Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Want to Lose Weight? Learn the Martial Arts by Ray Gollis
If you really want to lose weight. You have to be disciplined. With all the crime out on the streets you have to be prepared for the unexpected. The science of creating a fit mind, body and spirit comes from within. Everybody is looking in the wrong places for love. You have to love you body first. So if you really want to lose weight and be prepared for the unexpected. Come and join me. We will explore together the strengths and weakness everyone has. I will prepare you for a long journey. If interested. This will not be a one week self-defense class. But rather a change in your lifestyle. If you want to learn self-defense and lose weight. I will show you the way. Give me a call at 313-903-2752 and ask for Ray. Thanks.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Who is better? by Ray Gollis
If you compare fighters. Who is better? Is it Steven Seagul, Chuck Norris, Bruce Lee, Tony Jaa, Bill Wallace, Joe Lewis or Jet-Li. All this fighters had attributes that made that great fighters. But is this on the screen or real life. Bruce Lee was brought up in the streets of hong kong. He was a street fighter at first. Then a movie star. So did he actually have real life experience. Yes. Is this to say that Bruce Lee never step into a tournament make him any less of a fighter. No. Most great artist do not get into the ring. But they teach instead. This is where the would rather be than fighting in a tournament. Most Martial Artists who do not have any real life experiences do not have the experience sometimes it takes to fight in a realistic manner. Steven Seagul style is Aikido which is a very smooth martial art which using the person's force against themselves. Is this very effective Martial Art. Sure it is. High Kicking and Flashy Moves can get you killed in a street fight. Tony Jaa, the next Bruce Lee, In my opinion he is the best out there. He mixes caperora with Thai Boxing which is very impressive. Is this effective for the street. So who is better between all these fighters. I would have to say Each Person is an Individual, There is neither better nor worse. If there is fight between person A and person B, Then person C comes along and beats A and B. This goes to show you there can never a defined winner in this situation. Unless you do as the sports team do Play a best of some odd number say 13. To see who the real winner is.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Which Martial Art is the Best? by Ray Gollis
Which Martial Art is the Best? Well that can depend on a lot of variables. The greatest martial artist, Bruce Lee says,"Use No Way as Way." There is no style that is better than another. Efficiency is anything that scores. Of course that doesn't mean that there is no concepts or principals to abide by. It just means that you must pick and choose the right weapon or martial art for the circumstance. No art is superior all the time, You have to pick what martial art is right at the moment. Each martial art is practiced within a certain region of the country. It depends on the environment. Where you are at in the present. If you were to fight someone on a icy ground. I don't think Tae Kwon Do would be a good art to choose, because you would slip and injure yourself. A more practical Martial Art would be Monkey Kung Fu with its low stances and emphasis on ground fighting. Tae Kwon Do might be good if you have plenty of room to kick and have a level playing ground. There are many cultures out there. So open your mind and appreciate each culture for its beauty. Each Martial Art comes from a different country and has advantages and disadvantages. This modern practicioner appreciates tradition but has to seek new training methods and fighting styles to be able to adapt to any opponent at any range. To be a complete Martial Artist this is what you have to achieve.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Train the Attributes by Ray Gollis
Attributes what are they? These attributes are what make up a great fighter. Bruce Lee, His attributes were speed, timing, reflexes, killer instinct, power, coordination, line familization. Does that mean someone that isn't born with this attributes cannot learn them. Sure they can. They have to train them. Like Bruce Lee said "You have to train everypart of your body." Each movement has to become one within. It has to flow. When you teach a certain technique to someone it become static. One movement, Two Movement, So on and so forth. But when you fight. It is dynamic. This means it is always changing. Bong Sao turns into Lop Sao and one technique turns into another without even thinking. It becomes reflective. Speed is gained by fillipino stick fighting. Fighting against a stick whizzing at your head at 150mph increases your speed because a normal punch is clocked at 90mph. So your reflex become very fast when you train with weapons.
To Conclude, It takes more than just learning techniques. You have to learn on how to endure. Or like Bruce Lee says,"You have to learn on how to endure, Or hire a bodyguard and lead a less aggresive life."
To Conclude, It takes more than just learning techniques. You have to learn on how to endure. Or like Bruce Lee says,"You have to learn on how to endure, Or hire a bodyguard and lead a less aggresive life."
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Who is Bruce Lee by Ray Gollis
Who is Bruce Lee? He broke the barriers of being the first martial artist to make it popular in the United States. His Nickname was "Little Dragon; but his birth name was Jun Fun, which he named after his martial art Jun Fun Gung Fu. He broke the door down so other after him follow him, Steven Seagul, Chuck Norris, Jet-Li, Chow Yun Fat, Mako, Dan Inosanto and many others.
Bruce Lee thought the martial arts were too confined, So he created a martial art which was no style. The martial art he created was called " Jeet Kune Do", The Way of the Intercepting Fist. Which in combat you can choose which environment you will be in. So he theorized that you have knowledge of all four ranges of combat.
What Ranges are These. Kicking, Punching-(Click Here!
), Trapping and Grappling. Dan Inosanto and Bruce Lee after studing thousand of martial arts. Took 27 styles and took the best of these styles and discarded the rest. Paul Vunak, A student of Dan Inosanto, Says," There is no art superior all the time, but you have to choose the right art at the moment. You can't kick all the time, you might have to go into wrestling or trapping, The same goes with wrestling, you can't wrestle all the time if faced by multiple opponents.
Efficiency is anything that scores. " Use no way as way" or " Have no limitation as limitation". This is what bruce lee says. When you limit yourself , you have trapped yourself with out even knowing it. So this is the greatest thing that jeet kune do teachs you, Do what works at the moment.
Bruce Lee thought the martial arts were too confined, So he created a martial art which was no style. The martial art he created was called " Jeet Kune Do", The Way of the Intercepting Fist. Which in combat you can choose which environment you will be in. So he theorized that you have knowledge of all four ranges of combat.
What Ranges are These. Kicking, Punching-(Click Here!
), Trapping and Grappling. Dan Inosanto and Bruce Lee after studing thousand of martial arts. Took 27 styles and took the best of these styles and discarded the rest. Paul Vunak, A student of Dan Inosanto, Says," There is no art superior all the time, but you have to choose the right art at the moment. You can't kick all the time, you might have to go into wrestling or trapping, The same goes with wrestling, you can't wrestle all the time if faced by multiple opponents.
Efficiency is anything that scores. " Use no way as way" or " Have no limitation as limitation". This is what bruce lee says. When you limit yourself , you have trapped yourself with out even knowing it. So this is the greatest thing that jeet kune do teachs you, Do what works at the moment.
