iron, running, wrestling, and trying those techniques from out of old Bruce Tegner books and the like…they were golden hours. It was a youth that built strength, character, and the desire to go forward.

The point I am making in this article is that the martial arts aren’t for everybody. So look around on the web, Google Free Karate lessons, (I always recommend Karate as a great art to start your martial arts with) or some other like term, and see what comes up. Do a few tricks, see if they work on friends, and find out if you have the character and kind of mind to be a student of Karate.

Get a Free Karate Lesson, head on over to Learn Karate Online!

Joey Gives the Karate Kick to Two Bullies!

A Powerful Karate Kick Can Save Your Life!


Joey was coming home late. The reason he was late was because he had stayed extra to help his karate teacher clean the dojo. Mops and brooms, wiping windows, even cleaning the bathrooms…it was small price to pay for his karate lessons.
He had just turned on to his street when he caught sight of Buck and Sammy up ahead. Joey groaned inside. They were bullies, and they liked to pick on him. Of course, that was before they got picked up for petty theft and went to juvenile hall for a few months. And, that was before Joey started his Karate training.
“Hey! Lookie lookie! It’s our old pal!” Buck was always the first to talk, the one to start the bullying. He tried to get a reaction, and then his larger friend would move in with the taunts and pushes.
“Hi guys,” Joey responded. “Glad you’re out and about.” He was determined to try to be polite and friendly. It was something his instructor always told him. Fists end a fight, but manner don’t let the fight happen.
“Ooh, he’s glad we’re around again. Ain’t that neat, Sammy?”
“That’s neat,” grinned Sammy.
Joey tried to move past, but Buck moved in with him and put an arm around his shoulder.
Sammy moved in behind, and Joey knew what the large wannabe gangster was going to try.
A simple trip was his favorite fight starter. He would kick at Joey’s foot, try to get him tangled, and when he stumbled, Buck would be all over him.
Knowing what was going to happen was half the game. Training was the other half. Joey knew what was going to happen, and his instructor had drilled him on sneak attacks.
As Sammy kicked at his foot Joey lean forward and executed a picture perfect rear kick. It caught the oaf in the belly, and Sammy was shoved back.
Buck had started to move, he was trying to get a headlock.
Joey simply knelt, Buck was moved forward, and Joey, now slightly behind the thug, brought his ridge hand up between the loud mouthed bully’s legs.
Buck opened his mouth, dropped to his knees, and groaned. Then he started to upchuck. Streams of green fluid, fast food and a bit of beer, spewed forth onto the sidewalk.
Joey stood up and turned. Sammy, the tougher of the two was up and moving towards him.
“I don’t want any trouble,” said Joey, backing away.
Sammy muttered a dirty word, then threw a haymaker.
Joey knew about haymakers. They were the tool of the uninformed, easy to see a mile away.
Joey leaned back and the punch whistled past, then the youngster simply stepped forward and launched a perfect Karate Snap Kick to the groin.
Sammy was the tougher of the two thugs alright. He didn’t fall down. But he did follow the example of his friend…he began to hurl the contents of his stomach. And he hurled them all over the back of Buck’s head!
“Sorry, guys,” Joey backed away from the puke splattered duo. “I really am glad you’re out, and I really don’t want to have any trouble with you.
From that day on, Joey never did have any trouble.
Got a couple of bullies on your block? Karate is the best, fastest, and easiest way to deal with them. Head over to Learn Karate Online and get a free lesson!

Ninja Jump Spin Kick as Solution to Straight Karate Punch

Within the Karate Punch is Great Spirit


The attack is a straight Karate Punch, from the ready position, one foot away. The defense is a Ninja jump into the air with a complete 360 spin with a heel kick on the end of it.
Hello?
Is anybody home?
I actually saw this self defense technique offered in a basic ninjitsu course. Guy was serious, too. And, he actually made it work.
Of course, he had trained it specifically for ten years, and he was working with his own man.
But, hey…why wouldn’t it work for a newbie with no athletic experience? Eh?
So, to explain the problems here, in the real world a straight karate punch, driven from the ready position, and not back from the hip, only has a foot to go before it impacts.
And the ninja student is expected to raise his body three feet in the air, spin it in a complete circle, and drive a heel against the side of the attacker’s head.
Let’s see, move one foot, one a straight line, with everything perfectly in line and ready to go, or do a circus trick with an advanced kick on the end.
The correct thing to do would be to move back with the hands up in the ready position. Even better if you put the palms out like you want no fight.
Then, even if he starts close, you are moving your body in the same direction as the punch, thus going with the punch, thus robbing the punch of impact.
And, having the hands up you might be able to move an arm in the way, deflect the punch, or at least mush it up so you don’t take the full force.
And, finally, that leaves you in a position to counter attack.
Look, I’m not saying ninjitsu is bad, I have the utmost respect for that fine art. But I do have a problem with martial arts instructors who don’t look at the realities of what they are teaching, or, worse, are just teaching the razzle dazzle so they can make some money.
It’s great to make money, but you better offer the real goods, and the martial arts aren’t about leaching bucks out of newbies with a sincere desire to learn, they are about delivering the goods. Remember that when somebody sets up to throw a karate punch to your person, and stay away from Ninja Jump Spin Kick Solutions. If you want more good martial arts, head on over to Learn Karate Online. You can get free Karate lessons there, and you’ll be on the right path.

