To the casual onlooker a practitioner of capoeira may look more like a break dancer than a martial artist. While the origins of the art go back centuries before the invention of break dancing, the art does in fact trace its roots to African dances, and war dances specifically. As in Asia, early African warriors emulated the actions of the animals that surrounded them, acknowledging the greater power that such beasts could generate. One such animal was the zebra, which would balance on its fore legs while shooting out its hind legs. In emulation, while dancing Africans would balance on their hands and strike out with their legs.
With the beginning of the slave trade in the sixteenth century the proud African warrior heritage came to an end in the face of Portuguese musketry. Over the years thousands of young Africans were transplanted from their homes to foreign shores in appalling conditions to begin a life of slavery with no personal rights. Under the Portuguese the practice of religion and martial arts was banned in the hope of preventing subversion. The slaves however were able to continue to dance and thus certain of the movements were interpreted from a combative angle. Once an application for one movement within the dance was found, it was not hard to find another. With the emphasis changing, other, specifically fight-oriented techniques were added and disguised as dance. A similar phenomenon happened in Okinawa when the peoples were banned from carrying weapons and practicing fighting arts: a number of self defense methods were therefore blended into dances. Some argue that as the hands of the slaves were bound this led to the development of the art. I find this unlikely as more orthodox kicks, knee attacks and trips can still be delivered without the free use of the hands. Furthermore, it would seem more likely that a fighting art utilizing the chains that bound the slaves to strike and choke opponents would have evolved, but there is currently no evidence of this. Rather I would posit that the fighting techniques were adapted due to familiarity and the ability to practice them in the open in the guise of a dance.
Despite the abolition of slavery capoeira continued to be practiced underground until, in 1937, Mestre Bimba (Teacher Bimba) was invited to give a demonstration to the Brazilian president. So successful was this expose that the first public training school was opened, spreading gradually through Brazil before gaining an international audience.
Training in Capoeira
Training begins with basic, standing techniques and conditioning, particularly stretching. As soon as possible practitioners are encouraged to begin 'playing' capoeira, an unusual verb choice for a martial art but, nevertheless, Brazilians maintain that it is a game first and for fighting second. Play takes place in the roda, a circular area, around which onlookers and fellow trainees stand playing instruments to dictate pace and rhythm or singing songs. As the participants move around one another they perform handstands, cartwheels and rolls interspersed with kicks and sweeps.
In combat the capoeirist will likely evade any attack before launching a powerful kick or sweep as a counter. The expert relies on ending the fight as quickly as possible as the range of techniques available, dynamic though they are, is very limited and do not extend to punching or grappling. In addition, the origins in dance rather than the battlefield leave the practitioner vulnerable to weapon attacks as there are no specific defensive tactics to snatch a weapon. The art also lacks those finishing moves that would be used on a battlefield to deliver a coup de grace to a stunned and weakened opponent.
Training begins with basic, standing techniques and conditioning, particularly stretching. As soon as possible practitioners are encouraged to begin 'playing' capoeira, an unusual verb choice for a martial art but, nevertheless, Brazilians maintain that it is a game first and for fighting second. Play takes place in the roda, a circular area, around which onlookers and fellow trainees stand playing instruments to dictate pace and rhythm or singing songs. As the participants move around one another they perform handstands, cartwheels and rolls interspersed with kicks and sweeps.
In combat the capoeirist will likely evade any attack before launching a powerful kick or sweep as a counter. The expert relies on ending the fight as quickly as possible as the range of techniques available, dynamic though they are, is very limited and do not extend to punching or grappling. In addition, the origins in dance rather than the battlefield leave the practitioner vulnerable to weapon attacks as there are no specific defensive tactics to snatch a weapon. The art also lacks those finishing moves that would be used on a battlefield to deliver a coup de grace to a stunned and weakened opponent.
Bruce Lee's death in the year 1973 shocked the world. His films had already thrust him before an international audience but what would become his biggest success, Enter the Dragon, was a mere week from release. The Little Dragon went to an early grave never knowing that his fame finally eclipsed that of his friends-cum-rivals Steve McQueen and James Coburn, or that Enter the Dragon would go on to hold the record as the most successful movie ever for profit as a ratio to cost of production. Lee missed seeing the rise of Asian (and non-White) stars in Hollywood, let alone the worldwide explosion in the popularity of kung fu.
Lee missed all this because he died on 20 July, 1973. The official cause of death was death by misadventure brought on by an extreme adverse reaction to an Equagesic headache pill, but as we shall see recent opinions expressed by the doctors who cared for Lee after he was rushed to the hospital unconscious before his demise are now publicly suggesting a very different reason.
Enter the Dragon
Filming for Enter the Dragon began in early 1973 and from the off the production was beset with problems. Scriptwriter Michael Allin seemed determined to put the new star in his place and he remarked that the movie was only being made because it was cheap to produce and the promise of Bruce Lee headlining. Lee found such comments annoying. There are rumors that even Robert Clouse, the director, sought to undermine his star by demanding that the name of the British agent be purposely changed to Braithwaite in order to upset Lee’s pronunciation. Lee, like many Asians, had problems with the ‘r’ sound. Lee slowly became incensed until he demanded a new script. Allin was told to disappear for a while until things cooled down. Lee was under the impression the writer had been dismissed from the project. When he later found Allin was still around the Little Dragon became furious.
Then there were onsite problems. The movie was made with an American and Chinese crew but with very few translators making communication very difficult and very slow. Bruce was also having problems with his partner Raymond Chow. Lee felt that Chow was pushing himself as the key player in the creation of the movie, something Bruce knew to be simply untrue. The movie was the result of his own hard work and dedication. Soon Lee walked off the set. This went on for days as new script ideas arrived.
Lee himself appears to have begun succumbing to the pressure at this point. He wanted – he needed – the movie to be a success. It was his big chance to show the world what he was capable of but it must have seemed that events were conspiring against him. His self-confidence and energy, two key components to his success as much as his fighting ability and charisma, began to disappear. He was worn out from the bickering around the movie and the constant overload of media attention away from it.
