April 22nd, 2012
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The Burqa Boxers: Afghanistan And Female Boxing
April 17th, 2012
As if boxing weren’t tough enough.
In a very conservative and rather traditional society and country like Afghanistan it’s not only the physical training aspect of Western boxing that makes it a challenge.
It can be more than just a challenge. At times it can be even life-threatening if you are an Afghan female and striving to become the best boxer you can be.
A group of Afghan girls and women doing just that are simply known as the ‘Burqa Boxers’.
The burqa is the outer clothing worn by women in some Islamic traditions to cover their bodies in public places and yes, that would include countries such as Afghanistan.
Well, the girls and women we’re talking about today are certainly respecting that part of it all, even or especially while training.
However, even within their own families some of these female boxers are experiencing harsh criticism to say the least.
At times they have received extreme threats that prevent them from training, as in the view of their critics in their home country of Afghanistan the boxers are not complying with Islamic law and traditions.
To me these boxers and coaches appear to be very dedicated and most of their friends and families to be supportive of their pursuit to be the best that they can be.
Chilling memories become all too real, when you think of them training at Kabul’s Ghazni stadium where years ago the Taliban would execute women.
At this same place, 17-year old Olympic hopeful for this year’s London games Sadaf Rahimi trains among dusty floors, broken mirrors and hardly lit hallways.
It didn’t surprise me when I heard that there is a lack of appropriate training equipment. They don’t even seem to have a boxing ring.
And yet Rahimi and her peers are determined to continue to float like a butterflies and sting like a bees.
Kudos!
Antidote To March Madness
March 19th, 2012
If you happen to live in the U.S. of A. you know that there is hardly a way around March Madness.
Well, how about a healthy antidote without any known negative side effects and no FDA approval needed?
Yep, martial arts quotes. Some will make you think and others will make you smile.
Enjoy!
“A warrior may choose pacifism; others are condemned to it.” – Author unknown
“Don’t hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit softly.
“- Theodore Roosevelt
“Cry in the dojo. Laugh on the battlefield.”
- Author unknown
“Each of us has his cowardice. Each of us is afraid to lose, afraid to die. But hanging back is the way to remain a coward for life. The Way to find courage is to seek it on the field of conflict. And the sure way to victory is willingness to risk one’s own life.” – Mas Oyama (Kyokushin Karate)
“He who hesitates, meditates in a horizontal position.” – Ed Parker (American Kenpo)
“Do or do not, there is no try.” – Yoda (Jedi Arts)
“Always be able to kill your students.” – Masaaki Hatsumi (Bujinkan Ninjutsu)
“A good martial artist does not become tense but ready, not thinking but yet not dreaming. Ready for whatever may come.” - Bruce Lee
“Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them – a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill, and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.” - Muhammad Ali
“Courage is being afraid, but then doing what you have to do anyway.” - Rudy Giuliani
“The one who has conquered himself is a far greater hero than he who has defeated a thousand times a thousand men.” - The Dhammapada
“Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” - Winston Churchill
“Success is never final. Failure is never fatal. It is courage that counts.” – Winston Churchill
“Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.” - Napoleon Bonaparte
“The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in combat.” - Navy SEALs
“Those who are skilled in combat do not become angered, those who are skilled at winning do not become afraid. Thus the wise win before the fight, while the ignorant fight to win.” - O Sensei Ueshiba
“The measure of a man is not in how he gets knocked to the mat, it is in how he gets up.” - Unknown, but could have been me. Really.
“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” - Mahatma Gandhi
“You carry on no matter what the obstacles. You simply refuse to give up … and, when the going gets tough, you get tougher. And you win.” - Vince Lombardi
“If you’ll not settle for anything less than your best, you’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish in your lives.” - Vince Lombardi
“No one can defeat us unless we first defeat ourselves.” - Dwight Eisenhower
Undefeated In Over 9 Years, Judo Legend Yasuhiro Yamashita
March 3rd, 2012
When competing in judo one can score points by performing an effective throw, or by forcing an opponent into submission.
Judo players, a.k.a. judoka, will do their best to gain control of their opponent before applying a throwing or holding technique.
Sikh Saint-Soldiers And The Holy Duels Of Hola Mohalla
February 16th, 2012
How and why I come up with some of these posts, I have no idea.
I start thinking about writing something. But what? And then out of nowhere that something just finds me. Ha.
Just like with this post. I don’t think I have written that much about martial arts related to India and that’s just wrong. I will make up for it, I promise.
Let’s start with something that takes place every year in India.
When we say ‘martial art’, this is the real deal, meaning that it really refers to the art to carry out war and to come home alive from the battlefield.
The Punjabi term Hola Mohalla or just Hola is a Sikh Olympics event which starts on the first day of the lunar month of Chet in the Nanakshahi calendar. Most of the time it falls in March and at times it coincides with the Sikh New Year.