The Karate Black Belt…What You Have to do to Get There!

A lot of people try, and a lot of people fail. To be precise, out of a thousand people that start the journey to a Karate Black Belt, only 1 or 2 will make it. Check out the video, and then I’ll tell you how to be sure that you make it!

So, how do you make sure you are going to make it?
First, pick a good school. Not a make money trophies in the windows school, but a long time hole in the wall that has a record of good, solid martial arts, and the students to prove it.
Second, dedicate yourself. Put a picture of Bruce Lee (or some other martial artist that you admire) on your front door, and bow to it every time you go out. Make it a reminder that you will make every single class. And, if ever you feel like not heading out to the dojo, pick yourself up by the scruff of the neck, and GO!
Now, that is really all there is to it. Dedicated school, dedicated student, and the martial arts will seep into your soul like chicken soup into the belly of an invalid.
Of course, there are a few more things you can do.
One, read everything you can, and not just on Karate. Read about every martial art, think about how they will fit together. Bring the techniques to your school and ask others about them. You will get an education far beyond your wildest dreams. It’s creative thought, man, and that is what an art is about.
Two, haunt the internet. Don’t buy the bushwah, don’t get involved in the internet hype, just learn how to tell when a fellow is serious, and when he is just an internet marketer trying to grab your bucks. The more you look at, the more educated you become, the easier this will be. Once you know the difference, examine what other legitimate artists are doing. Learn their moves, see how you can use those moves in your own art.
Finally, work out, work out, work out. Be at school early, and stay late. Help beginners, and you will find the advanced students will help you. That’s just the way the universe works in a real karate school.
Now, if you do what I have told you here, you will make it. The only thing you have to understand is that rewards go to the sincere, the dedicated, the honest and hard working. All others quit and go to the movies and think about how great it would be to be a karate black belt. They will wonder about what you know. Now go for it, and may all the skill on earth be yours. Go to Learn Karate Online if you want some free lessons to get you started!

Friends in the Martial Arts

Analyze Everything...Leave Nothing to Chance!


How odd.
There are billions of people on this planet…how many do you know?
You probably become acquaintances with a couple of thousand during your life.
You probably know a couple of hundred by name.
You probably have about ten or twenty that you can call friends.

Here’s the interesting thing, through the martial arts I have far more than ten or twenty that I can call friends. There are people that I studied with, and we’re talking back over fortry years, that, met again, the friendship is as solid as ever.
There is just something about sharing combat with a fellow that bonds you closer than ever.
The good news is that this is the type of combat where you don’t kill people, you just fatasize and plan and strategize until you have no desire to kill, and all you are left with is friends.
How odd.

Check out Learn Karate Online. It’s a good site with lots of tips and things. Make sure you get the free ebook on the home page.

Tough Chuck Norris Karate Movie Star…was He Really That Tough?

Are You Chuck Norris Tough?


For the last half dozen years the legend of just how tough Chuck Norris really is has been growing. Hundreds of ‘factoids’ had Chuck doing everything from conquering the martians to ending the war, uh, all wars, and all with a grunt and spinning side kick.
So how tough was he?
He learned Korean Karate (Tang Soo Do) in Korea. An assignment in that country would make anybody tough. The winters are long and hard, the summers are boilers. In addition he is supposed to have earned his black belt in just over a year.
He taught martial arts, and eventually made his way into the movies. Movies don’t make a person tough, on the contrary, they usually soften a person up, compromise his morals.
Chuck did have his troubles, an out of wedlock child, but any compromising he did seems to have faded, he must have learned his lessons, and in finding a more moral (Christian) base for life he seems to have found his true toughness.
He has promoted drug awareness through his programs, and fought the spread of AIDS.
In addition, the martial arts programs he started are in full swing. His Chun Kuk Do martial art has thousands of followers world wide.
So how tough was Chuck Norris? Well, he beat Hollywood, and he helps the downtrodden. All those other factoids, like Chuck scaring the devil into closing down hell, or convincing Obama not to run again, they are just icing on the cake. If you want real tough martial arts, the best martial arts on the planet, drop by Learn Karate Online. Pick up a free martial arts book on the upper right home page of Learn Karate Online.

