Training Martial Arts With Disabilities

Martial arts belt - From Flickr.com

It appears that training martial arts with disabilities is another subject which may bring about discussions of pros and cons.

The debate goes primarily on what the best suited martial arts style for someone with a disability might be.

Also, it is also being discussed whether or not it is fine to grade some martial arts students with special needs and disabilities. After all, it is not uncommon that these students can not perform the things that able bodied, "regular" students can.

You can go here read more about the topic of the best martial arts for students with disabilities. It would also be great if you would take the time to leave a comment on your view on this topic.

My view is basically this: Martial arts training can great for anyone - no matter what their starting point may be. It is, to me, more about how the school and teacher is able adapt to the students needs, and also about the personal preferences that we all have - one way or the other.

Coach Allegedly Assaulted Boys

 Old painting - Illustration from Wikipedia

Police in Taiwan reports that at least 12 boys have been assaulted sexually by a trainer teaching judo and softball at local schools.

The man, called "Daddy Hu", allegedly also claims to be a pastor. He is believed to have targeted victims from impoverished families.

Below is an excerpt of the original article from sundaytimes.lk.

Coach allegedly assaulted boys

A Taiwanese man who coached softball and judo at schools has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting at least 12 boys, police said Tuesday.
The man, identified only by his surname Hu, was taken into custody late Monday after the parents of some of the boys discovered obscene messages on his Facebook page and turned him in, police said.
Hu, who also claimed to be a pastor and was nicknamed “Daddy Hu” by some students, was suspected of sexually assaulting at least a dozen boys in several elementary and junior high schools in Taipei, an initial probe found.

Accused, Kung Fu Instructor

Kung fu - Illustration from Flickr.com

Since California have a one-strike rule in molestation cases where multiple victims are involved, a 36-year-old kung fu instructor may be facing life imprisonment. The suspect was arrested in March 2012.

The instructor, who operated in San Mateo between 1999 and 2011 is apparently accused of inappropriately touching two young girls (aged 9 and 11). Both alleged victims were kung fu students.

Here's and excerpt of what smdailyjournal.com has to say about the on-going case.

Wong worked at Tat Wong Kung Fu on 43rd Avenue in San Mateo between 1999 and 2011. Prosecutors say he fondled two girls, ages 9 and 11, at different times between August 2010 and October 2011. The girls do not know each other but are very similar in age and appearance, according to San Mateo police.
In the first instance, Wong allegedly took the girl upstairs at the studio and touched her breasts and buttocks. The girl reported the incident but the lack of corroboration led to no prosecution. In October 2011, the second girl reported an identical touching incident upstairs at the studio.

Feel free to comment on the case below or post any updates if you have any!

Kung Fu Instructor

Kung fu - Illustration from Flickr.com

A Texas based kung fu instuctor has been found guilty and sentenced to eight years in jail recently, according to http://scntx.com. You can read an excerpt below and get the whole article here.

Just want to mention briefly that - although you can read about quite a number of these cases here - the vast majority of martial arts schools are very safe places in all respects, and that all but a very few martial arts instructors and teachers are hard working, trustworthy and decent people.

That said, it never hurts do use some due diligence when seeking out a suitable training facility for your child in your local area.

Kung fu instructor

On March 16, area resident Ricky Earl Anderson, 48 was sentenced by a Collin County jury to eight years in prison for sexual assault of a child following a jury trial in the 199th District Court of Collin County announced Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis Friday. The trial began on March 12 and concluded March 16.
Anderson, a kung fu instructor, sexually assaulted one of his female kung fu students in his Richardson apartment on Feb. 15, 2004. The victim was 15-years-old at the time of the crime, and under Texas law, a child under the age of 17 cannot consent to sexual contact with an adult. The victim out-cried to Garland Police Detective Curtis Hale in July 2007. Hale investigated the case and coordinated the filing of the case through the Richardson Police Department.
Testimony showed that Anderson, who had conducted many kung fu classes over the years, lived and, or taught kung fu in recent years in Garland, Frisco, McKinney, Richardson, Royce City, Las Vegas, and Ft. Worth.

The good thing is that these individuals are caught and brought to justice. The really sad part is of course that this stuff is allowed to happen in the first place.