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
60 Minutes Report on Hoodia
CBS) Each year, people spend more than $40 billion on products designed to help them slim down. None of them seem to be working very well.
Now along comes hoodia. Never heard of it? Soon it'll be tripping off your tongue, because hoodia is a natural substance that literally takes your appetite away.
It's very different from diet stimulants like Ephedra and Phenfen that are now banned because of dangerous side effects. Hoodia doesn't stimulate at all. Scientists say it fools the brain by making you think you're full, even if you've eaten just a morsel. Correspondent Lesley Stahl reports.
"Hoodia, a plant that tricks the brain by making the stomach feel full, has been in the diet of South Africa's Bushmen for thousands of years."
Because the only place in the world where hoodia grows wild is in the Kalahari Desert of South Africa.
Nigel Crawhall, a linguist and interpreter, hired an experienced tracker named Toppies Kruiper, a local aboriginal Bushman, to help find it. The Bushmen were featured in the movie "The Gods Must Be Crazy."
Kruiper led 60 Minutes crews out into the desert. Stahl asked him if he ate hoodia. "I really like to eat them when the new rains have come," says Kruiper, speaking through the interpreter. "Then they're really quite delicious."
When we located the plant, Kruiper cut off a stalk that looked like a small spiky pickle, and removed the sharp spines. In the interest of science, Stahl ate it. She described the taste as "a little cucumbery in texture, but not bad."
So how did it work? Stahl says she had no after effects - no funny taste in her mouth, no queasy stomach, and no racing heart. She also wasn't hungry all day, even when she would normally have a pang around mealtime. And, she also had no desire to eat or drink the entire day. "I'd have to say it did work," says Stahl.
Although the West is just discovering hoodia, the Bushmen of the Kalahari have been eating it for a very long time. After all, they have been living off the land in southern Africa for more than 100,000 years.
Some of the Bushmen, like Anna Swartz, still live in old traditional huts, and cook so-called Bush food gathered from the desert the old-fashioned way.
The first scientific investigation of the plant was conducted at South Africa's national laboratory. Because Bushmen were known to eat hoodia, it was included in a study of indigenous foods.
"What they found was when they fed it to animals, the animals ate it and lost weight," says Dr. Richard Dixey, who heads an English pharmaceutical company called Phytopharm that is trying to develop weight-loss products based on hoodia.
Was hoodia's potential application as an appetite suppressant immediately obvious?
"No, it took them a long time. In fact, the original research was done in the mid 1960s," says Dixey.
It took the South African national laboratory 30 years to isolate and identify the specific appetite-suppressing ingredient in hoodia. When they found it, they applied for a patent and licensed it to Phytopharm.
Phytopharm has spent more than $20 million so far on research, including clinical trials with obese volunteers that have yielded promising results. Subjects given hoodia ended up eating about 1,000 calories a day less than those in the control group. To put that in perspective, the average American man consumes about 2,600 calories a day; a woman about 1,900.
"If you take this compound every day, your wish to eat goes down. And we've seen that very, very dramatically," says Dixey.
But why do you need a patent for a plant? "The patent is on the application of the plant as a weight-loss material. And, of course, the active compounds within the plant. It's not on the plant itself," says Dixey.
So no one else can use hoodia for weight loss? "As a weight-management product without infringing the patent, that's correct," says Dixey.
But what does that say about all these weight-loss products that claim to have hoodia in it? Trimspa says its X32 pills contain 75 mg of hoodia. The company is pushing its product with an ad campaign featuring Anna Nicole Smith, even though the FDA has notified Trimspa that it hasn't demonstrated that the product is safe.
Some companies have even used the results of Phytopharm's clinical tests to market their products.
"This is just straightforward theft. That's what it is. People are stealing data, which they haven't done, they've got no proper understanding of, and sticking on the bottle," says Dixey. "When we have assayed these materials, they contain between 0.1 and 0.01 percent of the active ingredient claimed. But they use the term hoodia on the bottle, of course, so they -- does nothing at all."
But Dixey isn't the only one who's felt ripped off. The Bushmen first heard the news about the patent when Phytopharm put out a press release. Roger Chennells, a lawyer in South Africa who represents the Bushmen, who are also called "the San," was appalled.
"The San did not even know about it," says Chennells. "They had given the information that led directly toward the patent."
The taking of traditional knowledge without compensation is called "bio-piracy."
"You have said, and I'm going to quote you, 'that the San felt as if someone had stolen the family silver,'" says Stahl to Chennells. "So what did you do?"
"I wouldn't want to go into some of the details as to what kind of letters were written or what kind of threats were made," says Chennells. "We engaged them. They had done something wrong, and we wanted them to acknowledge it."
Chennells was determined to help the Bushmen who, he says, have been exploited for centuries. First they were pushed aside by black tribes. Then, when white colonists arrived, they were nearly annihilated.
"About the turn of the century, there were still hunting parties in Namibia and in South Africa that allowed farmers to go and kill Bushmen," says Chennells. "It's well documented."
The Bushmen are still stigmatized in South Africa, and plagued with high unemployment, little education, and lots of alcoholism. And now, it seemed they were about to be cut out of a potential windfall from hoodia. So Chennells threatened to sue the national lab on their behalf.
"We knew that if it was successful, many, many millions of dollars would be coming towards the San," says Chennells. "Many, many millions. They've talked about the market being hundreds and hundreds of millions in America."
In the end, a settlement was reached. The Bushmen will get a percentage of the profits -- if there are profits. But that's a big if.
The future of hoodia is not yet a sure thing. The project hit a major snag last year. Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, which had teamed up with Phytopharm, and funded much of the research, dropped out when making a pill out of the active ingredient seemed beyond reach.
Dixey says it can be made synthetically: "We've made milligrams of it. But it's very expensive. It's not possible to make it synthetically in what's called a scaleable process. So we couldn't make a metric ton of it or something that is the sort of quantity you'd need to actually start doing something about obesity in thousands of people."
Phytopharm decided to market hoodia in its natural form, in diet shakes and bars. That meant it needed the hoodia plant itself.
But given the obesity epidemic in the United States, it became obvious that what was needed was a lot of hoodia - much more than was growing in the wild in the Kalahari. And so they came here.
60 Minutes visited one of Phytopharm's hoodia plantations in South Africa. They'll need a lot of these plantations to meet the expected demand.
Agronomist Simon MacWilliam has a tall order: grow a billion portions a year of hoodia, within just a couple of years. He admitted that starting up the plantation has been quite a challenge.
