Improve Sports With Martial Arts

Can martial arts training improve your sports?

Bruce McCorry claims in this great article that martial arts training can without a doubt help you to become better at regular sports activities, and I agree with him completely.

The article is focusing on how it can improve the sports abilities in children, however, I would also like to say that it goes for adults as well. This is one of the reasons why many team sports (soccer, rugby, football etc.) hire martial arts teachers and coaches to help them out with certain physical details of the game.

How can martial arts training benefit sports activities?

Master McCorry correctly points to a set of vital aspects which will enhance a child's chances to be better at any sport, such as enhanced physical capability, better reflexes, enhanced reasoning, improved self-confidence and sportsman spirit.

I'd also like to add to that how good martial arts training teaches any student to focus on what YOU can do something about (yourself), rather than blaming outside things like the pitch, referee, team mates, the weather and what not.

Learning and executing control is another extremely vital part of the core teaching of any serious/good martial art. The same goes for the ability to focus and staying focused...

As for the enhanced physical aspects, I'd like also to include learning how to fall without getting injured, how to get back up quickly, how to take a hit (within reason of course and there's no hits to the head or excessive force allowed in martial arts training for children!), improved balance, eye-hand coordination and so much more.

You should of course read the whole article referenced above.

Improving sports activities with martial arts training - Image from Flickr.com

Size, is It Really a Biggie?

You may of course have heard the expression "the bigger they are, the harder they fall"? Well, that's all fine and dandy, but what if said individual decides to land on top of you? "Master Po, help... I can't use my awesome grappling skillz!"

So to anyone who still buys into the "size doesn't matter" and "I'll just use my super ninja flip technique" ideas... Good luck! Size does come in handy from time to time.

For more martial arts humor and general mayhem - visit my Facebook page here.

More Toekwondo?

Hm... I do wonder... Is this a break-fall gone terribly wrong, a solo wresslin' session or simply more toekwondo?

Karate Fail

I do know - at least partially - how this feels. Let's put it this way: Not all demonstrations have been a walk in the park... :-)

No Crocido

Malaysia -- When he wanted to demonstrate his kung-fu "skills" in Kuching on Borneo, a man described as "mentally unstable" ended up in hospital, theborneopost.com reports.

The shirtless man, in his 50s and wearing crocs on his feet (!), supposedly attempted to impress a group of young women Saturday evening at about 7 p.m.

Witnesses said his impromptu display of "martial arts skills" included "scissor kicks" and "karate chops" ... before he slipped during one of the kicks and fell backwards, headfirst to the floor.

Note to self: Scrap the crocido idea (another reason not to wear the ugliest footwear ever invented). Similarly bad idea: Trying to impress the ladies with dumb fu.

Kicking at 80

How absolutely cool!

Story:
Larry Allen says that on a lot of days, he feels real comfortable sitting at home and doesn't feel like leaving. "But then, I know I have to get motivated," he says.

The Zanesville native recently celebrated his 80th birthday, and even after 34 years of karate, the 4th Degree Black Belt isn't close to slowing down. He still helps fellow sensei and Black Belts at the karate school whether it's with classes or with various community presentations. And yes, he still competes, and does well.

"A couple of months ago, we had a karate obstacle course for the kids, and he helped supervise," said Hardwick, a 6th degree black belt. "The last stage, you have to dive over a 2 or 3-foot barrier, roll, jump up and sidekick a pad.

"Well, it wasn't enough for him to just watch. He had to try it himself. Not only did he do it once, he did it three more times! We all about fell over."

Source

Plenty of Fight

Maren Namdar's partner wasn't around to need her or feed her when she was 64 — nor to help her off the floor.

She walked into Napa's Guangxi School of Martial Arts last year and told Master Instructor Pat Tyrrell she had taken a bad fall and needed to learn how to fall without getting hurt.

Tyrrell told her, "Maren, I can teach you how to fall and more."

A year and a half later, the German-born Namdar has learned to defend herself from more than gravity. She has learned the American mixed martial art of Kajukenbo Self-Defense.

Source

Vicious attack

New Zealand -- A 23-year-old man was walking with a friend through Te Aro Park in Wellington about 2 a.m., when he was approached by a Polynesian man in his mid-20s.

The man threw some punches at the 23-year-old, before turning on his friend, who tried to intervene. The 23-year-old then victim tried to stop the fight by jumping on to the man's back, but was thrown off.

The offender then used a "martial arts style roundhouse kick" to kick the victim in the head, a police spokesman said.

