Arts

Martial Arts Belts – How Does The System Work

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With most types of martial arts, the color of the belt that you have will signify your rank within your style of martial arts. The belts that are used with martial arts signify your rank within that style, although they have no universal means or ranking within the martial arts world. More or less, they tell others how much you know about your specific martial art.

The use of belt colors in martial arts is an old practice, dating back hundreds of years. Belts and their use in martial arts all started by a man known as Jigoro Kano, who created the style known as Kodokan Judo. Kano started out by using only white and black belts to signify rank within his style of martial arts. His reason for using belts, was to specify which students could compete in different activities. For example, those with white belts couldnt compete in the same activities as those with black belts.

Shortly after Kano introduced his idea of using belts, other belt colors were introduced to the world of martial arts. Over the years, it became a great way of telling what experience a student had in his style – just by the look of his belt. Other styles began to use this system as well over the years, including Karate, Taekwondo, and several others.

The only problem with using belts to signify ranking, is the fact that one school may have different requirements from another school. Even though they both may teach the same style of martial arts, their ranking system and requirements to get a certain ranking may be totally different. This can cause confusion in ranks, especially if a black belt from one school isnt as versed in the style as a black belt from another school. Even though most schools stick to the same criteria, there are schools that choose to incorporate their own unique style as well.

Although most martial arts styles use belts to signify rank, there are some martial arts out there such as Shootfighting that dont use belts at all. The styles that choose not to use belts dont go by rankings either, as they are more or less for self defense purposes. Pitfighting is another style that doesnt use belts either. These styles are great to learn for protecting yourself – although they differ from the traditional sense of martial arts.

All things aside, belts are an innovation to martial arts. They give students something to aim for, and a reason to keep practicing. Most students that study martial arts aim for getting the black belt, which is the most prestige belt in martial arts. A black belt takes years of practice to obtain, as the student will move through many lower ranked belts before getting the opportunity to try and earn the black belt.

How To Spin And Throw Martial Arts Sai

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A Sai is a weapon which is used in Martial Arts in pairs. This is the only weapon in martial arts which originally was not a farming tool but used for defending against the swords or to break them.

In this article we will learn how to spin and throw a Sai.

1- Choose a Sai of right size. Make sure that the dagger doesn’t extend beyond the elbow whilst holding.

2- In order to spin a Sai, you need to hold it in the right position.

3- Hold the Sai in your hands such that the blade is placed between the middle and index finger.

4- Close palm such that it is facing towards you.

5- Hold your arm outward with your shoulder at 45 degrees, elbow bent at right angle and Sai pointing towards ceiling.

6- Now open your hand and let the Sai drops outwards, towards the floor.

7- Wrist should be rotated outward and stop before the Sai hits the elbow. Also, slightly bend your wrist in downward direction, at the same time rotate palm outwards away from the face.

8- By closing your hand and lifting the wrist, lift Sai back up and pull back the blade towards the ceiling.
9- Turn the palm towards yourself by rotation at 180 degree of wrist.

10- This is how you can spin. After repeating over and over, you can easily master spinning.

11- Next is throwing. In order to through a Sai successfully towards your opponent, you should bring it above the shoulder. Make sure the dagger is pointing towards the backside and your palm is facing towards the side of your head. After this, let go of the Sai very quickly by riffling your wrist towards the opponent.

Please note, when learning the Sai, you will probably be dropping it a lot. Wear something to protect your feet. Dropping a Sai on your foot does not feel good.

Initially you will find it quite difficult to spin or throw a Sai but with a lot of practice you can master this skill.

John McCain – Enter The Opportunist & Mixed Martial Arts Biggest Enemy

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From the beginning, there was going to be some establishment resistance to mixed martial arts. The sport, with its absence of structured rules, did not fit into the regulations that were laid out by the athletic commissions across the country. In fact, most of the regulatory people didnt understand it, and therefore had no idea how to classify it. It certainly wasnt boxing, which used hands only, or kick boxing, which allowed for kicks and which was sanctioned in some states. And it most definitely was not a “worked” sport like professional wrestling, which also fell under the jurisdiction of some of the athletic commissions.

Plus, there was not really enough mixed martial arts activity going on for the states to take the time out to draft rules and regulations for it. If there was the possibility of only a couple of events per year, why would they go through the process of engaging commission attorneys to draw up a new set of rules, or approach the state legislature with a bill to be passed, in order to accommodate it?

