On
this page: Martial Arts Science you will
be presented to various articles, reports,
studies etc. that has been done about the
fighting arts.
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You
will also find things that relates to training,
teaching and studying the martial arts.
As such, a lot of this has to do with training,
teaching and studying in general -
not only our arts.
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The term martial
arts science imply that there has been some
form of scientific method involved. It is
not enough to state that "I've heard
that...", "My master states...",
or "In my opinion..." :-) By all
means, this may be true, but it's still
not considered martial arts science before
some specific, agreed upon procedures
has been followed!
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If
you happen to come across anything that
would be considered martial arts research,
then please don't hesitate to contact us! Send
us your tip about martial arts science here!
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And now - on to
some budo knowlege: Books, findings, studies, research,
tests about the martial arts.
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Books about research, principles
and science:
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Martial artists' moves revealed in "Fight Science" lab: |
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From: http://news.nationalgeographic.com
(August 14, 2006):
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For the upcoming television special called Fight Science, researchers used
high-tech equipment to put real martial artists to the test. The feature will
air on August 20 on the National Geographic Channel.
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The action took
place inside a specially designed film studio that is part laboratory and part
dojo, a school for training in the various arts of self-defense. |
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result is an unprecedented look at how martial artists generate the power and
speed behind each move. |
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The researchers were surprised to find that
boxing is the fighting style capable of delivering the most force in a single
punch. |
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Boxer Steve Petramale delivered about 1,000 pounds (453.6
kilograms) of impact force, the equivalent of swinging a sledgehammer into
someone's face. |
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Read
the rest of the story on News.nationalgeographic.com
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National Geographic Channel examines the science of martial arts in Fight
Science: |
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From: http://realitytvwebsitecom.blogspot.com
(July 6, 2006):
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It strikes four times faster than a snake. It kicks with more than 1,000 pounds
of force. And it can rival the impact of a 35 mph car crash. It′s the most
complex weapon ever designed - the human body.
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Now, the National
Geographic Channel brings together a dream team of scientists, motion-capture
specialists and CGI animators, along with a cross-section of champion martial
arts masters, to analyze the world′s greatest fight techniques. |
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The tests
are designed to separate fighting fact from martial arts myth and provide
unprecedented insight into their astounding strengths and capabilities. The
results will be presented in the two-hour world premiere special Fight Science,
Sunday, August 20, at 9 p.m. ET/PT. |
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Read
the rest of the story on Realitytvwebsitecom.blogspot.com
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Jumping ability is in your genes: |
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From: http://www.canada.com
(May 8, 2006):
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Twelve-year-old Reuben James does a NASA-like launch off the gym floor and
smacks the glob of foam smeared on his fingertips to the wall. The foam sticks
like the business end of an ice-cream cone at the 232.86-centimetre mark. |
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In James's case, he jumped into a 99-percentile rating, meaning that 98 per cent
of those who took the test in his age and gender group could not jump as high. |
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But why can James jump so high? The answer is something called "fast-twitch"
muscles. They move up to 10 times faster than their counterparts, slow-twitch
muscles, which are good for endurance activities (long-distance running,
cross-country skiing and longer swims). |
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Read
the rest of the story on Canada.com
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From: http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=494
(March 24, 2006):
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Let’s suppose your child wants to take a martial arts class. Being a
conscientious parent, you check out the local dojos and find two good places.
Both are suitable and well equipped. Both practice fighting with contact – but
there’s one major difference. One dojo insists on a full range of protective
padding – hands, feet, chest protectors, shin guards – the whole works. The
other takes a much lighter approach - hands and feet, and sometimes not even
those.
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To the conscientious parent, the first place is going to look much safer,
right? But when you look at the injury rates of the two dojos, you notice
something odd: They’re about the same. The kids covered in foam padding are
getting just as many bruises, scrapes, and sprains as the kids wearing almost
none. What could be going on here?
