New Martial Arts Course Release

Newsletter 1007

A Martial Arts Home Run!

Okay,
7th game of the world series,
top of the 9th
full count
the bases are loaded
the pitcher winds up
he pitches…
CRACK!
Al Case hits a martial arts home run.
Don’t believe me?
Go here…

Research & Development Course

Incidentally,
another release,
just as magnificent,
I compiled the books I have written on matrixing in…
‘The Book of Matrixing.’
You’ll see the ad on the right side of the Nine Square site.

Everybody have a great work out!!

Al

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The Last Martial Arts Course!

Newsletter 1004

The Nine Square Diagram Course!

What better way to celebrate HanaKwanMass

than to announce a new course!

HanaKwanMass is

of course

Hanukkah, Kwanza and Christmas

And the new course is…

The Nine Square Diagram Boxing Course!

Now, it comes in two parts.

Part one is the hard style.

Part two is the soft style.

You can buy them separately,

or buy them together.

And, there are bonuses.

On the hard course,

I give the Nine Square Diagram Book.

No bonus on the soft style course

But,

get both hard and soft courses,

and you get the Master Instructor Course.

That’s right,

a whole course,

and probably the best course I’ve got.

It straightens up ANY martial art.

Gets rid of the stuff that is confusing

and leaves you with hard core physics

as the real backbone of the martial arts.

Right now the course is all digital.

A week or two and I’ll get the physical disks up,

And,

let me say it now,

this is the cumulation of everything

I have learned over 50 years.

It is complete,

includes virtually every other art,

and matrixes everything.

Hard to soft.

Concepts from any art.

Everything.

I mean it when I say it is the last art

you will ever have to study.

And,

it is pretty much the only art I do anymore.

All the classical arts I spent years figuring out,

they have been replaced.

All the techniques,

combined and condensed into true workability.

in the ring,

in the meditation chamber,

in the dojo,

in your backyard…

this really is the best art in the world.

So,

check it out.

the website is new,

just bare bones,

but I have an order page up.

https://9squarediagramboxing.wordpress.com

And,

a word,

because it is brand new there may be bugs.

If you encounter one just let me know at

aganzul@gmail.com.

I stand behind everything I do,

and i will fix any bugs as quickly as I can.

Now,

have a great work out!

Al

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Congrats to New Master instructor!

Newsletter 1002
A New Master Instructor!

Congrats to Master Instructor Franklin Fick!

Sensei Case

I am submitting this win for the Master Instructor Course in the hope
that you deem it enough to award a certificate.

The first time I saw this course was probably more then 10 years ago,
and I read through it and thought it was very well thought out,
presented clearly, and made a lot of sense. At the time, I incorporated
some of the things presented into teaching my students (teaching chinese
systems). Some of the things in the course were the things that I found
familiar.

But a lot of the things in the course – either elaborated or broke
things down into their logical foundational pieces —   and this was a
tremendous help. In other words – you presented the material in a way —
matrix-ed it, so that it covered everything. Which was more then I was
taught before.

Not directly related to the Master Instructor Course – but more to
related to the whole spectrum of courses you have –  I don’t think I was
aware of how much your courses helped me – until I re-read and went over
a lot of your courses recently, after not picking them up for about 10
years. Actually some of the concepts and the way you had put things
together – are much clearer now with another 10 years experience under
my belt..  (about 30 years experience now more or less – I would have to
do the math to be exact..   but I can see and appreciate the logic of
the way you look at the arts a bit more now then I could 10 years
ago…  ) – almost like now I can see how everything is fitting
together, how you have laid everything out..  it really is quite brilliant.

Back to the Master Instructor Course – re-reading and going over the
course again now – there were several times I was thinking – “Oh, that’s
were I got that from…”

That’s kind of the impetus – behind me seeking a certification now – I
would like to be able to give you credit for the tremendous influence
you have had on me.

Re-reading this course and your other courses, I have come to realize
that matrixing – being exposed to it, has changed the way I look at
everything, not just the martial arts. But just everything really. I
find myself breaking everything down into the fundamental pieces,
disregarding the fluff, getting to the core of things, the basics, to
try to understand them. (see what they are, what part of the picture
they cover, what is missing..  lol)

So far I have found your analysis of things to be impeccably thorough –
to the point where I do not think I could add to it without  taking away
from it or modify it in a manner that would add anything of value to it.
What you present – is really good!

it was also very good to be reminded again of rule number 3- the ideal
instructor is defined as “one who gets others to finish what they start”

I need to do more of that —  coming from many years in hard core
Chinese martial arts now (even though I started in Japanese arts as a
teenager – karate and aikido)– this is something that is neglected. The
instructor doesn’t take any responsibility for the student getting it,
that is all laid upon the student..  this is probably why there has been
such a decline in the Chinese martial arts over the years…

hopefully I will be able to work on that (rule number 3) and have some
success in achieving it…

Thank you for your work, it is truly appreciated.

