Kung Fu
Building Positive Life Skills Through Martial Arts
I was just thinking about the next post here at TheMartialArtsReporter.com when I came across a newspaper article that involved an abused teenager, who in many ways reminded me of myself many years ago.
Growing up in a divorced family and difficult home life, a teenager can feel mighty lonely at times. Especially when you have to hold in all your frustration, disappointment and anger.
Mental and physical abuse at home certainly do/did not make things easier. The sense of helplessness can become overwhelming.
More often than not, teenagers in these situations and surroundings will resort to actions that are counter-productive and that can affect them for the rest of their lives.
In countless cases martial arts have proven to be an constructive outlet for troubled teens. It certainly was one in my own personal experience.
Bruce Lee was my long-distance mentor through his movies and books which got me started in Shotokan karate (yes, I know that Bruce Lee wasn’t a karateka, but a Chinese boxer/kung fu expert. At the time, it sure didn’t matter to me!).
Martial arts training was a great way to escape from a home that really sucked (sorry!). My training helped me learn how to focus, acquire self-defense skills, express myself , build my self-esteem, become really passionate about something, make new friends and so much more.
But enough about me.
Let’s get back to the other teenager this post started about, shall we?!
Money became an issue and attending martial arts classes was in question.
Along came a martial arts instructor and mentor who had the brilliant idea of developing a scholarship program for students with monetary challenges.
I am talking about Sensei Dianne Reeves, founder of Vision Martial Arts Center in Plano, Texas.
Diane Reeve is a 6th-Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do, and holds Black Belts in three other styles: Kenpo, Jujutsu and Kobudo (weapons).
She has been the sole owner of VMAC since its inception in 1995 and has over 2 decades of martial arts experience.
Ms. Reeve is a Registered Nurse and also holds a Master’s Degree in Education. She has two children of her own, but counts each of her students as her children.
Ms. Reeve is a member of the Southwest Kenpo Karate Association and J. Pat Burleson’s World Martial Arts Ranking Association. She was inducted into the World Karate Hall of Fame in 1999 and was World BlackBelt.com instructor of the month October 2002.
She was featured in the March 2003 issue of Plano Profile. In 2004, she was nominated for Children’s Advocacy Center Volunteer of the Year.
She has promoted over 120 people to Black Belt, and higher and has taught martial arts to literally thousands of people, ages 3 and up, from all walks of life.
To learn more about their great program and sponsors, simply visit vmacplano.com
This is an inspirational story and program that is making a real difference in so many lives.
Let me know what you think and if you know about similar stories and programs.
In the meantime I hope you enjoy this video clip of a teenage extreme martial artist:
A Very Unusual Week In Review At TheMartialArtsReporter.com
I Really Hope Thiago Alves …. - 26 Year Old Brazilian MMA Fighter And Superb UFC-Welterweight FacingThe Biggest Challenge Of His Life.
Do You Punch Like A 7 Year Old? I wish I could punch like this kid. Find out what I mean.
Inglourious Basterds And Infamous Choke On The Ground Got Me Thinking About A way Out.
Move Over, Jackie Chan And Jet Li, Because Here Comes Donnie Yen Who Stars Again As Wing Chun Legend, Ip Man
The Kid From Beaufort Who Became Heavyweight Boxing Olympic Gold Medalist And World Champion And I Had No Idea Until Last Week.
Erin Go Bragh! And Don’t Forget The Shamrocks! Ireland Forever And Boy, Did I Enjoy St. Patrick’s Day In Savannah.
I would apppreciate your feedback to any of my previous posts and even topics that I haven’t touched on yet.
Talk soon.
Move Over, Jackie Chan And Jet Li, Because Here Comes Donnie Yen!
When it comes to martial arts action movie superstars, Jackie Chan and Jet Li have unarguably become household names.
But there’s another performer out there who has been around for many years now and who has been finally getting the attention and, in my humble opinion, long deserved star status.
Well, actually, he is considered the top action movie star in Hong Kong.
