There is a story that is told in various forms about a young boy who was missing his left arm after an automobile accident. Despite only having one arm, the young boy decided to study Judo. Being a former Judoka, I've always enjoyed the story and want to share it with you here.

The boy found a judo school run by an old Japanese judo master. Nervously, he asked if he could still learn and train with only one arm. After a minute of careful thought, the master accepted the young boy as one of his students.

The boy began lessons with the old master and was doing well. However, he didn't understand why the master had only taught him one technique. Each class for months, after warm ups, falling, and footwork drills, the boy practiced his one throwing technique over and over.

"Sensei," the boy finally said, "Shouldn't I be learning more moves?"

"I know I have only taught you one technique, but this is the move you need to know." the sensei replied.

Not quite understanding, but believing in his teacher, the boy kept training.

Several months later, the sensei took the boy to his first tournament. Surprising himself, the boy easily won his first two matches. The third match proved to be more difficult, but after some time, his opponent became impatient and over extended his balance; the boy deftly used his one move to win the match. Still amazed by his success, the boy was now in the finals.

This time, his opponent was bigger, stronger, and more experienced. For a while, the boy appeared to be overmatched. Concerned that the boy might get hurt, the referee called a time-out. He was about to stop the match when the sensei intervened.

"No," the sensei insisted, "Let him continue."

Soon after the match resumed, his opponent made a critical mistake; He dropped his guard. Instantly, the boy used his move to earn an epon, one point, and a win. The boy not only won the match, but he won the tournament. He was the champion.

On the way home, the boy and the sensei reviewed every move in each and every match. Then the boy summoned the courage to ask what was really on his mind. "Sensei, how did I win the tournament with only one move?"

"You won for two reasons," the sensei answered. "First, you've almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of judo. And second, the only known defense for that move is for your opponent to grab your left arm."

This story is used to illustrate a number of points depending on who is telling it. I'd like to make a couple of points.

First, there is a lot to be said about leaning a few techniques very well versus learning a lot of techniques adequately. Kelly McCann, who I have great respect for, and practice some of what he teaches, uses a very simple system. His philosophy is to learn a few things that can be used in a variety of situations. Rather than learn separate techniques for when an attacker is using his right hand, left hand, or both, he teaches one technique that can be used regardless of the hand the attacker is using. This makes a lot of sense, and for practical self-defense it is the few basics that you have mastered that will come to you under the stress and adrenaline dump of an actual physical encounter.

For those that teach a martial art system you teach more but you are teaching an "art" that has many more component and benefits than just fighting. McCann will be one of the first to say he does not teach martial arts, he teaches combatives to fight and that is it. If you train or teach for both, you should know the difference and understand the goals and purposes of what you are doing with your training.

Second, this story shows how you can overcome weaknesses, and not only overcome them, but turn them to strengths. The boy's disability which could be considered a weakness turned out to be a strength when taught the specific technique to capitalize on not having a left arm. It allowed him to win the championship. All of us have obstacles to overcome. All of us have different strengths and weaknesses. We need to look at our strengths and weakness and determine how to best utilize the strengths we have and minimize our weaknesses. We may even be able to turn our weaknesses into strengths as the old master did for his young judoka.

Remember this young boy the next time you head to the gym. But also remember him when dealing with other obstacles in life. This lesson is not just for your martial art training. The warrior lifestyle and martial art training give us the warrior's edge in everything we do.

Alain Burrese, J.D. is a mediator/attorney with Bennett Law Office P.C. and an author/speaker through his own company Burrese Enterprises Inc. He writes and speaks about a variety of topics focusing on the business areas of negotiation and success principles as well as self-defense and safety topics. He is the author of Hard-Won Wisdom From the School of Hard Knocks, several instructional DVDs, and numerous articles. You can find out more about Alain Burrese at his websites http://www.burrese.com or http://www.bennettlawofficepc.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alain_Burrese

Like the title, I'd like to ask the question: What is the highest form of martial arts? Because of media, specifically television, many people have been coaxed into thinking it is Ninjitsu because of the mystery that has settled around it. Well... it's not. Yeah, I just said it. Ninjitsu is NOT the highest form of martial arts.

