For anyone who wants to learn a martial art, there is a lot to know in regards to the many different styles. Of course there is the question of finding the best martial art, which is a question a lot of people ask with so many martial arts styles to choose from, it can be very complicated to pick one to learn.

No matter what you may hear or what others have to say, it is quite impossible to name one style of martial arts as the ultimate best. Actually, there are several factors that come into play,Even though one style may beat another in a competition or a fight it doesn’t always mean that the winning style is the best.

Before deciding to rush out there and learn a martial art, there are several things that you should decide first. Martial arts are great to learn, no matter which style you decide on. A martial art can teach you self discipline, self defence, and several other traits that will help you no matter where you decide to go in life.

Self defence

All over the world, there are several martial arts schools and dojo’s that emphasize self defence a lot more than others. Schools that focus on kata, forms, or light sparring are less than likely to teach you what you need to protect yourself on the street. If you are looking for street self defence, then you’ll want a style that trains hard and doesn’t let up.

Fitness

Even though martial arts can improve your fitness level, it isn’t the goal behind a lot of the martial arts styles. Several styles, such as Tae Bo, are based purely on martial arts and don’t include a lot of physical fitness training. If you are looking for fitness as your main goal, then you should be looking into something other than martial arts.

Fighting ability

This will vary among the many different martial arts styles. Self defence schools will most often take advantage of fighting skills, teaching you everything you need to survive. Most martial arts styles are slow in theory, teaching you kata, movements, and forms. Self defence schools on the other hand, teach you how to inflict the most amounts of damage in the least amount of time.

Competition

Competition based martial arts are all about winning trophies and showing the world your style of martial arts. The competition that you have chosen, will greatly impact your style of martial arts. You’ll need to decide if you will be fighting or showcasing display kata, light or heavy contact, or focusing on grappling or striking.

Before you decide on a martial arts style, you should always research the schools and dojo’s in your area and see what they offer. The best schools will allow you to participate in a few free classes, or offer you discounts on your first few months. They will answer any questions that you have, and work with you to help you learn as much as you can.

Martial arts can be a very fun and exciting learning experience. There are hundreds of different martial arts styles out there, although you may be limited in choice, depending on what all is offered in your area. Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Kickboxing, and Jiu-Jitsu and some of the most common types of martial arts, and normally offered just about everywhere. The more distinct styles, such as Kung Fu, Shoot fighting, Kenpo, and Shaolin styles are a bit harder to find.

If you do your homework on some of the styles that are offered in your area, you’ll find one that best fits your reasons to study. Martial arts can change your outlook on life – all you have to do is devote yourself to learning all you can about the philosophy of your martial art.

You can find out more information on martial arts styles and which one that might be right for you at www.martialarts-technique.com

Author: Eddie Maclean
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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• What are the most important things to look for when comparing martial arts schools?
• What are the tell tale signs of a quality school that you can spot immediately?
• What are the best questions to ask, and how do you know if they can really deliver?
• What part of a contract can you negotiate?

These are just some of the important questions you need to know how to answer before shopping around for a martial arts school.

A commitment to martial arts is an investment in time and money, so knowing exactly what to look for in a school, and knowing what questions to ask, will give you the clarity and confidence to make a smart choice.

A bad choice in a martial arts school can be an expensive lesson, so use this guide to educate yourself.

There is a huge variety of martial arts schools out there. Facilities range from expensive health-club-like facilities to open space warehouses. Martial arts schools aren’t regulated to insure quality of instruction or business practice. There is no official governing body and no universal grading standard in martial arts. Almost anyone can open a school and appear to be an expert.

What do you look for beyond price, amenities and convenient schedules? While most people first consider price and the facility, there are more important factors that you need to consider first!

These 10 steps show you how to make the best decision in choosing a martial arts school:

1. Objective
2. Instructors
3. Class Dynamic
4. Student Results
5. Curriculum
6. Style
7. Facility
8. Service
9. Price/Fees
10. Instinct

1. OBJECTIVE:

Before you start looking into martial arts schools, determine your true goals for martial arts practice. To get the most out of your training, clearly identify your real goals and the specific benefits you want to have.

Ultimately, you just want to feel good about yourself and feel super confident, right?

However, this is usually not enough of a specific emotional motivator for consistent practice.

The majority of people who start martial arts rarely make it past a few months of consistent practice. It’s not just a lack of motivation. Not having clear goals is usually why people don’t follow through in practice.

To determine what you really want from training, start by narrowing down what you wish to focus on.

The focus of your practice can be broken down into several areas. There’s no right or wrong – it comes down to personal preference.

For starters, you can number these in order of importance.

• Physical Fitness as the main goal, with martial arts aptitude as a secondary benefit.
• Purely Combative Focus, with fitness and personal growth as added benefits
• Creative and Artistic Expression, aesthetics, beauty and WOW Factor
• Competitive Focus, sports aspects such as one on one competition
• Mental and Emotional Growth, catalyst for self-discovery and spiritual growth, cultural and philosophical interests

Ask yourself clarifying “Why” questions, so you can identify what you’re really going for.

This is the first step in filtering the selection of schools to choose from. Once you’ve identified your goals for martial arts practice and understand why they are your goals, you’re ready to search for a school.

2. INSTRUCTORS:

An instructor plays the key role in how you will achieve your goals.

Finding a good instructor is more important than choosing a style, and is probably the biggest factor in your decision to join a school. It’s nice to have impressive amenities and expensive equipment, but ultimately a martial arts school is only as good as it’s instructors.

Being a black belt doesn’t qualify someone to teach!

• A competent instructor is knowledgeable, experienced, and has the ability to effectively pass on his craft.
• A good instructor possesses leadership and communication skills.
• A great instructor will also display sincere empathy, showing a genuine interest in helping you achieve your goals, bringing out your individual strengths.