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What’s happening is a process known as risk compensation. It’s a
tendency in humans to increase risky behavior proportionately as safeguards are
introduced, and it’s very common. So common, in fact, as to render predictions
of how well any given piece of safety equipment will work almost useless. |
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In the instance of the mini-ninjas, those with pads are
likely hitting and kicking harder and more wildly than those without, and the
adults supervising them are likely to be allowing it. Why would we do such a
strange thing? Dr. Gerald Wilde of Queens University in Ontario proposes a
hypothesis he calls risk homeostasis. |
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Read the rest
here
(pdf document). Open in new
window here.
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Head injury may be major risk in sport fighting: |
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From: British Journal of Sports Medicine, February 2006
(March 24, 2006):
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Blows to the head often leading to concussion may be the single most common
ending to "no-holds-barred" sport fighting, according to a new study.
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The sport -- known variously as mixed martial arts fighting, cage fighting
and ultimate fighting -- is basically a blend of martial arts, wrestling and
street fighting. Competitions are banned in some U.S. states, but others allow
them, and pay-per-view TV has brought matches to a wide audience.
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Critics call the sport barbaric, as fighters try to knock each other out with
punches, elbow strikes, choke holds and body throws, to name a few maneuvers.
Defenders say no-holds-barred fighting is as legitimate as other combat sports,
with one argument being that boxing is more likely to cause serious head
trauma.
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But the new study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine,
suggests that mixed martial arts actually poses a greater risk of
concussion.
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Read the rest
here
(pdf document). Open in new
window here.
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Thirsty people feel more pain: |
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From: http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200602/s1559544.htm
(February 1, 2006):
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Going without a drink can make you more sensitive to pain,
a study has found.
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Australian pain expert Dr Michael Farrell of the Howard
Florey Institute in Melbourne and team report their findings in today's issue of
the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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"This is another demonstration of the plasticity of pain
responses," he said.
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"In this particular instance a mild perturbation of
electrolyte levels, which is fundamentally what gives rise to thirst ... is
enough to modify the pain response."
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Dr Farrell and the team studied the relationship between
thirst and pain in 10 people.
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The study participants had pressure applied to their thumbs
to induce mild pain and were given saline injections to stimulate thirst.
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Read the rest
here
(pdf document). Open in new
window here.
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Research shows brain's ability to overcome pain and thirst: |
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From: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-01/ra-rsb012906.php
(January 30, 2006):
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Researchers at Melbourne's Howard Florey Institute have discovered how the brain
prioritises pain and thirst in order to survive - a mechanism that helps elite
athletes to 'push through the pain barrier'. |
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The Florey's Dr Michael Farrell and colleagues discovered that pain
sensitivity is enhanced when people are thirsty. |
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The scientists also found that a part of the brain is uniquely activated when
pain and thirst are experienced together, suggesting these regions may act as an
integrative centre that has a special role in modifying pain senses. |
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Dr Farrell used PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scans to examine changes
in brain activity. The 10 individuals participating in the study were given
saline injections to stimulate mild thirst and thumb pressure to induce mild
pain. Although the level of thumb pressure remained constant throughout the
tests, as people became thirstier, they felt more pain. |
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Dr Farrell said the regions of the brain (the pregenual cingulate cortex and
ventral orbitofrontal cortex) activated together during thirst and pain acted
like a priority switch. |
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Read the rest
here
(pdf document). Open in new
window here.
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Breaking Boards - the physics of a karate chop: |
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From: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1511/is_5_21/ai_61692484
(May, 2000):
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by Curtis Rist |
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Scientists say it's not a trick--it just takes blinding speed and a couple
thousand newtons |
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Advanced degrees in physics come in different varieties. At the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology; students earn them by writing a dissertation. |
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At the
Karate Institute in midtown Manhattan, they earn them by breaking one-inch-thick
pine boards. Lots of them. |
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Ben Paris, a fourth-degree black belt in tae kwon do, is happy to demonstrate
his grasp of the scientific principles. |
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Read
the whole article here.
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Martial arts science links:
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More budo knowledge
to follow!
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