Martial Arts
I am a martial artist. When I first started, I might have said I take karate. Here in America, both of those statements are technically true. We tend to generalize all martial arts as “karate.” In reality, only some of what we see is actually karate. The word karate is Japanese, as is the style, and it means “the way of the empty hand.” It was created in the 15th century by Okinawan peasants who were not allowed to have weapons by royal decree. Thus they developed ways of protecting themselves without the use of weapons, or by using regular objects such as sticks (Hassell 14). Today there are many, many styles of this art. There are many other styles, such as tae kwon do, kung fu, capoeira, and many more. They can be very interesting, and are beneficial to participate in for many reasons. However, it is not for everyone. I hope to offer some information on how these arts work, and why joining is a good thing, but only after some thought.
As I said before, I am a martial artist. I do not take karate, or tae kwon do, or kung fu. I study a style that is still in its infancy. My instructor is a bit of a maverick, and has created this style himself. It changes often and is not set stone. It is called Te Da Kuen Do, meaning “free flowing fist way.” It is a combination of several martial arts. My instructor, Sijo Mike Giles, is a sixth degree black belt in tae kwon do, a certified instructor of Lee Jun Fan Gung Fu (Bruce Lee’s style), and has lesser degree belts in a number of other styles. Sijo is Japanese for “founder,” as he is the founder of his style. Instructors are called “sensei” which means teacher.
Sijo has a great deal of martial arts in his head, a...
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... the teacher knows what he or she is doing. Try to get all of the information up front, especially costs, and requirements such as tournaments. Be very sure of what you want. If you don’t want forms, then I suggest you try something else, or a martial art with no forms. If you just want self defense, try to find a program for just that. If you want a martial art, you have to be willing to do all of the components.
In the end, only you can decide what’s best for you. Some of what I’ve talked about can sound rough and not fun. I tend to think of it as college, you don’t always enjoy it, but the end result is worth it. The benefits really outweigh the price. As long as you are willing to try, you can attain that black belt. You gain confidence and feel truly safe. Martial arts is a wonderful, terrible, incredible thing. I highly recommend it.
Have you ever wondered, “What is the difference between MMA and boxing?” Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fights originated as hand-to-hand combat performed as a sport called Pankration from the greek words Pan and Kratas, meaning “all powers” (Shamrock). Often a practitioner of one of the skill groups in martial arts challenged a practitioner of a different skill for ultimate bragging rights (Shamrock). In 393C.E. Roman emperor Theodosius the first banned the Olympic games,spelling the end of Pankration as a popular sport (Shamrock). This style of fighting later resurfaced in the twentieth century in Brazil via a combat sport known as vale tudo”,anything goes” (“Encyclopedia Britannica”). MMA
I am currently preparing for something much more important to me than my black-belt though, and I am in the midst of that test. Being accepted into a university like Princeton will be the pinnacle academic experience and will represent my years of work academically, physically, and in the community. After receiving my black-belt though, I have realized that it is only the beginning of an exciting journey, not the end, and I anticipate the same will happen with college. From jump-spin-crescent-kicks to two nunchuck katas, and the joy of mentoring the lower belts, my black-belt test led me into a position which I plan on continuing in one of Princeton's many martial arts
Today, I’ve won many awards, including many grand championships and being ranked top ten nationally. I continue on with my adventures within karate-fueled by my passion for the sport. In order to get an understanding of what this means to me, you have to know how I got here. It all began just before kindergarten year, both of my parents worked late hours so I had to join some sort of afterschool program. The elementary school that I attended offered extended day, which is what I wanted
Today, most modern styles of Tai Chi Chuan trace their development to at least one of the four traditional schools: Chen, Yang, Wu, or Sun.3 The most common style of Tai Chi currently practiced in the states is Tai Chi Chuan.4 This type of Tai Chi comes from the definitions: Tai Chi- meaning infinity, the absolute. It contains dynamic and static movement: it is the mother of Yin and Yang, of everything male and female. It is the root of motion, which is division, and of stillness, which is union.5 Chuan- or fist, is the symbol of unity between body and mind.4 Tai Chi Chuan must neither be overdone nor underdone: it must be exact. Comprehension comes from growing an understanding, plus effort and this leads one gradually to full enlightenment.4
It is important that everyone in a district, school, and classroom work together to prevent and solve bullying. This is a problem that concerns everyone including teachers, students, and parents. As a school or classroom we must educate students and staff to the warning signs of those who bully and those who are victims. Equally, we must communicate to the students the district policies and expectations that are laid out clearly in the handbook. Districts must decide on and implement a bullying prevention program that fits the needs of its student body.