Look for other attributes that increase an instructor’s ability to add value to your training:

• Proven competitive track record, such as World Champion Titles
• A degree in an area such as psychology, sports medicine, kinesiology or related fields
• Military, law enforcement, or security experience
• Involvement in a credible martial arts organization
• Extensive knowledge of a culture or philosophy that you’re interested in

Although an instructor’s experience and background provides some credibility, don’t be overly impressed with awards and certificates.

Their mindset and level of experience will be apparent through subtleties in character and by their actions.

Quality instructors are sincerely interested in helping You and won’t feel the need to boast about their own credentials or prove themselves. Instead of boosting their own egos, high-level instructors are very attentive on coaching you to achieve your goals.

You can often measure an instructor more accurately by their students’ results and satisfaction than by credentials alone. The students themselves may be the greatest indication of the quality of instruction.

Just like a good business is constantly researching and developing, high-level instructors research and develop methodologies in order to continually improve. A lifetime training in martial arts isn’t enough to reach human potential!

A high level instructor portrays noble characteristics of a role model and leader.

Confident instructors welcome feedback and respond to your questions with patience and insight. They are usually very humble, and rarely speak negatively about any other school or style.

Also, find out if the school’s head instructor is actively teaching. Some schools have classes primarily taught by an assistant or senior students, while the head instructor only makes an occasional appearance.

While assistant instructors may be totally capable of teaching, watch out for schools that “sell” you on the instructor but have someone else teaching.

3. CLASS DYNAMIC:

Make sure you know how to evaluate a school in two parts, the content and the context.

The context of a martial arts school is made up of the training methods and environment. What kind of setting is the school providing?

A supportive learning environment is crucial to maximize the assimilation and retention of material. The context of training can be more important than the content, (or material), intended to be learned.

Look for context such as:

• The collective mood or energy of the instructors and students
• The class dynamic – structure and flow
• How the amenities and equipment are used
• The training methodologies
• How the ranking system is structured
• The quality of service

One of the best ways to evaluate a school is to watch or participate in a class.

You can watch videos, visit a website and read all about the credentials and features of a school. However, you can only get a true feel by “test driving” the actual group classes. Many schools offer free consultations or introductory private lessons.

If a school allows you to watch, or better yet, participate in a class without obligation it speaks highly of their confidence and transparency.

The class dynamic is the best demonstration of the instructor’s martial arts aptitude and ability to teach. It reveals how the students interact with each other and the instructor. It’s also the perfect opportunity to see how their curriculum is implemented into training.

Consider the size of the classes and how that may effect your training. The make up and flow of the classes will either help your learning experience or hurt it.

Look for the following:

• Is there a significant age difference among students that may restrict your practice?
• Is there a significant difference in the students’ experiences or physical abilities?
• How formal or informal are the classes? And, how does that effect your practice?
• How much supportive individual attention do the students receive?
• Is there anything about the facility that’ll hinder your practice? such as cleanliness, stale air, too cold or hot, distracting noises, etc.

Many beginners prefer large classes. It can be easier to follow along with the examples of many other students. There’s also less intimidation as the collective group dynamic can conceal individual insecurities and lessons the pressure to keep up.

On the flip side, there is a key benefit to smaller classes that’s important to consider. There is more opportunity to receive personal attention from instructors that can greatly accelerate your learning curve.

Again, instructors are the backbone of a martial arts school. The instructor consciously, or unconsciously, dictates the energy of the entire class.

Here are some other things to look for:

• Does the instructor facilitate class with control and safety? (Notice if the students are enjoying themselves or seem uncomfortable and hesitant).
• Is the instructor passionate and actively teaching or seemingly going through the motions and mechanically calling out commands?
• Do the students seem inspired?

A martial arts school provides the setting of a controlled environment where you’ll train to overcome future or potential challenges. In order to maximize results, good schools teach in a context that anticipates and matches the actual environment of those future and potential challenges.

The classes must simulate the intended environment and must provide the necessary emotional stress in order to engrain instinctual trained responses.

For example:

• If you’re seeking a combative style for self-defense, look for schools that safely facilitate reality based, high-stress scenario exercises.
• If you’re training to fight in a ring or cage, look for a school that teaches you how to maneuver in the confines of a ring/cage under the same guidelines of the competition.
• If you’re goal is to perform in tournaments, look for a school that can facilitate your training in a loud, distracting environment with large mirrors and an audience.
• If your goal is to have fun getting in shape, look for classes that use good training equipment, have high energy, exciting exercises and a social atmosphere

Pay attention to the flow of the class and notice how much of the class time is instructional. Some schools implement a lot of conditioning drills while others teach with a lot of verbal explanations. Notice if they have a lot of unnecessary “filler time”.

It’s also a good idea to inquire about the school’s ranking system. Most traditional schools use some modification of a belt system, but what’s required to earn each belt can vary drastically from school to school.

Is there a clear standard for aptitude and execution of techniques at each level? Or are the requirements based on time and the amount of classes taken?

Many schools test for promotions after a set number of classes. This gives the perception of building capable intermediate and advanced students, which can be an important aspect of a school’s perceived value. Not to mention, belt promotions are a crucial source of income for some schools.

Remember that there’s no official governing body in martial arts, so belt levels may not be valid outside of that school or organization.

4. STUDENT RESULTS:

The students provide tremendous insight as to the quality of instruction. You can often tell more about a school by the students’ results than anything else.

The students are the products of the school’s training system and methodologies. If the advanced students don’t model your martial arts goals go find another school!

