Frank Shamrock
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.
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.
Erin Go Bragh! And Don’t Forget The Shamrocks!
Hey guys,
Got back from the second largest St. Patrick’s Day Parade and festivities in the United States.
After New York City, Savannah is a close second when it comes to the best that St. Patty’s has to offer.
On a quick side note, St. Patrick’s Day is an official holiday in Ireland, but not necessarily the official drinking day it is here in the U.S. of A.
But back to Savannah, Georgia: This city of somewhere around 200,000 population has a long tradition celebrating everything Irish.
This year’s parade was its 187th and there are quite a number of citizens of Irish heritage.
On the Eve of St. Patrick’s Day I was able to witness several bands of bag-pipers face off. It was absolutely mesmerizing.
These guys come from as far away as NYC, Boston and even the Emerald Isle, aka Ireland!
We didn’t celebrate into the wee hours, because we had to be at Calhoun Square by 5:30 a.m. and that meant getting up at 4:15 a.m.!
Why so early if the parade doesn’t start until 10 in the morning?
Traditions are strong here, which means securing your curbside spot at 6 a.m. to set up your chairs, gazebos and all your goodies. And that means a lot of food and drinks with friends and family.
The parade was amazing and went for around 4 1/2 hours. What a great experience thanks to our newly found friends and life-long Savannahians.
I guess everybody makes the connection between Irish and their national symbol, the three-leaf clover or shamrock.
The shamrocks I want to remember today are former UFC fighters and brothers, Ken and Frank, who are legendary in their own right.
Let’s start with Ken Shamrock (UFC Hall of Famer), who was the first Superfight Ultimate Champion before the title was renamed to Heavyweight Champion.
During his reign this one-time professional wrestler was considered the world’s best mixed martial artist and even today he is still considered one of the best fighters of all time.
Ken Shamrock is the older adopted brother of former UFC champion, Frank Shamrock.
At one time known as “The World’s Most Dangerous Man”, Ken Shamrock is also the founder of one of the most successful MMA camps, “The Lion’s Den”.
And then there was his younger adopted brother and fellow UFC champion, Frank Shamrock.
Nicknamed “The Legend”, Frank has also been called the best competitor in UFC history.
He held the UFC Middleweight title, before it was renamed Light Heavyweight.
Like his brother, Ken, he is also an expert at submission fighting.
Nowadays, Frank is in great demand as a fight commentator and coach.
Here some great tips from the author of “Mixed Martial Arts For Dummies”:
My Interview With Jackie Chan
“Nei ho. Nei ho ma?”
I am just warming up to greet Mr. Jackie Chan in Cantonese for our interview over lunch in his hometown, also known as Hong Kong, The City of Life.
And you already know from a recent post on October 27 that I have been quite fond of Hong Kong.
Let me re-phrase that: I just love the place!
I will try to be as concise as humanly possible:
Staying at The Royal Garden Hotel at TST (Tsim Sha Tsui) Kowloon means that I just have to walk over to the Star Ferry Terminal and hop on the ferry for a short ride over to Central on Hong Kong Island. This is very cool!
The people of Hong Kong dine on Dim Sum and because nothing conveys a sense of Chinese life more vividly than a visit to a crowded, lively Cantonese restaurant. That’s what it’s going to be. That’s what it has to be.
Let’s check out Frommer’s recommendation:
The Luk Yu Tea House, that first opened in 1933 and that is famous for its Dim Sum.
Their quaint ceiling fans, spittoons, and wooden booths evoke a 1930s ambience.
Everyday packed with regular customers, it’s hard to find an empty seat here, but I have no doubt that there’s always a table for Jackie Chan and a guest.
So I get there on time or better shortly before our scheduled interview and would you believe it, they simply don’t believe that I actually have a lunch appointment with Hong Kong’s favourite son.
Can we even call him that?
Now, why won’t they believe me? Hmm, let me think.
I get over it within not more than a micro-second, because I know that I am scheduled to meet Mr. Jackie Chan alias Chan Kong Sang which happens to mean “born in Hong Kong”.
And there he comes already and even though we haven’t met before in person he somehow knows that I am The Martial Arts Reporter. And no, not because I am wearing some funny flower in the button-hole of my blazer to get his attention.
It’s gotta be the positive energy, man.
I have been looking forward to this opportunity for some time now and my famous interviewee can sense it.
The initial welcome is very sincere and I must say, it feels like we have known each other ever since we were kids. Odd, isn’t it?
“Nei ho. Nei ho ma?”
And of course, Jackie is impressed with my absolutely accent-free pronunciation and he responds in absolutely accent-free Cantonese himself. Why am I not surprised?
He is throwing all this Cantonese at me that my head starts to spin, so I politely ask him if it would be alright to switch over to English.