Why? Don't get me wrong, Ninjitsu is an excellent martial art. It's just not the highest form a martial arts--at least, not in and of itself. In fact, no martial art is. Ninjitsu, in its very essence as a combat art, is a mix of striking and grappling. So how can that be the highest form of martial arts.

The highest form of martial arts is not necessarily an actual style or sect. But if it had to be labeled to one, I would say internal arts. Bear In mind that the highest form of martial arts has nothing to do with how effective you are in a fight. It has to do with efficiency and subtleness overall.

More specifically I would point to Chinese Taiji quan and Japanese Aikido. These are beautiful and elegant martial arts. And with the right teacher, you can use them to effectively defend themselves provided you have "hard" style training to add it to.

So here it is: the highest form of martial arts is the subtle efficiency one has gained through master of technique and ultimately one's self through unification of mind, body and spirit. Internal power generation methods are the greatest example of this in actual combat application. Not the chi ball kind; the physical kind. The looseness, the full body movement, the intricate control. All of that is an example of internal power. Of "jing" or "fa jng" as it is called in Chinese.

That, I must admit, is only the physical side of the highest form of martial arts. And it is important to remember that hard styles also strive for this power. Shorin-ryu Karate, for example, tries to instill in its students the ability to punch with a completely relaxed arm, tensing only on contact, and snapping it to create power (drawing from the ground through the hips of course). This, mastered, is also a form of internal power generation.

So, in essence, the greatest example of the physical embodiment of the highest form of martial arts is internal power generation methods.

Joshua started his martial journey in the art of Taekwondo, and holds a rank of second degree black belt. He has since developed a love for Chinese martial arts and currently studies Wing Chun Kung fu. He has dabbled in many styles, including: Matsubayashi Shorin-ryu Karate, Five Animal Kung fu, Capoeira, Taiji quan, Krav Maga, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Jeet Kune Do, American Kenpo and Eskrima/Arnis. Joshua also loves to write, and is inspired by his strong Christian Faith. to find out more about the author or to get more tips of self defense and the martial arts, visit: http://www.joshuapeacock.web.officelive.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joshua_Peacock

The history surrounding the fighting arts in and around China are extremely vague. This is mostly due to hiding the arts from the Manchu's during their rule over the Chinese. I have read a number of accounts and stories about the development of Kung Fu and although there are many similarities there are also are a great number of contradictions. I am not telling you that this is "THE" true account of Kung Fu's history but rather a gathering of terms and events that bring us out of the darker ages. (More historical notes will be included in future lessons.)

Mui Fa Kuen (Plum Flower Fist)

Mui Fa is an extremely common theme in Chinese Martial Arts due to the popularity of the flower in the rest of Chinese culture. Many other styles of kung fu also have Mui Fa forms. It is said that the original Mui Fa Kuen was a Northern Shaolin set, believed to be founded by Hou Yuan Jia. As well as the Mui Fa fist form there is also many other sets including sword and spear sets, making Mui Fa to be a small system in itself.

This short and simple but very practical form is presented in four directions, like the petals of a plum blossom flower, teaching attacking and defending in each direction. The first Mui Fa set teaches basic footwork and stances as well as initial bridging and kicking techniques. Many fundamentals as well as some of Hung Gar's trade mark techniques are taught in this set.

A Brief History of Hung Gar Kuen

The evolution of Kung Fu is very closely related to the development of Buddhism practiced by monks all over China. Buddhism wasn't native to China, but introduced from India (between 58-76 A.D during the Eastern Han Ming Dynasty) where it originates. Over the following Centuries, many Chinese Emperors embraced Buddhism slowly becoming China's most practiced religion and with it was the introduction of Thousands of Buddhist Temples.