Without Lee filming finally commenced and still problems were apparent. Many of the extras were from rival Triad gangs and fights would often break out between competing clans. This sorry state of affairs continued for another two weeks with still no sign of the star. Bruce had decided that the various egos were more intent on battling with one another than coming together to ensure the success of the movie. His nervousness increased and seemed to be revealed when he did finally make it onto the set. While filming close ups for the conversation in the first scene with the agent played by Betty Chung Lee’s face developed a nervous twitch. This didn’t last long and the crew worked around it, but it seemed to be indicative of how Lee felt at the time.
Along with all the mind games came the physical demands of filming and further exhaustion. Anyone who has seen Enter the Dragon will know that many of the scenes involved Bruce Lee fighting multiple attackers at the same time. This required endurance and split second timing, along with great acting ability to convey the correct emotional message. Nothing could be done half-hearted. No stand in was available as Lee was the choreographer so he needed to work on the precision of the fights himself. Added to these factors were the heat and humidity which caused rapid and massive weight loss. He was also sleep deprived being pumped full of far too much nervous energy to be able to rest adequately. There were also confrontations with stuntmen, some of whom were set on making a name for themselves as the one to beat the unbeatable Bruce Lee. Lee also had his hand cut while filming the fight scene with Bob Wall (real glass bottles were used). Other problems included Peter Archer, the co-star of the famous 'Fighting Without Fighting' scene almost drowning while filming.
Bruce Lee's first collapse
When filming on the movie was finally completed the work for most of the actors was over and they could relax. Not Bruce though. He remained busy in post-production and on 10 May, 1973 he was busy at the Golden Harvest studios recording dialogue. After weeks of intense work with little sleep, Lee found himself pushed to the limits of his endurance by the humidity caused by an approaching typhoon and the heat of the studio bereft of air conditioning so as to avoid the noise being picked up in the recording. Understandably he took a break to splash some water on his face...
Twenty minutes later a studio assistant found Bruce recovering from a collapse in the bathroom. Pale and sweating Lee made his way back to the studio before falling to the ground again, vomiting.
Bruce was taken to the nearby Baptist hospital where a doctor Charles Langford checked him out. Lee was unresponsive and running a dangerously high temperature. Neurosurgeon Peter Wu was summoned and a quick discussion took place to establish what the doctors thought the cause may have been. A swelling of fluid pressing on the brain was discovered and soon Lee fell into complete unconsciousness. He was left to rest and hopefully recover but the surgeon was ready to operate on his brain if need be.
He did pull through and he was taken to St Theresa’s hospital to a bed for complete rest.
Both Langford and Wu knew that Bruce had been very close to death.
In a statement made to police on May 13 Dr Wu noted that Lee had admitted to taking a piece of cannabis leaf prior to his illness. Wu’s diagnosis was cerebral oedema and suspected poisoning by cannabis.
Lee was advised to stop eating hash cookies; he ignored this advice.
Worsening health
In the last conversation Bob Wall had with Bruce Lee, the two martial artists disagreed over the benefits of wine vs hash as relaxants. Wall maintained that a couple of glasses of wine with a meal were sufficient to relax with. Lee stated the case for cannabis. Later in the evening, after eating a hash cookie, Lee began to ramble and show signs of depression. Wall advised him to take some time off and find some kind of balance. Bruce though had a very busy schedule coming up to promote Enter the Dragon. He didn’t want to risk losing all that he had worked to accomplish.
In June 1973 Lee returned to work on Game of Death in Hong Kong. Immediately the local press went to print with stories of rumors of a romance between the Little Dragon and the actress Betty Ting Pei. Other business matters produced more stress and Lee was quickly caught up in a lifestyle that never lived up to his expectations. He had little time for his training and turned to alcohol in conjunction with cannabis. His diet suffered in other ways. He was no longer taking vitamins and sipping herbal tea. Instead he drank liquidized steak. Restless nights followed, some filled with work, others spent elsewhere ‘relaxing’ without the constraints of his family.
Bruce Lee's death
On the evening of July 20, 1973 typhoon Dorothy pounded the streets and buildings of Hong Kong. Raymond Chow and George Lazenby (famous for his single appearance as James Bond and pursuing an opportunity to act with Bruce Lee at the time) sat waiting in a restaurant for Bruce Lee and Betty Ting Pei to show up. The two were late though for a meeting on Game of Death.
The reason the couple were late was dreadfully stark: Bruce Lee, having complained of a headache and taken a pill followed by what should have been a short sleep, was unconscious and Betty Ting Pei was unable to revive him. Finally, in desperation, she called Raymond Chow. But Chow was on the other side of the city and it took almost an hour for him to arrive. Chow also failed to revive Lee and so an ambulance was called, taking the Little Dragon to the Queen Elizabeth hospital to where Linda Lee would also make her way.
The medical staff did all they could but the body of Lee lay before them. Lifeless.
The first reports were that Bruce had died at home, following a statement made out of sympathy and respect to Linda Lee from Raymond Chow. Soon the truth came out though: Lee had died in Betty Ting Pei’s apartment.
Funeral
On the evening of July 20, 1973 typhoon Dorothy pounded the streets and buildings of Hong Kong. Raymond Chow and George Lazenby (famous for his single appearance as James Bond and pursuing an opportunity to act with Bruce Lee at the time) sat waiting in a restaurant for Bruce Lee and Betty Ting Pei to show up. The two were late though for a meeting on Game of Death.
The reason the couple were late was dreadfully stark: Bruce Lee, having complained of a headache and taken a pill followed by what should have been a short sleep, was unconscious and Betty Ting Pei was unable to revive him. Finally, in desperation, she called Raymond Chow. But Chow was on the other side of the city and it took almost an hour for him to arrive. Chow also failed to revive Lee and so an ambulance was called, taking the Little Dragon to the Queen Elizabeth hospital to where Linda Lee would also make her way.
The medical staff did all they could but the body of Lee lay before them. Lifeless.
The first reports were that Bruce had died at home, following a statement made out of sympathy and respect to Linda Lee from Raymond Chow. Soon the truth came out though: Lee had died in Betty Ting Pei’s apartment.
Inquest and official cause of death
On September 3 the inquest was opened in Hong Kong. The autopsy performed on July 23 had already found traces of cannabis in Lee’s stomach along with one tablet of Equagesic (for his headache).
Dr Lycette, from the Queen Elizabeth hospital, stated that the cause of death could not have been due to cannabis, but because of hypersensitivity to one or more ingredients of Equagesic. Bruce Lee’s brain had swollen rapidly and enormously. Another specialist, Professor Ronald Teare, was flown in from the University of London. He too concluded that the presence of cannabis was coincidental. Death by misadventure due to hypersensitivity to Equagesic was once more propounded.
This then had become the lore surrounding Bruce Lee’s death: a hypersensitive reaction to a headache pill (Equagesic).
How did Bruce Lee die?
To uncover the truth we need to first understand that in Hong Kong at the time cannabis was viewed in a wholly negative light. While opium was acceptable (Lee’s own father and his wing chun kung fu teacher Yip Man both indulged), cannabis most definitely was not; seen as it was as a foreign drug.
In truth, the cause of death was unknown. Equagesic certainly was found, but so was cannabis. So while death could have been caused by Equagesic, it could also have been caused by cannabis. Yet any allusion to the latter conclusion was omitted from the official report.
Speaking in 1992 Dr Wu felt unable at the time of the inquest to contradict the testimony of Professor Teare. Dr Langford went further and said that there was no doubt in his mind that cannabis should have been identified as the presumptive cause of death.
Cannabis and Bruce Lee's death
Through time both Dr Wu and Dr Langford became more forthcoming in expressing their opinions. Dr Langford stated simply “A headache tablet didn't kill Bruce Lee....The factors that caused his collapse in May are the same as those that caused his death in July. Bruce was affected by one or more alkaloids in cannabis. The official verdict wasn't so much a cover-up as an attempt to produce a verdict that was more socially acceptable.” (Bruce Lee: Fighting Spirit by Bruce Thomas).
Dr Wu supports this, saying “Bruce Lee could have died in May; he was in a very critical condition. It was sheer luck that there was someone there to help him. A lot of Nepalese hashish was taken from his stomach. Not wanting to damage his health by smoking cannabis, he chose instead to eat it. Unfortunately, this overloads the body with active ingredients far quicker than they can be processed. And his very low percentage of body fat along with all the stress he was under, made him even more vulnerable to the drug and dramatically intensified its effects.” (Bruce Lee: Fighting Spirit by Bruce Thomas).
The doctors warned Bruce of the dangers of taking cannabis the first time around, particularly given his bad reaction to it. Lee, feeling that he knew what was best for him, chose to ignore the advice.
Bruce Lee had started using cannabis while he was in Los Angeles. Steve McQueen had first exposed the Little Dragon to the drug and both Joe Lewis and James Coburn were witnesses to him using it. Bob Wall says that Lee was using the drug throughout the filming of Enter the Dragon. At the same time his punishing workout routine, his focus on diet and nutrition, along with increasing stress saw Lee’s body weight drop from 145 pounds to 122 pounds, leaving him with less than 1% body fat. His resistance accordingly dropped and his dedication to his health had reached the point where his obsession had become, paradoxically, extremely unhealthy.
In the final analysis then Bruce Lee’s death seems to have been directly linked to his use of cannabis and his refusal to quit the drug despite his near death experience in May 1973 and the advice of his attending doctors to steer clear of it. His rejection of this advice and his continued use of the drug was indicative of the kind of stress he was experiencing at the time and his desire to find some kind of immediate peace and timelessness (Lee stated that cannabis gave the impression that time slowed down) amid a hectic lifestyle far beyond anything he was used to or prepared for.
The master was gone. By the time audiences were wowed by Enter the Dragon and the Kung Fu craze really took off the hero of the story – arguably the most important martial arts figure in the twentieth century – was already dead. Lee never lived to see the pivotal part he played in popularizing martial arts; nor did he live to see his commercial success eclipse that of both Steve McQueen and James Coburn. With his death Bruce Lee left everyone else to just walk on.
When exploring bodybuilding supplements for beginners the first point to highlight here is that supplements should be exactly that: additions to an otherwise healthy, nutritious diet. They should not be taken instead of good food. The second point is that the products by themselves are not miraculous. They will not grant you massive gains unless you are putting the work in with the weights as well.
What supplements will do is maximize your gains and improve recovery time as long as they are used with a planned diet and a well-executed workout program. They are not necessary for the casual athlete or someone looking to exercise to lose weight or maintain a minimum fitness level. If you are serious about your training though and are going to the gym at least 3 times a week for over an hour and are looking for good results, then various powders should help to take you to the next level. They have always been popular in bodybuilding circles, but have also transitioned into more general use for general sportspeople.
One word of caution though. Once you start taking supplements and you start seeing improved gains, bear in mind that in order to maintain your new higher level you will have to continue to absorb whatever it is you are taking. Once you stop taking the supplements your performance level will drop to where it was before you started.
How to Pick Supplements
Here are a few general guidelines on choosing bodybuilding supplements for beginners.
Do they increase lean muscle? There is a big difference between bulking up by putting on weight and building lean muscle mass. You may prefer one or the other, but make sure the product you are using delivers what you are looking for.
Are they dangerous? Make sure you are reading reviews of any new supplements you are interested in trying and be sure to follow the instructions for use as directed carefully from the beginning. Don’t sacrifice the health of your kidney or your liver (or any other organ) for the promise of slightly better performance.
Do they increase heart rate? This isn’t so much an issue for building bulk, but popular pre-workout mixes include heavy doses of caffeine and other stimulants designed to get your heart working, the theory being that you can then perform at a higher level while training. As a pick-me-up once in a while this may be fine, but if you are relying on this kind of supplement all the time before hitting the gym then you are going to run into trouble.
