Category: Martial Arts

Most Westerners — martial artists and non-martial artists alike — know the name Hua Mulan because of a hit Disney film from 1998, which was titled, appropriately enough, Mulan.

Few know that the animated feature was based on a real historical figure and that she had been depicted on film a number of times.

The Real Hua Mulan

Mulan is believed to have been born in Henan province during the Wei dynasty (386-534 A.D.). She was reportedly an excellent seamstress and a skilled martial artist who was renowned for her archery expertise. At one point in her life, her infirm father was called to duty to help fight invaders from the Mongol Empire, and Mulan, fearing for her dad’s safety, donned men’s clothing and joined the army in his place.

(Photo Courtesy of National Taiwan Museum)

The defining moment in her military career came one night when she was on guard duty. Mulan observed crows flying at night and noted that the birds should be resting at that hour. She immediately suspected an ambush and alerted her superior. Then she devised a plan and proposed it to him.

When the Mongols attacked, Mulan sustained an arrow wound to the shoulder, yet she was still able to defeat the leader of the invasion force in hand-to-hand combat. Afterward, she refused treatment out of fear her brothers-in-arms would discover that she was a woman.

Mulan on Film

A proud soldier is shown riding atop a spirited steed as it gallops across the misty moors in a bygone era. The mare skids to a halt and rockets its warrior master toward the heavens. Still in flight, the hero loads a body-length bow with three arrows. Landing in her patented si liu bu stance, Hua Mulan — played by Nancy Chan — uses her famous three-fingered arrow release to impale three charging Mongol warriors.

That scene comes from a black-and-white film called Mulan Joins the Army. Made in Shanghai and released in 1939, it was actually the third movie to focus on Mulan’s exploits. Directed by Bu Wancang, it came from the Orphan Island period. The name refers to film production that took place in Shanghai’s foreign concessions, which were not occupied by the Japanese.

Despite its historical connection — China really was threatened by the Mongols — Mulan Joins the Army was intended to rouse patriotic sentiments with respect to how modern China was being threatened by the Japanese. Those circumstances led to Nancy Chan becoming the first Hong Kong actress to be catapulted to fame by the Shanghai film industry.

A more famous film adaptation of Mulan’s life came in 1964. Released by the Shaw Brothers, it was an opera titled Lady General Hua Mulan or Woman General Hua Mulan. It starred Ivy Ling Po as the famed female fighter.

(Photo Courtesy of Celestial Pictures)

Mulan by Disney

When Disney announced that it was planning its own version of the Mulan story, the project bore the title The Legend of Fa Mulan. Note the spelling of the surname — Fa instead of Hua. Disney execs said they were under the impression that “Fa Mulan” was the Cantonese spelling of her name. I contacted the production office and advised them that Fa is Cantonese but Mulan is Mandarin. I then suggested that the filmmakers should render her name as either “Fa Moklan” (Cantonese) or “Hua Mulan” (Mandarin). In the end, they opted to change the movie’s title to Mulan.

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There were other major changes, as well, the most obvious being the addition of Mushu, the dragon spirit (voiced by Eddie Murphy), and the pet cricket. Sadly, the script eliminated all references to Mulan’s renowned archery ability.

The Next Mulan?

Disney appears to be on a roll with live-action versions of its classics. For example, we were given Alice in Wonderland in 2010, Maleficent (from Sleeping Beauty) in 2014 and Cinderella in 2015. Beauty and the Beast is next, with a release planned for 2017.

The rumor mill has it that a live-action version of Mulan may be in the works. Rila Fukushima, who co-starred in Wolverine (2013) and appears in the CW television series Arrow, is reportedly being considered to bring the title character to life.

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Source: Black Belt Magazine

On September 23, 2015, CBS premiered the 31st season of Survivor. Titled Survivor Cambodia: Second Chance, it brings back fan faves from past seasons so they can have another shot at the $1 million prize. One of the returning contestants is a taekwondo teacher named Yung “Woo” Hwang. This story, which we ran after his first appearance on Survivor, will explain why he’s being given a second chance.

— Editor

How much is your integrity worth? It’s a question few us will have to answer — and one even fewer will be forced to face in front of 10 million viewers. Martial arts instructor Yung “Woo” Hwang has a clue about his own price: One million dollars is not enough.

In the finale of Survivor: Cagayan, Woo became a guaranteed finalist when he won the last immunity challenge. That meant he could choose his opponent at the Final Tribal Council, where the winner would go home a millionaire. Woo selected ultra-aggressive New Jersey police officer Tony Vlachos over California attorney Kass McQuillen, who was universally considered an easier opponent. Vlachos went on to win and claim the seven-figure prize. At the Survivor reunion show, host Jeff Probst asked the contestants if they would have voted for Woo had he faced McQuillen. The majority said they would have given Woo the nod — and the money.

It can’t be easy to swallow a million-dollar pill of hindsight and second guesses, but Woo has accepted it like the weather. After all, in his mind, there was only one path to take.

“A lot of my decision was based on my way of living,” Woo said. “Growing up in taekwondo, my father always stressed that in order to be the best, you have to go up against the best.

“My decision to take Tony was in the same respect: He played a great game, and I thought I had a 50-50 shot at beating him even though he was one of the stronger players of the season. I thought, If I could take someone like Tony and manage to beat him, how wonderful that would be? If not, I can walk away with my head held high because I lost against the best.”

A sixth-degree black belt, Woo, 30, is the son of Chi Sung Hwang, a ninth-degree grandmaster and the owner of Hwang’s Martial Arts in Massillon, Ohio. Woo began lessons at age 3 and never stopped. Going into Survivor, he knew his years of training and superior balance, agility and coordination would allow him to surmount obstacles and win immunity challenges. The years on the mats paid off for the ultra-likable Woo, but not because of his wicked spinning crescent kick. His genuine people skills resonated with the audience, and he became one of the most well-liked competitors in the history of the show.

