Gina Carano
Cynthia Rothrock, “The Queen Of Martial Arts Films”
In a recent post just several days ago I referred to Gina Carano as “The Face Of Women’s MMA”.
Today I would like to introduce Cynthia Rockroth, “The Queen Of Martial Arts Films”.
She was once quoted, “throughout my life, I’ve been opening the door for other women to get involved with martial arts films. I was the first woman to be on the cover of a karate magazine and the first woman to win a men’s championship.”
Quite an accomplishment!
I myself became aware of Cynthia Rothrock while flipping through a martial arts publication, I guess it was Black Belt Magazine, probably in the very early 80s when she was on the West coast demo team.
Between 1981 and 1985 Cynthia Rothrock was a five-time (and undefeated) World Karate Champion in forms and weapons.
Remarkably, these categories were open to both male and females at the time.
She currently holds an astonishing five Black belts in numerous Far Eastern martial art styles such as Tang Soo Do, Tae Kwon Do and Wu Shu.
She most probably was the first Caucasian actress that ever had a lead role in a Chinese film as a heroine.
Rothrock became one of the few Caucasian performers to achieve big-time stardom in the local Hong Kong film industry having starred with Michelle Yeoh, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao, even before achieving success in the U.S.
Reportedly, she set a record of becoming the very first non-Chinese westerner to carry an action movie single-handedly in Hong Kong. Cynthia departed from Hong Kong as one of the most celebrated action stars in Hong Kong’s movie history!
She has starred in countless movies here in the U.S. since returning from Hong Kong in the late 80s.
Probably best known for starring in “China O’Brien” and “Guardian Angel”, Cynthis Rothrock has added the fact that she is an inductee to the Black Belt Hall of Fame and Inside Kung-Fu Hall of Fame to her long list of outstanding accomplishments.
Even after all her major achievements off and on the Big Screen, Cynthia has also become certified as an instructor of Fighting Chance Combat Systems, a reality based, self defense system against armed assaults.
Cynthia Rothrock – Queen Of Martial Arts Films
Meet Gina Carano, The Face Of Women’s MMA
Meet Gina Carano, not just another pretty face, but The face of women’s MMA.
Besides being a looker, she definitely is a fighter.
Gina Carano is originally from Texas and notably her dad was a professional football player during the late 70s till early 80s with the Dallas Cowboys and then at the end of his career with the USFL Pittsburgh Maulers.
Gina was a very gifted high school basketball player in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Martial arts? Not yet!
Usually it’s “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”. But not in Gina’s case.
Gina Carano was introduced to Muay Thai by her ex-boyfriend, a professional Muay Thai fighter.
Working the bag and the mitts undeterredly she was able to establish a very impressive Muay Thai fight record of 12-1-1.
Training under Master Toddy and getting national exposure on the “Ring Girls” and then “Fight Girls”, where Gina Carano was one of five American young women who accept the daunting challenge of fighting professional female Muay Thai fighter here in the U.S. as well as in Thailand.
With the conviction of a true champion she laid the foundation for launching her MMA career just 3 three years ago.
Fighting for Team Xtreme Couture out of Las Vegas, Gina has become a household name in the shortest of time.
She most certainly is an awesome inspiration for girls and women to get involved in Muay Thai and/or MMA.
And yes, I think that’s a good thing!
Her Strikeforce MMA record currently stands at 7 wins and 1 loss.
Gina’s only loss was by TKO against a truly formidable opponent, Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Santos from Brazil, in the first round of their bout last August.
Before the fight I was listening to an interview Gina Carano gave and I thought I heard some self-doubt coming from her.
In essence, she said something to the extent of ‘whoever wins the fight, will be a deserving champion and women’s MMA will continue to gain popularity’. Hmm.
Either way, Gina Carano is a superb fighter who knows her stuff and she continues to do an amazing job in getting women of all ages excited about Muay Thai and MMA.
Meet Gina Carano, The Face Of Women’s MMA.
Master Toddy, Muay Thai Legend And Trainer Of World Champions
Master Toddy, one of Muay Thai’s most famous coaches and an absolute authority in producing world kickboxing champions who come to him from all kinds of countries, runs a very respected Kick-Boxing Gym in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Some reports say that he has trained over forty world champions and that many of them attained world champion status within just a year of training with him.
Master Toddy started his very successful coaching career in the 80’s in England before packing up his gym and trying his luck in the United States.
The TV show “Fight Girls” certainly gave him exposure and national recognition by a greater audience.
Master Toddy did his magic by taking a bunch of very ambitious girls to a level of fighting that they were very capable of
competing with professional female Muay Thai fighters in Las Vegas and even in Thailand.
Of course, viewers were able to experience some TV drama (always helps the ratings), but overall both coach and fighters did an outstanding job.
Especially outstanding was Gina Carano, who went on to become today’s female face of Mixed Martial Arts.
What usually doesn’t get reported is that Master Toddy has one the most devastating Muay Thai kicks ever.
It has been reported that when he applies his waist-high round kick, he can kick even a very strong and muscular man holding the banana bag entirley off his feet about six feet backwards.
And then we have his son, Dayel Sitiwatjana, who obviously is an extremely talented boxer and who is aspiring to climb all the way to top.
We might just be seeing history in the making!
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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