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Top 10 Martial Arts Books
Here are, in my view, the top 10 martial arts books. This list covers the top 10 books that every martial artist should read and have in their possession. They are style and topic agnostic. I will continue the list going with other specific topics. But for this list it covered books that are applicable to all. I have a few extra copies of some of them (I enjoy them so much that I buy extra copies to give to my students and others); let me know if you are interested in acquiring one and we can work something out. Please comment if you have differing or supporting opinions.
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Best Self Defense Tool Tiger Lady
I just had the pleasure of talking to the CEO of Tiger Lady. Tiger Lady is the compay behind the product of the same name. ‘The Tiger Lady’ is an innovative self-defense tool that meets my APE (A)ccessible, (P)ractical (E)ffective criteria for a useful self-defense tool. (CLICK HERE for more about my APE criteria.) As such, I want to share it with you.
You can buy the Tiger Lady at www.tigerlady.com or use my promo code MMABLOG15 to get 15% off at www.martialartsdingo.com
WELL THOUGHT OUT AND ENGINEERED
The Tiger Lady was based on the concept of a cat’s claws. Sharp, retractable, effective. Think about it. When someone is scratched by a cat, what happens? The person drops the cat, the cat runs away, and the person inspects the damage, completely disregarding where the cat went. The Tiger Lady is the same principle. It is a perfectly innocuous device until needed. But when needed, it is used to aggressively scratch an attacker, distracting the attacker to allow the victim to escape the danger.
Its elegance is in its simplicity. In its retracted state, it fits ergonomically in the palm of your hand.
Tiger Claw is optimized for a small – medium sized palm, essentially designed for women. It is very lightweight in spite of its tough construction of high impact polymers.
It passively sits in the palm of your hand, but when squeezed three very sharp claws extend beyond the knuckles. Release your grip and the claws are immediately retracted. The designers even ensured that the resistance of the mechanism is such that small children are not able to extend the claws. (Although, caution dictates to keep it out of the reach of children always!).
Check out the video of the Tiger Lady demonstrated
on a watermelon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14bopa-Cmkg
It is not practical to carry a lethal weapon around with you everywhere. But it is not logical to be defenseless either. The Tiger Lady solves this problem. It is a non-lethal device that can be carried with you anywhere. In your pocket. In your purse. In your brief case. While you are jogging. Walking to your car. In uncomfortable situations where your safety is of concern. Anywhere, anytime.
OTHER KEY POINTS
The claws have a structural channel that doubles as a DNA collector. If ever necessary, you have irrefutable proof of the attacker.
A corollary to the above point, is that the Tiger Lady will leave residual injury on the attacker, providing irrefutable proof of the attack.
Tiger Lady is deceptively simple. No skill is required to use the Tiger Lady.
You do not have to see the attacker to use it (unlike pepper spray that requires a direct line to the face).
Did you know that pepper spray has a shelf life? After 6-months, it may or may not be lethal. The Tiger Lady will be effective in 100 years, literally.
LEGALITY
According to the executives at Tiger Lady, the system is 100% legal in all 50 states. It is NOT a knife. It is NOT knuckles. It is NOT a stabbing device. Sitting on a table, most people won’t even know what it is. Yet another reason to have the Tiger Lady with you at all times; you can and should carry it with you anywhere.
WHERE TO BUY
You can buy the Tiger Lady at www.tigerlady.com or use my promo code TGRLDY15 to get 15% off at www.martialartsdingo.com
CONCLUSION
The Tiger Lady team invested significant time, resources, finances, and care to develop this product. They have a sincere interest in providing a tool that will contribute to the safety of law abiding citizens.
I strongly recommend that all women should have a pair of Tiger Ladies. I’ll be doing a few videos on this product in the future and will be incorporating its use into my self-defense classes. So, check back soon for more about this fantastic innovation.
Last entry was about the Tiger Lady self-defense tool. Here are is a brief application discussion of it’s use.
It’s all about scratching. In my self-defense classes to woman, I remind those who have nails to use them. Emphasizing that the goal of self-defense is not to go toe-to-toe with an attacker but to escape.
