The Importance Of Effective Discipline In A Martial Arts Class

One of the main reasons parents enroll their children in martial arts is discipline. You have seen it before. A parent enrolls their child in your class expecting you to suddenly and indefinitely whip them into shape so that they never answer back or behave badly. The problem is that their child has a limited attention span and uncontrollable energy.

One of their favorite activities is to fall down on the floor or to hang on your leg. Your job is to make them a disciplined ninja warrior with perfect focus. This type of child can make or break you. They can destroy your very best lesson plan in an instant if you do not pay attention to discipline. Is it possible to meet his parents’ expectations? Yes it is, and let me tell you how!

There are two main ways to get somebody to do something you want them to do. The first way is to make the pain of not doing what you want them to do far greater than the pain of actually doing it, and the second is to make the satisfaction of doing what you want them to do far greater than the satisfaction of not doing it.

It is my experience that meeting the goal using the second way is much easier than using the first way. Once again, human beings (especially kids) respond better to positive influences than they do to negative influences. So what does this mean in terms of your karate class?

If you lead your class like a drill sergeant and it’s “your way or the highway” you can be sure that your class will be poorly attended. The people in the class will probably be good but they will not know how to compromise and they certainly will not take any direction from anyone else but you. Therefore, if you are sick that day, you had better find another drill sergeant to take your place.

If you lead your class by example through positive encouragement, constructive feedback and mutual respect, I believe you will have a much easier time and will create better students both technically and in terms of their attitude.

Through doing this you will allow more people the opportunity to stick with karate long enough to begin to truly understand and experience the real benefits that come with an extended length of training and study in karate.

If, on the other hand, you scare them off after the first couple of lessons, they will forever be negatively inclined towards martial arts and may miss out on something that could have provided them with great value. Please be very careful with beginning students. Your job is to give them every chance to like martial arts so that they can make an educated decision as to whether it fits in with their lifestyle and goals.

For more valuable tips and advice on how to make a successful start as an effective and knowledgeable martial arts instructor. Read my FREE Report, “Instructor Mastery: How to Become a Great Instructor Right from the very First Lesson.” Download it at http://www.freekarateinformation.com.

Good luck and best wishes to you on your honorable and noble role in teaching. Feel free to write to me at Paul@freekarateinformation.com with any questions you have on your practice or your teaching.

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The (MMA) Mixed Martial Arts

Mixed Martial Arts, or MMA, combines many different fighting techniques, including grappling and striking, and high performance standards, particularly in the often intense, and very popular MMA tournaments. The first tournaments came about as a result of the 1993 Ultimate Fighting Championship, which matched different fighting styles in a competition where the rules were minimal and the goal was to find the best fighters in the world.

The success of this mixed martial arts combat style led to the development and implementation of rules designed to keep athletes safe and deflect early criticism of the sport while still holding on to the original concept of the UFC as much as possible. The modern MMA tournaments have their roots in the Vale tudo martial arts tournaments held in Brazil by the Gracie family beginning in the 1920s, and the preliminary martial arts tournaments hosted in Japan by Antonio Inoki in the early 1970s.

There are several different competition techniques, including striking techniques, like kicks, punches, and knees, and grappling techniques, like pinning holds, submission holds, clinch holds, takedowns, throws and sweeps.

The permissibility and legality of certain other techniques like head butts, spinal locks, and elbows vary according to the specific organization and sponsored competition. Although many critics have attempted to portray the MMA fighting style as violent and brutal, there has never been a death or crippling injury in any sanctioned MMA event in North America.

The U.S. state athletic and boxing committee regulates the MMA, requiring participants and sponsors to adhere to a set of officially sanctioned rules and regulations, which include rules for knockout, submission, technical knockout, the ten point system, disqualification, and no contest.

Common fouls include: clawing, twisting and pinching flesh; small joint manipulation; attacking an opponent from or on the break in the care of an official, attacking the groin or trachea, fish-hooking, biting, and hair pulling, spitting, use of abusive language, and other similar acts.