"The problem is we're dealing with a novel crop. It's a plant we've taken out of the wild and we're starting to grow it,' says MacWilliam. "So we have no experience. So it's different? diseases and pests which we have to deal with."
How confident are they that they will be able to grow enough? "We're very confident of that," he says. "We've got an expansion program which is going to be 100s of acres. And we'll be able - ready to meet the demand.
This could be huge, given the obesity epidemic. Phytopharm says it's about to announce marketing plans that will have meal-replacement hoodia products on supermarket shelves by 2008.
MacWilliam says these products are a slightly different species from the hoodia Stahl tasted in the Kalahari Desert. "It's actually a lot more bitter than the plant that you tasted," says MacWilliam.
The advantage is this species of hoodia will grow a lot faster. But more bitter? How bad could it be? Stahl decided to find out. "Not good," she says.
Phytopharm says that when its product gets to market, it will be certified safe and effective. They also promise that it'll taste good.
For more information visit: http://www.hoodiachaser.com/?aid=248535
Now along comes hoodia. Never heard of it? Soon it'll be tripping off your tongue, because hoodia is a natural substance that literally takes your appetite away.
It's very different from diet stimulants like Ephedra and Phenfen that are now banned because of dangerous side effects. Hoodia doesn't stimulate at all. Scientists say it fools the brain by making you think you're full, even if you've eaten just a morsel. Correspondent Lesley Stahl reports.
"Hoodia, a plant that tricks the brain by making the stomach feel full, has been in the diet of South Africa's Bushmen for thousands of years."
Because the only place in the world where hoodia grows wild is in the Kalahari Desert of South Africa.
Nigel Crawhall, a linguist and interpreter, hired an experienced tracker named Toppies Kruiper, a local aboriginal Bushman, to help find it. The Bushmen were featured in the movie "The Gods Must Be Crazy."
Kruiper led 60 Minutes crews out into the desert. Stahl asked him if he ate hoodia. "I really like to eat them when the new rains have come," says Kruiper, speaking through the interpreter. "Then they're really quite delicious."
When we located the plant, Kruiper cut off a stalk that looked like a small spiky pickle, and removed the sharp spines. In the interest of science, Stahl ate it. She described the taste as "a little cucumbery in texture, but not bad."
So how did it work? Stahl says she had no after effects - no funny taste in her mouth, no queasy stomach, and no racing heart. She also wasn't hungry all day, even when she would normally have a pang around mealtime. And, she also had no desire to eat or drink the entire day. "I'd have to say it did work," says Stahl.
Although the West is just discovering hoodia, the Bushmen of the Kalahari have been eating it for a very long time. After all, they have been living off the land in southern Africa for more than 100,000 years.
Some of the Bushmen, like Anna Swartz, still live in old traditional huts, and cook so-called Bush food gathered from the desert the old-fashioned way.
The first scientific investigation of the plant was conducted at South Africa's national laboratory. Because Bushmen were known to eat hoodia, it was included in a study of indigenous foods.
"What they found was when they fed it to animals, the animals ate it and lost weight," says Dr. Richard Dixey, who heads an English pharmaceutical company called Phytopharm that is trying to develop weight-loss products based on hoodia.
Was hoodia's potential application as an appetite suppressant immediately obvious?
"No, it took them a long time. In fact, the original research was done in the mid 1960s," says Dixey.
It took the South African national laboratory 30 years to isolate and identify the specific appetite-suppressing ingredient in hoodia. When they found it, they applied for a patent and licensed it to Phytopharm.
Phytopharm has spent more than $20 million so far on research, including clinical trials with obese volunteers that have yielded promising results. Subjects given hoodia ended up eating about 1,000 calories a day less than those in the control group. To put that in perspective, the average American man consumes about 2,600 calories a day; a woman about 1,900.
"If you take this compound every day, your wish to eat goes down. And we've seen that very, very dramatically," says Dixey.
But why do you need a patent for a plant? "The patent is on the application of the plant as a weight-loss material. And, of course, the active compounds within the plant. It's not on the plant itself," says Dixey.
So no one else can use hoodia for weight loss? "As a weight-management product without infringing the patent, that's correct," says Dixey.
But what does that say about all these weight-loss products that claim to have hoodia in it? Trimspa says its X32 pills contain 75 mg of hoodia. The company is pushing its product with an ad campaign featuring Anna Nicole Smith, even though the FDA has notified Trimspa that it hasn't demonstrated that the product is safe.
Some companies have even used the results of Phytopharm's clinical tests to market their products.
"This is just straightforward theft. That's what it is. People are stealing data, which they haven't done, they've got no proper understanding of, and sticking on the bottle," says Dixey. "When we have assayed these materials, they contain between 0.1 and 0.01 percent of the active ingredient claimed. But they use the term hoodia on the bottle, of course, so they -- does nothing at all."
But Dixey isn't the only one who's felt ripped off. The Bushmen first heard the news about the patent when Phytopharm put out a press release. Roger Chennells, a lawyer in South Africa who represents the Bushmen, who are also called "the San," was appalled.
"The San did not even know about it," says Chennells. "They had given the information that led directly toward the patent."
The taking of traditional knowledge without compensation is called "bio-piracy."
"You have said, and I'm going to quote you, 'that the San felt as if someone had stolen the family silver,'" says Stahl to Chennells. "So what did you do?"
"I wouldn't want to go into some of the details as to what kind of letters were written or what kind of threats were made," says Chennells. "We engaged them. They had done something wrong, and we wanted them to acknowledge it."
Chennells was determined to help the Bushmen who, he says, have been exploited for centuries. First they were pushed aside by black tribes. Then, when white colonists arrived, they were nearly annihilated.
"About the turn of the century, there were still hunting parties in Namibia and in South Africa that allowed farmers to go and kill Bushmen," says Chennells. "It's well documented."
The Bushmen are still stigmatized in South Africa, and plagued with high unemployment, little education, and lots of alcoholism. And now, it seemed they were about to be cut out of a potential windfall from hoodia. So Chennells threatened to sue the national lab on their behalf.
"We knew that if it was successful, many, many millions of dollars would be coming towards the San," says Chennells. "Many, many millions. They've talked about the market being hundreds and hundreds of millions in America."
In the end, a settlement was reached. The Bushmen will get a percentage of the profits -- if there are profits. But that's a big if.
The future of hoodia is not yet a sure thing. The project hit a major snag last year. Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, which had teamed up with Phytopharm, and funded much of the research, dropped out when making a pill out of the active ingredient seemed beyond reach.
