Another Great chinese-martial-art Article
Combat Obesity in Children with Martial Arts

Childhood obesity is a worrying trend that needs to be addressed as urgently as possible. Overweight children not only suffer from all kinds of health problems, they are invariably the targets of bullying in school and generally occupy the lowest rung of the social ladder among their peers. Telling an obese child to control his/her food intake or to substitute high calorie snacks with healthier ones is a pointless task - all it does is hammer home the point to the child that you think he/she is lacks self control.

Exercise is a great way to lose weight, but it does tends to get boring. However, there is a way to get overweight kids to exercise while empowering them with self confidence and a definite sense of achievement - through training in the Martial Arts. Learning martial arts is an excellent way to lose weight, build stamina, learn self discipline and develop a positive sense of self and the advantages of this type of training cannot be overstated.

The child is taught by a trained expert. There are many forms of martial arts and each one of them has a different approach and philosophy. The cornerstone of any form of martial arts training is the relationship between the master and student. Strict adherence to the rules of the training school and obedience to the master are vital aspects of the training process. In return, the child as a student of the martial arts school gets the teacher's guidance in all matters relating to the particular form of combat he/she has decided to master. Since the sanctity of the teacher- student relationship is paramount to the the philosophy of martial arts, the overweight child finds in his trainer a mentor that he can respect and whose advice he is willing to follow.

Self defence is the most important aspect of martial arts. This means that the student is taught to protect himself from any form of physical assault. Since overweight children are often regularly bullied in and out of school, the ability to confront their tormentors with the knowledge that at last they do not have to be at the receiving end, can be a powerful tool in gaining self assurance. Moreover, the traditional forms of Oriental self-defense or combat (aikido, judo, jujitsu, karate kendo kick boxing kung fu sumo wrestling, tae kwon do) utilize physical skill and coordination and concentration without the use of weapons, so there is little chance of inflicting lasting damage.

Self discipline is pivotal for those who would like to master the skills needed to become a good exponent of the martial arts. This means that the child, once considered too weak willed to control his/her appetite, is taught by a master to curb his desires, learn restraint and conduct his/her life with perfect self control.

Building stamina, learning the correct method of breathing, flexibility of the body and strengthening of muscles through repetitive exercises are the inevitable results of learning any of the different self defence techniques. The student can sense the changes in his/her body within a month or two and the effect only increases as the higher levels of technical difficulty are scaled.

With little or no external pressure to be the best other than that which the students place on themselves, the out of shape child can take as long as he/she wants to master each level of skill before going on to the next. Since older and more experienced students are encouraged to lend a hand in coaching the newer ones, a feeling of belonging and camaraderie is fostered. This in turn gives the obese child the safe environment he needs to master his chosen discipline knowing that he /she will never be mocked or made to feel worthless.

Although learning and mastering any of the various forms of self defence requires a long term commitment; the positive results that manifest themselves within a short period of time indicate that perhaps this is an avenue worth exploring, along with diet restrictions and plain exercise, as a means of reducing the number of overweight children in our society.

About the Author

Naresh Belliyappa is a software engineer and website developer. He can be contacted at narbell@hotmail.co.uk For more articles,please visit www.ebookmall4U.co.uk

Featured chinese-martial-art Items
Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan and Its Applications

Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan and Its Applications
Demonstrates the complete Yang Style Tai Chi form for health and self-defense.

Legend of the Red Dragon

Legend of the Red Dragon
A distraught warrior (the charismatic Jet Li) forces his toddler son to choose between a sword and a wooden horse. If he chooses the sword, together they will fight the corrupt government that killed their family; if he chooses the horse, the warrior will send him to join his mother--in hell. Thus begins The New Legend of Shaolin, a wild Hong Kong fantasy. Though the opening sounds grim, the movie shifts ahead seven years and becomes increasingly comic as its plot unfolds. The story centers around a map tattooed on the backs of five boys; it leads to treasure from the Ming dynasty that a heroic sect hopes to use to reestablish the Shaolin temple, which the government destroyed. Meanwhile, Li is forced by poverty to become the bodyguard of a blowhard merchant, who doesn't realize that his bride-to-be is part of a mother-daughter team of notorious thieves. Meanwhile, a villain deformed by a poison that gives him invincible powers is hunting down the five boys, one of whom is the merchant's son... As is usually the case with Hong Kong cinema, the filmmakers have crammed in enough stuff to fill several ordinary movies. The exaggerated stoic conversations between Li and his 7-year-old son, both of them stone-faced and painfully serious, are extremely funny, as are the bizarre bits when the bride's mother masquerades as a ghost. And on top of all this are at least seven spectacular action sequences that are both comic and exciting. A prime example of the unique joys of Hong Kong pop culture. --Bret Fetzer