The MMA continues to grow in popularity and reputation, as athletes associated with the sport have also gained reputation and renown, as well as successful careers and endorsement deals.

With mainstream acceptance, worldwide acclaim, and an every growing fan base, what started as an abstract concept has become an established sport and a successful platform from which many athletic careers have been launched. The future of the MMA appears to be bright, and the popularity of the sport even more so.

Choosing The Right Self Defense Course For You

Arguably the best thing a person can learn in order to feel safe and confident is a way to defend themselves. There are training programs in every town that will teach you self defense techniques. But if taking classes to learn self defense techniques is not possible, you can still progress by doing some online research and getting the fundamental principles clear in your mind.

As almost everyone knows, one of the best places to strike an attacker is the groin area. As one of the most effective self defense techniques, kicking, punching, stomping, or even biting, this area will cause the subject so much pain that a couple of seconds will present themselves in which you can escape. While defending yourself, to aim your kicks at your attackers lower body. Falling over while kicking an assailant in the face will not provide the balance and time needed in order to get away.

One of the first rules to remember when being assaulted by a large, strong assailant is that no matter how big and strong someone is, if you take out his kneecap he becomes completely useless. In self defense techniques, this move is particularly effective for stopping large bodies, whose knees will probably be weaker due to the amount of weight they have to support. Still, virtually no one, big or small, cannot stand firm against a broken kneecap.

One of the self defense techniques that will end an attack quickly is the eye gouge. Making the attacker’s eyes useless with cause disorientation as well as fear and pain, and not only will you be able to run away, the attacker is highly unlikely to chase after you as you will have shown yourself to be a wise opponent. Also, don’t hesitate to bite your attacker if the opportunity presents itself. Biting a finger, ear or arm, or the neck, will hurt them, and disorientate them.

As an important part of self defense, good physical fitness is mandatory to increase the likelihood of surviving a hands-on attack. It is also true that going on the offense is sometimes the best form of defense. Passive self defense techniques include choosing lit and busy walking routes to and from home where an attacker will not be as likely to act, walking with a friend or a group, especially at night, and, if driving home in the dark, one of the most simple self defense techniques may be to check the undercarriage and back seat of the car before approaching or opening it.

If you are not confident in you ability to defend yourself, contacting a place that teaches self defense techniques would be a good idea. The rates are very reasonable but, no matter how much money is spent to learn self defense techniques, it is worth it if it saves your life. Once you find a suitable self defense school, you must attend weekly and put in 100% effort. Many people begin to slack off in class. Dont fall into this common trap. The truth is that the training should be the hard part. If you train hard then defending yourself in a real life situation will be easy.

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How to Learn Self Defense Online

Studying self defense is becoming a necessity in many urban environments around the world, and as unfortunate as that fact is, it’s even sadder that some people feel like they don’t have a way to do it.  In the modern world, anyone can learn self defense techniques — and everyone should.

It doesn’t take a whole lot to learn self defense.  If you can fulfill this simple checklist, you can be on your way to studying self defense in no time:

A computer

Practical self defense techniques are widely available online.  Some are free, but the best require a small investment.  The amount is trivial compared to what you’d pay for a monthly membership at a dojo, however, so it’s well worth your while.  You can download Ebooks, order (or download) DVDs, and even chat with instructors who can watch your forms through a webcam and give you specific critiques.

A partner you can work with

No, you cannot properly train in self defense techniques on your own.  There are significant benefits to visualizing these scenarios, but nothing can prepare you for the impact of a successful strike or throw except actually performing it on someone.  Get someone who is interested in the same kinds of self defense that you are, and who can commit to the next item on the checklist as well.

A few months of regular, devoted practice

No matter what anyone on the internet tells you, you can’t ever become a master of self defense in a few hours.  Muscle memory simply doesn’t build at that kind of speed, and muscle memory is the core of all self defense training.  If your body doesn’t remember what to do when the time comes, you’re wasting your time.