Besides, there was a growing – and influential – constituency of people who looked upon mixed martial arts as “barbarism” and “bloodsport.” Many of these people used an expression that became a standard for cheap shots as time progressed – “human cock fighting.”

When you have pervading mainstream attitudes like this, the atmosphere is ripe for political opportunity. And sure enough, out of the rubble emerged one of the great political opportunists of recent years.

John McCain, a United States Senator from Arizona, had gotten a lot of mileage out of his five-year internment in a Vietnamese prisoner of war (POW) camp; rather than the more realistic portrayal of him as a pure victim, the slick public relations machine he had cultivated was able to spin him into a full-blown hero. More often than not, McCain was successful in co-opting the press in what was a somewhat blind pursuit of political glory. His critics opined that he never met a camera he didnt like or headline-grabbing issue he was not willing to sell himself out to. But he had a following, particularly among the media, that was willing to ignore the fact that despite his public stance for campaign finance reform, McCain was one of the great abusers of the process; in fact, he was one of the disgraced members of the “Keating Five,” which doled out political influence in exchange for hefty contributions and financial favors.

Though he had been labeled a “maverick” by most of the press corps, McCain was hardly that; rather, he was he was a very calculating political animal who often saw which way the wind was blowing and hurled himself – with sycophantic media grasping on to his boots – in that direction.

McCain purported to be a lifelong boxing fan, and claimed to be a boxer of some note at the Naval Academy, where he gained admission as a “legacy” (his father was an alumnus) and graduated near the bottom of his class. He favored legislation to bring about some federal control of boxing and would later spearhead efforts to pass more extensive bills in that quest. He was quite fond of accepting free tickets from the very promoters his legislation would have regulatory authority over. Coincidentally, these gifts and gratuities often landed him ringside, right in camera view, during an HBO or Showtime telecast.

LA Schools Claim Victory In Efforts To Acquire New Arts Ed Funding

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Los Angeles Schools are seeing a steady increase in arts education as the dual result of a long-term program and recent state funding. The Arts for All program was initiated in 2002 as a 10-year plan to restore arts education to the 80 districts of Los Angeles Schools. The project focuses on bringing music, dance, drama and the visual arts to K-12 schools in the area. Nine schools have just signed up for the 2007-2008 school year, bringing the total number of Los Angeles Schools involved up to 27.

Two of the newest participants are the Lancaster and Palmdale districts of Los Angeles Schools. Both schools completely eliminated their elementary music programs in the last decade due to budget cuts and increased pressure to perform on state tests. Major cuts first began for Los Angeles Schools with Proposition 13 in 1978. This California mandate reduced property taxes and district funds, which required all Los Angeles Schools to reduce or eliminate arts and physical education classes.

Los Angeles Schools were pleased when the state announced funding of $500 million for art, music and physical education classes in the beginning of June. Los Angeles Schools will use much of these funds for the Arts for All Program. Arts for All is built on a five-step process which, while proven effective, costs money. The five steps involved are:

1.Allocating 5% of a district’s budget to arts education 2.Having a board adopted policy 3.Creating an implementation plan with a timeline 4.Assigning a district level arts coordinator 5.Maintaining a student to arts teacher ratio of 400:1

Los Angeles Schools will pay for a program expert to guide parents, staff and community members in the creation of their implementation plan. The Lancaster district has an additional grant of $260,000 for its art and music programs.

Los Angeles Schools welcome the increased funding as a long overdue measure. Many educators in the Los Angeles Schools have lamented the loss of the arts as harmful to student development. While many of the cuts to arts education result from diverting funds to cover academic subjects needed to pass state tests, teachers argue that art actually enhances learning, allows children to make connections between subjects, and provides a much needed balance to education.

Like the rest of the country’s urban districts Los Angeles Schools are trying to meet the 2014 No Child Left Behind requirement that mandates proficiency on state tests by all students regardless of developmental delays or language barriers. Diverting funding away from the arts has put Los Angeles Schools in a situation where children as young as third grade are losing recess, physical activity and a basic arts background in a frenzied scramble to meet rising national standards.

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How to Do Fa-Jing –Issuing Energy — in Tai Chi, Hsing-I and Bagua

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He was one of the greatest kung-fu masters in the world, a direct descendant of the creator of tai chi, and he was asking me to show him a punch. It was an exciting moment but also nerve-wracking. Trying not to be nervous, I settled into the posture and prepared to show him internal power. Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang stood in front of me, watching carefully.

