Ancient Martial Arts in Modern Day Society

White Tiger Kung Fu, also named Bak Fu Pai, is a Southern Shaolin variety of Kung Fu first manifested in 1644. Although this self defense sort is very ancient, it is still intact to this day with the customs and techniques prospering here in 2011, while still blossoming and exploding with life (for the general self defense class they were playing rock music on the boombox, which is in all likelihood a new transformation since 1644.) Somehow it works, and its just subtle and not at all nettlesome. My concentration was unquestionably on the teacher, not the audio, but it lends a fun spirit to the lessons and it’s just enjoyable to do things to music sometimes.

Despite the fact that this shaolin style dates back officially to 1644 and the 1st in the Doo Wai lineage, you must also consider that in 1644 some of these disciplines were already 1000’s of years old. Many of the sparring and sanative techniques that were incorporated in 1644 were probably created far earlier in Chinese boxing and healing arts. I think its hard to say how old many of the methods may be, or how old many of the herbal concentrates are as well.

When people think of Kung Fu, they are generally thinking of Northern Shaolin style, with its long flowing graceful kicks, but Southern Shaolin Kung Fu looks more like boxing or Karate and isn’t at all like what you see in the tv shows typically. White Tiger style is a no nonsense kung fu developed in the Southern Shaolin tradition.

The land being hard In the colder northern regions of China, it provided a more stable footing when kicking and stepping, therefor, northern Shaolin styles developed more kicking, acrobatic strategies, while in the warmer southern climate of China, the dirt was not as hard which made kicking and stepping more arduous. As a result, the Southern shaolin style is more focused on higher stances with hand methods. More like boxing or Karate than what most people think of as “kung fu”.

Of course, the subject being Shaolin Kung Fu, its not so simple to depict in short little pieces on the web, its a real world training to experience for yourself first hand. I always find language hopelessly limited to accurately portray things with such importance as Shaolin Kung FuShaolin Kung Fu .

I don’t think its really meant to be thoroughly described in an article on the web. Its an ancient partly oral tradition, partly an active fitness regimen that includes interesting ancient Chinese herbs. You must train on your own as well, to master anything in life, it takes dedication and it takes time. In this case, reading or writing short articles on the topic is never going to even begin to thoroughly describe a venture into the depths of Shaolin Kung Fu the way real first hand experience can.

The traditional stories, the ancient wisdom, the accumulation of discoveries from thousands of years really is a very amazing and storied history, but the active fitness lifestyle that comes with Kung Fu training is a huge extra reward. Many people don’t have time for fitness , but for those who do, martial arts training can be a very rewarding journey with many reinforcements besides just physical conditioning.

Martial Art Belt Ranks – Where Did They Come From And What Do They Mean

Martial Art Belt Ranks

Where did they come from and what do they mean?

There are many theories why present day martial art schools use belts and sashes as a ranking system and where the concept of using belts came from. We will discuss two philosophies, one that is widely accepted by many practitioners and another that can be considered as a legend, or story that was passed down by your grandfather. Please keep in mind that the belt ranking system has only been around about 120 years. Throughout this article, keep in mind that not all Martial Arts are the same, your school may have a completely different ranking system than discussed here.

One of the most common arguments comes from the founder of modern day Judo, Dr. Jigoro Kano. An educator and sports enthusiast, Dr. Kano used a black belt to represent his dan (highest-ranking) students in his school, the Kodokan. However, he later realized his kyu (lower ranking) students needed an outward tangible object to acknowledge their accomplishments and encourage their efforts. So he implemented the different colors to signify the progress that his kyu made over time.

Eventually, other Japanese martial art styles such as Karate, Aikido, Kendo, etc. incorporated the Judo belt ranking system when Gichin Funakoshi, an Okinawan karate master and considered as the Father of Modern Karate demonstrated his martial art style, Shotokan, at the Kodokan.

The other theory, known as the belt getting dirty can be considered as a martial arts folklore. When new students started their training they were given the rank of white belt, signifying a birth or beginning. Students were not allowed to wash their belts, therefore the belt would get dirty the more they practiced. In time the belt would become black, signifying the amount of time the student spent practicing and typically their level of skill.

As a new student in a martial art, you will most likely be given a white belt at the beginning of your training and will progress through a color system on your way toward a black belt. However, contrary to popular belief, the black belt does not signify the end of your training, but rather the beginning. In most arts, once you earn your black belt you are no longer considered a kyu, you are now a dan.

