Capoeira Fighter Lateef Crowder is Playing Eddy Gordo in the Tekken Movie December 26, 2008
Posted by vikasreddyd in Martial Arts.Tags: capoeira fighter, capoeira vs muay thai, eddy gordo, lateef crowder, Martial Arts, muay thai, tekken, tekken movie, the protector, tom yum goong, tony jaa
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Now is some of the best news I’ve heard this year. Remember that awesome fight scene from Tom Yum Goong (The Protector)? Tony Jaa, the Muay Thai martial arts superstar of this century faced off against Lateef Crowder in a flooded burning temple.
Muay Thai against Capoeira in a high flying ground sweeping fight. If you haven’t seen this movie yet, look out for it.
Tom Yum Goong - Tony Jaa's Second Debut
The Tekken Movie is coming out in 2009 and the cast has already been announced. For all the latest details on Lateef Crowder, Eddy Gordo, and the movie, then read this article.
Tekken Movie in 2009 – Lateef Crowder To Play Capoeira Master Eddie Gordo – Associated Content
Eddy Gordo from Tekken. Bears a striking resemblance to Lateef Crowder huh?
Martial Arts – How to Break Boards and Cement Blocks Using Science December 12, 2008
Posted by vikasreddyd in Martial Arts.Tags: breaking, breaking boards, impact force, impulse, laws of physics, Martial Arts, martial arts technique
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Martial Arts – How To Break Boards and Cement Blocks Using Science – Associated Content
I’ve been a martial artist since 2003 and did my share of breaking. If you don’t use proper technique, things hurt like hell. Believe me, I’ve been there.
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Using Physics to Learn the Secret and Mastery Behind Breaking Boards and Blocks
Decrease the force of impulse over a short amount of time and you will deliver devastating damage.
Some people dream of being on TV, breaking cement blocks with single knife hand strikes like the world’s greatest martial artists. There are many professional martial arts competitions where the strongest fighters break boards and concrete using different techniques. The average person wonders how they can make it look so easy. People that aren’t overly large or muscled can still shatter bricks and wood.
The secret to such ability is not in strength. Strength matters to a degree but it is the pure manipulation of strength that determines whether or not you will break that block or the block will hurt something fierce. The secret behind breaking boards is in technique – speed, impulse, and kinetic energy.
Physics is yet again the power that determines whether or not you can impress the opposite sex by learning ground-breaking techniques. But it’s not so rare; everyone can do it. Bruce Lee was very good at using physics to manipulate how much power he can exert on boards, and of course, people. The one-inch punch is a legendary example of mind over matter.
What is Impulse?
You see, when we say something exerts a force – for example, Jackie Chan executing a spinning kick on his opponent, or when a bullet is fired into a wall, there is one factor everybody forgets to remember.
Time.
If you were in a speeding car, unable to brake, but were given a choice of hitting a haystack or a brick wall, you don’t have to be genius to pick the haystack.
High school physics was invented to prevent events like this from happening. And a house? WTF?
If you had to jump off a cliff to avoid an explosion, would you rather jump off the side leading to jagged rocks or the opposite side leading to a lake down below?
It’s obvious; we don’t even have to think about it. Impulse is the product of force and time.
Impulse = Force x Time
The haystack would increase the time of impact, lessening the force over a longer duration. The water does the same to save us from a devastating fall. Even airbags in cars increase impact times to save your life in a highway collision. In martial arts, the gloves are used to decrease the force dealt by punches that are too dangerous to be done bare-knuckled.
Remember, impulse is always the same in all events. It doesn’t matter what you choose to hit – the impulse is the same. However, the times and forces are different. If the time is long, the force will be mild. If the time is very short, the force is powerful. And when things bounce off an object after hitting them, it is even more deadly in force magnitude. When weightlifters accidentally let the bench-press bars slip onto their chests and the bars bounce off, it’s a good lesson in teaching people the importance of having a spotter.
Always have a spotter. Don't be stupid. The impulse force is GREATER if you accidentally drop the bar and it bounces off your chest.
You have to be precise when you strike a stack of wooden boards with a knife-hand. Your strength doesn’t nearly matter as much as how you hit the board. Your movement must be fluid and accurate, with no loose movement during the strike. When the blade of your hand makes contact, you have to follow through with as much power and speed as you can.
But here’s the trick. Withdraw the knife-hand quickly after following through, ‘bounce’ your hand back off the breaking board like a whip-crack. This is not a weak blow; your strike must be powerful and quick but the entire movement must be done in without sacrificing technique.
This is easier said than done. It takes much practice to be able to do it right each time and should not be done at home.
There’s a simple way to explain the secret to breaking boards and cement blocks. Or any life activity in general:
1. Decrease the time of impact (to increase the force of impact).
2. Follow through with each strike like the way a baseball coach stresses
following through with the baseball bat on a swing.
