Blog Post Reflection

What I've Done: 

So far I've posted specific kinds of martial arts and given the basic history of each. I've also given key examples and real life applications of different styles and tools in martial arts. Not super specific but a decent background to the history of martial arts.

My Best Post:

My best post was probably the combination of Okinawa Part 1 and 2. This is because I have an extensive knowledge on this topic and couldn'5t provide all of it in two posts. I enjoyed writing it and hoped it was a useful tool.

What I'd Like To Improve On:

I'd like to improve on meeting deadlines. I fdon't meet the deadlines well at all and feel like I should definitly be meeting them. So I need to put in a better effort there.

What I've Learned:

I've learned that I really like the history and art that comes with martial arts. Each has its own traditions, values, and history which makes it unique. I enjoy learning about all of them and would like to extend my knowledge on it.

Where I Want To Go:

I would like to extend my research on my blogs and give more real life applications. I could add videos or give real life applications from other peoples or my experiances. If I can make it more personal it will be a more interesting read.

Who Created Jiu-Jitsu???

I’m writing this because the other day someone was talking about how great the Brazilians are for creating jiu-jitsu. I’m sorry but that misconception irritates me. Don’t get me wrong the Brazilians do know how to use jiu-jitsu, but they sure didn’t create it. I would just like to inform you that the Japanese created jiu-jitsu. More specifically it was the samurai. You see the samurai saw the need for a ground based martial art that would give them an edge over their opponents. Statistics say that over 80% of fights end up on the ground. The samurai knew this and created jiu-jitsu to aid them in their guerilla style warfare. Hand to hand and breath to breath, that was their fighting style. And even though the Samurai couldn’t use their sword all the time, they always had jiu-jitsu to fall back on. So I just wanted to educate you all a little bit and let you know who rally created jiu-jitsu. However even though the samurai created it, the Brazilians made it perfect and perfected it. That is why you have the two most famous fighting styles today; Gracie and Brazilian jiujitsu.

Ouch…Pressure Points

Pressure points are my favorite tool in the martial arts trade. They are a way to seriously hurt your opponent and bring them to their knees without inflicting much damage. It also takes very little effort on your part as well. There are several types of pressure points. Each is applied differently and each creates a different effect. "Pain points", for example, use tendons, ligaments, and muscles; the goal is to temporarily immobilize the target, or, at the very least, to distract them. "Reflex points" produce involuntary movements, for example, causing the hand to release its grip, the knees to buckle, the target to gag, or even for the person to be knocked unconscious. Most pressure points are located on pathways on the nervous system. All of this leads t huge pain receptors flowing to the brain. In the end your target will be overwhelmed by pain and will eventually submit. The history behind pressure points is far and stretched beyond our knowledge. All we know is once they were discovered, they were used successfully. My personal favorite is the veto response. A cluster of nerves in your neck that if hit properly will render your target tot collapse. But do be careful. Improper use of pressure points can lead to serious damage and death. So only try it on your little brother :). 

The Infamous Sai

The Sai is not only one of my favorite weapons, but also one of the most recognizable. Made popular by the ninja turtles, it is the most stylish weapons in martial arts. Traditionally it had a wooden base with three metal prongs attached, but today it can be fashioned many different ways from steel to bamboo. You pronounce the Sai like (zz-eye). The most common type of Sai is a black rubber grip with three blunt metal tips. Used as a farming tool, the Okinawan people turned it into a weapon to catch and break/disarm swords. It was very useful and kept many alive. Sai are typically used in pairs, but are sometimes used in combination with a sword or knife. They can be used for striking, blocking, and even trapping, but are most popularly used nowadays in weapon demonstrations at martial arts tournaments. The history of the Sai is very rich and will remain the most recognizable weapon around.

Scream for Eskrima

Eskrima is a martial art that I specialize in. It is a traditional Philippine style of martial arts. It consists of one stick, two sticks, or a stick and a dagger combat between two individuals. It takes great flow and agility to become a master of this martial art. The basic principals of the system are blended concepts of balance, speed (timing and distance), power, focus, and transition. It is a very violent sport that is held dearly to the Philippine culture. Today it is still heavily practiced everywhere, including America, and is also used as street performance. Because even though this is a violent sport it is also graceful and elegant to watch. 

Krav Maga

Krav Maga is one of the most deadly martial arts on the planet. It was designed by Israeli commandos to deal quick damage and eliminate any type of threat in close quarter combat. It is a fast, fluent, and flowing martial art that targets areas that will quickly submit even the biggest of targets. Many forms of this martial arts have branched out across the U.S., but they all carry the same basic principles.

Neutralize all threats

Switch from defensive to offensive maneuvers quickly

Avoid injury

Improvise and create weapons from almost anything

Strike vulnerable parts of the body and use the body’s natural reflexes

“Use whatever works”

It is a very practical martial art and is used in civilian and military settings. Despite this martial art being one of the newest styles, it has spread quickly and is gaining popularity. For more info on Krav Maga click here.

