Great news that this Hammer is a nice guy, since he's got "my" nickname :-)
My English speaking friends call me Hammer, since my Norwegian name can be a real pain in the posterior to pronounce.
Jared "The Hammer" Hamman is a 2005 graduate of the University of Redlands, current assistant UR football coach and substitute teacher at Pacific High School in San Bernardino. He is someone that values his Christian faith and is regarded as an all-around nice guy.
A nice guy that just happens to be a professional ultimate fighter.
"Jared's going straight to the top. He's going to be a champion. He's undefeated in anything he's done here at this gym," said Brian Warren, a professional ultimate fighter, Hamman's manager and owner of Unbreakable Gym in San Bernardino.
Source
Friday, June 30, 2006
Thursday, June 29, 2006
More benefits
Champaign, Illinois -- New work by researchers at the University of Illinois lends strength to previous research documenting the health benefits of Qigong and Taiji among older adults who practice these ancient Chinese martial-arts forms.
Qigong and Taiji – or Tai Chi, as it is more commonly known in the U.S. – combine simple, graceful movements and meditation. Qigong, which dates to the middle of the first millennium B.C., is a series of integrated exercises believed to have positive, relaxing effects on a person's mind, body and spirit. Tai Chi is a holistic form of exercise, and a type of Qigong that melds Chinese philosophy with martial and healing arts.
Source
Qigong and Taiji – or Tai Chi, as it is more commonly known in the U.S. – combine simple, graceful movements and meditation. Qigong, which dates to the middle of the first millennium B.C., is a series of integrated exercises believed to have positive, relaxing effects on a person's mind, body and spirit. Tai Chi is a holistic form of exercise, and a type of Qigong that melds Chinese philosophy with martial and healing arts.
Source
Shame on him
A tae kwon do instructor from Newmarket, New Hampshire has been sentenced to up to 35 years in prison after being convicted of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old student.
The man was an instructor for troubled kids, and his victim was in his class. He was convicted of 12 assault charges.
Source
The man was an instructor for troubled kids, and his victim was in his class. He was convicted of 12 assault charges.
Source
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Political jujitsu
Well I'll be darned...
I've been doing that art for 30 years, but didn't know there was such a thing :-)
Seems you learn something new every day.
Story:
Japan -- Last week, in a brilliant parting shot, (Prime Minister) Koizumi announced the withdrawal of Japanese troops from Iraq and introduced legislation to elevate the Japan Defense Agency to full ministry status.
Japan's jujitsu prime minister turned popular opposition to the Iraq war into unprecedented levels of support for the Japanese military and leaves office at a time when a majority of Japanese now favor revision of the pacifist constitution. In five short years, Koizumi created a more muscular Japan with more security options than at any time since the 1940s.
Source
I've been doing that art for 30 years, but didn't know there was such a thing :-)
Seems you learn something new every day.
Story:
Japan -- Last week, in a brilliant parting shot, (Prime Minister) Koizumi announced the withdrawal of Japanese troops from Iraq and introduced legislation to elevate the Japan Defense Agency to full ministry status.
Japan's jujitsu prime minister turned popular opposition to the Iraq war into unprecedented levels of support for the Japanese military and leaves office at a time when a majority of Japanese now favor revision of the pacifist constitution. In five short years, Koizumi created a more muscular Japan with more security options than at any time since the 1940s.
Source
Dim mak
Here's another very interesting clip for you to enjoy.It shows a Chinese master performing what is known as 'dim mak' or "death touch". The Japanese have something similar that they call kyoshu.
There are lots of people claiming to be able to do this stuff - most of it is a big pile of doo-doo.
This, on the other hand, seems to be genuine.
You'll be the judge!
You can download the clip here (15.87 MB, wmv)
Sports hall collapsed
China -- Seven children were killed and 63 others injured when a sports hall collapsed during a hurricane in northwest China.
The victims, six boys and a girl, all aged around 10, were taking lessons in Korean martial arts with a dozen other students in Dali County in Shaanxi, when the hurricane tore off the roof and pulled down the northern wall of the sports hall last night, local authorities said.
Source
The victims, six boys and a girl, all aged around 10, were taking lessons in Korean martial arts with a dozen other students in Dali County in Shaanxi, when the hurricane tore off the roof and pulled down the northern wall of the sports hall last night, local authorities said.
Source
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Focus of energy
When he was a rambunctious 6-year-old, Michael White's mother, Debra, decided karate would be the perfect outlet for her son's energy.
Karate has allowed Michael to focus his energy in a variety of ways, his mother said.
"Michael was a wiggle worm at school," she said. "My husband and I wanted to direct his attention to something that taught discipline and allowed him to focus his energy in a positive manner. He took to it instantly."
Source
Karate has allowed Michael to focus his energy in a variety of ways, his mother said.
"Michael was a wiggle worm at school," she said. "My husband and I wanted to direct his attention to something that taught discipline and allowed him to focus his energy in a positive manner. He took to it instantly."
Source
Hip Hopkido
...Or maybe we could think of it as Crew-do?
Story:
More details have been announced about a new all-star hip hop fighting game, which will feature the likes of Snoop Dogg and Busta Rhymes.
The game will see players trying to rule the streets of New York City by winning fights and rising among the ranks of your crew.
Source
Story:
More details have been announced about a new all-star hip hop fighting game, which will feature the likes of Snoop Dogg and Busta Rhymes.
The game will see players trying to rule the streets of New York City by winning fights and rising among the ranks of your crew.
Source
Monday, June 26, 2006
Caged fighter
... and of course, he had to be an expert :-)
Story:
A man arrested in Morocco in connection with Britain's biggest cash robbery was named today as Lee Murray, a martial arts expert who has competed as a "cage fighter".
Mr Murray, 26, of Sidcup, south London, was arrested yesterday afternoon in connection with February's £53m Securitas raid in Kent. He was held by Moroccan police near the largest shopping centre in the capital, Rabat.
Source
Story:
A man arrested in Morocco in connection with Britain's biggest cash robbery was named today as Lee Murray, a martial arts expert who has competed as a "cage fighter".
Mr Murray, 26, of Sidcup, south London, was arrested yesterday afternoon in connection with February's £53m Securitas raid in Kent. He was held by Moroccan police near the largest shopping centre in the capital, Rabat.
Source
The sinister seven
Seven men, living together in a small, windowless warehouse. It was one of many things that made neighbors wonder.
They would exercise late at night on a concrete lot strewn with trash and debris. They sometimes covered their faces and dressed in camouflage. And someone was always standing guard.
"If you walked by, they would chase you away,'' one neighbor said.
"We were under the assumption that they were opening up a karate business,'' added 17-year-old Benjamin Williams.
Authorities said the men were planning something much more sinister: trying to blow up the nation's tallest building, the Sears Tower, and other buildings with help from al-Qaeda. They thought they had contacted someone from the terrorist network, but he was actually an informant for the federal government, officials said.
Source
They would exercise late at night on a concrete lot strewn with trash and debris. They sometimes covered their faces and dressed in camouflage. And someone was always standing guard.
"If you walked by, they would chase you away,'' one neighbor said.
"We were under the assumption that they were opening up a karate business,'' added 17-year-old Benjamin Williams.
Authorities said the men were planning something much more sinister: trying to blow up the nation's tallest building, the Sears Tower, and other buildings with help from al-Qaeda. They thought they had contacted someone from the terrorist network, but he was actually an informant for the federal government, officials said.
Source
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Her real passion
Milla Jovovich is an actress, designer, and musician. But she tells Lesley O'Toole that martial arts are her real passion.
Jovovich says that her preparation for Ultraviolet was akin to "training for the Olympics". Were it an Olympic sport, her discipline would be wushu.
Source
Jovovich says that her preparation for Ultraviolet was akin to "training for the Olympics". Were it an Olympic sport, her discipline would be wushu.
Source
Fri-style parking
It was getting good...
The cops said Albert Zemke, 63, got out of his red Mercedes and, HIYAH! karate-kicked off Frederick's side-view mirror, grabbed it in his hand and swung it at the Vallejo man.
Then Zemke pounded the top of the Alfa Romeo with the crippled mirror and shouted, "I'll tear off your (ahem) lips and shove them up your (ahem)."
Source
The cops said Albert Zemke, 63, got out of his red Mercedes and, HIYAH! karate-kicked off Frederick's side-view mirror, grabbed it in his hand and swung it at the Vallejo man.
Then Zemke pounded the top of the Alfa Romeo with the crippled mirror and shouted, "I'll tear off your (ahem) lips and shove them up your (ahem)."
Source
Family from hell
Scotland, UK -- A "family from hell" who use swords and baseball bats to enforce a reign of terror over a city estate are being investigated by police and council officials.
The family, who are believed to run a drugs empire in Craigmillar, carry out frequent beatings to intimidate potential witnesses against them into silence.
A Taser stun gun, a Chinese Star martial arts weapon and Samurai swords are among the deadly weapons police have seized.
Source
The family, who are believed to run a drugs empire in Craigmillar, carry out frequent beatings to intimidate potential witnesses against them into silence.
A Taser stun gun, a Chinese Star martial arts weapon and Samurai swords are among the deadly weapons police have seized.
Source
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Seven men arrested
FBI agents arrested seven men in what is being described as a conspiracy to attack targets in the U.S., including the Sears Tower. Authorities said the suspects posed no immediate threat to South Florida.
One man was identified by his godmother as Nasir B., 32. The godmother insisted he wasn't involved in any terror activity. She said he is a construction worker and martial arts expert.
Source
One man was identified by his godmother as Nasir B., 32. The godmother insisted he wasn't involved in any terror activity. She said he is a construction worker and martial arts expert.
Source
All the right moves
Alexa Schwichow is on her side on a mat, and she has her jujitsu instructor in a clock choke--one leg across his hip, her knee against a shoulder blade, a hand under his armpit.
Feeling her way through the darkness that has been her world since birth, she tugs on her instructor's arm, and he rolls onto his back.
Alexa is blind, but learning seems to come easy--whether a martial arts exercise or a new Braille skill--for the 11-year-old, who will enter 6th grade in the fall at Johnsburg Middle School in McHenry County.
Source
Feeling her way through the darkness that has been her world since birth, she tugs on her instructor's arm, and he rolls onto his back.
Alexa is blind, but learning seems to come easy--whether a martial arts exercise or a new Braille skill--for the 11-year-old, who will enter 6th grade in the fall at Johnsburg Middle School in McHenry County.
Source
Friday, June 23, 2006
He found his answer
As a young boy from England, Sensei Mark Cameron was bullied, not a little, but a lot.
By the time he reached the age of 12 he knew he needed something to help him overcome being harassed by the "not-so-nice" kids. He found his answer in karate. Karate gave him the strength and confidence he needed to rise above his obstacles.
Vowing to help other kids not fall prey to bullies, Sensei Mark came to America and opened his first Dojo, International Self Defense Institute 16 years ago in San Mateo. Three years later, he made his way to Manteca and opened a second studio and has been enjoying training students every since.
Source
By the time he reached the age of 12 he knew he needed something to help him overcome being harassed by the "not-so-nice" kids. He found his answer in karate. Karate gave him the strength and confidence he needed to rise above his obstacles.
Vowing to help other kids not fall prey to bullies, Sensei Mark came to America and opened his first Dojo, International Self Defense Institute 16 years ago in San Mateo. Three years later, he made his way to Manteca and opened a second studio and has been enjoying training students every since.
Source
Thursday, June 22, 2006
This is Tao
As beginners in the martial arts, this trio of Vancouver students started out on unsure footing.
One sixth-grader was a self-described "girly girl" too shy to talk to new people. A second child was so squirrely, he actually bounced off the floors before classes began. And a teenaged boy who has never enjoyed sports said his first reaction to signing up for tae kwon do was a flat "No."
But that was Zen, and this is Tao.
Parents are discovering that martial-arts programs can offer children more than a way to kick up their heels. Students say they're gaining self-esteem, discipline and the ability to set long- and short-term goals.
Source
One sixth-grader was a self-described "girly girl" too shy to talk to new people. A second child was so squirrely, he actually bounced off the floors before classes began. And a teenaged boy who has never enjoyed sports said his first reaction to signing up for tae kwon do was a flat "No."
But that was Zen, and this is Tao.
Parents are discovering that martial-arts programs can offer children more than a way to kick up their heels. Students say they're gaining self-esteem, discipline and the ability to set long- and short-term goals.
Source
Bad bouncer boy
Having worked as a bouncer/doorman, I can attest to the fact that most situations can and should be handled without the use of physical violence.
Judging from what is evident here - this looks as one of them. Kicking a heavily-intoxicated person in the head...?
Story:
A Brisbane (Australia) bouncer jailed for seven years after being found guilty of delivering a death kick to a patron has had his conviction quashed and a retrial ordered on appeal.
The court heard that on June 14, 2003, at the hotel in Brisbane's east, Mr Hutchings delivered a swift kick to the head of a heavily-intoxicated Mr Coddington, causing him to die of a brain haemorrhage.
The court was also told Mr Coddington said "I f***ed your Mum" to Mr Hutchings as the bouncer evicted him from the hotel because of his drunkenness.
Mr Hutchings allegedly responded by delivering a backwards turning martial-arts style kick to the side of Mr Coddington's head.
Source
Judging from what is evident here - this looks as one of them. Kicking a heavily-intoxicated person in the head...?
Story:
A Brisbane (Australia) bouncer jailed for seven years after being found guilty of delivering a death kick to a patron has had his conviction quashed and a retrial ordered on appeal.
