BORACAY
One of the Asia's best travel secrets is that the region's greatest value beach holiday destination can be found in the Philippines. With 7,101 islands there is a world of possibilities on offer. Not only is it cheap and very easy to get to, the Filipino people have warm smiles, good English and truly welcome their international visitors.
It was recently ranked by Yahoo as the most popular beach in the world and squidoo.com has rated it as the 'Stand out best beach on the planet.
The best known beach destination in the Philippines, if not Asia, is the island of Boracay (about a one-hour flight south of Manila). It's famous beach, simply named "White Beach", always features in the lists of 'Top Beaches of the World and it deserves its many accolades.
World-class resorts, a sensational beach, international dinning and a thumping nightlife await you at this island paradise. You can find a remote corner of the island and sun away the days, or for the less shy and retiring types there is plenty to see and do on Boracay.
> Beach
Boracay first came to the world's attention in the 1970s and has been hugely popular ever since. Its famous White Beach is divided into three areas, called Station One,Station Two, and Station Three. Station One is considered the most expensive part of the beach and is said to have the most powdery sand. Station Two is the busiest part of the island and is where you will find most of the restaurants, bars and shopping. Station Three boasts some of the island's most inexpensive accommodation. The water is a little deeper at Station Three so it's great place to enjoy water sports.
The rest of the island also features an array of attractions and accommodation but White Beach (spanning all three stations) is at the heart of the action. The island is pristine and there is no rubbish or cigarette butts in the sand. The local mayor knows he has a gem and he is dedicated to keeping Boracay a paradise, not a tacky unclean tourist pit.
"Everyone in Boracay is proud of their island. We love what we have and we welcome the world to enjoy it for generations to come. Our job is to make sure that it remains as beautiful and as clean as it is today", the local Mayor of Boracay said.
Parasailing, banana boat rides, jet skiing, scuba diving, snorkeling, and dinner cruising are just a few of the activities to enjoy. Be prepared to bargain for the best price on any of these activities. Your hotel can also be very helpful in arranging activities.
You can also have all your stress rubbed away with a beach massage that will cost you under US$10 an hour or you can go to one of the many world class spas that are also great value. Tirta won the Asia Spa Awards prize in 2010 for the best day spa in Asia. You will be in the good books with your wife or girlfriend if you treat her to an afternoon there.
> Food
Boracay has a great range of food and it is excellent value. The beachside shwarmas for around US$1 can be addictive but is just the start of the range of food experiences available.
The seafood here is simply out of this world and for the best on the island you must visit D'talipapa situated behind Station Two. Simply walk through a couple of back alleys and suddenly you are in an open air market place full of the freshest seafood you will ever see. You can buy your seafood and vegetables, then take it to one of many eateries nearby that will cook it to your liking. Be prepared to bargain or you will pay over the odds. For a good-sized live lobster you can expect to pay around US$30 a kilo.
Be careful buying seafood on the beach. Most of it is fresh but unless you are an expert you could easily be sold yesterday's catch.
Deja Vu on Station Two is a lovely little bar and restaurant and one of the owners Dave (a Canadian) serves only the freshest seafood available on the island. He has hand-chosen his chefs and service staff and they are amongst the island's best.
If you like fresh Japanese check out the sashimi at Sea Gaia on Station One. It's hard to find, as it is actually located at the back of a dive shop. Don't let the plastic table and chairs and disinterested staff fool you. The food here is not only cheap but also fresh and tastes incredible.
Valhalla is a great little restaurant located in D'Mall. It is owned by a 'Norwegian Viking named Chris and run by a South African Master Chef named Mike. During the day you can see the two of them battling it our on the golf course, but by night they are cooking up the best a la carte on the island. Ask for Mike personally and he will cook you one of his specials.
On Wednesdays and Sundays from 3pm onwards you can enjoy a BBQ on top of the island at Tanawin Luxury Apartments. This is a fantastic little property that has the best view on the island. Englishman Steve serves a mean steak and cold drinks while you get to take in a panoramic view of every inch of the island. Other dining highlights include the Shangri-La Hotel, which offers a great buffet, the honey and garlic wings and burgers at Nigi Nigi Beach Bar and Baker Brothers sandwiches and bread are simply awesome. You can find fruit shakes all over the island and it's easy to polish plenty of these off everyday particularly in the hot season.