MMA Training Kicked In

MMA fighters - Illustration from Flickr

A mixed martial arts trained college student and army vet have rightfully been hailed as somewhat of a hero after his MMA training kicked in and he took a robber down recently in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

GVSU college student Zack Thome stepped up and saved the day when a local business was robbed in broad daylight (10 in the morning) Thursday.

With all the negative press martial arts in general, and MMA in particular, gets from time to time, it is really nice to read about these kind of positive stories.

Here's what fox17online says about the incident

MMA training kicked in

The man that walked into Spike N' Mike's Party Store around 10:00 a.m. last Thursday morning, intending to rob the store, was charged Monday morning.
38-year-old Brandon Slanger was charged with assault with intent to commit an armed robbery, and being an habitual offender. Slanger's preliminary hearing is set for April 5, 2012.
Slanger didn't count on a vigilant, mixed-martial arts trained customer stepping in, however.
"I look at the cashier, I kind of know him, I come in there every day.  I whispered to him, I mouthed to him, 'Are you getting robbed right now?' He said, 'Yeah,' like really scared," said Zack Thome, the GVSU college student who tackled the suspect.

We definitely need more of these kind of inspirational stories. If you have any, then I'd really appreciate it if you took the time to share them!

Karate Instructor Accused

Karate grading - from Wikipedia.org

It may seem like almost an everyday occurrence that there's another taekwondo or karate instructor accused of a sexual crime of some sort involving a juvenile student.

However, considering the huge number of karate or taekwondo schools and instructors/teachers out there - it's more than anything a statistical thing that these arts are taking the spotlight more often than others.

Also, let us not forget that the vast majority of martial arts teachers are honest, dedicated and trustworthy individuals.

That said - one such case is really one too many, and it involves all martial arts in a significantly negative way.

Here's an excerpt from wtsp.com regarding a recent case from Florida:

A Sarasota teacher was arrested Friday on charges he had sex with a 14-year-old student seven years ago.
According to the affidavit, the victim, now 21, told her brothers that she had sex with John Garcia, a karate instructor at the Sarasota School of Arts and Sciences, when she was in middle school.
On Febr. 7, the woman told police in a statement that during the incident Garcia dismissed the class, locked the door, and sat her in his lap. He then began to fondle her and proceeded to have sex with her. The woman said this was the first time she ever had sex.

As always, feel free to comment below.

Torturer, Martial Arts Maniac

Illustration - From Flickr.com

Well, at least we've got another addition to the ever expanding Martial Arts Maniacs chronicle..

And this fellow, who's running a juvenile boot camp in China, is apparently a real nutter.

The former criminal used to run a martial arts school, and he was not exactly your regular Mr Nice or a guiding star of infinite wisdom and compassion there either, judging from the reports:

The founder of a boot camp for juveniles with behavior problems has been arrested for torturing and raping students despite charging them an annual fee of 50,000 yuan (US$7,940).
Teng Xiaohu, who runs the boot camp in Pujiang County, eastern Zhejiang Province to help youngsters get rid of Internet addiction and develop interest in study, allegedly forced three girls to offer him massage by turns every night and sexually assaulted them, local media reported.
Teng was jailed several years ago for a fight in a martial arts school and he threatened his students not to disclose his criminal past to their parents, the paper said.

Dear, oh dear, there are some really wicked individuals out there...

Accused of Old Crime

North Carolina -- A convicted sex offender, who have spent 10 years in prison, are being investigated after a 39-year-old man said he was assaulted sexually by the man many years earlier, according to wsoctv.com.

The alleged victim told detectives that when he was 9 years old, he and his friend were assaulted at the man's home. The sex offender - who reportedly have admitted to having abused abused many children - was working as a karate teacher in Indian Trail when he had a sleepover at his house.

Detectives said they were reviewing old case files and were attempting to identify other karate students.

Taekwondo Instructor, Sex Assault

Canada -- A former, part-time taekwondo instructor in Oakville is facing several charges stemming from a sexual assault of a 12-year-old boy, according to insidehalton.com.

The incident reportedly occurred at the taekwondo school in 2002. The victim was a student there and the accused was an instructor.

Karate Instructor Facing Trial

Pennsylvania -- A 27-year-old instructor is facing trial on charges he raped a 12-year-old karate student, according to wnep.com.

The man reportedly was an instructor at a martial arts school in Pocono Summit, and it is alleged he had sex with the young girl in the girl's home in Tobyhanna on several occasions from August 2011.

