Posts Tagged ‘Digital’

Faster Kicks and Punches

June 20th, 2010


Image : http://www.flickr.com

Beginning, Intermediate, and even advanced martial artists write to me asking how to make their defensive hits and kicks faster. They want to add speed when they have to respond to the situation. Here are two tips, to improve your martial-arts speed, which means faster kicks and punches….

My earlier recommendations had to do with working on developing a quicker reaction response. Some took my advice, but others said that they just wanted to develop faster techniques.

What’s the Self Defense Problem, Really?

When martial artists do ask for tips on developing speedier kicks and hits, I usually have two pieces of advice. And to be completely frank, it’s almost never a question of the speed of the punch or kick itself.

Yes, that’s right. To get faster, you don’t have to concentrate on raw speed … at least not in this article (smile).

Besides a quick reaction response and faster moves what else is there?

Imagine an attacker trying to accost a woman. She has to defend herself. So, she kicks to the groin. The attacker easily turns his leg, knee into the kick, which effectively blocks the self-defense attempt.

Even her punch to the groin is easily blocked.

And the martial arts experts feel that this strategy won’t work. Many women aren’t trained in martial arts, and they don’t have the muscle mass to deal with a big, mean brute.

What is she to do?

Don’t you feel that if we could just get the victim to throw a kick or punch that was super fast, that the assailant wouldn’t have a chance of blocking?

Two Tips For Improving Effectiveness (and Speed)

As mentioned, some of the discussion fora do conclude that it’s a question of the victim not being fast enough — not professionally trained.

Well, as I said, after a little analysis of their technique, I more often than not offer two suggestions:

Work on eliminating your telegraphs (early, warning motions)

Link the timing of your punch or kick to the proper distance.

In other words, too many people show the intent of their strike — the attacker can tell that the victim is about to kick.

AND

Defenders often start their defense too early. They aren’t at the proper range to reach the groin, and/or their early technique ends up telegraphing their intent.

If you were teaching a self-defense class, how would you have your students practice strikes to the groin?

Would the above two observations alter the exercises that you taught?

Something to think about, wouldn’t you agree?

To get on a great list all about effective self defense sign up at: AdvantageMartialArts.com. (You get a great free ebooklet on elbow strikes, check and blocks, when you join.)

To learn to defend yourself with a knife, go to: KnifeFightingBooks.com

Keith Pascal has taught martial arts for over 25 years. He left his job as a high school teacher in 2000, to become a full-time writer.

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The Starbucks Napkin Syndrome

June 19th, 2010


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Recently a good friend of mine called, inquiring about engaging the services of the ad agency for which I work. This fellow’s a sharp entrepreneur, and one of his start-up businesses had taken off; he was ready to invest in a solid marketing program to sustain his success.

After discussing an online strategy and print campaign, we landed on the topic of his logo. “Oh no, our logo is fine, there’s no way we’re changing it,” he said, “My partner and I created it on a napkin at Starbucks.”

I was silent for a moment, processing those words. Had my friend really just verbalized that cliché – with a hint of pride in his voice? This dear fellow suffers from an unfortunate ailment I’ve been aware of for some time – but was able to attach a name to on that very spot – The Starbucks Napkin Syndrome.

Warning signs of the Starbucks Napkin Syndrome include a belief that conducting marketing and PR strategy is easy – often to be considered as an afterthought – and anyone can do it. “We need a press release,” goes the conventional wisdom, “So have Jim in Finance throw something together. No, better yet – have our intern do it – Jim’s swamped.” As amazing and bewildering as that sounds to the ears of marketing professionals, I’ve seen exactly this scenario acted out – and I’ve seen it in large corporate environments as well as mom and pop operations.

Few other business decisions are made on the fly, or with so little input and expertise, as are key public relations decisions. I’ve yet to see a company treat paying taxes with this devil-may-care attitude: “My Aunt Betsy was good in math during high school; let’s send our quarterly taxes her way.” Not likely; why is it marketing seems the one business discipline assumed to be so devoid of complexity, I wondered.

