- A fifth-grader is transformed after enrolling in taekwondo!
A friend suggested Noah might try taekwondo and the diminutive youngster has never been the same… He just lit up and wanted to stay with it, and he excels at it.
- Apparently alcohol and MMA skills do not mix!
A mixed martial arts fighter from Gillette has been charged with second-degree murder in the beating death of a former University of Nevada, Las Vegas football player.
- Another one for the Walk of Shame.
On Friday he was charged with 21 counts of sodomy and oral copulation with one of his students.
- Some think that this almost-ad for a karate school promotes a certain stereotype.
Two ads surfaced all across the internet this week and caused a firestorm of comments. One ad shows a boy wearing high heels. The other shows the boy putting on lipstick while sitting on a flowery bed. The cutline on both reads, “Karate Lessons” for a school located in Key Biscayne.
- A 68-year-old Shotokan master is still kicking it in Wyoming.
Training for his first degree black belt was “brutal.”
“We use to have to put guys on our shoulders and kick up and down the floor about a thousand times,” he said.
During the actual test for the belt, Ambrose had to fight 25 other participants and win 98 percent of his matches, in addition to knowing all the basics, including 27 different katas, or forms.
- What do the Energizer Bunny and a 75-year-old black belt have in common?
Dugan recently was selected one of 10 finalists from more than 1,200 nominations for induction into the Energizer Keep Going Hall of Fame…
- Krav Maga supplants karate amongst some youth.
Krav Maga is enjoying an unusual burst of popularity among American children who might otherwise be practicing karate chops.
- Kung Fu reality TV is set to combat the UK’s hoodie culture? Here’s a little more about the hoodies at this link.
Kung Fu Street Fighters features a British Shaolin monk and martial arts master, Matthew Ahmet, mentoring youngsters from inner-city estates “in a bid to teach them self-control, respect and restraint and help present an alternative life far removed from violence, crime, drugs and underachievement”
- Here’s one about a hapkido dentist!
Levy, who lives in Keedysville with his wife, Lena, will travel the country teaching the technique to new dentists. The technique shows dentists how to use their whole body, not just the wrist, in extracting teeth. It takes the pressure off the dentist’s wrist and prevents broken roots or other problems for patients.
- Aikido for seniors!
These golden girls of martial arts shined on July 23 at the Aikido of Fredericksburg headquarters. Both Logan and Ansell earned senior black belts in a performance that drew a standing ovation from the audience.
- Here’s more about those seniors…
The two had to demonstrate the 31 ways to use the stick, called a jo. They also had to show their ability to thrust and throw opponents, grab shoulders and lock wrists.
- Speaking of aikido…
Mid way through the first run one of the black belts said sternly, “You need to remember two things for your test. Don’t talk. And even if you don’t know what technique Sensei calls out just do something, anything. Don’t act like a deer frozen in the headlights, for God’s sake.”
- I guess it’s senior’s week!
Ask 77-year-old Ena Mallett, a British grandmother who became the first woman to get a 7th dan black belt in Spirit Combat International jujitsu.“I might be getting on a bit, but I still get stuck in myself during lessons,” she told the press. “I can still deal with any big bloke who comes along.”
- Judo skills help one guy excel in a jujitsu tournament!
“We grabbed each other’s uniforms, and the guy was extremely strong,” said Racki, 42, a medium-heavyweight purple belt. “I did a judo throw, which gave me an advantage over the Brazilian who had trained specifically in groundwork.”
This is an allegory in which three literati realize by accident that spiritual purity cannot be measured by artificial boundaries.
Functional fitness, on the other hand, gets you up out of your chair and doing all those movements that you don’t do all day long.
One of the most common questions we receive as Karate practitioners must surely be how to use the nunchaku. Or “numb chucks”.
If you were a plainclothes security guard, and someone walked out of your store with stolen merchandise, what would you have done?
Having worked private security in my college days, I can say that this one is likely an example of excessive force. I can also say that this store had better expect a big fat lawsuit!
However, two California statutes establish separate privileges so that in most circumstances the retailer cannot be held liable for money damages if later sued for assault, false imprisonment, infliction of emotional distress and/or violation of civil rights.
Retailers have a qualified privilege to detain a suspected shoplifter. Penal Code section 490.5(f) contains the statutory privilege that allows retailers to detain for a reasonable time a suspected shoplifter for the purposes of conducting an investigation, including the use of a reasonable amount of non-deadly force to effect the detention of the suspected shoplifter.
