Had Op Can Chop

UK -- Barry Crozier may have had two hip replacements but is alive and kicking today, according to eveningstar.co.uk.

The 60-year-old only took up shotokan karate because his daughter did not want to start classes alone.

Now, 14-years later and with two new hips, The Ipswich resident has gained his second Dan black belt.

No Judo Hijab

Canada -- A Judo Manitoba official reduced an 11-year-old girl to tears Saturday when he refused to allow her to compete in a tournament wearing a hijab, or Muslim head scarf.

The Judo Manitoba president made the ruling. He said it was based on International Judo Federation guidelines.

"It has nothing to do with religion, it is a safety issue," the president said. "The hijab could be used to strangle somebody. It could fall over her face."

The Judo Manitoba ruling is the latest controversy in Canada over the wearing of hijabs by Muslim girls in sports.

80 Charges

Ohio -- A 31-year-old Brunswick karate instructor has been indicted on 80 sex charges involving two children, newsnet5.com reports.

Prosecutors said the man had sex with two girls ages, 14 and 17, on numerous occasions between August 2006 and October 2007 while they attended a karate school owned by the man's wife.

She Never Stopped Fighting

On those rare occations when I might begin to believe that I'm tough, I quickly get down to earth by reading about those who really are.

Story from uticaod.com:
Newport's Dana Petrillo – a single mother, diagnosed with breast cancer and coping with the death of her mother – never stopped fighting.

"Some days I felt like I just wanted to give up," she said. "I was just exhausted some days, I'd say 'I can't do it.' But I had my kids and I would just tell myself I couldn't quit."

She didn't just fight back, she excelled.

A Celebration of Life

Indiana -- For Dr. Mitch Goldman of Carmel, earning his taekwondo black belt wasn't about ego, indystar.com reports.

The 43-year-old colon cancer survivor called training in the Korean martial art "a celebration of life."

"(Taekwondo) is a good balance of my family, fun and exercise," said Goldman, medical director of the Hilbert Pediatric Emergency Department at Peyton Manning Children's Hospital. "It's something I enjoy and love -- along with my career and family. It's a perfect troika."

Truck Attack

Two men, including a senior member of a group affiliated with a crime syndicate, have been arrested on suspicion of crashing an unmanned truck into a garage belonging to the Oshima sumo stable in Tokyo, in 2006.

The incident is believed to be related to komusubi-ranked sumo wrestler Kyokushuzan, a Mongolian whose real name is Davaa Batbayar, in connection with the exploitation rights for a gold mine in Mongolia.

K-1 Road Rage

Japan -- A 34-year-old K-1 fighter faces charges for beating a truck driver after the heavy vehicle allegedly came too close to his bicycle, Tokyo police said according to mdn.mainichi.jp.

"I thought his truck was pulling over toward my bike. I beat him because he ignored me when I warned him," the fighter was quoted as telling investigators. "I deeply regret what I did."

Inappropriate

Florida -- A martial arts instructor in Orlando has been arrested on suspicion he inappropriately touching at least one of his young students.

The 20-year-old man was arrested after the pre-teenage girl told officers that she was molested while taking part in a class at the martial arts school.

The alleged incident happened more than a year ago, police said. However, the girl recently came forward with the allegation.

The girl told police that the man singled her out at a time when all of the students were watching a movie. She said he pulled her aside and began to rub her private parts, according to a report.

Strength and Joy

Another inspirational piece - this time from news.medill.northwestern.edu.

Story:
Illinois -- People with cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, stroke or lower-body paralysis can boost their body strength, coordination, balance, flexibility and self-esteem. Not by using a new miracle drug or surgery, but by learning karate.

Two organizations in Chicago, along with a few elsewhere, are using martial arts in a revolutionary way, as therapy for those with serious physical or mental challenges.

Accused of Rape

UK -- A court was told how a karate instructor raped a schoolgirl and threatened to hit her if she told anyone, according to theargus.co.uk.

