Martial Arts For Dummies®
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2002110320
ISBN: 0-7645-5358-5
Manufactured in the United States of America
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Jennifer Lawler earned her black belt in Tae Kwon Do in 1994, much to the astonishment of friends and family who thought she would be a couch potato for the rest of her life. She has been kicking, punching, throwing and grappling ever since, gaining experience in arts such as Escrima, Hapkido, and Aikijutsu. She has taught Tae Kwon Do and self-defense for many years.
Lawler earned a Ph.D. in English (medieval literature) from the University of Kansas and taught college literature and writing classes for six years before becoming a full-time writer.
She has written more than 15 books, many of them about the martial arts, including The Martial Arts Encyclopedia, Secrets of Tae Kwon Do, and Martial Arts for Women.
She lives outside of Kansas City with her daughter, who kicks and punches on her own heavy bag right beside her mother’s.
As always, this is for my daughter Jessica, the lion-hearted.
Many thanks to Debz Buller, for organizing the photo shoot and for supplying much-needed equipment, supplies and models, and for making sure the shoot ran smoothly.
Thanks also to Gold’s Gym in Merriam, Kansas; and to Four Eras Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do, Independence, Missouri, for letting me shoot photos on site.
Much appreciation to the models, all of them terrific martial artists: Robin W. Bailey, Ronnie Williams, Jr., Isabel Hernandez, Mark Samuel, Gerald M. Allen, Shari Elliott, Juan Fernandez, Nabil Cherif, Jonathan P. Merz, Kelly Miller, Bryan Stevenson, Jeffrey Holmes, Christopher Kuhl, Debz Buller, Krista McGowan, Chantal Anderson, Stephen Diamond, Sr., Dave Buller, Cody Szuwalski, and John Hileman.
Special thanks to Nabil Cherif, John Hileman, and Bryan Stevenson for sharing their extensive knowledge of and expertise in the martial arts with me.
In addition, I have to express my gratitude to my agent, Carol Susan Roth, whose perfectly timed arrival in my life epitomizes the old martial arts saying, “When the student is ready, the master appears.” She has done more for my writing career in six months as my agent than I managed in the previous six years.
To the staff at Wiley, including Tracy Boggier and Sherri Fugit, for making this a much better book than I could have done on my own.
Finally, no martial arts book of mine would be complete without honoring Masters Donald and Susan Booth, who taught me my very first sidekick all those years ago, and Grandmaster Woo Jin Jung, who has inspired countless martial artists in the last three decades.
Pilsung!
Jennifer Lawler
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Title
Introduction
About This Book
Conventions Used in This Book
Foolish Assumptions
How This Book Is Organized
Icons Used in This Book
Where to Go from Here
Part I : Martial Arts Essentials
Chapter 1: Better Than a Barroom Brawl
Kicks, Flips, and Other Stuff: What Are the Martial Arts?
What It Ain’t: Martial Arts Misconceptions
Pick a Flavor, Any Flavor: The Different Types
Who, Me? Anybody Can Succeed!
It’s All About You: The Benefits
Preconditioning Your Mind and Body
Chapter 2: Martial Arts Culture
Martial Arts Wildlife
Coffee, Chi, or Me?
Yin-Yang and You
Character Building Beliefs: Resolute in Five Respects
The Five Tenets of Tae Kwon Do
Chinese Martial Arts and Tao
Martial Arts Mindsets
Chapter 3: Choosing a Style
How Do You Pronounce That Again? Discovering Martial Arts Styles
All Around the Town
Kick, Punch, or Grapple?
Watching and Analyzing Classes
Interviewing Students and Instructors
Don’t Stop Now!
The Chosen Style
Chapter 4: Choosing a School or Instructor
Locating a Good School
Finding a Good Instructor
The Gender-Neutral Zone: Finding a Female-Friendly School
Visiting Schools
Interviewing Instructors
Paying a Pretty Penny
Equipping Yourself
Chapter 5: Go Get ‘Em: Goals and Ranking Systems
Setting Martial Arts Goals
Planning the Steps to Reach Your Goals
I Have a Black Belt . . . and Green Suspenders: The Ranking System
Testing 1, 2, 3 . . . Testing 1, 2, 3 . . .