If you want to find a few more culinary delights on the island just ask some friendly locals and you won't be disappointed.
> Accommodation
1) Nigi Nigi Nu Noos'e'Nu Nu Noos (usually simply referred to as (Nigi NIgi's')
Nigi Nigi's' is one of the island's best value stay and is situated at the heart of the action right at the centre of Station Two at White beach. The rooms are native style bungalows decked out with cable, air conditioners and all the mod cons you will need for a relaxing vacation. White Beach is literally ten meters from the front door and you can snap up a deckchair and sun the day away.
It's iconic beach bar is one of the island's premier meeting spots and you can enjoy great music with a rocking happy hour from 5pm to 7pm everyday. You can even tune into the cable sports running here. Icy cold San Miguel beers are under US$1 and their mango shales are amongst Boracay's best.
Reliable and free wireless Internet is available and their food is simple, fresh and very reasonably priced. Be quick in this place if you make reservation because this place fills up especially at peak season and weekends. If you are a keen golfer speak to the friendly staff at the front desk as they can arrange a 50 percent discount at the golf course.
Nigi Nigi's' also has a second resort called Nigi Nigi Too at the quieter end of the beach at Station One.
2) Red Coconut
Red Coconut is located at Station One. This is resort-style accommodation at an affordable price. White Beach is right on your doorstep and you are only a short stroll to Station Two and the heart of the action. This is the perfect location if you are one of those people that want the best of both worlds.
The rooms are excellent, the staff are wonderful and they have one of the best in-house restaurants on the island. Perfect for a romantic getaway or for a family break, you can choose to lie by the pool all day or float in the ocean - it's your choice.
3) Ambassador in Paradise
Despite its towering elegant buildings, the upscales Ambassador in Paradise Resort at Station One has a homey feel to it. The rooms features anahaw ceilings, the interiors are rustic Filipino and the hotel as a whole seems a natural part of the landscape.
"We try to keep Ambassador as Boracay or as natural as possible", says resort manager Jose Ramon Cacho, 'but we're also quite well known for and proud of our restaurants." He went on the say, 'We also make our bread and pasta. Chef Fortune is very experienced and has already made quite a name for himself on Boracay".
The resort is situated on what's considered by many to be the best part of the famous White Beach. There has been no expense spared when it comes to design, quality furnitures, fixtures and fittings. The Dutch hotelier owner has trained his staff to the very highest European standards which result in top quality service.
Each luxurious apartment has its own balcony and if you're looking for genuine top class service there's no more delightful place to sip a cocktail than a the well furnished and appointed poolside restaurant and bar. You can even have your own private butler attend to your every whim.
3) Lingganay Suites
After spending a few days on magical Boracay it is not uncommon for visitors to come to the realization they do not want to leave! Many an expat will tell you of how they became enchanted with this place and simply cancelled their return ticket!
Lingganay Suites offers opulence and luxury, starting at incredibly affordable price points. If your idea of a getaway is peace and quiet in a place you can call your second home then this is it. You are only 10 minutes from the action but you are in your won private oasis. These luxury apartments are for sale and astute investors can buy a property here to holiday in, and then rent it out when duty calls.
Pictures or words can't describe how heartbreaking this place is. Sweeping views of the jungle, panoramic ocean vistas, infinity pool, private beach - the list goes on and on and you just have to see it for yourself.
This is one for the savvy investor and with gaming licenses and an international airport in the planning stages you can expect Boracay real estate price to fo through the roof.
> Golf
Fairways golf course situated at Fairways & Bluewater Beach Resort is the only golf course on the island, but why would you need another? This magnificent course features 18 hectares holes designed by Graham Marsh that wind their way around the top end of the island. Tropical golf doesn't get any better than this 6,600 challenging championship yards that will test any scratch golfer. Long stretches of lush fairways, plenty of water, deep bunkers and billiard tables greens - this place is a must for any golf lover.
Grab a buggy and a caddy, as it gets hot out on the course and make sure you take in plenty of liquid. Resident pro Mr. Mike Moynihan made a name for himself on the Nike Tour in America. He is passionate about his golf course and takes its improvement and upkeep very seriously. He keeps making this course better and better. Mike is a natural teacher and one of those pros that will actually lower your handicap, so don't be shy in grabbing a lesson and win some money off your friends when you return from holiday.
You can hire everything you need here but be mindful that you often must book in advance.
> Nightlife and Bars
Boracay is party central. This is not to say that you can't get away from partying if that is not your thing, but if you like to have a few drinks there are over a hundred beach bars that offer you cheap drinks, great happy hours and friendly visitors and locals to chat with.
The island had an award winning rock band 'The Boss' that has won multiple awards in the Philippines "battle of the Bands'. Filipinos are a musical people and their best musicians must be seen to be relieved. They play a mix of rock and blues from the '70s all the way up to new releases. They have their own specially built cabana on the sand in front of the Regency Hotel on Station Two and play most nights beginning around 9pm. Get in early and grab a seat near the front. Fire dancers fill in the time between sets and a bucket of beers for a couple for hundred peso (US$4) will get your favourite song played.
There are many dance clubs for the young or young at heart to party to all night long. Cocomangas is probably the most famous nightclub and is a short trike ride away from White Beach. Boracay has a bar to cater to almost every musical taste so ust walk down the beach at night and stop in for a drink at any bar taht takes your fancy.
>Gaming
There has been a lot of talk about a casino opening in Boracay. At this stage the people working behind the scenes to make this a reality are very tight-lipped about what they are doing and when they are planning to do it.
The primary hurdle is that an official license has to be granted first, though many 'in the know' say this is just a formality. Fairways & Bluewater Resort appear to be the front-runner in the race to get the first license. WGM has also been told by reliable sources that there be up to three licenses issued on the island over the next few years. Lingganay is location that also appears to be working towards getting a license.
There is also much talk about the possibility of Boracay opening its first poker room. Poker rooms like the Metro in Manila run without full casino licenses so it may be relatively easy to set up a poker room quickly.
Boracay offers plenty to people who like to gamble so it would be nice to have that option available on the island. it's interesting times in Boracay and we here at WGM promise to keep you updated.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Karate (continuation)
Part Three
The DOJO
It is a Japanese word for "karate school". Most dojos are similar in many ways, They may be different in size and in some of their equipment, but the basic dojo had to have a certain features.
Description of a Dojo
When u look at the dojo from the outside, you probably see lettering in the windows that tells you the karate club's name and something about it. You may also see a sign that represents the club or the organization that represents the club or the organization to which it belongs. Clubs that compete in lots of contests probably have many trophies in their windows, Don't be fooled by this. Dojos that have lots of trophies probably practice sports karate, while others that are more traditional do not spend a great deal of time training for sports karate -- they are more interested in self defense.
When you go through the door and enter the dojo, there is probably an office to the side or a receptionist. Some have a wall between the entrance and the training area so that students can train in private. If the dojo is large, there may be an area for parents to sit and watch class.
There are changing rooms for boys and girls, but the main part of the dojo is the training are. This may vary in size, but it is always the biggest section. On one side of the training area there are probably photographs of karate masters hanging on the wall. On either side of the pictures you may see American and Japanese flags.
Some schools follow the Japanese tradition of having a name board on the wall. There is a section for each rank, and students who have that rank are listed there.
The Rules and Etiquette
Every karate school has very strict rules that you must follow. Let's look at the ones that designed for safety first.
Karate practice takes place in a dojo, which usually has a wood or a mat floor. The floor is kept very clean. You are not allows to enter the training area wearing shoes. All training takes place in bare feet. If you try to train with your socks on, you will probably slip and hurt yourself. If you train with your shoes on, you will not be able to develop any strength or flexibility in your feet, and you may injure your fellow students.
In order to have ten, twenty, thirty, or more people train safety at the same time, the class must be well organized. Normally, students line up in a row and face the instructor. The students are supposed to stand attention, with their feet about shoulder width apart and fists in front of the lower body. This is a natural position, and it is easy to move from this position into karate stances. Each time a new move is to be done, the instructor gives command, and all the students do the move together. This prevents people from bumping into each other and getting hurt.
