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Millions of Americans are currently enlisted in some sort of martial arts class. Training in karate has many benefits, and not all of them are what you would imagine. If the thought of martial arts sounds interesting to you, read on to find even more inspiration to get out of the house and start learning some sort of martial art.

The first reason is the most obvious, so we’ll get it out of the way sooner. That reason is self defense. Karate teaches you how to protect yourself from attacks, as well as how to incapacitate an attacker as quickly and easily as possible. It delves into many technical aspects of combat in order to find the best way to protect oneself. Karate can give you a sense of confidence and fearlessness, since you know you can defend yourself.

Another reason to learn karate, or perhaps a side effect of learning it, is the physical fitness. Karate training not only improves your mental ability, increases your reflexes and response time, but it also takes a good deal of physical exertion just to make it through the training every day. You’ll quickly find yourself burning fat, getting stronger, and becoming more coordinated and flexible.

For many people, karate or martial arts are as much a spiritual as a physical exercise. It has often been likened to meditation, and many arts deal with internal energy (such as the Chi flow). Some people swear that they start to feel more energetic, with a brighter outlook on the world once they start learning karate. It also teaches discipline and perseverance.

Another reason to learn karate is because of an interest in its cultural roots. While a karate lesson is definitely no substitute for a Japanese history class, the entire art carries with it the thousands of years of evolution it has gone through. Lots of schools teach more traditional styles of karate, with deep historical roots.

The final reason to register for a karate class is that it is simply fun. Once you’ve trudged through the basic techniques, you’ll be excited to come to class every time so that you can learn new moves and new ways to defend yourself. Every class, you’ll find out new things that you never knew you were capable of. This kind of self discovery is an incentive for most people who are involved in martial arts, and it is certainly a possibility for you.

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Muay Thai boxing is a sport that has been around for thousands of years, and is still practiced today as a professional sport as well as a hobby. It is the national sport of Thailand, and is practiced by millions of Thai men. It is often compared to Thailand in the way that soccer is compared to Ecuador, or hockey to Canada.

If you’ve ever watched a match on television, you know that it is an extremely brutal sport. If you’re interested in martial arts at all, it is important to become familiar with Muay Thai, since it is a very popular form. Here are some of the basics of the sport.

A Muay Thai match focuses as much on ceremony as it does on beating the spit out of the opponent. Before each match, the two fighters do their opening rituals, which usually reflect the training of their masters, or the schools at which they learned their fighting technique.

Since Muay Thai is often a deeply religious sport, some of the fighers will pray by themselves or with their coaches before getting started, in an effort to increase their ability. Next is the Wai Kru ritual, in which the fighters circle each other around the ring, which signifies sealing it off for the fight.

Muay Thai focuses on 8 parts of the body that act as striking points. These are the hands, shins, elbows and knees. Most martial arts use fists and feet primarily, so this alone sets Muay Thai apart. You often see the fighters grapple immediately, locking their heads with each other. Then, they trade blows with their knees, striking each other in the stomach and chest. Sometimes they will trade blows for the entire match, leaving their chests bloody and tender, beaten to a pulp.

Besides keeping the entire Thai world captivated with matches and tournaments, Muay boxing has also provided a good deal of entertainment for the western world. Many matches are broadcasted on channels in the USA, and the movies Ong Bak and The Protector have brought about even more heightened interest in the sport, with the Muay Thai master Tony Jaa.

Like most martial arts, you can find training almost anywhere. But if you want to truly learn the sport and become the next great Muay Thai fighter, you might need to go to Thailand and find an authentic trainer to teach you the fine art!

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Martial arts refers to any specific way of defending oneself. It is very hard to classify martial arts, since they have existed as long as humanity has been around. The average person thinks of Asian martial arts, such as taekwondo or karate. That is because the arts styles have been most thoroughly evolved and documented in Asia, with more specific moves and disciplines associated with each region.

If you want to get started with martial arts, it’s a good idea to become familiar with all of the possibilities. You may find that you want to go for a specific martial art because it fits your abilities better.

The first type of martial arts deals mainly with striking with the legs or arms. Wing Chun is a classic Chinese form of martial arts, and deals mainly with fist strikes., as well as some weaponry. Muay Thai is perhaps the most brutal type of martial arts, as you will see if you watch any of the modern professional competitions on TV. Its strikes are characterized by being fast, brutal, and made by the 2 hardest parts of the body - the elbows and the knees. Another one is Taekwondo, the Korean martial art that is one of the most popular in the world. It is characterized by numerous kicks as the main form of striking.