Trying to remain relaxed, I shifted my weight from my right to my left leg and my right fist shot out, fast, relaxed, and powerful. At the same time, my left elbow thrust backward and my left hand stopped at my ribcage.

Grandmaster Chen was not impressed. He took my right hand in his left, my left hand in his right and told me to relax. Before I knew what was happening, he jerked the right hand out and pushed the left hand backward. I wasn’t quite relaxed enough and almost suffered whiplash in my neck.

Relax, he told me again, and once again he jerked my arms — hard — forcing one to punch and the other to return to my ribcage. For a minute, I was like a rag doll, completely limp as he repeatedly demonstrated how relaxed I was supposed to be when performing fa-jing.

It’s amazing how the internal arts of China — Tai Chi, Hsing-I and Bagua — have been distorted by teachers who take what they have read too literally. The subject of fa-jing (pronounced “fah-zhing”) is one example of how a simple concept is misunderstood and misinterpreted.

Fa-jing means “issuing energy.” Unfortunately, the people who desperately need to believe in the supernatural think that in doing fa-jing, you are shooting chi out of your hands or body. They take it literally.

It’s not magical or mystical. It’s a matter of physics, and in the internal arts, it’s a matter of body mechanics.

Boxers issue energy anytime they deliver a jab, a hook, or an uppercut. If you’re into karate, you issue energy when you break a board with your foot, and if you’re into MMA, energy is issued when you drive a knee into an opponent’s face.

In the internal arts, fa-jing — issuing energy — is more complex, but the end result is the same. You knock someone into next week.

Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang, whose ancestor,Chen Wangting created Tai Chi 11 generations ago, teaches that fa-jing is a matter of proper body structure (posture) and good internal movement. From there, he says you simply “step on the gas.” He likes using automobile metaphors. In other words, if you use good structure and mechanics and then add speed, you will create the unique relaxed power of the internal arts.

I’ve studied other martial arts and have found the body mechanics of the internal arts far more difficult and complex. For high-quality tai chi you must maintain ground strength, peng jin, whole-body movement, silk-reeling (spiraling movement through the body), dan t’ien rotation and opening/closing the kua. You must connect all of these skills through the body as you deliver the strike with speed, power, and relaxation.

It takes years to learn how to do this from an internal perspective, because we all bring bad habits to the internal arts and it takes years to learn the above-mentioned skills and learn to maintain the whole-body connection as you move. It takes years for us to lose the muscular tension that we’ve developed all of our lives.

When Grandmaster Chen worked with me on the punch, I didn’t have it the first few times I did the punch and he corrected me each time. Suddenly I understood, and the next time I punched I connected the relaxed power from my foot, through my body and out my hand, exploding and shifting my weight at the same time.

“Ahh!” he said, his face lighting up. “Good.”

As a martial artist, few things are better than getting a “good” from Chen Xiaowang.

A short time later, he astonished those of us attending his Washington, D.C. workshop by doing a series of fa-jing strikes.C. With each strike, it seemed his uniform was exploding in all directions. That type of power comes from being connected and relaxing — and from a lifetime of practice. When he does fa-jing, you can almost feel the energy even standing halfway across a room. It reminded me of being on the floor right behind the basketball hoop during a University of Iowa game. When the big players were slamming into each other beneath the hoop, you could feel the body heat and almost feel the energy as they collided. I’ll never forget it, and being close to Chen Xiaowang when he does fa-jing is very similar.

There are two myths about tai chi that all martial artists should put aside. One is that tai chi is a slow motion health and meditation exercise. In truth, it’s a powerful martial art that is practiced slowly so students can learn the body mechanics and later can speed up the movements and deliver amazing power without a lot of obvious effort to the untrained observer.

The other myth people should forget is about chi. Fa-jing has nothing to do with shooting energy out of your body. Instead of focusing on chi, which has never been proven exist in independent scientific studies and which is too often the focus of tai chi teachers, you should focus on proper posture and body mechanics. Do this and you’ll be closer to developing the relaxed power of fa-jing.

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Ken Gullette has practiced martial arts for 36 years and is best known for his high-quality instructional DVDs, his online internal arts school and his internal arts blog. He is dedicated to dispelling the myths surrounding tai chi, hsing-i and bagua, showing that the skills required for the internal arts are physical, not metaphysical.