Judo Worries Parents

Japan -- From 2012, martial arts such as judo will be compulsory in schools across the country, according to english.aljazeera.net.

The program will help preserve the country's national sport of judo according to Japanese government officials, and for people who love all martial arts like we do, it comes as an apparently great decision.

However, many Japanese parents and also experts are voicing their concern - something which is understandable from the following numbers.

It is shown that 114 students have died (it is even said at least that number) and another 261 have been seriously injured while practicing the sport in school over the last 30 years, a number which is claimed to be five times higher than those shown in other large sports.

Is judo a dangerous sport? Of course not. Under safe guidance and qualified instruction it is way less dangerous than most other sports. If you take a country like France, where judo is a huge sport, there has been no reported deaths among children practicing the sport.

The point here is rather that you have no safety instructions in the Japanese school judo as well as non qualified, highly inexperienced teachers/instructors. Some of them apparently have been given just a basic three days of training before being set to teach children judo.

Combine that with a (Japanese judo) sports culture that is said to celebrate toughness, and you may have yourself an unfortunate road to more serious incidents.

Court in Favor of Hijab Ban

France -- As you may recall, two French Muslim girls (aged 11 and 12) were expelled from school in 1999 following their refusal to take off their hijab during sport classes. At the time, the school said that hijab was deemed not compatible with physical education classes.

Recently, the top European human rights court in Strasbourg ruled in favor of the school, saying the ban was not a violation of the European Human Rights.

The European Court of Human Rights said: "The court observed that the purpose of the restriction on the applicants' right to manifest their religious convictions was to adhere to the requirements of secularism in state schools," according to Reuters and islamonline.net.

There have been several reported cases involving the use of hihab within the martial arts also.

For instance, on November 14, payvand.com reported how a female Iranian karateka, Helen Sepahi, was dismissed from the World Karate championships in Japan when she refused to take off her hijab prior to a fight.

And in November 2007, A judo official in Manitoba, Canada refused to allow an 11-year-old girl to compete in a tournament wearing a hijab. We covered that story in this post.

Bad Banking Judo Moves

France -- He is being described as poised, polite and discreet by those who know him. It is said he taught judo to kids and held the door for his elderly neighbours.

Now, the 31-year-old bank futures trader, who lived in a modest apartment building, is accused of overstepping his authority at the Société Generale to bet as much as $73 billion ... The bank claim their losses may have been 4.9 billion euros, or more than $7 billion.

Media are talking about probably the biggest one-man bank fraud in history. Experts are questioning how one man could be dealing with sums that are comparable to a smaller country's annual economy.

A French Playboy

Texas -- At least two more women have contacted Frisco police, saying they may also be infected with HIV after sleeping with a 51-year-old martial arts instructor.

A female acquaintance of the suspect, describes him as a French playboy who seduced women he met through his job as a martial arts instructor at a Plano school for cheer leading, tumbling and karate.

The school teaches young children, and there are always mothers around. "He was dating women that were married, and they didn't know about each other," the acquaintance said. "I knew about four or five."

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More Clouseau

For all you fans of Pink Panther by the legendary Peter Sellers, here he is demonstrating the "deadly judo chop" on his assistant and sparring partner Kato.

I think very few things make me laugh harder than watching the "French" Chief Inspector Clouseau and his antics :-)

The scenes where he and Kato fights has to be the best (most funny) fighting sequences ever made.

You can download this clip here (wmv file, 15.50MB)

You'll find several other, similar clips here.

Bad Kung-Futball

The mass brawl against Queens Park Rangers was not the first on their training tour. Ever since the Chinese Olympic team embarked on their tour of Europe as part of their preparations for next year's Beijing Olympics, they had been embroiled in controversy.

Ugly incidents had erupted during three of the nine matches played in Europe since the team started their tour on 9 Jan.

Fighting broke out during their match against French side Marseille's development team.
On Monday, their match against Chelsea's reserve team was another ill-tempered affair that saw one Chinese player sent off for violent conduct.

The Beijing Times put the blame on the China FA in an editorial, saying: 'The father should be blamed for the son's fault.'

Other critics on sina.com labelled the brawl as 'Shaolin Soccer'.

One pundit even said that getting 'hammered' by QPR not just brought shame to Chinese football, but also disgraced Chinese kung-fu.

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Marshall arts ...

"The art of strangling, marshal arts, judo, and karate." Oh dear ...