Chapter 6: Clothes, Shoes, and Equipment
Pajama Paradise
Something’s Afoot: Martial Arts Shoes
The Right Rigging
Grasshopper’s Home Gym
Chapter 7: Playing It Safe and Avoiding Injury
Attitude? I’ll Give You Attitude!
Unnecessary Roughness
Injury Prevention
Part II : Walking the Walk and Talking the Talk
Chapter 8: Getting the Most from Your Training
A Martial Artist in Training
Supplemental Training
Chapter 9: Protecting Yourself: Self-Defense Details
The Philosophy of Self-Defense
Preparation and Planning
Simple Precautions
The Three Levels of Self-Defense
Basic Self-Defense Techniques
Chapter 10: Preparing for Competition without Losing Your Head (Literally)
Making an Idiot of Yourself and Why You Should Risk It
Tournament Events
What to Expect When You’re Expecting to Compete
Finding Tournaments
Preparing to Strike Oil
Chapter 11: Working the Mind-Body-Spirit Connection
The Way of Martial Arts
Meditation and Breathing Exercises
Developing Focus and Discipline
Martial Arts as Therapy
Chapter 12: Just Like in the Movies: The Lowdown on Weapons
Weapons Disclaimer
What’s a Weapon?
Traditional Weapons
Modern Weapons
Environmental Weapons
Chapter 13: Using Martial Arts Outside of Class
Representing Your Art in the World
Incorporating Martial Arts Beliefs into Your Daily Life
Using Martial Arts Training Every Day
Part III : Styles, Techniques, and Tactics: An Up-Close Look
Chapter 14: Karate
Physical Considerations
Okinawan versus Japanese Karate
Traditional Training Methods
Basic Training
Techniques of Karate
Chapter 15: Kung Fu
Categories of Kung Fu Styles
Don’t Get Bent Out of Shape
Popular Kung Fu Styles
Chi Kung Exercises
Traditional Training
Kung Fu Weapons
Kung Fu Techniques
Chapter 16: Tae Kwon Do
Hard Bodies, Hard Heads
The Five Tenets
Tae Kwon Do versus Tae Kwon Do
Training Methods
Basic Techniques
Chapter 17: Judo
Complex Simplicity
Physical Fitness Requirements
Categories of Techniques
Class Is Now in Session
Mobility and Stretching Exercises
Breakfalls (Ukemi)
Throwing Techniques
Groundwork (Grappling) Techniques
Combining Techniques
Chapter 18: Aikido
Your Physical Resources
Hard and Soft Aikido
Showing Rank
Ready, Set, Relax!
Aikido Curriculum
The Best Defense Is a Good Defense
Flexibility Training
Rolls (But No Donuts)
Basic Techniques
Chapter 19: Escrima
Different Strokes for Different Folks
Getting Started
Escrima Fitness
Mental Attributes
Traditional Training
Twelve: Your Lucky Number
Basic Techniques
Chapter 20: Hapkido
Well-Rounded Fitness
Chi for Me
Defensive Strategy
Basic Techniques
Chapter 21: Muay Thai
Fighting Fit
Conditioning Versus Competition: Kickboxing Styles
Training Methods
A Kickboxing Workout Routine
Sparring for Fun and Profit
Basic Techniques
Chapter 22: Jeet Kune Do and Eclectic Martial Arts
Defense by Interception
Let Me Count the Eclectic Ways
Physical Facts
Jeet Kune Do Concepts
Jeet Kune Do Curriculum
Typical Training
Creating Your Own Martial Art
Basic Techniques of Jeet Kune Do
Chapter 23: T’ai Chi Chuan
Martial Art or Not?
