Ron Leach Karate

What is the history background between the Karate and the Taekwando? (https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-history-background-betwee) The name Taekwon-d (https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-history-background-betwee)o was coined in 1955. Taekwon-do was designated as the martial art of Korea. Gen. Choi Hong Hi was the head of the organization. His background was in karate. His original text, Taekwon-do The Art of Self-defense, used the Japanese kata from the Sho-rin and Sho-re...i schools. Shorin-ryu is a system of karate developed from Shuri-te Okinawan karate. Shorei-ryu is a system of karate developed from Naha-te Okinawan karate. These kata were later dropped, the book reformatted and reprinted. The text also introduced his Chang Hon (Blue Cottage) forms. These forms, in the lower ranks, closely resemble the kata in Shorin-ryu and Shorie-ryu systems. All 24 kata contain some aspects of Okinawan karate. The forms are well done and the techniques are effective. Taekwon-do was used by the South Korean military and considered the martial art of Korea. The art I learned was under the Song Mo Kwan (the green tree school). This included all 24 Chang Hon forms. Many, but not all, of the techniques in our curriculum were directly from his text, Taekwon-do The Art of Self-defense. Gen. Choi fell out of favor with the Korean government after a visit to North Korea. He left Korea and continued teaching Taekwon-do from, I believe, Canada. Taekwon-do was stripped from Choi in Korea and made into a sport. New forms were developed to replace the Chang Hon forms. The next year it was formally made the national sport of Korea. Taekwondo* practiced today has no relationship with the Okinawan or Japanese martial arts. Since then Taekwando has gone through in many splits. Some schools have continued the use of the Chan Hon forms, although they have been altered in many cases to look more difficult for tournament use. Many practitioners do not know the upper level forms. Other styles of sport Taekwondo split from the main body and developed their own forms. Other than the name Taekwondo they have no relationship to the the Korean nation sport, that I know of. *You may have noticed I used two spellings, Taekwon-do and Taekwondo. I referred to the original martial art as Taekwon-do and the sport version as Taekwondo. This is my format and I have no idea of the reasons for two spellings. You will find this as the question: What is the difference between Taekwon-do and Taekwondo? See more

How do you progress from one karate belt color to the next? How do you progress from one karate belt color to the next? I just answered a similar question about black belts. That really depends on the system one studies. generally refers to the black levels asspposed to the kyu or gup refer to the colored belts. The difference between levels is really determined by the system studied. In some systems there is probably very little. In other systems require a great deal of know...ledge and skills before promotion. The instructor should discuss the requirements for rank promotion.

Which is the best age to start learning martial arts? I see on the internet very young children performing at a spectacular level. They truly are exceptions to the norm. We teach a great span of ages. Our youngest in the preschool class is three. She attends with her older sister. I am sure she doesn’t understand a thing that we are trying to get across, but I look forward to seeing her each week. The class is not all karate and focuses on social skills. As a group it is diff...icult to grasp the essential basics of karate, mostly because they are not yet physically able to do the techniques. I wouldn’t change a one of them because they are all special. Grade school age students vary in ability, skill and maturity. It seems that around the age of 9 that kids seem to catch on. Because we don’t issue black belts under the age of 16, 9 years old gives a child enough time to catch on and to mature with the system. Teenagers are quite capable in understanding the system and physically able to do all techniques. The problem here is that there are many other school programs that capture their attention. My feeling here is that they should take part in the advantages that schools offer. It is the only time they will be able to experience these things. The martial arts are not about my success but the best interest of the student. Post high students are great to teach. They are here by choice, not because parents want them to go. They are capable and able to catch on to teachings. Adults, 30 and up, are fulfilling dreams. Karate is something they always wanted to do . I have had students in their upper 50’s and lower 60’s begin karate for the first time and most recently a student in his 80s. We have a very complete system and tournaments are not needed for promotion. Every age has its advantages and problems. It is my feeling that any age is a good time to start karate as long as there is an interest. See more

Question: What s the deadliest martial art? There is no deadliest art. There are many strikes that can be deadly if executed in a proper way. A punch to the chin can stun, break the jaw, knock out or cause hypertension of the cervical spine causing death. Other strikes to the neck can cause severe damage or fatality. A punch to the chest can stun, break bones and, if properly executed, stop the heart. A baseball can do the same. But not all deadly techniques are strikes. What was once deadly is now treatable in emergency medicine. The purpose in training is not to use such techniques but to walk away.

