There are three beginning levels to martial arts, regardless of style. Level 1 is Physical Power. This means learning how to use the correct muscle groups and the skeleton, learning moves and techniques for coordination, and so on. Level 2 is mixed internal and physical, and level 3 is pure internal power. This means that the internal body power is greater than the physical body power.
There is a great deal of information on level 1 training, and even a lot of level 3, but there isn’t very much information about level 2. This is important because to get to level 3 you need to know how to build it. So here goes.
Level 2: Mixed internal and external power.
A. Physical Internal Power
1. Core Agility.
This means that you begin to work on core flexibility and agility. Learn to use the lower pelvic muscles, the diaphragm, and pretty much all of the muscles around the core area. The thing to remember is that we want to train agility and flexibility. We want you to get so good using the strong core muscles that they become as smart as your hand.
2. Attaching the Core and the Hand.
As you develop an intelligent core, we need the power and dexterity it has to be generated through your hands. This means that we have to attach your hand to your core body mass. To do this use the lats, the muscles in your back just under your arm. Now as you more your core around your arm should be attached to it.
3. Attaching the Core to the Foot.
This is the same thing as attaching the core to the hand, only now you do it with your legs. The big idea is to have your body be one complete unit that is controlled by the core muscle groups and the center of balance.
B. Change your focus.
1. Turn the Core to Chi.
It is best to think of chi as a different body than your physical one. Your core area becomes chi when you focus on how it changes by shrinking, expanding and spiraling it. Not the muscle and tissue, rather with your mind. When your core has become chi it should feel like an inflated basketball- empty, but pressurized. However, it must also be able to change size, spin, spiral, and change in any way you like. This quality in your core is referred to as your “Dan Tien.”
2. Enlarge the Dan Tien.
Do everything we just discussed with the lower abdomen, but now do all of that with your entire torso.
3. Continue this same quality to your arms.
4. Continue this same quality to your legs.
At this point you can enter Level 3. This means that you will begin to develop pure internal power. This is sometimes stated as your internal is larger than your external. Also, at level 3 you no longer consider your physical body- just the chi body. In level 2 there is chi, but it is still inside the confines of your skin,therefore the chi in level 2 is always behind the physical. Level 3 has no such limitation.
It is easy to get hung up on all of the negative things that are happening in your life and in the world around you. It is important to remember that your focus is your reality. What you focus on the most is what will grow in your mind, and thus will guide your perspectives and your actions. What it boils down to is that if you think about negative things you help those negative things grow within you. If you focus on positive things you help those things grow within you. Whatever you are helping to grow is what you are contributing to your life and how you are influencing the people around you.
One of the very best ways to keep your mind going in a constructive fashion is to do an exercise that you probably learned as a child called “counting your blessings.” It’s simple. When you are upset about something, write down that event. Then on a different sheet of paper write down all of the things in your life that you are grateful for. You will find that the things to be grateful for list is vastly larger than the bad things list. When you begin to think in these terms you also start to notice the things that other people are doing that should go on the things to be grateful for list. The world begins to become a pretty amazing place.
I’m not suggesting that you should ignore nor hide from problems, but with a grateful mind you will be able to think in a positive, solution oriented way instead of anything else.
Here is a video lesson about Gratitude. This is the material we have been discussing in class for this testing cycle.
Here is an interview that I recently gave on children and combat sports. Basically, though I have nothing against the more common safe, regulated sport martial arts that strike or grapple (I don’t delve into sport martial arts, preferring to teach self defense applications), I am vehemently opposed to the idea of putting children into full contact fights. In this article when discussing combat sports I am referring to full contact fighting with children.
Dear Mr. Croley,
I’d like to thank you for taking the time out of your schedule to speak with me regarding your training methods and beliefs at White Oaks Martial Arts Center. Our talk together proved invaluable in helping me conduct research on the participation of children in combat sports. I find you to be quite knowledgeable and certainly to be a very eloquent speaker, and I only hope that my interview report does justice to your philosophies and that you are satisfied with your portrayal therein. I myself am not completely happy with its brevity, but as the father of two young children and a full-time student time management is of the essence and thus I hope you will understand. I am including a copy in this email and will mail you one also. I thoroughly believe in what you do and wish you the best in the future.
