Category: Arts

After two stories broke one last week and another a couple of months ago the heat on the “Martial Art” website ring of Bullshido dot com, Bullshido dot net and Bullshido dot org, it appears to be clear that the sole purpose of the websites are to rake in Google Adsense pay per clicks. According to reports the web ring leader Neal Fletcher of Missouri and literally a handful of members and paid posters took on the online identity of over one thousand supposed members. With these fabricated identities known as avatars, the posters went on a rampage over several years posting outlandish comments and taking online content from website owners without permission to gain favor with search engines / Google, so that they could be on the first page of every major martial arts teacher in the United States. Once on the first page they could command clicks from those who were interested in taking classes from the newly and in many cases unknowing martial arts schools and teachers. Each click ringing the cash register for Fletcher through his arrangement with Google Adsense advertising.

It is estimated that Neal Fletcher through his web ring and efforts from his tireless bashers have raked in well over two hundred and fifty thousand dollars at the expense of his martial art victims. When approached about the amounts involved Google refused to comment as of course did Fletcher who did not reply to our repeated attempts to contact him at his home where he operates the web ring. Fletcher while having an interest in martial arts has no known rankings and our research only found he was a student of Mixed Martial Arts and has a video on Youtube of him being beaten badly.

Interestingly enough the only martial art to escape being bashed and demeaned are those dong MMA, all others are slandered at will. We also found records of Fletcher doing business as an MMA clothing maker, so this would explain his promotion of Mixed Martial Arts via degradation of all other arts and its teachers.

The abuse of teachers and schools, as well as students, on the Bullshido web ring has become so vile to the public that several websites have started to appear to bring Fletchers nefarious activities into the light of day, and expose him and his Martial Sportists as the Bullshido members are known, to the light of truth. The members on the web ring have little or no formal training in any art, and many were rejected at the schools they attended , hence the name Martial Sportist, as only real students have the title of Martial Artist. You can lean more at http://bullshido.info one of the sites leading the way in educating the public on the hazards of these kinds of for profit hate web rings.

The very worst part of the Bullshido scam is that at times Fletchers group even impersonates the persons being attacked making them look stupid and guilty of whatever the outlandish claim of the moment is being tossed. But as long as shameful and unethical behavior makes money, we will have misleading sites such as these. Maybe someday the U.S Congress will wake up long enough to enact tough legislation to protect our individual rights on the internet. We can only hope.

Thrissur, the cultural center of Kerala cradles this named center. The center is at the banks of Bharathapuzha (Nila) Cheruthuruthy.

This primary center for performing arts in Kerala follows Keralite traditions of classical dance forms, where ancient gurukula system is disciplined. It offers training for Kathakali, Koddiyattom, Mohiniyattom and Thullal. Regular, Long Term, Short Term and Intensive courses are available that makes an amateur into a professional.

The uneding passion of Vallathol Narayana Menon, (a poet and scholar) towards Kathakali and other performing arts, paved way to the establishment of Kerala Kalamandalam in 1930. Pattikkamthody Ravunni Menon, Guru Kunchukurup, Kalmandalm Krishnan Nair, Kalamandalam Neelakantan Nambeesan, Kalamandalam Krishnan Kutty Pothuwal, Painkulam Rama Chakyar, Thottasseri Chinnammu Ammu are the celebrated personalities who did their contributions to Kalamndalam.
The troupes of kalamandalam travel to different countries creating cultural wave throughout the world. They have participated in different International Dance Festivals. Kalamandalam also hosts a number of students and researchers from abroad.

At the primary stage, the staffs found it difficult to meet the expenditure for its maintenance; later it was converted to a grant-in-aid institution fully financed by the government. Presently a hierarchy of executive council and general council administers Kalamandalam (nominated by the State Government). The secretary supervises the day to day matters.