The court heard that on June 14, 2003, at the hotel in Brisbane's east, Mr Hutchings delivered a swift kick to the head of a heavily-intoxicated Mr Coddington, causing him to die of a brain haemorrhage.
The court was also told Mr Coddington said "I f***ed your Mum" to Mr Hutchings as the bouncer evicted him from the hotel because of his drunkenness.
Mr Hutchings allegedly responded by delivering a backwards turning martial-arts style kick to the side of Mr Coddington's head.
Source
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
A motto to live by
South Africa -- Njabulo NtshaliNtshali, 21, was born a sickly child in need of an urgent blood transfusion.
He grew up in the harsh KwaNdengezi township outside Pinetown and has lived with his mother, a child-care worker, at an orphanage in Durban since he was 10. He tried to join a karate class when he was seven but was told he was "too weak".
Not discouraged, he took up Taekwon-Do, and has risen through the ranks to become the highest ranked black Taekwon-Do competitor in the country.
"(...) There were people who thought I couldn't do it, but I'm better (at martial arts) than they are now. It just shows that the human spirit, if it wants to do it, can do anything - that's the motto I live by."
Source
He grew up in the harsh KwaNdengezi township outside Pinetown and has lived with his mother, a child-care worker, at an orphanage in Durban since he was 10. He tried to join a karate class when he was seven but was told he was "too weak".
Not discouraged, he took up Taekwon-Do, and has risen through the ranks to become the highest ranked black Taekwon-Do competitor in the country.
"(...) There were people who thought I couldn't do it, but I'm better (at martial arts) than they are now. It just shows that the human spirit, if it wants to do it, can do anything - that's the motto I live by."
Source
Testostewrong test
The U. S. Anti-Doping Agency has suspended a 32-year-old man, of Glendale, Arizona, for two years following a positive test for testosterone.
He tested positive for the anabolic agent March 2, 2005, the USADA said.
The athlete also forfeited competitive results, including a second-place finish in the 100-kilogram division in the 2005 USA Judo National Championships.
Source
He tested positive for the anabolic agent March 2, 2005, the USADA said.
The athlete also forfeited competitive results, including a second-place finish in the 100-kilogram division in the 2005 USA Judo National Championships.
Source
She's a pedigree
In a small studio in San Francisco's Noe Valley, the 92-year-old Keiko Fukuda holds court. She's had a hold on judo the past 80 years. The top female practitioner of the sport - ever.
She's a pedigree. Her grandfather was a famed samurai jiu-jitsu warrior. She attended the first judo class which ever allowed women.
Fukuda is now a 9th-degree black belt. No woman has ever achieved that rank in history.
Her students can be 70 years her junior. The mind is sharp - her body is not. But her spirit is something else.
"She will start a sentence with, 'When I get old,'" said friend Shelley Fernandez. "She does not see herself as old."
Source
She's a pedigree. Her grandfather was a famed samurai jiu-jitsu warrior. She attended the first judo class which ever allowed women.
Fukuda is now a 9th-degree black belt. No woman has ever achieved that rank in history.
Her students can be 70 years her junior. The mind is sharp - her body is not. But her spirit is something else.
"She will start a sentence with, 'When I get old,'" said friend Shelley Fernandez. "She does not see herself as old."
Source
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Using karate
If a police officer loses a leg in an accident, it pretty much means losing his job. In fact, city officials know of only three officers in the country who have returned to work after having a leg amputated -- well, make that four now.
Louisville Metro Police Officer Kevin Trees shunned walkers and crutches, and endured sleepless nights in agonizing pain. "If my purpose for being on this Earth nowise to lose a leg and inspire other people, then so be it. I'm completely satisfied with that."
Now, he uses karate to help give him the confidence to handle any situation an officer might encounter, training with fellow officer and 20-year expert in karate, Major Bill Weedman.
"This man's got two good legs, Weedman said. "The only difference is he can take one of them off."
Source
Louisville Metro Police Officer Kevin Trees shunned walkers and crutches, and endured sleepless nights in agonizing pain. "If my purpose for being on this Earth nowise to lose a leg and inspire other people, then so be it. I'm completely satisfied with that."
Now, he uses karate to help give him the confidence to handle any situation an officer might encounter, training with fellow officer and 20-year expert in karate, Major Bill Weedman.
"This man's got two good legs, Weedman said. "The only difference is he can take one of them off."
Source
Deadly iaido?
Great, now even iaido (the art of drawing the sword) is deadly too!
What's next - deadly knitting? How about deadly chess, or even better: deadly poetry?
And what about the the really deadly arts (aka. teh de4dly arts), like (shutter...), tai chi, karate and judo? What are they - absolutely, really, terribly, utterly, over the top, instantly deadly?
Again, silly old me! I was kind of lead to believe that a graceful, zen art like iaido - most of the times practiced with a non-sharpenend sword called iaito - was anything BUT deadly. The real warrior art of iai-jutsu on the other hand...
And it gets even better in this "how far off can we possibly get" article. There's a picture of people doing kendo with bamboo "swords" (called shinai). Under it is written this pearl of infinite wisdom: "Ross Goulet shows his skill with the kantana during a demonstration at iaido class".
Wow...
I mean, it's quite fair to be ignorant about a subject, but could we just ask for at least one tiny piece of fact from time to time? Can we have that, pleeease...
Story:
It's not a word that flows easily off the tongue, but iaido is fluid and graceful in practice. It can also be deadly.
The martial art is done with swords called kantana, which is a long sword. The swords are used by samurai soldiers in battle.
Source
What's next - deadly knitting? How about deadly chess, or even better: deadly poetry?
And what about the the really deadly arts (aka. teh de4dly arts), like (shutter...), tai chi, karate and judo? What are they - absolutely, really, terribly, utterly, over the top, instantly deadly?
Again, silly old me! I was kind of lead to believe that a graceful, zen art like iaido - most of the times practiced with a non-sharpenend sword called iaito - was anything BUT deadly. The real warrior art of iai-jutsu on the other hand...
And it gets even better in this "how far off can we possibly get" article. There's a picture of people doing kendo with bamboo "swords" (called shinai). Under it is written this pearl of infinite wisdom: "Ross Goulet shows his skill with the kantana during a demonstration at iaido class".
Wow...
I mean, it's quite fair to be ignorant about a subject, but could we just ask for at least one tiny piece of fact from time to time? Can we have that, pleeease...
Story:
It's not a word that flows easily off the tongue, but iaido is fluid and graceful in practice. It can also be deadly.
The martial art is done with swords called kantana, which is a long sword. The swords are used by samurai soldiers in battle.
Source
Monday, June 19, 2006
Not for girls
Does the expression over-protective ring any bells?
Maybe this precious thing could ruin her nails or mess up her hair/make-up or something?
Martial arts are not for everyone - neither is knitting, golf, race-car driving, eating meat or anything else under the sun...
But do give me a break, please!
Story:
"Maybe when she was in fifth grade, there was a tae kwon do group she was interested in. ... They wanted her to join, so she went to one practice, but I took her out immediately. I saw it was more of a man's sport than something appropriate for a girl. Maybe that was a mistake on my part, but she only did it for a little while."
"Janette is very slim, and I was worried something would happen to her. That was the same concern I had when she wanted to play tennis. Eventually, after saying no, I let her try out for the team."
Source
Maybe this precious thing could ruin her nails or mess up her hair/make-up or something?
Martial arts are not for everyone - neither is knitting, golf, race-car driving, eating meat or anything else under the sun...
But do give me a break, please!
Story:
"Maybe when she was in fifth grade, there was a tae kwon do group she was interested in. ... They wanted her to join, so she went to one practice, but I took her out immediately. I saw it was more of a man's sport than something appropriate for a girl. Maybe that was a mistake on my part, but she only did it for a little while."
"Janette is very slim, and I was worried something would happen to her. That was the same concern I had when she wanted to play tennis. Eventually, after saying no, I let her try out for the team."
Source
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Koreans rule
Lee Jee-young won her first US LPGA title at the of age 19 but rates herself a late bloomer in her native South Korea, which is swamping women's golf with winners.
Lee, now 20 and in her rookie year, shot a 4-under-par 284 to tie for 14th with countrywoman Meena Lee at the LPGA Championship. The winner was another Korean, Pak Se-ri - who is widely credited with launching the avalanche of Korea's women golfers that is fast dominating the sport.
Pak - whose latest win marked the end of a two-year slump, her fifth major title and 23rd overall - says Korean women find it easier to cope with life on the tour because they are already cultured in pressure management. She resuscitated her career by training more than 12 hours a day and studying two martial arts - muay thai and taekwondo.
Source
Lee, now 20 and in her rookie year, shot a 4-under-par 284 to tie for 14th with countrywoman Meena Lee at the LPGA Championship. The winner was another Korean, Pak Se-ri - who is widely credited with launching the avalanche of Korea's women golfers that is fast dominating the sport.
Pak - whose latest win marked the end of a two-year slump, her fifth major title and 23rd overall - says Korean women find it easier to cope with life on the tour because they are already cultured in pressure management. She resuscitated her career by training more than 12 hours a day and studying two martial arts - muay thai and taekwondo.
Source
Bruce in training
Here's a small (1.80MB), but interesting clip of the legendary Bruce Lee working out and demonstrating some of his skills.Even if you may have seen this before, it is definitely worth seing again.
No doubt that the man was in fantastic shape.
I do believe the clip is from a program being shown on TV.
You can download it here (1.80MB, wmv)
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Interesting debate
Oh yes, we have this really ignorant debate here in Norway too..
Story:
Sweden -- On 'Nyhetsmorgon' yesterday there was an interesting debate regarding the link between people convicted of aggressive behavior and the martial experience they carry with them.
It's been a debate that's been raging on for years, but there doesn't seem to be a single shred of evidence to say that this is the case. It just seemed he was looking for someone to blame, i.e. the martial arts community.
It's interesting too that the person making such blatant accusations, didn't make one mention of excessive alcohol consumption, drug use and the use and influence of the media and the effects it has on society.
Source
Story:
Sweden -- On 'Nyhetsmorgon' yesterday there was an interesting debate regarding the link between people convicted of aggressive behavior and the martial experience they carry with them.
It's been a debate that's been raging on for years, but there doesn't seem to be a single shred of evidence to say that this is the case. It just seemed he was looking for someone to blame, i.e. the martial arts community.
It's interesting too that the person making such blatant accusations, didn't make one mention of excessive alcohol consumption, drug use and the use and influence of the media and the effects it has on society.
Source
Instructor arrested
A Virginia martial arts instructor was arrested Thursday on charges of sexually assaulting a 6-year-old student.
A 20-year-old man was taken into custody at a Martial Arts Academy in Burke.
The suspect allegedly took a Springfield girl into a backroom on Tuesday and exposed himself and had inappropriate contact with the girl, investigators said.
The girl told her mother, who called police.
Source
A 20-year-old man was taken into custody at a Martial Arts Academy in Burke.
The suspect allegedly took a Springfield girl into a backroom on Tuesday and exposed himself and had inappropriate contact with the girl, investigators said.
The girl told her mother, who called police.
Source
A bandido
Canada -- One of the suspects arrested and charged Friday morning following the deaths of eight bikers in Ontario is a former police constable who held positions of authority in several Manitoba communities.
Police said the man is a full-patch member of the Bandidos and believed to be the leader of the Winnipeg chapter.
Court records show the man also worked as a martial arts instructor at a Winnipeg community club in the late 1990s.
Source
Police said the man is a full-patch member of the Bandidos and believed to be the leader of the Winnipeg chapter.
Court records show the man also worked as a martial arts instructor at a Winnipeg community club in the late 1990s.
Source
Chopping weight in half
A karate blue belt is now fighting fit after almost chopping his weight in half, thanks to martial arts training and a low carb diet.
Just two years ago, Richard Hemingway, 34, from Ossett, weighed a massive 26 stone – with his health seriously on the decline.
The senior IT support consultant explained: "If I hadn’t have lost this weight I might not have been here today."
Source
Just two years ago, Richard Hemingway, 34, from Ossett, weighed a massive 26 stone – with his health seriously on the decline.
The senior IT support consultant explained: "If I hadn’t have lost this weight I might not have been here today."
Source
Friday, June 16, 2006
A climb too many
Maybe this ninja "habit" - or is it a need - of climbing everything in sight isn't always such a bright idea after all. I'm sorry for this poor lad and his family and friends, though.
Nicholas "Nich" Ermak found self-enlightenment through martial arts.
A senior at UC Santa Cruz, he earned a black belt in Bujinkan during a training trip to Japan, having the rare opportunity to perform in front of the Grand Master. But he never got to see the scroll certifying his achievement. It arrived from Japan after he died June 8 following a rock climbing accident at Mount Diablo.
He fell several hundred feet two days before while at the Sentinel Rock viewpoint area. He had gone there with friends to "free-climb," an extreme sport that doesn't involve ropes or safety equipment.
"He'd climb buildings, trees, poles," a friend said, recalling how he climbed up to the second story of the campus recreation center, entered through a window, then let in the martial arts class that had been locked out.
Source
Nicholas "Nich" Ermak found self-enlightenment through martial arts.
A senior at UC Santa Cruz, he earned a black belt in Bujinkan during a training trip to Japan, having the rare opportunity to perform in front of the Grand Master. But he never got to see the scroll certifying his achievement. It arrived from Japan after he died June 8 following a rock climbing accident at Mount Diablo.
He fell several hundred feet two days before while at the Sentinel Rock viewpoint area. He had gone there with friends to "free-climb," an extreme sport that doesn't involve ropes or safety equipment.
"He'd climb buildings, trees, poles," a friend said, recalling how he climbed up to the second story of the campus recreation center, entered through a window, then let in the martial arts class that had been locked out.
Source
Relocation and controversy
Bali -- Patience was not one of Ngurah Harta's best traits. Having immersed himself in the rigorous pursuit of martial arts for the last three decades, he often resorted to violent approaches in dealing with difficult challenges, differences and people.
Lately, however, the founder and spiritual leader of the 27,000-strong Sandhi Murti martial arts foundation has displayed an exceptional level of patience for the growing polemic on the relocation of the controversial Playboy magazine to the resort island.
"We need to be patient, very patient, in this case. I don't want to trigger any horizontal conflict here in Bali. We need to explain to as many people as possible the reason behind the relocation and the reasons behind my decision to provide the magazine with the protection and support it desperately needs," he said.
It turns out that Erwin Arnada, Playboy's chief executive, has been a registered member of Sandhi Murti since 1992. Moreover, he is also a personal friend of Ngurah Harta's family.
Source
Lately, however, the founder and spiritual leader of the 27,000-strong Sandhi Murti martial arts foundation has displayed an exceptional level of patience for the growing polemic on the relocation of the controversial Playboy magazine to the resort island.
"We need to be patient, very patient, in this case. I don't want to trigger any horizontal conflict here in Bali. We need to explain to as many people as possible the reason behind the relocation and the reasons behind my decision to provide the magazine with the protection and support it desperately needs," he said.
It turns out that Erwin Arnada, Playboy's chief executive, has been a registered member of Sandhi Murti since 1992. Moreover, he is also a personal friend of Ngurah Harta's family.
Source
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Blind judo bind
Visually impaired judo practitioners are unhappy with the Malaysian Association of the Blind (MAB) for disrupting their martial arts class.
The MAB has asked the Selangor Judo Association (SJA) to cease all training sessions. This is because the MAB had made arrangements to replace the SJA instructors, who had been conducting classes there for the last six years, with trainers from the Malaysian Judo Federation (MJF).
"I am used to my current instructors and am afraid that I will lag behind if someone else takes over. I remember attending a training session conducted by other trainers last year and was not able to learn anything," said Steven Looi.
Source
The MAB has asked the Selangor Judo Association (SJA) to cease all training sessions. This is because the MAB had made arrangements to replace the SJA instructors, who had been conducting classes there for the last six years, with trainers from the Malaysian Judo Federation (MJF).
"I am used to my current instructors and am afraid that I will lag behind if someone else takes over. I remember attending a training session conducted by other trainers last year and was not able to learn anything," said Steven Looi.
Source
Fighting dyslexia
Caleb Lones, an 8-year-old Madison boy will be honored this week in Connecticut by a national nonprofit organization for his efforts to overcome a learning disability - and for kicking up his heels in karate.
Caleb's mother said he was diagnosed with dyslexia as a second-grader.
"He had experienced some trouble in school since kindergarten," she said, adding that she and her husband enrolled Caleb in karate classes about the same time. "We were trying to boost his self-esteem," she said. "We brought him to Alexander's (Martial Arts). They've really been a godsend to him."
Source
Caleb's mother said he was diagnosed with dyslexia as a second-grader.
"He had experienced some trouble in school since kindergarten," she said, adding that she and her husband enrolled Caleb in karate classes about the same time. "We were trying to boost his self-esteem," she said. "We brought him to Alexander's (Martial Arts). They've really been a godsend to him."
Source
A Wie bit better
The world knows that Michelle Wie did not qualify for the U.S. Open. It will soon know that wee Tadd Fujikawa did.
Fujikawa is a Hawaiian teenager just as young with drives just as prolific, dreams just as big and a story just as fascinating.
"Even though he was very small, you could tell the potential immediately by demeanor. He was very calm and very able to focus. You don't see that with young boys too much, They're very antsy," he said. "Emotionally, they're all over the chart. Tadd is so stable. That probably is his greatest strength. He's able to stay calm and poised. Bad shots don't affect him. He's able to recover from them."
According to his coach Kevin Ralbovsky, a lot is due to Fujikawa's martial arts background. First off, he was very strong in the upper body and after some weight training, he was hitting the ball long with a practiced, coiled swing. The mind didn't need as much practice.
Source
Fujikawa is a Hawaiian teenager just as young with drives just as prolific, dreams just as big and a story just as fascinating.
"Even though he was very small, you could tell the potential immediately by demeanor. He was very calm and very able to focus. You don't see that with young boys too much, They're very antsy," he said. "Emotionally, they're all over the chart. Tadd is so stable. That probably is his greatest strength. He's able to stay calm and poised. Bad shots don't affect him. He's able to recover from them."
According to his coach Kevin Ralbovsky, a lot is due to Fujikawa's martial arts background. First off, he was very strong in the upper body and after some weight training, he was hitting the ball long with a practiced, coiled swing. The mind didn't need as much practice.
Source
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Something in common
What do "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" star Chow Yun-fat, Cannes best-actor winner Tony Leung Chiu-wai and comic director Stephen Chow of "Shaolin Soccer" fame have in common?
They all studied at the same place, founded in 1971: Hong Kong TV station TVB's performing artist training program.
Unlike performing-arts conservatories that offer full-fledged degree programs, TVB's acting program, with a hands-on, condensed curriculum, is practical and abbreviated.
Apart from stage theory and basics on TV production, trainees also learn hosting, makeup, dance and martial arts. It started out as a part-time, night program and the curriculum has never been structured to last more than a year.
Source
They all studied at the same place, founded in 1971: Hong Kong TV station TVB's performing artist training program.
Unlike performing-arts conservatories that offer full-fledged degree programs, TVB's acting program, with a hands-on, condensed curriculum, is practical and abbreviated.
Apart from stage theory and basics on TV production, trainees also learn hosting, makeup, dance and martial arts. It started out as a part-time, night program and the curriculum has never been structured to last more than a year.
Source
15 years for molestation
A Long Island martial arts teacher was sentenced to 15 years in prison for molesting his young students.
The Suffolk District Attorney says the 20-year-old man took students into a dressing room to fix their uniforms but would sexually abuse them. The incidents happened at a Kempo Karate School, while parents sat outside.
Suffolk Police say the man inappropriately touched the boys, who ranged in age from six to ten, on multiple occasions. He was arrested last year.
Source
The Suffolk District Attorney says the 20-year-old man took students into a dressing room to fix their uniforms but would sexually abuse them. The incidents happened at a Kempo Karate School, while parents sat outside.
Suffolk Police say the man inappropriately touched the boys, who ranged in age from six to ten, on multiple occasions. He was arrested last year.
Source
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Leaving worries behind
It's the peaceful philosophy that attracts Barton to aikido. It's made her handle stress better and she doesn't get angry as easily. Barton feels more confident walking around the street knowing that she could protect herself.
"We're trained to be attacked by more than one person, so I'm always aware of my surroundings," she said. She's also learning to live in the moment.
"When we walk into the dojo, we leave our worries behind," said Barton, who considers her aikido class at the Center for Traditional Martial Arts a retreat from her busy life.
Dr. John Porter, a trauma surgeon and director of trauma and critical care at University Medical Center, practices aikido to keep himself centered and to cope with stress.
Source
"We're trained to be attacked by more than one person, so I'm always aware of my surroundings," she said. She's also learning to live in the moment.
"When we walk into the dojo, we leave our worries behind," said Barton, who considers her aikido class at the Center for Traditional Martial Arts a retreat from her busy life.
Dr. John Porter, a trauma surgeon and director of trauma and critical care at University Medical Center, practices aikido to keep himself centered and to cope with stress.
Source
What if...
Here in Europe (Germany) the World Cup is in full swing - matching the size, interest and international TV coverage of the Olympics.And so what? Dude, there's no martial arts involved! Yes, there's some fighting - lousy fighting - on and off the fields, but no real action!
What if there was action like this?
Ruining the "beautiful game"? I don't think so.
I think any sport could need a mix with some martial arts action - like here in 'Shaolin Soccer'.
Sport, action, humor - what more can possibly any guy or gal want?
If you never liked football (or soccer as the Americans mistakenly call it), here's your chance to do something about it!
You can download this funny clip here (7.24MB, wmv)
Techno-jujitsu
Ok, so here's another crossover from the martial arts - tecnological jujitsu...
Cunning kids these days :-)
Story:
An invention called the Mosquito was developed last year by a Welsh security company to annoy teenagers and gratify adults.
It was marketed as an ultrasonic teenager repellent, an ear-splitting 17-kilohertz buzzer designed to help shopkeepers disperse young people loitering in front of their stores while leaving adults unaffected.
While most human communication takes place in a frequency range between 200 and 8,000 hertz, most adults' ability to hear frequencies higher than that begins to deteriorate in early middle age.
In a bit of techno-jujitsu, someone -- a person unknown at this time -- realized that the Mosquito, which uses this common adult abnormality to adults' advantage, could be turned against them.
The Mosquito noise was reinvented as a ring tone.
In settings where cell phone use is forbidden -- in class, for example -- it is perfect for signaling the arrival of a text message without being detected by an elder of the species.
Source
Cunning kids these days :-)
Story:
An invention called the Mosquito was developed last year by a Welsh security company to annoy teenagers and gratify adults.
It was marketed as an ultrasonic teenager repellent, an ear-splitting 17-kilohertz buzzer designed to help shopkeepers disperse young people loitering in front of their stores while leaving adults unaffected.
While most human communication takes place in a frequency range between 200 and 8,000 hertz, most adults' ability to hear frequencies higher than that begins to deteriorate in early middle age.
In a bit of techno-jujitsu, someone -- a person unknown at this time -- realized that the Mosquito, which uses this common adult abnormality to adults' advantage, could be turned against them.
The Mosquito noise was reinvented as a ring tone.
In settings where cell phone use is forbidden -- in class, for example -- it is perfect for signaling the arrival of a text message without being detected by an elder of the species.
Source
Monday, June 12, 2006
A constant positive influence
Lincoln -- For Ramos, college will come much sooner. In September he will enter URI and major in electrical engineering, which was also his area of concentration at Davies.
"When I came to Davies and got into the electronics course, I loved it," he said.
Though Ramos said that school came "fairly easy" to him, he credited the support of family and his karate instructors as another reason for his success.
"I have a lot of people pushing me," he said. "My karate instructors were a constant positive influence. They helped me build a lot of confidence."
Source
"When I came to Davies and got into the electronics course, I loved it," he said.
Though Ramos said that school came "fairly easy" to him, he credited the support of family and his karate instructors as another reason for his success.
"I have a lot of people pushing me," he said. "My karate instructors were a constant positive influence. They helped me build a lot of confidence."
Source
The home front
Staying busy helps the girls cope with the fact that their army mom is eight time zones away until January.
Despite the loneliness and their fears for her safety, all three of the girls continue to excel in school.
All three also maintained a rigorous schedule of physical fitness, martial arts classes -- Angelique recently earned a black belt -- and music lessons that have been part of their lives almost since they learned to walk.
Floyd Wiley, a former paratrooper in the 18th Airborne Corps, always had insisted that the girls study martial arts and music as well as stay physically fit. He did it, he said, so they would be well rounded. He didn't realize it would pay off when the girls were called upon to help run the house at such young ages.
"They are pretty disciplined as a result," he said, "and they are all very responsible."
Source
Despite the loneliness and their fears for her safety, all three of the girls continue to excel in school.
All three also maintained a rigorous schedule of physical fitness, martial arts classes -- Angelique recently earned a black belt -- and music lessons that have been part of their lives almost since they learned to walk.
Floyd Wiley, a former paratrooper in the 18th Airborne Corps, always had insisted that the girls study martial arts and music as well as stay physically fit. He did it, he said, so they would be well rounded. He didn't realize it would pay off when the girls were called upon to help run the house at such young ages.
"They are pretty disciplined as a result," he said, "and they are all very responsible."
Source
Having a blast?
That mankind tend to destroy things of beauty is nothing new...
Guess we should be called 'manunkind'.
Story:
Scenic mountains surrounding China's famed Shaolin Temple are being ravaged by extensive stone quarrying, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Thursday.
More than 20 quarries operating in the Songshan mountains of Henan province are blasting away forest cover and leaving vast shelves of exposed rock, Xinhua said.
"The beautiful landscape of the mountains has been destroyed," Xinhua's report said.
Source
Guess we should be called 'manunkind'.
Story:
Scenic mountains surrounding China's famed Shaolin Temple are being ravaged by extensive stone quarrying, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Thursday.
More than 20 quarries operating in the Songshan mountains of Henan province are blasting away forest cover and leaving vast shelves of exposed rock, Xinhua said.
"The beautiful landscape of the mountains has been destroyed," Xinhua's report said.
Source
Mandarin and wushu
Singapore -- Learning the Chinese martial art of wushu doesn't just have to be about training your body, it can also spark interest in learning the Chinese language.
One wushu school is organising a learning camp during the June school holidays to combine the best of physical and linguistic training.
This five-day Wushu Mandarin camp has attracted more than 30 secondary, primary and even kindergarten students. The youngest participant is 5 and the oldest 15.
Source
One wushu school is organising a learning camp during the June school holidays to combine the best of physical and linguistic training.
This five-day Wushu Mandarin camp has attracted more than 30 secondary, primary and even kindergarten students. The youngest participant is 5 and the oldest 15.
Source
Black belt granddad
UK -- Mick Youngs may be fast approaching his 68th birthday but he is still young at heart when it comes to karate.
The Ipswich granddad only took up the martial art when he was 45 but managed to get his black belt by the time he was 50.
Now he still loves training which he says keeps both his body and mind in pristine condition.
Source
The Ipswich granddad only took up the martial art when he was 45 but managed to get his black belt by the time he was 50.
Now he still loves training which he says keeps both his body and mind in pristine condition.
Source
Bike sumo anyone?
The guest play-by-play announcer climbs a makeshift podium, brandishing a handheld megaphone. Below, the bike sumo combatants prepare for an anticipated contest.
The primary elements of the sport are simple enough: two wrestlers, one ring. The first to twice unseat the other from his mechanical steed advances to the next opponent, until everyone in line is defeated.
The diversion sounds, at first impression, almost as random as it is basic, but the element of skill quickly becomes apparent to first-time viewers. Some wrestlers prove remarkably adept at maintaining their balance. Others fare, well, more like the rest of us would.
An overzealous competitor, in his aggressiveness, might go barreling over the handlebars, while the opponent manages to escape into the open spaces of the ring. Thus, in this game of delicate balance, the fragile equilibrium and experience comes at a premium.
Source
The primary elements of the sport are simple enough: two wrestlers, one ring. The first to twice unseat the other from his mechanical steed advances to the next opponent, until everyone in line is defeated.
The diversion sounds, at first impression, almost as random as it is basic, but the element of skill quickly becomes apparent to first-time viewers. Some wrestlers prove remarkably adept at maintaining their balance. Others fare, well, more like the rest of us would.
An overzealous competitor, in his aggressiveness, might go barreling over the handlebars, while the opponent manages to escape into the open spaces of the ring. Thus, in this game of delicate balance, the fragile equilibrium and experience comes at a premium.
Source
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Police taekwondo
Seoul -- South Korea's police agency said Wednesday it will dispatch two officers next week to teach U.S. soldiers and their families the Korean traditional martial art of taekwondo.
The officers, including a female gold medalist in taekwondo at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, will give a two-hour lesson once a week at a gymnasium of the U.S. Yongsan Garrison from June 13 until July 25.
Source
The officers, including a female gold medalist in taekwondo at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, will give a two-hour lesson once a week at a gymnasium of the U.S. Yongsan Garrison from June 13 until July 25.
Source
Mummy dearest
OK son, here's the thing: When mummy tells you to get off the phone - you'd better get off the phone, geddit?One thing you'd better get used to, is the idea - or rather concept - that mummy is always right.
This funny commercial clip shows a very firm "ninja-mum" in action. I guess they're having an ehm.. "argument" over the kids use of the phone.
You can download the clip here
Some dirty players
When you tell someone in Nepal that you do karate or judo - I guess they take off faster than you can say chop-chop?
Story
Police arrested seven persons in connection with the shooting incident that injured Dr Hemang Dixit, pediatrician and principal of Kathmandu Medical College.
Reports are saying that police is on the lookout for the leader of the criminal gang, Sandip Pathak.
According to reports, all people involved in the incident are international Judo and Karate players and former army personnel.
Source
Story
Police arrested seven persons in connection with the shooting incident that injured Dr Hemang Dixit, pediatrician and principal of Kathmandu Medical College.
Reports are saying that police is on the lookout for the leader of the criminal gang, Sandip Pathak.
According to reports, all people involved in the incident are international Judo and Karate players and former army personnel.
Source
Confuse-us speaks again
Oh, I'm confused (again).
Here's someone who takes up karate, and ends up with a belt in taekwondo...
Not only that, but she is one year away from "obtaining her black belt, the highest level".
Silly me, I always thought the Deadly Black Belt ™ was the beginning of training, not the end.
And someone has to tell this poor lost soul (or is it the media getting it wrong? Noooo!), that she's doing TKD, not karate - her "biggest passion"!
Story:
For someone who originally planned to attend college in New York City, Kristen Tiger admitted her biggest fear was being randomly attacked on the street.
Knowing that hiring Britney Spears’ bodyguard would probably be a little too expensive and slightly impractical, Ms. Tiger did the next best thing. She took up karate.
Two years later, she’s got a red belt (with a brown stripe) in tae kwon do and is about a year away from obtaining her black belt, the highest level.
Karate has become one of Ms. Tiger’s biggest passions. She hopes to continue practicing the craft through college.
Source
Here's someone who takes up karate, and ends up with a belt in taekwondo...
Not only that, but she is one year away from "obtaining her black belt, the highest level".
Silly me, I always thought the Deadly Black Belt ™ was the beginning of training, not the end.
And someone has to tell this poor lost soul (or is it the media getting it wrong? Noooo!), that she's doing TKD, not karate - her "biggest passion"!
Story:
For someone who originally planned to attend college in New York City, Kristen Tiger admitted her biggest fear was being randomly attacked on the street.
Knowing that hiring Britney Spears’ bodyguard would probably be a little too expensive and slightly impractical, Ms. Tiger did the next best thing. She took up karate.
Two years later, she’s got a red belt (with a brown stripe) in tae kwon do and is about a year away from obtaining her black belt, the highest level.
Karate has become one of Ms. Tiger’s biggest passions. She hopes to continue practicing the craft through college.
Source
Dude, you're fat!
Maybe just a tad harsh and ignorant regarding the art of sumo here buddy?
These guys are big, but they are also very fast, extremely flexible and strong beyond belief. Sumo is also a highly technical art (even though the matches generally are very short).
True though that the Japanese sumo will not allow a woman - any woman - to enter the ring.
Story:
A really big overweight guy, covered in rolls of fat, sweat bubbling out from every pore, involved in some sort of martial art where victory can be achieved with very little actual movement whatsoever.
I know what you're thinking: Steven Seagal's making a comeback.
Nope, but a good guess. We're talking about a sumo wrestler, a revered warrior in an ancient martial art full of history, of legend, of ...
Whatever. It's two big fat dudes trying to push each other out of a ring.
Source
These guys are big, but they are also very fast, extremely flexible and strong beyond belief. Sumo is also a highly technical art (even though the matches generally are very short).
True though that the Japanese sumo will not allow a woman - any woman - to enter the ring.
Story:
A really big overweight guy, covered in rolls of fat, sweat bubbling out from every pore, involved in some sort of martial art where victory can be achieved with very little actual movement whatsoever.
I know what you're thinking: Steven Seagal's making a comeback.
Nope, but a good guess. We're talking about a sumo wrestler, a revered warrior in an ancient martial art full of history, of legend, of ...
Whatever. It's two big fat dudes trying to push each other out of a ring.
Source
Learning about respect
Fed up with police gang reports and inspired by community meetings calling for action, Nguyen began an after-school martial arts program for Gaithersburg students in December to help build students' self confidence and respect.
"The correlation between this class and better behavior among some of these kids is astounding," said Brenda Wilks, assistant principal at Gaithersburg High.
Those with poor attendance began going to class, she said. Some feeling the pressure to fit in with gangs refrained, students testified. And others, like Moya, saw their grades improve as they looked forward to attending school.
Source
"The correlation between this class and better behavior among some of these kids is astounding," said Brenda Wilks, assistant principal at Gaithersburg High.
Those with poor attendance began going to class, she said. Some feeling the pressure to fit in with gangs refrained, students testified. And others, like Moya, saw their grades improve as they looked forward to attending school.
Source
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Tangsoodomigukkwah
Talk about getting things wrong!
Presenting Korean arts in a presentation on China and Japan is one thing.
But the spelling... Tangsoodomigukkwah :-)
I assume this is trying to say Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan?
Story:
As David Berube began swinging his sword, teacher Patty Miceli moved a couple of students out of harms way.
Berube -- an adult hall monitor at Oakdale School -- was demonstrating haigumdongdo, Korean sword art.
Berube, who also has been studying tangsoodomigukkwah, a Korean form of karate for 22 years, was part of an informational presentation on China and Japan Tuesday night presented by four fourth-grade classes for their parents.
Source
Presenting Korean arts in a presentation on China and Japan is one thing.
But the spelling... Tangsoodomigukkwah :-)
I assume this is trying to say Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan?
Story:
As David Berube began swinging his sword, teacher Patty Miceli moved a couple of students out of harms way.
Berube -- an adult hall monitor at Oakdale School -- was demonstrating haigumdongdo, Korean sword art.
Berube, who also has been studying tangsoodomigukkwah, a Korean form of karate for 22 years, was part of an informational presentation on China and Japan Tuesday night presented by four fourth-grade classes for their parents.
Source
'Ninja' granny
UK -- While most people settle for a telegram from the Queen, one woman wants to celebrate her 100th birthday by gaining a black belt in karate.
Ida Blake, 86, is already part of the way there having achieved her orange belt.
The grandmother-of-five, from Tooting, South London, took up the martial art three years ago because 'older people sit around too much'.
She added: 'I'll probably be 100 by the time I get to the black belt.'
Source
Ida Blake, 86, is already part of the way there having achieved her orange belt.
The grandmother-of-five, from Tooting, South London, took up the martial art three years ago because 'older people sit around too much'.
She added: 'I'll probably be 100 by the time I get to the black belt.'
Source
A dangerous man
Raymond Franklin, 33, was originally convicted in 2002 and sentenced to 60 years in prison for attempted murder and escape on November 11, 1999.
Several officers from the state Department of Corrections hovered around a shackled Franklin -- whom a judge once called "one of the most dangerous men I have ever come across" -- during Tuesday's court proceeding in Hackensack.
Answering questions from defense lawyer Francis Meehan, Franklin admitted that he grabbed a corrections officer in a chokehold during his failed escape.
"I attempted to kill him, make him stop moving" said Franklin, a black belt in karate who once taught martial arts at Ramapo College in Mahwah.
Source
Several officers from the state Department of Corrections hovered around a shackled Franklin -- whom a judge once called "one of the most dangerous men I have ever come across" -- during Tuesday's court proceeding in Hackensack.
Answering questions from defense lawyer Francis Meehan, Franklin admitted that he grabbed a corrections officer in a chokehold during his failed escape.
"I attempted to kill him, make him stop moving" said Franklin, a black belt in karate who once taught martial arts at Ramapo College in Mahwah.
Source
Popemobile runner
Guys ... It's a judo chop - not karate. Karate kick, judo chop - everyone (even the poepe) should know that!
Story:
Vatican City -- Camillo Cibin holds the world record for miles jogged alongside a moving popemobile.
He made his last run around St. Peter's Square May 31 and retired June 3, two days short of his 80th birthday.
When the hordes broke through the security cordon after the pope's May 26 Mass in Warsaw, Cibin exhibited his well-honed skill of gently tossing interlopers aside like they were pieces of tissue.
Cibin also is master of a modified karate chop that prevents people from grabbing onto the pope or his vestments yet leaves no broken bones.
Source
Story:
Vatican City -- Camillo Cibin holds the world record for miles jogged alongside a moving popemobile.
He made his last run around St. Peter's Square May 31 and retired June 3, two days short of his 80th birthday.
When the hordes broke through the security cordon after the pope's May 26 Mass in Warsaw, Cibin exhibited his well-honed skill of gently tossing interlopers aside like they were pieces of tissue.
Cibin also is master of a modified karate chop that prevents people from grabbing onto the pope or his vestments yet leaves no broken bones.
Source
Living independent lives
Kelly Stewart and Nina Gulbranson are young Olympia-area women who had to add disability-related challenges to the usual assortment of hopes, dreams and stresses most young adults encounter in making the move from high school to productive jobs.
Stewart is a very disciplined and goal-oriented person. She earned her black belt in Shotokan Karate at age 17 by practicing five hours a day for six years. With that kind of determination and follow-through, it's no wonder that Stewart was able to successfully prove her work skills at Wagner's by completing a trial work experience arranged by Morningside. Following the assessment, Wagner's offered her a job. Stewart performs various duties at the bakery, including dishwashing, and enjoys her job and fellow employees. Her employer and coworkers also value her.
Stewart continues to be involved with martial arts and is on her way to earning her second black belt in Shito-ryu. She participates in Special Olympics in soccer, softball and horseback riding. She has a very full life, and that is the way she wants it. She hopes to attend college and earn a degree.
Source
Stewart is a very disciplined and goal-oriented person. She earned her black belt in Shotokan Karate at age 17 by practicing five hours a day for six years. With that kind of determination and follow-through, it's no wonder that Stewart was able to successfully prove her work skills at Wagner's by completing a trial work experience arranged by Morningside. Following the assessment, Wagner's offered her a job. Stewart performs various duties at the bakery, including dishwashing, and enjoys her job and fellow employees. Her employer and coworkers also value her.
Stewart continues to be involved with martial arts and is on her way to earning her second black belt in Shito-ryu. She participates in Special Olympics in soccer, softball and horseback riding. She has a very full life, and that is the way she wants it. She hopes to attend college and earn a degree.
Source
Friday, June 09, 2006
Sumo in the Dead Sea
Israel -- Giggling and smiling, 13 sumo wrestlers bobbed in the Dead Sea on Thursday, happily weightless in the salt-and mineral-rich water.
The swim was part of the wrestlers' trip to Israel, meant to strengthen ties between Japan and the Jewish state.
The wrestlers warmed up by doing flips into a beach-side pool before venturing down to the water's edge. Before a delighted crowd of 30 onlookers, they slopped mud on their bodies and floated in the sea, whose mineral properties make it impossible to sink.
