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WARRIORS EDGE

January Issue

It is our mission here at Warriors Realm to bring information to all who strive to follow the warrior way. We will try our best to accomplish this in the most safe and efficient manor possible. The articles and information posted within Warriors Edge should be used as a guide and not as an absolute. Always seek other sources and view information from as many angles as possible. Warriors realm will also depend highly on its readers to suggest change and transform this e-zine into a usable reference for all our readers. This Mission Statement will change overtime as well. What will never change though is our dedication to bring information to those who wish to pursue the warrior path.

PUBLISHER NOTE

Hello everyone,

HOORAY, We have made one full year. With our best results coming in the last 2 months of this year. What a strange year 2005 has ended in. I am currently dealing with some family issues which looks like it is going to postpone my trip to Japan. This issue is also going to throw my training schedule for 2006 off as well. Hopefully I can get it all back on track.

I am sorry for getting this issue out late.... As stated here I have had some personal issues go on which has held up the publishing of this months news.

Remember we are still looking for people to write articles and submit information. Also look forward to next month as we start publishing a fitness column.

FITNESS

As we edge into the real winter here in New England, I find it a great time to work on stretching. My teacher has given me a new exercise to practice. I am trying to finish my yoga studies. Although I am not the most supple person in the world, I do enjoy the poses, breathing and overall feeling that goes with the yogic poses.

If you would like to check out some good sites go to warriors map . One thing I have found out is that it is very important not to jump right into any exercise or stretching routine. You must warm the muscles up. It has taken to the age of 34 years old to realize the importance of warming up. My philosophy always was well i wont have time to warm up in a real fight. Right now it has been many years since I have even come close to a real fight. Unfortunately now my body starts to break a lot easier without a warm-up. I wish I had heeded those words earlier in my life.

The lunge

Traditionally thought of as a leg muscle exercise, the lunge is a perfect example of a dynamic stability exercise. To perform the movement perfectly requires a great deal of co-ordination of all the trunk and pelvic stabilising muscles. You would be surprised how many elite athletes cannot perform the lunge exercise with perfect posture and alignment even with just bodyweight. To perform the lunge perfectly involves the following muscle functions:

to maintain a neutral lumbar spine throughout the whole movement requires sufficient flexibility of the hip flexors and spine extensors, plus sufficient recruitment of the transverse abs and gluteals;
for one hip to flex and the other to extend slightly requires the pelvis and the lumbar spine to be dissociated from one another. This requires good recruitment of the gluteals, otherwise the pelvis sways forward as the knee bends instead of lowering down in line with the shoulders;
for the front knee to remain aligned with the hip and the foot (no movements in or outside that line) requires recruitment of the gluteus medius and adductor muscles in addition to sufficient flexibility of the ITB and good stability in the front ankle;
for the back to remain upright (no leaning forward as the knees bend) requires good strength in the abdominal, oblique and spine extensor muscles
for the upper back to retain good posture requires sufficient flexibility in the thoracic spine and chest muscles.

How to assess an athlete performing the lunge

Ask your athlete to wear shorts and a vest or T-shirt tucked into the shorts.

Get the athlete to perform two lunges on each leg while you look from the side. Watch for the position of the chest – does it drop forward or stay upright? Watch the lumbar spine and pelvis – does the back increase the lordotic curve or stay in neutral, or do the hips sway forward instead of lowering down? Note any differences between left and right sides.

Next, get the athlete to perform two more lunges each side while you watch from the front. Observe the line of the knee as the front foot comes forward – does it stay in line with the hip and foot? Also check out the pelvis to see if it stays level or whether it drops down on the rear foot side.

If your athletes cannot perform the lunge perfectly without instruction then it means that their core or pelvic muscles are not coordinating effectively. It doesn’t really matter which of the stabilising muscles aren’t working, because when the athlete learns to move and stay aligned correctly the likelihood is that all the right muscles will be working at the right time.

