E through G

EGYPTIAN STICK FENCING

(classic) Several types were practised during religious ceremonies, processions and as sport or game in ancient Egypt. More 'modern' visitors to Egypt reported similar stick fencing still to exist in the 18th century. Stick fencing is still popular, particularly during the Ramadan (Islamic fasting month).

ESKRIDO

Eskrido, founded by Grandmaster "Cacoy" Canete incorporates joint locks, throws and chokes from Judo, Ju-jitsu and Aikido which are incorporated into the close range stick sparring methods. Eskrido is also known as Stickgrappling.

FAN TZU

Northern style of kung-fu; dates at least to the Ming period. It is very simple in its approach. Also called ba-fan.

FENCING

The sport of fencing is fast and athletic, a far cry from the choreographed bouts you see on film or on the stage. Instead of swinging from a chandelier or leaping from balconies, you will see two fencers performing an intense dance on a six-feet-by-40-feet strip. The movement is so fast the touches are scored electrically - more like Star Wars than Errol Flynn.

The Weapons

Foil, épée and sabre are the three weapons used in the sport of fencing. While it is not unusual for fencers to compete in all three events, they generally choose to develop their skills in one weapon. Until recently, women were permitted to compete only in foil, but now the USFA & FIE offer national competitions for women in épée and sabre. Women's épée was added to the World Championships in 1989 and was held for the first time at the Olympic Games in 1996.

Foil and épée are point-thrusting weapons. Sabre is a point-thrusting as well as a cutting weapon. The target areas differ for the three weapons, though all three are scored electrically.

Object

The main object of a fencing bout (what an individual "game" is called) is to effectively score 15 points (in direct elimination play) or five points (in preliminary pool play) on your opponent before he scores that number on you. Each time a fencer scores a touch, she receives a point. Direct elimination matches consist of three three-minute periods.

Foil

The foil has a flexible rectangular blade, approximately 35 inches in length, weighing less than one pound. Points are scored with the tip of the blade and must land within the torso of the body.

The valid target area in foil is the torso, from the shoulders to the groin, front and back. It does not include the arms, neck, head and legs. The foil fencer's uniform includes a metallic vest (called a lamé) which covers the valid target area, so that a valid touch will register on the scoring machine. A small, spring-loaded tip is attached to the point of the foil and is connected to a wire inside the blade. The fencer wears a body cord inside his uniform which connects the foil to a reel wire, connected to the scoring machine.

There are two scoring lights on the machine. One shows a green light when a fencer is hit, and one shows a red light when her opponent is hit. A touch landing outside the valid target area (that which is not covered by the lamé) is indicated by a white light. These "off target" hits do not count in the scoring, but they do stop the fencing action temporarily.

Épée

The épée (pronounced "EPP-pay"), the descendant of the dueling sword, is similar in length to the foil, but is heavier, weighing approximately 27 ounces, with a larger guard (to protect the hand from a valid hit) and a much stiffer blade. Touches are scored only with the point of the blade. The entire body is the valid target area.

The blade is wired with a spring-loaded tip at the end that completes an electrical circuit when it is depressed beyond a pressure of 750 grams. This causes the colored bulb on the scoring machine to light. Because the entire body is a valid target area, the épée fencer's uniform does not include a lamé. Off-target hits do not register on the machine.

Sabre

The sabre is the modern version of the slashing cavalry sword, and is similar in length and weight to the foil. The major difference is that the sabre is a thrusting weapon as well as a cutting weapon (use of the blade). The target area is from the bend of the hips (both front and back), to the top of the head, simulating the cavalry rider on a horse. The sabre fencer's uniform includes a metallic jacket (lamé), which covers the target area to register a valid touch on the scoring machine. The mask is different from foil and épée, with a metallic covering since the head is valid target area.

Just as in foil, there are two scoring lights on the machine. One shows a green light when a fencer is hit, and one shows a red light when the opponent his hit. Off-target hits do not register on the machine.

FONG NGAN

Style of Chinese kung-fu, known as the Phoenix Eye, originating in China's Hopu province and developed by Kew Soong In the fong ngan system, the basic blow is delivered with the foreknuckle fist (from which the style takes its name). Palm fist, finger poke, ridge hand, and knife hand techniques also are taught. The style's only kick is the front snap kick, delivered low to the groin area. There are no formal stances in the style. Instead, practitioners learn to crowd an opponent, enticing him to make a wrong move. A fong ngan practitioner never retreats from an attack, but moves into it or, if necessary, jumps to the side while counterattacking. Fong ngan employs tripping and leg-hooking throws, techniques that are always followed up by a "killing" blow or strike. The style emphasizes kuen (forms), proper breathing, speed, and form. There are four-man and two-man exercises, the latter closely resembling sparring.

FIVE ELDERS KUNG FU

Style of kung-fu; also, the five priests who escaped the burning of the original Shaolin Temple.

FU-CHIAO PAI

A tiger claw system of kung-fu; the style emulates the movement of the tiger There is a fu-chiao federation in New York City headed by Wai Hong.

