Martial Arts in the World

For the past 20 years, I've developed what I call the "Six Strategies in Jacket Wrestling." This is a theory that I compiled over years of coaching and traveling internationally as US Sambo Team coach. Most people bicker about the Tactical level of implementation in Sambo. They say, "I'd rather do it this way, rather than that way," or "I'd rather wrestle for submission rather than try to throw him for total victory." But this kind of debate between players is of low value without a comprehensive appreciation for the Strategic level that influences and determines the Tactics one employs.

Although and internationally recognized sport, Sambo is a Russian martial art, and as such is a part of an

Scott Sonnon executing a Standing Whip throw.

Scott Sonnon performing the Russian Flying Armbar; applied as a leaping attack as opposed to the "guard pull" armbar.

Scott Sonnon applying the Side Saddle Double Achilles Lock.

Integrated Cultural Philosophy. Actually saying Philosophy and Culture is redundant, for "Culture" is the lived-philosophy of a people. A true Philosophy is a System of Theory and Application. Theory and application are two wheels of the same cart, as my mentor, Dr. Jonathon Ellsworth Winter used to note. If we look from a cultural perspective, we gain a unique insight into what philosophy created Sambo, and imbues it. A Philosophy (read "Culture") is the way in which a substance (or people) adapt to the situation.

A culture comprises a set of basic beliefs that form their Subsistence Strategy (general approach to resource acquisition, such as hunting-gathering, horticulture, pastoralism or agriculture), and Survival Skills (specific methods, or tactics, for accomplishing the subsistence strategy; a subset of which are martial traditions - how a people address competition for resources.)

The proper definition of a philosophy can be seen as comprising

* Doctrine: general beliefs, or world view
* Strategy: broad brush plans for perpetuating doctrinal beliefs
* Tactic: specific maneuvers for accomplishing strategic objectives
* Technique: the specific mechanics used within a tactic at any one time

In jacket wrestling, to argue on a Tactical level has very low value, unless the overriding Strategy is fully understood, which in turn has no relevance unless the Doctrine is fully comprehended, which is non-sensical unless the conditions that evolved the general beliefs are fully actualized.

What conditions brought forth our method of jacket wrestling that is called Russian Sambo? The Eastern Slavs, the Russian-Style ancestors, were basically a non-warfaring people. No, they were not peace-loving either. Being tribal, they did not ascribe to the War/Peace paradigm. They fought when their was need, when the invaders came... not for conquest. The environmental conditions: cold weather demands heavy clothing; snow/ice demands a particular type of footwear. Limited resources demanded rather precise economy of caloric output. There was no sense in struggling more than necessary. When fighting on the ice-covered lake in 1242, I am certain that Yevtapi Kolovrat wanted an end to the battle with the Golden Horde ASAP.

The Slavs fought shoulder to shoulder in wave upon wave. One fallen enemy was trampled or speared by the subsequent row of advancing Slavs, if the enemy was not finished from the impact with the frozen earth and water. "The Earth is a fist." From this background a doctrine formed: the most advantageous position to be in is standing facing your opponent who is on the ground; the most disadvantageous position to be in is on the ground facing a standing opponent.

From this doctrine formed the strategy, we know as "Total Victory" - to place a man upon his back while remaining standing with the least amount of energy expenditure. From this strategy formed the diverse array of tactics to accomplish the Total Victory, which is seen as the ultimate demonstration of skill in Russian Sambo.

Russian Sambo is very much Judo-esqe" - it is Sambo's Sister. Judo values as much as Sambo the Total Victory named "Ippon" in Japanese. In current time, Sambo appears to differ stylistically since most grappling is taught as a technique-based system of education. However, the original, authentic intent of Judo was the same as Sambo. The notion of technique in Judo was to exemplify a particular arrangement/amalgam of five basic principles. Each technique was designed to be a study of the principles, having little value if taken outside of those context. In modern times, when people study without a teacher (the bulk of practitioners are "tape-taught"), 99% look to the technique as the end, not the means.

When we encounter other groups, we must recognize that they have Strategies, Doctrinal Beliefs, and differing situational/environmental factors that formed their beliefs. For instance, the notion of "groundfighting" which typifies Brazilian Jiujitsu is very different than that of Russian Sambo.

Sambo is a style of jacket wrestling. The highest demonstration of skill in Sambo is the "total victory" throw. Now most people may misunderstand that a great deal of emphasis is devoted to throws. It is the doctrinal belief and the strategic objective that must be understood to appreciate Sambo at a tactical and technical level.

Examples of the Philosophy of Sambo

Here are some examples of Sambo's martial philosophy: Environment Influences, Doctrine, Strategy, Tactic, Technique

* Environmental Influences: (stated above)
* Doctrinal belief: The most advantageous position to be in on a battlefield is standing facing your opponent. The most disadvantageous position to be in is on the ground facing a standing opponent.
* Strategic Objective: Get your opponent to the ground in the most expedient manner while remaining standing, despite the treacherous terrain (ice/snow)
* Tactical Maneuver: Throw your opponent in such a way that you do not disturb the terrain greatly, nor expend a great deal of energy. Takedown your opponent in such a way that he has no chance to restabilize the breach of stance integrity and is stunned by the impact with the Earth.
* Technical Application - {onsite innovation} You will see what appears to be "groundwork" but this is a subordinate function in Russian Sambo.

Here is a second example.

* Environmental Influences: (stated above)
* Doctrine: Same as above
* Strategic Objective: If you cannot remain standing, get your opponent to the ground in such a way that you are in a superior position to apply a finishing hold immediately.
* Tactical Maneuver: Throws and Takedowns that require you to engage the ground should either immediately be decisive through a lock or should be immobilizing through a hold-down.
* Technical Application - {onsite innovation} If your focus is to learn submission groundwork, your involvement with Jiujitsu is ideal - that game concentrates on this. Sambo is very much a "throwing" sport. Yes, there is a great deal that Sambo can contribute to the submission wrestling but it must be an honest contribution - Sambo is jacket wrestling. I have seen Sambo players overconfident so that their play is submission wrestling. It is much more accurate to say that what Sambo is jacket wrestling. Submission wrestling is a ancillary aspect, a subordinate strategy within Sambo.

Perhaps I can finalize this by:

* Environmental Influences: (stated above)
* Doctrine: Again, same as above...
* Strategic Objective: Should you lose a dominant position or fail to apply a submission, get out and stand up.
* Tactical Maneuver: Escapes and Reversals to withdraw and stand.
* Technical Application - {onsite innovation} In the 60's and 70's Judo, Europe experienced a revolution as Russian Sambo players entered the Judo theatre. The new Sambo method to Judo events changed the manner in which Classic Judo strategically approached competition. Some said it was a deliberate improvisation, others said it was an inadvertent adaptation to the external influence of Sambo in Judo competitions that the nature of Judo strategy for many was not changed but expanded in scope. Brazilian Jiujitsu has been the stimulus of a new revolution, and a new strategy, now... in Russian Sambo.

A new strategic approach has many coaches on the chalkboard evaluating the new external influence. Sambo had the approach I detailed above, but now considers the new strategic approach in jacket wrestling: Entice your opponent into a ground-fighting environment where the player chooses not to heavily emphasized. In Sambo, the coach trains the player in an organic approach to the sport.

The Six Strategies to Win in Sambo

1. Jacket manipulation, breach of stance integrity, takedown/throw - Total Victory.
2. Jacket control, feint/bait, counter - Total Victory.
3. Above, but both players go to ground, where the submission hold is applied on the way to completion of throw/takedown.
4. Above, but both players go to ground, where the submission is attained upon completion of the throw/takedown.
5. Throw/takedowns for points, stall, stand, redo... until win by point superiority by time or degree (12 pts.)
6. Above, but to ground volley until positional dominance, holddown, work for submission.

#6 is only a meager portion of the approach and in Sambo, coaches train their sportsman in the above order from 1-6, but here now... we have seen the appearance of a new pedagogical approach: Coach the players from #6 first, then work up to #1.

Sambo has adopted the position that since their strategic approach wins consistently 95% of the time within the parameters of Sambo that one ought to continue to hone one's talents over one's lifetime of jacket wrestling. One does so this because the objective is not victory but transformation and development. As we get older, we get better.

I was amazed when the old men in Russia could dust me with ease. That was the point I learned. If a strategic approach cannot adapt to new influences, it proves to be evolutionarily unstable, and it will be unselected for continuation. However, if an approach has continued to exist, it is valid.

No strategic approach is better than another. They are just different, each equally valid within the context of their approach. Mastery must be mastery of something. In order to transfer wisdom to our every activity, we need a microcosm, a focus group, an accelerated arena to explore the wisdom of behavior... a "delivery system" for our development.

We grow within our Philosophy... our cultural perspective. In context of Sambo sport-wrestling, this is the first and foremost guideline - Do not expect victory without understand the nature of the game. Players who are multi-sport active tend to be highly adaptive, IF they are informed. They also tend to bring a great deal of evolutionarily stable strategies to the development of the sport as a result.

Contrarily, players who are multi-sport active and do not have a coach that informs them and prepares them appropriately are in jeopardy of defeat and even worse harm.

