Fat Burning Foods.

Fat burning foods sounds about as likely as screwing to become a virgin, but someone somewhere will believe anything it seems.

Grapefruit and Watermelon -very tasty, but full of sugar, which is something the body converts to fat to store -apparently this is not as well known as I thought.

Berries -sugar again. Berries are something birds eat to fatten up for winter. Silly birds would apparently put the pounds on if they left off on the berries.

Celery famously uses more calories to eat raw than it contains, but 75% of the world's population hate the taste. Putting celery in a meal without finding out if the person it is intended for is one of the majority makes you a very bad host. With so much of the world hungry should we grow something that has little food value and most of the world hates anyway?

Greek Yogurt. Just Greek Yogurt apparently, not any other yogurt, but it doesn't have to be low-fat Greek yogurt. (most low fat yogurts have lots of sugar in instead so are still high calorie).

Eggs. Yup, nothing remotely fatty about them, obviously fat burners.

Fish. Fish never has any oil or fat in it at all. That is why Eskimos are so skinny.

Green Tea, Coffee and Water. Not sure about fat-burning, but probably low in fat and sugar. Unless you go for the double cream with syrup.

Quinola and Oatmeal. These are seeds and grains, yet another thing birds eat to get fat.

If you really want to burn off a bit of fat, read my article here
 
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Hazing

                Hazing does not refer to institutionalized bullying but to category of defensive techniques called Kasumi in Japanese. “Haze” in this context refers to smoke, mist, or most accurately, the “fog of war”. Like the other form of Hazing it is also a form of harassment.

                Hazing covers a variety of different techniques that all have the same consequence:-they disrupt the victim’s ability to see. Seldom considered in the gym or practice hall, such techniques may be used against you in a real fight. Hazing techniques include:-

• Throwing particulate matter. Ninja threw or blew special powders into an enemy’s eyes. In many environments dust, dirt, sand, gravel or snow is readily available for similar purposes. If a foe has a hand clenched this is a possible attack.

• Throwing Weapons and other objects. Shuriken were often thrown towards the eyes as a distraction. Other Weapons or less overtly bellicose objects can also be used. Wallets or coins may be thrown in the instance of a robbery.

• Throwing liquids. A drink can be thrown into the eyes as a distraction technique. Strong alcohol or hot drinks can have an added effect. The glass or cup may them be used as a Weapon. Repulsive though it may seem, spitting at the opponent has also been used.
• Jabbing or flicking the fingers at the eyes is another hazing technique. If the fingers do not make contact they may still provoke a flinching reaction that can be exploited.

• Cuts to the forehead that bleed into the eyes may be considered to act as hazing.

• Blows to the nose that cause the eyes to water may also be considered to be a form of hazing.

Defending against the Rush

            A couple of years back I came across a Youtube video that was called something like “Close Range Knife Defense”. This one was notable since it involved several young men having a great time fast-drawing their guns and shooting down imaginary attackers. Their speed and skills were impressive, their tactics deplorable.

            Even if you can kill a charging attacker instantly he is still likely to travel several metres. This may be enough to knock you down. If he had a knife this may arrive point first, resulting in you being injured or killed by a man already dead. The chances are you will not achieve an instant kill every time. Even if your attacker is fatally wounded he may use the final seconds to knock you down, stick his knife in you or thrust his thumb in your eye. You may not fatally wound him. Even the best of us miss occasionally when shooting under stress, drawing gets caught up on clothing or weapons misfire or malfunction. If the charger was unarmed you are still in trouble. If he knocks you down he can stomp you to death or take your weapon to use against you.

            I have tried to emphasise in my book that defence and evasion must come before counter-attack. If you have a weapon sheathed and you are attacked your first response should not be to try and attempt to draw the weapon. You cannot outdraw him if his weapon is already drawn. In a fast-draw competition the odds are not good either since the attacker will have the advantage of intitiative. Even if your weapon is already in hand it is prudent to combine using it with some evasive/ defensive action. If an enemy appears suddenly before you you don’t have time to see if he is going to charge you or open fire on you. Don’t stand were you are, move! Better a moving target than a sitting duck.

            Let us return to our original example of the young men with pistols. If their drill had been realistic they would have executed some form of evasive action before they drew and fired. By having one of their number play the aggressor and using some toy guns this could prove a fun but very useful practice sesson.

            In martial arts considerable attention is paid to blocking and parrying techniques but generally these are concentrated on defending against hand strikes and kicks. Some attackers will not move into a set distance and start throwing kicks and blows. In our example above we considered a knife-armed attacker charging a gun-man but there are many other situations where one party may try to rush and overwhelm another. Fighters who favour groundwork will want to get close to their opponent and get them to the ground as quick as possible. Defending against an enemy that charges seems to be something some martial arts would rather not think about. Yes it is crude and brutal. Whether it is unskilled or not is irrelevent. It is a real and likely threat and can be very effective, particularly if you have never bothered to practice against it.

            What defences are there against a rush? The primary one remains the use of evasion. The ginga movement from Capoeira that is included in my book is very good for teaching side-stepping and other evasive footwork. Also useful is the hip-twist move that is the basis of in-quartata and certain kicking actions. If your dodge does not take you sufficiently out of harm you must combine it with a parrying action. A charging opponent will have a lot of momentum so blocking his force directly is not a practical option. We need to parry to redirect it. Parrying his hands or forearms is not likely to have much effect. There is no point in knocking these aside if the body behind still knocks you down. Parry against the upper arm, shoulder and torso regions. Use both your arms to make contact. The p’eng hinge action detailed in the book can be easily adapted for this action, as can several other techniques such as the double-handed push, the shoulder check and the outside crane.

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Karate Weapon Museum

                A rather nice collection of Japanese/Okinawan weapons.  I particularly like the Kongo type weapons listed as Yawara-bo, Tenouchi etc.

                These Tecchu I like since they allow the option of aligning the point with the axis of force of the forearm.

         If you have enjoyed this article or it has been helpful to you please feel free to show your appreciation. Thank you.
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