1 Timothy 6:12. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

God’s Word tells us to fight the good fight of faith. We are called to be spiritual warriors in God’s kingdom. We are soldiers in the Army of God.

The purpose of an army is to insure freedom and liberty. Without these things we would live under another’s domination. In the spiritual world, the battle over world domination has already been fought and won by our Lord Jesus Christ. Yet Satan’s lease on this world has not run out. We still have to contend with him for a little bit longer. We can however take solace in the fact that we don’t have to fight him. We do however have to fight the good fight of faith in order to walk in the victory that has already been won.

We as Christians can sometimes get tired of the constant battle that comes with our faith walk. I know from time to time I feel this way. However, we have been equipped to do battle and walk in victory. I also know that how I feel is irrelevant. I know that Jesus promised us He would never leave us or forsake us. He is always there whether we feel like it or not. Always!

We have been called into this army for a purpose, God’s purpose. His purpose is for us to walk as children of the light, and declare the good news of the Gospel wherever we go.

We have been called to fulfill the great commission as ambassadors for Christ.

We can’t do this without a fight. The enemy will try to stop us any way he can. He doesn’t have the authority to stop us, although he will sometimes hinder us through various means, but he can not stop us. We can not go through this kind of spiritual battle without experiencing what it is like to stand when all seems lost. This is when we must not get weary in your good fight of faith. This is why the Apostle Paul admonished Timothy. Fight the good fight of faith. A good fight is a fight that you win. That is why we must never give up. The stakes are too high. Quitting is not an option. To quit is to admit defeat.

We are not defeated regardless of what the circumstances may look like.

The Apostle Paul said my God always causes me to triumph in Christ Jesus.

We also must understand that soldiers must go into battle with the proper training and equipment. God will Equip us to do what he has called us to do. We are not be sent into battle as unprepared soldiers.

All soldiers have to go through a course of training before they receive an assignment. During this time they go through a very rigorous physical and mental time of training.

The sole purpose of this training is to get them ready and prepared to do their job, and be properly equipped to do whatever it takes to get the job done even under the harshest environments. Their very lives and the lives of their fellow soldiers can and will depend on them doing their jobs and doing them well. When you are in the service you don’t get to sleep whenever you want to, or do what ever you want to do whenever you want to do it. You belong to the military. You exercise when you are told and you sleep when you are told. Should not we as Christians take our Christian service just as serious? I’m not talking about some legalistic thing, but a serious attitude that we are in a fight to the finish and we are in this to win.

The Apostle Paul compared us to soldiers for a reason. We must be prepared to learn to do battle as a fully trained and equipped soldier of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The purpose of all this discipline and training is not to wear us down but to make us ready for the battle that will surely come. Trained soldiers stand strong and know their place. Fear will not dominate them. Anxiety will not detour them. They will have learned how to stand strong and do battle. This training is necessary in order to be victorious. However we are not doing physical battle such as military soldiers do, we are doing spiritual battle and the training we do is in the spiritual realm. The weapons we use are God’s weapons and armor. The Apostle Paul told the Ephesians to equip themselves with the whole armor of God.

Ephesians 6:13-18. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.

We have been given God’s armor to do battle, to defend ourselves from the onslaught of the enemy, and to take back what has been rightfully purchased for us. Satan doesn’t want us to know we are already victorious. He would try to bully us into submission. But he doesn’t have the right or the ability to do that. For the Christian who knows who he or she is in Christ Jesus, no weapon or trickery of the enemy can prevent the will of God from coming to pass.

This doesn’t mean there won’t be a fight. It means we keep on fighting with God’s weapons and armor until our time here on Earth is over, or until the Lord comes which ever comes first. Those are our choices. I would encourage you to put on your spiritual armor, and begin to fight those battles that would try to defeat you and your family and loved ones. Keep on saying victory is near. Victory is near! I won’t give up and I won’t be defeated.

You must keep your faith built up so that you will have endurance when the fight comes. A soldier without endurance is a soldier who will give up in a time of battle.

