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June 25, 2007
Self Defense For Women - Start With A Sense Of Confidence
Self Defense For Women - Start With A Sense Of Confidence
by: Jack Krohn
Self defense for women has become a huge issue-from domestic
violence to date rape, from assault in a parking lot to rapes
on a college campus it seems as though women are the prime
targets of these crimes, anytime, anywhere.
Hundreds and thousands of rape cases have been reported around
the world, and studies and reports clearly show an increasing
trend in this direction. Sadly, most cases go
unreported-approximately 95%. Same is the case when it comes to
murders, sexual assault, robberies and other crimes. It seems
that women are not safe anywhere and vulnerable to different
crimes all the time.
Sad to say most women fall into the category of "it happens to
the other guy". They think such things cannot happen to them or
always happen to other people. WRONG! More and more women are
taking proactive steps to help prepare themselves for the day
when something might happen-it is the prudent thing to do.
Having a sense of self confidence is step number one.
Did You Know?
--One out of four women will be sexually assaulted on a college
campus.
--One out of eight women will be raped while in college.
--84% of women who were raped knew their assailant.
--57% of rapes occur on a date.
--75% of male students and 55% of female students involved in
date rape had been drinking or using drugs.
Just think about the world we live in today. Statistics show
that every two and a half minutes someone in the U.S. is
sexually assaulted. This would make you realize that no one is
actually safe or immune from violence. It makes sense to be
aware and prepare yourself before it's too late. Save yourself
from being the next statistic.
Preparation is the key to success when it comes to self defense
for woman. It helps build the self confidence you need to
prevail in an assault situation. Experts believe that when an
assault occurs most victims are caught off guard, panic and
don't think clearly.
With a little courage, common sense and PRACTICE your survival
instincts will kick in. Therefore to excel in the art of
self-defense, you must be mentally and physically prepared.
Just carrying self-defense weapons or attending a course will
not help you anymore. You must keep PRACTICING some self
defense tips and techniques so that you are always charged with
the confidence to win in an attack.
Stay aware of your environment and do not let yourself to be
caught off guard. Get a good self defense instructional DVD
that can teach you what you need to know to survive a street
attack. Learn the art of fighting back. Learn how to use and
carry some non lethal self defense weapons such as stun guns
and pepper spray.
Carrying these self defense products and getting the self
defense training will offer you a sense of security and
confidence and make you feel that you are armed to face an
assailant anytime.
About The Author: Take action TODAY and purchase a self defense
training DVD and a non lethal self defense weapon
http://www.aaa-safetyfirst.com/west.htm and
http://www.aaa-safetyfirst.com/hotshotstungun.htm Check out our
new website at http://www.s-e-l-f-d-e-f-e-n-s-e.com
Posted by Willie Crawford at 12:23 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 24, 2007
Kumdo, The Martial Art Of Swordsmanship
Kumdo, The Martial Art Of Swordsmanship
by Yoshi Kundagawa
I recently had a couple of students in my Wing Chun class ask
for training in swordsmanship. Now, Kung Fu has a lot of
weapons forms, but they tend to be stylized, rather than
sparring formats. I originally thought of teaching them Kendo,
on the Japanese forms, but having just taken some Tae Kwon Do
classes of my own, I decided to look a little further afield.
I found the Korean cognate of Kendo, called kumdo.
While there are a lot of practitioners of kumdo who claim that
their techniques are passed down over the centuries in secret
rituals, a little bit of digging showed that it's incredibly
unlikely that this is the case. When the Imperial Army of
Japan occupied Chosun (now Korea) in the early 20th century,
they brought kendo with them. Prior to that, because of the
Confucian influences from China, and a Korean superstition
about sharp objects, the art of the sword in Korea had been
withering on the vine for going on three hundred years. The
Koreans, like any culture that adopts guns, had relegated the
sword to a secondary, and eventually tertiary weapon for
military training, and Confucianism put a stronger emphasis on
scholarship than martial arts.
