Master Clark

Once a student progresses far enough that he or she has a basic understanding of several of the weapon classes within the art of ninjutsu, study should be extended to other weapons - even those not considered to be "official ninja weapons." One such weapon is the Kubotan, or self defense keychain. Although this weapon is fairly common in both the martial arts and the general self defense world - in the hands of a true ninja, it takes on a power that is not easily duplicated! The focus of this article is to explore some of the unique "ninja" approaches to using this simple, and often overlooked weapon. And, while other systems may appear to use some of the same methods, I can assure you that, the way...

Are you studying the martial arts for self defense, or for some other reason? This may sound strange but, your focus and goal will determine whether a particular style, school, or teacher is right for you! I have been studying the martial arts for over two-thirds of my life. I began by studying Goju-Ryu Karate when I was twelve years old in 1975. I then progressed through other arts like aikido, jujitsu, Bruce Lee's jeet kune do, Shaolin kung-fu, and tae kwon do, before finding and concentrating on ninjutsu - the martial art of Japan's ancient Ninja. Now, please don't confuse my intentions with that of comparing these other systems to the one I currently hold teaching credentials in. In fact, I have...

Have you ever heard of a Kubotan, mini-stick, or self-defense keychain? Whether you have or haven't... Imagine a night, like any other night. The cool air, perhaps a light breeze, with only the sights and sounds of the city for company. A solitary figure walks alone along an apparently empty street. Until, out of the shadows, another figure appears and the unthinkable happens. An assault is about to occur to another innocent, peaceful person seeking only to get where they're going. In another story - in another time and place, this situation could have a very different ending. But, this is not just any night. It's not just any place with any characters. At least, not as far as the attacker is...

Training and studying self defense can lead to greater self confidence. But, can this greater self confidence lessen the chances of you being selected as a target? Two researchers, Grayson and Stein did a study in New York where they filmed random people walking down a busy street. The people being filmed were unaware of this. They then showed the footage to a group of convicted criminals and asked them to identify people who would make easy targets and those they considered would be best to avoid. Within a few seconds the convicted criminals had made their decision. It appeared that people were considered to be easy targets based on movement and co-ordination rather than simply age, race, gender or...

Have you ever thought about increasing your fitness through martial arts? More and more people are becoming health conscious and trying to get fit by going to the gym, joining walking or jogging groups and joining other groups offering a health and fitness regime, but it does not take long before the boredom sets in and going to classes become a chore. Martial arts have much to offer. Physically, the training involved has the benefits of strengthening and toning muscles, improving suppleness and agility, increases circulation and greatly improves coordination. Many people are now using martial arts as an alternative weight loss program with amazing results. On a more spiritual level, due to the...

Many Kung Fu students have knee problems later in life. This is not because the Kung Fu is poorly designed, or that Kung Fu should not be trained. This is because many Kung Fu students jump around too much, put too much stress on their knees, and do not use flowing footwork. Using flowing footwork allows a Kung Fu student to move around quickly, but minimize the stress put on their knees. Training in martial arts and self-defense is important because it allows someone to defend themselves against an attacker. Martial arts are a matter of self-preservation and self-protection. But to be able to defend yourself in a stressful real life self-defense situation you have to train for many hours. Simply...

When you are riding the wave of your martial arts career, know who you are, and why you are doing this. When I became a billing client of EFC, I attended one of their seminars in Atlanta. I was doing pretty good, but nothing like some of the EFC stars of the day. Still, it seemed the guys in Atlanta knew my name as a fighter, which was nice. As usual at these events, we shared information about student counts and, when I mentioned I had 245 students, they seemed impressed. They were even more impressed that my student body was mostly adults. I didn't know there had been a huge boom in the children's market at the time due to The Karate Kid. The guys in Atlanta implied that I was missing half the...

As most of you know, I primarily study jujitsu, and Northern (animal style) Kung Fu as my primary forms of martial arts. I dabble in other styles, from Shaolin to Kempo to Tae Kwon do on the hard side, and work out with Wing Chun and Tai Chi Chuan with my father, and teach a couple of jujitsu classes for extra income. However, I take a deep interest in nearly any style of martial arts, hard or soft, so long as it gives a solid workout and lots of motions. An interesting trend in martial arts instruction is "syncretic" or contemporary styles; one of the ones I've recently been exposed to is Nan Quan Kung Fu, or "southern boxing". Martial arts styles have generations, where they're founded, the...

