Karate Masters, What They Did, and How You Can Become One!

By Al Case

Whap, bam and ka-zowie! We watch the silver screen, and we see kung fu flips in the Matrix movies and sword standing and eye gouging in Kill Bill and we know we have seen the real masters! Wake up, dude, that's a a bunch of actors, and what the real masters have done would put those cinema heroes to shame.

Gichin Funakoshi is considered to be one of the more significant of the karate masters. He brought karate to all Japan, and then spread it to the whole world. If that isn't considered enough to be considered a real, live master, why don't you go stand on a house during a typhoon and hold a 3 by 6 sheet of plywood?

That's right, to make his stance strong and perfect in every way, he battled the elements, and word has it he never sailed off to Oz. And, if you want one of the older masters, try Sokon Matsumuri, who made a bull run away just by giving the bull a serious stare. The trick was that he went out to the bull every night and stuck a pin in the middle of that old bulls nose!

Of course you may think intelligence is cheating, and that to figure out how to beat a bull without bashing him is not much of a deal. So try something simple, try grabbing the beams of a ceiling, not hooking the fingers over the beams, but just grabbing them with your gnarly, old fingers, and hand walking across the ceiling. This is something that the karateka in old Okinawa were doing just for kicks and grins!

One of the best masters of old karate was Mas Oyama. Oyama became known for chopping the horns off of charging bulls, and he ended up dispatching three of the poor animals. Now, cruelty to animals, even big, old bulls, is not something we advertise, but this was a while ago, and think about the muscle, the intelligence, the brute strength, and the sheer artism required to kill a bull with your bare hands. It's not something I would try if I were you,not even on your best day!

Okay, you've heard enough of the tales, so let me give you a simple trick to do, and you can start being your own legend making master of Karate. Learn a karate form, something like Bassai would be great, but you might want to start off with a simpler form like Pinan One. Now, take the garden hose and run it for an hour on that bare patch of earth in the backyard.

Now, the ground is soft and gooey, yucky and messy. So it is time to do that karate form, heh heh. Whap, bam and kazowie!

Your feet fly up in the air and your butt slaps the wet goo. Up on your feet you lazy bum! Did you think the old masters would whine just because they got a little mud on them?

About the Author:

Al Case has studied Karate, and shaolin and a lot of other arts, for 40 years. A writer for the mags since'81, he is the originator of Matrix Martial Arts. You can find out about his training methods, and even get a free ebook at Monster Martial Arts!

Depression And Anger

By Rhys Jones

Depression and anxiety are said to be the causes of uncontrollable anger. When a person is constantly worried about things they have no control over or even things they do have control over, it often causes depression. If you have the feeling, there is no way out then your depression can affect your life and cause you to sink into a spiral of despair.

Taking control of your emotions produces good results. If you feel that the world is crumbling down then you are probably thinking in a negative way, which brings on depression and anxiety. In this article, we will reveal some techniques to help you cope with anxiety and depression, thus relieving uncontrollable anger.

First of all, let us take a look at the symptoms. Do you feel like you are going out of your head? Do you scream in your head: 'I can't take it any more?'. Do you feel like everyone is out to get you? Do you think people view you as mad? If you are undergoing any or all of these symptoms then you are probably suffering from some form of anxiety and depression.

If you can not find a way to think in a different way, then you will probably explode when your emotions start to soar and your anger breaks out. Instead of telling yourself that you are going mad, why not tell yourself that you are temporarily emotionally disturbed and that you need to solve the problem. Review all your problem areas carefully and search your memory to see if there are answers there. A review like this, often opens doors to resources you may have forgotten about.

If you feel like everyone is out to get you then you might have a chemical imbalance or a mental illness. Why not go to see your doctor or a mental health expert to learn more about your symptoms and find a way to regain control of your life. Anxiety and depression can play tricks with your mind and sometimes the thoughts are the result of a chemical imbalance.

If you believe that people think you are going mad, you might care to remember that most people have their own problems and don't have time to analyze you as a person. When you walk into a room and think that people are staring at you, you might want to remember that all people observe the things around them, checking to make sure that everything is all right around themselves before returning to their own lives.

