Jukaado Academy Of Martial Arts

Very often we hear people say that martial arts, is a way of life. Why is it so? What does it mean?  One may start training in martial arts for numerous reasons. For some it could be just a form of exercise, for others it may be for self defense, or a childhood passion or anything else.  It starts with just training physically but as one starts training over a few months, they either notice changes or they don't notice much change. Irrespective of that, in both cases one wants to get better. This desire to get better slowly starts creeping into various aspects of life. We start looking at all angles and aspects of our life, to find ways to get better at training.  If one approaches martial arts training in a disciplined manner, the discipline enters other aspects of our life too. For example - one gets scolded for being late to class, may be the instructor sends us home too for being late often, now either we will stop going to the class or we will start being...

What does fitness or being fit actually mean for you? For many the standards are so low that being fit, means just the absence of any serious ailments. For others it means being able to do daily tasks of going to work etc. Then for some it is one dimensional, as in for example they are strong men, or are cyclists etc. Yes both of these and other one dimensional fitness enthusiasts are much fitter than those who don't do anything but are not holistically fit.  There is nothing wrong in following whatever fitness or sports pursuit one wishes to or enjoys. But to follow a one dimensional approach will surely improve your strength, fitness etc in that particular area only. For example a strong man can easily tip over a sedan but may not be able to jog for an hour. Or a marathon runner can run 42kms easily but can't kick a heavy bag for 100 times with full power. The list can go on and on.  This is exactly why looking fit or tough doesn't mean that one is truly fit o...

There are some words that are created or given a different meaning to an already existing word. Some of these words are scams on the entire human race, making us weak, soft and escapist.  Motivation is one such word. It is one word that has made so many of us blame our escapist behaviours on something else rather than stand up to bring the change within. Just by saying - I don't have the motivation - we are trying to shift the blame onto something else besides our laziness or escapist behaviour.  Trigger is another word with a new meaning. A few decades back trigger was just something on a gun. Today everything triggers everyone, making us softer than soft toys, crying or getting anxiety over anything anyone says.  Coming back to motivation. The self help books hoax is another stupidity trying to mint money off gullible people. How is it a self help book, if you need to read what someone else writes to introspect or bring change in your own life. Self help com...

Training camps are a very important aspect of martial arts training. It doesn't matter how regular one is at class, a training camp will test and drain them physically, mentally and emotionally. Resulting in building them up stronger physically, mentally and emotionally.  Training camps offer accelerated physical conditioning, enhanced mental strength through shared challenges, improve skills and discipline and foster a sense of community and teamwork. By creating a focussed environment away from distractions, camps allow for dedicated practice.  When one trains for 6 to 10 hours a day with just breaks for food and rest, without having to worry about day to day tasks, it brings about a sense of inner peace, a sense of surrender.  Those that attend a camp for the first time may not experience this peace because they are constantly anxious about what is next, over excited about making the best of their time and wish to explore everything that can be done. But af...

Martial arts training irrespective of which country it originates from or which style or form it is, the purpose was training for war between countries, tribes, clans etc. Though the training was for something very lethal and violent it brought about beautiful characteristics like disciple, rectitude, humility, kindness, generosity and lots more. It is these characteristics that brought respect for the warriors of the olden times.  In the last 4 decades or so the ethos and morals of martial artists seems to be waning away. Martial artists are going from being humble simple beings to becoming Egoistic and pompous. From being easily approachable and down to earth to creating a false image of high and mighty.  In my training of over 4 decades, I have come across some of the most wonderful human beings. Most of my instructors have been wonderful not just as teachers but as people you just felt welcome, safe, protected around. There are also some martial artists who are...