Most police departments have moved away from this choke, and for good reason!
This hold did not put any pressure on the airway, but an improperly applied hold could quickly turn into an air choke…
Anyhow, I think it will be hard to argue that an MMA-type choke hold is “reasonable non-deadly force”, for private security to use in the prevention of a misdemeanor.
The Videos:
– The first video comes from Bunkai. After watching it I have to say that I’m really reminded of my Chin Na days. Cool stuff!
A number of the techniques I learned on the Manstoppers course fit hand in glove with my Karate and I thoroughly recommend it to any Karate/TKD/Kung Fu practitioner…
– The second video comes from someone called Master Wong. This guy has a YouTube Channel with hundreds of videos. The one I found promoted learning Tai Chi via the internet. In it I saw reference to “combat Tai Chi”. I tried searching his Channel but the good Master has too many blasted videos, so I gave up. Here’s what I found:
I’ll let the Tai Chi folks decide if this stuff is legit, or not.
-BCP
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You mention about the Kevin O’Hagan video (above) reminding you of your “Chin Na days”. It just goes to show how much many of the martial arts overlap, as he is primarily a Ju Jutsu master (though he has trained in a number of other disciplines too).
He is also a very dynamic teacher and one of the very best in the UK, so if anybody gets the chance to go on one of his courses (or get one of his books), I would thoroughly recomend it.
About the testing advice – don’t just stand there.
Many years ago I was watching black belt testing in the aikido organization I belonged to. It had been a long day.
In this organization, all the testing technique from white belt on up changes a little from year to year. At whatever level you are, you are responsible for being able to recall ANY of the techniques from past years.
This pair was up there and the section of the test consisted of Sensei calling out old techniques for each of them to demonstrate (the uke portion had to be correct as well).
Sensie misspoke. He called out a technique that SOUNDED like a legit one, but it didn’t exist. The pair were going to give it a go anyway when Sensei realized his error and gave them another.
I don’t think Tai Chi combat is anything new. Here’s why:
One of the legends of the origins of Tai Chi came from the beginning of the Qing Dynasty. When the Manchus overthrew the Ming and their emperor has risen to the thrown – he promptly requested that the Tai Chi masters teach him Tai Chi.
When the Tai Chi masters had reached the court, they had two choices: teach the emperor Tai Chi or kick the bucket. It was a tough call until the idea spread around of “Why not teach the Emperor the slow version of Tai Chi?” So that is Tai Chi is today.
Anyway I read that somewhere (I believe Wikipedia – but don’t quote me or Wikipedia for that matter).
I saw these images with the caption, “Karate Lessons Will Beat the Sissy Right Out of Your Son.” But I’m not sure that was the intent.
This doesn’t look like the work of someone promoting Karate as “a solution to gay.” IMHO it is equally likely that someone watched a few MMA shows on TV, decided they were a martial arts expert, and wants to spread the not-so-subtle message that Karate IS gay.
I mean, it’s been a very long time since the mainstream media last sold “Karate = Tough”, hasn’t it?
The important thing to understand about Master Wong’s demo, is that his is not THE combat Tai Chi. It is A combat Tai Chi–if it can be called Tai Chi at all, which is probably just a matter of perspective.
The “Tai Chi Classics” can be read free online, so anyone is free to compare his demonstration, and its similarities and differences, with the written standard of previous generations.
AA and Chris,
I’ve only seen a very little tai chi done up close. I’m far from an expert but my bullshit detector was going off. I’m not saying that Wong is not an outstanding martial artist. All I am suggesting is that it looks like he’s blending and re-interpreting stuff. Sounds like you both might think the same!
RE: Karate is “gay”. That’s possible, Chris. Karate has fallen out of favor due to the MMA hype.
Charlie,
If O’hagen was in the states and near my locale I’d check out his seminar for sure! The Chinese take on jujitsu is that it came from Chin Na. Pinning down the true history is all but impossible. Regardless, some of the techniques are very similar so that’s what I’m probably seeing again!
Rick,
Funny but Sabam used to tell us that when we performed a form in a TDK tournament. The judge may miss the mistake if you keep on moving!
We practice one of the move’s in O’Hagen’s tape – when you’re on the floor and a guy is kicking you. The same one where you roll into the kicking leg and lock the knee. It takes a lot of stones to be able to do it, but it’s very effective.
Tater – But do you practice with that cool music?
I find the soundtrack reminiscent of 70s porn. Since that loop is always running in the back of my mind I would answer yes.