The Wonderful Blog Which You ve Never Seen

Escrima is a popular Filipino martial art dating back to the 1500s, during the colonization of the Philippine Islands by the Spanish. Escrima is a very simplified but practical form of combat technique originally designed as a self-defense tool. Escrima is also known by many other names such as Eskrima, Arnis, Arnis de Mano, Kali and FMA (Filipino Martial Art). Because of its effectiveness, Escrima is also taught extensively in many Special Forces including the Navy Seals and Army Special Forces.

Brief History:

Many believe that Escrima or Filipino Martial Art originated from Chinese influenced Indonesian fighting tactics such as Kun Tao, Chuan Fa and Tai Chi double stick forms. Others believe the Escrima art form to be wholly developed by the Filipino people. However, the most plausible explanation seems to be rooted in the history of the Spanish colonization.

When the Spanish occupied the Philippine Islands, a form of art similar to Escrima had already existed but was only recreational. However, this art began to develop into a more martial discipline when the Spanish prohibited indigenous Filipino weapons such as the Bolo (machete), daggers and fighting sticks in the 1700s. It remained a clandestine art until the Americans took over in 1898. From then on, the Filipino Martial Art started to gain recognition and popularity.

In the West, Escrima was introduced and popularized by Filipino immigrants after the Second World War, particularly in the American states of Hawaii and California.

Weapons and Footwork in Escrima:

Unlike other forms of martial arts, the primary tool to learn the basic concepts of Escrima is focus on weaponry, which is followed by empty-hand techniques. The Rattan stick is the most common weapon used in Escrima training, which includes hand and head protection when sparring. Other weapons include burned and hardened stick made of hardwood, such as Molave or Kamagong (ebony). Modern versions may be made out of aluminum, other metals, or high-impact plastics. The Nunchaku (also known as Kung Fu sticks or Double sticks) weapon was popularized by actor Bruce Lee, an avid practitioner of Escrima.

Each range - the distance between opponents - in Escrima has its own characteristics and footwork techniques. Good footwork enables efficient control of these ranges. The footwork is demonstrated in terms of triangles with two feet occupying two corners of the triangle and the step to the third corner. The shape and size of the triangle is dependant on the particular situation.

Escrima Facts:

1. Escrima is mixture of hard (like Karate) and soft (like Tai Chi Ch’uan) styles.

2. Escrima is taught on ideal street-fighting settings without the need for uniforms.

3. Restraining techniques are not focused on but rather on offensive, combat styles.

4. There are no official rankings in Escrima except for titles to recognize seniority of instructors.

5. Most of the power in Escrima is derived from body movement and economy of motion, rather than strength.

6. Escrima is a complete martial art, focusing on weaponry and empty-hand techniques.

7. Escrima provides effective training in sparring against multiple opponents.

Martial Arts HQ http://martialarts-hq.com/ offers articles, tips and tricks about different martial arts.

Tags: escrima, martial arts, recreation, sportsescrima, martial arts, recreation, sports

Share This

No Comments »

First things first for this edition of the Houston Astros, according to Manager Phil Garner, get to .500. If this squad can go 5-2 this upcoming week leading up to the All Star break, they will do just that. This minor goal, in turn, will also place them right with the Cubs for 2nd place in the NL Central. Granted, Houston is not gonna catch St. Louis, the Cards will be clinching the division sometime in early to mid September, but the NL Wild Card is not out of the question.

On Sunday afternoon, Roger Clemens shut down the Cincinnati Reds to move the Astros to four games below .500, and also within 6 games of the Atlanta Braves, the current Wild Card leader. All the talk of Clemens return to the NY Yankees, or even an in-state swap with the Texas Rangers have come to an abrupt halt. Considering the Rangers recent struggles, and the impending suspension of their ace, Kenny Rogers, looks like Houston has the best chance of the two Texas teams of making postseason play.

This feat is amazing for a team that began the season without Lance Berkman, forced to start basically an “all rookie” outfield to open the year, and losing team captain Jeff Bagwell for the season early on. The injuries to Berkman and Bagwell, coupled with the inability to resign the top catch in free agency, Carlos Beltran and allowing Jeff Kent to head West , left this teams offense in shambles. And it showed, until a few weeks ago.

The turnaround: Willie Taveras and Craig Biggio have been getting on base in front of Berkman, Ensberg, and Lane., Berkman is getting his swing back after missing the first month and a half of the season. Ensberg has began hitting for power again, and has solidified his hold on 3rd base (and what should have been an All Star game appearance, imo), and Lane has realized he can hit Major League pitching, and it’s built his confidence. Most importantly for the offense, Phil Garner has shown patience with these hitters, and allowed this lineup to take shape.

It also doesn’t hurt when you have three pitchers like Clemens, Oswalt, and Pettitte who can go deep into games and not expose a thin relief corps. And as a lineup, you know you don’t have to spot these guys 5 runs for them to win. Unfortunately, early in the year, these guys were getting very little (or no) run support.