Franklin

Thank you, Master Instructor Fick. Thank you for that great win.

And for everybody, the secret of the martial arts is not some mystical boo bah out there, it is just being able to see what is simple and works.It is sticking to basics, and understanding them, and practicing them religiously.

The problem is that everybody thinks they understand the basics. They don’t. I haven’t had one single person tell me that they knew and understood the material on the Master Instructor Course since I put it out many years ago.

So thank you, Master Instructor Fick. And thank you for sharing your win with the martial arts.

Have a great work out!

Al

Incidentally, I matrixed politics recently. The book is here…

It will help anybody understand why the governments do what they do, and why we are currently undergoing anarchy in the US. It’s not for everybody. Personally, I’d rather practice martial arts. But it is an interesting look at matrixing.

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The Last Martial Art is Published

Newsletter 1001
THE LAST MARTIAL ARTS BOOK

Wow!
Two Things this week.
First, a new Master Instructor
Second, a new book.
Great times, eh!?

Congrats to Master Instructor Akram Mashni
I am a little late in announcing Akram,
my apologies.
Akram is from South America,
makes it even juicier for me,
I love it when Matrixing goes world wide.
Well done Master Instructor Akram,
and thank you.
You have made the world a better Martial Arts place.

And, second,
I just published…

The Last Martial Arts Book.

This book is really a tour de force.
It really brings everything together.
And, just to let you know,
I began this book, actually,
around 50 years ago.
If you have the
Crate Your Own Art course,
the book on that course is the inspiration.
After 50 years this is what I came up with.
And, just to let you know,
before I wrote it I filmed over 200 segments
on Matrix Tai Chi Chuan
The fellows who subscribed
to the Monkey Boxing video newsletter
have seen the whole sequence,
and their reaction was quite good.
I simply matrixed Tai Chi and went through
every possible form,
did all the applications.
Took me over 200 segments,
a couple of years.
It was massive.

So,
read the full write up,
it uses matrixing to create a complete art.
The art is done Tai Chi style,
or Kung Fu style or Karate style.
It is sweet and simple.
It is taught modular fashion,
so the 9 forms/techniques fit together
and make the most logical
and scientific martial art
that has ever been created.

I really did a good thing here.

If you want it paperback the link is…

If you want the digital download…
http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/nine-square-diagram-boxing/

I have to tell you,
I make more money on the digital,
but I recommend the paperback.
Every martial artist should have a complete library,
and that library should not be prone to computer crashes,
electromagnetic pulses,
or any other such inconvenience.

Again,
congrats to you,
Akram,
and everybody…GO GET THAT BOOK!
One of the best things I have ever done.
And don’t forget to give me five stars…it helps.

Have a great work out!

Al

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Karate Master Instructor Promoted

Newsletter 999
Congrats to new Master Instructor!

Good morning!
I’m late on the newsletter.
My apologies.
I’ve just been working on books,
and haven’t kicked my butt into gear.

So,
the big news is…
A NEW MASTER INSTRUCTOR!
Congratulations to…
Master Instructor David Barton!

Here is his win…

‘I wish I could have found the Master Instructor Course long before now. This course has not only taught me the truth of the martial arts, but also how to pass the knowledge to others. The more I read the material and the more I listened to the video presentations, the more enlightened I became as to the realization of martial arts, their intention, their roots, and their virtues. I highly recommend this course for everyone from beginner to master. It has definitely changed my workouts and applications for the better!’

DAVID L BARTON

thank you, David,
and well done.

the point I want to concentrate on is enlightenment.
David says:

The more I read…the more I listened…the more enlightened I became…

He didn’t have to beat up the world’s champ,
or bruise himself till he couldn’t walk,
all he had to do was take a simple course and…understand.

Interestingly,
nobody really understands the concept of enlightenment.
People study the martial arts to beat people up,
to survive on the street,
to be the best in the ring,
and so on.
But enlightenment is another game.
According to the dictionary it is…
‘To be enlightened is to have or show a rational,
modern and well informed outlook.’

