Mixed Martial Arts

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a full body contact combat sports that allows a wide variety of fighting techniques. MMA fighting have no rules. They combine the best of all fighting philosophies to do what works. As the fighters change, what is considered to be the best mixed martial arts style is changing as well. In the beginning of the mixed martial arts revolution, ground fighting and Jujitsu wrestling was the most important factor. Today, a fighter must also know how to kick and punch. A pure wrestler or Jiu-jitsu artist cannot beat an effective puncher, kicker and ground fighter.

What kind of Martial Arts are there?
There are many ways in which martial arts can be divided. Here are a few of them that might be useful to use in defining Martial Arts and discussing them. These are not necessarily consensus definitions but they are commonly held.

It is also useful to remember that very few of these martial arts are just one way or another...they are all mixtures of these elements in various degrees. When we say a style is "hard" what we mean is that the predominant expression of that style is hard. If we say Shotokan is linear, it does not mean Shotokan has no circular techniques.

"Sport" vs. "Fighting Art" vs. "Exercise" vs. "Philosophy"
These are usually NON-useful comparisons because people tend to be very strongly opinionated on this matter. Most people want to think their art is an ancient "fighting art" and can be applied thus on the street. Some styles truly are all four, and to some degree all styles contain all four elements.

"Linear" vs. "Circular"
This distinction refers to lines of movement, attack and defense. "Circular" styles use circular movements to block, attack, or move. Around and aside... "Linear" styles use direct, straight-on movements, attacks, or head-on blocks. In and out. Styles can, and sometimes do, mix circular blocks with linear attacks. This is a subtle distinction and not absolute, but it gives some information.

"Soft" vs. Hard"
"Soft" styles tend to redirect energy, channeling and diverting momentum to unbalance an opponent, or to move them into striking range. They tend to be lower commitment and use less force. Thus, they are less likely to be unbalanced and can recover from redirection easier. Examples are Taiji, Aikido, Ninjutsu, or many Gongfu styles and sub-styles.

"Hard" styles tend to direct energy outward and meet energy with energy. They will tend to strike more, and deliver more force with each strike. Hard stylists will often damage with their blocks, turning them into attacks. They deliver more power, and thus are harder to turn aside, but they are higher commitment, and thus don't recover as well from mistakes. Examples are Karate, Tae-Kwon-Do, Muay Thai, and some Gongfu styles and sub-styles.

"Internal" vs. "External"
"Internal" styles are styles that emphasize the more non-tangible elements of the arts. They utilize chi/ki/qi flow, rooting, and those elements which some people consider "mystical". They tend to emphasize meditation, body control, perception, mind control (self, not others!), and pressure points. `Typically' internal styles are soft. Taiji is an internal style.

Modern mixed martial arts competition emerged in popular culture in 1993 with the founding of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Initially based on finding the most effective martial arts for real unarmed combat situations, competitors of various arts were pitted against one another with minimal rules or concern for safety.In the following decade, MMA promoters adopted many additional rules aimed at increasing safety for competitors and to promote mainstream acceptance of the sport.

MMA Links: here

Bruce Lee And Jet Kune Doo

Lǐ Xiǎolóng(李小龙) also known as Bruce Lee, was an Martial artist, actor, philosopher but most of all he is the founder Jet Kune Doo kongfu form born November, 27 1940.
Lee's first introduction to martial arts was through his father, Lee Hoi Cheun. He learned the fundamentals of Wu Style Tai Chi Quan from his father. Lee also trained in Wing Chun KungFu from age 13–18 under Hong Kong Wing Chun Master, Yip Man.

Bruce was also trained in Western Boxing and won the 1958 Boxing Championship match against 3-time champion Gary Elms by knockout in the 3rd round. Before arriving to the finals against Elms, Lee had knocked out 3 straight boxers in the first round.In addition, Bruce learned western fencing techniques from his brother Peter Lee, who was a champion fencer at the time. This multi-faceted exposure to different fighting arts would later play an influence in the creation of the eclectic martial art Jet Kune Do.

Jet Kune Do, "Way of the Intercepting Fist" is a martial art philosophy developed by Bruce Lee him self, also known as Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do. "Jun Fan" was Lee's Chinese given name, so the literal translation is "Bruce Lee's Way of the Intercepting Fist."

Jeet Kune Do originated in 1965. A match withWong Jack Man influenced Lee's phylosophy on fighting. Lee believed that the fight had lasted too long and that he had failed to live up to his potential using Wing Chun techniques. He took the view that traditional martial arts techniques were too rigid and formalistic to be practical in scenarios of chaotic street fighting. Lee decided to develop a system with an emphasis on "practicality, flexibility, speed, and efficiency".