It is still gonna be an uphill climb for Houston. By all indications, this will be the team that Management is gonna field the rest of the year, no blockbuster trade, like the one last year that brought in Beltran for the seecond half of 2004. The Astros are interested in bringing in a reliever or two to shore up the bullpen, but it’s still very well possible this team contends. They will be seeing a lot of teams that have thrown in the towel (Cincy, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee) and are looking towards “next year”. It’s also no sure bet that Chicago will stay healthy, or string together any sort of consistancy to shore up 2nd place. Couple that with the fact that no “dominant” teams exist in the East or West (Washington is not dominant, imo, but they are a gritty bunch), the NL Wild Card can conceivably be won with an 85-77 or 86-76 record.

The Astros have weathered the worst already in 2005, and I give them credit for not folding the tent and giving up on this season. But, I’m not surprised, considering that Phil Garner is the one leading them into battle.

John Onan (aka Ego74) is sports moderator at the Online Players Union http://www.theopu.com
and a football contributor at realfootball365.com

Tags: Baseball, News, recreation, sportsBaseball, News, recreation, sports

Share This

No Comments »

There are least four things that will never happen in my lifetime because they would simply be too good to be true. These things are: cable TV subscriptions sold on an a-la-carte basis, a federal sales tax replacing the federal income tax, the election of a Libertarian president, and a major league sports franchise coming to Virginia.

Congress and the FCC have begun to talk about the idea of forcing cable (and satellite) companies to offer channel subscriptions to the public on an a-la-carte basis. But, mark my word, it’ll never happen. Fearing that it might actually happen, cable and satellite companies will soon begin to offer “family” tiers of channels which do not contain a lot of harsh language, violence, near/implied/partial nudity, or sexual situations. This, of course, will probably appease the “family” advocate groups, at least to the extent that they will stop pushing so hard for a-la-carte. Shortly after that, the whole concept of a-la-carte will fizzle out. Too bad for me. I only subscribe to basic cable for the sports and news channels. I don’t have much use for boob tube anymore, so I rarely watch any of the other channels I’m forced to pay for. I’d love to be able to put the kibosh on channels like AMC, Bravo, The Disney Channel, E!, Comedy Central, F/X, MTV, Lifetime, VH-1, USA Network, and many of the rest. However, I’ll be stuck with them as long as I feel the need for ESPN and CNN.

President Bush and many in Congress have talked about the idea of replacing the Federal Income Tax with a national sales tax. That would take all the paperwork burden off taxpayers, but it won’t happen. There are too many powerful people who benefit from keeping the current system. They will do whatever they have to do to punch holes in the concept of a national sales tax. They will say that it isn’t fair to the poor (regressive), it would cause a budget disaster, and it would be a nightmare to implement, none of which are true. Unfortunately, their strategy will work and chance to get of the Federal Income Tax will be foiled again.

No one from the Libertarian Party (or any other third party) will be elected President in my lifetime. The Democratic and Republican parties have to much control over the electoral process to ever let that happen. Voters always say they want change, and many of them agree with the libertarian point of view, but they never opt for very much change at any given time. In addition, since most don’t believe a third party candidate could win, they won’t vote for one, thus making it a self-fulfilling prophecy. Is voting like a day at the race track? Is politics only about picking a winner? Obviously, I don’t think a third party candidate could win either, but that’s never stopped me from voting Libertarian anyway. Too bad there are not enough people who have the moral integrity to follow my example!

In the past, various groups have tried and failed to bring major league sports franchises to the state of Virginia. They will continue to fail. This is true for several reasons. First, we have too many NIMBYs in Virginia (especially in the northern part of the state) who do not want a sports stadium or arena anywhere near them. Second, too many people in Virgina are content just to be “near” major league sports franchises like those in DC, Maryland, and North Carolina. They see no need to have any of our own. Third, Virginians are willing to spend tax dollars on anything and everything except a little to defray the costs of a new sports stadium or arena. Fourth, while Virginia is the 12th most populous state in the Union, it has no metro areas of its own that rank in the USA’s top 30. Pro sports leagues use this along with the fact that Virginians can be “served” by the teams in DC, Maryland, and North Carolina as a reason to always pass over Virginia when it comes time for expansion or relocation.

Terry Mitchell is a software engineer, freelance writer, amateur political analyst, and blogger from Hopewell, VA. On his blog - http://commenterry.blogs.com - he posts commentaries on various subjects such as politics, technology, religion, health and well-being, personal finance, and sports. His commentaries offer a unique point of view that is not often found in mainstream media.

Tags: cable, culture, libertarian, society, sports, taxes, tv, virginiacable, culture, libertarian, society, sports, taxes, tv, virginia

Share This

No Comments »