One comment: "Sweet!"
All about martial arts training and how it affects the way I lead my life: martial arts as personal development. You'll find tips on all aspects of martial arts training such as techniques, fitness, philosophy and history. Shorinji Kempo | Tang Soo Do | Iaido
Wednesday, 15 May 2013
Tuesday, 15 January 2013
Mindfulness: taking time out for you
A great TED talk here from a guy called Andy Puddicombe about how we can bring meditation into out lives. It just takes 10 minutes a day! For me I often feel I don't have time for meditation. This video tells of Andy Puddicombe's story and gives a few tips about how to appreciate life, the present moment and how to make time for those ten minutes a day.
Mindfulness and being in the present moment is essential for the martial arts practitioner. Martial arts training can be really good at bringing us into the moment. Thinking of nothing else. There is nothing else, just the technique. Just the breath. Just the movement. No thought or at least a clear and alert mind. No thought I suppose is brain death! In this video Puddicombe highlights that mindfulness is about stepping back, with a "relaxed, focus mind". Nothingness can be a void…next step: sleep!
This constant training in the martial arts helps to relax and focus.
Mindfulness and being in the present moment is essential for the martial arts practitioner. Martial arts training can be really good at bringing us into the moment. Thinking of nothing else. There is nothing else, just the technique. Just the breath. Just the movement. No thought or at least a clear and alert mind. No thought I suppose is brain death! In this video Puddicombe highlights that mindfulness is about stepping back, with a "relaxed, focus mind". Nothingness can be a void…next step: sleep!
This constant training in the martial arts helps to relax and focus.
Wednesday, 2 January 2013
New Year, new resolutions...
Exercise more this year…But is it worth it?
This BBC article claims that not everyone appreciates what level of activity or how often they should be doing exercise in order to see health benefits.
It also touches on Jamie Timmons' research into high intensity 3 minute weekly workouts. (Can three minutes of exercise a week make you fit?).
Whatever the health benefit I know I'll be back to a regular workout regime this year...because I like it.
This BBC article claims that not everyone appreciates what level of activity or how often they should be doing exercise in order to see health benefits.
It also touches on Jamie Timmons' research into high intensity 3 minute weekly workouts. (Can three minutes of exercise a week make you fit?).
Whatever the health benefit I know I'll be back to a regular workout regime this year...because I like it.
Thursday, 20 December 2012
We all have fighter's fists.
You might not consider yourself a fighter. More a lover perhaps? Well according to researchers at the University of Utah we may have fists which have evolved for fighting as well as loving.
Not being a scientist myself I can hardly refute these findings but I must admit it seems a weird way of going about research. Is the University of Utah in need of some self-promotion? It seems to me from reading the article that they measured the force of a fist strike and a palm strike and conculded that the ….
I could have told them that. In this article it states that the force delivered by the open palm and the punch were equal (or at least not greatly different), but that the buttressing of the fist and the boney knuckle protrusions caused the damage.
Surely this is a side-effect of having a fist which can manipulate tools. A serendipitous (well, not for the punched receiver) effect.
Can we deduce that elbows evolved for striking because they're hard and boney?
"They found that the structure of the fist provides support that increases the ability of the knuckles to transmit "punching" force."
"force per area is higher in a fist strike and that is what causes localised tissue damage [in the opponent]"
I could have told them that. In this article it states that the force delivered by the open palm and the punch were equal (or at least not greatly different), but that the buttressing of the fist and the boney knuckle protrusions caused the damage.
Surely this is a side-effect of having a fist which can manipulate tools. A serendipitous (well, not for the punched receiver) effect.
Can we deduce that elbows evolved for striking because they're hard and boney?
Friday, 7 December 2012
Wednesday, 5 December 2012
Friday, 23 November 2012
Goodbye Ninjas...
Well, well. It seems the most secret of martial arts is finally hanging up its dogi. Or maybe that should be tabi. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20135674
It's an interesting article and accompanying video (apart from the obligatory Japanese silliness at the end) but I always thought ninjutsu was a fairly popular art now. I'm sure the folk at the local college who I see doing ninjutsu will be a bit disappointed. Any ninjas care to comment?
It's an interesting article and accompanying video (apart from the obligatory Japanese silliness at the end) but I always thought ninjutsu was a fairly popular art now. I'm sure the folk at the local college who I see doing ninjutsu will be a bit disappointed. Any ninjas care to comment?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)