Mulling all of this over, I now glanced at my office bookshelf, and at the books I was reading about eight years ago when entering the workforce: Books by top PR pros noting the increasing importance of PR and marketing. These books told me how our field was gaining ground, and said soon many CEOs would come from marketing and communications backgrounds – such was the rising power and prominence of our industry.

I winced, still stinging from the actions of a client occurring earlier that same morning. This publicly traded company was dealing with some tough issues including the resignation of a CEO, poor sales, and plummeting stock prices. Upon getting to work I found a press release in my inbox announcing the CEO’s departure. The release broke all the rules, from AP style violations to corporate-speak quotes positioning the company as weak and in peril. And a Google News search a second later let me know the release had gone out to the wires already, without any input from my firm.

This Charlotte public relations client also has a clear case of the Starbucks Napkin Syndrome, so it was with interest my colleagues and I dialed into a conference call, to hear this client tell its employees why, exactly, the CEO had left the firm.

The new CEO got on the phone sounding groggy, as if he’d just awoken from a nap. He then spent 10 minutes blowing a fantastic chance to connect with his employees and bolster morale at a time when they really needed it. I can’t tell you his message, because this critical piece of employee relations was completely devoid of one.

Now later in the day and getting ready to leave for the Thanksgiving holiday, I got a call from a potential client who was launching a business in Cleveland. He told me advertising was too expensive, so he wanted “free ink.” Sure, I’ll just order you some. Did you want Wall Street Journal or Newsweek? I’ll need to educate him that yes, we can probably get your start-up some initial press – but there’s a lot more to good PR and Huntersville public relations identity building than that.

I guess that’s what it still comes down to so many times in our business: Education. There remain throngs of co-workers, clients and management still desperately needing to understand what PR is, and what it can and should actually accomplish for them. To me, education is what good PR is about anyway, so I’m more than happy to hang in there.

To all of you non-marketing people in management roles: Please scoot over a bit – my colleagues need a seat at your strategic meeting tables. Companies refusing us these seats do so at their own peril; firms operating in a communications vacuum will eventually lose complete control over their messages and their brands. Especially in this era where consumers are storming the corporate gates and knocking down the once-sturdy walls constructed from antiquated methods of top-down message control – with the Internet and other new technologies being the consumers’ battering ram of choice.

Well, My coffee’s about gone, and it seems I’ve run out of room on this napkin.

Vince Bank conducts Huntersville public relations for Huntersville and Charlotte North Carolina businesses.

Vince Bank is a teacher, writer and public relations professional living and working in Charlotte, North Carolina. Bank writes on topics ranging from media studies and PR, to martial arts and sports performance athletics.

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Saulo Ribeiro: Teaching Jiu-Jitsu

June 13th, 2010

thefightworkspodcast.com Great interview with a great champion!

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Medieval Ceramonial Dress Dagger Dual Carrying Chains

June 12th, 2010


Medieval Ceramonial Dress Dagger Dual Carrying Chains

   Brand: Sword Demon

   Customer Rating :

   List Price : $18.00
   Sale Price : $9.75
   Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days


Medieval Ceramonial Dress Dagger Dual Carrying Chains Feature

  • 8 1/2 Inch Stainless Steel Blade
  • Polished Metal Guard and Pommel
  • Matching Black Scabbard
  • Dual Carrying Chains
  • 15 1/2 Inch Overall Length


Medieval Ceramonial Dress Dagger Dual Carrying Chains Overviews

This finely crafted dagger will make you want to get knighted when you add it to your collection. The Medieval Ceramonial Dress Dagger has dual carrying chains that are polished metal. The black scabbard corndinates with the matching black handle. The guard, pommel and fittings arround the scabbard are polished metal. The blade is 8 1/2 inches long and made of stainless steel. 15 1/2 inches overall.


Medieval Ceramonial Dress Dagger Dual Carrying Chains CustomerReview

My son is into guns, tanks, soldiers and fighting and he asked for this dagger as a Christmas present. When it came I was impressed. It does look really good. Considering price it was a good buy.

