Kung Fu Training Secrets on MySpace!

Hello,

Today I would like to invite you to a place I have created on-line for all my students. I started this site so that my students can see the latest lesson I taught them in class. I hope you enjoy seeing the lessons! Go to http://www.myspace.com/kungfutrainingsecrets

Happy training!

Tony

In Kung Fu San Soo, Don’t Become a Specialist

Hello and welcome to my Blog – Diary of a Kung Fu San Soo Black Belt. Today, I would like to talk about a tendency we have as people and how it relates to martial arts. In my training over the years, I have found the best tools for my bodies’ natural movements and worked hard on them for use to defend myself .

In Kung Fu San Soo, we learn thousands of techniques and lessons over time (high black belt level) that can be blended instantly into an attack (preferably) or a defense. As I have trained over time I have gravitated toward the lessons and techniques that have felt most comfortable for my own natural abilities. This is human nature, taking the path to least resistance ………. THIS IS BECOMING A SPECIALIST!

Once I actually, fully, incorporated that thought into my reality I began to go back into those “other” lessons and techniques that I had a hard time with and take a good look at them. I started to work on them, and take them apart, and adapt them into my current fighting personality. It was an awesome revelation and brought my motivation to learn and teach San Soo to an even higher level. I started to do this with my students as well and immediately noticed better skills and more self-confidence from them.

Don’t get me wrong, because when you are first starting out in martial arts, you need to know the basic fundamentals and principles of the art you are training in before you should try this and that takes time! As you develop a “Comfortable Style” over time you will come to know when to begin to step out of your comfort zone and bring in new things. It will re-awaken your world ……………

Happy Training!

Tony

The Importance of Hitting Your Targets

Hello, today I would like to spend some time talking about striking at your opponents most vulnerable targets. There are two schools of thought on this when it comes to martial arts.

Some arts teach you how to strike hard and fast for as long as you can. Their theory here is that you will overwhelm and eventually defeat your opponent through the shear power and volume of your striking.

Other arts believe that accurately hitting your opponent in vulnerable areas is the key to defeating him or her. In Kung Fu San Soo we are taught to strike with balance, leverage and power to vital areas of the body. We do this by working slowly and with accuracy when striking the vital targets of our training partners body. Over a period of time (years) it becomes second nature to position ourselves to effectively strike these targets.

We are also taught to strike our opponents so that we “set up” the body for the next strike, or combination of strikes to vital targets. This is were your leverage and power come in because if you hit a certain target you will know how and where your opponents body will move and can be ready to provide maximum power to your next strike to another vital organ or target.

A martial artist can be big, strong and powerful but if he is hitting you in places that do minimum damage then you still have a chance to subdue and neutralize his attack.

Some of the vulnerable areas of the body to hit are:

Front of The Body Knee Groin Bladder Liver Spleen Solar Plexus Sternum Heart Throat Jaw Hinge Nose Eyes Temple

Back of the Body Back of Knee Kidneys Center of Spine Trapezius Collar Bone Base of the Neck Base of the Skull

By knowing what areas of the body are most vulnerable to attack and striking at these targets in a systematic way you can eliminate any threat to yourself or your loved ones in an altercation. So, know your targets and practice hitting them often because the importance of correctly hitting your targets could one day save your life!

Until next time ……

Happy Training!

Tony

Acquiring and Creating Awareness

Hello,

Today's article is about how to aqcuire and create awareness. The subject of awareness is very in-depth. Awareness is based upon your perceptions as well as your reality. In your everyday life just how much are you aware of? The human mind is an interesting creation in that the more we see something in our lives, on an everyday basis, the less we actually hold it in our awareness.

How many times have you driven down the street to work and passed the same houses or buildings on that journey. If I were to ask you to stop and think about those landmarks could you describe them in detail? Most people could not!

Creating awareness, like martial arts, takes constant practice and training to improve. In Kung Fu San Soo we are taught to practice using our awareness in everyday things as well as are actual "in studio" training. For example, some of the ways we hone our awareness are to sit in certain places when in restuarants, or to be constantly aware of your surroundings in parking lots, retail stores, movie theaters, etc.

Some of our students even have games we play that creates awareness in our everyday lives. One example of this is when I am in a local store and happen to see one of my fellow students in the same store. If he hasn't seen me I will try to get as close to him as possible before he is aware that I am there! This has made for some very "eye opening" moments as far as creating awareness and can be a great training tool.

The more aware I am in life the more confident I become in my ablity to perceive through my reality. Awareness is something that can be aqcuired though expanding your attention span. For example, walk into your office or work and sit down like you normally do. Now write down everything you are aware of without looking. When you are done take a look around you and write down everything you see. The two lists will be completely different!

One thing you will begin to realize is that the world around you will become a bigger, and more alive place to live because you will be aware of much more than you ever were before!

Happy Training!

Tony

How Long Should a Fight Last

Hello,

Today I would like to talk about how long a fight should last. A lot of people ask me this very question and I say "make that fight as short as possible!" In the movies, and in sport fighting such as boxing or tournament fighting we see these fights go for a long time; sometimes up to an hour of fighting to determine who the winner of the contest is. When we watch fighting in martial art movies we are looking at unreal fighting sequences. Not only because of the duration of the fight scenes but because of all the strikes and kicks that are delivered during the fight.

This conditions us to see fighting as this continuous, back and forth exchange of strikes until one person surrenders. When I learned Kung Fu San Soo I quickly discovered that what I had seen in the past was basically theatrical in nature. In a real street fight there are no rules and your adversary is trying to hurt you quickly.

So, how long should a fight really last? Well, if you have serious intent and you know that your opponent is trying to hurt you quickly a real fight should last no longer than 2-5 seconds. To do this you will need to learn to strike the most vulnerable targets on the body as well as learn to strike with maximum power and you'll need to learn how to position yourself to move at the most beneficial angles to close the distance with your adversary quickly.

It took me about 3-5 years of training in Kung Fu San Soo to become confident in what I've stated above. At this point (14 plus years of training) it has become second nature to do these things and it is amazing to know when to move and where to move to give myself the best chance of ending a fight quickly.

Until next time, happy training!

Tony