Meditation Mastery Level 1 / 2 Seminar

The Lightning Path



http://www.meditation-mastery.com/mm-ee-seminar-poster-RI.html



A weekend workshop based on the research by Dr Glenn Morris of highly effective
meditation and esoteric energy techniques, cherry picked from a variety of
martial arts, healing therapies and shamanistic traditions.



Benefits

[ Deeper levels of relaxation, calmness and wellbeing

[ Enhanced tools for energy management in your self and others

[ Stronger energy leading to better health and healing effectiveness for
practitioners

[ Enhanced sensitivity to energy

[ Powerful visualisation and self development tools

Syllabus

Level I

[ Seeing and feeling energy

[ Basic chi kung and chakra work

[ Secret smile meditation - a powerful mood enhancement technique

[ Five point breathing – energy generation technique

[ Micro and Macrocosmic orbit – enhanced energy flow and health

[ Higher tantra

[ How to achieve Kundalini awakening safely

Level II

[ DaMo's Cave visualisation technique for self development.

[ Chakra diagnostics

[ Sexual and lower tantra

[ Chi building,

[ Basic energy balancing and healing

[ Secret sword or soul merging techniques

[ Energy massage and healing techniques



Come and jopin us for this exciting and highly useful workshop. Ideal for energy
workers, yogis, tai chi and chi kung practitoners, martial artists, shamanic
practitioners, and healers alike.



Start Time: Saturday, November 7 at 8:00am

End Time: Sunday, November 8 at 4:00pm

Cost reduced from $600 per person to $200.

Where: Rhode Island Fitness and Martial Arts, 345 Waterman Avenue, Providence,
R.I.

http://www.meditation-mastery.com/mm-ee-seminar-poster-RI.html



Instructed by Mark Lawrence.

Shihan Mark Lawrence was recently elected as the head of the Hoshinroshiryu
Jutaijutsu Association by the leaders of this newly formed organization. He has
been the head instructor at Kawartha Hoshin Training Centre for the past 10
years, and was a personal student of Hoshin's founder, Dr. Glenn J. Morris-soke.
Mark has studied various aspects of both the internal and external martial arts
for more than 19 years. He has trained in various forms of healing work such as
Therapeutic Touch, massage and acupressure. Mark had been practicing different
forms of meditation for many years before he started training in external
martial arts, and was eventually led to Dr. Morris's series of books on martial
arts and the esoteric. After reading these books, Mark travelled to Indiana (a
10 hour drive) to meet and train with Dr. Morris. This was the beginning of a
long and wonderful friendship with a man that would be Mark's mentor, friend and
teacher for years to come.



Within the first year of training with Dr. Morris, Mark achieved the rising of
the Kundalini.

This was another re-birthing of sorts for Mark, and he was very lucky to have
his mentor around to help him through this process.



On one of Dr. Morris's extended trips to KHTC in 2005, Mark was honoured to be
able to assist Dr. Morris in recreating the Hoshin syllabi. It was at this time
that the first instructional Hoshin DVD's were created. Unfortunatley, Dr.
Morris would never see the finished product with his sudden death in April 2006.



After the death of Dr. Morris, Mark and the other leaders of the orginal
organization did everything possible to keep Hoshin from fading away. Mark and
his very supportive wife Tina put in extensive hours striving to drive Hoshin,
and the new leadership forward. In recognition for this work, Mark was named the
Man of the Year for Excellence in Communications when he was inducted into the
World Martial Arts Hall of Fame.



At the Memorial Kaizen in 2006, Mark was drawn to one of Dr. Morris's old
friends, students, and mentors - Shihan Kevin Millis (15th Dan - Bujinkan Budo
Taijutsu). Mark and Shihan Millis quickly began creating a friendship that has
now lead into a teacher - student relationship. Mark received his Shodan (1st
degree black belt) in Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu in April of 2008 under the guidance
of Shihan Millis, who now continues to mentor Mark.



Over the years since Dr. Morris-soke death, several things changed within the
original Roshi Ryu organization, and its leadership. After much soul searching,
Mark and several of the leaders decided to leave the original organization to
form this new one.



"My only two desires in this organization is to continue the legacy of my
teacher, mentor, and friend, Dr. Glenn J. Morris-soke, and to assist people that
are on their path". Mark Lawrence



http://www.hoshin.ca/index.html

Hoshinroshiryu Jutaijutsu Association

Do to recent developments, personally, the October 2009 Shamanic Warrior Weekend
in Canada has been postponed.  There in one booked in Lebanon, Maine (just over
the NH border) that is scheduled for those who would like to attend.  This is a
Washin International sanctioned event .

I am very pleased to announce the following weekend program at Crescent Moon
Herbals.  There is a deadline to register to therefore I am sending out this
special announcement.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WHEN: November 6-8 (pre-registration deadline is October 15th at 5 p.m.)------


The word "Shaman" comes from the Tungist tribe in Siberia and translates as "one
who sees in the dark" or "healer".

The Shamanic tradition is one of the oldest spiritual practices. It can be
traced back at least 50,000 years and has roots in all major organized
religions. Rather than a belief system, it is an age-old way of gaining
knowledge and integrating parts of our life force that we have lost touch with,
allowing us to regain our natural power. What is most remarkable about Shamanism
is that although it was developed by many separate cultures (Australia, Siberia,
Europe, Africa and the Americas), a core practice exists which is common to all
these traditions. This core
practice is what the weekend is all about!

Although we no longer live in tribal communities, the Shaman role still has a
place in society and maybe in some respects more so now than ever before. The
Warrior Shamanic Way teaches that everything has its own spirit, and when we
connect to Spirit, we become whole. When we see each other as spiritual beings,
we then learn about what true, unconditional love is and how to keep that love,
even as a warrior, in our mindful hearts.

Within the Warrior Shamanic Way is to tread lightly on the Earth honoring Her
and being grateful for everything around and within us. The Warrior Shamanic
tools are beautifully simple in their power, but it is how they are used that is
important. This weekend brings an eclectic mix of those tools for the
practitioner to experience a True Warrior's Spiritual Path.

Warriors Council - On Friday evening, after our travel to the event, we will
meet in a circle to begin the weekend with teachings and sharing. Talking
Circles like this have been used by many indigenous cultures for a group to
discuss issues in a non-aggressive, confronting manner about what is present in
their lives. Circle starts promptly at TBA.

The Journey - Starting Saturday morning the group will be lead in journeywork.
In ancient cultures the Shaman would "journey" to non-ordinary reality to seek
guidance and answers for the tribe or clan. Shamans all had their allies, their
wise ones often appearing to them in the form of animals or human spirit guides.
They had learned to trust implicitly guidance from their allies, going on their
journeys into the non-ordinary reality as little children, open to being taught
and inspired by Great Spirit. The session will be geared toward the experience
of the group at hand.

Firewalk - Continuing into the evening Saturday, the group will experience a
Firewalk. Many people find the firewalk to be a very spiritual experience. The
firewalk in this case is used as a tool for enlightenment. Passing over a hot
bed of red-hot coals unharmed is one of the most spiritual experiences of a
lifetime. The power of the firewalk is absolutely transforming to each person
who "walks on fire". This newfound power will lift each individual to new
heights and allow the firewalker a deep sense of inner peace and guidance.

Healing and Prayer Lodge - Every indigenous culture had its version of a sweat
lodge; the Inipi of the Native First Americans to the Traditional Siberian
Sweats. This KHY modern-traditional lodge will begin Sunday morning and end into
the evening. (Due to the nature of a healing lodge, we cannot provide an exact
time of ending, though 12 hours start to finish is expected.) Members will
construct the sacred lodge together in the sacred manner, hold a fire ceremony
and partake in one of the most spiritual of shamanic tools, the prayer and
healing lodge.

The "lodge experience" represents re-birth; it is a birth, and when one finishes
the ceremony, he feels "like new" and like he is "floating". The ceremonies
performed during the day are for purification and healing of body, mind and
spirit. Those who feel the heat may be too great in the lodge will be able to
participate and assists the fire keeper. All participants are requested to eat
to sustain for the entire weekend, only water on Sunday and to bring a dish to
share at the day's end as we bring the weekend to a close in the sharing of food
as a community.

Let us be true Shamanic Warriors on the path to Peace and Harmony.

About the instructors: Chris Bashaw and Rick Wilmott are both martial artists
and shamanic practitioners; seekers of the way who have trained in many
spiritual (paths under many teachers). Both are followers of a Spiritual Warrior
Path; both have taught this path internationally and now bring it to you to
experience in one enlightening weekend. You do not have to be a martial artist
or a shaman to gain the insights that this weekend delivers. Come and experience
with an open mind.

Gifting, as taught by Native First Americans Native is a practice that goes back
through the very thread of the culture. In our culture we use the term donation
for "gifting" or "Energy Exchange". Gifting is giving of yourself in return for
a kindness (in this case the experience of the weekend) that has been given to
you. The kindness may be a material thing, a teaching, a healing or just a
friendship and bonding between people. The importance of gifting is in the
honoring of one another. It is not payment for something; rather recognition of
having respect of one another.

In this society it is difficult for people to offer the love of spirit through
their teachings. In the past they would have been honored in return through the
gifting of a blanket or trade item or something of need to them and of value; in
essence an equal exchange of energy takes place. What was given was always
acknowledged in some way. Today our society says value money as an equal energy
exchange; it is money that sets value. And though this is contrary to the
teachings of indigenous cultures we must honor the culture, which predominates.
And though the
instructors of the weekend would love to see our culture return to the ancient
ways, they must continue to live in the now so that these teachings may
continue.

The energy exchange for this weekend is $300/pp. However, there is a sliding
scale for those who need assistance ($150 and up/pp). Please contact Crescent
Moon Herbals for sliding scale. Energy exchange does not include lodging, food,
etc. This event requires a minimum of 6 people to be successful.

Call and exact times of the event will shared as well as a list of potential
hotels in the area.


Mary Lavoie
Crescent Moon Herbals, LLC
76 Center Road
Lebanon, ME 04027

Web-site: www.crescentmoonherbals.com
E-mail: crescentmoonherbals@...

Telephone: 207-457-1114

Hours:  Wed.-Sat., 11-5 p.m.; Sun., 11-4 p.m.
             and by appointment!

REGISTRATION POLICY: To allow instructors adequate time for preparation, please
register early. Some events welcome Walk-Ins. Cancellations must be made either
in person, in writing or by live phone call (no voice mail) "3" days prior to
the event for which you are registered in order to receive a full refund. Once
your payment has been processed (3 days prior to event), all tuitions become
non-refundable as instructors require compensation for "no-shows".  Event
instructional timeframe may fluctuate due to class size. Checks returned for
non-payment will be charged $25 per banking transaction to cover expenses.

http://www.freewebs.com/mizu_tama_dojo/koshonictreatments.htm

Koshonic Body Stress Release (c) Certification  September 13 and 14
2008

Lebanon, Me.

http://www.washin.org/aboutus.htm

WaShin International purpose is to unite both warriors, healers,
warrior-healers, mystics and mystic-healers in a scholarly venue where
sharing, education, networking, and fellowship of like minds are
brought together.

The name WaShin comes from wa meaning peace, harmony and gentleness
while shin translates as heart, mind and feeling.

Please visit our website and join a great organization.

Open to Healers; Warriors; Mystics; or blendings of any of these.

May 20, 2007 New England Tai Chi and Qigong Conference, Penacook, NH
http://www.netaijiqigong.com/

June is fast approaching and the deadline for inductees submissions
and testing is April. DON"T MISS IT!


Go online http://www.freewebs.com/golden_fist_award/ for information
on the seminar, tournamnet and inductions. Share this with friends,
students and peers.

Have peopel sign up to get our monthly newsletter.

We have t-shirts, polo shirts and more available to order. Order here
http://www.freewebs.com/golden_fist_award/ these will not be sold at
the event.

Warrior's Spirit
Issue 4
January 11, 2007.
Official News letter of The World Multi Martial Arts Hall of Fame
twmmahof@...
http://www.freewebs.com/golden_fist_award/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
First, my apologies for the late distribution of the January
newsletter.

Please remember we need your articles.

Please note the deadline for the 2007 events, refer to the home page.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Daily Meditation - Spiritual Support For Today's World
By: Mashubi Rochell
In days of old, spiritual life was separate from "regular life".
People went to church or temple once a week, and then got on with the
rest of their lives. Daily meditation was something that only nuns,
priests, rabbis or monks did.

In today's world, our understanding of spiritual life is changing.
More and more we are understanding that all of life is sacred, and at
the same time, there seems to be less and less time available for us
to slow down and connect with our innermost spiritual center.

With the advent of global communication, there are now many options
available to us for spiritual and religious expression. At the same
time, modern life has become more challenging, more demanding and
faster paced. Staying positive and focused on God's love can be
difficult, especially when we are faced negative energy that we see
manifesting in world events. Many people face depression or even
despair because they find it difficult to connect with their inner
experience of God's love during these difficult times.

A regular spiritual practice of daily meditation can be of great help
in today's world, to help bring an awareness of spiritual values into
all aspects of your daily life. Daily meditation can allow you to
create peace within yourself, which then radiates outwards to others.
Daily meditation can be a simple as taking five or ten minutes daily
with your favorite spiritual support, or can involve a more rigorous
program of study, practice and meditation.

The importance of daily meditation is in the consistency with which
it is done. It is helpful to schedule a specific time of day, or to
do your meditation several times a day. Some people find it helpful
to create an altar or other sacred space in the home, which provides
an outer reminder of the sacred, and also creates a vibration of
peace and harmony. If you can keep this sacred space clean, free from
clutter, and away from other activities, and you will find that your
altar becomes a spiritual haven that you can go to find peace, light
and comfort in the midst of a busy day.

You do not need to only have one altar in your home. You can make an
altar in each room, at your desk, and even in your car. A daily
reminder of sacred reality goes a long way to supporting your daily
meditation practice.

Daily meditation can provide comfort, upliftment, and spiritual
support, even during difficult times. You will find yourself
attracted to meditation practices that are most resonant with your
own soul's unique divine blueprint. A daily meditation practice can
be tailored to your own unique needs and spiritual longing. Daily
inspiration and meditation be found through sacred religious texts as
well as newer spiritual writings.

We are all of God, and created by God, and we each have a unique
purpose and aspect of God that we embody in the world. The abundance
of sacred teachings at this time on the Earth is a reminder that God
speaks in many ways so that each heart and each soul can feel and be
reminded of God's love in their own unique way. Daily meditation can
help you to connect with your own divine essence, and to bring your
gifts into the world for the betterment of all of humanity.
You can receive free online daily meditation support resources at
www.worldblessings.com
Daily Meditation - Spiritual Support For Today's World Source:Free
Article Distribution Services



Natural Cures For Hemorrhoids
By: Carla Donnelly
Don't feel badly if you have a hemorrhoids. It is common but not many
speak about it to others due to the fact it seems so personal. Most
people can treat it without surgery.

One way to avoid hemorhoids is to avoid straining your sphincter
muscles and to take stool softeners if needed. If you work on a hard
floor standing for hours that can also strain your body (as well as
being overly sedentary) or if you are involved in heavy lifting you
may strain yourself. Another recommendation is to not stay on the
toilet for long periods of time reading. If you have a desk job try
to get up once an hour for a few minutes to move and stretch.

Some factors that may contribute to hemorrhoids include being
overweight and one's genetic lineage.

Is there a natural cure for hemorrhoids? It is good to eat a diet
that is balanced and has sufficient fiber, practice good bathroom
hygeine and avoid constipation to not put any strain on rectal veins.
If you use bran ,remember to have sufficient water with it as fiber
without water can make constipation actually worse. Psyllium seeds
are good and metamucil is commonly used. Again be sure to have
sufficient water whether you take it as a cookie or powder.

Some popular herbs and alternative supplements used by people for
relief are bromelain (anti-inflammatory), aloe very juice and
butcher's broom.

There have also been research studies with the supplement butcher's
broom extract showing that it can help tighten and strengthen veins
(this includes both hemorrhoids as well as varicose vein conditions).

Hemorrhoids can be a problem for pregnant women due to the pressure
of the fetus.

Soaking in the tub can help relieve symptoms and some people like to
rotate ice and taking a warm bath for hemorrhoids care.

Pleae keep in mind that hemorrhoids will not lead to cancer so if
there is blood from this condition there need not be panic. Having
said that, it is important to know that colon cancer may have some
bleeding so you do need a proper diagnosis.

There is a lot of information and product ideas on the net and I
suggest finding something that has a money back guarantee as well as
testimonials as you look for a natural cure for hemorrhoids to help
treat this condition. Also keep your perspective and remember that it
is not life threatening if it starts to get you discouraged.
Carla Donnelly is a webmaster and publisher at
www.mountcollectables.com . Stop by to visit us at Natural Cures for
Hemorrhoids to learn more.
Natural Cures For Hemorrhoids Source:Free Article Distribution
Services
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How Essential Oil work?
By: Bakhru
Dr Alan Huch, a neurologist, psychiatrist and also the director of
Smell and Taste Research Centre in Chicago says, "Smell acts directly
on the brain, like a drug." Our nose has the capacity to distinguish
1,00,000 different smells, (many of which) affect us without our
knowing about the same.

The aroma enters our nose and comes in contact with the cilia, the
fine hair inside the nose lining. The receptors in the cilia are
linked to the olfactory bulb which is at the end of the smell tract.
The end of the tract is in turn connected to the brain itself Smells
are converted by cilia into electrical impulses that are transmitted
to the brain through olfactory system. All the impulses reach the
limbic system. Limbic system is that part of the brain which is
associated with our moods, emotions, memory and learning. All the
smell that reaches the limbic system has a direct chemical effect on
our moods.
For example smelling lavender increases alpha waves in the brain and
it is this wave that helps us to relax. A whiff of jasmine increases
beta waves in the brain and this wave is associated with an increased
agile and alert state.

Limbic system is also a storehouse of millions of remembered smells.
That is why the mere fragrance of haystack takes us back to childhood.

The molecular size of the essential oils is very tiny and they can
easily penetrate through the skin and get into the blood stream. It
takes anything between a few seconds to two hours for the essential
oils to enter the skin and within four hours the toxins get out of
the body through urine, perspiration and excreta.

Aroma oils work like magic for stress-related problems, psychosomatic
disorders, skin infections, hair loss, inflammations, pains arising
from muscular or skeletal disorders to name some. Actually essential
oils have innumerable applications.

In Bristol, lavender oil was used on 28 patients who had undergone
bypass surgery. 24 of them reported reduced breathing rates, lower
blood pressure and anxiety levels.

In Paris, in 1985, 28 women were given treatment for thrush using
essential oils. After 90 days the clinical examination showed that 21
of them had been cured completely.

Essential oils are safe to use. The only caution being they should
never be used directly because some oils may irritate sensitive skin
or cause photosensitivity. They should be blended, in adequate
proportion with the carrier oils. A patch test is necessary to rule
out any reactions.
Krishan Bakhru is the editor of Easy Home Remedies and Aromatherapy
Essential oils
How Essential Oil work? Source:Free Article Distribution Services
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Using Your Health Savings Account for Alternative Medicine
By: Wiley P Long
Health Savings Accounts allow you to set up a tax-deductible account
to pay for medical expenses that are not covered by your health
insurance. These include expenses to cover your deductible, and other
medical expenses like dental and eyeglasses. But many don't realize
that HSA funds can be used to pay for virtually any type of medical
service, as long as it pertains to the treatment or prevention of a
specific health condition.

Because money withdrawn from a health savings account to pay medical
expenses is tax-free, anyone who has an HSA can funnel all
alternative medical expenses through their HSA and get a tax write-
off. This could include biofeedback, naturopathy, Ayurvedic medicine,
aromatherapy, magnetic healing, reflexology, and the list goes on.

People who use complementary therapies are often very health
conscious, and go to traditional physicians less often. So it does
not make sense for them to be paying a high premium for a traditional
health insurance plan with a co-pay, particularly when their medical
treatments are not covered anyway. Instead, many are choosing a low
cost high-deductible HSA plan.

