Art Reviews

Mixed Martial Arts is a dangerous sport; many fighters end up with serious brain and head injuries if they are not using the proper Concussion Protection. Mouth guards are an essential protection item for Mixed Martial Arts fighter and while most mouthpieces will only protect directly the upper jaw, fighters agree; a solid and strong mouth guard protecting the upper and lower jaw decreases the risk of head injuries, helps keeping the eyes open even during impact and minimizes the chances of getting knocked out during combat.

The WPR-300 High Performance mouth guard from Brain-Pad, for example, is a revolutionary Concussion Protection specifically designed for Mixed Martial Arts fighters. This specific mouthpiece protects efficiently the lower jaw and the upper jaw while allowing for better breathing it also absorbs blows otherwise destined for the skull or the head. Many world-renowned Mixed Martial Arts fighters have been openly advertising wearing similar mouth guards; Cung Le, Frank Shamrock, Jerome LeBanner, Jorge Rivera and Mat Horwich have all agreed that the protection offered by a type of mouthpiece like the WPR-300 is far superior to an upper-mouth only protection.

To avoid any serious head injuries related to concussive blows, it is important to wear the proper type of mouth guard when practicing Mixed Martial Arts. Effective Concussion Protection will give fighters a chance to breathe properly, to increase their chances of winning a fight instead of getting knocked out and to lengthen their career by minimizing potential injuries.

It might be a bit puzzling at times to try and find the right Concussion Protection for Judo. The ultimate goal is to find a mouth guard, or mouthpiece, that will protect you from possible head trauma and reduce the risks for brain injuries. The main feature in Judo is the competitive feature the object is to throw the opponent on the ground, by immobilize him or otherwise subdue the opponent during the combat. Such practice needs good protection; the ideal Concussion Protection for Judo will be something like the Brain Pad 3XS.

The 3XS is designed especially for athletes practicing high-impact sports. It is conceived especially to help absorb the impact of concussive blows to the base of the skull. It protects both the upper and lower jaw, which is a rare feature for any type of mouth guards but can greatly make a difference in the level of comfort of an athlete. It features high impact gel-pad inserts, extended wrap-around outer bumper and tapered channel ends to offer the maximum level of comfort, protect against impacts and blows and allow for maximum breathing through the windows at the front, unlike many other mouth guards used for Judo.

For any Judo athlete, Concussion Protection is a main concern and should not be addressed lightly. Finding the right Concussion Protection for Judo is essential head injuries can be traumatic experience and leave your brain damaged. Using a mouthpiece like the 3XS can increase your chances of winning but can also save your life and optimize your fighting experience.

For more information on high-quality mouth guards, visit BrainPads.

The Chelsea International Fine Art Competition has been supporting and benefiting the works of talented artists from around the world for 29 years. The prizes awarded to selected artists are designed to help these artists gain valuable exposure and advance their careers in the art world.

“Winning the competition allowed me to feel more confident in my work, and increased my exposure in the art world. I have nothing but praise for the competition staff and the staff at Agora Gallery. It was the best experience I’ve ever had in any gallery. I would love to enter again and have recommended the competition to many artists.” – Ed Moret – selected artist, 2013.

The competition awards include:

– Participation in an exhibition at Agora Gallery, located in New York’s famous art district, Chelsea.
– Cash Prizes
– Internet Promotion on ARTmine.com
– Valuable promotional packages by Everything for Artists (E4A.com)
– Art critic review to be published in contemporary art magazine, ARTisSpectrum

The competition juror this year is Mr. Carlo McCormick, one of New York’s noted culture critics and curators. He has written many books and catalogs on the subject of contemporary art and artists, and he lectures and teaches extensively at universities and colleges across the country.

The Chelsea International Fine Art Competition is sponsored by Agora Gallery and Everything for Artists, and partnered with The Children’s Heart Foundation, funding research and support for victims of Congenital Heart Defects.

Important dates for the 29th Chelsea International Fine Arts Competition:

– February 11 2014 – Competition opens
– March 18, 2014 – Entry deadline
– April 9, 2014 – Results announced
– August 22nd through September 11th, 2014 – Exhibition for selected artists

“I have very good memories of New York, Agora Gallery, and the whole team. It was an unforgettable moment! Thank you again for everything you have given me, not only on a personal level but also benefiting my artistic career.” – Brigitte Garcia – selected artist, 2013

The competition is open to all artists over the age of 18 from all around the world. All media are accepted with the exception of video art, film, performance art, jewelry, and crafts. In past years, selected entries have been diverse in media, including photography, painting, sculpture, and digital work.

Entries can be completed entirely online. Please read the rules and regulations before submitting.

To find out more, please visit the competition website: http://www.agora-gallery.com/competition/

To make sure that you don’t miss out on this wonderful opportunity, sign up to the competition’s mailing list to receive reminders and notifications: http://www.agora-gallery.com/mailinglist/main.aspx

It was Remy Presas who developed Modern Arnis back in the 1960s. The moves taught in this guide is to be utilized in dangerous situations and not for competition. There is a great deal of bonus items that include the greatest mind training system, the martial arts manual of the US Marines, the secrets of Jujitsu and many other valuable guides.

In the US, students training in Bando do so under the auspices of the American Bando Association, which Maung Gyi founded in the 1960s. When you discover what others do to your techniques, you can use it to your advantage. Fortunately there is the Inner Secrets of Martial Arts Success multimedia pack, which will teach you how to do it along with other useful training.

In addition to the books, his package includes videos, and ten extra books from the public domain. With joint locks and submission techniques, lots of practice is going to be required for you to be great at it. Modern Arnis students make use of rattan sticks when they start their training, even though they also train in bare-hands defense.

