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M A R T I A L A R T S F O R W O M E N

barefoot, the Chinese use flat-soled cloth slippers that give the foot some basic protection while providing a firm footing. Avoid training shoes with such thick soles that they will prevent you from feeling the ground beneath your feet. Avoid running shoes as well, as they are de- signed for stability while jogging or running, and provide little or no lateral support. The aim of any fitness program is to develop muscular strength, aerobic (heart-lung) fitness, and flexibility. The Western approach is to treat these goals as separate, with specialized activities for each: weight-training for strength; cycling, running, or aerobic dance for heart-lung fitness; and stretching or yoga for flexibility. Unless you are practicing a sport, little or no attention is paid to the other components of fitness, such as balance, posture, or coordination. The martial arts’ approach is quite different. Although martial art- ists perform strengthening exercises, like push-ups and sit-ups, as well as stamina-building exercises such as running, these exercises occupy a small part of the overall training. The bulk of training is in the tech- nique of the art itself. As you proceed in the martial arts, your fitness will improve as a nat- ural consequence of performing the techniques correctly. This not only includes strength, stamina, and flexibility, but also other skills, such as balance, coordination, and agility. But there is still more: a factor that the Chinese call qi, or chi. According to Chinese philosophy, chi is the force that animates the cosmos; without chi, there would be no life. A full understanding of the martial arts of China, Korea, and Japan is not possible without an appreciation of the concept of chi. Training in the martial arts also differs from Western fitness in that

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