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“I have been training adults since I was 13, so my ability to interact and socialize with all age groups comes naturally,” Woo said. “A lot of my social skills came from emulating my father. When he would speak, people would listen. I loved how he was able to gain the respect and attention of whoever he was speaking to.”

Since returning home, Woo has focused on two things: building his business and rebuilding his body. The 5-foot-9-inch martial arts instructor and surfing coach entered Survivor at a lean 170 pounds, with etched abdominals. He finished the season at a gaunt 140 pounds. After the show wrapped, Woo immediately got back in the weight room and resumed surfing to reclaim his lost muscle tissue. It took two months for his body to get back to full strength and his digestion to return to normal — although he’s still 8 pounds lighter than when he began the show.

Promoting his athletic training facility and martial arts studio — HB Academy in Huntington Beach, California — has been a bit easier. After all, having 10 million people watch you give up $1 million in favor of your integrity is priceless in terms of marketing.

“The positive feedback I have received from social media and people on the streets has made me feel like a million bucks,” Woo said.

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Don’t be surprised if you see Woo on the screen again. Like many martial artists, he grew up idolizing Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris and Jean-Claude Van Damme. Besides taekwondo, Woo has trained in wushu, capoeira, muay Thai and various weapon styles, and he believes his skill set would translate beautifully to the screen. He’s spent the past few years studying tricking, the hybrid form of martial arts and acrobatics popularized by Travis Wong. Tricking, Woo said, might be how he follows the path of another one of his heroes: prolific actor/stuntman and fellow taekwondo practitioner Simon Rhee.

“Simon works full time as a martial arts instructor and is a full-time stuntman and action actor,” Woo said. “He is living the life I aspire to have one day.”

Even if Woo breaks into show business, he’ll most likely continue to be hounded by the question he hears everywhere he goes: Does he wish he chose differently in the Survivor finale? In reality, his choice seems to bother his formidable fan base more than Woo himself, who genuinely has no regrets.

“After the show, my father and my senior instructors called and thanked me,” he said. “As a dedicated student of martial arts, you know that you don’t live for yourself. You represent a larger body. If you are affiliated with Hwang’s Martial Arts, you know that when you go out in public, your demeanor, etiquette and conduct reflect our school. Even though I knew Survivor was a game of lies and manipulations, I had to be a figure of inspiration. I was representing more than myself.”

(Photos Courtesy of Yung “Woo” Hwang)

Source: Black Belt Magazine

No matter how connected the Internet makes us think our planet is, human beings are still very much a tribal species. In part, that’s why we can watch a news report about a suicide bomber in the Middle East and think, “Yes, that’s terrible, but it’s happening on the other side of the world to people I don’t know.” When a terrorist attack happens close to home, however, everyone pays attention.

At that point, some people take action. The ones who haven’t been preparing often start, and the ones who regard themselves as always ready often turn up the intensity of their training. As a martial artist, you no doubt fit into that second category, and it is to assist you that Black Belt presents this article.

Before we begin, it’s worth noting that not every terrorist attack involves an improvised explosive device or an AK-47. As the events that unfolded on September 26, 2014, and October 24, 2014, prove, “lone wolf” terrorists are now using weapons that martial arts training enables us to defend against. On the first date, one woman was beheaded and another repeatedly stabbed by a man in Oklahoma. Afterward, Rep. Frank Wolf (Virginia) urged the Department of Justice to investigate the incident as an act of terrorism. On the second date, a man whom Reuters described as “self-radicalized” used a hatchet to critically wound two New York City police officers.

And lest you think only Americans face these threats, think back to March 1, 2014. On that day, eight terrorists armed with knives murdered 29 people and injured more than 140 at a train station in Kunming, China.

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Whether these acts were perpetrated by bona fide terrorists, by lone-wolf recruits or by mentally ill copycats doesn’t matter from the perspective of the martial artist. All present a threat and must be dealt with. To help you figure out the most productive way to proceed, Black Belt polled five subject-matter experts. They hail from different backgrounds, but they convey information that’s vital for all who train for self-defense.

Question 1: Should the average person be worried about lone-wolf terrorist attacks?

Photo courtesy of Mike Gillette

Mike Gillette (former counterterrorism consultant for the Department of Homeland Security and Transportation Security Administration, tactical trainer, executive bodyguard): Worried? No. Mentally prepared? Yes. The way we mentally frame various circumstances plays a big part in how effectively we’ll respond should a response become necessary.

To put it in simple terms, the language we use when discussing or even thinking about dangerous situations can be positive or negative. If you default to always using negative terminology, your mind will store those negative attitudes accordingly. And those negative attitudes create a defeatist mentality [that] assumes the worst and is more prone to giving up when confronted with danger.

The key is to understand that while certain things such as terrorists are “scary,” you don’t have to be perpetually scared of them. Learn how they operate and what it takes to protect yourself, and then go on about your life.

Photo courtesy of John Riddle

John Riddle (law-enforcement officer for 28 years, SWAT defensive-tactics trainer, jeet kune do full instructor): Americans need to educate themselves on what’s going on in the world today. The better educated they are, the less they need to worry and the more prepared they will be.

Photo courtesy of Tom Gresham

Tom Gresham (firearms trainer, former editor of several firearms magazines, host of the Gun Talk syndicated radio show): People should not be “worried” about anything. Worrying does no good. They should, however, be aware of possible threats, and they should take appropriate steps. What’s appropriate will differ for various people. Mostly, however, it means being aware of your surroundings and thinking ahead of time of your options to get away with your family should there be an attack.

Question 2: Do you think the Internet is becoming the prime tool for terrorist organizations to recruit lone wolves in any part of the world?

Michael Janich photo by Rick Hustead

Michael Janich (former employee of the National Security Agency and Defense Intelligence Agency, Filipino martial arts expert, edged-weapon instructor): The Internet has revolutionized communications and marketing. If you have a message, you can share it with millions of people worldwide at virtually no cost.

Kelly McCann photo by Robert W. Young

Kelly McCann (retired Marine Corps counterterrorist trainer, CNN consultant, weapons expert, combatives instructor): The Internet is being utilized by various terror groups to recruit disaffected youths globally to their causes. Cellphone technology has made information of all sorts much more available and negated the necessity to even own a computer. Add social media and you have incredible access to people who are searching for ways to be involved.

Question 3: Are there any parallels between how terrorists recruit lone wolves and how gangs recruit members?

McCann: There are direct correlations between how gangs and terrorist organizations recruit people. The single biggest difference is gangs don’t use the Internet, although they may use social media outlets, and there’s usually an in-person interaction that must occur with gang membership. The same is not true with terrorist recruitment.

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Janich: Both sell the concept that membership will allow you to be part of a community and be part of a “greater cause.” This concept can appeal to anyone but particularly to people who are not strong, independent thinkers.

Riddle: In the United States, we have young people who enter organized gangs. These people are down and out, have no home life, no job, no one leading them. They feel a connection to others who are like-minded and in the same down-and-out situation. A bond is made — this is their new family. On the other side, there are angry people around the world who dislike our government and what we stand for. These types can be found voicing their anger on the Internet. They are looking for a cause to be involved in, a cause to fight for.

(To be continued.)

Source: Black Belt Magazine

In all the Bruce Lee biographies that have been written, one theme stands out: He was ahead of his time in terms of both martial arts and physical training.

The list of professional athletes, media icons and everyday martial artists who have been inspired by his teachings is impressive — for good reason. When Lee moved, he embodied the perfect combination of efficiency, effectiveness and aesthetics. What made all that possible was his approach to physical development and health sustainment. With respect to that, a couple of aspects have always stood out.

The August/September 2015 issue of Black Belt, on sale until September 20.

First up is Bruce Lee’s scientific approach to martial arts training, which is well-documented in Tao of Jeet Kune Do, his comprehensive treatise on the art of fighting. By combining teachings from the East and the West, he laid the groundwork for a martial arts curriculum that addresses all aspects of the pursuit, including the spiritual/philosophical foundation, warm-up routine, psychology, and offense and defense.

Bruce Lee could do this because he was an academic at heart. He researched, analyzed, synthesized and documented his thought processes and findings. And he applied physics to his theories before he made them his conclusions. By being scientific, he was able to arrive at indisputable conclusions about what worked and what didn’t.

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Because of the growing popularity of the martial arts, more people are studying the arts’ effect on health, as well as the potential for injury. Their research is being conducted in the fields of sport science, physiology, medicine, nutrition and rehabilitation, among others. Once again, Bruce Lee was on the cutting edge. Why do I say this? Because his work is an important part of the academic lineage of the martial arts and because his ideas continue to be studied, discussed and, occasionally, refined.

In all that he did, Bruce Lee paid close attention to proper training and injury prevention. He knew that despite his incredible physique and physical abilities, he had to train consistently and properly to avoid injuries that might necessitate a break from training. Couple that with his hectic filmmaking schedule, and you’ll understand how much time management was required for him to maintain his skills at the highest level.

Example: Sports-medicine professionals always emphasize injury prevention. In the martial arts, practitioners are at great risk while landing after a jumping technique. Bruce Lee was well aware of such dangers.

In Tao of Jeet Kune Do (order here on Amazon), he articulates the importance of and strategies for minimizing injury. Specifically, he outlines warm-ups designed to “increase tissue elasticity, which lessens the liability to injury.” He also notes that different warm-ups are required for different activities and that routines need to be modified according to the practitioner’s age.

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Another example of Bruce Lee’s forward-thinking methodologies comes from his weight-training advice: He implored martial artists to lift only an amount of weight they can handle without undue strain. This concept of training without exceeding one’s physiologic threshold is ideal in martial arts practice.

If you’re laid up because you lifted too much or used improper form, you’re unable to work on skill development. Even worse, the injury could become chronic or permanent, forever impairing your ability to improve in your art.

As stated in the introduction, Bruce Lee was ahead of his time. He put forth a comprehensive martial arts curriculum that incorporates awareness of one’s health and injury prevention. As I reflect on him, I continue to be impressed by his vast knowledge of and many contributions to the martial arts, which he viewed as both an art and a science.

To borrow a concept from politics: There’s hard power, there’s soft power and then there’s smart power, which combines the other two. By following Bruce Lee’s teachings, we can more efficiently develop smart power.

(“Bruce Lee” is a registered trademark of Bruce Lee Enterprises LLC. The Bruce Lee name, image and likeness are intellectual property of Bruce Lee Enterprises LLC.)

Robert Wang, M.D., is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and a diplomat of the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery.

Source: Black Belt Magazine

In April, I blogged about new TV shows that featured entertaining martial arts action but allowed their boldness to dwindle as seasons progressed. One of them was Arrow.

When it debuted on The CW, Arrow displayed impressive weapons choreography. However, during the fall 2014 season, the combat quality waned. It eventually culminated in a highly anticipated sword fight between Arrow, aka Oliver Queen (played by Stephan Amell), and the skilled-but-ruthless leader of the League of Assassins, aka Ra’s al Ghul (played by Matt Namble). It was a disappointing battle, to say the least.