When observing the students, pay attention to the ratio of beginner to advanced students. It’s a good sign if there are a lot of intermediate and advanced students. That means the school is able to retain their students, and usually equates to student satisfaction.

Just as you probably don’t want to eat at a restaurant that’s always empty, be cautious of a school with a few students. What’s considered a small student base? Depending on the size of the facility and how long they’ve been in business, classes that have less than 10 students is a pretty strong sign that there’s something lacking in the school.

Consider the characteristics and personalities of the students as well. It’s important that you are comfortable with your classmates cause you may be spending a lot of time with them.

• Are they the types of people you’d like to be around and train with?
• Would you feel comfortable and safe training with them?
• Are the students supportive of one another or are they highly competitive and trying to outdo each other?

The student dynamic may also reveal how the instructor instills leadership and other life skills that you may wish to develop. Watch how the advanced students handle both challenges and successes.

Take the initiative to speak to some of the students. Getting insight from existing students can make all the difference in your decision to join.

5. CURRICULUM:

Remember that a martial arts school can be evaluated in two parts, content and context. The curriculum and style of a school make up the content.

Whether they call themselves a martial arts school, studio, academy, gym, or dojo, they are still businesses. They will promote themselves in creative ways to gain an edge over the competition. You can expect them to entice you with price incentives, boast their credentials, amenities and equipment, or make claims to get you results in the shortest amount of time possible.

Don’t allow marketing tactics to distract you from determining if the school can actually support your training goals.

Whatever a school claims to provide in your martial arts training, their students, classes and curriculum will give you a good indication of the school’s quality and true emphasis.

The martial arts curriculum, (content), is made up of the techniques and material you will be learning at a school.

The focus of your training must be supported by the curriculum and training methods.

There are key points to look for in determining the quality of a curriculum. Begin by identifying the school’s emphasis. Take into consideration that when there is more focus on one aspect of martial arts, other areas are compromised to some degree.

• Forms and jump spinning kicks in the curriculum? You’ve most likely found a school with an artistic or traditional focus that may participate in tournaments. If this is what you’re after, the curriculum should consist of aesthetic techniques that have dynamic kicks and beautiful forms with and without weapons.
• Are the techniques based on kickboxing and wrestling? A lot of sparring and no weapons in the curriculum? This is probably a school that focuses on one-on-one sport competition. Schools that build towards competition usually emphasize physical conditioning to reach peak performance.

Although physical fitness may not be the primary goal in many styles, fitness is generally a by-product of training. You get in shape by default in martial arts practice.

The majority of schools have a curriculum designed to provide a general overall perspective on fitness, sport competition and self-defense. For most people who are just beginning martial arts, a school’s curriculum and interpretation of martial concepts should be comprehensive enough to support you through many years of practice. If this is the case, start to look into other components of the school like their class dynamic.

For those who have martial arts experience, or seeking a specific area of focus, determine if the school’s curriculum actually supports the emphasis you’re looking for.

It’s not uncommon for a school’s true emphasis to be different from how they market themselves. Take note of the techniques in their curriculum and their applications.

For example, let’s say your primary reason for martial arts training is purely for self-defense on the streets. You visit a school that claims to be proficient in teaching self-defense. Yet, they teach fixed stances and forms and only implement weapons training in advanced levels.

This is a big red flag! This doesn’t mean it’s not a good school. It only reveals that their true emphasis is not truly combative.

70% of assaults on the street involve some sort of weapon and over 90% of attacks go to the ground. Any school that claims to teach true self-defense while neglecting weapons training and ground fighting is just plain negligent.

You should seek elsewhere if this is your focus. Modern combative styles will implement training in weapons and ground fighting right from the beginning.

Training methods also implement high stress scenario drills with multiple attackers. You won’t find fancy acrobatics in the curriculum.

Remember the old adage, “A jack of all trades is master of none.” Be cautious of a school that claims to deliver health and fitness AND teach you culture and philosophy AND turn you into a professional fighter AND prepare you for the streets AND promise personal or spiritual growth.

6. STYLE:

Martial arts can be compared to a huge tree with many branches or styles. All “styles” are based on the mechanics of the human body. Every style has strengths and weaknesses as they each focus on different aspects of the arts.

The true measure of a martial art lies in the practitioner, not the style.

Having a general understanding of the different types of styles and their focus will help you in achieving your goals. In martial arts there are hard styles and soft styles.

• Hard Styles focus on striking techniques where the body is used as a weapon for attacking and defending – force against force. Much of the training is external, based on physical conditioning for strength and agility.
• Soft Styles focus on redirection and physical manipulation through leverage and positioning – using an opponent’s force against him. There is often more focus on internal training, training of the mind as well as developing the body’s sensitivity to energy.
• Blended Styles incorporate concepts from both hard and soft styles in a complimentary method, flowing and transitioning from hard to soft and vice versa.

Depending on the area of focus, each style differs in philosophy and training methods. Applications obviously differ as well.

Among styles the emphasis of training will primarily focus on one of the following areas:

Artistic Expression – Schools with an artistic focus emphasize creative physical expression – the “art” aspect of “martial arts”. Artistic styles implement forms or choreographed techniques in training. They typically have more aesthetic beauty, as movements are fluid and graceful like a gymnast or dancer.

Tradition – Traditional styles are rooted with Eastern culture and philosophy. Traditional schools implement both external and internal training for the development of the mind-body-spirit relationship. With this emphasis, martial arts practice serves as lessons for life skills. Practice may also encompass elements of spiritualism.

Competition – Competitive styles generally focus on the sports aspect of martial arts. Competitions can range by category including weight class, level of experience, geographic region and specific style. The emphasis is on winning recognition such as rankings, awards, and trophies that is based on a fixed set of rules.