Dixey says it can be made synthetically: "We've made milligrams of it. But it's very expensive. It's not possible to make it synthetically in what's called a scaleable process. So we couldn't make a metric ton of it or something that is the sort of quantity you'd need to actually start doing something about obesity in thousands of people."
Phytopharm decided to market hoodia in its natural form, in diet shakes and bars. That meant it needed the hoodia plant itself.
But given the obesity epidemic in the United States, it became obvious that what was needed was a lot of hoodia - much more than was growing in the wild in the Kalahari. And so they came here.
60 Minutes visited one of Phytopharm's hoodia plantations in South Africa. They'll need a lot of these plantations to meet the expected demand.
Agronomist Simon MacWilliam has a tall order: grow a billion portions a year of hoodia, within just a couple of years. He admitted that starting up the plantation has been quite a challenge.
"The problem is we're dealing with a novel crop. It's a plant we've taken out of the wild and we're starting to grow it,' says MacWilliam. "So we have no experience. So it's different? diseases and pests which we have to deal with."
How confident are they that they will be able to grow enough? "We're very confident of that," he says. "We've got an expansion program which is going to be 100s of acres. And we'll be able - ready to meet the demand.
This could be huge, given the obesity epidemic. Phytopharm says it's about to announce marketing plans that will have meal-replacement hoodia products on supermarket shelves by 2008.
MacWilliam says these products are a slightly different species from the hoodia Stahl tasted in the Kalahari Desert. "It's actually a lot more bitter than the plant that you tasted," says MacWilliam.
The advantage is this species of hoodia will grow a lot faster. But more bitter? How bad could it be? Stahl decided to find out. "Not good," she says.
Phytopharm says that when its product gets to market, it will be certified safe and effective. They also promise that it'll taste good.
For more information visit: http://www.hoodiachaser.com/?aid=248535
Making Your Wrist Locks Work:
A Training Exercise for Skeptics
by Keith Pascal
Are you a good martial artist? Are you proficient at striking techniques with both your hands and feet?
Do you think that wrist locks don't work either on you or for you? Do you feel that you'd demolish anyone who'd dare try to snap a joint lock on you?
If you answered yes to all of the above questions, then I'm willing to bet that you aren't as good as you think. Sorry to have to burst your bubble.
If you are still with me (you didn't just pass over this article in disgust), don't worry! Take heart, or at least suspend your skepticism, until you've read this article.
I have a quick fix. This quick fix works for martial artists who have trouble using a joint lock as an effective move.
Note: Coincidentally, I offer the same remedy for the opposite person. This training application works for the mid-novice martial artist who constantly tries to force a lock, even when to do so would be extremely dangerous.
Before we get into the actual exercise, let's talk about your wrist lock reluctance. I'll start by telling you that you aren't alone -- a lot of martial artists out there are operating under the the same misconception that wrist locks, and even arm bars, don't work. This is actually a good thing; in a short time you'll be able to pop a wrist lock on all of the other Doubting Thomases (and Doubting Thomasinas, too).
So how does this misconception form? This myth develops when one's view in the martial arts is too narrow, and also when it's too broad.
The too narrow view develops when some martial arts students of styles or systems that heavily emphasize locks have become disenchanted with their style. The students have been faithful to a single style -- they have studied the pure form, yet their wrist locks aren't effective in a real confrontation -- they keep getting hit.
Not the most desirable outcome in an altercation. Why does this happen?
This phenomenon can occur when their style is too limited, and the style itself isn't founded on realism. One of the reasons Bruce Lee developed his own system, was because of the limitations and lack of preparation for real encounters that he found in certain single styles.
Disenchantment can also occur, when students quit a good style too soon. If they had the patience, they eventually would have found a system that trains for real situations. This becomes almost a "chicken and egg paradox."
Did they give up too soon because they were disappointed, or did they get disappointed because they gave up too soon?
They don't stick with the style long enough to learn how to make their wrist locks effective. They never get a chance to learn from their instructor when to and when not to use joint locks. They never learn the proper preparation for a successful lock. Pity.
The broader perspective people tend to practice progressive martial arts that combines styles into broader systems. Often, they practice some variation or offshoot of Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do (JKD).
These eclectic martial artists also sometimes have difficulties effecting joint locks. Why? Because their view isn't as broad as they might think.
I use the term "broad" loosely, because I have encountered a slug of progressive martial artists who have pretty narrow minds.
Recently, I attended a JKD Seminar (plus convention and banquet). A martial arts instructor asked my wife to introduce us. They had previously been discussing Wing Chun Dummies (my wife and her father built an excellent one with myrtle wood arms) .
Within 20 seconds after shaking my hand, he blurted out that
"Wrist locks don't work."
Obviously, he knew me as the author of the book on wrist locks (more information on this book at the end of this article). And obviously, he was trying to "get my goat."
He even patronized me by saying that wrist locks might be the only option for someone not allowed to hit (like a police officer or a security guard), but that he was a hitter.
At first, I was a little annoyed, but my irritation turned to pity. Here we were in the middle of a seminar honoring Bruce Lee --- the man who popularized the notion of "emptying one's cup," so the cup will have room to hold better and more effective knowledge.
This martial arts instructor's cup was already filled. And he wasn't the only one.
Note: Actually, there is always something that the current "pop-teachers" are protesting.
One year, wrist locks don't work--so, they bad mouth Ju-Jitsu, Chin na, and Aikido. Another year, trapping was no good, so Wing styles came under attack.
Not to worry, I have spent and continue to a lot of time helping people to make locks work, and my instructor has spent a lot of time helping folks with their trapping techniques.
From year to year it's the same story with a new theme. Those who can't make a technique work are obviously the first to claim that it's the technique that's at fault. It's a great ego preserver.
By the way, what was the conclusion to the story with the guy at the JKD Seminar? Did we fight? Did we spar? Well, he and I had a "friendly discussion," which eventually turned to other topics. Later, we even talked about magic tricks. Why didn't I snap a powerful wrist lock on him and prove to him that he was wrong?
I was tempted -- for a split second, but...
I love the code of ethics of our organization. Since both of us were (are) recommended instructors in the organization, we knew not to bicker. We conducted ourselves in a mature manner. And we agreed to disagree.
Wouldn't it be great if other organizations could deemphasize their differences and share their love for martial arts....uh....umm... (sorry for the gaze through my rosey-colored glasses).