FU JYA

A style of Kung Fu that uses both hard and soft techniques

GATKA (A.K.A. FARI GATKA)

Gatka is one of the most esoteric martial arts. It is a battle-tested, ancient martial art that survives today as part of the Sikh culture. Sikhism was founded in the Punjab region of India in the fifteenth century by Guru Nanak, started the religion as an alternative to the dominant Hindu and Muslim faiths. Devout Sikhs follow several tenets of the religion, the most visible is the turban worn by Sikh men. Gatka specializes in sword "shaster" and shield fighting, but includes other weapons, including the staff "lathi," the quoit "chakram," and the exotic "chakar," which looks like a wagon wheel with weights at the end of each spoke. The chakram and chakar are weapons unique to Gatka. The chakar is wielded by grasping the center (the hub of the "wagon wheel") and spinning it around, striking opponents with the weights. The chakram is basically a flat steel hoop with the outside edge honed to a sharp edge. The chakram is spun around the index finger and let fly to at the target. The chakram is the favorite weapon of television's Xena: Warrior Princess. Gatka has been used effectively for centuries. Besides the numerous conflicts and wars in Punjab or the famous Sikh regiments of World War II, Sikhs armed with lathi were used as riot police in the rough-and-tumble streets of 1930's Shanghai. Although training in Gatka may be hard to find for non-Sikhs, the art is exciting to watch in cultural demonstrations.

GENSEI RYU KARATE

Gensei Ryu Karate finds it's root's in the type of Okinawa-karate called Shuri-te. Shuri-te was founded by Sokon Matsumura (1809-1901). In general one can say that most modern Karate styles have some degree of connection with Matsumura, who taught people as famous as Itosu, Kyan, Asato and Funakoshi. Funakoshi introduced karate to Japan in the early 1920's.

Sokon Matsumura was born into a well-known shizoku (noble) family who lived in the Okinawa town of Yamagawa. As an adult he found work as bodyguard for the last three rulers of the Ryu Kyu Islands. The Ryu Kyus are a bunch of islands south of Japan, of witch Okinawa is the largest.

In his life Matsumura visited China twice to learn Chinese martial arts.

One of Matsumura's lesser known students was Bushi Takemura who settled down on the northern part of Okinawa as a farmer. Takemura created a version of Kushanku Kata which is still practised in Gensei Ryu Karate today.

It was at this time Takemura came to know the Kishimoto family, of which Soko Kishimoto (1866-1945) became Takemura's student.

Takemura died 85 years old.

Soko Kishimoto was born in the town of Yabu which is situated in Northern Okinawa. Even as a youngster Kishimoto was prone by a bad temper and the will to learn Okinawa-te (Original name for Okinawa-karate). Besides Okinawa-te he also came to learn Kobudo (weapons training); particularly Sai (short trident) and Bo (long staff) were emphasised.

Kishimoto later moved to an area close to the town of Nago. Here he came to be known as Nago No Agari. While he was young, Kishimoto was known as a bit of a ruffian; however as he grew older he also grew calmer. It is known that Kishimoto was challenged by the young and promising Ankichi Arakaki (circa 1927). This resulted in Arakaki's death.

Kishimoto only had eight students throughout his life.

Kishimoto died in 1945, during The Battle of Okinawa.

GLIMA

Glima is the national sport of Iceland. Glima is similar to wrestling. It is illegal to kick or strike. Each participant wears three leather belts: one around each thigh and one around the waist, the thigh-belts are fastened by straps to the waist-belt. These straps are used for gripping the opponent. In a match the two wrestlers constantly walk around each other and try to bring down the opponent using eight basic techniques.. The match ends when one of the wrestlers falls down.

The Vikings and other Norse practiced this grappling art. Often this grappling art was demonstrated in matches at festivals. Glima grapplers wore special belts in order to get a grip on each other. Glima used tripping, lifting, and throwing to bring the opponent to the ground. Eight basic tricks have survived to today. Glima techniques went with the Vikings to Iceland and the sport is the national sport of Iceland today. There are heroic stories of Glima matches that are almost 1000 years old, some even between men and women. It is unknown if Glima was used in a combative form, but as in most grappling arts, combat was likely its origin.

GOJU-RYU KARATE

Bushido Karate Dojo is a branch of the Japanese Goju-ryu tree. This is Gogen Yamagushi's art. Kanryo Higaonna, a leading nineteenth century Karate master, combined the techniques of Naha-te and the teachings of Shurite plus added different moves from the Chinese art, Shao Lin Chuan to creat a new art. Higaonna studied in Okinawa under Karate masters Sekon Matsumura, Arakaki and Shao Lin Chuan under master Doruku for approximately ten years in Fukien Province, China.