5 Ways Of Attack

• Simple Angular Attack (SAA) and its converse Simple Direct Attack (SDA).
• Hand Immobilization Attack (HIA) and its counterpart Foot Immobilization attack, which make use of trapping to limit the opponent's function with that appendage.
• Progressive Indirect Attack (PIA). Attacking one part of the opponent's body followed by attacking another part as a means of creating an opening.
• Attack By Combinations (ABC). This is using multiple rapid attacks, with volume of attack as a means of overcoming the opponent.
• Attack By Drawing (ABD). This is creating an opening with positioning as a means of counter attacking.

3 Parts of Jet Kune Doo

• Efficiency - An attack that reaches its mark.
• Directness - The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.
• Simplicity - Thinking in an uncomplicated manner; without ornamentation.

Jet Kune Doo as phylosphy

• The usefulness of a cup is its emptiness.Be prepared to accept new knowledge and not be hindered or biased by old knowledge.
• Using no way as way. - Don't have preconceived notions about anything. This statement is embedded in the Jeet Kune Do logo.
  
• Having no limitation as limitation. - Don't be confined by anything, achieve true freedom. This statement is embedded in the Jeet Kune Do logo.
• From form to formless and from finite to infinite. - Don't be confined by limitations and forms. By not having specific form all forms can be included.
• If people say Jeet Kune Do is different from "this" or from "that," then let the name of Jeet Kune Do be wiped out, for that is what it is, just a name. Please don't fuss over it.Don't get hung up on labels. The goal is to understand the ideas in JKD, and apply those ideas to your life.
• Empty your mind. Be formless, shapeless, like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. You put it into a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow, or it can crash! Be water, my friend. - Lee explaining the principle of being like water to Pierre Berton in the so-called Lost Interview.
• Use only that which works, and take it from any place you can find it. Effectiveness and eclectism, rather than tradition and nationalism, are the core values.
• Do not deny the classical approach, simply as a reaction, or you will have created another pattern and trapped yourself there.
• Circumstances must dictate what you do. - There is no fixed teaching in Jet Kune Do. Each student must ultimately teach himself, flow like water, adapt to his situation, change with change, and find answers and solutions for his particular situation.
• Jeet Kune Do favors formlessness so that it can assume all forms and since Jeet Kune Do has no style, it can fit in with all styles. The ultimate goal is effectiveness; and eclectism is the means to achieve that goal.
• You don't grow unless you go out of the confines of your own system. It is from the old we get security, and the new that we get growth.Individual growth and individual development are important values in Jet Kune Do.
• Circle with no circumference. - If one philosophy or martial art is represented by a circle, then the goal is to increase the diameter until reaching infinity, including all systems around you.
  
• The highest philosophy is no philosophy. By using all philosophies you become formless and shapeless.

Bā Jí Guán (八极拳)

Baji Quan(八極拳) literally "eight extremes fist", also known as the kaimen baji quan (open-door eight extremes boxing), is a very respected traditional Chinese martial arts, that features explosive, short range power and is famous for its elbow strikes.

If you read comic book, KENJI, a story of young man in search of his grandfather who teach him this kongfu(kungfu delapan mata angin). in the story a lot of master of this kongfu is introduced(yes almost of the character are real), like Liu Gekkyu (Liu Yun Qiao,1909 - 1992), Lie Syo Bun (Li Shuwen 1864-1934).

Tactics and Strategy:
Ba Ji fist is known to open the opponent's door/arms forcibly or Qiang Kai Men 强开门 and mount attacks at high, mid, and low levels of the body or San Pan Lian Ji 三盘连击. Thus the style is also called Kai Men Ba Ji Quan 开门八极拳.

Most Chinese Kung Fu styles have their own fighting forté. Bajiquan is generally used in close combat. With this concept, Bajiquan pays much attention to elbow, knee, shoulder and hip strikes. When blocking an attack or nearing an opponent, Bajiquan techniques emphasize striking major points of vulnerability, the thorax (trunk of the body) and roots (legs and neck).

Techniques
A. Six big ways of opening door or Liu Da Kai 六大开:

1. Ding 顶: using the fist, elbow, shoulder etc to push forward and upward.
2. Bao 抱: putting 2 arms together as if hugging someone. It is usually followed by Pi 劈.
3. Ti 提: elevating the knee to hit the thigh of the opponent, or elevating the foot to hit the shin of the opponent etc.
4. Dan 单: using a single move.
5. Kua 胯: using the hip.
6. Chan 缠: entanglement with rotation around the wrist, elbow and shoulder etc

B. Open Hand Forms and Weapons:
The forms of Baji are divided into Fist (non-weapon) and Weapon forms. There are 20 fist forms. Some of these include: 12 Baji Small Structure Fists, Baji Black Tiger Fist, Baji Dan Zhai, Baji Dan Da/Dui Da, Baji Luo Han Gong, and Baji Si Lang Kuan. In Weapon forms, there are eight different kinds of weapons, including the very famous Liu He Da Qiang (spear), Liu He Hua Qiang (spear), Chun Yang Jian(sword), San Yin Dao (sabre), Xing Zhe Bang (staff), Pudao, and Chun Qiu Da Dao(long two-handed heavy blade, used by Generals sitting on their horses).

C. Six Major Characteristic Powers:

1. Sinking (Xia Chen 下沉 or Chen Zhui 沉坠)
2. Thrusting (Chong 冲)
3. Extending (Cheng 撑)
4. Entangling (Chan 缠)
5. Cross (Shi Zi 十字)
6. Inch (Cun 寸)

Baji Guan was created by Wu Dang Monks, and separated into 2 major parts:
1. Mixed with other konfu e.g Bagua Zhang, Piqua Zhang, Shaolin dan Taichi.
2. Exclusively Spread in most of south china area
In china this kongfu is very popular for chinese moslem, also tought to the bodyguard of taiwan president.

source: wiki
useful links: here

Sosai Masutatsu Oyama

Masutatsu Oyama was the founder/creator of Kyokushinkasi karate in japan, was born as Yong I-Choi on the 27th of July, 1923, in a village not far from Gunsan in Southern Korea. At a relatively young age he was sent to Manchuria, in Southern China, to live on his sister's farm. At the age of nine, he started studying the Southern Chinese form of Kempo called Eighteen hands from a Mr. Yi who was at the time working on the farm. When Oyama returned to Korea at the the age of 12, he continued his training in Korean Kempo.

In 1938, at the age of 15, he travelled to Japan to train as an aviator, to be like his hero of the time, Korea's first fighter pilot. Survival on his own at that age proved to be more difficult than he thought, especially as a Korean in Japan, and the aviator training fell by the wayside.

He did however continue martial arts training, by participating in judo and boxing, and one day he noticed some students training in Okinawan Karate. This interested him very much and he went to train at the dojo of Gichin Funakoshi at Takushoku University, where he learned what is today known as CyberDojo home pages.

His training progress was such that by the age of seventeen he was already a 2nd dan, and by the time he entered the Japanese Imperial Army at 20, he was a fourth dan. At this point he also took a serious interest in judo, and his progress there was no less amazing. By the time he had quit training in Judo.

When he was 23 years old, Mas Oyama met Eiji Yoshikawa, the author of the novel Musashi, which was based on the life and exploits of Japan's most famous Samurai. Both the novel and the author helped to teach Mas Oyama about the Samurai Bushido code and what it meant. That same year, Oyama went to Mt. Minobu in the Chiba Prefecture, where Musashi had developed his Nito-Ryu style of swordfighting. Oyama thought that this would be an appropriate place to commence the rigours of training he had planned for himself. Among the things he took with him was a copy of Yoshikawa's book. A student named Yashiro also came with him.

The relative solitude was strongly felt, and after 6 months, Yashiro secretly fled during the night. It became even harder for Oyama, who wanted more than ever to return to civilisation. So Nei Chu wrote to him that he should shave off an eyebrow in order to get rid of the urge. Surely he wouldn't want anyone to see him that way! This and other more moving words convinced Oyama to continue, and he resolved to become the most powerful karate-ka in Japan.

Bulls, Challengers, and the Godhand
In 1950, Sosai (the founder) Mas Oyama started testing (and demonstrating) his power by fighting bulls. In all, he fought 52 bulls, three of which were killed instantly, and 49 had their horns taken off with knife hand blows. That it is not to say that it was all that easy for him. Oyama was fond of remembering that his first attempt just resulted in an angry bull. In 1957, at the age of 34, he was nearly killed in Mexico when a bull got some of his own back and gored him. Oyama somehow managed to pull the bull off and break off his horn. He was bedridden for 6 months while he recoverd from the usually fatal wound. Today of course, the animal rights groups would have something to say about these demonstrations, despite the fact that the animals were already all destined for slaughter.

In 1952, he travelled US for a year, demonstrating his karate live and on national television, during this year he took on all challengers and fight with 270 different people, the vast majority of those were defeated with one punch! a fight never lasted more than 3 minutes, and most rarely lasted more than a few seconds.If he hit you, you broke. If you blocked a rib punch, your arms was broken or dislocated. If you didnt block, your rib was broken. so that he become known as the Godhand.

The beginning of Kyokushin
The current World Headquarters were officially opened in June 1964, where the name Kyokushin, meaning "Ultimate truth" was adopted. In the same year the International Karate Organization (IKO) was established. From then, Kyokushin continued to spread to more than 120 countries, and registered members exceed 10 million making it one of the largest martial arts organisations in the world. Among the the better known Kyokushin yudansha (black belts) are Sean Connery (Honorary shodan), Dolph Lundgren (sandan, former Australian heavyweight champion), and President Nelson Mandela of South Africa (Honorary hachidan), and most recently (June 1988), the Australian Prime Minister, John Howard (Honorary godan) who was awarded the grade at the official opening of the Sydney Kyokushin dojo.

The End?
Sadly, Sosai Mas Oyama died, of Akiyoshi Matsui in charge of the organisation. This has had many political and economic ramifications throughout the Kyokushin world, which are still being resolved. In the end, the result may well be a splintering of Kyokushin, much like Shotokan now appears to have done, with each group claiming to be the one-and-only true heir of Mas Oyama's Kyokushin, either spiritually or even financially. It has even been suggested, not entirely in jest, by one Kyokushin writer in Australia (Harry Rogers) that maybe Oyama created the turmoil on purpose, because he didn't want Kyokushin to survive without him! It is however reasonably certain that all Kyokushin groups, regardless of their ultimate allegiance, will still maintain the standards set by Mas Oyama.

KYOKUSHINKAI KARATE

Kyokushin kaikan (極真会館, Kyokushin kaikan) is a style of stand up, fullbody contact karate founded in 1957 by Sosai Masutatsu Oyama (大山倍達, ) in Japan. Kyokushinkai is in Japanese means "the society of the ultimate truth". Kyokushin is rooted in a philosophy of self-improvement, discipline and hard training. Its full contact style has had international appeal

Techiques/Kihon
The Kyokushin system is based on traditional karate like Shotokan and Goju-Ryu karate, but incorporates many elements of combat sports like Boxing and Kickboxing in kumite. Many techniques are not found in other styles of karate. Kyokushin does not allow its students to appear in paid fights and remain with the style. In the past this has caused many high-ranking competitors to leave the organization, even if they continue to practice the art and skills of Kyokushin.

In this form of karate the instructor and his/her students all must take part in hard sparring to prepare them for full contact fighting. Unlike some forms of karate, Kyokushin places high emphasis on full contact fighting which is done without any gloves or protective equipment. This apparent brutality is tempered somewhat by the fact that you are not allowed to use a non-kick or non-knee strike to hit your opponent in the face, thus greatly reducing the possibility of serious injury. Knees or kicks to the head and face, on the other hand, are allowed.

In the earliest Kyokushin tournaments and training sessions bare knuckle strikes to the face were allowed but resulted in many injuries, and, thus, students who were forced to withdraw from training. Mas Oyama believed that wearing protective gloves would detract from the realism that the style emphasizes. Therefore, it was decided that hand and elbow strikes to the head and neck would no longer be allowed in training and competition. Furthermore, many governments don't allow bare knuckle strikes to the head in sanctioned martial arts competitions. The vast majority of Kyokushin organizations and "offshoot" styles today still follow this philosophy.

Technically, Kyokushin is a circular style. This is in opposition to Shotokan karate, which is considered a linear style, and closer to Goju-ryu, another mostly circular style. Shotokan and Goju-ryu were the two styles of karate that Oyama learned before creating his own style. However, Oyama studied Shotokan for only a couple of years before he switched to Goju-ryu where he got his advanced training. This is reflected in Kyokushin where the early training closely resembles Shotokan but gradually becomes closer to the circular techniques and strategies of Goju-ryu the higher you advance in the system.

in 1964, Muay Thai fighter from Thailand send a challenge letter to Japan Karate, while most of them didn't reply the challenge, Kyokushin send 3 of his fighter and win 2 of three matches since then Kyokushin is very famous in Japan.

Nowdays, Kyokushin continued to spread to more than 120 countries, and registered members exceed 10 million making it one of the largest martial arts organisations in the world. Among the the better known Kyokushin yudansha (black belts) are Sean Connery (Honorary shodan), Dolph Lundgren (sandan, former Australian heavyweight champion), and President Nelson Mandela of South Africa (Honorary hachidan), and most recently (June 1988), the Australian Prime Minister, John Howard (Honorary godan) who was awarded the grade at the official opening of the Sydney Kyokushin dojo.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyokushinkai