Setting targets is one of the most effective tools that you can use to improve your martial arts skill. In order to make progress you need to have a clear idea in your mind of where you are going and how you will get there.

Of course many martial arts schools will have their own targets for students to aim at, in the form of grading systems, but to really give your training a boost you should go beyond this, particularly if you do any extra practice and training outside of classes. If your training is not focussed on specific goals then there is a risk that you will end up just going through the motions. Also, it is difficult to improve everything all at once. By setting very narrow and specific targets, over fairly short time scales (weeks, or a couple of months at most) you can be sure that you are continually making incremental gains in your training,, and that you are therefore always improving.

Even the act of sitting down and thionking about appropriate targets can intself be helpful, as it forces you to analyse you strengths and weaknesses, and to think about what you need to do to improve.

It is also the case that the intention which you hold in your mind during training defines what you will get out of it. There are many different things that martial arts can offer - health, fitness, mental strength, self-defense skill, sports fighting skill, and so on. Different people want different things, and a good school will cater to them all; but it is up to you to focus your training on what you yourself want to get out of it. It is possible for two people to study the same system, under the same instructor, and to come away from it with entirely different skills, abilities and benefits, according to their particular intention during training. In Chinese martial arts this kind of intention is called Yi. If you practice a technique with the intention of performing beautiful, perfect, and precise movments for form demonstrations, then that is what you will be best at, but if you practice the same technique with the intention of learning to defend yourself in the street, or of learning to beat opponents in full contact competition, then that is what you will end up being best at. Setting targets is a good way to focus your Yi andget what you want from your training. 

Posted by esotericmartialarts at 12:20 PM BST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

The warrior priest, from Shaolin Monk to Crusader Knight is so ubiquitous throughout history that it is virtually an archetypal figure. Today, in the era of Islamic Jihad, it is just as prominent as ever. And that leads me to ask a number of questions - where does this connection between spirituality and war come from , and why is it so common? Is it a necessary connection or a mistake? Can we identify what makes a good, or a true Holy Warrior, from that which creates an ignorant and hate filled terrorist? So to try to address these questions and more I have started this new topic.

I thought a good place to start would be to look at some of the similarites between the two roles of soldier and priest when they are separate, because I think it is most likely there that we could find the reasons why they so often come together in the single archetype of the Holy Warrior.

Although superficially the two roles of soldier and priest seem worlds apart, to my mind there are clear and striking similarities. The most obvious parallels to me are discipline and submission to a higher authority, and self-sacrifice in the pursuit of an ideal. Both the soldier and the priest are moral enforcers, who stand up against anything which threatens our sense of justice and the cherished ideals of our society. They both carry the burden of moral duty.

In many ways religion is the expression of an ideal - a vision of how a good society should be. From this perspective the role of the priest is to help move society towards this ideal world and to struggle against anything which worls against it. But in the modern world we have many values and ideals that are independent of religion. Perhaps, in a way at least, soldiers and the job they do in places like Iraq, or like Kosovo, are like the priests of a liberal, compassionate democracy. But this is straying from the point a bit; what I beleive is that by understanding these similarities we can understand what makes a Holy Warrior, and how this can be relevant both for the spiritual dimension of martial arts practice, and also for the modern world in general. This is what I will be trying to do in subsequent posts to this topic, but it is a big subjects to tackle so I would really appreciate getting your opinions and feedback in the comments section.

Posted by esotericmartialarts at 1:07 PM BST

Updated: Saturday, 24 May 2008 10:28 AM BST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

If you've tried using parkour as part of your conditioning program to liven up your aerobic training then this video should give you a bit of inspiration for what to try next; and if you haven't then maybe it will inspire you to start. There's some great moves in this little vid, particularly some of the wall climbing which is quite impressive.

Posted by esotericmartialarts at 3:23 PM BST

Updated: Wednesday, 21 May 2008 4:22 PM BST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

A complete combined form from Shaolin Five Animal Kung Fu is demonstrated in a new video lesson that  have added to the Shaolin Five Animal Fist information page.