Dan have their own ranking system known as degrees. You are a first degree black belt when you first attain it, over time you can test for your 2nd degree black belt (or 2nd dan) and so on. Most martial arts consider a 10th degree black belt to be the highest level of mastery.

As you train in a martial art, don’t get discouraged if you are stuck on a certain belt for a long period of time. It usually takes many years to progress through the belts and this is actually one of the lessons that participating in Martial Arts will teach you. Progressing through the belts requires a great deal of time, dedication, self-confidence, patience and self-discipline. The skills you learn in your martial arts training will apply to almost every aspect of your life and will help you succeed in areas where you never thought Martial Arts would help.

If you would like to learn more about Martial Arts or are interested in finding a school in your area, go to http://www.experiencemartialarts.com.

The Best Martial Arts Workout To Get Ripped and Ready

Get into the best shape of your life while learning one of the coolest martial art techniques in the world. The art of Muay Thai fighting can make you a fit and formidable fighter, the envy of your training partners and feared by your opponents!

Are you frustrated because you are out of shape? Are traditional forms of exercise boring for you? Do you think you could protect yourself and your loved ones from a brutal attacker?

Get confident and get fit using martial arts workouts designed to teach you Muay Thai. Not only will you get stronger, leaner and more confident -but you will be learning the martial art techniques that will enable you to easily handle yourself in any self-defense situation.

Muay Thai fighters have always been respected and even feared by many of the more familiar fighting disciplines. Modern fighters like Wanderlei Silva, Mirko “Cro Cop”, Anderson Silva, BJ Penn, Rich Franklin and many others have dominated their opponents using their superior Muay Thai fighting skills.

Muay Thai training is one of the best martial arts workout you can do for cardiovascular fitness. It is physically demanding, athletically challenging and will build your conditioning to MMA fighting standards.

You can develop fantastic fitness, supreme confidence, deadly striking power and you will gain the security and respect that comes from practicing the dominant martial art of Muay Thai.

Through the power of Muay Thai training, you will learn how to overcome your fears, smash through personal barriers and take charge of your life.

Imagine how happy you will feel when you tell your friends that you have lost 3 inches from your waist and developed a bone shattering Thai kick in the process! Now that is something to be proud of.

Muay Thai training will give you a leaner, more muscular body and some fantastic self-defense skills too.

Best of all, this kind of MMA workout doesn’t take years of practice before seeing any improvements. You can begin making positive changes to your body and your self-defense skills right away.

*Learn excellent self-defense skills

*Get fantastic MMA conditioning

*Become more flexible, coordinated and disciplined

*Get leaner while building muscle

*Improve your health and look younger

*Build your self-confidence

*Earn respect from opponents and sparring partners

Muay Thai Training Has The Power To Change Your Life!

For more information about how you can get fit enough to fight, visit our website at Thai-Clinch.com. Watch FREE MMA conditioning videos and martial arts workouts.

About the Author Paul D’Arcy, NSCA, CPT is a Poliquin certified BioSignature practitioner and is the owner of Sport Fitness & Physique, LLC

Incorporate ‘Inner Secrets of Martial Arts Success’ To Your Education

It was Remy Presas who developed Modern Arnis back in the 1960s. The moves taught in this guide is to be utilized in dangerous situations and not for competition. There is a great deal of bonus items that include the greatest mind training system, the martial arts manual of the US Marines, the secrets of Jujitsu and many other valuable guides.

In the US, students training in Bando do so under the auspices of the American Bando Association, which Maung Gyi founded in the 1960s. When you discover what others do to your techniques, you can use it to your advantage. Fortunately there is the Inner Secrets of Martial Arts Success multimedia pack, which will teach you how to do it along with other useful training.

In addition to the books, his package includes videos, and ten extra books from the public domain. With joint locks and submission techniques, lots of practice is going to be required for you to be great at it. Modern Arnis students make use of rattan sticks when they start their training, even though they also train in bare-hands defense.

Advanced Bando students also start training in animal attack routines in order to introduce them to the more difficult self-defense techniques. If you are caught in an actual fight or panic situation, you’ll react automatically without thought. They’ll have a chance to have first hand experience without getting injured if they are able to do it at a martial arts school in front of their teacher or instructor. To prevent injury, you’ll normally wear full body and head gear during practice. During the 1960s, Remy Presas created the contemporary form of Arnis. Every belt also has degrees — for instance 1st degree green belt, 2nd degree green belt, and so forth.