Ronald Leach DDS BS anatomy and physiology 9th dan Shorin-ryu Karate There is some thought in the martial arts that striking the brachial artery will affect the sinus nodes of the carotid arteries and the heart. I don’t believe this to be true. ... There is no doubt that the brachial artery is a substantial artery but the area from which it arises is rich in arterial supply as seen in the diagrams below. The brachial artery derives from the axial artery which comes from the subclavian artery. The subclavian artery is the source of the internal and external carotid arteries. Between the sub clavian artery to the brachial artery there are numerous branches that feed the area of the neck, shoulder and arm. A kick to the arm pit that strikes the brachial artery may momentarily cut off the blood supply to the arm, but the back pressure, if any, will be divided throughout so many branches that the effect on the sinus node will be nil. To have any effect on the heart would require enough pressure to change the pressure in the aorta. The pumping of the heart far outweighs the minimal pressure of a change in pressure in the the brachial artery from a kick. The danger of a kick to the arm pit is damage to 5e nerves that come off the brachial plexus. If there is a substantial amount of force, the arm may be permanently damaged.

Do Karate blocks Classical blocking using a chamber position and then blocking does not work in fighting or sparring. By the time one chambers, the strike will have landed. As anyone who fights can attest, keeping your head covered is extremely important. It is not wise to drop your guard. That simple act of protection is a means of blocking.... My training allowed controlled contact to the head and body, low kicks to the legs, and clinching and throwing. No points were called. Each participant knew when there was a good clean score. In that process we used two types of blocks. First, leg blocks and checking kicks protected the the body from kicks. These are not classical blocks but are a part of the basic curriculum for free fighting. Second, hand techniques for blocks consisted of blocks from a free fighting stance. The vertical block used the guard position as the chamber position. The hands and forearms move slightly up or down as needed. This position also allows for forearm blocks produced by hip rotation. The above two forearm techniques are very close to those used in boxing. No boxer drops the guard unless in a clinch. The gloves and forearms deflect the punches. Deflecting blows is all anyone can do in fighting. Still, punches do land. Hardening techniques allow non vital areas to accept blows. This allows a fighter to move in, protect the head, close the gap taking the blows to the body and get into grappling range. This negates the techniques of fighter requiring distancing and long range to kick. It isn't pretty, but it works. If the opponent is a fighter requiring distance to kick, your home free. If it is a fighter using your philosophy, you are in for a real knock down, drag out fight.

Anatomy and biomechanics are definitely good things to understand for karate. They are related and it depends on what is to be accomplished by learning both. It helps to learn anatomy before applying biomechanics but it isn’t necessary. The object in karate is to line up the bones so they accomplish what is desired. Proper alignment of the skeleton doubles the effectiveness of blocks and supports and strengthens strike. Proper alignment allows the unbalancing of an opponent, ...the locking of joints and pins. Much of this comes in direct instruction from an instructor and most through experience. You will find moving the arm one direction in a lock strengths the hold and the other way loosens the hold. You don’t need to know anatomy or the names of muscles to understand this. You just need to know how to do it. The complexity of muscle movements is incredible. Some bend, some straighten bone connections. Some rotate the body clockwise and some counter clockwise. You don’t need to know this. Where the knowledge of anatomy comes in handy is to learn the position of different structures, organs, nerves and blood vessels. Knowing what actually happens when you strike, press or rub different areas requires special knowledge. This is physiology, the branch of biology that deals with the normal functions of the body. What would be helpful is to find an atlas of human anatomy, a book so you can hold it open and study. It doesn’t need to be complex and detailed. When you learn the position of structures, find them on your own body and a partner’s body. This is helpful. I require my students not only where and what vital point they strike but to know the effect when the vital point t is used. I know anatomy and physiology and give them this information. Striking something without knowing the results can lead to some major problems. You need to know the name of the structure so you can look up the function of a vital point. This requires a lot of effort but it will expand your knowledge considerably. The internet will be of great help. Understand that this won’t make you an expert, you’ll just know more stuff.