If someone has a grip on you, scratch the face to loosen their grip, attack with one more strike to a soft target — like a kick to the groin or a hammer fist to the bridge of the nose–then run like heck. In 99% of instances, the attacker will not pursue. You’re too much trouble. It’s too much hassle. Attackers feed on helpless victims. If they know you are going to fight back, they’ll find someone else who won’t.
The above is the context for the Tigerlady, except that its scratching lethality would be effective on any part of the body, not just the face, making it that much more effective.
Jogging—I recommend carrying two tiger Ladies when jogging. Or, if you run before or after sunset, a very bright flashlight in one hand and a Tiger Lady in the other. If someone approaches you, shine the flashlight right in their eyes (they won’t move toward you if they are temporarily blinded) to assess friend or foe.
Parking Lots—before leaving the building, put your keys in one hand and your Tiger Lady in the other. DO NOT wait until you get to your car before pulling out your keys, and DO NOT leave your Tiger Lady in your purse. When you are safely locked in your car, then and only then, put the Tiger Lady back in your purse.
“Dark Alleys”—hopefully you are smart enough to never enter a dark alley. I am using this term more generically to refer to other environments that are shady and cannot be avoided. Just like a parking lot, before going on foot into this environment put the Tiger Lady in your hand. You are now in what I call a “red zone” which requires you to be mentally prepared, assuming that something could happen. Without being paranoid—which is not a good state of mind—maintain a keen sense of awareness…who’s behind you, who’s in front of you, cross the street before passing a group of people. All this aside, the Tiger Lady is ready for you in a split second if you need it.
Perfect 10 Top 10 Ten Martial Arts Movie Fight Scenes
Don’t get me started on martial arts fight scenes. This topic is so near and dear to my heart. I think it was age 7 when I began my continuous the hunt for old broom handles to convert into nunchakus to mimic Bruce Lee in Way of the Dragon and Game of Death (note that back then it was not a felony to possess nunchaku in California like it is now. Oh, how times have changed).
Anyway, this first list is based purely on “kick ass” fight scenes…the bully getting his due, the little David beating the Goliath, and etc.
In my selections, cinematography was not considered. Martial arts skills were considered, choreography was considered, but mostly I chose those fights that were most inspirational, technically accurate, or classic in their own right.
Enjoy. Counting down from 10 to 1, here are the Top 10 Best Kick Ass Martial Arts Fight Scenes:
Road House – A good old fashioned “tiger claw”
Patrick Swayze is the white knight bouncer set to help stop a corrupt businessman from doing his evils. The final fight scene between Patrick and his arch nemesis is marginal martial arts. But it includes something that no other major movie has included…the tiger claw. The “tiger claw” is a now outdated karate move where the fingers are formed into a small claw that is intended to remove a person’s throat. Patrick Swayze actually uses this technique in Road House. Classic.
On Deadly Ground – Playground games
What makes the fight scenes in this movie, like most of his movies, is that he uses true aikido. Few to no punches to the face. (In another post, I’ll be writing about why you never want to punch someone in the face if you are in a true fight or need to protect yourself). Moreover, I listed this one because of the use of a punch to the stomach to conclude the fight; very unique and very legit.
Corn Ball Alert: Be sure and stop it at 4 minutes when he says “What does it take to change the essence of a man?” This is where he starts his monologue….if I did a top 10 corniest monologues in a movie, this would be #1.
American Ninja — A good old fashioned karate fight
It’s a B movie, so the production value, while not a criterion as I mentioned in my intro comments, had me rank it low on the list. But I would have been negligent without a Scott Adkins fight; and this, in my opinion, is the best Scott Adkins fight scene. He has such incredible talent. When you watch it, if nothing else, just appreciate his movements and skill.
Kung Fu Hustle–Sleepy guy fight
Simply put, he beats them in his sleep. You have to appreciate Chinese theater to appreciate this fight. It’s very unique. Keep in mind that Kung Fu Hustle is a martial arts satire, so if this scene seems a little humorous, that’s intentional. Just watch it and let me know if you agree in its awesomeness. Start paying attention at 1 minute into this clip.