A defined goal

If you don’t know when you’ve reached your goal, your practice will begin to wander and then slowly or abruptly fade away.  You should be aware of what kinds of threat are common in the neighborhoods you travel in, and set yourself a goal of learning self defense against those threats — and don’t stop practicing until they’re second nature.

Occasional scheduled practice for the next year

Just because you’ve finished your regular, devoted practice doesn’t mean your body will remember your techniques for the rest of your life.  You should find someone to get together with every month or two for at least 12 more months, just for a quick refresher course.  

If you’re going to take this kind of practical, no-nonsense approach to self defense, it’s usually best to pick a practical, no-nonsense teacher or style to learn from.  Grab a DVD of Krav Maga or MCMAP from a reputable online source, get a partner who is willing to work with you, and develop self defense skills that will keep you alive if someone tries to make you otherwise!

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The Best Two Self Defense Tactics You Already Know

Self defense instructors hear some variant on this question all the time: “Of all the self defense tactics you know, which one is the most effective?”  Extensive research into hundreds of answers from hundreds of instructors have led to two self defense tactics that cropped up over and over again.  Both appear in almost every self defense syllabus from street fighting to military self defense manuals to Jeet Kune Do and even some schools of Aikido.  Both of them are somewhat obvious once you hear them, but things you might not actually do unless you know how effective they can be.

The Number One Self Defense Tactic Worldwide: Let The Eyes Have It!

It’s that simple.  Attack the eyes.  There are such a wide variety of ways to do it, it’s silly to try to break down the list — but the reasons to try it are profound.  One of the editors of Blackbelt Magazine likes to refer to the eyes as “the off button”, because simply touching one eye creates such a strong reaction on the part of the target that it causes massive openings for all forms of attack.  The result is almost always a fight that ends in an immediate and brutal fashion.

Of all of the various eye attack techniques out there, one deserves special mention.  Body mechanics experts have examined the movements required to perform more than two hundred different strikes, and have concluded that this attack is structurally one of the fastest that the human body is capable of performing.  It’s called “the backhand slap”.  

Yep.  Without tensing your hand (i.e. let your fingers remain slightly bent), aim a slightly downward backhanded slap at your enemy’s face with the middle knuckles of your indexand middle fingers aimed at the eye socket.  The natural curve of your fingers will carry those knuckles right past the eyebrow ridge and the cheek ridge, and they will slam into the eyeball with a startling amount of force.  The result is always a massive flinch and several seconds of blinking — and often, tearing up or reflexively closing the eye for a second or more as well.  That’s plenty of time to follow up that rapid attack with whatever other self defense tactics you can execute.  

Number Two of the Self Defense Tactics In The World: Stop Running!

Everyone always says that the best way to defend yourself is to get away from your attacker.  That’s very true, but they go on to imply that ‘getting away’ means ‘running away’ — and that’s a lot less true.  Think about it — if you’re actually being chased by a criminal, you’re likely not as good at running has he is.  He’s spent years running from cops, other criminals, and victims who happened to be armed with ‘military self defense tools’ (i.e. a 9mm handgun).  You probably haven’t.  

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t start running, though.  Apply the attack to the eyes, and start running; start running earnestly.  You never know, you might get away.  But if you don’t, it’s time to engage in the second of our self defense tactics: the duck and tuck.  You have to be brave to do this, but it’s worth it.  Simply wait until your pursuer is right on top of you, literally about to grab you, and veer right, then immediately fall left.  Your opponent will trip over you and fall on his face — his momentum and his lean forward to grab you guarantee it.

Then, pop up, give him a hard kick in the head or stomp on the knee, and start running again.  Your escape is virtually assured; even if he can get up and give chase, the likelihood that he would after getting eye slapped, tripped, and stomped on is pretty slim.  He’s a predator of opportunity, after all.  

