Category Archives: Taekwondo

Martial Arts Cross Training is The Way To Get Good!

Posted on June 8, 2011 by | Leave a comment


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.

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Most Powerful Punch Karate Training Methods!

Posted on June 7, 2011 by | Leave a comment

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.

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Free Karate Lesson Online Nearly Done!

Posted on June 5, 2011 by | Leave a comment

Been working hard on this Free Karate Lesson Online. Check out the video, it’s a good example of how I take things apart so you really can understand them, and then I’ll tell you about the free Karate…

I wanted to cover stances, blocks, footwork, and get the student to actually do a small form. The trick is to keep it simple, and make sure the steps are quick and easy.
After all, people want to do the bam and slam of UFC type sports, and I want to convince them that Karate, as an art, has more to offer.
You don’t want to wrestle on the street.
You want to maximize your blocks and strikes.
You want to build some of that famous knock out power that Karate power is famous for.
On this last, you can’t develop this while wearing gloves. Gloves stop the transmittal of energy, and thereby the hands are demoted to mere bludgeons.
Anyay, check out the free lesson at my site, Learn Karate Online. And it really is free. I don’t even ask for your address. I’m figuring that the benefits of the lesson will be so obvious that people will want to sign up for the newsletter, or just order right on the spot. That’s Learn Karate Online.

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You Feel the Karate Power! You can Kick Butt! What Then?

Posted on June 4, 2011 by | Leave a comment

Within the Karate Fist is Great Spirit

Karate makes power. Karate is power.

You do those forms and you feel the power start to take hold, you feel your body energize and get stronger and stronger. Finally, you have the power! You can explode with instant energy that is unstoppable. What now?

Well, what now is that you need to take a second step. The second step is not more power.

What? You don’t like that answer? But you’ve already got enough power…what do you need more for?

Let me ask you a question, if you had to fight ten guys, would you fight ten times as hard?

Nope.

You’d fight one tenth as hard for each guy.

So you don’t get more energy and violence and move faster and faster…that just wastes you. What you do do is learn to be efficient, to create the effct of more energy with less effort and less motion.

So when you get your black belt, start to look around. See if other arts will compliment this concept. Look at yourself, see if you can hit softer…and yet create greater effect. There are methods, you know. It is possible…you just have to break out of the method you’ve been trained in and…reverse your path.

Yeah,

you read that right.

Once you hit black belt…you have to  train in the opposite direction, get softer and softer, until people can hardly even see you.

I used to train with some of the toughest guys in the world, outlaw bikers. But they all bowed quickly and stood silent in the presence of the most polite man in the world. What he knew in gentleness was far greater than all their massive muscle.

Well, think about it, and while you’re thinking about Karate power, head over to Learn Karate Online.  If you have always wanted karate but never went for it, this is your chance. If you started, and, for whatever reason, dropped out, this is your chance.

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How Long Does It Take To Get A Black Belt In Karate Is A Good Question!

Posted on June 2, 2011 by | 1 Comment

Learn Karate Online!


The thing to be understood, in this question of how long does it take to get a black belt in Karate (or in any martial art), is that the answer is coming from someone who wants to take your money. Thus, the dojo owner, without blinking, says four or five years. This is an incorrect answer, an inflated answer, and the real answer is quite different.

There are two prime factors you should take into account when it comes to black belt certification. First, the longer an art is, the harder it is to learn. Second, the more complex an art is, the more difficult it is to apply.

Obviously, if you have to commit large numbers of forms and techniques and such to memory, it will take time. But what happens when somebody is jumped on the street? A well placed kick to the apples is the solution, or a punch in the throat saves your life, or something equally simple.

And, if you memorize hundreds of techniques, you have to select from hundreds of techniques, and who has the time for that? After all, most attacks are simple…a grab or a punch. And most defenses should be equally simple if they are going to stand a chance of working.

One should immerse themselves in basics, for basics are the key to everything. And one should have a good knowledge of the body, for it is the body you are using, and it a body that you are working your martial arts on. Thus, while I recommend reducing systems to a few core techniques, I don’t recommend putting aside Karate (or Taekwondo or Aikido or whatever); I do recommend finding a system that is condensed and efficient and has simplicity as its catchword.