Don't run around on the training floor before class begins -- this is time for you to practice on your own. Fooling around has no place in a karate dojo, and you may get in trouble with your instructor if you play around.
Do not enter or leave the training area without your instructor's permission. If you don't feel well or are injured and the instructor doesn't see you leave, there may be no one to help you.
A dangerous thing that might not think about are long fingernails and toenails. Many students have been cut badly by them, and girls who have long finger-nails can't make a fist correctly. Keep your nails cut short.
When you practice sparring drills with your training partners, make sure not to make contact with them when you kick or punch. Karate blows can injure someone, so you must be very careful.
Never aim at the eyes, throat, groin, or knee joint of your training partner's body during sparring drills. If you make a mistake and strike your training partner by accident, you may cause a serious injury. Do not spar without an instructor watching. Sparring matches can easily get our of control, and there may be injuries.
In all training you must listen carefully to the teacher's instructions and follow them closely, That way no one will get hurt.
Other rules are designed to show our respect for the past masters, our instructors, and other students. These include the proper way to speak to the instructors and how to bow to them and our fellow students.
Words to know
1. Kohai - one who is junior to you
2. Mokuso - the command to meditate
3. Mokuso yame - the command to stop meditating
4. Seiza - the command to kneel before and after practice
5. Senpai - one who is senior to you
6. Sensei ni rei - the command to bow to the teacher
7. Shinzen ni rei - the command to bow to the pictures of the past masters
Meditation - meditating at the beginning and end or practice has many benefits. You are supposed to clear your mind of any concerns or problems so that you can concentrate on karate training. It is not a religious practice, it is just designed to help you concentrate. Some schools only meditate for a half minute, and some meditate for several minutes.
Safety tips
1. Keep your fingernails and toenails short.
2. Pay close attention to the teacher's instructions.
3. Do not fool around in class.
4. Concentrate when you practice sparring drills with an opponent so that you do not accidentally make contact.
5. Do not aim your punches, strikes, or kicks at your training partner's eyes, throat, groin, or knee joint.
6. Time your blocks correctly to that you block against your opponent's wrist, not his or her elbow joint.
The DOJO
It is a Japanese word for "karate school". Most dojos are similar in many ways, They may be different in size and in some of their equipment, but the basic dojo had to have a certain features.
Description of a Dojo
When u look at the dojo from the outside, you probably see lettering in the windows that tells you the karate club's name and something about it. You may also see a sign that represents the club or the organization that represents the club or the organization to which it belongs. Clubs that compete in lots of contests probably have many trophies in their windows, Don't be fooled by this. Dojos that have lots of trophies probably practice sports karate, while others that are more traditional do not spend a great deal of time training for sports karate -- they are more interested in self defense.
When you go through the door and enter the dojo, there is probably an office to the side or a receptionist. Some have a wall between the entrance and the training area so that students can train in private. If the dojo is large, there may be an area for parents to sit and watch class.
There are changing rooms for boys and girls, but the main part of the dojo is the training are. This may vary in size, but it is always the biggest section. On one side of the training area there are probably photographs of karate masters hanging on the wall. On either side of the pictures you may see American and Japanese flags.
Some schools follow the Japanese tradition of having a name board on the wall. There is a section for each rank, and students who have that rank are listed there.
The Rules and Etiquette
Every karate school has very strict rules that you must follow. Let's look at the ones that designed for safety first.
Karate practice takes place in a dojo, which usually has a wood or a mat floor. The floor is kept very clean. You are not allows to enter the training area wearing shoes. All training takes place in bare feet. If you try to train with your socks on, you will probably slip and hurt yourself. If you train with your shoes on, you will not be able to develop any strength or flexibility in your feet, and you may injure your fellow students.
In order to have ten, twenty, thirty, or more people train safety at the same time, the class must be well organized. Normally, students line up in a row and face the instructor. The students are supposed to stand attention, with their feet about shoulder width apart and fists in front of the lower body. This is a natural position, and it is easy to move from this position into karate stances. Each time a new move is to be done, the instructor gives command, and all the students do the move together. This prevents people from bumping into each other and getting hurt.