Posted by esotericmartialarts at 3:25 PM BST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

Another great k.o. in this NW American fight between  Garret Burn and Adam Stone. The first round is quite tactical with a lot of grappling, but they come out firing in the second...

Posted by esotericmartialarts at 4:53 PM BST

Updated: Wednesday, 14 May 2008 5:10 PM BST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

Check out these new lenses on Squidoo for both free resources (videos, links etc.) and products for helping you to learn mixed martial arts techiniques:

http://www.squidoo.com/punching

http://www.squidoo.com/throwsandtakedowns

http://www.squidoo.com./submissionholds

http://www.squidoo.com/kicking 

Posted by esotericmartialarts at 5:12 PM BST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

I once trained with an instructor whose favourite saying was "A kick above the waist is a waste". I have since met several other instructors and advanced students who have a similar attitude, and recently I have come to realize that this issue is a major point of disagreement between different styles and schools of martial arts. If you study Taekwondo, for example, you will learn a large number of high kicks, including flying kicks, jumping spinning kicks, and all the rest.

So I thought it would be useful to spend a bit of time thinking this through and trying to work out whether, and in what circumstances, high kicks actually work. Here are my thoughts:

The argument against: If you kick above the waist from a standing position you are reducing your range - the higher you kick the closer you have to be. High kicks reduce your stability and leave you open to a takedown. Jumping kicks take longer to perform than any other kind of technique, and they are often easy to read and avoid if your opponent knows what they are doing. Often you can see that someone is preparing to launch one of these kicks and get out of the way before they even start the technique.

The argument for: A kick to the head which connects properly is more likely to k.o. your opponents than virtually any other technique, and even if it doesn't it will probably do some damage. A good fighter should have every kind of technique in their arsenal, and shouldn't limit themselves uneccesarily.

My conclusion: High kicks can be devastating, but you really should be careful about when you use them. If your opponent is reeling or off balance from another attack, oir if they are tired and drop their guard when in close to you, then a high kick can be a great finnishing technique. As part of a set combination of strikes a high kick can be very effective even if the earlier attack(s) didn't connect, because they are harder to see coming and avoid than if you open an attack with one. Within a fight I would advise you not to use high kicks in any other contexts as they are too risky, however they do also have one other use which I know from personal experience.

Many people like high kicks  and jumping kicks simply because they look so impressive. Some 'serious martial artists' use this fact as an argument against them in itself, saying they are all style and no substance. But as this story illustrates sometimes style is all you need:

When I was in my mid-teens I was walking down the street one evening with a couple of friends. A group of older boys came over to us and after a bit of verbal abuse they demanded money. One of my friends, who had been practicing Muay Thai from a young age, began jumpin around doing loads of really flash spinning kicks and jumping kicks into the air. He then took out his wallet, drpooed it on the floor in front of hi,, and said "come and get it". They didn't have the balls.

Posted by esotericmartialarts at 11:09 AM BST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

 Some great new content has just gone live on the Esoteric Martial Arts main page:

Secret Drunken Kung Fu Technique - video lesson showing a hidden application from drunken kung fu

Neck Strength Exercises - A vital part in any martial artists conditioning program, especially if you want to make sure you don't get knocked out when you are hit.

+ Flapping Qi Gong Shaolin hard qi gong and The Gate of the Shoulders which combine to give a very effective method for more powerful punching.

Posted by esotericmartialarts at 5:27 PM BST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

Check out this Kung Fu group at squidoo: http://www.squidoo.com/groups/kungfu

There's loads of stuff from different members, including San Shou, Eagle Claw and Iron Shirt Qi Gong amongst other things.