Combat – Combative styles focus on street defense or military application, including law enforcement. It’s the “martial” part of “martial arts”. The emphasis is on practical application over aesthetic form or physical conditioning. Training includes weapons and reality based scenario exercises.

Fitness – Schools that focus on fitness use martial arts as a catalyst for holistic health. Classes usually consist of fun, energetic physical exercises based on martial arts techniques. Classes will typically implement a broad and general combination of styles and areas of focus.

There are also Modern Styles, which are evolved blended styles that are the result of further researched and developed methodologies. Their focus can be artistic, competitive, combative, or emphasize physical fitness.

While it may be a good idea to blend styles, it can be counter productive to combine your area of focus. Be clear on which area you wish to predominantly focus on.

Again, there’s no right or wrong style. It’s a matter of personal goals and preference.

7. FACILITY:

The first thing to consider is the school’s location in relation to your home or workplace.

Creating a new habit can be challenging, so convenience plays a big role in supporting consistency. You may be commuting several times a week for training, so make sure the facility is close enough so it doesn’t become an excuse for you not to go.

Martial arts schools come in many forms. They can be part of a franchise, belong to an organization, or be a one man show run by a single instructor. They may resemble a fitness gym, yoga studio, gymnasium or warehouse.

Don’t judge a book by it’s cover, and don’t judge a martial arts school by it’s facility.

Although you can’t measure the quality of a school by the facility alone, it does reveal a lot about the owners mindset, aptitude, emphasis of the style and curriculum, as well as the school’s level of professionalism.

The degree of cleanliness may reflect the standard of service. You can get a good idea of the school’s style and emphasis by the school’s design.

A school should have the amenities and equipment that support the context of it’s curriculum, such as a cage or ring for MMA or kickboxing, proper mats for Jiu Jitsu, etc.

Consider what the school puts money into and determine if it actually adds value to your training.

Also notice the subtle details of the facility that may effect on your training. Does the air stink? Does the lighting or colors of the facility effect your energy and mood? How’s the parking? Is it noisy?

Remember, expensive equipment, and other luxuries equals higher tuition fees. Be aware of the costs of extra rooms and large offices that don’t directly add value to your training.

With a good instructor and some basic equipment you can practice anywhere!

8.SERVICE:

Some schools have great sales and marketing techniques to get you to join. But, it’s the quality of ongoing customer service that really counts.

Choosing a school that’s skilled in customer service will potentially save you from a lot of unnecessary headache. Poor customer service can ruin your martial arts experience at any level.

Make sure that there are open lines of communication and that staff members are readily accessible to answer questions to your satisfaction.You may be with a school for many months or even years. Choose a school that cares enough to build a relationship with you.

Know how to distinguish sales techniques from service.

As mentioned, some schools are great at getting you in the door with attractive features and promotions. The question is, once you have signed up are you just another enrollment?

A good comparison is the large franchised fitness gyms. Their amenities, equipment and low monthly fees are hard to pass up. However, once you join there’s virtually no service whatsoever. There are too many people who have gym memberships and don’t use them. They already have your financial commitment – a contract. Rest assured their service will pick up when it’s time for renewal. But is that service or just another sales technique?

The level of transparency is the greatest measure of a school’s integrity. It’s a reflection of their standards of service.

• Does the school fully disclose all the costs involved in your training? Some schools have additional fees, like mandatory programs or association fees, that they don’t mention until you reach a certain point in your training.
• When you have questions, do you get a clear answer right away or do you get an evasive response? The response you get is a good sign of what kind of service you can expect.
• Many schools require you to sign a contract in order to take classes. Some schools offer a trial period where you can pay for a number of classes before you agree to a contract. A contract is simply a written agreement between you and the school, and it can always be negotiated. They should be willing to explain the details of the contract to your full understanding and agree to make any changes you feel are important, as long as it’s mutually beneficial.

9. Price and Fees:

How important is price to you? For many people, it’s the only real limiting factor.

Since most people don’t know how to compare value to price, martial arts schools generally don’t advertise their prices – unless they’re promotional.

Be honest. Before you read this guide, what’s one of the first thing you wanted to know about a martial arts school?

Fees are usually priced by:

• Term period – specified time period with flexibility of the amount of classes taken, usually monthly or yearly
• Number of classes – specified amount of classes taken
• Combination of term and number of classes – usually a monthly fee based on the number of classes taken per week
• Specific Programs – packaged programs such as Black Belt Clubs, Instructor Programs, Certification Programs, Seminars, etc.

Tuition can range anywhere from $50 per month to $500 per month, depending on the school. Nowadays, the average tuition is about $150 per month for 2-3 classes per week.

Tuition isn’t the only cost to consider. You will eventually be investing in training equipment, to some extent. Keep in mind that some styles require more equipment.

While price is important, a common mistake is to compare price without comparing value.

Consider the previous steps and the benefits before you focus on price. This way you can place some sort of dollar value on each component of a school and then shop around.

Think of the convenience of schedule and location, the suitability of teaching style, class dynamic and level of instruction in relation to your personality and goals – can you put a price on that?

With the knowledge you gained by reading this guide, you can make an educated choice in “how to invest” in your training instead of “being sold” a membership.

Most schools require annual contracts. The contract should clearly explain the details of your membership. Generally, schools don’t offer any refunds on tuition.

In most cases, a school will agree to make reasonable changes to the contract if you ask them.

If you’re committed to your practice and have found a school following this guide, signing a contract is usually not an issue. However, knowing potential costs and understanding school policies will help you negotiate any changes, if necessary. What you’re really after is “peace of mind”, isn’t it?

A contract should be mutually beneficial, so you want to insure that the contract also benefits you. This can mean discounted rates, as an example. A contract is also an incentive for you to get your money’s worth by coming to class regularly.