How do I create punching power without losing speed? Speed and power are not the elements of punching that need to be developed. Stay with me through one small paragraph on physics. It is the answer. In physics, power is a quality of electricity. What we are talking about, generally called power, is force. I make that distinction because what you are looking for is to increase the force. Newton's Second Law of Motion governs force. Everyone has seen the formula for calc...ulating force, F=ma or mass times acceleration. Back to punching. On earth mass and weight are almost interchangeable. So to develop more force, it combines the basic weight of the individual and the acceleration of the punch. Acceleration is the secret, not speed. Speed is a constant, say 60 mph. If the speed is 60 mph and the fist hits the target at 60 mph it will penetrate at that speed. Acceleration is the change in speed over a period of time: 40 mph, 50 mph, 60 mph, 70 mph. If an accelerating punch strikes at 60 mph and penetrates at 61, 62, 65 mph, the effect will be 65mph, not 60. The second portioning of the answer to the question lies in the tissue reaction. A 60 mph punch penetrates into the tissue, and the force behind the punch spreads out through the tissue in an arch. The fist slows to a halt as the tissues wrap around the fist. As the arch increases, the effect decreases. It affects a greater area but at a much slower rate, and the mass of the body also slows the punch by moving back. I f an accelerating punch penetrates to 65 mph and is then released quickly, the force continues into the tissues in a straight line in a tissue to tissue reaction. It is that quick release to an accelerating punch that allows the punch to have a greater effect. Eventually the tissue dissipates or absorbs the force in an arch, but not before the force has penetrated further into the body. Work on strength, but in punching, start slow and learn to accelerate. Don’t work to reach a certain speed, work to increase your acceleration. It takes time and practice to develop acceleration. Start by just punching. Add it into your kata until it becomes second nature.

There are two primary reasons for curling the fingers in to make a fist. Punching with a property curled fist is another matter. Fingers are injured easily. Curling them into the palm of the fist protects the fingers, getting them out of harms way. That is the first reason. The second is to increase the support of the hand What is done from here on makes a big difference. Squeeze the first two fingers tighter than the second two fingers. This presents a flat face to the fist.... Squeezing the small fingers deforms the fist and pushes out the first finger. This exposes the middle phalanx and it will make primary contact. Here is the important part. The hand must angle down and slightly and out at the point of contact. If the fist is not angled down, the next joint down becomes more prominent and will make contact, possibly injuring the hand. Also, the full hand is tightened at the point of contact. A flat faced fist will not collapse when fully tightened. Rotating the fist slightly out protects the two small fingers. More so, it aligns the metacarpal bones (graphic above) into a straight line with the radial bone. In doing so, it causes the seven little bones (graphic above) in the wrist to adjust making a direct bone to bone contact from the knuckles to the radial bone. Now the knuckles are supported. The actual punch has two additional requirements. First, the fist shouldn’t end in a horizontal position or rotate the little finger up. In these two positions if the hand is grabbed it can be rotated into an arm bar position or easily manipulated int other positions. If the fist is angled with the little down 22 down (that’s about half of 45) the arm bone position and muscles are slightly different preventing rotation. Second, the elbow should never be locked out straight. A locked elbow is most easily placed into an arm bar or other arm positions. Straight, but not locked prevents manipulation of the arm. Stopping with the arm bent decreased the range of a punch by 24 inches and doesn’t allow the punch to generate force.