Another type of martial sports focuses on throwing the opponent, or grappling them in order to incapacitate them as quickly as possible. If you are American, the first thing that should come to mind is wrestling. On the other hand, with the Asian arts you have many different disciplines.

Judo is extremely competitive, with the focus being to subdue the opponent right away, by using throws, holds, and chokes. It is of Japanese origin, and is another martial art with a huge following in the western world. Jujutsu is probably the most technical martial art, with great attention given to the distribution of force when blows are made.

Finally, there are many more types of martial arts that aren’t about close combat. There are forms that focus on weaponry, such as kendo and fencing. There are still others that are not even violent, but more introspective. They focus on the health and spirit of the person. These styles have had influences on western cultures as well, from Chinese medicine to acupuncture. Martial arts can be used for many things, from self defense to health. So look into it, and see if you could stand to benefit from learning an art.

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The katana sword is a gruesome looking weapon and its history tells the story of a weapon designed strictly for war. The reason that I have chosen the Katana to do a bit of research and writing on is because of my love for sword collecting. Any collector of swords should take a bit of time to gain more knowledge of the katana whether you own one or are tempted to add one to your collection.

The katana is a curved, single edged sword traditionally used by the samurai after the 1400s. These long blades were strictly used for combat, but ownership meant so much more to the Samurai and possessors.

The Katana was known by that samurai as Daito, which literally meant long saber. The samurai would also carry a side arm known as a Shoto meaning a short saber. This short sword is customarily a wakizachi.

The Katana was mostly made famous by the samurai who were undoubtedly masters of sword warfare. The samurai could unsheathe their katana and cut through just about anything with the precision of a surgeon in a matter of seconds.

The samurai were able to spin this weapon in an intimidating butterfly method so quickly that the blade became a blur. I suppose this was intended to intimidate the adversary with a sort of, “look what I can do” tactic. I certainly would loose my desire to enter combat with a gentleman that could do something such as this.

The samurai were actually allowed to carry these weapons freely in Japan until the 19th century when this privilege was abolished. The reason for carrying the katana was much similar to the duties of a knight. These warriors would protect and serve the elite.

The samurai were great warriors who mastered their abilities. These abilities were things such as martial arts, the sword and many other weapons such as the bow and arrow, the spear, staff and many more.

The samurai considered the katana the source of the warrior spirit. This was the favored weapon. The samurai would bestow a name upon his katana that would mean more to him than any other earthly possession. This was a great honor and even enemies had respect for the honor that the samurai felt towards his weapon.

The samurai lived by the beliefs of duty and fearlessness of death. They did this with such devotion and passion that they were unrivaled and more so, feared.

The samurai had to transcend the fear of death to gain a certain peace. This peace would allow him to serve his master faithfully without the human emotions, considered weaknesses, interfering with his service.

Death was more desirable than dishonor. Many times, suicide was chosen over a dishonorable action or would be implemented after a dishonorable action took place. The samurai lived by their codes of honor, loyalty and warrior virtues. Humiliation amongst peers was unacceptable.

The katana sword smith also lived by a very honorable code. His honor and service were devoted to a different kind of master. His master was his work, the creation of the katana.

The katana was signed by the maker on the tang. Each test given to the katana was also recorded on the tang of the blade. This would ensure the quality and remove any doubt of the perfection.

The creation of the katana was a long and laborious art in Japan. The katana was created by forging pieces of carbon steel together. They were then heated and pounded together.

The steel would be folded many times and the pounding would continue until almost all traces carbon were removed from the steel. Strips of steel were continuously added to the product and beaten hundreds of times.

The next step of the katana creation process was to temper the blade. This would be done by reheating the blade so everything but the edge would be reheated. The blade would be coated and covered by a hardened charcoal paste, clay and a powdered grinding stone. This would allow only the edge to be heated during reheating.

The edge of the katana would be heated to an extreme red hot glow. The edge only, would be dipped into cool water allowing it to cool much quicker than the rest of the blade. This would enable the blade to be very flexible preventing snapping during combat. This also enabled the blade edge to be very fine. The final step was for the edge to be honed and sharpened even more to produce the equivalent of a razor.

I can think of no other weapon, used and created with such passion and honor, as the katana. The sword was more of an idea, passion and an art than anything.

