my son is a green belt in karate.
he has already mastered knumchunks, staff and sais.
he has to have a sword next w/ a funny name i cant spell.
wagasawshi?
can anyone help me?
People,
didnt mean to offend anyone.
when i say mastered i meant he has learned
certain routines, cadas?
The weapons he has so far are children’s versions for students.

Oh dear bloody god.

First of all, there is no way in hell any reputable Dojo would teach or let a student at that novice level train in or even touch a weapon. Second of all at that novice level he would yet to have mastered the basic art of Karate itself, never mind the Nunchucku, Sai or Bo, and the Wakizashi (I am assuming that is what you meant) is not a sword he would train in in the manner you mean.

Please, I beg you for your sons sake, educate yourself - and tell your son to do the same - in the martial arts before you let him quite literally play with things he would not understand.

The martial art of Kung Fu is an exchange of culture, a type of exercise, and also a way of defending yourself. The art is very popular throughout the world, also being known as Gung Fu, Wu Shu, and even Kuo Shu. It shares some common traits with Karate, such as using both hand and foot techniques. Kung Fu is one of the most popular forms of martial arts - and also one of the oldest.

Within Kung Fu, there are several styles and variances, although the most popular are those that have their roots in the well known Shaolin Temple. What most people are not aware of however, is the fact that Kung Fu was practiced in China years before the first Shaolin temple was even though of.

A majority of martial arts enthusiasts think of self defense as being the ultimate goal of any martial art. While self defense is involved the martial is so much more than just fighting and defense - it is a true art, one that develops the mind, body, and the soul.

Kung Fu doesnt teach students to overcome others, as it teaches students to look within themselves and learn to have complete and total control over their emotions. Is is an art of harmony, that teaches to students to remain at peace and avoid confrontations. If a situation threatens bodily harm to the student, then he must rise to the occasion - becoming the warrior and defending himself.

Just like other types of martial arts, Kung Fun teaches the balance that is crucial for executing techniques and the proper movement. The basic concept behind the balance is that same balance that the Chinese believe keeps the balance between heaven and earth. This concept of balance can be achieved by students if they completely focus their thoughts and empty their minds free from any type of distractions.

Kung Fu is a martial art that can be learned by anyone. It does take a strong desire, just like any other martial art. It has a rich heritage, and a proud legacy. Kung Fu is indeed a deadly martial art, if used in the wrong ways. There are variations of Kung Fu as well, which include the infamous five animals - Tiger, Dragon, Eagle Claw, Crane, and the Snake.

Adapted by the animals in which they are named after, the five animals style is some of the most impressive in martial arts. Tiger Claw is by far the deadliest of the five animals, teaching students to strike just like the dreaded tiger. This style teaches the student power in his hands, so that when he strikes, he tears the flesh. Tiger Claw is very deadly, although it is very hard to find instructors that teach this style now days.

Unlike other martial arts, there really are no competitions for Kung Fu. Stylists can compete it other competitions, although there really are not any that are for only Kung Fu. It is an ancient martial art, that is to be used only in instances were there is no other option than to fight back. When provoked, the stylist should try everything he or she can to avoid confrontations.

Kung Fu aims to teach the lessons of respect, fairness to others, harmony of the spirit, and total self control no matter what. These characteristics, when paired together, allow students to achieve success in a hard to deal with society. Kung Fu is all about developing the students overall well being - and following the straight path to mental and physical toughness.

Daniel Millions
http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/kung-fu-up-close-88604.html

Hapkido was first used by a group of Korean nationals in the period after the Japanese colonial era of Korea. Choi Yong Sul and his students; Suh Bok Sub, who was the first student of the art, Ji Han Jae promoter of the art, Kim Moo Hong, Myung Jae Nam who forged a the connection between the art of hapkido and Japanese aikido and then founded Hankido, were responsible and given the credit for developing Hapkido. The art was originated solely as a self defense martial art and today can be learned by anyone who is reasonably fit and the training helps students learn an effective self defense method whilst gaining all the other benefits that martial arts training offers such as self confidence, improved health, along with increased fitness and stamina.