Campus
Presently functioning at Vallathol Nagar offers many facilities for the disciples.
Kalaris the training rooms
Koothambalam- The Temple Theatre
High School
College Library
Recording Studio
Staff Quarters
Hostels
Employees Co-operative Society
Administrative Block
Art Gallery
Koothambalam (Temple Theatre)- The temple meant for the performance of Koothu and Koodiyattom is considered sacred. The center designed in the ancient architectural style,
is the place where the communication between the audience and the artists take place.
The institution offers various certificate and diploma courses. High School education with any selected performing arts, plus two and degree courses (B Art) approved the State Government are the added advantages. Institution provides crash courses in Koodiyattom, Mohiniyattom, Kathakali, vocal Music and other percussional instruments. The course continues upto three months to two years depending on the subjects.
Under International Cultural Exchange Programs, Indian Council for Cultural Relations Government of India selects the students.
Vallathol Museum
The Museum at the residence of Vallathol displays the life of Vallathol through writings and images.

The Art Discipline
Kathakali- famous dance drama play based on themes in Ramayana, Mahabharatha and Bhagavatha.
Koodiyattom- this two thousand year old classical Sankrit theatre performance is a privilege to Chakyars and Nambyars. The main character acts the flash back events is the custom of the play.
Nangiar Koothu- is a play in which the woman character enacts the Sree Krishna charitam (the story of Krishna) in 41 days.
Mohiniyattom- the traditional dance form of Kerala flourished in the 17th century A.D. The dancer wears a golden jerry bordered cream color saree, waist garment, gold colored ornaments, jasmine flowers on the head and simple make up on the face.
Thullal- is a single actor performance that attracts even an illiterate through its simple rhythmic music.
Panchavadyam- combination of five orchestras- Thimila, Maddalam, Edakka, Kompu and Cymbal. Mostly performed during temple festivals.

Well experienced and talented faculties are available for the same.
Kalamandalam RamanKutty Nair, Padmanabhan Nair, Gopi are the pride of the
institution who maintain the international standard of the institution.

Admission:

A test in Malayalam or Sanskrit is to be performed prior to the admission and on completing the course on the basis of competence of the student.
The individual can join in any one of the subjects. Classes will be taken for Functional Malayalam and Sanskrit, if requested.
Courses commence from June 1st to March 31stand vacation classes are available from April 1st to May 31st. No deadline is fixed for the receipt of applications. The institutions also offer crash courses.

Medium of Communication- English, Malayalam and verbal communications are encouraged. Communication of the teacher with the foreign students is mainly through mudras(hand gestures). English is mainly used when long discussions are needed.

Course structure: Basics and special coaching (2hrs) will be given at the beginning of all courses. Only after the completion of the basics of the course, one can go through the intermediate and advanced lessons. The training of the foreign students will be with the native students after they have gained enough experience that particular course.

Financial asssistance
Sponsorships are available for the foreign students intending to study in Kerala kalamandalam. Indian council of cultural relations, Government of India, New Delhi Indo Sasthri Canadian Institute, the NCERT, and the American Institute if Indian Studies are some of the Indian institutes there is possibility of sponsorship.
Universities and departments of culture and education all over the world assist the same.

Application
The duly filled up application is to be send to the following address along with a crossed DD of US$- 10 or Rs.500 or a certified check. On the receipt of the application form along with this processing fee, the details of the courses will be informed. Students intended to join in the crash course should submit their application in a plain paper along with their bio-data.
Address:
KERALAKALAMANDALAM
Cheruthuruthy 679 531
via Trissur, India

Phone number: 91 4884 262418, 262562

Fees: fees are payable in advance and in different installments.

Accommodation:

Paying Guest- per head per month: 150$ – 200$
Foreign Students hostels:
With cooking facilities 70$
Without cooking facilities- 50$

Documents to be submitted
1.Photocopy of the passport and the student visa
2.One passport size photo
3.Original No-AIDS certificate attested by the recognized authority of the particular country
4.A short description on the performing art training or exposure you have made (optional)
5.Recommendation letter from the teacher (optional)

To reach there:
Air: Cochin International Airport
Rail: Thrissur Railway Station
Road: Thrissur K.S.R.T.C bus station

If you want to get good at mixed martial arts, you will need to work and train in different ways. To be one of the best MMA fighters, you need to keep your training and techniques varied and well rounded. To get more out of your training and improve your MMA skills, implement the following strategies.