In around 540 A.D, an Indian priest named Bodhidharma traveled to China to spread what would later be named Zen Buddhism. On his journey he came across a temple called Shaolin, at the time famous for translating Buddhist writings into Chinese. Bodhidharma observed that the monks were in poor physical shape as they spent lots of their time writing and meditating, so exercises were introduced to enhance bodily strength and the energy flow. These exercises were developed from Indian Yoga and were based on the movements of both real and mythical animals.

Fighting styles had existed in China for many Centuries before Shaolin started to develop any form of martial arts. Monks at the temple were very peaceful but in the remote areas of the countryside they would often encounter bandits or wild animals. Not all monks would study martial arts, but as time passed many retired soldiers of all ranks converted to Buddhism and joined the temple. This meant that the soldiers could accompany fellow monks making dangerous journeys to provide protection, and with there skills combined with the daily exercise, Shaolin kung fu started to develop. Monks studied and imitated animal movements realizing that they possessed natural self defense and killing techniques in order to survive which the monks refined into there own fighting systems.

As time went on, the Shaolin sect began to divert from the other Buddhist sects as there focus became ever more conditioned toward the study of martial arts which appeared to be somewhat of a contradiction of Buddhist principles. The monks replied simply stating along the lines of "To understand something such as violence makes you better equipped to resolve a conflict".

In the mid 17th Century, Manchurian invaders led by the Ching family ended the Ming Dynasty and eventually conquered China. Those fleeing from the Chings sought refuge in the Shaolin temple, initially only passive residence was permitted but due to the injustice that the Chinese people suffered, Shaolin soon became the centre of the resistance. At this time Shaolin had five elders:

Jee Shin Sim See- Founder of Shaolin Iron Cloth, creator of Wing Chun and founder of Hung Gar Kuen.
Bai Mei - Founder of Golden Bell Iron Body Chi Gong
Fong Sai Yuk- Famous Swordsman, Founder of White Tiger Kung Fu.
Miu Hin- Founder of Five Shapes Boxing and helped to develop Wing Chun.
Ng Mui- Buddhist Nun and Dim Mak expert, helped to develop Wing Chun, founder of Dragon Shape Boxing and Wu Mei.

In 1647 A.D, the original Shaolin temple in Henan province was burnt to the ground by the Ching. Many of the monks were slaughtered and the rest fled, going into hiding, seeking refuge in other temples and monasteries. The five elders are said to have escaped helping to form other rebel groups and training the people up using there expert fighting knowledge. Fong Sai Yuk, took refuge at Wudan mountain in the Hubei province (home of the internal martial arts), with the aid of his fellow elders he organised a following of up to a million strong called the Heaven and Earth Society.

The Buddhist Nun Ng Mui is later said to have taught Yim Wing Chun, one of her close friends a close range fighting system later to adopt her name (wing chun) , so that she may publicly challenge her husband from a forced marriage to win back her freedom.

Fong Wing Chun, relative of Fong Sai Yuk, was a master of White Crane Kung Fu. She married Hung Hei Goon and it was he using his expertise in Tiger kung fu, combined it with his wife's knowledge of the White Crane system developed Southern Hung Gar Keun. Hung Hei Goon developed a reputation for being a fighter of great skill and was known as "The Southern Fist". The essence of Hung Gar can be found in its name. "Hung" means to "stand tall with integrity".

Hung Hei Goon was a disciple of Jee Shin Sim See. As Hung's master he usually appears at the top of most Hung Gar lineages, placing the origins directly back to the Shaolin temple.

My Masters & Lineage
Hung Hei Goon
Luk Ah Choi (1740-1845)
Leung Kwan aka "Tid Kiu Sam"(1815-1888)
Ng Hei Kwoon
Hang Yat Sui
Lai Ng Sam (1927-1995)
Jeff Hasbrouck (1947 - )
Phil Dandridge (1962- )

Phil Dandridge is a Kung Fu Instructor of 30 years. He is the founder of DMAS (Dandridge Martial Arts Schools) and partner in KungFuLive.com, an online Kung Fu School.

