Month: November 2017

When I was a child I wanted to learn secret martial arts. I wanted to know those mysterious fighting moves that would enable somebody smaller to smash somebody taller. I wanted to know that hapkido or jujitsu or whatever that would enable me to really trash the bad guys.

I began my study of Ed Parker Kenpo Karate, and the mysteries were at my fingertips. In those whirling movements were hidden fist martial arts, invisible and flaming dragon concepts, and down and dirty, take ’em apart fighting secrets. I was thrilled by the endless forms and techniques…but I couldn’t quite figure out the secrets.

From Chinese Kenpo I switched over to classical Karate. There was a secret Karate had, I just knew it in my bones, and I performed the karate kata until my body trembled. In the end, I could grab hold the dojo mat with my feet, and throw that classical power with the best of them, but there was no real secret to it all.

After Karate I made the transition to Kung Fu, with all those systems and variation there had to be a secret Kung Fu that would make me just really unbeatable! I threw myself into Shaolin Kung Fu and Kung Fu fighting and…I felt like a whirling dervish taking performance enhancers! But, in the end, I didn’t find that secret that would make me more than a superhuman being!

Okay, not just Shaolin, but maybe a specialized type of secret Shaolin! So I went looking for Bruce Lee Wing Chun…I wanted to be a Wing Chun grandmaster! I began beating that wooden dummy like he was yesterday’s eggs, doing the wooden dummy training until he needed bandages…but…I was just working hard, there was no secret gimmick that I could use, there was no…sigh.

So, not some sort of secret Wing Chun, but maybe aderivation on secret Wudan…that had to be the method! I explored Wudan Tai Chi Chuan, searched for secret Bagwa zhang, and spiraled through the world of mystical martial arts like tracers on a battlefield. And, great stuff, I could sink my mysterious and intrinsic energy right to the earth’s center, and spin like a planet full of windmills, but…where was that secret martial arts I needed so bad?

I did everything. Meditations on the secret of intrinsic energy that fueled the mysterious tan tiens and enlightened the glowing chakras of the greater macrocosmic orbit that led to realization in samadhi when I ascended from my skullular brainpan in the higher realms of paradaisical existence. But, and I say this with a bit of self reproach…I can’t find the secret!

I’m not young now, and in great shape, gonna last a long time, and I know there is a secret out there. And I can do martial arts fighting with the best of the young turks, slay herds of secret ninjas if I have to, so nobody can stop me from getting to that secret martial art…if I could only find it. Please…will somebody explain me…what is the secret?

The Chelsea International Fine Art Competition has been supporting and benefiting the works of talented artists from around the world for 29 years. The prizes awarded to selected artists are designed to help these artists gain valuable exposure and advance their careers in the art world.

“Winning the competition allowed me to feel more confident in my work, and increased my exposure in the art world. I have nothing but praise for the competition staff and the staff at Agora Gallery. It was the best experience I’ve ever had in any gallery. I would love to enter again and have recommended the competition to many artists.” – Ed Moret – selected artist, 2013.

The competition awards include:

– Participation in an exhibition at Agora Gallery, located in New York’s famous art district, Chelsea.
– Cash Prizes
– Internet Promotion on ARTmine.com
– Valuable promotional packages by Everything for Artists (E4A.com)
– Art critic review to be published in contemporary art magazine, ARTisSpectrum

The competition juror this year is Mr. Carlo McCormick, one of New York’s noted culture critics and curators. He has written many books and catalogs on the subject of contemporary art and artists, and he lectures and teaches extensively at universities and colleges across the country.

The Chelsea International Fine Art Competition is sponsored by Agora Gallery and Everything for Artists, and partnered with The Children’s Heart Foundation, funding research and support for victims of Congenital Heart Defects.

Important dates for the 29th Chelsea International Fine Arts Competition:

– February 11 2014 – Competition opens
– March 18, 2014 – Entry deadline
– April 9, 2014 – Results announced
– August 22nd through September 11th, 2014 – Exhibition for selected artists

“I have very good memories of New York, Agora Gallery, and the whole team. It was an unforgettable moment! Thank you again for everything you have given me, not only on a personal level but also benefiting my artistic career.” – Brigitte Garcia – selected artist, 2013

The competition is open to all artists over the age of 18 from all around the world. All media are accepted with the exception of video art, film, performance art, jewelry, and crafts. In past years, selected entries have been diverse in media, including photography, painting, sculpture, and digital work.