He is better known as Donnie Yen.
Martial artist and former stuntman turned actor, director, action choreographer and movie producer, Donnie Yen was born in Guangzhou (Canton), in the Southern Chinese province of Guangdong, in 1963.
When he was 2, his family moved to Hong Kong and then nine years later to Boston, Massachusetts in the United States.
At a very young age he developed a strong interest in martial arts, with his mother being a Wushu and Tai Chi practitioner, who even had a school in Boston.
Donnie studied numerous martial arts from Taekwondo to Wushu and became a very proficient martial artist, who was even admitted to the prestigious Beijing Wushu Team.
In the early 1980s, he starting working in the Hong Kong movie industry as a stuntman and then eventually getting acting roles until his breakthrough in 1992 in Once Upon A Time In China II (together with Jet Li).
He went on to act, to direct, to produce and to leave his mark as a distinguished fight choreographer in a number of productions such as Legend of the Wolf, Ballistic Kiss, Highlander: The Endgame, Blade II, Hero (again with Jet Li) as well as Shanghai Knights (this time with Jackie Chan).
In 2008, he starred in the biggest box office success in Hong Kong and China, Ip Man.
The movie depicts the life of the revered Wing Chun master and teacher of Bruce Lee.
They just recently announced the release of the sequel, Ip Man 2, which will be end of April 2010.
Just to whet your appetite, here’s Donnie Yen in action:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfnXBUrS7E8[/youtube]
How did you like his chain punches?
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.
What You Didn’t Know About Pro Golfer Phil Mickelson
Even if you don’t regularly follow the PGA Tour (that’s the Professional Golf Association), you might have heard of another professional golfer besides Tiger Woods and that’s Phil Mickelson.
Phil has won 3 Majors and close to 40 events on the PGA Tour. Further, he has ranked 2nd in the world for multiple years.
You might know some of this, but I guess you didn’t know that Phil Mickelson is also a martial artist who studies self-defense through karate and kung fu. According to Phil himself, this has helped his game enormously.
But what I also really appreciate about Phil Mickelson (and his wife, Amy) is his support of the Special Operations Warrior Foundation and their programs to provide college educations to the surviving children of fallen special operations personnel as well as financial support to the families of wounded special operations personnel.
So far the Mickelsons have personally and through their foundation and his fans donated more than US$ 750,000 to the SOWF!
An eagle and two thumbs up for Phil Mickelson!
Valentine’s Day And The Week In Review At TheMartialArtsReporter.com
Happy Valentine’s Day, y’all!
I don’t understand why Cupid was chosen to represent Valentine’s Day.
When I think about romance, the last thing on my mind is a short chubby toddler coming at me with a weapon.
Anyway …
Let’s get back to what really makes the world turn and that would be martial arts, right?! Just kidding around here.
Check out The Week In Review that took us from Russia (with love) to Japan to Brooklyn, New York to Hong Kong to Houston, Texas.
Russian Systema Or Just When You Think You’ve Seen It All
Masahiko Kimura, The Best Judoka Ever?
Martial Artist Wesley Snipes Co-Starring In “Brooklyn’s Finest”
Teenager Tried To Kick Bruce Lee In The Face
Linda Denley, Karate Superwoman From Houston, Texas
Have a great Valentine’s Day wherever you are!
I will talk to you tomorrow.
Martial Artist Wesley Snipes Co-Starring In “Brooklyn’s Finest”
Thought you might appreciate to know that we will be able to see fellow martial artist Wesley Snipes in a new movie to be released early March 2010.
The title is “Brooklyn’s Finest” and besides Wesley Snipes, stars Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke.
And here’s the storyline:
Burned out veteran Eddie Dugan is just one week away from his pension and a fishing cabin in Connecticut.
Narcotics officer Sal Procida has discovered there’s no line he won’t cross to provide a better life for his long-suffering wife and seven children.
And Clarence “Tango” Butler has been undercover so long his loyalties have started to shift from his fellow police officers to his prison buddy Caz, one of Brooklyn’s most infamous drug dealers, played by Wesley Snipes.