If you feel like you cannot take it any more, just bite your lip and walk another mile. When times are difficult, it does not mean it is the end of the world, although sometimes it may seem this way. If you are struggling to pay bills, fighting to hold a family together, or having difficulty with your children then remember that we all have problems like these at some time or another in our lives.

Are your children driving you bonkers? If they are, take time out. Go and do something entertaining or some exercise. This very often relieves the stresses that lead to anxiety, depression and anger. Life is just too short to worry about the things in life that you cannot change. If you have problems, the answers lie within you, so it pays to look into your head.

If you are really struggling to obtain your goals then you might want to break them down into smaller segments and work slowly to achieve them. If you set goals that are within reason, you will not need to get stressed finding a way to achieve them.

It is important to pamper yourself each day. Learn some coping techniques that will benefit both your mind and your body. If you feel overwhelmed, you might want to inhale and exhale for ten counts.

Stretching out on a sofa to watch your favourite movie can benefit your mind and body, if you want to destress. Learn to focus on what you are doing instead of worrying about what you are not doing. This often clears the mind and allows you to relax.

If you are subject to sustained anger, you will most probably have difficulties for the remainder of your life unless you start to take control of your emotions. Remember that depression leads to uncontrollable anger.

About the Author:

Did you know about the relationship between anger and depression? Learn more at our website at: Anger Management Click here to get your own unique version of this article with free reprint rights.

Oriental Peace Symbolism

By Lucy Xiu

China has a unique system of writing which is totally unknown to us. They use characters rather than letters and these character symbols formulate concepts instead of words with phonetic value. There are about 47,035 characters in Chinese language in Chinese dictionary known as Kangxi dictionary. Though the character symbol which is called Hans is so huge in number, they are mostly not used any more.

Amongst the several popular symbols is the Chinese peace symbol. Peace is something that everyone is in search for. The meaning of peace as represented by the Chinese character does not necessarily mean the absence of war. Rather peace is a feeling of contentment in the heart which is one of the most valuable things in life.

The symbolization of peace is the most significant thing that we come across in the Chinese characters. We all are searching for peace in our own different ways. Some will perceive peace as asking God for absolution while some may simply go for bungee jumping to achieve it. Chinese too have individual ideas and practices to achieve peace.

The Chinese believe that the ancient symbols hold the quality of attracting positive things and they use them very often to get good fortune. Peace is something we all desire and the use of the peace symbol is very widespread throughout China.

You may wonder how the Chinese people strive to use this symbol of peace. The history of China shows clearly how the Chinese people as a nation used the peace symbol. They have used the symbol of peace by surrounding themselves with it to achieve peace in their own hearts rather than anything else.

In fact the peace symbol is not the sole character that has been used to attract good things in the lives of the people. Good fortune and blessing symbols of various kinds can be found in people's homes, shops, cars and offices.

Today the Chinese peace symbol is amongst the most popular characters used not only in China but also all over the world. The west is particularly infatuated with Chinese symbols and peace being a universally appealing idea is right on top of the list.

As it is the concept of peace is considered to be cool in the eyes of the western youth. When the similar concept is represented in the shape of a Chinese symbol that looks amazing because of the way it is composed the symbol gains even more reliability and appeal. Hence we find a wide range of fashion accessories and clothing gear featuring the Chinese peace symbol and selling like hot cakes in the western world.

The Chinese peace symbol which the west has adopted has a totally different connotation to what the traditional Chinese concept is which they have been following for past so many centuries.

About the Author:

Chinese peace symbols are employed to encourage good will and harmony in Chinese culture. If you are interested in other Chinese New Year signs follow the links here.

Where To Look For Online Meditation Music

By Trevor Johnson

The internet has become a wonderful thing. That is for sure. With that, you can look for almost anything. Have you ever found that when you look for something in the stores you can never find it? If you are looking for meditative music, you find that you can't locate that in stores. They want you to know a person and such for online meditation music.

So, where do you go to look for online meditation music? One of the first places look is Amazon where you can see who they classify as singers or bands for this sort of music. When you have that sorted, you can download the tracks you like and listen to this music anywhere that you have computer access.

