What is a Martial Art? There is a lot of debate and conjecture on what should or should not be seen as a Martial Art. As a debate does not offer the necessary space to examine the reasoning behind such opinion, this article focuses on just that, to produce a working definition of Martial Arts.

Some thoughts

Neal Martin

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This article talks about punching and how to do the whiplash technique to really boost power and speed...

by Andy Murray

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A good kick is a valuable weapon in anyone's arsenal, be it for competition fighting, or 'real world' situations...

An overview of what I consider to be good and bad training for self defence.

Destroying the Myth of the Untrained Fighter...

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I often hear a lot of excuses for self-defense schools promoting self-defense fantasies such as "stranger rape" or "untrained attackers." I'll deal with the later for now. Before I get into different levels of violence and these levels of violence effect how you will/must respond.

Social

The Rhetoric of Conjecture, Empirical, Rumor, and Martial Arts

As within subjects or words, there can be many definitions or positions, which may not lead to a single conclusion. Words, for example Conjecture, Empirical, Rumor, and Rhetoric are within this deliberation. These words can have

Andy Murray

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There are many codes of practice within the Martial Arts. Some say spar, others say don't. Some say break bricks, while others say break bones. I wanted to bring the subject of point fighting before you, because at one time, it was important to me.

Quarterstaff
This traditional English stick-fighting art uses a weapon known as the “quarterstaff”—a hard, wooden staff that sometimes has a reinforced metal tip. It is possible the name evolved because the primary weapon was a staff and, when fighting, was typically held with the right hand in

So you have always wanted to do Martial Arts right?

You have seen the movies with Jean Claude Van Damme, Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee and Steven Seagal.

You think to your self 'that looks cool', and put the thought on a shelf in the back of your mind.

You see an advert in a magazine about a new Martial Arts club near you, and off you trot to join.

The History of the beginning…

This method is rooted in great antiquity, in those times when human life cost nothing. There was no time for sorting out relationship or for competitions. In a combat the one who had survived continued living. In those ancient times Vietnam waged constant wars with

The French Connection - to English Boxing that is!

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History of Savate and its relationship with English Boxing.

Boxing as a method of training wariors in the art of close quarters

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This article will examine the more obscure aspects of Boxing as a martial science. It will illustrate that the martial history, tradition and virtue of boxing is an undeniable fact albeit one that is rarely. If ever, seriously acknowledged and understood. It will concentrate upon the military applications rather than the normal sporting elements (although it will touch upon certain aspects of sporting competition where deemed appropriate) demonstrating how it has been an integral part of the training of a warrior since ancient times. It will explore how it was used to develop "fighting spirit" and" how it has continued in contributing to the origins and development of modern military close-combat techniques in much the same way as some oriental martial arts.

Neal Martin

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This is a review of Geoff Thompson's excellent Masterclass DVD set.

Not all martial arts instructors choose to teach very young children (4-6 years), as they know it will prove an extremely demanding task. They are, of course, quite correct in this assumption!
It requires a special set of skills, and the author would certainly advise against such an endeavour unless the instructor concerned has undergone some form of specialist training to be able to deal with the complexities involved.

By Bob Hubbard

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The idea of a guide to breathing seems rather strange to some. After all, we all do it automatically. But, like everything else, there is a right way to breath to maximize its benefit to you.

The Ancient Martial Art Schools of Scotland

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It may come as a surprise to the Western reader that Europeans too practiced and developed systems of armed and unarmed combat with dance-like forms or kata, an abdominal shout similar to the Japanese Ki-ai, conditioning exercises and meditation

By Stash Capar

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When I first heard of Systema, I didn't quite know what to think. It sounded great and everyone was telling me that it's amazing, but at the same time it was getting blasted on a couple forums and the training clips looked ridiculously fake.

"It's not about winning or losing; it's about looking good while winning or losing!"

The above quote was a phrase I created when I was about seventeen years old. At that time, I was your average college student who spent his time working out and trying to pick up girls. My version of working out

by Phillip Session

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What is capoeira? Is it a dance, a martial art, an exercise, a game? Well, you can say it's all of the above. I hope to share with you as much as I can of the story so that you will understand the true beauty and significance of this art.

There are many variations to how capoeira came about.

A brief treatise on what I believe to be the fundamental purpose of the study of martial arts.

The Count!

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A summary of the basics required to set up a school (seriously)

The Influence of Fencing on the Development of Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do

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Welcome to the first instalment in a number of articles in which I will examine in depth the role that Western Fencing played in the development of Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do. In this first article I will establish

Dave Green

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In this article I will examine what is perhaps the most obvious Fencing / JKD connection - The Stop-Hit. A stop-hit can be classed as an "Interception" or "Attack on Preparation". That is, we attack as our opponent is preparing to launch his attack or we attack into

Speed and power. A lot of people talk about speed and power in the martial arts. But the people who have been around a while don't mention them so often. They more often talk about relaxation. I don't know how many times