Former UFC Fighter Sentenced

Oregon -- A 37-year-old, former UFC lightweight title contender was recently sentenced to prison after being convicted of sexually abusing an underage female student at his martial arts school in Clackamas in December 2010, according to oregonlive.com.

The MMA fighter was reportedly arraigned in May 2011 on seven counts of first-degree sexual abuse and two counts of second-degree unlawful sexual penetration.

Lost Match - Killed Herself

India -- Police said a 19-year-old female student, holding a "black-belt in martial arts" (duh), hanged herself after losing a karate match.

The tragic incident occurred at the young woman's home in Begum Bazaar, Hyderabad on Saturday evening, according to ibnlive.in.com.

Family members reportedly said the young woman was very depressed after she lost a karate fight during the annual sports competition at her college.

Judo Coach, Sexual Harassment

Update, December 27:

Prosecutors recently filed rape charges against the two-time Olympic judo gold medalist according to media reports.

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Japan -- A 33-year-old retired double Olympic judo gold medalist has been fired from his position as a university coach for sexually harassing a female student, according to sports.yahoo.com.

The man, who won the 66kg title at the Olympics in 2004 as well as 2008, announced his retirement from competition in October 2010 and became a visiting professor at Kyushu University.

The university stated that the man gave the student alcohol - she is allegedly under legal drinking age in Japan (20) - and harassed her sexually in September.

Judo Instructor, 71, Arrested

Canada -- Believing there may be more victims, police have arrested and charged a 71-year-old judo instructor with sexually assaulting a female student on a number of occasions, according to thestar.com.

Police in Toronto allege the man sexually assaulted the student, a teenager at the time, at the judo club from the mid-1980s until the early 1990s.

Kung Fu Teacher Pleads Not Guilty

California -- A Fremont kung fu instructor and school owner, aged 48, has pleaded not guilty to three felony child molest charges, according to mercurynews.com.

The defendant was arrested September 23 at a Houston, Texas airport, after leaving the country when he became aware of police investigating the case.

The man is accused of molesting two female minors who were students at his martial arts school.

Anything to add to this case or similar ones? Feel free to add your comment below.

Charged With Indecent Assault

Pennsylvania -- A 13-year-old martial arts student was allegedly assaulted indecently by her karate instructor for over a year, according to state police and court documents.

The 52-year-old man has now been charged with indecent assault and corruption of minors, according to mcall.com. The man had a karate school in Lower Macungie Township.

Police started an investigation in May after the teenager told friends about the alleged assaults. These friends in return told her parents.

Assault on Taekwondo Team

India -- Thirty-seven Jharkhand taekwondo students were on board the Moori Express when they tried to stop a large group of students - alleged to be hundreds - from harassing their female team members.

In the melee - where articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com reports that 11 girls were harassed by the large crowd - eight individuals, including six of the taekwondo students, received serious injuries.

He Denies Sex Charges

Update, September 28:
The shamed karate instructor from Birmingham was found guilty as charged and has been sentenced to 8 years in prison.

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UK -- A 48-year-old Birmingham karate instructor is in court, charged with having a sexual relationship with a student when she was 13 and 14 years of age (between February 2008 and May 2009).

The prosecutor said the victim, who has since died, told a nurse about the affair when she feared she might be pregnant, according to kidderminstershuttle.co.uk.

Sex Offender Protected?

Australia -- A Jewish community in Melbourne and some of it's prominent senior members, have been accused by police investigators of covering up sex offences alleged to have been committed by a man who worked at one of the schools run by the order.

A 43-year-old security guard at the college in East St Kilda, was arrested and charged with 29 counts of indecent assault and gross indecency relating to former students, according to news.com.au.

The alleged offences is said to have occurred between 1984 and 1991. The alleged victims were between the ages of 7 and 17 at the time of the incidents, and it is alleged to have occurred through the suspects connections with the school. These connections reportedly included private karate lessons and a teaching group.

Charged, Karate Coach

Massachusetts -- A 52-year-old karate coach from Arlington has been arraigned on charges he indecently assaulted a 7-year-old student, according to thebostonchannel.com.

Police allege the defendant taught karate to the child at the time. They said the defendant asked the victim on several occasions to stay after class to help him remove a leg brace in the teacher's office and that he sexually assaulted the victim there.