One thing is that while you can do a basic search for meditation music and find a number of things, you can also locate an artist that you can find in bookstores and such. This might be a lot easier.

Once you find the ones that you like as you can listen to samples every so often, then you can find here to get the full downloads. This is something that you have to be careful with. Some only play clips and then you have to pay to download it.

If you are looking to download some online meditation music, you can try out sites such as Apple's iTunes and of course Amazon. Here you pay a certain fee to download them and save them to something like your MP3 player or your ipod. Then you can have access to the meditation music at any time, wherever you want to listen to it.

So, when you are looking for music to soothe your soul, give online meditation music a chance. It can soothe you into fitful sleep. It also helps with driving and other instances that fears might just consume you. Seek your music today and feel the power of music as it heals you.

About the Author:

Check out this range of online meditation music, just click here. Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service

How to Make the Change from Shaolin to Wudan

By Al Case

Shaolin is one of the oldest martial arts on the planet. It was brought from India by a fellow named Bodhidharma, and has been credited with being inspirational to martial artists the world over. Interestingly, Shaolin eventually became an internal style of martial art atop Wudan Mountain.

I know there will be those who disagree with what I say here, but I hold to it, as I have watched students go through the evolution of hard to soft, and the evolution of art from Shaolin to Wudan mirrors what I have seen students go through. Indeed, as students peel layers off the art, so they peel off layers of unawaress, and attain the truly miraculous.

The student new to Shaolin learns to explode energy from the tan tan, to spread that energy throughout his frame and make his body like a rock. Arms become iron windmills, stances attach him permanently to the planet. This, however, is all based on exploding energy within the the body.

As a student explores the varieties of martial art he may encounter the concept of absorbing energy. The act of guiding a punch, instead of blocking it, brings awareness of the concept of drawing energy in, instead of just putting it out. This progression of art often starts with a hard Shaolin art, goes through a softer art like Wing Chun Kung Fu, and, eventually, ends up with Wudan Tai Chi Chuan.

The odd fact of the matter is that if the student stays within a hard art, he will evolve into the soft. The unfortunate fact of aging, of the body no longer being able to handle the explosive energy of hard arts, will bring the student into the softer arts. He will punch so that he doesn't experience whiplash in his neck, he will use his legs so he doesn't suffer hip problems, and he will naturally evolve his art from hard to soft.

As these progressions of art and age occur, students learn to use their minds and their bodies with less and less effort, and and they are surprised tolearn that the abilities they gained in the hard arts grow even greater. Instead of forcing energy through bodies no longer strong enough to handle it, they guide the energy with less effort, and focus it. Thus, awareness becomes a growing factor, and the blinders come off.

Instead of exploding energy brutally through their bodies, the students seep the energy through their bodies. They learn to guide this energy with their awareness, and the smallest of their motions contain ideas of energy. They learn that the crude body energy they used when they were young and robust was...unaware.

Finally, they make the change from hard to soft, from inner to outer, from internal to external, and the Shaolin adept becomes the Wudan sage. Instead of using violent art, the Wudan master moves with an opponent, drawing in the energy of the attack and transforming as he wishes. Yet, though there is wisdom in the Gung Fu of the Wudan variety, there is no disdain for the hard, for the true sage knows the need for his early Shaolin training, he knows the benefit of understanding energy on hard levels if the student is to make the transition to the softer Wudan intelligence.

About the Author:

Al Case has researched the martial arts for 4O+ years, he began his Wudan training in 1974. You can see how soft he is by picking up a free ebook at Monster Martial Arts.

Mastering Karate - It All Starts With Katas

By Fred Howard

So you have decided to learn karate from home and thinking about how to go about it. Then you heard that learning this ancient art requires you to perform a set of pre-scripted marital movements called katas. You may wonder hey why should i learn this stuff? It's just a bunch of movements that is choreographed right?

Well not exactly. You see, while the karate katas you need to practice may just seem like a bunch of stimulated punches, blocks and kicks, they in fact train your body in subtle ways you might not imagine. Over many repetitions, the kata movements become ingrained in your muscle memory. What this means is that now your body will react accordingly to an attack based on the katas you have 'downloaded'.

