Martial Arts News 6.6.10

The Seagal Report:

• It appears that before going on his shooting rampage, Derrick Bird watched a Steven Seagal movie.

Bird watched the film at his friend Neil Jacques’ house. He left at around 12.30am once it had ended.

The next day his twin brother, his solicitor and 10 others were shot dead during the rampage in and around the town of Whitehaven in Cumbria that also left 11 people injured.

• Seagal may lose his Concealed Weapons Permit and more! I’ll let you figure out whether this is satire or real.

Following the bold decision by police in Louisiana to deny the renewal application of a Concealed Weapons Permit for humoungous, fake Deputy Steven Seagal, The Screen Actors Guild has announced that they will also be looking to end his association with the Guild.

The News:

• Karate Kid remake is getting luke warm reviews.

The chief problem with this version is, ironically, the leads. Although Smith…and veteran action star Chan might have seemed like good casting on paper, they’re not suited to their roles.

• Two more for my weekly Martial Artist Hall of Shame.

Mixed-martial-arts fighter Jarrod Wyatt has been charged with murder, aggravated mayhem and torture in the death of his sparring partner Taylor Powell. A California judge upheld the charges Friday.

AND

Police arrested an Elkview man Thursday and charged him with sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl.

• I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: you have to be darn careful when you claim self-defense in the U.S.!

Funches then yelled, “Old man if you pull a gun on me you better plan on using it,” then punched the 69-year-old great grandfather in the face, according to the filing.

Clements said he blindly fired one shot as he was falling backward.

• Cro Cop is slated for a comeback. He’s one of the few MMA fighters that I am a fan of so I wish him nothing but luck!

Once considered among the most feared strikers in mixed martial arts, when Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic (26-7-2 MMA, 3-3 UFC) first uttered the words “right leg hospital, left leg cemetery,” it didn’t exactly seem like simple braggadocio.

• A few more teens give backyard boxing a try.

The Florida Times-Union reports that other teenager is facing a criminal charge, as is the 35-year-old homeowner.

• Ken Shamrock wants to start a senior MMA circuit. I say why not?

MMA legend Ken Shamrock was at the past weekend’s UFC Fan Expo. It didn’t take long for someone to put a camera in his face, and the fun quickly ensued.

• How cool is this? A high school self-defense program leads one teen to create his own organization!

Now a senior, Pham has spent the last two years as the founder of Empower Our Youth, a nonprofit designed to bring self-defense classes out of the suburbs. The group has raised more than $20,000 and taught hundreds of students the skills they need to stay safe in a dangerous world.

• The Power Ranger wins another MMA competition.

Frank…submitted Carlos Horn with an armbar 24 seconds into their bout tonight at the Ultimate Warrior Challenge 8 regional show. The victory kept Frank’s record undefeated in four amateur fights.

• You don’t hear much about woman’s MMA — here’s one story!

Jessica Aguilar is one of the sport’s rising stars in the 115-pound division.

• I guess Kimbo doesn’t have to worry about titles when he stands a very good chance to get paid to do what he seems to do best — brawl.

Bobby “The Celtic Warrior” Gunn is an old-school kind of guy. He is in negotiations with Kimbo Slice to compete in an event that would surely be a Pay-Per-View hit.

• Is boxing getting a bum rap? One writer thinks so!

American television does not even broadcast world heavyweight title fights any more…

• Will White let the Shaq compete in MMA?

UFC president Dana White recently said that Cleveland Cavaliers center Shaquille O’Neal has been training in mixed-martial arts for years — and lobbying to fight in the Octagon for nearly as long.

• One of the reasons I did not get involved with martial arts sooner is because we were dirt-poor. I wish I had the opportunity to try something like this. Hat-tip to one sensei who is not worried about profit!

“This six-week karate program helps with kids summer programs that are very expensive due to several reasons, like the economical struggle, more affordable,” Powers said. “This program will also help kids to build self-esteem, self-confidence, and good character.”

• In the U.S., gun control or the lack thereof is just one big mess.

The man who killed Nelson was a veteran of the Korean War. He fired only one shot and got the intruder in the chest. On that morning, the man was protecting not just himself but his wife and a 12-year-old great grandson who was staying over. A son told reporters “My father had no choice. It was him or the other guy.”

