Founder of Xen-Do Kickboxing and Martial Arts London, Dai Master Rafael Nieto is on the Samurai warpath against anything over complicated. ‘Too many moves waste energy and reduce both flow and power; keep it simple’ he says, ‘and when I say simple I don’t mean easy!’

With Xen-Do’s Martial Arts style having evolved over some 1,600 years and then being fused with Western Kickboxing, you would be right for thinking that this twice World Champion had a new fight on his hands – and you would be right, although this particular tournament sees him taking on the Xen-Do Kickboxing and Martial Arts curriculum consisting of some 26 belt grades and easily over 100 different techniques.

“There is always a tendency to add extra techniques and create more elaborate moves” says Dai Master Raf, “my quest is to refine Xen-Do’s curriculum so it is not only the most powerful fighting form but also the most beautiful”. Why beautiful I hear you ask? Because, as Dai Master Raf explains “Martial Artist means beautiful warrior.”

“Isn’t this all a contradiction in terms? A minimum of 2 years spent gaining a Black Belt only to be told that it’s now time to cut down on the moves! Let’s look first at the science behind this new Xen-Do initiative, possibly a first in the world of Kickboxing and Martial Arts.”

When it comes to a fight we need to fire power: raw energy, transferred to the target to have a devastating effect. The fewer moves required to summon and deliver that power the less energy is wasted and the more delivered to the target.

There is another point too and one best seen through the eyes of a Kickboxing and Martial Arts master such as Dai Master Raf: ‘In over 40 years of studying, practising and teaching Kickboxing and Martial Arts my intuition tells me what the opponent is planning and I can see the move forming before it is fired, therefore the more simple the move not only the more power but the more surprise is contained within the attack; as I said, simple but certainly not easy.’

With all this talk of fire power and attack why concern ourselves with beauty? Again Xen-Do’s Dai Master Raf explains:

“the Shaolin monks created Martial Arts both to protect themselves against bandits and prepare themselves for the hours to be spent in meditation, it is the beauty in the Martial Artist’s movement and mindset that conjures up this state of being.”

Returning to 2014 and Xen-Do’s newest Kickboxing and Martial Arts club in Baker St. London you don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to deduce that Dai Master Raf intends to keep Xen-Do’s Kickboxing and Martial Arts techniques at the forefront internationally, not only to win tournaments but to set the benchmark for beautiful form and simple yet effective function.

This article is based on opinion:
– the author is not a qualified doctor or anyone who can dispense medical advice.
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