To be smarter.
Huh!
How could exercising cause a higher intelligence?
It can’t…unless it is matrixed and makes sense.
Only studying something that makes sense
will cause you to have more sense.

To tell you the truth,
that is a very inadequate definition.
Older definitions say things like,
‘To glow with light.’

So,
do you want to beat somebody up?
Or glow with intelligence and understanding?
Interesting choice.

Now,
if you study the real martial arts,
and not just the beat ‘em up kinds of arts,
you end up intelligent,
and…
glowing with light.
Most people can’t see the light,
but it is as if your spirit turns on.
You just have a manner about you
that comforts people
and causes them to be more rational and intelligent.

In the beginning martial arts were just about beating people up.
Do you think that warlord going to war
cared if the peasants he conscripted
were intelligent?
Nope.
He just wanted them to stick their spears in the direction he pointed.
But we’re different now.
The martial arts have evolved.

And,
to tell the truth,
people have evolved.
People,
intelligent people,
want more intelligence.
After all,
beating people up,
unless you happen to be one in a million,
(talk about winning the lottery)
is a short career.
So would you rather study like a maniac for a few years,
and end up with injuries?
Or would you like to study like a maniac for a few years
and end up with more intelligence,
and the ability to study for yet another few years?
And to grow even more intelligent.

To me it is a no brainer.
And it starts with studying an art that is logical and makes sense.
Lots of arts are good,
but they could be great with matrixing.
A fully matrixed art results in faster intelligence.
Period.

Here is the Master Instructor Course,
which according to David and a whole bunch of other people
that I have announced over the years,
causes that leap in intelligence.

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/4-master-instructor-course/

Again,
congrats to you,
David,
and have a great work out!

May everybody have a great and smart work out!
Al

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/4-master-instructor-course/

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From Karate Chi Power to Tai Chi Chuan Internal Energy

Newsletter 998

The Two Types of Internal Power (chi)!

Hi guys and gals!
Happy Corona vacation!
I hope you’ve made the best of it,
learned an art or two,
worked out every day,
preserved your health and safety
for your whole life.
If not…okay,
you’ve still got time.

One of the big mysteries in the martial arts
is this thing called Chi Power,
or ‘internal power.’
It is spoken of in Karate and kung fu,
Aikido and Tai Chi
and all manner of arts.
Interestingly,
MMA,
and more modern arts,
don’t speak of it.
In fact,
‘chi power’ is often denigrated,
held in poor repute.
All that means is that people don’t understand it,
and so bad mouth it.
So,
let me delve into the subject briefly.
Before I do,
however,
you should know something.
Most arts won’t generate chi power
for the simple reason
that the body is not structured properly.
To make chi you first have to have resistance,
and the body must be formed
to take advantage of that resistance.
you don’t make muscles,
although muscles occur,
in real martial arts.
You generate awareness,
and awareness becomes chi power.
When you do the Master Instructor course
you learn how to create resistance
by structuring the body correctly,
and that turns into chi power,
but it’s not easy.
It takes time and awareness,
and most people are too interested in beating people up
and so ignore the simple fact of awareness.
When you do the Matrix Karate you learn how to structure an art,
and that speeds everything up.
No missing pieces in your path,
nothing out of place or not making sense.

Okay,
that all said,
let’s talk about the two main types
of internal power in the martial arts.

There are hard arts,
karate and kung fu and such.
Then there are soft arts,
such as Aikido and Tai Chi.

Karate is a matter of analyzing the body
so that it provides certain paths of resistance,
and then using as little force as possible
on these paths.
Why as little force as possible?
Because if you use force you build muscles.
If you don’t use force,
then you start to use energy.
But the paths of resistance MUST be correct
for the generation of energy to occur.
If you turn your feet wrong you lose resistance.
If your hips aren’t aligned you lose resistance.
If your shoulders overthrow you lose resistance,
and so on and so on.
This is why the old guys who teach hard chi
obsess on such things as the wrist not being turned properly.
Even if you knock the other guy out…bad form.

Now,
here is an interesting phenomena.
Most karate teaches explosive power.
It’s all in your ability to explode.
If your form is correct
you might make the transition
and start to generate chi power.
Most styles of karate,
however,
do not have proper form.
they have been made into boxing,
or the instructors haven’t understood what they are doing
and the art has become tweaked and incorrect.

Actually,
the proper way to teach hard chi
is as follows.
Push with the foot,
feel the turn of the leg,
feel the turn of the hip,
feel the power go up the body,
feel the corkscrew of the arm
snap the fist.

This is described in many places,
but the directions are poor,
or they leave things out.
The instructor doesn’t teach the student
to stop tightening the whole body
and to tighten only the wrist.
Or breathing is neglected.
Or the purpose of stances is not adhered to.
(sink the weight into the ground to create a motor).
But if you relax, breath correctly,
feel weight and sensation course up through the body
through exact configuration
(spiral, unfold, pulse, etc.)
then you don’t get chi power.

tell the truth,
I had chi power from my study of karate.
I had a teacher who taught a good art,
and I obsessed on figuring out the best way to form the body.
But I didn’t understand it,
and wasn’t able to teach it effectively
until after I had done Tai Chi.
Tai Chi gave me the ‘emptiness’ that I needed
to fulfill the ‘empty’ in ‘empty hands.’

Okay,
having mentioned Tai Chi,
let’s talk about the chi power you get
from such arts as Tai Chi or Aikido.

Karate is an explosion.
A ball of boom!
Aikido and Tai Chi…
they rely on getting ahead of the attacker
just enough to unbalance them.
Now,
here is the secret.
When you move with somebody,
in harmony with them,
you tap into more power.
It is the simple fact of two motors
(two bodies)
working in tandem.
More energy is created.
And, harmony has more inherent energy
than the fact of exploding.

Which is not to say karate or kung fu
don’t have harmony.
But it is constantly being upset by the need for power.
If a person can stop lusting for power,
learn to relax while punching,
harmony breeds.
Never as much as in Tai Chi or Aikido,
but enough.

So these are the two types of internal power
you get from the classical martial arts,
arts that haven’t been corrupted by such things as politics,
MMA, boxing, the need to pay rent, and so on.

But there are more types of internal energy.
Much more.
But the correct path would be to develop
one, or both, of the types of energy I describe here,
then let other energies develop.
And they will develop.
Every person is different,
however,
so it may be difficult to predict
what kind of energy and ability you will develop,
and it may not be what you were expecting.
But whatever you get,
it will be in keeping with your personality
and your personal evolution of spirit.

If you want what I am describing here,
I recommend

the Master Instructor course
to learn how to structure the body correctly.

Matrix Karate
to learn how to structure an art
so there will be no missing pieces,
no out of place oddities.

And,
if you are a long timer
and understand all that I am saying,
you might like to delve into
Tai Chi Chuan.

Okay,
‘nuff said,
have yourself a great and wonderful Corona vacation,
and a super duper work out.
Al

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/five-army-tai-chi-chuan/

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Martial Arts Zen Applied to Gun Training

Newsletter 995
<h1>The Gun, the Sword, and the Martial Arts</h1>
The gun extends a straight line
The sword extends a straight, or curved line.
The bullet goes further than the sword,
but,
even with training,
not too much further.
Odd statement, eh?
I mean, the bullet disappears into a mile away.
The sword ends at three feet or so.
But here’s the kicker,
the further away you are,
the more control of your body you must have.
Beyond a certain distance,
probably 15 feet,
control goes out the window,
and you miss a lot of shots.
(We’re not talking about sniper rifles here)
So let’s look at the basic-basics of the sword—and the gun.

Sink the weight for both.
Breath deeply and control that breath.
Relax.
Align the body properly.
Move the body with CBM
(Coordinated Body Motion).

Well,
we are fine through the first four items.
Sink, breath, relax, align.
Motion (CBM) is where it all falls apart.

I was watching a movie last night,
Jason Statham shot about 40 guys
in about five minutes.
He shot them while he turned flips,
under his arm,
behind his back,
swinging off the side of a ship,
during explosions.
40 guys,
and he wasn’t even nicked.
I guess he had that motion thing down,
right?
Nope.
The camera had it down.
The script had it down.
In reality he would have been shot,
filled with lead actually,
by the time he hit the second or third guy.
That’s just the way it is.

(why do you think SEALs sneak in?
Because charging in an easy way to die.
Why do you think ninjas sneak in?
They don’t want somebody to fight back-
they don’t want to get hurt.
Why do you think your friendly neighborhood mugger
attacks from the rear,
swinging a weapon…
he doesn’t want to risk getting a boo boo!
It’s not actually cowardice,
it’s simply good tactics:
hit without getting hit.
Deliver a force or flow,
without receiving a force or flow…)

Anyway,
It is INCREDIBLY difficult
to hit a moving target.
(People tend to shoot where something was,
and not where it is going to be)
And it is harder to hit a moving target…
while you are moving.

When you train with a gun you have to have a stable platform.
You run from place to place,
momentarily freezing and shooting,
then continuing.
Only when you make the final approach
do you unload,
firing everything you’ve got,
because during that last few feet,
when you are running,
you’re probably going to miss,
so shoot a lot of bullets and hope.

Of course,
all statistics can be improved by practice.

But,
motion is a killer.
In the martial arts
you are closer,
and there is this thing called ‘block’ and counter.
You train to handle the attack.
With a gun the only way to handle the attack
is to duck,
hide,
get a mile away.
No blocking.
So you do not develop the idea of motion against motion.
At least not to an appreciable degree.

Yes,
there are gun tactics,
training in them helps,
but if you really want to know tactics,
you must have an intuitive understanding
of how to respond with your body
to the motion of his body.

You really need the martial arts
in addition to training in shooting.
You need that ‘zen’ frame of mind.

And here is where it gets interesting.
Here is the point that led me to write this little squib.

When you train with the martial arts
you develop a state of mind.
This is a ‘zen’ state of mind.
A peacefulness during combat,
a peacefulness during…motion.

You actually develop this same state of mind
with any other practice.
Practicing something until you have mastered it
brings calmness, certainty, peacefulness.
You can attain it with a gun,
while you are ‘in platform,’
but there aren’t any practices that I know of,
in gun training,
to impart that zen state of mind
while you are using a gun while in motion.

So if you want to learn a gun,
good,
it is a tool for a martial artist,
if there ever was one.
But you need something like ‘The Gun Kata,’
made popular in ‘Equilibrium.’
I am really waiting for some fellow
to send me a video,
or a link,
to somebody doing an effective Gun Kata.

Here’s a link for weapons training…

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/3a-blinding-steel-matrixing-weapons/

Have a great work out!
Al

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/3a-blinding-steel-matrixing-weapons/

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Wrestling Coach has Master Instructor Win!

A New Martial Arts Master Instructor

Congrats to new Master Instructor
Everett Riggs!
Here’s just a portion of his win…

Hi,
I recently ordered your Master Instructor Course have watched it multiple times. It is really ground breaking stuff. I am a wrestling coach and have been incorporating some of the material into my program … I am also studying your Matrix Karate and Blinding Steel materials. Great material!

Everett Riggs

Again,
Congrats and well done
I absolutely love it when people use my material.
And i love it more when they use it to help others.

It is called the Master Instructor course for a very good reason.
It holds the principles of teaching.
And not just teaching one art,
but all arts.
It is based on physics,
and you can’t argue with the physics of the universe.
Well,
I suppose you can,
but you won’t win.

The funny thing is when people think
their art is the only art,
the best art,
isn’t anything better.

But ANY art can be good
if you teach it with the principles outlined
in the Master Instructor course.
Let me explain it this way.

A boxer hits the bag,
he makes the hardest punch he can.
But is it the hardest punch he could have made…
if he understood the ‘why’ behind the punch?
Nope.
Not even close.

A boxer hits the bag,
he gets the strong muscles,
he learns the correct pathway for the punch,
but he doesn’t learn WHY that pathway exists,
he doesn’t learn what is actually going down that pathway,
he doesn’t learn that a punch is NOT about muscles.
I’ll say it again,
a punch is NOT about muscles,
except in the smallest way.
It is about
(drumroll)
how much weight you can deliver.

Okay,
while you grok that,
let me say something else.
I’m an old guy now.
My muscle mass is diminished,
and
tell the truth,
I never had large muscles to begin with.
I had dense muscles,
but that is something else.
Now,
I get these big, muscly guys,
and I slap their punches aside like I am swatting a fly,
then I give them a LIGHT punch,
and they fall back,
fall down,
rub the spot I punched furiously,
and say…
OW!
Son of a…!
How did you do that?

I don’t wind up,
I don’t have big muscles,
I usually punch VERY lightly
(I don’t want to hurt them)
yet the effects are as stated.
They go OW
fall back and even down
and wonder how the heck some old guy can do that to them.
Well,
the answer is simple,
I understand that a punch is not muscle,
but weight.
And I understand not just the correct pathway for my body,
the right stance and angles
and dynamics and physics
and so on,
but the WHY behind it all.