Advanced Bando students also start training in animal attack routines in order to introduce them to the more difficult self-defense techniques. If you are caught in an actual fight or panic situation, you’ll react automatically without thought. They’ll have a chance to have first hand experience without getting injured if they are able to do it at a martial arts school in front of their teacher or instructor. To prevent injury, you’ll normally wear full body and head gear during practice. During the 1960s, Remy Presas created the contemporary form of Arnis. Every belt also has degrees — for instance 1st degree green belt, 2nd degree green belt, and so forth.

When they have learned the basic techniques, Bando students are then taught the empty hand forms (aka). This will help them become familiar with the basics and defensive concepts of the Bando system. It was Remy Presas who created Modern Arnis in the 1960s. This information bundle from Rod Turner will add to virtually any martial arts training you are receiving.

There are unofficial groups and schools teaching different Modern Arnis variations. It’s crucial to note that the quality of teaching varies from one establishment to another. Students master the 9 elementary kicks, punches, blocks, and so forth. In the course of training, students strike at their opponent’s rattan sticks. Nonetheless, in genuine fighting scenarios, the strikes must be made on the hands that hold the weapon to effectively disarm the adversary.

In general, however, Bando thaing includes self-protection, self-development, and self-defense. This extraordinary package includes 42 books as well as over six hours of training videos. Security systems, cops, alarms, it doesn’t really matter, when you’re under a threat, you’ll most likely be alone. All fighting styles use sparring, just like several sports, including wrestling and boxing.

Hence, Modern Arnis emphasizes guardedness and respect for the adversary. The style advocates disarming the adversary, a principle known as “defanging the snake”. The CD he produced contains videos, bonuses and 10 public domain text. One particular martial art form that makes use of sparring extensively is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu simply because grappling exercises need another individual to practice with to be effective. As they train, students direct their attacks at the rattan sticks held by their enemy. In a real life combat situation, however, the strikes have to be aimed towards the hands holding the weapons to fully disarm the opponent. The rounds often last for a few minutes, but they vary. You may be doing a martial art style for exercise or just for fun, but if you are doing it to learn to protect yourself, sparring will make you better. Higher levels demand a lifetime of practice.

Martial Art Belt Ranks

Where did they come from and what do they mean?

There are many theories why present day martial art schools use belts and sashes as a ranking system and where the concept of using belts came from. We will discuss two philosophies, one that is widely accepted by many practitioners and another that can be considered as a legend, or story that was passed down by your grandfather. Please keep in mind that the belt ranking system has only been around about 120 years. Throughout this article, keep in mind that not all Martial Arts are the same, your school may have a completely different ranking system than discussed here.

One of the most common arguments comes from the founder of modern day Judo, Dr. Jigoro Kano. An educator and sports enthusiast, Dr. Kano used a black belt to represent his dan (highest-ranking) students in his school, the Kodokan. However, he later realized his kyu (lower ranking) students needed an outward tangible object to acknowledge their accomplishments and encourage their efforts. So he implemented the different colors to signify the progress that his kyu made over time.

Eventually, other Japanese martial art styles such as Karate, Aikido, Kendo, etc. incorporated the Judo belt ranking system when Gichin Funakoshi, an Okinawan karate master and considered as the Father of Modern Karate demonstrated his martial art style, Shotokan, at the Kodokan.

The other theory, known as the belt getting dirty can be considered as a martial arts folklore. When new students started their training they were given the rank of white belt, signifying a birth or beginning. Students were not allowed to wash their belts, therefore the belt would get dirty the more they practiced. In time the belt would become black, signifying the amount of time the student spent practicing and typically their level of skill.

As a new student in a martial art, you will most likely be given a white belt at the beginning of your training and will progress through a color system on your way toward a black belt. However, contrary to popular belief, the black belt does not signify the end of your training, but rather the beginning. In most arts, once you earn your black belt you are no longer considered a kyu, you are now a dan.

Dan have their own ranking system known as degrees. You are a first degree black belt when you first attain it, over time you can test for your 2nd degree black belt (or 2nd dan) and so on. Most martial arts consider a 10th degree black belt to be the highest level of mastery.

As you train in a martial art, don’t get discouraged if you are stuck on a certain belt for a long period of time. It usually takes many years to progress through the belts and this is actually one of the lessons that participating in Martial Arts will teach you. Progressing through the belts requires a great deal of time, dedication, self-confidence, patience and self-discipline. The skills you learn in your martial arts training will apply to almost every aspect of your life and will help you succeed in areas where you never thought Martial Arts would help.

If you would like to learn more about Martial Arts or are interested in finding a school in your area, go to http://www.experiencemartialarts.com.

Rules of Kempo Karate & Martial Arts

Here are some principles that can get you some better leverage out of any art, not just Kempo Karate.

Establish Your Base

Any combative artist needs to be rooted on the ground. Its only from the rooting into the ground that your blocks, strikes and kicks will have any real power to them. It might help to think of pushing a car or sawing wood to get what I mean. If your not planted correctly you will have no effect.

Distance

This the distance your attacking limb moves before impact. This will very with each individual. Bruce Lee for example generated some pretty impressive power from his now famous 1-inch-punch. You can have the most powerful punch or kick in the world, BUT if you deliver it too close OR too far away it will have little effect. Bag work helps master this.

Your Block should be a Cocked Position

This is about making better economy of motion. The block you use should be the cocked position, or prelude to the strike. You should also have enough Distance to generate the power you need as well. An inward block followed by a back fist or cross chop is an example of this.