Posted by esotericmartialarts at 4:09 PM BST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

It's been a little while now since I added an entry for my parkour for martial arts topic, probably because its been freezing cold and raining all the time in Birmingham, so I have not really felt like doing outdoors training so the parkour has slipped off my radar a little; but now the spring is finally starting to kick in and I am eager to get back to it. So, anyway, the point is here is another parkour training video that you may like:

Posted by esotericmartialarts at 6:32 PM BST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

I have recently made a discovery that should be welcome news to anyone with an interest in meditation, and as an added bonus the same principle can be applied to martial arts training. My discovery has been this: less really is more, and I have found a way to significantly improve my meditation practice by spending less time on it.

Let's face it, meditation can be really difficult, and sometimes it is even more difficult than others. Anyone who has ever tried to meditate on a regular basis will know that some days quietening the mind can just seem like an impossible task. Sometimes you have something on your mind that you just can't let go of, other times you might be in an emotionally charged state (either positive or negative) which disturbs the mind, or it may just be that some days you just can't stop your mind from wanderring; diet lack of sleep, or recent intake of alcohol (say, the night before) are all common factors that can affect the concentration.

In the past when I have been finding meditation difficult I have always tried to work through it. I always thought that this difficulty just shoed how much I needed to meditate that day, and I obstinately refused to give up. But it has likewise been rare for me to break through the barriers on these days to have what I would feel to be a successful or productive meditation session.

Recently, on a day when I was having particular trouble, I relented and decided to give up. But before I stopped I decided to briefly try something which I now call my ten breaths technique. Basically what I did was to promise myself I would finnish very soon, and then to try to concentrate as fully as possible for only 10 breaths. Knowing that it was only for a short time allowed me to put aside the distraction and concentrate my mental control into a short burst, and therefore to actually get 10 breaths worth of good quality meditation done.

Afterwards I could really feel that I had been meditating, and it was clear that this brief 10 breaths had been more effective than if I had carried on as usual and done another 10 minutes or more. Quality definitely counts more than quantity.

Martial arts training is slightly different, becuase often when you are stressed, distracted, or whatever it can be really nice to loose yourself in the physicality of the training. But the quality over quantity principle still stands, particularly if you are learning or practicing technique rather than doing physical conditioning. If you practice doing something sloppily then you can program yourself with bad habits which can make it harder to do it right in the future. I would definitely say that if you are not ready and willing to put 100% commitment into a training session then it is better not to do it at all.

Posted by esotericmartialarts at 10:40 AM BST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

I've already in previous posts how  love to see different styles coming up against each other to see how it plays out. This MMA fight is a classic example of a grappler coming up against a striker. The video quality isn't perfect, but it's definitely good enough to enjoy the action....

Posted by esotericmartialarts at 4:28 PM BST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

Anyone who has ever seen Star Trek should be familiar with the famous Vulcan nerve pinch, which mr Spock and his Vulcan compatriots use to render their enemies instantly unconscious simply by squeezing the nerves in the correct place. I have always loved Star Trek and as a child the Vulcan nerver pinch was always one of those things that I really wished that I could do.

Of course the actual nerve pinch, as it is shown in Star Trek, is a piece of fiction. But yet it is also true that the idea for it was not simply plucked out of nowhere, but was based on something real. It's pretty safe to assume that the idea for the Vulcan nerver pinch was based on the Chinese art of manipulating pressure points. The same principles that are used for healing in accupuncture and accupressure massage are also used in oriental martial arts for fighting and self-defense. The system which teaches martial arts students to do this is called 'Dim Mak', and is sometimes known in the west as the art of the Death Touch, for its reputed ability to kill an opponent with just a touch of the right combination of points.

Drawing on the Dim Mak system of Kung Fu here is a technique for renderring an opponent unconscious which is actually very similar indead to Spock's famous Vulcan nerve pinch:

This technique actually consists of two different pressure point manipulations, either of which is capable of causing unconsciousness, and which can be easily combined to create a very reliable method.

