'FLOWERY HANDS,WRIST, ARMS, & LEGS': a re-evaluation of such in various forms, such as 'traditional' or 'classical' karate' or 'kungfu'

Recently much discussion on martial arts and you tube postings and videos and other facebook pages have made me re-evaluate certain motions and stances and related things a bit more closely.

On the surface, some things seem weak, inefficient, useless, and also not understood for many reasons, some of which comes from more dynamic situations as in actual warfare and combat or street encounters and all this is actually, 'OLD HAT' ab naseum so I will not go into the alrady overworked postings and considerations and so on.

Instead, combat should be swift, silent, stealthy, deadly and the like and efficient and effective, and this means on various levels and ranges as well as degrees.......

To do forms in many martial arts seems time consuming and not dynamic or 'actual' or 'sporting' and so on.

Those who do certain forms of any martial art sometimes think of them as rank requirements and not as useful in self-defense of any kind....

Or they may well overemphasize and consider such as containing innumerable, hardly understood secret or hidden techniques without a real understanding of why such- and- such  a move is done or held and this is understandable for many reasons but perhaps not the right one that should be there.

If a form or movement is done for years and years and one still is in this 'fix' doing more reps will not always solve this dilemma or give needed insights. Something more is needed. I shall in continuing discussion of this  attempt to make these things more palatable and useful for those experiencing 'IMPATIENCE' along the ways of martial arts. I have left some hints here for those who can discern them among my verbiage here.

2016 posting: MARTIAL ARTS are undergoing various transitions around the world and are reflected in various ways in MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

In the early 19th & 20th centuries martial arts were difficult to learn in theWest, save for a few types,such as, boxing,  wrestling, fencing, judo, and jiujitsu for the most part. After WWII, martial arts began to emerge and find things increasing as movies and stories and comics began to recognize them and nowadays there is hardly any modern venue, even advertising, that makes use of martial arts characters, references, actions, and so on. It is almost manadatory that  actors,dancers, acrobats, and entertainers know or practice such along with other types of movements....and nearly all athletes and even the military are embracing such, despite the popularity guns and firearms.  Swords and knives are popular and even more exotic weapons of ancient times and the markets for such are numerous.

But the ESOTERIC ASPECTS OF MARTIAL ARTS, while utilized in cartoons, fantasies, movies of all types, and special effects, plus 'games' continues and amuse most, the actual practices and demonstrations of such remain controversial as was the case for 'spiritualism' and  occult arts and sciences in previous centuries. It  is likely that many things are possible and involve suggestion, hypnotism, and manipulation, if not hypnosis and deception, the tiny amount of the 'esoteric' still fascinates those who cannot explain away all such to the satisfaction of everyone.......

THE ROLE OF SOUND IN MARTIAL ARTS & SURVIVAL

 The role of SOUND in SURVIVAL and/or martial arts, has beensomewhat ignored in favor of other devices and signals, such as, flares, fires, lights,semaphor, flags, cell phones, compasses, and GPS not to mention other reliance on visual 'clues and cues' or visual preferences which exclude for the most part all the other senses. The dependence on electronic things especially including radios, mirrors, flashlights, torches smoke signals, analog and digital watches and other instruments all come ot mind.

But, SHOUTS, ECHOS,WHISTLES, HORNS, and other noise makers, even firecrackers, STRATEGICALLY TRANSMITTED along NATURAL SOUNDING BOARDS or FORMATIONS & SOUND CARRIERS are often overlooked. Also, these will carry sounds, to the enemy if approaches involve noice or sound and little silence, such as, talkling or foot vibrations.

The old 'ears to the ground' or against a railroad track or on a concrete/tarred highway or road can often dettect vibrations of approaching people, vehicles, trains, animals and armies,etc.

SOPHISTICATED T ECHNOLOGICAL COMMUNICATIONS are NOT a guarantee of SURVIVAL in hostile or even friendly environments.

Industrial and transportational systems once powerful & popular and prevalent are no longer in existence in many parts of the world and those that  are now in existence are crumbling and  in dire need of repair. So-called infrastructure, like roads, b idges,  ports and airfields are are often in need of improvement and redesign .

At any rate, teh role of sound and VIBRATION is important for study by martial artists who wish to survive in every conceivable environment, perhaps even in 'outer space'.

'MAGICAL PASSES' BY CARLOS CASTENEDA

I came across this book in the local library while browsing about and as I had never actually read anything, except others statements about the author and his claims, and his 'shamans' and so on, I decided to look at it and when I saw the photos, I immediately recognized some of the things I do that I have been doing for some years now but not in the exact or same way as shown in the photos

Many of these motions and movements seemed to me to be derived from martial arts of different kinds and I wondered how this would fit into the claims of coming from  NATIVE AMERICAN SHAMANS of both North,Central& South Americans. Of course, the Spanish brought a lot of Filipinos and others from the nations they conquered and some of them stayed in those places where they were used or taken.

Of course, the CHINESE influence was seen in some and then when I sat down and read it more carefully, I found out the reason why. I also noticed that he calls the system he depicts TENSERITY, which involves the use of TENSION, DYNAMIC OR STATIC, which Charles Atlas and Maxicke and other body-builder, athletes, and martial artists utilize in various ways. I have used this the system of CHARLES ATLAS on and off, along with other systems, such as,UECHI-RYU and some others, and now practice some things that I find useful, along with certain yogic exercises, too numerous to mention in detail right now.

