According to Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian Language Dictionary), published by Balai Pustaka, pencak silat is an art to protect and defend oneself and to attack, with or without weapons. Definition Pencak in traditional Javanese style is an action of Olah Cipta (art of mind power), Olah Rasa (art of feeling) and Olah Karsa (art of will) for defense purpose. To master Olah Cipta, Olah Rasa and Olah Karsa, one must have a pure heart. This pure heart can be realized by understanding one self. This self understanding means the process to understand their mind, body and spirit. To achieve self-understanding, one should do introspection and contemplation to see into the deepest part within his heart and living elements which are called Sedulur Papat Lima Pancer (four elemental angels/ brothers and one core spirit). Sedulur Papat Lima Pancer elements consist of earth, water, fire, wind and the spirit. In ancient time in Java, pencak silat had some various name, e.g.: Jaya Kawijayan ( a figthing art of winning) and Olah Kanuragan (the art of body).

Generally, Pencak silat is classified into thousands styles and hundreds schools. There are many style inspired by animal movement for example Jurus Harimau (Tiger Style) and JurusElang (Hawk Style). The respective Pencak Silat style is unique.

There are 10 historical pencak silat schools in Indonesia.

1. Tapak Suci (Jogjakarta)
2. Phasadja Mataram (Jogjakarta)
3. Perpi Harimurti (Jogjakarta)
4. Persaudaraan Setia Hati Terate (Madiun)
5. Perisai Diri (Surabaya)
6. Perisai Putih (Gresik)
7. Persaudaraan Setia Hati (Jakarta)
8. KPS Nusantara (Jakarta)
9. Putra Betawi (Jakarta)
10. PPSI (Jakarta)

You always learn new ways on how each martial art tackles each different situation and then "stealing it" to incorporate your own way to express one's self through the martial arts. Some practitioners in the martial arts say that entering tournaments means that the martial art has turned into a sport and not a discipline. I guess they're right in a way but I reckon one should test their abilities against other in order to show how much they need to improve on.

Being a MMA practitioner also means your wide range in the knowledge of martial arts from throwing grapples, joint manipulations, different types of punches and kicks and what designated target they hit, to different types of kata's of which different martial art has.

At the MMA club I'm at now has a grading system which starts off from white, yellow, orange and green. These ones take about three months each to earn, from there, blue to black takes three months extra each time you grade. For example blue would take six months to earn because the previous belt took three. So that means to get to the next belt from blue will now take 9 months. Why it works this way because there's so much stuff to go over in a short period of time. Plus the grading examinations get longer each time.

One of my mates there said that it took 3 days for a black stripe to finish his grading.

At the moment I want to try out Taekwondo at a local club at a high school nearby my place to see what they have to offer in their tournaments since my mixed martial arts club only has a tournament once a year.

I think if one wants to become a great fighter they must incorporate more than one style martial art to the one they're doing now to see the ups and downs of their martial art and how can one fix that with the other.

Right now I've been doing MMA for about 7 months now so I'm still a newbie but I recommend doing it if one wants to get fit but also learn some street self defense.

Once in The United States, the outcome of the journey was to find "the Ultimate Fighting Champion "By holding fights with the most skilled fighters in every area of martial arts and other combat sports. The winner of these events would of course be crowned the winner and would be "the Ultimate Fighting Champion".

UFC events are now watched all over the world with different events being distributed through cable and satellite providers. This is because of new ownership in 2001 of Zuffa, LLC, the UFC changed MMA to a more organized and maintainable sport. Which has resulted in an enormous fan growth with more than 21,000 people attending a UFC event in Montreal, the biggest audience in North America to ever attend a martial arts event.

The new hit Television reality series The Ultimate Fighter seen on the Spike TV Network has soared to record highs in the sixth season in males ranging from 18-34 bringing the UFC with it. With this comes more, Spike TV and the UFC Organization have brought forward its two year partnership to bring more of the hit series and live events to its waiting fans.

It is an organization under the intense leadership of its owners Frank Fertittta 111 and Lorenzo Fertitta and President Dana White, which is controlled and recognized all over the world by the most upscale regulatory Athletic Commissions such as Nevada, California, Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania State, and New Jersey. The UfC brand strives on live sports events, business development and television production while maintaining the utmost level of quality and safety within the sport.

