Archive for August, 2009

Newer Entries »

Power of the Animals

Friday, August 7th, 2009

Inside Kung Fu August 2006

By Quinn Early

People are always looking for ways to improve health and get in better shape. They need to look no further than martial arts for the answer. Looking better and feeling stronger and healthier are the major byproducts of adopting a martial arts discipline. There are as many debates about the best way to build strength and increase fitness as there are styles available to the practitioner.

I began my martial arts training in 1990 when I was drafted by the San Diego Chargers. Shortly after my second season in the NFL, I began looking for ways to improve my football skills and overall health. Since I was a huge Bruce Lee fan growing up, I thought a great way to get in shape was learning kung-fu. After all, despite his smallish stature, Lee was a physical marvel. If I could incorporate some of the training techniques that made him pound-for-pound the fastest and most powerful martial artists of his generation, those skills might help me become a better, more effective football player.

I sought the help of a kung-fu instructor in my area and settled on the fantastic, diverse world of Shaolin Five Animal kung-fu, which incorporates the best of both the internal and external disciplines of Chinese martial arts.

HEALTH BENEFITS

Shaolin five animal kung-fu teaches many fighting techniques, but more importantly it gives the martial artists a great foundation through stance training, breathing applications and a mixture of internal and external energy training. All these attributes help build strength, power and overall health.

Many factors make the five animal form optimal for health and martial arts cultivation: the practitioner will develop physical strength, libido, chi development, bone development and internal spirit. Since these are a mixture of both internal and external training techniques, it is said that when these five things are combined the result is a far superior martial artist.

HISTORY

Chan (Zen) Buddhism was introduced to China around A.D. 550. During the North-South dynasty, a monk named Bodhidharma traveled from India to Songshan Mountain in the Henan province, the site of the Shaolin Temple. There he meditated for nine years. At the age of 76, he began teaching healing arts to the monks of the temple. Since the monks spent much of their time in meditation, they were in poor physical condition. Bodhidharma gave them a set of exercises that would develop the physical strength necessary to maintain the monastery and protect them in the event of an attack. He gave them three exercises: Lohan Shi Ba (18 hands of arhats); yi ji jing (book of changing tendons); and xi shui jing (book of washing bone morrow). At the end of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), Zhue Yuen, Li Sou and Bai Yu Feng developed the five animal form, which helped to complete the new Shaolin system and had a major impact on the state of Shaolin Kung-Fu.

THE FIVE ANIMALS

The shaolin five animals consist of dragon, tiger, snake, crane and leopard. Each animal has characteristics that provide the practitioner with an array of offensive and defensive techniques. Only through a mastery of each of these animals can one hope to become a complete kung-fu stylist.

DRAGON (LONG XING)

The Chinese dragon represents internal strength. Contrary to popular belief, there is no relation to the Western dinosaur or fire-breathing dragon. Instead, according to Buddhist writings, the Chinese dragon is a mystical creature that can show itself to those he wants, especially to those who have reached the highest levels of enlightenment. Chinese dragons also are said to live in oceans or large bodies of water and are believed to produce rain. They can make themselves large or small, and are sometimes said to be visible within the clouds if you look closely.

The dragon form combines internal and external energy to produce awesome and devastating strikes. Dragon techniques feature circular movements that can penetrate with sudden explosiveness. Though the claw is the primary hand technique used within the dragon form, there are also various palm and fist attacks that add to the dragon form’s effectiveness. However, using the waist in a whipping action to generate power is essential to the development of proper dragon energy. The dragon form uses internal conditioning through proper breathing techniques to develop qi (internal energy). This is done by using the lower body to pull in air with relaxed breaths. The breathing develops flexibility, strength and power.

TIGER (HU XING)

In China, the tiger is said to be the king of all land beasts. The Shaolin Monks adopted the spirit of the tiger for its courage, strength and power. Because its energy is external in nature, the energy of the tiger is different from the other animals in the form. The tiger’s strength comes from hard-pressing attacks. Developing a strong back and neck is essential for strong stances. The primary technique in the tiger form is the tiger claw, which targets the opponent’s face, neck, groin, arms and wrist. The tiger form also utilizes palm strikes, fists and special kicking techniques, such as the tiger tail kick (fu mei geuk). Like the dragon, proper breathing is important for developing power and force. The practitioner produces certain sounds to expel carbon dioxide and replace it with the oxygen necessary to deliver the proper energy within his strikes.