Ask about:

• Price incentives for paying in full
• Discounts for family members
• Training equipment – and if they have to be purchased directly from the school
• Belt testing fees
• Any federation or association member fees
• Cost for programs such as Black Belt Clubs and any other mandatory programs
• Membership freezes in case of travel, injury, or maternity
• Policy for relocation or moving
• Fees for early cancellation

It’s also a good idea to ask whether the billing is managed directly by the school or if they use a billing company. Many schools use a billing company to help manage your tuition payments.

If the school out-sources their billing, you will be dealing with the billing company for the payment of your tuition fees. The billing company will generally only contact you if you are late on your payment. If you ever have to deal with the billing company you can expect the type of service you get from a collection agency. They can also make negative reports on your credit.

A high-quality school has the confidence to earn your business without requiring a contract. But they are rare. These schools are clear about their role. They focus on their core responsibility of providing quality instruction and guidance in your martial arts practice. Schools of this caliber don’t need to use creative sales and marketing techniques. Their business is built by their reputation, word-of-mouth.

10. INSTINCT:

Pay attention to your intuition when visiting a school. While going through the 10 steps outlined in this guide, you’ll instinctively know when you’ve found the right school.

• How long the school has been in business? Are they stable?
• Are you confident in the instructor?
• Do you like the instructor’s teaching style and personality?
• Are the students friendly?
• Did you have fun? Did you feel inspired?

Ultimately, we make decisions based on our emotions and we justify them with logic.

Your decision should be instant and definite. If you find yourself thinking too much or having to convince yourself, something is out of whack. Go back to step 1 or keep looking.

Congratulations! If you’ve read this far, martial arts is obviously for you!

Now you have the foundational knowledge that will add tremendous value to your training and save you precious time and money!

Make the decision and begin your journey! Follow your heart and follow through! It’s the only path to true happiness. You’ll thank yourself as the quality of your life improves as a result of martial arts practice.

Have a fun, safe and fulfilling martial arts journey!

Share your experiences and visit my blog!

http://stevesdragon.com/

Author: Steve H Chang
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Why go to martial arts over other hobbies or sports? Can’t you get the same thing from popular sports. Isn’t martial arts just another way to get a workout? The answer is quite simply, no. In this article, we’ll cover some of the many things martial arts offers.

Martial Arts is not a lifestyle or temporary solution for your short-term goals. It can be a workout but its so much more than that. It can make you feel more confident but its more than that.

Martial Arts does not come easy with a couple of years of practicing and achieving certain ranks. Nothing worth your while is easy. Once you find a martial art that fits you, you always remember how much of an impact it has or had on you. If you stop practicing, you always want to return. Martial arts takes a hold of you and doesn’t let go. Martial Arts is a lifetime commitment.

Martial Arts requires the full integration of body, mind, and soul. Other hobbies or sports just don’t come close. The calming effect of martial arts takes you to the place that you function at your optimum performance. Martial Arts is actually an art that has been developed by monks to protect themselves from being robbed during their travels as missionaries. It originated in China many centuries ago. The monks combined meditation and health developmental exercises into martial arts, or kung fu as it was called.

7) Martial Arts requires that one keeps a certain path, ideology, and commitment. Staying on the true path is important in both life and martial arts. Your commitment to your own development is of the utmost importance.

Martial Arts requires that one keeps a certain fitness level. The more fit you are, the better you will perform. Although martial arts in its self can help you to keep this fitness level, if fitness is your only goal in martial arts you should look elsewhere.

Martial Arts requires one to keep a lifestyle that fits one’s level of commitment. What you eat and drink make up what your body is made of. If you put negative things in your body, you’ll get negative things out of it. Whether it be fatigue, weight, fat or a bad heard, the old saying of you are what you eat holds true.

Martial Arts requires one to maintain and enhance a level of ethics, etiquette and self-control. With great power comes great resposibility. Martial arts can give you plenty and turn your hands and feet into weapons. Like any weapon, you must use martial arts responsibly.

Martials Arts requires one to nourish a level of patience. Many of the things that help you to develop in martial arts can seem boring. They teach patience and a sense of inner calmness.

James Suzuki
Orange County Martial Arts Association www.orangecountymartialarts.net

Author: James Suzuki
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Mom, can I take karate lessons?

It’s a question that’s bound to come up if you’re raising boys – and increasingly girls. Martial arts training has become as popular with girls as dance and gymnastics used to be. The media attention to such martial sports and fighting arts as kickboxing, muay thai, karate, jiu-jitsu, tae kwon do and other forms of martial arts have fueled their popularity among youth and adults.

One of the least discussed aspects of martial arts training among non-initiates is the equipment and gear that you’ll need. If you or your child(ren) are considering signing up for martial arts classes, here’s a brief overview of the types of equipment that you may need to purchase for training.

Uniforms

Martial arts uniforms may all look alike to the uninitiated, but each style of the martial arts has specific styles of uniforms that have evolved or been designed specifically to fit that style of fighting and competition. Many schools sell the uniform that they expect you to wear for class and competition, but if they don’t check with the instructor to find out exactly what you should be wearing. Some special considerations for the various forms are the following:

Tae kwon do

The tae kwon do uniform generally has a v-neck pullover top and more close-fitting pants than a standard karate uniform. Students are generally required to wear white uniform pants and shirts, while masters and instructors may wear black uniform tops. The belt is long and designed to double-wrap and tie in the front, and its color designates the training level of the wearer.

