Become a master in martial arts


Martial Art is the Path to Awareness

As you learn how to combine differentbelow your navel. This kind of breathing
techniques into fluid movements, the properallows you to be centered and aware of your
amount of relaxation plays a vital role. Whatsurroundings and it is the door to the
I mean by the proper amount is the rightelusive Zone or body, mind and spirit working
balance between muscular tension andtogether  as  one.
relaxation. These are the basics of improving
physical awareness or kinesthetic awareness.Relaxation is the second component of body
Let  me  tell  you  why.awareness. Breathing and relaxation are like
day and night, both are necessary and they
Once you learn a new kick or throw, you mustdepend on each other. When you practice deep
pay attention to your body to see if you arebreathing like in Chi Gung, your body
doing it correctly. This constant attentiongradually relaxes. Chi Gung is a Chinese
allows you to become aware of how you aremartial art that teaches how to use breathing
moving and how tense or relaxed you are.to  develop  Chi,  or  internal  energy.
Hence, the term body awareness. If you want
to be successful in any sport you must beWhat a lot of beginners and even black belts
able  to  master  body  awareness.find hard to achieve in improving their
body's awareness is the balance between
There are a couple of items in your trainingtension and relaxation. They are either too
that can help you enhance body awareness. Onetense or too relaxed. When you are too tense,
is your breathing. Breathing allows you toyou become very slow and waste lots of energy
use energy more efficiently by exhaling outbefore you get to the opponent. If you are
as you strike or inhaling in as you preparetoo relaxed, your technique may not have
to punch, kick or throw. What you must avoidenough power. It is in this balance that you
is holding your breath or breathing too fastcan  easily  become  more aware of your body.
in the heat of battle because this can lead
to  over  exertion.Another great tool for developing body
awareness is meditation and all martial arts
Another vital component of breathing isimplement some form of meditation. Meditation
focus. Breathing affects the brain by slowingcombines breathing and relaxation, allowing
down the brain cycles and therefore,you to pay close attention to your body.
improving your focus. If your focus is offMeditation also helps with your mental
your body awareness is off. When you areawareness by letting you see the thoughts
focused, you are able to pay attention tothat come into your mind and by clearing out
your body easier then when you areunwanted thoughts and improving your focus.
distracted.Martial training without meditation is like
going in the water and not knowing how to
During sparring your breathing must be evenflow with the waves. The waves (physical
and deep from the lower abdomen or dantien astraining, fighting or sparring) will crush
it is call in Chinese. Dantien means centeryou pulling you down into the depths of the
of energy and there are lots of them in thesea.
body, but the one I'm referring to is the one



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