A lot of martial artists have taken the study of the nunchaku more as a labor of love than as something that could be a chore when it comes to making them a part of the wider martial arts way of life. How many of us have undergone constant bruising of our arms, back, legs, neck and other parts of our body, when we first decided to take a pair of "nunchucks" and began to do more than just twirl them around with no real purpose? We're pretty sure that the answer would be "all of us."  

In the martial arts, as in many parts of life, great achievement sometimes comes from a little bit of pain, either spiritual or physical. We know that this is so because all of us have stood patiently, right or left hand (or both) in Shuto-uchi ("knifehand strike) readiness, constantly striking a makiwara in an attempt to toughen our hands and improve our minds enough to deliver the perfect defensive block and counter-strike without really thinking about it.

The same thing is true for using "nunchucks." To become technically "good" at using them, you must practice with them. A lot. Whenever you can, for as long as you can. Okay, so that covers the physical part of things, just like striking a makiwara will make the edges of your hands physically tougher and more able to take and deliver a blow. But there's more to using the nunchaku well and with a lot of "chi" or "ki" spirit.

Call it "meditation-in-action," or "thinking-without-thinking," or whatever makes you comfortable. What we mean is that any real study of the nunchaku will involve learning the physical techniques (blocks, strikes, katas, fragments and so forth) but also taking the time to learn to deliver a block or a strike with real meaning.

Picture yourself in the dojo, "nunchucks" in hand and warming up with Figure-8 movements, sideward movements or any other movements you've selected to limber up. You're moving the weapon faster-and-faster; surer of yourself than you've ever been before. It's almost like you can see in your mind what you're going to do with the nunchaku five or six or even twenty steps further along, but you know all this without knowing. You and your "nunchucks" have become a single thing. There's no difference between the weapon and you, and both of you can support each other in any block or strike against any attacker right at that moment in time.

This state of awareness (knowing without knowing or seeing without seeing) goes by many names, and it's not just restricted to the martial arts. Many famous musicians report going through the same thing on nights when it's just them and their guitar, or piano or whatever instrument it is they play. The point is that the simple joy of doing something well takes over and the energy flow you create allows you to be better at using the nunchaku than you ever were before. This is what you need to work towards in the study of whatever martial art it is that you do, and however it is that you plan on including your "nunchuck" practice into that martial art.

So, remember this when it comes to nunchaku: There are two sides to learning it. The first is all about the physical. You practice and practice with your body and your weapon. The second side is the mind, or the mind and the spirit. Trust us when we say that if both sides come together when using the "nunchucks," any system you use to learn them will be a great system.

"When Japanese tradition meets American Ingenuity, the result is Weapon Excellence!" Manny DeCastro is the president and co-founder of Buki Yuushuu. His Martial Arts and Engineering background have helped him develop the premiere Martial Arts Weapon Brand. Join our mailing list for GREAT SPECIALS and COUPONS: http://www.BukiYuushuu.com/Mailing_List.html BukiYuushuu.com is your source for High Quality Martial Arts Weapons. Express yourself with the most styles and colors in Nunchakus (Nunchucks), Kamas, Flying Kamas, Bo Staffs, Escrima Sticks and Viper Kamas. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Manny_DeCastro

The following years saw the Kodokan change its address a number of times as it expanded and sought increasingly larger premises. In 1883 it moved to Kojicho where the dojo had twenty mats,in1886toFujimicho and a forty-mat dojo. It moved again in 1887 to Masago-cho, by which time Jigoro Kano had been sent to make a cultural study tour of Europe by the Japanese government. By 1887, after just five years, the Kodokan already had over 1,500 pupils.

Kano's judo had developed into much more than just another combat system because of the educational philosophy upon which the founder had based it. Two of the most important maxims of Kodokan judo were jita kyoei and seiryoku zenyo, the former being 'mutual benefit' and the latter 'maximum efficiency in the use of force'. Judo was conceived as a form of charactertraining, something like the way the sport of rugby was used for centuries in the English public school system, but within a much more disciplined and ascetic framework.

