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Taiwan, Teachers, & Training: An Interview with Yang Jwingming ~ Part 2
March 14, 2022
Now that you have provided us with some fascinating background details dealing with family, studies, and work, I'd like to focus on your martial art studies. What exactly got you interested in these arts? Please provide some details about your very first teacher.
Taiwan, Teachers, & Training: An Interview with Yang Jwingming ~ Part 1
March 7, 2022
The name Dr. Yang Jwingming became known to many because of his early publications dealing with Taijiquan. Despite some editorial faults expected in early works by a native-Chinese speaker who was a novice to publishing, his pioneering volumes offered insights and experience into the art that captivated thousands.
Fighting Range Strategies
November 15, 2021
If you cannot overwhelm the attacker and end up temporarily disengaged facing him, you should keep moving to prevent becoming a static target and to camouflage any additional tax you must unleash as you launch into retzev. (Retzev is a Hebrew word that means continuous motion.) In short movement from movement is more difficult to discern then movement from a stationary position.”
Anatomical Targeting Strategy: Works for Both the Attacker and Defender
October 11, 2021
Keep in mind that you don’t want any type of fighting chess game; instead, the goal is to eliminate any and all of his future counter-movement and counterattack capabilities. In other words, achieve checkmate with your first or second optimized combative as soon as possible.
Understanding Physiological Reaction to Threats and Violent Conflict
July 12, 2021
The Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) mobilizes your body’s nervous system fight-or-flight response. Immediate SNS activation occurs when you recognize and face imminent violence. Once activated by the perception of possible impending bodily harm, the SNS in turn activates immediate physiological changes by flooding your body with stress hormones. Your freeze, fight, or flight response hits full throttle
Push Defense: Police Hold Number Eight - June 28, 2021
As with all self-defense combatives there is a legal side, should you apply a joint lock on someone. Not only do you risk civil and criminal charges of battery, you might also face the risk of being convicted of false imprisonment.
Krav Maga Fundamental Strategies: Defend Yourself Without Getting Busted - June 24, 2021
YMAA proudly presents Krav Maga Fundamental Strategies, the fourth book in David Kahn’s popular Krav Maga series.
Krav Maga: Lower Back Combatives - March 29, 2021
You can perform krav maga kicks at low, torso and head-level heights. To deliver head kicks, you'll need flexibility, balance, and enough strength to lift your leg. The Israel Defense Force, (IDF), in developing its krav maga program, set up tested candidates, many of who were talented martial artists, to run extensive distances with full combat loads. After an exhausting run in combat gear, the candidates were told to defend against an attack using whatever techniques they felt most comfortable. Few test candidates favoring high kicks could perform them. Their physical exhaustion prior to the fighting tests made high kicking extremely difficult.
Takedowns and Throws - February 3, 2020
The Israeli krav maga curriculum incorporates several core throws. Founder Imi Lichtenfeld was awarded a black belt in judo by Moshe Feldenkrais, who trained in Japan directly under the legendary Kano Jigoro. At the green-belt level (third belt level in the official krav maga curriculum) Imi incorporated several of judo’s most accessible and effective throws and takedowns.
Not All Krav Maga is the Same - October 21, 2019
I am concerned for the future of krav maga. Imi Lichtenfeld created too formidable a fighting method for it to be relegated to the pile of self-defense and exercise fads. Grandmaster Haim Gidon has spent fifty years enhancing Imi’s teachings and producing several generations of instructors who have both become and helped train some of Israel’s most capable and finest warriors.
Krav Maga: Developing Power and Balance for Maximum Effect - September 16, 2019
The following emphasizes the how of effective krav maga, in terms of how you use your body for the best outcomes. Israeli krav maga is designed to work for anyone regardless of athleticism, skill, size or gender. There are a few elementary techniques that you can perform instinctively and apply to a wide variety of situations. Importantly, you need not master more than a few combatives to become a kravist or competent krav maga fighter capable of defeating any type of unarmed or armed attack or threat.
Krav Maga Control and Disengagement Strategies for Social Violence - July 8, 2019
A moment of anger leading to violence can cost you everything, literally.  When facing the specter of social violence – a confrontation you can avoid and escape – how do you best opt-out? How do you walk away without feeling emasculated or that you blinked first? Ultimately, how do you disengage convinced that it was his lucky day?
The Legality of Protecting Yourself with a Martial Art - June 1, 2019
If avoidance, de-escalation and escape fail, the goal is never to waver about resorting to counterviolence in the face of violence. True self-defense focuses not simply on survival, but rather on how to neutralize the aggressor. There is no pity or humanity in a, perhaps, desperate visceral self-defense situation provided the counterforce is legally justifiable. Legally, you must be able to articulate what you did and why you did it. Your actions must be objectively reasonable to allow for an affirmative defense, should you face legal inquiry.