Some young guys say I have ‘Chi power.’
But ‘Chi’ is just a grab bag
for things you don’t understand.
And what you don’t understand
is in the Master Instructor Course.

Yes,
there is chi,
but it is merely understanding
the principles of the universe
and using them in your own body
until energy starts to flow.

Simplest thing in the universe.
If you have…
the Master Instructor Course.
Here is the link…

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/4-master-instructor-course/

Okay,
again,
congrats to Everett,
and well done for understanding and using
the Master Instructor Course

Have a great work out!
Al

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/4-master-instructor-course/

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/matrix-karate/

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Martial Arts Teachers Thrown in Jail!

Newsletter 991

A New Law Against Teaching Martial Arts

I’ve talked about this,
on and off over the years,
and here it is actually happening:
a law to criminalize the martial arts.
Here’s a link
https://www.naturalnews.com/2019-11-27-tyranny-alert-virginia-to-outlaw-krav-maga-brazilian-jiu-jitsi-kickboxing-firearms-instruction-sb64.html
and here is one of the pertinent parts of the law
that makes a person guilty if that person…

1. Teaches or demonstrates to any other person the use, application, or making of any firearm, explosive, or incendiary device, or technique capable of causing injury or death to persons, knowing or having reason to know or intending that such training will be employed for use in, or in furtherance of, a civil disorder; or

Bolds are mine.

So,
you get the idea,
if you show a person,
train him in,
a technique of the martial arts
that results in injury or death,
you are going to be arrested,
tried,
and become a felon.
That means go to jail.

Yikes!

Now,
the chief proponent of this nonsense is Governor Ralph Northam,
the fellow who openly advocates infanticide (killing of children).
And the state is a democratic state…
though I ‘spect the republicans will go along with it.
Politicians, yuck.
They actually don’t want anybody to be able to defend themselves.
And,
be warned,
this is only the one more step in the eternal incrementalism
the government is guilty of
(small steps designed to circumvent laws

and common sense)

And,
the solution to this stupidity?
Study now.
Learn all the arts you can,
learn as much as you can,
before you are not allowed to.

I remember teaching a fellow from a communist country
telling me how the government would only allow
politicians and police to learn martial arts.
And here it is,
happening right here
in the land of the free.
Heysoos Xristos on roller skates on an oily floor.

Here’s the most valuable link…
http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/3a-blinding-steel-matrixing-weapons/

Teaches you how to use weapons, empty hands,
and take people all the way down.
Excellent for defending oneself
against government abuses.

Look,
guys and gals,
nobody can protect you but you.
Period.

and have a great work out!

Al

BTW
A mighty fist pump for
Lt. Clint Lorance, Maj. Mathew L. Golsteyn,
and CPO Edward Gallagher

Here’s that link again

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/3a-blinding-steel-matrixing-weapons/

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Creating an Energy System through Martial Arts

Newsletter 990

Odd Things About Energy in Tai Chi Chuan and Karate

I don’t talk about energy
in the martial arts
(in Tai Chi Chuan, Karate, etc.)
as much as I should.
Some people think energy (chi) is bogus.
That’s okay,
they can bail this newsletter and pick up the next one.
But here’s some stuff about chi in the martial arts.

I was talking to a student the other day,
and we got into postures
when you are just talking to people.
We had just finished some form
and she was standing,
and she clasped her hands in front of her.
Yikes!
I pointed out that when you do a TCC form
energy is moving.
When you clasp your hands
or otherwise touch your body
you turn the energy into the body
and the creation of chi stops.
Simply,
it goes into circuit,
instead of flowing outward,
which the form trains the energy to do.
So after a form,
you should simply stand,
let the chi exude from your fingertips,
and swell from your body.

This concept relates to postures
when in simple communication with somebody.
She understood that when you fold your arms
you are indicating,
on a ‘subliminal’ level,
you are closed to communication
When you open your arms you are open to communication
And there are variations and versions of this
‘opening’ and ‘closing’ of the body
that people do in simple communication.
But this opening and closing relates to the circles of the arms
and the flow of energy
when doing the martial arts
and specifically Tai Chi

In Aikido we used to do a ‘two step’ movement across the mat,
pretending chi was flowing out of our out flung arms.
Then we tried to keep that flow moving as we entered into techniques.