In 1895 the Kodokan established the first go-kyo, which consisted of forty-two throws, the bulk of which were techniques derived directly from ju-jitsu complemented by those which Kano and his disciples had evolved, such as uchimata, harai-goshi and hane-goshi. In 1920 the go-kyowas reorganized; eight techniques were removed and six new ones were introduced. Sixty years later in 1985 the Kodokan gave its official recognition to a further seventeen distinct throwing techniques, naming them the shimmeisho-no-waza (new techniques). However knowledge of the go-kyo remains the basis of most judo grading systems throughout the world.

Judo has spread considerably from its humble beginnings in the ten-mat dojo of Eishoji; it is now practiced in over 160 countries by literally millions of people and continues to grow in popularity.

Although there were contests and bouts right from its inception and rules were introduced as early as 1899 abolishing the use of wrist locks, ankle locks, neck locks and leg scissors (such as do-jime) for safety reasons, judo's evolution into an international sport took some time. Nevertheless from quite early on it was clearly Kano's intention that this should happen; it was to be an important aspect for the popularization of judo.

A standard for the training suit or judogi was established in 1907, with longer trousers than in the early days, and in 1911 ashi-garami (a leg lock) was banned from competitions although it was still widely practiced. In 1922 Kano was appointed as a senator of the Imperial Court and worked continuously to make judo an international phenomenon.

In 1926 the Kodokan established a woman's section. Kano came to be deeply involved with the Japanese Olympic Movement and travelled abroad extensively lobbying for the 1940 Olympic Games to be held in Japan, which unfortunately never came to pass because of the Second World War. In 1938 Jigoro Kano died on returning from Cairo on the liner Hikawa-maru after contracting pneumonia. He had worked on behalf of the Japanese Olympic Movement right up until the time of his death. He was aged seventy-nine.

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In 1877 an eighteen-year-old Tokyo University arts student named Jigoro Kano, the son of an important official in the Japanese navy, began to practice ju-jitsu in the Tenshin Shin'yo Ryu with Master Fukuda. Jigoro Kano was a young man with an inferiority complex that led him to push himself to exceed in many areas. His main motivation for doing ju-jitsu stemmed from having been a sickly child who felt the need to strengthen and toughen himself up. As well as studying English and German with native teachers and Japanese literature and general culture at Tokyo University, he made time to train in ju-jitsu. As his studies progressed he realized that while there were many negative aspects to ju-jitsu with which he was not in agreement, it also contained a considerable cultural heritage, which was in danger of being lost for ever as the twentieth century loomed closer. He recognized an educational potential within ju-jitsu that inspired increasingly deeper study.

When Master Fukuda died in 1879 Kano continued studying with Mataemon Iso of the Tenshin Shin'yo Ryu. Following the death of Master Iso in 1881 he began to train in the Kito Ryu with Master Okuba. By 1882, having inherited the scrolls of the Tenshin Shin'yo Ryu and with his own ideas beginning to crystallize, Kano established his own dojo for the study of those aspects of the old ju-jitsu systems that he thought valuable. His new system, which he began to teach in the Buddhist temple of Enshoji, with only nine pupils, was called judo. Rather than just involving simple training in self defence, it was conceived as a vehicle for physical and cultural development. He named his new school the Kodokan, the place for studying the way.

The big advantage Kano's judo had over other systems was that with atemi-waza, the dangerous kicks, strikes and punches, removed from the system and regular practice of ukemi-waza (falling techniques), it had become possible to evolve the randori (free play) method of training. The traditional schools only practiced kata, which involved going through prearranged series of techniques with unresisting partners, so while pupils developed high levels of skill, they had no real experience of actually fighting. Randori allowed Kano's pupils to grapple, in the same way that boxers spar to prepare them for the realities of combat, trying out techniques on one another with varying degrees of resistance and intensity.