As a self defense method, Hapkido employs joint locks, pressure points, throws, kicks, and other strikes and is an authentic Asian martial art of total self-defense. Hapkido training teaches students how to deal not only with countering the techniques of other martial arts, but also of common “unskilled” attacks. Practitioners of hapkido try to get the advantage over their opponents through footwork and body positioning to employ leverage, avoiding the use of strength against strength. Getting in close is the ideal although long rang fighting techniques are taught.

As a martial art Hapkido is somewhere between the “soft” techniques of Aikido and the “hard” techniques of taekwondo, although, even with the “hard” techniques more emphasis is places on circular movements rather than linear. Some different schools teach slightly different techniques but the core techniques are found in all schools and should follow the basic principles of Hapkido, which are: Nonresistance or Hwa, Circular Motion or Won and The Water Principle or Ryu.

Hwa, means to stay relaxed and not directly oppose an opponent’s strength rather use his own strength against him to unbalance him. Won, is the circular principle, shows you how to gain momentum and execute a technique in a smooth style. An example shows that the bigger the person is, the more energy a person has, the better it is for the Hapkido student and Ryu, is the water principle, thinking of soft, adaptable strength of water. In Hapkido you do not rely on physical force alone. A Hapkido student must learn to deflect an opponent’s strike, in a smooth method just like water being divided in a creek by a rock then rejoining itself once round. The core techniques are made up of either gentle or forceful throws and joint control techniques which were derived from aikijujutsu. Most techniques in Hapkido work with a combination of unbalancing the attacker and applying pressure to specific places on the body. Hapkido uses over 700 pressure points in the body for total effectiveness.

Hapkido training is suitable for all ages, adults down to young children. For the children under 12, a modified form is taught. No weapons can be used and all joint locking techniques have been removed for these younger children’s class and simple throws are aimed at self defense and anti bullying.

Yoshi Kundagawa
http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/learn-to-counter-the-techniques-of-other-martial-arts-as-well-as-unskilled-attacks-160731.html

give your answer in points like
1
2
3
4
5
6 god bless you all

there was a karata champion near my home he hit someone next day the person come with a gun and shot him dead in one second

violence begets violence
the karate-ka that got shot is the very reason why i tell people to walk away. i had to bury some student because they ignored that simple rule. you may be able to take the person quite easy, but some do come back for you either with friends or well armed. and being robbed is not worth your life

1. martial arts is for self defense. it is better to walk away then to have a confirmation. and avoid the violence.
2. be modest and humble. perfect you character
3. respect others as you what them to respect you.
4. discipline
5. self confidence

How do you go about building a healthy, positive self-image? One way is to model the beliefs, habits and behaviors of winners. Winners have a healthy form of tunnel vision. They make a habit of focusing on their infinite potential. Their present circumstances serve to motivate, or else are ignored.

Your beliefs about your potential point directly toward your self-image. Your self-image is simply your picture of yourself, of your abilities, of your worthiness to succeed, of your limits. Some people seem to come by a healthy self-image naturally; most of us need to work on improving how we see ourselves.

The great thing is that there’s nothing in the world that can keep you from improving your self-image. You can’t do much about what you have believed about yourself in the past or done in the past, but you have complete control over what you’ll believe in and participate in now.

What does it take to improve your self-image? The first step is deciding to consciously work on it, deciding to adopt a winners image.

Here are 4 important steps to follow to improve your self-image:

Watch what you say to yourself.

It’s amazing how we’ll allow ourselves to say things to ourselves that we would never tolerate coming from someone else. If the mean words that come out of your own mind about yourself came out of the mouth of a stranger, you might be hurt, but you’d certainly think, “This guy’s nuts, talking to me like that.” If the same mean words were addressed to your child or your best friend, you’d run to their defense with a big “How dare you?” on your tongue. We’ll talk soon about how your mind works, but let’s just say for now that it’s not discriminating in what it believes, if it comes from your own thoughts.

Watch who you hang out with.

Negativity is contagious, and gossip is a hard habit to shake. Obviously, if you spend time with people who are critical, who tear others down, you’ll catch it too - in two ways. You’re more likely to think and talk that way about others and yourself, and, those same people probably talk about you when you’re not around, too. Surround yourself with positive people, people who are seeking to grow and improve. We really do become like the people we surround ourselves with, so be particular.