In karate we ‘pump’ the energy in the body.
we build it in the fists.
Which is an oddity,
because closing the fists actually stops the flow of chi.
But you need closed fists,
but you should,
every so often,
do your forms with open hands,
and explore the different sensations and energies you get.

In Tai Chi you move chi through the body, yes,
but it should eventually exit the body in most most postures.
Here is how chi works in a few of the stances.

slant flying
two ‘horizontal’ circles of the arms
the chi contracts and expands as if you are holding a ball of chi in your arms
this is very close to the tan tien.

brush knee
with roll back it is as if you are pulling a rope
then pushing with a palm
a circle in front of you with the blocking hand
a circle (pulsing oval) of the pushing arm next to you
(feels like a locomotive chuffing)

fair lady
the front hand makes a circle
the rear hand (oval) comes through the circle made.
Something interesting here,
fair lady was originally called
‘fair lady weaves at the shuttles.’
it was a series of plucking motions,
resembling a lady weaving at the shuttles.
Martial techniques changed the original motion
into a more shaolin or pa kua version.
specifically,
‘tiger comes out of the cave.’
You sink and then corkscrew upward,
one arm creating the mouth of a cave,
the second hand coming out of the cave.

I mention this last because martial arts names
especially Chinese,
resemble certain images,
and you have to explore the images
and the changes of images,
to get to the truth of how energy works.

So there are three postures.
first you look at what kind of circles are involved
in the hand motions.
Then you explore whether the energy
expands and contracts,
whether it fits an imagery
(fair lady can be done like a locomotive chuffing,
very interesting)
and you do a bunch of other things.
when you strike you should…
push with legs, turn waist, circle (pump) the arms.
And,
of course,
you should practice relaxing
and focusing on the smoothness of your motion.
It helps to imagine perfect circles
(ovals, spirals, etc.)

And,
BREATHING.
Probably the most important thing of all
when it comes to creating energy.
Breath in when the body contracts,
out when it expands.
Breath to the tan tien,
then sink the energy down the legs.
Breath as if into the body part striking
or getting struck.

And,
there is a lot more.
Usually small things
that create a big wholism.
What the hands do the energy in the tan tien will mimic.
Shoulders MUST be over hips.
turn the body as one,
all pieces of the body must support one intention,
and so on.

Honestly,
if I made a simple list,
it would be a thousand items.
but,
doing the form year in and year out
IF YOU UNDERSTAND THE TECHNIQUES
and you will figure them out in 20 or 30 years
or maybe 40.

Now you see why I obsess on matrixing so much.
People should, and can, learn faster.
If you do a form for 30 or so years,
if you understand the techniques,
you figure it all out.
With matrixing you can cut the time by tens.
Instead of 30 years,
3 years.

But there is money in stretching the time of learning out.
Car contracts are a big thing,
most schools can’t survive without them.
Sad,
when you think about people who want self defense,
and are sold,
literally,
a bill of goods.

But when martial arts started up,
over the ages,
people needed to be put in combat.
So they needed to be taught quick,
the teacher couldn’t mess up,
or make mistakes,
lives depended on him.
He didn’t worry about getting a student on contract for several years,
he simply taught fast,
knocked heads and you’d better learn,
or else.
Armies of pheasants were created in months, even weeks.

The US army is based on learn quick and fast.
We turn out the best soldieres in the world in a matter of months.
Can you imagine the US army with such a viewpoint
as is presented in the martial arts today?
‘It will take you three years to complete basic training.’
We wouldn’t be the best military in the world
with that kind of thought.
Yet that is EXACTLY the kind of thought
that goes along with the martial arts.

I can teach a guy to fight in a month.
Fight well,
survive in a real fight,
no problemo.
But fighting isn’t the martial arts.
If you read this newsletter again you’ll see
that I’m not talking about fighting…
I’m talking about the body as an energy system.
I’m not talking about muscles,
I’m talking about energy as a viable and useful tool.

Well,
I’ve talked long enough.
You’ve either got it,
or you aren’t going to get it.

There is more to life than push ups and fights.
There are philosophies,
energy systems,
methods of thought,
strategies,
ways of living
far beyond what you ever thought…Horatio.

So here’s the obligatory ad.
Have fun,

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/five-army-tai-chi-chuan/

Or try the whole package…

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/tai-chi-chuan-package/

and have a great work out!

Al

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/five-army-tai-chi-chuan/

Or try the whole package…

http://monstermartialarts.com/martial-arts/tai-chi-chuan-package/

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