Source
The swim was part of the wrestlers' trip to Israel, meant to strengthen ties between Japan and the Jewish state.
The wrestlers warmed up by doing flips into a beach-side pool before venturing down to the water's edge. Before a delighted crowd of 30 onlookers, they slopped mud on their bodies and floated in the sea, whose mineral properties make it impossible to sink.
Source
Fighting mad CEO
Patrick Byrne, CEO of Overstock.com and a former boxer-in-training who holds a black belt in karate, is fighting mad at unnamed "Sith lords'' he says are out to ruin America's small companies.
Not only is he suing, he enlisted Utah's governor and legislators to crack down on short selling, and federal regulators are investigating his complaints.
Hedge-fund managers and other institutions defend short selling as legitimate way to trade on a company's perceived shortcomings and say Overstock.com became a target only because of its poor performance.
Source
Not only is he suing, he enlisted Utah's governor and legislators to crack down on short selling, and federal regulators are investigating his complaints.
Hedge-fund managers and other institutions defend short selling as legitimate way to trade on a company's perceived shortcomings and say Overstock.com became a target only because of its poor performance.
Source
'The Wind of A Lion'
Jack Black is so impressed with his own wrestling prowess after training for new movie Nacho Libre he's keen to try out his fighting skills on martial arts action man Steven Seagal.
The movie funnyman trained with a real-life Mexican wrestler to play the Spandex-clad hero of the new film - and how he fancies his chances against Seagal.
Black quips he has developed his own unsavoury wrestling move: "The Wind of A Lion is basically a submission hold. You get the guy down, you sit on his face and then you release the lion's wind. That usually spells complete defeat."
Source
The movie funnyman trained with a real-life Mexican wrestler to play the Spandex-clad hero of the new film - and how he fancies his chances against Seagal.
Black quips he has developed his own unsavoury wrestling move: "The Wind of A Lion is basically a submission hold. You get the guy down, you sit on his face and then you release the lion's wind. That usually spells complete defeat."
Source
Martial arts teacher charged
A former martial arts teacher faces a long list of sex abuse charges accused of assaulting one of his own students. We're talking about roughly a half dozen sexual assaults that have been the focus of a yearlong investigation.
Sources say that the former martial arts teacher molested one of his students on a number of occasions.
Source
Sources say that the former martial arts teacher molested one of his students on a number of occasions.
Source
Fearless trailer
Here's a clip/trailer from the new Jet Li movie 'Fearless'. Looks like it is going to be a feast for the eyes!I'm quite sure this is a great action movie - all the time Li is involved.
Only time will tell if it turns out to be more than a good action/martial arts movie.
You can download the clip here (10.28MB, wmv)
Play the guitar
You mean I can do tai chi - and play the guitar? Oh, it's like playing the guitar... :-)
Haven't heard about that move in tai chi though. I thought they had more lyrical names like "brushing the horses mane", "relentlessly twisting the spinal cord", and "watching the gonads go out the window".
I'm having a hard time seeing manic rock guitar playing and stage diving in the same setting as elegant, flowing tai chi. And really: did they have guitars in China several hundred of years ago? Wow!
Another thing - just the other day tai chi was 1500 years old (see post: 'any one older?'). Just in that short period of time it has lost 600 years. I guess tomorrow it will be the newest thing - to be invented next week by some guitar playing horse fellow in China?
Oh, I'm not done yet...
Who's gonna tell the folks doing tai chi as a fighting form that they can't do that fast thing? You see "it's purely a health exercise now"!
Slow down dude - play the guitar!
Story:
Roll back, play the guitar, step to the seven stars or stand like a garden cockroach. This is not an attempt to write a rock number. These are names of Tai Chi movements, the ancient Chinese exercise.
Created by Taoist Chan Sang Feng about 600 years ago, Tai Chi, which means supreme energy, began as a martial art, but is purely a health exercise now.
Source
Haven't heard about that move in tai chi though. I thought they had more lyrical names like "brushing the horses mane", "relentlessly twisting the spinal cord", and "watching the gonads go out the window".
I'm having a hard time seeing manic rock guitar playing and stage diving in the same setting as elegant, flowing tai chi. And really: did they have guitars in China several hundred of years ago? Wow!
Another thing - just the other day tai chi was 1500 years old (see post: 'any one older?'). Just in that short period of time it has lost 600 years. I guess tomorrow it will be the newest thing - to be invented next week by some guitar playing horse fellow in China?
Oh, I'm not done yet...
Who's gonna tell the folks doing tai chi as a fighting form that they can't do that fast thing? You see "it's purely a health exercise now"!
Slow down dude - play the guitar!
Story:
Roll back, play the guitar, step to the seven stars or stand like a garden cockroach. This is not an attempt to write a rock number. These are names of Tai Chi movements, the ancient Chinese exercise.
Created by Taoist Chan Sang Feng about 600 years ago, Tai Chi, which means supreme energy, began as a martial art, but is purely a health exercise now.
Source
Weird
21-year-old Jason Ackerman, a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, was one of the victims found dead under an advertising balloon in Lutz over the weekend.
Ackerman and 21-year-old Sara Rydman were found dead Saturday morning underneath a deflated promotional balloon.
Major Bob Shrader of the Hillsborough County Sherrif’s Office said, "It's my understanding that it is or was filled with some kind of gas. What it was I don't know. We'll have to determine that through further investigation."
Investigators are still trying to determine the exact cause of death, but anti-drug experts say that there is a growing trend of people inhaling helium and other gasses in an attempt to get high.
Source
Ackerman and 21-year-old Sara Rydman were found dead Saturday morning underneath a deflated promotional balloon.
Major Bob Shrader of the Hillsborough County Sherrif’s Office said, "It's my understanding that it is or was filled with some kind of gas. What it was I don't know. We'll have to determine that through further investigation."
Investigators are still trying to determine the exact cause of death, but anti-drug experts say that there is a growing trend of people inhaling helium and other gasses in an attempt to get high.
Source
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Love of the arts
The newly appointed provost of Thurgood Marshall College in California, Allan Havis, has been a member of the theatre and dance department for 17 years.
On the day of his interview, he wore all blue — a blue tie and denim shirt and jeans; a jean jacket hung from a coat rack nailed to his office door. No matter what he’s saying, Havis says it calmly and unwavering. He has the voice of someone who would get paid millions to read lullabies for books on tape.
His soothing manner makes it all the more surprising to discover he has a black belt in Korean-style Tang Soo Do karate.
Source
On the day of his interview, he wore all blue — a blue tie and denim shirt and jeans; a jean jacket hung from a coat rack nailed to his office door. No matter what he’s saying, Havis says it calmly and unwavering. He has the voice of someone who would get paid millions to read lullabies for books on tape.
His soothing manner makes it all the more surprising to discover he has a black belt in Korean-style Tang Soo Do karate.
Source
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Aggressive defense
Reading the court file, it's hard to tell who stands accused.
William French Anderson, the renowned USC gene therapy pioneer charged with child sexual abuse, or his accuser and her mother, whom Anderson's lawyer contends instigated the case to smear the scientific genius?
Anderson, 70, a world-class martial-arts expert, is accused of molesting his colleague's daughter starting when the accuser was 10 in 1997. The alleged abuse took place during karate lessons at his San Marino home.
Source
William French Anderson, the renowned USC gene therapy pioneer charged with child sexual abuse, or his accuser and her mother, whom Anderson's lawyer contends instigated the case to smear the scientific genius?
Anderson, 70, a world-class martial-arts expert, is accused of molesting his colleague's daughter starting when the accuser was 10 in 1997. The alleged abuse took place during karate lessons at his San Marino home.
Source
Boosting business
Morgan Freeman, 25, of Birches Road, Horsham, is one of the UK's leading practitioners of ancient Korean art Kuk Sool Won.
He was hired by HITEK Calibration, of Foundry Lane, Horsham, last month to introduce employees to qualities taken from martial arts.
Morgan has been tasked with bringing elements of eastern philosophy such as respect, hard work and confidence, to the company, which specialises in testing and repairing electrical measuring instruments.
Source
He was hired by HITEK Calibration, of Foundry Lane, Horsham, last month to introduce employees to qualities taken from martial arts.
Morgan has been tasked with bringing elements of eastern philosophy such as respect, hard work and confidence, to the company, which specialises in testing and repairing electrical measuring instruments.
Source
Art, act of forgiveness
Again and again I find it quite remarkable, the amount of strength some people can muster!
Story:
This is by Marina Cantacuzino, founder of The Forgiveness Project and "The F Word exhibition: stories in words and pictures of people who have survived tragedy and lived through atrocity but found it in themselves to reconcile or forgive".
British-born Jon James who was held hostage in 1997 by Chechnyan rebels with his girlfriend Camilla Carr told me he survived only because he'd learnt from practising martial arts that "to overcome your opponent you should meet hardness with softness".
Their ordeal lasted 14 months, during which Camilla was repeatedly raped by one of her captors - and yet they have emerged remarkably intact.
For them forgiveness has come to mean seeking to understand the enemy.
When Archbishop Desmond Tutu met Camilla in January 2004 he was stuck by her open-hearted sincerity and afterwards mentioned her in many lectures and press interviews that he gave.
For Desmond Tutu forgiveness does not mean condoning what has been done to you, "it means taking what has happened seriously and not minimising it; drawing out the sting in the memory that threatens to poison our entire existence."
Source
Story:
This is by Marina Cantacuzino, founder of The Forgiveness Project and "The F Word exhibition: stories in words and pictures of people who have survived tragedy and lived through atrocity but found it in themselves to reconcile or forgive".
British-born Jon James who was held hostage in 1997 by Chechnyan rebels with his girlfriend Camilla Carr told me he survived only because he'd learnt from practising martial arts that "to overcome your opponent you should meet hardness with softness".
Their ordeal lasted 14 months, during which Camilla was repeatedly raped by one of her captors - and yet they have emerged remarkably intact.
For them forgiveness has come to mean seeking to understand the enemy.
When Archbishop Desmond Tutu met Camilla in January 2004 he was stuck by her open-hearted sincerity and afterwards mentioned her in many lectures and press interviews that he gave.
For Desmond Tutu forgiveness does not mean condoning what has been done to you, "it means taking what has happened seriously and not minimising it; drawing out the sting in the memory that threatens to poison our entire existence."
Source
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
A fight for life
UK -- A teenager who was knocked down by a speeding driver and spent four weeks in a coma has made a remarkable recovery... and he puts it all down to kick-boxing.
Black belt Andrew Stott's story is one of courage and determination.
The 17-year-old, from Armley, Leeds, was struck by a car on the wrong side of the road, whilst visiting his gran in Liverpool on August 6 last year.
After spending a month in a coma, during which time he had four major operations, he learned a terrible piece of news – that while he had been battling for his life, his elder brother, Philip, 24, had died.
Andrew's accident left him blind in his right eye and deaf in his left ear. In addition, the sports-mad teenager had a fractured skull, broken collar bone, jaw, eye socket, ribs, all his fingers and fractures to part of his spine.
Black belt Andrew Stott's story is one of courage and determination.
The 17-year-old, from Armley, Leeds, was struck by a car on the wrong side of the road, whilst visiting his gran in Liverpool on August 6 last year.
After spending a month in a coma, during which time he had four major operations, he learned a terrible piece of news – that while he had been battling for his life, his elder brother, Philip, 24, had died.
Andrew's accident left him blind in his right eye and deaf in his left ear. In addition, the sports-mad teenager had a fractured skull, broken collar bone, jaw, eye socket, ribs, all his fingers and fractures to part of his spine.
Lots of black
Canada -- The Crown has presented its opening statement at the trial of a Kelowna woman charged with the first-degree murder of her husband who disappeared eight years ago.
Ronda Petra Black, 39, is accused of stabbing respected taekwondo instructor Keith Black to death while he slept in July 1998.
Crown counsel Norm Yates told the court that Ronda Black, herself a taekwondo black belt, then wrapped his body in a tarp and drove from Kelowna to Exshaw Alberta.
There, Yates alleges she got the help of another black belt instructor, Howard Steadman, to cut off Black's head and hands and dispose of his body.
Source
Ronda Petra Black, 39, is accused of stabbing respected taekwondo instructor Keith Black to death while he slept in July 1998.
Crown counsel Norm Yates told the court that Ronda Black, herself a taekwondo black belt, then wrapped his body in a tarp and drove from Kelowna to Exshaw Alberta.
There, Yates alleges she got the help of another black belt instructor, Howard Steadman, to cut off Black's head and hands and dispose of his body.
Source
Any one older?
"Tai chi is the oldest form of martial arts, dating back 1,500 years," says Ben Stanley, sifu – or lead instructor – at White Dragon Martial Arts Schools, "but its benefits have withstood the test of time."
Source
Taking nothing away from tai chi, it's a great art. Still, I'm sorry to disappoint you here - the claims are not correct.
Martial arts have been practiced in China probably as early as 5000B.C.
Personally, I never understood people claiming that their art is the newest, "so new no one has seen it yet!"; or oldest, "so old that it's totally extinct and forgotten!".
Why not just stick to the facts?
Source
Taking nothing away from tai chi, it's a great art. Still, I'm sorry to disappoint you here - the claims are not correct.
Martial arts have been practiced in China probably as early as 5000B.C.
Personally, I never understood people claiming that their art is the newest, "so new no one has seen it yet!"; or oldest, "so old that it's totally extinct and forgotten!".