And it’s that simple — two schoolyard tricks you’ve probably either used or had used on you, resurrected in adult life because they work so well.  The two self defense tactics agreed upon by hundreds of self defense instructors as ‘the most effective’ — relearn them, and hope you never have to use them.

Is Learning Self Defense Online Possible? Yes, Here Are 3 Things to Help Your Self Defense Training

Self defense online training is a must with home invasions and robberies seem to happen more and more each day. Do you have an answer to thugs breaking down your door or jumping you in the parking lot at work? Yes, some people are getting training from their local martial arts school, but that takes a lot of time and money. Online self defense training is another way, but there are 3 key things you have to know. Is it even possible? What is the cost? Is it worth it? This article will answer these questions and you’ll be better prepared to search for effective online self defense.

First off It is totally possible is you understand the principles first, not choosing the right system. Any good system will be build on solid principles on using violence. Self defense moves come from the principles. If you know a hundred moves but no principles, how are you going to fair against something that is outside the hundred moves you know? Principles makes you able to adapt to the conditions of an attack and moves are how you act on them. None of this is possible if the principles are not understood. Now on to the cost.

It’s too costly? Well that depends on what you choose to do. Most self defense classes have introduction fees & payment plans. Oh, don’t forget the cost of some kind of uniform, may that just be a company t-shirt or a full on gi. Then there’s the value of time going & coming back from those classes. There’s no dress code or travel expenses with online sd training. The cost here depends in the self defense course you bought & they range from ebook to $ hundreds for online self defense videos. You choose the cost in the end but what about the worth?

“Is it really worth it? Don’t I still have to train really hard?” I hear these questions a lot everyday. First off learning street fighting for self defense is not hard to train for. We’re using violence to stop an attacker, in no way this a competition like mma or cage fighting. Competition takes time & commitment, but destruction is much easier to learn. Learning to save your life and the life of a loved one is worth damn lot to me and everyone I know.

We all want to protect ourselves and the ones we love that’s why we learn self defense at all. We want to be able to do it with something that works, as low cost as we can get, and lastly something that is worth our time and effort. Is online self defense that answer for you? I can’t answer that, but with this knowledge at least you have better chance of finding what you’re looking for.

Simple Self Defense Tips Anyone Can Learn!

The following article was written to provide you with a series of simple self defense instructions which are easy to understand, in addition to advice and information regarding skills you’ll need to develop if you want to survive a sudden attack by overpowering your opponent.

Simple self defense tips #1 : If you’re someone who is small in stature or not as strong as you could be, punching might not be your strong point. Instead, return your enemy’s attack by gouging at their eyes. This is a technique which is employed by self defense methods taught by the military, as well as various types of Krav Maga.

Simple self defense tips #2 : Do you know the best techniques for fighting? If you have an interest in the fighting arts, check out jeetjunedo, kung fu, ninjutso, karate, judo, and fighting styles used in the Philippines. It is important to know about a wide variety of fighting techniques, as these can be taught alongside more basic techniques for self defense which you are also studying. You can learn about the different styles in a variety of schools and places like the YMCA. Any and all types of training you do will make you a better fighter. Even reading about these techniques at your local library can be beneficial. If you really want to dedicate yourself to mastering these martial art forms, you must open your mind to learning about them.

Simple self defense tips #3 : It’s critical to keep your lifestyle active and healthy. Maintain an appropriate weight, as you need to be in top form in order to successfully enter a tournament of martial arts – or if you find yourself in a position where you need to defend against an attack. It’s not uncommon for someone who suddenly attacks you on the street to be under the influence of drugs. This gives your attacker the advantage of being extra aggressive, unpredictable, and very violent.