YMAA Retreat Center Celebrates 10-year Graduation - July 16, 2018
Seven students from around the world graduated from a 10-year intensive program at the YMAA Retreat Center on June 24, 2018. The seven graduates are Jonathan Chang (USA), Javier Rodiguez (USA) and Frank Verhülsdonk (Switzerland), Quentin Lopes (USA), Piper Chan (Canada), Enrico Tomei (Italy) and Michelle Lin (USA).  The students trained year-round in the disciplines of Shaolin Long Fist kung fu, Shaolin White Crane kung fu, Yang-style Taijiquan, and Qigong, as well as various weapons, horseback skills, Chinese language, and video production.
A Soul's Journey - March 26, 2018
In Chinese qigong society, it is believed that human beings are made of a physical body and an energetic body. The energetic body is subdivided into three parts: the spirit (shen,) the wisdom mind (yi,) and the emotional mind (xin).
Dr. Yang Announces New Training Program 2018 - January 24, 2018
Dr. Yang has announced he will continue to teach until 2024 at the YMAA Retreat Center. Those interested living in the forest and learning tai chi and kung fu every day should apply soon for this new training program, studying at the Retreat Center with Dr Yang Jwing-Ming in CA.
Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming—a Giant of Martial Arts - November 28, 2017
It reads simple, "Preserving the arts has been the focus of Dr. Yang's work throughout the past 40 years." This mission statement appears on the front page of the YMAA Retreat Center. But the journey hasn't been all that easy.
YMAA California Retreat Center New Program Announcement - October 30, 2017
Thanks to the dedication of the students and faithful support from parents, sponsors, and friends, we are pleased to announce the YMAA California Retreat Center will continue its mission of education in, and the preservation of Traditional Chinese Martial Arts. Special thanks goes to the Ku Foundation, a co-sponsor and co-organizer of the new full-time training programs.
Introducing New YMAA Author! David-Dorian Ross - May 22, 2017
David-Dorian Ross is "America's favorite" tai chi master teacher. He has been studying tai chi since 1979 from some of the top masters in the world. He's also a United States and world record holder in tai chi forms competition.
YMAA Student, Michelle Lin, Earns Role in Assassin’s Creed Movie - January 9, 2017
Occasionally someone asks, "What’s the point of competing in Kung Fu tournaments?" Well, it might just land you a role in a major Hollywood motion picture. But not just any movie, this is the worldwide launch of a potentially massive film franchise, based on a globally-successful videogame brand, and starring Oscar-winning and A-list actors.
My Experience at The YMAA Retreat Center in Miranda, California Part 2 - March 26, 2013
At some point in my stay, a potential five-year candidate named, Nathan Rosen, flew in from France for a short stay. I drove with Dr. Yang and Jonathan Chang to pick him up.
My Experience at The YMAA Retreat Center in Miranda, California Part 1 - March 19, 2013
It was a quiet Monday morning in Bronx, N.Y. at 5 a.m. when I made my usual stop at the deli by the local train to New York City. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the former UFC Lightweight Champion, Frankie Edgar, alongside the Bellator Lightweight Champion, Eddie Alvarez, featured on the cover of Black Belt Magazine.
Celebración 30 Años de la YMAA - January 10, 2013
Estoy muy feliz de decir que hoy se celebración 30 años de la YMAA. Desde enseñar a 5-6 alumnos en mi estacionamiento, hacer mi primera visita a Polonia en 1986, hasta ver como YMAA International (YMAA Internacional) crecía país por país y funda YMAA Publication Center (Centro de Publicaciones YMAA), publicando muchos libros, videos y artículos, han sido 30 años lleno de hitos.
YMAA 30-Year Anniversary - October 1, 2012
I am happy to say that today is YMAA's 30th anniversary. Today, we are an international organization with over 50 schools in 18 countries, and we are recognized by people all over the world. I would like to thank the many YMAA teachers, students, and supporters for all their support throughout the many years. I believe that together, we will be able to successfully propagate the healthy lifestyles of Qigong and the hard-working culture of traditional martial arts.
An Interview with Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming: Progress at the YMAA Retreat Center - August 20, 2012
Dr. Yang Jwing Ming is at the halfway point in one of the most ambitious martial adventures in the modern world. Since 2008, Dr. Yang has been living for over nine months every year on a remote piece of land in Humboldt County, in northern California, with a group of disciples who spend their time soaking up Yang’s extensive martial knowledge.