The Baekjae kingdom also heavily influenced the modern day techniques that we use today. They practiced a similar form of martial arts that the other two kingdoms used and also used this combat technique for militaristic and entertainment purposes. Eventually the Koguryo resurfaces after a short lived defeat from the Silla and then with the three kingdoms combined they formed the Koryo dynasty.

The Koryo dynasty used martial arts in many different ways and some even say that Taekwondo came about in this dynasty. The martial arts were mainly used as something required for all solders but then evolved into a contest for solders to compete for a military officer position. The martial art was then used again as a sport and competitions were regularly held. The next and final dynasty of Korea named the Choesun witch also held martial arts contest and with its emphasis on literature the first martial arts book was made.

Martial arts in Korea continued until 1910 when Japan invaded Korea and banned the practice all together and it nearly disappeared by the end of world war two. With the help of some underground teaching of martial arts thankfully Taekwondo did not die out all together. With this came the exposure to the Koreans of Chinese and Japanese martial arts witch heavily influenced some of our techniques that we use today. After the war was over the practice came about again and then in 1959 the Korean Taekwondo Association (KTA) was formed and Taekwondo was reintroduced to the world.

In conclusion Taekwondo has evolved and transformed over the years and has a very rich history of war competition and almost complete extinction. It is a very rewarding sport and is very popular and is now an Olympic sport along with Korea's national sport.

1. You must first know weak points of the human body (the face, temple, kidney, solar plexus, the joints, etc). Being hit in these areas can cause you to get knocked out with one blow.
2. Now you must learn your strong body parts. The strong body parts are your, forearm, elbow, and the knee. You must recognize that your forearm is your shield, your elbow is for countering punches, and your knee is for countering kicks but it is best to dodge kicks rather than blocking them.
3. Your fighting stance is very important. The basic fighting stance is fighting on a angle, with one arm in front of the other and one leg in front of the other. Fighting on your side is the basic fighting stance for brawling and martial arts.
4. Now you must learn your human weapons, the fist, elbow, the entire arm, your knee, the bottom of your foot and the back of your foot (sometimes the tip of your foot if you have hard shoes) and your forehead.
5. The best offense is the least amount of hits with the most effective hits. If you wildly strike your opponent you will grow tired and your fists, elbows and other parts of your body will become hurt. You are basically hurting yourself. The best way to beat your opponent is to get him or her to lose balance.
6. To make your opponent lose balance you must wait for the perfect time. First learn your jabbing fist and your strong fist. This changes if you are a left handed or right handed. Usually when you are right handed, your right hand will be your strong fist and it will be the other way around if you are a lefty. You will repeatedly use your jabbing fist until you get a perfect time to strike your opponent with your stronger fist. You should not use your strong fist too much because it will cause you to lose balance if they dodge it and it will leave you with too many openings. Yes, you must dodge your opponent's strong fist to get a good opening for you to lay the knock out punch. If your opponent's right hand is the strong fist move to right side of the strong fist when you dodge it and do the opposite if he is a lefty.

Firstly, let me say, I've spent ten years in the martial arts and been through many five-hour-long examinations. I've broken a few bones along the way, busted my nose once or twice, and-at almost every testing-been to the brink of passing out.

Unfortunately, many people have not had similar experiences in martial arts examinations. Yes, I said unfortunately. At the end of your testing, you should feel as if you've earned that belt. Whether it be a green or rainbow, the belt is sacred and not given to just anyone. That thought should be in your head throughout your preparation and demonstration. Whether your school is the type that pushes students in a military style with five-hour or longer testings or whether your school makes you do a kata/form, asks the meaning, then ends the testing, you always should put 200% into your actions during a testing.

So, if your goal is to put 200% into your testing at all times and really believe that you've earned your belt, read on.

Preparation for your examination should start well before the week of the testing. Ideally, you should be training always for your next testing, but, of course, people are busy and long-term goals are hard to have. In general, make sure you start training AT LEAST a month before your testing. A month is a very short time to improve your body and mind, but with a specific training schedule and determination, you can do it.

