Author: gvtadmin

The martial art of Capoeira was originally created over 400 years ago in Brazil by the African slaves. This martial art is unlike any of the other martial arts there anywhere in the world, and possesses a blend of power, beauty, mental balance, physical power, music, and an overwhelming sense of art and finesse.

Upon it’s creation, Capoeira proved to the world that it can be practiced by anyone, regardless of size, weight, or age. The style is more than a martial art, but also a social event that is rich in tradition and history. Capoeira is a truly powerful martial art, resembling a collaboration of music, dance, and exotic movements – and even a game.

Those who witness Capoeira games will note the music. Both the music and the lyrics play a big part in the way that the game (known as jogo) is conducted. For the players, there are several different rhythms that call for different speeds. When watching the game played, spectators are normally in awe from the movements. The jogo consists of a circle, with the players in the middle and the musicians at the foot of the circle.

Players that enter the game will enter into the circle, with a spring, cartwheel, or other type of visually stunning movement. Upon entering the circle, players will complete back and forth with various combinations of poetic movements and breathtaking aerial displays. It takes years of practice and hard work to become great at the jogo, as it requires precision, fast movement, and flawless application of the Capoeira techniques.

From a defensive standpoint, Capoeira is flashy, very creative, and also very useful, as the techniques seem to come out of nowhere and can be very hard to defend against. The opponent or attacker has no clue what to expect from the student. The Capoeira student defends himself through the use of dancing movements and acrobatic techniques, executing perfect movements that up until Capoeira were only dreamt of.

Capoeira and the jogo game are really big in Brazil, with hundreds of students learning the martial art. It isn’t one of the most popular in the United States, although it is offered. In South America it is more of a lifestyle, with jogo games being played on a daily basis. A lot of martial arts students don’t want to learn Capoeira for the simple fact that the movements can be a bit of a risk. Once you see how the style is performed, it can make you cringe at any second.

Over the last couple of decades, the art has grown a lot. In 1974, the art of Capoeira became the national sport of Brazil, proving that just about everyone in Brazil had accepted it. As time continues to pass, you can count on more and more competitions and dojo’s to surface – introducing this truly excellent martial art to newer generations.

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Even though it has been around for many years, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was made famous in the United States by Royce Gracie in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Many people weren’t all that familiar with the style until Gracie entered the UFC and continued to dominate fighters of all styles and weight classes one after the other. Once people began to see how quickly Gracie could defeat an opponent, they quickly became interested in the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

As many now know, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is an art that is utilized with ground grappling, with very little stand up skills involved. A majority of the techniques used with the martial art are executed on the ground. The techniques involve very little strength from the stylist, as most of them are all about the technique behind the move. With Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu stylists that weight 100 lbs or less can quickly put a submission lock on someone who is 2 – 3 times their weight and size.

Even though Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is great for tournament fighting, isn’t so great against multiple attackers. With one on one fights it is very dominant, although if you are against multiple attackers it will be very hard to pull off one of the choke holds or arm locks. You simply won’t have the time to do it, as the other attackers will be trying to take your head off.

From the ground, utilizing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the stylist will have many options that he can utilize. He can pull off choke holds, arm locks, leg locks, and dozens of other techniques that can take someone out of the picture in a matter of seconds. When the stylist is on his back with the opponent on top of him he has the guard, which is where he wraps his legs around the attacker. From the guard position, the stylist can execute dozens of techniques – even though it may appear that he doesn’t stand a chance.

The mount, side control, and back mount are primary positions, along with the guard. The mount position is where the stylist is mounted on top of the attacker on the ground – a position where he can punch or execute a submission hold. With side control, the stylist is laying on the opponent’s chest, a position where he can easily execute an arm lock. Back mount is among the most dangerous positions – where the stylist is on the opponents back and really do some damage if the opponent has no Jiu-Jitsu experience.

With Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the ranks start out at white belt, then move on to blue, purple, brown, and the highest color – black belt. To move through the ranks it takes a lot of practice and dedication, usually around 2 – 3 years per belt. Once a student reaches the black belt, he is capable of teaching other students what he knows. It takes a long time to reach this point, more than 10 years – although it is well worth it.

