fighting
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!
Tipping Off March Madness With The Week In Review
“Variety is the spice of life.”
I am trying to live up to that saying by posting about different topics that relate to martial arts or not. Anyway ….
In case you were too busy being busy, here’s what you missed:
Bulgarian Greco-Roman Wrestler Is Big In Japan: The David Beckham Of Sumo
It Happened In 1935 … Sarah Mayer, First Non-Japanese Female Judo Black Belt
The Question Is: “Honestly, Are You Really Prepared To Fight If You Have To?”
With ‘The Sensei ‘, She’s Creating Buzz In The Movie Industry And Let’s Just Face It … With A Name Like Lee Inosanto, She’s Got To Be Good
What Goes Up, Must Come Down. With This Guy, Things Appear To Be A Bit Different. Thai Action Movie Star Tony Jaa Defies The Law Of Physics.
There you have it: The Week In Review At TheMartialArtsReporter.com
Have a great Sunday!
I will be reporting again from here tomorrow.
Big In Japan: The David Beckham Of Sumo
So far I haven’t touched on the Japanese martial art known as ‘Sumo’.
That is about to change. Right here, right now.
Sumo is a contact sport in which a wrestler tries to force another wrestler out of a circular ring or to get him to touch the ground with anything else but the soles of his feet.
The sport includes a bunch of ritual elements, such as the salt purification, which we will see in detail in the video clip below. This goes back to the days when it was used in the Shinto religion.
From what I have been able to find out is that the daily life of a professional sumo fighter is very strictly regimented by the Sumo Association and that means even meals and traditional dress code.
Oh, by the way, Mongolian wrestling and Chinese Shuai jiao, both offer some resemblance to Sumo.
Most Sumo matches last only several seconds, as one wrestler is explosively ousted from the ring. In far fewer cases, a match can last several minutes, but this is more the exception than the rule.
The wrestling ring itself is 4.55 meters or somewhere around 14 feet in diameter. The whole square surface that holds the ring takes up 16.26 meters or about 140 sq. ft. I hope my former math teacher isn’t reading this and checking my conversions from meters to feet.
Japan is the only country that offers professional Sumo and there are approximately 700 fighters registered with 54 fighting stables.
Sumo’s hierarchy is strictly based on merit which can also mean that if a wrestler doesn’t continue his winning performances and starts losing bouts he can be demoted and lose his rank. This means serious competition and extreme pressure on fighters to perform at a very high level.
Currently, the Sumo Association only allows 1 foreign fighter per stable, which means a total of 54, right?!
And from what I understand the one foreign fighter who really stands out right now and who has attained the rank of ozeki or Champion (that’s right below yokozuna or Grand Champion!).
Born in Bulgaria as Kaloyan Stefanov Mahlyanov and former Greco-Roman wrestler, he is now fighting as Kotooshu Katsunori, at times referred to as the ‘David Beckham of Sumo’ and also the ‘Prince of Sumo’.
Kotooshu is 6′8″ tall and weighs 334 lbs., which, believe it or not, is fairly light considering his height and that’s because he is often compared to former Gand Champion Akebono from Hawaii, who at the same height weighed about 517 lbs.
I selected a fight between Kotooshu and Grand Champion Asashoryu that I really enjoy, even though I don’t really follow a lot of Sumo, but I can appeciate the traditional rituals, strategy, tactics and very proficient grappling with a bunch of explosive power.
I hope you like it, too.
Honestly, Are You Really Prepared To Fight If You Have To?
“You talkin’ to me?”
Who doesn’t remember that famous Robert de Niro line in Taxi Driver?!
First, the funny version:
Now, the real deal that still makes some people shiver:
Let’s say you’re minding your own business and you encounter some moron who has nothing better to do than try to pick a fight with you.
Being both mentally and physically prepared to fight if you have to, will mean all the difference.
And I’m not talking about just being able to throw a bunch of fancy kicks and punches.
I mean being in a prepared stance without exuding belligerence and possibly escalating a threatening situation.
Being in a prepared stance also means that if the moron does decide to attack, you are able to defend yourself quickly and effectively.
Here’s a clip that offers something to seriously think about:
Stay safe!
Thai Action Movie Star Tony Jaa Defies The Law Of Physics
Meet our man of many names that are tough for us Westerners to pronounce or even remember without a cheat sheet. Names like Tatchakorn Yeerum or Panom Yeerum or Jaa Panom.
We know him better as Tony Jaa.
Just recently Tony turned 34 and man, oh, man, does this guy know how to defy the Laws of Physics, or what?
A trained Thai martial artist, Tony Jaa has a proven track record as an actor, choreographer, stuntman and director.
You might have already admired some of his incredible work such as Ong-Bak:Muay Thai warrior, Tom-Yum-Goong and Ong-Bak 2: The Beginning.
Tony Jaa was certainly influenced by the great Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li.
But honestly, I am starting to believe that this guy from Thailand is taking things up a notch when it comes to eye-rubbing fight choreography and jaw-dropping stunt performances.