The One-Armed Swordsman

The One-Armed Swordsman
(Action/Comedy) A young woman marries a dying senior member of a martial arts family in order to protect her family's fortunes, leading to a duel with a greedy relative.

Death Warrant

Death Warrant
Jean-Claude Van Damme faces his biggest challenge yet: a maximum-security prison! The internationalsuperstar spin-kicks his way through this action-adventure powerhouse that explodes with death-defying stunts and nonstop martial-arts wizardry. Filled with the same power, intensity and skill of itsunstoppable hero, Death Warrant is your ticket to a Van Damme good time! Van Damme is Officer Louis Burke, a roguish police detective who goes undercover to investigate a series of inmate murders at Harrison Penitentiary. Posing as a prisoner, Burke encounters brutal inmates, corrupt guards, death and betrayal at every turn. But when he unearths the shocking secret behind the penitentiary's inner workings, Burke must attempt a daring escape that pits him against not only hundreds of murderous inmates...but also a deadly enemy from his own past.

Dynamite Warrior

Cheng-Tzu's Thirteen Treatises on T'ai Chi Ch'uan

Cheng-Tzu's Thirteen Treatises on T'ai Chi Ch'uan
In this erudite yet practical book Professor Cheng shares the secrets of his lineage and takes us to the heart of T'ai Chi Ch'uan, presenting it as a martial artm a medicine, and a means of exercise and self-development. With examples from anatomy and physics, he demonstrates precisely how the postures and moves work, internally as energetic principles, and externally on opponents. Professor Cheng always emphasizes that disease (like an attack from an opponent) is an opportunity for training. The practitioner of T'ai Chi Ch'uan may serve as his (or her) own doctor and, likewise, as the physician (or trainer) of an attacker. This special text includes:
-Thirteen essays on his insights into T'ai Chi Ch'uan.
-Oral secrets from his teacher, Yang Cheng'fu.
-Questions and answers giving his commentary to the classics.
-Descriptions and mechanics of push-hands, San Shou, and Ta Lu.
-Prefaces by both Madame Cheng and Bejamin Pang-Jeng Lo.

Self-Defense for Peaceable People: Defend Yourself Regardless of Size, Gender, Age, or Strength

Self-Defense for Peaceable People: Defend Yourself Regardless of Size, Gender, Age, or Strength
Self-Defense for Peaceable People is an accessible, authoritative introduction to the art of unarmed self-defense. While compatible with all existing martial arts systems, the method requires no training or experience at all, and is especially suited to those who simply want a realistic command of basic self-defense. Drawing on a 20-year career in law enforcement and a lifelong practice of martial arts, John Townsend explains clearly and succinctly the philosophy and theory behind self-defense, and describes the types of attacks that can happen in different situations. Realistic photo sequences illustrate in detail the evasion and counterattack techniques that enable readers to defend themselves effectively in any real-world situation, regardless of size, gender, age, or strength. Armed only with these simple techniques, readers gain a new sense of freedom, personal confidence, and peace of mind.

Fedor: The Fighting System of the World's Undisputed King of MMA

Fedor: The Fighting System of the World's Undisputed King of MMA
In Fedor, the undefeated, undisputed heavyweight MMA champion of the world unveils for the first time his trademark striking and grappling techniques through descriptive narrative and more than 2500 step-by-step color photographs. Detailing dozens of throws, punching combinations, cardio workouts and ground and pound techniques, this book leaves no stone unturned.

Current chinese-martial-art News
Gale-Force One sweep the board at Birmingham kick-boxing contest - BirminghamMail.net

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:54:42 GMT

Gale-Force One sweep the board at Birmingham kick-boxing contest
BirminghamMail.net, UK - Mar 19, 2008
"San Shou is a Chinese martial art which introduces throws and locks as well as kickboxing. "Our youngest fighter was seven and our oldest 16 and every one ...