Arrow’s expertise vanished — he seemed to forget how to move and wield a sword. Ra’s appeared less skilled than a quarterback averaging 10 interceptions per game. The episode caused me to stop watching the series, but my DVR kept recording it. That prompted me to give Arrow a second chance, and once I stopped scrutinizing the fights — wow!

Photo by Jordon Nuttall/2015 The CW Network

I’ve concluded that although Arrow is based on the superhero character Green Arrow, launched by DC Comics in 1941, the series comes across more like an old Chinese wuxia novel. I also noted a nod to World War I’s renowned Battle of Gallipoli (1915-16) — more on that later.

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Background: Jiang Hu is a staple of wuxia novels, a form of Chinese prose that gained repute during the Tang dynasty (618 – 907). The stories are romanticized tales of altruistic heroes with magical martial arts skills. Jiang Hu, meaning “rivers and lakes” in Chinese, is an alternative society composed of beggars and outcasts, as well as kung fu heroes and villains. They all coexist in communities that have their own laws and ethics.

The essence of wuxia can be seen in the Chinese characters that are used to write the word. Although wu means “martial,” the character’s components mean “to stop the fight.” Xia loosely translates as “chivalrous hero.” Anyone with virtue is described as xia. Thus, wuxia writings feature virtuous people who use martial arts skills and morality to do good deeds. This winds up being a perfect description for Arrow and his clan.

Photos by Cate Cameron/2015 The CW Network

Jiang Hu includes a sub-community called Wu Lin, in which inhabitants compete to be the head fighter, swordsman or clan leader. They strive to attain that position by adhering to the unwritten but respected ethical codes of loyalty and righteousness. Yet some avoid virtue and attain power via violence. This is reminiscent of Arrow’s Ra’s al Ghul, head of the League of Assassins.

In Chinese films, Jiang Hu is often called the Kung Fu Underworld. In it, clans frequently vie for a symbol of power — perhaps a secret martial arts book, a special weapon or an ancient emblem. Whoever possesses the symbol rules the underworld. The Arrow parallel: Whoever wears the full-finger golden ring becomes the Ra’s al Ghul.

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In 1915, when Mustafa Kamal of the Ottoman Turks arrived at the Battle of Gallipoli, the out-of-ammo Ottomans were retreating from the Allied forces. Kamal ordered them to fix bayonets, then famously said, “I don’t order you to fight; I order you to die.” The Ottomans won the battle, and Kamal became Turkey’s first president in 1923.

In an episode of Arrow titled “The Offer,” Ra’s paraphrases Kamal’s words to Oliver: “My men don’t have to kill for me; they have do die for me.” Then Ra’s explains that the League of Assassins has roots in the Koran and Muslim history.

Photos by Cate Cameron/2015 The CW Network

If Arrow consistently had good fights that didn’t tend to look alike, it could become a creative leader in the genre. It’s an ironic observation when you recall that in season 3, Malcolm teaches Thea how to fight, warning her to never use the same move twice. Unfortunately, that’s precisely what Arrow does: The action scenes have used the same techniques hundreds of times.

Nevertheless, I find Arrow intriguing because of its connection to Jiang Hu, Wu Lin and the wuxia genre. In fact, it’s that connection that makes me wonder how much of what comic-book creators have done since the 1930s stems from wuxia. It’s possible that they were so inspired by wuxia literature that they — knowingly or unknowingly — borrowed from them. Maybe that’s their “trade secret.” Just saying.

Go here to order Dr. Craig D. Reid’s book The Ultimate Guide to Martial Arts Movies of the 1970s: 500+ Films Loaded With Action, Weapons and Warriors.

Source: Black Belt Magazine

To her fans around the world, she’s a near-invincible fighter called “Cris Cyborg.” To her friends and family, she’s known as Cristiane Justino Venancio Santos. Either way, she’s an MMA killing machine with a professional record of 10-1-1.

Even while growing up in Curitiba, Brazil, she exhibited a love of competition. In high school, she built herself into a nationally ranked handball player. During a 2004 championship, she earned the attention of another competitor’s parent — that man turned out to be Rudimar Fedrigo, head instructor at the Chute Boxe Academy.

Chute Boxe is a renowned MMA gym in Brazil that started life as a muay Thai school. It’s cranked out some fearsome fighters, including Wanderlei Silva, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Thiago Silva, Gabriel Gonzaga and Anderson Silva. Scoring an invite to train there, especially from the head instructor, was an honor Cyborg didn’t fully appreciate at the time.

In an interview, Fedrigo was asked why he invited the teenager to his academy. He said that while watching her play handball, he was struck by her athleticism — she appeared much stronger and better-conditioned than everyone else. All that potential was too much to resist, he said, so he invited her to take a free muay Thai class.

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Cyborg took him up on his offer, and four months later she found herself registered for her first MMA fight. She lost via a kneebar, then bounced right back and went the distance six months later against her next opponent, a far more experienced fighter, and wound up winning a unanimous decision.

The fighting phenom won her next three bouts, all via vicious KOs. It proved increasingly tough to find victims — rather, opponents — so Cyborg executed a course correction and began competing in muay Thai, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and wrestling. In 2008 she signed with the EliteXC promotion and proceeded to defeat Shayna Baszler in her first bout.

Cyborg stayed with EliteXC for another fight, then signed with Strikeforce. Her first mission was to take on featherweight champion Gina Carano. The Brazilian knocked her out before the end of the first round.

Cyborg defended her title against three more opponents, winning with a knockout every time. After what would become her final title defense — a 16-second KO of Hiroko Yamanaka in December 2011 — Cyborg tested positive for a banned substance.

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Taking full responsibility for the infringement, she said it wasn’t intentional and apologized for not being more diligent in screening the supplements she took. The Yamanaka bout was changed to a no contest, and Cyborg was suspended for one year. That suspension ends in January 2013.

Because top-notch female fighters are still few and far between in the MMA world, the number of women in the 145-pound division ready to challenge Cyborg is precisely zero. That brings us to the present: MMA sensation and current Strikeforce bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey has called out Cyborg.

Ronda Rousey

If you think such a match would be easy to arrange, think again. Rousey insists that Cyborg drop to 135 pounds, while Cyborg maintains that medical experts have advised her against cutting that much weight because it would create a dangerously low level of body fat. Nevertheless, if fan interest stays high, the match could come about in 2013. If it does, it’ll certainly be one of the biggest MMA events of the year.

In the meantime, Cyborg keeps busy much the same way she did earlier in her MMA career when no one would fight her — by competing in other martial arts events. In 2011 and 2012 she placed first in the female purple-belt division at the IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championship.

Obviously, her skills are still sharp and her drive is still there. Fans can be certain that once she’s free to fight again, sparks are going to fly.

Update: Since this article appeared in a 2013 special issue of Black Belt, Cyborg, now 30, has resumed her MMA career. Sherdog.com lists her record at 14-1-1. She continues to be considered the female fighter with the best chance of giving Ronda Rousey a run for her money. Noting that Cyborg has signed with the UFC, many MMA fans remain hopeful this will happen.

(Cris Cyborg Photos Courtesy of Stanley Day • Ronda Rousey Photo by Peter Lueders)

Source: Black Belt Magazine

Ask a martial artist who’s up on his history to name the greatest warrior of all time, and chances are he’ll say Miyamoto Musashi, the legendary Japanese swordsman who cut down 60 men with his blade. No doubt there have been many other fighting men — both before and after Musashi’s day (1584-1645) — who killed more enemies, but undocumented knowledge seldom outlives those who possess it. What makes Musashi special is that he accumulated an incredible amount of experience and committed his wisdom to paper in the form of a timeless classic titled Go Rin No Sho. We know it as The Book of Five Rings.

On cursory examination, the text appears to be a simple work designed to educate young swordsmen. Yet it embodies a plethora of between-the-lines observations and advice that will enthrall anyone who reads it with a warrior’s eye. Its prose captures an old warrior’s perceptions of the world around him and conveys the lessons the master deemed essential for a young warrior’s survival. It’s important to remember that when Musashi put pen to paper, he was very old. He knew that for him, there would be no more battles and, therefore, no need to hold anything back in an effort to keep enemies from learning secret fighting methods and using them against him.

Much of the content of The Book of Five Rings is specific to combat in old Japan, yet Musashi has plenty to teach 21st-century martial artists. We may carry a tactical folder and a Glock instead of a wakizashi and a katana, but fighting is fighting regardless of the year, and much of Musashi’s wisdom still applies.

His text is divided into five parts: Ground, Water, Fire, Wind and Void. A full discussion of their modern applications is beyond the scope of this article, so I’ll focus on the most poignant lessons.

Ground

“Know the smallest things and the biggest things, the shallowest and the deepest things as if they were a straight road mapped out on the ground,” Musashi wrote. His meaning is clear: Success in combat requires planning.

A lesson frequently learned early in a martial artist’s training is that those who are destined to win do so by first studying and then fighting. Those who are destined to lose tend to fight first and then study why they lost. Although no one can accurately predict the outcome of every battle and prepare specifically for it, you can certainly stack the deck in your favor.

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You must develop a realistic understanding of your skills and capabilities. Study the dynamics of conflict until you possess a basic understanding of how combat unfolds. It’s crucial to approach this with a 21st-century focus since modern-day assailants don’t always use weapons that existed in ancient Japan.

Musashi compared the way of the warrior to the way of the carpenter. The carpenter plans everything with great specificity, and you, as a martial artist, should do the same — both inside and outside the dojo. You may know exactly how you would spar with a classmate who likes to lead with a roundhouse kick, but do you have a plan in the event of a home-invasion robbery? How about a car jacking or mugging? Being prepared means you’ll never be a deer in the headlights, frozen by the savagery of the world. Leave nothing to chance.

Water

In the second section of his treatise, Musashi wrote: “Water adopts the shape of its receptacle. It is sometimes a trickle and sometimes a wild sea. Water has a clear blue color. By the clarity, things of [my] school are shown in this book.”

One of the most difficult attributes to develop is adaptability. A wise martial artist uses techniques and tactics that fit the circumstances of the fight. His goal is to hit his adversary, not necessarily to execute his favorite technique. Knowing which kick or punch to throw as a fight begins — and being able to change course at a moment’s notice — is essential.

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The ability to become a tactical chameleon requires exposure to different fighting styles. Witness the generally poor showings made by one-dimensional fighters who enter MMA competitions such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship. In that kind of limited-rules environment, the fighter that triumphs is the one who has trained in every conceivable method, from ground grappling to kickboxing and all ranges in between.

Musashi’s moral: Study everything, keep what is useful and do not limit yourself to any one system.

Fire

“This book is about fighting,” Musashi wrote. “The spirit of fire is fierce, whether the fire be small or big. And so it is with battles.”

I once saw a well-trained martial artist get his rear end handed to him by an untrained yet much fiercer street thug who had no concerns about getting beaten up or killed. That illustrated to me the importance of ferocity. Being in great shape or having trained under a renowned master is simply not enough.

