Besides being known as a Major League baseball franchise, the Texas Rangers were originally formed in the 1820s under Stephen F. Austin, the “Father of Texas,” to protect settlers. They are a division within the Texas Department of Public Safety.
They have the lead criminal investigative responsibility for the following: major incident crime investigations, unsolved crime/serial crime investigations, public corruption investigations, officer involved shooting investigations, and border security operations.
The Texas Ranger Division is comprised of 144 commissioned Rangers, 24 non-commissioned administrative support personnel, 1 budget analyst and 1 forensic artist, totaling 170 full time employees.
Now, that we have cleared up what some of you might have thought was something Hollywood had made up just for TV. Texas Rangers are the real deal.
Most of us hanging out at this blog have watched at least one episode of “Walker, Texas Ranger” which aired from 1993-2001 and starred Chuck Norris.
Chuck Who? Careful now. Watch out for that devastating roundhouse kick!
You probably know that Chuck Norris was an highly accomplished karate tournament competitor, close friend, student and sparring partner of the legendary Bruce Lee with whom he put on display one of the most famous martial arts movie fights of all times in “Way of the Dragon“.
He went on to star in a number of other movies before playing a Texas Ranger on TV.
That was then and this is now:
It is official that both brother, Aaron and our featured Chuck Norris will become honorary Texas Rangers.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry will present commemorative certificates to the Norris brothers for bringing honor to the department that was depicted in the TV series and actually filmed in Texas.
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Getting the basics down is part of creating a strong foundation in martial arts.
Let’s have a look at the kick that is basically considered the most simple one to learn.
As early as white belt student level it is the first kick you learn in Shotokan Karate.
We’re talking about the front kick which is also known in Japanese as Mae Geri.
It can be executed either as a snap (keage) or thrust (kekomi) kick.
In my own personal experience, in sparring, tournament and self-defense, both types have their justification.
The snap front kick can test your opponent’s reaction. I can also stun your opponent and serve as an opening act to be followed up by your closer which can be another kick or just a punch combination.
The thrust front kick is in my opinion a true follow-through technique that can in itself close the deal and when effectively executed inflict major damage on your opponent.
Let’s say you are standing in a left forward fighting stance with most of your weight on your left leg and you plan to kick with your right leg.
Simply lift your right knee while simultaneously turning your left foot slightly to the left (counter-clockwise).
This will open your hips and allow for greater reach.
Then just extend your right leg and hit your target (upper, middle or low) with the ball of your right foot.
After impact, recoil your leg with your knee up and plant your foot to a stable stance. Don’t just drop your leg.
As mentioned above, you apply either a snap or a thrust to the kick.
Important: Always keep your guard up and do your best at holding your balance.
I have noticed when kicking with a snap it is way easier to pull your kicking leg back to your original stance.
In the case of the thrust kick you are really marching forward with a lot of weight and power. Therefore I have found it
to be more practical to have your kicking leg land as for your forward leg.
Keeping it simple:
A powerful front kick can be a very useful weapon in your arsenal for self-defense as well as tournament fighting.
