Posted on Monday, 3rd November 2008 by Captain Chris

The Shaolin martial arts are a combination of spiritual beliefs and practical self defense training. The monks developed their own close combat program that included weapons training and hand-to-hand combat training. Over time their teachings would not be confided by the walls of their monastery, and their method of hand-to-hand combat would go to inspire hundreds of other forms. While training in one of its many derivatives is easy to find it is almost impossible to find true Shaolin Kung Fu training.

Thanks to films and television the Shaolin martial arts have become known around the world, but myths and legends distort the truth. Though many credit Indian monk Bodhidharma with the creation of Kung Fu he actually brought yoga to the monks. The solid combat effective martial art that stressed quickness and brute force, and utilized common weapons would come some seven hundred years after his visit. Many monks were soldiers and even generals prior to embracing monastic life, and they influenced the development of the new martial art.

The monastery was destroyed several times, but the monks were a force to be reckoned with and would aid several lords in time of crisis throughout their long history, they would fight bandits, invading armies and even pirates. The monks also trained students to train, but not all students would follow the doctrine of the monks. As others developed their own versions of Kung Fu not all were as effective as the original.

Their order survived the Chinese civil war and the invading Japanese, but when the communists seized control things would change forever. The communists persecuted the monks and made Wushu the official form of Kung Fu. The new form of Kung Fu is completely devoid of any spiritual aspects, and in China Maoist teachings are part of the training. Many who teach Kung Fu are actually teaching Wushu which looks impressive, but is completely useless when it comes to self defense unlike traditional Shaolin martial arts.

Today the monks hang on to their traditions while adapting to an every changing world. The monks use modern weights and machines as part of their training, and when someone wrote an offensive article about them, they contacted lawyers not assassins. Performances at their temple in China showcase modern Kung Fu not the traditional form that made them famous, because the communist government has outlawed Shaolin martial arts.

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Posted on Sunday, 2nd November 2008 by Captain Chris

Sambo is an acronym for “SAMozashchita Bez Oruzhiya” or “Self-defense without weapons”, developed in the Soviet Union so that the military and law enforcement would have one uniform system. Russia was going through social and political change in 1918. The government was in turmoil as the communists seized power and pulled out of World War I, but they soon had a civil war to fight, and they needed a new army. The military would be modernized and the new Red Army would have its own martial art. The communists made plenty of mistakes, but they understood that their new army needed good close combat training.

Vasili Oschepkov and Victor Spiridonov would both contribute to the creation of the new martial arts system. Oschepkov was a combat veteran who was an experienced Karate instructor and had earned his second degree black belt from Judo’s founder in Japan. Spiridonov saw action in both the Russo-Japanese war and WWI, and saw first hand how martial arts principals could be applied to actual combat. The two men had also studied boxing, Greco-Roman wrestling, and many other martial arts. The two men understood that if you were going to win a fight you had to keep attacking and taking ground and their style reflected their experience.

The government trained people in multiple versions of Sambo giving the military a version similar to the Pre-WWII combat techniques from Judo and Jujutsu found in the west. Sambo is still taught to military personnel, border guards, police officers, and has even seeped into the prison system. The government fearing its citizens might rebel only taught civilians a nonlethal version of Sambo. This decision would come back to haunt the government when citizens weren’t able to defend themselves against Nazi forces when they fought their way through Russia killing soldier and civilian alike.

Since the late 1980’s women have begun competing in sport Sambo and forming their own clubs. The Russian military still continues to teach Sambo, and it even was viewed as a possible option for training United States Army personnel. Many mix martial artists (MMA) have adopted Sambo since it is a mix of other effective martial arts though it would probably be simpler to just learn Judo. Like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) Sambo is a combination of local wrestling and Judo. While Sambo was created by Russians under a Soviet regime it had many outside influences.

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Posted on Saturday, 1st November 2008 by Captain Chris

The son of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) founder Hélio Gracie Royce has stepped out of his father’s shadow and built a reputation as a tough competitor in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), and has made his family’s sport popular worldwide. Though he first exploded on the seen in the 1990’s when he won a string of victories in the first Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) he has been competing since he was eight years old and earned his black belt by the age of eighteen. Royce has proven time and time again what many BJJ practitioners already know; size doesn’t matter if you have skill.

Today Royce can be found teaching at the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Torrance, California with his brother Rorion, but like all of the nine children his training started in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. His father never pressured any of the children to training, but when Royce wanted to train there was a place for him at his father’s academy. After earning his purple belt he traveled to the United States and lived and trained with his brother Rorion who was then teaching out of his garage. It was in the United States where he would earn his black belt and his fame.