Becoming a fierce fighter doesn’t mean you have to live an austere existence like Musashi did — never washing your body lest you let down your guard, never sleeping on a pad lest it make you weak and so on. It means getting your mind oriented correctly in terms of life-or-death combat. As he wrote, “The way of the warrior is the resolute acceptance of death.”

In medieval times, Japanese warriors cultivated a fatalistic approach to things. In other words, they trained to die. As a modern-day warrior, you need not seek out your own demise in the service of another, but you must make friends with the idea of sacrificing your life so that in the midst of the fight, you aren’t distracted by thoughts of self-preservation. Of course, you should endeavor to preserve your life, but you should do so with the strength that comes from having a resolute acceptance of death and the purity of focus that accompanies it.

Wind

“In strategy, you must know the ways of other schools, so I have written about various other traditions of strategy in this, the Wind Book.”

Musashi focused much of his study on the martial ways of his adversaries. He isn’t the only historical figure to have done that; commentators as geographically and culturally diverse as Carl Von Clausewitz and Sun Tzu have penned similar admonishments.

Who are the likely adversaries of the 21st-century martial artist? Gang members, criminals and terrorists, for the most part. You must learn who they are, how they operate and what they wear. In a self-defense situation, you won’t find yourself face-to-face with a kendo student holding a samurai sword or with a kickboxer who announces himself and bows as though he’s part of a Hollywood fight flick. The opponent you’re most likely to confront today is a person skilled at taking you by surprise and willing to deprive you of your life without a moment’s hesitation.

“Some of the world’s strategists are concerned only with sword fencing and limit their training to flourishing the long sword and carriage of the body,” Musashi wrote. “But is dexterity alone sufficient to win? This is not the essence of the way. … In my doctrine, I dislike preconceived, narrow spirit. You must study this well.”

The lesson is obvious: Don’t be limited in your studies. If you take taekwondo, consider adding wing chun and Brazilian jiu-jitsu to expand your horizons. If you focus on unarmed fighting, spend some time learning knife and gun methods. If you’re a shooter, dabble in jeet kune do as a supplement. Remember that narrow-mindedness kills.

“Cutting down the enemy is the way of strategy, and there is no need for many refinements of it,” Musashi wrote. Nevertheless, some martial arts teachers romanticize combat. Those of us who have been there and done that know it’s a foolish thing to do. Combat has an ugliness, a reality and a finality that cut through all the dogma, doctrine, style disputes and miscellaneous clap-trap that clogs our consciousness. It’s simple, violent and animalistic. Understand it and accept it.

Void

Musashi wrote: “To attain the way of strategy as a warrior, you must study other martial arts and not deviate even a little from the way of the warrior. With your spirit settled, accumulate practice day by day, and hour by hour. Polish the twofold spirit [of] heart and mind, and sharpen the twofold gaze [of] perception and sight. When your spirit is not in the least clouded, when the clouds of bewilderment clear away, there is the true void.”

This passage typifies the Book of the Void, and throughout it, two aspects stand out: the mental, which Musashi calls “spiritual,” and the technical.

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Mental: After a particularly violent gunfight, a superior asked me if I’d been scared. I said, truthfully, that I had not been. Then I qualified my answer: My lack of fear hadn’t stemmed from my being particularly brave or particularly stupid, but from being completely occupied with winning. I had trained myself to fight as well as I could, and I had a firm understanding of the rules of engagement. Additionally, I had a fall-back plan for any after-action eventuality that might crop up. Quite simply, I had a focused spirit, which is the essence of the void Musashi described.

Technical: In the November 2001 issue of Black Belt, I wrote an article titled “Enough Is Enough! The Case for Keeping Your Self-Defense Arsenal Short and Sweet.” It discussed how knowing too many techniques can be a liability because any move that’s unnatural or overly complicated will not be physically memorized. And if it’s not physically memorized, you’ll never use it in a fight.

That concept of physical memorization and subconscious programming is not new. The Japanese sword master Yagyu Tajima No Kami wrote: “Learning and knowledge are meant to be forgotten, and it is only when this is realized that you feel perfectly comfortable. The body will move as if automatically, without conscious effort on the part of the swordsman. All of the training is there, but the mind is utterly unconscious of it.”

Yagyu was referring to swordsmanship, but the concept is entirely valid for modern combatives. Likewise, Musashi’s Go Rin No Sho, which is more than 350 years old, remains a valid guide for the education of modern practitioners of the self-defense arts.

(Photos by Rick Hustead)

Gabriel Suarez is president of Suarez International Inc., a Prescott, Arizona-based training and consulting group that teaches modern combatives courses around the world.

Source: Black Belt Magazine

Zhang Yi-mou directed three well-received motion pictures — Red Sorghum (1987), Ju Dou (1990) and Raise the Red Lantern (1991) — and even though the latter two were Cannes Film Festival award nominees, the Chinese film auteur didn’t attract mainstream attention in the West until he tried his hand at the martial arts. Specifically, it wasn’t until 2002 when he made Hero, which stars Jet Li and Donnie Yen.

The irony about Zhang’s ascendancy into the worldwide wu xia film craze is that he never saw a Bruce Lee movie until 1979. And as of 2004, he’d watched only 15 martial arts films, one of them being his second wu xia film House of Flying Daggers (2004).

“It’s not that I don’t like the films,” Zhang said when I interviewed him in 2004. “But growing up during the Cultural Revolution, we never saw these films, and it wasn’t until film school that I learned about Bruce Lee movies and watched wu xia films.”

Rather than making a film adaptation of a work from Chinese literature, Zhang spent three years developing an original story for Hero. However, just as he was about to start shooting, Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) was released. That caused Zhang to shelve the project.

