Coming soon: Cane for Self-defense

The much awaited Cane for Self-defense DVD is being edited for an August release. Check out a sneak preview here.

What is the difference between pushing kick and front kick?

We recently recieved this question through our author forum:

Master Kim,

I purchased your Complete Kicking DVD. One quick question: The Pushing Kick is not on the DVD, but it is used in the Top 100 DVD that I also have. Is the Pushing Kick really like a front kick but you push the opponent with the entire bottom of the foot? I can't tell from the Top 100 DVD. Any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks.

Matt

Sang H. Kim answers:

Pushing kick is different from front kick in two ways: Front kick's trajectory is simultaneously circular and upward to the target; pushing kick has two segments - you chamber the leg by bending your knee then push the target with either the ball of the foot or entire bottom of the foot. The targets are the lower stomach, pelvis, or chest.

The variations are: side pushing kick and diagonal pushing kick. The diagonal pushing kick is done from fighting stance by pushing the opponent's thigh with your toes facing out/upward and heel facing down/inward. It is often dangerous to use for your own safety, thus rarely used, but effective. Caution: it can hurt your knee joints and your opponents' too.

7 Scoring Tips for Taekwondo Sparring

Olympic Gold Medalist Kuk Hyun Chung and co-author Kyung Myung Lee share these scoring tips in Taekwondo Kyorugi: Olympic Style Sparring:

1. Counterattacking has a better chance of scoring than attacking for advanced competitors.
   
2. Beginning and intermediate competitors are most likely to score with single direct attacks.
   
3. In a close match, an attacking fighter is more likely to win that a counterattacking fighter unless the counterattacker can score a knockout.
   
4. The most frequently used attacks are roundhouse kick, back kick and axe kick.
5. Successful competitors can effectively counter these kicks.
   
6. The side kick and front kick are rarely used in competition any more and are highly unlikely to score points.
   
7. The roundhouse kick is the preferred kick for scoring, followed by the back kick and axe kick.

New ITF Taekwon-do Patterns DVD Set

Save $10 off the regular price of $49.95 when you order the new ITF Taekwon-do Patterns DVD Set by June 30th. Imported direct from Korea, this 2-disc DVD set teaches the first 18 patterns of the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) Changhon pattern set. Learn all of the patterns up to 4th degree black belt from expert Korean instructors. Multiple views and detailed instruction are excellent for at home practice and review.

Preorder and Save on Tonfa DVD

Save $5 when you order Young Kil Song's new Tonfa DVD. The tonfa (side-handle baton) is traditional weapon that was originally developed in Okinawa. On this DVD, Master Young Kil Song teaches a unique Korean style of Tonfa training with an emphasis on traditional style techniques using a single tonfa.

Zen Man Soundtrack Released

Released by popular demand, the moving and inspirational music of Zen Man is now on CD. Composed by Jason Solowsky, the music of Zen Man is a blend of East and West, action and instrospection. Own the Zen Man Soundtrack today!

Official Limited Edition Zen Man T-shirts

Just released: Official Limited Edition Zen Man movie T-shirts. These cool black T-shirts with a martial arts themed Zen Man logo on the back will only be available for a short time. Get your's now before they're gone!

Forearm Strikes: Drills for the Heavy Bag

"Striking with the inside of the forearm is similar to throwing a roundhouse punch and striking with the outside of the forearm is a similar motion to the backfist," says Loren W. Christensen, author of Solo Training and Fighter's Fact Book. "When striking with either side, it’s imperative that you keep your arm bent to prevent injury to your elbow joint."

Here are two simple forearm strike drills that Loren suggests adding to your heavy bag workout:

Forearm from behind

Face your imaginary opponent in your fighting stance. Step forward and drive a right reverse punch into his chest, followed by a left elbow to his ear. Whip your right arm around behind his head and snap the inside of your forearm into the back of his skull. He can’t defend against the elbow because he can’t see it. Work to make the combination flow smoothly.
Air: 3 sets, 10 reps – both sides
Bag: 3 sets, 10 reps – both sides

Forearm to nose

Face your imaginary opponent in your fighting stance, left leg forward. He throws a reverse punch that you slap to the right with your lead hand, but he continues to move forward, and before you can retract your blocking hand so as to backfist him, he is too close. No problem, you still have the outside of your forearm, which you ram into the point of his nose.
Air: 3 sets, 10 reps – both sides
Bag: 3 sets, 10 reps – both sides

Knee pain after training? Be sure to warm up

One of the source of joint pain in older martial arts students is the lack of a good warm up, says Sang H. Kim, author of Martial Arts After 40. To reduce the incidence of knee pain, he suggests the following simple addition to your warm-up.

1. Sit down on the floor, put your hands behind you on the floor comfortably, and stretch your legs forward.
2. Breathe deeply in and out a few times and shake you legs off by lifting your legs up and down gently. You may begin with the left leg then right leg repeatedly 10 to 15 times.
3. Rotate your legs inward and outward 10 to 15 times.
4. Lie back with your arms wide open on the floor, raise your legs vertically. Wait 10 to 15 seconds and feel the leg muscles starting relaxing.
5. Do bike riding in the air 30 to 60 times according to your inclination of the day.
6. Put down the legs and relax for 60 seconds and breathe deeply.

Sambo Book Released

Championship Sambo, by Steve Scott, has been released. Preorder sales have been brisk and this is proving to be one of our more popular titles. With so little available on the increasingly popular sport of sambo, this book is a much welcome addition to libraries of serious grapplers.

Sparring Combinations: 4 to Get You Started

If you're new to sparring or not sure where to start when it comes to combinations, Sang H. Kim suggests the following four to get started:

1) lead hand jab + rear hand punch + rear leg roundhouse kick
2) front leg roundhouse kick + lead hand punch + rear hand punch
3) front leg roundhouse kick + rear leg roundhouse kick + lead/rear punch combo
4) switch stance + front leg hopping side kick as you progress with your coordination

Practice 3 sets of 10 for each combination 3 times a week. Within 12 weeks you should be able to apply all 4 combinations in sparring with speed and power. Once you have these down, check out Top 100 Scoring Techinques DVD for more advanced combinations.

Push-ups: Max out Your Reps

Are you one of those people who can't seem to get past 50 push-ups or 10 or 100? No matter what your "push-up plateau" is, author Ted Weinmann (Warrior Speed) has some tips to break through to the next level:

1. Start with a good diet and plenty of rest, many people overtrain.
2. Start lifting weights using a weight that enables you to perform at least 4 but not more than 6 reps for the pecs, tris, and delts. Either work them in that order each day you train or train them on different days. (Explanation - if you tire your triceps and then go to bench to work your pecs, you won't be able to give your pecs an adequate workout because your triceps will be the limiting factor in your bench.) Rest 2 to 3 minutes between sets.
3. When you hit a plateau, change the exercises (flys for bench) and/or your schedule (1, 2 or 3 workouts/week per muscle group).
   
4. Keep this up until you hit a final plateau, then add plyometrics and repeat.
5. Next final plateau, add dynamic weight training and repeat.
6. Don't forget mental training. Psyche yourself up. If you did 5 reps the last time, mentally train yourself that night and prior to the set on your next day's training to do 6 reps, or 5 reps with a couple more pounds.
7. If push-ups hurt your wrists, turn your hands out so that the fingers point toward 10:00 and 2:00 o'clock instead of at 12:00.

Zen Man DVDs Shipping Today

The Zen Man 2-disc sets have arrived in our warehouse and will ship out this evening. If you've already ordered, expect to be receiving your DVD shortly. If you haven't, there is one last chance to take advantage of the preorder discount of $5.00 off the regular retail price of $24.95. Order by May 10th and get the 2-disc set for only $19.95. Order here.

New Training Article: Intro to Sambo Groundfighting

Just added to the TurtlePress.com martial arts training tips library: Intro to Sambo Groundfighting, an introductory article with some key tips about winning on the ground in a sambo match.

New Chin Na DVD from China

We are expecting to receive a new Chin Na DVD in our next shipment from China, due in next week. Explained and demonstrated by Chen Erhu (the twelfth-generation disciple of Chen-style Taiji Quan) Chin Na is the practical application of push hands. This informative DVD contains 55 movements and demonstrations of the first and second Chen style sets.

How to determine your ideal fighting weight

Not sure what weight class you should be competing in at your next martial arts tournament? Loren W. Christensen and Wim Demeere, authors of The Fighter's Body, offer this rule of thumb:

Begin by measuring your body fat percentage. It’s recommended that a competitive fighter have less than 15 percent. Now, some fighters feel comfortable carrying more, but they should know it’s useless weight that slows and inhibits their mobility, and decreases their overall effectiveness. “Sure, I got a belly, but I’m really fast,” some argue. Great, but how much faster would they be without the tummy to lug around? Extra weight is something you want your opponent to have, not you.

Seven percent body fat is as low as you should go. Lower, and you risk serious health problems. Yes, competitive bodybuilders often drop to three or four percent, but they remain there for only a few days, sometimes only the day of the contest. Carrying 15 percent is comfortable and easy to maintain.

Coming soon: Championship Sambo

Our latest book release, Championship Sambo: Submission Holds and Groundfighting by Steve Scott, is due out in about 4 weeks. The book has just gone off to the printer and will be available for preorder early next week.

The leg and arm locks of sambo are a great addition to every grappler's toolbox. Author Steve Scott covers the essentials with an emphasis on technical precision and developing solid core skills.

Martial Arts Injury Care: Patellar Tendonitis (Jumper’s Knee) & Osgood Schlatter’s Disease

This simple but effective injury care tip comes from Trish Bare Ground's Guide for Martial Arts Injury Care and Prevention:

Many jumping sports get a condition known as patellar tendonitis, or jumper’s knee, from repetively jumping on a hard surface, putting stress and strain on the patellar tendon which attaches the four large quadriceps muscles (on front of the thigh) to a small bump (tibial tuberosity) just below the patella (kneecap). Pain is normally localized around this bump and the space between the patella and the bump just below the patella. Others get a similar pain because the bones of their legs are growing faster than the muscles can accommodate for, causing pain in the knee and just below in the area of the bump that the patellar tendon attaches to. This condition is most often seen in males, ages 10-15 years of age who have had a dramatic growth spurt in a short period of time. Martial artists are prone to both, even though it is not a jumping sport per se. A lot of the agility drills as well as jumping rope, can have the same effect, especially if they also run on a hard surface, such as concrete or asphalt.

Now generally the best thing to do is to rest and ice these injuries, but sometimes practice and competition schedules are not that accommodating, and a pacifier for the injury is needed. You can purchase commercially produced CHO-PAT® straps, those brown straps that you often see basketball players wearing around the leg just under the knee, to help reduce the pain. You can also use pre-wrap, applied before any type of workout using the following technique:

1. Using pre-wrap, circle the leg 10 times just below the patella (kneecap), being careful not to pull tight.

2. Then take your hands and “roll” the pre-wrap down from the top and up from the bottom until you have a “strap”.

3. To loosen, place your fingers between leg and strap and pull, stretching it to your own comfort. Simply tear to remove.

Final VHS Video Clearance Sale

We have a limited number of VHS titles left at clearance prices. Get them while they last:


Power Breaking video $5.95
WTF Black Belt Poomse Vol. 1 video $5.95
WTF Black Belt Poomse Vol. 2 video $7.95 (only 1 left in stock)
Tai Chi: Chen Style video $5.95
Tai Chi:Yang Style video $7.95 (only 1 left in stock)
Power Strength Stamina video $5.95 (only 1 left in stock)
Taekkyon Vol. 1 video $7.95 (only 3 left in stock)
Taekkyon Vol. 2 video $5.95
Muay Thai Knockout 1 video $7.95 (only 3 left in stock)
Traditional Korean Weapons 1 video $7.95 (only 1 left in stock)
Traditional Korean Archery video $7.95
Warrior Arts of Korea video $5.95
Taekwondo Hand Skills video $5.95
Police Tactics One video $5.95
Perfect your Kyorugi Kicking video $5.95
Taekwondo Hanmadang video $7.95 (only 2 left in stock)

Preorder New Martial Arts Movie and Save

Save $5.00 off the regular retail price of $24.95 when you order the Zen Man 2 DVD Set. In his feature film debut, Sang H. Kim brings to life the story of a peace-seeking Zen master named Han who is drawn into a web of revenge by the son of his former student. As elements of his past come back to haunt him, the Zen master faces a choice: kill or be killed. While the young man finally gets his wish, he discovers that we don't know what we have until we destroy it.

In this special 2 disc deluxe edition, you get the full length wide screen version of Zen Man plus a second disc loaded with behind the scenes footage, "making of" featurettes, a look at the martial arts used in the movie and more. Don't miss out on the debut feature film from Sang H. Kim.