UTMA

For years, many NFL players have used martial arts as part of their off-season workout regimen.

Martial arts training has tremendous potential to improve various aspects of football; including striking, avoiding and blocking strikes, wrestling and grappling, joint control, drive blocking, breakfalling (falling to the ground safely) and conditioning (speed, strength, stamina, skill levels and flexibility).

 

 

All these forms are self defense," said Chike Okeafor, a Seahawks defensive end who played for the 49ers and defensive end for the Arizona Cardinals. "Is a man trying to put his hands on you? Yes or no? If it's yes, then you get his hands off you, you don't let him put them on you and you punish him for trying to. That's martial arts. That's football."

 

 

 

   

The greatest advantage for current NFL players to gain from the martial arts is the cardio training. "What happens is the adrenaline is different here than it is on the field," claimed Westbook. "It will teach them how to understand how not to get tired, how to relax, how to breathe. It's a different cardio. Once NFL players come in the gym and see how tired they get, they want to keep doing it. When they go back to football, those four quarters are nothing."

 

 

 

  

 

San Diego Chargers fullback Lorenzo Neal claims the martial arts training helps him as well with balance and body control that translate well to the football field.

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman Max Starks . At 6-8, 340 pounds, Starks is a large man to handle. He says he started training because his older brother operated a martial arts school and ended up helping out his sibling. He would try different moves and positions, and became a fan of the sport. "To be a successful lineman in my position, you have to have great technique in order to go against guys who are faster and potentially stronger guys," said Lally. "You have to have good technique, and that's the same with martial arts. You have to have flawless technique. It doesn't matter how big you are, it matters how much of a technical fighter you are. Fearlessness and toughness are truly the basic principles.

 

  

 

 

Rudy Seanez now playing for the Philadelphia Phillies said his conditioning has improved because of the training and it has allowed him to prolong his career, which began in Cleveland in 1989 and has taken him to nine organizations (some more than once). And he has enjoyed martial arts so immensely that he plans to pursue it more seriously when his playing days are over.

"Martial arts is going to allow me to keep going another couple of years," said Seanez, "Overall, I have better strength and flexibility than when I just did heavy weightlifting. Now, I have what I would call more functional strength.

He discovered that it not only enhanced his overall physical strength, but it also gave him peace of mind - if only because it provided him with the self-assurance that he could handle himself in potentially dangerous situations. It's that confidence factor, as he calls it, that has helped him to avoid "different situations" that come up.

Seanez says he has become a better pitcher because of martial arts, especially in bases-loaded situations. "I reach back and instead of getting worked up, I find that I become calm," he said. "But you develop that in martial arts, the ability to be in control."

 

 

 Kevin Millwood

With one quick, calculated motion, Texas Rangers pitcher Kevin Millwood grabs teammate Kameron Loe's right leg, lifts it up and slams Loe's back onto a cushioned mat.

After the intense, workout, Millwood admits, "This is fun."

I wanted to do something different and make sure I was completely ready. I'm getting older, and I can tell. I've got to be in better shape. And this is a fun way to do it."

To help make 2008 better from the first pitch, Millwood spends two days a week training.

It was more than motivation after a poor season that pushed Millwood to make the short drive from his house to the studio last October. Boredom was a big factor. Millwood complained to Jose Vazquez, the Rangers' strength and conditioning coach, that jogging on the treadmill or riding a stationary bike had become a necessity that he dreaded.

"I've tried everything to find something he likes to get him enthusiastic," Vazquez said. "He doesn't get excited about workouts at all. Everything we've done, we do because he knows he has to. But he really likes this and enjoys going."

Martial Arts has allowed Millwood to get out some aggression and get his heart pumping at the same time. But it also helps his mental game.

 

 

 

Kameron Loe

 

 

 

 

 

 

USA Tiger teaches and fully reflects the essence of the universal values of the Olympic spirit --

Unity, Friendship, Progress, Harmony, and Participation. It expresses the common wishes of people all over the world, inspired by the Olympic ideals, to strive for a bright future for Mankind.  We belong to the same world and we share the same aspirations and dreams.

  

Athletics: Athletics is, in many ways, the embodiment of the Olympic motto, "Citius, Altius, Fortius", meaning faster, higher, stronger.

Athletics is about running faster, jumping higher and throwing further than your competitors.

 

  

Boxing: Boxing ranks among the Olympic Games' most illustrious sports. 
When it first arrived in the Ancient Olympic Games, the tools of the trade were long strips of leather wrapped around boxers' fists. The fight continued until one man or the other went down or conceded.  

Today’s best boxers fight their way to the top through a combination of strength and skill.
 

 

Judo: Judo means "the gentle way" in Japanese.  It is derived in part from jujitsu, the hand-to-hand combat technique of ancient samurai warriors, and everything is relative. While throwing opponents to the floor wins most matches. 

 The sport broke into the Olympic Games in 1964 at Tokyo. 

   

Martial Arts (Karate & Taekwon-do): Martial arts teach more than physical fighting skills. They provide us ways of enhancing our spirit and life through training our body and mind. Today, they have become global sport and has gained an international reputation, and stands among the official games in the Olympics.