en-us http://riposte.org Martial Arts news. Thought, word, and deed in the Martial Arts Community http://riposte.org/archive/getStory?story=919 The prevailing wisdom with kicks is that for most kicks (especially the basic traditional kicks) once extended, the leg is recoiled back along the same path. This means that you don't send the foot out and then change angle in mid-air. This of course can be done, I have myself done this in sparring for kicks that were not always fully committed in order to chamber the kick mid air and send the striking leg out again. However, this is not the same for do-or-die basic kicks. With 100% power, the torque and the vibrational force if not dissipated correctly, recoils back along the skeletal structure. http://riposte.org/archive/getStory?story=918 Any technique you perform in real life needs a goal. One of the biggest problems with martial arts training today is training without a goal in mind. Most instructors will teach you a technique and either: 1. Apply a goal for you 2. Teach the technique with an open goal Better ones will show you the places in the technique to accomplish different goals. http://riposte.org/archive/getStory?story=917 The other night while watching some MMA (something I rarely do) I noticed that the arsenal of some of these fighters contained low kicks to the thigh, a la Muay Thai. They don't look like much, but speaking from experience they're pretty brutal. I remember a seminar where the instructor showed some conditioning moves designed to prepare the legs/quadriceps in the event of a nasty low-kicking assault, similar to kotekitai (forearm toughening routine) that karate people employ. http://riposte.org/archive/getStory?story=916 I am often surprised by how many kata a shodan (1st degree black belt) will know in different Karate systems, including my own. When I ask a shodan how many kata he knows, the answer will often be, "all of them." This is often said with the connotation of, "why all of them, of course." Like why would I even ask? Should a shodan know all the kata of a system or ryuha of Karate? I know that this is up to the Sense. http://riposte.org/archive/getStory?story=915 The funny thing about technique is that it can be very alluring. Martial arts inspire great leaps of imagination and originality. So much so that people (including myself) are often tempted to examine all the various possibilities of technique. This can range from exploration of bunkai, self defense, takedowns, chokes, grappling methods, vital point striking, etc etc etc. So what’s wrong with imagination and exploration? Nothing – I wholeheartedly encourage it. What I do want to warn you about though is technique overload. http://riposte.org/archive/getStory?story=914 You’ll never know what freedom really means, until you’ve been pinned against the wall with no hope for escape.By declaring health to be our inalienable human right, we would compel a doctor to treat us; by asserting the right to a minimum standard of living, we compel another to provide the necessary wealth; and so on. Such entitlements are clearly not inherent, or universal, or inalienable, as they are entirely dependent on the action (or inaction) of someone else. http://riposte.org/archive/getStory?story=913 It is amazing to see the difference that good perception makes when it comes to martial arts and self-defense. People with greater perception are able to see openings that others are not able to detect. http://riposte.org/archive/getStory?story=912 Do you remember the last cool martial arts movie stunt you saw! I know there have been some digital animation or such to “enhance” some stunts but there seems to be a trend toward pushing the human body to new limits!I just figured out that Extreme Martal Arts (XMA) exists as does newer iterations called Tricking. Both of these activities are not what one could call martial arts (read fighting arts) because they seem to focus more on showmanship and totally disregard self-defense and fighting. http://riposte.org/archive/getStory?story=911 There are dangers in learning to control your Self. As Martial Artists we strive to control our physical, mental and spiritual selves. Obviously this is a perpetual journey since to be in total control of those three aspects of your life is first impossible however it’s pursuit requires never ending practice. http://riposte.org/archive/getStory?story=910 Martial arts are a lifelong endeavor, but that doesn’t mean you can’t improve how well or how quickly you learn things. I always preach patience when trying to develop techniques or kata, but I’ve noticed that there are a handful of tactics that you can use to improve your retention and learning.