So, for my Texas instructor from the seminar and all of you who haven't been able to snap your locks on at just the right moment, here is the exercise (drum roll please):
That's right. Hit your opponent with at least three strikes before you attempt a lock. Wait. You stuck with this article and me this long. Bear with me just a little bit longer. Sometimes it's the simple advice that's the most useful. Before I explain the rule in detail, I'm going to make three assumptions:
1. You have some sort of a martial arts base. You know how and when to hit and kick, and you can do so in rapid succession.
2. You already know a few locks.
3. And you could do them effectively, if the conditions were "just right,"--even though they don't seem to work when you really need them.
Note: If you don't have any martial arts skill (assumption #1), enroll in a good martial arts class sooner than later. And if you don't have any joint locking skill (assumptions #2 and #3), you could start by getting my book Wrist Locks: From Protecting Yourself to Becoming an Expert.
And you should definitely continue reading the Martial Arts Mastery. It keeps you thinking about the arts. It strives to present informative articles that spark your enthusiasm. It definitely shows you an important aspect of what's out there in the martial arts.
Well, one of the main errors in wrist locking that I notice is the when of wrist locking. Believe it or not, some artists actually try to defend against a fast punch by going straight into a lock. They don't even slow the punch down. They try to grab at it. This is pure insanity.
By forcing my students to hit three times first, I guarantee that they won't pull a dumb stunt like trying to grab a speed punch.
Locking later also takes some of the heat off of the lock. My students don't think about it as much, so they don't get nervous in preparation for the "move."
Anticipation in martial arts can be a good thing, but it can also be very bad. Anticipation to the point of preoccupation doesn't fall into the "good" category.
In other words, don't worry -- let the lock happen naturally. To do this, you need to know a lot of entry points into some good locks. You already know where I'd suggest you go to learn more.
Another reason for the three hit rule has do to with the ease of effecting a lock. You have to admit, it's much easier to snap a tight lock on someone after you've punched the snot out of them than to try your wares on a well-rested, herculean giant. I hear my skeptics almost shouting "why not just keep hitting? Why bother to ever try a joint lock?"
Hitting is good. But it isn't the end-all (pardon the pun). A joint lock is a control move. You use it to bring the encounter to a more efficient close. You can stop the fight, or at least pause it, until you decide to continue wailing on your attacker.
Do you want more reasons? Think of the standard action movie. After the protagonist has defeated the bad guy, somehow the bad guy gets ahold of the weapon to make just one more attempt at killing the hero. A wrist lock would keep the attacker away from a weapon --remember, it's the issue of control. You control your opponent, until the police arrive.
And speaking of police, it looks a lot better to the police, and the witnesses, when you have the situation locked down with a control, rather than to have them arrive while you're wailing on your assailant. Hmmm, hit or lock?
Do what you need to do. I would never give you legal advice, since I'm not a lawyer, and also each particular situation varies greatly.
Personally, I like to hit and kick. It's not always practical to continue to do so.
See, I wasn't so different from my Mr. Skeptic at the seminar. I want to pound on them too -- then I want to wrap the encounter up in a tight, neat little package (tie 'em up with a good lock).
Mr. Skeptic and I both have the same basic dessert; I just want a little icing on my cake.
Now, go out there and start hitting first. Remember, strike at least three times.Whether you're hitting or kicking, fire them out in rapid succession.
Don't wait for your opponent to block. Just pick your targets and straight blast. And then bring the encounter to a quick close with a healthy wrist lock.
Let me know how this works for you. Good locking.
Readers who enjoyed the above article also liked the following article:
Pack Your Martial Arts Techniques With More Hits and Strikes
by Keith Pascal I hope these articles are of value to you. Did you know, my books and ebooks contain actual detailed instructions?
In almost all genres, articles are cursory looks at a subject. They don't go into a lot of detail. You don't discover everything you need to know. You skim the subject.
Not so with books and ebooks.
I am dedicated to providing books that really teach you how.
You really get to sink your teeth into a subject. You gain skills.
For example, a lot of martial artists know a wrist lock or two. Very few of them can make their wrist locks work in a variety of situations.I came across Kerwin Benson's Publishing Website
doing a google search and my name is Ray Gollis, I have been studying martial arts since I was 10 years old and am a avid fan of Bruce Lee's Teachings. Keith Pascal, is a firm believer in Bruce Lee's Teaching , He even says so on his site. Wrist Locks is outside of all styles, This is a concept, Whether you practice ju-jitsu, chin-na, aikoda, Keith Pascal book, Wrist Locks: From Protecting Yourself to Becoming a Expert, will teach you how, when to apply the locks. For example, Are you going to catch a fast jab that is coming at your face at 90mph and attempt to get your opponent into a figure-four armlock. I don't think this is realistic training. Paul Vunak, a student of Dan Inosanto, It is better to destroy the arm or the nerve from Fillipino Kali, Then proceed to get into a wrist-lock, Keith Pascal says, It is better to hit three times before you go into a lock, which I would agree 100%. So check this book "Punch Papers".Click Here! . After you check that book out. Go to the left Navigation button that says "links" and take a look at "Wrist Locks for Self Defense". This book will tell you everything you need to know and how to use a wrist lock in the most efficient manner possible.
A Training Exercise for Skeptics
by Keith Pascal
Are you a good martial artist? Are you proficient at striking techniques with both your hands and feet?
Do you think that wrist locks don't work either on you or for you? Do you feel that you'd demolish anyone who'd dare try to snap a joint lock on you?
If you answered yes to all of the above questions, then I'm willing to bet that you aren't as good as you think. Sorry to have to burst your bubble.
If you are still with me (you didn't just pass over this article in disgust), don't worry! Take heart, or at least suspend your skepticism, until you've read this article.
I have a quick fix. This quick fix works for martial artists who have trouble using a joint lock as an effective move.
Note: Coincidentally, I offer the same remedy for the opposite person. This training application works for the mid-novice martial artist who constantly tries to force a lock, even when to do so would be extremely dangerous.
Wrist Locks Reluctance
Before we get into the actual exercise, let's talk about your wrist lock reluctance. I'll start by telling you that you aren't alone -- a lot of martial artists out there are operating under the the same misconception that wrist locks, and even arm bars, don't work. This is actually a good thing; in a short time you'll be able to pop a wrist lock on all of the other Doubting Thomases (and Doubting Thomasinas, too).
So how does this misconception form? This myth develops when one's view in the martial arts is too narrow, and also when it's too broad.
The too narrow view develops when some martial arts students of styles or systems that heavily emphasize locks have become disenchanted with their style. The students have been faithful to a single style -- they have studied the pure form, yet their wrist locks aren't effective in a real confrontation -- they keep getting hit.