The first part involves the application of pressure to the juggular notch, and it is this action which looks remarkably similar to the nerve pinch. The juggular notch is the indentation at the base of the throut underneath the adam's apple at the centre of the collar bone. This is one of the most effective and easy to use of all the pressure points. a brief jab of the fingers into his point causes a gag reflex and full body motor dysfunction, effectively stunning your opponent for anout 2-4 seconds. Sustained pressure to this point can causes unconsciousness in around 20 seconds or so. Approaching from the front you should press your thumb into the juggular notch and spread your fingers out over the top of the trapezuis muscle running from the neck to the shoulder, digging your finger-tips in for a good grip. This gives you a good control point over your opponent, and greatly reduces their ability to resist or counter attack.

The second part of the technique is a strike to the brachial plexus origin. The brachial plexus nerve runs down the side of the neck, along just behind the collar bone and down the front of the shoulder. The point you want to strike is at the base of the neck, on either side, one or two centimetres behind the collar bone, and around 1.5 - 2 inches to the side of the juggular notch. You can use a chop, or alternatively raise one knuckle out of a fist and strike with this. A good strike to this area will knock you out instantly, but it can be difficult to hit just the right spot in a real fight, which is why you use the juggular notch for an initial stun and to gain control.  It it doesn't work first time just make sure you keep up a good amount of pressure on the juggular notch and try again. But with the accumulated effect of both attacks it should work first time anyway, as long as you hit roughly the right area with the strike.

Posted by esotericmartialarts at 5:42 PM BST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

One of the things which really differentiates kung fu from other martial arts is the large number of hand forms which are used in addition to the ordinary fist. This varied and innovative use of the hand can dramaticaly increase your options, as well as making certain techniques more effective. Here are 5 of the main kung fu handforms with a brief description of the way that they are used:

1. The Phoenix-eye fist - This is like an ordinary fist but with the forefinger held out slightly from the others. The thumb should be pressed against the nail of the forefinger with the middle knuckle immediately behind the top knuckle of the forefinger to hold it in place. You strike with the middle knuckle of the forefinger. This hand form is famously used to strike to the eyes, but it can also bve used to strike to the temple for avery effective knock out punch.
2. Leopard fist - To get the Leopard fist simply form an ordinary fist and then straighten the bottom knuck at the base of the fingers so that the middle knuckles (used as the point of contact for strikes) are held out from the rest of the hand. This is very effective for fast combination strikes, but it is also used to focus the force of a strike to break the nose or ribs.
3. Tiger Claw - To form the Tiger Claw begin with the hand open and flat, with the fingers slightly spread. Now bend the top knuckle as far as possible whilst only bending the middle knuckle halfway or less. In many techniques it looks as if this hand form is being used to scratch or literally claw at a person's face, but this is not really the case. Rather than a scratch this is actually a kind of brief grab which is used to yank the head to the side and to pull the opponent down. Strikes with the heel of the hand are also commonly used with the Tiger Claw, and often such strikes can lead into a grabbing / clawing technique without the arm being withdrawn. Holding the hand in a Tiger Claw form also makes it easier to grab hold of your opponents arms to use grappling and Chin Na techniques to counter punches.
4. Eagle Claw - This is basically halfway between a tiger claw and a leopard fist, and is used in a similar way to the tiger claw only with more emphasis on hooking and grabbing limbs rather than clawing the face.
5. Crane Beak - with the wrist bent forwards, the tips of the fingers are held against the tip of the thumb. This is used for hooking striking limbs and to attack with the tips of the fingers in 'pecking' techniques against the soft, vital areas of the body.

Posted by esotericmartialarts at 4:59 PM BST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

New on the EMA main site:

50 new Ninjutsu technique videos - short videos demonstating a single technique each, all viewable on one player

The newly independent MMA section has a huge amount of new content from Basic MMA - A Beginners Guide to Escapes and Counters

Posted by esotericmartialarts at 1:01 PM BST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink