Why You MUST Learn Two Martial Arts

Why You Should Learn a Second Martial Art

What a way to start the week!
A great work out,
that is the only way.
So go do it,
and I’ll tap my toes until you’re back.

Welcome back!

Hey,
let me explain why you should learn a second martial art.
I know,
many of you already understand,
especially if you have already learnt other arts.
But here goes…

First,
if you know a hard martial art,
there is TREMENDOUS benefit
in knowing a soft martial art.
Honestly,
it changes the way you think about your hard art,
and improves your abilities at your hard art.

For instance,
if you know Karate,
the highest realm of karate
is done with softness.
You still snap your blocks,
but you use less energy to create more impact.
You may not understand this
if you only learn a hard art,
but it will likely become obvious if you learn a soft art.

And if you know a soft art,
you should learn a hard art.
So many people can’t make their soft arts work,
but if they do a hard art,
they learn ALL sorts of things about reality,
about impact,
about what a punch really is,
and then their soft art works so-o-o much better.

And even things like health benefits
work MUCH better
if you understand how your art really works.

Now,
that is the obvious answer,
a simply hard to soft, soft to hard concept.
But,
let’s talk about ALL the arts.

One reason for learning as many arts as you can
is that it improves your understanding
of the different ranges of the martial arts.
Taekwondo might give you feet,
Karate might give you hands,
jujitsu might give you throws,
and so on.

Blending all these arts will make you
a more complete martial artist.

There is also the geometric aspect to the arts.
Each art describes different geometries,
or ways of manifesting and handling energy.

Karate is a hard line with impact.
Kung Fu is more circular with impact.
Aikido is circular with no impact.
Tai Chi is circular but with soft impact.

And so on.

Now,
obviously,
my descriptions are going to be liquid.
Different people will see and absorb
different arts in different manners.

But this is a start.

Here is an article in which I discuss some of this stuff…

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts-articles/american-martial-arts-are-going-bad/

And,
the above all being noted,
let me offer one other thing.
Matrixing is the only thing that will allow you
to combine martial arts
so they come together smoothly.

For instance,
shotokan is a solid stance platform
that does not support the circular hands of Kenpo.
Yet,
enough matrixing,
and you will see how to do this.

And there are examples of this ‘non-meshing’
in virtually every possible combination of arts.
But matrixing willg et you through it
so it all makes sense,
and so that all arts become one.

Okay,
here’s a package that will save you money.

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/5-core-package/

And there are other packages at MonsterMartialArts
that will save you money,
and make you into a more complete martial artist.

Remember,
the more complete your arts are,
the more complete you are.

Have a great work out!
Al

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http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/5-core-package/

http://www.amazon.com/Matrixing-Tong-Bei-Internal-Gung/dp/1507869290/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423678613&sr=8-1&keywords=tong+bei

How to Maim yourself with Bad Martial Arts Practice

Hurting Yourself for Fun with Martial Arts?

Bad Martial Arts practices will probably always be with us. After all, there is always going to be somebody who is just a wee bit not too smart in the martial arts. More gusto than brains.

The first martial arts training that I heard of that was a bit loony tunes was in Karate. This was back in the fifties, and it consisted of smashing your hand into rocks or telephone poles or other non-giving objects. The result was a hand bleeding, maybe even broken, and much too tender to continue karate practice with.

Click here to learn how to Matrix Tai Chi Chuan

Over the years I heard of other things, but the latest and greatest has to do with gangs that administer ‘martial arts beatings’ to make sure you are tough enough.

I think it was the movie ‘colors,’ with Sean Penn, where I first heard of gangsters beating the hell out of recruits before they accepted them into their inner circle. They were supposed to be gauging the recruit’s ability to fight back or something like that.

Just the other day I came across the latest evolution of this bad martial arts practice. It takes place in prison, and it is called ’52 Pick Up.’

A deck of cards is thrown into the air, and the recruit must pick up the deck, in order, while three other cons beat the heck out of him.

Now that is an interesting concept, the ability to play cards while in a gang war.

The interesting thing is that done properly, there actually is reason for these practices. Many schools, for instance, believe that one should be pushed and struck while doing the form Sanchin. The pushing and striking, however, is not to brutalize a fellow and make sure he is reduced to an animal nature, but rather to ensure that he is sinking his weight and aligning his body properly and breathing correctly and so on.

Doing this type of training, correctly and with much awareness can actually lead a person to what the Chinese call ‘Iron shirt’ training. This is a body that is impervious to strikes.

Thus, while there are many bad martial arts practices, training methods that can damage and even maim the body, the good martial artist will search for that training method that will enable him to strengthen his body through cultivated awareness.

About the Author: Al Case began martial arts in 1967. You can check out his method for chi training at MonsterMartialArts.com.