ARTICLES BY RICHARD CLEAR

itary strategy, this is good advice However, combat Tai Chi brings these principles directly to bear on martial arts combat situations

In China, there are three martial arts which together are known as the Nia Jia, the internal arts These are Bagua, Xing-Yi, and Tai Chi

Where other types of martial arts focus on building up strength so as to deliver as much force as possible, Tai Chi students learn to deliver as much force with as little effort as possible Where other arts develop artists with huge muscles, Tai Chi artists can do a lot of damage, even if they are physically very small

We've all seen movies where in the middle of a fight a hero's enemies land what would ordinarily be devastating blows The hero might stumble for a moment or two, but is ultimately able to withstand the hits and go on fighting and land overwhelming blows

To the uninitiated, the slow, relaxed, and fluid movements in the Tai Chi look like they wouldn't be very useful in a combat situation Even some practitioners of the art believe that this kind of movement is practiced for health benefits and not for real self defense

Qigong is one primary healing practice used as a part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) The other primary healing methods are herbology, Tuina massage, acupuncture, and bone setting

When properly learned, rooting can provide a martial artist with a source of power unlike any other Rooting is the ability of a Tai Chi practitioner to use mind intention to drop their center of gravity down below the ground underneath their feet

Mind intent is an important component of Qigong healing In Chinese thought, there are many different kinds of mind intent

Qigong is a method of healing used in Traditional Chinese Medicine In translation, "Qi" means "energy" and refers to the vital force of the body

Although combat Tai Chi can include both fist strikes and open handed strikes, the later are by far the most common kind One reason open hands are so commonly used is because they are very versatile

Qigong is an ancient Chinese practice In translation, "Qi" means energy

Xing Yi is one of the three internal arts of China (It is pronounced shing-ee and sometimes spelled Hsing I

Silat refers to a collection of martial arts from Southeast Asia Silat was developed in a region where tribal warfare, hunting were common activities

Ba Gua (or Bagua, as it is sometimes spelled) translates as 8 diagram or shape palm It is built on the 8 basic trigrams found in the I-Ching

When thinking about self defense, many people turn to guns as their best option This seems only natural

Self defense is not about winning sporting matches It is about avoiding, deterring, or defending yourself against actual attacks

Martial Tai Chi may sound like some kind of a specific and strange kind of Tai Chi that is unlike most of the rest of Tai Chi that can be found in the world today However, it is important to note that Tai Chi began as a martial art and that when you translate the name of Tai Chi which is actually Tai Chi Chuan that it means Grand Ultimate Fist

Sports fighting has a long history in our culture From British boxing matches to Ultimate Fighting Championship matches and MMA tournaments, there are many different kinds of sports matches that continue to fascinate audiences

Sports fighting can be amazing to watch Participants in MMA and UFC competitions have to train rigorously in order to be able to win

Kun Tao is a deadly martial art from Malaysia and Indonesia However, the roots of Kun Tao reach deep into Kung Fu practice in ancient China

Pentjak Silat is a martial art developed in Southeast Asia designed to empower its practitioners to survive extremely dangerous situations Though no one knows for certain where the words "Pentjak Silat" come from, today the word "Pentjak" is commonly understood to mean "practice" or "work" while Silat refers to the fighting arts

You may have walked into a studio or seen a YouTube clip of an elderly person practicing slow, smooth, and big movements If you didn't know something more about Tai Chi, it might be hard for you to believe that it could ever be used for self defense

Silat uses constant motion as a defensive tool However, Silat also trains practitioners in how to use motion as an offensive weapon as well

Decoys are not unique to Silat Many conventional fighting methods will use a feint, a fake punch that distracts an opponent from the real punch about to hit them

An attacker hits you However, instead of wincing at the pain, you send the energy of the attack back into his arm