Their coach should prohibit competition until a complete comprehension of the rules, conduct of play and objectives are clearly articulated by the coach and internalized by the player. The most effective manner to do this is to require player to train as officials simultaneous to training as competitors. Having the vantage point of an official affords the single best opportunity for developing a cohesive, effective competitive strategy. For example: when adopting a heavy "#6-type" strategy (the "groundfighting" approach), it is highly critical to realize the perspective of the Sambo official/referee. If a player falls to his back and the other remains standing, the match is over - Total Victory throw conclusive. In this type of strategy, it is crucial to enter the opponent into par terre through contact of at least one knee with the mat.

Sambo developed out of the doctrinal belief system of the Slavic peoples which formed out of certain environmental condition and influences. As a result, a particular strategic approach tends to be the most effective for Sambo sport-wrestling.

This is what it means in the difference between practice and training in Sambo and competing in Sambo. One can compete in Sambo, without having practiced in and trained for Sambo. However, the most effective strategy to develop a strategic approach forged directly from understanding the doctrinal intent which developed the sport.

There are numerous accounts and legends of the origins and history of the Shaolin Temple. In my humble opinion this is the story of Shaolin. Most likely you learned of the Shaolin Temple through the Chop Sokey Kung Fu movies and the Kung Fu TV series of the 70’s. Some of what you watch was true, yet some of the story lines are fictional. There were indeed 36 Chambers that a monk would have to successfully complete before exiting the temple and graduating. In the Kung Fu TV movie and series young Cain picked up the burning urn between his forearms to engrave the tiger and dragon. In reality that scene is authentic, however in actuality the engravings on the forearms were both dragons. The legendary Shaolin Temple (Sil Lum in Cantonese) was also known as the “Number One Temple under Heaven” due of those incredible fighting monks. The Chinese characters for Shaolin translate to “Youthful Forrest” or “Youthful Gathering.” Shaolin is the mother of all Asian martial arts (Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Jiu Jitsu, etc.). Kung Fu went from mainland China to the island of Okinawa and later to Japan in the early 1900’s. They called it “karate” which originally translated to “Chinese hands.” Shaolin is translated to the Japanese language as Shorin-ji. Shorin-ji Karate came from Shaolin Kung Fu. The Indian monk Bodhidharma also known as Damo traveled to the Shaolin Temple taught the monks internal exercises for health, yet he was not the originator of Shaolin Kung Fu. Thousands of years before Damo’s visit there were already fighting arts in China. Shaolin is part of the rich history of China.

The Shaolin Temple was a place where numerous martial artists including fugitives hiding from the authorities, met and shared their martial arts systems. This was a place where different styles and weapons were put to the test before they went out to do battle. You can say that Shaolin was the first mixed martial arts arena. The Northern Shaolin Temple was burned in approximately the 1750’s AD. According to Chinese legends, a monk by the name of Gee Seen survived the burning and traveled to Southern China to become the Abbot of the Southern Shaolin Temple. Gee Seen used the Southern Temple as an underground training center to overthrow the Ching Dynasty and restore the Chinese ran Ming Dynasty. Numerous other styles of Kung Fu originated in the Southern Shaolin Temple including Hung Gar which I’m a Master of and Wing Chung popularized by Bruce Lee. There are five family styles that came from the Southern Shaolin Temple they are Hung, Lau, Choy, Li and Mok. These family kung fu systems continued the Shaolin tradition as rebels fighting the Ching Dynasty. The Southern Shaolin Temple taught the monks the 5 Animal styles of fighting. These movements were developed by monks carefully observing and imitating the moves of the Tiger, Crane, Snake, Leopard and the mythical Dragon. From the Tiger we learn tenacity and acquire power. From the Crane we learn to evade and strike vital points. From the Dragon we get wisdom. From the Snake we learn patience and flexibility. From the Leopard we attain speed and power.

You can classify Kung Fu styles into four major categories: Southern, Northern, and External (hard) and Internal (soft). Southern Shaolin is a southern external style. A southern school is known for low stances, kicks below the waist and fast and powerful overwhelming hands. It is an external style which emphases mostly on power. The Chinese have a saying “Southern Fist/Northern Kicks” which means that in the south they use their hands more and in the northern part of China they use their kicks. Much of this has to do with the terrain and their size and built of the people in the two geographic. In Southern China the people tend to be shorter and stockier. In Northern China they tend to be taller and more slender. Due to the Northern terrain, mountains and open land they walk and ride horses. They favor high kicks and acrobatic movements; where as Southern China’s terrain is agricultural wet land which produces rice and waterways which people live near. Due to the southern life style and terrain they make use of their arms more than their legs. Fighting in wet land or in a boat made it difficult to make large movements and kick high. The low Southern horse stance, for training balance and stability, was developed by the southern kung fu warrior.

Today Southern Shaolin schools teach numerous traditional Chinese weapons of war. Yet, in the Shaolin Temple no blades were allowed. Only non-bladed weapons were allowed through the gates of the temple. Monks were known for their great skills with their walking sticks, or as we call them today the staff. Many define Kung Fu as a pretty, soft, circular, acrobatic, jumping, high kicking art that looks good in tournaments and in movies. The Chinese call this “flowery kung fu” which means that it’s pretty yet it has no defensive value in the streets. A true Southern Shaolin school will teach you an art that was used for war. You will learn to use every move in a form to defend yourself. A Southern Shaolin fighter will attack his opponent violently with tiger claws and crane beaks to the eyes, elbows, tearing grabs, knees, kicks to the knees and groin, Chin Na (joint locks), sweeps, throws, take downs and ground fighting. Southern Shaolin Kung Fu if handed down and taught traditionally, is not a sport but a reality based street self defense. In the end the only trophy that those fighting monks of Shaolin could win in ancient China was their life

The disciplined and dedicated practice of karate can allow a person to achieve amazing feats of human strength, conditioning and skill, and this is why all the old karate masters of Okinawa, Japan and Korea were absolutely incredible.

Karate is a martial art developed by the Okinawan peasant farmers, they learned the basic martial art movements from the Chinese, and then the Okinawan’s combined what they had learned, and combined it with their own cultural fighting art called “Te”. (Okinawa Te!)

The Okinawan’s did not call this art “Kudo Te” (Chinese hand), but they adhered to the new name of ‘Kara te’ (empty hand), which is what the Japanese had referred to it as, once they had learned the art from the Okinawans.

The great thing for modern practitioners of Karate, is that the Japanese had a very good influence on Okinawa, because of the way they infused some of their own ways into the native martial art by incorporating the use of the Japanese Judo uniform and the belt ranking system.

While Okinawan Karate is still primarily a striking art, and it was Japan’s Samurai methods of jujutsu, that have become a part of Karate’s standard training curriculum now.

A Karate block can also be a stike, lock or take down throw!

A good Karate practitioner, who has trained for at least 3-5 years, can develop a very good arsenal of skills for attacking and defending, and these skills can and will assist that same person in a self defence situation on the street.

Karate is a fighting art that was developed as an empty hand martial art system to help the individual to condition himself or herself so as to survive an attackfrom an armed or unarmed assailant out on the street.

Karate has spread from Okinawa to Japan, Korea, Philippines and to many other parts of Asia, and it has now widely spread to the Western world also.

The art has been around for a very long time, so it must be a very effective art for the self defence of an individual.

When people hear the term "martial art" they generally think of Karate. One of the most popular martial arts, Karate had its roots in China, developed in Okinawa, and was later brought to Japan by Gichin Funakoshi. Karate originated in Okinawa in the 1600s. It was developed from imported Chinese martial arts skills and refined as an advanced means of self-defense because weapons were outlawed on the island. It was originally called Te, meaning "hand." Later, masters adopted the name Karate, meaning "empty hand" or "Chinese hand" (depending upon which characters are used to write the word).

The word Karate is formed by two characters, the first one kara (empty) and the other te (hand). Kara may be explained several ways. The first way is that through the practice of karate, self-defense techniques are learned, where no weapons are used, other than hands, feet, or other parts of the body. A second way, as explained by Master Funakoshi, "Just as it is the clear mirror that reflects without distortion, or the quiet valley that echoes a sound, so must one who would study Karate-do purge himself of selfish and evil thoughts, for only with a clear mind and conscience can he [she] understand that which he [she] receives. This is another meaning of the element kara in Karate-do." Another meaning given by Funakoshi is that of always striving to be inwardly humble and outwardly gentle. Finally, Funakoshi also talks about the elemental form of the universe, which is emptiness (kara, ku), "and thus, emptiness is form itself. The kara of Karate-do has this meaning." It is clear that Karate is much more than mere self-defense techniques.

Toward the end of the 19th century, Gichin Funakoshi trained with various karate masters, and then devised his own system, which he named Shotokan. He spread the style to the Japanese mainland and eventually to the West. Master Funakoshi, inspired by traditional martial arts from the main Japanese islands (such as Kyudo, Kendo, and Judo) modified Karate, which until that moment could have been called Karate-jutsu (a fighting art), and emphasized its philosophical aspects combining Karate techniques with traditional Budo (the martial way). The word Budo is formed by two Chinese characters. Bu is formed by two symbols, a symbol that means to stop is drawn inside another symbol of two weapons, two crossed halberds. Thus, bu means to stop conflict. As stated before, do means a way or a life philosophy. In Master Funakoshi's own words: "Since Karate is a Budo, this meaning should be deeply considered, and the fists should not be used heedlessly".