That’s quite fine with him, he says.
He just thought that I actually spoke Cantonese and I just thought I would try to impress him with a couple of words. We get a good laugh over that one.
Now, in the meantime the word has spread that The Martial Arts Reporter is in house. Or is it because superstar Jackie Chan is in house? We’ll never know for sure.
Anyway, they have to close off the entrance to the restaurant to avoid the masses to swarm inside and create total chaos.
And believe me, it’s already pretty crowded in th Luk Yu Tea House.
The owners themselves show us to our booth and the waitress immediately brings us some Jasmine tea, which just happens to be one of my favorites. This is turning out to be an awesome day. Can you feel it?
We find ourselves in an energetic place where we can feast on spring rolls, steamed dumplings, and other delicacies served in bamboo steamers. And it all tastes great!
So, here I am sitting with Jackie Chan and I remind myself that I want to ask him just a handful of questions that go a bit deeper than just touch the surface. You know what I’m saying.
There is hardly a corner left in the world that hasn’t heard of Jackie Chan. The martial artist, actor, action choreographer, filmmaker, comedian, producer, screenwriter, philanthropist, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer.
In his movies, he consistently sets the bar higher for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons and innovative stunts.
He has come a long way since his early days as a stunt performer in the Bruce Lee movies “Fist of Fury” and “Enter The Dragon”.
Jackie Chan has been able to carve out his own personal niche and has created a global fan base that is nothing short of mindboggling.
But I do not want to rehash the stuff that we all know about him in this unique encounter.
I would like to ask Jackie Chan in person and uncensored:
“What do you consider your greatest personal accomplishment and what are you most proud of so far?”
“If you had start all over and let’s remember that you started your movie career at a very young age, what would you do different, if at all?”
“What does your perfect day look like?”
“There are certainly many people who would love to meet you. Who would you like sit down with?”
“If you do have something like a so-called “bucket list”, can you share what’s on it?”
“You have probably heard of The Bigger The Why, The Easier The How, you make things look easy, even though you still work harder than most, what is your Why or Life’s Purpose?”
“If you would want to be asked just one question by an interviewer, what would that question be?”
I am pretty sure this is what my perfect interview on my perfect day with Jackie Chan would look like if I ever get the opportunity to sit down with him over Dim Sum.
Trust me, I am ready and I am looking forward to it!
Jhoon Rhee, Taekwondo Grandmaster And National Treasure
Back in the day or should I rather say in the late 70s, when I was actively practicing Shotokan karate, some of my buddies and I would go check out Taekwondo schools on our “off” days.
But there never were any real “off” days, because we were just so karate-crazy. Can any of you relate?
I must say that we picked up some great ideas about improving our own kicking abilities on those “off” days by thinking and looking outside the box.
Then came the phase of incorporating contact in our sparring sessions.
And what a blessing it was when I stumbled across information in some martial arts magazine that Jhoon Rhee had developed Safe-T-equipment in 1972 which absolutely revolutionized karate training and tournaments not only in the U.S. but worldwide.
It sure did for us after we got the large box full of equipment. This must have been in 1979 or so. But here I go dating myself again.
And would you believe that I still have my set of Safe-T’s. I kid you not!
Jhoon Rhee, who is now 77 years young and a 10th dan in Taekwondo, did more than just that:
After leaving Korea and coming to the U.S. in 1956 he successfully promoted Taekwondo on such a grand scale that he is today widely recognized as the Father of American Taekwondo.
Due to his countless activities, especially in the Washington DC area, promoting overall fitness and American values at their best, Jhoon Rhee was referred to by Congressman Ike Skelton as a “national treasure”.
Jhoon Rhee and Bruce Lee became friends in the 60s and learned quite a bit from each other.
According to Linda Lee Cadwell they had a very close and respectful teacher – teacher relationship.
Bruce taught him how to much punch and Jhoon taught Bruce how to kick.
They exchanged letters (that’s what people used to do before email and twitter!).
During the late 60s, Jhoon Rhee’s self-defense classes became the talk of the town in the DC area after this TV commercial that people still talk about today:
Jhoon Rhee also showed Muhammad Ali, aka “The Greatest” a thing or two about punching:
Even at the age of 77, Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee is still as active as ever, working out on a daily basis which he hasn’t missed in twenty years and getting in his 100 push-ups per day.
Thank You, Jhoon Rhee, for your never ending inspiration!
Introducing Wing Chun
In my bio you will notice that I consider myself fortunate to have also studied the Chinese martial art of Wing Chun Kung Fu (or in Cantonese also known as Gung Fu).
I studied under Sifu Francis Fong, one of the finest Wing Chun instructors in the U.S.