You see guys at the gym, sweating and grunting while they work on those machine trying to get stronger, doing all these workouts to improve karate. Well, I have always been a different kind of guy, going for the old school way of getting fit and getting in shape. My workouts to improve karate don't involve playing on some sissified equipment. Sure, I mean, that's good for the muscle boys and all, I mean, Bruce Lee was known for his "one inch punch." Do you think he got that kind of power from working on some machine? I highly doubt it. So, if you are really wanting to get that kind of power, accelerate your learning and get your skills into shape, then you need to get off of those silly...

Tae Kwon Do is a martial art form that originated in Korea over two thousand years ago. Tae Kwon Do literally means "the way kicking and punching". Tae Kwon Do stresses fast and effective strikes that are accurate and powerful. Tae Kwon Do is not just a martial arts style, but also a mindset and way of life. Most people recognize Tae Kwan Do by its fast kicks, spinning kicks, and aerial kicks. However, Tae Kwon Do also makes use of the fists and can be very defensive as well. Taekwondo footwork training allows a martial arts practitioner to improve his or her precision and speed. Tae Kwon Do pushes muscles to their limit in terms of speed, strength, and flexibility. Tae Kwon Do also pushes your body...

Cardio Kickboxing techniques are all the rage in the fitness world today. There is a reason for this. Cardio Kickboxing gives you a great workout and is fun as well. Cardio Kickboxing is also called Aerobic Boxing, Boxercise, Boxaerobics and Aerobox. I went for Cardio Kickboxing after six months of aerobics. I can vouch for its benefits. These benefits include increased strength and flexibility while burning fat. I know that some years back cardio kickboxing barely existed. Today it has invaded health clubs. More and more people want to benefit from this latest fitness fad. I have practiced this new form of exercise for barely over a month and the benefits already show - in my body and in my self...

In 1974, the tuition at the Florida Karate Academy in Largo, Florida, was a 12-month contract at $25 per month. If you just raised tuition three percent per year from that point, you would have tuition of about $60 per month in 2004. When I opened my school in 1986, my tuition averaged $75 per month. At three percent inflation, this would total $127 per month today. What other service has only increased three percent per year? Not many that I can think of. While many schools are more in the $60 range, others are north of $200 per month. What is the difference? The most successful martial arts school owners highly value what they do. Tiger Shulmann said this in an interview in my Martial Arts...

Developed in the former Soviet Union and recognized as an official sport by the USSR All-Union Sports Committee in 1938, Sambo is a modern martial art. It is most definitely a combat sport and also a self defense system. Sometimes referred to in the USA as Sombo, Sambo literally means "self-defense without a weapon" and has its roots in folk styles of wrestling like Mongolian Khapsagay, Armenian Koch and Georgian Chidaoba. Although there is no real recognized founder of Sambo, Anatoly Kharlampiev is often officially stated as being the founder. Vasili Oshchepkov, who was shot during the political purges of 1933, and Viktor Spiridonov, due to a shoulder injury during the Russo-Japanese war, used...

I like martial arts movies, and I like martial arts moves. So, naturally, I'm interested in movies that show techniques for martial arts moves. Now, having grown up on Bruce Lee movies as a kid, and having taken up Jiu Jutsu as an adult, and dabbled with Jeet Kune Do, I've always had an interest in nunchucks. So, I've been looking for a nunchucks training DVD. Now, I'll be honest, when I was a kid, my brother and I made nunchucks and tried to use them - trying to do the moves we saw Bruce Lee do in Enter The Dragon and Fists of Fury. And man, did we clobber ourselves good. As I got older, I decided there had to be better ways to learn nunchucks than battering the back of my own head with them...

The first time I saw Shaolin Kung fu techniques was while watching a martial arts movie. I loved the style of martial arts so much, that I watched the second movie and fell totally in love. There was something so riveting about watching the punches, kicks and jumps. Even though it was Hong Kong Hollywood, it looked so much more real than most martial arts you see. I've watched a lot of martial arts movies in my day. In fact, they're actually my favorite type of movie. Recently I saw Jet Li in Fearless. Though his style in that movie was wing chun. Why is kung fu my favorite form of martial art? Probably because of the exotic origin. It's a style practiced by monks. You wouldn't think monks would...

defense is an act of defending oneself, one’s property or the well being of others from physical harm. It instills discipline and possesses rules to be assessed and followed. Self defense or defense of others is a positive defense. It gives complete justification when the degree of violence used is equal to the threat faced. Deadly force would only be excused in cases of extreme danger. The defense is not justifiable if the killed thief did not appear to be a physical threat. It is the same if the assailant stops to be a threat, but the defending party continues to attack. In other countries and other U.S. states, the idea of preventive self defense is limited to the forthcoming threat...

