Just wrote a short piece concerning what one looks for in the various belt levels to Black Belt. Full data is available in the book ‘Outlaw Karate: The Secret of the One Year Black Belt,’ but this is a good summary. Here’s the link…
https://www.academia.edu/31419612/What_to_Look_for_during_Black_Belt_Testing
Have a great work out.
Newsletter 815 ~ Sign up now on the Free Books page!
Good morning!
Wonderful morning.
I just did a whole bunch of forms,
I feel like a million.
The most important Martial Arts book ever written.
Hey,
there’s lots of stuff happening,
so let me start with…
CONGRATS!
to Peter Carmody
Peter passed his Matrix Karate Black Belt test.
The test was done on video,
and Peter went through having to repeat the test,
doing all the corrections,
and making all the matrix karate material work.
And he made it look good!
Video testing is interesting.
You could probably film yourself on an iPhone,
don’t wear black against a black wall,
white against white,
and so on.
Have some sunlight,
or a few bulbs glowing.
You don’t need lots of space
as long as I can see your whole body.
Have a partner.
Be willing to fail once or twice,
at least.
And here’s the thing,
Matrix Karate is pretty darn unique.
You see,
most karate systems were developed for specific reasons,
bodyguarding,
the element of being grabbed,
having to deal with weapons,
etc.
Not saying you won’t encounter these things today,
you need some awareness of these things,
but the real factor is that we are a fist culture.
If you are in a fight
the usual weapons will be fists.
Then something that can be used as a cub,
then a knife,
etc.
But fists are the base of it all.
And,
if you can handle a fist,
it is just a short step to a knife,
if you have enough brains to adapt.
Anyway,
Matrix Karate is designed around the structure of the body,
it is a complete art,
taking into account all angles of attack and defense.
But it is SIMPLE!
Because the posing and the unnecessary techniques
have all been weeded out.
You have to learn about mistakes,
but the essence is in the logic
where one move leads to the next,
with no circus moves.
It’s funny,
I remember one of the first wins
I ever received,
this was about ten years ago.
The guy wrote that he had gone to a martial arts school,
and the first technique they taught him
was a cartwheel into a jump kick.
Not how to block and punch.
Not even the basic kicks,
but a jumping kick off a whole body contortion.
Can you see why matrixing was so desperately needed?
A little common sense?
And every system,
no matter how classical or developed,
benefits from the direct infusion of logic that matrixing provides.
Anyway,
well done to Peter,
and I recommend Matrix Karate and the Master Instructor Course
(you need both of them to test).
Whether you are accomplished and have a black belt,
whether you are a raw beginner,
whether you are just in the middle and need to get going,
Matrix Karate is the easiest,
the best,
the most efficient and completely rounded karate
on the planet.
Period.
Here’s a link to how to video test…
https://alcase.wordpress.com/martial-arts-video-testing/
Have a great work out!
Al
https://alcase.wordpress.com/martial-arts-video-testing/
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Karate, Taekwondo and Kenpo are specific to the difference between a Black Belt and Master, so I thought I’d mention all three.
Here’s the trick. Put a thumbtack in your fist, and break two hanging one inch pine boards with a punch. Don’t lay the thumbtack sideways, put it in the direction you are punching.
If you end up with a hole in your hand you aren’t a master, and probably aren’t even a black belt.
Now, I could leave you with this, and a lot of people would be confused and angry, but let me tell you the trick.
You relax the fist and hit with the bone.
You don’t smash the fist, you stick the bones through the boards.
This is going to require you to adapt your techniques, change things a bit, maybe a lot.
But, that’s okay.
It’s time people learned that martial arts such as Karate, Taekwondo, or Kenpo are not bash and trash arts, but gentle things requiring balance and sensitivity, the correct knowledge of how to do things the easy way, and this is the essence of the difference between a Black Belt and a Master. Check out my website, Monster Martial Arts, Matrixing Chi might be of interest to you, as it explains a lot of things about Chi that people don’t understand. There’s a FREE book available on the front page.
Matrix Martial Arts 