*** Product Information and Prices Stored:Jun 11, 2010 23:44:48

Available at Amazon

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Gong Lik (Forward Energy)

June 7th, 2010


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Gong Lik is generally translated as Forward Energy or Forward Press and is a well known energetic used in many of the Martial Arts but how it is used and executed varies between the different individual Arts.

Primarily the main role of Gong Lik is to strengthen the arm positions by generating additional power by cleverly exploiting the principles of force vectors and muscle mechanics.

Gong Lik can be expressed in two ways and can be categorised as either Linear or Neutral (Non Linear) with each method having its own specific purpose and advantages.

The Linear method involves a 50/50 simultaneous combination of Forward Intent and Forward Energy. So for example when engaging in Rolling Hands in a Chi Sau scenario, there will be a continuous forward motion of the arms and body into the target such that if the opponent suddenly removes resistance it would increase the speed and effectiveness of your attacks. This type of use gives rise to the famous Kung Fu expression “Hand comes, detain; hand goes, follow; hand lost, spring forwards”.

The second method can be described as Neutral or Non Linear and involves only Forward Intent. This results in the hands gaining additional power which do not shoot forward if the resistance is taken away. When using this method it is always harder to read the energies of the arms as they will give the impression of forward energy when in fact there is only intent. This allows for more flexibility and control when reacting to sudden changes of non linear movements. This type of use gives rise to the famous Kung Fu expression “Enemy doesn’t move, I don’t move, enemy moves I move first”

Finally and most importantly both types of Gong Lik methods allows for the combination of Fau Lik (Floating) and Chum Lik (Downward Pressing) and in each case the effectiveness lies in how skilfully both of the above are combined and applied in real application.

Suikee Wan is a Shaolin Ancestors sifu which can be found at Shaolin Ancestors To learn Southern Kung fu or read more articles on Southern Kung Fu go to the London Kung Fu Academy where Bruce Valentine is a Shaolin Weng Chun and Wing Chun instructor

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Three Section Foam Staff

June 6th, 2010


Three Section Foam Staff

   Brand: Century

   Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days


Three Section Foam Staff Feature

  • All products come with a 30 Day Money Back Guarantee


Three Section Foam Staff Overviews

Black foam covered three sectional staff. Chain length 5.75 inches. Foam covered sections are approximately 22 inches in length. 1.25 inches in diameter. Ball bearing swivel attachments. PVC core. 1.4 pounds total weight.

*** Product Information and Prices Stored:Jun 05, 2010 21:45:04

Available at Amazon

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Books on Golf

May 23rd, 2010


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Good books on golf are a treasure house of golfing techniques for serious golfers. In fact, for golfers who are willing to take up the game as a profession the golf books are of great help for them. The golf books are generally penned down by world renowned golfers who share their secrets of golfing techniques with beginners. If you are aspiring to become a professional golfer taking up a good book on golf would help you to overcome your shortcomings efficiently and help to attain a high level of perfection. You may take a note of the following books that are regarded as top ranking books on golf.

Top Ranking Books on Golf

Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book – The book is an ever useful book for golfers of all levels. The book motivates all golfers to pay the game with efficacy. The book is simple in presentation and grabs the attention of all golf lovers because of some very useful techniques of golf.

Dave Pelz’s short game bible – This book is written by world renowned golf teacher named Dave Pelz. In this book he shares some effective golf techniques that are taught in Dave Pelz’s golf school. This book is written in an approach to lower down the score and also to improve the finesse swing.

Ben hogan’s five lessons – Ben Hogan’s name is common in the golfing world. He is regarding as one of the finest strikers in the history of golf. In the year 1953 he won 5 tournaments including the British Open and US open. In his book he talks about the fundamentals of golf and adroit striking techniques.

On Learning Golf by Percy Boomer – The author of the book named Percy Boomer is a renowned French golf teacher. This book holds golfing techniques that he has acquired from his 25 years of experience in the game of golf. This book is ideal for beginners to get a clear idea of the game. One specialty of the book is that it contains a good number of imageries to make the game more comprehensive for young learners.

Golf is Not a Game of Perfect – The book has been written by Dr. Bob Rotella in collaboration with Bob Cullen. This book talks about the strong focus with which the game is played by professional golfers leading to the enhancement of a high level of positivism.