The Samurai

The samurai (or bushi) were the famous warriors of Japan. They later made up the ruling military class that eventually became the highest ranking social caste of the Edo period(1603-1867). Samurai used a range of weapons such as bows, swords, guns, and physical combat to kill their enemies. Samurai were supposed to live their lives according to the ethic code of bushido ("the way of the warrior"). They were strictly Confucian in nature and bushido stressed concepts such as loyalty to one's master, self discipline, respect, and ethical behavior. Many samurai were also drawn to the teachings and practices of Zen Buddhism. But one of the most famous practices of the Samurai was hat of Seppuku. Seppuku was the practice of committing suicide before failure. If a Samurai knew he was going to fail or be captured he would cut his stomach with his sword. One thing not really known about the Samurai however is that they were the original creators of jiu jitsu. It was designed to protect the warriors and give them an edge in guerilla warfare. Whether it was clashing swords or hand to hand combat, the Samurai were the elite warriors of the time. They could eliminate their threats standing up or on the ground. They worked on being the best in every area of combat instead of just one. For more info you should visit this page. 

Okinawa Part 2

Okinawa has a very diverse history of martial arts. They are most known for their weapons or Kobudo designed to protect themselves. One thing that is important to know about the time period when Okinawa weapons came about, is that the Okinawan natives were being oppressed, were under forced labour, and martial arts was illegal. So in order to continue their love and desire for martial arts they hid it in their daily lives. They converted all their daily tools into weapons. Kamas were used to cut plants and plow small areas. The bow staff was used to carry buckets of water on the shoulders of the carrier. The nunchaku were used as horse bits. These are just a few examples of how weapons were hidden in daily tools. It allowed the native people of Okinawa to carry on tradition and protect themselves from harm. For more information and explanation on weapons from Okinawa you should visit this site.

Okinawa Part 1

In the 11th century, castles began sprouting all over Okinawa, Japan.  This was a period of struggles among the emerging rulers. In the late 12th Century, one of the petty rulers founded the Shunten Dynasty (1187-1259). It was followed by the Eiso Dynasty (1260-1349), the Satto Dynasty (1350-1405), the First Sho Dynasty (1406-1469), and the Second Sho Dynasty (1470-1879). The last dynasty was replaced by Okinawa governors appointed by Tokyo officials until 1945. During the 27 year American interlude from 1945 to 1972, Okinawa was under the U.S. military government.

The first three dynasties exercised their control probably only in their adjacent areas. But King Satto is known for establishing tributary relationships with China in 1372. This relationship with China greatly accelerated Ryukyu's cultural and political development. The First Sho Dynasty achieved the political unification of Okinawa in 1422.

Okinawa has had a broad history and is rich when it comes to martial arts. I will talk more about the weapons and style of the Okinawan people next week because that is where it gets interesting. If you are interested in learning about their culture I would suggest this site for more history.

Russian Sambo

Sambo is a martial art that was developed in the Soviet Union in the first half of the twentieth century by Vasiliy Oschepkov. He was a jiu jitsu practitioner who began a martial arts academy called Dynamo. But Dynamo had a couple of different styles o fighting. Some focused on a ground game, others a defensive game, and lots of in between. What came out of their collaberation became known as Sambo, which means self defense in Russian. Russian Sambo can be practiced in four different forms. There is the Sport Sambo, which is generally a form of Judo combined with amateur wrestling. The Self-Defense Sambo concentrates on educating students on how to defend them in any scenario and is very similar to other martial arts forms such as Aikido or Aikijutsu. Most military personnel practice combat Sambo as the sport teaches disarming techniques, weapons training and a more aggressive approach, including a greater variation of martial arts. Army Special Forces and Sambo fanatics usually choose the Special Sambo, as it has specifically been designed for rapid response units and law enforcement units. This form of Russian martial arts was even taught to the famous Russian Red Army, and the true form of Sambo was reserved for the military and government forces for many years. Sambo is a very important martial art to Russian and shows different aspects of Russian culture. It is very popular sport and has gone down in history as one of the most deadly martial arts of all time.  

Early History

The earliest examples of martial arts goes back to 3400 BC in places such as Egypt. It was in the form of wrestling and practiced as a sport and a leisure activity. However the first well structured and defined form of martial arts was created in 648 BC by Alexander the Great. It was known as pankration and was a cross between todays jiu jitsu and boxing. As attention was brought to the art, it became very popular in the Greek Olympic games. With virtually no rules and fouls it gained a reputation for its extreme brutality and severely bloody competitions. However its creation wasn't intended to entertain the Greeks, it was to make Alexander the Great's soldiers ruthless killers. During this time warfare was often fought within spitting distance your enemy and cold steel clashed all around you. So if you were disarmed or thrown to the ground by your enemy, you still had a fighting chance with the new techniques of pankration. In the end it saved many lives and struck fear into the enemies hearts knowing that their enemy was a deadly warrior wether they had a weapon or not. This art of pankration became the structure and blueprints for many other forms of martial arts to come.

Overview:

Martial Arts has a very colorful past and differs from culture to culture. It has been used to defend, destroy, and find inner peace. But have you ever wondered where it all began? I mean lets face it there wasn’t an AJ’s karate right down the street from Alexander the Great’s palace. No every form of martial arts has its own unique roots and traditions that defines the core of that particular art. Perhaps you don’t even know different forms of martial arts (No its not all called karate). Well in the following weeks I am taking it up as my goal to educate those who want to learn all about martial arts and its history. I will dive into different forms, the history of forms and weapons, vocabulary, and everything that has to do with martial arts. By the end of my blogging period I hope to peak the interest and enshroud my readers so that they can share the same love I have for martial arts.  I hope you will embark on this journey with me and take it up as an adventure full of learning and fun because it will be new to me too. But by the end I promise you that we will both as the author and reader have a greater respect and bigger love for the one thing that ties cultures together…Martial Arts.