Begin An Improved Lifestyle

There are different types of martial arts and every one of them possesses a particular set of skills and techniques you can study. It's always your choice which discipline you would like to focus on. Although martial arts vary in regards to concepts and techniques, they virtually possess the same principal positive effects. When you start training, you might feel a great enhancement in your bodily and even mental well being.
One of the results of martial arts is it enables one to establish a stronger and healthier body and lifestyle. Practicing in martial arts is rough. It involves exercises and drills targeted at enhancing the flexibility, speed, strength, and coordination of the practitioner. Such activities are good for your overall well being, specifically to your heart and lungs as they improve the regulation and flow of blood. They can also improve your stamina, which is essential in retaining effectiveness and power. Practitioners also stick to a specific diet. They're more cautious of the food they eat, eating those that will offer the nutrition their body systems need while avoiding junk and fatty snacks. This is beneficial to your wellness, as you can be certain that your body gets correct nutrition.
At the same time, your psychological health could also receive a boost from learning. Not simply is your entire body exercised whenever you undergo exercises but so is your mind. You will be able to set an objective and work hard to accomplish it. This is excellent if you wish to possess a positive mindset. In addition, performing vigorous workouts and focusing the mind on understanding a variety of methods and exercises can be a stress-reliever. It can eliminate all of your stress as you can use the practicing as your outlet for pent-up feelings and emotions. Moreover, practicing helps to acquire certain ethics that can sculpt you to become a better human being. Being a martial artist, you have to be patient, committed, modest, respectful, among others, to be able to thrive. All these ideals are not just important in practicing your selected style but also in life in general. You can easily bring the methods you learn from the art to your daily life.
Self-defense is only one piece you can study from practicing. As a result of this, you will get to learn how you can correctly defend oneself should you encounter an unsafe situation. Self-defense techniques vary based on the style you are studying however regardless of what it is, you would surely be able to protect yourself from people looking to hurt you. This may offer you a sense of security. However, you must never forget to use martial arts training exclusively for self-defense and never to threaten and aggravate individuals.
These are simply a handful of the gains of martial arts you may take advantage of. In case you are the kind of individual who would like to practice a sport that can make you stay physically active and at the exact same time show you crucial principles, then you may want to consider training in a certain style. It's your choice which style and techniques you would like to learn and locate an excellent master who is going to pass on great practical knowledge and skills to you.

Doug Williams is a martial artist that lives in Southern California where he trains in the style of Kung fu. He gets all his equipment through http://www.tigerstrike.com and http://www.tigerstrike.com/nhbsupplies.html. He likes to discuss his teaching viewpoints and share them with the online community.

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History of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (part 2)

BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU

B razilian Jiu Jitsu, although obviously similar in many respects to Judo and other traditional systems of Japanese Jiu Jitsu, differs in some fundamental ways from all other related systems. Judo was originally designed as a powerful system of self-defense that also included a sportive component and the idea of self-cultivation and the mutual benefit of members of society. Presently, although the techniques of Judo may certainly be applied in real fighting situations (and many practitioners of "sport" Judo have applied their skills very effectively in non-sportive confrontations), the emphasis in most schools is on sport competition. During the course of the last century the rules of Judo began to emphasize means of achieving victory in competition that did not necessarily reflect the conditions of all in fighting. For example, a Judo match may be won by a throw or a pin hold without a submission. These rules and limited groundwork that forbids many of the original submission holds found in early Judo somewhat limit direct applicability to street fights. Other styles of classical Jiu Jitsu are still plagued by the original problem Kano addressed with his emphasis on randori, namely, technical training is limited to kata practice.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has followed a different course in the last 80 years. The Gracie challenge and participation in countless free fighting events has led to a different emphasis in fighting strategy and the development of unique rules for BJJ sport competition. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is divided into three broad categories, each mutually supportive of the others; self-defense (including striking techniques and unarmed techniques against armed opponents), free fighting competition (commonly referred to as "vale tudo" or "anything goes" events, now popularly called MMA), and sport grappling with and without the gi (matches that include a wide range of submission holds, but no striking). Even the rules of sport grappling matches are designed to ingrain the proper strategy to be applied in the street. For example in a sport BJJ match, points are awarded based on achieving superior positions, positions from which not only grappling techniques can be more readily applied, but also from which strikes may be applied or defended. Students naturally seek the positions that will garner them the most points, thereby constantly reinforcing the most efficient strategy for real life confrontations. This "position-submission" strategy has proven to be the most effective for real life confrontations. The overall fighting strategy of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is designed to equip a physically smaller or weaker individual with an effective method of defending against a larger and stronger attacker. When applying BJJ techniques, leverage is paramount, as leverage is the secret to the amplification and most efficient use of force. BJJ also has the most developed methods of fighting while on one's back, a position weaker fighters will often find themselves when attacked. The innovations of the Gracie family, most notably by grandmasters Carlos and Helio Gracie, and continuing with BJJ fighters today, through constant testing and refinement in the crucible of actual fights, has resulted in this unique style of Jiu Jitsu.

History of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (part 1)

The history of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) goes back through the Gracie family to their original teacher, Mitsuyo Maeda (Conde Coma) and his training in the Kodokan, the home of Judo.

Mitsuyo Maeda (1878-1941) was a martial arts prodigy who eventually became one of the greatest fighters in the history of Judo. Maeda originally practiced classical styles of Jiu Jitsu, eventually entering the Kodokan to study Judo. After remaining undefeated in Judo tournament competition, Kano sent Maeda to the U.S.A. in 1904 to spread the message of Kodokan Judo. Over the course of his career, Maeda fought in literally hundreds of matches, grappling with and without the gi, and fighting in "mixed" matches (that included striking and kicking, commonly referred to as "no-holds-barred" fights). During his travels, Maeda fought in the United States, Great Britain, continental Europe, Cuba, Mexico and finally Brazil. Throughout his career as a professional fighter, after engaging in over 1,000 free fights, Maeda retired without ever losing a match. The culmination of Maeda's training in classical Jiu Jitsu and especially Judo, tempered by his extensive combat experience against all types of challengers, resulted in a realistic, street effective method of fighting.

Mataemon Tanabe, fourth headmaster of Fusen Ryu    THE GRACIES M itsuyo Maeda finally settled in Brazil and opened an academy of "Jiu Jitsu" . One of his students was a young man named Carlos Gracie. After studying with Maeda for several years during the 1920's, Carlos opened his own academy in 1925. Carlos and his brothers established a solid reputation by issuing the now famous "Gracie Challenge" . All challengers were welcome to come and fight with the Gracies in no-holds-barred (NHB) matches. The Gracie fighters emerged victorious against fighters of all different backgrounds. The Gracies continued to develop the strategies and techniques they learned from Maeda, honing their skills with the realities of real fighting. Several members of the Gracie family began to emigrate to the United States in the late 1980's. BJJ became world famous in the mid 1990's when Royce Gracie won a string of victories in the early Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) competitions, an event pitting martial artist and fighters of various disciplines against each other in an NHB format. Shortly after, Royce's brother Rickson went undefeated in similar events in Japan, and other members of the Gracie clan were equally as successful in MMA events around the U.S. It became quickly apparent that fighters versed only in punching and kicking lost every time they faced a BJJ trained opponent. At present, all fighters in open rules events (now popularly called "mixed martial arts" or MMA) train in BJJ to some extent. The emergence of the Gracies and their particular brand of Jiu Jitsu, with its time tested and proven effectiveness in challenge matches and MMA fights, has had a major impact on martial arts worldwide.

Mitsuyo Maeda