PERSONAL SAFETY

While Driving

Keep all doors locked.
Keep windows rolled up (at least partially).
Never pick up hitch-hikers (male or female, adults or children).
Be extremely cautious about stopping to render assistance in what appears to be emergency situations.
Be alert to being followed by another vehicle.
If being followed, drive to nearest policeman, police facility or open business place.
Wear man's hat.
Keep purse and valuables hidden from view.

DRAGON DOOR

Turbo-Charge your Striking Power

Steve Cotter, RKC Sr In order to generate force in the body and transfer that force into an effective strike, there has to be an understanding of the essential mechanics involved. In the myriad of martial art systems, be it karate, kung fu, boxing, or ju jitsu, the student is first taught how to stand. The particular stance of the system sets the foundation for developing effective strikes. With the study of stance/footwork, the student learns how to generate force from the ground up. The legs coil and uncoil, lunging and evading, all the while storing and unleashing elastic energy. So from the beginning all students learn that

The legs are integral to the development of striking power.
As force is increased through the foot's contact with the ground, it moves up the leg as a wave and joins with the force generated through the rotation of the hips. This rotation allow for greater extension and projection of the accumulated force. Simultaneously the abdominal 'core' is contracted and pressurized so that the force has a stable 'platform' to project forward from as the fist (or palm, foot, etc) impacts its target. Some martial art systems teach use of the kiai at this point, to increase the pressurization in the abdominal cavity. Keep in mind that the hip joint is complex and involves a large mass of musculature. Some martial art systems emphasize training the muscles of the inner hip (piriformis, iliopsoas, etc.--baguazhang is famous for this) rather than simply the large muscles of the outer hip, such as the gluteals.

The hips are integral to the development of striking power.
"Now", you say, "I got it". But wait, there's still one key mechanical component to add, if you want to maximize your punching power. The expansion and contraction of the muscles of the thorax will generate incredible power when applied to a strike. The reason is because we are talking about very strong muscles, the muscles that are involved with respiration such as the intercostales and subcostales, and the diaphragm. The latissimus dorsi (lats) also act as an accessory muscle in respiration. As the legs are propelling the force forward and the hips are rotating and extending the force, the torso will be forcefully contracted as the strike impacts its target. One should note a strong compression in the abdominal region and the ribcage.

The muscles of the thorax are integral to the development of striking power.
The exercise that I have found to be very useful for teaching the body how to properly contract the thorax is the Russian Military Press. If you are not thoroughly familiar with this exercise, review the RKC video and book and practice the RMP with kettlebells! With some practice, you will get a very clear sense of fully expanding and fully contracting the muscles of the ribcage.

Once you have developed the full range of motion with the RMP, put down the KB and practice the same movement with just your body. You should still be able to create the proper tension throughout the body. With the hand that is not pressing, place your fingers over the side of your ribs on the working side. As you press the hand overhead, you should feel the ribs on the pressing side open fully, so that you can poke your fingertips between the ribs. As you pull the hand down, feel the ribs closing around your fingers, so that at the bottom of the compression, your ribs form one solid 'vest', and your fingers cannot penetrate between the ribs. It is very important that you fully compress at the bottom of the movement. Think of corkscrewing the elbow down into the body as you pull the arm down. Feel a solid linkage from the armpit all the way down to the hip, so that the lats and obliques feel like one continuous muscle.

Over time, you will learn to easily expand and contract the muscles of the thorax and will be able to do so with less and less movement of the arm. Progress to the point that you can solicit the full expansion and contraction of the ribs without having to move the arms at all. Once you are at this stage in your practice, you will be able to transfer this muscle control skill into your strikes.

The legs, hips and torso and involved in all types of strikes, be it straight punches, uppercuts, hammer fist, elbows, knees, or kicks, as well as in grappling and throwing.

To incorporate full body power into a strike, there must be power generation from the legs, hips, and torso.
There is more, of course, to generating powerful strikes than the basic mechanics discussed above. Other key components include technique, timing, and balance, as well as strengthening weak links in the body such as the wrist for punching and the foot/ankle for kicking. However, by learning how to properly integrate the strength of the torso with that of the legs and hips, you are enhancing your ability to maximize your striking power.