I admittedly don’t know much about yoga. Besides the Sun Salutation and a few basic poses like lotus (okay, for me half lotus) and the plank, I haven’t practiced too much, either. I do enjoy what little I’ve done and appreciate yoga’s application to the martial arts. Flexibility, tranquility, discipline of mind and body, breath control–all of these things are essentials. I hope to begin learning a little more about yoga not only for martial arts but for its mental, physical, and spiritual health benefits practitioners enjoy.
I don’t think I’ll ever be able to hold a flame to these guys, though. Here are two videos submitted to me by a reader. I’m not familiar with the yogis, so any insight would be helpful. The recordings are from the 1930’s and are definitely worth watching. You can see some of the techniques from the first video practiced by Rickson Gracie (stomach), Eddie Bravo (lotus), and Michael Jordan (tongue).
The second video is really outrageous. This yogi’s Cirque du Soleil moves are beyond impressive. He truly embodies the union of mind and body which martial artists strive for; it must have taken decades of dedicated practice to master these contortions!
I hope you enjoy these videos and that they inspire your practice. Shout out if you know more about these incredible yogis and their art!
PS – Bonus points to the first reader to leave a link in the comments regarding the reference in the title!
Thanks for getting our contest off to a good start. We’ve got some new readers and Facebook fans, and it will be great to spread the word to even more people. Let’s keep up the momentum and keep this contest going!
Remember three simple rules to win.
1. Prizes will be awarded to randomly chosen Facebook fans when we reach 100.
2. New Facebook fans are automatically entered into the drawing. Current fans should just leave a note on the page (or on the blog) to become eligible.
3. The more people you recommend to join our Facebook page, the faster we’ll have our winners!
That’s it! Plus, we’re adding a prize of $25 dollars to Dick’s Sporting Goods to a third lucky winner! Here are the prizes.
Prize # 2 is a $50 gift card to the new martial arts wholesale store, Zengu.com! This is a great website for gym and dojo owners. Check it out to see what I mean.
Last but not least, Prize # 3 is a $25 gift card to Dick’s Sporting Goods! You can use this for anything you might need, but I always manage to find neat training tools every time I visit. Over the last few years, I’ve purchased impulse items like jump ropes, ankle weights, a weighted vest, an ab wheel, a wrist roller, kettlebells, training gloves, and . . well, yeah. You can always find something to help you martial arts training!
This card doesn't have a denomination. Write you own?
This is an exciting contest, but it’s also a great opportunity to bring new people and ideas to our community. Let’s hear what other martial artists have to say. Invite your friends to our Facebook page today!
Here’s a quick post about a find I made a few weeks ago. I wandered into Sports Authority on a whim and found a whole rack of resistance tubes!
Way better than Body By Jake!
I didn’t have the mind to take a snapshot, but here is a picture of what they look like. Pretty standard issue, right? Not quite. The “Power Station” had resistance tubes ranging from 10 lbs. to 100 lbs. with prices from $5.99 to $19.99.
Solid.
Handles are sold separately, and there are two types–single tube and triple tube. I opted for the latter so I have more options to adjust the resistance. I also purchased two 50 lbs. tubes and one 100 lbs. tube. I can do a wide range of exercises with resistance between 50-200 lbs. The best part? The whole set only cost about $50! Compare that to the suspension and pulley systems featured on the infomercials!
I’m loving them so far, by the way. I’ve used them for pulling and punching exercises by placing one of the handles beneath my freestanding heavy bag. Some other good exercises are to loop the tube beneath a bench for chest and shoulder presses. They’re a little long, but you can step on them–probably in a wide stance–for squats as well. I’m a little too cautious to pull them through the legs, but that’s your call if you’re brave enough.
There’s really only one drawback to the tubes: slipping them into the handle can be a bear.
It's tricky.
As you can see, there’s a nub on the end that keeps the tube inside the recess of the handle. The lighter weights pretty much pop right in, but the 100 lbs. tube sucked. I was eventually able to stomp my foot down close to the end, pull the nub as thin as possible, and jam it into the handle. Maybe I was a little slow in figuring that out (rubber cable’s much thinner when you pull it really tight!), but at least I worked up a sweat getting it in. (Insert joke here_____.) I’ll just tell people you have to be really strong already if you want to workout with these things.
I guess I’m a little late to weigh in on what looks like the most stacked card since UFC 100, but here goes.
Nick Diaz vs. Rory Macdonald
Diaz has looked great his last few times out. Watching him pick apart Marcus Davis in August was impressive. I give this one to him despite lacking home “cage” advantage.