Alternative Therapies Becoming Mainstream

Many hospitals are now offering complementary treatments. The website
for the Memorial Sloan-Keating Cancer Center states that
complementary therapies are used to "help alleviate stress, reduce
pain and anxiety, manage symptoms, and promote a feeling of well-
being."

Some group health insurance plans are beginning to cover more
complementary expenses, but there is still very little coverage for
these expenses in individual or family plans. Those that cover
chiropractic limit coverage to 12 - 20 visits per year, and a few
will cover a limited amount of acupuncture. But very few if any cover
hypnotherapy, Reiki, iridology, or faith healers.

Why Complementary Medicine

The conventional medicine practiced by most MDs is called allopathic
medicine. The philosophy of this system is to treat disease and
injury using counteractive methods. For instance, if you have a fever
you may take aspirin to make it go down, if your cholesterol is
elevated you may take a statin to reduce it, if you have heartburn
you may take an antacid. The thinking is mostly focused on removing
the symptoms of disease, and the primary treatment modalities are
surgery and prescription drugs.

But there are other ways to look at things. Naturopathic medicine is
based on the belief in the body's own healing powers, which can be
strengthened through the use of certain foods, vitamins, herbs, or
other "natural" treatments. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is
based on ancient Chinese theories about the balance of yin and yang.
Ayurvedic medicine is based on principles of movement, metabolism,
and structure.

Part of the growing use of complementary therapies is a reaction to
the costs, side effects, and philosophy of conventional allopathic
medicine. Physicians get much of their continuing education from the
pharmaceutical industry, and they work in an environment where the
insurers and the patients are both looking for a quick fix. The
result is that the average 60 year old is now taking 5 regular
medications, yet there is little expectation that those drugs will
ever cure the health problems for which they're being used. Many
consumers see this, and instead are using other methods to try to get
to the root of their illness.

What is Considered a "Qualified HSA Expense"

Qualified medical expenses have been partially defined in IRS
Publication 502, and through various federal court rulings. There is
no definitive list, but there are really very few restrictions as
long as the procedure is for the treatment or prevention of a
specific health condition. For instance, you could not use your HSA
funds to pay for a relaxing massage for your own personal pleasure.
But if your doctor recommends you get a massage for specific medical
reasons, this is considered a qualified expense. Yoga would not
normally be considered a qualified medical expense, but it would be
if it was recommended as a physical therapy following some sort of
accident.

Some may question why the government would give a tax deduction for
someone to use some crazy energy vibration machine to cure their
cancer. But this is as it should be. No one but you should be able to
decide what type of treatment you will use for your own illnesses. By
empowering individuals to manage their health as they see fit, HSAs
encourage personal responsibility and help loosen the monopoly on
healthcare that conventional medicine has had for the past few
decades.
By Wiley Long - President, HSA for America (www.health--savings--
accounts.com) - The nation's leading independent health insurance
firm specializing in Health Savings Plans that work with a Health
Savings Account. Please link to this site when using this article.
Using Your Health Savings Account for Alternative Medicine
Source:Free Article Distribution Services

"How much can I earn as a bodyguard"
By: John
By now you've been asking, "How much can I earn as a bodyguard?" The
fees associated with this type of work vary depending upon many
factors, including:

• Your Prior Experience, Skills & Training
• Client Profile
• Level of Risk
• Amount of Travel Required
• Locale & Circumstances of the Detail
• Range of Duties for the Position

There are no set fees for bodyguard employment. All fees are arranged
by negotiation. The more skills you have, the more experience the
more you can earn. A highly skilled bodyguard may earn $125,000 per
year plus bonuses, but these are often positions with specific
requirements, and locations around the world.

One website we visited offered the example of a Female Bodyguard
earning six figures, but bear in mind--she works in Saudi Arabia. She
obtained the job because she spoke Arabic very fluently, knew how to
live and abide by the moral ethic of the country. She was very
skilled in martial arts and an expert with all weapons (eight years
in the USMC). She spoke other languages and could act as an
interpreter whenever her client traveled. Those are extremely
valuable skills, and merit the high paycheck.

Bodyguards have varying levels and types of experience. A former
Secret Service agent has some of the best training in the world - and
the best experience, and accordingly, their fees will be quite high.
An individual with extensive security experience, but less close-
personal protection experience will be earning less, and the
contracts are negotiated based on the locale, the situation and other
factors. Pay can range from a minimum of $150 per day up to $1000 a
day. Every contract is different.

Many bodyguards earn in excess of $70,000 annually. Sometimes an
inexperienced but well trained individual will be given a valuable
opportunity to gain experience working in association with other
bodyguards on an assignment such as a red carpet detail. Sometimes,
newer bodyguards are called upon to provide an authoritative presence
to act as a deterrent. The pay scale for a beginner is going to be
lower, but remember, you are building a resume and contacts. Getting
to know other professionals in the business and proving yourself
leads to building a network--a crucial tool to assist you in
PROMOTING & MARKETING yourself.

Harlan (Hucky) Austin
www.bodyguardcareers.com
Harlan V. Austin has acquired over 20 years of field experience as a
Close Protection Operative/Bodyguard, seven years of which he served
as Director of Security Services for Paisley Park Productions.
Foremost in his duties at Paisley Park was assuring the safety and
welfare of the musical artist Prince, as well as celebrities with
whom Prince collaborated or associated with – Lenny Kravitz, Madonna,
Morris Day, Sheena Easton, George Clinton and Kim Basinger to name a
few. www.bodyguardcareers.com
"How much can I earn as a bodyguard" Source:Free Article Distribution
Services


Strategy as applied to warrior-citizens
By: Owen Johnston
After years of study, I have come to a small understanding of the way
of strategy. I will here explain some strategy as it applies to
warrior-citizens. Seek whatever truth you may find here, then
continue on your search for enlightenment.

In the broad view, a warrior must uphold the values of his or her
society to be of any honorable use. We all depend on one another. The
warrior must quell disorder, promote peace, and cultivate character.
In practicing the ways of war, one has an obligation to not use them
in an illegal or immoral fashion.

Let us now consider fighting tactics. First, we must understand self
defense. One should exercise caution in the use of force. Awareness
must have the highest priority.

In self defense, one must be able to read the situation and potential
adversary. Pay attention to the neighborhood, your own mental and
physical state, as well as the mental state of potential attackers.
One can never be too careful. When visiting a new area, stay in well
lit areas that seem safe. Also try to find good information on the
right places to stay if you are going to be in town for a while.

There are many articles on the uses of makeshift weapons, and weapon
disarms. Not all such articles are realistic, nor are any of them a
substitute for hands-on defense training. They may be a supplement to
such training from a true instructor. The broken rhythm of fighting,
the form without form, and the warrior's mindset are difficult to
learn without guidance.

There is never enough thought given to proper timings. Blend with or
break the opponent's energy, rhythm, or attitude. Read timings/habits
quickly. This is applied to hand to hand combat, large scale combat,
and overall strategy. Study this well.

You must be ready to defend yourself as soon as you leave your home,
even if you are not feeling well, caught off guard, outnumbered, or
overwhelmed by a stronger attacker intent on killing you. You must be
prepared for the worst. End the fight as soon & as peacefully as
possible; simplicity & instinct are key!

In life, stay truthful to yourself and loved ones. Take the most
honorable course of action in every situation; your enemy today may
become your ally tomorrow. Your best friend can be your worst enemy
because he or she knows the most about you. It is in this case you
must treat them as honorably as possible. Also remember that what
protects and upholds you today may hinder you tomorrow. Watch
carefully, ask questions, and do not ever stop learning. This will be
your lifelong progress, and contribution.
*****

Many fights actually begin at or near home; before a disagreement
turns into an altercation, try to defuse the situation. In any
altercation, use positive reinforcement. "I know / am sure you're a
nice person, but I would rather not (fill in the blank)." Remember,
martial arts are not just collections of fighting techniques,
but "arts" by which we defend the quality of life for ourselves and
others.

"Budo" and "kung fu" have rather holistic meanings for everyday life,
and not simply "martial arts", as they are so commonly translated. In
this sense, "martial art" may itself take on a new meaning. "Martial"
certainly connotes fighting tactics, yet "art" presents a deeper
level of understanding. Do everything you can to "preserve the
whole". Do not fight if possible, or to take the path of least
resistance if conflict is inevitable. Fight out of necessity rather
than hostility.

Let us further look into how to apply the art of strategy as it
relates to self defense. The attacker believes he/she has an
advantage. This may include a weapon, surprise, strength, and so
forth. He / she is also more likely to attack you if he / she sees
you as a potential victim. Therefore, be cautious when you are
fatigued or alone, and do not appear timid, even if you are smaller
than potential attackers. Always try to stay aware, and prepared to
talk your way out of a situation, or defend yourself.

The environment, mindset of the attacker, and effects of panic will
further handicap you. Your attackers do not come at you in
prearranged patterns. You have to be ready to fight back, and take
the initiative, because every second counts!

The best defense is a good offense. Use distance and the environment;
be spontaneous. This is all very important against multiple
assailants! Your movements must be fluid, economical, and not overly
mechanical. The longer the fight, the more dangerous it becomes! When
you are in unfamiliar territory, try to scan for escape routes,
taking potential obstacles into account. Don't forget to pack along
something like pepper spray, or be ready to pinch and bite if needed
to distract adversaries before your knockout blow. Overall, you want
to be as prepared as possible for potential violence.
The author lives in Lake City, South Carolina, where he also runs his
martial arts, video games, and anime store. For more information
about Karate and the martial arts, please visit the Johnston Wado ryu
Karate Forums.
Strategy as applied to warrior-citizens Source:Free Article
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On Teaching Martial Arts
By: Owen Johnston
"True karate-do is this; that in daily life one's mind and body be
trained and developed in a spirit of humility; and that in critical
times, one be devoted utterly to the cause of justice." - Gichin
Funakoshi, Karate-do Kyohan

This article will concern itself with the business of teaching
martial arts. The teaching of martial arts concerns itself with
helping others. It is not necessarily wrong to make a living on the
arts, but we must keep in mind that prestige is nothing if one does
not set a good example.

We can not have desirable progress in the "martial ways" or peace and
happiness without mutual respect. To ensure continued progress in the
effectiveness of philosophy and technique of our own arts, we must
study our arts diligently while opening our minds to other
perspectives. In this way, teachers must set an example for their
students by being an excellent one themselves. This level of modesty
takes years to cultivate through proper etiquette - and is one of the
ultimate goals of our training. It is said that to have taught once
is to have twice learned.

We must be of good conscience when considering our talents and
faults. Before we can realize our full potential in teaching others,
we must honestly and modestly learn our own strengths and weaknesses.
Let us look at ourselves in the mirrors of truth, good standards, and
absoluteness, while chasing the rainbow of perfection.

"The technique of the martial arts is like the universe - there is no
limit to knowledge. One must realize no limit to one's performance." -
  Hironori Ohtsuka, founder of Wado ryu Karate

Most of all, we must be respectful. This might sound cliché; however,
we must remember to have and give respect as least as much as we get
it. Modesty is key.

It is easy to lose modesty under a pile of well-practiced technique.
Keep in mind, however, that without modesty of character, you have
gained nothing from training. We learn to fight so as not to fight.
There are no winners in war - only losers. We must fight against
fighting - to have the least possible bloodshed. With this in mind,
we must punch and kick not to win or lose, but to learn from each
other in martial brotherhood.

"Have no regard for the martial aspects when training, but rather
adhere to the way of peace." - Hironori Ohtsuka
The author lives in Lake City, South Carolina, where he also runs his
martial arts, video games, and anime store, and does graphic design
in his spare time.
On Teaching Martial Arts Source:Free Article Distribution Services

The Art Of Tai Chi Sparring
By: Laurence Clunie
Curious about Tai Chi but running short on time and patience to make
an in depth research of your own? Here is a simple but accurate
article on the topic of Tai Chi sparring. It's organized and easy to
digest.

Tai Chi, also known as Tai Chi Chuan (taijiguan) or Taiji, is
commonly translated as Supreme Ultimate Fist and is known throughout
the world as a Chinese martial art that combines the principles of
self defense with the mental and physical fitness. This art is
practiced by millions of people these days for several purposes,
including self defense and for its health benefits.

Sparring is involved in basic Tai Chi practice. Tai Chi sparring is
in fact one of the most important stages of this ancient martial art.
As noted in most resources, Tai Chi sparring is strongly considered
as the only way to teach students of the art the importance of self
defense, distance and speed.

Tai Chi sparring is practiced at a slow, meditative pace. According
to its proponents, the slow and continuous movements are generally
designed to impart the powerful physical skills of the sparrer, as
well as to stimulate the flow of energy within the body. This slow,
meditative pace involved in Tai Chi sparring also helps to develop
balance, coordination of breath and movement, concentration and
relaxation. Simply, Tai Chi sparring teaches you how to move easily
without tension in order that your mind and body can function
smoothly. I think this a great health benefit.

There are three major levels of training involved in Tai Chi
sparring. The first has something to do with postures; the second
with self defense applications; and the third with coordination of
breath with movement.

In terms of posture, the Tai Chi sparring training primarily teaches
you the right postures. What I am actually talking about here is
where exactly to place the hands and feet when sparring. The training
also includes the fundamental shape of the movement, including the
transitions between these movements. According to some Tai Chi
sparring experts, it is through the mastery of the right postures
that the student can develop an insight into the nature of flexible
strength. This level, however, requires long and diligent practice in
order to master.

The next level of Tai Chi sparring involves understanding of the
energetic and self defense applications. In the first place, Tai Chi
sparring is viewed as an energy exercise. This notion perhaps stemmed
from the fact that when practicing Tai Chi sparring, you are calming
and energizing your body.

How does Tai Chi do this? First, Tai Chi sparring eliminates the
impurities caused by tension, and then it rouses energy to flow
through the body. It is this flow of energy that actually cleanses
the entire body.

In terms of self defense applications, Tai Chi sparring simply
teaches you to understand every move involved in the practice. The
general rule here is that every move can be done at three levels,
which is high, middle and low. Aside from these levels, the movements
can also be performed in five directions, involving left, right,
back, forward and center. For many Tai Chi practitioners, it is very
vital that every sparrer understand these applications so as to keep
movements precise.

Finally, Tai Chi sparring involves coordination of the breath as well
as the movements. What is usually considered in training is that you
inhale with movements that lift or roll back, and in turn exhale with
movements that press or sink. However, it is very important to note
that in Tai Chi not every move will require a full breath. The
coordination between the breath and movement is something that
happens slowly and in unexpected ways. In the end, your body will
find its own breathing rhythm.

I hope you enjoyed reading this article. There is, indeed, a lot to
learn about this topic, or even a lot to learn about the world.
There's always something new to discover!
The article you have just read is just one of several informative
articles on the subject martial arts sparring that you can find here:
www.martial-arts-sparring-gear.com
The Art Of Tai Chi Sparring Source:Free Article Distribution Services
Methods Of Qigong In Kung Fu Training
By: Alexander Popov
Qigong is a general name for the systems of hardening and improvement
of body and mind, treatment and health enhancement created in China.
They primarily based on the ability to control your own
consciousness, mentality and through them all the physiological
processes of the organism. Practicing Qigong you can achieve stunning
results some of which even the powerful modern science cannot
conceive and explain.

There are three main categories of Qigong: Health-improving, Fighting
and Mystical.

1. It was Chinese physicians who developed and evolved the Health-
improving Qigong during many centuries. They created special
exercises aimed to preserve and promote health as well as to cure
various diseases.

2. Fighting (or Hard) Qigong was developed by those practitioners of
Qigong who at the same time were masters of martial arts. These
exercises serve to enhance the energy concentration in muscles and
other parts of the body allowing to hugely increase the bodily
strength and its resistance against the attempts to cause it a
physical injury.

3. Mystical Qigong is a child of Buddhist monks and Taosian
anchorites. The goal of Mystical Qigong consists in achieving the so
called Enlightenment – a special psychophysical state of the human
being. Taosian anchorites also developed methods of anti-aging based
on Mystical Qigong. Mystical Qigong is the most difficult to master.

Qigong is not only the art of Qi energy control; it trains the mind
and helps to work out the ability to control your volitional impulse.
Qigong techniques include a huge variety of exercises but they all
consist of the three main parts: control of position, control of
breath, and control of mind.

Controlling his position, a man can acquire some optimal posture of
body which would allow Qi to flow in the organism without delays or
blockages not causing any disturbing feelings and removing diseases.
The exercises are mostly performed in common stands, for example, in
the Rider's stance.

You need to control your breath to let the external Qi (from the air)
not only to pass mechanically into the internal state but to spread
along energy channels, fully feeding all the organs.

Consciousness is crucial in breath control; it distributes Qi along
the body. At the highest stage, the breath is controlled at the level
of subconsciousness and do not require too much of your attention.

Step by step learning to control his energy resources, a practitioner
will pass from using the physical strength (Li) to the internal burst
of effort (Tsin). This internal effort, as Chinese masters believe,
is produced not by muscles but in tendons and marrow.

This is the reason why the most of Kung Fu exercises aimed not to
increase the mass of muscles but to strengthen tendons and bones.
While muscles tend to loose their strength (Li) as the man grows
older, masters preserve their internal effort (Tsin) until great age.
That's why Chinese masters of Kung Fu say: "If you do not practice
Fighting Qigong but train only your physical strength you'll be left
with nothing when you grow old enough."

Qigong exercises advance "internal Qi" our organism
contains. "Internal Qi" is also called "true Qi". The state of "true
Qi" depends on many factors: regular Fighting Qigong exercises,
nutrition, mental state, environment, etc. Every human being has
internal Qi but only few can use it properly, develop it. The Qi of
the vast majority of people is destabilized. The goal of Fighting
Qigong is to fill the organism with "true Qi", calm it, make Qi flow
along channels freely without obstructions.

So what is Qi after all? According to Chinese notions, it is an
energetic substance which represents the foundation of all, i. e. the
energetic foundation of the Universe. Our body can be compared to an
electric appliance: if it is supplied with electric power it works
but if the power supply is cut down the device operation stops.
Likewise with the man: if Qi supply of his body is insufficient or it
gets stagnant in it, the man gets sick or even dies.

To have a healthy robust body, one needs to learn how to keep the Qi
circulation smooth and to be able to accumulate sufficient amount of
Qi. To do so, it is necessary to understand the system of circulation
and storage of Qi in your organism.

The human body has twelve so called primary channels (meridians)
along which Qi is spread across the entire organism. There also exist
eight "miraculous" vessels serving as a kind of reservoirs storing
and regulating Qi. One end of each channel is attached to one of
twelve internal organs while the other end is connected to one of
fingers or toes.

These twelve channels supply with Qi energy twelve internal organs.
Besides, these channels also take the excessive energy away from
internal organs allowing us to through it out of the body. When due
to blockage or disease the circulation of Qi along the channels is
interrupted, one or several organs cannot get enough Qi which leads
to their functional disturbance.

To be healthy, you need to learn how to keep the circulation of Qi in
the twelve channels smooth and constantly replenish the "miraculous
vessels" with energy.

If you understand the theory of Qi circulation in the human body you
will be able to understand how Qi relates to martial arts as well.
Remember, your body is not simply a machine it is an organism able to
improve itself. The stronger Qi is, the stronger the human body gets.

Fighting Qigong practice sessions serve to enhance the capabilities
of your body. We know that using our mind we can control various
parts of our own body. The process of control is simple. Our mind
generates a thought, and the thought leads Qi to the corresponding
parts of the body which perform the requested action. The key thing
about Fighting Qigong is in learning to lead your Qi as efficient as
it can be. In this case you can increase you strength very much.

Chinese martial arts masters learn to focus their minds through
meditation or other kinds of training practice to make Qi obey them
easily. This can substantially enhance the strength of a fighter and
increase the efficiency of his technique.
Alexander Popov dedicated about 20 years to Shaolin Hung Gar Kung Fu.
He is the successor of Hung Gar Kung Fu tradition in the 8th masters'
generation. Kung Fu and Qigong articles and ebooks: www.shaolin-
kungfu-qigong.com
Methods Of Qigong In Kung Fu Training Source:Free Article
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TWMAHOF 2007

June 15-16, 2007

We are pleased to announce the return of Masters and Grandmasters
presenting seminars Friday June 15, 2007 in Manchester, NH – kicking
off the 2007 event.

