Kenpo: Introducing Crashing Eagle

At times an opponent will attempt to grab your coat from behind in a fit of rage. This is especially poplar if you have taken the higher road and are attempting to walk away from a potential conflict. As you move in the opposite direction the opponent may desire to grab your coat to yank you off balance, pull you to the floor or shove you forward into a more solid object. It is often a first reaction for people who want to show their strength and power handing conflicts in social situations. 

In kenpo the conflict should be handled by walking away when possible. Only when attacked or under the potential for great bodily harm does a person have the right to defend themselves. Yet when their coat is grabbed and they face being knocked to the ground in someone’s fit of rage then it is necessary to use something like the Crash of Eagle to release the grip and stun the attacker.

The move is simple and that is part of its charm. It is easy to learn and beginning students can pick it up quickly. The move also offers an opportunity to add additional components to make it more complex and effective as the student masters basic skills. Each instructor seems to add their own elbow, kick, or claw to it. The variances in moves are almost as common as the differences among instructors.

Crash of Eagle-A (Opponent Grabs Coat with one Hand From Behind)

-Raise your right elbow above shoulder level as you cross to the right by moving your left foot to twist and face your opponent.

-Bring right elbow down on opponents arm to break their hold.

-Deliver right handed punch to opponents face while you simultaneously soft block with your left hand. 

Common Crash of Eagle Modification

-Raise your right elbow above shoulder level as you cross to the right by moving your left foot to twist and face your opponent.

-Bring right elbow down on opponents arm to break their hold.

-Upward right elbow to chin.

-Downward right elbow to spear chest.

-Right or left snap kick to groin.

Eating Breakfast Doesn't Lead to Weight Loss

Eating breakfast has been associated with weight loss for years. Conventional wisdom is that by eating breakfast you are boosting your metabolism and this in turn encourages greater weight loss throughout the day. Recent research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition thwarts that concept by showing that skipping or eating breakfast has no noticeable effect on weight loss. 

Previous studies found more correlation than causation. Correlation indicates that two variables are associated but doesn’t really say in depth how associated they are. Causation helps to show that variable A causes variable B. In science causation is a stronger connection and level of analysis than a correlation. Without causation it is possible that other compound factors are involved in the findings.

A total of 283 participants engaged in a 16-week program. Participants were healthy overweight or obese and were between the ages of 20-65 years old. Depending on the overall group, the participants were assigned to either skip breakfast or eat breakfast. The researchers hoped to find a change that resulted in weight loss. 

Instead researchers found that there was no noticeable difference between those who ate breakfast and those who didn’t.  Those who skipped breakfast lost −0.71 while those who did not lost −0.53. Statistically these are so similar that it doesn’t make much of a difference. Skipping or eating breakfast doesn’t really make much of a difference in weight loss. 

This doesn’t mean skipping breakfast is something we should do. It only means that it doesn’t contribute significantly to weight loss. The lower calorie consumption may have a difference in total weight loss and it is important to reduce bad calories while increasing good calories. Good calories come from fruit, vegetables, nuts, fish, and various kinds of meat. 

Fitness enthusiasts are still left with the total calorie count. According to the Mayo clinic it takes approximately 3,500 calories to lose a pound so cutting 500 calories a day out of your diet will help you lose around a pound a week (1). Losing weight and getting in shape are two different but associated things. Go ahead and reduce portions, swap high calorie/low nutrition foods for low calorie/high nutrition foods, and eat a variety of foods for nutrients.

Dhurandhar, E. et. al. (2014). The effectiveness of breakfast recommendations on weight loss: a randomized controlled trial. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Retrieved June 6^th, 2014 from http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2014/06/04/ajcn.114.089573.abstract

Size versus Full Body Fitness-Is There a Difference?

Fitness is often seen in a specific mindset that assumes that bigger equals better. When dealing with sports and general health this is not always the case. Size has its place but that place is beneath other aspects and markers of good health. Those interested in fitness and sports may focus on activities that increase their performance on tasks or improve perceptual body image. This could include the building of arms and chest at the expense of other body parts or it may also include engaging in the same activities over and over thereby increasing the risk of injury.

Sports and health are a full body activity. They require the ability to maintain cardiovascular endurance, strength, the ability to get into certain positions, put the body in the right positions, and the coordination of many parts working together. Ensuring that your entire body is at peak performance has great benefits beyond specific activities. General health should be seen as a full-body experience.

Fitness components include the following (1, 2, 3):

-Cardiovascular endurance: Improvement of the cardiovascular system that carries oxygen and blood to different parts of the body. The cardiovascular system is used in nearly all sporting activities and ensures that the body doesn’t become winded under prolonged stress.

-Muscle tone: Improvement in the strength of the muscles to lift more and do more. Muscle tone is used in nearly all sports and can create more power in activity. 

-Flexibility: The ability to use a full range of motion. Flexibility is used in all sports as well as those requiring particular body movements that can be difficult.

-Body Composition: This is how the body connects together and its relative portions that allow for full use. Body composition works well in sports that require proper body mechanics and form.