SNAKE (SHE XING)

The snake form is important for developing qi within the five animal form. Because the snake is a calm animal, it has more relaxed energy. When the practitioner cultivates this energy, the combination of relaxation is mixed with quick, piercing strikes. There are no closed fists within the snake form. Instead, the hands are open and used for penetrating chops and finger strikes. The snake’s spirit is calm and deliberate and once the practitioner develops the proper energy, his strikes are focused and lightning-fast.

CRANE (HE XING)

The crane is known for its longevity. It is believed that the crane lives such a long life because its body contains a large amount of jing, or essential energy. A calm, meditative animal, the crane can stand on one leg for hours, without shifting its weight or growing restless. The crane form helps the practitioner hold his internal energy, which develops strength while building bones and muscles.

Like the dragon, crane techniques are circular in nature. However, the crane is always soft and relaxed, but strikes with penetrating speed and force. The crane form is known for using the “beak” to strike to targets such as the temple. It is also known for its long, extended strikes that mimic outstretched wings. The crane form allows the practitioner to deliver flowing, relaxed power as well as sudden and focused attacks.

LEOPARD (BAO XING)

In China, the leopard’s fierce and ferocious power yields only to that of the tiger. Though the leopard is smaller animal, it is believed to be, pound for pound, stronger. The leopard relies on a lightning-fast, powerful force that is produced from relaxed, whip-like techniques. It is important for the practitioner to develop a flexible waist, which allows him to develop quick footwork and explosive strikes.

Since the leopard form focuses on quick movements, there is little internal energy training. But the internal strengths of the dragon and snake blended with the speed and force of the leopard make a devastating combination. The main technique used in the leopard form is a leopard fist that penetrates vital areas of the opponent’s body, such as the throat, solar plexus and groin. There are also elbow and forearm techniques. The leopard’s footwork is quick and short, which helps the practitioner develop strong stable stances.

3 STAGES OF TRAINING

Once the five animal practitioner has mastered the pattern within the form, he practices the three states of training. In the first stage, the practitioner performs the whole form slowly, mimicking tai chi or moving meditation. The slow and soft movements massage the organs and lead to health and longevity. The martial artist also learns the essence of each animal by moving slowly and methodically. Breathing is deep and from the abdomen to improve the circulatory system and build the practitioner’s qi.

The second stage of training is practiced with external power. The emphasis is on conditioning the bones, tendons and muscles, while developing speed and power. This type of training helps the practitioner build strong stances while increasing stamina and external strength. The five animal practitioner puts all his skills together in the third stage of training. The emphasis is on the spirit and strengths of each animal – both internal and external energy are intertwined to give each animal life within the form.

The snake and crane forms are preformed with relaxation and soft, or internal, energy until explosive power is released at the moment of impact. The tiger and leopard produce devastating, lethal attacks that are performed with quick and powerful, yet relaxed, external energy. The dragon combines both internal and external movements to deliver powerful techniques.

Five animal training not only provides the martial artist with the strength and power for devastating fighting techniques, but also teaches him to remain calm and relaxed in even the most dangerous self-defense situations.

I have truly benefited from the health aspects I received from studying five animal kung-fu. My kung-fu training contributed greatly to my success and longevity in the NFL and even though I am now retired, five animal remains an integral part of my physical and emotional well-being.

For a better understanding of the Shaolin Five Animal Form, read “Shaolin Five Animal Kung Fu” by Grandmaster Doc Fai Wong and Jane Hallander. For more information visit the Plumblossom International Federation at: plumblossom.net

Quinn Early is an instructor at White Dragon Martial Arts in San Diego County: whitedragonmartialarts.com

Posted in Kung Fu Kickboxing MMA, Magazine Features | 4 Comments »

Soft on the Streets

Friday, August 7th, 2009

Soft on the Streets

Inside Kung Fu Magazine February 2004

by Adrian Corrales

Tai Chi Push Hands for Self Defense

It seems that everyone has a different idea about what will work in a fight. Ask a thousand martial artists what kind of training is best for self-defense and you are likely to get a thousand different answers. Some say that punching and kicking is the way to go. Others claim that training on the ground is more practical. By dealing with what happens between kickboxing and grappling, tai chi push hands training can help prepare you for whatever comes your way.