You will naturally perform the movements from the katas when attacked. Of course, it goes without saying that you want to learn effective martial movements which achieves the goal of protecting yourself. But for beginners who are interested in learning karate, memorizing and ingraining these katas into your body is a great way to get started. It will prepare you for more advanced training with qualified teachers who can show you the applications and more subtle adjustments involved.

So here's what you can do to get started: Buy yourself a book on karate. It should have clear illustrations on all the different katas to perform. Start with the basic movements and stances first. For a month practice nothing but that. This is important as it sets up your neurology for more advanced movements. Once you have the basic katas down and can perform them without thought, move on to another set of katas that are more advanced. Now the key here is gradual and incremental learning.

You should not overload your sense and learning capability. Rushing to learn all the katas before your body has absorbed them is a sure-fire way to get confused. And we all know the old adage How you train is how you react. Confusion is the last thing you want when you are attacked without warning on the streets.

Once you have reached a proficient level for your katas, you should then consider further training with a qualified karate instructor. He or she should preferably have some real-world experience in fighting and be able to impart more subtle applications of the various katas. Follow this formula and your ability to master karate will skyrocket.

About the Author:

If you want to learn karate moves be sure to check out our site today.

Kicking, the Secret of a very Lost Art!

By Al Case

I don't care if people take exception to what I say here, I'm going to say it anyway, the kicking I see in the UFC and MMA is not really kicking. Truth, it is leg swinging, without focus, and it is sport and not art. the purpose of this writing is to tell you why it doesn't work, and the simple things you can do to put art back into sport.

I had a friend, name of Ted, way back in the late sixties when I was doing Chinese Kenpo. He had long hair and dressed like a hippie, who happened to have the most amazing kicking ability. One day he was driving through the San Jose traffic, and a fellow cut in front of him, so Ted hit the horn.

The fellow stopped his car and got out and walked back towards Ted, who got out of his car. The fellow was huge, a monster, and he dwarfed Ted, and he said some unpleasant things. Ted backed up, held up his hands palm out, and told the fellow he didn't want to fight.

The fellow swung a punch, and Ted rocked back and planted a beautiful roundhouse kick in the center of the monsters chest. The fellow sat down on the pavement, groaned, then stood up and rushed Ted again. Ted tried to back away, he held up his palms again, and told the fellow he didn't want to fight.

The fellow swing, and that was when Ted did it. Ted sunk his weight, put his hips into the kick, and delivered the ball of his foot to the attackers chin. Bang and a ten count, and Ted got in his car and drove away.

So, sinking your weight and throwing the hips are important, even crucial, and some fellows do it and some fellows don't, but the ball of the foot, that was the key. Look, when the UFC gladiator bashes, he swings his leg like he is swinging a baseball bat, and there is not enough weight behind it. When you swing the foot and use the ball of the foot, the energy goes back along the leg and into the hips, and even into the ground and there is body and weight behind the kick.

Yes, kicking with the instep can work, and sometimes well, but kicking with the instep spreads the striking area over more surface area. The ball of the foot kick concentrates the the strike into a smaller area, puts more weight in contact with a smaller surface. If you want to put a nice, precise hole in a piece of wood, are you going to let the weight spread out, or are you going to use a tidy, little hammer and focus the weight into a smaller area?

Kicking is an art, like punching is an art, and the UFC and MMA type of fighters are really doing boxing, not pure martial arts. To understand pure martial arts, one has to study the science and art of physics, and then the answers and ability will come, and then the art will be seen again. Art will win over sport, and not just in the eight sided ring, but in life, that is the solution and the way of the true art.

About the Author:

Al Case has researched martial arts for 4O++ years. A writer and columnist for the magazines since 1981, he is the originator of Matrixing Technology. You can see his work on developing perfect and artistic punches and kicks at Monster Martial Arts. Look around the site for his free ebook on Matrixing.

What Motivates us to Want to be Healthy

By Christian Goodman

I've been planning on writing this article for some time but I just keep losing interest. OK, just kidding. But how many of you want to achieve something big or small and just don't seem to be able to get started?