So, kumdo sort of grew from Kendo, and it has a lot of obvious
similarities. You use a split bamboo practice sword (called a
shinai in Kendo, and a jukdo in kumdo), and wear rigid practice
armor (called a bogu in kendo and a hogu in kumdo.) The two
arts have been diverging slowly since 1945, though the basic
forms are nearly identical from what I've been looking up. The
Korean protective gear is a bit more modern and practical in
design, being a bit less tied to tradition than the kendo gear.
It is kind of nice to be able to use kendo gear for it, or mix
and match. (We have some gear left over from when a prior
instructor at the school tried to teach Kendo. It didn't go
over well, but the gear is still here at the school.)
Kumdo and Kendo are close enough in form that Kumdo teams
participate in the World Kendo Championships. While there are
some differences (Kumdo focuses a bit more on point strikes
than power and speed), the kumdo teams do respectably.
Overall, it looks like a good fit with what my students are
asking for, which is more an overview of swordsmanship
techniques, and as there's a strong Korean community in Las
Vegas, I may be able to set up classes with a wider audience.
Kumdo is the second most popular sport in Korea, so it may have
some traction here.
About The Author: Yoshi I Kundagawa is a freelance journalist.
He covers the mixed martial arts industry. For a free report
on kumdo, visit his blog: http://blog.martialarts3000.com
Posted by Willie Crawford at 06:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 23, 2007
Shaolin Kung Fu Exercises Which Promotes Agile Footwork And Intricate Hand Techniques
Shaolin Kung Fu Exercises Which Promotes Agile
Footwork And Intricate Hand Techniques.
by Yoshi Kundagawa
When many people think of Shaolin Kung Fu they think of
meditation and chi. While it is true that Shaolin Kung Fu does
stress meditation and the use of inner energy, it is actually
an external form of Chinese martial arts. This means that it is
more involved in the external powers and forces. There are many
styles of Shaolin Kung Fu which can include many types of
attacks and defenses including joint locks, punching, kicking,
throws, straight blocking, force direction, and many more.
However, the two things that most types of schools of Shaolin
Kung Fu all stress is fast handwork and quick footwork. Many
Shaolin Kung Fu exercises promote these skills.
When practicing Shaolin Kung Fu, striking it is important to
keep the feet moving as you punch. If your feet are planted
like roots you will not be able to adjust to the next attack or
set up another attack. Your moves must flow from one to another
and you must be ready to change your motions in mid-movement in
case an opponent launches an attack. You should practice staying
light on your feet and moving your weight around. Each attack
must leave the door open for another quick attack, or a sudden
defense. Your Shaolin Kung Fu exercises should strive for agile
footwork while striking, rather than training both aspects
independently.
When practicing Shaolin Kung Fu punching you should also have
targets that help improve your accuracy and speed. A strong
punch is meaningless if it does not hit the target, or is so
slow that it is easily blocked or countered. Your punches must
also be fast so that you can quickly move into another attack,
or react defensively. After a punch is thrown it should be
retracted quickly so that arm can defend if needed. Many
martial arts shops sell pads that can be mounted on a human
body in many places such as the hands, ribs, and legs. Your
training partner should wear these pads so that you can
practice at full speed and have moving targets. While striking
the pads at full speed your training partner should be moving
around so that you have a moving target. Hand mounted pads are
great because they can be moved very quickly to aid in the
training of fast combos. You and your Shaolin Kung Fu training
partner can develop a routine in which you strike at the left
side of the face, and then the chest. Your partner can move the
pad from one location to the next quickly, which forces you to
strike two targets as fast as possible.
If your hands are fast and precise, and your footwork is light
and agile, you will have quick attacks that cannot be blocked
and will be able to react to any defense of offense. Too many
people hit a punching bag target with their feet flat. Punching
bags do not challenge your precision like a smaller moving
target does.
About The Author: Yoshi E Kundagawa is a freelance journalist.
He covers the mixed martial arts industry. For a free report
on shaolin kung fu exercises, visit his blog:
http://blog.martialarts3000.com
Posted by Willie Crawford at 05:35 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack