Preorder & Save: Beginner Karate DVD

Save $5.00 when you preorder the new Beginner Karate DVD by Sensei Mike Reeves. Learn the basic blocks, strikes, kicks and sparring techniques of karate from a world champion instructor. At only $14.95 this a great bargain.

Preorder & Save: Isshinryu Kata DVD

Save $5.00 when you preorder Mike Reeves's new Isshinryu Kata DVD. Learn the eight empty hand Isshinryu karate kata on one DVD:

• Seisan Kata
• Seiuchin Kata
• Naihanchi Kata
• Wansu Kata
• Chinto Kata
• Sanchin Kata
• Kusanku Kata
• Sunsu Kata

Weight Training: How often is enough for MMA training?

Here's a question we recently received from a reader and author Loren Christensen's reply:

Question: I train in MA 3 days workouts lasting about 1 1/2 hours since I utilize the jump rope as my warmup, these sessions are also my ONLY cardio work. How many days weekly should I weight train for size and strength without worrying about overtraining? Thanks for your input.

Loren's Answer: First, know that it's a little difficult to put on a lot of size when you're doing a lot of cardio. In bodybuilding, it's recommended that the trainee eliminate cardio during the period in which he is specifically trying to pack on size. The thought is that all energy and calories should go into rebuilding the muscles after a strenuous resistance workout.

But I'm assuming you're not trying to be Mr. Olympia; you want to add some strength and size to give extra authority to your punches, kicks and grappling. That you can do, but you must do it wisely.

• Keep your weight training basic: benches, rowing, curls, triceps and squats.
• Go heavy so that you have to really grunt on your last repetitions, make it the 6th, 7th, and 8th ones.
• Do 3 or 4 sets per exercise, just one exercise per body part.
• Do these twice a week so that each body part is hit two times a week. If one week you can work each body part only once, no problem. You won't lose anything and you’re likely to even gain a little. During one six-month period I lifted only once a week and made nice gains. I've even heard of lifters making gains in their squats lifting once every 10 to 14 days.
• If you want to put on some extra weight, increase your calories by 300 to 500 per day. In a week to 10 days you should be packing around an extra pound.

The nice thing about lifting heavy is that not only will it give you some added size, but it will increase your speed, too. Light weights and high reps stimulate your slow-twitch muscles fibers. But heavy weights and low reps stimulate your fast-twitch fibers, the ones that give you power, strength, explosiveness and speed. So stay away from those pink dumbbells and instead pull those heavy ones off the rack. Oh, be sure to eat healthily and get some extra shuteye.

And don't blame me if you have to buy bigger shirts in three months and you start bursting open heavy bags at their seams. At the risk of sounding commercial, all these tips and a lot more can be found in The Fighter's Body by Wim Demeere and me, available right here at Turtle Press.

Train hard!

Loren

www.lwcbooks.com

New Improved Video Preview

TurtlePress.com has partnered with YouTube.com to create new improved DVD previews for our
most popular titles. Now you can preview dvds right on the product page, with no pop-up windows or special software required. Simply click on the "Preview Now" button right under the DVD cover image and then press the Play button.

Try it out for yourself, by previewing Mike Reeve's upcoming Isshinryu Kata DVD. Just press the play button below.



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Conserve Energy when you Kick

Martina Sprague, author of Fighting Science, offers these tips to conserve energy when kicking:

Kicking takes more energy than striking. This is because the legs are heavier than the arms. Energy, when kicking, is conserved by relying on principles of physics that allow you to use as little effort as possible. Energy is also conserved by kicking when your opponent is moving into the kick’s path of power. This allows you to use less of your own momentum to achieve an overall stronger momentum.

Body mechanics for energy conservation:

1. The side kick takes less effort to land when your opponent is slightly toward your back rather than your front. This is because the kick is usually thrown with your lead leg, with your opponent lined up with your hips.

2. The spinning back kick should be thrown when your opponent is moving into its path of power. Energy is conserved by spinning less than 180 degrees. If you spin more than 180 degrees, you will be chasing your opponent with the kick.

3. If your opponent moves toward your front, it would be economical to throw a round house kick.

4. Energy can be conserved by dropping an axe kick on your opponent’s guard and bringing his upper body forward and into your follow-up strike.

Zen Man Reviewed in Black Belt

Zen Man is reviewed in the October issue of Black Belt magazine. The full page review begins: "Even though Zen Man is a new movie, its plot is an old one. That's not to say the straight-to-DVD action flick is outdated or some sort of remake. Rather, it's a new film that contains some classic Eastern mythology, as well as some enduring contemporary folklore."

The reviewer goes on to give a detailed breakdown of the film's strong and weak points, wrapping up with: "[Sang H.] Kim is the best thing about Zen Man. From his acting to his directing, the martail arts master shows us the potential of what a little money and a lot of passion can breed on-screen. With a bigger budget, better supporting players and help with the writing, Kim should be able to produce a movie to match his versatile skills."

Exclusive Interview with Sang H. Kim :: Part 4

The following is the third in a series of excerpts from an exclusive interview with Sang H. Kim, director of the martial arts action movie, Zen Man.

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Q: In addition to martial arts, Han also practices calligraphy in the movie. Are the two related?

SHK: I'm glad you asked that, because you're right, they are related. Traditional calligraphy is a significant method of mental practice. Taoists believe that writing is a reflection of the mind. Like martial arts, it requires total concentration. Each stroke in calligraphy is like a basic movement in taekwondo, a kick or punch or block. Once you learn the basics, you can combine them freely and create art. Ultimately, the goal is to write whole heartedly but without attachment to the individual strokes just as in sparring or defending yourself, you need to concentrate fully on the moment but be free from your environment. Calligraphy is a kind of moving meditation. It focuses and calms the mind.

Q: There is also a scene in the movie that makes it seem like there is something hidden in the characters that Han writes.

SHK: Many of the characters that he practices, including the one that he teaches Antonio, are actually striking techniques that can be used to attack with the short stick or sword. So while it appears that Han is a man of peace, he is secretly preparing for war.

Q: It's interesting how martial arts are part of everything in the movie, even when people are not fighting.

SHK: For a martial artist, I think our training is part of everything we do in life. I particularly found three elements that were the same in filmmaking and taekwondo. The first is fitness. I trained for over a year specifically for this movie. By the time we started shooting I literally felt like I was in the same shape as when I was competing in my teens and early twenties. Not only was I training for the fight scenes but for the long days on the set and the many repetitions of every scene. Fitness is the foundation – something solid to build everything else upon. The second is techniques or knowledge. Understanding the basic techniques and being able to apply them in a real life situation is essential. So techniques are like wings that give us the ability to fly as high and as far as we desire. And finally there's discipline, which ironically allows us to be free. Some people ask me how can you be free and be disciplined at the same time, but when you think about it, it makes perfect sense.

Q: What is it that you'd like viewers to take away from this movie?

SHK: That true revenge is not accomplished by avenging something but by resolution within yourself.

Exclusive Interview with Sang H. Kim :: Part 3

The following is the third in a series of excerpts from an exclusive interview with Sang H. Kim, director of the martial arts action movie, Zen Man.

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Q: Tell us a little about your martial arts background, especially before you came to the US.

SHK: I began training when I was four years old. I was the fourth of five brothers, so all of my older brothers were already training in wrestling, judo and hapkido. At first I mimicked their movements and tried to fight with them. My serious training began in middle school as a member of Dalsung Taekwondo team, competing against other middle school teams. In high school, when I was a fourth dan black belt, I was very reckless in my training. I had so much energy and athletic ability that I constantly challenging myself but often I ended up injured. For example, when I was training at a Jidokwan school in Daegu, I was practicing jumping spinning whip kick by kicking a piece of bicycle tire inner tube that I'd hung from the ceiling. It was very high and I tried and tried and finally kicked it but at the same time, I got my foot tangled in the tubing and I landed upside down, hitting my head on the concrete floor. Later, some of my fellow black belts found me and rushed me to the hospital.

Q: Did you ever think about quitting after getting seriously injured like that?

SHK: No, in fact in college I became even more interested in taekwondo and began teaching CID (Criminal Investigation Division) agents at Camp Walker in Daegu. Meeting American GIs sparked my interest in Western culture. I was eager to come to America but had to finish my military service first.

Q: Is it true that all Korean military personnel are black belts?

SHK: Yes they are. When I was in the military, we woke up at five AM to run. Then we did taekwondo training for an hour and then in the evening we had small group training for combat specific skills. Since I was a special agent in a counterespionage unit, we trained not only in taekwondo but in firearms and lethal hand-to-hand skills. At one point during my service, I was assigned to a prison detail which was a very dangerous job. There were thousands of violent criminals held in an isolated area in the mountains. During that time, my life was threatened many times and I had almost daily opportunities to use my martial arts skills. It was during this time that I began formulating Junsado, which I used extensively in Zen Man.

Q: What is Junsado?

SHK: Junsado is the way you see a conflict and resolve it efficiently. The means include direct and indirect tactics to neutralize or subdue the opponent. Jun means combat, Sa means expert and Do is the way so it is literally The Way of the Combat Expert. It is about finding the right strategy to resolve the given situation.

Q: Why did you use Junsado in Zen Man?

SHK: In many of the scenes, Han fights against multiple assailants at once. He needs strategy to survive. He uses the terrain and takes advantage of range fighting. Junsado has four ranges: neutral, long, medium and short. At long range, he positions himself to manipulate the formation of the assailants to his advantage. At short range, he uses surprise tactics, for example turning his back on an assailant then thrusting to the rear with his wooden sword. He also uses his Ssang Bong (double sticks), which is a style of using two sticks in a symmetrical way that I've developed over the past twenty years. It's a uniquely Korean style, the only Korean art that uses two sticks at the same time.It's very different from Kali or Arnis because it uses two different grips: one straight grip and one reverse grip. This allows you to initiate action with one stick and then accelerate the movement of your body for the second strike and third strike and so on, making it a fast powerful versatile weapon. It's a very unpredictable way of attacking and defending. Well, if you want to see what I mean, watch the movie.

Exclusive Interview with Sang H. Kim :: Part 2

The following is the second in a series of excerpts from an exclusive interview with Sang H. Kim, director of the martial arts action movie, Zen Man.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Q: This is your first movie, but you've had a lot of experience in front of and behind the camera, right?

SHK: I've produced over a hundred martial arts instructional DVDs and documentaries and I've made a few short films for classes and workshops, so I'm familiar with the technical aspects of filming but making a movie has been a great change of pace.Writing the script, designing shots, making storyboards, scouting locations, organizing the crew, auditioning actors, supervising the editing and music composition are all very complicated in film production, much more so than any other project I've done to date. It's been a great learning experience and I've gotten to work with a lot of knowledgeable and talented people.

Q: Tell us about the martial arts that you used in the film.

SHK: I used a mixture of taekwondo, which has exciting kicking techniques that look impressive on the screen, and my own system called Junsado. In the beginning of the film, the villain injures Han, taking away the use of his left arm. For two years, he trains with only his right arm using a variety of weapons. For many of the film's fight scenes I was limited to using only one arm. I have been fighting all my life with two arms, so it was strange to do everything with one arm for this role. To move as fast and powerfully as the men I was fighting, I had to adjust my stance and footwork and develop a lot of unorthodox fighting skills. So in the movie, Han's fighting method is very strategic and relies on a mixture of kicking techniques and weapons.

Q: That is an unorthodox mixture.

SHK: It is but it works surprisingly well. I wanted to give the audience an idea of how a skilled martial artist can switch gears fluidly, using whatever is necessary for the situation. Han is not as big or as ruthless as some of the villains he faces, but he gets the job done in the end. A true master should be able to adapt to any situation and use what's at hand to prevail.

Exclusive Interview with Sang H. Kim :: Part 1

The following is the first in a series of excerpts from an exclusive interview with Sang H. Kim, director of the martial arts action movie, Zen Man.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Q: Tell us a little about your film, Zen Man.

Sang H. Kim: Zen Man is the story of Han who is a master of martial arts and traditional calligraphy. He is living his life in seclusion, taking care of his niece, when the son of one of his former students shows up. The young man, Antonio, is seeking revenge against his father's killer and he asks Han to resume his martial arts training. When Han refuses, Antonio decides to take matters into his own hands and Han is ultimately forced to act before Antonio endangers anyone else.

TKDT: Where did the idea Zen Man come from?

SHK: When I was a little boy, I was hyperactive and sleepless. My grandmother used to tell her bedtime stories to keep my four brothers and me quiet. One of her stories has stuck in my mind for a long time, the story of my grandfather who survived in a foreign and hostile environment in Japan as a Korean traditional master. Based on her story of the heroic actions of my grandfather, I adapted parts of his life for the screen.

TKDT: So this is something that's been a long time in the making.

SHK: I've loved movies since I was a little boy. My father used to show "one penny movies" in many of the villages surrounding ours in the 1960s. He would carry a projector in his truck and set up a white sheet for a screen and charge a penny for admission. Then, when I was a bit older, one of my brothers took me to the theater to see Enter the Dragon, with Bruce Lee and I was fascinated. I was a third degree black belt in taekwondo at the time and I was amazed by Bruce Lee's skills and screen presence. So I guess movie making is something I've wanted to do since childhood, as a dream, and in a professional sense, it's something I've been preparing for over the last 15 years.

Defending against a possible knife attack

Loren Christensen, veteran law enforcement officer and martial artist and co-author of Timing in the Fighting Arts shares this advice about defending against a street thug with a knife:

Say a street person is threatening you and you notice a knife sheath on his right hip. It’s time to move the potential target - your body - but you have to decide in which direction. Since we aren’t there to see all the variables that can affect your decision, here is some food for thought. You can:

• Sidestep to position yourself away from the weapon.

• Since it’s arguably easier for him to slash with the blade across his body than it is to slash to the outside of his body, see if moving to the same side as the weapon is an option.

• Step in close to the weapon in preparation to jam the blade should he reach for it. The negative with this option is that you are close and can be punched with his other hand. No one said life would be easy.

• Look for something you can use for a weapon: chair, lamp, your belt, coat, and so on.

• If your avenue of escape is blocked, assume your deescalation stance and use your verbal judo as you maneuver yourself to where you can flee.

• Consider attacking. If he says he is going to stab you, know that his brain is either occupied with noting your reaction to his threat or with the process of reaching for his weapon. That is the moment you jam his arm and strike his eyes or throat.

• The instant he reaches for the blade and you are close to that side of his body, jam his arm, gouge his eyes or punch his throat. If you are on the other side, out of reach, go for the eyes or throat. In either case, make your move the instant he moves. Don’t wait for him todraw the knife.

Martials Arts DVD Preview Disc

Not sure which DVDs are best for you? Preview 60 of our most popular martial arts instructional DVDs and get a $5.00 coupon good on your next order.

The Turtle Press Preview DVD features a 30-90 second highlight clip from each of 60 martial arts titles. View the complete list here.

New Lower Price: Zen Man 2-DVD Set

The price for the special 2-disc Zen Man DVD set has been reduced to $19.95. 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.

Just Arrived - Bargain Basement Books

We've just received a shipment of slightly damaged bargain basement books. If you don't mind a little scuffing, wear, or creasing on the cover of your book, you can pick up some great books at half price or less. But remember, bargain basement books are very limited in number and they go fast. If you see something you want, grab it and head for the checkout. See what's in stock in the Bargain Basement

SAVE 10% ON EVERYTHING WE SELL - NOW THROUGH SUNDAY

It's time for our once a year, end of summer sale - save 10% off all purchases now through midnight Sunday. Just fill up your shopping cart and enter coupon code SAVE06 in the coupon code box below the cart. No limitations! Save on already discounted sets, clearance items, everything on our site! This is a once year sale, so don't miss out. > Start Shopping

New Martial Arts Book and DVD Sets

Jujitsu DVD Set: Instructor James Kodzis teaches the complete art of jujitsu, combining no-nonsense striking skills with highly effective grappling techniques. Nearly 3 hours of systematic instruction in this 2-disc set.

Martial Arts Instructors Book and DVD Set: Hundreds of teaching and school management tips, ideas, strategies and variations you can start using immediately in this 2 book and 1 DVD set.

Martial Science Book Set: Discover the scientific theories that make the martial arts so effective and learn how to apply them in your daily training.

Armlock Encyclopedia book now available

The Armlock Encyclopedia by Steve Scott is now in stock and shipping to those customers who have preordered. If you placed a preorder, your book will be shipping from our CT warehouse tomorrow morning.

Cane for Self-defense DVD Shipping today

If you preordered a Cane for Self-defense DVD, you should be receiving your order in the next 5-10 days. All of the preorders shipped from our warehouse today.

We've moved!

Turtle Press is now located in sunny Santa Fe, NM. New contact information:

Turtle Press
PO Box 34010
Santa Fe NM 87594-4010

phone: 800-778-8785
fax: 815-572-9533

Our website and email contact information remain the same.

Preorder and Save: Cane for Self-defense DVD

Save $5.00 of the regular retail price when your order the Cane for Self-defense DVD before it's release in August. The cane is the only weapon you can legally carry with you everywhere you go and on this comprehensive DVD, Gordon Oster shows you exactly why the common walking cane is one of the most effective self-defense weapons you can learn.