The mighty little kettlebell

One of my favourite strengthening tools is the kettle bell.
I find its simple but effective for building muscle strength, explosive movement , cardio and most important to me... core strength.

The kettle bell originated from Russia in the 1700s. Apparently it was used as a scale weight for farmers to determine how much grain they had in "poods" (16kg increments) others say it was a cannon ball with a handle on it so it was faster to load in the Russian military.

Whatever the origin, I like how the exercises with the kettle bell use techniques that work more than one muscle group, incorporate body stability and depending on the exercise work explosive movement. This is perfect enhancements for the martial artist, especially working the core muscles and the posterior chain not to mention a strong grip!

We introduced them to the MAfit class recently and I would like to bring them in occasionally to add that advantage, however, I think I will need to get some heavier ones to challenge the male students and leave the "girly" ones for me:)!

Disruption

I am in Whitecourt for the week.
Not a big deal but its always a disruption to my training and routine.
Be adaptable right...

It seems to me that short frequent trips are more detrimental than the out of town for months. When you are gone for a duration of time you can settle into some kind of local routine but these one week trips here and there seem to be more challenging to me..
Easy to start telling yourself,".. I will be back on the weekend, then I will go hard!.."
That becomes a slippery slope.

Science to your fitness

Our core refers to the center of our body. Not just our outer abs but the inner muscle group that connects upper to lower...essentially our torso.  There are groups of muscles deep within that serve  our stability and our transfer of movement and energy from one area of the body to another.
Our core strength interconnects the upper body to the lower body and is our stability.

My plan is to train smarter, expose the science to our fitness and focus on the concepts above.

Join us during the Martial Arts fitness class Saturday morning as we focus on the different aspects of our training.

If you plan on grading next year...up your game....this is for you.
If you don't plan on grading next year.....up your game...this is for you!;)

Really!

you gotta luv this...

Sweat alittle

Our health is fundamental to everything we do. That is something we are reminded of when we get sick, really sick, and the basics become a challenge.

Same concept could be applied to our kung fu.

Staying fit, in shape, is fundamental to our marital arts. Bruce Lee was a very outspoken advocate of exercise to enhance his martial arts.
Exercise to increase muscle strength, increase cardio vascular ability and maintaining flexibility. This is the building blocks or the foundation to a skilled martial artist.
Bruce Lee preached it and lived it.

I agree, and we sometimes ignore that aspect. Actually, I don't think we mean to ignore "staying in shape" but the challenge becomes making the time. We are busy learning skills and practicing them but forget to pay attention to the foundation that makes us better at it.

I have  reminded myself that I need to make the time. I would like to be in as good of shape as I was in my twenties. And why not? its not impossible it just means I have to work harder and smarter at it in my older years.

San shou and Martial arts fitness class are two classes that offer just what I need. A little creativity with my forms and applications can muster up a sweat as well. Not to mention, just get out, and run.
It doesn't take an expensive gym membership, it just means, look for opportunities to sweat!

Travel and a Heating Pad

Stiff and sore , unable to move quickly.. I have been like this for about a month and I am getting tired of it.
You would think this is due to some injury but it is not.
I have been bogged down at work with managing a large workload and a team of people. Between the lack of training and the accumulation of stress it feels like my body has aged 25 years in one month.

My sister is a Massage therapist and a Yoga guru. She has told me numerous times that people store stress in their body and it transmits into physical pain, typically in muscles and joints. I usually tell her that 's a bunch of smoke and mirrors but maybe she's right and there is something to that.

Anyways,  I'm back from being on the road for a while and very glad to have left Yellowknife.
Yellowknife is one of those locations that seem to exhaust me for some reason.

It starts off feeling like this ....

                                              (tourist picture)

but , by the time I leave , it feels more like this....

                                          (not tourist picture)
                                       
Anyways...time to stop blaming Yellowknife for my Woes:). Time to get back to training, getting my mobility back and looking forward to helping out with the Dragon Dance if the I Ho Chuan can use me!:).

Traditional Martial Arts vs MMA

The age old debate...which martial art is the best?

are the traditional martial arts antiquated?

Is all about the MMA now?

The general public now looks at MMA as THE martial art.

It seems to be an unfortunate situation where the martial arts community has turned on itself. Instead of the MMA circuit, primarily the UFC(ultimate fighting championship) advocating the positive aspects of Marital Arts , it has set some bad examples and misconceptions that the public has embraced.(blood, money and glory) Further to that, the so called"traditional martial arts " community has lashed back in a way that only embarrasses itself and validates comments and behaviour from the MMA crowd.

From the schools of martial arts and the pro-fighter community...this can become a heated discussion, some to the point of hostility from different  perspectives.
There is resentment towards MMA as it misrepresents the martial arts and at the other end of the spectrum ... the opinion of traditions in martial arts to be useless and the training ineffective.

Somewhere in the mix is  truth and somewhere all of this has become distorted and misleading with the facts hidden in opinion.

Somewhere in the mix people have also confused self defence tactics with skill in sport fighting.

I have to admit, I find value in the MMA training and enjoy watching the strategy that unfolds within the ring, however, I also feel disappointed in the superficial and shallow character that it promotes. but you could say the same for some traditional martial arts schools , depends how a school of traditional martial arts is run.

I am lucky enough to be part of a traditional school that addresses the martial artist for what they should be. Someone who develops not only body with skill but character of the individual through training and practice of all three aspects ...Body, Mind and Soul. Our Silent River Kung Fu strives to practice what it preaches.

Not all martial arts schools that boast traditional training embody what they advertise.

All that being said, the current day thinking or bold statement is... the ultimate martial artist or "fighter" is the practicing student of an MMA school.

Ultimately  I feel it is not a logical comparison.
The way I look at it is this...

MMA and the traditional martial arts(kung fu, karate, etc) The two "systems" do not parallel each other but instead the MMA fighter is a branch from the traditional martial arts or at least they should be a branch of the traditional martial arts. If they choose to bypass the foundation that martial arts philosophies and training provide then what they have become is a short term ring fighter with a finite life. They are missing out on the lifestyle, the character building, the ability to endure, adapt, and embrace all aspects of life. This foundation, which some individuals in the MMA circuit started from utilize this to become successful in their professional fighting careers.
The training that is the corner stone for a traditional martial art is to master the basics so you build a foundation that is solid and from there you can specialize.
You can see the foundation in some of the fighters by way of their solid foot work, stances, balance etc. ,(the part that becomes boring and looses its luster for the impatient student).

So bottom line for me, of course kung fu is valid in the ring, but lets think how this would work.
Anyone who chooses to compete must focus on some pointed training aspects to achieve a win.
Kung fu has laid out the foundation , the platform from where you shall choose pieces of your training to focus on and practice relentlessly for a fight or competition. Centering, mental focus and the discipline to train and respect your opponent come from your practice of the traditional martial art, although we may not train on a day to day basis to fight in pro -competition the pieces are there within our lessons to specialize if we so choose.

Again, in summary, the MMA is the collection of specialized pieces of the martial arts. It is about  creating a fighter for sport, who can apply certain aspects to dominate an opponent who does not see it coming...

The argument is illogical...Traditional Martial Arts vs MMA, but the question is a baited question that fires up an emotional defence.

As for our kung fu, the fighting skills are there, riddled throughout our training, the focus is up to us, but we have the benefit of the foundation it provides and the lifestyle it advocates.