Here some examples and don’t try this at home, alright?
Last Week In Review February 2010 At TheMartialArtsReporter.com
Over the last 5 months since the inception of TheMartialArtsReporter.com my foremost goal has been and will continue to be to provide my readers with the greatest possible diversity of mainly positive martial arts related posts.
Readership has been growing faster than anticipated and I am certainly more than happy about that.
I’ll be honest with you: Make my day simply by visiting this blog whenever you want a quick ‘lift me up’ and tell all your friends about it.
If you have ever sent any comments in the past, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Don’t stop now!
If you haven’t so far, please feel free to share your thoughts on any of the previous 160 posts.
Thank you so much for your continuing support and interest.
This year seems to be moving at lightning speed. Two months have already passed and here’s the last Week In Review February 2010:
Years before Bruce Lee, …Extreme Pushups By Fitness Legend Jack LaLanne
An important topic in anybody’s life, … No Fear Or Know Fear?
Jean-Paul Belmondo … I Really Think He Was “The French Steve McQueen”
Consider Mokuso Or The Power Of Meditation Not Only For Martial Artists
Did The Movie “Enough” With Jennifer Lopez Help Women’s Self-Defense?
High-grade Muay Thai … From The Netherlands, The First Foreigner To Be Named “Muay Thai Fighter Of The Year”
Enjoy And Don’t Be A Stranger!
Did The Movie “Enough” With Jennifer Lopez Help Women’s Self-Defense?
Even though this movie wasn’t really a success with movie critics, it was able to generate somewhere around US$ 55 mio.
Looking at it from martial arts and self-defense perspective, it probably does offer women something to think about and maybe even start taking self-defense classes.
The fighting concepts depicted in the movie are based on Krav Maga, which we talked about here some time ago.
I found this clip with J-Lo’s character getting ready for the big show-down with some interesting martial arts philosophies and a very challenging workout regimen.
I would really love to hear from the women reading this post today and learn if this movie had any effect on you in regards to your martial arts and self-defense training.
Find Out Who Makes Matt Damon Look Tough In “Green Zone”
I have admired Matt Damon’s acting skills ever since I saw him in “Good Will Hunting” which he co-write and co-starred with BFF Ben Affleck in 1997.
You might have read my recent post on Denzel Washington, who stars in “The Book of Eli” and got some serious fight training from Dan Inosanto and stunt coordinator-extraordinaire, Jeff Imada.
Jeff Imada is also the guy responsible for hypnotizing movie audiences worldwide into believing that Matt Damon actually is Jason Bourne in the Bourne Trilogy.
I just stumbled across the trailer of a very soon to be released movie, starring Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear, called “Green Zone“.
The movie was inspired by the book “Imperial Life in The Emerald City: Inside Iraq’s Green Zone” written by Rajiv Chandrasekran, who looked at civilian leadership during the U.S. American reconstruction in Iraq.
The book concentrates on the actions of the Coalition Provisional Authority inside the Green Zone in Baghdad. Emphasis is put on how the occupation was handled from the time from the end of the invasion till the official transfer of power to the Iraqis and the increasing insurgency in Iraq.
Of course, as with just about every book, Hollywood has to do what it does best, namely to make it appealing on the Big Screen.
And that’s where I was asking myself, so who makes Matt Damon look real tough in “Green Zone“?
I was elated to find out that the guy responsible for coordinating the stunts and fight choreography is an established stunt player himself. He is fellow martial artist Markos (or Mark) Rounthwaite, 5th degree Tae Kwon Do black belt from New Zealand, aka Mr. Stunts.
Mark was a member of the highly accomplished stunt teams in such successful productions as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, The Bourne Ultimatum, Casino Royale and King Kong.
You have already noticed that I like to credit people who bring out the best in other people and that of course means stunt players, stunt coordinators and fight choreographers, because these are the ones who help make the stars look better than they actually might be.
From what I can tell from the trailer, the movie “Green Zone” sure looks like a lot of suspense and exciting action scenes. I am hopeful that the movie actually lives up to the expectations that we as viewers have when we see these jaw-dropping action scenes in trailers.
Anyway, here’s a sneak peek of “Green Zone“:
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.
Russian Systema Or Just When You Think You’ve Seen It All
Just wanted to share a little bit about Russian fighting concepts, better known as Systema.
Now, I want to be absolutely honest (and when am I not?) that I have been hearing more about Systema almost on a daily basis and I am just getting more familiar with it myself.
According to wikipedia, Systema is a Russian martial art. It is designed to be highly adaptive and practical, training using drills and sparring instead of set kata.
Systema focuses mainly on controlling the six body levers (elbows, neck, knees, waist, ankles, and shoulders) through pressure point application, striking and weapon applications.
Systema is often advertised as being a martial art employed by some Russian Special Forces (aka Spetsnaz) units
I will continue to do more research and simply leave you today with a clip featuring 4 of the most accomplished Systema instructors.
This stuff is amazing!
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