Running

Running is the best way, in my opinion, to increase your aerobic capacity. Aerobic capacity or endurance is essential to every martial art, and especially important during an examination of skill. How horrible would it feel to have the skill and knowledge necessary to perform your kata and spar at 200%, but not be able to keep up because you're so exhausted?

2-5 miles EVERY day is essential. You should run it at a pace that is comfortable to you, but you should definitely be out of breath near and at the end. You should aim to decrease your time and increase your stride.

Walking for five minutes before running is important, as this will loosen up your muscles. You don't want to risk pulling a muscle so close to a martial arts examination.

Also, stretching AFTER your run is equally as important. Your muscles are extremely volatile after your run and are susceptible to becoming more flexible or possibly less. This is the time when you need to stretch them.

Stretching

Stretching is important enough to be its own category of preparation for a martial arts testing. Unlike conventional sports or activities like football or basketball, the flexibility of your joints and muscles-especially in your legs-is one of the most important things in martial arts. You should stretch at least three times a day. One of these stretching times should be after running of course, but the other two should be when you wake up and before bed.

It's important not to overdue your stretching, especially in the early morning when your muscles are the tightest. Slowly stretch your legs and arms, being sure to hold the stretch for thirty seconds while not bouncing. Bouncing when stretching is inefficient and leads to pulled muscles.

By stretching every day, your flexibility will skyrocket in a month. You will be faster and you will actually use less energy during your testing when you're kicking or moving. Stretching is an undervalued exercise in western culture, but by utilizing it, you'll be able to set yourself above the rest.

Kata/Forms

Katas or Forms are a part of almost every martial art. They represent an ancient aspect, yet they are relevant and extremely important. They teach you how your mentality should be in a fight by emphasizing calm, yet forceful execution. They are a bridge to the past masters' technique. And, of course, they look pretty darn cool.

Doing your Katas twice daily should improve your form and presentation rapidly. However, you need to do them EXACTLY how you would do them if you were at your testing and there were a hundred people watching and judging you. You should recite the meaning of each Kata before you do it. You should do your Katas in chronological order and then backwards. Some days you should start with a random Kata and work your up in rank or down.

Self-Defense

If you have specific self-defense moves that you have to demonstrate, practicing them is essential. This is sometimes hard if you don't have a brother or sister in martial arts with you. Try asking your dad or friend to be your practice buddy. Make sure you go gentle and don't hurt them, though. Save the test-like demonstrations and practices for class.

This was always my worst area during an examination. Forms were my forte, always scoring top marks in them. I became better at sparring as the years went on, eventually being one of the best at my school. Self-Defense was an even slower progress, however. It was always the least practiced and, in my mind, the hardest.

But, in reality, it's not the hardest. My mistake was my mindset. I viewed it as an extra, something that I'd have to get through as fast as I could. It was only as I got older that I realized how important getting out of those "silly" grabs and holds are. Hopefully you've realized this now. Try to practice your self-defense as often as you can get a partner, at least three times a week.

Education

Most martial arts claim to develop the mind, body, and spirit. Developing the body is basically what this article has been about thus far. Developing the spirit comes with time and experience and can't really be taught in words. Developing the mind, however, is an ongoing process and should be treated as so.

You should study everything you need to know for your examination: form meanings, terminology, translations, etc. You should not only memorize these things, you should understand them. With understanding them comes greater knowledge. By understanding, for example, why you should punch the way you're taught to, you'll probably improve your punching skill and gain greater insight as to how your body works.

Know your body, but don't be afraid to push yourself. With all the adrenaline pumping during a testing, realize that you may be able to do some things that you never could before. Never think you can't during a testing. If your instructor asks you to break three bricks, you break three bricks. Engrave it in your mind during your training period that there are no limits. Do not ever second-guess yourself during an examination of the martial arts.

The Hand Sack

Myachi (pronounced mee-ah-chee) is a fairly recent invention that has come on to the toy scene. It is comparable to

the yo-yo, Frisbee, and of course, the hacky sack. The Myachi has also been deemed the, "evolution of the foot bag meets martial arts." It is a sack of various fabrics and materials (i.e. suede, corduroy, denim) that is filled with sand called the, "Secret Sauce," which is defined by the Myachi people as, "a little bit of this, a little bit of that, and a whole lot of somethin' somethin' else." For people who like to collect, Myachi has different series that allow collectors to trade their Myachis to each other for ones they do not have. Also, the people at Myachi stopped production of some models as to create a rarity scale and make it a more rewarding experience to trade.