Don't run around on the training floor before class begins -- this is time for you to practice on your own. Fooling around has no place in a karate dojo, and you may get in trouble with your instructor if you play around.
Do not enter or leave the training area without your instructor's permission. If you don't feel well or are injured and the instructor doesn't see you leave, there may be no one to help you.
A dangerous thing that might not think about are long fingernails and toenails. Many students have been cut badly by them, and girls who have long finger-nails can't make a fist correctly. Keep your nails cut short.
When you practice sparring drills with your training partners, make sure not to make contact with them when you kick or punch. Karate blows can injure someone, so you must be very careful.
Never aim at the eyes, throat, groin, or knee joint of your training partner's body during sparring drills. If you make a mistake and strike your training partner by accident, you may cause a serious injury. Do not spar without an instructor watching. Sparring matches can easily get our of control, and there may be injuries.
In all training you must listen carefully to the teacher's instructions and follow them closely, That way no one will get hurt.
Other rules are designed to show our respect for the past masters, our instructors, and other students. These include the proper way to speak to the instructors and how to bow to them and our fellow students.
Words to know
1. Kohai - one who is junior to you
2. Mokuso - the command to meditate
3. Mokuso yame - the command to stop meditating
4. Seiza - the command to kneel before and after practice
5. Senpai - one who is senior to you
6. Sensei ni rei - the command to bow to the teacher
7. Shinzen ni rei - the command to bow to the pictures of the past masters
Meditation - meditating at the beginning and end or practice has many benefits. You are supposed to clear your mind of any concerns or problems so that you can concentrate on karate training. It is not a religious practice, it is just designed to help you concentrate. Some schools only meditate for a half minute, and some meditate for several minutes.
Safety tips
1. Keep your fingernails and toenails short.
2. Pay close attention to the teacher's instructions.
3. Do not fool around in class.
4. Concentrate when you practice sparring drills with an opponent so that you do not accidentally make contact.
5. Do not aim your punches, strikes, or kicks at your training partner's eyes, throat, groin, or knee joint.
6. Time your blocks correctly to that you block against your opponent's wrist, not his or her elbow joint.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Karate
Part I
History of Karate
Karate and other fighting arts have been practiced for many years. What we call karate today may have begun in ancient India almost two thousand years ago. Many people believe karate was practiced by Buddhist monks in China to protect themselves against bandits. One Buddhist monk, Bodhidharma, traveled from India to China around the year A.D. 520. He settled at the Shaolin Monastery in China and taught Zen Buddhism to the monks there. He taught his fighting art to them as well. In time, the monks at Shaolin Monastery became strong fighters.
Over the next centuries, karate spread throughout China and was practiced by many people. A number of different karate-like styles developed during this time, and karate became well known. In China, people who practiced karate called it chuan'fa or kung-fu.
The Chinese did a lot of trading with the Okinawan people, whose island-home is only a few hundred miles off the coast of southern China. In time the people of Okinawa learned some of the fighting techniques from the Chinese and combined them with their own fighting system, called te, Since the Okinawans were ruled by the Japanese and not allowed to have weapons, they practiced karate to protect themselves. The development of karate continued on Okinawa until about 1900. At the beginning of the twentieth century, they started reaching karate in the Okinawan schools.
Okinawa has many famous karate masters. Perhaps the best known today is Giehin Funakoshi. Master Funakoshi was a school teacher. He traveled to Japan in 1922 and gave a demonstration of Okinawan karate at a national sports show. After that, he was asked to stay in Japan to teach karate. He never gave his style an official name, he just called it "karate," which means "empty hand" or fighting with weapons. His students named it "Shokotan," and so karate had a new name in Japan. Other famous teachers came to Japan from Okinawa and started other styles of karate. Today, the most popular karate styles in Japan are Shokotan, Shito Ryu, Goju Ryu and Wado Ryu. However many people practice other kinds of karate as well. Some other kinds of karate are Chito Ryu , Shorin Ryu, Sudokan, and Shirinji Kempo.