The various 'postures','stances',' poses', and movements, motions, I also do, allowing my body,etc. to set them up without too much thought and direction on my part. I shall have to describe this better, of course, when I have more time to do so.

I will discuss CARLOS CASTANEDA in my other blogs, like THE FOURTH WAY, GURDJIEFF'S CHILDREN, SACRED DANCES,ETC.

ATTITUDE & POSTURE

Two important aspects neglected by most martial artists are ATTITUDE & POSTURE....and each influences the other once you come to realize and sense this,but it takes a lot of effort.....we tend to like everything easy and comfortable.....we want to stand and sit easily and have nice attitudes and moods,etc. but few of us really know how to do this..... POSTURE IS THE WAY WE STAND, SIT, WALK, SLEEP, AND BEND AND MOVE, a whole series of motions....and ATTITUDE is how we approach life and ourselves and others and so on.....certain attitudes lead to specific postures and we become locked into these......our educational, social, political, and religious systems all generate attitudes and control us and also make us adopt certain postures in life....we are locked into these formats and tend to follow them like sheep until the day we die.....Of course, there is more to this that what is being described here........Rigid attitudes and even lax ones can place us into postures we do not want and certain postures reinforce these attitudes.....How do drink your coffee, your tea, and where and when....how do you handle your wallet and drive your car? See your habitual postures and attitudes when doing these simple things and you may get an indication of what is being discussed here....Good luck....

SWORDS & BLADES,SCHYTHES & SICKLES

I recently purchased a copy of CIRCLE MAGAZINE(celbrating Nature,Spirit & Magic) which in infrequently do now and then...because the issure was devoted to 'swords & blades' for which I have an interest stemming from early childhood and going through various Halls of Martial Arts endeavors over the years.....and I also have a blog on Ancient and Primitive and Traditional Weapons that I sometimes write things of interest to me. Among the articles that caught my eye were: ENERGETIC USE OF TAI-CHI SWORD by Harvey Kurland; Swords & Wiccan Warriors by Peter Dybing; Apollo's Dagger by John Opsopaus; Charged to the Hilt by Katharine Clark;Scythe by John Harevy; and The Athame : A Potent Piece of Equipment by Jeannette Hope Salvito.. I shall not attempt to describe the information or discuss it at this time, except to say that the KAMA or hand sickle has an esoteric meaning as does the 'tent peg' and also the various swords in Chinese Martial Arts, notably, the two classic/traditional ones.... In considering owning old weapons of any sort, it is also perhaps worth mentioning that 'certain energies, forces, auras, etc' seem to be present on some of them that have a long history, especially killing others in various ways...and that some advocate a 'cleansing' of such. If you are sensitive to such things, impressions and inlfuences, whatever, then you will know what is meant by this caution....for example: the razor used to shave(straight razor, over the years in a barbershop from the 19th century has quite a different 'feel' to it thatn that wielded by a 'cutthroat' or 'slasher' who has slain many victims....same thing for a church and a slaughterhouse or a hospital and a slaughter house, or a funeral parlor and a bordello and the like...the atmsopheres of such places sometimes give rise to certain thoughts and feelings and images that may prove extremely intense to those subject to certain impressions,etc... One thing that many martial artists should be cognizant of: wooden or metal swords can be not just dangerous but actually illegal and banned in public places and also the question of single or double edged weapons is another problem. Most double edged ones are illegal and a felony, while just having a gun in certain places is a misdemeanor. Wlaking by a school zone carrying martial arts weapons of any kind can also place you behind bars.....so be aware of this.... As society tends to exercise more and more surveillance and restricts personal freedoms for security and control, you can expect more heavy-handed laws being enacted and enforced in various ways, from overt to clandestine.... So take a look at issue 108, Spring 2011 even if you are not into the wicca,nature/new age/etc material....thanks..

THE VIDEO BARS ON THIS BLOG

I have placed these video bars on this blog as taken without viewing from U-TUBE and some of you may have seen them while most of you probably haven't....they also may be misunderstood by readers or ignored,etc. and while the content might be controversial they are indicative of things that can be 'esoteric' in martial arts...... HARING BAKAL,however, exists in the Philippines and has a number of 'initiates' some of whom I consider my friends and I shall not name them here as they may prefer to remain anonymous but if they wish I shall include them,etc. at some future time.......I do have actual footage of some of these things that are not on U_Tube, however..... AIKIDO, AIKI-JUTSU, NINJUTSU, AND A NUMBER OF OTHER MARTIAL ARTS from India, Persia(Iran), Iraq,and other Asian Countries, including China, Mongolia, Bhutan, Tibet,etc. have an 'esoteric' base or foundation plus a number of practices, rites, rituals, movements,etc. that I hope to basically discuss when I have time to do so, but actually doing your onw research into these areas is up to those of you who develop a deeper interest, which is what I hope this blog will do....I lay no claim to be an expert, teacher, or to have the usual things people claim when they discuss such for aims other than presenting knowledge and sharing interests......