Simple self defense tips #4 : Keep out of dangerous situations and passively avoid confrontations to protect yourself. You might be someone with the ability to protect yourself, but that is not permission to attack others without provocation. Common sense is an essential aspect of self defense. You need to understand the need to avoid volatile situations, how to placate someone who seems agitated, and when to give up our valuables if you are being threatened with a weapon. Passiveness and aggressiveness can be used to the same effect, so make smart decisions before you consider engaging someone else in a fight.

These four simple tips for self defense are key to developing yourself into a respectable martial artist, as well as keeping yourself and your friends safe in bad situations. I hope that the simple tips presented here are useful, and that you remain safe and successful in your quest for effective self defense.

Martial Arts Schools for Law Enforcment Officers

Law enforcement officers have no time to waste with useless techniques in their martial arts training. What they need is something that works and the conditioning and stamina to execute these techniques in a high intensity confrontation.

I once enrolled a new student who possessed the characteristics of the ideal student: polite, respectful and willing to learn. She told me that she was a police officer who was looking to polish her defensive skills. She had abandoned her membership in a competitor’s school because the classes lacked any practical application. Nothing that was being taught was of any use on the streets. The system was chock full of flashy jumping and spinning kicks, which are perfect for the movies, but disastrous for self-defense.

It is the obligation of a marital arts instructor to prepare not only police officers, but also the general public, for such unhealthy or life-threatening confrontations. Unfortunately, some martial artists are making a lot of money marketing a lot of empty promises.

I had a new student who decided to spend ,500 on a 4-hour seminar in California that promised a lot of fancy fighting techniques and a certificate of completion. When he returned, I was curious to see what ,500 could buy in 4 hours. I asked him to show us. In order to do this, I had to find him an opponent.

I looked around and decided to pair him up with an 18-year-old woman who had been training real life self defense techniques for only one month. The only rule I set to this match was that she was to use simple logical techniques to keep her safe and he was to use what he learned at the seminar. It took all but 30 seconds for this young lady to bring him to his knees. So much for the seminar!

I’ve seen students with world-class martial arts credentials, by this I mean lots of titles, trophies, and medals. One gentleman said that he was the best and he only trained with the best. He boasted about paying his last instructor ,000 for one year.

One day the class was doing a lot of two-person drills. The “best of the best” gentleman was paired up with a heavy student who could throw a decent roundhouse kick to the leg. It took this student two shots to the leg to hurt this world-class champion. He was too embarrassed to come back after this episode. It was obvious that the ,000 he spent wouldn’t help him if he was a police officer.

To many of the police officers we have worked with training is not about belts, trophies, or flashy techniques; it is about survival. When choosing a martial art school, choose the practical path. Ask yourself, “Are they teaching me something that could one day save my life?” If you haven’t had enough experience to know the difference, find someone who has and bring them with you before you sign a contract and turn over your money. Especially if you’re in law enforcement and your life depends on your training everyday.

All Martial Arts Styles are Unique

The martial arts styles can be divided into several categories, depending upon the dominant techniques they expound.

Stand up styles are so called because the fighter fights on his feet using a combination of punches, kicks and footwork techniques. Karate, Kung Fu, Taekwondo, Boxing/Kickboxing, Krav Maga, Wushu and San Shou are some of the art forms in this category.

The stand up styles use nimble footwork, distance and timing to defeat an opponent. Here physical conditioning is paramount because the body needs to be in peak condition for lightning fast responses.

Some stand up fighting styles such as boxing and Wing Chun emphasizes the use of hands. Others, like Taekwondo, focus on kicking. Hapkido propagates counter-fighting, use of locks, blocking and other techniques.

Grappling or ground fighting styles, as the name suggests, focuses on the wrestling part of fighting. In this, the players employ wrestling techniques, which requires them to be on the ground quite often. Brazilian Jiujitsu, Shootoo, Sambo and Greco-Roman wrestling are all martial arts that fall in this category.

Grappling has only a limited number of stands up fighting techniques. In this form of fighting, the martial arts artist concentrates on taking an opponent down and getting the better of the fighter by using a choke, a lock or any other grappling technique.

