MMA

An Easier Way To Learn Martial Arts

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Nowadays life seems to be one a fast track for many people. There are so many things that have to be done and only one person to do them. There is a limit to the number of times that you can delegate your duties to someone else. This is especially so if you are delegating the duties in order to pursue other personal interests like learning martial arts.

When martial classes clash with your busy schedule you should not let one of your activities suffer. Your schedule should not be disturbed and you should not miss out on martial arts classes. The internet is a really good place to learn so many things. If you really want to learn the martial arts then there are many online avenues through which you can do this. It does not matter which particular martial art you want to learn, it is possible to learn virtually all of them through the internet.

The best way to do this is by first visiting www.bestbuymas.com and getting martial arts equipment including the martial arts weapons that you will find recommended by various people. As a matter of fact through this website you will be able to find purchase martial arts training videos that are really good for beginners. This website has martial arts items for all levels from the beginner level to the advanced levels.

This website allows you to purchase everything from the best MMA shorts to the Jujitsu uniforms which come highly suggested to anyone who wants to practice in comfort. Those uniforms that martial arts people wear are for comfort purposes as well as other reasons that you will learn once you start your classes. Therefore you can get the best martial arts uniforms at very affordable prices.

If you want to know that this website is really affordable just go look for, say karate supplies, at exhibitions or in a store. Their prices will be almost twice those you will find on this website. The most convenient thing about Best Buy Martial Arts Supplies is that you do not have to break away from your busy daily routine to go shopping for karate equipment.

How to Do Fa-Jing –Issuing Energy — in Tai Chi, Hsing-I and Bagua

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He was one of the greatest kung-fu masters in the world, a direct descendant of the creator of tai chi, and he was asking me to show him a punch. It was an exciting moment but also nerve-wracking. Trying not to be nervous, I settled into the posture and prepared to show him internal power. Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang stood in front of me, watching carefully.

Trying to remain relaxed, I shifted my weight from my right to my left leg and my right fist shot out, fast, relaxed, and powerful. At the same time, my left elbow thrust backward and my left hand stopped at my ribcage.

Grandmaster Chen was not impressed. He took my right hand in his left, my left hand in his right and told me to relax. Before I knew what was happening, he jerked the right hand out and pushed the left hand backward. I wasn’t quite relaxed enough and almost suffered whiplash in my neck.

Relax, he told me again, and once again he jerked my arms — hard — forcing one to punch and the other to return to my ribcage. For a minute, I was like a rag doll, completely limp as he repeatedly demonstrated how relaxed I was supposed to be when performing fa-jing.

It’s amazing how the internal arts of China — Tai Chi, Hsing-I and Bagua — have been distorted by teachers who take what they have read too literally. The subject of fa-jing (pronounced “fah-zhing”) is one example of how a simple concept is misunderstood and misinterpreted.

Fa-jing means “issuing energy.” Unfortunately, the people who desperately need to believe in the supernatural think that in doing fa-jing, you are shooting chi out of your hands or body. They take it literally.

It’s not magical or mystical. It’s a matter of physics, and in the internal arts, it’s a matter of body mechanics.

Boxers issue energy anytime they deliver a jab, a hook, or an uppercut. If you’re into karate, you issue energy when you break a board with your foot, and if you’re into MMA, energy is issued when you drive a knee into an opponent’s face.

In the internal arts, fa-jing — issuing energy — is more complex, but the end result is the same. You knock someone into next week.

Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang, whose ancestor,Chen Wangting created Tai Chi 11 generations ago, teaches that fa-jing is a matter of proper body structure (posture) and good internal movement. From there, he says you simply “step on the gas.” He likes using automobile metaphors. In other words, if you use good structure and mechanics and then add speed, you will create the unique relaxed power of the internal arts.

I’ve studied other martial arts and have found the body mechanics of the internal arts far more difficult and complex. For high-quality tai chi you must maintain ground strength, peng jin, whole-body movement, silk-reeling (spiraling movement through the body), dan t’ien rotation and opening/closing the kua. You must connect all of these skills through the body as you deliver the strike with speed, power, and relaxation.

It takes years to learn how to do this from an internal perspective, because we all bring bad habits to the internal arts and it takes years to learn the above-mentioned skills and learn to maintain the whole-body connection as you move. It takes years for us to lose the muscular tension that we’ve developed all of our lives.