In the world of martial arts, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is very effective. It is one of the best martial arts for ground fighting, especially in tournaments. Ground grappling is very common with tournaments these days, which is why it pays to be a well rounded stylist. Very few martial arts styles can compete with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu on the ground, which is why so many people are deciding to study it. If you’ve decided to start studying this exceptional ground based martial art – you can pat yourself on the back for making a decision you won’t regret.

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There’s no mistaken the fact that Aikido is one of the best and most popular martial art in the United States today. The art of Aikido is best associated with actor Steven Seagal, who made it even more popular with his movies. Aikido is rich and history in tradition, an art that originally started in Japan back in the 1940s.

Aikido’s founder, Morihei Ueshiba, was born on December 14, 1883. As he was growing up in modern Japan, Ueshiba witnessed the local thugs vandalize his father. The young boy decided that he would make himself strong in order to seek revenge against the thugs. Ueshiba was strong willed, and devoted every waking moment to physical training and martial arts.

He received a lot of certificates in jujitsu, spear fighting, and fencing. Even though he was very impressive with his abilities, he found himself not happy with his skills. He knew that there was more to it, and began to look into religion, hoping that he would find a greater significance with life – pursuing martial arts all the while.

Ueshiba founded the martial art of Aikido by combining both his religious beliefs and his training in martial arts. At that time, the style was known as aikibudo, it wasn’t until 1942 that he decided to go with the name Aikido. The style was quite different indeed, incorporating several different styles of jujitsu, aiki-jujitsu, and spear and sword fighting techniques as well.

Even though a lot of us think of Aikido as the ultimate martial art, it is an art that is based on religion and harmony. Aikido uses joint locks, weight manipulation, and throws to achieve it’s purpose. The martial art is very effective, which were the intentions of Ueshiba from the start. Aikido consists of many techniques, and it is the result of Ueshiba’s creative innovation.

Aside from what many think, there really is no unified belief or philosophy in the martial art of Aikido. While Aikido is indeed rich in heritage and religion, it believes in harmony and peace of the spirit. By achieving a higher spiritual power, Ueshiba has always believed that the human body is capable of anything. Even though he wanted revenge, he still stated that Aikido wasn’t about fighting, but rather a way to reconcile with the world and make every human being on giant family.

Over the years, Aikido was introduced in America with amazing results. Steven Seagal is by far the most popular, showing the world the power and harmony of Aikido through his many movies. There are a lot of martial arts dojo’s around North America that offer Aikido to study, possibly even some in your area. Not only will Aikido teach you self defense, but it will also teach you harmony of the spirit and how to find inner peace as well.

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Also known around the world as Thai boxing, Muay Thai is an ancient art of self defense that was created and tested in battle by the fearless warriors of ancient Thailand. Today, Muay Thai is used all around the world. The United States Navy SEALs, Thai military, and even the CIA takes full advantage of the devastating and bone crushing techniques this martial art offers.

Unlike other martial arts, students of Thai don’t earn belts for their skills and their progression. Instead, their skills are tested in the ring. Since Thai fighting first began, the only things that the fighters themselves are interested in are the championship belts which showcase their dominance in Muay Thai fighting.

The skills that are taught with Muay Thai are far more dominant to other striking based martial arts. Muay Thai uses very little grappling, but focuses more on crushing kicks, punches, and bone shattering elbows. Students of Thai fighting can often take an opponent down with just one shot, often times breaking bones and sometimes even killing them with just one lethal kick or elbow.

The reason why Muay Thai didn’t utilize ground grappling or submission holds is because it was developed in ancient battlegrounds where there were always multiple attackers. These attackers were knowledgeable in sword fighting skills, which made the need for a dependable martial art more or less a necessity.

Muay Thai used swords, spears, sticks, and hard strikes. In this type of environment, you didn’t want the fight to go to the ground. The strikes and weapon movements needed be fast, hard, and very precise. With these types of conditions and the type of environment, Muay Thai needed be a very fast responsive martial art with an excellent weapons system.

Even though grappling and submissions were planned for Muay Thai, the martial art became more of a ring sport before grappling could be implemented. With Thai originally being a martial art for striking purposes, a lot of martial artists have started using the techniques that have been proven time and time again with time boxing.

Although there are other martial arts that put a lot of emphasis on striking, Muay Thai is quite different. The first area in which Muay Thai differs is the effective use of both elbows and knees. The elbows and knees that are used with most Thai techniques are feared all around the world by boxers and other stylists.