Not the most desirable outcome in an altercation. Why does this happen?
This phenomenon can occur when their style is too limited, and the style itself isn't founded on realism. One of the reasons Bruce Lee developed his own system, was because of the limitations and lack of preparation for real encounters that he found in certain single styles.
Disenchantment can also occur, when students quit a good style too soon. If they had the patience, they eventually would have found a system that trains for real situations. This becomes almost a "chicken and egg paradox."
Did they give up too soon because they were disappointed, or did they get disappointed because they gave up too soon?
They don't stick with the style long enough to learn how to make their wrist locks effective. They never get a chance to learn from their instructor when to and when not to use joint locks. They never learn the proper preparation for a successful lock. Pity.
The broader perspective people tend to practice progressive martial arts that combines styles into broader systems. Often, they practice some variation or offshoot of Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do (JKD).
These eclectic martial artists also sometimes have difficulties effecting joint locks. Why? Because their view isn't as broad as they might think.
I use the term "broad" loosely, because I have encountered a slug of progressive martial artists who have pretty narrow minds.
Recently, I attended a JKD Seminar (plus convention and banquet). A martial arts instructor asked my wife to introduce us. They had previously been discussing Wing Chun Dummies (my wife and her father built an excellent one with myrtle wood arms) .
Within 20 seconds after shaking my hand, he blurted out that
"Wrist locks don't work."
Obviously, he knew me as the author of the book on wrist locks (more information on this book at the end of this article). And obviously, he was trying to "get my goat."
He even patronized me by saying that wrist locks might be the only option for someone not allowed to hit (like a police officer or a security guard), but that he was a hitter.
At first, I was a little annoyed, but my irritation turned to pity. Here we were in the middle of a seminar honoring Bruce Lee --- the man who popularized the notion of "emptying one's cup," so the cup will have room to hold better and more effective knowledge.
This martial arts instructor's cup was already filled. And he wasn't the only one.
Note: Actually, there is always something that the current "pop-teachers" are protesting.
One year, wrist locks don't work--so, they bad mouth Ju-Jitsu, Chin na, and Aikido. Another year, trapping was no good, so Wing styles came under attack.
Not to worry, I have spent and continue to a lot of time helping people to make locks work, and my instructor has spent a lot of time helping folks with their trapping techniques.
From year to year it's the same story with a new theme. Those who can't make a technique work are obviously the first to claim that it's the technique that's at fault. It's a great ego preserver.
Conclusion to the Story
By the way, what was the conclusion to the story with the guy at the JKD Seminar? Did we fight? Did we spar? Well, he and I had a "friendly discussion," which eventually turned to other topics. Later, we even talked about magic tricks. Why didn't I snap a powerful wrist lock on him and prove to him that he was wrong?
I was tempted -- for a split second, but...
I love the code of ethics of our organization. Since both of us were (are) recommended instructors in the organization, we knew not to bicker. We conducted ourselves in a mature manner. And we agreed to disagree.
Wouldn't it be great if other organizations could deemphasize their differences and share their love for martial arts....uh....umm... (sorry for the gaze through my rosey-colored glasses).
So, for my Texas instructor from the seminar and all of you who haven't been able to snap your locks on at just the right moment, here is the exercise (drum roll please):
Hit at least three times first.
That's right. Hit your opponent with at least three strikes before you attempt a lock. Wait. You stuck with this article and me this long. Bear with me just a little bit longer. Sometimes it's the simple advice that's the most useful. Before I explain the rule in detail, I'm going to make three assumptions:
1. You have some sort of a martial arts base. You know how and when to hit and kick, and you can do so in rapid succession.
2. You already know a few locks.
3. And you could do them effectively, if the conditions were "just right,"--even though they don't seem to work when you really need them.
Note: If you don't have any martial arts skill (assumption #1), enroll in a good martial arts class sooner than later. And if you don't have any joint locking skill (assumptions #2 and #3), you could start by getting my book Wrist Locks: From Protecting Yourself to Becoming an Expert.
And you should definitely continue reading the Martial Arts Mastery. It keeps you thinking about the arts. It strives to present informative articles that spark your enthusiasm. It definitely shows you an important aspect of what's out there in the martial arts.
OK, why the three hit rule?
Well, one of the main errors in wrist locking that I notice is the when of wrist locking. Believe it or not, some artists actually try to defend against a fast punch by going straight into a lock. They don't even slow the punch down. They try to grab at it. This is pure insanity.
By forcing my students to hit three times first, I guarantee that they won't pull a dumb stunt like trying to grab a speed punch.
Locking later also takes some of the heat off of the lock. My students don't think about it as much, so they don't get nervous in preparation for the "move."
Anticipation in martial arts can be a good thing, but it can also be very bad. Anticipation to the point of preoccupation doesn't fall into the "good" category.
In other words, don't worry -- let the lock happen naturally. To do this, you need to know a lot of entry points into some good locks. You already know where I'd suggest you go to learn more.
Apply Lock Easily
Another reason for the three hit rule has do to with the ease of effecting a lock. You have to admit, it's much easier to snap a tight lock on someone after you've punched the snot out of them than to try your wares on a well-rested, herculean giant. I hear my skeptics almost shouting "why not just keep hitting? Why bother to ever try a joint lock?"
Hitting is good. But it isn't the end-all (pardon the pun). A joint lock is a control move. You use it to bring the encounter to a more efficient close. You can stop the fight, or at least pause it, until you decide to continue wailing on your attacker.
More Reasons
Do you want more reasons? Think of the standard action movie. After the protagonist has defeated the bad guy, somehow the bad guy gets ahold of the weapon to make just one more attempt at killing the hero. A wrist lock would keep the attacker away from a weapon --remember, it's the issue of control. You control your opponent, until the police arrive.
And speaking of police, it looks a lot better to the police, and the witnesses, when you have the situation locked down with a control, rather than to have them arrive while you're wailing on your assailant. Hmmm, hit or lock?
Do what you need to do. I would never give you legal advice, since I'm not a lawyer, and also each particular situation varies greatly.
Personally, I like to hit and kick. It's not always practical to continue to do so.
See, I wasn't so different from my Mr. Skeptic at the seminar. I want to pound on them too -- then I want to wrap the encounter up in a tight, neat little package (tie 'em up with a good lock).
Mr. Skeptic and I both have the same basic dessert; I just want a little icing on my cake.
Now, go out there and start hitting first. Remember, strike at least three times.Whether you're hitting or kicking, fire them out in rapid succession.
Don't wait for your opponent to block. Just pick your targets and straight blast. And then bring the encounter to a quick close with a healthy wrist lock.