When coming to the festivities we suggest you come into the hotel
Thursday evening so as to be fresh and ready to begun a day filled
with education and friendship as the seminars planned will be some of
the best ever seen.

Saturday, June 16 the World Martial Arts Hall of Fame will hold is
annual tournament, a mixed martial arts tournament for adult and
children, all ranks and all styles.

To learn more about the events planned simply go onto the website
http://www.freewebs.com/golden_fist_award or contact Rick Wilmott,
renshi at kosho@... to inquire about fee's, deadlines and
content.

Join people from around the globe as they spend a weekend of
learning, sharing, and competing.

Both the seminars and tournament are open to the public and anyone
may attend. Seminar and tournament fees are separate from induction
fees and banquet guest fees.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inductions for 2007
Nominations for Induction to TWMAHOF and applications must be
submitted NLT April 1, 2007. Please see the website for information
and forms. http://www.freewebs.com/golden_fist_award

TWMAHOF Newsletter
Join our free newletter email. Receive a monthly newsletter from
TWMMAHOF in your email with articles and updates on the organization.
It's free. Just sign up to the group and on the first of the month,
starting October 2006 you will receive our first issue.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TWMMAHOF
Do you have a talent for journalism? TWMMAHOF is accepting articles
from individuals under 1000 words on topics of martial systems,
history, techniques, health and the martial arts. send us your
article to the email below along with a brief bio, your email and
website. No pictures. If your article is approved we will let you
know and publish it. Please do not send seminar or tournament
information. Only informational articles please.
Newsletter sponsored in part by MTD MonaVie
http://www.freewebs.com/mizu_tama_dojo/monavie.htm

Warrior's Spirit
Issue 3
December 1, 2006.
Official News letter of The World Multi Martial Arts Hall of Fame
twmmahof@...
http://www.freewebs.com/golden_fist_award/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   Jeffrey M. Miller
The Role of Zen in Martial Arts
It's said that the roots of many of the Martial Arts is in India,
with Buddhist monks. While many sources give conflicting data, it's
known that in Japan, the only places that were large enough to allow
for indoor training during inclement weather, were the huge Buddhist
temples. In fact, much of what is done in Martial Arts schools with a
Japanese background comes from, and can be traced back to this
connection.
For example, white uniforms were the attire of Japanese Buddhist
monks and lay-people alike. The kyu and dan "class" and "level" grade
rankings were originally developed for and used as markers for how
much a monk had learned and progressed through his training. And,
much of the etiquette within dojos "training halls") is identical to
those used in these same temples to show respect to all that has gone
before me and to all that I aspire to become. In fact, the Japanese
kanji characters used to write the word 'dojo' actually refer to "a
place where enlightenment takes place."
Now, before you run out and scream about quitting for fear of being
converted to Buddhism, Hinduism, or some other 'foreign',
sacrilegious cult - don't panic. Buddhism, while often practiced like
many conventional Western religions, is not really a religion at all -
  at least not the way most people define or practice a so-
called 'religion'.
As developed by the founder Siddhartha Gautoma, refered to as the
Buddha ("one who is awake"), and fine-tuned over the past two and a
half - plus centuries, Buddhism is a philosophy of personal
development whereby the practitioner works to understand his or her
true nature and the immutable laws of the universe that govern the
world and everything in it. It is not at all a belief system as are
many religions today, but instead relies on the student coming to an
intimate understanding of reality and truth through direct, personal
experience.
One of the monks credited with developing martial Arts in the
Buddhist temples of the time was known as Bodhidharma, the founder of
Zen. This new training was readily adopted by the monks for many
reasons. And while the monks may have been interested in defending
themselves from unfriendly outsiders, it is also likely that they
also wished to prepare themselves for the demands of their daily
lives - lives which required that they sat unmoving for hours while
in deep meditative practice. The Martial arts they practiced were a
great means of physical exercise while still being based heavily on
their philosophical beliefs of peace through "understanding conflict."
Zen, the most popular form of Buddhist thought known today, is
directly related to the cross-cultural interchange between Martial
Arts and the many philosophical systems that came together as these
teachings travelled from India, across the Himalayas, through China
and into Japan. Ironically, many Westerners have no idea that Zen is
a form of Buddhist study and practice, nor is it usually seen as much
more than "seated meditation" to most martial artists - both teachers
and students.
Japanese Zen Master Taisen Deshimaru often wrote about Zen and the
principles of Bushido, or "the way of the warrior," which grew, in
part, out of Buddhist thought.
The principles of:
Gi:Having the right decision, right attitude, the truth
Yu:Bravery tinged with heroism
Jin:Universal love; compassion
Rei:Right action; courtesy
Makoto: Utter sincerity; truthfulness
Meiyo: Honor; high ethical character
Chugo: Devotion; loyalty
were the common ground between the monk and the warrior. In fact,
there is no difference between the two.
Deshimaru emphasized that the learning and practice of these
principles is a lifelong process, and needs to take place "...in the
body, through the unconscious." The ancient tradition of the Martial
Arts is an internal process, a gradual connection with one's own deep-
seated intuition. Deshimaru explains: "In the spirit of
Zen . . .everyday life becomes a contest. There must be an awareness
at every moment: getting up in the morning, working, eating , going
to bed. That is the place for the mastery of self."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeffrey M. Miller is the founder and master instructor of Warrior
Concepts International. He specializes in teaching the ancient ways
of self-protection and personal development lessons in a way that is
easily understood and put to use by modern Western students and
corporate clients. To learn more, visit his website at
http://www.warrior-concepts-online.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   Jeffrey M. Miller
The Power of Belief - The Martial Artist's Student Creed
Contained within the philosophical teachings of the Ninja Warrior's
mind-science and personal-development practice known in Japanese as
Mikkyo, is a series of three affirmations, or statements of devout
trust. They are designed to assist a student in successfully
embodying the lessons, strategies and tactics being taught. Each
statement represents an emotional power held within the student's
heart that, when spoken, expresses to him or herself and the world
around them, the potential of greatness that lies within.
These three affirmations are introduced to beginning students of my
academy as the 3-part Student Creed. Other martial schools may have a
different wording or number, but the purpose is the same. Each part
expresses a belief, trust, or inherent faith held by that student
about an equally important part of their progress through the Mastery
Program and their successful completion of the goal they have set out
to achieve. The Studert Creed also helps those students with low
confidence, self-esteem, and doubts about their ability to be
successful, to hear these words over and over again. In time, this
repetitive exposure, like that which produced this student's current
depressed state, will take root and allow the student to change from
within to become a walking, talking example of the Creed itself.
More than just a set of positive affirmations to be memorized and
recited though, when reciting as part of a class or graduation exam,
the student should speak each part of the creed in a way that is
charged with the emotional intent of the heart.
Take a minute and recite the 3-Part Student Creed aloud:
1. I believe in myself. I am confident. I can accomplish my goals.
2. I believe in what I study. I am disciplined. I am ready to learn
and advance.
3. I believe in my teachers. I show respect to all those who help me
progress.
Again, we must remember that these phrases are just words. In and of
themselves they hold no innate power. We use them, and ones just like
them each and every day of our lives.
The real power - the real magic - lies in the emotions behind them.
The student who recites these phrases with conviction and an
authentic desire to become what the phrases suggest can't help but to
be successful in their task.
We must remember that, if we are to change who we are and what we are
capable of doing, we must first convince ourselves and no one else
that it is possible. For many of us, this task is not an easy one as
years of habit-based actions and preprogrammed conditioning have
taken it's toll on who and what we think we are. We must remember
that we are today, the sum result of all that we have learned,
experienced and, yes, believed in the past.
The reciting of the Student Creed is a tool for reminding ourselves -
for reprogramming our subconscious, habitual thought processes - in a
way that creates new habits conducive to producing the results we are
after.
As stated by John Mills, "One person with a belief is equal to a
force of ninety-nine who have only interests." The question is, are
we merely 'interested' in changing to become the person we say we
want to be, or do we desire the benefits of having attained our goal -
  we feel it in our very heart and soul - we believe in ourselves, our
plan of accomplishment and our willingness to do what must be done -
so much, that it literally moves us at our very core?
The true test of gaining the results we seek is in our response to
the statements themselves. We may be able to convince others - for a
while - that we speak from the truth, but we will never be able to
lie to ourselves. Eventually, we will drop our guard or
conveniently 'forget' the path we're on and the promises we made to
ourself and revert back to the same lazy, sleep-walk' living that was
the 'us' before we began training.
Ask yourself these questions:
A. "When I recite the Student Creed, does it move me?"
(Do you get chills, a welling in your chest or an empowered feeling
or do you feel like you're reciting the Pledge of Allegiance from
school?)
B. Do I have to think about the Creed when reciting it or is it so
natural to me that I have the feeling, "of course this is true?"
Through the power of belief, the true, heartfelt drive to become the
words we are speaking, the Student Creed takes on a life and power
capable of transforming you into the confident, successful,
disciplined , respectful and proactive person you were meant to be.
Go for it!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeffrey M. Miller is the founder and master instructor of Warrior
Concepts International. He specializes in teaching the ancient ways
of self-protection and personal development lessons in a way that is
easily understood and put to use by modern Western students and
corporate clients. To learn more, visit his website at
http://www.warrior-concepts-online.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   Bill Douglas
Diabetes And Tai Chi Therapy
Can the ancient health technologies of Tai Chi and Qigong (Chi Kung)
benefit people with diabetes? Why isn't more medical research being
done to find out?
I was quite surprised when I began searching for research on Tai
Chi's benefits for diabetes . . . it was very difficult to come by.
Because on its face, Tai Chi seems to possibly offer many benefits to
someone with diabetes. Tai Chi is known to stimulate microcirculation
in practitioners, and is a highly effective stress management
technique, and very gently burns a significant amount of calories. In
fact, Tai Chi may actually help the body find homeostatic chemical
levels. For example, in a study on sex hormones Tai Chi was found to
have a "balancing effect" on the hormonal chemistry of participants,
lowering the abnormally high estrogen levels in older men, while
raising the abnormally low estrogen levels in older women.
These findings in other research led me to believe that there had
probably been substantial research done on Tai Chi & Qigong's
benefits for those with diabetes, given that these findings in other
studies at least initially suggest Tai Chi & Qigong may offer much to
the diabetes patient. But, as I said, it doesn't appear there is much
out there in terms of "tai chi & qigong as an adjunct diabetes
therapy," at least from Western institutions.
However, a couple of Chinese medical institutions studies had very
exciting results. A Beijing University of Chinese Medicine and
Pharmacology study found that blood sugar could be lowered
successfully by doing QiGong exercises. 42.
9 percent of patients in the study were able to take less medicine
while having more staple foods. Also, a Nanjing University study
found that Tai Chi exercise helped to regulate metabolic disorder of
type 2 diabetes mellitus with geriatric obesity by regulating the
nervous-endocrine system in the body. So, why isn't there more
Western medical research on this?Unfortunately, less than one half of
one percent of NIH funding goes to research all alternative
or "complimentary" health techniques. Meaning that yoga, meditation,
herbology, homeopathy, etc. etc. all share that tiny, tiny slice of
the NIH funding pie. Until the NIH provides adequate attention /
funding for Tai Chi & Qigong (Chi Kung) research, many of the
benefits people with various maladies have enjoyed from Tai Chi &
Qigong will not be enjoyed by the millions of others with such
conditions. Because physicians will lack the knowledge necessary to
inform their patients of Tai Chi & Qigong as a possible viable
therapeutic option, until adequate research is done.
Never the less, you might ask your doctor to do some research on this
for you. But, for now, let's look at current recommendations for
diabetes therapy, and then compare Tai Chi benefits systematically to
see if it might be a good therapeutic match for diabetes. As always,
I remind everyone not to self-treat. These articles are meant to
stimulate a dialogue between you and your physician, and your
physician and medical research institutions to lobby on your behalf
to get powerful natural health therapies like Tai Chi fully
researched so that you have the maximum possible options for your
health protocol.
In an article posted on Post Graduate Medicine Online, Dr.s Adam B.
Mayerson, MD; Silvio E. Inzucchi, MD, state that "Diet, exercise, and
the attainment of ideal body weight are the central components of any
therapeutic [type 2 diabetes] regimen . . ."
Tai Chi is proven to be an effective exercise that not only provides
cardiovascular benefit (roughly equal to moderate impact aerobics),
but surprisingly given Tai Chi's gentle low impact nature, burns a
significant number of calories, in fact more than surfing, and nearly
as much as downhill skiing. To achieve such caloric burning benefits,
and cardiovascular benefits, with such a gentle exercise as Tai Chi
may be important to those with diabetes.
The health site Top5plus5.com's information on diabetes explained
that the type of exercise a patient practices is crucial to their
well being, stating "Patients with active diabetic retinopathy should
not participate in exercises involving straining or heavy lifting
since these activities can provoke eye damage. Patients should also
be aware that nerve damage caused by high blood sugar levels can lead
to a loss of sensation in the feet, with a subsequent increased risk
of blistering and ulceration. Patients with progressive heart damage
from high blood sugar should be warned about the risk of sudden heart
failure and death." Tai Chi may offer promise regarding heart health
so important to diabetes sufferers. On the 9th of October, 2004, BBC
News - Saturday, reported "Tai Chi 'can treat heart failure." The
British Heart Foundation said the study was "excellent news" and Tai
Chi could be adopted into treatment programmes in the UK in the
future." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3728174.stm.
Again, one should never self-treat, and should always approach all
possible therapies in conjunction with their physician. Our articles
at World Tai Chi & Qigong Day are meant to stimulate discussion
between you and your physician, and hopefully between your physician
and health institutions. Our hope is that this will lead to a more
realistic apportionment of medical research funding towards Tai Chi &
Qigong (Chi Kung), and other natural health therapies. One caution
is, we hope that researchers will approach Tai Chi & Qigong with a
desire to find out "why it helps many people" rather than with an
agenda to prove that it doesn't work. The way that studies are done
is just as important as if studies are done.
Our vision for the future is that physicians too, will begin to
discover for themselves what Tai Chi and Qigong health technologies
have to offer on a personal level as Tai Chi is increasingly offered
through medical universities to aspiring nurses and physicians. The
future of healthcare should not be a war between alternative
therapies and standard therapies, but an expansion of standard
therapies to include whatever works best for the patients. Many in
the medical field are great advocates of such a vision , and World
Tai Chi & Qigong Day celebrates their efforts.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bill Douglas is the Tai Chi Expert at DrWeil.com, Founder of World
T'ai Chi & Qigong Day (held in 50 nations each year), and has
authored and co-authored several books including a #1 best selling
Tai Chi book "The Complete Idiot's Guide to T'ai Chi & Qigong."
Bill's been a Tai Chi source for The Wall Street Journal, New York
Times, etc. You can learn more about Tai Chi & Qigong, and also
contact Bill Douglas at http://www.worldtaichiday.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shugendo Yoga™ a complete healing system in its own right
by Dee Hassen
Shugendo Yoga, a slow, gentle yoga, with spirit.
Through a variety of asanas (body postures), and centering of the
mind and breath in a meditative way, Shugendo Yoga practitioners
improve posture, increase body awareness, enhance flexibility of body
and mind, and facilitate calmness of spirit.

Who is teacher, man or nature?
Shugendo Yoga utilizes prayer (talking), meditation (listening),
gentle asanas, breath work, self-healing techniques, as well as
energy cultivation exercises. A typical session lasts 45-60 minutes,
though similar, no two sessions are identical.

Shugendo Yoga was developed by a Registered Nurse who is also a
Martial Artist, Soke Christopher Bashaw. This unique yoga is part of
his complete Martial Art system, Kosho Hoho Yooga™. The systems
harmonize amid Natural Law.

Designed to be simple, do not let its simplicity deter you to its
effectiveness. Many techniques are easy enough, they may be practiced
while driving (hinder road rage), while waiting in a long line
(impede impatience), or even while lying in bed (release the stress
of the day). Shugendo Yoga is practiced by persons of all ages and
abilities to efficiently fight dis-ease in their lives, and may be
modified to meet personal restrictions.

Most people notice a difference in their first session, though daily
practice is encouraged. Compelling results can be as simple as:
• Immediate relief from pain, anxiety, depression, sleep
disorders, impatience, or stress
• Increased immune system
• Improved self-esteem
• Calmness and relaxation
• To ultimately a deeper understanding or enlightenment

Shugendô literally means "the path of training and testing." It is a
Japanese deep-rooted way of searching and knowing, and in turn
understanding what the Man and Nature are and are not. Shugendo Yoga
is a practice which goes beyond what we think of as yoga here in the
west. It is not just stretching, nor Pilates, though those too have
their merit. Intent is silent practice, though sessions may encompass
healing music or primordial sound in the background. Only the
instructor speaks, which is done in a manner to guide. Throughout
practice students must listen inwardly, learning how to remove
mindless chatter from the message. Designed as a spiritual aid to
enhance all belief systems, the goal of Shugendo Yoga is development
of spiritual experience and power; some might even call this power
mystical.

Yoga is a Hindu term meaning union of the attention with the Divine
Source. Yoga has come to mean unity and self-discipline. Shugendo
Yoga classes are a potent self-healing modality for body, mind and
spirit. Using Mantra (sound) to create a healing response; asana's
and ancient energy cultivation (chi kung) work out blockages and
depletions, creating balance; meditation is practiced for relaxation;
self-healing techniques, like self massage or shiatsu (acupressure),
are used for preservation of care; all accompanied by gentle
breathing and relaxation techniques. At the end of a session
practitioners feel rejuvenated, balanced, or even blissful; a
refreshing contemplation, among all the negativity in the world.