When they have learned the basic techniques, Bando students are then taught the empty hand forms (aka). This will help them become familiar with the basics and defensive concepts of the Bando system. It was Remy Presas who created Modern Arnis in the 1960s. This information bundle from Rod Turner will add to virtually any martial arts training you are receiving.

There are unofficial groups and schools teaching different Modern Arnis variations. It’s crucial to note that the quality of teaching varies from one establishment to another. Students master the 9 elementary kicks, punches, blocks, and so forth. In the course of training, students strike at their opponent’s rattan sticks. Nonetheless, in genuine fighting scenarios, the strikes must be made on the hands that hold the weapon to effectively disarm the adversary.

In general, however, Bando thaing includes self-protection, self-development, and self-defense. This extraordinary package includes 42 books as well as over six hours of training videos. Security systems, cops, alarms, it doesn’t really matter, when you’re under a threat, you’ll most likely be alone. All fighting styles use sparring, just like several sports, including wrestling and boxing.

Hence, Modern Arnis emphasizes guardedness and respect for the adversary. The style advocates disarming the adversary, a principle known as “defanging the snake”. The CD he produced contains videos, bonuses and 10 public domain text. One particular martial art form that makes use of sparring extensively is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu simply because grappling exercises need another individual to practice with to be effective. As they train, students direct their attacks at the rattan sticks held by their enemy. In a real life combat situation, however, the strikes have to be aimed towards the hands holding the weapons to fully disarm the opponent. The rounds often last for a few minutes, but they vary. You may be doing a martial art style for exercise or just for fun, but if you are doing it to learn to protect yourself, sparring will make you better. Higher levels demand a lifetime of practice.

Culinary Arts Schools Offer a End to Really Boring Jobs and Careers

Day in and day out slaving at a job or working on a career a person really dislikes, can be very tiring. A lot of people who work at boring jobs think they do not have much of a choice, but nothing could be farther from reality. For those individuals in today’s job market who are willing to seek new and exciting careers, there are various interesting and creative jobs and careers available. One exciting career is in the culinary arts industry, which have many culinary arts jobs and careers available that would stimulate a persons natural enjoyment of the art of cooking. Even with no culinary arts work experience, there are many college and university culinary arts associate and bachelor’s degree programs available that will help people gain the experience necessary to obtain a culinary arts job or career of their dreams.

College and university culinary arts programs develop an extensive plan for their degrees to cover all aspects of the culinary arts for a job or a career. When students graduate with an associate’s degree or a bachelor’s degree and for a new exciting career, they will be fully prepared for the culinary arts industry. College and university culinary arts schools usually have an associate’s degree for students who pursue a basic career or a bachelor’s degree for the ambitious students who want more of a career in culinary arts. There are many college and university culinary arts schools that offer students recreational classes, who just love to cook and improve their skills. There are culinary arts schools who offer associate degrees in the confectionary arts, and bachelor degrees in culinary arts management, plus various recreational classes in the evening and on the weekends.

College and university culinary arts courses will offer a variety of skills and information to teach students. Food sanitation, food storage, and basic food production skills are well known topics in the culinary industry, and are very important parts of culinary arts programs. To prepare a student for various cooking jobs in their career, culinary arts schools will offer courses on basic nutrition, planning menus, and on different cultural, international cuisine. Special cooking skills and specific courses like in baking are thought in most culinary arts schools. Some culinary schools will teach classes on business management and hospitality law which are advanced programs in culinary arts management.

A college or university culinary arts education will prepare a student for a number of jobs or a career in the culinary industry. Food preparation positions, assembling ingredients for complex dishes, positions involving a lot of responsibility and making top level decisions, such as a sous-chef (under-chef of the kitchen) is the direct assistant of the executive chef or the head chef. An education from one of these culinary arts schools will ensure the culinary job or career of a student’s dream. James Murray is a successful writer and online SEO and SEM expert providing valuable tips and advice for those interested in seo and sem strategies. His numerous articles found on the Internet, provide useful and factual seo and sem information and insight. Some of his websites are : http://www.seo-worldwide.net , http://www.atclickbank.com , http://www.website-submissions-worldwide.com