“I was concerned that people would always think that I was trying to emulate Lee and have Hero be China’s answer to Taiwan’s Crouching Tiger,” Zhang said.

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Fortunately, Jet Li persuaded Zhang to resurrect the Hero project and finish the film. In the movie, which boasted a $17-million budget, Donnie Yen plays Lone Sky Iron Shield, part of a trio of assassins trying to kill Emperor Qin Shi Huang Di, the infamous dynastic figure who fought to unify China during the third century B.C. (He’s the historical figure whose burial site is guarded by 8,000 life-size terracotta warriors near the Chinese city of Xian.) Jet Li plays Qin’s bodyguard.

“I loved the script so much that when I finished reading it, I cried twice because my character Nameless has strong feelings about what’s going on,” Jet Li told me before heading to China to film. “In my career, it’s the first script that made me cry. It’s an incredible story where drama is first and action is there to help the story.”

Donnie Yen joined the cast at Li’s insistence. “I thought I wasn’t ready to go back to China to shoot a film yet,” Yen confessed after Shanghai Knights (2003) premiered. “I was kind of spoiled working outside of Hong Kong [with] all the catering and pampering. But when Ching Siu-tung (Hero’s fight director and the father of ‘wire-fu’) said that I’d be fighting Jet, I said OK.

“I was also thinking that after 10 years, Jet just wanted to beat me up again.” Yen was referring, of course, to the battles the two of them had in Once Upon a Time in China II (1992).

The unique aspect of the Jet Li–Donnie Yen rematch in Hero is certainly the way they fight without fighting. According to kung fu folklore, martial artists with powerful chi could sit in front of each other, send their spirits out of their bodies and have the spirits fight. A fighter died if his spirit died during the fight. This is the first time most Americans had seen this on-screen.

Zhang wrote Flying Daggers while shooting Hero and thought that if the film’s tone wasn’t in direct contrast to Hero, he’d quit the project.

“I originally intended Flying Daggers to be a sequel to Hero but realized that would interfere with making it different,” Zhang said. “They’re both differing stories of sacrifice. Hero is sacrificing for righteousness, and that’s more in line with the traditional Chinese culture and philosophy. In Flying Daggers, the characters are willing to sacrifice their traditional values in order to achieve their own individual ends … and this moves it away from traditional wu xia films.”

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In some ways, the success of these two different approaches was measured at the box office. Hero became the first foreign-language film to open at No. 1 in the United States (August 27, 2004). It went on to gross $53 million.

In contrast, Flying Daggers grossed only $11 million in the States.

(Photos Courtesy of Miramax, a subsidiary of Filmyard Holdings)

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Source: Black Belt Magazine

As the quality of the competition and techniques seen in taekwondo continues to improve, the push kick is emerging as one of the most potent weapons used by today’s martial arts athletes.

“It works for anyone,” says Yeon Hwan Park, coach of the 1988 U.S. Olympic team and head coach of the 1991 Pan-American Games team. “If timed properly, the push kick can be a devastating maneuver. It allows a competitor to get maximum power from his kick, enabling him to use his leg reach and strength to his maximum ability. Competitors are discovering this more and more.”

As a result, Park says, practitioners are developing innovative ways to employ this powerful technique.

Ideally, the push kick will make contact with the heel, but the ball of the foot also works, the author says.

“The push kick combines thrust with snap,” Yeon Hwan Park says. “If done at the right time, you can combine the force of your opponent’s attack with a great deal of your own body’s power.” That results in a powerful kick, but it must be refined through practice.

To throw a taekwondo push kick, lift the knee of your rear leg to your chest. Slide your supporting leg forward as you do, then shoot out your kicking leg in a piston-like fashion. Try to land your foot directly on your opponent’s chest or face. Ideally, you should strike with your heel, but if distance doesn’t permit, the ball of your foot can suffice.

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Park suggests several drills to develop your technique and timing. One involves squaring off with an opponent in closed cover (chests facing opposite directions). As he attempts an ax kick, you aim for his solar plexus with your push kick. If timed right, your kick will land him on his back.

“If you wait until his ax kick is at its highest point, it’s too late to start a counterstrike,” Yeon Hwan Park says. “As he begins his motion, you must begin yours. Don’t wait, especially in a situation like this when your face is exposed.”

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He recommends another drill to illustrate how a push kick can repel an attempted back kick. “Once your opponent turns his back, thrust a push kick into the area just above his waist,” he says. If done properly, the push kick will stop the back kick before he can complete the required turning motion. Park advises students to follow up with a roundhouse kick.

In repelling a back kick, a push kick works especially well when done off the front leg, Yeon Hwan Park says. “You don’t need to thrust it in with any great amount of power. If you keep your leg and foot straight, you can practically lift your foot up and just place it on his waist as he turns into the kick. Since he’s moving into your leg, there will be sufficient force without your having to do much except stay ready to follow up.”

Again, Park emphasizes that you must time the kick so it’s unleashed concurrently with the attacker’s kick. “If you start your kick when he starts his, your foot should be in position to cut off the back kick, then follow up,” he says. “If you’re late with the push kick, you’re going to run into a back kick, which is probably the most powerful technique in taekwondo. Your kick should land at or just above his hip. Once you’ve stopped his momentum, he’s a sitting duck.”

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For the next drill, square off with your partner in open cover (chests facing the same direction). As he unleashes a rear-leg roundhouse, skip in with a forward-leg cut kick, a variation of the push kick that applies basically the same principles but in a sideways motion. Make sure your kicking leg moves first and your supporting leg slides forward immediately afterward.

