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Words of Wisdom by Famous Martial Artists to Motivate You

Feeling exhausted from having to practice all day at the MAC? Planning to quit because you simply can’t get to master a new technique your instructor is teaching the class? Whatever you are feeling today, giving up is definitely not an option when it comes to mastering martial arts. To motivate you to push your limit and be the best that you can be, here are some inspiring words of wisdom to live by:

"Train tirelessly to defeat the greatest enemy, yourself, and to discover the greatest master, yourself."

-Amituofo

"In fighting and in everyday life you should be determined though calm. Meet the situations without tenseness yet not recklessly, your spirit settled yet unbiased. An elevated spirit is weak and low spirit is weak. Do not let the enemy see your spirit."

-Miyamoto Musashi

"I'm not teaching you how to fight. I am teaching you how to control evil. That's what we are really doing here."

-Sake Masaaki Hatsumi

"It's okay to lose to your opponent. It's never okay to lose to fear."

-Chojun Miyagi

“Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.

Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”

- Bruce Lee

"The ultimate aim of Karate lies not in victory nor defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants"

-Gichin Funakoshi

“Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter! Try again. Fail again. Fail better!

Understand? Good. Play.”

- Masaaki Hatsumi

"Never forget that, at the most, the teacher can give you fifteen percent of the art. The rest you have to get for yourself through practise and hard work. I can show you the path but I can not walk it for you.”

-Master Tan Soh Tin

“The Chinese words ‘kung fu’ translate more or less as ‘a man hard at work over a long time’. If you want to unlock the full power of kung fu, it is not going to be easy: you are going to have to work, you are going to have to sacrifice and you are going to have to suffer – over a long time. There really is no such thing as a free lunch.”

-Master Iain Armstrong

The Benefits of Learning Aikido (According to Morihei Ueshiba)

There's no denying that  Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969) is one of the world's great martial artists that has ever lived on the planet. An ultimate pacifist, Ueshiba Sensei has devoted his life teaching a martial art that reveres peace and camaraderie, instead of brutal fighting and defending. And that particular martial is now known in the world as Aikido - the Art of Peace.

Today, we will be sharing three quotes from the Great Sensei himself that will encourage you to learn Aikido:

“When someone comes in anger, greet him with a smile. This is the highest kind of martial art.”
Unlike other types of martial arts, the goal of Aikido is to make friends with your opponent. Ueshiba believed that defeating an opponent by using greater physical strength will not solve the problem but only increase the aggression and desire for revenge. To be able to achieve that, students of Aikido are taught to engage with their opponents in a way that will make them lose their hostility against you. So when learning Aikido, rest assured that you aren't only learning traditional techniques from the great Samurais, you are also learning the arts of making friends.

“A true warrior is invincible because he or she contests with nothing.”
When it comes to learning Aikido, students are not tolerated to engage in fights, contests, or competitions. And this is basically the reason why this martial art is suitable for children and women since it does not require strenuous activities. With Aikido, the only competition you have is yourself. You are encouraged to improve your skills and techniques and be the best in everything that you do.

“To control aggression without inflicting injury is the Art of Peace.”
Aikido, in a general sense, is a self-defense martial art. But instead of teaching people how to attack opponents directly, aikido uses a technique that would redirect the force of an assault, and disarm an opponent while making sure that you aren't causing permanent injury.

If you want to learn more about Aikido, Wellesley Martial Arts Center has several qualified teachers who can mold you to become closer to the teachings of Ueshiba Sensei. Enroll now!

Fascinating Facts You Need to Know About Taekwondo

Taekwondo is considered as one of the world's most famous martial arts form; it originated in Korea and is currently the national sports in South Korea. Today, we will share interesting facts about this fascinating martial arts form that you probably don't know. Read along:

1. Being South Korean's national sport, Taekwondo is also being taught during military training.
2. Taekwondo learners are ranked as "senior" and "junior," and "instructor" and "students."
3. Taekwondo teaches the student the right way of blocking, kicking, punching, throwing, taking down, and striking open-handedly one's opponent.
4. Taekwondo is just one of the two Asian martial art techniques that were included in the Olympic Games; the other one is Judo.
5. Taekwondo became officially part of the Olympic Games last April 9, 1976.
6. Last 2000, Taekwondo was recognized at the Sydney Olympics as an official sport.
7. The Taekwondo belt system features six colors -- white, yellow, green, blue, red, and black.
8. Taekwondo is not just practiced as a sport; it has already been adopted as an integral training at military academies, schools, and the likes across the globe.
9. In the US, the governing body for Taekwondo is the USA Taekwondo; it was formerly called as the U.S. Taekwondo Union.
10. Taekwondo was developed by the Koreans more than 1,000 years ago for self-defense, physical fitness, and warfare.
11. The world's largest Taekwondo tournament organization is based in South Korea and is known as World Taekwondo Federation.
12. During the Olympics, the taekwondo competition is managed by the World Taekwondo Federation. The rules made by the WTF are also the ones followed during the contest.
13. Taekwondo, although developed as self-defense, also encourages learners to enhance their self-control, agility, and physical fitness.
14. When learning taekwondo, Korean language is used to command students.
15. The Tenets of Taekwondo, also known as the Codes of Conduct is typically recite at the beginning of the class of students. It represents the ideals or the characteristics that Taekwondo students should apply in their daily lives, and this includes courtesy, perseverance, integrity, self-control, and indomitable spirit.

5 Interesting Facts You Probably Don’t Know About Bruce Lee

There’s no denying that Bruce Lee is one of the world’s most famous martial artist. As a matter, Lee is usually credited as the first person to introduce the world of martial arts in Hollywood. But apart from being a skilled martial arts fighter, and making lots of movies about it until his untimely demise, what else do we know about this iconic man? Today, we’ll be share interesting facts about Bruce Lee that not everyone knew about, check this out:

He Loved Cha-Cha

Lee might be famous for his powerful and fast punches, but did you know that Bruce Lee was an incredible dancer and that he has an inclination for the dance cha-cha? As a matter fact, he even won Hong Kong's 1958 Cha-Cha Championship.

His Fitness Routine Was Extremely Hard

Bruce Lee was an ultimate fitness fanatic. To maintain his shape, he used to perform hardcore exercise routines including a one-hand push using his index finger and thumb, a one-armed chin-up, and doing the "dragon flag" position for longer periods.

He Can Do Amazing Tricks with Coins and Chopsticks

To sharpen his reflexes, Bruce Lee would occasionally toss up a grain of rice in mid-air and snatch it using a pair of chopsticks. Not only that, Lee, with his incredibly fast moves, can also do a magic trick with coins. It has been said that he liked to impress the audience by grabbing a coin out of someone's hand, replacing it with another coin in a fast motion.

His Flicks Had to Be Slowed Down to See the Action

Lee's martial art moves were so blindingly fast that his fight scenes need to be played at a slower speed so that movie watchers will know what's going on.

Chuck Norris Admits He Wouldn't Win Against Bruce Lee

Chuck Norris - also a well-known martial artist - had the chance to work with Bruce in the 1972 film Way of the Dragon wherein they shared a now iconic fight scene. When Norris was asked by the press who would win a real-life fight between him and Lee, Norris admitted that it would be Bruce.

Want to be closer to Bruce Lee’s incredible martial arts feat? Then you should enroll now at the nearest martial arts center and start learning everything that you need to know. Have a great day!

Interesting Facts You Need to Know about Kung Fu

Kung Fu is currently one of the most popular martial art style practiced in the world today. Developed primarily by the ancient Chinese people to serve as a defense against hand-to-hand attack, Kung Fu has been mastered by millions of people and pursued to learn by plenty of martial art students.

Here's a list of fascinating facts about Kung Fu that might interest and encourage you to learn it:

It Focuses On Your Internal Chi

Although Kung Fu teaches a person exceptional defense skills that he can use in a one-on-one hand combat, this martial art actually aims also to impart the importance of the internal chi. Chi, in Kung Fu, refers to a person's life energy. When you know how to enrich and control your chi, you will succeed in increasing your mind and body's calmness, tranquility, and spirituality.

It Enhances One's Flexibility and Agility

When you've decided to enroll at a martial arts center and learn Kung Fu, expect that you won't just know how to defend yourself, you will also be able to enhance your body's agility and flexibility. And if you want to master and fully improve this aspect of your body, martial art instructors encourage that you should start learning Kung Fu at an early age. Children ages 5 to 6 years old can actually start taking Kung Fu lessons.

It was Introduced to Hollywood by Bruce Lee

Kung Fu was an ancient Chinese martial art, and for years, the Shaolin have kept the battling technique from Kung Fu within themselves. However, due to a talented street fighter who later became the world's greatest martial artist of all times -Bruce Lee - Hollywood was introduced to Kung Fu. The martial art style was furthermore popularized by Chinese icons and martial artists Jackie Chan and Jet Li.

It Features Several Styles

The early Kung Fu teaching offers several styles, and that includes snake, crane, dragon, tiger, and leopard. If you have watched the successful 3D movie franchise, Kung Fu Panda, you will realize that both the snake, crane, and tiger were part of the ensemble of the film representing the different Kung Fu styles.

We hope you learned a lot today about Kung Fu!