2 Timothy 2:3-5. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.

God’s Word is telling us we have the ability to endure so therefore we can. We not only can, but we can have full assurance that we will come out victorious when we keep ourselves built up in God’s Word. Say to yourself; I will not fail, I will walk in the victory that was purchased for me. I am more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus, my God always causes me to triumph in Christ Jesus.

We must keep a victorious attitude and not give in to a defeatist attitude. That’s the way to live. Satan will try and discourage you and to tempt you with doubt. This is one of his weapons. This would be one way we could be defeated, to allow discouragement to overtake us, and begin to doubt God’s promises. We would give up the confidence we have worked so hard to get. Don’t allow this to happen. It may not be easy but don’t give up and don’t give in. Remember, victory is near.

Allow patience to have her perfect work in you, developing you into the perfect man or woman of God until you come to the fullness of the stature of Christ.

Ephesians 4:13-16. till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness by which they lie in wait to deceive, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head Christ from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

You can see by this Scripture that we are not just a single soldier out there by ourself.

We are all together in this together. We are collectively the body of Christ. This should encourage us to build one another up and to be mindful not to do anything that would tear one another down. The one you tear down may be the one that was supposed to supply to you what you needed to work effectively. This is how we grow, and this is how we stay strong, not only singly but also collectively. We are much stronger together than we are alone. Build up one another in the faith and help others wherever you can. If we all took this attitude think of how much we would accomplish. Much more than we are accomplishing now.

I would like to encourage you to keep the faith, and stay strong in the Lord. Stay in fellowship with other like minded believers, and to build up one another. This is the type of teamwork that will cause you and others to walk in the victory that has already been won.

We put in all this time in training and preparation so that our faith will not fail but will stay strong even in the time of trial and adversity. We must take the attitude of victory. Say I will not quit and I can not be defeated. I am more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus.

1 John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Do you want to be a joint heir with Christ?

If so, I urge you to take the first step and earnestly pray the following prayer.

Dear Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus. Your word says, “…and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.” (Jn.6:37),

So I know You won’t cast me out, but You take me in, And I thank you for it. You said in your Word, “whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Ro. 10:13).

I am calling on Your name, So I know You have saved me now, You also said, “…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.” (Ro.10:9,10).

I believe in my heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe He was raised from the dead for my justification. And I confess Him now as my Lord, Because Your Word says, “… with the heart one believes to righteousness…” and I do believe with my heart, I have now become the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Cor. 5:21),

And I am saved! Thank You, Lord!

I can now truthfully say, I see myself as a born again child of God!

Glory to God!!!! Amen.

About the Author

Article by Mark Baker.
Mark is the webmaster of The Olive Branch http://www.olivebranchministries.us A site dedicated to helping all that are seeking truth to come into a deeper understanding of what God has done for us through Christ Jesus. Please visit his site for more free studies and resources to help you in your search.

History:

Aikido in its present form is a relatively recent innovation within the martial arts tradition. It was developed in Japan in the early 20th century by Morihei Ueshiba (1883 – 1969), who was introduced to the classical martial arts as a boy by his father, Yoroku. He is known to have studied some martial arts, such as various styles of Ju-jitsu as well as Kenjutsu and the art of the spear.

Philosophy:

If we are attacked by a force and we apply force ourselves, a collision of energies ensues which results in disharmony. Thus, accordingly the stronger force wins. If, however, we meet the force with an absorbing movement and then exhaust it to the point of imbalance before applying a force of our own (the Aikido way), we are in fact restoring harmony or redressing an imbalance. This is the basic logic and underlying philosophy of Aikido.

Training:

Aikido is a discipline that seeks not to meet violence with violence, but instead looks towards harmonising with and restraining and opponent. Aikido is, in many ways, unique among the martial arts, in that the majority of techniques are based on the aggressor making the first move. Therefore, Aikido techniques are usually aimed at joint immobilisation and throws which utilise an opponent’s energy, momentum and aggression. Many body movements have been taken from Japanese sword and spear fighting arts, and the use of the bokken (a replica sword) and jo (a stick) is intended to build the practitioner’s understanding and skill.