Karate spread to the United States after Workd War II. Many servicemen were stationed in Okinawa and Japan in the 1950s and 1960s and studied karate in their free time. About that time, many Okinawan and Japanese people who knew karate came to the United States. They began to teach karate in the US. Since that time, karate has become very popular in the US. In almost every small town, there is at least one karate club, and in big cities there are usually very many.
Why should I learn Karate?
The most popular reason for learning karate is self-defense. Have you ever felt bullied or physically threatened by someone? Learning karate is a great way to feel confident that you can protect yourself in such situations. Notice that I said the idea is to protect yourself, not to harm others. If you want to practice karate so that you can hurt another person, then you are practicing for wrong reason.
Karate is also a good way to develop self-control and physical fitness. To succeed in karate, you must discipline yourself to practice regularly and to listen carefully to what your instructor tells you. Though practicing karate can be a lot of hard work, the benefits make it worthwhile. After a couple of weeks of practice, you'll feel stronger and calmer, and you'll see your karate skills improve.
Getting ready for the Karate
Karate is a martial arts, but it is very athletic. Therefore, body conditioning is important. In order to get the most from a training session, it is necessary to work as hard as possible and push yourself to the limit. You must pay close attewntion to the messages that your body sends. If you do not feel right during karate practice, it is good idea to checxk with your doctor to make sure that your weight is within the correct range. Remember that your body is growing and needs proper nutrition in order to perform at its best.
Part 2
The Uniform
What you should wear
In karate, everyone wears the same uniform for training. The special uniform is called a karate gi. The traditional karate gi is all white, and most groups wear a patch to show which club or group they belong to. Sometimes you see colored gis or ones with fancy patterns like stars and stripes.
Karate gis are made up of pants and a jacket. The pants have either a drawstring or elastic waist. If you have a drawstring waist, after pulling the pants on, the string on either side is pulled until the waist is tight. It is then tied through the small loop in front of the pants.
The jacket has no buttons. It is fastened by strings on eighter side of the bottom. When you put the jacket on, make sure that the left side goes on the outside, so that the lapel goes from upper left to bottom right. Tie the strings on the bottom sides of the jacket with a square knot. This will keep the jacket from coming off. The belt is tied over the karate gi at the waist and holds everything together.
How to tie the Belt
An important part of the karate uniform is the belt. The belt that comes with your karate gi is very long. It is tied in a special way. You must learn to tie the belt correctly, otherwise is may come untied in the middle of practice, and you will have to stop and tie it again.
To tie your karate belt correctly, fidt he middle of the belt and hold it in front of the you with hands about a foot apart. Place the middle of the belt at your waist and wrap it around each side of the your body. Pass the ends of the belt behind you and around to the front. Hold the belt together in front of you as you tie the knot. To tie the knot, hold the left part on the top of the right. Pass the left section under both parts of the belt in front of your stomach. The belt will show be half tied. Take the part of the belt on the bottom and do the same thing again. (This is called a square knot.) When you are finished, both ends of the belt should be the same length and the belt ends should fall about halfway between your waist and knees. Some people like their belts longer or shorter, but it doesn't matter. The belt is there is keep your uniform together.
What the Different Colors Mean
It shows their rank and how good they are at doing karate. Different groups use slightly different belt colors for the lower ranks, but from brown belt and above, the belt colors are pretty much the same in all schools. Remember - - it is not important if the school you join has different belt colors for the lower ranks. What is important is that you practice hard and pay close attention to what the instructor tells you.
Let's see how the belt rank system works by looking at the International Shokotan Karate Federation (ISKF), a large group in North and South America that is a branch of the Japan Karate Association (JKA) in Japan. They all practice Shokotan karate. There are two kinds of ranks, those that are above black belt and those below black belt. The ranks below black belt are called kyu grades, and the ranks of black belt, and the above are called dan grades. The kyu grades start at eight and go down to one. So an eighth kyu is pretty much a beginner, but a first kyu is getting ready to take the test for black belt. In the ISKF, ungraded students wear white belts. Students who are eighth kyu wear yellow belts, Green belts are worn by sixth kyu students, and those who have trained long enough to be a fifth or fourth kyu wear purple belts. Third, second, and first kyu students wear brown belts. In some other groups, lower ranking students wear stripes on the tip of their belt to show that they are getting close to the next rank.