Let me know how this works for you. Good locking.
Readers who enjoyed the above article also liked the following article:
These Articles Are Just the Tip of the Iceberg
by Keith Pascal I hope these articles are of value to you. Did you know, my books and ebooks contain actual detailed instructions?
In almost all genres, articles are cursory looks at a subject. They don't go into a lot of detail. You don't discover everything you need to know. You skim the subject.
Not so with books and ebooks.
I am dedicated to providing books that really teach you how.
You really get to sink your teeth into a subject. You gain skills.
For example, a lot of martial artists know a wrist lock or two. Very few of them can make their wrist locks work in a variety of situations.I came across Kerwin Benson's Publishing Website
doing a google search and my name is Ray Gollis, I have been studying martial arts since I was 10 years old and am a avid fan of Bruce Lee's Teachings. Keith Pascal, is a firm believer in Bruce Lee's Teaching , He even says so on his site. Wrist Locks is outside of all styles, This is a concept, Whether you practice ju-jitsu, chin-na, aikoda, Keith Pascal book, Wrist Locks: From Protecting Yourself to Becoming a Expert, will teach you how, when to apply the locks. For example, Are you going to catch a fast jab that is coming at your face at 90mph and attempt to get your opponent into a figure-four armlock. I don't think this is realistic training. Paul Vunak, a student of Dan Inosanto, It is better to destroy the arm or the nerve from Fillipino Kali, Then proceed to get into a wrist-lock, Keith Pascal says, It is better to hit three times before you go into a lock, which I would agree 100%. So check this book "Punch Papers".Click Here! . After you check that book out. Go to the left Navigation button that says "links" and take a look at "Wrist Locks for Self Defense". This book will tell you everything you need to know and how to use a wrist lock in the most efficient manner possible.
Green Tea Fights Fat
Jan. 26, 2005 -- Need another healthy reason to drink green tea? Aside from fighting heart disease, cancer, and other diseases, a new study shows that drinking green tea may also fight fat.
The study showed that people who drank a bottle of tea fortified with green tea extract every day for three months lost more body fat than those who drank a bottle of regular oolong tea.
Researchers say the results indicate that substances found in green tea known as catechins may trigger weight loss by stimulating the body to burn calories and decreasing body fat.
The findings appear in the January issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Green Tea: Fat Fighter?
Black tea, oolong tea, and green tea come from the same Camellia sinensis plant. But unlike the other two varieties, green tea leaves are not fermented before steaming and drying.
Most teas contain large amounts of polyphenols, which are plant-based substances that have been shown to have antioxidant, anticancer, and antiviral properties.
However, green tea is particularly rich in a type of polyphenols called catechins. These substances have also been shown to have anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties, but recent research in animals show that catechins may also affect body fat accumulation and cholesterol levels.
In this study, researchers looked at the effects of catechins on body fat reduction and weight loss in a group of 35 Japanese men. The men had similar weights based on their BMI (body mass index, an indicator of body fat) and waist sizes.
The men were divided into two groups. For three months, the first group drank a bottle of oolong tea fortified with green tea extract containing 690 milligrams of catechins, and the other group drank a bottle of oolong tea with 22 milligrams of catechins.
During this time, the men ate identical breakfasts and dinners and were instructed to control their calorie and fat intake at all times so that overall total diets were similar.
After three months, the study showed that the men who drank the green tea extract lost more weight (5.3 pounds vs. 2.9 pounds) and experienced a significantly greater decrease in BMI, waist size, and total body fat.
In addition, LDL "bad" cholesterol went down in the men who drank the green tea extract.
The catechin content varies by amount of green tea used and steeping time. But general recommendations, based on previous studies on the benefits of green tea, are at least 4 cups a day. Green tea extract supplements are also available.
Researchers say the results indicate that catechins in green tea not only help burn calories and lower LDL cholesterol but may also be able to mildly reduce body fat.
"These results suggest that catechins contribute to the prevention of and improvement in various lifestyle-related diseases, particularly obesity," write researcher Tomonori Nagao of Health Care Products Research Laboratories in Tokyo, and colleagues.
SOURCE: Nagao, T. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, January 2005; vol 81: 122-129.
For more information visit: http://www.avatrim.com/?aid=24
The study showed that people who drank a bottle of tea fortified with green tea extract every day for three months lost more body fat than those who drank a bottle of regular oolong tea.
Researchers say the results indicate that substances found in green tea known as catechins may trigger weight loss by stimulating the body to burn calories and decreasing body fat.
The findings appear in the January issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Green Tea: Fat Fighter?
Black tea, oolong tea, and green tea come from the same Camellia sinensis plant. But unlike the other two varieties, green tea leaves are not fermented before steaming and drying.
Most teas contain large amounts of polyphenols, which are plant-based substances that have been shown to have antioxidant, anticancer, and antiviral properties.
However, green tea is particularly rich in a type of polyphenols called catechins. These substances have also been shown to have anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties, but recent research in animals show that catechins may also affect body fat accumulation and cholesterol levels.
In this study, researchers looked at the effects of catechins on body fat reduction and weight loss in a group of 35 Japanese men. The men had similar weights based on their BMI (body mass index, an indicator of body fat) and waist sizes.
The men were divided into two groups. For three months, the first group drank a bottle of oolong tea fortified with green tea extract containing 690 milligrams of catechins, and the other group drank a bottle of oolong tea with 22 milligrams of catechins.
During this time, the men ate identical breakfasts and dinners and were instructed to control their calorie and fat intake at all times so that overall total diets were similar.
After three months, the study showed that the men who drank the green tea extract lost more weight (5.3 pounds vs. 2.9 pounds) and experienced a significantly greater decrease in BMI, waist size, and total body fat.
In addition, LDL "bad" cholesterol went down in the men who drank the green tea extract.
The catechin content varies by amount of green tea used and steeping time. But general recommendations, based on previous studies on the benefits of green tea, are at least 4 cups a day. Green tea extract supplements are also available.
Researchers say the results indicate that catechins in green tea not only help burn calories and lower LDL cholesterol but may also be able to mildly reduce body fat.
"These results suggest that catechins contribute to the prevention of and improvement in various lifestyle-related diseases, particularly obesity," write researcher Tomonori Nagao of Health Care Products Research Laboratories in Tokyo, and colleagues.
SOURCE: Nagao, T. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, January 2005; vol 81: 122-129.
For more information visit: http://www.avatrim.com/?aid=24
Benefits of Green Tea
(CNN) -- Studies suggest that tea -- especially green tea -- provides healthy benefits.