For information on classes:
http://www.freewebs.com/kosho_hoho_yooga/shugendoyoga.htm
Dee Hassen is an aspiring writer, currently employed in the field of
marketing communications, with several published articles. As a
practitioner of both Kosho Hoho Yooga, and Shugendo Yoga, she is
finding new doors are opening, as well as a new awareness that her
passion for writing must be explored.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   Emily Clark
What has Tae Kwon Do Got to Do With Your Health?
A lot, if you value your physical health!
Tae Kwon Do is Korean Karate. It means The Way of the Hand andFoot
(punching and kicking). There are basically four sectionsto the art:
Toning, Sparring, Forms and Self Defense.
It is a well rounded exercise program that encompasses muscletoning,
stretching and flexibility, increasing strength andstamina through
aerobic sparring and mental challenges throughbecoming proficient at
the patterns or forms.
Most classes start out with warm-ups. These exercises are
thecalisthenics such as push ups, sit ups, jumping jacks,
trunkrotations, squat kicks and various leg stretches. For certainyou
will tighten your abs and strengthen your arms just fromperforming
the warm-up exercises. Before you know it, you'll bedoing fifty
knuckle or triangle push-ups at rapid-fire pace andwill be able to
lean up against a wall and have someone lift yourleg up so that your
toes touch the wall behind your ear. Tae KwonDo will definitely help
you to become or to stay limber.
Sparring is fighting in a controlled environment. It's notstreet
fighting and all participants wear protective gear: helmet, gloves,
shin guards and feet guards, called kicks. Usually you will spar in
three minute rounds. It's basicallykick boxing. Then a minute rest;
switch partners, then sparagain and repeat. You will get extremely
hot and sweaty. Jab,punch, upper cut, side kick, reverse punch, round
house, hammerfist, bob and weave and repeat. It's an excellent
aerobicexercise.
Learning the forms or patterns can really tax your brain. Manyof the
forms have 26+ different movements. It's your job toremember them, in
order, and learn them proficiently. In theory,by learning the forms,
it'll help you to become a better fighter.For example, one form might
start out: high block, front kickpunch left; high block front kick
punch right. Turn 90 degrees,down the center, knife hand left, knife
hand right, knife handleft, spear hand. And so it goes. If you master
these, when itcomes time to spar, you can implement some of these
patterns intoyour match.
Many people enjoy Tae Kwon Do, or any martial arts for thatmatter,
because it is an all inclusive exercise program. It'sfun, it's
challenging, and it's an excellent way to get in or tostay in shape.
As with any exercise program, start slowly andconsult your physician.
If you haven't participated in muchphysical exercise in a while, your
muscles will definitely bevery sore for the first few weeks. Don't be
intimidated by theother students may appear to be in better shape
that you are. Everyone started out as a white belt. Just have fun;
and getmoving!
The information contained in this article is for educational purposes
only and is not intended to medically diagnose , treat or cure any
disease. Consult a health care practitioner before beginning any
health care program.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Emily Clark is editor at Lifestyle Health News and Medical Health
News where you can find the most up-to-date advice and information on
many medical, health and lifestyle topics.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   Ken Cheong
Herbal plasters and ointments used for pain relief
Chinese martial arts schools has traditionally been very good at
treating pain and ache suffered during practize sessions. Today, many
of their pain relief methods are being used not just to treat
training pain and ache but also pain and ache caused in the normal
hustle and bustle of life.
Most of us are acquainted with martial arts based on what we see on
TV and the movies; Jacky Chan, Steven Segal, Jet Li, Chuck Norris,
Bruce Lee etc.
Some of the most popular martial arts in practize today include Judo,
Tek Kwan Do, Karate, which have made it to the Olympic Games, Akido,
Tai Chi and Qigong, which are not in the Olympic Games as yet.
Although some of these martial arts come from Korea and Japan, the
roots of most martial arts can be traced to China.
It is believed that all martial arts can be traced to the Shaolin
Temple and the Wudang Hills in China. In reality, there must be
hundreds of different types of martial arts practized in China,
including the more popular BaQuaQuan, TangLangQuan, TaiChi, HouQuan,
etc.
Training injuries, bruises and cuts are common during practizes and
sparring sessions in martial arts schools. In fact, injuries are so
common that most martial arts teachers also double up as doctors in
treating aches and pains that come from sporting and training
injuries.
The common ways to treat pain and ache in martial arts schools
include:
Accupuncture
Accupuncture needles are inserted at the right accupoints or
meridians in various part of the human body to relieve pain and
tension of the muscle. A trained accupunture practioner is required
to carry out such treatment.
Tui Na
A form of Chinese accupressure massage where muscles aches and pain
are relieved through massaging the right accupoints and meridians.
This may sometimes be used in conjunction with heat pads.
Herbal PlastersAlmost every martial arts school has their own secret
formula for a herbal plaster. These plasters are mostly herbal
conconction and used to treat pain, bruises and aches caused by
training and actual fights. These herbal plasters are very effective
and bruises and pain tend to disappear very fast once the plasters
are applied to the injured area.
Herbal Ointments
Used mostly in conjunction with TuiNa or massage, these ointments are
also herbal liquid formulas handed down from generation after
generation. They are extremely popular and almost every martial arts
school will have their 'own brand' of herbal ointment.
Today, accupuncture and TuiNa has made it to mainstream sports
schools and even hospitals in China and also gaining much prominence
and popularity in sports schools and hospitals in Asia and the
Western countries.
In fact, accupuncture is used for many forms of treatments including
backaches, kicking cigarette habits, menopause pain, migrane etcTuiNa
has also made it into mainstream life as a form of relaxation massage
in addition to it's use for treating pain and ache.
Many martial arts schools has also tied up with pharmaceutical
companies to produce modern versions of their herbal plasters and
ointments in hygienic, scientific and environmentally controlled
factories. These herbal plasters and ointments are produced in large
quantities and has made their way into most Asian homes and families.
Most families will have these plasters and ointments in their
cabinets to treat pain ranging from arthritis, shoulder and neck
aches, back pain , ankle pain etc.
Some of these brands are now household brands in Asian societies.
They are also slowly making their way into Western countries.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ken Cheong lived, worked and travelled in China for 7 years. He
shares articles of China in his websites http://www.quick-pain-
relief.com and http://www.chinese-culture.net. Please feel free to
distribute this article as long as you mention his websites.

   Henry Ellis
Is Aikido a Martial Art ?
Henry Ellis Co-Author of Positive Aikido and an early pioneer of
Aikido in Britain from 1957, he was also a direct student of the
legendary master Kenshiro Abbe Sensei 1915 - 1985.  In this article
he questions the direction of much of the Aikido we see today. he
accepts that there is still some good Aikido Dojos whilst many others
have been watered down and are becoming quasi religious as opposed to
a martial art.


Is Aikido a Martial Art?
Sensei Henry Ellis - 2001
This article originally appeared in 3 parts on the Cyberkwoon
website. It is here published in its entirety.
PART 1
At first sight of the above title I am sure that a lot of Aikidoist's
will be angry, they will assume that this is yet another attack on
the credibility of Aikido by other martial artist's.
On this occasion they are totally wrong, I have been a student of
Aikido since 1956, In those early days I first started Judo in 1955
at the Kenshiro Abbe School of Budo, I studied Karate with Harada
Sensei and Kendo with Tomio O'Tani Sensei, so with my background I
feel that I have something to offer to this debate.
First Impressions
The Aikido that I first saw being demonstrated by Abbe Sensei in 1956
was without doubt a positive martial art.
I was immediately impressed by its positive techniques and power, and
in those days my fellow martial artists and I were in no doubt that
we were witnessing a devastating new form of self-defence as
demonstrated by Kenshiro Abbe Sensei.
Abbe Sensei had begun his martial arts career at the age of five and
became a legend in his own lifetime. At eighteen he was the youngest
ever all Japan Judo champion and also the youngest ever 5th Dan at
the world renowned Kodokan. He later became the oldest ever all Japan
Judo champion at the age of thirty three.
When Abbe Sensei arrived in the UK in 1955 he was 8th Dan Judo, 6th
Dan Karate, 6th Dan Kendo, 6th Dan Kyudo, 6th Dan Aikido,
the question must be asked; would this Budo master have studied
Aikido if he did not believe it to be a martial art?
It is my opinion that Abbe Sensei would not have studied Aikido as it
is today.
Please break my finger
As a direct student of Abbe Sensei I asked one day whilst we were
traveling to a seminar
"Sensei, how did you first become a student of O'Sensei and Aikido"?
He smiled as he reminisced for a few moments; then told me the
following story:
He said that he was a young man at the time and the Judo champion of
all Japan and traveling on a crowded train across Japan to yet
another Judo competion.
Sitting opposite him in the same carriage was an old man who was
trying to make some conversation with him, Abbe had his eyes closed
as he tried to sleep.
The old man said to him " I know who you are" Abbe Sensei replied
rather modestly " everyone knows who I am, I am Kenshiro Abbe
champion of all Japan" he politely asked the old man who he was, the
old man replied
"I am Morihei Ueshiba founder of Aikido" Abbe Sensei nodded politely
and suggested that they now try to get some sleep, the old man
suddenly stuck his hand forward and offered the smallest digit to
this powerfully built young man, Abbe was stunned as the old man
said "
please break my finger" Abbe thought I will break his neck if he
doesn't go to sleep, he was now becoming irritated by this old man,
he immediately grasped the old mans finger in an attempt to shut him
up, he freely admitted that in his frustration it was his intention
to break the offending digit. To his total amazement he was suddenly
slammed onto the carriage floor. As he lay prostrate and unable to
move he knew he had to study with this master. He asked O'Sensei if
he could study with him, O'Sensei agreed and Abbe stayed with
O'Sensei for ten years.
O'Sensei had spent many years studying various martial arts, I
believe that the art of Daito-ryu and Ju-jitsu had more influence on
the development of Aikido than anything else he had studied, and we
know he went to Mongolia to fight and this would be the perfect
opportunity to test his many skills in a real situation, so we can be
in no doubt that this incredible man was a true warrior and modern
Samurai.
A knife for my enemy
It was this early positive style of Aikido that Abbe Sensei brought
to the UK in 1955, at this time there was also the first Japanese
master to Europe, this was Tadashi Abe Sensei 6th Dan who was based
in France, he was a small man even by Japanese standards, but to my
mind he was the hardest man I have ever met.
He was very similar to Kazuo Chiba Sensei who I met with in London's
West End last week, When he traveled he always carried a knife with
him, this was not for his own protection but to hand to his shocked
opponent, he would say "please, this is for you".
He said that an opponent with his bare fists was no challenge, but a
man with a knife was "very interesting".
I think we can safely assume that as these teachers were so hard and
positive then this must have been the style of Aikido that was being
taught at the Hombu dojo in Japan, this was the Aikido of O'Sensei as
a young man, the Aikido being taught today is that of O'Sensei as an
old man, there is no doubt that as people get older they lose the
spirit of their youth and become more philosophical in their approach
to life.
My father who was once regarded as the toughest man in town later in
life found his peace taking his dog for long walks. I believe that we
now have two aikido's, traditional aikido which if truly traditional
(this word is much abused) is the martial side of Aikido, the soft
fantasy and dancing style of Aikido should simply be categorized as
an "Art".
Those who are true traditional Aikidoists will take no offence at
this article, yet the dancers will probably be offended and I care
little for their feelings as I honestly believe that this soft Aikido
has no more right to call itself a martial art than has synchronized
swimming has a right to be in the Olympics.
PART 2
In my previous article, I attempted to establish the hard style of
Aikido that was first introduced to the West in the 1950's. I would
like to emphasize the fact that I get no satisfaction from publicly
criticizing Aikido and I get a great deal less satisfaction when I
see Aikido being brought into ridicule.
To continue from part one.....
Hard training
The training in and exercises in those early days were very hard and
physical, with karate style kicking and punching a very integral part
of our warm up, followed by 200 press ups on the backs of the wrists,
with fingers pointing both inwards and outwards, very often while you
were in the raised position Abbe Sensei would instruct another
student to sit on your back, as we were the only group of five Dan
grades in the UK and all in the same dojo then this was the training
in all the Aikido dojos in the UK and today we are the only
organization in Aikido still doing these press ups.
The purists say "these press ups are bad for you" what they really
mean is they can't do them, this is all part of the watering down of
traditional Aikido.
Choreography
Aikidoists are often accused of practicing " Choreographed Aikido"
and to be honest I must admit that these claims are very often
justified, with Uke (attacker) preparing to break fall long before he
makes his attack, and most of them attack off balance , therefore
making any multiples of techniques possible with the minimum of
effort and of course this makes Tori (defender) look "fantastic".
What is really sad is that these people believe that this is good
Aikido.
Kenshiro Abbe Sensei would always say to us that "two" students are
training at the same time, one is Uke who is learning and improving
his attacking techniques and his
opponent Tori is also learning and improving his defensive
techniques, whilst we were training with Abbe Sensei if Uke's foot or
heel came off the mat as he attacked Abbe Sensei would give the
offending leg a good whack with a shinai (bamboo sword) he would then
say " My English is very bad but my shinai speaks fluently!".
If Uke attacks on balance then it is obvious that Tori's technique
must be good and strong to throw him, and as Abbe Sensei said so many
times " two students are training" .
Mark Eastman a strong young Dan grade with me went on a seminar
recently where there was a 6th Dan. The 6th Dan refused to use him as
Uke stating " I can not use you as you do not harmonize with me", he
was not being awkward or difficult just attacking on balance.
Diluted training
Today all of these traditional exercises and training methods have
now changed to a simple warm up routine with jumping up and down on
the spot and lots of deep spiritual discussion.
Hard exercise is now considered to be aggressive and not in harmony
with the true spirit of Aikido.
Abbe Sensei said that hard training developed the spirit, he also
referred to Ki during those early days as he demonstrated the power
of his technique, when asked to explain the meaning of Ki, he said
not to worry about Ki as that would be a part of our training and
development.
He then said "Only when you reach first Dan will you be able to
understand the true concept of Ki as a further extension of your
Aikido."
I still believe that line of thought, and the instructors in our
dojo's very rarely speak of Ki although it is taught as a important
and integral part of our training and study.
Ki Aikido
Although Ki is generally recognized as the spirit and breathing
during the application of technique, every teacher and student will
offer a very wide and varied and sometimes bizarre interpretation of
the meaning of this much abused word.
The main problems arise and are created by the teachers themselves,
who very often mislead their students to the extent that they almost
believe that Ki is a form of magic. The following is one prime
example from a very prominent Aikido magazines letters section.
Title: The Spirit of Protection
I am a carpenter and 2nd kyu in Aikido. I was working in a large new
home doing repair work, I had finished my job and was heading for a
long staircase when I noticed the owners two year old son was heading
for the same stairs from the opposite direction.
As he approached the top of the stair he was watching me and not
where he was going. I was too far away to grab him, so I shot to him
(irimi) and stuck my arm straight out to him, my "Ki" went through
the little boys' face and out the back of his head, he fell backwards
and started crying.
His mother heard the crying and came up the stairs, when I told her
what had happened, she thanked me,
I said "Don't thank me, Thank Aikido".
That poor child may well now be as disturbed as the writer.
Harry Potter Ryu
There are many such misguided examples which I will refer to in
future articles, it is this kind of nonsense that brings Aikidos
credibility into doubt I am fully aware that every martial art has
its own version of " Harry Potter" in their ranks, what I fail to
understand is that there are more of them in Aikido than all the
other martial arts combined.
The reason that I am so critical and vociferous about Aikido is that
every day I see these people watering down this great martial art
that I have spent most of my life studying, teaching and promoting
for the past 46 years. I am often asked "Sensei, which do you think
is the best and worst martial art".
I always make the same reply " All the martial arts are good, if
there is a problem with any martial art, then it can only be the
people who represent that particular art who misrepresent their art
PART 3
The Converted
In articles parts one and two I have covered the introduction of
Aikido to the West, and the impact on other Martial Artists, Aikido
progressed and developed in the UK by visiting existing dojos of all
the various Martial Arts and offering to demonstrate and teach for
free in the hope of starting a small class in the more receptive
dojos, as one can imagine this was no easy task as more often than
not our efforts were not an open invitation to most dojos.
In the end the positive style of the early Aikido won through, and
this is a very important point to make in the early development of
Western Aikido was that most of the new students of Aikido were from
other Martial Arts. I do not believe that we could have converted
other Martial Artists to Aikido had it not been so strong and
effective.

Kenshiro Abbe Sensei - 8th Dan Judo, 6th Dan Karate, 6th Dan Kendo,
6th Dan Aikido.
Bad breath!
I have referred to the many changes in Aikido over the past 46 years
from its history to training and choreography and Ki Aikido and also
the many Harry Potters of the Aikido world, as a direct result of
these articles I was contacted by a Aikido student in the UK to tell
me that she had now stopped training in Aikido because her teacher
stated that he was now going to teach the students "To breath through
their toes".
Lets Dance
The most important of all the changes that have taken place in the
past 46 years have to be the changes in technique and its
application, the early style of Aikido was very compact and powerful.
From the day of its introduction to the UK, Aikido was always taught
as a circular moving Martial Art with Tori at the centre of all
movement.
As Uke (the attacker) made his attack, Tori would turn within his own
circle making it possible to carry out the technique in a very small
area of maybe four square feet. Today the fantasy aikidoist need a
football pitch.
I have seen some so called "masters" twirling Uke around on the end
of one finger and pirouetting several times before being thrown the
full length of the mat.
Harmonising
Kenshiro Abbe Sensei always taught that Uke would only "go" if the
technique was effective. I often hear and have seen some of these
people who say they can throw an opponent without touching them and
sometimes by breathing and projecting their "Ki".
You cannot do that if someone is attacking on balance, I have never
seen anyone do that to a student of mine. Of course if you do attack
on balance you will then be accused of "Not harmonizing".
Aikido for real
I have read various accounts of the first Americans to practice
Aikido in the early 60's. There were Americans practicing Aikido in
the UK in the late 1950's at "The Hut" The Abbe School of Budo.
The Americans were members of the USAF stationed in the UK. they were
always questioning " How would that work in the street?" and we would
often finish up in the car park of The Hut after class and engage in
some real Aikido.
Afterwards everyone would be in good spirits and have a few beers.
Sunday mornings were always the best practice sessions with the dojo
doors being locked to all but the Dan grades. It was then that the
Dan grades would fight each other for real. This was the only way to
truly evaluate your technique.
On one occasion I was fighting with Sensei Ken Williams (The British
National Coach) he hit me hard and I went down clutching my chest and
moaning loudly in agony.
It was known that I didn't go down and I never made a fuss, so now
everyone was concerned for me and as Sensei Williams leaned over me
asking "Harry, are you OK" I lashed out with my fist at his head,
just making a glancing contact, he then stepped back and kicked me in
the head putting an end to my cunning.
The smallest of all the Dan grades was Eric Dollimore, he was only
about 5ft-6in in height and around 130 lbs.
I always felt that Eric was avoiding me on these Sunday morning
sessions, as he was about to leave the mat I said to him "Eric, would
you like to try against me" he just turned and said "Sorry Harry, I
have to be at my girlfriends home for lunch". As he left the mat I
smiled to myself and thought "That's what I expected" the smugness
did not last long as I heard a voice behind me say
"OK then Harry, can we make it quick as I must get away".
It was Eric; for a moment I was surprised then I thought to myself if
you want it quick I will accommodate you.
I moved in to take him out with the one punch and the next thing I
knew I had gone through the dojo office partition wall and I was
still lying stunned the office floor when I heard Eric's voice call
out
"See you Monday Harry, gotta go".
That was a very important lesson to me, I have never underestimated
anyone since the little guy taught me a lesson.
The Grading Lottery
If in the 1950's and 60's you saw a 5th or 6th Dan you would be in
awe of him. I now see so many multi grades and to be honest they
would not be graded first Dan in the old days. They make these claims
knowing that if they are ever challenged and prove their mettle they
know they can claim that this is against the principals of Aikido.
Another favourite of these people is to juggle around with their
grades and come up with multiples of matching grades, for a prime
example of this abuse check out the article "British Aikido-The
Controversy" on the web-site http://www.geocities.com/BritishAikido
Mitsusuke Harada Sensei "5th Dan"
Harada Sensei was my Karate teacher in the 1960's, he was then and
still is a 5th Dan at the Shotokan dojo in Tokyo. he was graded by
the founder of modern day Karate Gichin Funakoshi Sensei.
He taught Karate to the USAF at the Kodokan dojo after the second
world war. He was graded 5th Dan by Funakoshi Sensei in 1957 and is
still 5th Dan after 45 years, stating that "Any grade above 5th Dan
is totally pointless".
This is exactly the feeling of Sensei Derek Eastman and myself,
although we are two of the only remaining four of the original group
left of Kenshiro Abbe Sensei's group from the 1950's, we both agreed
that there were too many "Harry Potter" grades around, we then
decided that like Harada Sensei we would make 5th Dan the highest
level in our organization.

Serious study
I will take a break now that these articles are complete and do some
serious "Toe breathing".
This will be my last article for CyberKwoon for a while, I would like
to thank Master Fabien Sena for allowing me to air my views on a
subject most would try to avoid.
I do not know what direction the Martial Arts will take when all
the "Old Timers " are gone.
As one of the comments (to the Cyberkwoon site forum) said "We can
still make a difference".
To the one who asked after my father, he was not a martial artist ,
just a hard man who started working at the age of 13 years two miles
underground in the South Yorkshire coal mines.
Sensei Henry Ellis.
http://www.EllisAikido.org
http://www.geocities.com/britishaikido
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Henry Ellis Co-Author of the book Positive Aikido and the forthcoming
publication of Positive Aikido - Hidden Knowledge.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
10 Greatest Martial Arts Movies Of All Time
By: Javier Lozano, Jr.

After hundreds of movies, thousands of eye-popping fight scenes and
millions of punches thrown…which ones are the best? Which ones have I
been missing out on my whole life? Which ones must I have in my
collection in order to not bring shame upon my family name?

We've scoured the internet. Reviews. Forums. Amazon. Postings.
Bulletins. And this list is what we've come up with as the greatest
Kung-Fu movies of all time and why you should watch each one. Pay
attention to movies involving Yuen Wo-Ping as either director or
action director, there's a reason why half this list is movies where
he was involved!

If you want to watch trailers of these movies, go to:
http://www.experiencemartialarts.com/articles/movies.html

(you can also get directly to these movies in http://Amazon.com from
this website)

#1 – Way of the Dragon (1979)

This is the only finished film to be written and directed by Bruce
Lee. (Game of Death is the other one but is unfinished) We could
write a lot about the plot, characters or fight scenes…but all you
really care about is watching Bruce Lee fight Chuck Norris in the
final battle.