The Origin

Myachi was invented by Steven Ochs at Vanderbilt University. Ochs or Myachi Man as he is also known was sitting in his

dorm room with his friends flipping a lighter around on the back of their hands. Eventually, Ochs stitched an old wallet on to the lighter and the first Myachi was created. The name, "Myachi," was coined by Ochs when he though of Mr. Miyagi from Karate Kid combined with Tai Chi, thus it was named the Myachi. After he realized how fun this new toy he invented was, he decided to research the Frisbee and Yo-yo to see how they succeeded as toys. Now that Ochs had some research, he began designing and creating more Myachis. After about 10,000 Myachis were sewn with his friend's sewing machine, the Myachi toy began its life. Ochs later joined with Big Dog, Crazy Ivan, Kid Myach, and Butter to create the, "Grand Masters," who are considered the best at jamming with the Myachi.

The Basic Rules

1. No palms allowed. This means the Myachi may not be caught with either of the palms or touching either of the palms at anytime. (The only exception to this rule is if the Myachi is in danger of getting lost or damaged, then the Myachi may be caught with the palms).
2. Mainly played on the backside of the fingers of the Jammer. Can be played from anywhere except for the palms.
3. If the Myachi hits the ground then the trick does not count. Myachi must be caught without using the palms.
4. The Jammer must absorb the Myachi. The Jammer should not bat or hit the Myachi. The Jammer may kick and stall the Myachi, however.
5. Include everyone. Everyone can play Myachi, so do not exclude anyone from the fun.
6. STWAKOJ - An Acronym for Spread The Word And Keep On Jamming. This is self-explanatory, but means tell everyone you know about Myachi, and keep on jamming around with your Myachi.
7. Most Importantly: Have Fun. Do not forget to have fun with the Myachi.

Some Tricks

1. Cradle

• Hold the Myachi in the Lotus Position (see glossary).
• Bend your elbow.
• Without the Myachi moving from your hand, Move the Myachi towards your shoulder.
• Make sure your twist your hand so your palm almost touches your shoulder.
• Now bring the Myachi back towards the starting position.

2. Cold Fusion

• Hold the Myachi in the Lotus Position.
• Take the opposite hand of the hand holding your Myachi and cross it over your Myachi hand.
• Your wrists should now be crossing with the hand with the Myachi a little lower than the hand without it.
• Now toss the Myachi straight up and catch it with the opposite hand.
• Repeat the same directions for the other hand.
• Try to do it continuously without dropping it.
• A variation of Cold Fusion would be to try to do it without looking (i.e. closing your eyes).

3. 360°

• Hold the Myachi in the Lotus Position.
• Toss the Myachi up into the air.
• Take the hand that just threw the Myachi and make a vertical circle around the Myachi.
• As your hand comes under the Myachi, catch it and keep on jamming.
• This trick is mostly used in combination with other tricks to spice things up.
• For more tricks, check out the links area.

Some Games to Play

1. MYACH or MYACHI

• The exact same rules as PIG or HORSE, but with a Myachi
• If you do not know what PIG or HORSE is then here is a quick overview:
• You call out a move that you will attempt
• If you complete the move without it falling to the ground or without doing a different move, then you give the next person a turn.
• They must complete an equally difficult move or the same move without failing.
• If they fail, then they gain a letter.
• You keep adding a letter until the word MYACH or MYACHI is spelled.
• The object of the game is to complete all of your moves and not have the word spelled.

2. High Toss

• I would recommend not using your favorite or best Myachi for this game as there is a possibility of losing your Myachi due to damage from falling.
• The object of the game is to toss the Myachi the highest and catch it without it falling to the ground.
• The person with the highest toss wins

3. Best Trick

• The object of this game is to try to score points by making the best trick without failing.
• Whoever completes the best trick or combination or tricks (optional), then they are the victor.

