Category: Arts

Essentials of Karate Arts that you need to know

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The Art of Karate can be traced back to an event called ‘Pankration’ held during the first Olympic Games in 776 B.C. This type of Japanese martial arts was developed in the island of Okinawa which was invaded by Japanese in the 17th Century. The invasion involved weapon ban while warrior invaders wore bamboo armor. With the help of Chinese experts on the island,

islanders kick or punch to penetrate such armor and disable the warrior. Since then, they developed karate training which aims to form unarmed combat techniques with hands and feet as lethal weapons.

Karate comes from the Japanese characters which mean “empty hand”. This fighting technique includes kicking, grappling, punching, locks and joint manipulation. It is widely known as an art of self defense and signifies a mysterious way of fighting which enables the executor to cause death or injury even with a single blow.

It doesn’t only focus on physical strength but also polishing inner self and spirit to eliminate weakness and boost strength.

Karate Practice and techniques in Karate training, a mix of extensive physical aspects and incorporation of psychological elements are highlighted. Karatearts is divided into four aspects such the basics, forms, sparring and weapons training.

The basics or kihon involves variety of styles performed in unison or a combination of techniques which is usually executed through pre-arranged drills in small groups or in pairs. Kata, which constitutes forms in Karate,

displays sequence of movements representing a variety of offensive and defensive postures. This concept will lead to real understanding of combat principles while developing correct posture and gracefulness. Sparring or kumite include knockdown karate, kickboxing variants and free sparring.

This technique is mostly notable in tournaments and employs grappling, kicking and punching. Lastly, training of traditional weaponry is the focus of kobudo.

Karate as a sport

The world of sports has witnessed how Karate arts dramatically evolved the last 20 years. With the aid of movies and television, its popularity increased throughout the world and even become part of the Olympic Games. Recognized by the International Olympic Committee, the World Karate Federation facilitates karate competition in the Olympic Games and develop common rules governing all the techniques. Sparring and forms may be demonstrated as a team or by individual. Judging for kata and kobudois through a panel of judges while kumite is judged by a head referee. Karate as a sport is aimed to express and display series of defensive and counter attacking movements. This effectively display how Karate evolved as used in self-defense.

Karate Philosophy

Intensive Karate training incorporates mental refinement and leadership essentials. Anko Itosu, Grandfather of Modern Karate, emphasized the importance of self-discipline and promoted the virtue of personal conviction. This aspect of karate teaches every karateka to practice courtesy, purge selfish thoughts and to be inwardly humble and outwardly gentle. For intent and focus practice, karate will help each karateka to effectively clean one’s mind from evil thought and to never be easily drawn into the fight. Indeed, the world of Karate does not only revolve around physical power and strength. This type of Japanese martial arts promotes the virtues of perseverance and will power. In karate arts, mastery of the craft is not totally physical. A karateka can only be self-improved by keeping within him heart and character.

Jason Mecier Mixed Media Art

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Jason Mecier is a mixed media artist that has spent over 10 years making three dimensional mosaics of pop icons. Every portrait is created from discarded items that come directly from the celebrities themselves. Working and living in San Francisco, Jason Mecier wishes ultimately to trade his art with Jane Seymour, Buffy Sainte-Marie and Marilyn Manson whose watercolors are available for sale on his website.

Among the mixed media art that he creates, Jason Mecier offers his rendition of Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. Created on a panel, the wide array of Elviras refuse has been put together to create not only a very close likeness, but a piece of art that any Elvira fan would enjoy. The background is created from the line of Halloween makeup that has the Elvira likeness and name attached. Made up of false nails, spiders, comics, bracelets, tubes and even a remote control, Elvira stands striking the pose so many fans know her for.

Willie Nelson is another of Jason Meciers mixed media art portraits. Made of objects such as paperclips, buttons, a feather, leaves, a die and even a plug, this portrait resembles the star whose trademark black shirt is made of roofing tiles. With wood as a backdrop, this piece could be hung on the walls of any fan or collector of Jason or Willies pieces.

