kicking
May I Introduce To You One Of The Greatest Kickboxers Ever: Peter “Sugarfoot” Cunningham
Like I said in my last post, I would be writing about a couple of martial arts greats these days.
May I introduce today the first one of a group of four outstanding martial arts practitioners and instructors who will be teaching at an upcoming seminar near L.A. this month.
What I just picked up was that he even played the role of Mike ‘Machine Gun’ Mungin in “The Fighter”, starring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo.
So, who is Peter Cunningham and what’s with the nickname “Sugarfoot”?
Let’s start with the nickname.
Sensei Pete has been nicknamed “Sugarfoot” due to his sweet kicking techniques. If you have ever watched him kick, you will agree that his kicks are sweet…. if you’re not on the receiving end. In that case, you would be dealing more with some sort of sour after-taste.
Like many of us reading this post, as a youngster, Sensei Pete got hooked on martial arts watching Bruce Lee films. Why am I not surprised?!
Originally from Canada, legendary Peter “Sugarfoot” Cunningham is still considered by many one of the greatest full contact fighters of all time and by some even the greatest technician in kickboxing history. He was an seven-time undefeated, undisputed World Champion Kickboxer.
Already back in 1998, in San Jose, California, “Sugarfoot” was inducted as the very first martial artist into the I.S.K.A. Hall of Fame. We have to know that the I.S.K.A. is the most prestigious sanctioning body in the world.
During his active fighting caeer, Sensei Pete traveled to numerous countries such as England, France, Mexico, and Australia to defend his world titles against the Japanese, Thai, English, French, Mexican, and other North American champions.
Sensei Pete had an amazing record of fifty victories, twenty one of which were knockouts, no draw and only according to my research only one loss. Does anybody know who handed him his only career loss?
Peter “Sugarfoot” Cunningham has shifted his career to teaching and to acting on the the Big Screen. He has already appeared in a number of productions. Besides “The Fighter”, as mentioned above, he is credited for his work in the 1985 martial arts movie “No Retreat, No Surrender” as lightweight champion fighter Frank Peters, as well as in the 1986 Yuen Biao/Corey Yuen film “Righting Wrongs”.
And because we all enjoy some really good visuals, you’re in for a treat starring Peter “Sugarfoot” Cummingham.
Stop by again in the next few days for more martial arts greats …….
Haiti And Taekwondo
I didn’t expect to learn what I did and I sure didn’t anticipate to meet whom I met on my recent business trip overseas.
First off, I have known this gentleman for a number of years now. He is a really smart guy with tons of university degrees as well as an MBA and even a Ph.D. to boot. But even more important to me is the fact that he is a really nice down-to-earth kind of guy you enjoy having conversation over a beer or two or more with (which we recently had!) .
I am sure you all remember the massive earthquake that hit Haiti and specifically the capital of Port-Au-Prince just about a year ago. Very devastating. Extremely tragic. So many human lives lost and so many more changed forever.
But get this: The gentleman mentioned above was in Haiti conducting business right there in the middle of it all when it happened.
He was supposed be staying at his hotel, but there were some changes in plan that asked for him to join some other business associates to head out for a meeting just about 30 minutes before tragedy hit Haiti.
These circumstance essentially saved his life when the Big One hit Haiti. When he did make it back, his hotel had been flattened. As you can imagine, all his personal belongings that were in his hotel room had simply vanished during the disaster.
This gentleman made it out without even a scratch and several weeks later he did receive his dust-covered passport from the State Department which was recovered from the former hotel site. He now always carries it in his briefcase as a reminder of his close call.
Even though I didn’t experience it myself, it is a reminder to me how fragile life is and how I have to remind myself during hectic workdays that our time on this planet is limited and that one should make the effort on just ‘being in the moment’.
And there is one such Taekwondo master that I didn’t meet in person on my recent trip, but I did make the acquaintance of one of his master students. According to his master student, this master embodies this ‘being in the moment’ on a daily basis.
And boy, was he full of praise and admiration of his now 57-year old instructor and who is the the founder of Elite Taekwondo in Montreal.