Martial Artists: Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris
Director: Bruce Lee

#2 – Shaolin Temple (1982)

Depicts the amazing history of the Shaolin Temple, the focal point
for Chinese Martial Arts. Think of the Shaolin Monks as Jedi Knights
(an elite group of fighters) and the rest of China as the messed-up
universe that Star Wars takes place in (people who are afraid of the
elite fighters and want to take them out of power). Much work to do,
you have, young Jet Li. picture Yoda's accent on that one Define
Irony: A movie shot at the site of the Shaolin Temple, telling a
story about the fall of the Shaolin Temple, sparks so much public
interest that the temple was re-opened shortly after the movie
released.

Martial Artist: Jet Li (His debut movie)
Director: Chang Hsin-Yen

#3 – Ong Bak (2003)

Raw action without wires, Tony Jaa brings a new martial arts style to
the big screen and does so in style. Muay Thai (Thai Boxing) is
stronger and more direct than the Chinese styles you're used to
seeing with Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, giving a new look to how a
martial arts movie can be done. You'll be seeing more of him…
guaranteed.

Martial Artist: Tony Jaa
Director: Prachya Pinkaew

#4 – Iron Monkey (1993)

Doctor by day, thief by night…Iron Monkey is your classic Robin-hood
meets Kung Fu. It's an action packed flick that can't go 5 minutes
without an excellent fight scene. It all comes down to a battle
between Iron Monkey (ie Robin Hood) and an ex Shaolin Monk (remember,
these guys are like the Jedi Knights of Chinese martial arts…they're
elite). Remember that guy Yuen Wo-Ping I mentioned? Well he's the
director in this one, so you know it's good!

Martial Artists: Yu Rong-Guang, Donnie Yen
Director: Yuen Wo-Ping
Action Directors: Yuen Cheung-yan, Yuen Shun-yi

#5 – 5 Deadly Venoms (1978)

No room form "martial arts beauties" in this one, there's so much
blood and action that they only cast male actors. Exit the
traditional elaborate costumes and enter the muscular, skin-bearing,
bloody martial arts style that would become a trademark for director
Chang Cheh. Each cast member is trained in an art resembling one of 5
venemous creatures (Scorpion, Snake, Centipede, Gecko, Toad) with the
6th cast member being trained in all 5. Six main martial arts actors
= LOTS O' ACTION

Martial Artists: 6 Martial Artists (yes, 6 main characters)
Director: Chang Cheh

#6 – The Seven Samurai (1954)

One of the greatest classic kung-fu movies of all time and arguable
Kurosawa's best work. Some Samurai of the time were down on their
luck (homeless) and willing to do anything for a meal. A village
under attack by bandits recruits a group of seven such Samurai
warriors and asks them to help defend their village. The movie is
about the Samurai teaching the village how to fight and culminates in
a massive battle between a village and almost 50 attacking bandits.
The acting is superb, the emotions run high and Kurosawa keeps you
hooked from beginning to end.

Martial Artists: 7 Martial Artists (all names you won't know since
this movie is so old)
Director: Akira Kurosawa

#7 – Legend of Drunken Master (1994)

Some will say this is the greatest martial arts movie of all time
because of it's balance between plot-line, comedy, drama and amazing
kung fu sequences. Probably Jackie Chan's best martial arts
performance. You're going to love the final scene where you learn
what "Drunken Master" really means. We're talking box-splitting, fire-
spitting craziness!

Martial Artist: Jackie Chan
Director: Lau Kar-leung

#8 – Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000)

Based on a Pentalogy (yes, that's 5 books) written by Wang Dulu, this
movie covers mostly the 4th book. Critically acclaimed to cross
international borders with it's amazing character development,
intricate plot, martial arts ideals, stunning special effects and
quicker-than-the-eye fighting scenes, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
set a new standard for martial arts movies. Telling Zhang Ziyi (the
lead female character and an amazing martial artist) to get back in
the kitchen would likely cost you 50 punches to the "bags". Be ready
for subtitles, `cuz turning on the English track is like watching…uh…
like watching a kung fu movie in English.

Main Martial Artist: Chow Yun-fat
Other Martial Artists: Zhang Ziyi, Michelle Yeoh, Chang Chen, Cheng
Pei-pei
Director: Ang Lee
Action Director: Yuen Wo-Ping

#9 – Kill Bill vol. 1 (2003)

You're going to want your home theatre room for this one. It's tough
to beat beautiful women beating the crap out of each other in fast-
paced, action-packed, make you cringe, bloody, gory, cut-'em-up (more
buzz words go here) movie jam packed with as much martial arts death
as possible. Tarantino expertly uses every camera angle and a
plethora of special effects to deliver a better-than-real visual
experience that gives this blood-and-guts thriller an artistic feel
you'll appreciate at the end. Did I mention is has Uma Thurman in it?

("Kill bill vol. 2" brings closure to the set, but hey…we had to
choose one movie. Say "Five-Point-Palm Exploding Heart Technique" 5
times fast.)

Actors: Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Lucy Liu, Daryl Hannah, Vivica
A. Fox
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Action Director: Yuen Wo-ping

#10 – Fist of Legend (1994)

A classic story of Chinese vs. Japanese martial arts, Fist of Legend
is actually a remake of the original Bruce Lee movie, Fist of Fury.
If Bruce Lee is like the original James Bond, Jet Li is the Pierce
Brosnan. He'll never be the original, but the modern film-making and
larger budget bring the entertainment value just a hair above the
original Fist of Fury. (The ghost of Bruce Lee is probably going to
strike me down for writing that) The Yuen Brothers are known for
amazing action choreography, and they totally deliver on this one.
(Casting Jet Li may have helped them a little too.)

Martial Artist: Jet Li
Director: Gordon Chan
Action Directors: "The Yuen Brothers"

The fun doesn't stop there.

We tried to stop at only 10…really, we did. But we just couldn't
control ourselves.
"Once it hits your lips, it's so good!" – Will Ferrell in "Old
School"

To see the movies that deserve "Honorable Mention", go to
http://www.experiencemartialarts.com/articles/movies.html

Whether you enjoyed this list or think we snuffed your favorite
movie, we'd love to hear what you think. Post your comments at:
http://www.experiencemartialarts.com/blog/archives/16
Keys To Choosing The Right Martial Arts School
By: Javier Lozano, Jr.
1. Location

The key to learning any martial art is practice. To make this easy
for you, look for a school near your home, work or school. The easier
it is for you to get there, the more time you'll spend practicing and
the better you'll get. Eliminate those "Well, it's kind of a long
ways away, so I'll just watch TV tonight" excuses.

Note to husbands: Watch out for schools located in malls as they give
you wife an excuse to shop while your kids are in class! (The
location of a school says nothing about how "good" it is…give every
school a fair evaluation while you're checking them out.)

2. Instructor

You want to be sure that you get along well with your instructor,
especially if you're going to commit to a school for a period of
time. Keep in mind that a martial arts instructor is just like any
teacher or coach that you have had, their job is to teach you the art
and help you improve. Pay special attention to their personality,
philosophy, energy, motivation and how they treat other students. If
you're having a difficult time making a decision, go with your gut
feeling…this is a decision that has to be right for you. Remember,
selecting an instructor is not a life-long decision so don't take too
long to make a decision. Get started, learn about the arts and change
instructors later on if you feel it's in your best interest.

3. Style

You want to be sure the schools you're looking at offer styles that
will help you accomplish your goals. If your goal is meditation, you
probably don't belong in a jujitsu school. But don't get too picky
either. Just because you always wanted to be like Bruce Lee doesn't
mean you have to practice Wushu. Many martial artists train in
different arts through their career and end up creating a style that
is a combination of all their styles.

Again, this isn't a permanent decision so it's better to just get
started with a school nearby that has an instructor you like.

4. Costs

Look for schools that offers 1-2 introductory classes for free. These
benefit both you and the school by ensuring you're a good fit before
making you commit to anything.

If you're going to invest in a "martial arts education", make sure
it's within your budget. You don't want you or your kids to get
started and become excited about martial arts, just to have to quit
due to finances.

Some schools require contracts (or "tuitional agreements" as they are
often called) while others don't. Don't be afraid of tuitional
agreements, often times these schools are extremely interested in
seeing you or your child succeed, which is why they want you to make
a longer-term commitment after a free class or two. There are also
excellent instructors who don't want to see money interfere with a
martial arts education, so they opt to not require contracts and
charge on a per-class basis.

Both contract and no-contract schools are good options, just be sure
to give location and instructors more weight than payment structure
when making a decision to commit to a school.

If you would like to learn more about Martial Arts or are interested
in finding a martial arts school in your area, go to
http://www.experiencemartialarts.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TWMAHOF 2007

June 15-16, 2007

We are pleased to announce the return of Masters and Grandmasters
presenting seminars Friday June 15, 2007 in Manchester, NH – kicking
off the 2007 event.

When coming to the festivities we suggest you come into the hotel
Thursday evening so as to be fresh and ready to begun a day filled
with education and friendship as the seminars planned will be some of
the best ever seen.

Saturday, June 16 the World Martial Arts Hall of Fame will hold is
annual tournament, a mixed martial arts tournament for adult and
children, all ranks and all styles.

To learn more about the events planned simply go onto the website
http://www.freewebs.com/golden_fist_award or contact Rick Wilmott,
renshi at kosho@... to inquire about fee's, deadlines and
content.

Join people from around the globe as they spend a weekend of
learning, sharing, and competing.

Both the seminars and tournament are open to the public and anyone
may attend. Seminar and tournament fees are separate from induction
fees and banquet guest fees.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inductions for 2007
Nominations for Induction to TWMAHOF and applications must be
submitted NLT April 1, 2007. Please see the website for information
and forms. http://www.freewebs.com/golden_fist_award

TWMAHOF Newsletter
Join our free newletter email. Receive a monthly newsletter from
TWMMAHOF in your email with articles and updates on the organization.
It's free. Just sign up to the group and on the first of the month,
starting October 2006 you will receive our first issue.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TWMMAHOF
Do you have a talent for journalism? TWMMAHOF is accepting articles
from individuals under 1000 words on topics of martial systems,
history, techniques, health and the martial arts. send us your
article to the email below along with a brief bio, your email and
website. No pictures. If your article is approved we will let you
know and publish it. Please do not send seminar or tournament
information. Only informational articles please.
Newsletter sponsored in part by MTD MonaVie
http://www.freewebs.com/mizu_tama_dojo/monavie.htm

Warrior's Spirit
Issue 2
November 1, 2006.
Official News letter of The World Multi Martial Arts Hall of Fame
twmmahof@...
http://www.freewebs.com/golden_fist_award/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Brief History of Karate - part 1 of 2
By: Owen Johnston
Karate-do, in all its various forms, finds its origins in one place -
the Ryukyu islands off the coast of Japan. What we know as one of the
most widely practiced systems of self defense and discipline in the
world is the result of centuries of development. While Karate-do was
introduced as a code of ethics to a peacetime America only a few
decades ago, it began through the need of Ryukyu natives for better
methods of fighting.

There are a few theories about the origins of the fighting arts that
later became collectively known as Karate-do. However, it is certain
that many notable Chinese kung fu practitioners settled in Okinawa,
the capital of the Ryukyu kingdom.

The origins of the Chinese arts themselves are also shrouded in the
mists of time. A widely accepted theory is that Bodhidharma, the
founder of Ch'an (Zen) Buddhism created what would later evolve into
Shaolin kung-fu. The original exercises were used to strengthen his
monks' bodies, minds, and spirits, to help them better fulfill their
duties. This level of personal cultivation carried across to many
Chinese martial arts. By way of transmission to other countries, this
carried across to other martial arts, Karate-do being one of them.

Details are rather sketchy at best as to the actual origins of Karate-
do, however. It is most widely accepted that in the year 1507, a
weapons ban was passed by King Sho Shin. This led to the rapid
development of native unarmed fighting arts. These arts were
primarily influenced by various forms of Chinese kung fu, which
Okinawans began learning in the 14th century.

Okinawans learned forms of Shaolin kung fu from Shaolin masters who
fled China as a result of the oppressive Qing dynasty. Okinawans also
learned various forms of kung fu from Chinese merchants, Chinese
officials on diplomatic missions, and young members of wealthy
Okinawan families who went to China to learn "Quan Fa" / kung fu to
further their education and martial arts studies. The general name
given to the fighting arts learned and further refined by the
Okinawan martial artists was tode-jutsu (alternately spelled tou-di),
the Okinawan name given to Chinese martial arts.

In February 1609, invasion of Okinawa by the Satsuma clan (of Kyushu,
Japan) triggered another period of rapid development of native
Okinawan fighting arts. Satsuma control lasted until 1879, when the
King of Ryukyu finally abdicated and the country became part of Japan.

During this period, kobudo (often translated "classical fighting
method"; commonly used to represent Okinawan weapon fighting)
evolved. Farm implements were used as weapons, as traditional weapons
were not allowed. However, some of the native Ryukyu warrior class
traveled up to the Satsuma clan in the later part of the 19th century
and learned their samurai fighting art Jigen-ryu kenjutsu. It was not
long after this that Sokon Matsumura, "Toudi" Sakugawa, and Tsuken
Koura, among the many who had made the trip, introduced their
contributions to kobudo.

Ultimately, three major strains were developed from Ryukyu kenpo
karate-jutsu (as tode-jutsu eventually came to be called). These
strains were named Shuri-te, Naha-te, and Tomari-te, for the regions
in which they were developed. All three regions are based in the
southern part of Okinawa. The differences of the three styles may be
traced back to the socio-economic status of those who practiced them.
The lowest rung on the ladder was the worker class studying Tomari-
Te. The middle section was the merchant class studying Naha-Te. The
upper class noblemen were taking up practice of Shuri-te in and
around the capital.

Matsumura is commonly considered the great grandfather of the karate
movement in and around Shuri. He learned native Okinawan fighting
from Sakugawa (who in turn learned from Kusankun and other masters).
He later studied in Fujian and Satsuma. He learned Shaolin Boxing
(Shorin-ryu) under the tutelage of master Iwah. As a result of the
efforts of Matsumura, the fighting arts that surfaced around the
noble / castle district of Shuri came to be known as Shuri-te (Shuri
hand).

The Chinese master Ason taught Zhao Ling Liu (Shorei-ryu) to
Sakiyama, Gushi, Nagahama, and Tomoyori of Naha. This led to the
development of Naha-te. Naha, a coastal city, was a large trade
center at the time. Xie Zhongxiang (nicknamed Ryuru Ko) of Fuzhou
founded Whooping Crane kung fu (hakutsuru) and taught it to a number
of notable karate masters in the Fuzhou province. Wai Xinxian, it is
said, was a Qing dynasty officer, and taught Xingyi kung fu as well
as Monk Fist Boxing. It is also said he assisted Master Iwah's
instruction in Fuzhou province.

Two separate, modern styles developed from Naha-te: Goju-Ryu and
Uechi-Ryu. Goju-ryu stresses deep breathing methods (ibuki). Its
kata, including Sanchin, tend to utilize dynamic tension for power
training. Uechi-ryu uses a number of kata that Kanei Uechi (1877-
1948) learned while in China, as well as several Goju-ryu kata. Uechi-
ryu's Sanchin is done with open hands, and doesn't use the deep
breathing emphasized by Goju ryu.

Naha-te's Chinese lineage can be seen through the influence of the
forms and methods of Crane and other styles. Dragon Boxing includes
the forms Seisan, Peichurrin (also known as Suparimpei), Saam Chien,
and Eighteen Scholar Fists. Tiger Boxing also includes Saam Chien and
Peichurrin, as well as Sanseiru and others. Arhat Boxing (Monk Fist)
has Saam Chien, Seisan, Jitte, Seipai, Useishi, Peichurrin, and other
forms.
The author lives in Lake City, South Carolina, where he also teaches
at his Wado ryu Karate school. For more information about Karate and
the martial arts, please visit the Johnston Wado ryu Karate Forums.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Brief History of Karate - part 2 of 2
By: Owen Johnston
While Karate was primarily organized in Shuri and Naha, Tomari
originally had little direct influence. This is because, at that
time, Tomari was inhabited by a simple people; it was a working class
city of fishermen. Tomari had its share of notable masters, however,
with Kosaku Matsumora (1829-1898), Kokan Oyadomari (1827-1905) and
Gikei Yamazato (1835-1905) the most notable. They studied under
Annan, as well as Ason, a Chinese sergeant.

Tomari was located near Shuri, and therefore its fighting arts
developed partly under its influence. Some of the Chinese masters who
taught Tomari villagers, however, did not reach Shuri. Some of these
teachings did later influence Shuri-te, nonetheless, as exchanges
eventually took place. Many of the kata became part of both Shuri-te
and Tomari-te. Some of the kata unique to Tomari-te, however, are
Wansu, Rohai, and Wankan. It is widely believed that Chotoku Kyan
(1870-1945) brought the kata Ananku from Taiwan in 1895. It is said,
sadly, there are other kata that have been lost over time.

It is also said in Okinawan tradition that a pirate or sailor (named
Chinto, or Annan, depending on the source), was a castaway from a
shipwreck on the coast. He took refuge in the graveyard of the
mountains of Tomari, and later lived in a cave. Reportedly, Sokon
Matsumura formulated the kata Chinto (also known as Gankaku) from the
sailor's White Crane Kung Fu teachings. Chinto kata, of which there
are more than half a dozen versions, was adopted into shuri-te. The
Tomari-te chinto kata as a Chinese flair, in contrast with the
simpler looking shuri-te version. Chinto kata uses straight lines of
movement, and is executed with power. A one legged stance occurs many
times, bearing the image of a crane poised to strike its prey. The
flying kicks of this kata differentiates it from others.

Matsumora and Oyadomari apprenticed under local masters Kishin Teruya
(1804-1864) and Giko Uku (1800-1850). They learned from Teruya the
kata Passai, Rohai, and Wanshu, and from Uku, the kata Naifanchi.
Matsumora was also versed in the jo-jutsu (short staff technique) of
Jigen ryu. It is often said in Okinawan sources that Matsumora is
Annan's successor. Yamazato followed Matsumora and Oyadomari, who
were close friends. Both masters encouraged their students to
exchange techniques and kata, furthering the development of Tomari-
te. Tomari-te became a light form of fighting, with plenty of feints.

The kata Seishan is named after a well known Chinese martial artist
who lived in or near Shuri circa 1700. He was associated with
Takahara Perchin, a map-maker who was the first to teach Tode
Sakugawa. The kata is said to be the oldest still in use, and
translates to "13" or "30". The naha-te Seisan has a Chinese flair,
while the shuri-te version evolved in its own way. The movements are
repeated in sets of three, and has pivots and turning of the head.
Toward the middle of seishan, there is a set of three double blocks
that may be used as blocks to the side; it may be seen as a spear
thrust to the eyes, or as an arm grab. The foot movements in seishan
kata may be used to enter the opponent's legs, and break his or her
balance. Hangetsu, the Japanese name for Seisan, translates to half-
moon. This is taken from the stances & footwork, as well as the hand
movements, which use circular paths. As with many other forms, the
kata's movements differ slightly between styles.

Throughout this period, tode-jutsu was taught primarily for health,
philosophy and self defense. In this way, the Chinese tradition was
continued. Tou-di, the karate of old, was not meant for the
competition seen in modern karate. In fact, there were no public
classes, as practicing fighting was forbidden as a way to promote
public order. The to-de masters chose their students with caution
because they were liable for problems that could arise (and
frequently did) from their students' actions. Tode-jutsu had also
become a part of the imperial guards' training. As a result of
Okinawa's annexation to Japan, however, there was a huge unemployment
boom, and poverty spread heavily. Because of this, a number of
chikundun peichin (those who upheld public order in the Ryukyu
kingdom) started teaching tode-jutsu for money.

