Self defense
Billy Blanks, Martial Artist And Creator of TaeBo
I always like trying out different workout programs. So a couple of years I borrowed a DVD from a friend.
And I gotta tell ya that I got a really good sweat from what I was following on the screen.
The program is better known as TaeBo and it simply combines numerous training elements from Taekwondo/Karate and Western boxing while creating a high-octane environment in the privacy of your own home.
TaeBo has helped and continues to help millions get and stay in shape.
It is not a self-defense program, even though the man behind TaeBo certainly can defend himself.
He is a 7th degree Taekwondo Black Belt and his name is Billy Blanks.
Before introducing his immensely successful brainchild, Karate Hall of Famer Billy Blanks was actually a very accomplished martial artist and boxing champion (Massachusetts Golden Gloves Champion) which he explains in the following video clip I found for you.
Hope you enjoy it!
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Cung Le And The Chinese Fighting Art Of Sanshou
Just recently I heard about a Chinese fighting art ….. on the tennis court!
As I was talking with a team mate, I learned from him that he had been a practitioner of a style I had briefly heard about years back, but I never really looked into any deeper.
Until today.
Originated in China the style is called Sanshou (free hand) and at times Sanda (free fighting).
It is both a self-defense system and a combat sport.
Sanshou combines a number of extremely vital and effective elements such as kicking, punching, throwing, grappling and applying joint locks.
One of Sanshou’s special emphasis is the so-called kick-catch, whereby one person throws a kick and the other person catches the kick and then trips the other person’s leg they are standing on.
Thinking about it, that’s what we even practiced way back in my Shotokan karate days. I just made that connection while writing this.
Sanshou as a sport is regulated by a bunch of different rules depending on amateur or professional status and also on the location of where the fights take place like China or the U.S.
Among all the successful and very skilled Sanshou fighters, one practitioner has really stood out for me during the years and he has without a doubt made a name for himself. He is the Vietnamese American kickboxer, mixed martial artist and actor, simply known as Cung Le from San Jose, California.
Cung Le has won too many titles and championships to list here, but I will mention that he won the Strikeforce Middleweight World Championship by beating legendary mixed martial arts champion Frank Shamrock about 2 years ago. Cung Le actually broke his opponent’s arm by executing devasting kicks during their fight.
Cung Le has been actively pursuing his career on the Big Screen and was awarded a role in Bodyguards And Assassins starring Donnie Yen which was released last December.
I found a video clip that I think you will enjoy if you like action-filled fight scenes. Warning: It can be a little rough and tough at times.
The Eye Jab Is A Great Self-Defense Technique
Many times even seasoned martial arts practitioners are overwhelmed by the variety of self-defense techniques at their disposal.
More often than not the solution to a problem, in our example, self-defense could be much easier than we first think.
And that’s why today I thought it might be a good idea to draw our attention to a self-defense technique that doesn’t even require years of training, if applied correctly in the appropriate situation.
Bruce Lee said it best, when faced with a choice of hitting your opponent in the ribs or poking him in the eyes, you go for the eyes every time.
The technique that I am referrring today is simply known as the eye jab.
You can use this effective technique to “buy time” during a surprise attack and to thwart an attacker.
What’s really cool about the eye jab is that even if you miss the eyes, your attacker will blink and will give you the opportunity to follow up.
Should your jab however connect, meaning touch his eyes, they will immediately water and your attacker’s vision will severely blur.
The rest is up to you.
Especially among Kali and Jeet Kune Do practioners this swatting finger jab is a popular hand technique.
And because one doesn’t require a lot of strength the eye jab is a very practical technique. It does rely on speed, accuracy and timing.
Thus, if you have just halfway decent motor skills, you can do this one, no matter how physically fit you are.
Just make sure you are loose and not stiff during its execution. It’s like swatting a fly.
It’s also very important that your fingers of the jabbing hand are close to one another and slightly bent to avoid injury on the finger joints in case you accidentally hit bone on impact.