Regards,
Adam Pilkington
Adam Pilkington
Parrack-Rogers
English 111-007
Research Project Interview Report
Children and Combat Sports
October 24, 2011
Only The Positive: A Conversation With Master Shifu Derek Croley
While we don’t know specifically how long Asian martial arts has been around, we do know that the Chinese have been combining warfare tactics and strategies with spiritualism for many centuries. Their customs dictated for children to be taught these techniques as a way of grooming warriors for the next generation. Today children are still instructed in the same manner, albeit with the focus being on self- discipline and confidence rather than the actual fighting itself. Recently, with the rise in popularity of combat sports like Mixed Martial Arts, some parents have organized grassroots tournaments in which children strike and choke each other in competition, in stark contrast to the teachings of Asheville martial arts instructor Derek Croley.
While conducting research for my project focusing on children’s participation in combat sports, I have read medical journal articles on the harmful effects of Mixed Martial Arts injuries and news reports of the fast-growing nature of the sport. I wanted to gain the perspective of someone who is “in the trenches,” if you will, involved in the day-to-day teaching of children and knows just what works regarding the instruction of martial arts. Master Shifu Derek Croley is the founder and president of the White Oaks Martial Arts Center in Asheville, North Carolina, having dedicated his life to the instruction of ethical martial arts practices with over twenty-five years of teaching experience.
One positive aspect of martial arts training for children is the physical fitness factor, a way to get sedentary children off the couch and moving. While he has personally seen overweight kids make some significant strides regarding their physical fitness through the self-discipline he teaches, Master Croley believes only the parents can shoulder most of that burden and that his primary responsibility is to foster their self-confidence and instill a positive moral attitude.
Master Croley advocates using a structured environment to teach these skills, in this case the martial arts belt system. Students start at the bottom rung and work their way up through the different color-coded levels, or belts. “They use their self-discipline and gain confidence by accomplishing each goal in increments and then building upon that” he says.
He allows no contact striking between students to take place in his school, though they do work with bags to learn the proper technique should they have to use violence in a self-defense situation. One of the most common questions parents ask him, he says, is “If you give my child a hammer, will they see every problem as a nail?” This is why he emphasizes escapes and blocks as his “cardinal rule.” Master Croley stresses that violence should only be used at the appropriate time, with that only being in an instance of self-defense and as the last resort.
When asked about children participating in combat sports where striking is allowed, he comments that he does not advocate “Karate Kid style tournaments” and that in these “only the kids with a natural aptitude for fighting will excel, while those without will fail” and have their confidence crushed. “The biggest thing children will learn is that hitting hurts, and they probably already knew that” he says. He emphasizes that bullying and victimization will occur as a result, with injuries and fear being the main commodities traded through combat sports for children.
Master Croley is a man dedicated to helping his students become “positive influences to the people around them”, and to “overcome personal fears and self-doubt.” To accomplish this, he stresses “perseverance with a positive attitude.” When asked point-blank how kids striking each other through sport might fit into his plans, “combat sports for children,” he responds, “is a horrible idea.”
I'm not sure biting the bad guy would be my first choice- but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.
Let’s talk about what is appropriate for self defense against physical force. This admittedly is not the most pleasant of topics, but it is important to have a game plan just in case. There really is one statement that sums it all up-
Use the smallest amount of force necessary to get away- preferably none.
The objective of self defense is to escape the bad situation alive and in good health. Our objective is not to win, it is to survive. There is no scoreboard in self defense and there is no movie camera. The techniques you learn should reflect this objective.
Remember, if you started the aggression with words or actions you are no longer defending yourself, you are the bad guy. Don’t be the bad guy by saying or doing things that are mean to others.
Here are some general guidelines to follow.
Level 1: Non – physical Self Defense.
