Shakin' All Over

S. Korea -- A skyscraper in Seoul reportedly had to be evacuated during a vigorous workout recently.

It is said that the cause for the evacuation was a group of middle-aged people doing Tae Bo (a fitness workout which combines taekwondo and boxing). Allegedly, this group exercise caused tremors, which in turn set of the need for evacuating the high rise building.

The owners of the building said the upper floors of the tower was shaking for 10 minutes, as a result of the group exercise on the 12th floor gym.

And who said that middle-aged people doing Tae Bo isn't dangerous stuff... :-)

Accused of Sex Abuse

Oregon -- Police are concerned there may be more victims after a 31-year-old martial arts teacher has been accused of sexually abusing a 7-year-old girl, according to kptv.com.

The accused reportedly taught martial arts to children at a gym in Newberg and the man allegedly committed the crimes in 2008.

The accused was the boyfriend of the young victim's mother during the time of the abuse, investigators say.

Kung Fu Assault

Dubai -- A heath inspector was left with permanent disabilities after three Chinese staff members at a bodybuilding and kung fu club assaulted the man November 23, 2010.

The three attackers have now been sentenced to jail for the assault and will be deported after serving the sentence.

The inspector went to a gym in Muraqqabat and issued a physician working on the premises with a written notice for bad health and safety related matters, like cans of expired foods, bad odors, smoking indoors and unsatisfactory sanitary conditions. On a previous visit, the business had been given a verbal warning.

You can read more here about similar antics of "certified" Martial Arts Maniacs.

Master, at 91

UK -- He was born in 1919, yet 91-year-old Cristobal Campos is reportedly super fit and gives far younger people a run for their money, according to sunderlandecho.com.

Mr Campos who took up taekwondo at the age of 80 after watching his grandsons, said he had been practicing the martial arts for 11 years.

"I'm a fourth dan black belt. It helps me keep active and is good for self-defense. I am known as Master Campos."

The great-grandfather, who lives in West Boldon and originally hails from Spain, tops up his taekwondo training with weekly sessions at the gym.

Great going sir!

Domestic Violence Charge

Canada -- A well-known figure in the Vancouver MMA community has been hit with weapon assault charges in an alleged domestic violence case, along with a number of other firearms charges, according to theprovince.com.

The 45-year-old man, a former professional fighter, is currently a trainer at a mixed martial arts gym, which operates in Vancouver and Richmond.

Accused of Grand Theft

Florida -- A 39-year-old personal trainer from New Port Richey, who is now said to be a karate instructor, has been arrested on charges of billing a gym for workouts he never provided.

The man, who no longer works at that gym, has been charged with grand theft, according to tampabay.com.

But... but... Ummm... Isn't a martial arts instructor supposed to be a person of morals and high ethical standards? We are not supposed to do these kind of things, right? Right....?

The Wrong Kind of Signal?

Here's a guy who has more than a crass word to say to all the "tough" guys who walks around in Affliction MMA-style T-shirts. You know the type, lots of visible tattoos, shirt one size too small, works at the gym to get the "right" kind of muscles to show off on a Friday night...

Although the whole article is kept in a light an refreshingly humorous style, there is a sincere and serious tone to it. And indeed - I have to agree: If you want to look like a moron, here's how :-)

The whole "dress code" reminds me of the equally stupid ripped muscle shirts who was in vogue years ago with steroid pumped guys who tried to look even bigger than they actually were, and so out of touch with their own bodies they could hardly walk properly - let alone walk past a mirror without having a look at that man candy :-)

If you're an MMA fighter for real, I say go for this kind of show off! If not then do the rest of the world a favor and get something else ... please.

"Expert" Creep

What a sleazeball...

UK -- A 33-year-old martial arts "expert", cage-fighter and steroid addict raped a 25-year-old model he met on Facebook – a victim whom he also beat black and blue. Furthermore, he arranged for a friend to throw acid in her face in order to try to stop her from going to the police.

The creep was caged for life in May 2009. However, this human waste has now written to the British Ministry of Justice claiming his gym privileges have been withdrawn "illegally".

The whining moron reportedly quoted complex jail rules in an attempt to overturn the ban, which came into effect after he was caught with a mobile phone at the prison where he is serving time.

But his complaint was slapped down by the Ministry, which said he had a legal right to only one to two hours of exercise per week, according to dailystar.co.uk.

Deadly Bar Fight

Florida -- Opening statements began June 30 in the trial of a trained fighter accused of killing a man during an alcohol-fueled skirmish outside a Pensacola Beach bar. He is charged with second-degree murder, according to pnj.com.

The 29-year-old Pensacola man was accused of punching another man, 32, in the face knocking him unconscious in a fight on December 20, 2008. The victim fell to the ground and struck his head on the parking lot pavement. He never recovered from the trauma.

The defendant is a former wrestler who also is trained in the art of jujitsu (jiu-jitsu?), a form of grappling and submission fighting, and took some training in mixed-martial arts fighting at a local gym.

Funded With Drug Money?

New Hampshire -- Federal prosecutors are claiming that a mixed martial arts gym in Hudson was financed with narcotics sales. As a consequence the government seized the fighting cage, punching bags and other gym equipment.

U.S. Marshals and DEA agents seized various equipment from the gym July 10, 2008, including gym equipment, furniture, computer equipment, and various vehicles registered to the owner. The court has yet to rule on whether the government can keep the various items, according to nashuatelegraph.com.

Prosecutors filed a drug forfeiture complaint in 2008 against the MMA academy and the gym owner, according to court records.

The case remained sealed until June 29. An Assistant U.S. Attorney notified the court that "the ongoing criminal investigation has been concluded." No criminal charges have been filed, court records show.

The forfeiture complaint alleges that the 28-year-old owner was involved in large-scale trafficking of Oxycontin, a prescription narcotic. The forfeiture complaint alleges that the owner sold a total of about 400 Oxycontin pills on six different occasions in March and April 2008, for a total of more than $18,000, with most sales taking place at the gym.

Illegal MMA Competition

Florida -- Two men, 23 and 51, were recently accused of holding an unsanctioned amateur MMA competition in a gym in a Zephyrhills strip mall, officials said.

The men were facing felony prohibited competitions charges, according to tampabay.com. No mixed martial arts fights are allowed at the amateur level in Florida.

Karate and Disabled Children

Illinois -- Karate is more than kicking, reports abclocal.go.com. It improves the mind and bodies of children, and that is especially important for kids with disabilities.

Karate and other martial arts teach children with disabilities how to focus, concentrate and set goals, while at the same time, to be cool and strong.

A karate school in Glenview, Chicago teaches children and teens with and without disabilities. "When we get these kids in the gym and they all put their karate suits on, they're not that different," said the sixth degree black belt and founder of the school.

He has been working with children and teens with disabilities for more than 25 years.

An Amazing Senior Karateka

Australia -- Hawkesbury.yourguide.com.au: "Anyone can learn a lot about living a full and meaningful life from my father," Lesa Tame said, describing her 72-year-old father Leon Tames as 'amazing'.

The cheerful Mr Tame of Grose Vale was facing a dark future after he was diagnosed with aggressive bile duct cancer in February 2007.

Despite the constant bouts of pain that strike him, Mr Tame still continues to lead an active lifestyle, achieving his black belt in karate in August 2008, still attending classes even though he's battling pain and gets tired at times from the cancer."

His daughter said he has an incredible physique for his age, thanks to the gym he has always kept in his garage.

Illegal Weapons Charges

UK -- A 33-year-old former heavyweight champion in judo has been charged with possessing a handgun and ammunition without a firearms certificate, according to blackpoolgazette.co.uk.

The man, who is is a gym owner and boxing promoter, is said to have been hiding the illegal items at his Ansdell, Blackpool home, hidden in a cushion.

MMA Fighter Killed

Canada -- A 28-year-old fighter and MMA gym owner with past links to a criminal gang has been shot and killed in Abbotsford, according to bclocalnews.com. The man was allegedly gunned down in the gym's stairwell.

An Abbotsford Police spokesperson said the gym was well known to police for some of the people frequenting it, and the victim also was well known to police.

The man was reportedly charged with weapons and drugs offences in April 2008.

Came as a Blow

California -- It is said he had a reputation as the quiet man who struggled through pre-fight interviews, sbsun.com reports.

It apparently came as a blow to his coach and others who train at the San Bernardino gym when they learned the professional cage fighter was sitting in jail accused of beating his 11-month-old son.

Disco Dojo

Yep, it's the latest fitness fad from LA - [...drum roll...] Disco Dojo (sic.)

"We can't possibly have the boring old stuff, now can we? People want to be entertained, they demand something fresh and exciting... This karate stuff is sooo last week!"

Story:
Maybe you want to try kicking things up a notch to make things a little more interesting.
You don't have to be a dancer or practice martial arts to take a disco dojo class. "But you can train like one," says Scott Cole, creator of disco dojo. "

What is this class exactly? "Fun, F-U-N," Cole says. "It's a combination of martial arts and dance. I had a dance aerobic background, and then I started taking martial arts in my early 30s and then started combining kickboxing, tai-chi, taekwondo, all into the mix of Latin salsa, some of the kicks, punches, and some of the disco moves too."

Source

Kung-Fit

"Martial arts classes don't make you fit or get you in shape. It's a martial arts myth, says Mike Wittig who studied kung fu for 16 years but joined a gymnastics class to get the conditioning he wanted."

Source: Canada.com

You know what? To a large extent I tend to agree. Many martial arts classes that I've observed are more like a "walk in the park" than a serious work-out.

Still, this "lack of fitness" largely depends upon A. The art/style itself, and B. How the various classes are run.

Let us not forget either that the concept of "fitness" is a very broad team. It is something that is measured in relevance to something else; you are more or less fit compared to someone or something.

But yes - if you are after, say a specific sort of cardiovascular endurance, then other activities - like running - are absolutely better suited to the purpose than kung fu, karate or jujutsu.

Finally, make no mistake about it, any fighter worthy of the name must be in great shape to succeed.

An Attention Grabber

Even at the Olympic Training Center, with its assortment of world-class boxers, swimmers and weight lifters crowding gyms and training rooms, Grace Ohashi is an attention grabber.

In the past six months, the 18-year-old has emigrated from Japan, figured out a foreign culture, finished second at the USA Judo Senior National championships, earned a spot in the ongoing Pan American Games and transformed herself into a potential Olympian.

And that was the routine part. Ohashi can barely see.

She walks into walls. Uses a walking cane on busy streets. Tumbled down stairs before her national championship match in Miami. Nearly stepped off a dock at Pueblo Reservoir. Can't see the faces of the women she fights.

Source

A Paedophile

Spain -- A Lorca court has remanded a suspected paedophile to custody following his arrest at his home in Aguilas. The 62 year old martial arts teacher faces three counts of sexual assault and one of corruption of minors.

The mane was arrested after the parents of four children who attend his unlicensed gym in Aguilas presented complaints to the local Civil Guard barracks. Reports say that all four children are under the age of ten.

Source