Aikido teaches one-on-one and multiple attack defence. It incorporates knife-taking, sword-taking and stick-taking, and even defence from a kneeling position. Differences in size, weight, strength or age negated as we learn to use our inner ki (flow of energy). Weapon training with a bokken and jo indicates the ancestry of the discipline as well as helping to improve our body movements.

It should be emphasised that Aikido is a budo (literally a martial way). We practise each technique with total commitment, as if our life depended on its success, for only in this way is it possible to bring about the true spirit of budo. This is not to say that training has to be hard or violent. It is possible to be physically soft and still generate the power to control a confrontational encounter.

Styles of Aikido:

In reality, there are several major styles of Aikido today. As Ueshiba was continually refining and modifying the art he had created, some of his students at various stages left to pursue their own ideals. Thus, Master Gozo Shioda created the yoshinkan style, characterised by short and sharp movements and powerful joint applications; Kenji Tomiki developed sport Aikido, as it is widely known, characterised by competitions in which rubber knives are used; Minoru Mochizuki successfully amalgamated Aikido with other martial arts within the International Martial Arts Federation; and Koichi Tohei created shin-shin toitsu Aikido, which concentrates on the ki aspect of Aikido. All of these men trained with and listened to Ueshiba and yet each came away with a different idea of the discipline.

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- Thanaseelan, click here to view his profile and click on http://www.worthofwordplay.blogspot.com to visit his main blog.

When many people think of Shaolin Kung Fu they think of meditation and chi. While it is true that Shaolin Kung Fu does stress meditation and the use of inner energy, it is actually an external form of Chinese martial arts. This means that it is more involved in the external powers and forces. There are many styles of Shaolin Kung Fu which can include many types of attacks and defenses including joint locks, punching, kicking, throws, straight blocking, force direction, and many more. However, the two things that most types of schools of Shaolin Kung Fu all stress is fast handwork and quick footwork. Many Shaolin Kung Fu exercises promote these skills.

When practicing Shaolin Kung Fu, striking it is important to keep the feet moving as you punch. If your feet are planted like roots you will not be able to adjust to the next attack or set up another attack. Your moves must flow from one to another and you must be ready to change your motions in mid-movement in case an opponent launches an attack. You should practice staying light on your feet and moving your weight around. Each attack must leave the door open for another quick attack, or a sudden defense. Your Shaolin Kung Fu exercises should strive for agile footwork while striking, rather than training both aspects independently.

When practicing Shaolin Kung Fu punching you should also have targets that help improve your accuracy and speed. A strong punch is meaningless if it does not hit the target, or is so slow that it is easily blocked or countered. Your punches must also be fast so that you can quickly move into another attack, or react defensively. After a punch is thrown it should be retracted quickly so that arm can defend if needed. Many martial arts shops sell pads that can be mounted on a human body in many places such as the hands, ribs, and legs. Your training partner should wear these pads so that you can practice at full speed and have moving targets. While striking the pads at full speed your training partner should be moving around so that you have a moving target. Hand mounted pads are great because they can be moved very quickly to aid in the training of fast combos. You and your Shaolin Kung Fu training partner can develop a routine in which you strike at the left side of the face, and then the chest. Your partner can move the pad from one location to the next quickly, which forces you to strike two targets as fast as possible.

If your hands are fast and precise, and your footwork is light and agile, you will have quick attacks that cannot be blocked and will be able to react to any defense of offense. Too many people hit a punching bag target with their feet flat. Punching bags do not challenge your precision like a smaller moving target does.

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It is always good to learn at least one sport for your recreation and form of exercise. Try kung fu or basketball.

Teach Yourself Kung Fu

Wushu and kung fu are famous terms which become synonymous with Chinese martial arts. Kung fu can be utilized in contexts totally unrelated to martial arts and it refers colloquially to many individual skills cultivated through hard and long work. In dissimilarity, wushu is the precise term for usual martial arts activities.

Chinese martial arts training consists of numerous components such as forms, weapons, applications and basics. All styles have their very own training system with emphasis to those said components. Full training includes theoretical lessons also regarding the Chinese culture and attitude.