When Grandmaster Chen worked with me on the punch, I didn’t have it the first few times I did the punch and he corrected me each time. Suddenly I understood, and the next time I punched I connected the relaxed power from my foot, through my body and out my hand, exploding and shifting my weight at the same time.

“Ahh!” he said, his face lighting up. “Good.”

As a martial artist, few things are better than getting a “good” from Chen Xiaowang.

A short time later, he astonished those of us attending his Washington, D.C. workshop by doing a series of fa-jing strikes.C. With each strike, it seemed his uniform was exploding in all directions. That type of power comes from being connected and relaxing — and from a lifetime of practice. When he does fa-jing, you can almost feel the energy even standing halfway across a room. It reminded me of being on the floor right behind the basketball hoop during a University of Iowa game. When the big players were slamming into each other beneath the hoop, you could feel the body heat and almost feel the energy as they collided. I’ll never forget it, and being close to Chen Xiaowang when he does fa-jing is very similar.

There are two myths about tai chi that all martial artists should put aside. One is that tai chi is a slow motion health and meditation exercise. In truth, it’s a powerful martial art that is practiced slowly so students can learn the body mechanics and later can speed up the movements and deliver amazing power without a lot of obvious effort to the untrained observer.

The other myth people should forget is about chi. Fa-jing has nothing to do with shooting energy out of your body. Instead of focusing on chi, which has never been proven exist in independent scientific studies and which is too often the focus of tai chi teachers, you should focus on proper posture and body mechanics. Do this and you’ll be closer to developing the relaxed power of fa-jing.

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Ken Gullette has practiced martial arts for 36 years and is best known for his high-quality instructional DVDs, his online internal arts school and his internal arts blog. He is dedicated to dispelling the myths surrounding tai chi, hsing-i and bagua, showing that the skills required for the internal arts are physical, not metaphysical.

Martial Arts Training and Injury Prevention

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The rising popularity of mixed martial arts (MMA) events has also produced a heightened awareness and participation in martial sports and traditional combative arts. The MMA events have spawned a new generation of athletes who train hard to perfect their striking, grappling, wrestling, and submission skills.

Just by watching MMA events like the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), International Fight League (IFL), and Pride Fighting Championship — one would instinctively think that many of the fighters get seriously hurt or injured. Just like any sports or fitness endeavor, there are many risks of injury in martial arts training and competition. But contrary to common belief, the risk of acquiring injuries in martial arts is actually lower compared to other contact sports like boxing, basketball, football, rugby, soccer, and other high-impact activities.

Of course, regardless of the type or nature of sports that one is involved in, it is necessary to avoid injuries. Getting injured might entail not only the discomforts of pain and immobility, it would also come with the financial cost of buying expensive or even cheap medicines for treatment.

Shown below are some of the most common sports injuries among athletes and some sports injury prevention tips:

Sprains – Ankle sprains are very common among athletes who train and compete in basketball, running, and martial arts. Many ankle sprains occur when an athlete runs on hard and uneven, or overly soft flooring like gymnastics mats or mats with gaps between them. Other causes of ankle sprains are improper weight distribution while kicking and improper execution of kicks. To help avoid ankle sprains, martial arts practitioners should train on even surfaces, make sure to stand in proper stance, and execute kicks and other techniques in the correct form to avoid injuries.

Jammed Fingers and Toes – Most of the time, this injury occurs due to improper throwing of kicks or punches, hitting a bag or pad, or blocking. These injuries can be prevented by properly executing techniques like kicks and punches. In addition to preventing injuries, proper execution is also essential in enhancing the effectiveness of techniques.

Head injuries – A concussion or an injury that may cause a transient loss of brain function is a serious injury that can occur in training or competition. Wearing a properly fitting and high quality helmet and mouthguard is essential in lessening the development of this kind of injury. A helmet alone is not enough because the jaw must be properly aligned and protected as well.

Torn Muscles – This condition can be developed by performing stretches that are intended to increase elasticity and flexibility. However, many instructors use outmoded methods of stretching that push their students past their limits of flexibility. This practice may heighten the risks of developing muscle tears. One way of to prevent this is by performing gradual stretches and avoiding bouncing while stretching. Stretching to the point of tension in the muscles and not to the point of pain should also be remembered while engaging in flexibility training.