The vast majority of the time that you need to defend yourself it will not be against somebody trying to hit you, it will be against somebody saying mean things or somebody trying to get you to do something unethical. No matter how mad you get, it is never okay to physically attack somebody. Instead, here are some things that you might consider.
Level 2: Cover, evade, and escape.
What if somebody tries to hit you or attack you physically somehow (without a weapon)? First, duck dodge, block, or otherwise don’t get hit. We’ll call this cover. Next, evade the attacker by getting out of the line of attack. This may mean that you have to redirect your attacker with a push, pull, or other nonviolent move to get them out of the way. And then leave as quickly as possible, or escape. It is best if these three steps are as close to one move as you can make them.
Level 3: Hitting back to create an escape route.
What if you do level 2 to avoid somebody attacking you but there is no clear escape route? In this case hit back with the objective of creating an escape route. The idea of this kind of attack is to distract your attacker. You may stomp on the persons foot, punch them in the nose, or use some other technique designed to distract but not do very much damage. All with the objective of creating an escape route using the smallest amount of force necessary.
Level 4: Using physical self defense.
What if somebody is physically attacking you without a lethal weapon and without lethal intent and you cannot talk your way out, cannot escape, and feel like you are in real danger of getting physically hurt by an attacker? In this case, you can physically defend yourself with punches, kicks, or other techniques without using a lethal weapon nor lethal force. My advice is that in this case you hit them as hard as you can with the objective of ending the fight or escaping as quickly as possible.
Remember that your objective is always escape- so if the situation changes and it is possible to safely escape do it. If you have to fight with your attacker, do your very best to take them out of the fight as quickly as possible. Remember, there is no scoreboard and no movie camera. The longer the fight lasts the more opportunity your attacker has of really injuring you.
Level 5: High stakes force.
When is it okay to seriously injure or kill somebody? Well, obviously never. However, it unfortunately may be necessary if you are afraid that your attacker intends to kill or seriously injure you. For example, if your attacker has a knife or a gun or even a lethal instrument like a baseball bat. If your attacker plans to kill you then you can and should do whatever it takes to not die. Remember, there is no such thing as a fair fight, there is only survival and escape. Make it end as quickly as possible.
With all of these guidelines there is a consideration called “disparity of force.” This basically means that one person could be stronger or more powerful than the other. This means that the situation changes based upon the relative size of the people in question, how many people are involved, or any other factor that could make one party stronger than the other. When there is a disparity of force you’ll just have to decide quickly on the spot what the best way to defend yourself is.
As always, the rule of thumb is to use the smallest amount of force necessary to get away- preferably none. If there is any way at all to avoid a bad situation, take it. Also remember that this is a series of guidelines to create a discussion and should not be considered legal advice.
For more information about our school, click here.
Our personal safety topic for this testing cycle is How to Deal with Negative Peer Pressure.
It’s tough being a kid. One of the things that makes it so is Peer Pressure. Some peer pressure can be good, but some can be negative. As parents there are a few things we can do to monitor what is going on in this regard.
1) Create a relationship with your kids that enables them to speak honestly with you about anything. This is easy to say and hard to do, but do your best.
2) Keep tabs on who your kids friends are and get to know their parents. This way both sets of parents can help to steer both kids away from negative behavior.
3) Do your very best to instill a positive system of values in your kids. If your kids have a strong sense of what’s right they will be less likely to do things they know are wrong.
Here are some tips that kids can do when faced with Negative Peer Pressure.
1) Know thyself. Have strong moral values. Be a person who works to be the good guy, not the bad guy.
3) Pick friends with similar values to you. If somebody claims to be your friend, but they want you to do something that you know is wrong, then this person is not your friend.
4) Talk about it. Talk about this with your parents and teachers. They can help.
5) Be a positive influence. Remember, part of being a good martial artist and a Black Belt Leader is to be a positive influence on others, not to be negatively influenced by them.
For this testing cycle our students can write a short report on this subject along with their thoughts on the matter(or draw a picture about this if they can’t write yet) for an extra credit prize from the prize box!
For more information about our school, click here.