Is there research? As well as the reviews, check out the science behind any supplement (and its ingredients). If you are going to supplement then aim for quality products that have been proven to work and are demonstrably safe.
Good Supplements to Take
Without recommending particular brands you may want to look at the following to help you out.
- Whey and Creatine
- L Carnitine
- Leucine
- CLA
- Zinc
- Magnesium
- Omega 3
BJJ, or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (aka Gracie Jiu Jitsu), finds its inspiration in Japanese ju jutsu, the precise origins of which are unknown. Some claim a Chinese origin, though it should be noted that earlier in Japan's history Chinese cultural influence was seen to be pre-eminent and such a theory may owe more to building prestige than any reality. Certainly there is no overwhelming evidence of a Chinese origin and the Nihongi (an official history of the origins of Japan completed in 797 CE) makes mention of a grappling match conducted in 23 BC before the Emperor that ended with one of the protagonists thrown to the floor and kicked to death.
By the Kamakura period the samurai were emerging as the elite warrior class and while they preferred to war with weapons, in the event of weapon loss or breakage they needed a set of battlefield-effective unarmed combat moves which resulted in what is loosely known as kumiuchi. Armor, along with the press of bodies on a battlefield, prevented the developed of a kicking and punching art and so grappling was emphasized. One of the principle stratagems was to take the opponent to the ground where a knife could be neatly inserted between the armor plates and the adversary killed.
For centuries the Japanese martial arts of all forms were necessarily brutally effective. It wasn't until the early 17th century that peace was established under the Tokugawa shogunate. For the next 250 years the arts stultified. While the rest of the world modernized and formed large armies of drilled conscripts, in Japan the samurai remained the elite without actually doing very much in the way of fighting.
The close of the sengoku jidai (civil war) period saw the establishment of formal ryu (schools). The first ju jutsu ryu to emerge was the Takenouchi ryu in 1532. Many others followed. This school, and those that followed, taught self-defense methods more than battlefield skills, a reflection of the political change that had taken hold of Japan.
Fast forward to the mid-nineteenth century and Japan's opening of its harbors to foreign trade and Western influence, it became obvious that the traditional fighting schools were redundant in the face of modern weaponry and tactics. Japan too began to modernize (reflected in part in the Tom Cruise movie The Last Samurai) and the traditional warrior class was disbanded. Ju jutsu went into decline until its savior arrived in the form of Jigoro Kano.
Jigoro Kano and the development of judo
Kano began his study of ju jutsu in the late 1870s as a way to combat people bullying him by building his strength and his fighting skill. Kano first studied under Fukuda sensei of the Tenjin-shinyo ryu for two years. Upon the passing of his teacher Kano continued under Mataemon sensei. His death forced Kano to switch to the Kito ryu under Tsunetoshi Ikubo where a great deal of the throwing techniques of judo were learned.
Throughout his study Kano took notes and considered the problems and limitations of ju jutsu. He decided to emphasize character development over pure fighting skill and introduced several innovations, one of the most famous of which was the practice of randori (sparring) which led to shiai (competitive matches). By making judo safer (though not ineffective) it was able to appeal to a wider audience and, the Gracie family would argue, more relevant to combat as techniques could be practiced with much more vigor owing to rules and the mutual agreement to end a match when one or the other taps (submits). Kano moved away from the theoretical deadliness of techniques that could not be practiced safely (such as eye jabs). The result, paradoxically, was to create a more combat-effective system as more rigorous training could be engaged in.
Kano also took the maxim of 'minimum effort, maximum effect' as the fundamental guiding principle of judo, a philosophy he was keen to see applied to other aspects of life outside the training hall.
Essentially Kano's great breakthrough was to educate the practitioner first over the techniques themselves.
Kano was vindicated in a famous tournament held in 1886, a mere four years after the Kodokan (the HQ for judo) had been opened. Kano attracted several top ju jutsu practitioners and his team defeated one challenger after another. Finally in 1886 the Tokyo police wished to determine which art was most suitable for recruits to be taught and held a competition to decide the matter. The Kodokan team won 13 of 15 matches, and drew the other two. This success catapulted Kano and his art to enormous popularity and growth. In turn judo entered the public school curriculum.
Fusen ryu
While today judo is best known for its throws and BJJ for its ground work, ultimately the origins of the ground techniques found in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu lie beyond judo in the little-known Fusen ryu school of ju jutsu.
Fusen ryu had been in existence for some 100 years before its head master, Mataemon Tanabe, issued an unexpected challenge to the Kodokan. Unlike other schools of ju jutsu, the Fusen ryu concentrated on grappling over throwing. This tradition had been continued in the Kodokan with the victories in other challenges being the result of superior throwing technique. In fact, at this time, the syllabus of judo does not appear to have incorporated any ground grappling.
Tanabe was aware of the weakness in judo and formulated a simple strategy for the challenge: he would take the match to the ground. He sought to win through submission rather than scoring a point with a throw.
The precise details and date are lost but the challenge took place in the early 20th century between the Kodokan and the Fusen ryu. What isn't in dispute is the result: for the first time the Kodokan was defeated. Easily...
Kano was shocked and realized immediately the weakness in judo and - displaying his typical desire for improvement - invited Tanabe to teach at his school.
The example Tanabe set provided a key factor in the development of BJJ. The challenge demonstrated the importance of taking an opponent out of his comfort zone and into the area of combat the protagonist was most proficient in. This strategy came to be known as phases of combat, with each phase representing a part of the overall fight. Judo had previously fought in the throwing phase of combat; Tanabe took the fight into the ground grappling phase and beat the Kodokan.
The result of Tanabe's teaching at the Kodokan was an explosion of interest in ne waza, or ground grappling, at the expense of the hitherto emphasis on throwing.