The effectiveness of Kano's method soon became well known as a result of successive victories by his students in a number of ju-jitsu tournaments, organized along the lines of combat sports events by Mr Mishima, the head of Tokyo's Metropolitan Police. In the early days there were a number of challenges and confrontations with representatives of the ju-jitsu schools who wanted to test the efficacy of this new system. Kano's students, particularly Yamashita, Yokoyama and Saigo, had to confront the best ju-jitsu fighters of the day and always won. The most famous contest was between a ju-jitsu expert called Nakamura and Saigo of the Kodokan, who eventually defeated his opponent with a devastating yama-arashi or mountain storm throw.

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One of the great things about Judo training is the way in which we can view our progress. To be able to measure our success and evolution is a great tool to motivate us to keep improving, whether it is lasting longer in randori, avoiding an opponent's attack, or achieving a new rank. Needless to say I was very excited about testing for my brown belt (Sankyu). For me it represented a new plateau that I was about to break through and looked forward to the new responsibility and opportunities this achievement had in store for me. You can imagine my disappointment when I felt my knee give out from under while attempting a throw in class a few days before the test.

I knew pretty quickly that I was not going to be able to test that Saturday, but I still had hope that I could heal quickly enough and be able to continue shortly after. A few classes later, a few more times for the knee to give out led to the doctor and the news I did not want to hear, a torn ACL! To say that I was disappointed was an understatement. Devastated is probably closer to how I felt. I knew from playing sports my entire life that this was a difficult injury to come back from. After all, this is the big knee injury that ends sports careers. I knew the surgery and recovery were going to be long, slow and painful, but it also meant not being able to do an activity I have grown to love and I will miss spending time with people at the dojo who have become my friends.

"Get thrown seven times and get up eight, this is the spirit of Judo" -Jigoro Kano, Founder of Judo

One of the first calls I made was to Sensei. Speaking with him helped me prepare for what lay ahead and that I needed to handle this with the same mental approach I apply to my Judo. In Judo there are many challenges every night on the mat and I now had an opportunity to use this injury as one more challenge that I needed to overcome. I could have postponed the surgery to save my summer, but I didn't want to wait. Life is too short to wait for things, so two weeks later I went under the knife.

Pain and frustration can be great motivators and I had plenty of both the days following my surgery. It's easy to feel overwhelmed with difficult circumstances. I've learned that the most effective way to deal with something that seems too big to handle is to break it down into smaller pieces. How else do you approach it when the muscles in your leg atrophy and forget how to work, when every movement causes pain, when you can't sleep more than an 1 or 2 hours in a row, when even going to the bathroom becomes a challenge!

One thing that I think my Judo training prepared me for was the determination to do what needed to be done. Since I couldn't do Judo, I redirected that energy into healing myself. My rehab began the day after my surgery with 5 hours strapped into a CPM machine that moves my leg for me. In addition, I would also be doing another 2 hours of exercises on my own per day, another 2 hours a day with ice, and finally physical therapy for 2 hours. Basically rehabilitation was my full time job the first few weeks. Slowly but surely, I started to see progress each day.

At first it was just increasing the range of motion on the CPM machine, then being able to contract my muscles for the first time, then being able to put weight on my leg with crutches, then one crutch, followed by walking with no crutches, finally being able to walk on my own without a brace etc. Each of these represented a new obstacle that was overcome, a new plateau or achievement and then I really began to see for myself why Kano used the principles of Judo to educate people and how to apply this lesson to life. A certain amount of peace came to my mind and I knew that everything was going to be ok and I would be a stronger person for it.

I'm probably still a good 6 months from being back to where I was before the injury and I'm not saying that I still don't have bad days, but the main point is that I could have given up and walked away from not only the painful therapy session but the sport as well. Life is never going to be easy or without challenges and if you aren't constantly challenging yourself or improving, then how can you hope to grow as a person? Isn't this what Kano had in mind for all of us who practice his art?

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