No-holds-barred tournaments have shown time and again that it is very difficult to stop an opponent who is determined to take you down. Once things end up on the ground, much of a striker’s power is neutralized. The argument against grappling for self-defense is that it is effective only because no-hold-barred fights occur in a controlled environment. Dropping to the ground is harder to do on the streets when fights aren’t always limited to two people and you don’t know what kind of weapon your opponent might have hidden in his back pocket.

Charging Opponent

Tai chi offers an excellent supplement to any fighter’s routine. A skilled push hands player is an expert at staying on his feet. At the same time, he is capable of controlling an opponent with the expertise of a grappling master.

Sifu Ming Lau, chief instructor of the White Dragon Martial Arts School in Mira Mesa, Calif., is a student of sifu Don Tittle in grandmaster Doc-Fai Wong’s Plum Blossom Federation. A veteran of numerous push hands competitions, Lau maintains that push hands is an effective tool for self-defense.

“Push hands is a great self-defense exercise because it forces you to adapt to oncoming force that is constantly changing,” says Lau. He adds this adaptability is a valuable skill for anyone that wants to learn to fight.

Push hands teaches practitioners to either neutralize or redirect the force. Neutralizing works by applying pressure to an opponent to negate his incoming force. For example, let’s say a force is being applied to your left shoulder. By taking your right hand and placing it on the opponent’s left shoulder, you can easily turn your body and direct his energy back toward him. The force has been neutralized because he cannot push any further without disrupting his own balance. Redirection involves changing the course of an opponent’s attack. Small amounts of pressure are applied to the attacker’s arm or torso so that his force misses your center of balance. Advanced tai chi practitioners can accomplish the same thing merely by turning the body in response to an attacker’s force. This leaves the arms free to counter.

(more…)

Tags:
Posted in Kung Fu Kickboxing MMA, Magazine Features, Tai Chi & Qigong | 2 Comments »

The Science of Stretching

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

Whether you do kung fu, tai chi, kickboxing or grappling, flexibility plays a key role in helping you to maximize your martial arts potential.  A good stretching program should have two primary goals.  The first is to help prevent injuries and the second should be to increase range of motion.  By having a foundational understanding of the different kinds of stretching methods and their correct order of performance, you will be able to achieve both goals.  Here is the breakdown.

1.  Dynamic Stretching: Dynamic stretches are stretches that involve movements like joint rotations and leg lifts.  These exercises are particularly important because they help your body gradually reach the limits of your range of motion while at the same time increasing core body temperature.  Dynamic stretches should be performed as part of you warm up routine before fatigue sets in.  As fatigue sets in, muscles become less pliable and more susceptible to injury.  Dynamic stretches also reset the stretch reflex or the muscle contraction that occurs as a result of stretching.  Dynamic stretches should be performed first.

2.  Isometric Stretching: Isometric stretches (sometimes called proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation or PNF) are types of static stretches that involve the contraction (tensing) of muscle groups that are being stretched.  An example would be stretching your calf muscle then contracting the same muscle while it is being stretched. This type of stretching has shown involve a higher amount of muscle fiber than any other kind of stretching technique.  This type of stretching is also very effective because it will develop strength as well as flexibility.  Because of this, Isometric stretching should be performed after the technical part of your workout and should be used similar to other strength building exercises.  Perform isometric stretches toward the end of your training session.

3. Relaxed Stretching: Relaxed stretching is the most common type of stretching and involves stretching a body part to its maximum and holding it for a set amount of time.  This type of stretching has proven to be a very effective and safe method of stretching, but should be performed as part of your cool down.  Relaxed stretching can impair muscular performance because it reduces muscular strength temporarily.  It is for this reason that relaxed stretching should be avoided as part of your warm up routine.  Most studies have found that relaxed stretching does little to prepare the body for active movement because it does not elevate core body temperature or heart rate.

So here’s a breakdown on how a typical workout might look.  First start with a warm up that includes different kinds of dynamic stretching.  The goal of the warm up is to elevate core body temperature and increase the heart rate.  After a thorough warm up, move into the technical or skill building portion of your workout.  This part of your workout will involve movements that require fine motor skills.  After the skill building portion of the workout is complete, the next step will be to move into the conditioning phase which will include endurance and strength building movements like combat conditioning or functional fitness exercises.  It is here that you want to perform your isometric stretching movements.  After completing your warm up, fine motor skill building, and conditioning move into a proper cool down which will include relaxed stretches.

White Dragon Martial Arts, Train Hard-Live Better!