William “Cole” Doggett is an expert in knives and owns a successful Internet based website, Knife & Supply Company, LLC at www.KnifeSupplyCompany.com. His website is devoted to all things tactical law enforcement, military, outdoors and of course, Knives.

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a combination of karate, grappling, wrestling, Tang Soo Do, boxing, jujitsu, Tae Kwon Do and more all combined in one. Mixed martial arts, in its modern form, emerged in 1993 through the Ultimate Fighting Championships and was based on pitting different fighting styles against each other with minimal rules to determine which system would be better in a real, unregulated combat situation.

During the late 1990s, the governing bodies imposed extra rules for the safety of the athletes and to try to promote the sport and gain wider acceptance, but still maintaining the no holds barred idea. MMA has grown rapidly in the last few years with many people both young and old realizing the many benefits of mixed martial arts both physical and mental and this has seen enrollments in classes increasing worldwide.

MMA is classed as a combat sport, but it’s a sport that stresses the ideals of fair play and respect for your opponent still. However, MMA are still quite often wrongly known as vicious and brutal.

Regardless of MMA’s reputation, the competition is relatively safe. Due to the rules and regulations imposed and strictly enforced and the tough mental and physical conditioning of the opponents there has never been a death or indeed a critical injury report by the MMA as directly linked to any tournament.

Martial arts are great for the body. Regular training strengthens and tones the muscles and adds flexibility. Training in martial arts gives you a full cardio work out. You can expect to greatly increase your strength and stamina and improve your hand eye coordination. Martial arts is a good weight loss program as well because it becomes a complete system in which a healthy diet is part and when combined with the extreme physical activity proper weight loss is assured.

Classes are run at schools, dojos, youth groups organizations, church groups, and other, less formal settings. MMA is also being incorporated into many gyms as mixed martial arts become more popular.

A typical class will have you start with a warm up consisting of various stretching exercises, trunk rotations, jumps, squats and abs tightening exercises. Then there will be a series of movements taught and explained in full. Sparring is controlled and protective gear is worn, such as helmets, gloves and guards.

At other times a bag will be used for practicing kicks, jabs and punches. Although you may feel awkward and unfit at first, it will not take long before your fitness and skill level improves, along with your frame of mind.

People who practice MMA feel and look healthier, but there are far more benefits than the physical side. While many think of martial arts as violent, in the mainstream it is used as self defense. It does not encourage violence but teaches the student how to control anger and how to use self control and restraint.

Students are taught self discipline and the rigors of training builds character and self-confidence, which ultimately reduces temper induced rages that can often be the cause of many street fights. This confidence carries over into everyday life and as a result mixed martial arts students tend to be become better people than they were.

Mixed martial arts training teaches you that you must control the powers that you have had the privilege of learning and never use it recklessly or without thought. Students are also taught that before any success is achieved they will fail many times and that practiced and perseverance is the key. This is a valuable lesson to learn and will often carry over into other endeavors the student undertakes.

Furthermore, the training teaches you that every person is responsible for his own actions and must understand and abide by the given rules. This kind of training improves one’s actions in life as well as in martial arts training and tournaments. Many of these arts build a spiritual life into the training, with courtesy, self-control, perseverance and integrity emphasized in the classes. So much so that many Christian Church groups are running mixed martial arts classes for their youth organizations due to the character building characteristics in martial arts training that are also much a part of Christian beliefs.

Given all this, it is no wonder that so many parents are enrolling their children in mixed martial arts classes today. They see their children’s health and fitness improve, something their child’s peers often lack. And they also witness their children’s mindset, attitudes to life and self-improvement, respect and courage all improve as well.

Anyone who trains in karate, jujitsu, Tae Kwon Do or any of the arts will gain these benefits. If you have any desire to improve your body and mind at the same time with only one activity, then martial arts is something you ought to seriously consider. You don’t just get in shape physically, but also mentally and spiritually. No gym workout can compare. All across the world, adults are joining dojos and thoroughly enjoying the many benefits of mixed martial arts.

Jason OConnor owns and operates Best Show Tickets and trains at Matthews Martial Arts
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With origins in Thailand, Muay Thai is a popular sport in many Eastern countries. Surprisingly, it began as a martial art known as Krabi Krabong (a Siamese martial art) in which weapons were used. This is quite unique, considering that in modern Muay Thai, weapons are not used at all. Krabi Krabong students will, however, use similar hand to hand combat techniques after they or their opponents have lost their weapons. This can be considered the true origins of Muay Thai.