Randy Couture vs. Lyoto Machida
I’m not shy about my love for Machida. Until his loss(es) to Shogun he never lost a round. Then he got away from his defensive karate style and he got knocked out. Against Rampage he went back to his more elusive style, and he looked much better. What it comes down to is that he’s a decision-style fighter. But that’s what Couture has become as well, and he’s better at it. He bullied Brandon Vera against the cage in their fight, and he got the nod despite being dropped by a nasty kick. Even Candian judges will love Captain America, and I think Randy wins after three hard rounds.
Jose Aldo vs. Mark Homenick
Fireworks. Leg kicks. Knockout. Aldo wins. Enough said.
Georges St. Pierre vs. Jake Shields
This one’s tough to call. Both of these guys love to wrestle and smother their opponents from the top. Shields has more experience with this fighting bigger guys at 185. He’s probably the better, more technical grappler too. He’s also more one-dimensional than St. Pierre. I’ll parrot what most are saying about this fight: if it stays standing, GSP will either finish the fight or win by decision. If it goes to the ground, I don’t think Shields will finish the champ, but he might eke out a split decision. Or we could be looking at another infamous championship draw. Maybe they’ll co-headline Edgar vs. Maynard III, but I hope not!
The community aspect of Moai Martial Arts has been growing strong since our big update a few months ago. Thanks for making this site so great!
Now’s a good time to expand our discussion on Facebook. We recently reached a milestone of 50 fans. Let’s see if you can make it 100! And wouldn’t adding a contest make it more fun?
Here’s how it works. Everyone who participates between now and when we reach 100 fans is eligible. New fans should join up on Facebook now to enter. Old fans are in if they share the page with their friends and drop a comment letting me know that they suggested the Facebook page to friends.
There are two prizes to sweeten the deal. The first is a Pro Curved Body Shield from our sponsors at Karate Depot.
The other prize is a $50 gift card to the new website Zengu.com. This is a wholesale specific website geared toward school owners, so this prize would be specifically for anyone in the contest who is a dojo/gym owner.
So let’s do it! The winner will be drawn at random when we reach 100 Facebook fans. Click below to get the ball rolling! When you get to our Facebook page, just click like.
Those interested in the fighting arts appreciate violence in a different way than most people. We seek to tame and understand the darker parts of human nature through mental and physical training. We try to use what we learn to protect ourselves and others. We seek continual self improvement and peace.
Teaching what we learn–especially to children–only multiplies the many benefits of true martial arts.
That is one of the reasons why the abduction and “martial education” of child soldiers should be so appalling to members of our community. It’s long been my contention that the more widespread we can make martial arts, the less likely conflict will arise. What happens throughout Africa and other areas in the world is a perversion of this ideal. Instead of honor, respect, and balance, warlords like Joseph Coney in Uganda use manipulation and fear to gain power in an already troubled post-colonial continent.
The crisis is under-reported by Western media and is completely overwhelming. But there is a way to help. The group Invisible Children visited my school recently. Some of their goals are to rehabilitate child soldiers and to equip remote villages in Uganda, Congo, and Sudan with the means to receive warnings about rebel activity. Here’s a video that better explains their work. It’s a powerful statement of how good can overcome evil.
A student of mine set up a fundraiser on the web. If you can, please click here to provide some help. Thank you.
While you’re at it, pick up a copy of A Long Way Gone, by Ishmael Beah. You’ll be shocked by the wretchedness children must suffer through from day to day in war-torn countries only to be forced to serve in rebel (and government) armies.
When I read this book I realized child soldiers live in stark contrast with America’s youth: when Beah was thirteen, he was forced to use cocaine and to slaughter innocent villagers in Sierra Leone. What did I do with my time? Killed aliens in video games while eating pizza with my friends.
As I mentioned when concluding my test of Timothy Ferriss‘s Slow-Carb Diet as detailed in The Four-Hour Body, I liked the diet but I was somewhat dissatisfied with the amount of animal protein included in the meals. I felt somewhat sluggish after eating, and didn’t feel as peppy while training. That, and I just can’t eat all those beans. I want to shape up as much as the next person, but I get self conscious when people can’t stay in the same room with me. Remember that scene from Blazing Saddles?
(Not sure why it won’t embed. Sorry. Check it out, though. It’s a classic!)
Anyway, here’s a viable alternative suggested by one of our readers. It’s dubbed the “Eco-Atkins” diet. While the article doesn’t say much about being eco-friendly, it does explain the benefits of a low carb vegetarian/vegan way of eating. This is very similar to the Paleo diet–excepting all the meat, of course.
Sure, it’s published by the Atkins folks, but it’s worth looking into. I’m currently trying to get my diet more like the one they describe, but I’m still struggling with carbohydrate intake. I’m finding I need to eat a little more pre-workout than prescribed. Does anyone have any advice?