The Basics

The basics are the vital part of training because students cannot step forward to more advanced stages without being flexible and having strong muscles which include the managing concept of Chinese martial arts. Basic training can involve a series of simple movements, performed repeatedly over short intervals. The common basic training in Chinese martial arts is training both the external and internal body. External training includes the body, the stances, the eyes and the hands. Internal training includes the strength, the breathing, the mind, the spirit and the heart.

The Stances

The stances are the structural postures employed in kung fu training. The stances represent the exaggerated and foundation form of the fighter’s base. All styles have different variations and names for every stance. It can be distinguished by weight distribution, foot position, body alignment and so much more. The stance training goal is to maintain the formation throughout the set time period. The bow and horse riding stances are some examples found in several styles of kung fu.

Meditation

In several Chinese martial arts methods, meditation is considered a significant component of basic training. It can be used to improve mental clarity, focus and it can act as the basics for qigong training.

Teach Yourself a Basketball

Basketball is one of the famous and widely viewed sports around the world. It is a team sport where two teams per play-off have five active players each, trying to score as many points against each other by shooting the ball through 3 meters high hoops under organized rules. For several decades of basketball’s evolution, 1 guard, 2 forwards and 2 centers or 2 guards, 2 forwards and 1 center completes a playing team. There are several trainings or practices in basketball such as shooting, rebounding, passing, dribbling and blocking.

Shooting

Shooting is the act of attempting to score points by throwing the ball through the basket or ring. The player must position himself facing the basket with his feet approximately shoulder-width apart, back straight and knees slightly bent. The player must hold the ball to rest on his dominant hand’s fingertips slightly above his head with the other hand on the side of the ball.

Rebounding

The goal of rebounding is to productively gain position of the ball after a missed field goal or shot. This plays a principal role in basketball, as the possession ends when the team misses a field goal. There are 2 categories of rebounds such as offensive and defensive rebounds.

Passing

A pass is a technique of moving the ball between players. Some passes are accompanied by a step forward to increase power and it flows through using the hands to ensure accuracy. There are numerous types of passes such as staple pass or chest pass, bounce pass, outlet pass, overhead pass and behind-the-back pass.

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The first time I saw Shaolin Kung fu techniques was while watching a martial arts movie. I loved the style of martial arts so much, that I watched the second movie and fell totally in love. There was something so riveting about watching the punches, kicks and jumps. Even though it was Hong Kong Hollywood, it looked so much more real than most martial arts you see. I’ve watched a lot of martial arts movies in my day. In fact, they’re actually my favorite type of movie. Recently I saw Jet Li in Fearless. Though his style in that movie was wing chun.

Why is kung fu my favorite form of martial art? Probably because of the exotic origin. It’s a style practiced by monks. You wouldn’t think monks would know a fighting style, especially when they stand for peace and nonviolence but they do practice it every day, for the entirety of their lives. It’s like their way of finding enlightenment and it’s a viable combat art. Most kung fu you see in movies or during shows, or exhibitions are stylized sport martial arts. But not the shaolin. There are historical references of it being used in defensive battle as far back as 728 B.C. Normally, when you see a martial artist, it’s usually big muscles, lots of noise, a show, right? Not this one. This art trains practitioners with the purpose of nature. I’m sure you’ve heard references to it in the movies, where someone engaged in kung fu took a tiger stance or that of the crane.

Each one of these has a purpose behind it attached to the meanings of the animals, not to mention that the types of Shaolin have really cool names like ‘Jiao long nu kong’, which means the /coiling dragon growls in wrath’, or ‘Qian jintui’ the ‘leg weighing one thousand jins’. compare that to boxing. Jab. Cross. How dull!

You can’t help but admire the training and dedication, the grace, and fluidity of movement that accompanies this martial art. Out of all of the ones I’ve read, seen or done research on, I keep coming back to this one. Warrior monks even won battles and were honored using these techniques. It boggles my mind when I think of it. Weapon use, boxing, spins, kicks – all of it at lightening fast speeds and almost inhuman precision. I find myself sitting on the edge of my seat waiting eagerly for the next bad guy to come along or the next move in the exhibition.