• I’ve seen a lot of these stories lately — it must be a trend.

“Women shouldn’t fight men like men fight men,” he said, adding that most martial arts aren’t tailored to women. “The connotation is that they’re weak, that they can’t fight back. We’re teaching them different.”

Reeves, who spent 16 years doing security work, sought out administrators at Richmond High after the October gang rape of a student on campus outside the homecoming dance.

The blogs:

- It looks like Striking Thoughts is the WordPress featured blog this week.

click to enlarge

- Jon Law continues his series on training for multiple attackers.

One very safe method for getting a handle on fighting multiple opponents is windsucking. This is a drill they use over at DKK, something that Gavin Mullholland came up with I believe.

- Considering that I turn 43 this month I really appreciate this post. It’s also the philosophy that I follow! i.e., screw you Father Time! I’m going down with a martini in one hand while I punch with my other!

He summarizes his outlook on aging with the following statements: “Rather than taking it easy and slipping quietly into that good night, try raising the bar one notch higher every year.

- 24 Chickens talks about emotions, Shotokan Karate, and more.

Ever wonder why people become so enraged when their conceptions about Shotokan Karate are challenged? When I post that there is no such thing as ki, and the whole idea of ki doesn’t even have a phenomenon that it explains…

- Bunkai Jutsu asks the question: “does pressure point fighting work?” If you want my opinion then just check out the comment I left on his blog!

This is an area that you will see debated from time to time with people for and against it.  Some claim that pressure points make your techniques ultra effective, whilst others claim that in the heat of the moment you will not have the accuracy to find the point whilst somebody is trying to hit you at the same time.

- You all might just want to check out Gaijin Explorer’s blog. His last few posts have deviated from martial arts and have explored some of the cultural aspects of Japan.

Here we will talk about another topic from the book, “Bushido: the Soul of Japan,” which has been introduced in a previous entry on Gaijin Explorer called “Thoughts on Japanese Etiquette.”

- Nicola learned what I think may be one of the best (and under-taught!) rules for self-defense.

I was reminded of avoidance in an excellent taekwondo session yesterday led by one of our senior Dans who is also a senior aikido Dan… one of the best answers to conflict may be avoidance.

- Parker’s latest video find almost made my weekly videos. If you like karate you should really check it out!

“What is karate?”

- Steven Smith shows us another way to deal with aging. Yes, it differs slightly from the “Bob Patterson FU approach” but it’s still worth considering!

It shows more evidence that people can handle the powerful, combative aspects of Taiji, doesn’t it? I mean: if “92yr old Ladislav Nicek [can compete] in the annual Winter Swimming Championships in the Vlatva River for over half a century” I bet you can amp up your training.

- Colin shows us some close-quarters knee strike applications that his low belts are working on. What I like about these is that they come directly from the forms. Total aside but I totally do not use knee strikes enough — I’ve been criticized for my deficit in both tae kwon do and kung fu. I guess they are not just “me”.

Nicole is currently studying taekwondo patten do-san. So this drill is an extracurricular one that draws on other aspects of her training with us.

The videos:

- The good folks at MartialSkill.com have created a most-excellent video on punching basics from Praying Mantis kung fu. One thing I took from my time in Mantis was a few new ways to punch; that and a healthy does of new close-quarters techniques!

- My second find comes from the Martial Arts Reporter. Before reading his post I had never heard of Allen Steen. I am, however, very aware of Prime Chuck Norris. The video is important to the history of American karate and tae kwon do. It’ also shows some 1960′s era tournament fighting and sportsmanship. While I often disagree with Mr. Norris and his politics, one thing I still respect is the image he presented on the tournament circuit. In this video you can see Mr. Norris losing with grace — something in my opinion that most MMA fighters should take a hard look at. This video makes my sidebar!

But visiting Dallas this time somehow got me thinking of the first American to receive his Black Belt from the founder of Taekwondo in the U.S., Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee, who had come to Austin, Texas, way back in the late 50s to pursue his college studies. The year was 1957 to be exact.

-BCP

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