Weapons Use
Benefits of T’ai Chi
Physical Factors
Schools of Thought
T’ai Chi Concepts
The Typical T’ai Chi Class
Techniques of T’ai Chi
Part IV : The Part of Tens
Chapter 24: Ten Rules for the Martial Arts Classroom
Listen More than You Talk
Watch and Learn
Visualize
Accept Criticism
Practice, Practice, Practice
Respect Yourself (And Others)
Remember That Persistence Beats Talent
Eat Humble Pie
Cultivate Patience
Have Fun
Chapter 25: Ten Qualities a Good Instructor Must Have
Commitment
Patience
Enthusiasm
Humor
Acceptance
Creativity
Selflessness
Respect
Knowledge
Focus
Chapter 26: Ten Tips from the Master
Setting Goals
Committing to Training
Learning to Breathe
Finding and Using Your Chi
Developing a Good Kiai (Shout)
Being a Good Role Model
Contributing to the Art
Honoring Your School
Discovering All Aspects of Martial Arts
Accepting Hard Training
Chapter 27: Ten Cool Martial Arts Movies
Why Watch Them?
Who Can You Watch?
What to Watch
Part V : Appendixes
Appendix A: Glossary
Appendix B: Sources and Resources
Books
Magazines
Martial Arts Supplies and Equipment
Organizations and Associations
T he practice of martial arts is thousands of years old, yet it is just now becoming mainstream in the West. When I was a child (not that long ago), all martial arts were called Kung Fu or Karate. If you were a girl, you’d never ever be able to talk your parents into letting you take lessons. If you were a boy, you had a slight chance. Martial artists and martial arts schools just weren’t around much. An occasional serviceman would return from an Asian tour of duty and set up shop somewhere, but these were few and far between.
All that has changed now. You can hardly drive down a block without seeing a martial arts school on the corner, and you can hardly watch an action movie without seeing the hero use martial arts moves against the bad guys. Half the kids in the country are going to the dojo (training hall) instead of the baseball diamond.
How did this happen? Thanks to the efforts of martial artists, such as Bruce Lee, Jhoon Rhee, Bill Wallace, Remy Presas, and others, it isn’t considered odd anymore to want to kick and punch and grapple for fun (and sometimes profit). These people helped bring what was an Eastern way of life to the West — where now we, too, can benefit from learning combat techniques and the martial arts way of life.
Practicing martial arts helps you achieve a healthy life and a rewarding balance between mind, body, and spirit. Mastering a martial art requires discipline, perseverance, and hard work. A slight loss of sanity never hurts either. (Why else would you think breaking three concrete blocks with a single punch is a good thing to do on a Saturday afternoon? You could be washing the car.)
When you choose to begin training in a martial art, you choose a life of adventure in a real sense. You take more risks, become more open to new ideas, and stop being fearful in your life. You learn to become the person you always wanted to be, and you acquire the courage to pursue the goals and dreams that always seemed just out of your reach before.
Welcome to the most incredible journey of your life, and good luck on the way.
The martial arts are systems of combat techniques designed for self-defense. Each martial art has a philosophical foundation. Although the precise nature of this foundation varies from martial art to martial art, and even to some degree from teacher to teacher, all martial arts have a philosophical foundation. Understanding this aspect of martial arts training is important, and that’s one of the goals of this book.
Students of the martial arts consider the practice of martial arts to be a way of life. This book is designed to help you understand the purpose of martial arts training and to help you get the most out of it.
Although you may want to curl up with Martial Arts For Dummies and read it from cover to cover, that’s not essential. If you’re already involved in the martial arts, you may want to start with Chapter 5 to focus on what you want to get out of training. If you’re new to the martial arts, you may want to turn to Chapter 3 and check up on choosing the right style for you.
Don’t worry; skipping around in the book won’t leave you totally confused. Each part can stand alone, and so can each of the chapters. Thus, you don’t have to worry about missing something that I said in Chapter 1 if you decide to start with Chapter 6. However, I do cover many interesting topics in Chapter 1, and you may not want to miss them.
When a foreign word or concept is introduced for the first time, a definition is given. You can always flip to the Glossary in the back to look up a term in case you haven’t seen the definition yet or you forgot what it means. Oh, yeah, and on Friday, you’ll be taking a test . . . just kidding.
Suppose you’re interested in a particular martial art called Escrima. You go to your neighborhood Escrimador (that would be a person who practices Escrima), ask about training, learn what equipment you need, pay a fee, and sign up for lessons. All this time you’ve been talking to the Escrimador in English . . . so why is she shouting commands at you in Spanish during class? Because that’s how Escrima is taught.