Judo

Judo focuses more on grappling and throwing techniques than on kicks and jabs. The uniform has evolved to reflect this, featuring a tighter fit and more reinforcing and padding than the uniforms worn for most other martial arts. Look for a uniform that has reinforced stitching at stress points, and quilted padding to enhance gripping ability and protection. The judo gi consists of two parts – the top or joi, and the shitibaki, loose drawstring waist pants. Student uniforms are typically white or black – though black is not officially endorsed – and competition uniforms are white or blue.
In addition to practice uniforms, there may be team uniforms and competition uniforms, so be sure to check with the school or instructor to find out what kind of uniform you’ll need for various events.

Martial arts equipment – shoes and footwear

As with most other aspects of martial arts training, footwear is often decided by the individual dojo or instructor. For many, bare feet is the only acceptable footwear in class. Others require students to wear shoes with flexible, soft, gripping soles. Major sports shoe manufacturers like Adidas make shoes designed especially for wearing in martial arts training and competition.

Protective Martial arts equipment

In addition to the uniforms, you may also be required to purchase protective gear for training and sparring. At the very least, most schools and instructors require that students wear mouth guards when sparring, and may require that students wear head protectors, chest guards, shin guards, athletic protectors and wrist/hand guards. The uniforms in some forms of martial arts are designed to offer protection, but it’s not a standard rule. As with uniforms, check with the school or instructor to find out what sort of protective martial arts equipment you’ll need.

Training Equipment for Martial Arts

More advanced students may be looking for training equipment to continue their training at home. Among the most popular and useful pieces of martial arts equipment for training are stretch bands and stretchers. These training aids offer resistance training and conditioning that are necessary to prevent injury in martial arts training and competition. Other martial arts equipment that students will encounter at the dojo include training dummies, wave trainers, body bags, breaking boards, kick shields and targets.

Martial arts weapons

For many students, the use of exotic Eastern weapons is one of the most fascinating parts of martial arts. In most martial arts forms, training with weapons is an advanced subject, not attempted until students have mastered using their own bodies and have been trained to focus their strength and power. There are, however, some forms of martial arts where empty hand and weapons training take place concurrently. The most popular martial arts weapons are the following:

Nunchaku are lengths of wood connected by a cord. In trained hands, they make an extremely effective and very flashy weapon. Possession of nunchaku is illegal in many countries. In the U.S., legality is regulated at the state level.

Escrima are staffs or sticks used for fighting and blocking.

Shuriken are also known as throwing stars. They are small bladed stars used for throwing.

This article was prepared for this Martial Arts Equipment Toronto site, please visit them for more information.

Author: David S
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Martial arts fighting styles are many and varied with not only techniques but principles, cultures and philosophical approaches varying widely.

One of the difficulties in classifying fighting styles is that there is no definite consensus on what is the definition of a true martial arts fighting style.

For the purpose of this article I will use the definition of a martial arts fighting style as any system or methodology pertaining to fighting and combat situations, as this complies with the dictionary definition of the terms martial and art.

Some “authorities” would argue that they must originate from Asian cultures; an opinion that does not take into account the fighting systems of ancient Greece or Europe and their modern derivations.

From a general perspective martial arts styles can be separated into those that emphasize the use of weapons, those that concentrate on striking and those that emphasize grappling techniques.

This is only a very general classification as many systems combine two or more of these classifications and although many commentators would argue that a true martial art requires the use of all of these aspects of fighting that is not the case with many of the accepted martial arts disciplines.

Systems of martial arts fighting styles have evolved from the fighting techniques and methods used by warriors throughout the world and can be as diverse as full systems taught in schools of military training to
systems of fighting developed and kept within families.

It is only in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that we see the systematically taught instruction of styles that we see today, evolved.

Many of these systems have lost their practical fighting ability to the so called meditative aspects of the particular art or have been completely turned into just sports.

Some martial arts fighting styles have only appeared within the last 100 years and have never been exposed to the rigorous selection of real fighting that their predecessors underwent.

In the weaponry rich systems we find the Japanese systems of Kendo, Kenjutsu, Iaido, Jodo together with the Karate weaponry systems derived from the Kobudo weapons systems. Striking and grappling is either absent or very poorly developed in all of these systems.

The Chinese arts also utilize many weapons as part of their Kung Fu systems but these are taught as part of unarmed combat systems as well.

Probably the richest weapons systems are those of the Philipines and nearby areas of Malaysia and Indonesia; the blade and stick-fighting systems of Kali, Escrima and Arnis. These fighting systems also have a very complex and powerful unarmed combat components, together with the weapons and some also utilize throwing and ground fighting, these systems were very much family trained systems.

The Europeans also have the quarter-staff, sword and dagger systems which were extremely well developed and if you want to accept the definition that martial arts fighting styles are systems and methods of war and fighting then you would also have to include the disciplines of modern firearm and bayonet usage in this classification.

The striking systems are probably the most well known and most practiced through out the world with the Karate system of Japan being the most well known. There are many different styles of Karate each having slightly different emphasis on different methodologies and while most include some form of weaponry at higher levels it is certainly not well developed and doesn’t have a practical realistic usage, apart from exercise and strengthening value which is normally the justification for using them as part of their systems. Much of it is drawn from the Kobudo group of weapons and has lost a lot of it’s functionality in ritual.

The most powerful striking martial art would be Muay Thai and its’ close cousin Burmese boxing; these striking systems are extremely well developed and deliver strikes with incredible speed, power and ferocity.

Brazilian Capoiera is a very acrobatic striking style that has lost much of its practical fighting ability that existed in the original African system from which it was derived. A similar situation is demonstrated by the Chinese martial art of Wushu which has become very flashy and demonstrates little practical fighting ability.

Do we include western boxing in martial arts? I think that we should because it fulfills much the same requirements of Judo as a martial art. It has suffered the change of time in placing rules on it but in the past it was certainly more brutal then it is now.

