Tag Archives: martial arts

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.

Crossing Martial Arts to Fix Karate

Learn Karate Online!

Before I tell you how to Fix Karate by crossing martial arts, let me tell you that I am not a fan of crossing martial arts. People usually don’t dig deep enough to make this happen. Simply, they mix two arts, and they usually end up with mush. This is one of those things best left in the hands of professionals. Me being the professional, however, grin, let me point out a couple of interesting things.
It’s really a matter of getting enough data. A fellow who studies two arts and tries to combine them usually doesn’t have enough data. You need three or four arts before you even start. And, you need to learn how to matrix if you are going to be successful.
That all said, I used to look in Tai Chi books for ways to fix Karate. Oh, I know, heresy. All I can say to that is the pure martial arts takes precedence over pure tai chi, or pure karate, for that matter. And I am interested in the whole pie, not just a slice.
Consider the advice from Yang Family Secret Transmissions (Douglas Wile).
‘We must avoid fullness and emphasize emptiness so that our opponent lands on nothing.’
This is great advice, applicable to a great extend in a great variety of situations in Tai Chi. To a Karate man, however, it sounds a little mystical.
However, if you face a man and you both have your right foot forward, you are matching stances and balanced and symmetrical in stance. But, if you have right foot and left foot forward (opposing stances) then you would be full. That is, you are both trying to step forward on the same side, and thus colliding, and thus…’full.’ So, match stances, and when the fellow attacks, step back so that you are always matching, and in balance. So here’s the problem…how do you take advantage when you are in a matching stance? Karate strives to be full, to smash and take away our opponent’s area. This has nothing to do with balance. Tai Chi strives for balance, and then to give way in small manner so that the opponent over commits himself. When the attacker has over committed he will show weakness. This weakness will not be apparent to a karate man, at least until he has read these words and understood the intent. Now, I have given you a problem, in thinking about it (and you will not be able to avoid thinking about it), you will eventually come up with a technique, or a solution, or something that will enable you to take advantage of the situation. This will enable you to improve your freestyle. And, when your freestyle is improved you may tend to look at this thing of purity of art as a gimmick designed to stop your progress in the whole martial arts. I tell you, you want the whole pie, not just a few pieces, and crossing martial arts can fix karate, and kung fu, and aikido, and so on and so on. My site is Learn Karate Online, and there is a free sample lesson available there.

How Violent Should Karate Be?

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!

I wrote a blog the other day, I think it’s on the Matrix Martial Arts blog, that talks about world peace, putting down the sword, and I had the most terrible thought afterwards.

The real meaning of Budo, when you go into the root of the hieroglyphics, is to ‘lay down the sword.’ To make peace.

In other words, you learn how to fight in order tolearn how not to fight.

In other words, you have to pick up the sword before you lay down the sword.

And here is the terrible realization:  I have to convince a thousand people to go to war, to create one man to go to peace.

Man! That’s ridiculous!

but that’s how many people start the martial arts, and nevermake it. Actually, the statistic is quite a bit worse than that. But…there it is.

I have to convince people to be warmonging savages just to get one fellow to believe in peace.

Oh, if only we weren’t all warmonging savages tobegin with…then I wouldn’t have to do anything!

Well, having dispensed that bit of cheer, go ahead and drop by Monster Martial Arts, pick up a free book, and learn to (choke) kill.

HanaKwanMass! (Hannakah, Kwanza Christmas!)