Though grappling art forms appear to be less graceful and artistic than stand up styles, this art form has nothing to do with brute strength. Grappling is a precise art that requires the artist to not only to be in good physical condition but also have knowledge of the human anatomy. This is because awareness of the body helps the grappler to sense the opponent’s intention through the body movements and therefore control the fight.

Throwing styles and weapon-based styles, as the name suggests, involve throwing opponents from a stand up position and using weapons respectively. The first uses throws, trips and locks as weapons to disrupt the opponent’s balance while the other actually uses weapons to overcome the enemy. Judo, Aikido, Chiao and Hapkido are some throwing styles while Iado, Kendo and Kali are weapon based.

Low impact or meditative styles may have been developed originally for combat, but through the ages they have developed into art forms that are more for the peak performance of the body. These focus on breathing, internal energy and stress relief along with low impact exercises. Tai Chi and Chi Gong are a part of this style.

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4 Creative Martial Arts Games For Kids

Children have an enormous capacity for learning new concepts. However, when their minds are not stimulated, they subconsciously erect walls that prevent the absorption of these concepts. The same is true when teaching kids martial arts. While the physical activity offers a tactile experience which aids the learning process, the routine can quickly become monotonous. When it does, a child can easily lose interest; they may go through the motions during their classes, but fail to truly absorb and memorize what they’re learning.

In today’s article, I’m going to provide a short list of creative martial arts games for kids. They’re designed to make the training fun and exciting while stimulating their minds. You’ll find that children are not only willing to participate, but they’ll become more mentally engaged in learning various skills associated with the martial arts.

#1 – Group Hog Tie

Separate the kids into small groups of 4 or 5. Provide each group with a soft rope or pliable belt. The objective of Group Hog Tie is for the group to use the rope (or belt) to tie the hands and ankles of one member of the group. The target member of each group should maneuver their arms and legs in order to prevent their being tied.

You’ll need to watch each group carefully to ensure that the students don’t use too much force in trying to subdue their group’s target members. This game teaches the children to cooperate with one another toward achieving a shared goal (tying up the target student).

#2 – Blindfolded Judo

This game pits two kids against each other while blindfolded. The goal is for each student to successfully throw his or her opponent and then pin them to the ground. Judo is a perfect style for this game because it focuses primarily upon throwing rather than striking. Technique, timing, and balance are crucial. Blindfolded Judo not only improves a child’s reflexes, but trains them to rely upon senses other than sight.

#3 – Tag Until Thrown

Every child knows how to play tag. One person is “it” and must make contact with another to transfer the “it” status. Tag Until Thrown follows similar rules. First, identify the type of throw you’d like the children to learn. For example, you may want to teach them how to perform an Osoto Gari leg throw or a Tai Otosha body throw.

Next, choose a student to be “it.” That child’s goal is to tag others. When another student is tagged, the “it” status does not transfer to them. Instead, the tagged student is frozen. The only way to “un-freeze” them is for another student to perform the correct throw on the frozen child. The objective is for the “it” student to freeze all of the other kids.

#4 – Stampede

This game begins by choosing one child from the class. Instruct the other kids to line up against one of the walls of the dojo. The first child stands in the middle of the room and selects one person to cross to the other wall. The chosen student must do so by crawling on their hands and knees.

The goal is for the first person (in the middle of the room) to overturn the chosen one and pin them. If they do so successfully, the pinned person becomes part of the first student’s team in the middle and another person is chosen to cross. Otherwise, if the person in the middle fails to pin their opponent, and he or she reaches the other side, all of the other kids begin crawling simultaneously.

These martial arts games can transform an otherwise monotonous class into a fun experience that kids look forward to. The games are designed to involve the children mentally and physically while sparking their natural competitiveness. Most importantly, they’re more likely to learn and retain key skills because they’re enjoying themselves in the process.