Chojun Miyagi, a student of Higaonna, is given the credit of naming this new system of Karate. In 1929, there was a large martial arts convention in Kyoto, Japan. Master Miyagi could not attend so instead, he sent a student, Shinsato to be his replacement. Each person at the convention was asked what style did they train in. At this time, there was no namefor what Shinsato was practicing. Feeling his art would be looked down upon and given amateur status, he quickly picked Hankry-ryu, which means the Way of Half Hard. When Shinsato told Master Miyagi what had happened, Miyagi liked the idea. He then took this idea one step further. Quoting from the Chinese poem, Eight Poems of the Fist: "Everything in the universe is breathing hard and soft." It is from this that the art Miyagi studied had a new name. Goju-ryu, the way of hard and soft. Indeed, the word Goju means hard-soft. Go is the Japanese word for hardness and Ju is the word for softness. This system is based on the Oriental concept that all hardness and stiffness is not good. At the same time, all softness and too much gentleness can be harmful.The two should complement each other. This combination of the two gives Goju Karate its beautiful, disciplined movements, filled with the grace and flowing form.

But lest anyone believe that Goju is merely a beautiful style of dance with little of the art of defense, he need only watch two Goju practicioners square off in Kumite against one another. The action is fast, extremely fast. It relies on an aggressive style of attack, with the emphasis on delivering blows "hard" but with easy effort and in rapid succession. The opponents don't have much time to stand still and to look cautiously for openings. They are exchanging kicks from side to side and aiming blows from the outside, left and right. Many Goju techniques actually look like the flapping of a bird's wings. Many blocks and strikes are in the form of slaps, though the slaps usually feel a lot more bear-like when one is on the receiving end. Though graceful and bird-like in appearance, they are delivered with a powerful snap. The overall movements of the entire system is based upon speed. There is a great deal of moving in and out quickly and weaving from side to side, in contrast to the hard schools which concentrate more on straightforward ovements. Naturally, all this fast motion lends itself to graceful and artistic techniques.

Another fact of Goju is the extreme closeness with which the blows are delivered in Kumite. The school emphasizes control of motions and a student is supposed to be able to stop a punch or kick only fractions of an inch from target.

But even with all this emphasis on speed, the study of the traditional Kata is still underscored. Goju, with its love of graceful and delicate movements could be expected to venerate the historical Kata. Many Goju men feel that the Kata is usually more dynamic and far more beautiful than Kumite. There is another form of Kata for which the school is famous and without which no explanation of the Goju system would be complete. That is the school's breathing Kata. No one who has ever witnessed a Goju man practicing his breathing Kata under a full head of steam will ever forget the experience. It is an awesome and, to those of a more timid turn, sometimes frightening experience. A good Goju man can be heard half a block away and more while engaged in breathing exercises. Once warmed up, he will stride across the floor rippling every muscle from head to foot while engaged in powerful animal-like breathing. The effect can be quite spetacular.

GOSHIN JUTSU

Form of jujutsu developed by Tatsu Tanaka, who opened a dojo in Tokyo in 1952. Finding classical jujutsu unsuited to his tastes, he decided to modernize the system by eliminating injurious techniques.Kicking and striking techniques were removed, as was leg tripping, and emphasis placed on atemlwaza (vital point technique), kansetsu-waza (locking techniques), and nage-waza (throwing techniques). Tanaka's main purpose is to promote good health through vigorous exercise and proper knowledge of self-defense

GO TI

Round about the year 2600 BC wrestling and hand to hand combat named "GO-TI" , which could be translated as "horn gore" existed. It consisted of wearing horns on the heads of the contestants and goring at each other. This sport was so popular that it was handed from generation to generation until today. On the occasion of festivals the natives of Shanshi, Honan and Manchuria are still entertaining themselves with the traditional "GO-TI" dance. To escape being gored called for some pretty fancy footwork, which in turn resulted in the beginning of unarmed combat. In due course, the sport was modified by the removal of the horns.

GOSOKU RYU KARATE

The Gosoku-ryu style is a tough and rapid karate school (go-toughness, soku-speed, ryu-direction, but also softness). The combination of these characteristics is best exhibited by cats, who have fast, agile defensive moves, but at the same time full of power and paralysing, dynamic counterattacks. These are the characteristics of this highly effective style of self-defence, which, apart from traditional karate techniques (basing mostly on the Shotokan style), includes modern ways of defence that developed in the recent years. Permeation of tradition with modernity, power with speed, defence with incessant attacks is the feature that distinguishes the techniques of the style's founder - master Takayuki Kubota 10 dan. The entire life of the master testifies of the effectiveness of his karate-do (tough times after the war, personal bodyguard of the American ambassador in Japan, expert of the Japanese police, and currently of the American one and FBI in close combat, president of the International Karate Association (IKA), actor and choreographer of fights in Hollywood). Studying the Gosoku-ryu style, the practitioner learns stances from traditional karate styles, modern self-defence, kobudo, and finally proceeds to a highly individualised study of Gosoku-ryu techniques. Master Kubota managed to unite two apparently opposite directions in the development of karate from Okinawa: shorin-ryu and shorei-ryu.

GREAT RUSSIAN WRESTLING

A German encyclopedia describes Great Russian wrestling as involving mostly tripping, and placing more reliance on skill than strength. This was then compared German backhold wrestling, where strength was more important than skill.