In the Satsuma occupation's later years, Japan began major changes as
a result of the Meiji restoration. Cultural reforms led to the
abolition of the feudal system, the abasement of the samurai class,
and development of democracy. However, democracy was never fully
implemented, nor were all the ideas of the samurai code and the
feudal system totally abandoned. Japan did not want to totally lose
its strong identity to (primarily Western) foreign influences. Part
of this identity was the bugei (martial arts), which assisted in the
shaping of modern Japan.

The budo (martial ways), as they came to be called, were more than
simply a cultural recreation. The ruling elite used the spread of
budo to further instill moral virtues, the values of bushido (way of
the warrior), and "Japaneseness" in the Japanese public. In this Pre-
World War II age full of increasing militarism, Japan needed needed
strong, able men who were willing to fight to the death. Japan also
hoped that young men of good health and mind would be more productive
citizens.

As a result, many budo were introduced to the school system. Some of
these classical budo included Aikido (The Way of Spiritual Harmony),
Jiu Jitsu (unarmed self defense art often focused on grappling), and
Kendo (Way of the Sword), derived from the samurai fighting
traditions. Also, Judo ("Gentle Art") was developed from jiu jitsu in
the later part of the 19th century.

Itosu Anko led a group of Okinawan karate-jutsu experts in a campaign
to introduce the art to the Okinawan school system as a form of
exercise. Many of the dangerous applications were not practiced in
the school system, transforming karate from a hidden art of self
defense into a unique recreation.

Karate was introduced in this form to the Japanese mainland in 1917.
The Japanese martial arts association ("Dai Nippon Butokukai") was
interested enough in karate to invite the art's best practitioner.
Their intent was to compare karate-jutsu to Japanese jiu jitsu in
matches of skill.

Gichin Funakoshi was an Okinawan native who taught at the
school "Shoto Gakko", which prepared Okinawans for Japanese civil
service. His life's passion, however, was karate. Because of the
respect he commanded from Japanese gentlemen, and his skill in
karate, he was selected to represent Okinawa's martial art.

He defeated every opponent he faced at the demonstration, and won
great respect. Because of this and his love of Japanese culture, he
stayed on the mainland to further propagate karate. As a result of
the first and further exhibitions, he gained many followers and
ultimately began teaching out of a Kendo dojo.

At first, there were cultural barriers and traditions that slowed the
progress of karate across the mainland. As a result of Funakoshi's
excellence in teaching, however, he broke through the prejudices
against karate. Eventually, he was able to open his own dojo, which
was the first formalized karate dojo. Also during this time, karate
as a whole came to be formalized and "Japanized" (although divisions
among separate karate styles have not, to this day, been resolved -
primarily due to pride and organizational politics).

Such formalization included acceptance of the kyu/dan (class/grade)
system as devised by Jigoro Kano (founder of judo). Also, it became
important that all teachers were qualified and knowledgeable.
Finally, it was necessary to institute a standard curriculum,
uniform, and competitive format.

Nationalism and anti-Chinese sentiment made the karate-jutsu movement
consider a more appropriate ideogram to represent their art. The
original "kara" ideogram of karate meant China, as did the "tou" of
toudi (Chinese hand, and a reference to the Tang dynasty). The
replacement ideogram means "empty", and takes on not just a physical
but a spiritual meaning. "Kara" may represent the "void", and freedom
from worldly desire.

Also changed was the suffix for karate. Instead of jutsu
(art/science), do (way/path/totality, pronounced "dao" in Mandarin)
came to be used. In this sense, as a result of the efforts of such
masters as Itosu, karate-do joined kendo, jiu jitsu, aikido, and judo
as a modern budo, in which not only combat is practiced, but also a
cultural discipline for the pursuit of harmony.
The author lives in Lake City, South Carolina, where he also teaches
at his Wado ryu Karate school. For more information about Karate and
the martial arts, please visit the Johnston Wado ryu Karate Forums.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Self Defense And Street Fight Psychology
By: Alexander Popov
Let's speak about the psychological aspect of a street collision. You
should differentiate two items. You must realize, whether your fight
is a result of a usual domestic conflict, or you are attacked by a
robber, killer or bandit. Your actions will flow depending on these
circumstances.

If it is an everyday domestic conflict that happens in the street
(someone pushed you or your leg, disturbed the queue order etc.), you
should not use your fighting knowledge and skills to put your
opponent out of action.

As a rule, all these conflicts occur because of trifles, and you need
to behave normally in this case, let's say naturally. When this
conflict happens, no one wants to fight actually, but just gets rid
of the negative energy that was accumulated.

Those who express harshly their negative reaction are not dangerous
at all in most cases. He will threaten you, make expressive gestures,
grab you with iron fingers but nothing more will happen. This is
nothing but the pose which does not contain real threat at all.
However, there are exceptions in this case too. You must define at
once who is dangerous and who is not.

I would like to precise one thing. Though laws and principles of a
hand-to-hand fighting are the same, a sports battle in a gym differs
greatly from that one happened in the street. If you are calm when
fight in a sports gym and don't worry about fatal injury, you will be
extremely nervous when come across your real enemy in the street. You
won't fight according to rule (as you do in the sports gym), you need
to act most quickly and cruelly sometimes for your effective self
defense.

The psychological aspect plays a very important role in the street
scuffle. You must prevent your enemy's attack or take the lead over
him. Therefore, I advise you on no account not to start fighting if
you see you can avoid it.

If you cannot do that and you know you will be attacked inevitably,
you should act quickly, harshly and be the first with attack actions.
Lots of things depend on who starts the battle first. This is the
main distinction of a street fight. When you train in the sports gym,
it is not important at all who will attack first. Both fighters are
ready to attack and defense.

It is not the same thing in the street fight. Opponents rarely stand
at the certain stances (as in the sport gym) and are situated in
close distance quite often. In other words, they are in the hitting
zone of each other. Hence, a person who starts his attack first has a
huge advantage. Attack here means just the most harsh and strong
action and not the expressive gestures at usual domestic conflict.

I always feel awkward when I am forced to come into such conflict.
When I see a person standing in front of myself and offending me, I
feel ashamed for this conflict that occurred. This person cannot be
dangerous for me, he is completely defenseless.

I know that I can put him out of action in a moment, but my
consciousness does not let me do that. As we see, such clashes that
happen in shops, public transport, streets etc are not the fight
itself, but just an everyday conflict.

Real fight happens when your enemy or enemies are certain in their
superiority over you. For example, it may be numerical advantage,
force advantage or armament advantage.

So, I strongly recommend to you: try to avoid street fight at any
cost. If you see you are about to be attacked, you need to act most
quickly and harshly. You must always remember that if your enemy is
eager to fight with you, he is sure in his superiority. If he is
alone and is not too strong or high, but still wants to fight, it
means most likely that he is either armed with the weapon or
instructed of some martial art.
Alexander Popov is the leading expert in knife and hand-to-hand
combat in the version of Spetsnaz GRU. Spetsnaz martial arts videos
and ebooks: www.spetsnaz-gru-smersh.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Four Agreements

These are 4 agreements we make with ourselves in order to bring about
enlightenment. They are

1. Be Impeccable With Your Word
Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to
speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of
your word in the direction of truth and love.

2. Don't Take Anything Personally
Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a
projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune
to the opinions and actions of others, you wonít be the victim of
needless suffering.

3. Don't Make Assumptions
Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really
want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid
misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement,
you can completely transform your life.

4. Always Do Your Best
Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be
different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any
circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment,
self-abuse and regret.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spiritual Benefits Of Yoga
By: Jason Rickard
Yoga is a complex system of therapy formulated in the East and now
famous universally. Even though yoga is a comprehensive system which
includes different methods such as Karma Yoga, Raja Yoga, Hatha Yoga,
Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Kundalini Yoga and Mantra Yoga, the exercise
part called yogasana is popular in the West. The yoga practitioners
advocate several benefits such as physical, psychological and
spiritual, for yoga and the testimonials of many of the followers
were supporting their argument. And now the popularity of yoga
enhances enormously as the scientific crowd is coming up with
substantiating evidences for the benefits of yoga. However the most
pronouncing benefit of yoga, which distinguishes it from the other
similar therapies, will be its spiritual benefits.

The term spiritual benefits may be reviewed by different people with
apparent dimensions. Usually spirituality refers to something related
with religion or god. However in the perspective of yoga,
spirituality is not only dealing with god but also with the soul or
inner consciousness. Certainly yoga was related to religions as most
of its preachers were sanyasis, the Hindu religious mendicants.
However, yoga had a broader perspective and it was considered as the
method to reach the inner consciousness. The Hindu believers say that
yoga will trigger the energy circles of the body and help to reach
the epitome of the energy.

Yoga is actually using the techniques to attain absolute peace.
According to the principles, the focus of yoga is to attribute the
complete freedom from the birth, death and concomitant evils of life.
However, if you are not so religious enough though, the basic
spiritual benefits such as improved concentration, regulated breath
and clarity of mind will be certainly beneficial for the restoration
of a sound life. The command over the breath will be an advantage to
lose tension and help for better stress management. The improved
concentration and clarity of mind assist to enhance your skills and
increase the productivity.

The advanced spiritual benefits of yoga include the psychic control,
mind control and thought control. The relaxation in the thoughts will
help you gain the knowledge. Along with improvement, the flexibility
of the attitude of the person will also change. The experiences of
yoga practicing people show that they became more compassionate about
the surroundings and fellow beings. The control over the thoughts
will help to suppress the materialistic pressures of the life.
However the ultimate spiritual benefit of yoga will be the self
realization. The understanding of self will help assure the healing
of the pain of the body as well as the mind.

The rejuvenation of mind and health by practicing yoga will certainly
benefit you and pave your path to spiritual liberation and salvation.
Jason Rickard is the owner of Your Favourite Shop - Offering White
Noise CDs to help block noise and relieve the symptoms of tinnitus,
hypertension, colic and more - Visit Hapa Health Information for more
articles
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Importance Of Food Supplements
By: Zachary Thompson
What are food supplements and why do we need them? Food supplements
are medicines we take to enhance our diets. They come in various
shapes and sizes and a wide range of natural and synthetic elements.

At first glance it may seem that with all the processing and food
technology our food goes through we really should not need these food
supplements, as our food arrives to our tables looking so picture
perfect. However when we look deeper we see a very different story.

Have you ever walked into your local grocery store and looked at the
wonderful display of fruits and vegetables. The fruit is piled in
beautiful pyramids and looks so good that you just cannot resist
taking some home to eat.

The beautiful looking fruits we see in the stores with their shiny
exteriors and inviting appearance are not what they seem. The shiny
look is not the natural bloom of a healthy looking fruit it is merely
wax. Why would our fruits be dipped in wax? The first reason is to
preserve it in the long journey from the farm to the grocery store,
and secondly to fool consumers into thinking that the fruit is better
than it is by its glossy appearance.

When we dig even deeper into our piece of fruit we discover that
nutrition wise it is not what it should be. From its very birth it
has been subjected to artificial fertilizers and pesticides that have
depleted its nutrient worth. Added to this it has been picked when it
is unripe before it has had chance to produce the natural nutrients
that should be present within it. Therefore the fruit we are so
impressed with on the outside tells a very different story within.

It is not just the fruits in the store it is all the food that we buy
and consume. When examined it will all tell the same sad story,
things are not what they appear to be. This is why to preserve our
health food supplements are necessary.

One of the most important classes of nutrients that should be found
in natural foods like fruits and vegetables are Glyconutrients. They
are a collection of 8 essential saccarides. They are:

• Mannose
• Glucose
• Galactose
• Xylose
• Fuctos (not fructose)
• N-acetylglucosamine
• N-acetylneuramic acid
• N-acetylgalactosamine

These Glyconutrients used to be found in many fruits and vegetables
but due to the above mentioned facts are now found in lesser
quantities. Therefore food supplements have been developed containing
these nutrients. One of the best known is Ambrotose, originally
derived from the Aloe Vera plant.

This supplement helps your body heal itself by strengthening the
immune system. It also helps the body by aiding and healing the
digestive system. Glyconutrients play a vital part in helping your
body function well and maintaining your health. Many of the
underlying health problems we face today are due to the lack of
Glyconutrients. Taking these supplements will help you live a
healthier life and enjoy life to the fullest.

Note: Glyconutrients are not intended to heal, treat, or cure any
disease.
Zach Thompson is a Glyconutrients Consultant. His clients range from
pro athletes and actresses, to cancer patients and children with
Learning Disabilities. To learn if glyconutrients can hep you, visit
his Glyconutrients site for a consultation

http://www.freewebs.com/mizu_tama_dojo/monavie.htm


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
30 Clients In 30 Days
By: Wayne McDonald
Yes, you can get thirty new clients each month. It can be as easy as
a handshake, a warm smile and your business card.

Your business card is the most cost-efficient marketing tool for
promoting your services. The first rule is do not be cheap. Print a
minimum of 1,000 cards. Soon you'll get the hang of this and you'll
be printing 5,000 at a time.

The Magic Number is Three

Every person you meet greet them with a smile, say their name [ask
them their name] and hand them THREE business cards. When you are at
the bank – hand the cashier three cards. When you are at the grocery
store – hand the clerk three cards. When you are at the car wash –
hand the cashier three cards. When you eat out – hand the waitperson
business three cards. Remember the magic number is three.

Tip#1

Do not try to pre-qualify the person in your head before handing them
a card. Always hand out your business cards because the person
receiving your cards may pass it on to someone else or hand your
business card to a family member.

Before handing your cards, try to engage the person in a short chat –
preferably about them and their work. This is NOT about you or your
business or your `three minute elevator pitch' or the lousy day you
are having. Your business card will speak for you. Use their name at
least three times during this brief chat. When you leave, thank them
for providing excellent service, say their name and hand them three
business cards. But wait, see Tip#2 and write a note on one of the
cards.

Tip#2

Hand-write something on one of your business cards. You can write
your cell-phone number [Tell them, `You can call me directly at this
number']; or offer a discount for the next 10 days (creates urgency);
or possibly a reminder about something that you had discussed (Call
me about the dress shop on main street).

Tip#3

Have your business card professionally designed and keep it simple.
It is worth the extra money to have a card professionally designed.
In fact, you guessed it, after your business cards are printed hand
your design person three cards. In addition, hand your printer three
business cards or leave a stack of cards. I would avoid using online
business card services with pre-designed templates. I have used those
services in the past and have gotten comments afterwards like, "My
cousin does dog grooming and has the same card". Although this makes
good conversation, it will make you look cheap.

Tip#4

Keep your business card simple. You want people to quickly glance at
your card and instantly know what you do. For example one line that
says Massage Therapy or Concrete Cutting or Hair Styling or Florist
or Photography. Start collecting cards to get ideas and to learn what
works and what does not work. Also remember that people over fifty
years old have to read your business card. Make sure the font sizes
are readable, especially you phone number.

Tip#5

Keep you eyes open. If you see a stack of business cards on a table
at your dentist office, ask the receptionist if it is ok to leave a
stack of your business cards. If you do not see stacks of business
cards go ahead and ask if it would be ok to leave a few business
cards. Also, when talking to the receptionist give them three
business cards.

It is easy to get 30 clients in 30 days by taking action today with
these simple ideas. Get in the habit of handing out your business
cards to everyone and I do mean everyone. Keep a box of business
cards in your car, at your locker at the gym, in your desk at the
office, or anyplace else that you can have a ready supply of business
cards.

Copyright © 2006 Wayne McDonald. All rights reserved.
Wayne McDonald is the contributing editor for Health Articles
Unlimited at articlesunlimited.holisticnetworkexchange.com For more
Resources to Grow Your Business and Tips To Explode Your Income visit
us at marketingtips.holisticnetworkexchange.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fibromyalgia And Exercise
By: Jane Thompson
The most effective treatment for fibromyalgia is exercise. Which
seems totally weird, because most people with fibromyalgia hurt worse
and are more fatigued after exercise, and they may feel that way for
days. The key is the right amount of the right kinds of exercise.

If you are new to exercising within the constraints of fibromyalgia,
it may be helpful to enlist the help of a trainer, physical therapist
or exercise physiologist to design a program specifically for you.
Every person with fibromyalgia has a different exercise capacity, so
you need an individualized program.

Another important concept related to exercise is your "baseline."
Each person has a different baseline. It is the level of exercise
that you can maintain over time. It does not mean that you are pain-
free, but that the pain doesn't interfere with your lifestyle. You
also need to remember that you'll always have good days and bad days.
You don't stop or reduce your exercise because of a bad day.
(Although you may reduce it for a while if you have a bad flare-up
that lasts days or weeks.)

Exercise training for someone with fibromyalgia begins with
stretching. Stretching reduces the stiffness and keeps ligaments and
tendons from shortening over time. Stretching should be gentle and it
should feel good. It is usually a good idea to warm your muscles with
mild aerobic activity, such as walking, for a few minutes before
stretching.

Daily low-impact, gentle aerobic exercise is the next step. Aerobic
exercise has tons of health benefits. It specifically helps reduce
fibromyalgia symptoms because it improves flexibility, causes your
body to release endorphins and other happy chemicals and reduces
stress. Walking and bicycling are excellent low-impact exercises. It
is important to start at a level suitable to where you are and
increase your level of exercise slowly. If you get fatigued after
five minutes of walking, start there and increase your time by a
minute or two every week or two.

Some activities are especially good for fibromyalgia. Water aerobics
and swimming are wonderful. The buoyancy of the water supports your
sore muscles and allows you to exercise with less pain. Swimming has
a double benefit of gentle stretching along with aerobic exercise.

Tai Chi and Qi Gong and Yoga emphasize slow, gentle movements that
are ideal for people with fibromyalgia. All three exercises include
breathing and focusing, which decrease stress. You also learn to be
aware of your body and learn to recognize signs of stress.

Pilates is another exercise system where you work with your body,
stretching and toning it. Pilates is a non-weight bearing exercise,
like chair aerobics. It is a gentle way to tone your body, and gentle
is the word for exercising with fibromyalgia.

People with fibromyalgia can add some strength training slowly as
they build up exercise tolerance. Resistance bands provide plenty of
strength training for a while. Strength training must be undertaken
carefully and gently, and it might be wise to get help from an
exercise professional before adding it. There are many benefits to
strength training, and it could be a very beneficial addition to your
exercise, especially when you are feeling well.

Whether we are talking about exercise or sleep, pacing and routine
are important if you have fibromyalgia. Going to bed and getting up
at the same time every day helps with sleep. Exercising at the same
time every day helps with exercise. Your body begins to respond to
routine.

Exercise must be paced, too. That means starting at a low level,
increasing gradually, and incorporating rest into your routine. You
exercise, then rest, then exercise some more. Over time, you can
shorten the rest periods and/or lengthen the exercise periods. Rhythm
and pacing make a big difference in how much exercise you can
tolerate.

It is recommended that you consult your doctor before starting any
new exercise regime.
Jane Thompson has an interest in Fibromyalgia. For further
information on Fibromyalgia please visit Fibromyalgia or Fibromyalgia
Symptoms

June 15-16, 2007

We are pleased to announce the return of Masters and Grandmasters
presenting seminars Friday June 15, 2007 in Manchester, NH – kicking
off the 2007 event.

When coming to the festivities we suggest you come into the hotel
Thursday evening so as to be fresh and ready to begun a day filled
with education and friendship as the seminars planned will be some of
the best ever seen.

Saturday, June 16 the World Martial Arts Hall of Fame will hold is
annual tournament, a mixed martial arts tournament for adult and
children, all ranks and all styles.

To learn more about the events planned simply go onto the website
http://www.freewebs.com/golden_fist_award or contact Rick Wilmott,
renshi at kosho@... to inquire about fee's, deadlines and
content.

Join people from around the globe as they spend a weekend of
learning, sharing, and competing.