While you don’t need to know Spanish, Japanese, or Korean (or Chinese or Hindi . . . ) to practice a martial art, many classes are conducted in the language of the country that gave birth to the martial art being taught. This means that sooner or later, you’re going to have to say the word “dojo” out loud. (That would be a training hall, called a dojang in the Korean martial arts.)
In the book, foreign terms such as these are italicized to make them stand out. I define each such term in the text. Appendix A at the back of the book is a glossary that defines each of these terms just in case your memory is as bad as mine, and you can’t remember anything without writing it down.
When a specific technique is described, photos are provided to illustrate it. Each photo is called a figure and is numbered according to chapter and verse, so to speak. So if I say, “See Figure 14-3,” that means you want turn to Chapter 14 and look at the third photo. The caption next to each photo tells you what the figure number is and offers a brief description of what you’re seeing.
Some people have always dreamed of earning a black belt in Karate but never tried because they thought you had to be a 20-year-old man in fantastic shape in order to participate. Not so. Anyone can become a martial artist . . . you just have to try. If you knew what I looked like and what a total klutz I was before I started martial arts training, you would believe in miracles.
Most martial arts instructors offer beginner classes or allow you to modify the workout to suit your needs. So if you’re older, have a medical problem, or are simply a bit overweight and out of shape, you’ll still be able to learn how to be a martial artist, and impress all your friends and co-workers (and maybe even your Saturday-night date).
However, some 20-year-old men claim to be ninth-degree black belts in Karate, and believing them would be a foolish assumption. Gaining rank in martial arts takes time as well as effort, so don’t be impressed when someone claims high ranking and impressive credentials and doesn’t shave yet. Instead, be suspicious. In martial arts, older is better or at least better qualified.
Martial Arts For Dummies has five parts, each covering a different aspect of martial arts. You don’t need to read the book in order. I certainly didn’t write it in order, why should you have to read it in order? Just pick a part and jump in. Figuratively speaking, of course.
In addition to an overview of martial arts history and culture, the chapters in this part also show the martial arts rookie what to look out for. You get the lowdown on martial arts schools, styles, and instructors, as well as pointers on how to equip yourself and the payoffs of training. Chapter 5 also describes ranking systems and goal-setting.
In this part, Chapter 8 shows you how to get the most from your training. Chapter 9 describes basic and advanced self-defense techniques, including self-defense with and against weapons. Then Chapter 12 tells you even more about weapons. You can find out whether you want to be part of a tournament in Chapter 10. Then Chapter 11 examines the connection between mind, body, and spirit, and Chapter 13 shows you how to use your judgment instead of your side kick when provoked.
Each chapter in this section offers an in-depth look at one of the ten most-popular martial arts, including the history of the art, basic moves, and training methods.
In this part, I provide ten rules for learning, ten qualities a good instructor has, and ten tips from the master, and ten fun martial arts movies to watch when you feel like kicking back.
Appendix A is a glossary of martial arts terms, so when the instructors barks, “Charyehet!” you’ll know exactly what to do (come to attention). Finally, Appendix B tells you where to get the goodies, find more information, and meet other martial artists.
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If you want to know where martial arts came from, start with Part I for an introduction to the martial arts, as well as the essentials on choosing a style and school if you’re ready to get started. If you have some experience, dig into Part II and learn how to get more from your training. If you want to know what to expect from the different martial arts, check out Part III. Then Part IV offers ten learning basics and the ten traits that quality instructors have in common. The resources listed in Part V, Appendix B, can also help as a guide to information that may help you make informed decisions, such as choosing the right martial arts style for you.
Even though popular culture tends toward immediate gratification, some people are dissatisfied with that approach to life and find that they want to achieve something meaningful — of lasting value. Martial artists recognize that mastery of any kind takes time, effort, hard work, and perseverance. But all that’s required to start is an interest in martial arts and the willingness to step into the training hall.
In this part . . .
These chapters give you basic information about martial arts, including a brief history, the benefits of training, misconceptions about martial arts, and concepts that are important to martial arts culture. These chapters also help you choose a martial arts style, select the right school and instructor for you, guide you to the right equipment, and describe ranking systems and how to set martial arts goals.