It is a week-long event and attendees enjoy numerous martial arts, along with music and poetry.
Hola ends with a long, military-style procession near Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib, one of the five seats of temporal authority of the Sikhs.
Maybe a word or two about the Sikhs.
Sikhism originated in the 15th century in the Punjabi region. A follower of this religion is considered a Sikh which means disciple or student of the Guru.
Most Sikh males’ family name is Singh (lion) and females’ is Kaur (princess).
Guru Gobind Singh introduced the “pure brotherhood”whereas Sikhs do not cut their hair which is covered with a turban. The belief is founded on the idea that humans are made in the image of God. To honor God would also mean to leave one’s hair intact as a symbol of honor and warriorhood. This acceptance of the natural form of our bodies allows believers to be at peace with themselves at all times and to get rid of vanity relating to outward appearance.
The Sikhs have been known to be truly fierce warriors and reportedly during the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh they were the only people to stand toe to toe with the forces of the British Empire.
Their fighting skills have been handed down through generations and I invite you to watch these impressive ’saint-soldiers’ during previous Hola Mohalla festivities.
Antonio Graceffo a.k.a. Brooklyn Monk Is The Martial Arts Globetrotter
January 29th, 2012
Martial arts and foreign travel. What a great combination!
I am still enthusiastic about martial arts, even in my 50s. Why else would I be blogging about the stuff?!
And I am probably just as excited about foreign travel, because I just enjoy constantly learning about all kinds of different cultures and their people. I have been very fortunate to have travelled and experienced first-hand close to 50 or so countries so far. There are still a bunch of places I haven’t been to yet, but will certainly in the foreseeable future. Life is too short not to. What are we here for anyway?! I don’t want to get too philosophical today, maybe another day.
While I am not travelling, but feel like learning more about let’s say Asian countries, I will just venture out to an ethnic restaurant for a yummy meal and strike up a conversation with the people working there.
Just like last night, I met the nicest people, from South China and Indonesia. It was a great experience. The food was fantastic, too.
Well, guys, today it looks like I have come across a guy who is right up our alley.
He is from Brooklyn (man, thinking about it, I was born there, but left the Big Apple decades ago). He is smart, funny, loves martial arts, can’t get rid of the travel bug and is multi-lingual, for starters. Were we separated at birth? Is he my brother from another mother?
He is Antonio Graceffo, also known as Brooklyn Monk.
Following his landmark decision to quit his job on Wall Street in 2001 and become a martial arts student, the book Warrior Odyssey captures his ongoing adventure across the Far East.
Antonio Graceffo is the host of the web TV show, Martial Arts Odyssey and an adventure travel and martial arts author living in Asia.
Antonio has studied Kung Fu at the Shaolin Temple in China, and Muay Thai in Thailand. When not training or writing, he works as a martial arts consultant for TV shows: Human Weapon, Digging for the Truth, Kill Arman, The Art of Fighting, Samantha Brown’s Asia, and Thai TV shows about Muay Thai Chaiya and the Kun Khmer Champions in Cambodia.
Beyond martial arts, Antonio is also a skilled linguist, with fluency in multiple languages including Thai, Khmer, Mandarin Chinese, German, Spanish, Italian, and French.
Enjoy meeting Anontio Graceffo right here 
Your Mission: Fight 100 Opponents Consecutively And Win At Least 50%
January 14th, 2012
The stand-up full contact karate style founded in 1964 by Mas Oyama is known as Kyokushin karate and practicioners are motivated to self-improvement, discipline and hard training.
In most Kyokushin organizations, hand and elbow strikes to the head or neck are prohibited. However, kicks to the head, knee strikes, punches to the upper body, and kicks to the inner and outer leg are permitted.
And this is what championship kumite Kyokushin-style looks like:
And if that weren’t tough enough Mas Oyama came up with the idea of the 100 man kumite for black belts. It really is what it claims to be.
You face 100 opponents (brown belts and up) consecutively in one 1.5 or 2 minute round each under normal Kyokushin rules and with 30 seconds rest between fights, and you are required to clearly “win”, meaning not getting knocked down in at least 50% of the fights, and never get knocked down for longer than 5 seconds.
Legendary Hajime Kazumi completed his 100 man kumite in 1999:
Time per Kumite 1 minute 30 seconds
Time Started 11:38
Time Finished 15:42
Total Fighting Time 3 hours 20 minutes 40 seconds
Total Spending Time 4 hours 4 minutes
Results 58 wins, 42 draws, no losses
The 100 man kumite was introduced in the early 60s. Naomi Woods became the first female to complete it in 2004. Originally, Mas Oyama wanted the challenge to be a requirement for black belts. Only very few have been able to complete this mission of fighting 100 opponents consecutively and winning at least 50%.