I am a naturally high-energy person who, once an idea hits me, has trouble letting go of the idea until some sort of creation comes to fruition. Whether that be researching and writing an article, creating a new health program or taking a vacation.

I realize that I am on the other end of the spectrum when it comes to motivation. Many of my friends, family and clients, however, often experience a lack of motivation when it comes to achieving a dream no matter how big or small.

How many of you have wanted to complete that novel that's been popping into your head for years? How many of you want to train for and complete a marathon? How many of you simply want to clean your house?

Have you ever sat down and tried to list the justification why your motivation is so deficient? Lets face it. Procrastination is easy and doesn't need help in the excuse department.

Many times, we won't do something worthwhile just because it's the right thing to do. We wait until we fear a negative effect of not doing the right thing. Lets take something seemingly as easy as cleaning the house.

Isn't it interesting how ones house all of a sudden becomes dirty when we find out were having company? Or, even if we realize the house is in need of cleaning, motivation doesn't strike until we learn of guests that's coming. Then, desire comes on in a fury!

This can be applied to a healthy lifestyle. There are some of us who eat well, exercise regularly, get the proper amount of sleep and don't drink to excess or do drugs, solely because we want to be healthy.

For many though, just like finishing that novel or taking out the trash, motivation to improve our health only comes when it becomes a necessity.

For example, it's frequently not until one is diagnosed with high blood pressure and prescribed medication with bad side effects that one takes the ambition to exercise and eat better.

This can also be said of lifestyle induced health issues like type II diabetes, obesity, smoking related health issues and alcohol and drug associated issues.

No matter how much we hear over the years that we are affecting our health by our negative choices, it's not until we have been diagnosed with an actual problem that we seek to better our lives.

The best course of action is to make a plan for change, set a date and TELL someone. Having someone take an interest and ask you about your progress is highly motivating to continue on the path to good health.

I also urge you to try one of my all natural programs such as my High Blood Pressure program or my Weight Loss Breeze program. The out come is amazing! Make a plan and order today!

EL331004

About the Author:

Christian Goodman has dedicated his life to health research and found solutions to many serious conditions. You can learn more about him on his natural health alternatives blog where you can read about his solutions for several conditions including snoring, TMJ obtain information on his exercises for high blood pressure.

Purchasing Ninja Swords

By Tiger Claire

If you're searching for Ninja swords, you would be happy to know that there are several high-quality swords available on the internet. This is good news for those collecting various kinds of Ninja swords since you don't have to go to novelty stores or even travel to far-off Japan to be able to locate some of the most authentic Ninja swords today.

Whether these are essentially for your collection or you are a Ninja who wants a real Ninja sword, you can locate whatever type of sword you wish to have over the internet. Now, if you're only beginning to get interested in these Japanese swords, you will find a bit of information about them as well, on the internet.

NINJA SWORDS ONLINE

With a little bit of research, you can get to learn more about the various kinds of Ninja swords to assist you in deciding which ones you'd like to buy, whether as a present or for yourself; particularly if you are learning Martial Arts.

There are unique designs that make each type even more interesting. Take for example a special kind of Ninja sword that has a dragon picture carved in its blade. This is especially fascinating because there has been an ancient connection between the dragon and Ninjas and this will truly make you feel more of a Ninja than anything else.

There are naturally the traditional Ninja swords perfect for your sword collection. Generally, these are made of alloy thus they have a an authentic feel than any kind of steel sword. There are also those with tassels if you want to accessorize a bit.

PURCHASING NINJA SWORDS ON THE INTERNET

However, before you actually make a purchase, you should verify the background of these online stores that offer Ninja swords. Others assert that what they provide are the real deal; which you would be disappointed to learn later on that they are poor copycats - not even passable as an authentic replica, if there is such a thing.

You should likewise check the return guidelines of these online shops so you can easily send back the Ninja sword if you are dissatisfied with it. But overall, you'll find that a few of these websites do have genuine Ninja swords or copies that look so real you wouldn't be able to tell the difference at first glance.

About the Author:

Need to find out more about ninja swords, then have a look at Tiger Claire's page on how to choose the best ninja swords for your needs.