Really, to get the best out of karate training or Kung Fu training, or any fighting method, one should look to the original moves of the system before it was added to. Pan Gai Noon, an early karate style, had three kata, and Tai Chi Chuan has one (yes, it is long) form. Thus, find the basic moves that work in a real fight, find a few tricks to handle any ‘what if’ possibilities, and practice those until they come out of your ears.

The point is that if you wish to earn black belt certification, in Karate or any martial art, go back through the history of your style and find out what the basic kata were. Isolate the techniques that worked before anything else was added. See if there is a core concept from which the system is constructed, and work on that.

How long does it take to get a Black Belt in Karate? Honestly, if you dedicate yourself to focusing on the basic concepts of an art, it should only take a few months. There may be a few who object to this, but they are arguing only because they wish to make money off you, or because they bought into the four or five year program and don’t want to admit the truth of my words here.

Learn Karate fast! Head on over over to Learn Karate Online and get started now! Take a free sample lesson!

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What a Way to Run a Karate Business!

Posted on May 25, 2011 by | Leave a comment

A lot of people blink at the way I run my Karate business. I’m referring to my internet martial arts business.
One, I do everything I can to keep my prices down. The reason is simple…competiveness. I watch guys put their ads up and sell their CD/DVDs for $148, $349, $732, or whatever…and they make a killing, for two months. Then their business drops to nothing, and they are left shopping for gimmicks to sell.
I, on the other hand, keep the price at $10 per disk, and I even keep the S&H reasonable. The price is low enough that people can take a chance, and people order from me, and they can order again and again, and I can take my time and find what works, make sure the product is well received, fix any mistakes, and…my growth is slow, but it never crashes.
In addition, I make sure I do the following…
Ship orders the morning of the very next biz day. I get an order in before 8 in the morning, and their is a good chance it is going out right then!
I try to answer all emails or address all blog comments within a couple of hours. Obviously if I’m working on a big project, got eight windows open, running programs madly, I can’t stop everything for a single email…but I sometimes do.
On those extremely rare occasions that I do get a complaint or there is a problem with an order, I try to handle it within one hour. I often toss in a freebie in the event of a complaint.
I understand that I exist only by the good will of my fellow man…and I work hard to deserve that good will.
Okey dokey, that’s how and why I run my karate business the way I do. I write a little blurb like this every six months or so just to let people know. Check out my site, Learn Karate Online. You’ll find the best martial arts at the best prices. Period.

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Tales of the Kang Duk Won

Posted on May 24, 2011 by | Leave a comment

His fists were large...as was his heart.

The Kang Duk Won I speak of was on The Alameda in San Jose back in the sixties. It was a Korean Karate Dojo of immense martial spirit.
The mat was dirty and ripped. Sometimes it seemed like there was more duc tape than mat.
The front window was broken, again, a testament to duc tape.
There was a hole in the roof in the dressing area. The toilet was tilted 15 degrees, there was no place to hang your…what?
Does it sound like I am complaining?
No.
I am remembering, and that as hard as I can.
There was magic there, you see.
The Hells Angels, and other bikers, came to study the Kang Duk Won for one simple reason…it worked and it was the best.
There was a wide variety of student, glass blowers to grave diggers to pilots to college students to…me.
There weren’t many schools back then, but people came from all over the bay area to study with an extremely soft spoken man. A man who could poke his finger into a board and leave a hole.
Of course, it’s gone now.
Replaced by a dress shop or something like that.
The bar across the street doesn’t see karate students come in to soften their bruises with liquid…just yuppie types whining in their beer. Not real men.
There are no longer twenty Harleys lined up in front of the school, and the air is no longer split by the thunderous kiai of a score of sweating, battered, energized maniacs.
Now it is peaceful, and that is a shame.
Political correctness? Ha! I laugh.
The truth is not political correctness, that is just a method for cowing people into voting politely.
The truth is sweat and bruises and blood. It is being young and not saying no. It is staying out too late and enjoying life with your friends.
Ahh, it has all been said before, but that’s okay.
There is a purpose to life, you see.
There is a spirit to be forged and that is in every man.
The Kang Duk Won is gone…but it will come again.
That is inevitable.
That is the magic.
Check out Learn Karate Online if you want some of that magic in your own life.

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Top Three Karate Tricks of All Time…and Boy are They Nasty!

