Rick,
This is written by my good friend and Martial Art teacher (one of them) Tim Cartmell. Believe it or not, on his website (www.shenwu.com) there has been discussions on what makes something internal or external also. There’s also some good information on Xing Yi for Dragon.

Good training,
Joe ...

I believe a lot of people get hung up on the words internal and external. This has been discussed before, but many styles will never be 'internal' based upon the nature of how they use alignment and body mechanics. Many people get confused/defensive when they classify their respective art into a ...

Hello Everyone,
Good discussion. I'd like to clarify a couple of things (my opinions).

Xing Yi Chuan isn't from Fukien. The oldest flavor of Xing Yi is the Honan style. It consists of 10 Animal line forms. An offshoot of Honan was ShanXi (from that province) and finally Hebei style, which is the ...

Ted,
Vince Black is the real deal. Not much chi talk, and he like my internal teacher (Tim Cartmell) always emphasis structure in producing power.

good training,
Joe

Hi Laura,
The 'escape' will be dependent on how the person is holding you down in side control.
Your escape will be based on where their hands and weight are in relation to your body.

If your opponents hands are on the same side of your body, say for example their hands are on your the left side of ...

Hi Mike,
Each tournament differs a little but typically weight categories are usually about 15 pounds.

Competitors begin standing on an open, padded mat surface. Blue belt matches are typically 4 to 6 minutes long; higher ranks may be longer. Straight ankle and knee locks are usually allowed, but ...

Historically, the majority of great martial artists had a base foundation in one art and when they got proficient they added the necessary fighting skill sets to improve themselves from other arts.

Sun Lu Tang did it. Cheng Ting Hua did it. Jigoro Kano did it. Ueshiba did it. The list goes on and ...

Lone Wolf,

Renzo is Roberto Maia's cousin. I have the privledge of belonging to the Gracie Barra organization, as Robson (Renzo's father) just recently promoted Roberto to his next degree of blackbelt upon his return from Brazil in January. We, in Boston, have the luxury of having the opportunity ...

The Great Mystery. It helps sell martial arts.

Psychologically, it's easier for people to believe that the old masters were much better, they knew the secrets. It's a comforting thought to a lot of folks. "All I have to do is these 'special movements' that were passed down through the passages of ...

Hi Tracy,

It won't be next Tuesday, but I'll talk to Gary and hopefully we can work it out so you can fit it into your schedule.

talk to you soon,
Joe

Hi Gary,

I left a message on your voice mail. I look forward to getting together and working out.

sincerely,
Joe

Thanks Tim!

Sorry about the wrong URL.

Joe

Hi Bill,

Another good Gi is made by a company called Howard's Kombat Kimono's (don't laugh, I'm serious). I believe Jimmy Pedro (bronze '96 Olympics Judo, current World Champion and best American hopeful for Judo in Sydney) endorses Kwon. You stand in pretty good company my friend!

Howard Liu ...

david,

You are absolutely correct about the Dog Brothers. Those guys rock.

Someday I hope to get out to one of the pack gatherings. Martial arts like it should be...

woof!

This is an interesting thread. Mary S, keep on asking those questions!

I remember as a kid going to a Uechi tournament in Framingham. This was a long time ago. NAUKA was still around. The original 5 were still together. George, Walter, Charlie, Frank and John Conroy.

The sparring was great. It was ...