It’s amazing how they can do all those moves – flying through various forms, blocks, kicks, jumps, punches – and then stop give their bow and not even be breathing hard. They don’t just use any weapon, either. A popular one is the long spear. I’ve held one before. They aren’t light and they’re long. To use one takes a lot of skill, and they make it seem so easy.

It doesn’t matter what form or practice of Shaolin Kung fu techniques are being used, I love it!

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Have you ever watched movies about Chinese Kung fu? Do you like it? It is a miracle, which has a history of thousands of years. Shaolin, Wudang, E-mei, Kunlun, Kongtong, Qingchen-numerous schools create the mystery of martial arts. Till now, Chinese martial art has become an overwhelming sport for keeping fit and self-defense. How much do you know about it?

Chinese Kung fu is a precious treasure that belongs not only to China but to the whole world. Anyone who has seen classical Chinese Kung Fu movies will be deeply impressed by the Chinese Wushu, which is called Kung Fu or Chinese martial arts in the west.

In China today, Wushu is the preferred word to describe Chinese Martial Arts. The word Kung Fu was first used by a western Jesuit Missionary named Pere Amoit after witnessing exercises and training regimen in China. He called it “Cong Fou” in his personal journals. The term “Kuo-Shu” was popular in China until about 1930. This term has since been popularized by the Taiwanese Government to describe Chinese Martial Arts.

Chinese Martial Arts known as Chinese Kung-fu by most foreigners is a traditional Chinese physical activity with thousands of years of history. As a precious element of China’s cultural heritage, Chinese Kung fu has also won its name all around the world for its broad and deep meanings and its Oriental features, which cover it with a mysterious veil.

The origin of Chinese Kung fu, according to some historical records and antique discoveries, can be dated back even to prehistoric times. Survival back then meant scrambling to take or protect food from others and animals. Kicking, boxing and blocking were a part of daily life. In the later primitive societies these skills began to appear at ceremonial rituals where they were combined with dance to represent their heroes, thus forming the earliest series of Kong-fu moves and performances.

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Also known around the world as Thai boxing, Muay Thai is an ancient art of self defense that was created and tested in battle by the fearless warriors of ancient Thailand.  Today, Muay Thai is used all around the world.  The United States Navy SEALs, Thai military, and even the CIA takes full advantage of the devastating and bone crushing techniques this martial art offers.

Unlike other martial arts, students of Thai don’t earn belts for their skills and their progression.  Instead, their skills are tested in the ring.  Since Thai fighting first began, the only things that the fighters themselves are interested in are the championship belts which showcase their dominance in Muay Thai fighting.

The skills that are taught with Muay Thai are far more dominant to other striking based martial arts.  Muay Thai uses very little grappling, but focuses more on crushing kicks, punches, and bone shattering elbows.  Students of Thai fighting can often take an opponent down with just one shot, often times breaking bones and sometimes even killing them with just one lethal kick or elbow.

The reason why Muay Thai didn’t utilize ground grappling or submission holds is because it was developed in ancient battlegrounds where there were always multiple attackers.  These attackers were knowledgeable in sword fighting skills, which made the need for a dependable martial art more or less a necessity.

Muay Thai used swords, spears, sticks, and hard strikes.  In this type of environment, you didn’t want the fight to go to the ground.  The strikes and weapon movements needed be fast, hard, and very precise.  With these types of conditions and the type of environment, Muay Thai needed be a very fast responsive martial art with an excellent weapons system.

Even though grappling and submissions were planned for Muay Thai, the martial art became more of a ring sport before grappling could be implemented.  With Thai originally being a martial art for striking purposes, a lot of martial artists have started using the techniques that have been proven time and time again with time boxing.

Although there are other martial arts that put a lot of emphasis on striking, Muay Thai is quite different.  The first area in which Muay Thai differs is the effective use of both elbows and knees.  The elbows and knees that are used with most Thai techniques are feared all around the world by boxers and other stylists.