3. The impact must be quick and powerful. Keep your striking arm rigid and if you are experienced enough, ‘bounce’ back off the impact to maximize the destruction. Kinetic energy is the key factor here. Every time you double strength, kinetic energy is doubled. But every time you double speed, kinetic energy is quadrupled; Kinetic Energy = ½ Mass x (Velocity)^2.
4. Use the twisting torque of your shoulders, waist, and core of your body to amplify the rotational force of the strike. The more you use your entire body in a short duration of time in the martial arts technique; you are capturing the laws of physics in real life.
Impulse = TIME x force (Boxing Gloves)
Impulse = time x FORCE (Bare-knuckles)
Size no longer matters. It is all about using the right technique and making the most of your ’size.’ You can break boards and blocks easily if you master the process of using force in motion. It’s not a secret; do not believe advertisements and ’strength’ pills. This is something you can learn in a high school textbook.
Martial arts must know these laws to master legendary techniques. The much discussed and featured technique of Bruce Lee before his untimely death was the one-inch punch. He was able demonstrate how the punch can blast people off their feet. Watch him do it here in this YouTube video.
Another example is in, Kill Bill Volume 2; a scene in which the main character had to escape from a coffin using very little space. She had to break out of the spot with only one technique – which she learned from the old Chinese master. Although the movie is fiction and it is nigh impossible to break through a coffin while under thousands of pounds of dirt, the principle of impulse force still applies.
Master Pai Mei from Kill Bill 2 was a total asshole but you had to admit that without him, Uma Thurman's character would still be stuck in the coffin.
If you ever wanted to see a martial arts master making the most of impulse and physics, the one-inch punch’s very small duration of time and extremely large impact force is a definitive example. Turn on the television and tune into board-breaking competitions to see it being used.
You can do it, too. All it takes are three simple steps: Quickness, technique, and following through.
Strength is not the deciding factor. It is truly mind over the body, which is something technology and martial arts prove every day.
References:
Newton, Isaac. The Principia: Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy. U. of California Press, (1999). 974 pp.
The Best Martial Arts Styles for Street Fighting December 12, 2008
Posted by vikasreddyd in Martial Arts.Tags: judo, Martial Arts, martial arts styles, mixed martial arts, muay thai, street fighting, taekwondo, the protector, tom yum goong, tony jaa
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The Best Martial Arts Styles For Street Fighting – Associated Content
This is one of my highest viewed articles on martial arts. I explore the differences between several major styles of martial arts, address what it really means to be good at “street fighting”, and explain the best techniques from each martial arts style.
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Ground Fighting Vs Striking
There are thousands of martial arts styles in the world, but the most popular ones have made it as far as they have because they hold elements of combat significant to tradition and power.
Taekwondo
This is currently the most practiced martial art in the world, the national sport of South Korea. Taekwondo is the bread and butter of striking. It is essential in building speed and strength through conditioning, and exceptional in increasing flexibility. It is not hard to learn, but very tough to master enough to make it practical in a real life fight. The basis of Taekwondo is kicking, and more specifically, high kicking.
High kicking should be left to the elite.
High kicking is never recommended (above the midsection of the opponent) in a street fight. Only the most experienced and conditioned fighters can pull off these kinds of kicks to make it effective – and it’s rare enough for the simple word of advice: just don’t attempt it. Taekwondo teaches a lot of kicking to the chest and midsection though, which you can get away with. The midsection is a good place to kick because a broken rib can end the fight by itself.
A favorite of this art is the roundhouse kick. It is extremely powerful compared to a punch. Your legs exert more than twice the force of your arms, and when combined with speed, footwork, pivoting, and hip motion, this kick can easily damage break ribs, damage internal organs, and knock the lights out of people. When aimed at the head (extremely rare because the higher the target, the tougher), it can cause concussions and even death.
The secret to delivering the perfect roundhouse kick is not simply the strength of the leg muscles. It is the torque generated through the pivoting of the back foot, twisting of the hips and shoulders, and a whipcrack snap of the shin upon contact – all this must happen at the same time. It must be a harmony of collaboration, a result of different powers. The legs are only extensions of the body, and no muscle can work alone.
The time it takes to perfect the roundhouse kick can be minimal, it’s all about technique. Without technique, speed and strength do not reign supreme.
Muay Thai
Muay Thai is one of the rawest martial arts in the world.
This is one of the toughest and most dangerous arts to learn – and rewarding. It hails from Southeast Asia, from various countries, including Thailand. Think of this as Taekwondo minus high kicks, aggressive boxing, and the ability to use knees and elbows all combined. It is also a striking art and is the epitome of the ‘hard martial art,’ which employs the use of techniques through physical power. Roundhouses are also integral here but make use of the shin more, in contrast to the face of the foot in Taekwondo. This is a perspective of Muay Thai’s low kicking style, where as Taekwondo kicks are aimed higher; hence, using the face of the foot for more reach.