You should try to project toward the target without telegraphing it to your attacker.
The actual execution reminds me of a striking cobra.
I found a video clip with the legendary Paul Vunak, who puts it all together with an eye jab, elbow strike and head butt.
The execution is so fast that you might want to watch it a couple of times.
Use the eye jab responsibly and always stay safe!
A Very Unusual Week In Review At TheMartialArtsReporter.com
I Really Hope Thiago Alves …. - 26 Year Old Brazilian MMA Fighter And Superb UFC-Welterweight FacingThe Biggest Challenge Of His Life.
Do You Punch Like A 7 Year Old? I wish I could punch like this kid. Find out what I mean.
Inglourious Basterds And Infamous Choke On The Ground Got Me Thinking About A way Out.
Move Over, Jackie Chan And Jet Li, Because Here Comes Donnie Yen Who Stars Again As Wing Chun Legend, Ip Man
The Kid From Beaufort Who Became Heavyweight Boxing Olympic Gold Medalist And World Champion And I Had No Idea Until Last Week.
Erin Go Bragh! And Don’t Forget The Shamrocks! Ireland Forever And Boy, Did I Enjoy St. Patrick’s Day In Savannah.
I would apppreciate your feedback to any of my previous posts and even topics that I haven’t touched on yet.
Talk soon.
Inglourious Basterds And Infamous Choke On The Ground
Has anybody else out there seen “Inglourious Basterds” by Quentin Tarantino?
I found this movie very impressive in many ways. I’m however not into the violence and brutality that Tarantino usually puts on display in his movies and that has become sort of his trademark. But I guess he’s gotta do what he’s gotta do.
Anyway. There’s one scene that got me thinking in terms of self-defense, especially, but not only for women.
Actress Diane Kruger plays German spy Bridget von Hammersmark who gets strangled while pinned down on the floor.
The brutal Nazi officer, played by Christoph Waltz, who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, has a firm grip on van Hammersmark’s throat and he has no plans of letting her go.
What ya do?
I found this video clip that might be a way out and I would love to hear from y’all:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxeJ5cJxvLI[/youtube]
What A Week In Review At The MartialArtsReporter.com!
St. Patrick’s Day was awesome and the rest of the week wasn’t too shabby either.
If you are a single mom or know someone who is, please take note of this Personal Safety Alert For Single Moms.
We all know that Bruce Lee could punch and kick, but he also knew something about the art of fighting without fighting.
Surprise – surprise! What you didn’t know about pro golfer Phil Mickelson.
Going Green: Happy St. Patrick’s Day And Irish Stick (Shillelagh) Fighting!
This guy blows me and his opponents away: The Best Pound-For-Pound Fighter, Also The Best Ever Fighter In The World?
Amazing: Ultimate Fighting has become a household name, but what did the first ever Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC 1, Look Like?
Talk soon, my friends.
Personal Safety Alert For Single Moms
This one is for all single moms out there!
Just a couple of days my wife and I headed out to run some errands. We slowed down the car to stop at a traffic light.
The driver/owner of the SUV in front of us was apparently a single mom with a daughter.
How did we know even though we had never met?
That was sooooo easy to know for sure.
They had these cute little family stickers/decals that you put on your car windows like these here and sometimes even with names:
I know the stickers are cute and all that, but there are way too many creeps out there and we don’t want to invite them, if you know what I mean.
Sorry, but I really think you should remove those stickers right NOW!
Self-defense starts with prevention and avoidance.
Stay safe!
What You Didn’t Know About Pro Golfer Phil Mickelson
Even if you don’t regularly follow the PGA Tour (that’s the Professional Golf Association), you might have heard of another professional golfer besides Tiger Woods and that’s Phil Mickelson.
Phil has won 3 Majors and close to 40 events on the PGA Tour. Further, he has ranked 2nd in the world for multiple years.
