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A karate chop, or shuto strike, is one of the few things in life that offers visceral proof of the power of physics. If you are untrained in the martial arts and you karate chop a brick, you may break a finger or worse. But if you karate chop that brick with the proper force, momentum, and positioning, you’ll break the brick instead. “Amazingly, there are no tricks involved,” says Michael Feld, a physicist at MIT. “What you have here is one of the most efficient human movements ever conceived.”

Here’s a shocker for you … martial arts are about survival. Yep, that’s right. The purpose of martial arts is to have the skill...

Question to Mikhail: In your opinion, what makes stick a good weapon in Systema Stick Training? Reply: I like it because it is easy to...

Upon observation the footwork of The Progressive Protection Systems (PPS), as taught by Master Geoff Bennett, seems to have more in common with western...

After spending nine months in the most physiologically loving, friendly environment - your mother’s womb - most of us are born healthy, happy and...

It's here, just look at the seasonal shelves in your favorite store. Retailers refer to this time as the holiday season, but I like...

This translation originally appeared in Vol. 29, No. 1 of the Hiroshima University of Economics Journal of Humanities, Social and Natural Sciences. Translator's Introduction Over the...

When many people see the name of the system I study, Progressive Protection Systems, they instantly think of a modernist system, which abhors the...

"The kata are the essence of karate; without them karate would be the mere learning of various fighting and self-defense techniques, expressing nothing and...

One of the most important aspects of martial arts training is proper breathing. However, for practitioners of hard styles, effective breathing methods are often...

Throughout the history of the Samurai, Samurai weapons included different size swords, daggers, spears and more necessary for different types of kills. The age of...

This incident took place when I was 14 years of age. I grew up in Tver, a fairly tough industrial city, 2 hours North of...

Many readers have written me in response to "The Link Between Martial Arts and Fitness," and not all of you were complimentary. In particular,...

Throughout history the sword forging process used in the creation of authentic Samurai Swords has been as much an art form as it is a...

By George Dillman ~ Kata can be compared to a song. The meaning of the song is stated in the lyrics and expressed in...

Walk into any traditional-based martial arts school and ask the instructor, “I want to learn how to defend myself. How long will it take?”...