Entries can be completed entirely online. Please read the rules and regulations before submitting.

To find out more, please visit the competition website: http://www.agora-gallery.com/competition/

To make sure that you don’t miss out on this wonderful opportunity, sign up to the competition’s mailing list to receive reminders and notifications: http://www.agora-gallery.com/mailinglist/main.aspx

When discussing the various martial arts and fighting styles from around the world, the little known urban system of 52 Blocks, a variation of the more broad style Jailhouse Rock, has to enter the conversation. Researchers Daniel Marks and Kammau Hunter have argued that Jailhouse Rock may in fact be America’s only “Native Martial Art.” With an African influence and believed to have originated in the 17th and 18th centuries by slaves, 52 Blocks went on to evolve in the streets of Brooklyn and US prisons. The style focuses on close quarter techniques, similar to those self defense situations found in environments like prisons, restrooms, alleys, and hallways where movement would be limited.

As mentioned above, 52 Blocks, also called “52 Hand Blocks” and “The 52’s”, is part of a larger collection of fighting styles referred to as “JHR”, or “Jailhouse Rock.” 52 Blocks and their variants are similar to the martial arts of capoeira and savate, both of which were fighting systems associated with urban criminal subcultures, which underwent a gradual process of codification before becoming established as martial arts accessible by the mainstream. Other variations from the JHR collection are Comstock, San Quentin style, Mount Meg, and Stato, each name in reference to the prison that it was started at. As it gained popularity and exposure in the earyl 70’s, Jail House Rock seems to have first showed up in the media in an article on Martial Arts in prison called, “KARATE IN PRISON: Menace, or Means of Spiritual Survival?,” in Black Belt Magazine from July, 1974.

Despite wide belief, 52 Blocks is not a style of Western boxing, nor is it Wing Chun mixed with Western boxing. Considered a defensive style that creates openings for offense through constant movement, the fighter blocks/catches punches with the forearms and elbows. Short power punches, flowing movement, and counter striking are all aspects of 52 that are emphasised, while using sharp and evasive footwork. Unlike boxing but similar to Muay Thai, the elbows are commonly used to strike the opponent.

Much of the argument and conflicting information about 52 Blocks stems from whether or not the style has been influenced at all by “uprocking” or what most of us call breakdancing. Some believe this link is the aspect of some of the fighting techniques inspired by or copied from the “diss moves” taken from the Brooklyn Rock or uprock style of breakdancing. It looks like you can find as many sources stating these links between 52 and urban dancing as you can to the contrary, making it the subject on 52 with the most conflicting information.

As many practitioners of 52 have felt that their system has long been overlooked, it’s now is starting to take its rightful place in martial arts history, the product of longtime growing media coverage. Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight, is one of the high profile boxers to first endorse 52 and professional boxers including Mike Tyson Zab Judah, and Bernard Hopkins have testified to the existence of the style, giving it a voice of legitimacy from true fighters. Rashad Evans, former light heavyweight champion in the UFC, has also promoted 52 and its effectiveness.

The NoHo Card Is Your Ticket To Everything NoHo The NoHo Business Improvement District (NoHo BID) and http://www.nohoartsdistrict.com have teamed up to offer the NoHo Card to residents and theatre and arts lovers as an incentive to visit and explore the NoHo Arts District in North Hollywood. The NoHo Card encourages visitors because it is a discount program providing incredible savings on theatre, dance, restaurants, clothing and services from more than 50 businesses in the NoHo Arts District. Best of all, the NoHo Card is FREE and can be picked up easily at any one of the participating businesses.

Get Your NoHo Card // Check Out The Discounts at http://www.nohoartsdistrict.com.

The NoHo BID and www.nohoartsdistrict.com created this special partnership because both entities are devoted to the improvement, promotion and prosperity of the businesses that make up the NoHo Arts District. The NoHo Card program’s goal is to bring visitors to NoHo to explore the unique, one-of-a-kind businesses found in the only all-inclusive arts district in Los Angeles.