Posted in Health & Fitness, Kung Fu Kickboxing MMA, Tai Chi & Qigong | No Comments »

Tai Chi Improves Mind and Body (BBC News)

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

The ancient Chinese martial art of Tai Chi can help to improve people’s health, research suggests.

Doctors in the United States analyzed 47 studies looking at the impact Tai Chi had on people with chronic health problems, like heart disease or MS.  They found that it could improve balance control, flexibility and even the health of their heart.  Writing in The Archives of Internal Medicine, they said it also reduced stress, falls, pain and anxiety.

Deep breathing

Tai Chi originated in China where it has been used for hundreds of years.  It combines deep breathing with relaxation and postures that flow from one to another through slow movements.  Practitioners say it can have a positive effect on people’s health, improving memory, concentration, digestion, balance and flexibility.  They say it is also helpful for people with psychological problems, such as depression, anxiety or stress.

This latest study by doctors at Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston suggests there is medical evidence to back up those claims.  Their findings are based on a review of studies published in English and Chinese.  “Overall, these studies reported that long-term Tai Chi practice had favourable effects on the promotion of balance control, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness and reduced the risk of falls in elders,” the researchers said.  They said the martial art helped to reduce “pain, stress and anxiety in healthy subjects”.

But it also had benefits for people with serious conditions, such as heart disease and high blood pressure.  ”Benefits were reported by the authors of these studies in cardiovascular and respiratory function in healthy subjects and in patients who had undergone coronary artery bypass surgery as well as in patients with heart failure, hypertension, acute myocardial infarction, arthritis and multiple sclerosis.”

‘Well documented’

Bob Weatherall, secretary of the British Council of Chinese Martial Arts, welcomed the findings.  ”The health aspects of Tai Chi are well documented,” he told BBC News Online.  “It is used extensively in hospitals in China to improve the health of patients. Hospitals in England have started using it too.  ”Tai Chi is all about breathing and posture. It’s about getting the mind and body to work together. Some people call it moving meditation.  “Most people practice Tai Chi for its health benefits and for stress relief.”

Discover the many benefits of Tai Chi in San Diego County visit: whitedragonmartialarts.com

Tags:
Posted in Health & Fitness, Tai Chi & Qigong | No Comments »

Inspirational Quotes for August 2009

Saturday, August 1st, 2009

A goal without a plan is just a wish.

-Antoine de Saint-Exupery

The big secret of life is that there is no secret.  Whatever your goal, you can get there if you are willing to work.

-Oprah Winfrey

It is a paradoxical but profoundly true and important principle of life that the most likely way to reach a goal is to be aiming not at the goal itself but at some more ambitious goal beyond it.

-Arnold Toynbee

White Dragon Martial Arts, Train Hard-Live Better!

Posted in Health & Fitness, Kung Fu Kickboxing MMA, Tai Chi & Qigong | No Comments »

The Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup

Saturday, August 1st, 2009

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is found in almost everything we eat.  It is found in everything from salad dressing to soda.  In fact HFCS accounts for approximately 40% of the total calories consumed in the Standard American Diet (SAD for short).  HFCS is cheap, easy to transport, and has a long shelf life.  It would appear to be a miracle food of modern food science on those criteria alone.  However, there is much debate about the overall safety and widespread use of HFCS.

Perhaps the biggest safety concern about HFCS is the link between its use and obesity rates in America.  The high use of HFCS during the 1980’s has correlated with high obesity rates.  It is a well proven fact that after HFCS is ingested, it goes straight to the liver where it is converted to fat (triglyceride).  This process occurs without the use of the pancreas or the secretion of insulin.

HFCS has also been linked to Type 2 Diabetes and insulin resistance.  A recent study using laboratory mice showed that a diet high in HFCS led to insulin resistance (hyperinsulinemia).  Insulin Resistance is the condition where normal amounts of insulin are inadequate in producing the normal insulin response.

HFCS contains high levels of mercury.  Another study found that over half of commercially used HFCS contained mercury.  Mercury is toxic in all its forms and has been linked to damage of the brain, kidneys and other organs. It is also linked to autism, ADHD, and other developmental problems.

Avoiding HFCS can be more difficult than just curbing your soda habit since it is found in almost all processed foods. However, by reading labels, eating more natural foods–like fresh fruits and vegetables, and by avoiding fast food, you can decrease HFCS consumption.

A healthier lifestyle that includes exercise and good nutrition will lead to a better you!

White Dragon Martial Arts, Train Hard-Live Better!

Posted in Health & Fitness | No Comments »

Newer Entries »