Glossary

Jammer - Person who is jamming (see Jamming)

Jamming - Playing or doing tricks with a Myachi hand sack

Lotus Position - When the Myachi is on the back of your fingers

Myachi - Hand sack created by Steven Ochs

Stall - Having the Myachi land on a body part and stay there, without moving

Finger Knugz - Little gripping rings for your fingers to help grip the Myachi

 

Through the Martial Arts many benefits are obtained, and those already gained, strengthened. These include such benefits as confidence, discipline, and even a non-quitting spirit. The Martial Arts play as an important factor in building up abilities that everyone as adults and children alike, can wield and possess for years to come. This is not limited to one’s ability to defend them, and should never be looked upon as being the only benefit available. While the benefits stressed upon, vary from person to person, they are all capable of being obtained by everyone. In order to pursue these, we must undergo the everyday battle of having a non-quitting spirit. Unfortunately, we sometimes fall into a position where we feel lacking, and look past what benefits we are truly receiving and often times, result in moving on; losing out on the benefits due to come. We must remember what we have gained and what we wish to gain to motivate ourselves to continue on in everything that we do.

Non-Quitting Spirit For The Adult

As an adult, there is always the pressure in life to want a break from the daily routines that may seem stressing and even aggravating at times; a plain example being our job in the workforce. Having a vacation, a day off or just not feeling well can put you in that mode of saying to yourself “I don’t feel like going to work today.” But you know very well that if you were to skip out on the requirements in your life, it could cost you your job, putting you in an even worse position than simply feeling blah that day. Everyone learns this in one way or another; the idea is not to learn the hard way. Adults tend to know this with necessities, but lack noticing benefits in something that is merely a want or desire.

The Martial Arts is not a necessity, but when utilized to it’s fullest, is an extremely valuable asset in day to day life; including the necessities. Like life, there are ups and downs; rather than walk away from it all, when thinking you are in a down, you should look to the cause and always keep to the end results of what you are obtaining and the benefits already obtained. When participating in something like the Martial Arts, there should never be an end all reason to give it up when you can do something to work on it; even if it’s just going to class. Chances are good that you have false beliefs if you think you have gained nothing. There is always something to be gained from something. By simply pushing ourselves further to better understand what it is standing in our way, and move past it, and continuing on, we have practiced the valuable lesson of having a non-quitting spirit and will continue to reap the benefits.

Non-Quitting Spirit For The Child

As a child the many benefits found in their daily routines are often blinded from their understanding until they grow older and have responsibility. It is important to remember what the benefits are in what they are doing, and how it helps them to grow stronger in their everyday lives as they grow older. A prime example in a child’s daily routine throughout the first several years of their life is school. We all know the many benefits that schooling has for now and their future to come, but of course, a child is not going to understand that the way and adult would.

The Martial Arts carry benefits the same way, bringing some improvements out in an instant, and others over a span of time. By pressing through the rough moments like being sick, vacation time and even the break in the summer, a child will grow the benefit of a non-quitting spirit. Because they are children after all, this feeling comes and goes with them, as they will almost always feel the want to stop something from time to time. It’s not necessarily that they are bored, but simply on a low at the moment. Being the parent, you must refrain from doing what you think is best and see what the benefits are now, and in the future in having the child do whatever it is they are doing; like the Martial Arts. You would never just allow them to stop going to school; you know what the benefits are and how it will aide them in their future.

The Martial Arts and anything else that is “Good” for a child should be handled in the same manner; as it will only make them a stronger individual in their lifetime. By simply pulling a child from a benefiting activity just because they want to stop, they now learn that it is okay to stop something if you don’t want to do it or think it’s not working the way you want it to. This carries over into things like school; and will surely follow them into the later years of life, when necessities such as getting a job are required to live life to the fullest. By knowing and seeing the benefits you can continue to push and encourage the child to overcome their current down, and return them to the world that they have fun in. Thus stressing and building a non-quitting spirit within them.

Prepare you self Laui, for now Sifu will share with you the most mysterious secret of Kung-Fu, so secret that to know it you must become Chinese. Are you ready, Laui? Are you ready to become Chinese? Good; now you are all Chinese and can learn the ultimate Kung-Fu Death Strike. Ultimate Kung-Fu Death Strike is psychic and invisible; it cannot be stopped by any means. Because you are all Chinese, Sifu will now perform the ultimate ultimate Kung-Fu Death Strike.