It carries its’ own philosophy and that introduces me to the argument that a martial art should have an underlying philosophy a point that I definitely agree with, however, who is anyone to say that the philosophies by which we westerners do things are not as valid as the philosophies of the eastern cultures.

Modern wrestling is in the same genre being derived from the ancient Pankration and now controlled by rules but again it was originally used for fighting and had and still has a distinct philosophy behind it.

Now we come to the self defence systems of Close Quarter Combat and Krav Maga again these would fit the classification of a martial art as set down by the other determinants. This is even though Krav Maga does not claim to be one, but one only has to read the original intent of its’ founder to determine that it is a martial art.

The striking arts of the malaysian, philipino and indonesian area are also vey well developed with the silats demonstrating a very complex and rich understanding of fighting principles and concepts.

The fighting styles that emphasize grappling include Judo, Jiu jitsu, Aikido and sumo from Japan together with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Chin Na from China. Here we find the strongest support for the argument that some of the systems I have classified as martial arts above should be included.

If you are to remove boxing and wrestling from the classification of martial arts then you have to remove Sumo and Judo as well.

Russian Sambo, American Catch, Free-style and Greco-Roman wrestling are fighting systems that exist on that fringe of the classification are usually classified as a sport.

The richest of the martial arts fighting styles are the muti-discipline martial arts such as Ninjutsu and the Chinese Kungfus although the latter has many different styles with most only emphasizing one or two aspects of fighting.

The most dominant fighting system at the present time is Mixed Martial Arts. This together with its’ inspiration from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Vale Tudo is the biggest thing that has happened to martial arts since Bruce Lee.

There are those that would argue it is not a martial art – in my opinion this is completely absurd it has all of the requirements apart from the use of weapons, but neither do many of the other accepted fighting disciplines.

The philosophy is a western style of philosophy of mental toughness and training discipline and, I say again, what is so different about that and eastern philosophies. Particularly as we see eastern philosophic driven societies demonstrating anti-humanistic and anti-environment practices throughout the modern world many of which are driven by the philosophies of Sun Tzu and the Go Rin No Sho as underlying guides.

This article is by no means a complete account of all fighting systems as almost every country around the world has a fighting system as part of its’ culture each having evolved as time has gone by and lifestyles have changed that in turn has led to us utilizing the values of martial arts for different reasons.

Geoff owns and operates a full time professional Martial Arts Academy in Christchurch, New Zealand that teaches people of all ages, Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Mixed Martial Arts and a weaponry program that includes Philipino stick and knife fighting, kenjutsu and Jojitsu. Check out the Academy of Combat here at http://www.AcademyofCombat.co.nz.
In addition I often discuss fighting systems together with self defense tactics in my blog at http://www.UltimateFightingSystems.com that will help you develop your knowledge and experience.

Author: Dr. Geoff Aitken, Ph.D.
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Getting the facts straight
 

Recently, I was checking the sales ranking for my book on Amazon.com, when I noticed I have finally received a customer review on Amazon. After reading the review, I found myself humbled and dumb founded. The customer who reviewed my book on military knife and hand to hand combat was obviously a practicing martial artist.

He appeared to be one of the “Know it all” types as well. Although much of his review on the layout of my book may be spot on; I was amazed at his blatant ignorance in not knowing the difference between combative training and martial arts. In his own words,”Though the author may know what he is doing in this book, you may already as well. If you took some sort of M.A. class for any period of time that was worth anything, then you would have learned most if not half of these techniques for knife fighting. “ I must agree with him on this.

If you take some sort of  martial arts class for any period of time; that is worth anything; eventually you may learn half of the techniques in the book. Although I clearly state in the book that my attempt is not to teach specific techniques, but use techniques as a vehicle to drive home principles; and  I admit that there are countless numbers of techniques one can learn, not simply limited to my book. This guy  “Cliff” is the example of how many can not distinguish the difference between martial art and combative training.

Distinguishing the difference  

Before one can truly distinguish between a martial art or combative training, they must reflect upon the origin of today’s practiced martial arts. The term “martial art”, refers to a war like art; with martial referring to war. It is true that ages ago during the conception of today’s martial arts, the countless numbers of systems and styles were born from military drills and close quarters battle of the time. During the ancient times without the aid of today’s modern weaponry and fire power, soldiers were forced to engage in battle with clubs, swords, daggers, spears and often hand to hand. Warriors of those times began to develop tried and true systems of both armed and unarmed combat, much like today. They understood that military units must gain muscle memory in their tactics of choice and saw the need for regimented systems of combat. The methods and techniques of their day required ways to dismount riders off horse back and break or penetrate wooden armor. It is quite obvious that in today’s combat environment those techniques would be obsolete. Through out generations and over the centuries the ancient arts have been passed from master to student and master to student. The once effective and powerful combative training of the ancients has become an antiquity.

Today the ancient techniques of Samurai and  the fighting monks of China can be seen being practiced through training hall windows all over the world. The ancient forms and techniques that were once practical battle tactics have been manipulated by popular media and business ideology. Many practice the ancient martial arts for a plethora of reasons. Some of their reasons are for the very same reasons that the training was developed. People practice for fitness, protection and hobby. Others train simply to preserve the art. 

After World War II, the west was introduced to the Asian martial art craze. Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen were exposed to the Asian fighting arts of the Japanese and Philippines and wanted to learn. Many of the indigenous instructors or gurus realized the opportunity to make a buck from the naive westerners and began teaching watered down versions of the fighting arts. Often masters would draw out the training and add flashy, intricate and complicated techniques to the curriculum. It was the flash that would sell to the new western market. Soon even Hollywood would make movies with actors such as Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris demonstrating their athleticism and prowess on screen.