Black belt ranks start at one and go as high as ten. In the ISKF and the JKA, all the dan holders just wear black belts. In some other groups, those are sixth, seventh, or eight dans wear a red and white belt, and those who are ninth or tenth degrees wear a solid red belt. Usually the instructors who are sixth degree and above are older then forty, and those are are eighth degree and above are usually in their fifties and sixties at least. An instructor who is a ninth degree is usually very old. Tenth degree holders are also very and old and there are not very many in the Okinawan/Japanese karate organizations.
When you are passing through the kyu ranks on the way to black belt, you may change your belt colors several times in a couple of years. Black belt holders wait years between their promotions, and their belt color never changes.
History of Karate
Karate and other fighting arts have been practiced for many years. What we call karate today may have begun in ancient India almost two thousand years ago. Many people believe karate was practiced by Buddhist monks in China to protect themselves against bandits. One Buddhist monk, Bodhidharma, traveled from India to China around the year A.D. 520. He settled at the Shaolin Monastery in China and taught Zen Buddhism to the monks there. He taught his fighting art to them as well. In time, the monks at Shaolin Monastery became strong fighters.
Over the next centuries, karate spread throughout China and was practiced by many people. A number of different karate-like styles developed during this time, and karate became well known. In China, people who practiced karate called it chuan'fa or kung-fu.
The Chinese did a lot of trading with the Okinawan people, whose island-home is only a few hundred miles off the coast of southern China. In time the people of Okinawa learned some of the fighting techniques from the Chinese and combined them with their own fighting system, called te, Since the Okinawans were ruled by the Japanese and not allowed to have weapons, they practiced karate to protect themselves. The development of karate continued on Okinawa until about 1900. At the beginning of the twentieth century, they started reaching karate in the Okinawan schools.
Okinawa has many famous karate masters. Perhaps the best known today is Giehin Funakoshi. Master Funakoshi was a school teacher. He traveled to Japan in 1922 and gave a demonstration of Okinawan karate at a national sports show. After that, he was asked to stay in Japan to teach karate. He never gave his style an official name, he just called it "karate," which means "empty hand" or fighting with weapons. His students named it "Shokotan," and so karate had a new name in Japan. Other famous teachers came to Japan from Okinawa and started other styles of karate. Today, the most popular karate styles in Japan are Shokotan, Shito Ryu, Goju Ryu and Wado Ryu. However many people practice other kinds of karate as well. Some other kinds of karate are Chito Ryu , Shorin Ryu, Sudokan, and Shirinji Kempo.
Karate spread to the United States after Workd War II. Many servicemen were stationed in Okinawa and Japan in the 1950s and 1960s and studied karate in their free time. About that time, many Okinawan and Japanese people who knew karate came to the United States. They began to teach karate in the US. Since that time, karate has become very popular in the US. In almost every small town, there is at least one karate club, and in big cities there are usually very many.
Why should I learn Karate?
The most popular reason for learning karate is self-defense. Have you ever felt bullied or physically threatened by someone? Learning karate is a great way to feel confident that you can protect yourself in such situations. Notice that I said the idea is to protect yourself, not to harm others. If you want to practice karate so that you can hurt another person, then you are practicing for wrong reason.
Karate is also a good way to develop self-control and physical fitness. To succeed in karate, you must discipline yourself to practice regularly and to listen carefully to what your instructor tells you. Though practicing karate can be a lot of hard work, the benefits make it worthwhile. After a couple of weeks of practice, you'll feel stronger and calmer, and you'll see your karate skills improve.
Getting ready for the Karate
Karate is a martial arts, but it is very athletic. Therefore, body conditioning is important. In order to get the most from a training session, it is necessary to work as hard as possible and push yourself to the limit. You must pay close attewntion to the messages that your body sends. If you do not feel right during karate practice, it is good idea to checxk with your doctor to make sure that your weight is within the correct range. Remember that your body is growing and needs proper nutrition in order to perform at its best.
Part 2
The Uniform
What you should wear
In karate, everyone wears the same uniform for training. The special uniform is called a karate gi. The traditional karate gi is all white, and most groups wear a patch to show which club or group they belong to. Sometimes you see colored gis or ones with fancy patterns like stars and stripes.
