Blog | American Top Team Tracy Martial Arts and Kickboxing

in Tracy - American Top Team Tracy Martial Arts and Kickboxing RSS Feed

Is your schools lineage real? Is lineage important?

Lineage is another hot button topic within the martial arts community. Some say that who you come from is of the utmost importance and others could care less. But why are there so may different opinions on this topic and why dose the very mention of it often enrage others? First lets try to get a basic understanding of what "Martial Arts Lineage" is and is not. Your martial arts lineage is the direct line of instructors and teachers from who the knowledge that you are studying has flowed through. Consider it similar to a NFL football teams coaching tree. Where did the knowledge come from and was it from a reputable and winning source? Lineage is a way to track if what you are learning is ....
Read more
The psychology behind losing your motivation.

Losing interest in your Martial arts training will happen to everyone at some point. There are various reasons why this can happen. However, changing your perspective a little can be all it takes to rekindle your love of Your art and keep you training. Losing your Martial arts mojo has happened to most students at some point. Perhaps you’ve been training hard for months. You’re fit and you’re in great shape. But suddenly training becomes more of a task than a fun time. How come, when you feeling at the top of your game, your feelings can suddenly change? Sometimes the novelty of the training wears off. Other times an injury or a bad experience forces you to have time ....
Read more
Dealing with negative people is just like fighting in martial arts.

There are many tools in your arsenal.
Throughout our lives, at one time or another, we all practice these four methods of dealing with negative energy. Everyone has been hit (had our feelings hurt, become defensive and upset). We have all blocked (were successful in taking a stand and defending it through hell or high water). We have all avoided conversations and issues by putting them off for another day or letting them pass altogether. And everyone has taken control of the situation, by looking for the most constructive outcome, or dealing with a problem and remaining in control. The truth is, we all need more than one defense in our arsenal. It is important to develop ....
Read more
A deeper purpose for sparring.

William had practiced martial arts from the time he was eight years old. Now, at twenty-eight, he was approaching his 21st year in martial arts. He was a skinny young kid when he began, now, as a young man, he was completely filled out, strong and fast. He remembered his excitement when he first entered the school and how, later, his mother and his instructor had to encourage him to stick it out when he had wanted to quit. He remembered achieving his first, second and third-degree black belt. Now, as tournament season was coming to an end, he was preparing for his fourth-degree belt. William was in The best shape of his life. He had collected 30 trophies this year, more than in any year ....
Read more
This post will probably upset some martial artists.....I'm not sorry.

This post will probably upset a lot of Martial Artist. I’m not sorry. Within the Martial Arts community there are many types of people. Some have morals and are stand up kind of people and others.......well, not quite so much. You would think that in a profession where character traits such as honor, integrity, courtesy, perseverance, and an unbreakable spirit are held in such high regard, that you wouldn’t see such Fly-by-night type of people. In my 35 years of training, I have met, trained and associated with some of the highest quality people on the planet. However, on the flip-side, I have also met, tried to stay away from and been unsuccessful at some point in meeting ....
Read more
Find stillness within motion

Find stillness within motion Say you’re practicing with another student - your sparring with them and you miss a block. You get hit. Your natural reaction is to tense up. The body has been injured, or at least assaulted. Maybe a little fear kicks in, and your mind starts jumping around – “oh man, I missed that one. Geez, that was fast. What’s he going to throw next? Quick, hit him.” As you start to think and you start to anticipate, your body and mind becomes less and less relaxed. If you recognize that you’ve lost focus, you then start to get angry at yourself. More distracting thoughts. Each thought infuses the body with a little more tension, a ....
Read more
Peaks , Valleys and Plateaus

This too shall pass By now you know that practice is a process to be experienced, not a result to be achieved. It’s a journey, not a destination. Sometimes though, it feels a lot like a roller coaster. You always seem to be hitting peaks and falling into valleys. Some days, you feel great about your practice. You feel strong, powerful, flexible, focused. Your cardio is good in your technique is crisp and clean. You can’t get enough of these days. Other times, you feel overwhelmed, sloppy, distracted. You keep looking up at the clock. You wonder if you’re ever going to get any better at this. Sometimes these peaks and valleys last for a while - weeks, maybe months. ....
Read more
The ego is what causes you to feel superior. To study martial arts is to battle with the ego.

John was is his 30's and had practiced martial arts for many years. He had practiced 2 or 3
different styles and was quickly becoming bored with his present practice. Believing that he had gotten all he could from his present style and teacher, he started to look again for another "Better" school. His search led him to a school on the outskirts of town. John thought that he had visited every school in the city at least once, but somehow he had missed this one. John walked into the school with the intention of interviewing the master. He had prepared a lengthy list of questions. This was the same list he used to confront all of his previous instructors, as well as many other that did not ....
Read more
What is "Kiai"

WHAT DOES KIAI MEAN? In many martial arts there is this concept widely practiced but barely explained. I’m talking about KIAI. Most people think is just a yell. But KIAI is more than that. I mean to the general public, people yelling at the dojo looks a little silly and how many times have we lost our voices because we yelled too much during class? For some KIAI, is a yell when executing a technique or strike, other wise known as a martial shout. Although some do yell when executing techniques with high energy, KIAI goes beyond a loud yell. Composed by the kanji of KI (energy), and AI (unification), KIAI can literally be translated as the harmonization of Ki energy ....
Read more
The most important person on the mats, your training partner.

In a world where "its all about me" as so many people think; the concept of "Uke" is hard to understand. In Japanese, the term Uke refers to a blocking technique in most martial arts. However, the term also can be translated as to "receive". Children especially struggle with this concept and must be guided to understand the deeper meaning. Many adults also struggle with it as well. To receive is to take the brunt of the impact while training in order to help the situation in the future. A senior student should always have their junior student training partner in mind. many Martial Artist only think of their own training and never what impact they may have on the next generation. For ....
Read more

Blog | American Top Team Tracy Martial Arts and Kickboxing

Is your schools lineage real? Is lineage important?

The psychology behind losing your motivation.

Dealing with negative people is just like fighting in martial arts.

A deeper purpose for sparring.

This post will probably upset some martial artists.....I'm not sorry.

Find stillness within motion

Peaks , Valleys and Plateaus

The ego is what causes you to feel superior. To study martial arts is to battle with the ego.

What is "Kiai"

The most important person on the mats, your training partner.

Kids Martial Arts

Muay Thai Kickboxing

Adult Martial Arts

Join Us In Tracy Today For Better Martial Arts And Muay Thai Training

Ylicia G.

Paty G.

Andy S.

Request Information Now!