There are several other books on golf. You are recommended to go through few of the good golf books to get to know about the game.

George Chekov is an expert in the game of golf. He has also written several articles on golf in the internet. You may look out for a good golf guide that will provide you information on top ranking books for golf.

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Ninja MASK

May 21st, 2010


Ninja MASK

   Brand: Shihan

   Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days


Ninja MASK Feature

  • NINJA MASK


Ninja MASK Overviews

Adult Ninja

*** Product Information and Prices Stored:May 20, 2010 16:02:27

Available at Amazon

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Nathan Carranza’s Jiu Jitsu Tournament

May 16th, 2010

No limits,Nathan,Carranza,Nate,grappling,big dog,lil joke

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Sports Is Passion

May 15th, 2010


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Destiny is what we wanted to be when we were young. Paulo Coelho, the famous Latin-American writer who is the author of “The Alchemist,” made this statement through one of his book’s characters. I know it is not the real meaning of the word, destiny, but somehow it pertains to another word, that is, passion. It is fascinating that passion is alive in the eyes of a child. I mean, would you believe if I told you that a child has a purer passion than an adult? Simply because a child knows what he really wants; whereas the adult knows what he wants, but he is not sure if it is good for him. The former knows that what he wants will give him happiness, while the latter would rather choose the one that is good for him but would not make him happy. I learned this from my father. He taught me everything. Ever since I was a child, he always tells me to “push, push, push!” He always wants me to give my best in everything, most especially in sports.

Taekwondo has been my sport since I was three years old. You don’t believe it, do you? It is because of my father, who was a coach of a popular basketball team in our town. He is also a taekwondo aficionado. We also swim, golf, and ski together. That’s kinda lot of sports, isn’t it? Well, this is the main reason I love hunting for sports goods online, and I make sure that I know every discount shopping site on the Internet. Aside from discount shopping, I also love hunting for a discount hotel and discount cruises. Woohoo! Discount is a music to any shopper’s ears, right girls? Anyway, I always hated it everytime I forgot my knee pads when I went to my training. My knees suffered because of it. What happened to me, one time, changed my life.

One day, I joined this sports competition in our town. Nope, I was not the only girl there. We were actually five girls in Taekwondo. This time, I did not forget to bring my knee pads since it was a competition and I knew I needed it. But when it was about my turn, I forgot to actually put them on. I know it was the most stupid act I have ever done because it fractured my knees. My ball joints were injured, and I was not able to finish the fight. Plus, the best news was I would not be able to go to training anymore. My life, then, turned dull and boring. The life and the vibrancy of my sporty life was gone, and so was my interest for living. I really wanted to go back to Taekwondo again, but my father wouldn’t let me.

Today, I shop sports goods for my son. Well, what can we do? Like mother, like son. I love this particular site that auctions any sport good that a sports buff needs. I recently bid for a pair of knee pads for my son. Of course, I don’t want him to follow my stupidity. My mom taught me how to love online discount shopping. It was because every time we shopped together, she spent painstaking hours before she could buy a single dress. It annoyed me to death. So, my friend suggested online shopping, and discount shopping came from my personal inclination to cheap yet exceptional goods. This Adidas knee pads that I plan to buy for my kid is really cheap. Its latest auction is for $9 only.

Online discount shopping is the most convenient way of saving our money and preventing varicose veins. I recommend online shopping for all strong women who rarely have time for herself. However, if you’re going for an online shopping be sure that you go to a trusted site because a lot of online shopping sites display a good image of the product, but in reality it is retiring from work. I know that we all don’t want to waste money for nothing. So aside from the discounted prices, ensure also the quality of the product you want to purchase.

Lastly, to all sports buff: if your passion is sports, then quit smoking! Well, if you can’t quit it, at least reduce smoking habits. It lessens the endurance that you need in sports. My father couldn’t quit smoking, so he is suffering from my mother’s absence. No, he does not have lung cancer yet. My mom just decided to stay with me and leave my dad because he wouldn’t quit his smoking habits.

For more valuable information on discount shopping and discount travel, please visit http://www.shoppersdiscount.com

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