The 42-year-old man reportedly made the threats to the 13-year-old if she refused his demands.

The instructor, who taught at schools and church halls across Worthing and Littlehampton, also forced the girl to give him oral sex in front of other children, it was alleged.

You will find this and other martial arts related stories at Your Martial Arts Resources

A Homicide Suspect

Officers who surrounded a homicide suspect as he sat in a car near a Porterville high school Thursday morning discovered he had shot himself.

Detectives believe the 29-year-old Porterville resident is responsible for the murder of a 23-year-old woman who was found dead at her apartment, a police spokesman said. Trauma to the woman's body indicated she may have been strangled, the spokesman said.

Police said they are investigating the relationship between the victim and the suspected killer, along with information that the man fought professionally in mixed martial arts at a local casino.

Silent Demo

And now: A silent (and slow moving?) demo - tai chi style.

Story:
Martial art enthusiasts are to stage a mass protest in public gardens threatened with development, according to manchestereveningnews.co.uk.

More than 100 followers of the ancient Chinese art of Tai Chi are expected to descend on Didsbury's Marie Louise Gardens for a silent demo against plans to sell off part of the community beauty spot.

Halloween Dumbnuts Assault

An 18-year-old man from Horsham, West Sussex, has been charged with killing a 15-year-old boy at a Halloween party news.bbc.co.uk reports.

The victim died in a nunchaku attack at the party, in Horsham, on Saturday morning.

The dead youngster was one of two teenagers found with head injuries after police were called to the address.

Fast Quiet Deadly

Ah, yes - the über deadly judo. Not as lethal as the numbchucks or the ninja - but still...

Story:
California -- The defendant, a Linux engineer who is a black belt in judo, might have strangled his estranged wife to death and possibly coaxed his 6-year-old son to help cover it up, a prosecutor told jurors here Wednesday during the second day of the murder trial, blog.wired.com reports.

"There are a lot of different chokes," the prosecutor said, as he explained the art of judo. "It's fast. It's quiet. It's deadly."

TKD Master Instructor Killed

How sad...

Story:
Florida -- Young Soo Do began every tae kwon do class he taught with the mantra posted on the wall of his North Miami studio: For Myself. For My School. For My Country.

That is exactly the way the master instructor lived his life, say those who knew him.

Do, 62, who taught more than 7,000 students in his 30 years of owning Young Tae Kwon Do, died Monday from gunshot wounds. He was shot Saturday as he stood in the back of his studio, watching as his car was getting washed.

Karate Teacher Acquittal

Nevada -- A former Las Vegas karate instructor accused of sexually assaulting a minor has been found not guilty, according to klas-tv.com. Wayne Lacno has been out of jail for less than a week, found not guilty of all of the charges he was facing.

While he is excited for his new found freedom, it's going to be a tough road to get back to where he was at before the charges were brought up against him.

"They didn't even have not guilty on this paper. They had to draw a box and write in the words not guilty on the paper," Lacno says.

ATM Fantasy

Really, I'm not sure what to make of this story from miamiherald.com.

I mean, here we have someone who reportedly tells police he's got "a black belt in martial arts", and who kicks a gun out on one robber's hand while another threatens him with a knife ... And there are five or six of the robbers, no less!

And to top it off, our guy claims he "jumped in his truck, tried to follow them but lost them when he got to the corner."

This guy is either extremely skilled, one tough brother and lucky at the same time, or we're dealing with a bunch of robbers that are not too motivated - and obviously could need some more practise at robbing people. Oh yes, teamwork drills could come in handy too...

...or we have another case involving a martial arts "spin doctor" - spinning fantasy tales. And this tale seems just a "little" too fantastic to me. But then again, what do I know? I sure wasn't there.

Whole story:
A man with martial arts skills defied a robbery gang in Hollywood.

A man told police that about 11:45 a.m. Oct. 21, he drove his truck into the parking lot of the Wachovia Bank and walked to the ATM to make a deposit.

As he was finishing the transaction, he said five or six men approached him at the ATM. He said one man flashed a kitchen knife and said, "Take all your money out or I'm going to kill you."

The victim said he hit an emergency key on the ATM as the group approached him and the machine swallowed his card.

He said he explained to the knife-bearing robber that the machine had taken his ATM card and the robber told him: "I'll kill you."

The victim told police he was a black belt in martial arts and managed to kick a gun from another robber's hand.

That robber picked up the gun and the thieves ran. Jumping in his truck, the man tried to follow them but lost them when he got to the corner.

Illegal Cage Fighting

Florida -- A nationally renowned mixed martial arts fighter, who made a name for himself while competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, was arrested on a felony charge Tuesday after investigators said he organized "illegal cage fighting" matches that drew more than 150 spectators, some from out of town.

The 31-year-old man, of Port St. Lucie allegedly violated a Florida statute that governs "prohibited competitions" - a third-degree felony that carries a possible maximum punishment of five years in prison.

Police said he organized and promoted an unsanctioned and unlicensed match out of a warehouse in St. Lucie West on October 19.

Well-Trained Crew

Crew members of Dai Hong Dan, a North Korean freighter, are drawing a lot of attention for their act in an incident where they escaped a hijacking off the coast of Somalia after a deadly fight with pirates, according to dailynk.com.

The ship sent a distress signal, and the USS James E. Williams which was 95 kilometers distant from the North Korean ship promptly responded to the signal.

The US warship ordered the pirates to give up their weapons through wireless communication. The unexpected intervention perplexed the pirates. The North Korean crews seized the opportunity. They drew out weapons and defeated the bandits.

A defector said "Most of North Korean seafarers of international trade or cargo ships have at least ten years of military service. They also receive martial arts training to prepare themselves for a time of emergency. Therefore, it is not that difficult for the crewmen to defeat the pirates."

Returning to The Ring

UK, Northern Ireland -- An Ulster arthritis sufferer, once so ravaged by the disease he had to have six toes amputated, is to prove he's fighting fit once more at a special martial arts extravaganza, according to belfasttelegraph.co.uk.

35-year-old Shane McCaffrey was once so crippled by arthritis he felt like "an old man" and was left unable to play with his young son Brandon, now aged 11, or carry out any ordinary household chores. He said his passions for kung fu and kickboxing were the last things on his mind.

But thanks to a drug called Enbrel, which he began taking last year, his condition has been transformed enough for him to return to the ring.

Tai Chi Ninja Assailant

UK -- Detectives hunting an armed sex attacker believe he may have an interest in the martial arts, yorkshirepost.co.uk reports.

An appeal on BBC One's Crimewatch on Monday yielded 40 calls to the studio and 20 to Keighley Police, including information about the black plimsoles worn by the man who broke into his 23-year-old victim's Baildon home and sexually assaulted her on Good Friday.

A police spokesman said: "A number of callers said these plimsoles are worm by people who do tai chi."

Megadethkwondo

Shortly receiving a certificate of appointment as the WTF's Goodwill Ambassador of the World in a ceremony in Seoul on October 27, 2007, Megadeth leader Dave Mustaine said that his life had changed for the better thanks to taekwondo.

"Taekwondo is a great discipline. For me, it was one of the things that changed my life," Mustaine said in a recent interview. "It (taekwondo) helped me to eliminate a bad lifestyle of drug and alcoholism. It helped me to believe inside of myself and find the strength inside of myself that I never knew that I possessed."

Martial-Arts-Obsessed

UK -- A 29-year-old English and media teacher has sparked fury among parents after a chilling picture showing him holding a pair of fake handguns appeared on a popular social networking website, dailymail.co.uk reports.

The site shows him adopting what is referred to as "a sinister pose" dressed in black, with arms crossed, each hand grasping a handgun.

As well as the picture where he's glaring menacingly into the camera, the teacher went on to list his interests on the page, which included horror movies, martial arts and role playing games. Using strong language, he also spoke of how he made classroom bullies feel "insignificant".