Why not just stick to the facts?
You're so vain
I'm beginning to feel sick...; and, I'm not impressed.
Story:
British multi-millionaire Scott Alexander - a man who's buying a whole town in Bulgaria and naming it after himself - is supposedly a martial arts fan.
The man described as the "vainest man in Britain" admits that he has spent £55,000 on his teeth, but denies reports that he spends £300,000 a year on clothes.
The 31-year-old - who is single and lives in a £1.4m penthouse apartment in Manchester, says "The fact is, it is all part of my business. If I look sub-standard, the people I help will not be impressed."
Source
Story:
British multi-millionaire Scott Alexander - a man who's buying a whole town in Bulgaria and naming it after himself - is supposedly a martial arts fan.
The man described as the "vainest man in Britain" admits that he has spent £55,000 on his teeth, but denies reports that he spends £300,000 a year on clothes.
The 31-year-old - who is single and lives in a £1.4m penthouse apartment in Manchester, says "The fact is, it is all part of my business. If I look sub-standard, the people I help will not be impressed."
Source
TV show on Bruce Lee
Chinese broadcaster CCTV is set to make a 40-episode television show 'The Legend Of Bruce Lee' chronicling the life of the martial arts expert.
According to contactmusic.com, the show will target global audiences and will debut in 2008 to coincide with the Olympic Games in Beijing.
The competition is intense for the coveted role of the martial arts superstar, who died in 1973. Taiwan pop idol Jay Chow, dancer-turned-actor Nie Yuan, and Chinese kung fu star Shi Tianlong are vying for the plum role.
Source
According to contactmusic.com, the show will target global audiences and will debut in 2008 to coincide with the Olympic Games in Beijing.
The competition is intense for the coveted role of the martial arts superstar, who died in 1973. Taiwan pop idol Jay Chow, dancer-turned-actor Nie Yuan, and Chinese kung fu star Shi Tianlong are vying for the plum role.
Source
Yoga with Douche Bag
Ah yes, hate - the great motivator!
As long as you keep training I guess one motivating factor is as good as the next :-)
And I love the expression 'himbo'. Must be a male Hindu bimbo.
Really, you must read this article, it is too funny. At the same time it points to one of the major drawbacks of some teachers: The "Look at me, I'm good" syndrome. I've met a couple of these over the years.
And here's a promise: If you ever find me being one - you're free to shoot me on sight. It's so pathetic!
Story:
God, I hate my yoga teacher. And my hate compels me to return week after week to see just what this model-turned-actor-turned-Hindi-with-tattoos will do to piss me off next.
I can barely keep from Om-ing my way into a primal scream every Wednesday night. To make things worse, the guy is an idiot. The poster boy for himbos everywhere. The fact that the class is filled with cute girls in skimpy clothing giggling at his every "joke" only makes me more incensed.
What kind of a teacher stops class with "Okay everyone, look up here and watch me perform a handstand into crow into chaturanga into titibasana into warrior with my dick out"? A freak who really is just craving attention and actually has no real interest in a little something called teaching.
Source
As long as you keep training I guess one motivating factor is as good as the next :-)
And I love the expression 'himbo'. Must be a male Hindu bimbo.
Really, you must read this article, it is too funny. At the same time it points to one of the major drawbacks of some teachers: The "Look at me, I'm good" syndrome. I've met a couple of these over the years.
And here's a promise: If you ever find me being one - you're free to shoot me on sight. It's so pathetic!
Story:
God, I hate my yoga teacher. And my hate compels me to return week after week to see just what this model-turned-actor-turned-Hindi-with-tattoos will do to piss me off next.
I can barely keep from Om-ing my way into a primal scream every Wednesday night. To make things worse, the guy is an idiot. The poster boy for himbos everywhere. The fact that the class is filled with cute girls in skimpy clothing giggling at his every "joke" only makes me more incensed.
What kind of a teacher stops class with "Okay everyone, look up here and watch me perform a handstand into crow into chaturanga into titibasana into warrior with my dick out"? A freak who really is just craving attention and actually has no real interest in a little something called teaching.
Source
Monday, June 05, 2006
Verbal karate
Allegedly, Axl Rose (of Guns N' Roses fame), once challenged Bob Guccione Jr. - son of 'Penthouse' founder Bob Guccione to a fight. This was supposedly done in the song: "Get in the Ring".
The story goes that loud-mouth Rose was mad at Guccione Jr. - then owner of 'Spin' magazine because he was: (quote) "Rippin' off the fu****' kids payin' their hard-earned money to read about the bands."
Poor old Rosey was obviously unaware that Guccione Jr. had trained full-contact karate for about ten years - and that he was more than happy to "step in the ring".
Needless to say the singer chickened out, being called "a cowardly dirt man" by Bob Jr.
Welcome to the jungle!
The story goes that loud-mouth Rose was mad at Guccione Jr. - then owner of 'Spin' magazine because he was: (quote) "Rippin' off the fu****' kids payin' their hard-earned money to read about the bands."
Poor old Rosey was obviously unaware that Guccione Jr. had trained full-contact karate for about ten years - and that he was more than happy to "step in the ring".
Needless to say the singer chickened out, being called "a cowardly dirt man" by Bob Jr.
Welcome to the jungle!
Picture this
Nineteen-year-old Matthew Graves cuts lawns to earn some extra cash, like a lot of kids his age. As an Eagle Scout candidate, it's part of what he does, perform community service. But what makes this good deed so great is that he's completely blind.
Yet mowing a neighbor's yard, with a little guidance from his dad, is one of the remarkable everyday things he does regularly. Things most people take for granted, he takes as a challenge.
Like wrestling. He held his own on Leonia's varsity team, wrestling in the competitive 140-145-pound weight class. Or the shot put and javelin on the high school track team and the black belt he's working toward in karate.
Being blind is an obstacle for sure, but don't tell this kid he can't do it, because he will.
Source
Yet mowing a neighbor's yard, with a little guidance from his dad, is one of the remarkable everyday things he does regularly. Things most people take for granted, he takes as a challenge.
Like wrestling. He held his own on Leonia's varsity team, wrestling in the competitive 140-145-pound weight class. Or the shot put and javelin on the high school track team and the black belt he's working toward in karate.
Being blind is an obstacle for sure, but don't tell this kid he can't do it, because he will.
Source
More than a point
May have a point...?
Dude, she has THE point - Ippon, full score, touché!
Source:
"All those flowers and designs," said Christina Hoff Sommers, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington. It's no wonder men aren't comfortable at home, she says, with overdesigned, "feminized spaces that are being imposed on them" by the women in their lives. "They're going to want to push back."
Sommers, who is well-known for her critiques of feminism, may have a point.
Men are increasingly creating small private domains in and around their houses -- in sheds, basements, attics and closets -- as a way of retreating from everyday life.
James Twitchell, author of the just published "Where Men Hide," doesn't agree that women are to blame. But he sees it as a positive development and has built a shed of his own near his summer home in Vermont.
Vince Jones, a 33-year-old real estate salesman in Rocklin, California, has turned a prefab shed into his personal fight studio. "I practice Shoshu kung fu and Brazilian jujitsu," said Jones, who stages regular bouts in his backyard retreat with other men. "I originally wanted a Shaolin Temple with a curved roof, but that proved to be too difficult."
Source
Dude, she has THE point - Ippon, full score, touché!
Source:
"All those flowers and designs," said Christina Hoff Sommers, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington. It's no wonder men aren't comfortable at home, she says, with overdesigned, "feminized spaces that are being imposed on them" by the women in their lives. "They're going to want to push back."
Sommers, who is well-known for her critiques of feminism, may have a point.
Men are increasingly creating small private domains in and around their houses -- in sheds, basements, attics and closets -- as a way of retreating from everyday life.
James Twitchell, author of the just published "Where Men Hide," doesn't agree that women are to blame. But he sees it as a positive development and has built a shed of his own near his summer home in Vermont.
Vince Jones, a 33-year-old real estate salesman in Rocklin, California, has turned a prefab shed into his personal fight studio. "I practice Shoshu kung fu and Brazilian jujitsu," said Jones, who stages regular bouts in his backyard retreat with other men. "I originally wanted a Shaolin Temple with a curved roof, but that proved to be too difficult."
Source
A mother's view
My 14-year-old son, William, a mass of nervous energy desperately seeking direction, has thrived in the environment Sifu Belfiore has created.
Wanting to be the supportive and understanding mother, I also attend classes, very sporadically, when my schedule permits.
After executing our maneuvers on each other for the umpteenth time, I sneak looks at my son practicing his fukien routine. I watch him execute the exaggerated arm and leg movements, which reflect kung fu fighting techniques, and I can't help but glow with pride. OK, so some of the glowing is intense perspiration, but still: He is a sight to behold.
He glides from the elbow strike to the kick punch with such assurance and precision that I marvel that this poised young man is really my son. I am inspired by his enthusiasm for this regimen and respect for its history and tradition.
My squirrelly son is growing up to be a strong, confident, respectful young man. Me, I'm just thrilled to be standing after completing another class.
Source
Wanting to be the supportive and understanding mother, I also attend classes, very sporadically, when my schedule permits.
After executing our maneuvers on each other for the umpteenth time, I sneak looks at my son practicing his fukien routine. I watch him execute the exaggerated arm and leg movements, which reflect kung fu fighting techniques, and I can't help but glow with pride. OK, so some of the glowing is intense perspiration, but still: He is a sight to behold.
He glides from the elbow strike to the kick punch with such assurance and precision that I marvel that this poised young man is really my son. I am inspired by his enthusiasm for this regimen and respect for its history and tradition.
My squirrelly son is growing up to be a strong, confident, respectful young man. Me, I'm just thrilled to be standing after completing another class.
Source
Taking on Tourette's
During karate class, Andria Dontigney of Swansea focuses on kicks instead of tics.
On her instructor's three count, 12-year-old Andria balanced on her right leg, then delivered a quick kick with her left.
No blinking. No grimacing. No finger snapping. Each kick is a way of releasing pent up frustration. Sort of a "take that" for every time her body twitches uncontrollably.
She sees a counselor regularly at I Think I Can, a counseling center in Fairview Heights, and takes medication to help control side effects of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder.
Taking karate helps, too.
Source
On her instructor's three count, 12-year-old Andria balanced on her right leg, then delivered a quick kick with her left.
No blinking. No grimacing. No finger snapping. Each kick is a way of releasing pent up frustration. Sort of a "take that" for every time her body twitches uncontrollably.
She sees a counselor regularly at I Think I Can, a counseling center in Fairview Heights, and takes medication to help control side effects of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder.
Taking karate helps, too.
Source
Inferior kung fu
"How many times do I have to tell you - it's 'Who'll Stop the Rain', not 'Who'll Stop the Train'!"
Story:
A 17-year-old boy surnamed Liang almost died when he tried to use a kung fu movement to stop a running train in Laibin Railway Station in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Tuesday, Nanguo Jinbao reported.
Liang was pushed to safety by a railway policeman just as he was about to be knocked down. Liang jumped down to the tracks and wanted to use Xianglongshibazhang, a famous kung fu posturing described in many swordsman fictions, to stop the running train.
Source
Story:
A 17-year-old boy surnamed Liang almost died when he tried to use a kung fu movement to stop a running train in Laibin Railway Station in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Tuesday, Nanguo Jinbao reported.
Liang was pushed to safety by a railway policeman just as he was about to be knocked down. Liang jumped down to the tracks and wanted to use Xianglongshibazhang, a famous kung fu posturing described in many swordsman fictions, to stop the running train.
Source
Another charmer
Let's see.
From beginner to 6. dan rank would take something like 20 - 25 years in most styles.
And this guy received the rank in his twenties - starting out when he was 11? Really...
And a truly exquisite role model he seems to be also.
Story:
Despite pleas for leniency from family and friends, former state Department of Children and Families computer specialist John R. Peloso III was sentenced to prison for eight years Thursday for drugging and sexually assaulting a former colleague.
Growing up in East Hartford, where his father was an executive at a local aerospace firm, Peloso was teased because of the black eyepatch. Despite the teasing, Peloso persevered, taking up karate at age 11.
By his 20s Peloso had opened up his own tae-kwon-do school in Glastonbury, and achieved a sixth-degree black belt.
Over the years, he taught thousands of students, quitting only when his picture was plastered in the media, and the eyepatch made him instantly recognizable.
Peloso, prosecutor David L. Zagaja said, was a "predator" who "got off" on drugging women and then sexually assaulting them.
Source
From beginner to 6. dan rank would take something like 20 - 25 years in most styles.
And this guy received the rank in his twenties - starting out when he was 11? Really...
And a truly exquisite role model he seems to be also.
Story:
Despite pleas for leniency from family and friends, former state Department of Children and Families computer specialist John R. Peloso III was sentenced to prison for eight years Thursday for drugging and sexually assaulting a former colleague.
Growing up in East Hartford, where his father was an executive at a local aerospace firm, Peloso was teased because of the black eyepatch. Despite the teasing, Peloso persevered, taking up karate at age 11.
By his 20s Peloso had opened up his own tae-kwon-do school in Glastonbury, and achieved a sixth-degree black belt.
Over the years, he taught thousands of students, quitting only when his picture was plastered in the media, and the eyepatch made him instantly recognizable.
Peloso, prosecutor David L. Zagaja said, was a "predator" who "got off" on drugging women and then sexually assaulting them.