Today it is common to find both "traditional" and "competitive" styles of karate. Traditional styles being the formal Okinawan styles, and competitive styles being those involved mostly in tournament competition. Karate is based upon powerful linear kicks and punches. It is considered a "hard" martial art since its blocks and attacks are direct and forceful. Many different styles fall under the karate banner. All include hard­style kicks, punches, and blocks, but some emphasize linear movements, while others emphasize circular movements. In virtually every style, kata (patterns) practice and kumite (sparring) play an important role in training.

American Freestyle Karate. American freestyle (named by Dan Anderson) is not really a style, it more of method of non-Oriental training. It stresses training to capitalize on your own specific skills and capabilities rather than training to force yourself to conform to some preconceived idea of what a technique should be.

American Kempo. American Kempo (or Kenpo) (American Fist Law) is an eclectic art developed by Hawaiian Ed Parker. The art combines the Kara-Ho Kempo Karate that Parker learned from William Chow with influences from Chinese, Japanese Kosho Ryu Kenpo, Hawaiian, and Western martial art sources. Parker added many labels to concepts from these arts that originally has no labels. It blends circular motions and evasive movements with linear kicks and punches. It is oriented toward "street" self-defense. The system allows "artistic interpretation" and many American offshoots have evolved from it.

Note: In the Japanese language, the consonants "n" and "m" have the same symbol, thus the English spelling can be rendered either "Kempo" or "Kenpo". There are several arts in this family, but the spelling is not significant in distinguishing between them.

Cha Yon Ryu. Cha Yon Ryu (Natural Way) is an eclectic, fairly new martial art founded in 1968 by Kim Soo of Houston, Texas. Taekwondo and Shotokan Karate contributes kicking techniques, strong stances and direct, linear strikes and blocks. Okinawa-te movements add techniques with some angularity, and Quanfa Gongfu contributes fluid, circular movements. Hapkido adds defenses against chokes, grabs and armed attacks, as well as various throwing and falling techniques. Students strive to fulfill The Dojang Hun (Training Hall Oath): Seek perfection of character, Live the way of truth, Endeavor, Be faithful, Respect your seniors, and Refrain from violent behavior.

Full-Contact Karate. Full-contact karate was founded in the early 1970's by Mike Anderson and Jhoon Rhee. Similar to boxing, the goal is to knockout the opponent or to win on a decision by judges. Unlike boxing, kicks are permitted and a minimum number of kicks must be delivered each round.

Goju-Ryu. Goju-Ryu was founded in the 1930's by Miyagi Chojun from Okinawan Karate and Chinese Kempo techniques. It is combination of hard "go" and soft "ju" techniques that work together similar to yin and yang. Linear motion is combined with circular movements. Patterns are practiced slowly with emphasis on breathing.

Isshin-Ryu. Isshin-ryu was found in Okinawa in 1954 by Shimabuku Tatso by combining Shorin-ryu (90%) and Goju-ryu (10%) techniques. It uses low kicks, short stances, and awareness of surroundings to be useful for street fighting. It also teaches use of the kusarigama. Isshin-ryu emphasizes:

Kicks and punches that are thrown from natural stances eliminating wasted motions and giving you split-second advantages over opponents using some of the other styles.
Stresses proficiency with both hand and foot techniques, equally, making it a more versatile form of Karate because you have no weak points.

"Close in" techniques useful in "street fighting" making it a more realistic style of Karate.
Snap punches and snap kicks, where the limb does not fully extend and is immediately retracted (preventing excessive strain on the knees and elbows) permitting you to move in and out quickly without committing yourself to a disadvantageous position should you miss or misjudge.

Blocks with muscular portion of the forearm rather than the bone.
Fist formed with the thumb on top rather than wrapped over the first two fingers (this strengthens the wrist to help prevent buckling at the wrist on impact).
The vertical punch, which increases speed and can be focused at any given point.

Karate Connection. An American Kenpo based school created by Chuck Sullivan and Vic LeRoux. It includes techniques from many different styles; a "use what works" mentality.

Kempo. Kempo "way of the fist" (also known as Quan Fa, Chuan Fa, Jiaodishu, Kaiki, and Kenyu) is a Chinese martial art. Its techniques are similar to Karate with a focus on Buddhist philosophy. Other arts, such as archery and swordsmanship are also taught in Kempo schools.

Kenpo (Kosho Ryu). A Japanese based, philosophical art much like Jeet Kune Do but with a Zen influence, meaning lots of mind science material and healing arts. It is not a style of compiled patterns or specific techniques; it is a study of all motion and therefore cannot be stylized to look like a specific teacher or animal movement.

Kenpo is the family style of Grandmaster James Mitose. It was first taught to non-family members in Hawaii during the 1940's and 1950's. Mitose called his family style "Kyu-sho-ryu" Kenpo (old pine tree school fist law). According to Mitose, during the invasion of Genghis Khan, the Head Monk of the Shaolin Temple fled China and found refuge with the Mitose family. In appreciation for the kindness of the Mitose's, he taught them Shaolin Chuan Fa (Shorinji Kempo in Japanese). Then, in 1235, a Shinto priest whom James Mitose calls his first ancestor became enlightened to what we call Kempo. According to Mitose, this man was a martial arts master and a Buddhist monk studying at Shaka In who found it difficult to be both. His religion taught him pacifism; his martial art taught him destruction. He pondered this dilemma under an old pine tree meaning Kosho in Japanese. He became enlightened and was from then on known as, Kosho Bosatsu, the Old Pine Tree Enlightened One. He discovered the relationship between man and nature and also the secret of the escaping arts. He founded the Kosho Shorei Temple of Peace, True Self Defense, and Kosho Shorei Yoga School.

One of James Mitose's students, William Chow, mixed it with elements of his father's Chinese style to produce his own style, called "Kara-ho" Kenpo Karate. Kenpo's techniques were influenced by those of various Chinese, Japanese, and Hawaiian martial arts. Kenpo training emphasizes a scientific approach to combat. Many patterns, rapid­fire hand techniques, and combinations are taught. Ed Parker popularized the style on the mainland by organizing the style and orienting it toward practical street self-defense. Although it is often categorized as an American martial art, the style's name is written with the same Chinese characters as Chuan-fa, a generic Chinese term for martial arts. The art received a popularity boost after Jeff Speakman, a student of Parker's, showcased it in the movie, "Perfect Weapon."

Kempo (Ryukyu). Ryukyu Kempo (which roughly translates into Okinawan kung-fu, or Chinese boxing science) is the original style of martial arts learned and taught by Gichin Funakoshi on the Okinawa, an island in the Ryukyu island chain. It stresses the existence of body points within your opponent that can be struck or grappled for more effective fighting. Funakoshi's first edition book "Ryukyu Kempo" shows him clearly grappling and touching an opponent. Later editions and current karate books only show a practioner with a retracted punch, where the original shows actively grappling an enemy. It is felt that Funakoshi was the last of the purists, wanting all to learn the art.

Okinawans, who have a culture and history of their own, became disenchanted with the Japanese, and were less inclined to teach them the "secret techniques" of self-defense. When American military soldiers occupied Japan after WWII, they became enamored of the martial-arts. It is theorized that the Japanese and Okinawans were reluctant to teach the secrets of their national art to the occupiers, and so taught a "watered down" version of karate-do usually reserved for children. Contemporary Kempo practioners practice "pressure point fighting" or Kyushu-jitsu and grappling, called Tuite. It is an exact art of striking small targets on the body, such as nerve centers, and grappling body points in manners similar to Jujitsu or Aikido.

There are a couple of physical differences in Kempo and many other styles. One is a three-quarter punch, rather than a full twist. Second is a fist whereby the thumb stops at the first finger, rather than the first two fingers. Third is the sword hand, which has the little finger placed as parallel as possible to the third finger and the thumb straight and on the inside rather than bent.

Kobo-Jutsu. Kobo-jutsu is a Okinawan style of Karate characterized by the large array of weapons it uses. The style makes extensive use of forms to perfect techniques.

Kyokushin-Kai. Kyokushin-Kai is a Japanese style of Karate found by Oyama Masutatsu in the 1950's. The style was influenced by Kempo, Gojuryu, and Zen. It is powerful art that emphasized breaking, breathing, multiple attacks in quick sucession, and kill techniques.

Shohei-Ryu (formally known as Uechi-Ryu). A traditional Okinawan, Zen based style founded by Kanbum Uechi . Although it has become one of the main Okinawan martial arts and absorbed many of the traditional Okinawan karate training methods and approaches, it is historically, and to some extent technically, quite separate.

The name Shohei-Ryu comes from two Chinese characters, "Sho" meaning "to shine brightly" and "Hei" meaning "fairness", "equality" and "peace". The name also refers to two Japanese eras, a past one, Showa, and the present one, Heisei. Ryu (pronounced "roo") is the Japanese word for "style" or "path".

Grandmaster Kanbun Uechi was born on May 5, 1877 in Isumi, a small village in northern Okinawa. In 1897, at the age of 20, he fled to Fuzhou, the capital city of Fujian province in China, to avoid being drafted into the Japanese army, which was occupying Okinawa at the time. For ten years, he studied the art of Pangai-noon, meaning half hard half soft, under master Shushiwa, a Buddist priest who had received his training in the Shoalin Temple in Southern China. Pangai-noon was derived from the interwoven movements of the tiger, crane and dragon and it concentrates on the use of the single-knuckle punch, spear-hand strike, pointed kick and circular block. Uechi opened his own school in Nanchon, a city in Fukien Province, where he taught for three years, having the distinction of being the only Okinawan ever accepted in China as a teacher. Disheartened after one of his students became involved in a dispute and killed another person, Uechi vowed never to teach again, and, in 1910, he closed his school and returned Okinawa where he married and, on June 26, 1911, his son Kanei was born. Uechi still refused to teach his art and only once during the ensuing years did he reluctantly demonstrate his kata.

Absorbing some Okinawan Goju-ryu over the decades, Shohei-Ryu still retains its original Chinese flavor, both in its technique and in the culture of the dojo. It is a "half-hard, half-soft" style very similar to such southern Chinese styles as Fukienese Crane (as still practiced in the Chinese communities of Malaysia), Taiwanese Golden Eagle, and even Wing Chun. Conditioning the body for both attack and defense is a common characteristic of both Okinawan karate and southern Shaolin "street" styles, and as such is an important part of Shohei-Ryu training. There is a strong internal component to the practice, including focused breathing and tensioning exercises similar to Chinese Qigong. Shohei-Ryu, following its Chinese Crane heritage, emphasizes circular blocks, low snap kicks, infighting (coordinating footwork with grabs, locks, throws, and sweeps), and short, rapid hand traps and attacks (not unlike Wing Chun). The style incorporates the characteristics of the Wushu animals. It uses circular motions and uses the Phoenix Eye single knuckle punch. Unlike most Karate styles, it uses grappling techniques.

Shorin Ryu. Shorin Ryu is an Okinawan soft style. Known for its light, quick, and agile techniques that are suitable for a person of light body structure. Because of its strict spiritual aspects it is considered a religious sect.

Shorinji Kempo. Shorinji Kempo is a Japanese Karate style that is deeply rooted in Zen meditation. It was created by So Doshin who says it is based on traditional Shaolin teachings. In the 1970's, the Japanese courts forced So Doshin to the change the name of his school to Nippon Shorinji Kempo. It stresses being calm in action. Students first learn its deep spirituality, then learn the fighting techniques. Because of its combination of Buddhism, philosophy, and martial arts, many consider Shorinji Kempo a religious sect.

Shorei Ryu. Shorei Ryu is an Okinawan hard style. Know for its heavy, powerful techniques and body toughening training. It is known for the its numerous amount of stances. It is more suitable for a person of heavy body structure. It strives to emulate the actions of the 5 traditional animals and teaches all the traditional Okinawan weapons, such as the bo, tonfa, and sai. Some characteristics of shorei-ryu:

• Stances exceptionally low in kata form.
• Seiken thrust: slightly downward and in center of body. The rear leg moves slightly forward at the completion of the punch. The moving of the rear leg is automatic and is caused by the power generated by the force of the punch and the forward movement of the hips.
• Fist: index finger under curled thumb.
• Hips: rotate with a definite forward movement.
• Blocks: all start spiraling at wrists and spiral until completion of block.
• Head snap when turning.
• Thousand hand, five and six-count rice exercises, and sun fist.
• High rising block - executed from thigh up.
• Teeth clenched.
• Wide-eyed stare.
• Eight faces: the art of looking or expression (hyojo do). (Confidence, Friendly, Solemn, Unconcerned, Contempt, Shock, Fear, Anger)
• All kicks, blocks and strikes are 90% circular (point and circles).
• Kicks: for every forward one there is a reverse one.
• Te-katana and te-uke covers are very obvious in all Shuri-ryu techniques and katas.
• Body: always relaxed until exact moment of completing technique.

Shotokai Karate-do. Shotokai Karate-do is a non-competitive style of Karate derived from Gichin Funakoshi's Karate by Masters Yoshitaka (Gigo) Funakoshi and Shigeru Egami. The word Shotokai is composed of three kanji characters in Japanese. The Sho character is taken from the word matsu which means pine tree. To is the character for waves. Pine Waves is the English translation that tries to express what the original Japanese kanji represent, the sound that is produced by the pine needles when the wind blows through them, a sort of wave sound. Gichin Funakoshi, used Shoto as a pseudonym when he signed his poetry works. The word kai means organization. Thus, Shotokai means the Organization of Shoto, or the Organization of Master Gichin Funakoshi. Kan, means building or house, thus Shotokan is the house or building of Shoto.

Shotokai does not consider Karate a sport so it avoids all type of competitive tournaments. Rather, it stresses Karate as a Budo art that is concerned with personal development through the study and practice of Karate as a Do, a Way of Life, and the development of the internal energy, Ki. Shotokai movements are full of vitality and energy, but they use the principles of harmony and relaxation and avoid the use of brute force. Each Shotokai student in a group, has his or her own way of attaining mind-ki-body unity, in a way that permits all students to learn from each other. In a training atmosphere void of distinctions, communication grows and mutual respect arises unhindered.

Shotokan. Shotokan is the "authorized" Japanese style of Karate. It is an Okinawan style founded by Gichin Funakoshi. Shoto was the pen name of Funakoshi. He combined Shorin and Shorei to a style that would accommodate all body structures. According to Funakoshi "The art of karate strives neither for victory, nor for defeat, but for the perfection of the character of its practitioners." Shotokan is a "hard" linear style that is a true "empty hand" art", it does not include weapons training. Although originally known for its a lethal attacks, dynamic entry techniques, and its theory of "one strike, one kill," similar to other martial arts, it has evolved into a sport. Shotokan training emphasizes mastering a few techniques rather than learning many techniquees.

Shotokai and Shotokan are two names for the same thing. Shotokai is the name of the Organization established in 1935 to raise funds for the building of Funakoshi's Main Training Hall. Gichin Funakoshi held only two positions during his lifetime: one as Head Instructor of the Shotokan Dojo and the other as director of the Shotokai school.

Shotokan is the name of the building finished in 1936 that was the result of the work done by this organization. In time, people who trained in Karate were not only known for practicing Karate but also began to be related to different "styles", even though Gichin Funakoshi was against this. His students began to be known as of the "Shotokan", the place where they trained, or "Shotokan-Ryu", the Shotokan Style.

After Master Gichin Funakoshi's death in 1957, Shotokai was heir of his symbol (O-sensei's Tiger), the Shotokan and Shotokai names, and more importantly all his documents and writings, which is why Shotokai is in charge of editing and publishing his works. Shotokai's headquarters in Japan is still the Shotokan Dojo, a though it has been reconstructed since the original one burned during a World War II bombing. The Shotokan name has been misused by many groups with no respect for Master Funakoshi or his families wishes. For this reason, many uninformed people relate Gichin Funakoshi with sport karate, something he was strongly against.

Wado-Ryu. Wado-ryu "school of the way of harmony" was founded in the 1920's by Otsuka Hidenori, one of Funakoshi Gichin's students. Ohtsuka studied Jujutsu for many years before becoming a student of Gichin Funakoshi, considered by some to be Funakoshi's most brilliant student. Ohtsuka combined the movements of Jujutsu with the striking techniques of Okinawan Karate, with a strong focus on evasion through body shifting. Style has higher stances and shorter punches than Shotokan. Training stresses spiritual discipline. After the death of Ohtsuka in the early 1980s, the style split into two factions: Wado Kai, headed by Ohtsuka's senior students; and Wado Ryu, headed by Ohtsuka's son, Jiro. Both factions continue to preserve most of the basic elements of the style.

What is it like to test for a belt in Japan as a Westerner? Or to live with a Master? This article will try to provide brief insights by reflecting on my time Japan between 1995 and 2002. I will also reflect on short-term visits to Japan made by my Californian students to test for a Dan ranks. I was fortunate enough to have spent part of my time in and around Japan as an “uchi-deshi” – a live in student of a master. On arriving in Japan my comparisons of East vs. West martial arts came from a somewhat experienced viewpoint since I had already been training in Japanese martial arts for more than 10 years, competed at an international level, and had my own dojo operating in California.

Karate in Japan takes all sorts of forms: some are sport oriented, and some are very traditional, some are very hard, while others very soft. By comparison to the West (with the USA and Australia being 2 other places I have had significant karate exposure) karate intensity is often similar, however, the style in which it is taught is more varied both from a traditional/philosophical viewpoint and technical approach. In particular I have found that the emphasis on sport Karate in Australia is very high, leaving the art, and the practical application to the side (I have recently opened two dojo(s) in Australia). I don’t feel sport karate is bad, but to simply state that it is a different path compared to the art of karate. Given Australia’s recent performance of fourth in the Olympics, even given a very small population, one could expect such a sporting oriented nation to predominantly follow a sporting oriented approach to karate (not to say all Australian Karate is sport as there are obviously also a proportion of traditional dojo). From my involvement in the US karate scene I feel that, compared to Australia, it has a larger proportion of dojo(s) continuing to pursue traditional Japanese karate. As an example of this measure I often look at the content of Ippon Kumite, Kata Bunkai and Ippon Shobu (a single point sparring match) practiced in a dojo. In Japan these things are not only seen as a regular part of classes, but appear as the primary content (especially Ippon Kumite). Approaches such as Ippon Kumite and Ippon Shobu for matches (instead of six or eight point matches) reinforce the precept behind Japanese Karate of “one hit one kill” (Ikken Isatsu in Japanese). The underlying theme of these one point bouts is the concept that in the kumite bout, like in life, you only get one chance. I once asked the Master I lived with in Japan (Uetake Sensei) with why he considered Kobudo (weaponry) an important extension of his Karate as it dilutes the time one can spend mastering the Way of empty handed fighting. He replied that it reinforced his mindset that one hit is one kill. So if traveling to Japan expect Ippon Kumite to often be large part of each night’s training with the key point being mind state re-enforcement.