True Karate Champ

UK -- Karate champion, Owen Murray, has been celebrating after achieving one of the sport's highest awards - a sixth dan grading, sunderlandecho.com reports.

When Owen lost his arm in an industrial accident at the age of 20, he didn't want to feel vulnerable, so he took up the sport as a form of self-defense.

After winning gold medals at the European championships, helping Sunderland win the national championships and visiting Sierra Leone to help people in similar situations to learn karate, Owen has now chosen to teach people in his garage at home.

Wristlockido March

UK -- On Wednesday at 11:25 a.m., 30-year-old Ash Scholefield was sitting in his truck at traffic lights in Gomersal.

A van careered on to the pavement to the left of Ash's truck and crashed into a tipper lorry which was waiting at the lights. The driver of the van climbed out of the window and ran off.

Ash instinctively jumped from his own cab and chased the 16-year-old for about 1,000-meters across a school field.

Despite the teenager wearing running shoes and Ash being in his work rigger boots, he managed to catch up and tackle him. Ash knew just how to restraining the struggling youth - he is a black belt instructor in aikido.

He put the teenager in a wrist lock and marched him back to the scene of the accident and restrained him until police officers arrived 15 minutes later.

Not Done Yet

A great story here from zwire.com.

Wisconsin -- A City of Delafield woman has reached her latest goal: becoming a first-degree black belt in taekwondo. Meet Helen Bressler, age 76.

Bressler has lived an active life, which has included cross country running, downhill skiing and activities at the Senior Olympics. And she's not done yet.

A student at J.A.B. Karate Center in Okauchee, Bressler walked into the studio five years ago at age 71, informing Master Jim Bonesho that taekwondo was to be her next challenge.

Improving Motor Skills

When you read this inspirational story - just make sure you pretend you didn't see the "second dan black belt in four years" stupidity.

Apart from that, this is a great read - showing how karate (or most other martial arts for that matter), can greatly improve a childs motor skills.

Story:
For a Vienna Township family, martial arts go much further than entertainment. In fact, the discipline is credited with physical improvements in what had been a very ill child.

Nine-year-old Daniel Griffin dons his black karate uniform and makes his way to karate class several times a week. He begins the day with stretches and exercises before practicing moves associated with his kata in his course of training.

Both his parents remember a time before martial arts practice - a time when they did not expect their only child to survive.

Forced to Run

Japan -- The father of a 16-year-old high school student in Kumamoto is seeking criminal charges against a teacher and two officials at the school after his son fell unconscious the day after being forced to run wind sprints as a part of karate practice despite having suffered a concussion shortly beforehand.

The boy, who is a freshman at the private Kaishin High School, has since been hospitalized because of serious after effects from an acute subdural hematoma.

Read this and other martial arts related stories at Your Martial Arts Resources

Another Karate Case

New York -- A 37-year-old Ronkonkoma karate instructor was arrested Thursday and charged with sexually abusing a 13-year-old male student, according to newsday.com.

The Karate Academy owner was arrested at his home by detectives. The detectives were acting on the complaint of the alleged victim, who said he was taken in July to the instructor's home in Ronkonkoma, where he was sexually molested.

The 13-year-old describes himself as one of the karate instructor's "cool group," the ones allowed to hang out in the Karate Academy office and teach younger students.

Disturbing

New Jersey -- abclocal.go.com reports about a hospital lab technician who is under arrest, charged with a gruesome crime. Police say he had sex with the body of a 92-year-old woman in the morgue.

The 24-year-old part-time lab technician at Holy Name Hospital is charged with this disturbing and unimaginable crime.

The suspect is a part-time worker at Holy Name. He has his own myspace page in which he claims to be a sports enthusiast, who loves football, martial arts and partying.

Pacific Ice

Guam -- There's been a delay in the sentencing of a convicted drug dealer today in District Court, pacificnewscenter.com reports.