Watch for the positive.

Because negative thinking about ourselves and everything around us is so habit-forming, it can really sneak up on us. Make a point of searching for what is positive, lovely, perfect, wonderful, timely, gracious, and good. Do this about the people you interact with and about yourself. It forms a new habit building, rather than destroying.

Watch your tongue.

Be very careful about what you say. If you catch yourself berating yourself, or another person, stop. Take a moment, turn around in your tracks, and go the other way. Guard your heart and your lips from speaking evil. People have enough catch-up work to do on their self-image from all they heard about themselves long ago without you adding to it and that goes for yourself, too.

As with everything you do to grow and improve, it takes action and patience to see results. This effort is completely worth it though, because your success in life can never exceed your self-image.

If you want more in your life it’s time to forget the past and start NOW to shape a new, winning self-image.

Andrew Cocks
http://www.articlesbase.com/coaching-articles/how-to-create-a-winning-self-image-in-4-simple-steps-84951.html

I’m going to take a beginning karate class this summer. (I needed to take an elective) Answers from people who have taken karate classes before would be recommended.

I just wanna know a couple of stuff so I’m not hit with surprises when I show up. By the way, is there any flipping, usage of weapons, etc involved? Does strength matter seeing that I’m pretty weak? Any other kind of info be great.
Yes, it's only a semester-class.

i would imagine unless it is a karate club in the college that offers classes that you will more likely be taking an aerobic form of karate, like P.E. class. You wont get to use weapons unless the class offers kobudo and there will defintly not be any flipping. Strength probably wont matter that much in class because your training partner will be compliant with your take downs and such, in a real life situation it would make a big difference though. You probably wont learn that much in 1 semester or however long you take it for but if you like it you might want to find a real dojo in your area. Good luck.

One of the ongoing things we’re trying at the dojo is broadening our student base. Lots of students get a little upset at punches flying at them, and the like, so we’re evaluating some of the softer styles for an introductory class. I’m looking at turning Wing Chun forms into the basis for a practical martial arts style, and helping with the instructions with it.

First, I learned Wing Chun as a “recuperative” style - I needed some time off to let my feet heal from doing stupid things with a wooden sparring dummy and inadequate footwear. My Dad had taken to Wing Chun for joint ailments as he’s gotten older, and had showed me some of the basics, and I asked permission of his teacher, Greg Pool, if I could record his opening lecture for his introductory class. This is what I got.

“Wing Chun is a balanced style, and I’m planning on doing the following forms with it: The open stance, which is fairly high, keeps the elbows close to the body, and keeps the balance over the knees, is a good one for getting pupils into, particularly if they don’t have a lot of martial arts training. The initial lessons will focus on relaxation techniques, and fluid movements. Wing Chun is a style that emphasizes relaxed motions - extra muscle tension slows down the speed of reactions, and builds up fatigue. While we’re going to focus on Wing Chun as, in some ways, an animated relaxation technique, this will be giving you the baseline for learning other martial arts, going to whatever styles you prefer.”

“The basic stance will have your feet at slightly less than shoulder width part, with your knees bent at about a 20 degree angle, and your toes pointed in. From this stance, breath in through the nose, and out through the mouth, and try to relax - you’ll feel a sense of dynamic tension in your hamstrings and quadriceps when you’re done.”

“For motions, we’ll start with the circular blocks from the left side going to the right. Again, redirection and smooth flow is the key to this. Watch what I do…breathe in through the nose, out through the mouth.”

Now, my experiences with Wing Chun are that it’s more like the Northern Chinese styles I’m familiar with - it’s a whole body style, emphasizing economy of motion and blocks. It’s got a lot of good footwork in its basic forms, and it’s used a lot in martial arts movies, most notably those starring Jet Li.

One of the oddities of the Wing Chun forms is that it really de-emphasizes kicks and throws and power moves. This is ultimately because it’s meant to be a defensive style first. Breaking the lines of the basic form for more power gives your opponent defensive opportunities. However, just because it’s a softer style, don’t think it’s a snap. Like all of the opening martial arts forms, it’ll leave you with a healthy sweat before you’re done, and your knees and hips will absolutely feel it.