Fudoshin (immovable mind), is a “Zen” principle related to the above point of absolute technique, and I would like to give an example of another way in which it is reinforced in Japanese training. Most of my training was in Japan was at a honbu dojo where, on a given night, there would be two 8th dans, three 7th dans, and just a few other instructors in rank range of sandan through godan. In these sessions there was a surprising element to the content we practiced given the ranks in the room – it was almost entirely kihon and ippon kumite, with kihon being 50% of training. After a few years of banging out full power basic technique with a group of masters you realize that the perfection of physical technique is not the only reason for the high repetition: the point was the continual reinforcement of the mindset that each technique, if a block, will break their opponents arm, and if a strike will kill the opponent – not the physical strength of the technique. One often hears this in Western dojo(s) but it is not implemented to same degree, nor is “Fudoshin” the true focus of high repetition based training (it is quite likely that most Western students would leave through “boredom” because of a lack physical technique variety in training). The very fact that when these most advanced ranks (karate-ka who have training for 50 years) got together and chose to work single count basic drills rather than advanced forms, or technique, says something very important.

In this article we can only touch on some aspects of Japan vs. West training. An issue to raise is that of attitude and approach in the dojo. When a Westerner walks into a karate Dojo for the first time their mindset is not quite the same as an Asian student who reads the Kanji (Chinese characters) on the door and understands that Do & Jo combine to mean – a place of studying the Way. In the West students come to understand this over time. I feel that the Japanese culture is much better at mimicking a taught action than Westerners, and therefore, there is less tendency in Japan for students to look, question, re-interpret, and then perform their version of what they saw. The above issues tend to combine to make the standard of Kyu ranks in the Japanese dojo(s) better. However, I do not notice such a large difference in ability of black belt ranks when comparing Japan to the West. It seems that once the effect of time has allowed them perfect technique through repetition, and gain an understanding they are studying an art of Do, the same endpoint in ability is reached regardless of cultural differences. Interestingly, I find European students faster learners than my Australian or USA students. One of my University clubs is at a school with a very strong international exchange program, and therefore, has a make-up of approximately 1/3 of each European, Australian and American students. The Europeans appear to learn at a faster rate not so much due to a “mimicry” mindset (like the Japanese) but rather an openness to new ways.

“Zen” in the martial arts is not even mentioned in some karate organizations in the West and in others it is. In Japan I found it is often not mentioned, or talked about, but innately exists (as was eluded to in a couple of examples above). I did have many insightful discussions on “Zen” over post training drinks in Japan – the place where both in business and the martial arts world, the heart of matters are really opened up. More on Zen, Japan and Karate is outlined in our video series.

It is not uncommon for black belts to sometimes travel to Japan and test for a higher Dan rank. However, testing for black belt is a stressful event even if you do it in your home town. Imagine if you elected to do all your training in the West and then travel to Japan for the big day with no real knowledge of the sensei testing you, the students you will fight, or the Japanese culture. That is exactly what a number of my brown belts have done over the years. It was a real testament to their courage to join me in Japan and 2 days later, still with jetlag, perform their Shodan Shinsa (black belt test). All were nervous, however, all rose to the occasion and learning occurred from both the involved Japanese and Western students. In 1997 my first student to perform this task (Dave Cohrs) obviously had the largest factor of the “unknown” as to our knowledge, he was the first Westerner to try it. As is usually the case Dan rank tests are more about Kata and Kihon than fighting. Within Japan, especially in the case of Westerners, these are the things under the most scrutiny.

The experiences briefly outlined in this article are now covered in a documentary series on living, and training in Japan, recently published on the web in the form of downloadable videos (www.AppliedZen.com).

About the author: Dr. Jason Armstrong, 5th Dan
Sensei Jason Armstrong has a 5th degree black and has been training for more than 20 years. His training began in Australia, and then moved to the USA in 1991. In 1995 he began regular travel to Japan and spent time living in Japan for karate. While in Japan he worked in the corporate environment and ultimately became the CEO of a company in Tokyo. He holds a Ph.D. in human physiology. Today he has founded Applied Zen which operates in the USA, and, Australia passing on Japanese karate through dojos, and through a video e-learning site (www.AppliedZen.com). Additionally, his organization (www.AppliedZen.com) provides corporate seminars on the integration of the “Art of War”, and Zen into corporate team development, and business.

Pictures:

1. Sotokawa Sensei and Jason Armstrong in 1997. Sotokawa sensei is a 8th Dan in Shito-Ryu and received his 3rd Dan accreditation under Mabuni sensei the founder of Shito-ryu.

2. Sensei Jason standing near Himeji Castle at Sakura time (Cheery Blosson season). Himeji Castle is Japan’s largest castle and is rumored to be the place where Musashi carried out his academic studies for samurai training.

3. Sensei Seto (Shotokan) and Jason Armstrong in 2002 in Tokyo. During Jason’s one year stay in Tokyo Seto sensei’s dojo was one of the clubs he visited.

What is it like to test for a belt in Japan as a Westerner? Or to live with a Master? This article will try to provide brief insights by reflecting on my time Japan between 1995 and 2002. I will also reflect on short-term visits to Japan made by my Californian students to test for a Dan ranks. I was fortunate enough to have spent part of my time in and around Japan as an “uchi-deshi” – a live in student of a master. On arriving in Japan my comparisons of East vs. West martial arts came from a somewhat experienced viewpoint since I had already been training in Japanese martial arts for more than 10 years, competed at an international level, and had my own dojo operating in California.

Karate in Japan takes all sorts of forms: some are sport oriented, and some are very traditional, some are very hard, while others very soft. By comparison to the West (with the USA and Australia being 2 other places I have had significant karate exposure) karate intensity is often similar, however, the style in which it is taught is more varied both from a traditional/philosophical viewpoint and technical approach. In particular I have found that the emphasis on sport Karate in Australia is very high, leaving the art, and the practical application to the side (I have recently opened two dojo(s) in Australia). I don’t feel sport karate is bad, but to simply state that it is a different path compared to the art of karate. Given Australia’s recent performance of fourth in the Olympics, even given a very small population, one could expect such a sporting oriented nation to predominantly follow a sporting oriented approach to karate (not to say all Australian Karate is sport as there are obviously also a proportion of traditional dojo). From my involvement in the US karate scene I feel that, compared to Australia, it has a larger proportion of dojo(s) continuing to pursue traditional Japanese karate. As an example of this measure I often look at the content of Ippon Kumite, Kata Bunkai and Ippon Shobu (a single point sparring match) practiced in a dojo. In Japan these things are not only seen as a regular part of classes, but appear as the primary content (especially Ippon Kumite). Approaches such as Ippon Kumite and Ippon Shobu for matches (instead of six or eight point matches) reinforce the precept behind Japanese Karate of “one hit one kill” (Ikken Isatsu in Japanese). The underlying theme of these one point bouts is the concept that in the kumite bout, like in life, you only get one chance. I once asked the Master I lived with in Japan (Uetake Sensei) with why he considered Kobudo (weaponry) an important extension of his Karate as it dilutes the time one can spend mastering the Way of empty handed fighting. He replied that it reinforced his mindset that one hit is one kill. So if traveling to Japan expect Ippon Kumite to often be large part of each night’s training with the key point being mind state re-enforcement.

Fudoshin (immovable mind), is a “Zen” principle related to the above point of absolute technique, and I would like to give an example of another way in which it is reinforced in Japanese training. Most of my training was in Japan was at a honbu dojo where, on a given night, there would be two 8th dans, three 7th dans, and just a few other instructors in rank range of sandan through godan. In these sessions there was a surprising element to the content we practiced given the ranks in the room – it was almost entirely kihon and ippon kumite, with kihon being 50% of training. After a few years of banging out full power basic technique with a group of masters you realize that the perfection of physical technique is not the only reason for the high repetition: the point was the continual reinforcement of the mindset that each technique, if a block, will break their opponents arm, and if a strike will kill the opponent – not the physical strength of the technique. One often hears this in Western dojo(s) but it is not implemented to same degree, nor is “Fudoshin” the true focus of high repetition based training (it is quite likely that most Western students would leave through “boredom” because of a lack physical technique variety in training). The very fact that when these most advanced ranks (karate-ka who have training for 50 years) got together and chose to work single count basic drills rather than advanced forms, or technique, says something very important.