Rocky — aka Rocky I aka the original Rocky movie
Filmed back when boxing was 15 rounds (Until 1927 it was “fight to a knock out,” then in 1983 after Duk Koo Kim died, WBC went to 12 rounds and the other bodies soon followed), not the wimpy 12 rounds of today, is just simply great. Maybe there is some suspension of disbelief that is required, but you can’t argue with:
Beginning of 15th round (not 12th like nowadays): Apollo: “Your going down! Rocky:”No, now way.”
The sequence where Rocky switches from orthodox (right-handed) to southpaw (left being his true strong hand). When Mick yells “NOW!!! NOW!!!” your heart has to skip a beat.
The race against the final bell…when Rocky gets up and weak legs it around the ring, Apollo slides down into defeat, and that classic Rocky soundtrack kicks in, I jump out of my seat every time.
Then there’s the movie ending “YO, ADRIAN, I DID IT!!” at the conclusion! Goose bumps all around.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ciH8mGavaw#t=223.892404
Jack Reacher – “Remember you wanted this”
This was a very well-choroegraphed fight. Using esoteric martial arts techniques, indicating some thought was put into it. Only one punch thrown in the whole fight, and that was an incidental punch to the stomach. Nice use of elbows, kicks to the groin, and chops. But, the highlight is before the fight even starts. Reacher’s assessment of the odds “It’s 5 to 1” says the bad guy “It’s 3 to 1” replies Reacher. You’ll have to watch it to see how Reacher comes to this conclusion (but note that it’s the real deal in conflict doctrine; I just used it as a teaching point to my black belts last night.)
IP Man — 10 karate vs. 1 kung fu
IP Man has become a contemporary classic. A very well produced movie set in the 1930s during the Japanese invasion of china. This 10 (occupying Japanese soldiers in full karate uniforms) vs 1 (Donnie Yen) fight is one of the best I’ve seen. Very high energy, excellent martial arts techniques throughout. Was it kick ass? Well, let the 13 punches that Ip Man executes to conclude the fight answer that question.
Ong Bak – One kick and done.
Long before Jason Bourne’s one punch fight, Tony Jaa’s one-kick knock out in a fight he was forced into is an honorable #1 and an easy #3. The power he puts into the kick and the legitimate height that he achieves with the kick makes it that much more credible. I always get a kick (no pun intended) out of how the guy who bet on Ong Bak celebrates.
Game of Death — Bruce Lee vs. Kareem Abdul Jabar
This #2 position is interchangeable with my #1 choice. Both are amazing. 5’7” Bruce vs. 7’2” Kareem…need I say more? Knowing the background that Bruce trained Kareem in the 60’s makes this scene that much more special. The fight really speaks for itself…a little humor, a little philosophy, not just actors (Bruce was martial arts first, Kareem was basketball), and just a very creative kick ass fight scene.
Way of the Dragon — Bruce and Chuck fight in the Roman Coliseum
The ultimate Kung Fu vs Karate fight. It was what original MMA was supposed to prove; which style is best. Well, in this scene kung fu wins out handily. The Roman Coliseum as the backdrop is without equal. The gladiator tie is obvious but appropriate and in 1973, not yet cliché. The detail in this fight is to me what makes it so amazing:
The cat scream synching with Bruce Lee’s scream to start the fight
Bruce pulling out Chuck’s chest hair
3/4th way through the fight, when Chuck is well on his way to losing, starts bouncing like Bruce
Broken leg, broken arm, Chuck, playing the consummate fighter, just would not give up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYHZEu7Y7DU
This is not a political site. I’m not here to make opinions about events in the news. But I will point out topics and comment on martial arts related relevancy. Regarding the recent incident in which a passenger was physically dragged from a plan because he would not give up his seat…I will say that the passive approach that Dr. David Dao took in this no-win situation, was probably the best approach. But it does beg the question, “What would you do if you found yourself being dragged by thugs?”
Well, the Gracies answer this question in the video below. Never mind the United Airlines scandal incident, this video simply serves to show just how talented the Gracies are and how effective well-executed jiu jitsu BJJ can be.