Story:
Rwanda -- The French military helped in setting up death squads (Éscadrons de la Mort) including 'KLAP' and French members of the Detachment d'Assistance Militaire (DAMI), in Bigogwe in the Northern Province, the Mucyo Commission heard yesterday.

Testifying before the commission members yesterday, the witness dubbed, 'Witness Five', who said he joined the army in 1991 and later worked as a commando alleged that the French military helped establish the death squads that later exterminated thousands of ethnic Tutsis in the area.

Witness No. 3, an ex-FAR, said he worked with the French both in training Interahamwe members, and shelling RPF positions.

He said he worked with the French in training Interahamwe in Bigogwe in the art of strangling, marshal arts, judo, and karate. He emphasized: "during training I would stand with a French instructor and translated in Kinyarwanda what he said to trainees." He alleged that 36 French instructors were at Bigogwe from May 91 onwards.

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Maroteux

Roland Maroteux is something a mythical figure within European budo.
Skilled in aikido, Hakko ryu jujutsu and aikijutsu, he has trained many years in Japan unders various masters.

It seems his primary art these days is Takeda aikijutsu, of which he is an official 6. dan, shihan.

In this clip he shows various techniques from the style. As you can see it is the major inspiration for aikido, although much more combat (battle) orientated.

You can view/download the clip here (flv file, 13.59 MB)

Get the player here if you need it (small file, fast and easy install).

The "Bikini killer"

French national Charles Sobhraj, dubbed the "Bikini Killer" over a string of grisly deaths in the 1970s, has said he is confident Nepal's highest court will overturn his life sentence.

"Many of the judges and police officers know this is a false case," Sobhraj told AFP Tuesday in the prison visiting room before guards cut short the interview.

Sobhraj has been linked to a series of murders of young female backpackers in the 1970s and was arrested at a casino in Nepal in 2003. He was found guilty of killing US citizen Connie Joe Brozich on the outskirts of Kathmandu in 1975.

The 2004 conviction for Brozich's death rested largely on evidence that Sobhraj and his lawyers claim was fabricated.

Looking well-muscled and younger than his 63 years, the martial arts and self-taught legal expert Sobhraj believed recent political changes in Nepal could work in his favour.

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Savate

Here you have another old and interesting clip of a "high kicking lady."

From what I can see it shows Savate ("French boxing"), and it is from the 1930's.

It also shows a little of what I believe is called "Parisian Stand-up grappling" (Lutte Parisienne)

The written comments are great :-)

You can watch this really cool clip here (2.43 MB, wmv format).

You'll find lots of other interesting clips at your-martial-arts-resources.com

Inspired judo chef

With two Michelin stars already under his belt, the creative, energetic, thoughtful Thierry Marx was also recently named chef of the year by the French restaurant guide Gault Millau.

Balding, with intense, piercing eyes, Marx could be Bruce Willis's twin brother. At 44, he seems to be redefining the cuisine, lifestyle and philosophy of his generation of young French chefs. A black belt in judo, Marx also gathers his staff for regular boxing sessions to help them de-stress.

He is a runner as well as a vegetarian. The Parisian-born Marx lives frugally and simply, spending three months each year in a tiny room in Tokyo, with little more than a futon and books and, as he adds, "ambition and modesty."

Soure

Chan and Li to co-star

Hong Kong -- Jackie Chan and Jet Li -- two of the biggest names in action films -- plan to co-star in a new movie, a news report said.

A formal announcement will be made at the Cannes Film Festival in France, the Chinese news Web site Sina.com said Tuesday.

The festival, which opened Wednesday, runs through May 28. Chan and Li are still brainstorming about the plot for their first collaboration, which will begin shooting next year, the Web site said.

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Hapkido: A cousin of Kendo!

Wow, I'm really learning something new every day!

Combat cane:
An old martial art, which uses long sticks to disable an opponent is being revived in France. The discipline was developed as a form of self-defence in the late 19th century in Paris to help its citizens protect themselves from the criminal elements in the city.

The sport of Combat Cane fighting is similar to the Japanese art form of Kendo or its Korean cousin Hapkido.

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Judo for Maddox

It seems that Angelina Jolie has enrolled her four year old son Maddox in Judo in Paris. Smart woman!

Story:
Hollywood star Angelina Jolie not only decided to enrol her four-year old son Maddox for judo lessons recently, but also showed him some of her moves to help him understand the French instructor's lessons better.

According to a source, Jolie enrolled Maddox to learn some judo lessons near her apartment in France after she decided that being cooped up at home all day long was not good for her tiny tot.
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