Compassion is to treat all other as we wish to be treated. To always speak respectfully to others and do not show hatred to one another. Not to be selfish to one another and always be kind.Compassion helps us relate and work better together. Compassion is the way to the creation of justice. That is what I think Compassion is.
What is Compassion and what does it have to do with being a good black belt and person?:
Compassion has to do with being a good person or black belt because if you have no respect to others you will not be liked.You have to display positive attitude towards other because if you do not do this you will not be respected.To be a good black belt or a good person you need to have good leadership and responsibility.That is what I think being a good black belt and person is.
Thank you,
Porter
For more information about out school please click here.
I enjoy a good tune as much as anybody, but in this case we are talking about the Chinese word “song,” meaning relax. Almost everybody carries a great deal of tension around in their minds and bodies. One of the first things we do in internal martial arts is to train relaxation. First to be relaxed while still, and then to be relaxed while moving.
This is incredibly valuable on many levels. Firstis that this is obviously an excellent way to manage stress. People carry emotional stress in their bodies, especially in their shoulders and neck. The first thing we work on is to relax this area. Pretty soon you will get so good at achieving “song” that you will be able to relax at will.
Second, you will find that being able to relax leads to a great deal of mental clarity. You will be able to immediately dump stress- enabling you to think more clearly under pressure. The trick of this is to relax the body and activate the mind. In Chinese martial arts they say to have a relaxed body and an alive mind. This enables your body to be empty and calm while your mind is aware and active.
Third, the ability to relax is great for self defense. It enables you be dead weight- which is difficult to for somebody else to move, and easy for you to maximize your personal power.
Yesterday I was privilidged to teach a group of incoming UNCA freshman a Tai Chi class! There were a great group of kids and all of them did great. The main jist of the presentation was on
1) What is Tai Chi,
2) What is chi really (beyond the lame “it’s like energy man” explaination),
3) what is internal power, and
4) what do you do with all this stuff: self defense, better health and fitness, stress release, etc.
If you are interested in a similar presentation for your school, organization, or work email me at dctai@charter.net.
School is about to begin! One of the issues that inevitabley pops up when school starts is bullying. With this in mind, for our students self defense project this testing cycle they will be turning in a drawing, photo, or written report on ten ways to effectively deal with a bully. Many of these suggestions can come from www.StopBulliesinAshevilleNOW.org.
Turn in your project soon for a prize from the prize vault!
By our definition, Integrity means to always do what you think is right- no matter what everybody else is doing. Here is a section from our students lesson packet.
To have Integrity means to follow through with what you know is right. If you know, think, say, and believe what is right…follow through with it. Most of us know what is right. We have an internal understanding of this. Don’t be fooled by anyone to go against this understanding of what you know inside. You will encounter many individuals who will knowingly or unknowingly attempt to sway you. Sometimes that person will be you. Be disciplined to stick to what is right by thinking and acting appropriately.
Your task for your next belt is 10 acts of Integrity. If you see someone doing or saying something you know is not right, respectfully suggest something or guide them to the right action. This may mean taking someone aside and having a polite discussion, role modeling the right way, writing them a note, pointing out someone else doing the right thing, and what benefits there are to doing so. This is sometimes difficult. However, this is what being a Black Belt Leader signifies: doing your best to live the virtues of the Black Belt all of the time, and showing (Leading the Way) others what benefits there are to doing so. Are you beginning to live by the Student Creed and the virtues of the Black Belt Leader?
Also, this cycle we are workig on defenses against grabs and locks from behind.
There are three beginning levels to martial arts, regardless of style. Level 1 is Physical Power. This means learning how to use the correct muscle groups and the skeleton, learning moves and techniques for coordination, and so on. Level 2 is mixed internal and physical, and level 3 is pure internal power. This means that the internal body power is greater than the physical body power.
I enjoy a good tune as much as anybody, but in this case we are talking about the Chinese word “song,” meaning relax. Almost everybody carries a great deal of tension around in their minds and bodies. One of the first things we do in internal martial arts is to train relaxation. First to be relaxed while still, and then to be relaxed while moving.