Here’s a great article about the situation and the Gracie parody
Here’s a link directly to the video
As a parent, one of the most vital lessons you can impart to your children is the importance of making healthy choices. This goes beyond just eating right or exercising; it’s about fostering a lifestyle that supports their overall well-being from a young age. From mixedmartialartsblog, here’s how you can guide them effectively, ensuring they grow up informed, active, and motivated.
Genuine martial arts teach humility. Humility is a true facet of strong character, especially for those who have actual skills and power that could justify otherwise. Well, Bethe Correia apparently didn’t take the lesson from her early classes as she attempts to lure Holly Holm by taunting her to box. My analysis is that Correia was thinking about taunting when she should have been working on a offensive strategy. As a result, Holm executes a faint and connects with a head kick to Correia in the third round of UFC Fight Night’s main event in Singapore.
Let it never be said that a solid attack to the temple isn’t lethal.
Here’s the sequence of events. Enjoy.
Article 1:The Concept of Sparring
Article 2:Stances and hand placement
Article 3:Combinations, combinations, combinations
Article 4:The Four Fundamentals of Sparring:Speed, Distance, Power, Timing (Already written, read here)
This is part one of a 4-part series to layout the fundamentals of sparring. In equal measure this series will 1) provide great insight for beginner practitioners (as in those who have never sparred before) of stand-up fighting styles and 2) provide instructors with a logic and flow to teaching sparring from the ground up. This latter concept is important as most instructors simply allow students against each other and start from there—the equivalent of telling a student to “punch” before they have taught that same student how to make a fist. This article has the greater goal encouraging instructors to take a more deliberate approach to their teaching.
Note to instructors: Put your pride aside on this one; avoid the inclination to not use this material because it came from someone else.Feel free to use this method as your own.Moreover, realize that while the basics may be from me, the delivery of the material, to include filling the many gaps, will come from you, supported by your experience and knowledge.
The Concept of Sparring
Sparring, also known as kumite, is something that ALL martial arts practice.You name it, they all do it.But for the purpose of this article I am going to confine it to sparring for traditional stand-up styles, namely karate, tae kwon do, and the like.Before a student dons their first, glove, it is critical that they first understand philosophically:why we spar, the strategic mindset of sparring, and the active mindset of sparring.
I went through about a dozen of my books looking for inspiration on the concept of sparring.I found in Louis Mikelson’s book (Aegean Park Press, p. 129), “Ofall the various aspects of training, sparring is perhaps the facet that more than anything else helps to develop and test one’s combative skills.”Sparring takes the hand strikes, kicks, and blocks that we have practiced in stationary positions over months and years and puts them into an unpredictable environment within which we must prevail.
Sparring allows us to do this in a safe manner without risk of serious injury (key word “serious,” as injury in sparring is not avoided completely) and in a situation in which opponents are not emotionally adversarial.By sparring opponents are able to help each other reach new levels of expertise.Beneficial by-products of sparring include (please comment with others):
Builds appropriate aggression in passive individuals
Develops appropriate control for overly aggressive people
Builds self-confidence, particularly in children
Cardiovascular development and fitness
Hand-eye coordination
Sparring is Chess not Checkers
In my mind the absolutely most important concept that instructors emphasize to beginning sparring students– and intermediate sparring students if they haven’t been introduced to it yet–is this one:
Sparring is strategic, like Chess, not tactical like checkers. This concept will fundamentally guide them each and every time they step in front of an opponent.
Most practitioners who spar step into the ring with no concept on what they are going to do. Upon hearing the command to begin they attack, letting the action dictate their moves. This is completely wrong. The fight has to start before they get into the ring. They need to develop a mindset that sparring is about creating an opening to execute a winning strike. Now the chess analogy. Chess is about actively engaging within the layout of the pieces on the board and thinking 2-3-4-5 moves ahead of the opponent. “If I move here, he’ll move there, then I’ll move there, he’ll likely move there, then I’ll move there and checkmate.” This is the mindset that will lead to becoming an exceptional fighter.
holds his hands, execution of repetitive techniques, how limber the opponent is, how fast or slow they are, how close they are to me…and then converting these observations to action. Most—as in almost all—students who spar, be it for competition or as part of training, see it almost as an opportunity to turn their brain off. Analogous to sitting down to a friendly game of checkers, rather than sitting down to a though-provoking game of chess. I emphasize to beginning students to avoid this NOW; when you enter the ring, think strategy, think active engagement…literally talk to yourself “OK, he’s thrown that left round house the last three times, I’ll do this next time.” Whatever it takes, just turn on your brain when you enter the ring. Play chess NOT checkers.