Green tea leaves are the least processed and have lower levels of caffeine than other types of tea. The leaves contain high-level antioxidants thought to fight different types of cancer and also protect the heart by relaxing blood vessels, which prevents blood clots.
Other studies suggest tea increases bone density, therefore reducing the risk of fractures from osteoporosis.
For more information visit: http://www.avatrim.com/?aid=248535
Green tea leaves are the least processed and have lower levels of caffeine than other types of tea. The leaves contain high-level antioxidants thought to fight different types of cancer and also protect the heart by relaxing blood vessels, which prevents blood clots.
Other studies suggest tea increases bone density, therefore reducing the risk of fractures from osteoporosis.
For more information visit: http://www.avatrim.com/?aid=248535
Is any other food or drink reported to have as many health benefits as green tea? The Chinese have known about the medicinal benefits of green tea sin
Is any other food or drink reported to have as many health benefits as green tea? The Chinese have known about the medicinal benefits of green tea since ancient times, using it to treat everything from headaches to depression. In her book Green Tea: The Natural Secret for a Healthier Life, Nadine Taylor states that green tea has been used as a medicine in China for at least 4,000 years.
Today, scientific research in both Asia and the west is providing hard evidence for the health benefits long associated with drinking green tea. For example, in 1994 the Journal of the National Cancer Institute published the results of an epidemiological study indicating that drinking green tea reduced the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by nearly sixty percent. University of Purdue researchers recently concluded that a compound in green tea inhibits the growth of cancer cells. There is also research indicating that drinking green tea lowers total cholesterol levels, as well as improving the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to bad (LDL) cholesterol.
To sum up, here are just a few medical conditions in which drinking green tea is reputed to be helpful:
cancer
rheumatoid arthritis
high cholesterol levels
cariovascular disease
infection
impaired immune function
What makes green tea so special?
The secret of green tea lies in the fact it is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is a powerful anti-oxidant: besides inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, it kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. It has also been effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels, and inhibiting the abnormal formation of blood clots. The latter takes on added importance when you consider that thrombosis (the formation of abnormal blood clots) is the leading cause of heart attacks and stroke.
Links are being made between the effects of drinking green tea and the "French Paradox." For years, researchers were puzzled by the fact that, despite consuming a diet rich in fat, the French have a lower incidence of heart disease than Americans. The answer was found to lie in red wine, which contains resveratrol, a polyphenol that limits the negative effects of smoking and a fatty diet. In a 1997 study, researchers from the University of Kansas determined that EGCG is twice as powerful as resveratrol, which may explain why the rate of heart disease among Japanese men is quite low, even though approximately seventy-five percent are smokers.
Why don't other Chinese teas have similar health-giving properties? Green, oolong, and black teas all come from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. What sets green tea apart is the way it is processed. Green tea leaves are steamed, which prevents the EGCG compound from being oxidized. By contrast, black and oolong tea leaves are made from fermented leaves, which results in the EGCG being converted into other compounds that are not nearly as effective in preventing and fighting various diseases.
Other Benefits
New evidence is emerging that green tea can even help dieters. In November, 1999, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published the results of a study at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. Researchers found that men who were given a combination of caffeine and green tea extract burned more calories than those given only caffeine or a placebo.
Green tea can even help prevent tooth decay! Just as its bacteria-destroying abilities can help prevent food poisoning, it can also kill the bacteria that causes dental plaque. Meanwhile, skin preparations containing green tea - from deodorants to creams - are starting to appear on the market.
Harmful Effects?
To date, the only negative side effect reported from drinking green tea is insomnia due to the fact that it contains caffeine. However, green tea contains less caffeine than coffee: there are approximately thirty to sixty mg. of caffeine in six - eight ounces of tea, compared to over one-hundred mg. in eight ounces of coffee.
For more information visit: http://www.avatrim.com/?aid=248535
Today, scientific research in both Asia and the west is providing hard evidence for the health benefits long associated with drinking green tea. For example, in 1994 the Journal of the National Cancer Institute published the results of an epidemiological study indicating that drinking green tea reduced the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by nearly sixty percent. University of Purdue researchers recently concluded that a compound in green tea inhibits the growth of cancer cells. There is also research indicating that drinking green tea lowers total cholesterol levels, as well as improving the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to bad (LDL) cholesterol.
To sum up, here are just a few medical conditions in which drinking green tea is reputed to be helpful:
cancer
rheumatoid arthritis
high cholesterol levels
cariovascular disease
infection
impaired immune function
What makes green tea so special?
The secret of green tea lies in the fact it is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is a powerful anti-oxidant: besides inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, it kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. It has also been effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels, and inhibiting the abnormal formation of blood clots. The latter takes on added importance when you consider that thrombosis (the formation of abnormal blood clots) is the leading cause of heart attacks and stroke.
Links are being made between the effects of drinking green tea and the "French Paradox." For years, researchers were puzzled by the fact that, despite consuming a diet rich in fat, the French have a lower incidence of heart disease than Americans. The answer was found to lie in red wine, which contains resveratrol, a polyphenol that limits the negative effects of smoking and a fatty diet. In a 1997 study, researchers from the University of Kansas determined that EGCG is twice as powerful as resveratrol, which may explain why the rate of heart disease among Japanese men is quite low, even though approximately seventy-five percent are smokers.
Why don't other Chinese teas have similar health-giving properties? Green, oolong, and black teas all come from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. What sets green tea apart is the way it is processed. Green tea leaves are steamed, which prevents the EGCG compound from being oxidized. By contrast, black and oolong tea leaves are made from fermented leaves, which results in the EGCG being converted into other compounds that are not nearly as effective in preventing and fighting various diseases.
Other Benefits
New evidence is emerging that green tea can even help dieters. In November, 1999, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published the results of a study at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. Researchers found that men who were given a combination of caffeine and green tea extract burned more calories than those given only caffeine or a placebo.
Green tea can even help prevent tooth decay! Just as its bacteria-destroying abilities can help prevent food poisoning, it can also kill the bacteria that causes dental plaque. Meanwhile, skin preparations containing green tea - from deodorants to creams - are starting to appear on the market.
Harmful Effects?
To date, the only negative side effect reported from drinking green tea is insomnia due to the fact that it contains caffeine. However, green tea contains less caffeine than coffee: there are approximately thirty to sixty mg. of caffeine in six - eight ounces of tea, compared to over one-hundred mg. in eight ounces of coffee.
For more information visit: http://www.avatrim.com/?aid=248535
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