Kicking and kneeing is the main objects in Muay Thai.  In order to become efficient with kicking, the shins need to be conditioned – which can be quite painful.  Once the Thai stylist has conditioned the nerves in his shins for impact, the shins can be used just like a club or a baseball bat.  This is something you should really see for yourself in action – as the sound of the impact alone can send chills down your back.

Through years of training and conditioning, Muay Thai fighters can become lethal and deadly weapons.  A properly trained fighter can make deadly impact, meaning that his knees, shins, and elbows are quite possibly deadlier than a gun or other type of weapon.  For this very reason – Muay Thai is one of the deadliest and most feared martial arts in the world.

All in all, Muay Thai is a great martial art for defense and competition.  Thai is one of the best martial arts in the world, proving it time and time again – in both ancient times and anytime it is used today.

About the Author

Al Dawson is a 25 year + keep fit fanatic and runs the company : http://www.ultimateboxingbags.com.

The Author grants full reprint rights to this article. You may reprint and electronically distribute this article as long as its contents remain unchanged and the Author’s byline remains in place.

If you have been studying karate for any length of time now, you have probably come to realize many important insights from your training. From my own study of karate, I have come to notice many interesting lessons. I would like to share some of these insights with you in this article.

1. The most talented students don’t always make the best instructors, nor do they even become black belts in many cases, whereas the averagely skilled but highly committed practitioner often makes it to the higher levels.

2. It is a mistake to judge yourself based on the performance and skill of others. Instead, do your best to honestly evaluate your performance in relation to how well you feel that you are fulfilling your potential in the art.

3. Never criticize others for not “getting it” because although they may be missing some of the things that you “get”, they may be gaining many other important insights that you haven’t yet begun to understand.

4. Don’t profess to know anything about karate other than superficial knowledge until you have been training for at least ten years and even then be very careful because as your own knowledge increases, rather than feeling that you know more, you instead realize more things that you do not yet know and the challenge becomes harder once again.

5. If you are a senior grade and a junior grade tells you that they now know a kata or a technique, don’t put them down or tell them that they don’t know what they’re talking about (even if that may be true), instead encourage them to keep training hard and congratulate them on their breakthrough.

6. There are different truths at different levels of training. Learning karate is a sequential process of breaking previous habits and beliefs, forming new habits and beliefs and then perfecting them until you reach the next breakthrough stage. Then repeat the process and find out that what was once clear now makes little to no sense. These are very confusing stages in your training but very important in your growth as a martial artist.

7. Try not to impose your values onto others in your training; try instead to be open-minded. Just because you think that kata is the greatest thing doesn’t mean that the die-hard sparring fanatic on the floor next to you agrees. It is important to respect and accept each other’s values rather than criticize and judge.

8. All of the above points can be directly applied to all aspects of your life in some shape or form and if you only practice them in the dojo then you are missing the wider picture and life lessons that karate offers.

These eight points can be further condensed into three core values of the martial arts:

· always try your best
· be honest in everything you do
· respect others

This is the essence of what I have taken from my karate training so far. How about you? What have you learned from your training? Why not share some of your insights and e-mail me at Paul@freekarateinformation.com.

I will look forward to communicating with you. For some valuable information on becoming a good instructor, read my FREE Report on “Instructor Mastery: How to Become a Great Instructor Right from the very First Lesson.” You can download it at http://www.freekarateinformation.com.

Good luck and best wishes to you on your honorable and noble role in teaching. Feel free to write to me at Paul@freekarateinformation.com with any questions you have on your practice or your teaching.

About the Author

Paul A. Walker, is a 4th degree black belt karate instructor with over 25 years experience in the martial arts. In 2003 he attained his 4th degree black belt, after studying with the legendary Karate Master, Hirokazu Kanazawa in Tokyo for three years. Get more info at
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There seems to be a prevalent myth that a common martial arts drill is some kind of ultimate drill. That if you become adept at this drill, you’ll be able to defend yourself in any type of attack in the street. Martial arts instructors have developed drills to improve this drill and others have made it an integral part of a sport.

Have you figured out what the drill to which I’m referring? That’s right ladies and gentlemen, the ultimate, the one and only – spaaarrrriiiinnnngggg!