There are so many theories and beliefs surrounding weight loss programs and health. But a generic approach can never work for all. It may show some results but to get to the optimum of health and fitness that can be achieved, a personalized program or methodology needs to be designed.  The height to weight chart is also very generic. There are many factors that go into deciding a person's ideal weight beyond just their height. Things like activity level, type of bones, genetic ancestry, lifestyle, kind of work, and lots more. To fit all into the same box is like trying to fit an elephant in a matchbox.  Weight should always be approached holistically. What is the use of losing lots of weight but being physically weak or tired all the time. One needs to be healthy, active and fit, this is what should always supercede weight.  Our obsession with weight makes us do so many stupid things thinking it will get results. To fuel this stupidity we also have all the non...

Anger is the punishment we give ourselves for someone else's stupidity.  When angry our focus is only on inflicting pain and hurting the other verbally or physically. We become limited in our processing ability. We are no longer thinking about defending ourselves or protecting our loved ones.  May it be a verbal or physical attack, the one that loses their composure is usually the one that loses the battle. Even if someone abuses us, to reciprocate with violence is neither legally or morally justifiable, irrespective of any reasoning or situation.  Especially when it comes to a self defence scenario, one needs to keep anger and emotions out of the equation. Both of these will impair our ability to see  the wider picture of what is happening. May it be a pattern that the attacker is following or may be he or she is reaching to pull out a weapon to surprise us with, these are just a few things we may not register because we are embroiled with anger and emotional cha...

Unless you are walking into a room or walking through dense forest cover, being ambushed is not easy if one has their situational awareness always on and is watching their 6. Most people that get attacked tell that the attacker came suddenly or struck them suddenly and they didn't see it coming. This happens because we are not aware or alert and are not looking for signs of a possible attack.  When we enter a room, say we enter a restaurant, most people will be alert for the first few seconds or a minute or so. That is our act of fimiliarizing with a new environment. But once we get seated at our table then we accept the environment and make it our own. This whole process takes a minute or two and we shut it down. Then we tell that we were attacked suddenly or ambushed etc. Situational awareness is not something you switch on or off. It is something that should always be on. Infact when one starts being situationally aware all the time, it becomes your normal. It become...

Martial arts training is one of the best things for anyone irrespective of age or gender. It instills so many qualities and personality traits that no other physical activity can.  There are a lot of women training in martial arts today, it could surely be higher but it is increasing with every passing day.  When selecting to train in martial arts one first needs to decide if they wish to compete in the sports competitions or train for self defense. Both are very different and though training in any martial art may help a lady fight back if attacked on the street but it will always be better if your training revolves basically around self defense than point based sport competitions. There is a huge difference to what transpires in a tournament with a refree than what may happen on the street with no refree and the chaos of uncertain factors.  If one decides to train for competitions then their training revolves around weight categories, better combinations to ...

Self defense laws vary from country to country. Sometimes even within the same country, the self defense laws vary from state to state. We should always find out the self defense law and it's statutes, where we reside. Usually there are factors or requirements that are common virtually in all the countries regarding self defense. First of all there should be a justified and clear case of one's life being in danger and hence one responded to protect oneself or their loved ones. Second common factor is about how much force is used. Was the use of force justified or not.  Often people get carried away in a fight and their emotions get the better of them. This results in one keeping on hitting their attacker even after the attacker is no longer a threat. We need to learn to not let our emotions get the better of us. When sparring in training work on keeping your emotions in check, don't go berserk with emotions just because your sparring partner hit you hard.  In se...

It doesn't matter how well trained one is or if one is in the right. It is always best to avoid a fight on the street unless there is no other option and your safety or life is in danger. There are just so many variables when one fights on the street, that no matter how well trained one is, the fight can swing in anyone's favour at any moment.  Usually a fight, physical assault etc begins with an argument or one person is getting aggressive, abusive, showing signs of getting physical, trying to get up close etc. These are cues that we should use to increase the distance between us and the possible attacker.  In such a situation we have 2 options, either we stay calm and just do our best to verbally de escalate the situation or we feed our ego and try to show who we are, or how right we are and so on. It doesn't matter if we are right and the possible attacker is in the wrong, just apologise and try to diffuse the situation.  Giving into your ego and responding to aggressi...