Kicking and kneeing is the main objects in Muay Thai. In order to become efficient with kicking, the shins need to be conditioned – which can be quite painful. Once the Thai stylist has conditioned the nerves in his shins for impact, the shins can be used just like a club or a baseball bat. This is something you should really see for yourself in action – as the sound of the impact alone can send chills down your back.

Through years of training and conditioning, Muay Thai fighters can become lethal and deadly weapons. A properly trained fighter can make deadly impact, meaning that his knees, shins, and elbows are quite possibly deadlier than a gun or other type of weapon. For this very reason – Muay Thai is one of the deadliest and most feared martial arts in the world.

All in all, Muay Thai is a great martial art for defense and competition. Thai is one of the best martial arts in the world, proving it time and time again – in both ancient times and anytime it is used today.

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Each year, millions of individuals, couples, and families make the decision to schedule a vacation. St. Thomas is a popular vacation destination, unfortunately, a large number of individuals believe that a St. Thomas vacation is out of their reach. If you are interested in scheduling a St. Thomas vacation, you should not let the cost of vacationing there prevent you from vacationing at your dream destination.

If you are interested in how you could be spending your vacation in St. Thomas without having to be concerned with the price, you may want to examine all-inclusive resorts that can be found in St. Thomas. Many couples and families find that they are able to save a large amount of money by booking their vacation at an all-inclusive resort.

When examining all-inclusive resorts in St. Thomas, you are encouraged to take a number of important factors into consideration. One of these factors is what each resort considers to be all-inclusive. All-inclusive resorts come in all different shapes, sizes, and styles. Each of those resorts is likely to have different resort rules and regulations. You may find that a number of these rules and regulations are placed on all-inclusive packages.

What one popular St. Thomas resort may consider all-inclusive, another resort may not. That is why it is extremely important to determine everything that is considered in an all-inclusive resort package, before making your reservations. Fine dining, beach travel, and onsite entrainment is often included in most vacation packages. Alcohol may or may not be included in an all-inclusive package. Some St. Thomas resorts offer their guests all the free alcohol they can drink and other require that alcohol be paid for or a limit is placed on the number of drinks you can have.

When examining all-inclusive resorts in St. Thomas, you are also encouraged to consider the type of vacation that you are planning on taking. St. Thomas is a popular vacation destination for couples looking for a romantic getaway or families who are on a family vacation. There are a number of all-inclusive St. Thomas resorts that have age restrictions.

The age restrictions in place at many St. Thomas resorts are designed to help create a romantic environment. These restrictions often keep children, under the age of eighteen, off of the resort. If you are planning on vacationing with your family, it is important that you schedule your vacation at a resort that caters to individuals of all ages. Below is an overview of two popular all-inclusive St. Thomas resorts that are ideal for family vacations.

(1) The Wyndham Sugar Bay Beach Resort and Spa comes highly recommended by past St. Thomas vacationers. This all-inclusive resort is located within a short driving distance to the closest airport, making the Wyndham Sugar Bay Beach Resort and Spa ideal for couples traveling with their children.

Located directly on the beach, the Wyndham Sugar Bay Beach Resort and Spa offers an unlimited number of beachside activities. These activities may include, but are not limited to, swimming, sun bathing, snorkeling, scuba diving, and boating. Beach lovers, of all ages, will enjoy vacationing at this all-inclusive resort.

(2) The Bolongo Bay Beach Club and Villias is one of the most highly rated all-inclusive resorts. Bolongo Bay Beach Club and Villias is ideal for romantic getaways, weddings, honeymoons, business meetings, and family vacations.

On and offsite activities and facilities are geared towards individuals of all ages. Adults and children will have fun playing on the beach, swimming in the hotel pool, playing numerous outdoor sports games, participating in snorkeling tours, and much more. Whatever you and your family are looking for, the Bolongo Bay Beach Club has what you may need.

As previously mentioned, additional all-inclusive resorts can be found on the St. Thomas Island. It is important to remember to closely examine each resort and their policies before placing your reservations. By taking the time to examine multiple resorts, it will be easier to make sure that you get everything that you want and need while on vacation.

