Earlier on in our blog I discussed the slant style of fist we use — shaped a bit like a triangle (looking at it from the front). Today I’m chatting about the position of the thumb and the general significance of that position. In most martial art styles, the thumb is folded across the front…
Front Kick
This little tip regarding throwing a front kick should help your balance, power, coordination, fluidity and over-all skill: Lifting the heal off the ground is an easy habit to acquire but a difficult one to get rid of. When kicking with a front kick it is important to keep the entire foot planted on the…
The Forward Stance
A tendency of the student, when utilizing a forward-stance, is to lock the rear leg (knee). There are some styles that do that intentionally and they have their reasons. It’s all good. But our style maintains a slight bend in the rear leg. It helps with mobility and your ability to shift direction easily without…
Process vs. Results
So often I hear the phrase “are we learning something new today?” It’s almost a beginning martial artist’s mantra. I love the enthusiasm: I adore beginners and their eager minds. They are the new blood fused into the rhythmic heartbeat of the school. But, in being new to the school, they are completely unaware of…
Kung Fu Is What We Are
One of my main mantras in teaching kung fu is: Kung Fu isn’t something you do, it’s something you are. In the western world we have a tendency to occupy ourselves with things to do. Tennis, golf, yahtzee, poker and countless other distractions are such things. Very often, even our careers are something to do…
Martial Arts And Caffeine Don’t Mix
Diet for students training martial arts seriously becomes an important issue. Improper eating and/or nutritional habits can beat the body down when you are exercising. It is extremely important to eat balanced, high energy meals on the days you train. We all know this. It’s usually just a matter of us taking the time to…
Chi Kung Your Way To A Healthy Heart
One of the most important studies within our martial art system is the study of chi kung. Literally, chi means air and kung means work. Of course, there are richer meanings to the word chi as you get more familiar with it’s concept and depth. Often, it is described as our very life force. I…
Smoking or Chi Kung?
Have you ever seen someone that smokes take a smoke break? It’s a very interesting process. They have the tapping of the cigarette or package. They have things slowing down — they begin looking around or gazing like they’re seeing passed everything that is right in front of them. There’s the posture to light it…
Self-Defense: When Should You Defend Yourself?
When to self defend is one of the toughest questions and just as difficult to answer. A common phrase is “imminent danger of great bodily harm and/or death”. That may be the right answer but keep in mind, I’m not an attorney and am not trying to give you legal advice though I want to…
Martial Arts Defensive Tactics For Police Officers
Police Defensive Tactics is probably one of the most difficult areas of martial arts application one could teach. It isn’t a theoretical environment. There are no tests: no promotions. There’s only survival. Survival to a police officer isn’t limited to the techniques he/she uses in the field. It also includes “post encounter” criticsm. That could…