Martial Arts Kata, Kimute, Kihon And …injury How To Get Balance, Improve Form And Avoid Pain

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The name Martial Arts comes from the Roman god of war Mars . But today, most who practice the art do so for peaceful purposes such as self defense training, exercise or to bring balance to mind and body.

Even with peaceful purposes in mind, though, there is a good chance you will sustain injury.

According to Go for Your Life.com (an Internet site dedicated to increasing health), karate and kickboxing account for about half of all martial arts injuries . Some injuries are sustained during sparring, many during normal training (or kihon) and kata (or forms). And while you might expect cuts and bruises during sparring or matched competition, you are more likely to be hampered with repetitive strain injury, especially if you are over 30. Repetitive strain comes from repeating the same movements again and again. So even if you never compete, you could be hit with injury while training. Below are some of the most common:

* Sprained ankles come from being off balance or not executing a kick or jump correctly
* Plantar fasciitis is a bruising or overstretching of the plantar fascia ligament that runs along the sole of the foot. This injury is particularly common in martial arts, and it comes from overwork. The pain can be excruciating and never ending. If left untreated, it can also take weeks or months to heal.
* Strains – injury to muscle or tendon. For example, a muscle may tear from the rapid stop that occurs when you make contact with an opponent or object.
* Knee injuries – caused by the bent-knee stance typical of most martial arts and the use of forceful kicks that can injure the joint if not done properly .

Martial Arts; Wikipedia. Found September 26, 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martial_arts

Martial arts – preventing injury; Go for Your Life. Found September 27, 2007

http://www.goforyourlife.vic.gov.au/hav/articles.nsf/pages/Martial_arts_preventing_injury?open

How can you prevent and treat injury?

There are some things you can do to prevent injury and to treat injury when it strikes. As your instructor will tell you, warming up and stretching before you train or compete is essential. But ensuring that your body is healthy and in balance is also essential. Martial arts require strength, speed and all-over movement and mobility. If your body is hampered by old injury or tight, inflexible muscles and tendons, not only will you run the risk of injury, you will not be able to kick as high or bend as far. Nor will you execute your forms the way they were intended.

If you have never heard of Structural Integration, it is a form of deep bodywork with roots that reach back as far as marital arts, itself. Ancient Greek, Roman and Asian cultures practiced bodywork and massage to increase overall health and to help athletes and warriors perform at peak levels.

The purpose of structural integration is to identify current and potential problem areas, and treat them within the context of the whole body. Old injuries limit your range of motion while weak, underused areas make you vulnerable to future injury. What the ancient Greeks, Romans and Asians understood — and todays structural therapist understands is that your body is completely connected. If your upper back, for example, is tight and tender from lifting children or heavy objects, it will have an affect on your lower back and your whole bodys ability to balance itself and move freely.

Those limitations will naturally limit your ability to move about, exercise and practice the art of Karate (or any of the martial arts).

What can I do for you?

When you visit my office, I will spend some time up front discussing your lifestyle (how long you spend sitting each day, whether you lift heavy objects or sit in front of a computer, etc.), your physical limitations and your past injuries. Then, together you and I will design a structural program, which will free you of pain, create new strength and balance in your body.After your structural sessions are complete, you will feel ease and power at the core of your body. Your kihon and kata will be graceful, free and precise as they were intended.

How to develop your own martial arts style

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Most martial arts can be studied world wide from a different variety of countries and cultures. It’s a well known fact that martial

arts can even increase your fitness and muscular endurance levels too. Depending on what art you choose, you may even learn some valuable self defense tips.

Currently, there has been big debates on whether martial arts are effective as most self defense courses and classes. In my experience, I recommend you study as manystyles as you can and only use what works.

What I have found works well, is to take the different techniques from each martial art and design your own combat system based on your own personal skills and results based on real life fights you’ve been in.

To make things easier, grab the best techniques from every style you try and use them when you are practicing. Unfortunately, on the street you won’t be able to do a full technique and crazy Hollywood style moves. That’s why it’s best to try different techniques and martial arts.

Martial arts should be about self defense and using what works in real life hand to hand combat. Another thing you should practice while training martial arts and self defense is of course weight training and doing excerise on a daily basis, to better prepare yourself for any forms of attack.

Article By Steve Gibbs. Discover 37 Bone Busting Martial Arts And Street Fighting Techniques In His Shocking, And Highly Controversial Newsletter Thats 100% Free By Visiting: http://www.howtofightandwin.com/ezine.htm

Baking Arts Management Programs In Canada

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The job of pastry bakers is no longer limited to turning raw ingredients into baked treats. Instead it extends to quantity bakery production, labour cost controls, purchasing for commercial kitchen, menu planning, practices of nutrition, and human resource planning.

Traditionally, pastry bakers were expected to just bake pastries, cookies, breads, cakes and chocolates. However, times have changed. Now, the industry offers them more legitimate career options in the areas of supply management, hospitality management, human resource planning, and sanitation, hygiene and safety, marketing of baked goods, and kitchen management.

The professionals are now required to have excellent baking skills combined with strong business acumen. They should be able to work in state-of-the-art kitchens, while using the latest equipments and ensuring their smooth transition into the workforce. They are not only required to bake cakes and pastries, but are also expected to innovate and bring a new product or concept to the market.

Baking Arts Management Programs

Prospective pastry bakers in Canada are required to go through a formal and intensive training in baking arts management before entering the world of work. In fact, this is considered as the basic requirement to pursue an entry level job in the industry.

Previously pastry bakers were trained on-the-job and paid decently after several years of hard work. However, nowadays, structured post-secondary educational programs are available in Canada with the colleges of repute.