Difference Between Mma And Karate

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Although there are certain techniques and moves that may seem similar, there is a difference between MMA and Karate. Because of The Ultimate Fighter reality TV show on Spike TV people are starting to understand the real difference between the two sports.

Karate is a very old form of martial arts that originated in Japan. It was primarily for self-defense, a way to defend one’s self from an attacker even without a weapon in hand. The moves employed are for blocking an attack and counterattacking through strikes, punches, and kicks. Through the years, it has become a competitive sport and one of the most popular forms of martial arts in the world.

Mixed martial arts or MMA, from the name itself, is a combination of several forms of martial arts. Its roots can be traced back to the ancient Greeks where they participated in no holds barred and extremely brutal fighting matches. Unlike karate that evolved out of a practical need for self-defense, mixed martial arts already started out being a competitive sport. It combines different techniques to subdue an opponent inside the ring.

Practitioners believe that by selecting the most effective moves from different martial arts and incorporating them into one form, they are creating a better and more efficient form of fighting style. There are many forms of martial arts employed in MMA fighting but the dominant styles used Jiu-Jitsu, grappling, and wrestling. Fights are relatively short, usually five minutes per round.

The rules in MMA also differ from others. One is allowed to strike an opponent when he or she is standing or lying on the ground. Other contact sports such as boxing do not allow strikes when one competitor goes down. Although it is allowed in MMA, strict officiating is enforced. A match is stopped when one fighter knocks out or renders unconscious his or her opponent. Another is when one submits to the dominant fighter and if the referee sees that a fighter cannot defend himself anymore from his opponent.

Is Mma Fitness Training Right For You

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You have seen your first mixed martial arts (MMA) competition, and now you are determined to get into MMA fitness and training. You are completely hooked. You are determined to train, master the sport, become a champion and live happily every after. Right? Never.
You may have gotten infatuated with this sport, but like in marriage, infatuation is poor quality fuel for long term dedication to mixed martial arts. This is serious stuff and the journey doesnt start the first time you enroll into an MMA fitness and training school.
Mixed martial arts is not like other forms of martial arts. MMA is more complex, because it combines the strengths of many other martial arts and makes it all work together. What you end up with is an extreme sport that not everybody can play, much less play well.
Other forms of martial arts involve limited body contact, but mixed martial arts is a full body contact sport. It can get mean and while you may love it now, in the long (and even in the short) term, it may not be a good fit.
To find out if you are suitable for MMA fitness and training, assess yourself. Even before looking for the right school, consider a few things about yourself. You will be spared needless pain, disappointment and expense if you consider the following:
1. Assess your weight. There are weight categories for MMA fitness and you cannot be overweight or underweight. Training will help you to lose or gain weight for your category, but you have to be ready to maintain that appropriate weight in the long term. This could involve drastic dietary changes aside from your physical regimen. If you are ready for that, good for you.
2.Are you flexible? MMA has standards for flexibility, and when you train for flexibility, it requires mental as well as physical flexibility. There are stretches that are done gradually on a regular basis for body flexibility. However, mental flexibility is called for during the actual training as well. You may think you want to immediately get into the grappling and kicking, but that is simply not going to happen. You have to go slowly and at times the pace may seem excruciatingly slow for you, and you may burn out.
3.How is your heart? This is not a sport for the weak of heart. To be a mixed martial artist you absolutely must have solid anaerobic and aerobic cardiac levels. I think this is self explanatory.
4.Do you have sensitive feet? Just to give yourself a taste of what is in store, you might as well get used to mats. Your feet and knees will be on these mats a lot, so you may want to get started and do a few moves on the mat now. If you start getting calloused and you dont mind, then maybe you are okay with mixed martial arts and ready for MMA fitness and training. However, if at that point you dislike the calluses, then maybe it is best that you be an MMA watcher. Which is okay, since this sport would not survive without people like you.
5.After all of the above, how do you feel? Do you still feel just as strongly about going into MMA fitness and training as you did at the start? If the answer is yes, then go for it. But if you are wavering, better think about it some more.
Chances are at this point you may even feel totally burned out. In that case, lucky you, because now you know for sure. You have also saved yourself what might have been lost time and useless expense. Lessons in MMA training can cost about US$100.00, and the price goes up over time. Plus in the long term you will need good gearhigh quality shoes, a good mouthpiece, headgear, body protectors, groin protectors, ankle guards, etc. MMA fitness and training is the real deal.