The man, a mixed martial arts fighter, faces a minimum sentence of up to 12 years and seven months in prison for possession with intent to deliver crystal methamphetamine, (known as 'ice').

He Shines in Karate

India -- He may be physically challenged, but nobody can challenge his spirits, mangalorean.com reports. The 10 year old karate student Shivananda Reddy from Andhra Pradesh is able to handle the complex art of Budokan Karate.

Shivananda is a student of a Hyderabad karate academy. He lost his leg in an automotive accident but that has not affected his urge to learn and fight. He is practicing Karate from three months and has already learnt a number of kicks and moves that goes with his repertoire.

Lawyer 1 Pit Bulls 0

Here's a note from setexasrecord.com.

Florida -- Boca Raton lawyer Paul Geller is a high-profile securities class action lawyer who's gone after some of America's largest companies. But in his spare time, the 39-year-old litigator is a nationally ranked Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitor who trades in the courtroom for the octagon of mixed martial arts tournaments.

When he saw two pitbulls mauling a pregnant woman and her Schnauzer, Geller leapt into action, kicking at the dogs until they retreated. The woman needed nine stitches for facial lacerations and her dog required over 100, but both made full recoveries thanks to Geller's actions.

Karate Catch

New Jersey -- When the thief eyed a pickup truck parked outside a West Deptford Township home early Friday morning, he didn't know that its owner was a karate instructor with 12 years of experience under his black belt. He found out soon enough, nj.com reports.

The 33-year-old owner woke up shortly before 4 a.m. Friday when he heard a noise outside his bedroom window, his wife said. Heading outside to investigate the noise, the owner must have spooked the thief.

The suspect ran, the wife said, and her husband who teaches martial arts in Woodbury sprinted after him, grabbing the man and putting him in a chokehold.

Police arrived to find the karate teacher wearing only a pair of gray sweatpants sitting on the suspect's back and twisting his arm, pinning the man to the ground by holding one arm behind his back.

Banned Substances

China -- A cyclist and wushu competitor have tested positive for banned substances at China's City Games, according to canadianpress.google.com.

The competitors were suspected of using stimulants and anabolic agents. The two were identified as a gold medal winner in wushu, representing the northern city of Shijiazhuang; and a cyclist from Yinchuan in the northeast, who competed in the men's team pursuit event.

Orna-Mental

UK -- Police negotiators talked a man from a house in Exminster after he had allegedly threatened to stab a woman with a sword, thisisexeter.co.uk reports.

The woman fled the premises with her children before calling police.

The man then locked himself in the property and told police he had consumed medication and had also been drinking.

Three matching ornamental Japanese style swords in red scabbards, a fishing knife in a scabbard, and two small folding pocket knives were seized from the address.

Karate Instructor Arrested

For years, he was considered a trusted martial arts instructor in North Royalton with hundreds of students, wkyc.com reports.

Now police say the master teacher known as "Scott" violated that trust by having sex with a 14 year old girl.

Way Out of the Way

Here's an inspirational piece from sfgate.com. Don't know about this statement though: "the little-known Philippine martial art of escrima". Little known?

Story:
As Carlito Bonjoc Jr. gets his arms going, it's best to get out of the way. Like way out of the way.

The blur of hands wielding wide, stocky knives interspersed with flashes of reflected sunlight is a hypnotic, fluid movement. It's a bit like watching a finely choreographed dance.

But what Bonjoc is demonstrating is the little-known Philippine martial art of escrima. The other difference: He does it from the seat of his wheelchair or with the aid of crutches.

The 46-year-old escrima master was born with spina bifida, a congenital spinal cord defect that can affect the lower body and result in paralysis, yet he doesn't tolerate pity.

Aikidorganic

Virginia -- An aikido school planned near Massaponax High School in Fredericksburg has won recognition for its environmentally friendly headquarters development, fredericksburg.com reports

The school was recognized for landscaping that included low-impact stormwater management, an organic vegetable and ornamental garden, wildlife habitat improvement and a small greenhouse.