In a nutshell: Shin roundhouse kicks are powerful, but require heavier conditioning. Old masters are known to train their students by having them kick tree trunks repeatedly. The bones of the shin gain calcium deposits, weakening the nerves and increasing bone density. This toughens the body as a whole.
If you want to be a good street fighter, take some lessons in this. The knees and elbows are the bread and butter of this art, and extremely important in in-fighting, which is what most street fights are. It is quick, brutal, and ruthless. You have to realize that in street fights, it’s not a boxing ring. You don’t circle your opponent, looking for openings and staying at striking distance. You have to make your openings.
When he lunges for you, push kick to shatter his kneecap, close the distance, double jab to open the combo, right hook the side of his head, blinding roundhouse to the ribs, and finish with an elbow strike to the jaw to knock his head into the hard concrete.
That’s Muay Thai.
Boxing
Learn this. No matter what type of fighter you are, learn boxing. Your arms may be weaker than your legs but they are much, much faster. Boxing teaches people how to punch, which the vast majority of people can’t do properly. This art (yes, this is an art style) is the bread and butter of street fighting in general.
The heavy weight boxing champion of the 20th century.
In street fights, you will rarely use your legs, if ever. In adapting to frantic and speedy situations, humans rely on punching the most. Some of the best moves in combat take root in boxing: the Jabs, Hooks, and Uppercuts. Jabs close the distance and open up the combos. Hooks are the power punches. Uppercuts are those integral shots that can overcome the opponent when he’s cornered and tries to defend his face. Uppercuts are not easy to block.
Boxing is underestimated because it doesn’t sound like a mysterious, mystical, and stereotypically uber martial art. And it’s typically not Eastern, which is why people don’t take it seriously. But it’s undeniably one of the best styles out there.
Kendo, Silat, Kali
If you happen to own a stick or cane at all times, learn these. It’s self-explanatory.
Wrestling, Jujutsu, Judo
Ground fighting is more important than striking. This includes grappling, joint locks, throws, and submission techniques. Most street fights are up close and personal, ending up on the ground. The best fighter knows how to hold his own on the ground. Size is preferred but doesn’t mean anything compared to speed, agility, and knowing how to use the opponent’s weight against himself. These arts are closely related and are much tougher in conditioning than the previous three striking arts listed.
Judo specializes in throw downs and submission techniques.
They also teach you more specifically, how to break bones, joints, and even more specifically, how to kill. They are dangerous. Watch an Olympic wrestling match. Hell, watch a high school wrestling match. The fighters you see there, despite no fancy martial arts experience or belt rank attached to their name, are some of the most formidable fighters in the world. On the ground, they would tear the average person apart.
There are ‘less’ fatal joint locking and grappling arts like Aikido and Hapkido, which reign from Japan and South Korea, respectively.
Why does ground fighting usually trump striking?
The average human, without any specialized training, is still very dangerous as a striker. The punches can be sloppy, the elbows can be inaccurate, but it doesn’t take many hits to the head to do knock someone out.
Look at it this way. The average human has a moderate knowledge on how to fight on two feet. But the average human knows little on what to do when he’s in a submissive position on the ground.
Now if you take the average striker against an average ground fighter in a fight upon two feet, the striker will have the upper hand but the ground fighter will know enough to hold his own. Specialized skill can only compensate a bit, real fights are unpredictable. The striker does not have the finishing advantage.
Now if you take the average striker against the average ground fighter in a fight on the ground, the striker will get pulverized. The knowledge on how to handle oneself on the ground isn’t as ‘common’ or ‘mainstream’ as punching and kicking – that’s the truth. The ground fighter has a huge upper hand.
And you know how often real fights go to the ground. That’s why it’s best to have both worlds to survive in each.
Tony Jaa in Tom Yum Goong - The Protector
The Judgement – Which Style Is the Best?
Some of the best styles to learn how to fight are the most overlooked. To be a good fighter, you have to be able to strike and dominate the ground. Weakness in one makes you weak as an adaptive fighter.
However, most often than not, in a fight between a striker and a grappler/ground fighter, the ground fighter has the advantage. Once the fight goes to the ground, it’s over. All it takes is closing the distance.
In Olympic non-full contact sparring and demonstrations in which the guy being demonstrated on just stands there, nothing is informative. If you want to learn how to fight, watch MMA fights, like in UFC or Pride Fighting. Boxing is also informative if you want to understand footwork.
Bruce Lee regretted giving Jeet Kune Do a name because it was a concept that rejected the strict structure of martial styles in favor of an eclectic understanding of combat.
Learn how to dominate both battlefields and you win the battle. Do not attempt the moves at home and sign up at your neighborhood dojo or dojang. You might be choosing something you were destined to be.
The style does not make the fighter. The fighter makes the style.