He is Master Clerveaux Ferrere, 7th degree TKD-Black Belt and WTF-Champion.
Originally from Gonaives, Haiti, he has been a TKD-practitioner for over 38 years and he is a worldwide recognized martials arts personality, both as an extremely successful competitor and a highly-respected instructor.
Some of the highlights of his career: 8-time Canadian champion (7 times in a row!) as well as 2-time Pan-American champion and so many other numerous titles, that are simply too many to count here. He even made it to the Seoul Olympic Games in 1988.
His laid-back personality combined with his creativity in his teaching methods keep his students coming back for more.
Master Clerveaux is known for his impeccable technique as well as his patience and formidable talent as a communicator that have his students respect and admire him.
I was able to get this short video clip that gives us a glimpse of 57-year-old Clerveaux Ferrere’s kicking abilities:
Karate, It’s Not Just About Kicking And Punching
For most dedicated karateka and practitioners of other styles it really does go way beyond the dojo.
In many cases it is about acquiring useful life skills, discipline, focus, respect and confidence. Just to name a few.
I heard that Karate USA is challenging their students in a rather interesting way: Before they can graduate to their next belt/level they are required to do something that helps their community.
That means that by the time they reach black belt level, they would have, besides mastering kicks, punches, kata and what have you, organized and executed a number of projects that can make a real difference in their communities.
Some of these projects could be activities such as raising money for the homeless, picking up trash in their community or even helping orphanages in far away corners of the world.
I think this is a noteworthy cause and let’s see if there are some copy-cats out there.
Also, I thought I share their website with you.
Check it out right now:
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From Walker, Texas Ranger To Norris, Honorary Texas Ranger
Besides being known as a Major League baseball franchise, the Texas Rangers were originally formed in the 1820s under Stephen F. Austin, the “Father of Texas,” to protect settlers. They are a division within the Texas Department of Public Safety.
They have the lead criminal investigative responsibility for the following: major incident crime investigations, unsolved crime/serial crime investigations, public corruption investigations, officer involved shooting investigations, and border security operations.
The Texas Ranger Division is comprised of 144 commissioned Rangers, 24 non-commissioned administrative support personnel, 1 budget analyst and 1 forensic artist, totaling 170 full time employees.
Now, that we have cleared up what some of you might have thought was something Hollywood had made up just for TV. Texas Rangers are the real deal.
Most of us hanging out at this blog have watched at least one episode of “Walker, Texas Ranger” which aired from 1993-2001 and starred Chuck Norris.
Chuck Who? Careful now. Watch out for that devastating roundhouse kick!
You probably know that Chuck Norris was an highly accomplished karate tournament competitor, close friend, student and sparring partner of the legendary Bruce Lee with whom he put on display one of the most famous martial arts movie fights of all times in “Way of the Dragon“.
He went on to star in a number of other movies before playing a Texas Ranger on TV.
That was then and this is now:
It is official that both brother, Aaron and our featured Chuck Norris will become honorary Texas Rangers.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry will present commemorative certificates to the Norris brothers for bringing honor to the department that was depicted in the TV series and actually filmed in Texas.
Don’t Mess With Texas!
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Who Else Remembers Grandmaster Allen Steen, The Father Of Texas ‘Blood And Guts’ Taekwondo Karate?
Just a week ago I spent time with friends in the Lone Star State.
For those of you not familiar with the term, I’m talking about Texas.
What comes to mind for a lot of people when referring to Texas might be cowboys, longhorns, oil, football (American, of course!), BBQ, …..
I have to admit that I thought of some of that, too.
But visiting Dallas this time somehow got me thinking of the first American to receive his Black Belt from the founder of Taekwondo in the U.S., Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee, who had come to Austin, Texas, way back in the late 50s to pursue his college studies. The year was 1957 to be exact.
In 1959, Allen Steen started his karate training under Jhoon Rhee and just 3 years later as brown belt he opened up the first storefront dojo in Dallas.
In 1962, he was promoted and became Jhoon Rhee’s first American Black Belt.