For the purposes of this article, we will define sparring as an abstract martial arts drill in which two or more partners exchange attacking, defensive and counter-attacking techniques and tactics in a non-synchronized manner.

All drills, including sparring, have positive and negative attributes. I’d like to point out some of these attributes, both positive and negative to bring this good but sometimes misunderstood drill to the level and categories it belongs.

Positive Aspects of Sparring

Sparring is an Abstract Drill

The drill is flexible enough to train for a variety of situations and environments.

General defensive, offensive and counter-offensive tactics are developed and improved.

Distances can be experienced and tested of a variety of partner body types.

A variety of strikes and combinations can be experienced and executed.

The timing between blocks and or evasive movements and counter-striking can be observed, executed and improved.

The drill has positive aerobic and anaerobic factors similar to a type of interval training in which the athlete jogs then sprints a prescribed distance or time at intervals.

Sparring is executed by a number of styles and seems a good

basis for different styles of martial arts to both train and compete together.

Negative Aspects of Sparring

Sparring is an Abstract Drill The drill is flexible enough to train for a variety of situations and environments. There is not enough repetition of techniques and tactics to increase learning speed in a reasonable amount of time as compared to single focus drills.

General defensive, offensive and counter-offensive tactics are developed and improved. There is not enough repetition of techniques and tactics to increase learning speed in a reasonable amount of time as compared to single focus drills.

Distances can be experienced and tested of a variety of partner body types. The wide variety of experiences are a positive aspect of sparring, however my own experience is that often times the number of partners are limited.

A variety of strikes and combinations can be experienced and executed. Strikes and combinations can be experienced and executed, however in my experience partners tend to only execute those techniques and combinations the partners are comfortable with in order to avoid being struck. This tends to limit experiences in both observation and execution.

The timing between blocks and or evasive movements and counter-striking can be observed, executed and improved. There is not enough repetition of techniques and tactics to increase learning speed in a reasonable amount of time as compared to single focus drills.

Sparring is executed by a number of styles and seems a good basis for different styles of martial arts to both train and compete together. The schools which spar a great deal will have an unfair advantage over those schools which treat sparring like any other drill. This would be comparable to students thinking their style is better by comparing how well breaking-holds are executed or any other drill.

The drill has positive aerobic and anaerobic factors similar to a type of interval training in which the athlete jogs then sprints a prescribed distance or time at intervals. From strictly a self-defense point of view, anaerobic capacity is more important than aerobic capacity. A long sparring session doesn’t emphasize the intensity of a self-defense situation.

Variations of Sparring to Overcome Negative Aspects

I’m the first to admit, despite its weaknesses, I love sparring. Well they don’t call me The Drillman for nothing. So I developed several variations of sparring to focus on various aspects of self-defense training and compensate for some of the weaknesses.

Repeat Sparring This helps me quite a bit. If my partner tags me with a strike, he/she repeats the same combination over and over until I develop a block and or evasive movement. This benefits my partner as he/she repeats an effective combination and it benefits me as I learn to avoid being hit by an effective combination.

Taking Away Weapons Remember I mentioned martial artists tend use only techniques and combinations of techniques they are comfortable with (okay okay with which they are comfortable for you English teachers out there)?

Now we take away those favorites techniques and combinations by removing weapons.

The possibilities are only limited by your imagination

When attacking you may only use these combinations of weapons

All

Left arm right leg

Right arm left leg

Right side weapons

Left side weapons

Left arm

Right arm

Right leg

Left leg

When defending you may only use these combinations of tools

All

Left arm right leg

Right arm left leg

Right side

Left side

Left arm

Right arm

Right leg and evasive

Left leg and evasive

Add or take away evasive

Evasive only

Now mix them up

You’re attacks and defenses are unlimited

You’re attacks are limited by a set of guideline above but not you’re defenses

You’re defenses are limited by a set of guideline above but not you’re attacks

You’re defenses and attacks are limited by the same set of guideline above

You’re defenses and attacks are limited by different sets of guidelines above.

And the list goes on.

Think think think. Add a safely knife right in the middle of sparing. One student throws another that’s sparring a safety baseball bat another student joins another.