Mitsuyo Maeda
An important figure to emerge from the shift in training to ground grappling was Mitsuyo Maeda. A skilled ju jutsu practitioner, like many others, he mad the switch to judo. Maeda became one of the top students to emerge from the Kodokan and he was sent around the world by Kano to spread the art. He traveled around Europe before heading to Brazil prior to the outbreak of World War One. At the time Japan was looking to expand its program of overseas colonization and Maeda became involved, advocating Brazil as a great place for Japanese to live.
While performing his duties Maeda came to befriend a Brazilian by the name of Gastao Gracie, a man of Scottish descent. In return for political favors, Maeda taught Gastao's son, Carlos, for somewhere between two and four years. Thus the seed of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu was planted.
Maeda was an accomplished street fighter and challenge-match fighter. His experiences in Brazil exposed him to different physiques and different styles that required him to modify his more traditional Japanese martial arts. There was no gi jacket and opponents tended to have a background in either wrestling or boxing, neither of which were seen in Japan at that time. To counter a boxer, Maeda would move into a tight clinch, take him to the ground and force a submission. While Maeda had never seen anything like boxing before, boxers had never seen anything like the ground work of judo.
Carlos Gracie and the beginnings of BJJ
As noted above, Carlos studied with Maeda for no more than four years and this would have included stints under Maeda's top students while the master was traveling. Following this tuition Carlos opened his own school in 1925 along with his brothers who he had been teaching. The Gracie brothers were known as excellent technicians, but more than this, they were known as fearless competitors in challenge matches. The family and the style went unbeaten.
This ongoing exposure to real combat created a feedback loop that was then honed in the gym among the brothers. With each fight came discussion and the honing of an evermore effective technique. The family tended towards the small size and so they often found themselves fighting from their backs, pinned by a larger opponent, and dealing with this situation became a key feature of BJJ that is still apparent today. Not only that, the Gracie's were engaged in challenge fights, not challenge grappling matches. In this environment is became clear that the pin was ineffective as it did not end the fight in and of itself.
The Gracies learned that two positions were more effective than any other: moving behind an opponent and taking his back and achieving the full mount position. This was the origin of the points system used in competitive BJJ which rewards contestants with ever-higher point scores as they achieve more difficult (and more dominating) positional control.
Continued development of BJJ
As the years passed and experience grew the theory of positional dominance grew and became of prime importance. Basically the theory recognized that the positions two fighters took with regard to one another could be graded, from the individual's perspective, as ranging from very good to very bad. For example, the mount position was, from the point of view of the person in the mount, very good; from the person trapped below the position was very bad. As such, the technique and strategy evolved to emphasize gaining a very good position in relation to your opponent and avoiding, escaping or reversing a very bad position. This emphasis on gaining positional advantage was reflected in the point system used in BJJ competition, which rewarded fighters who could force their adversary into a disadvantageous situation.
Differences between BJJ and traditional ju jutsu
While BJJ has its roots in classical Japanese ju jutsu, it has morphed into something that, certainly at the level at which fights are conceptualized, is different. In general, the techniques themselves tend to be inherited, but the guiding combative principles that govern the execution of those techniques have developed along different lines in BJJ.
- Positional Strategy
The most important difference is the revolutionary emphasis on gaining positional advantage. This overall guiding strategy in BJJ has its roots in the experiences gained by Gracie family members in real fights and subsequent training and honing of technique and the feedback loop this process created. Once positional dominance had been gained a submission could be much more easily applied as the opponent is less able to resist. The opponent may also be finished with a flurry of blows (usually palm strikes to save the knuckles from damage) from the mount.
- Training Method
Unlike classical ju jutsu BJJ makes continual and effective use of live training (randori) to teach, understand and practice positional dominance. This is an inheritance from Kano's introduction of sparring at the Kodokan. Although BJJ does make use of kata (forms) in the use of pre-determined drills, practice does not start and stop there as it does in the original ju jutsu schools.
The point of live training is for the opponent to actually resist the application of techniques against him, unlike in kata or drill practice where resistance is minimal to non-existent.
A criticism leveled at BJJ sometimes (and against those that spar 'safely' - according to rules) is that 'realistic' movements such as eye gouging and biting are not practiced. The standard answer is that experience has demonstrated that it is the superior grappler who will be better able to execute such techniques. My personal feelings are that such extreme attacks have little place in modern life with its legal constraints. Gouging another's eye had its place on the battlefield but nowadays the same technique can cause you to be the one convicted of a crime. As for a defense against such attacks, again, it is through the study and practice of positional advantage that prevents you suffering any damage. Taking someone's back effectively allows you to not only end the fight but puts you in a very safe position.
The benefit of this 'safe' approach to live training is that techniques can be practiced full out on a daily basis allowing for a rapid accumulation of skill (and related factors such as strength and endurance).
- Point System
The points system used in BJJ rewards a fighter each time he moves into a better (more dominant) position. Escaping from a bad position however is not rewarded. The rear position and mount score the maximum of four points each.
- Techniques Differences
Traditional ju jutsu styles utilize techniques that cannot be used safely in daily or competitive training, such as strikes to the eyes and genitals or biting and hair pulling. BJJ focuses on techniques that can be practiced full out against a resisting opponent.
The techniques of BJJ also make greater use of leverage owing to the smaller size of the early members of the Gracie family when compared to other Brazilians. The techniques also rely more on the use of gross motor movement, rather than fine motor movement. Those techniques reliant on fine motor movement, such as a finger lock, have been found to be difficult to apply in a real combat situation.
BJJ and MMA
Throughout much of the twentieth century the grappling arts, including BJJ, saw a decline in popularity when compared to the more dynamic and visually appealing striking and kicking arts such as karate and kung fu. Then, in the 1990s, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) competition began to gain popularity in North America and Japan. Initially the idea was to match up style vs style and fighters were nowhere near as well rounded as they are nowadays. Surprisingly the striking arts performed poorly, much to the shock of the general public and the average martial artist. One style emerged as being clearly more successful than others: BJJ. Even more shocking was that its champion, a young Royce Gracie, looked like anything but the archetypal sleek, muscle-bound champion that one would expect to dominate. More often than not Royce was outweighed and outmuscled yet he was able to pull off win after win. Other Gracie family members - Renzo, Ralph and Rickson - were similarly victorious in competitions other than the early UFC.