Belt ranking systems were added to help new students feel as if they were progressing and not quit. The once effective techniques for ancient combat were reduced to nothing more than acrobatics with some self protection value. Many of the hidden techniques which were the pride of warriors of old were lost through the simple process of supply and demand. Modern technology and weapons only aided in losing the practical fighting techniques and turning the martial arts into a lucrative but provocative industry. Today there are martial art companies that place their clients on programs known as “black belt plans.”

People are forced into contracts that they can not afford to breach for a certain amount of time until they receive their black belts. During the early 20th century the “black belt” rank was respected by many for holding fighting prowess. Today that rank has lost much of that respect. All too often we hear about the black belt who got beat up by a boxer or street fighter. All too often a white belt student can completely annihilate their “black belt” Karate  or Kung Fu master during sparring in the training hall. Today the sport of Mixed Martial Arts has proven that the martial arts of old are obsolete to even today’s modern training methods. The MMA athletes of today , that hold no belt in any martial art would dominate over more than half of the practitioners of traditional martial arts.

Traditional martial artists often rely on archaic training methods and spiritual philosophies of a much more primitive time. Where MMA athletes rely on the most up to date drilling and scientific training ideologies. Much more is known today by the general populous on the matters of psychology, physiology, anatomy, physics and the economy of motion. It is the lack of the most up to date sciences that make much of the traditional fighting arts obsolete and inefficient. In essence it is the tradition itself that makes many martial arts training methods in effective and inefficient. Now that we have identified the martial arts, we should compare it to today’s modern combatives.

The combative training of today is a product of the military machine. Today’s military is more efficient and productive than any in history. The philosophy of doing the most with the least drives the war machine. In World War II Colonels Eric Anthony Sykes and William Fairbairn began to develop a new type of training for soldiers  based from their experience in Shanghai and the trenches of World War I. Close Quarter Battle (CQB) or Hand to Hand Combat was the norm in trench warfare and the soldiers fighting it needed to be able to quickly and efficiently kill and immobilize their adversaries. The two men realized that they needed to develop a system for training or ideology of training that would enable masses of troops with no prior experience in martial arts to learn hand to hand combat quickly in a matter of days, not the years often required by martial arts training. This training had to not only be learned quickly, but retained and trained quickly as well. Soldiers on the front and behind the lines needed to be able to react without thinking, relying on muscle memory. In combat the heart rate exceeds 180  beats per minute and all fine motor skills go out the window.

Sykes and Fairbairn realized that many of the extravagant “pressure points” used in traditional martial arts  would not be effective. They realized that pressure points were not effective for two reasons. One, the enemy may not feel it under the influence of adrenaline and two; the soldier will more than likely not have the ability of fine motor skills needed in order to strike the target. Therefore the modern combative training was simple easy to retain and concentrated on gross motor skill movement. Because in combat soldiers are all too often sleep deprived and under nourished the techniques taught needed to not rely on physical strength or athletic prowess. Today’s combatives are often known for the dirty fighting aspect, not found in traditional martial arts. The warrior codes from long ago no longer apply today, chivalry is dead. Because the combative techniques are taught to such a variety of fighting men who’s bodies are not conditioned to desensitizing training; the trainees are taught to strike with only the most structurally stable weapons of the body. A soldier can not afford  broken hands and feet on the battle field. It is for many of these reasons that combative training stands far apart from traditional martial arts.

In summary  
 
The traditional martial arts, practiced today  was actually the combative training for the military of it’s time. Just as time changes, so did the training. Societies became more educated; moral values and codes have been altered. The world is not as spiritually guided or involved with mysticism as it was during the time traditional martial arts were conceived. The once effective combative techniques of their time, have evolved into an art form surrounded in mystique and the legends of old; enhanced by modern media. Today’s combative training is based completely on modern science and need for efficiency. It is of the utmost importance for combative training to adhere to these rules.

 - Simple general Principles  must be taught

 - Must not rely on power or athleticism

 - The focus is on destroying whatever the principal comes into contact with

 - Efficiency and economy of motion

 - Be able to be learned and applied in a very limited amount of time (Days or weeks)

In conclusion
 

 Combatives training today most definitely contains many of the techniques that one will learn in the traditional martial arts if they attend classes for any period of time. One might think of the two types of training as steak. One is chuck full of fat that is unnecessary and could clog your arteries, the other is a lean hybrid, that contains only the necessary nutrients to keep you going. After reading the review from this guy “Cliff” I immediately went to his profile to learn more about his point of view, so I could see where hes coming from. I wanted to know if his bashing of my book came from arrogance or ignorance. Where he was asked to type a blurb about his interests, contained one phrase.This was his interest“Wing Chun and the variety of ways it is spelled.” I immediately realized by this and the number of books with titles like “Kung Fu of Caine” Referring to the Caine from the TV series (Kung Fu), that this fellow was not completely familiar with the differences between martial arts and combative training. Therefore I wanted to write this article, with my best effort to demonstrate that when comparing martial arts training to combative training; it is like comparing apples to oranges.

Andrew Curtiss is an Army veteran of 11 years. He is author of Combat Application Techniques: Principles Of Destruction (book on Knife and Hand to Hand Combat). Andrew is the former 1995 American Independent Karate Association Men’s black belt champion in Kata, Sparring and Weapons. Andrew holds a 2nd dgree black belt in Tae Kwan Do and Shurite Kenpo Karate. He is a former kickboxer and current professional Mixed Martial Arts fighter.

His Websites:
http://www.unarmedcombat.zoomshare.com
http://www.freeselfdefense.zoomshare.com

Author: Andrew Curtiss
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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