Lastly, is a corollary to the concept above being that when you spar, make it an active effort not a passive effort. I know that most students see sparring almost as a simple outlet where they can exercise while practicing karate. This should not be the case. Actively participate in sparring as if, it is a life or death situation or “do or die” scenario in a tournament. Be disappointed if the opponent gets a point in. Put together the physical and mental duo to outsmart your opponent. Outsmart them deliberately. Each time you score a winning blow, you should be able to say “I meant to do that.”
Next article:Stances and hand placement
Does size matter in fighting and self-defense? NO, training will always defeat size. But that’s not all.
Anyone who trains in a martial art always wonders how they will emerge from hand-to-hand combat. Often mentally sizing potential opponents, asking themselves, “could I beat that person?” This question really comes to light when they see someone larger. They tend to size up much larger people wondering if their training would enable them to defeat a much larger opponent. This article is intended to provide an answer to the question: “Does the size of an opponent matter against a well-trained martial artist?”
As a parent, one of the most vital lessons you can impart to your children is the importance of making healthy choices. This goes beyond just eating right or exercising; it’s about fostering a lifestyle that supports their overall well-being from a young age. From mixedmartialartsblog, here’s how you can guide them effectively, ensuring they grow up informed, active, and motivated.
For perspective, Mike Tyson is 5’10” tall
Sammy Scaff 6’5″ – Tyson KO 1
Mike Jameson 6’4″ – Tyson KO 5
Dave Jaco 6’6″ – Tyson KO 1
Mitch Green 6’5″ – Tyson W 10
Reggie Gross 6’3″ – Tyson KO 1
Jose Ribalta 6’5″ – Tyson KO 10
Bonecrusher 6’5″ – Tyson W 12
Tony Tucker 6’5 – Tyson W 12
Tyrell Biggs 6’5″ – Tyson KO 7
Larry Holmes 6’3″ – Tyson KO 4
Tony Tubbs 6’3″ – Tyson KO 2
Frank Bruno 6’3″ – Tyson KO 5, KO 3
Carl Williams 6’4″ – Tyson KO 1
Buster Douglas 6’4″ – Douglas KO 10
Henry Tillmas 6’3″ – Tyson KO 1
Alex Stewart 6’3″ – Tyson KO 1
Razor Ruddock 6’3″ – Tyson KO 7
Lou Savarese 6’5″ – Tyson KO 1
Andrew Golota 6’4″ – Tyson KO 3
Brian Nielsen 6’3″ – Tyson KO 7
Danny Williams 6’3″ – Williams KO 4
Kevin McBride 6’6″ – McBride KO 6
[endif]–Above is a list of most of Mike Tyson’s fights and the size of his opponents. Most are significantly larger than him. Interesting boxing trivia. However, this article is not intended to address competitive fighting. Competitive fighting is limited by rules. In competitive bouts both combatants have innate abilities and strategies to win within those rules. Instead, the context of this article is self-defense, be it an attack by a criminal (muggings, abductions, burglaries) or an unanticipated altercation in public (bars, concerts, parties) or in private. That is, scenarios where there are no limitations to our offensive tactics, where the preponderant opponent is simply malicious to evil, not another martial artist.
With this in mind, let’s get started.
There are three personal characteristics that will determine the outcome of an altercation. These three characteristics –listed in least to most influence on victory — are:
SIZE | AGGRESSIVENESS | TRAINING
Yes, as you see above, size is least important in defeating an opponent. We’ll discuss that first.
SIZE
Size in and of itself does matter in combat. The reason for this is obvious. With size comes weight that can crush; larger muscles that are directly proportional to strength (the larger the size the larger the muscles the greater the strength); and, size produces innate intimidation in others, especially those who are smaller. All else being equal, a larger individual will prevail over a smaller one. However, as a martial artist, all is rarely equal in your world.