In this article we can only touch on some aspects of Japan vs. West training. An issue to raise is that of attitude and approach in the dojo. When a Westerner walks into a karate Dojo for the first time their mindset is not quite the same as an Asian student who reads the Kanji (Chinese characters) on the door and understands that Do & Jo combine to mean – a place of studying the Way. In the West students come to understand this over time. I feel that the Japanese culture is much better at mimicking a taught action than Westerners, and therefore, there is less tendency in Japan for students to look, question, re-interpret, and then perform their version of what they saw. The above issues tend to combine to make the standard of Kyu ranks in the Japanese dojo(s) better. However, I do not notice such a large difference in ability of black belt ranks when comparing Japan to the West. It seems that once the effect of time has allowed them perfect technique through repetition, and gain an understanding they are studying an art of Do, the same endpoint in ability is reached regardless of cultural differences. Interestingly, I find European students faster learners than my Australian or USA students. One of my University clubs is at a school with a very strong international exchange program, and therefore, has a make-up of approximately 1/3 of each European, Australian and American students. The Europeans appear to learn at a faster rate not so much due to a “mimicry” mindset (like the Japanese) but rather an openness to new ways.

“Zen” in the martial arts is not even mentioned in some karate organizations in the West and in others it is. In Japan I found it is often not mentioned, or talked about, but innately exists (as was eluded to in a couple of examples above). I did have many insightful discussions on “Zen” over post training drinks in Japan – the place where both in business and the martial arts world, the heart of matters are really opened up. More on Zen, Japan and Karate is outlined in our video series.

It is not uncommon for black belts to sometimes travel to Japan and test for a higher Dan rank. However, testing for black belt is a stressful event even if you do it in your home town. Imagine if you elected to do all your training in the West and then travel to Japan for the big day with no real knowledge of the sensei testing you, the students you will fight, or the Japanese culture. That is exactly what a number of my brown belts have done over the years. It was a real testament to their courage to join me in Japan and 2 days later, still with jetlag, perform their Shodan Shinsa (black belt test). All were nervous, however, all rose to the occasion and learning occurred from both the involved Japanese and Western students. In 1997 my first student to perform this task (Dave Cohrs) obviously had the largest factor of the “unknown” as to our knowledge, he was the first Westerner to try it. As is usually the case Dan rank tests are more about Kata and Kihon than fighting. Within Japan, especially in the case of Westerners, these are the things under the most scrutiny.

The experiences briefly outlined in this article are now covered in a documentary series on living, and training in Japan, recently published on the web in the form of downloadable videos (www.AppliedZen.com).

About the author: Dr. Jason Armstrong, 5th Dan
Sensei Jason Armstrong has a 5th degree black and has been training for more than 20 years. His training began in Australia, and then moved to the USA in 1991. In 1995 he began regular travel to Japan and spent time living in Japan for karate. While in Japan he worked in the corporate environment and ultimately became the CEO of a company in Tokyo. He holds a Ph.D. in human physiology. Today he has founded Applied Zen which operates in the USA, and, Australia passing on Japanese karate through dojos, and through a video e-learning site (www.AppliedZen.com). Additionally, his organization (www.AppliedZen.com) provides corporate seminars on the integration of the “Art of War”, and Zen into corporate team development, and business.

Pictures:

1. Sotokawa Sensei and Jason Armstrong in 1997. Sotokawa sensei is a 8th Dan in Shito-Ryu and received his 3rd Dan accreditation under Mabuni sensei the founder of Shito-ryu.

2. Sensei Jason standing near Himeji Castle at Sakura time (Cheery Blosson season). Himeji Castle is Japan’s largest castle and is rumored to be the place where Musashi carried out his academic studies for samurai training.

3. Sensei Seto (Shotokan) and Jason Armstrong in 2002 in Tokyo. During Jason’s one year stay in Tokyo Seto sensei’s dojo was one of the clubs he visited.

QUOTES BY BRUCE LEE

A good fight should be like a small play, but played seriously. A good martial artist does not become tense, but ready. Not thinking, yet not dreaming. Ready for whatever may come. When the opponent expands, I contract. When he contracts, I expand. And when there is an opportunity, I do not hit. It hits all by itself.

"Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend."

Opponent: "What's your style?"
Bruce Lee's Response: "I call it , the art of fighting without fighting"

"a kick is a kick and a punch is a punch..."

"With emotional content, not anger!"

“Love is like a friendship caught on fire. In the beginning a flame, very pretty, often hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. As love grows older, our hearts mature and our love becomes as coals, deep-burning and unquenchable.”

“All fixed set patterns are incapable of adaptability or pliability. The truth is outside of all fixed patterns.”

“If you always put limit on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.”

“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”

“using no way as a way, using no limitations as a limitation.”

“Showing off is the fool's idea of glory.”

“As you think, so shall you become.”

“I am learning to understand rather than immediately judge or to be judged. I cannot blindly follow the crowd and accept their approach. I will not allow myself to indulge in the usual manipulating game of role creation. Fortunately for me, my self-knowledge has transcended that and I have come to understand that life is best to be lived and not to be conceptualized. I am happy because I am growing daily and I am honestly not knowing where the limit lies. To be certain, every day there can be a revelation or a new discovery. I treasure the memory of the past misfortunes. It has added more to my bank of fortitude.”

“If you make an ass out of yourself, there will always be someone to ride you”

“Simplicity is the key to brilliance”

“The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.”

“Ever since I was a child I have had this instinctive urge for expansion and growth. To me, the function and duty of a quality human being is the sincere and honest development of one's potential.”

“"A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer."
“Forget about winning and losing, forget about pride and pain”

“Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not you go out and look for a successfull personality an duplicate it.”

“Let an opponent graze your skin and you smash into his flesh; let an opponent smash into your flesh and youfracture his bone; let an opponent fracture your bone and you take his life! Do not be concerned with your escaping safely; lay your life before him!”

“Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless - like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup, you put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle, you put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”

“Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.”

“A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at.”

“Real living is living for others.”

"Take things as they are. Punch when you have to punch. Kick when you have to kick.”

“As long as I can remember I feel I have had this great creative and spiritual force within me that is greater than faith, greater than ambition, greater than confidence, greater than determination, greater than vision. It is all these combined. My brain becomes magnetized with this dominating force which I hold in my hand.”

“If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you'll never get it done.”

“Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them.”

“The possession of anything begins in the mind”

“Man, the living creature, the creating individual, is always more important than any established style or system.”

“If you love life, don't waste time, for time is what life is made up of.”

“A quick temper will make a fool of you soon enough.”

"To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.”

“When there is freedom from mechanical conditioning, there is simplicity. The classical man is just a bundle of routine, ideas and tradition. If you follow the classical pattern, you are understanding the routine, the tradition, the shadow - you are not understanding yourself.”

“I am not teaching you anything. I just help you to exlplore yourself”

“The less effort, the faster and more powerful you will be.”

“Knowledge will give you power, but character respect.”

"Obey the principles without being bound by them.”

“If you want to learn to swim jump into the water. On dry land no frame of mind is ever going to help you”

“It's not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential.”

“To me, the extraordinary aspect of martial arts lies in its simplicity. The easy way is also the right way, and martial arts is nothing at all special; the closer to the true way of martial arts, the less wastage of expression there is.”

“Take no thought of who is right or wrong or who is better than. Be not for or against.”

“"To know oneself is to study oneself in action with another person."”

“Let the spirit out - Discard all thoughts of reward, all hopes of praise and fears of blame, all awareness of one's bodily self. And, finally closing the avenues of sense perception, let the spirit out, as it will.”

"We have more faith in what we imitate than in what we create"

"Its like a finger pointing to the moon (slap) don't concentrate on the finger or you will miss all of that heavenly Glory!"

"Board don't hit back!"

"Learn the principle, abide by the principle, and dissolve the principle.

"Like a cobra, your strike should be felt before it is seen."

"A fight is not won by one punch or kick. Either learn to endure or hire a bodyguard."

"Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way round or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.
Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it ... becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend."

"Man, the living creature, the creating individual, is always more important than any established style or system."

"knowing is not enough, we must apply, and willing is not enough, we must do!"

If there’s anyplace in the Middle East that resembles America’s 19th century Wild West, it has to be Netanya, Israel.This notorious city north of Tel Aviv is home to Russian mobsters and active terrorists; it is also home to Krav Maga’s toughest school. This is where Haim Gidon heads the governing body for Krav Maga worldwide, the Israeli Krav Maga Association (IKMA).

As every western town had its Bat Masterson, or Wyatt Erpp, Netanya has Yigal Arbiv. Born in Hadera, a town just north of Netanya, Yigal is a security specialist for one of Netanya’s schools, protecting children from the ever constant threat of terrorism. As is often the case with children who wear glasses, Yigal was picked on when he was a youth; this prompted him to learn self-defense. After several months of studying Tae Kwon Do, he met with Haim Gidon, leader and co-founder of the IKMA and has trained with Haim for fifteen years since.

As required of all eligible Israelis, Yigal joined the military (paratroopers) when he was of age, and became a weapons specialist. There he learned how the Israeli military fights, using a fieldstripped version of the Krav Maga learned in Haim’s school. The Israeli army [like other armies] doesn’t have the time to train their recruits in eastern martial arts (which can take years) they need to make soldiers out of these men in months. Since the Israel’s statehood, Israel’s defense and security forces have used stripped-down versions of Krav Maga. As Israel faced its security challenges, Krav Maga evolved and continues to refine itself to this day.