Of course, with all martial arts, time and different generations have an effect on a particular art and it will often evolve or change with the world around them. Krabi Krabong soon morphed into the ancient Muay Boran, a martial art very close to the Muay Thai as it is known today. Again, with time, Muay Boran evolved yet again and was divided into four different art forms for different regions North, Northeast, Center Region and South and were called Muay ThaSao, Korat, Lobburee, and Chaiya.

Each of these different forms placed emphasis on a particular philosophy or technique the Center region (Muay Lobburee) took intelligent and quick movements to heart while the South (Muay Chaiya) preferred to emphasize a student’s defense techniques and proper posture. The North (Muay ThaSao) placed much more importance on kicking speed and although each of these groupings symbolize and utilize different teachings, movements and philosophies, modern Muay Thai encompasses almost all of them as one.

Also in its roots, Muay Thai was considered a form of entertainment to be performed by players in the homes and kingdoms of Thailand royalty. The most famous of stories belonging to the history of Muay Thai involves a Master by the name of Nai Khanomtom. During a match with a Burmese martial artist, Nai Khanomtom performed his best for the king during that time King Mangra. He began the match by doing a strange war-like dance that bewildered and confused the Burmese opponent allowing Nai Khanomtom to defeat him fairly quickly.

Unfortunately, the mediator of the match decided that the dance diverted the Burmese fighter’s concentration and the move was considered out of bounds and therefore did not count at all. King Mangra, however, was impressed and asked that Nai Khanomtom fight nine more Burmese opponents to prove himself. Of course, Nai Khanomtom fought and won against every single one of the Burmese opponents, impressing King Mangra and in turn, buying his own freedom.

Nai Khanomtom also received a National Boxer’s Day (March 17th) in which his actions were to be remembered by the Thailand community. It is rare that a martial art would have such an enchanting history. It is a shame that Muay Thai is not more popular among other countries, however, it may quickly gain International popularity and recognition before too long. Although it is true that Muay Thai has had its hand in contributions to many martial arts that are, in fact, well known in other countries, such as kickboxing and Mixed Martial Arts.

James Dunn owns and opperates Martial Arts Tutor
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Self defense is such a broad term that the history of it cannot be pinned down in the least. It is safe to say, however, that the broad spectrum of self defense can be considered as having come from the dawn of time even the earliest forms of human had to learn how to protect themselves and teach their strategies to others. From there self defense evolved into less primitive forms and into delineated and disciplined forms, such as with martial arts. There really is a style of defense for everybody whether it be women’s self defense, kickboxing, street fighting or even martial arts.

Women’s self defense is one of the most popular forms of defense, and it too is a broad term in and of itself. Women’s self defense can employ many techniques from several different styles of general defense, including but not limited to martial arts. Women’s self defense mainly teaches women how to protect themselves against unwanted attackers and usually employs more evasive maneuvers rather than one-on-one strikes because the theory is that if a woman gets attacked, she is not going to want to fight her attacker face to face, she will need to employ a strategy that will best allow her to remove herself from the situation.

Women’s self defense can usually be taught in just a few classes and many local YMCA centers will offer it; it is the perfect solution for women that do not want to take up learning an entire martial art but still want to protect themselves.

Street fighting is another form of self defense that can sometimes be taught in classes, but to its namesake, is more often learned by other s on the street. Similar to the martial art Krav Maga, the sole purpose of street fighting is to bring down the opponent and incapacitate them so they are not able to attack again using any means available. If that means a throw to the ground, then that is what must be used but other times, more desperate or harsh methods must be used.

Unfortunately, street fighting (again, like Krav Maga) is one of the more brutal forms of self defense and it usually doesn’t matter if the opponent or attacker is seriously hurt or maimed; in fact, that is the objective most of the time. For this reason, street fighting is not one of the forms of defense that can double as a sport and practiced for fun. It is best to learn it and keep the knowledge tucked away for a time in which it is truly necessary.

It is a good idea for everyone to be schooled in at least one form of self defense. The main philosophy behind defense, regardless of the form, is this: do not hurt the other person unless it is absolutely unavoidable and necessary. Contrary to popular belief, if everyone learned just a little bit of proper self defense, there would be a lot less violence to go around.

James Dunn owns and opperates Martial Arts Tutor
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