I leave you today with some wisdom from the legendary founder of Kyoshinkai karate, Masutatsu Oyama.
“If you learn a technique and repeat it 1,000 times, you are still learning. If you repeat it 10,000 times, then you know it. But if you want to own it, you need to repeat it 100,000 times.”
Merry Christmas Y’All
December 24th, 2011
Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a healthy and prosperous New Year!
And just because I feel like it, here are a couple of pretty funny clips that I hope you enjoy, too:
Glima – The Icelandic Art Of Wrestling Is Still Hot
December 22nd, 2011
I have been wanting to post something about Iceland for some time now. As I have written before, the Swiss, the Turks and many others have their own styles of wrestling.
So, why not the descendants of the Vikings?!
Known as a style of folk wrestling, Glima is considered a national sport.
Glima consists of several elements that make it different from other styles of wrestling.
Opponents have to stand upright at all times.
It might look like they’re dancing, but opponents actually have to step clockwise around each other. That’s how they create openings for attack and counter-attack and it simply keeps things moving.
It’s frowned upon to fall down on your opponent or to even to shove him with force.
When wrestling, you’re supposed to look across your opponent’s shoulder, as the goal it to wrestle by touch and feel instead of by visuals.
Eight core techniques represent the basics for the approximately fifty ways to throw your opponent.
Fairness and respect for your training partner are considered a code of honor in Glima.
The Icelandic term Glima basically menas wrestling and in a broader sense means struggle.
Historically, Glima called for a fighting style that favored technique over brute force.
Both wrestlers wear a special belt around their waist. Further, belts are worn on the lower thighs of each leg, which connect to the main belt with vertical straps.
Further, a fixed grip is then taken with one hand in the belt and the other in the trousers at thigh height. From this position the Glima wrestler attempts to trip and throw his opponent.
A thrown wrestler may attempt to land on his feet and hands and if he succeeds in doing so he has not lost the fall. The goal is to make the opponent touch the ground with an area of the body between the elbow and the knee.
Eric Oram – The Sifu Behind Robert Downey Jr.’s Return To The Top
December 3rd, 2011
The sequel to Sherlock Holmes of 2009 and called ‘A Game of Shadows’ is scheduled to hit movie theaters this December 16 and from what I have seen in the trailer, it should be another good one for us martial arts enthusiasts to watch and enjoy.
Like I said, I have only seen the trailer and of course the fight scenes got my attention.
And as we all know, these and other high-quality fight scenes take a lot of hard work, great choreography, stuntpeople etc.
I counted over 50 (fifty) stunt performers plus stunt coordinators, choreographers and consultants who contributed to Sherlock Holmes 2009 and around 40 (forty) in the sequel scheduled in 2 weeks.
Not surprisingly, I am always trying to find out who are the real movers and shakers behind the scenes.
And my search results in reference to Sherlock Holmes will hopefully find your stamp of approval in exclamations such as “I had no idea!” or “Now, that’s really interesting!” or even “That explains it all!”.
First off, the director getting a lot of highly-served credit is Guy Ritchie, who just so happens to be a martial artist himself. He is trained in Shotokan karate, Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. So, the director, meaning the guy with an eye for the big picture and a clear vision of the final product, has a knack for some high-quality fight scenes. Even though, Sherlock Holmes isn’t really considered an actual action/martial arts movie.
And then there’s the lead actor, Robert Downey Jr. and I think we can all agree he is and has been back on top of his game the last couple of years.
It’s no secret that he was pretty much washed up and his film career was going down the drain …. fast.
He had numerous run-ins with the law and his drug problems were out of control.
And if there was any hope to his personal and professional life, he needed to get cleaned up …. fast.
Many posts ago, I wrote about Robert Downey Jr. and the fact that he has been training in Wing Chun kung fu which has obviously been helping him in so many extraordinary ways, both personally and professionally.
But the connection that I didn’t make was who was behind it all and this is where it get’s really interesting. At least for me, maybe even for you, too.
An absolute world authority on Wing Chun kung fu with roots in Las Vegas and owner of a very impressive academy in West Los Angeles, Sifu Eric Oram originally even trained under Grandmaster William Cheung, who way back in the day actually taught Bruce Lee a thing or two about Wing Chun in his very early years.
Sifu Eric is in high demand for top-quality teaching with law enforcement and military units such as Delta Force, Navy Seals, Marines, FBU Hostage Rescue Units, just to name a few.
And then there’s Robert Downey Jr. who supposedly now ensures that there’s a stipulation in every film contract that he signs guaranteeing that Sifu Eric Oram, with whom he of course he really close friends, is on set as his consultant and trainer.
Here are several clips you might enjoy:
And last, but not least:
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