What followed, is nothing short of shock and awe in Texas, the U.S. Southwest and beyond.
Grandmaster Allen Steen is remembered for creating a very aggressive fighting style that was very rough and tough. We’re talking about bare knuckle fighting competition, years before Jhoon Rhee launched his Safe-T protective gear.
In 1966, Allen Steen left a path of destruction at Ed Parker’s International Karate Championships in Long Beach, California, by beating even Joe Lewis and Chuck Norris both on the same day.
I found a video clip of his fight against Chuck Norris that I would like to share with you at the bottom of this post. Hope you like it.
Besides being an extremely successful competitor himself, Allen Steen trained together with his first Black Belt student J. Pat Burleson and surrounded himself with other very dedicated students who went on to become champions in their own right.
Some of the names that I still remember from devouring martial arts magazines way back in the day are Skipper Mullins, Fred Wren, Demetrius “The Greek” Havanas, Roy Kurban, just to list a few.
Allen Steen further impacted American and Texas Karate by opening countless dojos and promoting tournaments of which one has truly stood out over the years.
Originally known as the Southwest Karate Championships, the tournament name was later changed to the United States Karate Championships and became THE karate tournament on the second weekend in February.
I will add that Allen Steen handed over the karate business affairs to his trusted aides and friends years ago to move on to other business ventures, but his impact is felt even today.
I also stumbled across something that might interest you which is what it took to get a Black Belt from Grandmaster Allen Steen:
He expected technical perfection with a “No Quit” attitude.
After a grueling performance of basic techniques, katas and heavy warm-up fights, the student had to go up against one tough Black Belt fighter after another. Many of these guys were accomplished National Champions!
Just when you think it couldn’t get any worse: You were then challenged by 2, then 4, and finally even 8 fighters, all at the same time.
But we did say “No Quit” attitude, right?!
And even if one survived the “punishment”, Allen Steen would only put his signature on the certificate if one met his technical standards.
Let that sink in for a while.
Anyway, here’s the clip I promised. Enjoy!
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Cung Le And The Chinese Fighting Art Of Sanshou
Just recently I heard about a Chinese fighting art ….. on the tennis court!
As I was talking with a team mate, I learned from him that he had been a practitioner of a style I had briefly heard about years back, but I never really looked into any deeper.
Until today.
Originated in China the style is called Sanshou (free hand) and at times Sanda (free fighting).
It is both a self-defense system and a combat sport.
Sanshou combines a number of extremely vital and effective elements such as kicking, punching, throwing, grappling and applying joint locks.
One of Sanshou’s special emphasis is the so-called kick-catch, whereby one person throws a kick and the other person catches the kick and then trips the other person’s leg they are standing on.
Thinking about it, that’s what we even practiced way back in my Shotokan karate days. I just made that connection while writing this.
Sanshou as a sport is regulated by a bunch of different rules depending on amateur or professional status and also on the location of where the fights take place like China or the U.S.
Among all the successful and very skilled Sanshou fighters, one practitioner has really stood out for me during the years and he has without a doubt made a name for himself. He is the Vietnamese American kickboxer, mixed martial artist and actor, simply known as Cung Le from San Jose, California.
Cung Le has won too many titles and championships to list here, but I will mention that he won the Strikeforce Middleweight World Championship by beating legendary mixed martial arts champion Frank Shamrock about 2 years ago. Cung Le actually broke his opponent’s arm by executing devasting kicks during their fight.
Cung Le has been actively pursuing his career on the Big Screen and was awarded a role in Bodyguards And Assassins starring Donnie Yen which was released last December.
I found a video clip that I think you will enjoy if you like action-filled fight scenes. Warning: It can be a little rough and tough at times.
Do You Think And Act Like WEC-Champion Jose Aldo?
I will be honest with you: I didn’t get to watch yesterday’s World Championship bout between these two great featherweight mixed martial artists, who both fight for WEC (World Extreme Cagefighting):
Urijah “The California Kid” Faber vs. Jose “The Phenom” Aldo
Let’s not forget that the bout took place in Faber’s hometown of Sacramento and I am guessing the overwhelming majority of the 15,000 screaming spectators was probably screaming for Faber.
But that did not deter the reigning world champ from Brazil, Jose Aldo, from dominating the match and inflicting serious pain to former title holder, Urijah Faber, who was in charge of this weight division for some time before losing to Mike Brown.
Jose Aldo has now 17 wins and only 1 loss to his record and Urijah Faber’s record 0f 23-4 is nothing to sneeze about either.
Anyway, I found a statement by Jose Aldo that I really think are true words by a true champion:
“My dream of winning the belt came true. I’ve worked my butt off to get here.
But now every time I have a match, I don’t look at it like I’m defending the belt, I’m going out there like this is a brand new fight and I’m going to win a brand new belt.
It’s like I have a brand new dream and that is to get another belt. So even though I am the champion, when I go to the gym I’m still very humble, always wanting to learn and wanting to get better.”
That’s the kind of attitude I can appreciate.
Kudos, Jose “The Phenom” Aldo!
What A Week In Review At The MartialArtsReporter.com!
St. Patrick’s Day was awesome and the rest of the week wasn’t too shabby either.
If you are a single mom or know someone who is, please take note of this Personal Safety Alert For Single Moms.
We all know that Bruce Lee could punch and kick, but he also knew something about the art of fighting without fighting.
Surprise – surprise! What you didn’t know about pro golfer Phil Mickelson.
Going Green: Happy St. Patrick’s Day And Irish Stick (Shillelagh) Fighting!
This guy blows me and his opponents away: The Best Pound-For-Pound Fighter, Also The Best Ever Fighter In The World?
Amazing: Ultimate Fighting has become a household name, but what did the first ever Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC 1, Look Like?
Talk soon, my friends.
The Week In Review At TheMartialArtsReporter.com
Whenever I put The Week In Review together, I become aware how fast time flies by.
Let’s enjoy the limited time we have here and make a difference in somebody’s life.
Hard to believe, but true: Ultimate Fighting Championship Is Gearing Up for their 111th event!
Did you know that UFC1 took place over 15 years ago? On November 12, 1993 and the overall winner was BJJ legend, Royce Gracie.
Fast-forward to March 2010: UFC 111 Main event GSP Vs. Dan Hardy. This will be the Welterweight title fight between “The Perfect Fighter” from Canada and “The Outlaw” from Great Britain.
Let’s foil attacks on girls and women and teach bad boys a lesson! Urgent appeal to girls and women: Learn Self-Defense!
This is one of my all-time favorites: Check it out now! Reminder: Italian Female Karate Champion Defeats Mugger.
Alright, so you got all the moves, but … Do You Really Have A Combat Mindset and Do You Really Have A Combat Mindset – concluded?
With all the buzz about Academy Awards, aka Oscars, I thought it might be an interesting approach by introducing the “Scottish Warrior Who Won 5 Oscars“.
There you have it again: The Week In Review At TheMartialArtsReporter.com
I would love to hear from you, so don’t be a stranger!
Tune in tomorrow, when I ask the question ” Whatever happened to …..?”
UFC 111 Main Event GSP Vs. Dan Hardy
British contender Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy isn’t falling for the Gatorade’s recommendation that one should never EVER fight Georges St. Pierre.
Dan Hardy is getting his title shot at the UFC World Champion Welterweight title on Saturday, March 27, in New Jersey.
The only hurdle he has to take is beating the one and only Franco-Canadian Georges St. Pierre, who is known as “The Perfect Fighter” and who is considered by many the best Welterweight ever.
Revered by many more, GSP is the complete package with extraordinary striking, kicking, takedown and grappling abilities that have put him at the top of the game.
His professional attitude toward preparation and analyzing his opponent is legendary.
I featured him here three months ago, with the title Meet The Amazing UFC-Champion Georges St. Pierre (GSP).
Dan Hardy is a very proficient striker with great timing and GSP will have to be very diligent in his approach to defending his title.
This could be a good one!
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