Choosing the Best Martial Art Style for You

The World's Most Popular Martial Art Techniques

Planning to enroll in a martial arts center? Before you engage in your hard training at a MAC, it’s better if you have foreknowledge about the different kinds of martial arts. Some of the most popular types of martial arts are listed below:

Aikido

Originating from Japan, Aikido is considered as a grappling art. Instead of doing a straight-on attack, this kind of martial art is performed through flowing with the motion of the attacker. The practitioner is only directing the attacker’s force by turning and entertaining movements of the attacker such as joint and lock throws, thus requiring less physical strength.

Karate

Karate is another kind of martial art that was practiced first by the Japanese men. It requires the practitioner to carry out different hand-to-hand combat techniques, which involve punching, kicking, and elbow and knee strikes. The karate chop is one of the infamous striking skills in Karate. WadoRyu, GojuRyu, ShitRyu, are some of the several types of Karate, which are popular.  Tae Kwon Do is different from Karate; Karate mainly focuses on hand strikes.

KravMaga

KravMaga first emerged in Israel which is also another type of a hand-to-hand combat system. It includes striking techniques, grappling, and wrestling. This kind of martial art enables the practitioner to wield brutal and efficient counter-attacks, leaving the opponent incapacitated. Technically speaking, KravMaga does not have any written rules and also has no established sporting club. This martial art has no proper dress code or specified any general rule that determines a participant’s level. Some institutions have created their method for distinguishing progress in KravMaga.

Muay Thai

 Last but not the least; Muay Thai is a martial art form that was developed in Thailand. The art uses stand-up strikes, and locking techniques. The enthusiasts mainly execute punches, kicks, elbow strikes, and knee strikes. Several numbers of Muay Thai techniques can be seen in a mixed martial arts combat.

Three Tips to Help You Learn Martial Arts Faster

Learning martial arts has a lot of benefits. It does not only promote health and wellness, but it also helps people build confidence and of course, camaraderie. If you are currently learning different kinds of martial arts, here are some tips that will help you improve your skills faster:

Tip #1: Train Daily and Regularly

One good way to boost your martial arts skills is to train daily for a couple of hours. It will not only aid your progress, but it will also strengthen your stamina, which will help you keep up during a lengthened sparring. Learning martial arts can’t be achieved within a day; aside from learning new melee combat skills, you need to level up your physical and mental strength. To accomplish this task, you have to make it part of your day-by-day procedure to practice hard. If you want to learn martial arts fast, then make sure to give yourself plenty of time to do training.

Tip #2: Read Martial Arts Books

Reading a lot of books can also help upgrade your martial arts techniques faster. Since there are a lot of types of martial arts, one good way to know them is by reading books. If you don’t like books, then you can always try the internet and watch videos. Once you are done analyzing the concept of martial arts techniques and methods, then you can practice them daily for mastery. You’ll feel the development in no time.

Tip #3: Enroll at an MAC

 To learn martial arts in the best way, you need to enroll at a martial arts center. When you have a professional instructor who will help you learn combat techniques, it is positively easier to improve your martial art skills. Aside from that, it would also be simpler to be influenced since you have a lot of comrades who are also martial arts enthusiasts.

So, if you want to develop and become the best in martial arts, then there’s only one thing that you need to do – enroll at the nearest Martial Arts Center! And in case you are looking for the best MAC in Wellesley, Massachusetts, look no further! Visit us now today!

The Benefits of Enrolling your Child in a Martial Arts Center

Martial arts are not only about studying how to do the right punches or how to kick properly; it’s way more than that. While it’s still early, you should start encouraging your child to enroll at the nearest martial arts center for them to develop and experience these benefits:

Socialization

One of the advantages of enrolling your child in a martial arts center is social interaction. As children grow, some might experience a hard time communicating with other individuals, as well as making friends. To prevent your child from being reclusive, you have to motivate them to take part into recreational activities, and one of them is martial arts. In a martial arts center, your child would be able to meet and make new friends while learning and having fun.

Self-Defense

Another reason why you have to enroll your kids in a martial arts center is that it teaches them self-defense. Being parents, we always worry about our children and the bad things that might happen to them. Enrolling them in a martial arts center will increase their mental alertness and also their physical attributes. They’ll be able to learn how proper blocking, evading, punching, and kicking is done. With this knowledge, you are also helping your child know what do when he/she is facing unwanted scenarios. Since your kid is armed with combat skills and wisdom, the weight that you are feeling, especially when they’re not at home would lighten.

Physical Fitness

Nowadays, most adults are having a hard time adopting a healthy lifestyle, and that’s because they’ve started too late in making their health their priority. Encouraging your children to do activities that will stretch their muscles and strengthen their bones will help them as they enter adolescence and adulthood. By simply enrolling them in a martial arts center, your kids will be responsible enough in keeping their bodies fit and indulging a healthy lifestyle at an early age.

What are you waiting for? Enroll them now at the nearest martial arts center!

Why Do I Need to Enroll at an MAC?