After leaving the army, Yigal attended Wingate, Israel’s national sports institute, an exclusive training academy for instructors and coaches. (Grandmaster Haim Gidon sits on Wingate’s professional board as the recognized head of Krav Maga.) Yigal landed a job at Wingate and eventually started working in school security, protecting students from terrorists. Yigal has a close relationship with Haim who teaches his students not only to be good fighters, but to be good citizens as well. Now teaching Krav Maga fulltime in Israel, Yigal agrees with Haim’s philosophy, “be careful who you teach,” they don’t want students with ill intentions.

Not commonly known, there are several interpretations of Krav Maga within Israel and abroad, more often splinter groups that are offshoots of the main style. But Yigal prefers Haim’s teaching, as did Krav Maga’s founder, Imi Lichtenfeld. (Imi also qualified several high ranking American instructors beginning in 1981.) Due to this constant field-testing; Krav Maga’s knife and gun defense are finely honed and world renowned.

As you can imagine, security work in a town rife with terrorists and gangsters is a daunting task. Yigal says, in Netanya, people attack you with weapons first, that is; guns, knives, axes, and broken bottles (among other things), you only have a split second to react. When dealing with weapons, Yigal says, the most important thing to do, after you neutralize your opponent, is to remove the weapon from his reach. There are several incidents where a downed opponent regained consciousness, picked up his weapon and disabled or killed the defender, or the attacker’s cohorts used the weapon against the defender.

Haim Gidon (who teaches police units in Israel and around the world) recently prepared Yigal for a recent visit to New York City. Yigal, in conjunction with David Kahn, another of Haim’s instructors, taught advanced techniques to state and local law enforcement units, including the latest close quarters anti-terrorist training.

Yigal and David (who is the official IKMA representative in New York City) were kind enough to meet me at Chau’s Martial Arts Center during their hectic schedule to show us some of the latest weapons defenses from Haim’s school. We have a series of pictures that show the basic concepts of weapons against weapons, and unarmed defense against weapons. Starting with this issue, we will show two photo series demos per month until April.

Sudden unprovoked knife attack against armed guard
Unarmed defense against MP-5 assailant from the rear

Unarmed defense against shotgun, from the front
Disarm and escape form assailant holding micro-explosive

Events of the last several years have finally sent the “wake-up call” to the entire world. The United States begrudgingly joins with many countries in the sobering realization that safety is no longer a guarantee. Most are beginning to see the big picture. Crime and terrorism are no longer threats that happen to someone else. Violations of public and personal safety have become increasingly open and brazen.

One of the weapons most utilized on the streets is a firearm.

In the eyes of the Instructors within the LOTAR / Kapap system dealing with real world, self-defense is of paramount importance, and it is for this reason that one of the most practiced components of LOTAR / Kapap is weapon defense.

LOTAR / Kapap was forged from the experience of continuous conflict. The evolution of the techniques and methods utilized within the LOTAR / Kapap system have all been proven and tested within one of the worlds most active and elite Anti Terrorist Units. This unit, known as the “YAMAM” understands all too well that the consequences of mistakes mean life or death.

LOTAR / Kapap specializes in streamlining the techniques until all that is left are natural and effective techniques to deal with a threat in the quickest and most instinctive way possible. The Instructors at LOTAR / Kapap have trained numerous Law Enforcement and Military personnel in self-defense and anti-terrorist techniques for many years. However, the LOTAR / Kapaptechniques are now being shared with the public for the first time outside of Israel.

Leading the progression of LOTAR / Kapap training out of the LOTAR / Kapap Training is former Israeli Defense Force Major Avi Nardia , Major Avi Nardia is a veteran martial artist and former LOTAR/ Kapap instructor for the “YAMAM” utilize and have developed the six basic points of Firearm defense.

1. Field of Fire
Understanding the direction and distance or point of fire of the weapon. This includes understanding the “field of fire” in which the weapon can be fired, as well as the distance or range in which the ammunition can cause harm.

2. Understanding the Weapon
Understanding the weapon and how it is utilized. Remember edged weapons never run out of ammo but guns do. Firearms can jam or malfunction. With proper instruction you can learn techniques to effectively cause a weapon’s malfunction while disarming an attacker. It is for this reason; an understanding of a firearm’s mechanism is of paramount importance. You should be able to understand and identify the differences between a revolver and a semi automatic weapon; the difference between a Handgun and a Shotgun or rifle.

3. Situation Evaluation
Evaluate in an attempt to controlling the psychological aspect of your situation. Focus and stay in control of your emotions. For most training is required to stay calm and focused internally in spite of your outward appearance. Your body language can easily escalate an already emotionally charged situation. The attacker’s body language can provide clues as to his intentions. You must train to begin an understanding of techniques in attempting to control the situation verbally and physically. You must evaluate the attacker. Is he a punk kid that is very excited and seemingly inexperienced or is he a professional criminal that is under control? Understand that if you see the weapon, it is probable the attacker does not have the intention to just shoot, the attacker wants something. This behavior on the part of the attacker can allow you valuable moments, giving you the time to make choices. To defend or not to defend.

4. Timing
Understand and train in the use of Timing. You must learn to utilize timing to your advantage. If your evaluated decision or only option is to attempt to disarm an attacker, you must move quickly, decisively and unsuspectingly to control and take the weapon away, like a magician that is trying to make a watch disappear off of someone’s wrist.

5. Situational Awareness
Possess awareness of your surrounding environment. You must be aware of your surroundings at all times. An attacker seeks the unaware and unsuspecting. In every surrounding make mental notes of potential escape routes, items that can be used as weapons and other people that will be placed in harms way should a threat or conflict arise. In the case of an attacker with a firearm, you must pay attention to where the bullet will be discharged if fired. Either as a law enforcement officer with your partner or a civilian with a bystander or family member, you must know where others are located when moving the weapon.

6. Post Conflict Details
Be ready for the post conflict. It has been found that people who have been attacked often do not remember the face of the attacker even though they were looking right at it. Remain calm and remember to visualize and take mental notes of details. Try to take a mental photograph of the attacker’s face, clothes, weapon, and any distinguishing marks on the person body or vehicle.

In conclusion we need to point out the key elements essential to these points are awareness, timing, speed and understanding distance. You must pay very close attention to controlling the weapon before any additional strikes or action. Once the weapon in truly in your control then you can strike to multiple targets as your style and situation delegates. You must practice the techniques with each hand as well as under different types of stress levels i.e. Cardio intensive workouts. Also change lighting and environments to follow real world scenarios. Proper and continued training in these six basic points of firearm defense may very well make the difference between life and death when faced with real world threats. Don’t be caught unprepared it might be the last mistake you make!

THE BEGINNING
In 1500's the Portuguese, led by explorer Pedro Alvares Cabral, arrived in Brazil. One of the first measures taken by the new arrivals was the subjugation of the local population, the Brazilian Indians, in order to furnish the Portuguese with slave labor (for sugarcane and cotton). The experience with the aborigines was a failure. The Indians quickly died in captivity or fled to their nearby homes. The Portuguese then began to import slave labor from Africa. On the other side of the Atlantic, free men and women were captured, loaded onto ghastly slave ships and sent on nightmarish voyages that for most would end in perpetual bondage. The Africans first arrived by the hundreds and later by the thousands (approximately four million in total).Three major African groups contributed in large numbers to the slave population in Brazil, the Sudanese group, composed largely of Yoruba and Dahomean peoples, the Mohammedanized Guinea-Sudanese groups of Malesian and Hausa peoples, and the "Bantu" groups (among them Kongos, Kimbundas, and Kasanjes) from Angola, Congo and Mozambique.

THE FOREFATHERS
Who or what is responsible for Capoeira? Where did the foundation of capoeira come from? That is the eternal question that can never really be answered. The Bantu groups are believed to have been the foundation for the birth of Capoeira. They brought with them, from Africa, their culture, a culture that was not stored away in books and museums but rather in the body, mind, heart and soul. A culture that was transmitted from father to son, throughout generations. There was candomble', a religion; the berimbau, a musical instrument; vatapa, a food; and so many other things. Basically a way of life.

FIGHTING BACK
The Dutch controlled parts of the northeast between 1624 and 1654. Slaves took steps towards re conquest of their freedom when the Dutch lashed out against the Portuguese colony, invading towns and plantations along the northeastern coast concentrating on Recife and Salvador. With each Dutch invasion the security of the plantations and towns were weakened. The slaves taking advantage of the opportunities, fled, plunging into the forests in search of places in which to hide and survive. Many after escaping founded independent villages called quilombos. The quilombos were very important to evolution of Capoeira. There were at least ten major quilombos with internal socio-economic organizations and commercial relationships with neighboring cities. The quilombo dos Palmraes lasted sixty-seven years in the interior of the state of Alagoas, rebuffing almost all expeditions sent to extinguish it. Because of the consistency and type of threat present, Capoeira developed it's structure as a fight in the quilombos. The embryo of Capoeira as a rudimentary fighting style was created in the slaves' quarters and perhaps would not have developed further if left only to that environment.