Karate gis are made up of pants and a jacket. The pants have either a drawstring or elastic waist. If you have a drawstring waist, after pulling the pants on, the string on either side is pulled until the waist is tight. It is then tied through the small loop in front of the pants.
The jacket has no buttons. It is fastened by strings on eighter side of the bottom. When you put the jacket on, make sure that the left side goes on the outside, so that the lapel goes from upper left to bottom right. Tie the strings on the bottom sides of the jacket with a square knot. This will keep the jacket from coming off. The belt is tied over the karate gi at the waist and holds everything together.
How to tie the Belt
An important part of the karate uniform is the belt. The belt that comes with your karate gi is very long. It is tied in a special way. You must learn to tie the belt correctly, otherwise is may come untied in the middle of practice, and you will have to stop and tie it again.
To tie your karate belt correctly, fidt he middle of the belt and hold it in front of the you with hands about a foot apart. Place the middle of the belt at your waist and wrap it around each side of the your body. Pass the ends of the belt behind you and around to the front. Hold the belt together in front of you as you tie the knot. To tie the knot, hold the left part on the top of the right. Pass the left section under both parts of the belt in front of your stomach. The belt will show be half tied. Take the part of the belt on the bottom and do the same thing again. (This is called a square knot.) When you are finished, both ends of the belt should be the same length and the belt ends should fall about halfway between your waist and knees. Some people like their belts longer or shorter, but it doesn't matter. The belt is there is keep your uniform together.
What the Different Colors Mean
It shows their rank and how good they are at doing karate. Different groups use slightly different belt colors for the lower ranks, but from brown belt and above, the belt colors are pretty much the same in all schools. Remember - - it is not important if the school you join has different belt colors for the lower ranks. What is important is that you practice hard and pay close attention to what the instructor tells you.
Let's see how the belt rank system works by looking at the International Shokotan Karate Federation (ISKF), a large group in North and South America that is a branch of the Japan Karate Association (JKA) in Japan. They all practice Shokotan karate. There are two kinds of ranks, those that are above black belt and those below black belt. The ranks below black belt are called kyu grades, and the ranks of black belt, and the above are called dan grades. The kyu grades start at eight and go down to one. So an eighth kyu is pretty much a beginner, but a first kyu is getting ready to take the test for black belt. In the ISKF, ungraded students wear white belts. Students who are eighth kyu wear yellow belts, Green belts are worn by sixth kyu students, and those who have trained long enough to be a fifth or fourth kyu wear purple belts. Third, second, and first kyu students wear brown belts. In some other groups, lower ranking students wear stripes on the tip of their belt to show that they are getting close to the next rank.
Black belt ranks start at one and go as high as ten. In the ISKF and the JKA, all the dan holders just wear black belts. In some other groups, those are sixth, seventh, or eight dans wear a red and white belt, and those who are ninth or tenth degrees wear a solid red belt. Usually the instructors who are sixth degree and above are older then forty, and those are are eighth degree and above are usually in their fifties and sixties at least. An instructor who is a ninth degree is usually very old. Tenth degree holders are also very and old and there are not very many in the Okinawan/Japanese karate organizations.
When you are passing through the kyu ranks on the way to black belt, you may change your belt colors several times in a couple of years. Black belt holders wait years between their promotions, and their belt color never changes.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
What is a Friend?
A friend is somebody who knows you
and likes you exactly the way that you are,
someone who's special and so close in
thought that no distance can ever seem far...
A friend understands you' without any words,
stands by you when things don't go right,
and willingly talks over problems with you,
till they somehow just vanish from sight...
And whether you're neighbors or live miles apart -
a word from a friend gives a lift to your heart
and your spirit that shows you once more
why friendship is life's dearest gift!
and likes you exactly the way that you are,
someone who's special and so close in
thought that no distance can ever seem far...
A friend understands you' without any words,
stands by you when things don't go right,
and willingly talks over problems with you,
till they somehow just vanish from sight...
And whether you're neighbors or live miles apart -
a word from a friend gives a lift to your heart
and your spirit that shows you once more
why friendship is life's dearest gift!
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