Strength, endurance, power, flexibility. These are some of the main components of fitness that we strive to improve every day. Athletes at all levels may excel at some while struggling with others. Most of us recognize the importance of fitness in our lives and seek to improve our conditioning and, thus, our well being. Surprisingly, some say we aren’t a healthy or fit nation. But the diet and exercise industry is one of the largest in America, so we must be moving in the right direction, right?
At least we have good intentions; we introduce healthful living at an early age. At my school my students are working on the Presidential Fitness Tests, and I definitely don’t envy them. When I was in school, I DREADED these tests! I remember dry heaving during the shuttle run, “twisting” my ankle for the mile, and hanging on the pull-up bar for a good five minutes, whining for a boost. I got laughed at instead, but at least I could do the sit-and-reach. I guess my practice at grabbing food from across the table gave me a performance edge.
If you couldn’t tell, I’m a late comer to the fitness world. It took me until after college before I could adequately perform the basic exercises listed above. I take my fitness more seriously now, and I’m always looking for ways to supplement my martial arts training and my health. Devoid of even a modicum of natural athleticism, I’ve also learned that working harder goes hand-in-hand with working smarter.
Confession: Americans generally don’t like the “no pain, no gain” mantra espoused by fitness enthusiasts, and sometimes neither do I. The most recent Planet Fitness commercial sums it up.
This bodybuilder has clearly worked himself stupid in the gym. This can be avoided most easily by riding an elliptical for 15 minutes, three times a week, while watching Oprah Winfrey. Talking on the cellphone and/or listening to your iPod and/or reading a book help as well–especially if you do them all simultaneously.
If you check out the other gym rats in the video, you can see what they lack compared to that Neanderthal that’s duped out the door. No, I’m not talking about oiled-up muscles. I’m talking about intensity. INTENSITY! There’s a reason it’s called a workout. If you have time to watch other people training, then you’re probably not trying hard enough.
I’m not trying to sound macho or tough here. The consequence of a relaxing visit to the gym is that you’re not reaping the full benefits of your exercise regimen. You don’t need to get pumped, and you don’t strain yourself to the verge of puking, but you will get better results with more focused, concerted effort.
(By the way, I don’t put much stock in the P90X or Insanity videos. The workouts look challenging, but their models look like they’re on diuretics and thermogenics.)
All natural?
However, it is very hard to work up to the intensity levels demanded by the hardest workouts. It takes a long time to build your conditioning no matter what sport you play or routine you follow. Density workouts can help.
The idea is to fit as much work into a set amount of time as possible. For example, pick any exercise you like–say it’s running. Instead of running for distance, you run for time. How much ground can you cover in five minutes? Can you run a half mile? That’s a good start. Now run as fast as you can for just those five minutes. Chances are you just ran harder than you would if jogging for three miles, and you burned just as many, if not more calories. How far did you run? Maybe 3/4 of a mile. Keep doing other workouts and try it again in a month. Maybe you’re closer to running a five-minute mile.
Density workouts are meant to build work capacity. The above example shows the health and performance benefits of this training method. My overall fitness has been regressing a bit lately, so I decided to take a work-capacity booster. Here’s a workout from earlier this week. It consists of five density blocks of five minutes each. Each block contains exercise circuits meant to tax cardiovascular and muscular endurance. I threw in a round for the core and a round for striking skills as well.
Again, the key word is DENSITY (it rhymes with intensity). To improve/rehab work capacity you have to move a lot. The more you move in a given time, the more your body will fatigue, the more you fatigue this time, the more work you will be able to handle next time.
So here’s the actual workout, Remember to adjust the reps and weights as needed. If you reach failure and can’t complete the reps, then you won’t complete the rounds well enough to improve work capacity. Drop reps and weight to ensure that you keep moving for the entire round without rest.
ROUND ONE
3 pull-ups
3 dips
5 push-ups
5 standing Arnold Presses (30 lbs. dumbbells)
ROUND TWO
10 dumbbell/kettlebell swings (5 per arm)
10 medicine ball slams
ROUND THREE
(This is a complex borrowed from Ross Enamait. All exercises are performed with 30 lbs. dumbbells except down-ups)
6 burpees
6 lunges (3 per leg)
6 clean and press
6 squats
6 bent-over rows
10 up-downs
ROUND FOUR
10 leg lifts with “Ryan Hall triangle action” at the top
10 “break dance” spins (lie like you’re in guard and use one leg to spin 180 degrees, repeat with the other leg to spin back to the starting position)
10 Supermans
4 Turkish get-ups (or just stand up in base)
ROUND FIVE
Work on striking combos on the heavy bag. Try to stay as active as possible!
If you try this out, let me know what you think. Just a note: I’m not a certified trainer. I just like to experiment with different exercises to test for results. Feel free to take or leave what I provided here and to make it your own. If you do anything to hurt yourself or your training partners, don’t say I didn’t warn you. Questions, comments, concerns, or critiques are more than welcome.
Moai Martial Arts 