Jason creates a likeness of Donald Trump in the next piece, whose background is made up of the likeness of one hundred dollar bills. A bow tie made from hair clipper guards, jacket including a remote control and a shoe, even discarded bow ties from Mr. Trump make up this fantastic image. An old cordless home phone, a hairspray can, Colgate can and an H. Urmann cigar tube are all included in this masterpiece. Cell phones, plug wires, shells and circuit boards along with the artistic touch of Jason Mecier, is all it takes to create the Trump in your home.

Phyllis Diller, the comedienne of days gone by is recreated in this stunning likeness by Jason Mecier. O a 70s inspired flowered panel, Phyllis Diller is in life a creation of mixed media art. This piece is made from many items including a Tabasco sauce bottle, doll torso, lipstick applicator, toothbrush, beads and baubles as well as perfume bottles and a matchbox from the St. Francis and scotch tape dispensers. Mecier outdone himself on this piece, as it is hard to pin down the woman in life, and depicting her in art is rarely done correctly. This piece is not only a tribute to the woman, but to Jasons hard work and determination in perfection.

When it comes to depicting the life of the rich and famous in mixed media art, it seems as though this artist has all the bases covered. From reclaimed materials and personal items to arrangement for creation of his pieces, Jason Mecier has created his own personal niche in the art world in the form of sunglasses and gum wrappers.

The Chelsea International Fine Art Competition

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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

Rules Of Shaolin Kempo Karate & Martial Arts Part 1

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Rules of Kempo Karate & Martial Arts

Here are some principles that can get you some better leverage out of any art, not just Kempo Karate.

Establish Your Base

Any combative artist needs to be rooted on the ground. Its only from the rooting into the ground that your blocks, strikes and kicks will have any real power to them. It might help to think of pushing a car or sawing wood to get what I mean. If your not planted correctly you will have no effect.

Distance

This the distance your attacking limb moves before impact. This will very with each individual. Bruce Lee for example generated some pretty impressive power from his now famous 1-inch-punch. You can have the most powerful punch or kick in the world, BUT if you deliver it too close OR too far away it will have little effect. Bag work helps master this.

Your Block should be a Cocked Position

This is about making better economy of motion. The block you use should be the cocked position, or prelude to the strike. You should also have enough Distance to generate the power you need as well. An inward block followed by a back fist or cross chop is an example of this.

Martial Arts Tattoo Weakens The Fighting Spirit Of Ufc Gladiators

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That a Martial Arts Tattoo could indicate who would win an MMA match is nothing short of surprising. Yet, it seems to be the fact. To be sure, this is a quite unscientific survey, yet the results seem to be fairly predictable.

The project first began a couple of weeks ago, when this martial artist/writer was spending an exciting night perched in front of the tube. Exciting, because it was man to man contests of pure savagery: the mayhem and mania of grown men pounding one another to bloody pulps. At some point during these fights the question was born: do martial artists with tattoos adorning their bodies win more, or lose more?

A balance sheet was kept, results were tallied, and the results gave a decided advantage to the uninked ones being more victorious. Mind you, there was some confusion to be sorted out. After all, the bodies being tallied had to be compared for tattoos.

Two fighters had designs swirling across their torsos. Which one used more ink? Which artwork covered more flesh?

Regardless of proportions of ink and flesh, the martial arts fighters with less ink won more times than their inkier brethren. Actual statistics were between 70 and 80 per cent. These statistics held true for later tabulations, actually leaning even more in favor of the unmarked Mixed Martial Artists.

One factor that was of interest, but proved too difficult to keep track of was whether the type of tattoo had any effect on the proportions. The speed of the matches, the motion of the fighters, it was difficult to tell whether the contestants had a Karate tattoo, or a Bruce Lee Tattoo. The only specific tat noticed by this author was in conjunction with a victory by a Latin fighter with Heysoos emblazoned across his body.

Comes the question: why would a tattoo make a difference in a fight? Various theories were considered, theories having to do with the amount of ink having an adverse effect on the ‘breathing’ of the body. Or whether ink could have an effect on the musculature under the skin.

In the end, no theory held for all the facts, one could only reach the conclusion that fighters who cared more about image were not as concerned with punching power. That fighters who cared about how they looked, were not as serious about building the unique fighting willpower that is crucial to the successful gladiator. That a Martial Arts tattoo could very well weaken the fighting spirit of a man.

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