Through my advanced training in the martial art of tae kwon do, I have come to realize the numerous benefits that this sport has to offer. I have gained many things including knowledge of self-defense, excellent physical conditioning, and a refreshing outlook on life. The rewards are abundant, however they require an immense amount of effort to achieve. Each martial art is unique and has distinct contributions of its own. This is why it is difficult to hear people generalize they are all the same. What people do not realize is the enormous difference between the individual martial arts. Today, the two most popular martial arts in the world are karate and tae kwon do. On the outside, they both seem very similar, in actuality they are on opposite sides of the spectrum.
Bullying is a problem that thousands of children suffer from year after year. According to U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, “bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose” (U.S Department of Health & Human Services. n.d, p. 1). Bullying is an issue that has been around for centuries. Although it has been an issue for centuries, it has not been till recently that it has become a huge problem. Bullying is an issue that people should be concerned about. It is an issue that people
The criminal justice system is the system of law enforcement that is directly involved in Pros-ecuting, defending, and punishing
sobriety and elegance which make Aikido one of the most powerful and beautiful ways of
Bullying has been a part of schooling for as long as children have been congregating. To some it seems like a natural, though uncomfortable, part of life and school experience, while to others it can mean terrifying experiences which spoiled and characterized otherwise happy years in school. Dan Olweus, a pioneer in bully behavior research documented that 2.7 million children are affected as victims, and that 2.1 children act as bullies (Fried, 1997, as cited in Aluedse, 2006). With bullying cited as the reason for violent, gun-related crime in the past few years, school districts as well as national governments have put anti-bullying policies in place. Bullying is a complicated phenomenon, involving more than one child demanding lunch money from a smaller child. It is a worldwide epidemic hitting schools everywhere. Virtually everyone has seen or experienced bullying. With technological advances, bullying is even hitting the internet. Parents, teachers, students and governments agencies alike are attempting to put a stop to bullying practices.
Bullying in schools is something that is currently on going and most likely never disappear on its own. Bullying is the unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance (stopbullying.gov). Although, bullying is not new it is becoming more prevalent today. Socially withdrawn, shy, and reserved children are prime targets of bullying (Juvonen, 2007). For many years bullying has been put off as a sort of rite of passage, everyone must go through it. Many adults today will say that they have been involved in bullying as child and it just faded. That was okay in the past, but today many children are hurting themselves as a result to bullying. To try to help with bullying one must know the
Bullying is a repeated harmful act that continues to affect millions of students every year. There is no stereotypical person that is a target for bullying; anyone can be its victim. There may not always be any signs of physical harm during these attacks, but our children always suffer emotional harm. Educating students, teachers and parents seems to be the only valid solution to this problem. There are many organizations that can educate the schools on this subject but for it to work people must care. Maybe one day, when enough people realize that this problem will not go away with out their help, we can eliminate bullying from our schools. In a perfect world there would be no bullying, but if you could ask Rachel Scott she would tell you we do not live in a perfect world, only a hopeful one.
The criminal Justice system include agencies such as law enforcement, courts, and prosecution and defense attorneys. Once a crime has been committed it goes through the law enforce first which includes the police officers that investigate the crimes. Then based on evidence they make an arrest and the case goes to court in front of a jury. In court the prosecution and defense attorneys argues to the right of the client and the state. Finally based on the evidence presented and testimonies the alleged criminal goes to prison for however many years deemed fit by a judge.
Bullying has become a serious problem in public schools systems. Being a victim of bullying is a daily struggle for some students. The issue continues to grow, but the question is how to stop bullying from occurring. Many ways have been attempted to stop bullying, but some are more effective than others. Having the students get involved seems to have the most positive effect on the bullying issue in public school systems.