Many who watch World Affairs in detail seem to believe that the Great Chinese Empire is once again spreading its domain. We see China making deals in Cuba, South America, Africa, Europe, Russia and even Australia, note the uranium purchase and mining interests recently. Moreover some say that China is attempting to infiltrate the Middle East. To that I say to my dear colleague China does not "attempt" to do anything, they do, do things and they do it on a much longer term plan that most Westerners think. China is indeed getting involved in the Middle East; first sign was the volunteering of 2,000 peace keeping troops in Lebanon days after the cease fire upping to 10,000. This is no coincidence, they...

As training camp has emerged creating a vast set of emotions of both hope for rookies and redundant routines for veterans, it is never to early to began the rampant speculations surrounding the issue of how the teams will look in the standings come season end. Through my knowledge of the sport and teams, as well as careful analysis of recent off-season acquisitions and losses, I have come up with a forecast of how I expect each team to finish in its respective division. Beginning with the AFC, this update will focus on the AFC West. After notoriously being known as the "Bungles", the Cincinnati Bengals defied critics last year winning the division. With a potent offense in Carlson Palmer, Rudi...

For once, I am going to endorse procrastination. When it comes to worrying, you should put it off. Do everything you like to avoid worrying. Worries don't help us; and in fact, they make many bad situations worse. On top of that, most of what we worry about never comes to pass. On the other hand, putting off tasks that will help us advance, right now, is an epidemic. There is a health maintenance disaster on the horizon when most of the western world does not want to engage in exercise. Therefore, the habit of procrastination should be purged as soon as possible. Here are a few things that will help you "stay on track" toward your goals, live for the moment, and leave most of your worries...

Taser International's incredible array of stun guns makes it possible for beginners to operate their products with an extremely high level of safety. Just as in becoming familiar with any new piece of equipment, from pocket knives to stun guns, it is important to set aside time to practice and develop an acceptable degree of proficiency. Start by doing the research and budgeting the necessary funds.o There are many different products on the market which may serve your purposes. Internet websites are chock full of information about both the technical and aesthetic attributes of every make and model of stun gun, TASER and pepper spray.o One important concern when choosing a TASER or stun gun is the...

If you are looking for a non-lethal form of self defense, the C2 Taser is an excellent choice. Tasers are different than most stun guns. With a stun gun, you have to press it against the torso of the attacker when using it. Where as Tasers can be shot at a distance of up to 15 feet away. For those of us who don't like using a gun, the Taser is a great choice because it is not going to permanently harm or kill your attacker. They will debilitate the attacker long enough to allow you to have the time to get away and seek help in an attack. This product has an almost 100% effectiveness rating making this product extremely effective. This product doubles as a stun gun as well. It offers protection at a...

Non-practitioners often accuse Yoga practitioners of too much self-indulgence. The common concern is that too much self-awareness will cause the Yogi, or Yogini, to worship the inner being. Before you get too excited - you and I know this is not true, but the world needs some time to adjust to Yogic philosophy. You are thinking: "How can the world need more time? Yoga has been around for over 5,000 years and that is plenty of time for people to adjust. The answers must be found within, and then projected outward." This is true, but warfare, ignorance, and intolerance have been around longer than Yoga. As a species, we have become much better with systems for the common good of humankind, but we...

For two of the past two Presidential elections, the Democrats have miserably failed to produce a viable candidate who could sway the entire United States. Instead of complaining about how bad the next three years will be, Democrats now have the opportunity to produce a viable "front runner." It really shouldn't be that hard to find a candidate who can identify with the American people. However, it seems the democrats have lost touch with many large regions of the country. This past election was big money versus big money. There was so much double talk, that it became difficult for the average voter to see much of a difference between George W. Bush and John Kerry. "America's Heartland" and the...

Chakras are vortices located in the subtle body. Ajna chakra is located between the eyebrows. The existence of chakras is a point of contention to some. Yogis, and Yoginis, may practice balancing their chakras, while some religious fundamentalists feel this practice borders on witchcraft. However, let's discuss one chakra that most everyone can identify with. Ajna chakra is referred to as the "third eye" and is sometimes called,"the mind's eye." Whether you believe in the existence of chakras, or not, most of us accept the concepts of intuition and insight. These concepts enable us to use self-reflection for our own advancement. Most Yoga practitioners think only in terms of physical Yoga...

