Relaxed Power: Release From Wrist Grab

Sometimes it’s a paradox that less is more. With this release from a wrist grab, it definitely works better the more relaxed you do it. The less strength and force you use, the better it works. This actually gives some advantages to women as men tend to rely of strength more than ladies do.

One thing that I didn’t quite explain in the video, is that when you have skin on skin contact (such as with a grab), any changes (such as one person tensing up) can be felt practically instantaneously by the other person. This is because the information is transmitted directly via the nervous system. It is quicker than seeing something happen, as there is a very small delay between the eye detecting a movement and that information being relayed to and recognised by the brain. This is why so many Chinese martial arts do “sticky hand” exercises as it trains and develops this sensitivity. Also, you can tense without actually moving, so the eyes might not notice, but the nervous system will straight away.

Anyway, I think the video will be self explanatory without me explaining it all here. If you find it useful please like, share and leave a comment below. Thank you.

A Different Take On Bassai Sho Karate Kata Bunkai

The 2 Bassai katas (patterns/forms), Bassai Dai and Bassai Sho are thought to have been authored be the martial arts genius, Soken Matsumura. Matsumura was head bodyguard to the King of Okinawa in the mid to late 1800’s. Bassai is often translated as “storming the fortress”, which is very ironic, as Matsumura being head bodyguard for the King, with most of the official work being conducted in the Shuri Castle, would in fact of been defending the fortress (Shuri Castle) rather than storming it.
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Do Traditional Martial Arts Really Work Under Pressure?

This is an old chestnut that keeps going around every now and again; do traditional martial arts really work under pressure in the street?

Many people argue that they don’t, after all, we’ve all heard of a story where a black belt in whatever style ends up getting beaten up by a street fighter. There are also lots of stories of martial artists, some even quite low grade, who have used their martial arts to successfully defend themselves. Which story you quote depends on which side of the debate you’re on.

Now when you consider that there are literally millions of people around the world who practice martial arts, just by the law of averages there are bound to be some who are successful in defending themselves and some who are not. So until somebody can come up with some studies and statistical data (I’m not aware of anybody doing so yet) I think we have to be careful how much we read too much into such stories. Continue reading “Do Traditional Martial Arts Really Work Under Pressure?” »