-Muscle endurance: This is how long the muscles can sustain pressure and weight. Muscle endurance is useful for activities that require equipment and other weighted items. 

-Coordination and Balance: This is how the body and all of its parts work together to ensure that tasks are completed. Coordination and balance is used in all sports and activities to create accuracy, coordination of movement, and momentum.

Multiple physical developments have its place within the literature. In the military it is often necessary to maintain stamina and peak performance above that of the civilian population. The military has four components of physical fitness that include endurance, mobility, strength, and flexibility (Roy, et. al., 2010). Coordination is often calculated a different way through successful task completion.

Focusing on something like size alone is not the only determinant of performance. A study developed to predict battlefield performance included 32 physically trained men for peak performance (mean +/- SD: 28.0 +/- 4.7 years, 82.1 +/- 11.3 kg, 176.3 +/- 7.5 cm) (Harman, et. al., 2008). They used anthropometric measures associated with height and body mass, fitness tests (push- ups, sit-ups, 3.2 km run, vertical jump and horizontal jump) as well as simulated battlefield physical performance under load (30-m sprints, 400-m run, obstacle course, and casualty recovery). The researchers found that body mass helped with recovery but not actual performance.  

What should we learn from this? If you are a steroid chomping, weight pumping, crazed beach buff who is completely satisfied with bulging arms and pin legs you are on the wrong track. True fitness should be measured in broad-based terms. Tone, flexibility, body composition, endurance, coordination and balance are more effective as measurements of potential performance. These aspects help to ensure the body has the skill for varying types of activities. 

General sporting and fitness health should include multiple sports. For example, yoga will support flexibility and balance while dance will encourage higher levels of coordination of movement. Muscle building activities will improve endurance and strength while sports like kickboxing and fencing will enhance how different muscles work together. Don’t forget the sprinting, jogging and walking that ensure your body is getting the proper amount of blood and oxygen for stamina. 

1    http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/body-building/the-5-components-of-physical-fitness.html

2   http://www.topendsports.com/fitness/components.htm

3    http://www.htps.us/Page/1388

Harman, E., et. al. (2008). Prediction of simulated battlefield physical performance from field-expedient tests. Military Medicine, 173 (1). 

Roy, T.et. al. (2010). Physical Fitness. Military medicine.

10 No-Gym Exercises that Condition the Body for Higher Fitness

At its most fundamental level fitness is about getting the body and blood to move within the system. Slow and methodical movements do provide a benefit but that benefit is much lower than what can be found in a higher paced fitness plan. The speeding of the heart and allowing it to rest a few minutes conditions the body for even more rigorous activity.

Conditioning is important for sporting activities. If you enjoy sporting outside of health the overall conditioning helps to improve upon your general performance across a broad range of activities. It provides higher levels of endurance, speed and sustained movement that can push your tennis game, martial arts, or swimming to the next level. 

It is recommended that people receive at least 2.5 hours of moderate exercise a week. If you raise the quality of that exercise you may need a little less. However, the more you do the better as long as you are targeting the right areas of the body and going for maximum gain. 

A problem that many people face is finding the time and money to go to the gym. The truth is that most workouts, other than heavy muscle building, do not require a gym. The far majority of exercise can be done almost anywhere under most circumstances. Below you will find ten fitness moves that will raise your hear and condition your body. 

Walk in Place: Start in standing position. Lift your right knee as high as you can and then place the foot back down on the ground. Raise your left knee as high as you can and then place back on the ground. Repeat.

Jog in Place: Lift right knee up to 45 degree angle and place back down and lift left knee up to 45 degree angle and then place back down. Swing arms while completing the motion. This should look like a jog. 

Alternative Knee Lifts: Stand and bring one knee to chest while twisting opposite elbow to knee. Repeat on the other side. 

Inchworm: Stand and then bend over until your fingertips touch the floor. Walk forward while keeping your legs straight all the way till you reach a push up or plank position. Walk your hand back until you are in the original position. Stand up. Repeat.

Jumping Jacks: The traditional jumping jack with feet starting together and then jumping your feet outward just past shoulder width with arms swinging up in the air in a Y shape. Jump back to traditional position and repeat. 

Diver’s Push-up: Start in the downward dog yoga position making a downward V with the body. Slowly drop the stomach to the floor creating an upward dog position. Repeat. 

Side Lunge and Windmill Arms: Standing position with legs spread as though you just made a jumping jack. Bend the right knee into a side lunge while taking the left arm down to the foot. Return back to original position and repeat. 

Mountain Climber: Start with hands and knees on the floor. Bring left knee to chest and keep right leg straight. Put left knee back creating a push up position and repeat on the other side. 

Squat-Thrust: Start in standing position and squat down and place your hands on the floor next to your feet. Jump feet backwards into push-up position. Jump feet back to squat position and stand up. Repeat.

Burpee: Start in squat position with hands on floor by your feet. Jump back to push-up position and quickly jump back to squat position. Jump straight up with arms in the air till you come back down to squat position and repeat.