For the trained martial artist, a person with size alone is hardly a threat; that opponent is simply a large person swinging. Defending ourselves from “large people swinging” is what our martial arts training is all about. The typical giant thinks that his 5-inch height and 50-pound weight advantages are all he needs to defeat you. The martial artist knows that a height advantage does little against a broken finger or a violent clap to the ears or, in a life or death situation, a collapsed throat. Size alone as a determinant of one’s ability to defeat another is vastly over-rated.
AGGRESSIVENESS
A 24 -year old son of a friend of mine is about 6’2” tall, in relatively good shape (he is now a fireman in southern California), and exceptionally nice. He is not a fighter. More or less one of those “not a mean bone in his body” kind of men. This young man was at a local bar and as happens at local bars, found himself face-to-face with an obnoxious, comparatively “little” 5’8” bar patron. My friend tried to de-escalate the situation by calmly talking to the guy, assuming his calm demeanor and his greater size would be enough to prevent a physical altercation. As they were talking, the smaller guy grabbed the back of my friend’s head, headbutted him directly on the bridge of the nose, and walked away as my friend was completely incapacitated.
The point of this story is that in this scenario, the passive nature of my friend resulted in grave injury. He thought his size would protect him and he was wrong. Aggressive action —in either a malicious or honorable context—plays a critical role in not losing a combative situation. We must be able to instantly transform from that passive, non-violent person that resides in the core of all martial artists, into an animalistic warrior ready persevere at any cost.
TRAINING & SKILL
No trait can overcome training and skill in combat. The combatant who is better trained will always emerge victorious…period. It begins with the concept that a better trained individual is just smarter and not looking for a fighter. Thus, “better trained” may mean not getting into the altercation in the first place. In the example of my friend, a trained martial artist, at best, would have walked away from that situation, not into a verbal altercation that ended up with a broken nose; while, at worst, would never have been caught off guard allowing himself to be struck.
Better trained means resourcefulness…kicking the knee or groin or scraping the eyes rather than punching to the face which most can recover from. It may mean recognizing the size of the opponent and not standing within their range. Better trained simply means that you know what you are doing
whereas the opponent does not. A larger opponent or a more aggressive opponent who is not trained will make mistakes and create openings that we are trained to exploit. Should you ever have to face someone who is a hack, your training will ensure you will prevail.
PUTTING IT TOGETHER
A larger opponent will prevail over a smaller one. A more aggressive person will prevail over a less aggressive one, regardless of size. A better trained person will beat an untrained person, even if smaller in size. But we, as complete martial artists, are aware of these not discretely, but as a combination of characteristics. We consider all three factors together to ensure that we maximize all of them. The person who has the advantage in more categories will be victorious; the person with greater strength in an individual category will dominate.
This table illustrates how this all falls into place.
Given that there is little we can do about our natural size, our goal as martial artists is to enhance our aggressiveness, and to continuously — as a way of life—enhance our skills and training in realistic scenarios. If we develop our aggressiveness and training, then size will only a positive if you have it, and neutral if you don’t. Even if you don’t have size, your aggressiveness and training will always supersede the others. To under-score the aggressiveness factor, I want to emphasize how an aggressiveness mindset at the time of conflict is a critical. Krav maga, for example, is exceptional at teaching aggressiveness. Many drills include simple, but effective, attacks on a bag, where hitting faster and harder is the emphasis.
Consider that most large people out there are neither aggressive nor trained. However, it is also true that many large people (football players, bullies, etc.) are aggressive yet not trained. What this means that your training, and the inherent noble aggression that your training begets, will ensure your safety against virtually any opponent.
To summarize, all else being equal:
< >Larger size beats smaller
< > Aggressive beats larger size
< >Training beats aggressive
< > Therefore, training beats size
What about those who have some training, are aggressive yet are also larger? The answer to that is in your hands. Since you can’t change your stature, you just must ensure that you are better trained. Capitalize on each and every minute at the dojo to become the best. Period.