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Window blinds are coverings for windows, normally
attached to the interior side. Window blinds refer
to some device to hide from sight or to help
reduce sunlight. There are several kinds of blinds,
which are covered below.

Venetian blinds
Venetian is a large category in blinds. The original
types were made with wide curved metal slats,
similar to a mini slat. The shapes can be curved,
flat, or even elliptical.

Faux or PVC
These types of mini blinds are made from a solid
or foamed poly vinyl chloride plastic. PVC is one
of the newer materials being used for blind slats.
The slat’s surface can be smooth or embossed with
a wood grain. Although color selection is limited
mostly to whites, there are a few wod tone colors
available as well.

PVC or faux are very durable, UV resistant,
waterproof, and simple to clean. The main drawback
with faux blinds is the weight of the slats. PVC
slats are heavier than both wood and composite
slats and when used with large windows, they can
make raising the window a difficult task.

Composite blinds
Composite type blinds are made from a combination
of wood products and polymers. Composite is a
newer material that’s being used for the window
covering. The slat surface with composite is a
smooth poly coating or even a solid composite
material.

Similiar to PVC, the color selection is normally
limited mostly to whites although there are a
few wood tone and stain colors available. The
composite blinds are priced in the low to mid
range. They have qualities similar to PVC and
faux, and are some of the best available.

Wood blinds
Both value and premium wood blinds are made
from real wood. The value wood blind slats are
made from assorted Oriental hardwood, and the
premium slats are made from American hardwood,
which is normally Basswood.

If you plan to match a cabinet or trim stain,
wood blinds will be your best choice. Wood blinds
are among the best, although they are also among
the most expensive. All wooden slats can warp
and may fade in color over time. They are also
the lightest material available and work really
good with large windows.

Since they were first introduced to the home,
window blinds have proven to add style and peace
of mind. They offer you a lot for your windows,
and they don’t cost a lot of money. You have
several different types to choose from, all you
have to do is select the best types for your
home and your needs.

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Attracting tourists from all over the world, La
Jolla’s community is one that combines trends with
traditional class. Located 12 miles north from
downtown San Diego, this highly prosperous
community offers seven miles of coastline at an
elevation of 110 feet. The land here is so desired
that it’s impossible to find property in La Jolla
for less than 1.25 million an acre!

The lucky 38,000 plus who live in this heavenly
seaside town live among Mediterranean style
architecture with a unique flair. From the
crashing waves along the shore to the high rise
buildings in the business district, you can expect
everything in La Jolla to be first rate quality.

Business district
Even though La Jolla is mostly known for its
incredible shoreline, the city’s business district
is hardly modest to say the least. Located to
the east in La Jolla, there are professional centers,
financial buildings, law firms, and technological
industries that dominate this district.

There are also modern shopping centers here as well,
along with a wealthy residential area. The
world renowned Scripps Memorial Hospital & Medical
Research Center is here as well as the San Diego
Mormon Temple – a remarkable 59,000 square foot
building that resembles a large ice sculpture.

The Village
The downtown area of La Jolla offers shops, hotels,
boutiques, restaurants, coffee houses, salons,
and art galleries. Even though this area is
rather small, the district is full of trendy
establishments that draw wealthy visitors from all
over the world.

Girad Avenue is the main street of La Jolla, even
though Prospect Drive is known as “Rodeo Drive” in
San Diego.

Shoreline
Although the business area and La Jolla Village are
both impressive communities, the most memorable
region in La Jolla is the areas and communities
along the Pacific shoreline.

La Jolla offers some of the most impressive shore
lines in Southern California, with remarkable
caves, cliffs, beaches, and sunsets. The best
view of La Jolla can be seen from the air. Daring
visitors can take in La Jolla via the Torrey Pines
Gliderport and learn flying. If you seek a more
tame view of the coastline, try the scenic drive
along North Torrey Pines Road.

All along the coastline, La Jolla offers you a
first rate shopping district. You can visit
jewelry stores, art galleries, souvenir shops,
and fashionable boutiques. Once you have been
shopping, you can complete the day by dining above
the water of the Pacific.

From the art galleries and trendy shops to the
world class golf courses, La Jolla has attractions
to please tourists from all over the world. Each
district is unique, yet they are all similiar when
it comes to quality. You won’t find anything short
of the best when you visit the best Southern
California has to offer.

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