Source
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Bad to the bone
Here is a really strange clip. Or let me rephrase that - it is absolutely absurd by any standard.It shows what seems to be some sort of army-type Pentjak Silat.
Anyhow, just pulling of a training regimen like this you have to be really tough (or should I say mad).
If you don't want many students, this is the way to go! I can assure you - the ones that stay (as in survive) will be hard-core! B-B-B-Bad to the bone.
Download clip here (16.50MB - wmv format)
You can see more interesting clips at:
Your Martial Arts Resources
Just do it consistently
Here's a good article about the benefits of exercise - giving the thumbs up for martial arts.
So, what's holding you back - what's your excuse?
Story:
You don't necessarily need to join a gym to brighten your outlook on life. In a survey of more than 1,000 adults, researchers found that people who participated in any of 22 outdoor activities (such as cycling or climbing) were happier in seven of eight categories they measured on a "Happiness Index." Participants who were inactive scored the lowest in five of those same eight categories.
Many activities may prove beneficial, but research suggests the most effective exercises are rhythmic activities that work the major muscle groups and are performed at moderate or low intensity, such as jogging, swimming, cycling and walking. Studies also have shown that mentally stimulating forms of exercise, such as martial arts, promote positive mood changes, especially as the participants' skill levels improve.
But if you're the kind of person who prefers gardening to running laps, then spending time in the garden may be your best bet. You'll reap the greatest benefits if you exercise regularly, so choose an activity you already enjoy, and find time to do it consistently.
Source
So, what's holding you back - what's your excuse?
Story:
You don't necessarily need to join a gym to brighten your outlook on life. In a survey of more than 1,000 adults, researchers found that people who participated in any of 22 outdoor activities (such as cycling or climbing) were happier in seven of eight categories they measured on a "Happiness Index." Participants who were inactive scored the lowest in five of those same eight categories.
Many activities may prove beneficial, but research suggests the most effective exercises are rhythmic activities that work the major muscle groups and are performed at moderate or low intensity, such as jogging, swimming, cycling and walking. Studies also have shown that mentally stimulating forms of exercise, such as martial arts, promote positive mood changes, especially as the participants' skill levels improve.
But if you're the kind of person who prefers gardening to running laps, then spending time in the garden may be your best bet. You'll reap the greatest benefits if you exercise regularly, so choose an activity you already enjoy, and find time to do it consistently.
Source
The right thing
When Jennifer Zeller saw her 8-year-old autistic son receive three first-place trophies at a karate tournament, she knew she had done the right thing.
"I was so tearful with joy and don't think I have ever been more touched and proud at the same time," Zeller wrote in a letter to the editor in hopes it would encourage parents in similar situations to let their children try new activities.
"Martial arts are good for special-needs kids. I felt it would be good for him," Zeller said in an interview May 20.
"I think the Kum Sungs deserve to be recognized for their human compassion. . . . I would love for them to get a newspaper write-up with how they gave my son Nikolas a better gift than anything you can wrap in a box with a bow — acceptance and self-esteem!"
Source
"I was so tearful with joy and don't think I have ever been more touched and proud at the same time," Zeller wrote in a letter to the editor in hopes it would encourage parents in similar situations to let their children try new activities.
"Martial arts are good for special-needs kids. I felt it would be good for him," Zeller said in an interview May 20.
"I think the Kum Sungs deserve to be recognized for their human compassion. . . . I would love for them to get a newspaper write-up with how they gave my son Nikolas a better gift than anything you can wrap in a box with a bow — acceptance and self-esteem!"
Source
Soccer fan
According to media, a karate teacher in Mexico spent 89 hours riding a roller-coaster 1333 times non-stop to win tickets to the football ("soccer") World Cup from a TV station.
I guess you could call this guy a huge fan by any standard! 89 hours on a roller-coaster...
Maybe this guy's head has been on the receiving end of a little too many punches and kicks? :-)
I guess you could call this guy a huge fan by any standard! 89 hours on a roller-coaster...
Maybe this guy's head has been on the receiving end of a little too many punches and kicks? :-)
A doze of judo
Clarence Johnson is a 55 year old with arthritis in his shoulder and feet. Johnson took up Judo two years ago.
"I enjoy more than anything the achievement of learning. I like the fact I can see my progress. Again, in my case it's very slow, very slow, but I can gage it. I can feel it, and I can test it."
Johnson says Judo works his heart, muscles, and increases his flexibility.
Source
"I enjoy more than anything the achievement of learning. I like the fact I can see my progress. Again, in my case it's very slow, very slow, but I can gage it. I can feel it, and I can test it."
Johnson says Judo works his heart, muscles, and increases his flexibility.
Source
Saturday, June 03, 2006
'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Moron'
A really funny story (fictional, I hope) about ninja, rescuing defenseless chicken, a rooster, bearded guys, throwing stars, nunchaku, self-inflicted groin injuries, fleeing friends and captivity! Yup - a real mess...
Source
Source
Healthy and grounded
"It's done wonders for me," Melissa St. Angel said.
"I was a typical nerd growing up. I had no athletic coordination and I had a bad case of asthma. Karate gave me confidence tenfold, helped me to quit smoking and it allowed me to take control of my asthma."
She works as a counselor at the Healing House for victims of domestic violence and once she leaves the office, St. Angel makes a bee line toward the National Guard Armory and Flores' Boxing Club.
Source
"I was a typical nerd growing up. I had no athletic coordination and I had a bad case of asthma. Karate gave me confidence tenfold, helped me to quit smoking and it allowed me to take control of my asthma."
She works as a counselor at the Healing House for victims of domestic violence and once she leaves the office, St. Angel makes a bee line toward the National Guard Armory and Flores' Boxing Club.
Source
Not just for kicks
Don't know this style of karate, but I'm sure it's all good. It's really nice to see that it takes some time to achieve black belt status, and that there are solid requirements in order to teach!
Still, calling the man who invented this style of karate for Chief Grand Master...
I cant help but wonder what's next: Really, Really Top-of-the-line Superb Big Old Super Chief Head General Great Grand Master?
Story:
Rich Dudley recalls when his son was being followed home by a car that he didn't recognize. His child was 10 years old at the time.
Fortunately, the boy was clever enough to go up to a house where he saw some men working on the roof and told them that a stranger was following him. The roofers came down from the roof, and the stranger drove away.
The world has certainly not gotten any safer these days, which is why Dudley has been teaching Sanchin-Ryu karate at the Barnard Community Center in Howell for the past 10 years.
"If we've saved a child, we've done our job," said the Howell resident.
Source
Still, calling the man who invented this style of karate for Chief Grand Master...
I cant help but wonder what's next: Really, Really Top-of-the-line Superb Big Old Super Chief Head General Great Grand Master?
Story:
Rich Dudley recalls when his son was being followed home by a car that he didn't recognize. His child was 10 years old at the time.
Fortunately, the boy was clever enough to go up to a house where he saw some men working on the roof and told them that a stranger was following him. The roofers came down from the roof, and the stranger drove away.
The world has certainly not gotten any safer these days, which is why Dudley has been teaching Sanchin-Ryu karate at the Barnard Community Center in Howell for the past 10 years.
"If we've saved a child, we've done our job," said the Howell resident.
Source
"Sandan Shuffle"
Another musician that finds martial arts benefitial.
Story:
Saxophonist Virginia Mayhew has two passions that keep her kicking and swinging, onstage and off: jazz and karate.
In fact, she wrote the title tune of her newly released CD, "Sandan Shuffle," while testing for her third-degree black belt -- known as the "sandan" ranking.
Mayhew began learning seido karate soon after moving to New York and views the practice as a good counterbalance to her music.
"I've gone through obsessive phases," she says. She studied "three times a week, when I was really rocking. I feel really great when I do that."
Shortly after achieving the sandan certification last spring, Mayhew was found to have breast cancer. She had a lumpectomy, then months of chemotherapy and radiation. "The surgery was nothing, compared to the chemo and radiation," she says. "It was a drag, and it was expensive, but I was on the road playing, 10 days afterward."
Source
Story:
Saxophonist Virginia Mayhew has two passions that keep her kicking and swinging, onstage and off: jazz and karate.
In fact, she wrote the title tune of her newly released CD, "Sandan Shuffle," while testing for her third-degree black belt -- known as the "sandan" ranking.
Mayhew began learning seido karate soon after moving to New York and views the practice as a good counterbalance to her music.
"I've gone through obsessive phases," she says. She studied "three times a week, when I was really rocking. I feel really great when I do that."
Shortly after achieving the sandan certification last spring, Mayhew was found to have breast cancer. She had a lumpectomy, then months of chemotherapy and radiation. "The surgery was nothing, compared to the chemo and radiation," she says. "It was a drag, and it was expensive, but I was on the road playing, 10 days afterward."
Source
Techno-judo?
The parent of three preteens periodically reads the text messages on their cell phones, monitors whom and when they're instant messaging and searches the Internet to make sure they haven't started blogging or set up profiles on social networking sites.
Her kids, in turn, sometimes attempt a little techno-judo to deflect her surveillance efforts: They change the text and background on the monitor to blue and black, making it harder for her to read the screen from across the room. They set their instant-messaging status to "invisible," so she can't tell they're online.
Source
Her kids, in turn, sometimes attempt a little techno-judo to deflect her surveillance efforts: They change the text and background on the monitor to blue and black, making it harder for her to read the screen from across the room. They set their instant-messaging status to "invisible," so she can't tell they're online.
Source
Honorary honour
What can I say - I'm impressed!
Story:
After almost 40 years of training in the martial art, Ted Cook has been made an honorary member of Boston Judo Club.
The 67-year-old coach joined the club in 1968, having never participated in sports before, and was promoted to the rank of senior brown belt in 1972.
He undertakes a number of roles at the club, from helping to inspire other competitors to laying out the mats. He also works to keep up the links between the Boston club and Laval Judo Club in our French twin town.
"Judo is the best thing I have ever done," said Ted.
Source
Story:
After almost 40 years of training in the martial art, Ted Cook has been made an honorary member of Boston Judo Club.
The 67-year-old coach joined the club in 1968, having never participated in sports before, and was promoted to the rank of senior brown belt in 1972.
He undertakes a number of roles at the club, from helping to inspire other competitors to laying out the mats. He also works to keep up the links between the Boston club and Laval Judo Club in our French twin town.
"Judo is the best thing I have ever done," said Ted.
Source
Not just a sport
Malaysia -- For Perak’s K. Tavamany, karate is not just a sport, it’s a way to support her family.
And winning the women’s below 48kg kumite gold medal, she hopes, will also launch her career as a national athlete.
Her father M. Krishnasamy, is a general worker with Alam Flora while her mother, G. Selvi works in a factory, and Tavamany knows really well about struggles in life.
Source
And winning the women’s below 48kg kumite gold medal, she hopes, will also launch her career as a national athlete.
Her father M. Krishnasamy, is a general worker with Alam Flora while her mother, G. Selvi works in a factory, and Tavamany knows really well about struggles in life.
Source
A long trip
By the time she was in the fourth grade, Sanja Cvitkusic had lived in three countries, was struggling to understand English in a classroom in the Baldwin-Whitehall School District and trying to compensate for a visual handicap.
Her family fled Sarajevo, now capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the civil war and moved to Germany.
Over the next eight years in the Baldwin-Whitehall School District, Ms. Cvitkusic, 18, has excelled academically, exceeding even her own expectations.
Her standing is especially notable because she suffers from achromatopsia, a rare hereditary vision disorder that makes her color blind, sensitive to light and near- and far-sighted. It is so serious that she will never be able to drive a car.
"She is very goal-driven," a teacher said, pointing out that she has participated in many extracurricular activities and has earned a black belt in karate.
Source
Her family fled Sarajevo, now capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the civil war and moved to Germany.
Over the next eight years in the Baldwin-Whitehall School District, Ms. Cvitkusic, 18, has excelled academically, exceeding even her own expectations.
Her standing is especially notable because she suffers from achromatopsia, a rare hereditary vision disorder that makes her color blind, sensitive to light and near- and far-sighted. It is so serious that she will never be able to drive a car.
"She is very goal-driven," a teacher said, pointing out that she has participated in many extracurricular activities and has earned a black belt in karate.
Source
Friday, June 02, 2006
'Blondie' vs. 'Psycho Sumo'
First of all, sumo wrestlers are not just "big guys bouncing around," said Casey Burns, one of six U.S. competitors in the World Sumo League. "We're big guys, but we are professionals at what we do. People off the street will get hurt."
That was not something I needed to hear just then, since the league had so graciously offered to let me wrestle one of the sumos at this press conference. (What I didn't hear -- luckily -- was the nickname of the wrestler assigned to me -- Hans "Psycho Sumo" Borg, a 343-pound, 6-foot-4 Norwegian.)
Though I did have to stifle a giggle when the sumo wrestlers sauntered in wearing their mawashis -- the traditional, tiny loincloths that cover very little of their groin area and even less of their backside -- their sport is no laughing matter.
Source
That was not something I needed to hear just then, since the league had so graciously offered to let me wrestle one of the sumos at this press conference. (What I didn't hear -- luckily -- was the nickname of the wrestler assigned to me -- Hans "Psycho Sumo" Borg, a 343-pound, 6-foot-4 Norwegian.)
Though I did have to stifle a giggle when the sumo wrestlers sauntered in wearing their mawashis -- the traditional, tiny loincloths that cover very little of their groin area and even less of their backside -- their sport is no laughing matter.
Source
Always, but not always
Is it just me, or has the word always changed meaning? I kind of thought always implied all the time?
