Over the holidays, I had the chance to relax and watch one of those great Chinese martial art movies. You know the ones with the subtitles and great sound effects. The film caught my interest because it was about Wing Chun, my absolute favorite martial art. The actors displayed some of the most beautiful techniques I have seen that rivaled those of the late Bruce Lee.

Martial Arts originated out of necessity. People had to defend themselves against humans and animals and the only weapons they had were their hands and feet. The battles fought by these individuals were for sheer survival, not belts or plastic tournament trophies. When confronting life and death struggles, the ancient warrior had to condition his body to take the brutal physical punishment his opponents dished out.

I am one of those martial artists who have broken away from my traditional routes and have created my own system. It is not an easy road and there are many people who resent this breaking of tradition. But my love for the martial arts, and my drive to seek truth and find the most effective techniques available wouldn't let me completely absorb myself into any one art.

When it comes to self-defense too many students forget or don't understand the effectiveness of a single blow. In a life-threatening situation, the goal is not to engage in a sparring match with your assailant. The best defense is to strike as hard as you can to the most vulnerable area of the body and flee the scene. Remember, self-defense is about staying alive with minimal injury to oneself.

Pick up a newspaper or turn on the local news on any given day and you are liable to hear a report on how Americans are getting fatter. Government statistics tell us that approximately 60 percent of Americans (127 million people) are overweight. Many women who enroll in martial arts or fitness clubs have a primary goal of losing weight. Unfortunately, some expect instant results.

There are many things to consider when choosing a personal trainer for fitness, martial arts, or both. One of the many considerations is having a personal trainer come to your home to take you through a workout. There are many benefits to having an in home trainer, but there is also some things for you to consider.

One of the benefits is the convenience.

The basic and founding principles of some martial arts systems are extremely straightforward, intuitive, and logical, yet, unfortunately, they are almost universally ignored in traditional Martial Arts training. All techniques must have three fundamental components to be effective: power, speed, and focus (a technique that misses the target, is easily avoided, or that is simply brushed aside clearly isn't very effective).

When you explain to someone that you're working with a personal trainer, the image they get is of you working out one-on-one with a traditional fitness instructor who specializes in weight lifting and cardio. With the increased popularity of the martial arts, however, more and more instructors are offering the personal training option.

You may want to consider personal training with a martial arts instructor for a number of reasons:

* Individualized attention - this is why many people like working one-on-one.

Beginners want instant results. They're used to getting what they want right now; microwaves, emails, fast food lunches, drive-thru services, gastric bypass etc. So they expect the same results in their martial arts training. I have to constantly remind students that it just doesn't work that way. Progress takes time. If they've spent to many years at a sedentary job or haven't exercised in a long time, they cannot realistically expect results overnight.

You paid good money to join a health club and what did you get in return? Having to put your name on a sign-in sheet just to use the cardio machines, televisions blasting, cleaning up sweat off of some piece of equipment because the person who previously used it didn't have the courtesy to wipe it down. A singles club atmosphere complete with uninvited attention, waiting to use the free weights because some clown is spending way too much time primping in front of the mirror? This is hardly a refuge for most busy men and women looking to get fit!

Have you ever considered the martial arts alternative? Many adults are disgusted with the run-of-the-mill fitness centers and have looked to the martial arts as a way to get into shape.