You might know some of this, but I guess you didn’t know that Phil Mickelson is also a martial artist who studies self-defense through karate and kung fu. According to Phil himself, this has helped his game enormously.
But what I also really appreciate about Phil Mickelson (and his wife, Amy) is his support of the Special Operations Warrior Foundation and their programs to provide college educations to the surviving children of fallen special operations personnel as well as financial support to the families of wounded special operations personnel.
So far the Mickelsons have personally and through their foundation and his fans donated more than US$ 750,000 to the SOWF!
An eagle and two thumbs up for Phil Mickelson!
The Week In Review At TheMartialArtsReporter.com
Whenever I put The Week In Review together, I become aware how fast time flies by.
Let’s enjoy the limited time we have here and make a difference in somebody’s life.
Hard to believe, but true: Ultimate Fighting Championship Is Gearing Up for their 111th event!
Did you know that UFC1 took place over 15 years ago? On November 12, 1993 and the overall winner was BJJ legend, Royce Gracie.
Fast-forward to March 2010: UFC 111 Main event GSP Vs. Dan Hardy. This will be the Welterweight title fight between “The Perfect Fighter” from Canada and “The Outlaw” from Great Britain.
Let’s foil attacks on girls and women and teach bad boys a lesson! Urgent appeal to girls and women: Learn Self-Defense!
This is one of my all-time favorites: Check it out now! Reminder: Italian Female Karate Champion Defeats Mugger.
Alright, so you got all the moves, but … Do You Really Have A Combat Mindset and Do You Really Have A Combat Mindset – concluded?
With all the buzz about Academy Awards, aka Oscars, I thought it might be an interesting approach by introducing the “Scottish Warrior Who Won 5 Oscars“.
There you have it again: The Week In Review At TheMartialArtsReporter.com
I would love to hear from you, so don’t be a stranger!
Tune in tomorrow, when I ask the question ” Whatever happened to …..?”
Reminder: Italian Female Karate Champion Defeats Mugger
The following story broke in September 2008 and it was also posted by my fellow blogger/martial artist John Zimmer over at MySelfDefenseBlog.com
As you know by now, I strongly advocate that girls and women should practice some type of effective self-defense.
That’s why I feel the incident that happened in the Italian capital city of Rome serves as a reminder. And its outcome as an inspiration for girls and women.
Lara Liotta was 29 at the time and already four times Italian women’s karate champion in the under 55 kg (120 lbs.) weight division.
While walking on a street in central Rome in broad daylight a man just approached her and asked her for a smoke.
She told him that she did not smoke and that’s when he allegedly lunged for her and grabbed her around the neck.
Obviously, this guy had no idea who he was dealing with.
Lara Liotta, who also works as prison officer, didn’t waste any time and put her black belt training to good use to defend herself.
Reports say that she executed two swift jabs to the man’s face knocking him to the ground.
I’m just wondering if she actually did 2 jabs or maybe a One-Two (Jab-Cross) combination. Doesn’t really matter right now.
I read that this female karate champion was fortunate she could rely on her skills to fight off her attacker, because there was no assistance from passersby, despite the attack happening shortly after rush hour on a Monday. Maybe it all went to fast for them to notice. Yeah, right.
This is not the first time and I am sorry to say that it will not be the last time that too many passerby don’t give a hoot. That’s just a fact of life.
Lara Liotta told an Italian newspaper that no one helped her or stopped, even though there were a bunch of people around at that time of the day.
After punching the man to the ground, Lara did the right thing.
She ran to the nearby railway station of Termini and alerted police, who caught the perp before he could run away. He was arrested and detained on charges of assault.
I urge you to read her statement very carefully:
“It could have been much worse. What would have happened if this person, instead of attacking me, a karate champion who knows how to defend herself well, had attacked a young girl?”
Lara Liotta also mentioned that she was lost for words.
Well, in this case her action was certainly louder than mere words.
It also looks like there was no time for talking or reasoning anyway.
Shouri, Lara Liotta!
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