SUPPRESSION
Starting around 1814, Capoeira and other forms of African cultural expression suffered repression and were prohibited in some places by the slave masters and overseers. Up until that date, forms of African cultural expression were permitted and sometimes even encouraged, not only as a safety gauge against internal pressures created by slavery but also to bring out the differences between various African groups, in a spirit of "divide and conquer". But with the arrival in Brazil in 1808 of the Portuguese king Dom Joao VI and his court, who were fleeing Napoleon Bonaparte's invasion of Portugal, things changed. The newcomers understood the necessity of destroying a people's culture in order to dominate them, and Capoeira began to be persecuted in a process, which would culminate with its being outlawed in 1892. Why was Capoeira suppressed? There were many motives. First of all it gave Africans a sense of nationality. It also developed self-confidence in individual Capoeira practitioners. Capoeira created small, cohesive groups. It also created dangerous and agile fighters. Sometimes the slaves would injure themselves during the Capoeira, which was not desirable from an economical point of view. The masters and overseers were probably not as conscious as the king and his intellectuals of his court of all of these motives, but intuitively knew something didn't "smell right."

MULTIPLE THEORIES
It must be stressed that there are many other theories attempting to explain the origins of Capoeira. According to one prevalent theory, Capoeira was a fight that was disguised as a dance so that it could be practiced unbeknownst to the white slave owners. This seems unlikely because, around 1814, when African culture began to be repressed, other forms of African dancing suffered prohibition along with Capoeira, so there was no sense in disguising Capoeira as a dance. Another theory says that the Mucupes in the South of Angola had an initiation ritual (efundula) for when girls became woman, on which occasion the young warriors engaged in the N'golo, or "dance of the zebras," a warrior's fight-dance. According to this theory, the N'golo was Capoeira itself. This theory was presented by Camara Cascudo (folclore do Brasil, 1967), but one year later Waldeloir Rego (Capoeira Angola, Editora Itapoan, Salvador, 1968) warned that this "strange theory" should be looked upon with reserve until it was properly proven (something that never happened). If the N'Golo did exist, it would seem that it was at best one of several dances that contributed to the creation of early Capoeira. Other theories mix Zumbi, the legendary leader of the Quilombo dos Palmares (a community made up of those who managed to flee from slavery) with the origins of Capoeira, without any reliable information on the matter. All of these theories are extremely important when we try to understand the myth that surrounds Capoeira, but they clearly cannot be accepted as historical fact according to the data and information that we presently have. Perhaps with further research the theory that we have proposed here, i.e., Capoeira as a mix of various African dances and fights that occurred in Brazil, primarily in the 19th century, will also be outdated in future years.

A TURNING POINT
With the signing of the Golden Law in 1888, which abolished slavery, the newly freed slaves did not find a place for themselves within the existing socio-economic order. The capoeirista (practitioner of Capoeira), with his fighting skills, self-confidence and individuality, quickly descended into criminality and Capoeira along with him. In Rio de Janiero, where Capoeira had developed exclusively as a form of fighting, criminal gangs were created that terrorized the population. Soon thereafter, during the transition from the Brazilian Empire to the Brazilian republic in 1890, these gangs were used by both monarchists and republicans to exert pressure on and break up the rallies of their adversaries. The club, the dagger and the switchblade were used to complement the damage done by various Capoeira moves.In Bahia on the other hand, Capoeira continued to develop into a ritual-dance-fight-game, and the berimbau began to be an indispensable instrument used to command the rodas (actual sessions of Capoeira games), which always took place hidden locales since the practice of Capoeira in this era had already been outlawed by the first constitution of the Brazilian Republic (1892).

PERSECUTION
At the beginning of the twentieth century, in Rio the capoeirista was a rouge and a criminal. Whether the capoeirista was white, black or mulatto, he was an expert in the use of kicks (golpes), sweeps (rasteiras) and head-butts (cabecadas), as well as in the use of blade weapons. In Recife, Capoeira became associated with the city's principal musicbands. During carnival time, tough Capoeira fighters would lead the bands through the streets of that city, and were ever two bands would meet, fighting and bloodshed would usually ensue. In Bahia, the capoeirista was also often seen as a criminal. The persecution and the confrontations with the police continued. The art form was slowly extinguished in Rio and Recife, leaving Capoeira only in Bahia. It was during this period that legendary figures, feared players such as Besouro Cordao-de-Ouro in Bahia, Nascimento Grande in Recife and Manduca da Praia in Rio, who are celebrated to this day in Capoeira, made their appearances It is said that Besouro lived in Santo Amaro da Purificacao in the state of Bahia, and was the teacher of another famous capoeirista by the name of Cobrinha Verde. Besouro did not like the police and was feared not only as a capoeirista but also for having his corpo fechado (a person who through specific magic rituals, supposedly attains almost complete invulnerability in the face of various weapons). According to legend, an ambush was set up for him. It is said that he himself (who could not read) carried the written message identifying him as the person to be killed, thinking that it was a message that would bring him work. Legend says he was killed with a special wooden dagger prepared during magic rituals in order to overcome his corpo fechado.

THE CRIMINAL ELEMENT
Of all the rouges that led the carnival bands through the streets of Recife, Nascimiento Grande was one of the most feared. Some say he was killed during police persecution in the early 1900s, but others say he moved from Recife to Rio de Janiero and died of old age there. Manduca da Praia was of an earlier generation (1890s) and always dressed in an extremely elegant style. It is said that he owned a fish store and lived comfortably. He was also one of those who controlled elections in the area he lived in. It is said that he had twenty-seven criminal cases against himself (for assault, knifing etc.) but was always absolved due to his influence of the politicians he worked for.

GODFATHERS OF CAPOEIRA
The two central figures in Capoeira in the twentieth century were undoubtedly Mestre Bimba and Mestre Pastinha. These two figures are so important in the history of Capoeira that they (and the mystery that surrounds them) are the mythical ancestors of all Capoeira players. Much of what a modern Capoeira player tries to be is due to what these men were or represented. Even though they were not the first, they are definitely the most prominent figures associated with Capoeira today. They are synonymous with Capoeira because they are the heart, soul, spirit and essence of the martial art. Both are legends.

MESTRE BIMBA
In the 1932 in Salvador, Mestre Bimba (Manuel dos Reis Machado) opened the first Capoeira academy. He started teaching what he called "the regional fight from Bahia," eventually known as Capoeira Regional (faster more aggressive than traditional Capoeira Angola style). This feat was made possible by nationalistic policies of Getulio Vargas, who wanted to promote Capoeira as a Brazilian sport. Although Bimba opened his school in 1932, the official recognition only came about in 1937, when it was technically registered. It must be noted that the Getulio Vargas government permitted the practice of Capoeira, but only in enclosed areas that were registered with the police. With the opening of Bimba's Academy, a new era in the history of Capoeira began, as the game was taught to the children of the upper classes of Salvador. Bimba was active in Capoeira his whole life. As a matter of fact he was planning to give a Capoeira demonstration on the day he died, February 5, 1974.

MESTRE PASTINHA
In 1941, Mestre Pastinha (Vincente Ferreira Pastinha) opened his Capoeira angola school. For the first time, Capoeira began to be taught and practiced openly in a formal setting. He became known as the "Philosopher of Capoeira" because of his many aphorisms. Unfortunately, government authorities, under the pretext of reforming the Largo do Pelourinho, where he had his academy confiscated. Although he was promised a new one, the government never came through. The final years of his life were sad. Blind and almost abandoned he lived in a small room until his death in 1981 at the age of ninety-two.

TODAY AND BEYOND
Capoeira has grown tremendously over the last fifty years. It has finally been excepted by the masses in Brazil. Capoeira competitions and academies are surfacing everywhere. In 1974 it was recognized as the national sport of Brazil. This forced the creation of a national federation of Capoeira. It was formed to govern, promote and coordinate Capoeira since no effort was made previously to unite the various emurgances of Capoeira throughout Brazil. How is Capoeira practiced today? It usually starts with musicians playing instruments such as the berimbau (one string, bow type instrument), atabaque (congo), pandiero (tambourine), and agogo (bell). The musicians are based at the foot (pe' da) of the circle (roda).This roda is made up of participants (capoeiristas or players) crouching down. The musicians and/or players may be singing a song in Portuguese. Players enter the game from the pe'da roda (foot of the circle), usually with a cartwheel (au). Once in the circle the two players interact with a series of jumps, kicks, flips, hand and headstands and other ritualistic moves. Games can be friendly or dangerous. The music plays a big part in the feel of the game. The type of game to be played (fast or slow, friendly or tough) depends upon the rhythm being played and the content of the lyrics. Capoeira has expanded beyond the borders of Brazil and is growing rapidly in other countries (including the United States). Capoeira appeals to many for many different reasons. First of all the pure beauty of the art is hypnotic. Capoeira is a dance and a fight. It's not only a combination of gymnastics, dance and martial arts but also music, culture, history and knowledge. The capoeirista must learn to balance the physical with the mental. The capoeirista must play many instruments and sing. The capoeirista may at times be your enemy but is usually a friend. The capoeirista is a historian. The capoeirista is all of these.