Shaolin Liuhequan (少林六合拳)

Wow! Awesome! Amazing! It is very hard to teach kids, these two must be exceptional. Awesome form and awesome kids. I wonder who their teacher is?

Shaolin Xiao Hong Quan - 03 - Performed by Shi Guo Song

When I think of Asian martial arts, I think of mystical techniques, incredible body maneuvers that require dedication and practice. Today MMA is the "Hot" martial art, but MMA is not a martial art, it's a sport. The concept of MMA is bull too. Most martial arts are in fact MMA if the include long and short range fighting techniques as well as ground and weapons techniques. I like practicality,but I don't like following the norm or doing what everybody else is doing. I've seen very few MMA fighters doing anything significant, and the few that do something different are the real martial arts to me. A martial artist (in war or combat or sport) does what nobody expects to gain an advantage! Much like the Gracie's did with their style of Jujitsu.

Sometimes you just can't find a school that suits or meets your needs. When that happens, you have to train yourself. It's possible, in fact one of my favorite martial arts axioms is "Create Yourself!". Another one is "steal my techniques". Well, there is so much information out there now, you owe it to yourself to search out useful material. Check out the following:

• Submissions 101 - A video guide to essential holds. Check this out and reply to this article and let us all know what you think.
  
• Dirty Street fighting techniques
  
• Can you keep a cool head under pressure? Get some insight into fight psychology

Tai Chi 24-form

I love Tai Chi, but don't get enough Martial application from it. I really enjoy attempting to apply what I can to my hapkido training and to typical karate forms. There is a lot of criticism of traditional karate training these days. Unfortunately, without a good root (stance) power suffers. And a good root comes from stance and form training... done right. One thing Tai Chi teaches the karate practitioner is how to move. How to oscillate or reciprocate your movements and how to do it all from the legs. Not from one stance, but while moving. Empty your cup and drink some Tai Chi... you may be surprised at the benefits!

Don Angier, Yoshida-ha Shidare Yanagi ryu

I've read a small amount about Don Angier and even so, was very impressed. Luckily, there is film footage available showing Mr. Angier's skill. I find this video incredibly inspiring! Ah.. if only I had more time! Well, make the best of what you have, find the truth in your practice and fill every motion with quality.

SunKwanMoo - Part One

This is very interesting... some of this looks like Taekwondo and some looks like Tai Chi Chuan.

Wing Chun - The Ultimate Demonstration Pt 2

This is a great demonstration! The master brings the demonstration from simply doing Chi Sao with the student. Next he presses on the students head and sends him straight to the ground! Then he shows that at any moment, he can strike the student at any momemt, with multiple strikes. Next, he show that he can perform elbow and shoulder strikes and pushes. I've heard comments that shoulder strikes aren't effective in a real situation, because it's hard to strike with the shoulder in a way that is painful or does much damage. Well, there are several reasons for using the shoulder. Many times the shoulder is or can be near the chin quickly. If you have practiced, you can break the jaw. Second, in a real situation, it may be advantageous to push the opponent back, perhaps if there is something behind to trip over or get injured on.

Moving on, he demonstrates that he can perform arm and joint manipulation attacks and bring the student to the ground. I also like that the master demonstrates with a larger, advanced student. This help to show that Wing Chun is effective against a larger opponent.

I personally did Chi Sao with a woman and she was very soft, but hard to hit. Pretty impressive, because I even tried to completely relax my arm before the attack, so as to not give away an intention. I used non-wing chun or non-linear attacks to fool her and she still did very well. I didn't use my feet and allowed her to bridge me the whole time...that plays into the advantage of Wing Chun. If fighting or sparring and you know or determine the opponent has Wing Chun skills, don't let them bridge you. That is, don't let them get in close and maintain contact with your arms. Once they bridge, the Wing Chun practice and patterns allow them to know what you are going to do next.