When he throws the roundhouse, there comes a point when he’s full-bodied. It lasts only a moment — until he turns his back into the kick more fully and incorporates his upper-body power. That, Park says, is precisely what the push kick or cut kick can help you exploit.

“If you cut off his roundhouse with a kick as powerful as a push kick, your opponent is likely to be off-balance,” he says. “As he moves backward [from] the impact, perpetuate his motion by throwing an immediate back kick off your other leg.”

The key to making the push kick effective lies in raising the knee and driving the foot forward using a piston-like motion, the author says.

Yeon Hwan Park claims the push kick can wreak havoc on a poor puncher. To illustrate, face your partner in closed cover with your right side back. As he lunges forward and changes sides to effect a lunge punch, thrust out a push kick. Distancing and timing are essential in this drill.

To practice the crucial timing aspect of the push kick, Park suggests squaring off with a partner in closed cover. He throws a back hook kick, which you avoid by sliding backward but remaining within kicking range. Once his leg touches the ground — most people land after spinning 270 degrees, thus partly exposing their upper body — let loose with a rear-leg push kick. Your task becomes easier because his momentum moves him backward. Since you change sides during a push kick, be sure to change your guard, as well. Otherwise, your head could be exposed to attack.

To practice an offensive push kick, face your opponent in open cover. Take one quick step forward and change sides, and as he retreats, he changes sides, as well. Once he moves back, thrust in your rear-leg push kick. This drill will help you get a sense of the kick’s forward motion and a better understanding of timing and distance.

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When you practice your push kick, don’t forget the footwork. If you can kick well but are unable to get within reach of your opponent, Park says, your kicks have only aesthetic value. Learning how to step to facilitate your kicks takes time, and learning to combine stepping and kicking can take longer. For this reason, Park advises students to step with their kicks immediately after they develop an understanding of the basics of both skills.

“Try to step faster than your opponent,” Yeon Hwan Park says. This way, you will be able to land your push kick before he settles back into a stance.

“Footwork is very important for all your kicks, but especially for one like the push kick, which you can just throw out of nowhere. For example, many competitors have very fast roundhouse kicks, which they can throw without having to set them up. For the push kick, though, you must create a situation wherein you can move forward safely and not extraordinarily fast.”

The push kick combines speed with power, Park says. “It’s slower than a roundhouse kick but more powerful. It’s less powerful than a side kick but faster. It doesn’t require a great deal of strength, but it does take practice.” In years to come, Park predicts we’ll see even more intricate ways to score with the technique.

(Photos by Rick Hustead)

Jeff Leibowitz is a New York-based free-lance writer and martial artist who has studied taekwondo under Y.H. Park for more than 30 years.

Source: Black Belt Magazine

What if someone pulled you aside one day and told you that it’s not your muscles that determine how quickly and powerfully you can hit, but the quality of your nervous system? What if that same person also told you that it’s what your nervous system is not doing that is the key?

Research has shown that the first sign of a rapid movement may actually be a decrease in muscle activity rather than an increase. This little-known phenomenon is called the “pre-movement silent period,” and it can enable you to strike faster and stronger.

One of the qualities of expert martial artists is the ability to throw a punch or kick without warning. From a ready position, they explode into motion. The attack is so sudden and smooth that it seems to materialize out of thin air.

When novices attack, it’s a different story. Their motion can be seen a mile away — mainly because they perform a large counter-movement, or windup, before the technique. The purpose of this counter-movement is to allow the primary muscles to start activating well before the attack actually begins. When the forward motion is initiated, the muscles are already in a high state of excitation, producing a powerful attack.

The counter-movement is a natural mechanism designed to produce a quick and forceful action. However, that’s a disadvantage in the martial arts because it telegraphs the movement. It takes a fair amount of practice to be able to launch an attack with only forward motion, and it’s even harder to make the same attack a powerful one.

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Fortunately, the human body is a remarkable machine that’s capable of adapting to virtually any conditions that are imposed on it. When you attack without the benefit of a counter-movement, you can compensate by using the pre-movement silent period.

So there you are with your hands up and ready to attack or defend at a moment’s notice. As you begin, you notice that your opponent has inadvertently let his guard drop. Never one to miss an opportunity, you decide that you’ll punch as hard and as fast as you can. Your brain sends the signal down your spinal cord, through your motor neurons and finally to your individual muscle fibers. However, what happens next may not be what you’d expect.

During the switch from posture to rapid motion, your muscles can actually turn off or stop contracting. The “silence” lasts for only about a tenth of a second, but it causes your muscle fibers to contract all at once, rather than in a graduated fashion. This synchronization is important because it produces a large initial muscle twitch, which facilitates the rapid production of force. The end effect is your fist being catapulted toward the target with great force — and without having been telegraphed.

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According to research, the pre-movement silent period doesn’t occur each and every time. Generally, it occurs only during movements that are maximal efforts and that don’t involve very heavy loads. In addition, it has been found to occur more often in athletes who are highly skilled.

There’s evidence that the pre-movement silent period is a learned skill, as people who had been trained to produce it were able to increase its rate of occurrence. More important, it’s been shown that people who are the most successful in learning to produce the pre-movement silent period tend to demonstrate the greatest gains in limb speed.

Currently, the physiological mechanisms behind the appearance of a pre-movement silent period are unclear, and their specific effects on performance are still being investigated. Nevertheless, the next time you practice in the dojo, take a moment — a moment of silence, if you will — and think about what your muscles may or may not be doing.

(Photos by Rick Hustead)

Christopher Hasson is a martial artist and a biomechanics researcher in the Human Performance Laboratory at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.

Source: Black Belt Magazine