Coming from a Shotokan karate training background I will admit that studying Wing Chun was a real change of pace, if you know what I mean.
But after having read about some other famous Wing Chun practitioners such as Ip Man, Bruce Lee, Ip Chun, Leung Ting, Emin Boztepe, I just had to give it my best shot.
Wing Chun, translated into English, means ‘Eternal Spring or Beautiful Springtime’ and refers to the name of Yim Wing Chun, who received Chinese boxing training from a Buddhist nun.
At the time the style was nameless.
Yim later married and taught her husband this style of fighting. He then simply went ahead and gave the syle her name, Wing Chun.
There are a number of theories and versions about how Wing Chun originated. I like the one I just gave you.
The typical Wing Chun stance is supposed to be like a piece of bamboo, firm but flexible, rooted but yielding.
Wing Chun favors a high, narrow stance with your elbows kept close to your body and your arms are positioned across the vitals of the centerline.
Attack and defense follow along an imaginary horizontal line drawn from the center of your chest to the center your opponent’s chest. The prime striking targets are on or near this line, including eyes, nose, throat, solar plexus and groin.
With the emphasis on the center line, your vertical fist straight punch will be your most common strike.
Your kicks are to be kept below the waist. This is typical of southern Chinese martial arts, in contrast to northern systems which apply many high kicks.
Chained vertical punches are used a lot in Wing Chun.
You develop your reflexes by searching unsecured defenses through use of sensitivity.
Training through Chi Sao (‘sticking hands”) with a training partner, one practices the trapping of hands. When an opponent is “trapped”, he or she becomes immobile.
Wing Chun also offers forms that are meditative, solitary exercises to develop self-awareness, balance, relaxation and sensitivity. They also help you in the fundamental movement and in generating the correct amount of force.
Wing Chun generally consists of three empty hand, one “wooden dummy” and two weapons forms.
There you have it: Wing Chun in a nutshell.
Enjoy the clip and always protect your centerline!
Are Fire Fighters Actually Martial Artists?
Just think about it!
Are fire fighters actually martial artists? Huh?
Well, according to the definition of martial arts in general and martial artist in specific that I found on wikipedia, I think the question is justified. Here’s why:
Martial arts are systems of codified practices and traditions of training for combat.
While they may be studied for various reasons, martial arts have very similar objectives: to physically defeat other persons and to defend oneself or others from physical threat.
In addition, some martial arts follow a particular code of honor.
Combat, or fighting, is the purposeful violent conflict intended to establish dominance over the opposition.
A practitioner of martial arts is referred to as a martial artist.
So, let me try to dissect the definition and explain where I am going with this.
Martial artists practice and train for combat.
The objective is to defend oneself or others from physical threat.
Combat being the purposeful conflict to establish dominance over the opposition.
Fire fighters practice and train for combat, too.
Their objective is also to defend especially others from physical threat (caused by fire et al).
Their combat or fight is clearly the purposeful conflict to establish dominance over the fire and whatever threats that the fire can cause and/or damage (physical, psychological, material) that can occur.
So, looking at practice, training and objective, let me ask the question again:
Are Fire Fighters Actually Martial Artists?
Maybe you agree or maybe you disagree with the defintion, but a couple of things are for sure:
Fire fighters have to train hard and carry heavy equipment to go into dangerous places and scary situations other people like us try to get out of.
Fire fighters are usually the first ones to arrive at these dangerous places and scary situations.
Let’s all just thank a fire fighter today.
Let my voice be heard: Fire Fighters Rock!
Check out these video clips right now – you won’t regret that you did:
Shidokan = Martial Arts Triathlon
Triathlon is known to consist of 3 disciplines such as swimming, cycling and running.
Now let’s translate that into martial arts.
This kind of triathlon is known as Shidokan.
Shidokan consists of Karate (combination of Goju-Ryu, Shotokan, Kyokushinkai), Kick-Boxing and Grappling.
Talking about being a versatile fighter.
Championship matches go 3 x 2 min. rounds Karate, 3 x 2 min. rounds Kick-Boxing with 10 oz. gloves (no elbows), and finally 3 x 2 min. rounds Grappling with 5 oz. gloves.
A fighter can win in one of the following ways:
1. TKO – Three knockdown rule, referee calls the fight or the corner throws in the towel.
2. KO – Any legal technique that ko’s an opponent for a 10 sec. count results in an automatic win.
3. Submission – During rounds with grappling, a fighter may win by executing a technique that causes his opponent to “verbally submit or tap out”
4. Decision – When the match goes the distance, the fighter with the most points wins. In case of a draw during the quarter or semifinals, there will be an extension allowed. During the championship match only, if the 4 judges score a draw, the draw will stand as the final decision and fighters will split the prize money.