Both the seminars and tournament are open to the public and anyone
may attend. Seminar and tournament fees are separate from induction
fees and banquet guest fees.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inductions for 2007
Nominations for Induction to TWMAHOF and applications must be
submitted NLT April 1, 2007. Please see the website for information
and forms. http://www.freewebs.com/golden_fist_award

Warrior's Spirit
Issue 1
October 1, 2006.
Official News letter of The World Multi Martial Arts Hall of Fame
twmmahof@...
http://www.freewebs.com/golden_fist_award/

Join our free newsletter email. Receive a monthly newsletter from
TWMMAHOF in your email with articles and updates on the organization.
It's free. Just sign up to the group and on the first of the month,
starting October 2006 you will receive our first issue.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TWMMAHOF

Do you have a talent for journalism? TWMMAHOF is accepting articles
from individuals under 1000 words on topics of martial systems,
history, techniques, health and the martial arts. send us your
article to the email below along with a brief bio, your email and
website. No pictures. If your article is approved we will let you
know and publish it. Please do not send seminar or tournament
information. Only informational articles please.
twmmahof@...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


A Word From The Executive Council

Another successful induction and awards banquet held September 1-2,
2006 in Cleveland, Ohio. Over 30 new members were inducted into
TWMMAHOF in a weekend to mark history.  Dr Ea Moore, founder and CEO
of the Hall of Fame presented the awards during the annual induction
ceremony and awards banquet. Inductees are as follows:
                                               1.) Sensi Christa
Jacobson
                                               2.) Roberta Patricia
Hughes
                                               3.) Michael R Coulon
                                               4.) Soke Ed Livingston
                                               5.) Soke Guy Ga'son
                                               6.) Master Jean LeGrand
                                               7.) Soke Jimmy Steger
                                               8.) Soke Christopher
Bashaw
                                               9.) Shihan Rick Wilmott
                                             10.) Professor Rick Greene
                                             11.) Shihan David Herbert
                                             12.) Dominick Brioche
                                             13.) Professor Kevin
Conroy Sr
                                             14.) Shihan Mark Lawrence
                                             15.) Master Charles Banks
                                             16.) Professor Vincent Lyn
                                             17.) Shihan Solley Said
                                             18.) Soke Gord Hessie
                                             19.) Si-Fu Bruce Sebregts
                                             20.) Tom Lopez
                                             21.) Grandmaster John
Crudup
                                             22.) Professor Michael
McGann
                                             23.) Soke Allah Freedom
                                             24.) Dr. Juan Otero
                                             25.) Robert Williams
                                             26.) James Edward Miller
                                             27.) Grandmaster Paka Khan
                                             28.) Fredrick Glenn
                                             29.) Wanye Hall
                                             30.) Professor Olen Lane
                                             31.) Alex Carter
                                             32.) Tony Mayo
                                             33.) Grandmaster papasan
Jack Stern
                                             34.) Brendan Stote
                                             35.) Daniel Pelligrini
                                             36.) Alda Anduze
                                             37.) Dr Albert Best
                                             38.)Charles BanksII
                                             39.) Danielle J. Banks
                                             40.) David Neithers


The Executive Council dedicated and held a memoriam conducted in
honor and special memory of Shuseki Shihan William Oliver, Professor
Richard A. Bell and Dr. Glenn Morris, all world renowned martial arts
legends, as well as past inductees during the awards banguet. The
evening ceremony was attended by family, friends, students and
inductees from around the globe.

On September 2 was also held the World Hall of Fame Tournament Finals
representing martial artists from around the world and from numerous
styles and arts.

Along with the council annual meeting, belt ranking tests and
promotions were held over the weekend. For pictures of the weekends
evnts go to http://www.freewebs.com/golden_fist_award .

Next years tournament and induction / awards ceremony was announce
that it will be held in Manchester, NH (USA) at the Radisson Hotel on
June 15-16, 2007. Don't forget to pre-register early for next years
events. Information can be found on our website at
http://www.freewebs.com/golden_fist_award/  for the tournament and
seminars as well as nomination information for future inductees.

If you know of those you feel are worthy of induction into the World
Multi Martial Arts Hall of Fame, the Grandfather to Martial Arts Hall
of Fames, just print off the nomination information and present them
with the paper work. Deadline to receive applications is 4/1/06.  Not
sure who can be nominated, simply go on line and view the website. We
all have a special teacher or student that is worthy to nominate.
Don't waste any time; nominate them today!

This is our first e-newsletter. Feel free to share this and pass it
along. Any one can sign up to receive the news letter at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TWMMAHOF . The newsletter will go out
the first day of each month.

And anyone is encouraged to send in an article according to the
requirements by sending it to twmmahof@...


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It has been requested to share the memoriam service held at the 2006
Awards dinner.


Opening:

-With humility…
-With awareness of the existence of life…
-And of the sufferings that are going on around us, let us practice
the establishment of peace in our hearts and on Earth. -Thich Nhat
Hanh

-May this gathering inspire us to help all beings to create a spirit
of awakening and understanding, allowing each of us a life lived in
love, peace, and harmony.

-Tonight we intend to honor those who have passed from this physical
world into the great void of Heavenly existence. We honor them as
family, friend, teacher, spouse, pioneer, and legend.
-We honor their memory
-We honor their spirit
-We honor their legacy

Bring forth the essence of our departed brothers (memoriam alter &
photos of Bell, Oliver, and Morris brought in by bearers)

Light incense: Chris

- Every day is a new day and a new life. All things arise and
subside… Appear and disappear.
- This is a dynamic state, continuously changing…
- Nothing is permanent.
- Continuously becoming…
- Continuously becoming.
- We call this Life.

-Teachers, we honor you (Bow toward alter)


(Bowl of rice) Brought before the alter by a representative of TWMAHOF

-With honorable awareness we offer the gift of life. May each
precious grain come to nourish the body… the mind… and the Spirit…
Creating Oneness.

The relationship to a teacher, a mentor, displays no distance, be it
of time of geography. The teacher and his teachings are as close as
our own heart. The teacher is beyond near and far, for it is not only
the body and the personality one hope to learn from, but of his
essence and spirit as he carries himself though this life. The
teacher plants the seeds of knowledge and cultivates that knowledge
into wisdom. The teacher is a master gardener, and we are but
seedlings that emerge to hear the fruits of a bountiful harvest. To
be a leader carries awesome responsibility.

Tonight we honor three pioneers… three legends… three brothers who
have passed before us:

Shuseki Shihon William Oliver
Professor Richard A Bell
Dr. Glenn J Morris Soke

(Pause & Silence)


Oliver
Shuseki Shihan William Oliver, was born in 1952, and he departed from
this world in 2004.

Shihan Oliver, a man known for his outstanding talent and
accomplishments, respected not only in the world of Seido, but
respected throughout the globe itself. For his life is what legends
come out of.

Shuseki Shihen Oliver exuded talent and continues to be an
inspiration. Whether you knew him personally, or know him from the
stories of friends and students, there is little doubt that this man
changed the lives of thousands within the Martial Arts.

William Oliver was committed to teaching throughout the world,
including Australia, Asia, and the Caribbean. Subject of Martial Arts
magazines, television appearances on ABCs Wide World of Sports,
Nickelodeon, for some of his younger students, as well as a
documentary about the 1st World Kyokushin Championship, called "the
Fighting Kings".

Shihah Oliver, a 7th degree black belt, with over 30 years of
training, passed November 20, 2004 at his dojo.

The Martial Arts community has lost a true warrior. God bless his
family and his students.

Shuseki Shihen Oliver, you will remain in the hearts of many and may
your teachings continue to flourish…

Osa


Bell
Professor Richard A Bell came into this physical existence in 1943.
He founded Sansei Isshinryu Karate-Do in 1980. Professor Bell was
chief instructor of Sansei Isshinryu Karate, until his untimely
passing, from this reality into the next, in 2005.

During his chosen path into Budo Professor Bell studied many martial
systems and styles. These included: Jutitsu, Judo, Shorin-ryu, Wado-
ryu, Uechi-Ryu, Goju, Shotakan, Okinawan Isshunryu, USA Goju, Aikido,
Okenawan Kenpo, Nisei Goju, Kendo and Tai Chi Chuan.

In 1967 Professor Bell began teaching Martial Arts, over the years he
was entrusted the following titles and earned the following ranks:

Phd/MA, Soke, Professor, Hanshi, Shihan, 10th dan, Sansei, Isshinryu,
8th dan, Nisei Goju, 6th dan Lee Jititsa-ryu, 5th Dan Okanawan
Isshinryu, Intermediate Level Taoist Tai Chi Chuan, 6th Kyu Kendo and
4th Kyu USA Goju.

The World Martial Arts Hall of Fame inducted Richard A. Bell in 1994
for his dedicated service as a deputy United States Marshal.

Sansei Isshinryu Karate Do and the World Wide Martial Arts community
will feel the loss of this great man, but his life and the system he
has left behind will remain forever in the hearts of his students and
in the support of the Martial Arts community.

Professor Richard A. Bell, on behalf of Sansei Isshin Ryu Karate and
the World Martial Arts community we pay tribute to you services, your
memory and your teachings.

Osa


Morris
Dr. Glenn J. Morris, Soke, chose this life in 1944, and passed into
the next April 1, 2006.

Soke Glenn Morris left the Hoshin Roshin Ryu Ju Tai Jutsu system as
his legacy to the world. Dr. Glenn Morris displayed the mind of a
scholar, the spirit of an artist, the heart of a warrior, and the wit
of a master.

Dr. Morris trained in the Martial Arts for over 50 years studying:
Jujitsu, Judo, Tai Chi, Kung Fu, Karate, Boxing, and Wrestling. In
1965 he earned his 1st black belt in the art of Jujitsu while serving
in the United States Army.

As a Martial Arts teacher he began by instructing in Germany to the
third MED and later at Penn State University. Hoshin began in 1980 at
Hillsdale College, Michigan, and a few years later, Dr. Morris began
attending Ninjitsu seminars with Stephen Hayes. This exposure of
Ninjitsu led to further training under Hatsumi-Soke, who, in time,
promoted Glenn to Kudan, or 9th degree black belt, in the year 2000,
and post humously  awarded Dr Morris his 10th dan. Additional Martial
Arts accolades include: Grand Master of the Millennium, induction to
the WHFSC Hall of Fame, and member world head of family Sokeship
council.

Not only a pioneer in the Martial Arts, Soke Morris was a committed
man of Academia; possessing a PhD from Wayne State University and A
Sci D from Eurotechnical Research University.

Those that knew Dr. Morris, this time around, speak fondly of him, as
a committed and dedicated teacher, friend, Martial Arts Master
extraordinaire, storyteller, and a man with a smile, kind heart and
quick wit.

The art of Hoshin Roshi Ryu Ju Tai Jutsu has come from the college
campus, traveled throughout the North American continent, and is now
spreading into the Martial Arts community of Europe. Through the
dedication and initiative of Dr. Morris, and the follow through of
his senior disciples, under leadership of Gordon Hesse, inheritor of
the Hoshin system; the legacy and dream of Dr. Glenn J. Morris, Soke,
his life works and personality will forever stay in the hearts of
those he has touched and those he still has yet to touch.

Dr. Morris, knowing your art, knowing your teachings, it would not
surprise me to hear your students say, that you are here tonight.

Sir, we honor you and your legacy.

Honsha Za Shonen

Osa

Offering of flowers (by a child or children)

-There is a beauty in all things: birth, life, death, and rebirth.

- May all beings be free from enmity
- May all beings be free from ill treatment
- May all beings be free from troubles
- May all beings be free from suffering
- May all beings be protect their own happiness
- May all beings be happy
- May the infinite Light of Wisdom and Compassion so shine within,
that the errors and vanities of the self be dispelled, so we shall
understand the changing nature of existence and awaken into Spiritual
Peace.

On this day, September 2, 2006, before the World Martial Arts
community, we honor and pay tribute to their memory:

Shuseki Shihan William Oliver
Professor Richard A. Bell
Dr. Glenn J. Morris, Soke


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

De-mystifying Pressure Points

     As I go around the world teaching the arts of Kyusho-jitsu or Dim
Mak, I am often faced with many people who at first do not believe in
these arts. Many of them are swayed away by the "new age mumbo
jumbo". It is only after I explain to them the scientific or medical
reasons why they work that they start to come around. Many like to
create an air of mystique around this "secret" techniques and this is
where we are losing them.

     The body is a fine make up of neurological pathways, which are
constantly flowing with electrical energy. Pressure points, which
many lay on nerve pathways, are like circuit switches. If one of
these switches is properly tripped, that nerve pathway is affected,
much like a circuit breaker in your house being tripped. When several
of these switches are tripped in the correct fashion it is just like
if you were to throw a metal wrench into your breaker box of your
house. Everything shuts down.

    There are six types of nerves described in Geyton's Book of
Medical Physiology. We utilize three in the art of Kyusho. Nerves
respond to a touch, hit or rub. This is explained in medical texts
and I even heard a doctor comment on this on Good Morning America.
Nerves points cause pain, control a joint and can affect an internal
organ. The places where nerves are most vulnerable are where the
major nerve comes to a head, where two cross or where a nerve forms
a "Y".  If we look at an anatomy chart of the nervous system you will
see numerous "Y" formations.

     When I teach seminars I try to use both the Traditional Chinese
Medicine and the Western Medicine terms for each point. This also
helps to establish a connection between these two modalities.

     When we teach these arts are seminars we will reach the masses
faster and more effectively if we take out all the "secrets"
and "hidden" mysteries. It simply demonstrates that all the
information is out there, just simply put in a different manner.


About the author: Matt Brown is an 8th Degree Black Belt Grandmaster
under world -renowned Kyusho jitsu expert Grandmaster George Dillman.
Brown has been studying martial arts for over 30 years. He also holds
ranks in many other styles. He is a Black Belt Hall of Fame Member
and State Director for several martial arts organizations. He is also
a certified Medical Qi Gong and Tui Na Therapist and is knowledgeable
in Traditional Chinese Medicine modalities. PSKarate@...
   www.penacookschoolkarate.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Evolution of Karate Kata and Bunkai
By Stephen Irwin

"Release the grip by striking here, weaken your opponent's balance
with a leg trap then apply your response to subdue him appropriately."
It could be a half dozen movements with blending, turning and
fluidity. Part of the sequence might include an outside to inside
movement of the arm co-ordinated with rooting of the feet and a
vibration of energy from the ground up through the hips, waist and
spine. To perform the arm lock you need to disrupt his internal
posture with a vital point strike using the other hand and finally
you execute the throw or tie-up and if necessary strike to further
vital points to disable your attacker.
It's a possible kata sequence. But try teaching that to sixty people
in one go. You don't have time to show them the subtleties; besides,
the training methods to learn the technique are quaint and old
fashioned (sparring's better than push hands and more suited to
physical education).
The sequence has to be broken down and movements are made bigger so
the people at the back of the dojo can see. Over time it becomes step
forward in front stance with a "preparation move", inner block,
reverse punch. Ichi ni san. Stand in line and we can all drill it
together. Let's do it faster and with more power because you need to
get fit. And it's good for your spirit, it's the Budo way.
The soft flowing kata changes because the basic techniques have been
broken down too far into start-stop jerky movements with too much
strength and tension. The kata loses its essence. A whole bunch of
new techniques called kicks, blocks and punches are created out of
the modified form. They are vaguely similar to some of the original
movements, but somehow they are not right. The old-school teachers
wouldn't recognize them.
The applications become strong blocks and counters to big, long range
attacks. We could have a competition to see who's the strongest. It
will encourage the students to work harder and make the dojo look
good.
Years later more open-minded people ask awkward questions. They know
the explanation of the technique doesn't work on the streets so they
come up with alternative meanings that fit their own cultural needs
of the day. They have experience of different self defense
requirements and are well-educated thanks to the wider availability
of information. They come up with better applications that work
against more realistic attacks they might have faced in the local bar.
The new ways of interpreting movements are reverse engineered into
the kata to help make sense of it all.
After some time their bunkai and applications become more refined and
they start to rediscover the original inner teachings of the form.
They learn that some teachers didn't modify the techniques so the
essence of the form remained intact. They are able to go out and find
the missing links. The kata comes alive. They discover internal
training methods required to learn the principles within the form.
Now the bunkai changes as the kata becomes softer, more fluid. The
block-punch combination becomes "Release the grip by striking here,
weaken your opponent's balance with a leg trap then apply your
response to subdue him appropriately."
It's called progress don't you know!
Stephen Irwin
http://www.thekatabook.com
Improve Your Karate, Sharpen Your Skills and Increase Confidence
Through Mastery of the Inner Game
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stephen_Irwin

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bullies
by Rexanne Mancini
Bullies are an ugly but very real part of childhood. There's not much
we can do to protect our children from these cruel and brutal kids
except teach them how to defend themselves from an otherwise
unprovoked attack of the bullying kind.
Bullies are kids who have tremendous low self-esteem. They feel
better about themselves by tormenting another, usually smaller or
weaker child. If a bully decides to pick on someone that is not
smaller in size but otherwise imagined as weak, they will usually
have a gang around to further ensure the unfairness of the battle.
They do not fight fair, nor do they understand compassion, dignity or
basic integrity. Gee, wonder where they learned these lovely
qualities?
A larger, stronger individual has most likely bullied a child who
feels the need to bully another smaller or weaker child. Parents or
caretakers who regularly torment or abuse their children are teaching
these children to torment and abuse others who are not able to stand
up to their size, strength or perceived power. These parents or
caretakers are bullies themselves. Adult bullies are spouse beaters,
verbal abusers, child abusers and the type of person we see
personified in fiction as the menace to weaker, gentler people
everywhere. They are the ones we love to hate in movies and books.
Sadly, they are merely carrying on the tradition of their
upbringing.
All we can do is teach our children to stand up for themselves in
this situation ... to avoid kids who have nothing better to do than
torture other children and how to defend themselves if they ever do
become the target of a bully.
We do not regularly teach our children to kick someone's teeth down
their throat or fill their ears with a vicious verbal attack but I do
believe that, under extenuating circumstances, children should be
taught to fight back, to do whatever it takes to stop their attacker.
Children might ignore a name caller or walk away from an instigator,
but to do nothing when physically hurt by another child (or adult)
leaves them defenseless. I have told my daughters to never start a
fight but to always finish one, if possible. They have my total
approval in defending themselves, whatever it takes. As much as we
don't want to tell our kids to hurt another, do we really want to see
our kids get hurt themselves? Of course not.
My older daughter was tormented last year for the first few months of
school by a group of boys who clearly had no idea how to relate to a
cute girl. ;-) She was pretty freaked out ... at first. Then she
fought back, giving them a dose of their own medicine. She stood up
for herself with dignity and more smarts than the boys were capable
of responding to. They are now all very good friends. These boys
would fight to the death for her if she were threatened. They huddled
around and comforted her when she didn't make the cheer leading team.
They STILL apologize for having tortured her! Yes, she is a strong-
minded kid. A lot of kids aren't. Those are the little darlings who
need to learn to defend themselves the most.
Sometimes, enrolling a child, especially a boy, in a self-defense
class works wonders for their self-esteem. They are instructed from
the first day that they are not to use their newfound talent on
another human being, however, the inner strength and physical control
they learn can do wonders for their shy and reserved natures. Other
good avenues for a child in need of a boost are sport lessons,
gymnastics or possibly acting or dance classes for a child who
expresses a desire to learn the arts. The better kids feel about
themselves, the less likely they are to become victims or bullies in
life. A good heart to heart conversation, where the child is heard
and understood, can also work miracles in healing a wounded spirit.
A child who bullies other children needs to be stopped. They are in
desperate need of instruction on caring for and nurturing others.
Sometimes, a simple "How would YOU feel ...?" can jar a recessed
nerve in their brain to awaken compassion and respect. Naturally,
these lessons are best learned at home but a child who is on his way
to becoming a sociopath needs help wherever he can get it.
Approaching the parents of a bully is probably one of the most
unrewarding encounters you might have. They most likely have taught
their child to be a bully, albeit unconsciously through a variety of
abusive behaviors. I think it is imperative that these parents be
made aware of their child's antisocial problem, whether from the
school or another parent whose kid has become a victim of the bully.
In so doing, we might indirectly encourage some of these parents and
caretakers to reevaluate their family values and environment.
Copyright – 2000-2004- Rexanne Mancini
For more insight and discussion about bullies and bullying, visit
this thread in my community forum: Bullies & Bullying
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rexanne Mancini is the mother of two daughters, Justice and Liberty.
She is a novelist, freelance writer and maintains an extensive yet
informal parenting and family web site, Rexanne.com –
http://www.rexanne.com/ -Visit her site for good advice, award-
winning Internet holiday pages and some humor to help you cope.
Subscribe to her free newsletter, Rexanne's Web Review, for a monthly
dose of Rexanne: http://www.rexanne.com/rwr-archives.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hoshinjutsu

As a senior member of the Hoshinroshiryu, I would like to thank Dr.
Moore and the World Martial Arts Hall of Fame organization for
welcoming us with open arms at this year's Hall of Fame event in
Cleveland.  The event was first class from beginning to end. From the
Wyndam hotel we all stayed in luxury, to the Gentleman's club the
formal awards banquet was held at.  All of those involved in
organizing and making this event happen should be commended for their
efforts.