The upper body workout focuses on delivering power through the sternum to the shoulder - you try to keep your arms relaxed before throwing a block or a strike, because relaxed muscles respond faster, and get more speed. Trying to power through a block or a punch is almost always slower.

Because the Wing Chun stance is higher than I’m used to, it takes some adjustment for me, not to sink too low. Fortunately, for most beginning students, a higher stance is more familiar to them from every day life. Very few people walk around in the Tiger Crouch when going to the super market, while Wing Chun isn’t too far off from a standard “walking posture”.

Yoshi Kundagawa
http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/learn-how-to-apply-wing-chun-as-an-effective-form-of-self-defense-124948.html

Learn How To Apply Wing Chun as an Effective Form of Self Defense

One of the ongoing things were trying at the dojo is broadening our student base. Lots of students get a little upset at punches flying at them, and the like, so were evaluating some of the softer styles for an introductory class. Im looking at turning Wing Chun forms into the basis for a practical martial arts style, and helping with the instructions with it.

First, I learned Wing Chun as a recuperative style I needed some time off to let my feet heal from doing stupid things with a wooden sparring dummy and inadequate footwear. My Dad had taken to Wing Chun for joint ailments as hes gotten older, and had showed me some of the basics, and I asked permission of his teacher, Greg Pool, if I could record his opening lecture for his introductory class. This is what I got.

Wing Chun is a balanced style, and Im planning on doing the following forms with it: The open stance, which is fairly high, keeps the elbows close to the body, and keeps the balance over the knees, is a good one for getting pupils into, particularly if they dont have a lot of martial arts training. The initial lessons will focus on relaxation techniques, and fluid movements. Wing Chun is a style that emphasizes relaxed motions extra muscle tension slows down the speed of reactions, and builds up fatigue. While were going to focus on Wing Chun as, in some ways, an animated relaxation technique, this will be giving you the baseline for learning other martial arts, going to whatever styles you prefer.

The basic stance will have your feet at slightly less than shoulder width part, with your knees bent at about a 20 degree angle, and your toes pointed in. From this stance, breath in through the nose, and out through the mouth, and try to relax youll feel a sense of dynamic tension in your hamstrings and quadriceps when youre done.

For motions, well start with the circular blocks from the left side going to the right. Again, redirection and smooth flow is the key to this. Watch what I dobreathe in through the nose, out through the mouth.

Now, my experiences with Wing Chun are that its more like the Northern Chinese styles Im familiar with its a whole body style, emphasizing economy of motion and blocks. Its got a lot of good footwork in its basic forms, and its used a lot in martial arts movies, most notably those starring Jet Li.

One of the oddities of the Wing Chun forms is that it really de-emphasizes kicks and throws and power moves. This is ultimately because its meant to be a defensive style first. Breaking the lines of the basic form for more power gives your opponent defensive opportunities. However, just because its a softer style, dont think its a snap. Like all of the opening martial arts forms, itll leave you with a healthy sweat before youre done, and your knees and hips will absolutely feel it.

The upper body workout focuses on delivering power through the sternum to the shoulder you try to keep your arms relaxed before throwing a block or a strike, because relaxed muscles respond faster, and get more speed. Trying to power through a block or a punch is almost always slower.

Because the Wing Chun stance is higher than Im used to, it takes some adjustment for me, not to sink too low. Fortunately, for most beginning students, a higher stance is more familiar to them from every day life. After all, very few people walk around in the Tiger Crouch when going to the super market.

Dora Theodore
http://www.articlesbase.com/fitness-articles/learn-how-to-apply-wing-chun-as-an-effective-form-of-self-defense-135930.html

Last year when I was 12, I was kicking in karate class and the leg I was standing on gave out. Well, turns out that I had to have surgery because my kneecap popped out and tore a ligament, then popped back in and broke off the cartilage from the back of the kneecap. The surgery went well and I went through physical therapy for a good 6 or 7 months. I was told by one doctor not to go back, and another (the one who did the surgery) that it would be fine, because it was a freak accident. I still limp a little from that leg out of habit, and it periodically stiffens and swells. However this doesn’t stop me from doing anything I would normally be doing. So my question is…do you think it’s safe for me to go back to karate? I was about halfway to reaching my black belt, and I was doing the regular class along with weapons and seminars. It was a good stress relief, too…grrrr….

go ahead and try, and if it bothers your knee just sit down in the middle of the floor.