“We understand this is a difficult time for the neighborhood and for businesses and want to give both all the help we can with their marketing efforts.” Katie Gibson, NoHo BID Project Manager.

“We were careful with our program and chose not to do a huge, one-time discount like Group On,” says www.nohoartsdistrict.com Editor-in-Chief Nancy Bianconi. “Our our goal with the NoHo Card is to offer a long-term, consistent discount so folks will enjoy more of the arts district, and more often.”

Here’s How It Works: Show the card at participating businesses to receive discounts. Participating businesses have the NoHo Card Logo in the window. Go to http://www.nohoartsdistrict.com to check on all discounts.

Fine Print *Discounts are at the businesses’ discretion and are subject to change at any time. *For questions on discount go directly to the participating business. *Discounts cannot be combined with any other offer. *The NoHo BID, NoHo Arts District.com, and all participating businesses, reserve the right to change the program or cancel participation in the program at any time.

The North Hollywood Business Improvement District

In April 2007, 168 North Hollywood property owners voted to approve the establishment of the North Hollywood Business Improvement District (NOHO BID). The NOHO BID consists of all property within an area that includes: Lankershim Boulevard between Cumpston Street and Camarillo Drive and Magnolia Boulevard from Vineland Avenue to Tujunga Avenue. It was originally a three year BID that has been renewed for an additional five years. The NoHo BID’s core purpose is to Lead the Continual Enhancement of North Hollywood as a Flourishing and Trendsetting Center for Arts, Culture and Commerce.

NoHoArtsDistrict.Com

The NoHo Arts District is a one-mile community in North Hollywood, CA home to more than 20 live, professional theatres, art galleries, dance studios, music recording venues, vintage boutiques and a myriad of dining options. Since 1998, http://www.nohoartsdistrict.com has forged a strong following of arts lovers and local Los Angeles residents who use the site as a source for theatre, things to do in the District, places to dine and local businesses to frequent. With a growing circle of visitors, subscribers, friends and followers, news and events from nohoartsdistrict.com reaches a wide audience of arts patrons from all over greater Los Angeles, folks in the NoHo Arts District and across the San Fernando Valley.

Many people think that Real Gung Fu Power is the result of big muscles. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. To fully understand the power we are talking about here we must change our fundamental notion of what a muscle is and does.

The purpose of a muscle is to to retract, and thus to make a limb or body part move in a certain direction, or become tense for some purpose. Thus, when somebody works his biceps so he can have a big gun, he is reducing his punching power. Punching power comes from working the muscles on the other side of the arm, the triceps, which cause the arm to go out, which is where you’ll find a punch.

The point is to figure out which muscle results in what action, and then to isolate and work those specific muscles. Want punches? Then do a slow punch and look at your arm and body.

Figure out which muscles result in the extension of the arm, which muscles support the impact of the arm, and so on. This will enable you to develop specific exercises which will cause you power in the punching muscles…which will give you harder punches.

If you want to really gain some punching power, try doing ‘punch ups.’ These are push ups where you don’t go all the way to the ground, you only go down six inches, then up. This isolates and builds the exact muscles which come in to play in a knock out punch.

Yes, you should develop other muscles and muscle groups, explore other variations of push ups, but concentrate a bit of your work out on punch ups and you will shortly be amazed at your growing ability to knock somebody out. You should explore this idea for places on the body where you might get hit. By this I mean some sort of wrestler’s bridge so you’ll have a thick and stable neck, or some sort of crunches for when you get hit in the stomach, and so on.

Now, the other thing you should be concentrating on is endurance. By this I mean you shouldn’t be growing a large, bulky muscle, for that weighs more, runs out of juice sooner, and is more awkward to move around. Instead, you should be growing dense muscles, muscles that are leaner and not fatter.

To do this you should cut the size of the weight you are working with (or just go to body calisthenics, which is my choice) and focus on how long you can do the exercise. Try for hundreds of repetitions of deep squats that take 3-4 seconds to complete (build the number slowly to avoid injury), or build up the number of pulls ups you can do into the hundreds. I’ll write more on this idea later, but for now, this should give you a good notion on how to change your work out so that you have maximum body endurance, the potential for lightening quick moves, and all the other things that go along with creating true Gung Fu Power.