Even though many of the readers of this newsletter may not be
familiar with our organization, we are not a stranger to the WMAHOF.
Our founder Dr. Glenn Morris-soke was inducted into the Hall of Fame
in 1992, and was an honoured member of the World Head of Family and
Sokeship Council for many years.  His eclectic martial art known as
Hoshinjutsu will live on in the hearts of his students, instructors,
and fans worldwide, as Dr, Morris-soke passed on from this world
April 1, 2006.  We, his senior instructors, along with his successor
Gord Hessie-soke have vowed to continue his teachings of combat
martial arts, and the ways of the esoteric in the same manner that he
taught us. Dr. Morris-soke's passion for the martial arts led him to
study and train with many different masters of so many different
disciplines.  He held dan rankings in more than six different martial
arts.  His three books on the martial arts, the Kundalini, and the
esoteric have sold thousands of copies worldwide.  He had the mind of
scholar, the passion of an artist, and the heart of a warrior.  We
would again like to thank the WMAHOF for honouring Dr. Morris-soke's
memory at this year's banquet.

We look forward to nurturing our relationship with the WMAHOF
organization, and look forward to supporting Dr. Moore and the WMAHOF
in their efforts to spread the good word of brothership through the
martial arts for many years to come.  We look forward to seeing
everyone next June in New Hampshire for next year's event.

Hoshin Ikkan!

Shihan Mark Lawrence
Hoshinroshiryu Canadian Representative
Kawartha Hoshin Training Centre
http://www.khtc.ca/welcome.htm
Mailto:info@...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Spiritual Realm and Martial  Arts
By: Rev. Dr. William Wong

Is higher spirituality needed for proficiency  in the martial arts?
What will one gain in the effort?  Isn't  it all just some high
sounding mumbo jumbo with no application  to real life?  Will it
conflict with my religion?

  All of these questions are heard in martial  arts circles when the
subject of spirituality arises.  To  answer the first question:  No
higher spirituality  is not needed for physical proficiency in the
arts (although  spirituality acquired power, chi, will enhance any
physical  movement).  But a fighting art without a spiritual
foundation is like driving a car without drivers ed.  or  shooting a
gun without safety instructions.  It can  be done but you won't have
the data and ethics to know  when to use your art and when not to.
Remember to  the monks, the martial arts were not do all end all's.
The  arts were part of the step ladder to spiritual attunement  (read
AT ONE MENT) with the universe.  Their concepts  of the universe and
the Taoist concept of the Tao are expanded versions of the near
eastern (i.e. Judeo-Christian-Moslem)  conception of an
anthropomorphic God.

The monks sought to be at one with the  Creator through being one
with creation. They held  that creation reflects the Creator although
the Creator  cannot be limited to this creation.  (This is the
principle of panentheism.)

So the martial arts brought the discipline,  the physical strength
and health needed to properly receive  large amounts of universal
energy - Chi.  The arts  served as the vehicle to raise that chi and
circulate it  so that the mind could use it and realize that greater
realms existed than the conscious senses could perceive.  The realms
perceived and joined with were just as real, ofttimes  more real
feeling than three dimensional life.  This knowledge expanded their
knowledge of themselves and how  they fit into the One (the Tao,
Nirvana, the Universe,  the Creator, God).  Some Gifted monks after
much practice  could achieve temporary absorption into the essence
of  the Creator (known in Western mysticism as mystical union).
Students  returned from their meditative sessions elated, expanded
mentally and spiritually from having been surrounded by  great peace
love and wisdom.  People who have had  near death experiences report
much the same events and  feelings.

Which school of spirituality to choose?  Try  many then pick the one
that rings true to your heart!

There are many schools of spirituality  both eastern and western.
Practices range from Japanese  Za Zen to the Jesuits Spiritual
Exercises to Indian Tantric  energy channeling.  Frankly speaking
though the most  well thought out, easiest applied and most result
producing  methods are oriental.  (Having mentioned the Jesuits, many
of them are now using Zen to augment their own tradition).  This  is
because in the West not much attention was placed into  listening for
God; most of the emphasis was placed in talking  at Him.  Eastern
reasoning goes like this: How long  would a friend remain a friend if
in your conversations  you did all the talking and never let the
friend get a  word in edgewise?  In the East, balance in life,
especially  spiritual life is very important.  Therefore prayer  is
balanced with listening (meditation).  If anything  the methods lean
more towards listening; thinking that  what the universe (God) has to
say is a lot more important  then what we have to say to the universe.

Why does all this spiritual stuff sound  like mumbo-jumbo and hocus-
pocus?

In the West we've gotten used to uninitiated  teachers throwing out
high sounding platitudes while teaching martial arts.  The stuff is
meant to sound like Oriental  wisdom but it isn't truly connected by
the teacher to the physical acts being taught and it lacks the depth
and continuity  true philosophy has when applied to the problems of
daily  life.  So to the listener, it rings false or unsteady.  The
student then gets the idea that all Eastern philosophy  must be
merely saying without real application to his life  and therefore
avoids further inquiry.  Students expect  their teachers to know
whereof  they speak and the  teachers are letting them down.  The
philosophy they  spout is a good example of chop suey: having
something  resembling the form but lacking the substance.

Many students listening to that pap don't  ever want to hear it
again, concluding after a while that  all they're going to get from
the martial arts is the 'hitting'.  Since  the 1950's each succeeding
generation of black belts and  sifu's have known and understood
spirituality less and  less.

So what are we looking for?

Inner peace; spiritual light; a sense  of connectedness with the
Creator (the Universe, the Tao,  the Buddha - you pick your
cosmology).  Sounds corny?   To  some it might until their lives are
in such turmoil that  they search frantically for some rest and peace
but don't  know where to find it or how.  There is an old story  of a
samurai with so much inner peace that  before  a battle he was
sitting writing poetry.

Is this connectedness difficult to achieve?  No.  No!  Well then why
do people spend years trying to  learn to draw in and circulate chi
or to connect with the  Tao?  Answer: Because they are taking the
long  way around the barn!  Just as not all martial arts  are equal
in technique or in the fighters they produce,  (something not
admitted by everyone but alluded to quite  often by Wing Chun
practitioners), not all spiritual methods  are equal in their powers
of enlightenment.  Some  spiritual schools feed you truth with an
eyedropper.  These methods were developed in very ancient times when
people  were coarser, less mentally developed and more closed up  to
chi raising (kundalini) and circulation.  Those  methods were
appropriate for their time but not now!  For  example Buddhism has
three schools:  Hinayana, or  the Former Day of the Law, Provisional
Mahayana or the  Provisional Day of the Law and Mahayana or the
Latter Day  of the Law.

Each school was suited to a period lasting  some 1000 years.  In the
first period attainment of  enlightenment was well nigh close to
impossible and demanded  sever privations of it's followers.  With
the second  period attainment became easier with a different
definition  of altruism that modified the doctrine of self
deprivation  to one of sharing instead of completely giving
everything  away, doing without being miserable.

In the third thousand years after the  Buddha's' death and for 10,000
years afterward we get to  the third or present period.  Mankind has
now evolved  enough that enlightenment is available to all.
Fulfillment  of ones' higher desires and dreams lead one to
attainment  now, not privations.

As in Wing Chun Gung Fu, where short  leverage and straight lines to
a target replaced long lines  and circles, there are shorter easier
ways of getting from  point A to point B while attaining the same or
better results.

It must also be remembered that there  are many paths to
enlightenment and unity with the Tao  (Universe, God or whatever you
want to name the great It).  According  to the Bhagavad Gita, one of
Hinduism's most sacred scriptures  there are four paths to attaining
unity with God:  The  path of Wisdom and Knowledge, that is
concentrated on the  mystery of the Creator seeking union with Him;
the path  of Practice and Discipline, studying sacred law and
carrying  them out; the path of Service and Right action, this one
speaks for itself; and lastly the path of Renunciation,  of giving up
worldly goods and desires to live a life of  meditation and austerity.

Everyone, regardless of their present  level of spirituality can find
a mode of searching among  the four paths that will fit their life,
thought and abilities.

www.EssentialsJournal.com
www.DrWong.us

Dr Wong is on the Executive Council for The World Martial Arts Hall
of Fame.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Why Martial Arts Is The Best Thing You Can Do To Get Your Child Ready
for School This Year
By Robert L. Jones

Have you done everything you can to prepare your children for school
this year? You've probably bought the items on the list of supplies,
bought some new school clothes and taken them to the school's open
house to meet the teachers and find their ways. There is still one
more thing you can do to help you children have a successful year,
however. Enroll your children in a martial arts class.
Martial arts training is so much more than kicking, screaming and
breaking boards. Training martial arts teaches emotional control,
sportsmanship, focus and discipline. As we all know as parents, there
are so many influences out there that go against these
characteristics we need to do everything we can to teach them to our
own children.
Class Structure. When you enroll your children into the right martial
arts class, they will enter a disciplined class that will require
them to respect their instructor, their fellow students and
themselves. The respect demanded at martial arts training will teach
your children to respect their teachers, classmates and even school
property even when they are not in their martial arts class because
it naturally carries over into other aspects of their lives such as
school work, team sports and classroom behavior. Instructors at the
right school will teach your children that all people, especially
adults, deserve respect. You'll probably even find your children's
teachers telling you that their classroom demeanor is improving as a
result of martial arts training.
Focus. Training martial arts is not a mindless activity. To keep
themselves safe from injuries, participants need to have complete
concentration and focus at all times during training. This ability to
concentrate will carry over to other parts of your children's lives,
even school. They will become more aware of their surroundings and
will be less likely to "zone out" during the school day. They'll have
improved focus and concentration that will help them during school
lessons, while doing homework and even when studying and taking exams.
Confidence. Another characteristic that all children need to succeed
in school is confidence. Martial arts can help increase your
children's confidence by giving them the knowledge they need to
defend themselves not only physically, but mentally as well. They
will be strong enough to not become victims of bullying from
schoolmates and will have the ability to stay calm in stressful and
potentially harmful situations by teaching them how to handle stress
without losing their temper or simply becoming flustered.
Stress Reduction. You know that life can be stressful and you
probably already know that physical exercise is a great stress
reliever. Your children, even in the younger primary grades, may also
be experiencing daily stress. It's no wonder with the rigors of
school requiring them to do a many hours of homework each week.
Giving them an outlet for physical activity, such as martial arts,
can help them reduce their stress levels. While you might just
encourage them to join different sports teams throughout the year,
martial arts takes stress relief one step further by giving them a
well-rounded type of relief. When they are training martial arts,
your children will be concentrating on their training, not dwelling
on their problems and the things they need to do. They won't be
worrying and stressing out about an upcoming test or about their
friends. They will be focusing their mind on something productive
(both mentally and physically) and will feel better all-around when
they are done with their class.
Preparing your child for a successful school year requires so much
more than school shopping and getting them out the door that first
day. Help them learn how to help themselves by giving them the tools
they need to respect others, focus on school, exude confidence and
reduce their stress levels. Enroll them in a martial arts class today.
For more information on this article or others go to Articles on
Martial Arts
Robert Jones runs three successful martial arts schools located in
Bellevue, Lynnwood, and Kent Washington. He has been helping families
make positive changes in their lives through martial arts for over 20
years. He has also written A Guide on How to Pick a Martial Arts
School
He can be reached at the Academy of Kempo Martial Arts. 800-508-6141.
His schools can be found on the web at Bellevue Martial Arts and Kung
Fu
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_L._Jones

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sports Drinks: What Do You Really Need?
By Gabe Mirkin, M.D.

Drinks that contain salt and sugar are better than just plain water
during exercise, unless you are also eating foods. A study from the
Medical College of Georgia shows that tennis players have lower body
temperatures when they drink fluid with electrolytes and sugar,
rather than just plain water (British Journal of Sports Medicine, May
2006). Higher body temperatures during exercise slow you down and
tire you earlier.
More than 80 percent of the energy that supplies your muscles is lost
as heat. Less than 20 percent drives your muscles. So during
exercise, your heart has to cool your body by pumping hot blood from
your muscles to your skin, as well as pumping oxygen-rich blood to
your muscles. If you heart has difficulty serving both functions, it
cannot pump enough hot blood from muscles and your temperature rises.
You do not have to take sports drinks to protect yourself from high
body temperature. During exercise, you need energy, salt and water
and your body doesn't care how it gets these nutrients. Eating any
salted food with water or any beverage you like will supply your body
as efficiently as sports drinks. You will drink less of a beverage
that does not taste good to you, no matter what its advertised
advantages may be.
Subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter on fitness, health, and
nutrition.
Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and
practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in
four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to
hundreds of his fitness and health reports -- and the FREE Good Food
Book -- at http://www.DrMirkin.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gabe_Mirkin,_M.D.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tai Chi, an Ancient Modality for Modern Practice
Christopher J. Bashaw, RN
Imagine a handful of women in their late 60's to late 70's learning
an ancient martial art.  Impractical?  Perhaps you have not been to
Rochester NH, where this occurs each week, and has, for several
years.
Ultimately, our ladies are learning about health, and battling their
F.U.D.'s (Fears, Uncertainties, and Doubts); while practicing and
perfecting the art of Tai Chi, as taught in Kosho Hoho Yooga system
(Old Pine Tree Method of Unity and Self Discipline).
http://www.freewebs.com/kosho_hoho_yooga
Study of Tai Chi is unique. It marks historical meeting of many
centuries, Taoist and Buddhist study, known as Chi Kung
or "Excellence of Energy," or more commonly known in our western
civilization as "Energy Cultivation Exercises," primarily devoted to
physical health and spiritual growth.
The result, an unusual blend of healing, martial, and meditative
arts, referred to as internal practice of Tai Chi (meaning "Grand
Ultimate" or "Raising the Roof").  Tai Chi during its 1,000 years of
modern development has been considered a movement art. This implies
much more than just physical or even energetic movement. It denotes a
relationship with experience of change.
The attitude, which Tai Chi seeks to cultivate, is an understanding
of change as a natural life process. One is asked to look at
tendencies in which we resist change, be that physical, emotional, or
mental. Through practice of Tai Chi one allows herself to become a
more willing participant in the process of change, understanding that
change is inevitable anyway.  Practice may begin primarily as a
physical experience, but in time, applies qualities that we seek to
develop, including; balance, timing, and integration of emotional,
mental, and spiritual levels as well.
Essence of Tai Chi practice is not specifically to learn a set of
movements, nor to become talented in a system of self-defense;
although, these abilities may occur during the course of practice, as
particular aspects of the complete system. Intention of Tai Chi is to
allow one the opportunity to become more aware of natural laws which
govern change. Not just change in the body as effects of physical,
structural movement; but rather, principles of change and movement
that govern every aspect of our lives and the world around us:
spiritual, emotional, and physical change, and the harmonies of each.
Exercises of Tai Chi practice simply provide participants with
opportunities to explore that process of discovery. It is the goal of
Kosho Hoho Yooga to bring these principles forth to the public,
through both group and private lessons, providing optional teacher
certification in various levels, to those interested.
Women participating in our program, at Tara Estates, Rochester, NH,
are but a few who have seen balance improve, pain lessen, and
reliance on our current medical system decrease.  These women report
less pain and more mobility as they suffer from Parkinson's,
fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and back pain. One
day per week of instruction, along with 15 minutes each day of
practice at home, has transformed these "Golden Girls" into new
women, once again.
Healing benefits of Tai Chi alone are amazing. Many medical
institutions now provide Tai Chi classes and workshops. Many
insurance companies now provide coverage for training. This year, it
is expected that more than 80 million Americans will turn to
acupuncture, herbs, Tai Chi, and other natural alternative therapies
to treat or prevent illness. Experts say the growing demand for these
ancient therapies is due to our 21st century lifestyles. Numerous
studies have been conducted over the years on Tai Chi and the results
are quite impressive.
Below is a summary of some of the most common benefits, as seen
through numerous studies, related to the regular practice of Tai Chi.
• Significant increase in T-lymphocyte count
• Toning of body muscles
•  Increased co-ordination, balance, flexibility, agility and
general mobility of all joints
• Reduction of hypertension
• Migraine sufferers are often relieved of symptoms
• Asthma sufferers are able to reduce use of medications
• Sufferers of depression have shown rapid improvement within a
few months, having been on medication for several years.
Doctors are increasingly recommending Tai Chi as a form of exercise,
to their patients. As with all forms of exercise, you should first
consult your doctor before you start practicing Tai Chi.
Kosho Hoho Yooga, Tai Chi, has on-going classes in Rochester, NH for
people of all abilities and ages, for health, meditation, as well as
their own individual and personal reasons.
http://www.freewebs.com/mizu_tama_dojo
Instruction is offered by Christopher Bashaw, Registered Nurse since
graduating from nursing school in 1984. Career focus has been on
rehabilitation nursing, occupational health issues, and recovery
associated with both. Certifications include: Advanced nursing,
Bachelors in Naturology (study of natural medicine), Masters in
Religion, as well as, Doctorates in Divinity. An ordained Minister,
specifically a Buddhist Lay Priest, Christopher focuses his attention
on similarities of religion and traditional spiritual practices
rather than differences. Spirituality is an important element missing
from health models of today, and he incorporates such in teachings
related to Kosho Hoho Yooga.
Continuing his studies and practices of ancient healing arts,
incorporating energy work, Shamanic practice, Herbology, and
nutrition into his teachings. Attuned as a Reiki Master/Teacher,
developing Kokoro Ryu Reiki (heart, mind, body, school of reiki) as
part of Kosho Hoho Yooga system and curriculum, magnified healing
practitioner; he has blended both traditional allopathic western
care, with eastern complementary medicine into his expansive nursing
practice. Educating on wellness and disease prevention nationally,
Christopher was a founding member of the Healing Arts Clinic at Mount
Ascutney Hospital, Windsor, VT; first of its kind in Vermont and New
England, blending complementary medicine in both the outpatient and
inpatient setting. Christopher is also the president of AIANE (Asian
Internal Arts of New England) and Executive Vice President to the
World Martial Arts Hall of Fame, as well as an inductee, and licensed
soke of Kosho Hoho Yooga (Family Head of the Kosho Hoho Yooga System)
legitimized by the WMMAHOF Headfamilies, Headfounders, Grandmasters
and Sokeship Council.


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June 15-16, 2007

We are pleased to announce the return of Masters and Grandmasters
presenting seminars Friday June 15, 2007 in Manchester, NH – kicking
off the 2007 event.

When coming to the festivities we suggest you come into the hotel
Thursday evening so as to be fresh and ready to begun a day filled
with education and friendship as the seminars planned will be some of
the best ever seen.

Saturday, June 16 the World Martial Arts Hall of Fame will hold is
annual tournament, a mixed martial arts tournament for adult and
children, all ranks and all styles.

To learn more about the events planned simply go onto the website
http://www.freewebs.com/golden_fist_award or contact Rick Wilmott,
renshi at kosho@... to inquire about fee's, deadlines and
content.

Join people from around the globe as they spend a weekend of
learning, sharing, and competing.

Both the seminars and tournament are open to the public and anyone
may attend. Seminar and tournament fees are separate from induction
fees and banquet guest fees.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2007 Inductions and Nominations

Found on the website at http://www.freewebs.com/golden_fist_award are
the nomination forms necessary for suggesting people for induction
into the oldest martial arts hall of fame in existence. It is
important to note the deadline of April 1st 2007 for receiving all
nominations, induction fees and completed registration paperwork for
inductees.

Nominate your students or teachers who have contributed to the
martial arts. Honor them by nominating them and coming with them to
the 2007 event and rubbing elbows with only the best of the best the
world has to offer!