Capoeira

At some point in this video, Sifu will tell you Dim-Mak Death Joke. It is the funniest joke in Kung-Fu. You will not know when Sifu tell; it is that clever. But you will think about it. Sifu punch line, him so subtle, it will take you two days to get it. When Dim-Mak Death Joke strike, the proverbial Ninja Penny will drop, piercing you brain with mysterious psychological chimp. Ninjas monkeys rampage around you brain, destroying cerebral cortex. You will laugh until you go crazy and die while you family disown you. It will be as if you brain were tickling you to death, while you are kick you self in the balls for not getting it earlier. You sides will split and you will choke on you tongue. You heart will explode and you will piss you self from Sifu's Kung-Fu funniness, but before you die you will be compel to tell the joke to a friend… who will not find it funny! The knowledge that he is doom will make you laugh ever harder. It will take hours and days for you to die, uttering the punch line! You only hope to survive is to rush you self to hospital at once Laui, and be voluntarily lobotomised before the deadly Dim-Mak Death Joke can strike.

The world shall hear from me again...

The art of winning

Before difficult lesson in Japanese Martial Arts philosophy that will prove that all you doubting Laui are wrong, Sifu give you Laui something easy for to chew in you brain; if you do not mean to win fight, why in hell you still standing there? There is you mugger, waving him knife and demanding you wallet. You have three choices: beg for you life and hand over you wallet, put up you fists or take to you toes. Assuming you will not simply surrender, either run fast or fight hard.

Jutsu vs do

Consider, unenlightened Laui, what is the purpose of martial arts. Martial arts of Japan recognise three things that are priority consideration; morality, beauty and practicality. To the "Do" martial arts, Karate, Aikido, Judo, Kendo, Jodo, Kobudo, etc, most importance is that martial artists be good people, second most important is aesthetics of movement and form, and only third consideration is combat applicability. Result of this is highly refined martial arts where the "Art" is emphasise to detriment of the "Martial" aspect of training.

'Jutsu' Martial art of Japan; besides Jiujutsu, Kenjutsu, Bojutsu, Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Koppojutsu, Iaijutsu, Kobujutsu and many more, these styles include Kyushujutsu, which, for all you stupid Laui out there is Japanese art of Nerve Striking, equivalent of Dim-Mak Kung Fu. Quite obvious therefore that nerve striking belong quite firmly to the class of styles that consider first priority any martial art is that it be effective, second most important is consider morality and only third and least important consider audience appreciation.

If you can't take the heat…

Before you begin, you must be prepare to overmatch you opponent; no matter you skill or moral superiority, if you opponent is more violent and more willing to hurt you, he will almost certainly succeed. It is not necessary that you actually kill you opponent, Laui; when he is down, stop kicking him. What is require is that you be willing to kill him if necessary for guard you own life. This man has knife, you must assume he is willing to kill you; therefore you must be prepare to kill him in turn. Having this resolution will deter you enemy from the outset; he does not want a difficult fight, him want an easy win. There is no shame in running away, and no way you can win if you cannot imagine hurting anyone. Do not try to fight with some half-ass idea of doing it nicely; just put on you running shoes and take to you toes.

Nerve points

Combined with other martial arts, nerve strikes maximise the damage inflicted by kicking you opponent head, punching him kidneys, breaking him arm with wristlock and throwing him face-first at the floor. You learn all them wristlock and throw for only do gently, Laui? When you do Karate punch you train so hard, you only gonna pat the guy? Mister Tae-Kwon Do going to throw him flashy kick over mugger head, not hit him at all and just try to show off? The purpose of nerve striking is minimise the effort and use of force in defeating your opponent; they are for efficiency of violence and nothing else.

Victory is not immoral

Competition sports are immoral, Laui. Martial Arts are about life and death, not being best fighter or doing flashiest kick. It about blood and sweat, not points. True martial artist is no concern with trophies or belts; there is no "best", only better; every day a little bit better, so that he can be just a little better the enemy. If you can't fight, run; you don't got to be fastest runner alive, just faster than you pursuer.

THE WORLD SHALL HEAR FROM ME AGAIN!