These early matches were much closer to full out fights than is allowed today in the UFC. There were no round time limits, no weight categories, no gloves and very few prohibited techniques. In this environment the Gracies and their BJJ were as close to being unbeatable and one could get.
BJJ and the Ultimate Fighting Championship
Rorion Gracie talks about the origins of BJJ, and the formulation of the original no-holds-barred Ultimate Fighting Championship (along with commentary from Ken Shamrock) which saw the emergence of Royce Gracie as the top fighter of his day and Gracie Jiu Jitsu as the pre-eminent fighting style.
The benefits of green tea have been known experientially for hundreds of years. Used in both China and Japan as well as other parts of Asia this bitter tasting tea offers innumerable health benefits. It has become more and more well-known around the world and every year exports increase in number. There are various types of macha (as it is known in Japan) and all offer a slightly different taste. In Japan the taste is so popular that you can buy green tea flavor soft drinks and ice cream. Starbucks even offers a latte.
The health benefits have long been suspected through experience but in recent years science has established time after time that green tea is just about the best thing you can put into your body.
Listed below are just some of the good effects a green tea diet offers.
Anti-estrogen. For men green tea will help prevent testosterone becoming estrogen. For women the tea will help lower bad estrogen levels and this plays a part in avoiding breast cancer.
Anti-cancer. Study after study shows that green tea helps lower the risk of various types of cancer in men and women.
Anti-oxidant. Regularly drinking macha helps to rid your body of toxins. If you are looking to detox, look no further. It is especially effective working to rid the lungs of toxins.
Stress / Cortisol Levels. Green tea plays a part in lowering our stress level and works as a relaxant.
Burning Fat. Studies also show that regular use is excellent for promoting weight loss by burning fat.
As I said, there are all kinds of other benefits and these are just a few of the more prominent ones. You can take pills nowadays as supplements or otherwise look to drink up to 6 cups a day. Consider also that you can take the leaves or powder blended in a smoothie or a protein shake. Another option is to mix the powder with chilled milk. I have even come across one fitness trainer who simply eats the leaves out of the tea bag!!
Bagua Chuan, also known as Ba Gwa Chuan, Pa Kua Chuan or Eight Trigram Boxing, is a Chinese internal fighting method, sister to Xing I and Tai Chi. The eight trigrams are said to relate to the Eight Trigrams of the I-Ching (The Book of Changes), a famous treatise on divination that fascinated C.G. Jung. The name further refers to the Eight Directions of Movement studied.
The origins of the art are presently unknown, but the most common account given is that Tung Hai Chuan (1798 – 1879) learned the basics of the art from a Taoist monk before developing the system fully in Beijing. There he defeated a Hsing I expert, though not without difficulty, and the two masters agreed that their students should learn both arts to make them more rounded fighters, a practice that continues today along with the third addition of Tai Chi Chuan. So effective was this art that guards in the Imperial palace were required to perfect its techniques in order to be able to better protect the emperor.
Walking the Circle in Bagua
Training is conducted initially by the student walking in a tight circle, with his eyes and focus directed into the center (where his opponent would be). While ‘walking the circle’ as this practice is known, a series of techniques are executed, including twists and turns to walk in the opposite direction. The practitioner is never still and is in a constant state of fluid motion. Pair practice includes the popular Chinese exercise of pushing hands. Each style of Chinese martial art has its own form of pushing-hands practice, and that of this art is of medium intensity. Not as soft as Tai Chi, but not as forceful as Wing Chun. While pushing-hands practitioners maintain contact with one another’s forearms, thrusting forward to lightly strike the other or push him off balance. The receiver must learn to intuitively react to changes in pressure he feels on his forearms and redirect the energy. Initially this practice is done statically, but more advanced forms allow movement and sweeps.
As a fighting art the practitioner uses quick footwork to move around an opponent into a more advantageous position, either at his side or behind him, while avoiding or redirecting any attacks. Offensively the master uses low kicks and hand strikes to vulnerable parts of the body, combined with locks. The art functions best at close-quarters art and once a fight starts the practitioner maintains a close proximity to his opponent.
Aikido was evolved from Aiki jutsu techniques in the main by Morihei Ueshiba (1883 – 1969), a man some claim as being a magician, or 'at least' the greatest martial artist that ever lived. Ueshiba began his life in Wakayama Prefecture, near both Osaka and the former capitals Nara and Kyoto, a son of a farmer. After a brief failed business attempt and a bout of beriberi, Ueshiba joined the army in 1903. By this time he was gaining experience in different martial art forms and was becoming healthier after his earlier illness. In 1912 Ueshiba led a group of settlers into the harsh northern lands of Hokkaido. During this quest he met and began training with Sokaku Takeda, a master of Daito ryu Aiki jutsu. These techniques would go on to form the basis of his new art.
As important as the martial application of techniques is to Aikido, so are its religious and spiritual aspects. For almost ten years, Ueshiba became involved in the new, infamous religion of Omoto-kyo, the teachings of which would have an effect on shaping his philosophy of Aikido. During his stay with the sect he began teaching students, being encouraged by the sect leader Deguchi Onisaburo to explore his own personal method of understanding and communicating the divine. Ueshiba’s tremendous reputation spread and soon non-sect members were traveling to train with him. The first signs of his emerging art appeared in 1922 when the style of Ueshiba-ryu Aiki bujutsu emerged. From this moment on his exploits become legendary.
In 1924 Ueshiba, Onisaburo and others traveled to China in search of land to create a seat of government for a new, religiously based world order. Ueshiba and his friends were captured under gunfire and it was only through intervention by consular staff that the execution of this small party was prevented. What was startling was that during the firefight that led to his capture Ueshiba swore that he was able to see lines of light indicating the path of bullets. From this moment his life became, if possible, more spiritual. Other profound experiences followed, leading to Ueshiba renaming his style Aiki budo, the change from jutsu to budo indicating a shift in mentality away from a combative approach. By 1930 Ueshiba was teaching in Tokyo with a string of high profile connections supporting him. Jigoro Kano, founder of Judo, visited Ueshiba and announced that Aiki budo was ‘…my ideal budo’. As conflict spread in Manchuria, Ueshiba’s new dojo became known as ‘hell dojo’ because of the severity of the training as young men prepared body and mind for the ravages of looming conflict. War first in China and then throughout the Pacific saw many promising students leave never to return. After the war Aikido, like other arts, suffered in popularity and exposure. However, on February 9, 1948 permission was granted to reestablish the Aikikai (the headquarters) and Ueshiba once more began teaching in Tokyo.
Training in this art involves a great deal of pair work with each helping the other to further his study and expertise. Basic techniques are learned before more advanced ones can be mastered, but always the same principles are evoked: do not oppose force with force, but blend with an attack and redirect the force to expose the opponent’s weak point. Movements are circular and the emphasis is on throwing and locking, though Ueshiba himself recognized that a quick punch or kick to unsettle an opponent prior to a controlling technique was a good tactic. However, this initial technique - intended more to distract than harm - tends not to be taught in the majority of schools today.
Central to the philosophy of this martial art is the notion that the practitioner should love his enemy. Ai means love or harmony. In combat the Aikidoka does not seek to permanently injure his opponent. Rather he will attempt to throw and trip his attacker. Only if the aggressor is persistent in pressing his attack will lasting and even final damage be inflicted. Another central aspect is the notion of ki, an energy that Ueshiba saw as being universal, and comparable to the Chinese notion of chi. This energy is believed to infuse all things. Being present in all things, Ueshiba postulated that if one could harmonize with this energy he would necessarily be harmonized with all things. It was his ability to achieve this, the master said, that made him such a formidable opponent even in the later years of his life.
Advice for hard gainers is often much needed. A hard gainer has an ectomorph body type; that is someone who tends to be skinny and finds it difficult to put on weight and build muscle. This is compared to the endomorph (prone to weight, and more specifically fat, gain) and the mesomorph (the ideal athletic build; someone who builds muscle quickly and with comparative ease).
The problem facing a hard gainer is that he or she can put in a tremendous amount of effort and get little in the way of visible results. This isn’t to say strength gains are not made (you can always improve your ligaments) but the bulk and, let’s be honest, the ‘cool factor’ of looking ripped is missing. In certain non-weight regulated sports this can end a career. It would be very difficult for an ectomorph to make it in the NFL. For other endeavors it may be seen as an advantage (skiing or horse riding for example). Then there are the sports that promote competitions between people of similar weights (boxing and MMA being two).
From the point of view of a hard gainer who just enjoys training to become stronger and look better though I want to offer a couple of points of advice.
Be Realistic. ‘Know thyself’. If you are a hard gainer and know yourself to be one you have to accept that there is going to be a limit to how much you can bulk up and get ripped (if you are training naturally). The magazines and other media promote an idealized image that is a worthy goal but which is unachievable by the majority (even for mesomorphs). Be inspired, yes, but don’t fall into the trap of expecting similar results and then beating yourself up and becoming disappointed and even quitting because you yourself can’t get to that level.
Monitor Your Daily Total Energy Expenditure. Building bulk and muscles isn’t just about eating a large quantity of food, it is about avoiding burning those extra calories off and keeping the weight gain on. If you are constantly rushing around and / or living a stressful life then however much you think you are eating, it may not be enough to keep you in a caloric surplus. If you are younger then your metabolism is no doubt in overdrive and that can also hinder your ability to gain weight and build muscle.
Take the time to track your daily caloric intake and then try to raise it. Moderately at first, but build up to more and more. Remember that shakes are especially good for getting lots of calories down in liquid form, but should not be taken in lieu of regular meals.
These are a couple of pointers. They may seem simple, but they are easy to forget and provide good advice for hard gainers.
Karate is what it is. There is a lot of discussion about what karate should be (to compensate for its perceived shortcomings) but this criticism is missing the point that karate is what karate is.
My daughter attends a hip hop dance school. She doesn't go there to learn ballet. Time permitting my son joins a shogi (Japanese chess) club on Saturdays. He doesn't go there to play monopoly. Similarly enrolling in a karate dojo and expecting to learn how to street fight, or how to do MMA or how to grapple is absurd.
Karate is what it is. In most dojo you are going to study kata. If you don't like kata or you think it is a waste of time and don't want to do it then rather than complain about how 'unrealistic' karate is simply go somewhere else to learn a martial art where kata is not performed (but be careful that you fully understand what kata is...shadow boxing is also a form of kata...).
Karate is not for everyone (and I do not mean that in any belittling sense). Some people like - even love - it and others do not and prefer other martial arts or completely different activities unrelated in any way to fighting. You have the freedom to choose how you spend your time. To get the most our of your training though you need to have clear objectives first about what it is you want out of your training. Then you need to go and look for what you want. If you are looking for a contact martial art then most karate dojo are not gong to appeal to you. So go along to Muay Thai or something. Don't waste your time though making an issue about the lack of contact in karate because that is not a part of most people's practice. The fact that there is no contact is very appealing to many people. Not everyone wants to risk injury and brain damage.
If you are unsatisfied it is up to you to change the art you are practicing; the art should not and does not change to suit you.
Accepting evolution we know that Homo sapiens are distant relatives of chimpanzees, sharing a common ancestor ape between four to six million years ago. Depending on who you ask and what is being measured we share a figure of 95%+ of our DNA with chimps (some put the figure as high as 98.5%). One of the most significant organs we have inherited is the ape brain and by looking at the chimpanzee brain we can hopefully learn some useful information. However, the human brain operates in significantly different ways and this is what has allowed our rich, diverse culture to develop.
Before discussing the main topic in more detail let me recap on a central thesis that I am exploring in this blog.
The human brain is split between two hemispheres. In our normal waking life both of these hemispheres are engaged but most of us (though not all) are left brain hemisphere dominant (making us, for the most part, rational thinkers capable of reading, writing and speaking). Our right brain hemisphere is engaged when we deal with emotional issues and becomes dominant when we sleep…but also when we meditate (hence my interest in relating this information to the practice of karate and other fighting arts).
Dr Julian Jaynes was the first to put forward the idea that our current left brain hemisphere dominance is perhaps NOT our natural state and that we were all originally right brain hemisphere dominant. We have therefore experienced a shift in hemispherical dominance and Dr Jaynes traces this to at least as early as ancient Greece. Another significant influence on me has been Tony Wright, author of Left in the Dark. Mr Wright traces the origins of this shift in hemispherical dominance back over some 200,000 years, arguing that the change was initiated because of climatic and environmental change in Africa which forced out ancestors to shift from a fruit-based diet (including plants and nuts) to a meat-based diet as lush forestry began to disappear and Africa, once a haven for human life, began to become more and more inhospitable. What Mr Wright would argue therefore is that Dr Jaynes is recording the final stages of the shift to left brain hemisphere dominance (significantly as reading and writing became more and more widespread, both of which are heavily dependent on the utility of the left hemisphere). Another important point to note in passing here is that this process is dynamic and is continuing today (and can be reversed through the practice of meditation, whether static or dynamic, among other methods, again hinting at my interest in relating this process to martial arts).
The human brain then is a product of evolution as is, I will suggest below, its lateralization. Let us briefly consider the story of evolution.
Scientists estimate that humans and chimpanzees split from a common ancestor some four to six million years ago. At this time we were much more apelike that humanlike until Lucy, of the Australopithecus species emerged a little more than three million years ago. The theory behind the appearance of Lucy in Africa is that as deforestation occurred the space between trees widened and prevented our ancestors from swinging from branch to branch in pursuit of food. This forced them to the ground where, walking on all fours, they were easy targets for predators. In response to this our ancestors began to walk upright from tree to tree so as to be able to extend their range of vision and detect potential enemies at a greater distance thereby increasing their chances of survival. From this point on we came to resemble how we look and move today. Homo habilis and Home erectus emerged next around 2.5 million years ago and the two lived side by side. Stone tools began to be used and this period marks the beginning of the Lower Paleolithic. By approximately 1.8 million years ago Homo erectus was looking remarkably like modern humans though with nowhere near the same brain size. Various other sub-types also came and went, but one of the most potentially significant is Homo antecessor which may be a common ancestor of both humans and Neanderthals. Current archaeological evidence indicates Homo sapiens emerged some 200,000 years ago; African Eve, the mother to all mothers currently living today, lived around 150,000 years ago while African Adam, the father to all fathers alive today was around 60,000 to 140,000 years ago.
So, back to the chimpanzee brain.
The human brain (by human I refer to Homo sapiens man) is currently around three times larger than that of a chimpanzee. Both brains however are split between two hemispheres, the right and the left. In the left hemispheres of both brains the area thought to control language is larger than the corresponding area in the opposite hemisphere. Although researchers do not believe chimpanzees possess some kind of language, it is thought that they employ a method of communication that we are currently unable to decipher. Researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center found that chimps predominantly use their right hands when communicating with one another as compared to showing no preference when doing things like wiping their noses. As is popularly known, the left hemisphere controls the right side of the body, including the hand and we as humans shake hands with our right hands (lefties have no real choice other than to comply, though the action is for them unnatural). The fact then that chimps use their right hand for expression reinforces the thesis that the left brain hemisphere is concerned with communication. This suggests that the urge to use the right hand / left hemisphere for communication is a precursor to the development of language, which for most humans also utilizes the left hemisphere (and most humans are right handed).
The chimpanzee brain is sufficiently advanced to allow them to demonstrate a basic ability to use tools and solve problems in certain situations and they are even capable of abstract thought to a limited extent. Chimps have also demonstrated a meager ability to consider a solution to a problem.
That said, apart from seeming to prefer the right hand for methods of communication, most chimps do not have any preference and are found, in non-communicative activities, to be equally right or left handed, or ambidextrous. This indicates, again in non-communicative activities, that the chimpanzee brain does not have the kind of overtly specialized lateralization that the human brain has. For example, a paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (vol. 104 no. 43) examined brain activity in humans and chimps while wakeful but resting and found that while both chimps and humans displayed high levels of activity within default mode areas there were differences, including (in chimps) a comparatively lower level of activity in the left-sided cortical areas involved in language and conceptual processing in humans. The researchers conclude that "[These] results raise the possibility that the resting state of chimpanzees involves emotionally laden episodic memory retrieval and some level of mental self-projection, albeit in the absence of language and conceptual processing." Is this more akin to how the human brain once functioned?
The research on right-handedness for communication among chimps does however challenge the notion that we as humans are predominantly right-handed because of tool use. This is an important point that I will return to in the future. Note for now that Dr Jaynes detected shifts from right to left brain hemisphere dominance when reading and writing (communicative activities) were becoming more and more widespread and we moved away from the pictographs used by the Egyptians (art is better appreciated by the right hemisphere). This suggests that language and communication are responsible for, at the very least, reinforcing brain lateralization with an emphasis on the left hemisphere. Of further note is the importance placed on silence while meditating and the idea that eternal spiritual truths cannot be communicated verbally. He who knows does not speak…
Although there are similarities then between a human brain and that of a chimpanzee, one of the most significant differences is the degree of lateralization both employ. We as humans use brains that are far, far more lateralized than that of a chimp (this is also true when compared to other animals and, we can presume, when compared to our common ape ancestor). This raises several points to ponder.
When and why did the human brain become so heavily lateralized?
Should we take it for granted that it is “normal” for a human to be left brain hemisphere dominant, or should we consider the possibility that this brain dominance is actually the result of a discernible process that, one might even argue, has skewed our consciousness?
If we so desire, what methods are available to us to allow us to experience right brain dominance and what would this feel like?