Posted on May 22, 2011 by | Leave a comment

Check out the video, then I’ll tell you my favorite three Nasty Karate Tricks. They’ll help you end any fight.

The first one is to break the fingers. Somebody grabs you, you grab their finger and bend it back and break it. Nothing fancy about this…just break it. What? You want to control politely? What if the guy has a friend? What if he jumps back and pulls out a gun? When push comes to shove and a real fight is about to pop, snap his finger and then do number two.
Number two…kick him in the apples. Short, sweet, and to the point, a kick in the cojones will bend the largest mugger at the knees, and, got to admit it, there is nothing more sweet than watching some bad ass doofus puke his pudding.
Now, that all said, save this trick for when your life is truly in danger, you can’t use it on the mat, or to control your drunk Uncle Bob…poke him in the eye. I mean, stick your finger in his eye up to the knuckle.
You can see why I say hold back on this one until your life is truly at stake. Crippling, maiming, putting some guy in the dark for his life…it is cruel punishment.
Anyway, those are my three tried and true favorite Karate tricks, and they will work every time. Check out Learn Karate Online if you want some great training tips, strong punches, and…hey, there’s even a free ‘mini-lesson’ on the site!

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How Violent Should Karate Be?

Posted on May 20, 2011 by | Leave a comment

How Violent Should Karate Be? It’s an interesting question, you know? Check out the video, then I’ll give you an answer that’ll sizzle your pants!

Two things brought me to this question this blog.
One, I was teaching a fellow this past week, and he hesitated, and I suddenly snapped…’Kill him! What the F do you think this is about?’
The look in his eyes, I knew I had tweaked him.
His parents tell him to be polite, society tells him to hug trees, Rodney King says we got to get along…excuse my French, but…BS!
One, my parents weren’t always right,
Two, we can grow more trees, so cuts the F-ers down.
Three, Rodney King said what he said because he didn’t know the martial arts and he suffered a bad beat down.
Look, get up in the morning, swagger, get in an argument with somebody….don’t compromise…win it! There is nothing wrong with winning, especially if the other guy is an idiot. And if you lose, then you were an idiot for getting in an argument when you didn’t know what you were talking about.
That brings us to the second point. I came across this quote…
“Where there is only a choice between cowardice and violence, I would advise violence.”
Who do you think said it?
Ghengis Khan? John Wayne? John Wayne Gacy?
Who said it was…Ghandi.
that’s right, Mr. Peacenik himself.
My, peel the onion and there’s no end to the tears.
So, I believe in peace, I believe in fat babies and happy mothers. But I don’t believe in getting along at all costs, compromising my ideals and values, and living a life of S*** just because somebody says…’we all get to get along!’
Remember that when you practice your martial arts, and I hope that answers all questions as to how violent Karate should be. Check out my new website, Learn Karate Online. It’s got the most kick ass course you could imagine!

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Real Karate Techniques Don’t Use Muscle Memory!

Posted on May 10, 2011 by | Leave a comment

I come across these internet huckster sites every once in a while, or some psycho babble fellow who thinks he knows something, and they talk about increasing muscle memory, but they are just plain wrong. The fact is that real karate techniques don’t use muscle memory, nor do any other martial art, be it kenpo or aikido or whatever.  Check out the video, and I’ll tell you all about it in the article right below.

First off, who’s fighting (doing the martial arts drill)? You are. You use muscles, they don’t use you.

When somebody punches at you, do you jump out of your body and let your body fight? Nah. That’s just silly.

When you get in a  fight  you tell your body what to do, and it does it. And you don’t rely on muscular memory patterns.

Yes, when you first memorize something, there is a pattern, and you could call that muscle memory, but it is really installing a circuit in your mind. Incorrect training and that circuit stays there. Correct training and that circuit goes, and you take charge.

The real key here is that people are interested in selling other people hogwash by fancy labels. So don’t believe that muscle memory crap. It is you memorizing, and then you doing, and you should be in charge of your muscles, telling them what to do in the moment, and without putting things on some sort of muscle automatic thing.

Look, the guys who won the championships will tell you that you must do the work, but that is a matter of spirit. You must do the punch, but that is a matter of you. Muscle memory has almost nothing to do with actual fighting, real karate techniques, nor any real martial art worth its salt out there. Check out my site, Monster Martial Arts, and you’ll find an approach that is so far removed from that type of thing you won’t believe it.

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