It s all about the basics

Ask any professional how they became good at their martial arts skills and they will tell you practice. Ask them what they practiced and you will most likely hear “the fundamentals” or “the basics.”

I once interviewed 13 great martial artists. The thing that struck me was that every one of them talked about how their earliest instructor was a traditionalist and had them study the basics. In other words, what made them great was the fact that they spent time on the fundamentals.

Now the sad part of this was that half of them were not teaching the knowledge they claimed made them good. They were into the flash and the short cuts. While this is fine for them, it’s not fine for their students. Remember a shortcut is only part of a motion, but most motions are made up of many parts which can lead to shortcuts. Shortcuts lead nowhere. When a master takes a shortcut they look good, but when a student learns only shortcuts they look poorly trained.

Practice your fundamentals and I promise you the fun stuff will be better, faster and functional. Fundamentals are – stances and forms. If you are taught quality forms, then they are worth it. If the forms are just made up, it can teach you bad habits in training that are hard to overcome. There are no excuses, if you want to master your art and your body then these should be perfect.

Stances: horse, bow, front, cat, high back and low back. They should be low and comfortable so you are able to move in different directions while staying level. Also, the lower you are in your stance, the more stable you will be.

Kicks: front side, back and round kick. These should be controlled and very smooth.

Blocks: high rising, downward, outside block, front punch, back hand and vertical fist. If these are perfect your training can start!

The list above works all your major muscle groups as well all major defense and offensive directions. If you just had those basics perfect you could master most any art. Regardless of whether they use those motions are not. The reason is simple, once you master your body you can make it do anything. A new style of martial arts is like learning a new dance. It can be challenging, but not impossible.

If you are interested in learning more about how martial arts can help you and your children, please contact one of my three locations in Bellevue, Lynnwood or Kent, Washington at 800-508-6141 or martialadvice@hotmail. com to set up a free 2 week trail orientation.

Also, please see our web pages at kungfutemple. com and martialarts-instruction. com

Sincerely,

Robert Jones

Master Instructor

6th Degree Black Belt

Owner, the Academy of Kempo Martial Arts

Exercises you can do in your chair

It is possible to exercise without moving from your chair, and these types of exercises can be ideal for seniors or people who are otherwise restricted in the methods they can use to keep in shape. Here are some ideas for exercise while you sit and watch TV or even if you just feel like sitting down and at the same time giving your muscles a workout.

There are several exercise you can do that involve using the rotational abilities of your body parts only. To strengthen your back, try pelvic tilts. These can be achieved by pressing backwards, towards the back of your chair, with your pelvic area. When your lower back is pressed against the back of the chair, release the pressure and return to the normal sitting position. Do this continuously for about ten or twenty repetitions.

There are some very simple exercises you can do while sitting down for the upper parts of your body. Try doing shoulder shrugs (raising your shoulders up towards your neck and back down) and circles (moving your shoulders in a circular motion several times). These exercises should also be repeated in sets, combined with some head rolls (moving your head in a circular motion) to strengthen your neck. You can also tilt your head from side to side to stretch out the neck muscles.

The hands can also be exercised through stretching, both of the fingers and by moving your wrists in circles to stretch them out. Finger flexing is also a useful exercise, and fingers can be stretched by putting one hand over the fingers of the other, and pressing back slightly until pressure is felt. Do not crack your knuckles. To exercise chest muscles, try interlocking your hands behind your back and pushing slightly upwards.

When it comes to your lower body, you can exercise your legs by stretching them out in front of you as well as raising them out one at a time. Ankle pumps, raising your feet up to the tiptoes and then back down, are also useful exercises.

There are also exercises you can do in your chair by using light weights and other devices designed for smaller workouts. This equipment is designed to enhance your strength, so make sure to use some of the stretching exercises first in order to get your muscles warmed up to the task.

Small weights or weighted balls can be raised gently in the hands in a variety of ways. You can try curls that are good for your biceps, and even flies to strengthen your shoulder muscles. Just holding the weight out in front of you is a good exercise to strengthen both your muscles and your stamina.

Weights with straps can be purchased for exercises that will strengthen your leg muscles - just strap the weights onto your ankles and do any of the stretching exercises mentioned above.

Other exercise equipment can be used, such as the much favored Bow Flex and other elastic materials that are designed to put some stress on muscle groups. You can use your chair both to maintain your current condition and to strengthen your body!

Gymnastics provides a great fitness option for today s kids

Studies show that today's youngsters are a very inactive generation, and that inactivity and poor dietary habits have contributed to their lack of fitness. Statistics indicate that one in three kids is overweight or at risk of becoming overweight today, a percentage that has more than tripled in the last 30 years.

To help get kids off the couch and into better shape this summer, USA Gymnastics and Tyson Foods have joined forces to create a fitness initiative designed to encourage physical fitness through fun activities that emphasize four fundamentals of fitness: cardiovascular exercise, strength training, flexibility and nutrition.

To underscore this initiative's importance, USA Gymnastics has expanded its annual National Gymnastics Day from focusing just on gymnastics to "A Celebration of Fitness." Gym clubs and their members across the country use National Gymnastics Day in August as a way to give back to their communities by raising funds for the Children's Miracle Network. The Tyson Fitness Challenge is the main vehicle for raising funds. Participants may gather pledges for specified activities that range from the traditional cartwheels and backflips to fitness-related skills or elements.

Each of the four fitness fundamentals in the Tyson Fitness Challenge helps kids get physically fit through participation in fun activities geared toward their level and age.

• Cardiovascular conditioning, which is important for the heart and lungs

• Strength training, which builds strong, healthy muscles

• Flexibility exercises, which help muscles move through a normal range of motion

• Nutrition, because a well-balanced diet is an important key to any fitness effort. Protein, like that found in Tyson chicken, beef and pork products, is an important part of any well-balanced diet because it delivers the necessary nutrition for strength and endurance.

In addition to focusing on four fundamentals of fitness, each participant will learn how to set fitness goals (e. g., being able to do five more sit-ups, three more push-ups, etc.) that may be achieved through the Tyson Fitness Challenge and continued as a part of his/her weekly routine.

"The basics of gymnastics are a solid foundation for building fitness at any level," said Bela Karolyi, the legendary gymnastics coach who is a longtime proponent of the importance of fitness. "I have always stressed that flexibility, strength and cardiovascular exercise are important components to being fit or a good athlete, along with eating a well-balanced diet. The Tyson Fitness Challenge is designed to help young people learn how to exercise properly and eat right."