And if always actually means most of the times, then I guess most of the times really means sometimes; sometimes would be seldom; and seldom would be never.Shoot, never could even qualify as always :-)
Mum, I'm confused!
Story:
Mr. Zdeb at Lee Sukhi Family Martial Arts says "She helps teach the adult class in some areas as well. I teach the adult classes and I'm always there, but there are times when I'm not there because something calls me away, so she'll run the entire class and she does a very good job."
Source
And if always actually means most of the times, then I guess most of the times really means sometimes; sometimes would be seldom; and seldom would be never.Shoot, never could even qualify as always :-)
Mum, I'm confused!
Story:
Mr. Zdeb at Lee Sukhi Family Martial Arts says "She helps teach the adult class in some areas as well. I teach the adult classes and I'm always there, but there are times when I'm not there because something calls me away, so she'll run the entire class and she does a very good job."
Source
A hip samurai
Hip Hop samurai...? I think I'm going to break down crying very soon. Either that, or laughing hysterically.
Story:
The RZA has been contracted to score an animated martial arts series to be broadcast on Spike TV in the fall.
The acclaimed Wu Tang producer will craft the score of Afro Samurai, an animated series that stars actor Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson’s voice will be used for the protagonist of the series, an unorthodox hero based on Takashi Okazaki’s graphic novel of the same name.
Afro Samurai is a tale of a Black samurai seeking vengeance on the killers of his father. The series also melds Hip-Hop with martial arts, a combination that RZA is very familiar with.
Source
Story:
The RZA has been contracted to score an animated martial arts series to be broadcast on Spike TV in the fall.
The acclaimed Wu Tang producer will craft the score of Afro Samurai, an animated series that stars actor Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson’s voice will be used for the protagonist of the series, an unorthodox hero based on Takashi Okazaki’s graphic novel of the same name.
Afro Samurai is a tale of a Black samurai seeking vengeance on the killers of his father. The series also melds Hip-Hop with martial arts, a combination that RZA is very familiar with.
Source
UFC announcer dies
Ryan Bennett, who ran the MMAWeekly.com website, passed away yesterday after an automobile accident in Utah.
Bennett, 34, worked full-time for the Canadian-based Fight Network, both announcing and reporting on major shows.
According to sources, Bennett and his family were coming back from dinner last night when their car spun out of control and Bennett was thrown from the vehicle. His wife and two of the four children were injured in the accident.
Source
Bennett, 34, worked full-time for the Canadian-based Fight Network, both announcing and reporting on major shows.
According to sources, Bennett and his family were coming back from dinner last night when their car spun out of control and Bennett was thrown from the vehicle. His wife and two of the four children were injured in the accident.
Source
Just doing kata?
Maybe this guy was just doing his kata exercises? And yes, he obviously needs some assistance!
Story:
Middletown - A 28-year-old city man was immobilized by police Thursday after he allegedly became violent and assaulted an older man and officers during a wild scuffle at a Liberty Street apartment.
Police Lt. Peggy Liseo said the incident began at 1:50 p.m., Thursday, when Officer August DeFrance noticed Taylor "striking karate poses and talking to inanimate objects" on the sidewalk in front of his apartment.
Liseo said she hopes the man gets the help he apparently needs. "He needs some assistance, and hopefully, he will get some," Liseo said.
Source
Story:
Middletown - A 28-year-old city man was immobilized by police Thursday after he allegedly became violent and assaulted an older man and officers during a wild scuffle at a Liberty Street apartment.
Police Lt. Peggy Liseo said the incident began at 1:50 p.m., Thursday, when Officer August DeFrance noticed Taylor "striking karate poses and talking to inanimate objects" on the sidewalk in front of his apartment.
Liseo said she hopes the man gets the help he apparently needs. "He needs some assistance, and hopefully, he will get some," Liseo said.
Source
A real prat
UK -- A man who pretended to do martial arts after being thrown drunk out of a Chinese restaurant was branded "a complete prat" by a sheriff yesterday.
Ordering a year's probation, Sheriff Celia Sanderson told the 25-year-old man: "You seem to have made a complete prat of yourself."
Source
Ordering a year's probation, Sheriff Celia Sanderson told the 25-year-old man: "You seem to have made a complete prat of yourself."
Source
Karate meets dentistry
Hope the two arts are not too closely connected...
On the other hand - getting your teeth fixed may be easier if you've accidentally done a face block during class.
Story:
51-year-old Merced resident Amilton Barboza combined two loves -- karate and dental work -- and now operates two businesses from one location.
"I have a passion for both -- the dental lab and I like martial arts," he said.
Barboza, a native of Montevideo, Uruguay, developed an interest in karate while in elementary school. He has a fourth degree black belt and was honored by the U.S.A. Martial Arts Hall of Fame as the Shotokan Man of the Year in 2005.
Source
On the other hand - getting your teeth fixed may be easier if you've accidentally done a face block during class.
Story:
51-year-old Merced resident Amilton Barboza combined two loves -- karate and dental work -- and now operates two businesses from one location.
"I have a passion for both -- the dental lab and I like martial arts," he said.
Barboza, a native of Montevideo, Uruguay, developed an interest in karate while in elementary school. He has a fourth degree black belt and was honored by the U.S.A. Martial Arts Hall of Fame as the Shotokan Man of the Year in 2005.
Source
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Old judo clips
Here are two really old and interesting judo clips.
The first one shows the master himself, Jigoro Kano doing two different throws. The other one is a perfectly executed o-guruma.
Very cool!
Download first clip here (0.50MB)
Download second clip here (0.31MB)
You can see more interesting clips at:
Interesting Martial Arts Clips
Gator jitsu
Well I'll be darned. I didn't know alligators were skilled in jujitsu :-)
Sometimes, after leaving alligators temporarily trussed with duct tape and rope in the back of his truck outside his house, they wriggle free. He found one escapee head-butting a neighbor's front door and had to wrangle another out of his garden pond.
Still another shimmied off his truck and into the street, where he performed a "death roll" in front of amazed residents: Alligators can spin up to 100 times a minute to disable or drown their prey.
Garvey knows their jowly jujitsu skills all too well. A scar on one leg testifies to the time an eight-and-a-half-foot alligator rolled him. And he still has a stiff thumb from another encounter with a jaw.
Source
Sometimes, after leaving alligators temporarily trussed with duct tape and rope in the back of his truck outside his house, they wriggle free. He found one escapee head-butting a neighbor's front door and had to wrangle another out of his garden pond.
Still another shimmied off his truck and into the street, where he performed a "death roll" in front of amazed residents: Alligators can spin up to 100 times a minute to disable or drown their prey.
Garvey knows their jowly jujitsu skills all too well. A scar on one leg testifies to the time an eight-and-a-half-foot alligator rolled him. And he still has a stiff thumb from another encounter with a jaw.
Source
Pervert art teacher
UK (Scotland) -- An art teacher was today jailed for 10 years for inflicting a "horrifying catalogue" of abuse on pupils at a school for troubled kids.
A judge told Matthew George, 57, that he had misused his power and authority to cause "fear, misery, pain and humiliation" on youngsters at Kerelaw School in Stevenston, Ayrshire.
The court was told unruly pupils were pushed and shaken, and that martial arts enthusiast George liked to practise Kung Fu on them.
The gym wall was pock-marked with holes made by flying golf balls - backing up pupils' claims that they were taken there to be pelted with missiles as a punishment.
Source
A judge told Matthew George, 57, that he had misused his power and authority to cause "fear, misery, pain and humiliation" on youngsters at Kerelaw School in Stevenston, Ayrshire.
The court was told unruly pupils were pushed and shaken, and that martial arts enthusiast George liked to practise Kung Fu on them.
The gym wall was pock-marked with holes made by flying golf balls - backing up pupils' claims that they were taken there to be pelted with missiles as a punishment.
Source
Two art forms
It's nothing new to the fact that many musicians, writers, painters, dancers, sculptors etc. find great pleasure and even beauty within the martial arts.
Story:
Alyse Bernstein has been practicing aikido, "the art of peace," for five years now, but she hasn't limited the martial art practice to the mats. She's translated the discipline and grace of the form to her first art, printmaking.
Bernstein received an Independence Foundation Fellowship in 2003 to go to Japan, where she trained with the grandson of the founder of aikido, studied with one of the few female instructors in Japan and apprenticed with a papermaker.
When she began working on the prints, she found similarities between the two art forms. "I wanted to stick with a traditional Japanese art, so I took some woodblock printing classes, and had to re-learn the art," she says.
"There was this parallel to aikido training. With aikido, you have to practice, practice, practice. And I had to keep re-cutting these boards [for the woodcuts]."
Source
Story:
Alyse Bernstein has been practicing aikido, "the art of peace," for five years now, but she hasn't limited the martial art practice to the mats. She's translated the discipline and grace of the form to her first art, printmaking.
Bernstein received an Independence Foundation Fellowship in 2003 to go to Japan, where she trained with the grandson of the founder of aikido, studied with one of the few female instructors in Japan and apprenticed with a papermaker.
When she began working on the prints, she found similarities between the two art forms. "I wanted to stick with a traditional Japanese art, so I took some woodblock printing classes, and had to re-learn the art," she says.
"There was this parallel to aikido training. With aikido, you have to practice, practice, practice. And I had to keep re-cutting these boards [for the woodcuts]."
Source
Movie based on "Kung Fu"
A film based on the 1970s television series "Kung Fu" is now being planned.
Legendary Pictures has optioned rights for the project from the original creators of the East-meets-West drama that starred David Carradine as the Buddhist martial-arts master who flees China to wander the American frontier.
Legendary Pictures said the feature adaptation would take place mostly in China and focus on Caine's training as a Shaolin monk and the circumstances that lead him to the Old American West.
Source
Legendary Pictures has optioned rights for the project from the original creators of the East-meets-West drama that starred David Carradine as the Buddhist martial-arts master who flees China to wander the American frontier.
Legendary Pictures said the feature adaptation would take place mostly in China and focus on Caine's training as a Shaolin monk and the circumstances that lead him to the Old American West.
Source
Just get moving
These two "heavyweights" are having a friendly competition, proving that size isn't that big an issue even in martial arts. The main point is to get going - doing something that can be both fun and worthwhile.
Story:
Their workout styles are different: Vail said he prefers Kempo Karate to a traditional gym.
"I never in my wildest dreams imagined I could survive half of one of these classes. I was 305 pounds the first time I walked in here. This is a joke, I'll come in here, collapse, they'll carry me out of here in an ambulance. That will be it, you know?" he said.
So far, Vail's lost about 30 pounds -- with no ambulance rides. The heavyweights said you can't let large size keep you out of the gym.
"You don't have to be perfect. You don't have to be beautiful to get started. You can come in as you are, do your best," Vail said.
Source
Story:
Their workout styles are different: Vail said he prefers Kempo Karate to a traditional gym.
"I never in my wildest dreams imagined I could survive half of one of these classes. I was 305 pounds the first time I walked in here. This is a joke, I'll come in here, collapse, they'll carry me out of here in an ambulance. That will be it, you know?" he said.
So far, Vail's lost about 30 pounds -- with no ambulance rides. The heavyweights said you can't let large size keep you out of the gym.
"You don't have to be perfect. You don't have to be beautiful to get started. You can come in as you are, do your best," Vail said.
Source
Whiz kid
Whiz kid indeed.
I can't help but wonder though, if this, almost super-human, kind of schedule and determination can be healthy in the long run.
Story:
Nevada -- Taking karate lessons, tackling schoolwork and learning to play the piano seem like ordinary fare for today's busy preteen.
But throw in the ability to solve complex calculus equations without breaking a sweat, earning two black belts in martial arts in record time -- not to mention a photographic memory and an IQ that's off the charts -- then a different kind of 12-year-old emerges.
Source
I can't help but wonder though, if this, almost super-human, kind of schedule and determination can be healthy in the long run.
Story:
Nevada -- Taking karate lessons, tackling schoolwork and learning to play the piano seem like ordinary fare for today's busy preteen.
But throw in the ability to solve complex calculus equations without breaking a sweat, earning two black belts in martial arts in record time -- not to mention a photographic memory and an IQ that's off the charts -- then a different kind of 12-year-old emerges.
Source
Katana vs. arrow
Here is an amazing clip showing a highly skilled Japanese sword master deflecting (cutting) arrows shot at him.This is a an old Samurai art - obviously not for the faint of heart.
You can begin to understand how these elite warriors (correctly termed Bushi) were held in such a high esteem.
It goes without saying that there's a great deal of trust between father and daughter - the one shooting the arrows at him.
Like they say, don't try this at home kids!
Download clip here (11MB)
Powerpuff girls
Ah... Strong, independent females. What is better than that? :-)
Oddly enough, there are still men out there who somehow feel threatened by such women.
Story:
Meet the powerpuff girls. Gone are the simpering, scared females who would keep quiet in the face of eve- teasing, insults etc.
The girls of today know how to take care of themselves and are equipped to handle any situation. From pepper spray cans to judo moves, they know it all and can teach the roadside Romeos a thing or two if it comes to that.
Source
Oddly enough, there are still men out there who somehow feel threatened by such women.
Story:
Meet the powerpuff girls. Gone are the simpering, scared females who would keep quiet in the face of eve- teasing, insults etc.
The girls of today know how to take care of themselves and are equipped to handle any situation. From pepper spray cans to judo moves, they know it all and can teach the roadside Romeos a thing or two if it comes to that.
Source
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)