With personal and work pressures bearing down on them, each man faces daily tests of judgment and honor in one of the world’s most difficult jobs. When NYPD’s Operation Clean Up targets the notoriously drug-ridden BK housing project, all three officers find themselves swept away by the violence and corruption of Brooklyn’s gritty 65th Precinct and its most treacherous criminals.
During seven fateful days, Eddie, Sal and Tango find themselves hurtling inextricably toward the same fatal crime scene and a shattering collision with destiny. ~ Baseline StudioSystems
The stunts should be pretty impressive, considering that John Cenatiempo was the stunt coordinator. He has done a lot of great work in movies and TV shows such as Body of Lies, Life on Mars, The Wrestler, I Am Legend – just to name a very few.
But back to Wesley Snipes, whom we could consider a mixed martial artist, because he trains or has trained extensively in Shotokan karate, Capoeira and in a number of other disciplines including various styles of kung fu and Jiu Jitsu.
It’s been some time that he was able to put his acting and martial arts skills on display. The wait is over!
I am looking forward to seeing Wesley Snipes in Brooklyn’s Finest. This should be a good one.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XaJ98sBUEc[/youtube]
Jack Bauer/Kiefer Sutherland Of “24″ And The Art Of Fighting
Alright then, I have officially watched the first 4 episodes of this season’s “24″ with federal agent Jack Bauer, convincingly played by Kiefer Sutherland.
And yes, I am hooked again.
I actually don’t watch much TV anymore. Honestly, it can’t be more than 4 hours a ….. week.
Now that would be a good book title, “The 4 Hour Watch Week”. And ever since I reduced it to the current consumption level, I am getting a lot more done.
But there is definitely one TV show I really do enjoy and that is “24″ which is known to be one of the shows for adrenaline junkies (and I am not normally to be considered as such!).
Besides all the twists and turns in a “24″ script including very special effects, I of course enjoy the fight scenes with Kiefer Sutherland. I mean Jack Bauer.
I have been trying to find out what fighting style he uses to get the job done and so far I haven’t found out what it is.
To me it looks like elements of Wing Chun, JKD, Kali, Krav Maga.
Is there anybody out there reading this post who can tell me what fighting style Jack Bauer uses to make the world a safer place?
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtJDMthR6Rw[/youtube]
Congratulations To Fellow Martial Artist, Robert Downey Jr.!
Fellow Martial Artist, Robert Downey Jr. won a Golden Globe Award 2010 for the best comic actor for Sherlock Holmes!
The actor credits the Chinese martial art of Wing Chun kung fu, which he started to train about seven years ago, for giving him the strength to overcome his addictions.
Hey, Robert, Wing Chun looks good on you.
Congratulations from TheMartialArtsReporter.com!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUQbmFAE5WI[/youtube]
The Week In Review At TheMartialArtsReporter.com
Thanks again for stopping by and sharing your keen interest in martial arts and related topics.
Another week has flown by and it’s time for The Week In Review.
Enjoy!
Learn The Muay Thai Clinch From Walter “Sleeper” Michalowksi Also Known As Neck Wrestling Demonstrated By A True Professional
FREE: 5 Unique Pushups To Elevate Your Training Program Just About Anywhere, Anytime And Without Any Equipment
“Karate, The Art Of Empty Hand Fighting” By Hidetaka Nishiyama The Best-Selling Karate Book Turns 50 This Year!
Another Glimpse Of Astonishing Filipino Martial Arts This FMA Master Uses Not A Stick, Not A Knife, But A Horse Whip!!
Wing Chun: Chi Sao, Also Known As Sticky Hands A highly important exercise for anybody serious about Wing Chun Kung Fu.
The Talented Mr. BJ Penn, aka ‘The Prodigy’ Learn More About The UFC-Lightweight Champion From Hilo, Hawaii And Most Probably One Of The Best Fighters Of All Time.
Enjoy your Sunday!
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