Tai Chi like slow motion free for all with three martial artists.

This is a great drill done slowly. Temporary teams against one student are formed, but you have to keep an eye on your temporary partner as well.

I’ve actually got a lot more drills than this , but many of them do not match the topic of this article, my carpal tunnel hands are getting tired, and the drills don’t match our stated definition of sparring. Feel free however to check out my printable ebook, Bringing the Martial Artist Out from Within for more drills.

Thank you for your support. If you have martial arts drills or articles feel free to share them in any of the martial arts groups below.

Rick Sensei J. Richard Kirkham B.Sc. http://kirkhamsebooks.com/MartialArts/BringingTheMartialArtistOutfrombykirkham.htm

About the Author

About the Author

J. Richard Kirkham is a dual certified teacher and martial arts instructor. He has expertise in alternative teaching methods and positive reinforcement methodology. He’s written several books in the printable electronic format and has made downloadable videos and DVDs. He currently resides in Honolulu with his wife Jan and son Hunter. Feel free to visit Mr. Kirkham’s website at http://KirkhamsEbooks.com/MartialArts or you may email him at help@kirkhamsebooks.com You may post this article in its entirety

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The martial art known as Kung Fu is very old, yet very powerful.  There are several different forms involved with Kung Fu, that only add to the power and mystique.  Below, we will go over a majority of the different styles and forms that make up Kung Fu.

White Crane style
The spirit of the White Crane has led to what many martial artists consider to be the most graceful system of Kung Fu.  The pattern for the White Crane style was patterned after a crane bird often found in marshes and open plains.  The White Crane defense forms and attacks are nothing short of amazing, often known as “deadly beauty”.

Although the techniques within the White Crane style can take years to properly master, they simple and to the point.  White Crane stylists are masters of self defense, although they are taught to avoid confrontations.  Even though a stylist can handle himself in any situation, he will avoid a fight at all costs and only react with physical action when he is left with no choice.

Wing Chun
From a Chinese standpoint, Wing Chun is the essence that the opponent will attack, absorb, and then neutralize the attack.  Then, the opponent or attacker will back off, pursue, then counter – disengage his restriction from arms, and then retaliate with a deadly and penetrating force.

This philosophy will take years to fully understand, and years of practice to master.  Technically speaking, Wing Chun uses a steady and never ending forward flow of energy that’s based on the principle that a straight line is the shortest distance between two points.

Offensively, Wing Chun is all about a combination of intercepting and straight lines with deflecting arcs.  In general, it is an aggressive close quarter style that pushes offensive attacks and takes the fight right to the attacker.  In other words – Wing Chun doesn’t care nor does it put a lot of time towards the more traditional block and counter routines.

Hung Gar
Hung Gar is more or less an adaptation of the Tiger system of Shaolin that emphasizes close quarter techniques.  Hung Gar isn’t much on distance fighting, although it is very effective in close quarter situations, such as alleys and in small rooms.  It is a very strong system, teaching stylists to handle themselves properly in areas where other martial arts seem to fail.

Praying Mantis
Nearly 400 years ago, a man named Wang had a vision.  Using a praying mantis that he was able to capture, Wang studied it’s movements.  By using what he saw, he created and founded the style of Praying Mantis.  Wang perfected his own martial art style by continuing to observe both the offensive and defensive movements of the praying mantis, and using them with his style.

The Monkey style
Even though it is thought of a comical approach to martial arts, the Monkey style is actually one of the deadliest martial arts systems in the world.  This style dates back to the 1840s, when missionaries were first allowed passage into China.

The Monkey style all began when a peaceful maned named See resisted arrested after accidentally killing an officer of the law.  See was sentenced to prison for his crime, where he spent all of his time watching the prison apes.  He found them amazing, and would watch them from his cell, which his also helped to pass the time.

Over his ten year prison sentence, he studied the way the apes moved, paying very close attention to how they defended themselves and fought each other.  Then, when he was released from prison, he adapted his style, becoming known as the Monkey Master.  A lot of people joined him along the way, and began to learn his Monkey system which is still very effective today.

About the Author

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