Mixed martial arts training should focus first on your core. The reason this is true is because your core is the epicenter of your power for kicking, punching and ground fighting. You should do the typical core strengthening exercises, such as sit-ups, and lower back extensions, but you can do others as well. The medicine ball is one to be considered. This is a weighted ball that you can do many different exercises with. Try playing catch with this ball and a partner for an easy to do exercise. This can very quickly help you build the type of strength and coordination you need in mixed martial arts. It’s important that you focus on core training if you want to get the type of power necessary in MMA. If you are training at a mixed martial arts gym or martial arts school, it’s important to train with a variety of people. Make a point of training with those who are more experienced and skillful than you. In an effort to feel in control of the situation, everyone’s ego can lead them to only train with those at the same level as them or lower. Training with people at a higher level than you is the best way to improve, though. In most cases, they will be willing to give you tips and help if you are respectful and show them that you are trying to learn. Sparring with other skilled martial artists will show you the areas that you need to improve on. Training with more skilled fighters allows you to take your skills to the next level.

Following a regular routine is also important to keep you from losing focus. It’s important that you set up a schedule for all of the different types of trainings including strength, cardio, grappling and striking. Your routine doesn’t need to stay the same forever in fact it can be good to switch it around from time to time. It is a very important idea to have a plan when you plan to train. Your training time is likely to be limited by your busy schedule so be sure to make the most of what time you can have. By knowing exactly what you’re going to do when you arrive at the gym, you can be more efficient. The more disciplined you are in your training, the faster your mixed martial arts abilities will accelerate. There are tons of different options for conditioning for mixed martial arts, and as individuals from diverse backgrounds become involved, more approaches are being introduced to the art. In its particularly short history, MMA has already unfolded quit a bit. If you remember the above components when you train, you’ll recognize that your MMA skills become greater at an exciting rate.

Theatre is a wonderful form of entertainment and depends on performing artists who are highly dedicated to their craft to create the magic so often found there. The industry, however, is highly competitive and extremely demanding of performers. When people think of athletes they may picture football, tennis or basketball players or long distance runners. But like other athletes, dancers and musicians also experience injury and develop conditions as a result of their trade.

Professional musicians and dancers face common injuries like tendinitis, sprains, muscle strains, carpal tunnel syndrome, neck and back pain, and other orthopedic, neurologic and musculoskeletal conditions.

Think about the repetitive nature of practice and performance for string musicians, pianists and wind instrument players. Its little wonder they often suffer from conditions related to overuse of the tendons, ligaments, muscles and joints. Neck and shoulder pain is very common. So is pain in the hands. Dancers tend to face musculoskeletal and orthopedic conditions involving the feet, ankles, hips and knees and are also more prone to injury regarding bones and ligaments such as the ACL.

For these reasons preventative medicine and sports therapy for performing artists are growing.

Occasionally chronic injuries and/or conditions develop as a result of incorrect posture, stress, insufficient rest and excessive force placed upon the bones, ligaments, joints, muscles or tendons. Passion that drives performing artists also tends to produce people so committed to the craft they often tend to accept a lifestyle of injury as easily as theyve embraced the physical demands placed upon them. But the two are not the same, and injury left untreated can jeopardize a performers career. Performing artists who ignore early symptoms of an injury or condition and continue working, without allowing conditions or injuries to heal, arent thinking of the long term consequences to their body and their ability to work. Ignoring a small problem now can lead to a larger one later.

Preventative medicine and sports therapy for performing artists can teach them how to avoid injury and reduce the likelihood of a developing an unwanted condition. Performers can learn techniques for reducing force on joints by selectively strengthening and balancing the muscles needed to perform. Musicians can learn about how different postures reduce muscle tension produced while playing their instruments. Dancers who struggle with osteoarthritis in their hips and knees may receive Durolane injections directly into the joints to lubricate them, relieving pain and inflammation. Can you imagine how much relief this brings to a dancer otherwise forcing him or herself to continue dancing in pain?