I get questions all the time about the effectiveness of pepper spray or tear gas for self-defense. The answer is that these self defense tools are very effective in the hands of a person who knows how to use it.

These devices are considered “non-lethal” personal self-defense weapons. You must know that possession of defense spray items may be restricted or illegal in some states and cannot be carried onto airplanes (allowed in checked in luggage) and into certain buildings.

Types of Defense Sprays

Self-defense sprays are generally either pepper spray or tear gas. Older defensive sprays, commonly called tear gas, contained chemical compounds such as CS (Orthochlorobenzalmalononitrile) and CN (Chloroacetophenone). Today, the most popular, safest, and most effective defensive spray is formulated with OC (Oleoresin Capsicum), commonly known as Pepper Spray.

CN, or chloroacetophenone was used by the military and police departments in the 60s and 70s as a riot control tear gas, but is not used much anymore. This product is not really a gas, but rather crystals suspend in liquid and placed under pressure to create a vapor.

Tear gas products have proven to be less effective against violent attackers, especially those under the influence of narcotics and alcohol. Additionally, these tear gas products have a fairly slow reaction time of three to thirty seconds.

CS is short for orthochlorobenzalmalononitrile. It is a micro-pulverized irritant. It irritates the mucous membrane of the nose, throat, eyes, and the skin in high concentrations. It works better than CN, but is not readily available to the public.

Both of these chemicals sprays can be toxic and cause serious vomiting, and choking. CN and CS are not all that effective against dogs because they lack lactimal glands.

OC is short for oleoresin capsicum, which is a natural derivative of hot peppers, the active ingredient in Pepper Spray. The essence is extracted, combined with a carrier and propellant, and put into a spray canister.

When it is sprayed into the eyes and face on an attacker, it is extremely painful, but it does not just rely on pain for its effectiveness. OC causes physical effects even in people who are “feeling no pain.”

It makes the eyelids slam shut or spasm, causing temporary blindness. When even a small amount is inhaled, it constricts the bronchial tubes, causing extreme choking and coughing, though it does not cut off breathing. It is usually effective on most people and animals, including the mentally ill and those under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

Pepper Spray Strengths

Pepper spray comes in various concentrations, and various degrees of heat (measured in Scoville Heat Units, or SHUs). The heat rating of pepper spray is more important than the pepper concentration percentage.

If you’re going to get OC, you should purchase a product which has an SHU rating of 1 to 2 million or more. A 2% to 10% concentration is the best range. Sometimes concentrations higher than 10% do not atomize well, and are therefore less effective.

The primary result of higher concentration sprays lengthen the recovery time beyond the usual 45 minutes or so, and there is no advantage to that in personal defensive situations.

Is OC spray legal?

That depends on your locality. Depending on location, pepper spray laws differ from anyone can buy it, to, as in Massachusetts, one would need a license to purchase and possess it.

Some countries pepper spray is illegal no matter what. It is illegal under FAA regulations to have in carry-on luggage on any airplane, but it is OK to have it in checked baggage.

Using pepper spray irresponsibly can incur criminal or civil liability. Spraying an innocent victim in the face can be a crime. Much like a punch in the face, it would be charged as assault or battery in most jurisdictions.

The justification for using chemical sprays must either be self-defense from personal harm or an arrest situation by law enforcement, and the force must be reasonable under the circumstances. Defense sprays are for personal self-defense only to fight off an attacker. It is not to be used offensively to protect property or on someone you merely dislike.

When used by surprise, pepper spray is an excellent diversion, allowing you time to get away.
Pepper spray has been used by police and federal law enforcement organizations for decades, and it has an excellent safety and effectiveness record. Many instructors of self defense classes recommend it and carry it themselves.

It is probably the best “general purpose” self-defense tool that you can own, though nothing is 100% effective. The spray may not work on some violent, goal-oriented, people, and may not work fast enough to be effective against someone who is armed.

Patricia Deiparine
http://www.articlesbase.com/gps-articles/the-effectiveness-of-self-defense-sprays-122333.html