Bakery arts management programs are designed to provide students with the skills to effectively manage commercial bakery outlets. They learn to expand their knowledge of baking and produce commercial quantities of breads, muffins, cakes, pastries, pies, rolls, sweet dough and savoury. They also learn to mange product costs, labour costs, purchase and storage of materials, product marketing, hiring and managing personnel.

Program Details

Centennial College’s baking program runs for two years and offers a unique blend of classroom learning, hands-on baking lab and an individualized internship with industry partners. The program focuses on helping students develop pastry baking arts and business management skills.

The post-secondary program in baking arts covers a wide range of subjects including

– Baking and pastry arts theory and practical
– Hospitality accounting
– Sanitation, safety and hygiene
– Quantity bakery production
– Principles of food, beverage and labour cost controls
– Principles of hospitality management
– Purchasing for commercial kitchen
– Human resources management
– Marketing strategies
– Principles and practices of nutrition for culinarians
– Supervisory practices for Kitchen Manager

In addition, the program lays a strong emphasis on professional communication, report writing, mathematics for bakers, and knowledge in computers.

Benefits of Baking Programs

The graduates of baking arts programs are capable of

– Working on the latest baking equipments
– Producing baking goods in large quantities
– Managing commercial bakery outlets
– Managing materials purchase and storage
– Marketing baked products effectively
– Hiring and managing personnel at a commercial bakery
– Ensuring sanitation, safety and hygiene

They can find employment with hotels, restaurants, retail pastry outlets, bistros, resorts, camps, department stores, supermarkets, and other related businesses. The graduates can also start their own pastry establishment.

Students looking for better job prospects can also consider studying further by enrolling into advanced bakery arts program with associated universities.

Are Martial Arts Gradings Significant

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Countless Martial Arts schools have a built in grading structure. This allows students to obtain a tangible symbol of progression, typically in the form of a new belt or sash. Commonly, the grading is a tough test with students having to indicate an ability level needed to rise a notch.

The grading test is frequently a very enjoyable, but tough, day, while some do fail, generally they shouldn’t as they will not be put forward for the grading unless they’re ready. Clearly, there’s no point attempting your black belt if you’re only a blue belt standard. You ‘ll be in over your head! Numerous Martial Arts schools simply award a new grade to their students when the trainer feels they have attained a suitable level. Although pupils miss out on taking the actual grading this method averts people from demanding their next belt once the time between belts is up.

Regularly pupils consider that merely because they’ve turned up for the stipulated number of schools they are due their grading. While that may be agreeable at some of the more money oriented Martial Arts schools it is not so in lessons where the trainer cares about your promotion. At the end of the day a belt is just something to keep your uniform or gi tidy the color is worthless if it hasn’t been received.

You can quickly tell if a Martial Arts School makes sure their students earn their progression is to take a look at the black belts. If they are no good the school is probably not worth investing your time and effort in. If they’re good it’s well worth giving the place a go. Good black belt standard equals tough grading and high technique levels. Of course, it is also a great indication of the teachers ability, if you keep at it you too could be as good as the black belts, one day. Not everyone is capable of passing on their technique to students and that holds true for ex-World Champions, winning does not always translate into teaching!

The majority of grading systems will ensure that you receive your new belt or sash and so have great value. But you need to take responsibility of yourself, you should prepare successfully for your gradings. Do not leave anything to chance, practice in and out of your class, so you are as well prepared as possible!

Things You Must Do For A Successful Martial Arts School

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There are three key actions you must take to achieve a successful martial arts business. Being a master of the arts is an enormous and impressive accomplishment, but to run a thriving dojo you must also be a master of the business of running a dojo.

This doesn’t mean you have to get your MBA, but it does mean that you must focus the business details along with the details of your art. The keys to having a successful martial arts business can be summarized with three main points:

* Getting new students

* Retaining your existing students

* Selling new products or services to your students (often referred to as “up selling”)

Getting New Students in the Door

Attracting new students to your dojo is all about marketing. This is how any business attracts new customers and that is what your students are – customers. Your dojo may showcase your martial arts skills, but your business office better be figuring out where and how to most efficiently spend those scarce marketing dollars.

Your target customers, meaning students, may be children or adults or both. Focus in on where your potential customers receive their information on recreational or educational activities. Possibilities could include schools, libraries, and community centers.

Once you know “where” your potential customers are, you can then decide on the “how”. Mailers, print advertising, posted flyers, free demonstrations – these can all be effective ways to get the word out about your school.

Retaining Existing Students Month After Month

That first month of martial arts is exciting for a new student. But once that student gets over the initial rush of a new activity, the student may become distracted, bored, or overwhelmed by the immensity of what they want to accomplish in the martial arts.

A successful martial arts teacher will pay attention to how to keep the students inspired and engaged. This can involve both the personal touch of one-on-one attention and encouragement along with varying drills and activities specifically designed for new students.

Structuring attainable goals and making sure your new students not only reach them but are recognized for reaching them is another important component of a student retention plan.

Selling New Products or Services to Your Students

Developing new products and services does not mean just thinking up ways to make more money for your martial arts business. The creative dojo master will regularly review his products and services to determine if there is a need that is not being met.

Do some students need private lessons for a more personalized learning experience or to prepare for advancement? Would printed learning material assist some students? Would T-shirts, sweatshirts, and equipment bags printed with the name and logo of your school inspire your students and market your business?

Will students benefit from a more advanced program? Which students show signs of becoming leaders in the school and thus be good candidates for your leadership programs?

A Business Master

Someone who has mastered the martial arts already has proven their commitment and passion to their art. The master of successful dojo is proof of their commitment and passion to their school and their students.

This master will always pay attention to the business aspects of his or her martial arts business as well as the art, both for their own financial benefit and also for the sake of their students. You must successfully recruit, retain, and meet the needs of your students if you are to achieve a successful martial arts business.