Techniques that both dancers and musicians can adopt include warm up and cool down exercises, stretches, short breaks, adjustments in technique, use of devices and modified foot gear, massage therapy and more. Sports therapy professionals can work with performing artists to stretch and loosen tight areas and strengthen weak ones. Combination treatment options like injections in correlation with procedures for reducing inflammation and blood flow to a targeted region are essential restorative therapies which often remove the need for surgery.

It is not uncommon to see medical personnel from sports therapy clinics present at rehearsals and performances. These behind the scenes professionals can do wonders to support and enhance performing artists, helping them avoid injury and also mitigating injuries to avoid further damage. Sports medicine is a quickly evolving industry and medical advances are constant. Performing artists stand to increase their rate of long-term success by establishing and building a relationship with a good sports therapy clinic that understands and specializes in treatment of people in their industry.

Sound care now becomes an investment enabling performing artists to increase their level of pain-free comfort, physical strength, enjoyment and longevity within the field they are passionate about — and that many hope to continue well into their senior years.

In most martial arts disciplines, the hands play a very important part. It is, therefore, essential that the martial arts practitioner takes the best possible care of his hands by protecting and strengthening them. A bad sprain or break might put him out of action for months, something which is largely avoidable.

Heavy impact to the hand could damage the many small bones making up the hand. Incorrectly or inadvertently striking a hard object or a hard part of an opponent’s body could cause the metacarpals to splay and break. This could be avoided by taping the hands in order to hold the metacarpal bones together. You can toughen your bones by striking objects, inducing the bone cells to remodel the bone at the struck area and increasing the density of the bone.

The wrist can also be taped in order to reduce wrist flex. It is important to keep the wrist properly aligned when executing a fist strike; if it bends on impact, it could easily become dislocated, sprained or broken.

The “Karate Chop” or Knifehand Strike

This strike is performed using the side of the hand from the little finger to the wrist. In many Oriental martial arts systems, the knifehand is used to block as well as to strike. Suitable targets for this strike are the throat, the jugular, the mastoid neck muscles, the collar bones, the upper arm, third vertebra, knee cap, wrist and elbow.

The Spear Hand Strike

Delivery is as with a punch but with the hand held open as with a knifehand. The tips of the fingers are the intended striking area. Appropriate targets are the eyes and throat. Because of
the high probability of breaking one’s fingers, the spearhand technique is generally not suitable against most other targets.

The Ridge Hand Strike

Also called the reverse knifehand. The striking surface is formed by tucking the thumb into the palm, and extends a few inches along the side of the hand from the index finnger to knuckle. Ridge hand strikes are commonly performed with a hooking motion or a straight arm swing. Suitable targets are the throat, jugular, mastoid neck muscles, jaw, nose and groin.

The Hammerfist Strike

Here one strikes with the underside of the clenched fist, as in swinging a hammer, but it can also be done horizontally as with a backfist strike. There is no threat to the bones of the hand as there is no compression to the knuckles or the metacarpals. There is also no leverage to bend the wrist.

The hammerfist is particularly effective for striking the nose, jaw, ear, temples, strenum and wrist (for blocking punches). The hammerfist strike is sometimes used in mixed martial arts to avoid damaging the bones of the hand.

Extended Knuckle Strike

Rather than striking with the traditional fist punch, hand strikes can be delivered with one knuckle extended, usually the middle or index finger knuckle. Because impact is made with the knuckle, force is concentrated onto a smaller area. This type of strike is suitable for attacks to pressure points.

The Palm Strike

This involves striking with the bottom part of the palm, the area where the hand joins the wrist. The hand is held perpendicular to the wrist to avoid hitting the softer wrist tissue against the target. The palm strike is as effective as a closed fist when performed properly, as the heel of the hand makes a surprisingly solid striking surface. There is far less risk of injury to the striker’s hand.

When executing any kind of fist strike, it is good practice to keep the fist clench relaxed until just before impact in order to maximise the speed of the punch. This is because clenching the fist counters the action of the wrist muscles used in punching. There are several suitable targets, some examples being the jaw, nose, ears, back of the head, the kidneys, abdomen and groin.

You can see that it is essential to take adequate precautions in protecting your hands, if you are to get the most enjoyment out of your sport.