All judge and referee decisions are final.
I had the great opportunity to train under one of Shidokan’s true champions several years ago.
Even though it was only for a short time it left a lasting impression on me.
I am referring to no other than World Martial Arts Champion Richard Trammell and one of the finest teachers I ever had the chance to learn from first-hand (and foot):
To learn more about Shidokan and Richard Trammell, visit www.shidokanatlanta.com today.
Are Filipino Martial Arts Underrated?
When the topic of martial arts comes up, I have noticed that the majority of people immediately make the connection with Far East Asian countries such as China (kung fu), Japan (karate, judo, aikido) and maybe Korea (taekwondo).
Make a connection with Southeast Asia, not so much.
When you think of the Philippines nowadays in terms of fighting, you most probably think of the Filipino boxing hero, Manny Pacquiao, who has been dominating the World Light Welterweight division for some time now.
Or some of us might even remember or at least have heard about “The Thrilla in Manila”, the epic boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, which is sometimes even referred to as the Fight of the Century and took place in the Philippines on October 1, 1975.
But Filipino Martial Arts, aka FMA, are not necessarily on most people’s radar, right?
The Philippines is a country in Southeast Asia consisting of over 7,000 islands and a total population of over 90 million (U.S. population is around 300 million).
An amazing fact I found out is that there are over 10 million overseas Filipinos which represents a whopping 11 percent of their total population.
The Philippines used to be first a Spanish colony, named after King Philipp II (hence the Philippines) in the 15th century, and then later a U.S. colony after the Spanish-American War (1898-1902).
During WWII, with the help of some very brave and tenacious Filipinos the U.S. was able to drive the Japanese out of the Philippines.
The Filipinos have a long heritage of martial arts that dates back to when Lapu-Lapu and his warriors fought against the Spanish invaders in the 15th century and even killing the famous Portuguese explorer Magellan, who is known for discovering the Pacific Ocean. Only when the Spaniards came back with guns were they able to conquer the Philippines.
These fierce Filipino warriors were known to be extremely skillful in a number of aspects of jungle warfare (armed and unarmed fighting) and throughout time their skills were passed down to the next generation.
Some of the great Filipino Martial Arts legends that have become household names are Dan Inosanto, Atty. Jose Villasin, Cacoy Canete, Elmer Ybanez, Tony Diego, Teofilo Velez, Richard Bustillo, Edgar Sulite, Leo Gaje, Armando P. Angeles, Leo Giron, Mike Inay, Ernesto Presas, Remy Presas, and Angel Cabales.
Filipino Martial Arts, aka FMA, basically consist of the following:
- Panantukan (empty-handed techniques)
- Eskrima/Kali/Arnis de Máno (blade and stick fighting)
- Pantadyakan (kicking).
Every well-rounded martial artist should seriously consider FMA as part of their martial arts repertoire.
How about some appetizers to get you started today? Enjoy!
Tai Chi – Live From Hong Kong
Honestly, I have been very fortunate to have travelled to a number of very desirable places in the world.
One of my absolute favorite places, if not my most favorite ever, is Hong Kong.
The first time I visited Hong Kong was in November 1992 and I can’t believe that was 17 years ago, OMG!
I have been there quite often ever since. And I just love it more every time I visit.
What it is really cool about staying on the mainland, especially in TST (Tsim Sha Tsui):
The absolutely breathtaking view you get of Hong Kong’s world famous skyline on Hong Kong island.
All while looking across Hong Kong Harbor, which is one the busiest waterways in the world.
In my opinion, there’s nothing like it! Alright, I admit it, I am biased.
Now, that you have taken in this superb view from your hotel room (when booking, ask for ‘harbourview’), it’s time for us to head down to the waterfront for some early exercise.
Don’t worry, we’re not going to hit the heavy bag or anything like that.
I was thinking more of Tai Chi to start the day.
Understand that Tai Chi aims at 3 elements:
Health: Tai Chi emphasizes the relief of physical effects of stress on the body and mind.
Without a doubt, good physical fitness is an important step towards effective self-defense.
Meditation: To maintain ultimate health, the meditative element of tai chi is considered essential, especially when applying the form as a soft martial art.
Finally, martial art: This is challenging, because it takes a long time of training to skillfully use Tai Chi as effective self-defense. Instead of meeting opposing force head-on, one attempts to yield and “stick” to an incoming attack.
And this is actually what I experienced while I was there:
It’s really quite relaxing and you need to try it, seriously.
I have seen early morning ( 6 a.m.!) Tai Chi practiced in courtyards in Beijing and Shanghai which I also truly enjoyed, but I gotta tell ya Hong Kong is still my favorite.
But you already knew that.
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