The Hardest Thing to Overcome in Karate Training

Karate Traininng Will Make a Man Out of You!


I’m speaking as a martial arts teacher here, but I trust you will be able to use my data concerning the hardest thing to overcome in Karate training, or any martial arts training.
I’ve had people come in my school and tell me what I was supposed to teach them. They would lay out their curriculum, and then disappear.
And, if you think this is an oddity, consider the old Japanese zen parable (made famous by Bruce Lee), you can’t put more tea in a cup that is full…you must empty your cup.
One guy came into my school and all he wanted to do was find a temple on the mountain and kneel at the feet of the master and learn all the really secret things. It was obvious that he had been reading too many comic books; he just wasn’t connected to reality. Heck, if I had told him to do a horse stance for five minutes he would have cried and wailed like a baby.
The main thing these days is the youtube martial artist. This is a guy who has poured over youtube, looked at all the martial arts, done what he saw on the screen. He actually isn’t toobad, except that he has no idea what he is doing. The snippets on youtube, no matter how extensive, are not instruction, they are advertising clips designed to lure the unwary and easily excitable.
What? You thought you were going to find the secret of the universe on the internet? that you could just google ‘Secrets of the Universe’ and they would just flash onto the scree…instant enlightenment and all the martial arts downloaded into your brain like Neo?
Empty your cup, grasshopper, then learn how to sweat. The best things in life are not necessarily free…they have to be earned with sweat and bruises and a humble attitude.
Pickup a Free Martial Arts Book ar Learn Karate Online. In Karate training, or with any martial arts, it’s best to start at the beginning and dedicate yourself.

Martial Arts Cross Training is The Way To Get Good!


Okay, I do a lot of cross training in the martial arts. When I was doing Karate I did some weights, some running, basics calisthenics type of stuff.
When I did Kung Fu I did running and swimming and yoga type stuff.
And, as I went through arts, I was always looking from some new game to play, some way to wake up my muscles and find better ways to control them.
Baseball, loved baseball. Ping pong, billiards, skating, even pogo sticking and stilting.
Simply anything and everything was fair game. Wake the body up, have fun, relate it to martial arts.
But martial arts was the mainstay, this because the martial arts exercises every single muscle in the body.
And, there is a point to it all. Survival.
Now, I have to tell you I feel sorry for people who do exercises, but not martial arts. They play for a while, then they get old. I always come across old people who talk about how they loved to dance, but no longer do it. Or they loved to hike, but they no longer do it.
Do you see it? There is not only the whole body approach, but the purpose, and the desire to survive right through your old age.
Anyway, I know this is meandering, but if you aren’t doing the martial arts, start doing them. Find an art, any art, that appeals to your desire to live and love and play games and…survive. That’s what Martial Arts Cross Training is all about. Pick up a free book at Learn Karate Online. Best way to start.

Most Powerful Punch Karate Training Methods!

Good Karate Training will Give You the Most Powerful Punch!


I always liked the karate training methods for making the most powerful punch. Some of them worked…and some of them resulted in injury to the student. Here’s a quick rundown on them.
Bashing the fist against a tree. Damages the fist, sometimes badly, requiring even years to heal.
Punching a Makiwara. Okay, long as you don’t over do it. Fifty punches per hand is recommended by some.
Thrusting fingers into cauldrons of heated iron pellets. Right out of the kung fu movies. The real sequence is to thrust spear hands into sand, build up to pellets (over months and even years), and finally thrust them into iron pellets.
We used to spear hand the sand, and it worked, but it took time. I haven’t met anybody who has reached the iron pellet stage of training, but hey, go for it! Just make sure you use plenty of dit da jow hand curing herbal solutions.
Push ups on palms, then fists, then half fists, then outstretched fingers, then thumbs, then two fingers, then one finger. Fantstic training method. Works lke a charm. Takes the brute out of force and teaches that the secret of true muscularity is in balance.
And, there are others, but this should hold you for now. Gonna take a while to get on top of that single finger, right? Happy work outs to you, but this karate training method is guaranteed to give you the most powerful punch. BTW, pick up a free book while you’re on my site.