There seems to be some confusion between patriotism and common sense lately. This is what most nationalistic movements bank on. No one should speak up with the voice of reason; if you do, you will be shouted down, called a coward, and publicly shamed. There have been more harsh treatments for men and women of reason. Just look at how many firing squads were active in the 20th century in countries that did not allow freedom of speech. Therefore, let's review where we were, where we are, and where we should be. Yes, we were shamelessly attacked on 911. Approximately 2752 innocent people were murdered on that day. We should never forget that. Al-Quaida, Osama Bin Laden, and his associates...

How can you tell which Yoga teacher is the best fit for your health club, ashram, spa, or wellness studio? Does it depend on a particular diploma, style of Yoga, or who their Guru was? Let's go over a bit of credential history and a checklist for finding the ideal Yoga teacher. Lately, there has been a scramble amongst Yoga teachers to gain higher credentials. This is understandable because Yoga became much more of a mainstream pursuit. As Yoga became more and more popular, many experienced Yoga teachers found themselves "out of the loop." Some Yoga teachers, with decades of Yoga teaching experience, had no credentials, diploma, or "paper trail." The "paper chase" was on, and when it came to...

Karate is much, much more than punching and kicking the air. The sport has proven benefits that go well beyond that obvious physical fitness boost. Regular practice of karate affects the body, the mind, and the soul. Because it is partially based in Eastern philosophy, a regular karate practice will give your child a heightened sense of self-awareness and peer-awareness, as well as a boost in self-confidence. This is because karate teaches that each individual is just that; striving to achieve the task at hand regardless of where the others around them sit on the bell curve. Through a balanced individual practice within a group, your child will also learn self-discipline and patience. Karate has...

The remote walking trails offer much outdoor pleasantry. Some of them have been established along creek beds or old railroad beds at the edges of towns and cities. Others can be found further out in the country or backwoods. To experience the rustling breezes, bubbling creeks, thick foliage, flowers, trees, colorful birds and small animals, scenic vistas, and nature at its best on these trails is fun and relaxing. Yet, care needs to be taken when walking them. Here are several precautions to consider before taking-on these trails for walking exercise. Know the basic rules for walking outdoors. - Prepare for outdoor walking ahead of time through study and physical conditioning. - Wear the right shoes...

Are you printing an ebook, booklet, or 100+page report from your computer?  Odds are you'll need to bind it so you can easily read it off the computer.  Before you can do a good job of handmade book-binding, you need to know how to put together the finished book with various bookbinding methods. Here three basic ways you can get started printing and binding your own books at home.  These are all fairly cheap and don't require a lot of materials. 1. Ring binding This is the best form of binding when you need to make potential revisions or insert new material.  Manuals are great for ring binding, as you may want to go back and put new pages in or take some pages out, and ring binding makes it easy...

Summer fun by the pool will not be complete without pool toys. These toys are used to make more time inside the pool pleasurable with the family. Various pool toys are offered in the market available for children and adults. Eventhough hundreds of toys are being produced, inflatable pool toys are commonly used by the swimmers because of fun and comfort it provide. So if you want to enjoy your summer in your backyard, you may like to have any of these inflatable toys. Floating pool chair is also a popular inflatable toy for swimmers. Some pool owners treat this pool toy like their special pool supplies used in pools. If they want instant comfort inside the pool, this floating chair is their savior...

How can I watch premium cable TV on my own home PC?  This is a question many people are asking these days.  So would you really believe there was a way you could watch all your favorite shows, news, sports, movies, and even music stations legally? Actually, there is.  With streaming video technology at high-quality speeds with no bandwidth limits, you can watch the same TV shows you’d see if you turned on your home TV just by flipping on your PC. So you’re still wondering ‘how can I watch TV on my PC?’  Here’s how it works.  You find a TV to PC satellite service.  There are many out there to choose from.  Then you download a small piece of software from that service which installs...

For many years, people have been practicing the art of binding handmade books. The internet has made this easy to learn, interestingly – and it is a wonderful felling to create your own book and bind it yourself. Here are some basic instructions on how to bind your own books at home. To make a binding, all you will need is paper, glue, some scissors, and a brush to spread the glue. There are no expensive materials required to bind your own books. What you'll be doing is making a thick paper cover for the binding itself, then spreading glue over the binding to attach the paper clamp. It's important to keep it near the spine so that your signatures stay in place. Depending on what type of book you...