The Royce first came to the attention of the martial arts world when he competed in the first UFC which was created by Rorion and Art Davie. Competitors would compete in a no holds barred eight-man single-elimination tournament for $50,000 dollars. Though pitting martial artists of different styles against each other had been going on in Brazil since the start of BJJ, but it was new to American martial arts fans. Competitors thought they were going to be fighting Rorion not the smaller less experienced Royce, but he dominated very match. The tournament showed the importance of grappling, and Royce would go on to win many other victories.

Royce has had his share of troubles which has included a steroid scandal which is still ongoing. He has also abandoned his traditional kimono during MMA matches, and has lost several high stakes matches. Still Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu remains a potent force in martial arts, and he has done a lot to advance his sport. Today MMA is more popular then boxing, and he deserves a share of the credit.

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Posted on Friday, 31st October 2008 by Captain Chris

Son of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) founder Helio Gracie Royce Gracie has stepped out of his father’s shadow and built a reputation as a tough competitor in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), and has made his family’s sport popular worldwide. Though he first exploded on the seen in the 1990’s when he won a string of victories in the first Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) he has been competing since he was eight years old and earned his black belt in BJJ by the age of eighteen. Royce has proven time and time again what many Judo and BJJ practitioners already know; size doesn’t matter if you have skill.

Today Royce can be found teaching at the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Torrance, California with his brother Rorion, but like all of the nine children his training started in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. His father never pressured any of the children to training, but when Royce wanted to train there was a place for him at his father’s academy. After earning his purple belt he traveled to the United States and lived and trained with his brother Rorion who was then teaching out of his garage. It was in the United States where he would earn his black belt and his fame.

The Royce first came to the attention of the martial arts world when he competed in the first UFC which was created by Rorion and Art Davie. Competitors would compete in a no holds barred eight-man single-elimination tournament for $50,000 dollars. Though pitting fighters with different styles against each other was common in Brazil it was the first match of its kind in the United States. Royce who was only 170lbs at the time, but he amazed the audience when he defeated three larger and strong opponents in a row using BJJ techniques. The tournament showed the importance of grappling, and Royce would go on to win many other victories.

Though Royce has had an impressive martial arts career it has not been without troubles. In recent years he and others members of his family have lost matches, and he has stopped using his trade mark gi in competition. He has also been implicated in steroid use which remains an ongoing issue. Still Royce Gracie has done has done many good things for sport martial arts, and he as come a long way from the kid training in his brother’s garage.

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Posted on Thursday, 30th October 2008 by Captain Chris

The spies and assassins of medieval Japan ninjas would strike from out of nowhere and then disappear just as suddenly leaving on the corpses of their enemies. There success was in part thanks to their equipment. While the samurai lived with on the ninja worked out of sight doing all the dirty jobs that had to be done. There is a lot of mystery surrounding the ninja but what is known is that they were able to hide among the people and often employed disguises. If that failed they would use a more stealthy attire that included a jacket, trousers, gauntlets, and tabi boots that had a thick rubber soul to reduce noise. Historians are split whether or not ninja’s actually wore the black uniform, but at the very least they probably had camouflaged kimonos or gi’s to help them blend in with the terrain.

While a samurai projected strength and would readily meet an attacker a ninja would take great pains to avoid anyone, but their target. They were the first to experiment with explosive as a means to distract guards, and they often carried tools to help them break in to a fortress. For wall climbing a ninja would attach climbing spikes to his tabi boots and put on climbing claws called either tekagi or shuko and scale the wall. A kawanga which was a grappling hook with either a rope or rope ladder attached would also be used for climbing. If a ninja was chased, they would leave behind sharp metal spikes called tetsubishi or caltrops to slow down pursers, and they had a survival kit already prepared incase they had to good into hiding in the wilderness.

All of the ninja’s equipment was practical and deadly like the Manriki-Gursari which was a chain with weights on each end that could be easily hidden and was excellent for striking at and entangling attackers. Kusari-Gama attached the Manriki-Gursari to a farmer’s scythe so the chain would entangle an attacker’s weapon allow the ninja to strike with the scythe. Another valuable piece of equipment was the ninja’s three-pronged dagger that wasn’t sharp, but could block a sword strike. The ninja also learned the equipment of their enemies and many mastered the weapons of the samurai and weapons associated with Karate in addition to their own. Espionage has never had warriors as feared as the ninja of Japan.

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Posted on Wednesday, 29th October 2008 by Captain Chris

Muay Thai or Thai kick boxing has seen new popularity in recent years thanks to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) where many of the competitors employ this brutal and sometimes deadly art. Muay Thai has been the national sport of Thailand long before the UFC and is steeped in ritual. What attracts audiences to this martial arts form is its lighting attacks of hands and feet. Unlike Western style boxing Thai boxing has only five three minute rounds and if there is no knockout the match is a draw. In Thailand training begins at a young age with boys beginning training, as soon as they are able to walk, but the sport has expanded to include women who hold their own tournaments. For those who practice traditional Muay Thai each boxer must perform Ram Muay or ritual dance before each fight. The sport has grown in popularity and now there are competitions and schools every where from California to Russia.

Muay Thai was derived from Lerdrit which was taught to the Royal Thai Army, and it is combat tested Muay Thai isn’t. In Thai Boxing opponents are always coming at you straight on with rules prohibiting many moves including grappling which can bring an end to a Muay Thai fighter’s deadly assault once they’re taken down. In addition, there aren’t any weapons defenses. In a street fight, there is much more to the fight then hit and get hit back.

Judo may be a competitive sport in Japan and around the world, but only rules separate competitive Judo from what one might use for self defense in real world situations. In fact most UFC fighters find themselves having to study another art form in addition to Muay Thai, so they’re able to survive in competition. On the street a Muay Thai fighter isn’t ready for battle, because they’re used to always being in a fair fight. Jujutsu is a combat tested form of self defense, and isn’t just for competition sports. Full contact may make a person tough, but you have to do more than punch and kick to win a fight. A Muay Thai fighter is only good in the ring though training is great for combat conditioning. The lesson here is you can enjoy a sport like Muay Thai, but study a martial art that you can use for self defense. Survival is pass fail the score doesn’t matter.

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Posted on Tuesday, 28th October 2008 by Captain Chris

Seems everyone wants to learn what is the most effective martial art is, but most people don’t know enough make an informed decision. The truth is there isn’t one martial arts style that is the most effective, but there are some styles that are more effective for self defense. What most people don’t realize is that many martial arts styles are really sports, and aren’t intended to be deadly. Actual combat is the only way to determine if a martial art is truly effective. Your strengths, weaknesses, and needs dictate what the most effective martial art is.

Whether it is boxing, mixed martial arts (MMA), or Muay Thai deaths are infrequent, because these styles are designed only to simulate combat. These styles are great for combat conditioning though, and are an important first step in learning combat martial arts, but they aren’t meant to be deadly. Some martial arts styles have combat origins, but too often they have been sanitized and no longer have their deadly edge. When it comes to combat sport you go with your strengths and that determines what is effective for you.

Many times real martial arts aren’t even used in films, or they’re modified to look better on film. Even accomplished martial artists like Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris changed their techniques for film, and drag out fights so there would a dramatic climax. In real life even the toughest martial artist will try to avoid fights against multiple opponents or armed attackers, and they might even consider running away. The script not martial arts knowledge dictates how a fight goes, and anybody’s style can look cool effective on TV.

If you are looking for the most effective martial arts you will never find it until you decide what you want to get out of a style. Sport martial arts won’t help you in a deadly street fight, and you will find mysticism often only works inside the martial arts schools. If you want to be able to use deadly force you need to learn a good combat martial art that will allow you to kill someone if necessary. If you want to compete in MMA you do that techniques that work for you and the style that offers them are the most effective martial art for you. There is no best or most deadly martial art, because it is all relative. Your strengths, weaknesses, and needs dictate what the most effective martial art is.

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Posted on Monday, 27th October 2008 by Captain Chris

Mixed martial arts exploded on the scene in 1993 offering an exciting alternative to boxing. The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) matches had few rules and allowed fighters to use both boxing and wrestling moves in an octagon shaped ring. Fighters used a variety of martial art styles like Muay Thai, and Karate. The Gracie family who organized the UFC used the tournaments to showcase their talent their martial arts talent. For the first few years, they dominated the competition, because of their superior training and experience. In order to win in a mixed martial arts (MMA) match a fighter needs to be able to grapple on the ground and standing, the Gracies could do all well and they destroyed their competition.

To understand Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu a student must first study Judo that was created by Jigoro Kano in the late 19th century. Though supporters of BJJ say Kano considered ground fighting unimportant they couldn’t be more wrong. Because standing techniques took longer to learn then ground techniques Kano stressed standing workouts. In Japan, the saying is “one year to learn ground ten years to learn standing.”

One of Kano’s students Mitsuyo Maeda a veteran Judo instructor who had already taught in a number of countries found a very eager student named Hélio Gracie in Brazil. Maeda only had a few months with the boys so he started with the basics and stressed groundwork rather then the more complex standing techniques. He also taught the boys some strikes from Jujutsu and made it clear that in a street fight “anything goes” was the right attitude. Hélio Gracie liked Judo and continued his training and teaching. It is unsure why he began calling it Jiu Jitsu, but the takedowns, throws, and submissions were all things he learned from Maeda.

The family continued to teach Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and when they brought it to the United States, its popularity grew greatly. They took on wrestlers, boxers, and other martial artists and preyed on their weaknesses. Anyone practicing Judo knew exactly what they were doing, but many people thought the Gracies had created something new. It is important to remember that as brutal as MMA is it is still a combat sport. The Gracies learned Judo and Jujutsu and made it their own, not better. Whether it is on the street or in the octagon, it is the Judoka who is left standing.

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Posted on Sunday, 26th October 2008 by Captain Chris

Martial arts weapons is a broad category and covers everything from bowie knives to medieval broadswords to the African assegai. Any time a weapon is used in hand to hand combat it becomes a martial arts weapon. Today many martial arts weapons survive in sport combatives or culture fighting arts, and they still impress people with their power and beauty.

In the Philippines practice Eskrima which comes from the Spanish term for fencing. Their fighting art primarily uses knives, swords, shields and spears and is used by the United States military as part of their hand-to-hand combat training. For training, they use sticks to simulate blades. The sticks are made from hard and durable, yet light weight woods like Rattan and Kamgong woods that are cheap and common in the Philippines to make the Eskrima staffs and sticks needed for fighting. The sticks and stave range in size depending of what style of Eskrima is being used. In China Kung Fu includes many traditional Chinese weapons like swords, spears, and daggers. Today the modern art of Wushu stages theatrical performances with many of the same weapons though it is more like a gymnastics display than a form of martial arts.

Today when most people think of martial arts weapons, though they think of the samurai and his deadly arsenal. The katana is a brutal yet refined sword which is capable of taking off limbs of an attacker. The wakazashi is much the same only smaller and can be used together with the katana for devastating attacks as legendary swordsmen, Miyamoto Musashi wrote in his famous Book of the Five Rings. During the days of the samurai, the tanto was used for seppuku, ritual suicide which a samurai would commit if he lost honor or seize control of their own destiny, ending his own life denying his enemy the opportunity to kill or capture him in battle. These weapons were used for centuries by samurai who drove off Mongol invaders, and later captured by American G.I.’s throughout the Pacific.

With the invention of firearms less and less time was put into developing traditional martial arts weapons, but there is a handful of devoted followers still practicing ancient customs and training methods. Still though some weapons training remains part of modern close combat, and it would be a mistake to neglect the lessons learn by those who came before.

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Posted on Saturday, 25th October 2008 by Captain Chris

If you like to watch martial arts videos it seems this is your golden age. Everybody in their brother is showing what they can do, and they are putting it on film. Some just are showing off what they can do while others are using medium to educate people. Every martial art from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to Kung Fu is on the screen to help you learn or be entertained. Even purchasing videos are not necessary any longer thanks to online rentals. The world is changing and the world of martial arts is keeping pace.

Long distance learning allows a student to be educated that otherwise would have had no exposure to a martial art before they decide to attend a school. For the fans of fights like those that go on in the UFC martial arts videos let them relive the action. For those who sell martial arts supplies having training and entertainment martial arts videos are a staple of retail. For some martial arts retailer’s videos are all they sell offering people every possible style for them to view. The world is getting smaller and martial arts videos are part of the process.

For the fan or potential student martial arts videos give them everything they need to make decisions and have fun. For the fan there is no match that will be missed and always someone new to discover and learn about in the massive libraries offered online. For the student looking for a style that fits their needs finding a style that meets their requirements is easy as they reveal sample videos for every style no matter how obscure. Books are not the only way to do research any longer. It is one thing to read dry text about a martial art move it is another thing to see it happen before your eyes.

Human beings have an insatiable drive to learn and television is still an important tool for learning and entertainment. After a quick Internet search, you can easily build your library of martial arts films for training or just entertainment. Martial arts videos can be education as well as enjoyment depending on your mood. The ancient martial arts master would have loved the idea that millions would be learning about the arts they helped establish. Now martial arts videos cross all barriers and aren’t hampered by anything other than someone’s desire to learn.

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