The victim fell back, hitting his head on the ground, and lost consciousness. Police said the victim had undergone emergency surgery but had not yet regained consciousness.

Source

33 years (quite) old

"Quite old" a 33? Sheez! People are starting in martial arts well into their 60s and 70s.

Story:
Lucio Alejo Jr. is an electrical engineer and hands-on businessman who owns Alecto General Technology Corporation,

Like other typical CEOs, Alejo loves playing golf whenever he feels like going to the greens with his regular golfing buddies.

Alejo’s first love, however, remains Aikido, the Japanese martial art popularized by Hollywood actor and seventh dan black belt Aikido practitioner Steven Seagal when he came out with his movie debut in 1988.

Now the holder of a fifth dan black belt, Alejo started learning Aikido in April 1983, and immediately got hooked on the martial art.

Alejo was actually a late convert to the martial art. He was already 33—quite old to get into the more aggressive martial arts like Karate, Taekwondo and even Judo. Thanks to his workouts, however, his body was able to take all the rolling and falling, required skills for the safe practice of Aikido.

Source

Wielded sword

A 26-year-old Port St. Lucie man was charged with assault and battery after being accused of brandishing a 4-foot samurai sword at his girlfriend and a female roommate, punching his girlfriend in the face and threatening to kill the roommate Friday morning.

The man's girlfriend told police he woke Friday morning and was angry and aggressive toward both women. He picked up the steel-blade sword and punched his girlfriend in the forehead causing her to fall on the floor, according to reports.

He allegedly told the female roommate, "If you come out of your room I will kill you," reports said. The roommate told police she was so scared the man would attack her with the sword, she punched out a window and ran to a neighbor's home to call 911.

Source

"This way, Darcie"

I'm always deeply impressed with people like Darcie here. How about you? Makes our own petty excuses kind of lame, doesn't it?
"I don't have the time." "I'm not in shape." "I'm too old." "I'll think about it." And on and on it goes...

Story:
At a judo class on Sioux City's north side, Darcie Boyok looks just like everyone else.

She does her warm-up stretches just like the other students. She's right there with her classmates when, in one quick movement, they drop from a standing position to roll onto their backs on the floor and then back up into a standing position.

Boyok even looks like the other students as she springs across the room doing a series of front-falling rolls. But now suddenly there is a difference.

Listening you hear a classmate on the other side of the room calling, "This way, Darcie. This way, Darcie."

The classmate is calling to Boyok because Boyok is blind.

Source

Knowing how to fall

I was hit by a car. The fact that I was born blind, and I use a long white cane didn't protect me.

I wasn't badly hurt, thanks to the fact that I know how to fall. Once the police arrived and checked me out, I was able to go on my way.

When I was a teenager, a karate studio opened up just three doors down from my father's restaurant. I started taking lessons, and the first thing I was taught, was exactly that, how to fall properly. I discovered how to curl my back and tuck in my head, as prevention against more serious injuries. I must have practiced a thousand times, and I've been glad about it more than once.

Source

Jumping 3. dan

Probably a third-degree lunatic...

Story:
In Louisiana a handcuffed suspect jumped headfirst from a police cruiser onto a busy highway Thursday morning to avoid a trip to the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center.

The 19-year-old man, who at the time of his arrest told police he was a third-degree black belt in the martial arts, took a scuba diver's roll off the door, falling to the concrete and bouncing several times.

Source

Rolling, rolling, rolling

Several people I have talked with over the years have used breakfalls from aikido, judo , jujutsu, wushu etc. To avoid possible (serious) injuries.

Story:
"I was like a stuntman in a movie and they just kept driving," Park exclaimed. He said he was able to roll from the car as he was thrown avoiding major injury.
"I learned that because I was in martial arts for three years," he said.

Source

A Devotional Kick

Congregating before their sensei, the members start the weekly Seigi Bushido Ryu training with an opening prayer.

Throughout the two-hour session, besides sparring, punching and falling, the class will also have Bible study and closing prayers.

Source

Personally I never understood this thing about mixing faith (any faith) with martial arts. I kind of had this idea that the ethics (that should be) built into the arts were enough in the first place.

I would really like to hear your view on this topic.

Fighting Fit Cheat

A 35-year-old claimed he was too sick to work - while holding martial arts classes and working as a nightclub doorman.

He had told the Benefits Agency that, because of a back injury sustained in an industrial accident, he needed a walking stick to get around the house.

He also said he had a tendency to fall and needed help going to the toilet, using stairs and cutting up his food.

Source