A Janpanese Martial Arts - Kendo

Kendo is a Japanese style of fencing derived during the Meiji period in Japan (1868-1912), from the two-handed sword fighting techniques of the samurai. Today kendo, which means "way of the sword", is practiced with shinai (bamboo swords), and fighters wear protective equipment covering the target areas: the head, wrists, and abdomen. The bogu (protective gear) consists of a men (face mask), a do (breastplate), kote (fencing gloves), and the tare, a kind of apron to protect the stomach and hips. Under the protective gear, kendoka (students of kendo) wear a hakama, or wide split skirt, reaching the ankles. The weapon used in Kendo is the shinai, or bamboo sword. The shinai is approximately four feet in length and is made of four carefully formed bamboo slats bound together to form hollow cylinder. A cord runs along the length of the shinai. To make a valid cut a player must strike his opponent with the side opposite the cord. In addition the point must be struck with the top third of the shinai.

Kendo is not very well suited as self-defense - quite the contrary, it is a very aggressive martial art! There are no blocking techniques which are not counter-attacks: you must attack quicker than your opponent to defend yourself! Kendo is a full-contact martial art - unlike most other martial arts, the cuts are not just marked, but they are delivered with only a minimum of restraint. Still, injuries (other than occasional blisters on the soles of the feet) are very rare. The injury frequency is in fact equal to the one in curling.

To avoid injuries, the kendokas use protecting armor (bogu). The different parts of the bogu are:

Men - a fencing mask combined with shoulder flaps for protection of the head, face, throat and shoulders.

Do - a breastplate, covering the torso and stomach.

Kote - a pair of padded gloves for the hands and the wrists.

Tare - an apron which is worn around the hips to protect the thighs and the groin.

The concept of Kendo is to discipline the human character through the application of the principles of the Katana. The purpose of practicing Kendo is:

To mold the mind and body,

To cultivate a vigorous spirit,

And through correct and rigid training,

To strive for Improvement in the art of Kendo;

To hold in esteem human courtesy and honor,

To associate with others with sincerity,

And to forever pursue the cultivation of oneself.

Thus will one be able to love his country and society,

To contribue to the development of culture,

And to promote peace and prosperity among all people.

Shaolin Kempo - 4 Combination Martial Arts

The martial art practiced by monks has always been a source of fascination for most people. This is why it isn't surprising to find Shaolin Kempo Karate or SKK a popular choice for those who want to learn self-defense. Hailing from the offensive and defensive styles of monks, Shaolin Kempo Karate is currently being taught in many Western Gyms and dojos.

History of Shaolin Kempo

Devised by Frederick Villari, Shaolin Kempo is a hybrid of several fighting styles, namely: Shaoilin Kung Fu, Kempo, Jujutsu, Chin Na, and Mongolian Wrestling. Villari's idea was to create a martial arts system that encompasses the four basic types of fighting, therefore eliminating any holes or weaknesses associated with following just one or two styles. Recognized as a Full Contact form of martial art, the technique is currently being taught in numerous dojos, all of which are affiliated with its founder. Variations of this art are also being taught by former disciples of Villari, putting their own style to the system.

Teachings of Shaolin Kempo

Shaolin Kempo is largely popular due to Villari's claim that the system is 'unebeatable.' A former student of martial art greats like William Kwai Sun Chow and Nick Cerio, it seems that the main purposes of Villari is to develop a martial art system with no flaws. This is why he combined so many disciplines in Shaolin Kempo, combining all four ways of fighting: striking, throwing, grappling, and kicking. Derived largely from Shaolin Kung Fu, the Style also utilizes the five animal forms: crane, snake, tiger, dragon, and leopard.

Although there is a hint of spiritual aspect in this martial art, Shaoilin Kempo is first and foremost a style meant for fighting and beating an opponent. It relies not just on strength but also proper form, coordination, and physical fitness. As a self-defense mechanism, the technique proves to be most effective -especially since the offense maneuvers aim to incapacitate the enemy.

Belts and Ranking

Like Karate, Shaolin Kempo also utilizes a belt ranking system with the black belt achieving the highest degrees. Elevating from one belt to another usually involves learning high-level techniques and displaying them proficiently during demonstrations and sparring. Most of the Kung Fu styles depicting animal postures are taught in the higher levels of green, brown, and black. The level for beginners usually involves the art of Kempo. Of course, mixing and matching different styles and movements are also popular, allowing practitioners to master techniques that doesn't leave room for the opponent's defense.

Japanese Karate

If you want to keep your body healthy or would like to keep that figure, enroll yourself in a Japanese karate lesson and you will surely achieve those goals. Today, more and more people are practicing Japanese karate for various reasons. There are others who love karate because they are able to defend themselves while others love karate for it boosts their self-confidence. In addition, karate also forms or moulds their character as a whole for it advocates discipline and respect.

However, before you can do those punches and kicks and blocks, it is necessary and only right for a practitioner to at least have a background check on how Japanese karate began. There are already a lot of karate styles today but actually they just all boil down to those invented and developed in Japan. Karate in vernacular means "Chinese hand" or "Empty hand" depending on how you write it either in Japanese or Chinese character. It is said that the Okinawan Karates started in the 1600s when Chinese practitioners of various Kung Fu styles get together with local adherents of an art called "te" (meaning "hand"). "Te" was a Western type of boxing which is rough and not well constructed. Later on, they combine the different fighting techniques and then resulted into a close-range, hard, external styles.

In the late 19th century Gichin Funakoshi created a new style of Karate. He introduced this in the world in the early 20th century and thus became a common kind of karate. They are called Japanese Karates which they often normally call karate for short. Japanese Karate styles are rough and tend to be used suitably for external methods. When used in defense they are done in circular, and in offense in linear method. Traditional karate styles put emphasize on thorough physical conditioning.

Japanese karate styles are commonly divided into the following groups or styles: Shotokan, Shito-Ryu and Wado-Ryu. Just like other types of karate, Japanese karate requires the familiarization of the basic moves of karate. These include blocking, punching and kicking. These are necessary karate moves, like alphabets which needs to be memorized to be able to level up to higher karate methods. After that a practitioner learns the Kata or forms.

Traditional karate gives a lot of advantages. However, for this to be able to come true, a person needs to enroll in an effective karate school. Aside from that, a person needs a lot of dedication and not merely memorization. Karate masters on the first place advocate the principle of making karate a passion and not only a way of boasting for the knowledge being acquired. Traditional karate can be practiced as an art.